Han Seungbeom sobbed out loud only after the final status window completely vanished in the pure white world. He had held back his tears the whole time, not wanting his mother’s last memory of him to be a crying face.
Han Seungbeom wasn’t given the time to argue that he despised this method.
In truth, Han Seungbeom might have wanted to hold on to his mother.
But realistically, the time given was too short to find another way, and Han Seungbeom knew that if his mother missed this chance, she might be exploited by the system forever. That’s probably why he couldn’t easily bring himself to say ‘No‘.
Worried, I approached him, and he abruptly lifted his head and wiped away his tears. Then, he turned to me and spoke in a voice that tried to sound strong.
“I promised Mom that from now on I’d be brave and live well so she wouldn’t have to worry about me. So, it’s okay. Please don’t worry about me.”
I slowly nodded. Surely, that must have been what Han Seungbeom’s mother wished for. Because I, too, had tried to save Han Seungbeom just like she did, I could say so with confidence.
Seo Yuseong stood there blankly, perhaps recalling what had just happened, then muttered in a voice that sounded a little empty.
“…I never imagined it would turn out like this. I’ve never experienced a life so out of control as this one.”
‘He probably would have tried to stop it if he could.’
But according to Seo Yuseong, in the life where Pantheion was never formed, I lived in constant loneliness; in the life where I stayed away from Prism, I suffered even more; and in the life where I limited my contact with Choi Jeokhyeon as much as possible, I didn’t survive for long.
‘In the end, we needed each other in order to live well.’
Love sometimes carries a great power we cannot foresee, and life is all the more colorful and profound precisely because it cannot be predicted or controlled. I almost explained it that way, but quietly closed my mouth, thinking that such things are better realized on one’s own.
“What in the world is love?”
This time, what left his lips was a straightforward question.
I let out a small snicker, as if to say, ‘What kind of question is that?‘, and then answered him.
“What else? Love is going back in time a hundred times just to save your brother. It’s the willingness to do anything for someone precious to you.”
“…….”
“Thank you, Seo Yuseong.”
After those final words, I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the first thing I saw was the crowded backstage I had been in before entering Han Seungbeom’s world. Just as I was starting to grasp that I had really returned to reality, I felt the thrum of someone’s heartbeat flowing into me through the skin pressed against mine. With a sinking suspicion, I turned my head, and sure enough, the very person I had just been expecting was staring down at me.
“…Choi Jeokhyeon?”
‘Was he really holding on to me like this the whole time after I left?’
Judging from the fact that the Pantheion members hadn’t yet gone up on stage, it seemed that time flowed differently between the world I had just been in and reality. But time wasn’t the issue. Even though I had left him in such a way, he couldn’t bring himself to let go and had stayed by my side until the very end.
“…….”
As soon as our gazes locked, his eyes widened, filled with undeniable joy and certainty.
It was the same expression he had when I first came face-to-face with him in Han Seungbeom’s body.
‘No, but seriously, how does this guy recognize me so eerily well?’
The hand gripping my wrist was trembling.
Honestly, if I were Choi Jeokhyeon, I probably would have beaten myself to death. What’s so lovable about a guy who was told to stay still, but kept causing trouble and disappearing every time he let his guard down? This wasn’t even a bori-bori-ssal1 game.
‘What on earth am I supposed to say?’
Option 1, “Uh, I’m back. Aren’t you happy?”
Option 2, “Glad to see ya.”2
Option 3, “I’m alive. Thank goodness. I was wrong.“
The only things that came to mind were those three, but honestly, none of them seemed like they’d help smooth over the situation.
For option 1, if I were Choi Jeokhyeon, I probably would’ve sent myself straight to the next world with my own hands. That’s how pissed off I’d be. Option two sounded like something that would make everyone except me and Choi Jeokhyeon—basically, anyone who hadn’t yet hit their mid-thirties—look at me with contempt. And option three? What was that, a field trip report?
“…….”
Ah, I’m truly the worst.
Already a whole minute had passed, and I still had no idea what I was supposed to do. No matter how frantically I racked my brain, it only seemed to make me dumber in my nervousness.
In the end, I gave up on everything and spoke in a small voice.
“Sorry.”
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve apologized by now.
He kept his head down and didn’t look at me, perhaps to hide the redness and swelling around his eyes from all the distress, or perhaps because he just couldn’t stand the sight of me. I couldn’t tell. Then he roughly ran his palm over his face and through his hair before letting out a trembling, heavy breath.
‘Don’t tell me he’s thinking of killing me?’
People naturally try to guess what others are thinking based on their own way of thinking, and right now, this was the only kind of assumption I could make about Choi Jeokhyeon. If he really was planning to kill me, well, what else could I do? I’d done something wrong, so I’d just have to let him.
“…Are you very angry?”
Acting unlike myself, I hesitantly tried to read his mood before leaning down to get a look at his face.
Han Seungbeom was much shorter than Choi Jeokhyeon, so there was no real need for me to bend down. It felt as if all my senses had already reverted to the state of my original body after just a brief stay in Han Seungbeom’s world.
“Hey, I said I’m sorry…….”
I didn’t have many friends, so I hardly ever had any experience fighting or trying to make up with anyone.
When I awkwardly offered an apology that even a teenager wouldn’t make, his eyes rolled toward me.
He didn’t say a word, just stared at me with a glare sharp enough to kill. For a moment, I thought he was silently telling me to shut up, but I knew that couldn’t be true, not for Choi Jeokhyeon. So I rolled my eyes again and, with a ridiculously awkward motion, lightly poked him. It was my way of asking him to go easy on me.
“I won’t do something like this again. This time, I mean it.”
“…….”
“Uh, and … now we can go back to the way things were.”
As I kept speaking words meant to appease him, a faint crease appeared between Choi Jeokhyeon’s brows, and his gaze softened slightly. Then he asked in a small voice, “What do you mean by ‘we can go back to the way things were’?”
Feeling a bit relieved that he had finally said something, I patted my chest and rushed to answer.
“Han Seungbeom is here. Thanks to his mother’s help, I was able to bring him back. Now that I’ve finished everything I needed to do, it’s time to return to my original body. My little brother’s neck is about to fall off.”3
As I elaborated on what I meant by “we can go back to the way things were”, Choi Jeokhyeon’s expression grew more unsettled, but he couldn’t conceal his relief and happiness, and he asked once more.
“Then why didn’t you return to your original body right away?”
“…Because there’s something I want to show you.”
According to Han Seungbeom, having two souls inhabiting a single body created a highly unstable situation. For that reason, it was best for me to return to my original body as soon as possible. Nevertheless, there was still a reason I remained in Han Seungbeom’s body for the time being.
“I’ll be back.”
As I blurted out words that, unlike anything I’d done before, carried the meaning that I would return, Choi Jeokhyeon slowly let go of the hand he had been holding onto me. I smiled broadly, then slowly stood and took a step back, and another, with my back to the stage.
“Keep your eyes on me, okay?”
A different sparkle appeared in Choi Jeokhyeon’s eyes as he watched me. Then he slowly waved his hand at me, as if telling me to go and come back safely.
“…Because you’re my number one fan.”
Watching him like that, I suddenly thought of that guy from a long time ago, and it gave me a strange feeling. I had a hunch that this feeling would only grow stronger once I went on stage and faced the fans, which made my stomach churn a little.
Whether on stage or off, there were so many things that made me happy. I suppose having such immense happiness right in front of me was a little … scary.
I had to turn around and walk toward the stage, but my feet felt heavier and heavier.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, someone smacked me on the back.
“You’re late. Hurry up and go! The rental period’s over, hyung. Prism is way overdue right now.”
“Uh, you’re really coming back, right? You’re going to join Prism again, right?”
“Wow, did someone turn on a faucet? Someone needs to film Woon-hyung crying.”
“Nam Yihwon, please shut up.”
“…If you’re okay with it, hyung, please come back to Prism for sure. Okay?”
They were the members of Prism.
I was so taken aback by their sudden appearance that I just froze. Then Jay, who had been quietly watching me, gave me a push on the shoulder. He grinned from ear to ear, looking truly happy, and spoke.
“Finish things up well and come back. I’ll be waiting.”
I nodded.
“Let’s go, hyung!”
Then I took the hands that the Pantheion members, who were already on stage, reached out to me, and moved forward without hesitation.
As I crossed the boundary between the dark backstage and the brightly lit stage, my field of vision instantly expanded, and my eyes fell upon the crowd of fans. There were so many people, enough to fill this massive concert hall, all cheering and watching us.
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
And as the music started, we all began singing our song together. Everyone’s voices became one, echoing throughout the entire concert hall.
At that, the members burst into laughter, but their faces quickly turned tearful as another wave of emotion hit them. Soon, however, their faces filled with happiness as they started to sing along with the fans.
I must have shared the view with him, because I could feel Han Seungbeom’s heart pounding rapidly. Feeling a little proud, I asked in my mind, “Our fans are amazing, right?”, and he responded in a completely awestruck, “…Yes.”. I smiled faintly at that, and together we looked out at the audience.
‘I’m amazed by it every time too. We’re not related by blood, and there’s no special price to pay.’
When I look up from the stage, the fans holding lightsticks look like a night sky full of stars. People often call celebrities ‘stars‘, comparing them to the shining stars in the sky, but to me, it was the fans who were like the stars.
I wonder if those stars even have any idea how much courage and happiness their existence brings us.
‘But what on earth have I done to deserve all this love they give me with all their heart?’
As the song was nearing its end, the fans all unfolded what they were holding in their hands at once.
[Thank you for coming to us]
[I’ve truly been happy being with you all this time]
[May your future shine brilliantly]
They were banners where the fans had written what they wanted to say to us.
Once the thunderous cheers died down, words like “Thank you” and “Let’s meet again” erupted here and there. It felt like they were shouting out everything they wanted to say before we were completely gone.
The fans, who had been singing so passionately for a long time, began crying again, pouring out tears in torrents. They were crying so hard that I started to worry they might collapse. Yet even amidst it all, they never stopped singing, which I found a little endearing.
I, on the other hand, smiled brightly and started to speak.
“Don’t cry, everyone. Please show me your smiling faces. And just as much as I love you, please love yourselves too.”
The fans, singing until the very end with faces that were hard to tell whether they were smiling or crying, began once again to call out our names one by one in unison. When my turn came, what I heard was this,
“Seungbeom-ah, I love you!”
The moment I heard it, my vision suddenly blurred.
It wasn’t my tears, but Han Seungbeom’s.
I raised the back of my hand to wipe away his tears, then I whispered to myself.
“Thank you. Let’s meet again, in whatever form it may be.”
…Do you know, Seungbeom-ah?
The love that exists in this world is infinite.
“I love you.”
I wanted to let you know that.
(The End)
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Translator’s Corner:
The gist is, one player holds their hands together, while the other puts a fist inside and takes it out as the first player chants “barley, barley, rice.”. The chanter often drags out the last word just to be annoying. The goal is to catch the fist when they yell “rice”. If you catch it, you win. If they get away, they win. Players will sometimes shout different words instead of “barley” or “rice” to confuse their opponent. It can be a very frustrating game, as the person with the fist will mess up the rhythm, mix up the words, or drag out the time just to confuse the catcher.
The famous drama scene of this game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswQAOdZGgg.
Here, Yutae is they’re not even playing a game when he needs to gets away from Jeokhyeon, but he keeps doing that whenever Jeokhyeon lets his guard down. ↩︎
Well … I’ll save my impressions for when we finished the epilogue. I’ll start crying if I say anything now. I can’t believe I really managed to come this far … don’t you think the ending is really beautiful … a pretty fitting conclusion for this series……
Since we already finished all the bad days and only Yutae’s marriage life happy days incoming, everyone who wants to recommend this story to a friend, better hurry up. We never know what tomorrow holds ha ha ha … (Just saw a neighbour got taken down. I was really surprised because they weren’t even a big group. Just a very small blog that tled only one series).
The song for this chapter,
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