NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37
Have you ever heard the term UNDEAD?
A supernatural being that is neither alive nor dead. A word that describes a corpse moving against death.
As soon as I laid eyes on a girl in front of me, that word started swirling in my head.
Well, of course! The person standing before me undeniably felt like Yoo Seolhwa.
Sure, her hair and eye colors were different, but every person has a unique atmosphere that can be felt.
No matter how you age, change your face or height, there’s a reason why you can be recognized. That’s why I was able to immediately recognize the Spirit Beast of Byeowol.
However,
“…….”
There was one problem that left me speechless.
That figure is Bing Seolhwa, set up as Kim Hyul’s heroine. In this world, she’s referred to as my half-sister.
In other words, I was forced to face the worst kind of relationship again. It felt as if someone who knew our real-life relationship had cast a secret spell over us!
“Ahahaha! Do Hyeon, do you realize you have the weirdest expression right now?”
Bing Seolhwa touched her lips with her hand while laughing awkwardly, her smile sparkling like it could shatter at any moment under the moonlight.
“You, who are you? How do you know my real name….”
I initially denied it.
Just like the stages of accepting death, I didn’t want to believe that the assumptions in my head were correct.
For all I knew, she could just be a shell that looked like Seolhwa, thanks to Shuub Nigurath claiming to be my avid reader. I didn’t want my memories with her to be sullied by some third party.
“Hmm? Your one and only precious girlfriend, Yoo Seolhwa!”
At that, Bing Seolhwa narrowed her eyes, as if I were the weird one. She took steps forward, closing the distance.
“So, you’ve possessed Bing Yeon’s body? That’s how I’ve ended up like this? I think I finally understand!”
Bing Seolhwa recognized me immediately as Han Dohyun just by looking at me. That meant there was a high possibility I was facing a third party and not the actual her.
It couldn’t be anyone other than the one who projected me into this world if she was sure about my identity without being a lead character but just an extra!
She moved closer and started humming cheerfully, making it seem like I was seeing the Seolhwa I knew from back then.
“Don’t lie. If you were the Seolhwa I knew, you wouldn’t want to see this world’s ‘original story.’”
Above all, there was a critical difference. She, more than anyone, wanted the characters in the novel to have a happy ending.
No matter how much I tried to make things gloomy or push the endings into darkness, unlike my gloomy self, Seolhwa was a being of light.
“She already knows the conclusion of this world.”
I clenched my fists and spoke.
This world was created together with me. The mundane story made by two middle school kids brainstorming together.
“Hmm, do you really think that? You know too, that if the final bosses in the story die, this world will be peaceful!”
Seolhwa said this while slowly closing one eye and winking awkwardly at that exact moment.
“Those kids haven’t done anything wrong yet. There’s still a chance to turn things around.”
I rebutted firmly. I had indeed designed a grim past for my disciples, but the future still had the possibility of being changed.
In the case of Byeowol, he broke free from the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and resolved his spirit issues, Verdandi stopped using her powers for selfish reasons, and Azazel had somewhat let go of her obsession with Kang Si Woo.
I believed that the nasty relationships I had created must be cut off by my own hands.
“So, you’re ignoring the one and only reader of your novels? That includes the Earth Mother Goddess, you know?”
“I know that a writer exists because there’s a reader, but I still thought this was the right ending.”
No matter how much I tried to persuade her, my beliefs wouldn’t budge. This place was a one-of-a-kind world where everything was manifested into reality.
Moreover, if it were the real Seolhwa, she wouldn’t talk like that. The very first avid reader who loved my novels was her.
“Aren’t you being too harsh on a girlfriend you haven’t seen in a while? Do Hyeon?”
“Stop the petty imitating, do you find it fun to toy with me using the dead?”
Moreover, the original Seolhwa was destined to be in a relationship with Kim Hyul, the protagonist of the original work. Unlike me, an extra, she was an important supporting character.
If we were going to stick to the original work, she shouldn’t even be here.
“Everything you say is an insult to Seolhwa.”
With the same white hair and blue eyes, I felt a sense of kinship, but I couldn’t hide my displeasure as I spoke to Bing Seolhwa.
“Hmm? I was reborn in this world just like you! Don’t believe it?”
She looked at me and smiled while checking her wrist as she often did. It was a peculiar habit that Seolhwa had shown since childhood.
“Yes, I definitely don’t believe it. If you were truly the complete Seolhwa, you wouldn’t leave such sentences as traces on my body.”
Seeing that gesture, I shook my head and organized my complicated thoughts.
If she really were the Seolhwa I knew, she wouldn’t have left lines that could only be seen through Azazel, nor would she have awkwardly blinked one eye just now.
She purposely did that, considering the likelihood of being detected by a third party.
Seolhwa, skilled in puzzles and codes, enjoyed having me understand her intentions in such a way.
“More accurately, she’s giving you another chance. She enjoyed the web novel you wrote and wants to see the ending of that story.”
Seolhwa spoke in a slightly tearful tone to persuade me. She placed her hand on her chest as if she were in pain.
“Is there any proof that I should believe that?”
This whole farce could be in the hands of a third party. I expelled a cold aura, trying to block her approach.
“I cried a lot after you left for the military. Maybe I caught a mental illness, as my body started to harden once again…”
Bing Seolhwa had tears welling up in her blue eyes. It sparkled slightly, frozen by the cold temperature.
“…Shut up, just shut up!”
Seeing that scene, I shouted at her to stay back. I felt like my heart would waver if she got any closer.
“Do Hyeon, did you not want to see me? When my body crashed onto the cold concrete floor, I didn’t die immediately. I begged like crazy to be saved, even with my spine broken.”
Seolhwa continued to cry, revealing a gloomy story I didn’t know. How much pain she was in just before dying, how she desperately yearned for life since she hadn’t died instantly.
And,
“I was the one who died while missing you up until the moment I stopped breathing. Do Hyeon, if another life really exists, I cried out for us to meet again.”
She spoke frankly about how much she longed for me before dying.
“…Even so, are those kids more important than me?”
With a plop─, the tears stopped, and Seolhwa reached out her hand to me, as if to say she would forgive me if I agreed with her at that moment.
“Aren’t they like daughters to you?”
I began to raise the energy within my body. Blood trickled from my eyes, nose, and mouth, and my vision became blurred.
“Those kids are the protagonists of the original work. They aren’t the villains who will become the final boss.”
Upon hearing this, I was convinced that this Seolhwa wasn’t in her right mind. Although she had memories of being with me, her body and thoughts didn’t seem normal.
– Hmm? So, what about the unfortunate final bosses?
Well, such a question was something Seolhwa had once told me before.
– Well, that’s what the next sequel should turn into a parallel world and make them happy!
– So, are you trying to connect the worlds in every story?
– Yes, isn’t that the dream of every writer? Different stories coming together to form one world!
I had tried to weave the worlds of Azazel and Verdandi for that very reason. Even if they were villains as final bosses, they had no reason to remain unhappy.
“This makes it clear. Restore her to her original state. Third party.”
Boom─! I immediately used Glacier Falling Strike against her. Using a massive piece of ice, I soared into the air before crashing down with a punch.
“…Oh dear, I thought the act was flawless.”
Bing Seolhwa lightly blocked it with her palm, twisting her smile as she looked at me. Tears flowed from her trembling fists.
It was only from the one eye that had blinked awkwardly earlier.
“I’m not lying. I really did give this child a second life.”
In an instant, her tone changed to that of a serious woman, sounding as if various languages were mixing together. Upon hearing that voice, my heart squeezed as if it would burst.
“Ahha, I’m simply curious about what tragedy your novel is heading towards. Understanding ignorance is of utmost importance.”
It felt different compared to when Azazel revealed her divine nature. Though she spoke slowly, the words were thrust directly into my brain.
On purpose. Just like trying to burn ants with a magnifying glass, adjusting it to not kill them outright.
“Cough, cough….”
No matter how much I tried to breathe, I couldn’t, and while sitting there, I kept spitting out blood.
“Why do you refuse? I have followed your story, wanting to see the narratives of the protagonists till the very end.”
Bing Seolhwa looked at me, gasping for breath and leaning on the ground, and spoke with a voice filled with pity.
If I accepted her words right now, I could have a happy life with Seolhwa.
“But…”
I didn’t want that.
Even if it was a story that had been suspended from serialization.
I knew a certain author who had remade a piece four times and became successful, and it had taken years to create Byeowol and the disciples!
“Thank you for always coming to read my stories, checking for typos, and supporting me. But…!”
I strained to rise and opened my mouth to her. At the very least, I felt compelled to say this one line myself.
“The conclusion of the story is determined by the author…!”
I conveyed the encouragement Seolhwa had given me long ago, showing my resolution.
“…How disappointing. I thought at least you were a communicative author. See you in the Gathering of Fated Beasts.”
Seeing my attitude, Bing Seolhwa clicked her tongue and spun around. As she leaped through the trees, disappearing into the distance.
“Okay, I will definitely save you someday.”
I clenched my fist and vowed.