Chapter 810: Little Lamb (1)
‘He does kind of look like him…’
The eyebrows, the shape of the eyes—I could see Chief Song in him. But maybe because he was still so young, that solid, imposing presence of his was nowhere to be found no matter how hard I looked. Instead, he felt small, fragile, and round.
More importantly, if this kid really was Chief Song, what the hell was going on?
‘Seong Hyunjae said he was protecting Chief Song.’
Something about using a defensive skill while in a deathlike state, if I remembered right. Which meant.
‘…Did the World Tree eat them?’
The two of them had been trapped together inside the World Tree, somewhere near its magic stone, and it seemed I had entered their consciousness—no, Chief Song’s consciousness. Was everything outside all right? And why did Chief Song look like a child?
“Uh, Chief So—no, Taewon.”
He was a child right now, but calling him that felt awkward. Chief Song stared up at me.
“Um, is there anyone else here? A man about this tall, with faded hair and golden eyes. Annoyingly handsome, at least in the face. Looks like he’s in his thirties at most, if you’re being generous, but talks like he’s pushing sixty.”
Chief Song blinked.
Cute.
I wanted to pat his closely cropped head.
“I don’t know.”
“Really? Then, Taewon, why are you here all by yourself?”
I lowered myself to meet his eyes and asked as gently as I could.
“What happened?”
Chief Song had become a child inside his own unconscious. There had to be a reason for it. I was worried about the situation outside, but with Noah’s current abilities, defending shouldn’t be difficult. And if we could wake Chief Song and Seong Hyunjae safely, we might be able to destroy the World Tree from the inside.
“Want me to give you a present? Here.”
I held out a black little lamb plush to the hesitant Chief Song. It was a prototype Little Song plush made at the request of the Korean Hunter Association. The texture was especially incredible, since its soft, fluffy wool had been reproduced so well.
Chief Song looked at me with suspicion.
“I was told I shouldn’t accept things from adults I don’t know.”
Even as a kid, he really was Chief Song. So sharp and well spoken.
“Our Taewon is smart. But I know you very well. And doesn’t this little lamb feel familiar? I’m sure you’ve seen it before.”
Baa, I moved the plush back and forth as though it were bleating.
“This was actually yours from the beginning.”
When the little lamb hopped toward him, two small hands reflexively reached out. Young Song Taewon held the lamb in his arms. His expression was still doubtful, but it seemed he liked the feel of the plush. His stiff face softened just a little.
“When people tell children to be careful of strangers, it’s because they’re worried something bad might happen, right? But I’m not going to move from here. I won’t touch you, and I won’t ask you to come anywhere with me. Then it’s okay, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
The round head nodded slightly.
Of course, there were people who built trust like this and then did terrible things afterward. Especially in this world, where young Awakened could be worth money, the best option was not even making eye contact with unfamiliar adults.
Anyway, Chief Song seemed to have lowered his guard a little. I asked again, coaxing softly.
“What were you doing here, Taewon?”
“…Nothing.”
Chief Song shook his head.
“I mustn’t do anything.”
“What? No—”
I lowered my voice again after it rose without meaning to.
“Why do you think that? Why mustn’t you do anything?”
Chief Song fiddled with the little lamb plush.
“It’s bad.”
“What’s bad? Who is?”
“Song Taewon should not have been born.”
My words caught in my throat.
Chief Song had been getting a little more lenient with himself lately than he used to be, so why, all of a sudden—
I barely swallowed back the urge to raise my voice and tell him absolutely not. Don’t get worked up. Stay calm. Gently.
“Taewon, there’s no such thing as someone who shouldn’t have been born. No matter who they are.”
Those black eyes quietly looked at me. The child took one step back. It was a firm step, without the slightest hesitation.
“No.”
“Taewon.”
“No.”
He took another step back. Just before I could reach out my hand, a child’s voice came from somewhere.
“Hyung!”
Song Taewon whipped around. He ran toward the voice. The moment I stood up to follow, I felt another presence.
At the same time, my head throbbed, and Rookie’s words surfaced in my mind.
‘Honey, you want your memories back, don’t you?’
‘Swallow them again.’
‘They were originally yours, Honey. Take them back before the empty spaces heal over and what was stolen melts into him.’
…Right.
My memories.
Rookie had left a suggestion in me. So that, if I had the chance, I could reclaim my memories from Seong Hyunjae.
That was why, the moment I approached the sleeping Seong Hyunjae, I had unconsciously used the power that burrowed into his consciousness.
“…Seong Hyunjae!”
Golden eyes met mine. I knew him. Apparently more closely than I had thought—
Hold on.
“Han Yujin–gun?”
Seong Hyunjae gave me a curious look as the back of my neck flushed slightly.
I mean, surely nothing had happened. Liette’s memories didn’t seem to imply that anything had really happened. …Right? But Liette and Seong Hyunjae definitely did look good together. Liette also had no hesitation in that area, and though the age gap bothered me—
“What are you thinking about while looking at me?”
“No! That’s not it. It’s just, Liette… thought you suited her. In looks, I mean. Of course, I think absolutely not because of the age difference, but Liette was the one who first—”
Even if it was Liette’s memory, this was definitely rude.
“I’m sorry,” I said, bowing my head.
“Ah, that time,” Seong Hyunjae murmured.
That time?
What time?
What was it?
“For the record, among born S–ranks, none are my type. In this world, of course, and probably in other worlds too, though I don’t remember the details. Perhaps because they were born innately gifted, I simply don’t find myself drawn to them.”
He said he preferred something that began as a seed.
“If there were any primordial origin who suited my tastes, it would be myself.”
“…Wow. That is some impressive narcissism.”
Though honestly, it would be stranger if someone like Seong Hyunjae didn’t love himself.
I let out a short breath. I had to get my memories back, but there was something more urgent right now.
“First of all, what happened? You acted so confident about handling the King of Predation, and in the end, the two trees merged.”
“The shadow was enchanted by the butterfly.”
The butterfly. The Gardener again? That bastard Gardener, just watch what I do to him. As if going after Yuhyun wasn’t enough, now he had touched Chief Song too.
“To begin with, time outside flows much more slowly than it does here. Like how the flow of consciousness moves faster than reality.”
“That’s a relief. What did that Gardener bastard do to Chief Song?”
Seong Hyunjae lightly pressed his index finger against his own lips.
“It is not something I can say.”
“…It’s the kind of thing I need to hear from Chief Song himself.”
Seong Hyunjae nodded. Judging from young Chief Song’s behavior, I had thought so.
Song Taewon. The one who had helped create Eclipse was none other than the Gardener. That must have made it even easier for him to burrow into Chief Song’s depths.
Into the deepest part of a man I still did not fully know.
“The Gardener tried to shake Director Song Taewon and control him, to make him swallow the World Tree’s magic stone. To stop that, I wrapped around Song Taewon and ended up trapped with him inside the World Tree.”
“…After what happened with Hwang Rim, we should have been more careful.”
“Normally, he would not have been vulnerable enough to be controlled.”
Seong Hyunjae looked at me.
“But when he was caught up in the young lady’s skill and entered Han Yujin–gun’s memories, it seems Song Taewon’s memories were dredged up as well. The butterfly slipped in through the weakness that created, one could say.”
True. If it had been easy to influence Chief Song, there had been plenty of opportunities before this.
“With my skill, I protected not only his body but his mind and managed to separate the butterfly from him, but.”
“The shock to Chief Song was that severe.”
“He gave up.”
There was a bitter note in Seong Hyunjae’s voice.
“The current Song Taewon is from before that incident happened.”
That incident.
I was curious, but I couldn’t ask Seong Hyunjae. He wouldn’t answer anyway. For all his selfishness, he was firm about things like that.
…At least, that was what I thought.
Even though I shouldn’t have any memories of Seong Hyunjae. Was I being influenced because I had entered his consciousness directly?
I let out a short sigh and held out my hand toward Seong Hyunjae.
“Give them back.”
Seong Hyunjae exaggeratedly tilted his head, as though he had no idea what I meant.
“Hand over my memories.”
Chief Song was deeply connected to Seong Hyunjae. So I would also need my memories back if I wanted to properly approach Chief Song’s problem.
Seong Hyunjae smiled, his eyes curving.
“My apologies, but they are mine now.”
“What kind of bullshit—”
“Is that not so?”
Beside Seong Hyunjae, I appeared.
It wasn’t a simple illusion. It was me, constructed from my memories. I was wearing a sleek suit. When was that from? Was it when I met Hunter Chloe at the hotel? Back then, Seong Hyunjae had also… so…
“Yes, Master.”
“…Hey!”
My memory of Han Yujin said something insane.
What the hell are you doing!
“What kind of nonsense are you pulling with someone else’s memories?”
“Oh dear. Han Yujin–gun cannot remember, so—”
Ruler’s Sword appeared in my hand.
This was consciousness, a place where I could draw on the power I had experienced. And even if it weren’t, I currently had Liette’s power doubled, then doubled again, Seong Hyunjae! Kararak. The black sword whipped through the air, bending toward him, and Seong Hyunjae slipped aside.
“There’s no way I ever said that crap to you!”
“How unfair.”
Seong Hyunjae leapt lightly backward, widening the distance, and beside him, I appeared again.
Then I shouted without warning.
“Seong Hyunjae! You and I have a kid together!”
I coughed and choked. It felt like my mouth, nose, and ears had all stopped working at once.
“You crazy bastard! What kind of ridiculous scam are you trying to sell me!”
“Hangyeol–gun will cry.”
“Why are you dragging our Gyeol into—”
I stopped just as I was about to shout.
It felt like I had said some equally absurd thing about having a kid with Yuhyun, too.
Seol was the second child.
Then Gyeol was.
Hangyeol.
Silver—or pink—hair and golden eyes.
Hangyeol’s face was definitely…
“…Give me my memories!”
“No.”
Kagagagak!
The black sword carrying the power of Severance cut through the golden chains. I dug in through the storm of electricity. My sword slipped past, and I stabbed it into the ground, using it as a pivot to whip my body around. A thick black dragon’s tail slammed toward Seong Hyunjae’s waist. It wasn’t a direct hit, but the waist of his coat tore open in a long line.
“The reason I called Han Yujin–gun here.”
Black thread–like strands wrapped around each of Seong Hyunjae’s fingers. They lashed out toward me in long arcs. Even when I cut them, they settled over my whole body like spiderwebs.
“Was to wake Song Taewon.”
Fwoosh. Flames rose. They burned away the threads in an instant, and I lunged at Seong Hyunjae. Seong Hyunjae teleported. I teleported after him. I spread Noah’s wings. Not feathers, but membrane. Feathers were still hard to fully reproduce.
“Shall I take mine out as well?”
Black wings spread from Seong Hyunjae’s back too. Had he acquired a racial transformation skill as well? Well, of course he had. What wouldn’t he have? With his innate lightning attribute, perhaps he simply lacked other attributes.
“Look below.”
Seong Hyunjae gestured to me as I was about to attack. At some point, a village had appeared beneath our feet.
It was a rural village, mostly made up of detached houses. Mountains surrounded it, and a not–particularly–wide stream ran along the road. Beside it, I saw young Chief Song and another child.
“That kid…”
His face looked young, but he was bigger than Chief Song. Even though he was still a child, his frame was already so naturally built that it stood out at a glance. If I imagined Chief Song as a child, I would have pictured him looking exactly like that.
“When I’m one year older, they said I can go to Seoul and attend the same school as hyung.”
The child’s voice reached me.
Hyung.
Were they brothers? Aside from their physiques, they definitely looked alike. Chief Song had said he had a younger brother who died in an accident when they were kids.
“…Chief Song’s younger brother was bigger than him.”
Yuhyun had also been big for his age, but because there was a pretty large age gap between us, when he was that young, he had still been smaller than me. Though he shot up fast and became taller than me in high school.
“And…”
Without realizing it, I swallowed dryly.
A younger brother who died in childhood.
A younger brother whose build felt almost like Chief Song’s childhood self.
Small and weak Chief Song.
The age before that incident.
Chief Song, saying he was bad, that he should not have been born.
Eclipse.
Plunder.
The power to steal what belonged to another.
I looked back at Seong Hyunjae. His expression was calm and subdued.
“…No.”
No matter what, surely not.
“I am considering what to do.”
Seong Hyunjae said it quietly.
“Song Taewon has acknowledged himself as something that should not exist. I have him held there for now, but it will not last long.”
“Did you try persuading him?”
“We are Eclipse and the moon, are we not?”
Black shadows gathered in Seong Hyunjae’s hand.
“If it were the usual Song Taewon, perhaps. But right now, if I approach any deeper into his consciousness, he will instinctively try to swallow me.”
So that was why he had called me while holding on with a barrier.
I wasn’t confident I could change Chief Song’s heart either.
But I had to try.
More than anything, Chief Song had accepted the little lamb.
Even this version of Chief Song had.
“When this is over, hand over my memories.”
I glared at Seong Hyunjae once, then folded my wings. Using Stealth, I descended.
I saw the brothers crouched down in front of thick grass. When I released Stealth, they startled and looked at me. Chief Song’s younger brother stepped in front of his older brother as though to protect him.
It was such a natural action.
A bitter smile rose on my face all on its own.
“Hello, Taewon. We meet again.”
Young Song Taewon was still holding the little lamb plush.
–TL Notes–
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