Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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"So, you thought the human wanted to become young again, but that wasn't it?"
"That's right."
"How strange. Don't humans always crave youth?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying! But what can you do when the person themselves doesn't want it?"
Great King Do-un's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Heavenly Peach Pill was a sacred medicine that should never be given lightly.
Its immense effects could easily plunge the human world into chaos if mishandled.
"So you restored their original body?"
"Yes, I used my power to revert them to their true form. But... they inexplicably became young again, without any reason."
Great King Do-un let out a deep sigh as he carefully rolled the Heavenly Peach Pill between his fingers.
His gaze gradually sharpened.
The Heavenly Peach Pill contained the power of the heavenly realm.
It was intrinsically linked to life force itself, and not even King Yama could perfectly extract that power through simple manipulation.
Not only had it been given to a human without thorough preparation from the start—that was a problem in itself—but forcibly reversing the already transformed state had introduced another major variable.
"Hmm..."
"Was the reversion the issue after all?"
Great King Do-un's fingertips trembled faintly.
He set the pill down again, interlaced his fingers, and sank into thought before cautiously turning his gaze toward King Yama.
"It seems that's the cause."
"Is that so...?"
"Once the Heavenly Peach Pill had exerted its intended effect and was then reversed by divine power, it's highly likely that it didn't fully dissipate. Instead, remnants could have lingered in the human's body and mutated."
King Yama's expression grew increasingly grave at Great King Do-un's words.
"...Mutated?"
"Yes. The pill is tied to life force. But if its natural flow was disrupted by divine intervention..."
"Disrupted how?"
"...The residual energy from the pill may have flowed in an unexpected direction. In simple terms, the leftover essence tangled with the human's body, triggering side effects."
"In that case... is there a way to resolve the side effects?"
Anticipation laced King Yama's voice.
It was cautious, yet carried an underlying conviction that a solution was within reach.
A faint light glimmered in his eyes, and Great King Do-un met the gaze for a moment.
"I'll search for a method. However, it may take time."
"W-Well, as long as you can restore them to normal, time doesn't matter!"
Great King Do-un stared steadily at King Yama, continuing slowly with measured caution.
"To pinpoint the exact solution, I'd need to examine the human's condition directly. But as you know, I can't descend in my current situation, can I?"
"R-Right."
"Therefore, you must bring the human here."
Great King Do-un narrowed his eyes and exhaled a slow sigh.
The pill quivered faintly at his fingertips once more, and his mind swirled in turmoil.
Bringing a human to the heavenly realm was no simple matter.
"Kahaha! So if I bring the human to the heavenly realm, you can fix it?"
Great King Do-un rose slowly, his eyes fixed on the pond in the Palace of Cloudy Purity.
Mysterious blue waves rippled gently, but amid that beauty, he sensed the ripples of upheaval to come.
"King Yama."
Great King Do-un finally spoke.
His voice remained composed, but unmistakable worry threaded through it.
"Bringing a human to the heavenly realm is no trivial affair."
"Of course, but couldn't I just sneak them in?"
"This isn't something to take so lightly."
Great King Do-un's gaze deepened.
The heavenly realm, home to the gods, was a space entirely severed from the human domain.
It wasn't a place where humans could come and go freely. If their presence here were discovered, it could impact the entire heavenly realm.
King Yama arched an eyebrow slightly.
"Who would dare say anything to me?"
"The Jade Emperor."
For a moment, King Yama's face took on a grave cast.
But it passed quickly, and he burst into hearty laughter, waving a hand dismissively.
"Hahaha! I've already accounted for that much."
"...Pardon?"
"As long as the Jade Emperor doesn't catch me, what's the problem?"
"T-That's true, but... even without the Jade Emperor, the heavenly realm has plenty of watchful eyes, doesn't it?"
"If there are eyes, then hide from them. There's no issue in the heavenly realm that I can't handle. Not even if the Jade Emperor himself shows up!"
Great King Do-un faltered for an instant.
Whenever King Yama displayed such unwavering confidence, things never ended small.
'What madness is that fool scheming now?'
Great King Do-un watched him closely, a deep unease stirring within.
"...Are you truly certain?"
"Trust in me."
King Yama grinned with supreme confidence, but Great King Do-un's anxiety only swelled further.
Never once had matters proceeded smoothly when he spoke with such assurance.
'Ha...'
Great King Do-un closed his eyes and sighed.
He gazed silently at the blue pond, then turned to King Yama and bowed his head.
"...Understood. Once this batch of Heavenly Peach Pills is complete, I'll give you the word. Bring the human to the heavenly realm then."
On a blindingly sunny summer day, in a narrow alley of a rural village, young Yoo Soeun chased Han Haeseong with a clear, bright laugh.
The little girl with flushed cheeks clutched the hem of her skirt fluttering in the summer breeze and looked up at him.
"Oppa! When I grow up, I wanna marry you!"
Han Haeseong chuckled playfully and lightly ruffled Yoo Soeun's hair.
"Sure, when you grow up, oppa will marry you."
Those simple words made Soeun's eyes sparkle.
She was still just an innocent child, but to her, he was her entire world.
"R-Really?"
"Of course!"
From then on, Yoo Soeun shadowed Han Haeseong wherever he went, becoming his very shadow.
She waited for him on the path home from school, snuck him his favorite snacks, and if he so much as got a scratch, she'd offer her tiny handkerchief with teary eyes.
However.
Time flowed onward, and the two gradually grew up.
Haeseong eventually left for Seoul to start university.
That day, at the station, Soeun tugged desperately at the hem of his shirt.
"...Oppa, do you have to go?"
"Soeun-ah, I'll be back before you know it. I'll come every vacation."
"Still... it's too far away."
Haeseong stroked her head one last time and boarded the train.
To him, it was merely the whining of a young middle school girl, but she stood rooted there, watching until the train vanished from sight.
And from that day forward, everything began to change.
At first, she believed she could endure it.
But as time wore on, an indefinable anxiety took root in Yoo Soeun's heart.
The village without Haeseong felt utterly hollow, and every day without seeing him became agony.
She stared at her phone constantly, waiting for his call, but he grew busier—messages dwindled, conversations shortened.
'...He wouldn't break our promise, would he?'
Yoo Soeun grew ever more restless.
Had he made new friends in Seoul?
Maybe... met some new girl?
Those thoughts suffocated her.
Night after sleepless night, she clutched her phone.
Swipe—
Swipe—
Before long, Yoo Soeun was scouring SNS, digging into every detail of Han Haeseong's life.
His friends, who he met that day, his frequent haunts—she memorized it all.
And whenever unfamiliar women appeared in his photos, her hands trembled, her chest constricted.
And so.
Time passed. Yoo Soeun got into university, just as Han Haeseong's military discharge approached.
He'd return to school soon, meaning their reunion in Seoul was right around the corner.
How desperately she'd missed him.
'I can be by oppa's side again, like old times.' With that thought, she counted down the days to his discharge.
-Heard the news?
-What news?
Then one day, in front of the neighborhood supermarket, a familiar voice drifted over.
-About Haeseong.
At the mention of "Haeseong," Yoo Soeun instinctively ducked out of sight, pressing herself against the store's corner.
Another ajumma's voice followed.
-Haeseong? Isn't he in the military?
-He's discharging soon, and word is he's getting married next spring?
-Oh my, really? Haeseong's already at marriage age.
-I heard it straight from his dad not long ago. Said his future daughter-in-law is so kind and pretty. They're starting wedding prep right after discharge.
Yoo Soeun's eyes shook violently.
'...Oppa Haeseong is getting married?'
A searing heat welled up in her chest, her fingertips quivering uncontrollably.
The word "marriage" tore through her mind like a blade.
'Oppa's supposed to marry me—who the hell are they talking about...?'
The ajummas' chatter continued, but it no longer reached Yoo Soeun's ears.
Her mind went stark white, a dull pulse thundering in her ears.
'Why... betray me?'
She drew in a deep breath.
Madness gleamed in her eyes amid the shadows.
A bizarre heat suffused her body.
A cold, chilling aura enveloped her.
It felt as if the puzzle, so meticulously pieced together after years of waiting, had shattered into fragments.
'No... no...'
An madness no one could have foreseen was slowly blooming within Yoo Soeun's heart.
An eerily serene smile.
Her lips curved upward as she murmured softly.
'Yeah... the daughter-in-law those ajummas mentioned... that was me.'
It was from that moment.
That Yoo Soeun began to transcend denial and confusion, deluding herself into believing she was "Kang Jua."