The Diary's Light Piercing the Darkness
The diary's light pierced outward in all directions through the darkness.
An invitation message has arrived.
Do you accept?
Woojin grabbed the jade ring from the desk and pressed the 'Yes' button below the text.
Yeah, this is right.Even without any special contact, if there hadn't been even a final farewell, I would've been truly disappointed.
Transferring to the virtual world.
No sooner had the message window vanished than a brilliant light enveloped him. And, moments later.
It felt like he'd arrived in the virtual world—
Whoosh.
A cool breeze washed over his entire body. Woojin slowly opened his eyes and looked around.
'This place...'
Familiar landscapes came into view at once, ones he recognized immediately. He stood alone in the middle of the front courtyard of Gangnyeongjeon.
"......"
Lifting his gaze to the sky, it evoked the final scene of Red Petals once more. The clear sky—cheongcheon—that Yeonsangun, who had become the deposed king, had so desperately longed to see.
Sunlight poured down under the cloudless, brilliant weather. It felt like it was gently settling on his face.
'Was this place ever such a peaceful space?'
During the nine months he'd lived as Yeonsangun, Gangnyeongjeon had always reverberated with the stench of blood, groans, and screams soaked in agony. To think it could feel this serene and tranquil.
Gazing upon Gangnyeongjeon in this utterly different atmosphere, it now fully displayed the palace's grandeur, which he hadn't noticed before. Woojin spread his arms wide and closed his eyes, savoring the energy emanating from the palace.
Step, step.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps approached. Woojin turned toward the noise. At the end of his gaze walked a man with hands clasped behind his back, smiling brightly—it was Yi Yeong.
He approached and spoke.
"It's truly delightful to see you again."
"It's been a while, Your Highness."
After exchanging warm greetings, the two men simply stared at each other in silence. In that moment, a pang of regret mingled with the joy of reunion.
'If only we'd communicated a bit more, like with Kyubo hyung.'
'What should I say?'
A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.
"Would you care to walk with me for a spell?"
"I'd be honored."
The brief silence shattered with Yi Yeong's welcoming suggestion. Woojin gladly fell into step beside him.
Strolling as if on a leisurely walk, they passed Gangnyeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru, and several other palace facilities. Though the exteriors of every place they visited appeared ordinary and quiet, they somehow exuded an eerie chill. It was like invisible bloodstains had been splattered everywhere—vivid yet unseen. The mad deposed king's atrocities seemed to overlap with the scene.
Yi Yeong wore a similarly ambiguous expression, as if sharing Woojin's feelings, taking in the surroundings with his eyes.
"Ah, this..."
Leaving Yi Yeong behind for a moment, Woojin pulled something from his pocket and handed it over. The jade ring.
One of the few precious mementos left by his mother—it was time to return it.
"You've kept it safe."
Yi Yeong slipped the jade ring back onto his own finger. A benevolent smile curved his lips as he said,
"I'd like to offer something in return."
He handed over a small box, just the right size to fit in one hand.
"What's this?"
"Open it."
Opening the ornate, multicolored box revealed a small silver goblet inside.
"It's recompense for granting my request," Yi Yeong continued. "Through you, I finally understood what the recurring dream was trying to tell me."
"I only did what I could."
"It's akin to the favor I asked of you."
Yi Yeong took Woojin's hand, expressing his gratitude.
"As we wandered these grounds, if only briefly, I revisited the future you showed me."
He explained that, having witnessed the unfiltered atrocities of his future self through Woojin, he had vowed never to transform into that monster.
Woojin responded to his sincerity with a bow of his head.
"One final question, if I may. Can you answer it?"
"If it's something I can share, gladly."
Yi Yeong hesitated a moment before speaking. Woojin listened intently.
"I know well that my fate as the deposed king stems from the unspeakable evils my future self committed."
His voice was low.
"But I still don't know what led me down that path."
Woojin thought to himself that Yi Yeong couldn't possibly know—and that he shouldn't know.
"If I could become like the figure you showed me, there must have been some extraordinary trigger."
"......"
"You know, don't you?"
"Yes."
A hint of desperation crept into Yi Yeong's subdued tone.
"Will you tell me?"
"I can't."
Woojin refused firmly. Yi Yeong smiled faintly and asked,
"Why not?"
"In my world, you are already part of history. It's not something that should be—or can be—changed by force."
"......"
"And if I told you what you're curious about... it would be like making you a tyrant with my own hands."
"......!"
"That's why, even though I know the answer, I can't tell you."
Woojin's gaze fixed on Yi Yeong's eyes. Yi Yeong nodded silently at his logical explanation.
"You're right."
"Thank you for understanding."
"No, it was my thinking that was shortsighted."
Only then did Yi Yeong exhale deeply, his expression finally relaxed.
"You've already given me the key to changing my fate. That's more than enough to be grateful for. The nightmares that tormented me so viciously are over now—your role is complete. What remains is mine alone."
"Thank you. I'll treasure the gift from Your Highness."
Yi Yeong nodded and asked,
"Is it time for you to return to your world?"
"It seems so."
As Woojin answered, Yi Yeong gripped his hand tighter. In that instant, Woojin sensed it.
It's almost time...
The sensation in his hand gradually faded, and the forms of the two men facing each other grew dimmer. Just as they became invisible to the naked eye—
Swish.
Darkness crept in, enveloping Woojin's vision. The familiar feel beneath his feet. He groped along the wall.
Click.
The switch flipped, banishing the dark, and Woojin found himself standing in his one-room apartment.
Whew, that woke me right up.
(2/10)
Progress: 20%
Reward: Capacity +10
'I'm back.'
The room was exactly as it had been just before entering the virtual world. The diary still hovered in midair, and text popped out from it before it fell to the floor.
Woojin picked up the diary and sat at his desk. In his hand was the box Yi Yeong had given him, unchanged.
But—
'What, what's this?'
Opening the box, Woojin's eyes widened in shock. The contents he pulled out—the silver goblet—startled him the moment he saw it.
"Why is this...?"
In the virtual world just moments ago, it had gleamed with a clear silver shine. But now, in reality, rust covered it in spots.
An ominous yet logical suspicion flooded Woojin's mind.
'No way...'
Only one or two minutes had passed from returning to reality and checking the goblet. Had nine years already gone by in Yi Yeong's world? The fact that the silver goblet he'd bestowed was rusted meant...
When he learned the truth of his mother's death after those nine years, the Yi Yeong in the virtual world must not have overcome his rage after all?
"Haa."
Woojin let out a sigh without realizing it, his heart heavy with mixed emotions. His belief that history must not—and should not—be altered remained unshaken.
But if it was the history within the virtual world, which didn't affect reality...
He hoped that Yeonsangun—no, Yi Yeong there—had met a different end. A mere wish, in the end.
The real historical Yeonsangun, the one from Red Petals, and the one in the virtual world...
'None of them could become a sage king.'
Woojin placed the rusted silver goblet back in the box. Despite its beautiful engravings, the box seemed to mourn the faded silver gleam.
'Whew, I need some fresh air.'
The life of Yeonsangun he'd lived for four—or nine—months, short yet long. The emotions left at its end were bittersweet regret.
Woojin set the box on the bookshelf, then—
Click.
—opened the door and stepped out. Though spring was nearly upon them in March, the pre-dawn air felt colder than the fiercest winter wind.
With the whirlwind schedule finally over, stove league season returned once more. Leisurely days settled in. He devoted himself to rest, catching up on the dramas and movies he'd missed over the past nine months.
Then, delightful news arrived in succession.
First,
Dahee texted that she'd signed with Flower Entertainment. Now she and Woojin would share the same rice pot.
Also,
Word came that the drama starring his closest colleague—and fellow Flower Entertainment actor—Soo-hyun was a hit.
And while Woojin had been immersed in filming Red Petals,
S Company's coffee ad featuring him had already exploded in popularity on TV and online. The response was so strong that sales of the new product were climbing steadily. S Company expressed their desire to extend the exclusive model contract and deposited not just the original 200 million won fee, but an additional amount including incentives.
Checking his internet banking, the sum was beyond imagination. His jaw dropped so wide he thought it might dislocate.
'No real need to spend it.'
Stunned by the largest sum he'd ever held, Woojin murmured,
"Hmm..."
His eyes widened at the bank balance, scanning the room until he thought,
'Maybe I should move first.'
He resolved to leave the beloved one-room that had soaked up fifteen years of his nameless actor life, now worn threadbare.