The Bereaved IV
Operation briefing. ON.
"Most awakeners perceive the Void as a type of dungeon. However, physical laws do not apply in the Void, and it cannot be defined as a physical location."
Snap. The piece of chalk broke in my hand.
But that was fine. At least the chalk had died a glorious death after scribbling its entire purpose onto the chalkboard.
"Therefore, the Void can just as easily arise within a person's mind."
"Are you saying that's my sister's current state?"
"Probably."
On the chalkboard was a chibi-style drawing of Yo-hwa.
Right in the middle of the rather well-drawn illustration, on Yo-hwa's chest, I drew a large '□', an empty square box.
"It isn't just Yo-hwa. It's everyone who lost the most precious character in their lives due to the Time Seal. All of them."
"…"
"We can surmise that a void has formed in the deepest parts of their psyches. You could call it a hole in the heart."
"A hole in the heart…"
"And until now, Yo-hwa's psychological void has been blocked in this way."
Scrape, scritch, tap.
Using the broken piece of chalk, I drew an arrow from the '□' and wrote a name next to it. Like this.
□ → Undertaker
Blink.
Cheon-hwa's eyes, who was sitting in the very front row of the classroom, widened slightly.
"Ah."
"Yo-hwa has a hole in her heart. But right after, someone appeared who saved not only her life but also the lives of the Baekhwa Girls' High students. And that person was—"
"You, Sunbae."
"Yes."
I had found it slightly strange for a while now.
'Even if I saved her life, her affection for me grew far too quickly—and far too deeply.'
The moment I started having doubts was when I encountered the anomaly known as 'Savior Narrative Syndrome'.
'Of course, I approached those kids at the exact moment they needed me, in the exact role they needed. Nevertheless... Unlike me, the regressor, wasn't I still a stranger they had only just met?'
Why did they come to rely on me so quickly?
Why did their heartbeats resonate with my existence as if they had been waiting for it all along?
I recalled this question and came up with my own answer.
"It's simple. If you assume there's a void in their hearts, a hole that runs as deep as hell itself, then it all makes rational sense."
"…"
"Yo-hwa has a psychological void that she absolutely cannot fill. So, to deny and seal that hole, she placed the person known as 'Undertaker' at the very center of her heart."
"Sunbae, are you trying to say that the feelings my sister has for you aren't love?"
"No. I'm not discussing the color of the heart, but its structure. In a way, it's a feeling much deeper than ordinary love."
"…I see. And if she fails to block the hole, the void."
"She would become an anomaly."
A desperate struggle to remain human.
She couldn't become human on her own. As I said, a fatal gap had already been torn open in her heart.
So, she finds a guarantor.
Because she herself is not enough, she borrows the existence of another to serve as a patch-up job for the hole in her heart.
"Trust, because she entrusts herself to another. Love, because they guarantee each other's humanity. Sacrifice, because she handed over her most precious heart to another. Obsession, because she cannot let go. You can call it whatever you want."
"…"
"The important point right now is—"
My chalk danced again.
Cheon-hwa (Older Sister) → □ → Undertaker
Scrape. The trembling of the chalkboard stopped.
"The fact that I was not the one originally designated for this spot."
"…
"The reason I, we, failed in the last cycle was because we missed this. My thinking was too simple. I just thought that if she met her lost family member, an instinctive favorability would form."
"…Because in Yo-hwa's heart, you had already taken that spot, sunbae. I get it now."
Cheon-hwa's eyes lowered.
"My existence must have looked like an 'enemy' that threatened not only Yo-hwa herself, but you as well, Sunbae."
"That's right."
"She can bear it if she's the only one threatened. But if it feels like someone is trying to take your place, Sunbae... Definitely. She's bound to react sensitively."
A more delicate approach.
That was why a more sophisticated strategy was desperately needed.
"In the end, it's a matter of timing. If 'Undertaker' has already become Yo-hwa's teacher and completely replaced the hole, it's already too late."
"Yeah. I understand. I, her 'lost older sister,' have to appear before Yo-hwa falls for you, Sunbae."
"…However you want to put it, yes. At any rate, the direction is correct."
"But that's impossible."
Cheon-hwa said.
"Look, Sunbae. I've been hit with a Time Seal, so I can't move a single step from the rooftop of the Tower of Babel. On the other hand, for Yo-hwa to get here, she first has to clear the 'Baekhwa Girls' High Tutorial Dungeon.' But to clear that dungeon, your existence is indispensable, Sunbae. So how… Ah."
Cheon-hwa's eyes went wide.
Clatter. She pushed back her chair and stood up.
"The fairy!"
I smiled.
"Exactly."
The tutorial fairy.
Or, the 'first anomaly'.
It was the first anomaly-like anomaly that the vast majority of awakeners encountered. That was natural.
That's why it was the 'tutorial' fairy, after all.
Of course, that was just a nickname given for convenience.
Its true name, the name that revealed the anomaly's identity in its entirety, was something else.
I lamented.
"In the end, in our world, you guys are a succubus and an incubus...."
"Hoe-eh."
Fairy number 264 was happily stuffing a sausage into both its cheeks, like a happy hamster.
For the record, it was a bribe I gave them. I don't know why, but their species went crazy for sausages.
Once, I thought, 'Maybe they'll like a fancier sausage more?' and got them a Johnsonville product, but strangely, they shook their heads, saying it didn't suit their taste.
They were a strange bunch, anyway.
And as you might have guessed from my use of the word 'bunch' here.
"Such a sweet taste...!"
"Hoe. Why did my comrades fall for the bourgeoisie's appeasement and turn into the hunting dogs of power, hoeeh. This food is so counter-revolutionary it makes me realize it inadvertently."
"Is it a taste that makes you abandon the world revolution and regress into nationalistic revisionism that only cares about Russia?"
Right now, a number of fairies were gathered before my eyes in a small huddle.
"You guys seem to be subtly lacking in enthusiasm."
"Hoeeeng. That's because…"
"We ambitiously started the tutorial dungeon, but the Fairy King who was giving us orders suddenly disappeared…"
"Praised as a revolutionary fighter and sent to the jungles of South America, only to find out it was just a purge from back home…"
"The wall of reality is the North Sea Ice Palace…"
That's right.
Originally, the tutorial fairies were under the control of the Outer God, Infinite Void, or the Mastermind.
However, Infinite Void had been intellectually castrated and reduced to something like a lump of power, and the Mastermind had been sealed by someone on the rooftop of the Tower of Babel.
In a word, the fairies of today were.
"No different from dogs abandoned by their masters."
"Hieeek! Wh-what cruel wording!"
"We opened the tutorial dungeon out of inertia, but we just don't feel motivated for some reason…"
"When I think about it, who cares about humans? Whether they get killed by other anomalies is just their own fate…"
Just like humans falling into depression, the fairies were collectively shrouded in a dark cloud.
I caught a strange sense of déjà vu.
'In a way, isn't this also the result of a void suddenly appearing in their hearts?'
…An angle of thought I would have never come up with in my past self.
My hatred for anomalies was still preserved along with my Complete Memory, forever burning my heart.
But now, I could observe with a cold detachment from the opposite side, at least when it came to the tutorial fairies.
'It might not be all that different.'
One day they woke up, and Mugan had become strange and the Mastermind had disappeared.
All thanks to the actions of me, the regressor.
The flow was always similar.
"I will become your new pillar of support. Specifically, I will distribute one sausage to each of you every day."
"Hoe-eh! Comrade General Secretary!"
"You're going to rule over us!"
"The forefront of the revolution!"
"Long live Comrade General Secretary! Long live! Long live!"
In the first place, what is an anomaly?
Why did these beings come to exist?
'Almost every awakener must first meet the tutorial fairies.'
'And the fairies' true identity is the Dream Demon. Anomalies of dreams.'
'In short, the first void that people encounter is none other than… a dream.'
A human's dream. The first void.
'In a way, a more fitting name for the tutorial fairies might be the [Fairy of Beginnings].'
Tutorial. Starting point. Dream.
All the puzzle pieces shimmered just at the edge of my grasp, as if I could understand them but couldn't, as if I could catch them but couldn't.
'Could all of this be a mere coincidence?'
One more step.
It felt like if I could just find the last puzzle piece, I would see the destination this picture was pointing to, but for now, it was still a mystery.
Pushing the puzzle to one side of my mind, I spoke with a deliberately solemn expression.
"What I require of you is very clear. From now on, I will infiltrate Baekhwa Girls' High disguised as a security guard. There will be a girl there who is the student council president, and whenever that girl falls asleep—"
"—I'm going to use the fairies to manipulate her dreams. And I will continuously show Yo-hwa the image of her 'older sister' in her dreams."
"…"
"Yo-hwa just recently lost her sister. If she sees even a vision resembling her sister in her dreams, the hole in Yo-hwa's heart is bound to react."
"…"
"So, Cheon-hwa."
I said, looking at the girl in front of me.
"I need your help to create a dream that is as close to reality as possible. Tell me what happened between you two sisters in your childhood. As detailed as possible, please."
A long silence followed.
Cheon-hwa's face looked complicated.
Gratitude for someone who would go to such lengths for her and her sister. Apology for having to rely on him so much.
And an overwhelming emotion for being accepted as a human, not an anomaly. Trust. Love. Sacrifice. Obsession.
"But there's a problem, Sunbae."
Leaving behind the emotions that wouldn't disappear no matter what you called them, Cheon-hwa, ever the strategist of the self-proclaimed Regressor Alliance, pointed out the practical problems first.
"No matter how hard the fairies try, they won't be able to perfectly replicate my childhood self. They're no different from dolls that only act as they're programmed."
"That's true."
"My sister has good instincts. Her nose for telling the real from the fake is almost genius-level. Will her heart really be moved by an 'older sister doll' that the fairies clumsily imitate?"
It was a truly accurate point.
"Who do you take me for? I'm a man who has even run a reincarnation project using writers and fairies."
I puffed out my chest.
"It's no exaggeration to say that there are few who know the strengths and weaknesses of fairies as well as I do. Naturally, I've prepared a countermeasure for that."
"Heeh. As expected of you, Sunbae! What kind of countermeasure is it?"
"A very effective one, Cheon-hwa. Do you not have the world's best actor right before your eyes?"
Blink.
"?"
"?"
Cheon-hwa's head tilted to the side. My head tilted the other way.
About ten seconds passed like that.
"Uh…"
Cheon-hwa's lips parted hesitantly.
"Sorry, Sunbae. I think I misunderstood something. If I did, please feel free to correct me."
"Mm."
"So… based on the story I tell you, and because your memory is super, super good, you'll memorize everything like it's a script."
"Mm."
"And then… 'you're' going to act as 'me'? You, Sunbae? You're going to 'transform' with the help of the Dream Demons, like me, like a Ditto, like a female student in a black sailor uniform… and act as her older sister for my little sister. That's not what you're saying, right? I misunderstood, right?"
"No. You understood it perfectly."
"…"
"What. Don't you worry. Although it may not be on the level of Oh Dok-seo's VTuber mode, I, as a regressor who has lived for tens of thousands of years, boast the strongest acting ability among present-day humanity. I will act out a 'Cheon Yo-hwa' who is more you than you are."
"…"
"So come, hurry and tell me the life story of you and your sister. How you talked to each other at home, what habits and quirks you had, input every single thing into my Complete Memory—"
"That's creepy!!"
Why?
Regardless of what the strategist complained about, the operation was pushed forward.
The Baekhwa Girls' High Tutorial Dungeon was a demon's den where casualties would increase exponentially if left alone for even a moment. Realistically, at this point in time, besides me, there was no one else suitable to enter Baekhwa Girls' High and act as 'Cheon-hwa' in the dream.
And so.
"…Security guard mister."
After building up a decent level of trust, just like in other turns, Yo-hwa cautiously approached me.
As you can tell from the fact that she still calls me 'security guard mister' and not 'Teacher', it hasn't been many days.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Um, I have something I'd like to talk about… Could you listen for a moment?"
Finally! I clenched my fist in my mind.
But I didn't show any of it on the outside.
"Of course. As the student council president, Yo-hwa, it must be hard for you to show any weakness in front of the other kids, so you can always rely on an adult."
"Ahaha. Thank you."
"So what's on your mind?"
"Lately, whenever I fall asleep, I have these really, super, seriously creepy dreams… They're just completely unpleasant dreams. Could this also be the influence of ghosts or something?"
"…"
Why?
-x-X-x-
The Bereaved V
I was confident in my acting.
I had already lived for tens of thousands of years, so it would have been more difficult not to have accumulated experience in any art form, regardless of the field.
I could even change my voice by mobilizing just a tiny bit of aura.
If I shaped the aura and overlaid it on my facial muscles, it could even function as a temporary disguise, a type of human-skin mask.
– Hayul, peekaboo! It's daddy.
– …
– This is Jung Sang-guk. Daddy has come to his senses. I love Hayul very much.
– Die.
My genius-level acting skills received rave reviews from my colleagues around me!
Looking across the entire martial world, there was only one person who would dare to challenge me at this level, and that was Oh Dok-seo, who had turned on her VTuber mode with [Side Story Creation].
But that kid, Oh Dok-seo, can't act as someone who has been time-sealed, right? It was impossible for her to empathize with Cheon-hwa in the first place, wasn't it?
Yes, she's garbage.
Naturally, I, the Undertaker, had no choice but to be selected as the master actor to play the part of Yo-hwa's 'long-lost twin sister'.
Now, all that was left was for Yo-hwa to reminisce in her dream about the sweet childhood days with her precious sister, and recover her lost memories from the very beginning!
It should have been a truly perfect calculation.
"I hate you, unni!"
"…"
"You ate the chocolate ice cream I put in the fridge again, didn't you! I can only eat one of those a day, but you pretended to be me and ate mine too! I hate you! I really hate you, unni!"
Right before my eyes, or more accurately, in the 'dream,' a young version of Yo-hwa was screaming her lungs out.
All I had to do now was lower my eyebrows apologetically and bow my head to my lovely younger sister.
If I just did that, a reasonably 'good memory' would be imprinted onto Yo-hwa's subconscious.
When she woke up later, although Yo-hwa wouldn't be able to remember every single detail of the dream's scenery, at the very least, a faint feeling of 'I made memories with someone like family' would remain.
But.
"Oh, really? But I like my little sister so much."
My tongue, having already achieved a perfect state of oneness with Cheon-hwa through my supreme acting ability, moved on its own.
"Because you're here, I get to eat two ice creams. I love you, Yo-hwa. But since I want to keep eating chocolate ice cream no matter how much I have, I think it would be great if I had just three more little sisters like you!"
"Hwaaaaaah!"
In the end, Yo-hwa burst into tears.
"I… I hate you, unni! Die! Waaah! Unni, just drop dead!"
– What is the matter, young lady?!
Crash. The housekeepers, having detected the crying from outside the door, came running.
And just like that, not only Yo-hwa but also Cheon-hwa immediately launched into an impromptu crying act.
"Hic, hwaaaaaah! Cheon…, Cheon-hwa unni… sob! Sh-she hit me… and scolded me!"
– What?!
"N-n-n-no! I'm Yo-hwa! I'm the one who's Yo-hwa, but unni took my ice cream and…"
"Hwaaaaaah!"
"Sob, hic, waaaah, u, uwaaaaaah!"
The housekeepers' eyes trembled violently.
To reiterate, Cheon-hwa and Yo-hwa looked identical.
Of course, the family had its own ways of distinguishing the twins, like dressing the sisters in different clothes, but Cheon-hwa, who had been cunning from a young age, exploited those methods to act like her 'younger sister.'
As a result,
"I… hic, I'm… the real Yo-hwa.... She's unni.... Why, only me..."
Yo-hwa, whose ability to talk back was weaker than her sister's, was abruptly singled out as the culprit and made to stand in the hallway with both her arms raised.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwa, who had slipped away from the housekeepers' watch like an eel, was in front of her sister, pantomiming her crying face.
"I'm the unni, but why only meee…"
"Hwaaaaaah…"
"Heoeoeoeong."
"Unni, I really, hate youuuu...!"
"Kyaahahahaha!"
Cheon-hwa burst out laughing and rolled around on the hallway floor. She rolled so vigorously that there was no need to dust the floor separately.
And as for the 'me' who was the actor playing this true personality of Cheon-hwa, the young Cheon-hwa.
The Undertaker squeezed his eyes shut in a corner of his mind.
'This is a good memory?'
They deceived me.
"Hoe. Currently, the target codenamed 'Yo-hwa's' favorability toward Cheon-hwa, when converted to a numerical value, is 5."
Inside the child Yo-hwa's dream.
A grand mansion in Sejong City. The twin sisters' hometown.
Of course, the surrounding scenery was all just a dream. It was no different from a so-called 'set' that the Tutorial Fairy and I had built in collaboration.
In the backstage of the dream, where the flow of time was jumbled and mixed, Fairy No. 264 and I gathered to whisper back and forth.
"I see. So the maximum favorability is 10."
"Hoet, no? It's 100."
"…"
"For reference, a favorability of 5 is a value even lower than that for a complete stranger. Hoee, the love between human siblings is so very, very scary."
"Keuk."
I scratched my head roughly. Ah, and of course, my current appearance was fixed as 'Cheon-hwa.'
"This is strange. I had a feeling that the Cheon-Yo-hwa sisters definitely had a bond so close it was second to none in the world. But why is it that in their childhood, it's like they were dying to kill each other…"
"Comrade Secretary-General. Then wouldn't it work if you just acted out the part of an 'ideal older sister' for her to see?"
"No."
Thump.
I plopped down in a posture that a young lady from a great mansion would never take, cross-legged.
A perfect example of a delinquent noble lady.
I furrowed my brow deeply and grumbled.
"Doing that would just be soldering over the hole in Yo-hwa's heart with another lie, far from patching it up properly. I have to restore it as close to the true history as possible for Yo-hwa's mental state to become sound."
"Hoee. We fairies can become happy just by eating a sausage, but human psychology is so complicated…"
"I agree with you on that point."
I looked around.
"Really, it's hard to see even an inch ahead."
The grand mansion seemed fixed when I just looked at it.
But the story changed when I focused all my senses.
– The young ladies, I tell you, this time again…
– The madam has passed away! It was an assassination!
– This is the police! Don't move! We received a report that a murder took place here.
– Aren't our young ladies so cute?
Whisper, whisper. Murmur, murmur.
Shadow-like phantoms were restlessly coming and going through the hallways and the garden.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out somewhere in broad daylight, while right next to it, cult members were chatting leisurely.
It was all mixed up. Time and space.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue.
"This is why I wanted to avoid entering someone else's dream to look into their past if I could help it… This is no different from the void."
"Hoe! Actually, Comrade Secretary-General's dreams are unusually clear!"
The fairy bounced up and down.
"The vast majority, all humans except for the Secretary-General, dream about their past in this way!"
"I was aware of that."
Whether one possessed the Complete Memory ability or not.
That alone caused the 'dream about the past' to be this chaotically entangled.
The facts of the events were twisted back and forth, and even the timeline was a messy, fluid wreck.
It wasn't a metaphor, it was literally the void itself.
'Even if I want to shape the dream as I please, the situation won't allow it.'
Can you even imagine the difficulty, given that this is the state of things even with the tutorial fairies assisting?
The 'Cheon-hwa' I was playing, and the young 'Yo-hwa'.
Just fixing these two characters and granting them each their own self-identity was a magical achievement in itself.
What about the other people? They all melted in the void poison.
For example, if you just look at the housekeepers who had rushed in moments ago to stop our sisterly argument.
– Y-y-y-y-y-young lady.
– They'resocutebothofthemsocuteIcouldjustgobblethemup.
– Sometimes I don't know who is who. So last night, I secretly peeled off the younger lady's fingernail. Now I will never confuse the young ladies again.
The housekeepers' faces were melting like candle wax.
The wax was constantly alive and moving, at one moment forming into the shape of human eyeballs, only to melt again and stretch out their cheeks.
This wasn't something that started suddenly.
Earlier, when I was fighting with Yo-hwa over the chocolate ice cream, the housekeepers looked just like that.
It was just that Yo-hwa, without feeling any sense of wrongness, fought with her sister like a child.
'…In the end, my hypothesis that there's a hole in Yo-hwa's past was correct. That's why the closer you get to the past, the more this void unfolds.'
But if there was something I was curious about.
'Is it just Yo-hwa's past that is uniquely rusted by the void poison like this? Or are the other colleagues in the Regression Alliance the same…'
It was at that moment.
Thud!
A footstep so loud that it made the entire wooden hallway reverberate rang out.
At that, the housekeepers, who had been chattering like shadows until now, all straightened up at once and lined up in rows on both sides of the hallway.
The fairy trembled.
"Hoee. He's, he's here again!"
"…"
I twitched an eyebrow and unfolded my cross-legged position. Then I stood up and assumed a graceful posture.
Like the daughter of a prestigious family, without a single flaw.
Thud! Thump, Thuuud! Thud!
The footsteps grew closer.
Before long, Fairy No. 264 had vanished, leaving me, as 'Cheon-hwa,' alone at the end of the hallway.
I bowed my head.
Thuuud.
The source of the footsteps, which had stopped in front of me, cast a shadow.
– Oh! Cheon-hwa! My proud daughter!
I bowed my head even deeper.
"Yes. Sir Cult Leader."
The master of this grand mansion.
A dictator of a large-scale Taoist pseudo-religious cult, the likes of which were hard to find in Korea.
Based on the circumstances, he was the main culprit who had worshiped two separate Outer Gods, Infinite Void and the Mastermind, and finally caused their descent into the mortal world.
More accurately, this was the form of the father as remembered by Yo-hwa, the owner of this dream, a manifestation of a child's terror.
– Aigoo, Sir Cult Leader! If even you, Cheon-hwa, call me that, your father will be quite hurt.
"Yes. I understand, Father."
– Ahem! You have come of age now, how long do you intend to appeal to mere blood ties instead of being the successor to the cult! Today, I must go to the discipline room and personally take up the rod!
"Yes. I apologize, Sir Cult Leader."
The flow of his words was inconsistent and messy, but I was quite used to it.
'This is how void beings are.'
In times like these, I couldn't let the other party take the lead in the conversation. No matter how bewildering it was, I had to respond with confidence.
"A little while ago, I was reading the scriptures with Yo-hwa. That child was misinterpreting them, so as her older sister, I scolded her a little. She should be reflecting on her actions well now."
– …
Crackle, zzzzt.
The shadow cast on the hallway floor flickered and wavered, then stretched out as if it would reach the ceiling on the opposite side.
– Ooh, Yo-hwa did? Yes. That child has always been a bit slower than you.
– By whose authorityyyy! You two dare to touch the scriptures on your oooown!
– Did you review the part I taught you last time on your own? How praiseworthy. My daughter indeed. I am always so proud of you.
– It's contaminated. Contamination! It's been contaminated! The sacrifices for the Taegeuk have been contaminated, they must be purified!
"…"
I didn't bother to reply.
A part of me was dumbfounded at what kind of memories were being planted in such a young child, but as a void expert, I calmly waited for the right timing.
– Yes, what passage were you studying?
I opened my mouth immediately. It was the question I had been waiting for.
"The name that can be named is not the eternal name[1]. It was the passage that says names do not exist for the things we ordinarily point to, and that a name is always nothing more than a temporary label."
– …
"That is how Yo-hwa understood it. But I reminded her of how you, Cult Leader, bound our names together with the single pronunciation of Cheon-Yo-hwa, and pointed out that not only the names of things, but even her name, Yo-hwa, is also an illusion."
Zzzzt. Zzzzzzzzt.
– Ooh.
"So Yo-hwa, belatedly feeling ashamed, said she should have looked back at herself before discussing other things, and she voluntarily asked for punishment as she reflected on her actions."
– Excellent!
The paper screens lining the hallway trembled at the 'father' shadow's resounding roar.
– Yes! Cheon-hwa. Your words are truly correct!
– In the end, the scriptures are a precious treasure only to those who accept them as their own story, and for those who dismiss them as merely the writings of others, they are nothing more than trash abandoned on the ground.
– My daughters. You two sisters were destined from birth to be able to accept our scriptures entirely as 'your own story.'
– Ah! What a great blessing this is! Truly, the gods of heaven and earth are watching over us! The Tao models itself on what is natural.
Beyond their melting wax cheeks, the mouths of the housekeepers all moved in unison.
– The Tao models itself on what is natural.
– The one who will become our living sacrament, my daughter, the successor of the cult, and the salvation of the masses, is so wise, I am truly happy! Do not neglect your training for even a single day, my daughter!
"Yes. Sir Cult Leader."
– Uahahahaha! Ha ha ha ha!
Thuuud. Thud, thump. Thump.
The footsteps and laughter grew distant. The housekeepers, as if it were only natural, followed behind the cult leader with uniform steps.
"…"
A past from a time before the button for world destruction had been pushed.
Beyond the walls of the vast mansion, modern people were likely living their daily lives as if nothing was wrong, but the Cheon Yo-hwa sisters were already living in a broken miniature garden back then.
'Does this mean that someday, I, as a private tutor, will come here to teach the sisters?'
There was plenty of time.
With the help of the tutorial fairy, I could stretch the time within the dream as much as I wanted.
'At first, I entered for the simple purpose of treating Yo-hwa's psychology… But if I'm lucky, I might find a clue to the past.'
That wasn't all.
Step, step, step.
There was one more set of footsteps following the procession of the pseudo-religious cult leader and his followers.
A particularly small and quiet footfall. Unlike a resident of the void, it maintained a constant velocity, and within it, held vitality and a sense of presence.
I suddenly raised my head and our eyes met.
"…"
"…"
Nod. Nod.
Without either being first or last, we bowed our heads silently. The other person maintained a faint smile and walked away with casual steps.
An endlessly familiar sound of footsteps.
Watching the all-too-familiar back, I muttered inwardly.
'Go Yuri.'
In this grand mansion where every character except for the twin sisters was infected with void poison and shimmered with noise, she was the only third party maintaining her own form.
My low monologue flowed into the hallway where I was left all alone.
"…Why on earth are you here, at this time, in this place?"
Footnotes:
[1] The opening line of the Tao Te Ching, a fundamental text in Taoism.
-x-X-x-
The Bereaved VI
Why was Go Yuri here? It was a question that not even I could answer, and neither could the fairies acting as the server administrators for this 'dream' world.
"Hoek, we apologize, Comrade Secretary-General."
"We were only trying to recreate the past as closely as we could, using Codename Yo-hwa's data and the settings you provided...!"
"But we can change the data and erase her existence, right? Should we activate your inherited authority, 'Existence Erasure,' Comrade Secretary-General?"
I just shook my head.
"No, there's no need for that. In fact, you must never do that. Our goal isn't to warp Yo-hwa's past, but to restore it to be as historically accurate as possible. We might have to tolerate minor distortions if they're unavoidable, but we must not intentionally corrupt the timeline. Remember that."
"Hoek, we understand."
The fairies saluted in unison.
"But, we're getting this funny feeling that not only your appearance but your speech is becoming more and more like Codename 'Cheon-hwa,' Comrade Secretary-General. Personally, we think it has a cute charm."
"..."
"The fervent support of the people. With this, our Red Empire can endure for another two hundred years."
I confiscated their sausages.
The fairies burst into tears, wailing "Hoe-eeeng," but I paid them no mind and began to carefully explore the mansion.
'The tutorial fairies are ultimately outsiders, so it's no surprise they know nothing about Go Yuri.'
'That means my only option is to ask the insiders, the members of this cult.'
More importantly, in this world, I was the cult's most treasured child, one of the successors handpicked to become a god for the next generation. My young age placed many restrictions on my actions, but something as simple as contacting the members to gather information should have been easy.
However.
– Shh, Young Miss.
– You mustn't talk about that woman.
Even the shadow-like cult members, who wandered the grand mansion like phantoms, offered contradictory statements about Go Yuri.
– Oh dear. This will surely sadden you, Young Miss...
– She is someone cherished by our Leader.
– Pardon? What are you saying, Young Miss? No such person exists here in the Holy Temple.
– Young Miss... you ask such a strange question.
– She is your new stepmother, isn't she?
"..."
The testimonies were all over the place.
One member said Go Yuri was the leader's lover. Another denied her existence entirely. Someone else claimed she was the woman the leader remarried after his wife's death.
It wasn't a case of one of them lying through their teeth, as I certainly have the sharp judgment needed to tell an act from the truth.
Every single one of them was being sincere.
It was as if…
'...as if even the information surrounding Go Yuri had become tangled in a mess of spacetime.'
I was completely disoriented.
A typical void was already an abyss beyond human comprehension, but with Go Yuri now in the mix, it was driving me to the brink of insanity.
I decided to visit my younger sister, who was the only person in this dream-like void, or rather the second if you included me, to have retained her 'identity'.
"Yo-hwa."
"Hmph. I hate you, unni. I hate you. Go away."
"Here's some chocolate ice cream."
"I love you, unni. Please live forever."
I casually posed a question to my dear sister, the great philosopher Madam Yo-hwa, who had just placed a scoop of chocolate ice cream right on the line between life and death.
"That very pretty unni who's always with Father," I began.
"Hmm? You mean Teacher?"
"..."
A shiver went down my spine.
'Teacher'.
So this is where that title originated.
"...My apologies, Yo-hwa. Your unni has had a lot on her mind lately, and my memory is a bit hazy. Could you remind me what we've been studying with our... 'Teacher', and since when?"
"The scriptures. The Tao Te Ching," Yo-hwa answered with a bright smile.
"I like Teacher. She explains the scriptures in a way that's much easier to understand than the other adults, and she never gets mad."
"Really...?"
"Yup. But you're acting strange, unni. You like Teacher a whole lot too, don't you? So why are you asking me this all of a sudden? ...Gasp. Oh, I get it. You're trying to drive a ledge between me and Teacher, aren't you? Aren't you?"
"The expression is 'drive a wedge,' not whatever you just said."
"It's the same thing. You're silly, unni."
"It seems my little Yo-hwa holds some very different opinions from the National Language Institute."
"Huh? The Na-National... what now?"
"They're the absolute arbiters of the Korean language, the ones who decide we should use awkward official terms instead of the words everyone actually uses."
"Eh. I-I don't get it..."
Yo-hwa's lip quivered and her eyebrows drooped.
'Ah. How cute.'
Without thinking, my hand reached out and started patting Yo-hwa's adorable head.
"Ungh..."
Yo-hwa narrowed her eyes. Her gaze flickered between my face and her own hand (equipped with chocolate ice cream).
Then, with a look that said, 'Ah, whatever,' she cheerfully resumed eating her ice cream quietly permitting my head-patting attack.
'So cute.'
HowcouldmylittlesisterbesoadorableandlovableandnaiveandfoolisheventhoughshewasbornfromthesamebloodlinewiththesameDNAhowisitthatachildlikethiscouldbebornfromafatherlikethatthefactitselfisatrulyamiracleandablessingandIwishshewouldnevergrowupandstayjustlikethisandworshipandadoremethisunniforever.
'—Wait.'
I snapped back to reality with a jolt.
'This is bad. I've been so focused on acting as Cheon-hwa, empathizing with her so much, that my own way of thinking is starting to become identical to hers.'
A chill crept over me.
The void, as expected. It was a treacherous place where even a seasoned expert like myself could lose their identity in a single, careless moment.
Well, of course, I still had my final failsafe, the [Complete Memory] ability, holding strong. Even if I were to completely lose my sense of self, as long as my vast memories as the Undertaker remained, I would always be able to find my way back.
Complete Memory really is an overpowered cheat, isn't it. I'm quite jealous that my predecessor got to enjoy such a great skill all by himself.
"Unni," Yo-hwa said, "there's something strange about this ice cream."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Well, the outside is chocolate, which I like, but the inside is green. And it tastes like toothpaste. Are you sure this is real chocolate ice cream?"
"Of course it is. All the really fancy chocolate ice creams are green on the inside these days. It's proof that they use organic, all-natural chocolate. That slightly cool, fresh taste just means it's extra healthy for you."
"Wow, really?"
"I heard that only the most refined ladies can appreciate the profound depth of such a luxurious sweetness. Haa, to be honest, it's still a little overwhelming for me. What about you, my dear Yo-hwa?"
"It's... it's super delicious!"
"Is that right? Well then, from now on, you should only eat this kind of chocolate ice cream."
"Ack."
Just as I was busy cementing this precious memory of our warm, sisterly affection...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A sound came from the door.
I shot my sister a look, and she hurriedly swallowed the rest of the ice cream, destroying the evidence.
In this cult-like household, the family customs were so strict that we weren't even allowed to have dessert without permission.
"Who is it?" I called out, buying my sister a few more seconds.
But when I heard the voice that replied from the other side of the door, my heart gave a small jolt.
"It is I, Young Misses."
It was the voice of Go Yuri.
"Class is about to begin. Miss Cheon-hwa, Miss Yo-hwa, would it be alright if I came in?"
"..."
I didn't have to think for long.
"Oh, please, come in, Teacher."
After all, hadn't my sister just testified to this very fact? That I, 'Cheon-hwa', was very fond of my private tutor.
So, no matter how unsettling I personally found Go Yuri to be... I couldn't afford to act in a way that contradicted the established rules of this reality.
If the anomalies here detected that I was an entity even slightly out of place in this Void, they would immediately move to eliminate the foreign intruder.
'If my goal were simply to eliminate them, that wouldn't be an issue.'
But my objective in this void wasn't extermination or eradication.
It was the restoration of the past, and nothing else.
My task was akin to using a specialized recovery program to restore files that had been moved to the trash and permanently deleted from a computer long ago.
Therefore, my reaction as 'Cheon-hwa' the moment the door creaked open was already set in stone.
"Yay. It's Teacher."
"Haha."
Go Yuri offered a gentle smile in response to my broad, perhaps overly enthusiastic, welcome.
"Have you been well, Miss Cheon-hwa?"
"Yes. Wow, Teacher, how do you manage to look prettier every time I see you? And you smell so wonderful. I'm envious, Teacher."
"Thank you for the kind words. But you are the beautiful one, Miss Cheon-hwa. My appearance is just the result of some effort, whereas you, once you're a bit older, will surely cause people to marvel at your beauty wherever you go."
Go Yuri tilted her head, her gaze drifting past my shoulder.
"And how are you, Miss Yo-hwa?"
"Ah, y-yes. Hello, Teacher."
"Oh, my."
Go Yuri walked over and stopped directly in front of Yo-hwa. Hiccup. Yo-hwa was clearly tense.
A white handkerchief emerged smoothly from Go Yuri's pocket. An apple fragrance, seemingly woven into the fabric, instantly permeated the room.
Twirl. Press.
With a quiet grace, Go Yuri knelt down and gently wiped the corners of Yo-hwa's mouth. There had been a faint trace of chocolate on her lips.
"Ah, ahh, uhh..."
Smile.
Yo-hwa stammered, flustered, but Go Yuri simply put her handkerchief away and turned back to me, her expression giving no indication that she had seen anything unusual.
"Shall we continue our lesson on the scriptures from where we left off, my young ladies?"
"Yes, yes."
As I heard Yo-hwa's enthusiastic reply and offered a cheerful one of my own, a corner of my mind became chillingly clear.
I had sensed it faintly when we passed in the corridor earlier, but now I was absolutely sure.
"..."
Go Yuri.
She didn't recognize 'me'.
Let's rewind a bit, to a time not so long ago.
This was before I transformed into the young lady of a distinguished family, before I even entered Yo-hwa's dream.
It concerns a strange phenomenon that began occurring sometime after the 1,000th cycle.
"Hyung-nim."
"Oh? What's up, Seo Gyu? It's rare for you to seek me out."
"I felt it was best that I report this to you directly."
SG Net. The Library Society's Bulletin Board.
It was supposed to be an encyclopedic forum, a place for Awakeners to find and share strategies.
The constellation managing it, [The Librarian of the Great Library], was a completely fabricated persona, and the entire board was meant to be an artificial construct, but—
"It's this, Hyung. This post right here."
"Oh?"
"The person you warned me about so many times... the one you called the 'pink entity' or something. I think this information is about her."
For some time now, information that I myself had never seen or heard before had begun to flow backward, appearing on the [Library Society's Bulletin Board].
"What?"
"Look. Starting from this passage."
Most of it, no, 99.99% of it, was just useless drivel. It was mostly childish roleplaying about this marquess or that baron.
But among them all, one post.
There was a single post that was far too meaningful to be dismissed as a simple lie.
"『At first glance, it may seem like an anomaly that brainwashes its target, but that is not the case. The brainwashing is merely a consequential result. In truth, 'it' works by reading the target's innermost thoughts and subconscious, then automatically articulating the very words that person most desires to hear.』"
"..."
"『Ability Name: Absolute Strategy. Auto-Hunt. Genuine communication with 'it' is virtually impossible. However, if you can consciously alter your own inner state, it is possible to adjust the parameters of the conversation.』"
"..."
"It's a little different from your explanation, Hyung, but it's very similar, isn't it?"
This was a post containing information about Go Yuri.
Information that I couldn't have obtained no matter the cost, even if I had sacrificed dozens of regressions for it, was now available for free on the [Library Society's Bulletin Board] of all places.
"No, that's impossible."
Naturally, I denied it at first.
"Any posts on here that aren't written by us, but are automatically generated by some anomaly... they're all set to private, aren't they?"
"They are."
"That means only members of our Regression Alliance can read this post. So this entity secretly passed on information about Go Yuri for our benefit... It's impossible."
Seo Gyu blinked.
"Then what is this, Hyung?"
"It's just an anomaly imitating the infinite monkey theorem."
"The what?"
"The theory that if you give a monkey a typewriter and an infinite amount of time, it will eventually type out the complete works of Shakespeare."
"Ohh..."
"This is just a coincidence. A coincidence. Some random anomaly that took up residence on the board has been spouting nonsense for so long that it accidentally produced a post that resembles information about Go Yuri."
Swoosh.
I took the phone from Seo Gyu and scrolled to the bottom of the post.
"It's nothing more than an elaborate piece of fake ne—"
And then I saw them.
S U
The initials carved at the very end of the post.
"..."
A simple two-letter signature, left without any warning or preamble.
And I had just found it.
"..."
"Hyung? What's wrong?"
SU.
It was a last will and testament. A code.
A secret that, in this entire world, was known only to me.
If you don't recall, a long time ago, Oh Dok-seo and I had a conversation. She told me about the prologue of a novel he'd read before the Void's advent, [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint].
– That's him. The prologue. The fake protagonist.
– ORV, I mean, ORV. The [Omniscient Regressor's Viewpoint] I read before the void's arrival. The prologue has the exact same story.
Hearing Oh Dok-seo's words, the past me had asked.
– Then does that novel also say why his head suddenly exploded?
– Of course. He's a real prophet.
The Prophet.
The ill-fated fake protagonist who possessed the ability to glimpse the future of this world. Because of that power, he saw far too much, and his head exploded the very instant he awakened it.
There were six such prophets in the world, and every single one met the same fate.
One of them, the prophet who awakened in Japan known only as 'Y', also died instantly.
But right before his death, Y used the last of his strength to scrawl a dying message on the ground.
S U
Those were the prophet's final words.
His first and last prophecy.
And.
'...it's a secret I have never told another soul.'
In other words.
'This document... is authentic.'
I didn't know how or why. The cause was unknowable.
But somehow, an 'Undertaker' from a different regression had used a secret code that only the Undertaker could know to deliver this information about Go Yuri to me.
A message sent, perhaps, at the cost of his own memories.
"Seo Gyu. Delete this post."
"What? Oh, right."
"And don't you ever mention this to anyone. Don't even let on that you saw it. Understand?"
"...Yes, Hyung. I will."
That's right.
Since that day, I have been armed. I possessed a small weapon, a sliver of information as sharp as a dagger, that I could use against Go Yuri's [Perception Distortion] and [Brainwashing].
Even now, as I infiltrated Yo-hwa's dream.
Even now, as she appeared in this cult's mansion as the private 'teacher' of the twin sisters.
Even in this moment, as I watched Go Yuri read from the Tao Te Ching across the desk.
'I will not be played by you any longer.'
That dagger was in my hand.
Behind Cheon-hwa's bright, eye-crinkling smile, my own dark gaze remained steady.
'I will expose what you truly are, Go Yuri.'
-x-X-x-
The Bereaved VII
A Heart-pounding ☆ Private Tutoring session with Teacher Go Yuri!
A scenario straight out of an old dating sim had become my reality. And my heart, both its left and right ventricles, were genuinely pounding in response.
And so, after spending thirty minutes reading scriptures with Go Yuri, feeling like a spy who had infiltrated the heart of an enemy nation's intelligence agency, the result was in.
'What is this?'
I was bewildered.
'This is... a remarkably normal lesson, isn't it?'
Ah, the reason my inner monologue was so formal was that I was doing my absolute best to emotionally immerse myself in the character of 'Cheon-hwa', a young Miss from a prestigious family.
Putting aside my soul-baring method acting, Go Yuri's private lesson was... truly 'normal'.
My fears about what sort of bizarre heresies she would try to brainwash into the soft, developing minds of the twin sisters were proving to be entirely unfounded.
"Therefore, Miss Cheon-hwa."
"Yes?"
"Just because your own name feels empty and void, there is no need to forcibly empty out your own identity as well."
"…"
"Parents hold absolute power over a child. But you, Miss Cheon-hwa, are a wise person. You not only know how to think for yourself but can also take responsibility for your actions, so you are already no different from a respectable adult."
"Is that… so? Teacher?"
"Yes!"
Go Yuri beamed.
"Honestly, I've never met someone your age who is as brilliant as you are, Miss Yo-hwa. I believe you have more than enough reason to be proud of yourself. Ah. Of course."
Shhh, Go Yuri playfully crossed her index finger over her smiling lips.
"It would be troublesome if the leader were to find out just how clever you are."
"…"
"Freedom is power. It is a natural right given to all humans from the very beginning. So, until you have gained sufficient power, Miss Cheon-hwa, I would be grateful, though I'm sorry to ask, if you would keep that freedom suppressed."
Go Yuri's advice.
The private tutor's counsel was utterly appropriate.
I forced the facial muscles of Cheon-hwa to move. Without betraying any of that forced effort, I managed to shape it into a natural smile.
"Thank you, Teacher. I will keep that in mind."
'This isn't brainwashing.'
My thoughts proceeded on two separate tracks.
While my face and my tongue were wholly engaged with the 'Teacher' before me, the angle of my thoughts continued to delve deeper inward.
"However, this mansion is no different from my father's fortress. The helpers, too, only appear to be maids on the surface, but in reality, they are followers more ardent than anyone. In a place like this, how can a mere young girl like me possibly build up any strength?"
"Oh my. But I'm here, am I not! My Miss!"
'If it's not brainwashing. This feels almost like…'
It seemed to be the exact opposite, as if she were trying to liberate the twin sisters, Cheon-hwa and Yo-hwa, from the chains of this pseudo-religious cult.
"Are you saying you will be on my side, Teacher?"
"Yes, haha. With such adorable girls like you, and as twin sisters no less. As a responsible adult, how could I possibly not help?"
"…"
I turned my head slightly.
"Nyaa…. Unni, I don't like green chocolate…."
Beside me, my lovely sister, Yo-hwa, was drooling on my arm as she dozed off.
It couldn't be helped. How many children at that age could genuinely focus while reading the Tao Te Ching together?
After stroking my sister's soft hair once, I turned my gaze back.
"Teacher. I have also heard many rumors about you."
"Oh my. What kind of rumors are you referring to?"
"That you are a self-made woman who, despite being an Oechul, captivated Father's heart in an instant and rose to the very cusp of an executive position."
Oechul. Naechul.
These were slang terms used only within this time-honored pseudo-religious cult. Followers who were born into the cult and raised for generations were called Naechul, while those who had just recently joined were referred to as Oechul.
The cult's history dated back to the time of the Imjin War. I didn't know if it was fact or propaganda, but there was even an executive who had supposedly served the cult for twelve generations.
Perverts existed in this world. They possessed a disposition to value the times they had not lived in more than the times they had.
And into this fortress of time, built by such perverts, an Oechul had unexpectedly seeped in.
The being before me was clearly strange.
Just as it had always been.
"Is it your intention to steal the cult's power and wealth by stealing my father's heart?"
"Oh, my my."
"And by securing the trust of me, the successor, you plan to enjoy power for the next half-century?"
"Ahaha."
It wouldn't be strange for her to falter at least a little when faced with such sharp animosity.
But Go Yuri's lips, on the contrary, softened.
"Power. Authority. Ahh, what sweet words those are."
"…?"
"Never mind half a century, it would be quite nice if it could be maintained for even twenty years, hmm, or maybe even ten years."
"…"
A chill shot straight up my spine.
'She knows.'
At this time. At this very moment.
At a point in time when modern civilization so casually holds firm its love and trust in the laws of physics, the being before me already knew.
'This being knows that the world is going to end. She knows. Already.'
How?
'Is she really the main culprit behind the arrival of the void? A prophetic ability? No. If she were a prophet, why is only Go Yuri's mind intact?'
'Let's assume she knows the future. Then every single second of this present time would be incredibly precious. Just look at me! Just look at Old Man Scho. Haven't we lamented countless times how wonderful it would have been if we could have regressed just a little bit earlier before the arrival of the void!'
'A time limit precious as gold.'
'Why is she investing such time in something like giving private lessons to the twin sisters of a pseudo-religious cult? Why?'
"Oh my."
Steadily.
Go Yuri's eyes half-opened and stared directly at me.
"Why do you look so flustered? My Miss?"
"…"
"I believe I said something quite ordinary."
The clockwork of my thoughts accelerated desperately.
I removed the grime from between the gears that I, as the 'Undertaker', had created. I eliminated the noise.
The oil of acting was hastily injected, and the cogs that made up the current marionette, the one named 'Cheon-hwa', began to creak and turn.
"What do you mean, an ordinary story?"
I acted, with the resolve to deceive not just humans but even gods.
"Just now, Teacher, it was as if you declared it. That our family's glory, our cult's future, will last for 10 years at most."
"Aha?"
"Of course, I dislike my father. But that absolutely does not mean I hate everyone who has come under the protection of our cult."
"Hmm."
Go Yuri's eyes narrowed.
"—Certainly. Yes. From your position, my Miss, it could have sounded that way. I'm sorry! I spoke too carelessly."
"..."
"When you become an adult, you sometimes pick up a habit of pretending to know things. For me to do that in front of someone as smart as you, my Miss. I am truly lacking. Will you forgive me?"
"…Yes."
"Thank you. I always feel nothing but sorry towards you, my Miss."
Bzzt, the smartphone buzzed for a moment.
It was Go Yuri's phone. As if she had known a message would arrive at this exact moment, she picked up the smartphone with a casual motion and looked down at it.
Glance.
"Hmm, oh dear. It seems it's already that time."
Go Yuri clapped her hands together.
Clap!
"Hwek?!"
At that, Yo-hwa, who had been in a deep slumber, shot her eyes open. Go Yuri smiled gently and took out a handkerchief.
With a different handkerchief from the one she used to wipe the chocolate from Yo-hwa's mouth before the lesson, she gently dabbed at the drool marks.
"Heup. Ah, aht, aht…."
"Well then, shall we review the last passage from the Tao Te Ching we studied today?"
Go Yuri whispered.
"The Way follows what is natural. How about it? It's a familiar phrase, isn't it? It's the one our Reverend recites the most, after all."
"Yes, yees! Teacher."
"All things in the world are imitations. Ah, saying it like that might get it confused with Plato, so…. it might be better to call them 'incomplete works'."
Nod-nod, Go Yuri bobbed her head.
Yo-hwa, with a face that knew nothing of the world, mimicked the teacher's gesture.
"Why are they incomplete works? Because the very act of humans giving names to things is imperfect."
"…"
"Man follows the Earth. Humans are imperfectly given their names from the environment of the current era. You are a student. You are the child of certain parents…. The Earth follows Heaven. The environment of the current era reflects a fragment of the flow of all ages, of destiny. And Heaven follows the Way. Even destiny itself stems from a single path."
"…The Way follows what is natural."
"Yes. Only the path itself proceeds as a path, without relying on anything."
Go Yuri let out a small laugh.
"Your father, my ladies, seems to believe that by casting away his name, he can become one with that path completely…. but I, I interpret that passage in the opposite way."
"The opposite?"
"Even a single path ultimately culminates in a single person. If that is the case, then I ask you, for what reason can a single person not change that path?"
"…"
The Tao. The Path.
The Route.
As 'Cheon-hwa', I tilted my head as if I half-understood, but as the 'Undertaker', I was thrilled.
Go Yuri. Why, and how she had infiltrated this place, this pseudo-religious cult, I could not know.
But I was certain of one thing.
This mansion was an indispensable stepping stone in the 'Route' she had drawn in her mind.
"There is only one way to reach that point. It is to become a human as vast as the path of nature, as vast as the universe."
Slide.
Go Yuri stood up.
"To put it another way, perhaps the Way follows Man. Man-as-is, and at the same time, destiny? Ahaha. Really, it's a problem how much I like this kind of old-fashioned way of speaking."
"…"
"Well then, I will see you again next time. Miss Cheon-hwa, Miss Yo-hwa."
Yo-hwa shot up to her feet and bowed her head deeply.
"Uung! Teacher! Goodbye!"
"…Goodbye. Teacher."
I, too, went to the doorway to see the teacher off and bowed my head.
Step, step, step.
The sound of Go Yuri's footsteps grew distant.
Down the long wooden hallway, befitting a grand mansion, the weight of Go Yuri's presence grew fainter and fainter.
'Is it finally over?'
The me inside heaved a sigh of relief.
Since I was still bowing my head to see the private tutor off, there was comparatively less need to pour my mental energy into maintaining my expression.
'Still, the guide on SG Net was a huge help. By empathizing with Cheon-hwa's ego, with someone else's ego, I was really able to deal with Go Yuri normally. Yes. Just proving this fact makes this cycle an unparalleled success…'
"Oh, by the way."
Thud.
The footsteps stopped.
Her gaze latched onto the crown of my head.
I could feel it.
Even though she had already left the room, even though she had walked down the hallway, I could feel Go Yuri's eyes looking 'this way'.
The gaze of her smiling eyes.
"Come to think of it, you haven't called me by my name even once today, Miss Cheon-hwa."
"…"
"You used to say it so affectionately every day, so it feels a little empty now that you've suddenly stopped. Hehe. The title 'Teacher' is nice too, of course. But I really, really love the sound of your voice saying my name, Miss Cheon-hwa."
"…"
"My name."
Whisper.
"Could you say it for me just once?"
My heart pounded.
'I'm under suspicion.'
Countless answers formed routes and branching points in my mind, only to be blocked. Go Yuri? Wrong answer. ■■■? Wrong answer.
Because.
"Pardon?"
I lifted the head I had kept bowed for so long. And, just like Cheon-hwa would, I smiled sweetly and tilted my head.
"I'm sorry, Teacher! I think you just said something. What was it you said?"
"…"
The correct answer was, 'I couldn't hear you'.
I wasn't suddenly acting out a hard-of-hearing character. As I said, Go Yuri had walked a fair distance from the room down the hallway.
And just a moment ago, Go Yuri had 'whispered' in an endlessly low voice.
There was no way I could have heard it.
A voice whispered by someone from that far away.
It would be impossible for the childhood 'Cheon-hwa', who had yet to awaken any aura or anything of the sort, to have heard it clearly.
"Ah. It's nothing."
Wave!
Go Yuri waved her left arm back and forth and said in a slightly louder voice.
"It's nothing at all! My Miss! Well then, I'll see you again next week-!"
"Yes! Teacher! Goodbye!"
Only then did Go Yuri's back completely disappear around the corner of the hallway.
I lowered the hand I had been waving back.
'…If I had panicked just now and answered rashly.'
What would have happened, I wonder.
"…"
I didn't even want to think about it.
Ignoring the maids, the shadow aberrations that began to roam the hallway again, I went back into the room and hugged Yo-hwa tightly.
"Woong? Unni?"
"…"
"What's wrong, Unni?"
Yo-hwa reached out her small hand and stroked my head. It should have been the exact same size as my own palm, and yet, why did it feel so small?
I murmured.
"I'll protect you, Yo-hwa."
"Huh?"
"From Father. From the cultists. From the inscrutable Oechul. Even if the world becomes strange. No matter what, your big sister will protect you."
"…"
Please, hurry and come, Sunbae (—me—).
To the 'me' (Cheon-hwa) right now, this world is far too vast, and far too dark.
Footnotes:
[1] Near the end of her lesson, Go Yuri makes a pun. She suggests a new interpretation of the Taoist principles, 도법인연 (道法人然), which phonetically sounds like "The Way follows Man." This is a play on the common word 인연 (因緣), which has the same pronunciation (In-yeon) and means "karma," "destiny," or "connection." She is essentially saying the path of destiny is ultimately shaped by individual people.
-x-X-x-
The Bereaved VIII
Let's skip the pleasantries.
Hello, everyone. How have you all been?
I'm not quite sure who I'm speaking to right now. Which makes sense, because my own existence has become rather vague and ambiguous these days.
I was Infinite Void, then the Mastermind's miko, then Cheon Yo-hwa, then the Undertaker, and then Cheon-hwa again.
This level of identity confusion is practically a grand festival.
They say that if you take something too far, it becomes a work of art. If that's true, then the current 'me' must have far surpassed Leonardo da Vinci.
The world is just a jumbled mess of anomalies and void anyway.
Keeping in step with the trend that will sweep the globe in just a few years, I, Cheon-hwa, have simply embodied the spirit of an early adopter.
But the world has a nature that seeks balance.
If someone is fast, then someone else must be slow.
That is the way of the world.
Therefore, even I, who has become a complete mess of identity confusion, can confidently declare this one thing.
"That son of a bitch, my sunbae, is taking his goddamn sweet time, ah, fuck."
"Unni…?"
The rest has been omitted.
It has been five years since I entered this dream.
And still, that sunbae of mine, the Undertaker, has not shown even a single strand of his hair at the grand mansion of the pseudo-religious cult.
On the veranda of the mansion's annex.
I stared up at the sky, which was sharply cut off by the line of the eaves, and muttered forlornly.
"You're late, Sunbae… Will I turn into an anomaly at this rate?"
Yo-hwa, who was doing push-ups beside me, turned only her head to speak.
"You know what? Sometimes, unni, you seem like a moron."
"Oh my. My dearest sister. If I am a moron, then due to the genetic similarities between twins, you would inevitably be registered as a moron too, so why would you spit towards the sky?"
"Ah, sorry. I misspoke. You always seem like a moron, Unni."
"This can't be."
I was slightly shocked.
Where on earth did the child who, just a few years ago, would cry and whine, 'I don't want the chocolate ice cream unni brought me! I don't want it! I'm not eating any more!' disappear to?
"Well, whose fault do you think it is, huh? It's the fault of the person who fed me mint ice cream for over half a year while calling it chocolate ice cream, isn't it?"
"This is all father's fault."
I said gloomily.
"He said that as the daughter of a prestigious family and the successor to the cult, we must never forget our dignity and etiquette, and from the moment he forced us to use formal language with each other, your life was already over, little sister. How sad."
"You use the same formal tone, unni! Yo!"
"I cannot forgive him, father. For the sake of my sister's normalization, I must perform my filial duty as soon as possible."
"...When I get married, I'm never having children. Leaving behind that kind of DNA for future generations would be a sin against humanity."
Well.
Although I have been completely colored by the persona of 'Cheon-hwa' in this manner, from my appearance to my inner self, a corner of my mind still remembers the existence of the 'Undertaker'.
A while ago.
I had a conversation like this with a Tutorial Fairy.
"Hoeee, Comrade Secretary General… We are continuing to extend the time in the dream as you commanded, but it's starting to get dangerous."
"What exactly is dangerous about it?"
"Hoek. The only way to increase the time you reside in a dream is to dream again within that dream. You are already at the fourth level, Comrade Secretary General… You are in a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream."
"A dream within a dream. I see. So you're saying I'm falling deeper into the world of unconsciousness where the pink entity wanders."
"An accurate diagnosis, hoeee!"
The fan in my hand snapped shut and gently tapped the tip of my chin.
"It doesn't matter. Proceed."
"Hoeek?! I-Is that really okay?!"
"Yes. The world of unconsciousness has seven levels, after all."
I smiled sweetly.
"We only need to hold out for three more years at most, and a new 'tutor' will arrive. Our objective is to endure until then. There's no need to wait any longer than necessary."
"Hoeee, if it's only about three years, we can certainly finish within the fifth level, but…"
I had other calculations as well.
I didn't tell the fairies, but I secretly wanted to get closer to Go Yuri.
'This is Yo-hwa's dream. But from the moment Go Yuri appeared, it was no longer just Yo-hwa's dream.'
The 'data' that constitutes this dream.
I had a suspicion, no, a certainty, that this data might have flowed in from Go Yuri's side.
'Data that I could never obtain on my own.'
I would use Go Yuri to 'restore memories.'
To look into not only Yo-hwa's memories, but Go Yuri's as well.
It was a truly dangerous plan.
'In the past, I would never have attempted such an operation, but… now that I've learned how to handle Go Yuri to some extent through the fortunate encounters on SG Net.'
It was a challenge well worth taking.
"Are you really okay, hoe?"
The fairy looked at me with worried, sparkling eyes.
"Comrade Secretary-General. It's not just your appearance, you've really changed a lot."
"Hmm."
"Originally, one's ego is supposed to melt away limply in a dream, da-yeo. The very fact that you've endured this much proves your iron will, Comrade Secretary General, but I am still worried!"
Nod.
"It's fine. I have my memories."
"Hoeee."
"Rather than worrying about me, all of you fairies should focus your entire effort on maintaining Yo-hwa's identity."
"Hieeek! W-We are already allocating sixty percent of our power to that! Are you saying we should reduce the Comrade Secretary General's ratio even further from here?!"
"Yes."
My eyes narrowed unconsciously.
"Discovering the pink entity by chance made the situation interesting, but we must not forget our original purpose."
"…"
"Yo-hwa. Our objective is to plant the 'memories with her sister' into my younger sister's unconscious, to repair, even if just a little, the abyss-like hole that has been bored through her."
On the other hand, it doesn't matter if 'I' lose a bit of myself.
As mentioned, I have the [Complete Memory] ability, and.... Once I eventually wake up from this dream, I will return to my original self anyway.
"B-But…"
"Do it. That is an order from the Secretary General."
"Hiiik! Y-Yes, I understand!"
The fairies scattered in a hurry.
"…"
I quietly closed one eye and looked up at the sky.
No one in this dream world had noticed, but that sky has looked exactly the same for the past four years.
The color tone of the sky. The shape of the clouds. The intensity of the light.
The fairies had been erasing, one by one, the resources they deemed unnecessary for implementing this world.
'That's right. In the end, it's just like the days I spent with Yo-hwa when we were hunting Infinite Void.'
Back then, too, the world grew progressively smaller, eventually shrinking to the size of the student council room at Baekhwa Girls' High.
'Back then, I was trying to kill Infinite Void one way or another. Now, I'm trying so hard to restore Infinite Void. …No, not Infinite Void, but Cheon-hwa.'
The affairs of life are just so cunning.
Unlike the unchanging sky, time continued to flow unpredictably.
"Hoe. Comrade Secretary General. We can no longer match the time even with the fourth level… I am ashamed to say it, but we will have to proceed to the fifth level!"
"Go ahead."
"However, the synchronization rate between you and the young lady here is unusual. A somewhat strange incident might occur…"
Tilt.
"A strange incident?"
"This is a first for us as well, so we cannot be certain, hoee! But we believe without a doubt that you, Comrade Secretary General, will overcome any difficulty without panicking!"
The nature of the 'strange incident' was soon revealed.
"…?"
Immediately after entering the dream within the dream, surrounded by fairies as usual, I opened my eyes to a world that was strangely silent.
"Fairies?"
Silence.
The dream demons, who would always cling to me to the point of annoyance, crying 'hoeeng hoeng' whenever they had the chance, were nowhere to be seen.
"Fairy number 264?"
No reply.
"…"
Indeed.
The one who commands the Tutorial Fairies and wields absolute authority in the dream is―― the 'Undertaker', after all, not the young 'Cheon-hwa' I am now.
"Does this mean that from now on, I am the only one who remembers the real world."
"Unni? What are you doing over there?"
I turned to face the direction the voice came from.
Yo-hwa. My one and only sister was the sole source of vibrant presence in the void of this dream-within-a-dream, where only shadows roamed.
I can see the 'aliveness' in my sister's eyes as she tilts her head and looks at her unni. Yup.
"Then I suppose it doesn't matter."
"...Ah. It's monologue time again, isn't it? Sorry. Forgive me for interrupting your precious life as a chuunibyou patient. I'll just be over here doing my strength training."
"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop the habit of subtly dropping the formal speech and using informal language."
"I don't want to. You should try it later, Unni. It's fun."
"Really? Then I'll try. You've finished reading the scriptures, right? You can't forget that father plans to personally quiz you on passages from the scriptures next week."
"I love you, Unni! Please pretend to be me and take the test in my place this time, too! I'm off to exercise for a life of slow aging! Bye! Love you!"
"..."
What a naughty little sister.
Where has the sister who used to be so lovely gone? I feel like I should file a claim for damages against the universe.
Regardless of my grumbling, time flowed on.
Around this time it was becoming difficult to access the memories of the 'Undertaker' without conscious effort.
"Hah. Take a look at this, Yo-hwa."
"Yes?"
"An interesting article has come out."
Tap, tap.
My father flicked the newspaper with his finger.
My goodness, a 'newspaper'. These days, even the elderly are enjoying a second life as smartphone addicts, father.
As expected, I must perform the traditional filial piety that has been passed down on the Korean peninsula since the Goryeo dynasty as soon as possible.
"This time, only one person got a perfect score on the CSAT. And the interview is quite amusing."
"…?"
I leaned in, wondering how interesting an interview with a perfect scorer could possibly be.
――――――――――
Q. What is your religion?
A. "Taoism. My friends always look at me strangely when I say I believe in Taoism, but I really do believe in it. It's deeply connected with self-discipline and cultivating the mind."
――――――――――
"…"
"What do you think? Yo-hwa?"
My father wore a pleased expression.
"Your sister is always worrying that Taoism lacks expandability, but look. Even a student from another region, not one of our cult's Naechul, says they believe in Taoism on their own!"
It seemed my father was subtly demanding recognition for his discerning eye.
Well. The fact that he believed I was his younger sister 'Yo-hwa' just because I, his older daughter, put on a little disguise, already proved that my father's eye sockets had a pretty high compatibility rate with knotholes.
"Heeeh. That really is amazing."
I decided to play the part of my younger sister without reservation and satisfy my father's desire.
Recently, the faction within the cult that revered 'Cheon-hwa' had been growing.
It was only natural. No matter how much of an identity crisis I was going through, I had the knowledge and experience of a 'protagonist' to assist me.
Even my father, who wielded absolute power in the cult, had no choice but to be devoured if he granted me this much time over several years.
My father himself must be feeling a strange sense of anxiety.
That's why he stuck closer to 'Yo-hwa' than to 'Cheon-hwa', acting as if to show off their intimacy to those around him.
"Sometimes, an outsider like that has to come in for a fresh breeze to blow through the cult. Indeed!"
"Ahaha."
He wants to advertise that the power to select the successor lies with him, but… does this father of mine know?
That clinging to the right to name a successor is itself a bad move. The fact that it doesn't suit the 'Cult Leader' who should be an agent of a god and the king of the cult at all.
Above all, there is no way my sister could become my rival.
A future where the assets of the cult, including Baekhwa Girls' High, are handed over to Yo-hwa.
That is truly impossible, unless I were to one day offer myself as a sacrifice to suppress an Outer God and be [Sealed].
Ahahahaha. A Time Sealer joke!
Time passed.
"Miss Cheon-hwa. Miss Yo-hwa."
One day. During a tutoring session.
Our tutor, Teacher Go Yuri, who had taught us various kinds of 'external knowledge' since we were young, once a week, closed the scripture and spoke.
"I'm very sorry, but it will be difficult for me to conduct classes starting next week."
"What?!"
Yo-hwa, who had been leisurely munching on a chocolate ice bar, was startled.
"What do you mean, Teacher?"
"I'm truly sorry. A family matter has come up."
Teacher wore an expression that would make anyone feel that she was being completely sincere in her apology.
"Starting next week, my successor will come and conduct the classes."
"Eh, a successor…"
"Fufu. From now on, you ladies will also have to seriously consider preparing for the CSAT. In that field, my successor will be able to teach you much better than I can."
I slightly closed one eye.
"It seems you know this person, Teacher?"
"Yes."
Smile.
Go Yuri-Teacher smiled.
"I know them very very well."
"…"
"They're someone who has even received a perfect score on the CSAT. I don't think you'll need to have any doubts about their skill!"
What was there to hide.
The person who came to our mansion's study room a week after Teacher Go Yuri's sudden resignation.
"――Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. Miss Cheon-hwa, Miss Yo-hwa."
He had the face of someone I knew well.
"My name is ■■■."
The Undertaker.
"I have been faithfully handed all the materials regarding your academic progress from the previous teacher."
The 'me' from before the world was destroyed.
The 'me' from before the advent of the void.
"Your achievements are both excellent."
"…"
"It's just that the university your parents want for you is Seoul University, so you need a pacer. Your school records are not a problem. Between us, I was told that the school you both attend is in a very… 'special situation'."
The man gave a slight smile.
The one whose whereabouts I could never find, no matter how much I searched through the data, who only revealed a tiny glimpse of himself when I explored Yu Ji-won's past to fill in the empty canvas.
The missing person of this world.
The secret figure that no one knew.
"Well then, shall we begin our first class?"
Finally.
He appeared before me.