Waiting For Your Reincarnation

“There shouldn’t be any additional images other than the beach… but did you see anything else?” “Yes, it was definitely a temple.” “That’s strange, it must be a machine error, I’ll have to talk to the person in charge later.” 

Unlike the serious look on Ryu Won’s face when he heard the word temple, my expression was simple.

 

I silently wished the person in charge well. Making mistakes in death is the same as in life, I thought.

 

As I entered the library and passed the librarian’s desk, I could see an endless row of bookshelves. On both sides of the corridor, there were bronze-colored wooden bookshelves at regular intervals. The number of bookshelves alone must have been over a hundred.

 “There’s no need to go upstairs, most of the soul books are on the first floor for security reasons.” 

He smiled at me and walked briskly down the first-floor corridor. I naturally followed.

 

Even through his uniform coat, I could feel the angles of his muscular, broad back. He was obviously walking very slowly and leisurely, but his stride was quite large due to his long legs.

 

When Ryu Won took a step, I had to lift my foot off the ground two or three times.

 

Then his pace suddenly slowed down.

 

He slowed down very naturally, matching the length of my stride. Soon, Ryu Won and I were walking side by side.

 

I took a deep breath.

 

The soothing smell of old books in the air, the right temperature and humidity for books, and the peacefulness of silence.

 

Just walking through the corridors of the library, I felt calm. It was the same for Ryu Won, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

Somehow, it felt like we had walked side by side like this so long ago.

 

I felt my heart flutter in my chest and was overcome by a strange feeling.

 “Speaking of mistakes,”

he said,

“something actually happened with Jaeho.” “What? What happened?” 

Ryu Won broke the silence to tell me which episode had suddenly come to mind. I listened, his voice echoing softly in the library.

 “The spirits of the special team gather in the chairman’s office once a month. It was probably the first day I was promoted to team leader. Jaeho brought cookies he made that day. Because we didn’t know him very well we ate them without question… Except for the chairman.” “What!?” 

I stumbled over my feet in surprise at this unexpected turn of events. 

 

I squeezed my eyes shut as my body leaned forward, unable to find my center.

 

Ryu Won hadn’t even noticed that he was thinking about me, and his arms immediately reached out to catch me. He breathed a sigh of relief when he caught me in his arms.

 

Once he was sure that I was unharmed, he continued.

 “That cookie was Jung Jaeho’s first experiment, and it tinkered with one’s ability genes. The end result is that everyone’s abilities are slightly enhanced, and their traits are stronger. The side effects are not that you feel sick, but that one’s hair has changed color.” “Isn’t that your natural color?” “It’s actually blonde. Ah, that’s the color of freshman’s hair when the side effects are combed out well.” 

Blonde, and the man of my dreams was also blonde. 

 

If that was the case, then Ryu Won and I had met before Jung Jaeho joined the company.

 

I had a hunch that I was missing something.

 “What’s wrong with Jung Jaeho? Did he eat it without knowing?” “Yes. Of course, I don’t think he expected his body to get smaller. Anyway, after that, I got another manual: Be suspicious of everything Jung Jaeho hands you.” “He’s crazy.” 

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the feeling of being strangled by Jaeho. I vowed to avoid Jaeho at all costs, no matter what.

 

Ryu Won clicked his tongue slightly.

 “So don’t hang around Jaeho too much.” “What… I’m being dragged along?” “I’m just saying, be careful, don’t get involved with him, because I can wait for everything else, but I can’t wait for you to get involved with someone else.” 

Who said wait?

 

I knitted my eyebrows into a nasolabial pout. After the conversation, Ryu Won walked briskly through the bookshelves to find the book he wanted.

 

The bookshelves were at least two- or three-times Ryu Won’s height, but he used his powers to jump into the air and grab the book.

 

His movements were smooth and agile, like a basketball player. I watched in fascination.

 “If I ever come to the library alone again, I won’t be able to read whatever I want.” “Yes, you can, just come with me. Why would you go alone?” 

Ryu Won suddenly realized that he had heard my words from afar and said, “I already have four books in my arms.

 “I found them all.” 

They retraced their steps back the way they had come. He said they had to go to the center of the library to read the books.

 

Ryu Won’s ability to radiate freedom reminded me of my own.

 “What exactly is your ability, Mr. Ryu Won?” “To put it simply, I can control the wind.” 

At that moment, my bangs blew slightly in the wind, brushing my forehead and tickling me. I looked around to see if any of the library windows were open, but I couldn’t find any.

 

I looked up at Ryu Won’s face and realized something. He didn’t react, but there was a faint smile on his face.

 “Mr. Ryu Won, you just did that, didn’t you?” “That’s right, sometimes actions speak louder than words, so I guess you’re not completely clueless.” “I also have to adapt if I want to survive here again.” 

Ryu Won let out a disarming laugh as I poured out my complaints. He seemed to be amused by my rough reaction.

 “Do you really think I have that ability?” “Yes.” “How do you know that?” “It won’t take long, Ms. Yeon-young, you just have to trust me, look over there.” 

Ryu Won’s confident answer made my heart flutter a little. The library was quite dark, but as we moved towards the center, the room became unusually bright.

 

There was something different about the ceiling where Ryu Won pointed.

 

The entire library was painted in a bronze color, except for the section that had a square transparent ceiling, and the transparent ceiling was pierced by an off-white glow that penetrated to the floor.

 “This light is the source of the Iris power, that’s what we call it.” “Huh? Dirt…, right?” 

I followed Ryu Won’s gaze as he stared at the ground. 

 

There was a fenced area that could easily hold ten people, and it was filled with dirt.

 “This is the soil from the forest where we met. It’s been here ever since I realized that the soil from the forest has the best synergy with Iris’ power.” “I know you’re paid to do this, but it must be hard for you to clean this place.” “What?” “Oh…did I just say that out loud?” “Mmm.” 

There was silence for a moment, then laughter, and Ryu Won covered his face with his book. The tips of his ears were slightly red.

 “Mr. Yeon-young, why do you bother to clean up after yourself when there’s dirt here?” “No, it’s usually the youngest one who cleans up… I’m just asking.” “I’ll make sure you don’t get any dirt on your hands, Yeon-young. I want to show you something new. Come inside.” 

The fence was only calf high, so it was easy to climb over. Even though there was no danger, he extended his hand to me.

 

The ring on the ring finger of his left hand gave off a small glow, just as it had when he entered the library.

 

It was the only accessory he wore on his white, smooth knuckle, which made it stand out even more. The gem that adorned the ring was especially bright in the room light.

 

Maybe it means something if it’s on the dull side.

 

The position of the ring bothered me.

 

But then I looked away, wondering what it had to do with me.

 

The ground shook as if before a board of directors, and a pillar slowly rose from the center of the earthen mound. Atop the pillar rested a pale-yellow hand, the size of two overlapping hands.

 “I can tell you almost anything about this place with a book. What did you say you wanted to know the most?” “What is Iris?” “The source that makes the world go round.” 

My fingertips twitched at the word ‘Iris’.  I wondered if I’d asked a stupid question, but Ryu Won silently leafed through the book he’d brought with him.

 “That’s a good question,”

Ryu Won said,

“because soon you’ll have to know what Iris is in order to understand us.” 

He pulled a thick red book from his chest and placed it on a water container.

 

The book absorbed all the water in the bowl, but it didn’t get wet. In fact, it seemed to absorb all the water in the bowl and the light shining through the cover.

 

I closed my eyes for a moment, a little dazzled by the sight, and then opened them.

 

I was standing with Ryu Won in a room that wasn’t a library.

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