Chapter 756: Different (2)
Inside the building were Moon Hyunah, Kang Soyeong, Mari, and Emily. Hyunah came straight over and studied my face.
“You look a little better, at least. So what now, boss?”
“Well… first things first. Yun Yun, drag Park Hayul to one of the guest rooms and dump him there. Give him a Peace doll and make sure he wakes up first.”
“Okay!”
Yun Yun started hauling Park Hayul toward the gift shop. How was I supposed to explain this mess? I shot a glance at Seong Hyunjae.
“For now, what you hear in here absolutely cannot leave this room.”
“Want to put it in a contract?”
Hyunah’s suggestion made me hesitate for a second, then I shook my head. Once the transcendents started interfering, everyone would find out eventually anyway. Better to tell them now than get exposed later.
“In one or two days, at most, the servants sent by the transcendents will start showing up. Their target is the Sesung Guildmaster.”
“Just Seong Hyunjae? Not our world?”
“Well… our world should be safe, since the dream’s blocking it off. Even transcendents shouldn’t be able to get through. And ordinary people dreaming won’t be harmed.”
“So if we toss that guy out, problem solved.”
Hyunah said it lightly. And… well, she wasn’t wrong.
“If Seong Hyunjae ends up in Crescent Moon’s hands, though, things could get dangerous.”
“How dangerous? And what exactly is this Crescent Moon trying to do?”
“…It looks like she wants to erase the current source and create a new one.”
Hyunah tilted her head.
“Hold on. The source is what’s swallowing our world, right? The source sends monsters, and the Unfilial Children made the system and dungeons so we could fight back.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“So the source is the real problem. And Crescent Moon wants to get rid of it. This new source… what exactly would that be?”
“…I don’t know the details, but I think she wants a source that doesn’t devour worlds.”
“Is that even possible? Using Seong Hyunjae?”
“In theory, absolutely.”
The Puppeteer finally spoke. He looked between Hyunah and me.
“That one’s been accumulating power across countless worlds. Once it’s completely filled, he becomes a full moon. In other words, a being capable of containing every world—and more.”
“…Even so, that still seems different from a source, doesn’t it? A source can create worlds.”
“Then it swallows the source too. There’s a reason they call it a full moon. He may be Crescent Moon’s child, but he’s still a complete moon. The moon shines by reflecting the sun’s light.”
The Puppeteer’s gaze shifted to Seong Hyunjae.
“A full moon that devours the source, absorbs even the power of creation, and sends it back out. A new source.”
“But if it’s just copying the original, wouldn’t that new source end up devouring worlds too?”
“Crescent Moon would be able to control it. She’d just make sure it doesn’t. There is a theory that a source has to consume worlds to replenish the power of creation it spends. But there are five of them, right? The full moon would swallow all five. Power like that doesn’t just add together when it combines—it multiplies. You might end up with a source that barely consumes any creative power at all.”
…A safe, perfect god.
“That’s only my guess, a hypothesis. Nothing certain. But Crescent Moon must have something she’s sure of, or she wouldn’t be doing this. What is certain is that this one is a pseudo-source.”
“…Just the fact that he’s contained multiple worlds does point that way.”
“Then let me ask you this.”
Hyunah narrowed her eyes a little.
“Wouldn’t it actually be better to let Crescent Moon take Seong Hyunjae?”
There it was—the thing I’d been trying not to hear. Kang Soyeong glanced at her guildmaster. Emily went still, thoughtful.
“She told me it was about saving the world too.”
Mari spoke up, a little hesitant.
“But I still think what Sesung’s Guildmaster wants matters. I was willing to go to sleep to protect the world. But even if I’d said no back then… that wouldn’t have made me wrong, right? It wouldn’t have.”
“Of course it wouldn’t have been your fault.”
Hyunah nodded. Her heavy gaze rested on Mari.
“But if there’d been no other way, Mari, I would’ve grabbed you and jumped into that dream myself. Even knowing full well it would make me the one in the wrong.”
“Because there are people you have to protect?”
“Yeah. I’m not that moral. And I can’t exactly say I’ve never done ugly things.”
Her eyes flicked to me for a moment.
“I tried to split you and your brother up so I could pull Yerim out.”
That had happened. To be fair, she’d had plenty of reason not to trust me back then.
“If it has to be done, I do it. Afterward, I don’t dodge the consequences. Dress it up however you want, but in the end it’s still just an excuse.”
“Yes. I think I understand.”
Mari answered quietly. Emily let out a low sigh.
“I don’t care for sacrificing the few for the many. But this is difficult.”
It was only one person. Yerim kept glancing at me. Gyeol’s face was stiff too. Only Byeol in my arms and Seol, who cared about nothing except his sister, seemed perfectly fine, passing snacks back and forth like this had nothing to do with them. Yuhyun, meanwhile, had never cared about anything that wasn’t directly about me.
“I can guarantee our world’s safety. And we don’t even know if Crescent Moon’s plan would succeed. This could all end up much worse.”
I started making excuses, then glared at Seong Hyunjae. Why was he just standing there with his mouth shut?
“This is your problem. Say something.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
Seong Hyunjae tilted his head the slightest bit as he answered. What?
“Whatever conclusion is reached here, what meaning would it have? None of you can stop Crescent Moon, and none of you can stop me.”
“…Wow. You’re really insufferable.”
Hyunah muttered it under her breath. The concern Soyeong had still been showing vanished on the spot. Her face now clearly said she wanted no part of this.
“…He’s not wrong, but wow, is he obnoxious.”
“Exactly. Boss, just dump him. He says he’ll handle himself.”
For one brief second, I almost did. But the Seong Hyunjae who’d spent all that time with me was still there, still waiting for me. He’d said he’d come back once I gave him reason to trust me again. Which, honestly, was obnoxious in its own way too.
And there was one more thing.
‘The servants of the transcendents… and maybe even the transcendents themselves stepping in directly.’
The achievement score. I still had the system administrator’s authority. Diarma, Ru Ga Pheya, King of Predation. Even Chatterbox, weakened though they were. The power I’d gained from taking them down.
For me, the transcendents coming after Seong Hyunjae were a new opportunity too. If I could deal with even one of them, maybe I could gain enough power to bring my brother back. It wouldn’t be easy, obviously. But maybe. Just maybe.
“The problem is, Crescent Moon’s interested in me too. The other transcendents may be after Seong Hyunjae, but I’m not exactly going to slip away clean either.”
“So we have to fight, then?”
“Yerim and Peace, and Yu…hyun, you—”
“I’m not going.”
“…Right. I want to send at least those two back first.”
“Mister! I’m not going either!”
“Yerim, even if you go back, you can still come in through dreams. It’d actually be safer that way—”
“Once the system fully applies, we’ll be able to use our power perfectly here, right? But Hyunah unni won’t. Am I wrong?”
That was… Gyeol and Mari both turned to look at me. I looked at the Puppeteer instead. He shrugged.
“It’s a dream. Your senses are a little duller than in reality, that’s all.”
“See!”
Yerim crossed her arms and declared she wasn’t leaving. And I couldn’t force her out if she refused… would Peace agree to go, at least? My head was starting to pound.
“For now… let’s wait until Rookie contacts us again. Once we have more information, we’ll decide then. There’s no way to make the call right now. All we know is that the transcendents are coming after us.”
It felt hopeless. This was exactly the kind of situation where Seong Hyunjae might bring up death again as a solution. Once the system settled in, should I start looking for a way out of the dream world? Was there a way to use the admin authority I still had? If we could just escape back to our world, that would still solve everything.
…Well, everyone except Yuhyun.
“Fine. We’ve still got time, so we’ll head out too. If we want to keep sleeping, we should burn off some energy first.”
Hyunah nodded and said she’d be back in ten hours. Kang Soyeong, Mari, and Emily also woke from the dream and disappeared. In the silence they left behind came a crisp crunch of someone biting into a snack. Gyeol glanced over at Seong Hyunjae.
“Let’s rest while we can. Mr. Seong Hyunjae, you should stay in the Sesung Guild area.”
It was hard enough just being in the same space as him. At my words, Seong Hyunjae looked genuinely hurt. What now?
“So you’re throwing me away.”
“…What are you even talking about?”
“I’ve worked very hard taking care of Han Yujin’s children all this time. Unless perhaps fairy form is more your t—”
“What the hell are you talking about? No, seriously, you—”
Then I met his calm gold eyes.
Seong Hyunjae smiled.
…His memories were intact. Which meant he could imitate that version of himself whenever he wanted. Chief Song, who knew what state Seong Hyunjae was in, fixed him with a hard stare before turning to me.
“If nothing else, it would be better to keep him nearby so information can be exchanged.”
“…Right. Gyeol, can you make guest rooms for those two on the first floor of the Breeding Facility? Include access to the dining hall too.”
“Okay, Dad.”
“And can you put up a big electronic sign somewhere high up? So Noah and Liette can see it.”
If they were still in Seoul, maybe they’d come to the Breeding Facility. Maybe I should ask someone at a broadcasting station to put out a message too.
“As for Hwang Rim…”
“Don’t worry about him.”
The Puppeteer cut in.
“Do you know where he is?”
“Roughly. It’s safer if he stays away from here.”
“What?”
“There are reasons.”
I had no idea what that meant, but Hwang Rim had apparently made some kind of contract with the Puppeteer, so I figured he could handle himself. I asked Gyeol to prepare a room for the Puppeteer too. As far from Seong Hyunjae as possible.
– Keee! Yip! Yip!
The second we stepped into the Breeding Facility, something that sounded halfway between a whine and a bark rang out. Horang came bounding over and immediately wrapped herself around Peace. Peace looked down at the fox twining around his leg with mild annoyance.
“Horang? Were you dreaming t—”
“Oh! It’s Mar! Mar!”
Yerim ran forward with both arms open wide. The baby water dragon, who no longer needed Yerim’s help to fly and now swam through the air on his own, wagged his tail excitedly.
“Gyeol brought him because he thought it’d cheer you up, Dad.”
Gyeol looked up at me and said everyone had happened to be asleep anyway. I smiled back at those bright golden eyes.
“Thanks, Gyeol. Belare’s here too!”
– Hiss!
“Didn’t Chirpie come too?”
“Well… for some reason, I couldn’t bring Chirpie.”
Gyeol tilted his head. Chirpie was… right, probably connected to the white bird. A prophetic species from the future that still hadn’t appeared even once in reality.
– Maaaah.
A little black lamb came trotting over and rammed his head into Chief Song’s leg. Chief Song startled and bent down.
“I-it’s been a while.”
– Meh~
“The last time, there simply wasn’t enough time, and it was during naptime…”
As Chief Song tried to explain himself, Little Song kept poking at him insistently with his hornless head. Then Sorok came over too. The young reindeer, growing fast, lifted one front leg and tapped Chief Song a few times, looking distinctly displeased. Chief Song looked flustered.
“Chief Song, you should play with Little Song for a while. It’s been forever~.”
“I…”
“It’s okay. We’ll be going home soon.”
We had to go home. It wasn’t just Little Song—there were plenty of people waiting back in our own world. Instead of answering, Chief Song reached down and petted Little Song. Then he greeted the other baby monsters too before heading upstairs with us. It was a dream, but everything felt exactly like reality, and that made it easier to breathe.
“Mar, let’s wash up together~.”
Yerim headed to her bathroom with Mar. In the living room, Peace stretched out long, and Horang copied him right beside him. Byeol leaped up and buried herself in Peace’s mane while Seol and Gyeol held on so she wouldn’t fall. Watching them, I headed into the bedroom.
“Still, we need to find some way to send Yerim and Peace back first.”
The sight of my familiar bed made me want to dive onto it right then and there. Home really was the best.
“Hyung.”
“I’m going back too, obviously.”
The door clicked shut behind us. Yuhyun came up behind me while I looked for pajamas.
“The moment you find a way out, you’re leaving right away?”
“Right away. Why would I stay here?”
“Can you prove it?”
I turned around with the pajamas still in my hands. His pitch-black eyes looked down at me without wavering.
“What do you mean, prove it?”
“A contract. Something you can use like a lie detector.”
“No, come on, that’s a little—”
“Hyung.”
“…”
I swallowed hard before I could stop myself. I had to go back. I did.
“Yuhyun. Why would I stay here? If all of us can go back together, of course I’m going.”
“I’ll ask Hangyeol to write up a contract.”
“No, hey!”
I grabbed Yuhyun before he could leave. He turned back to look at me. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“Is this because of me?”
“…What?”
“Me from before the regression.”
…My ears went muffled, like I’d gone underwater. Yuhyun’s voice echoed low inside my head.
“…What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”
“The reason you’ve been so desperate.”
His voice went on.
“The reason you hesitated to return Park Hayul’s power.”
“Because if we want to get back safely—”
“You said once the system stabilized, your own power would be enough to get us back. But you still went looking for Park Hayul. You specifically wanted a contract from him that included one wish. That means there’s something you want besides our safety.”
“…”
I drew in a deep breath. I didn’t know how Yuhyun had found out about his pre-regression self. But there were plenty of people who could’ve told him. Rookie knew. Senior Tree knew. Crescent Moon knew. Other transcendents knew too.
Not Senior Tree, probably.
Had Crescent Moon whispered it to him?
“…The you from before the regression is still you.”
My voice shook. This wasn’t how I’d wanted to tell him.
“You died back then. Protecting me. So… at the very least, I wanted to bring you home. Even if it was only your body.”
“Even if it’s just a corpse?”
“…Yeah.”
I let out a long breath.
“Diarma told me what’s left is still there. I just wanted to bring you home and give you a proper funeral. I thought maybe then I could finally be at peace. But if there really was no other choice… then I would have had no choice.”
The living brother in front of me had to come first. He had to. Even if I couldn’t truly give up, I had to put it off until someday later and go back.
“I was going to leave it behind and go home.”
“Okay.”
That was all Yuhyun said. At some point, I realized I’d lowered my head. When I looked up, he was smiling faintly.
“The me from before the regression is dead.”
“…”
“If that’s what you’re saying, hyung, then fine. Get some rest. Want me to run the bath for you?”
He turned away as if nothing had happened.
I stared blankly at his back, then pressed a hand to my chest.
‘I didn’t think he’d let it go that easily.’
It was unexpected, but if he was really okay with it, then that was a relief.
–TL Notes–
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