Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Eternal Warmth
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Once, my precious friend had gone by the name Han Seo-ah. Her true identity was another Han Cheong-ah.
Han Seo-ah's wish had come true. In the end, the world had bent to her desires.
The tragic tale depicted in Red Ark had not come to pass in this world.
Zero One was dead.
Without its leader, the society would naturally crumble over time.
The demigod of the Dimensional Beasts had vanished with her choice to fade away.
And her beloved family, Lee Gyeo-ul, had survived.
The pivotal changer wasn't me—it was Han Seo-ah.
The pivotal changer had altered the fate of this world. What remained was up to the survivors.
"Are you really okay with that?"
I suddenly asked into the space where my vanished friend had stood.
Was there truly no place for Han Seo-ah in this world?
She'd always been like that, even before.
The type who would rather bear the loss herself than harm others—a classic good soul.
Of course, I saw Han Cheong-ah as kind too, but Han Seo-ah was... well...
"Hero."
She was closer to a proactive hero. I let out a small sigh.
I clasped my hands and mourned at length the death of the friend who could only become a hero, not a heroine.
"......"
When the mourning ended, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
It was time to return to the place I belonged.
'Do-hyun.'
There was a girl who pulled off eccentric acts like they were everyday meals, thought differently from ordinary people, and eagerly awaited my drawings.
It was reason enough to choose the world where I'd lived a short time as a vampire over the one where I'd spent 26 years in a human body.
Life as a vampire in my original world would be nothing but uncertainty anyway, and a world without my one and only friend felt unbearably dull.
Sorry to the friends waiting for illustrator Pikikipiki's naughty pics, but as a webtoon artist, I had to live a new life.
"Hoo......"
My life as the pivotal changer was over.
Now, only Baek Do-hyun's tumultuous life lay ahead.
"I'm off!"
Farewell.
I bid goodbye to all the past I'd shared with Han Seo-ah.
No regrets, no lingering attachments.
What mattered wasn't looking back, but forward.
Ahead lay hardships and trials, sorrow and setbacks, success and miracles, joy and ecstasy—all possibilities.
That was enough.
My fate was mine to forge.
I stepped boldly into the Rift.
With a refreshing smile like carbonated water on a sweltering summer day, I advanced into the future.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Do-hyun..."
Emerging from the Rift, I found Han Cheong-ah touching my face with a look of utter bewilderment.
"You went in less than 10 seconds ago. Did you sense a threat and bolt right away?"
Ten seconds? It had felt like an hour to me.
"Oh my god... look at these tear stains. Must've been one hell of an opponent to make Do-hyun run off sobbing."
I'd deliberately stayed inside until my emotions settled, but it was all for nothing.
I grabbed her cheek with a pinch!, as if to say, I told you so.
"It's all sorted out."
I cut off any misunderstandings before they could build.
Han Cheong-ah still eyed me suspiciously.
What the hell does she think I am...?
"Cheong-ah."
"Yes?"
"Quit messing around."
"Okay."
Like an obedient Pomeranian, she nodded.
"So, how was meeting the person waiting for Do-hyun? Fun? Bittersweet? I'm dying to hear your thoughts."
"It was great catching up with an old friend, but sad knowing we'd part. Above all, though, it was a relief—like quenching a deep thirst."
"Kinda jealous for some reason."
No need to be jealous of herself, I thought.
I had no intention of telling Han Cheong-ah the truth.
Humans are fickle creatures whose thoughts shift moment to moment, so I couldn't promise forever, but my farewell to Han Seo-ah would stay buried in my memories eternally.
A 20-year friendship's goodbye carried heavy weight in so many ways.
"Cheong-ah."
"Yes."
"Remember when I said I'd have something to tell you if I came back safe?"
"I've been waiting for that. So, what is it you want to say to me?"
She buzzed with excitement like a kid awaiting a quiz answer.
That reaction made me want to tease her, mischievous or not.
"No fun if I just tell you outright."
"Don't tease—spill it, or I'll burn dinner."
"As a vampire, burnt food doesn't faze me."
"Then, 'or my blood'll cool'?"
"Cold blood's not so ba—"
Han Cheong-ah pinched my cheek.
Judging by her grip, she wouldn't let go until I spoke.
"Ow! It huuurts! Fine, I'll say iiiit......"
"Yes?"
Playtime over. I rubbed my stinging cheek.
Pain aside, I smiled softly.
"Cheong-ah."
"Yes."
"I love you."
Everything was done. No more need to hide my feelings for her.
In Baek Do-hyun's life—not the pivotal changer's—Cheong-ah was what I needed most.
The girl who loved my drawings shone like the sun lighting the sky.
Put Han Cheong-ah into a canvas, and it took on bright hues as if by promise.
Even if stained with blood and gloom.
Even if a pitch-black scene of pure darkness.
Cheong-ah gleamed beautifully like stars and moon in the night sky.
Borrowing an artist's line for this moment:
Cheong-ah was my Venus, my Mona Lisa.
"......"
Night departed the world.
In its place dawned the light of daybreak.
The revealed sun bathed the world in brightness once more.
And in this instant, it spotlighted Cheong-ah.
"Do-hyun."
"Yeah."
"I love you too."
I vowed it.
I'd draw Han Cheong-ah accepting my confession.
This moment, with my breath shaky and pulse unsteady,
Would spark my greatest inspiration ever.
The resulting piece would surely be a masterpiece.
I was certain.
And that painting would be a secret just for me and Cheong-ah.
Because only I could behold such a beautiful girl.
I didn't want strangers gawking at this scenery.
I'm greedy, after all.
And so, we became lovers.
A precious bond to walk the future together.
Forged right here.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Nngh......"
I stretched in my chair.
Dawn was breaking already. While others woke, it was my bedtime.
That's the creator's life. Inspiration strikes amid thick night air laced with booze.
And vampires are nocturnal by nature.
I set down my frenzied pen and leaned back.
"Mmm......"
Cheong-ah lay sprawled on the bed, scratching her belly. The neatly tucked blanket was half-kicked off.
I straightened her exposed clothes, then pulled the blanket over her.
It had been about six months since we started living together properly, after leaving Sister Winter's mansion.
Time had passed since the final battle, and the 21st Century Secret Society had fully disintegrated.
Not all anomalies were gone, but as expected, without Zero One as their core, they were mere rabble.
Yang Soo-hyun's hunters had wiped them out completely.
With the society gone, the world's gears repaired swiftly.
Chaotic society began settling back to normal.
Academy City too. We'd graduated high school safely.
Byeol-ha seemed to have joined Yang Soo-hyun's crew, walking the hunter path.
Aria had vanished like the wind after confirming Zero One's death.
Mimir was obsessed with research to revive Anne.
Sister Winter wasn't an exception either—she'd teamed back up with that Hound Dog from before and was hunting again.
With Han Seo-ah, the Dimensional Beast demigod, gone, the Rifts plaguing the world were slowly fading.
But the world wasn't safe from Dimensional Beasts yet.
Humanity wouldn't let its guard down until the Rifts vanished entirely.
📰 Webtoon Title [Academy City's Vampire Genius] The monitor displayed the first episode of my webtoon.
It was my own fun adaptation of everything that had happened, with Cheong-ah's advice.
The protagonist: a vampire hiding in Academy City. Part of an evil organization, but with his own circumstances.
A typical shonen manga in webtoon form—he meets the heroine, gradually changes, and becomes a hero helping people.
I hadn't hit upload to the amateur submission site yet—someone needed to see it first.
I slipped into the bed beside sprawled-out Cheong-ah.
A perfect body pillow hugged just right. I gently pulled her close and closed my eyes.
Her warm glow lulled me to sleep.
From now on.
And after.
Into the future.
This gentle warmth would never leave my side.