Waiting For Your Reincarnation

“Never mind, let’s just go.”

I refused.

 

Ryu Won closed his eyes, but my refusal forced him to open them.

 

He raised a white flag in response to my determination.

 

He waved his hand nonchalantly from bottom to top, and a warm breeze blew around him as if he had turned on a heater.

 

The warm breeze swept over me and reached the Sly’s.

 

The winds of nature could not have been so soft and warm around the spirits and lights.

 “So that gust of wind earlier wasn’t a coincidence?” “The wind is one of my abilities. Doesn’t that surprise you?”

Ryu Won said.

 “A little, because I’ve already seen surprises that could last a lifetime while I’ve been here.” 

Slys shivered pleasantly and enjoyed the breeze, unlike when they’d met the monster.

 

The light emanating from Sly’s body crackled, waxing and waning like the glow of a firefly.

 

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I realized that the forest had returned to peace after the monster’s disappearance.

 

I watched him smile with the meekness of a puppy seeking its master’s praise.

 

Seeing the way Ryu Won treated the lights, I concluded; he might have leaned in for a quick kiss, but he didn’t seem like a bad guy.

 

Ryu Won led the way, and I followed, waving to the lights, or rather to the Slys.

 “We’re going to teleport back to the center.” “Alright, I’ll follow you.” “Yeon-Young?” 

Following Ryu Won, I felt the ground give way and fell forward. 

 

Suddenly, something grabbed my ankle. An opaque, slippery, green object.

 

The humiliation of falling and being stretched out on the floor hurt more than hitting my nose on the ground. 

 

I tried to pull myself up quickly before Ryu Won arrived, but it was too late.

 “Ugh, Mr. Ryu Won, what are these weird tentacles?” 

I stamped my foot, wondering if it was similar to the monster they had encountered earlier.

 

Ryu Won identified the green object and waved his hand in a commanding manner, and the strange tentacle that stuck like glue fell off in pieces.

 “Jung Jae-ho… you crazy bastard.” “Jung Jae-ho?” “This is the work of a mad scientist. If you see a mint-colored goofy head in the middle, don’t fight it, run away immediately, it’s not normal.” “And this one…?” “He’s a test subject of a madman. I’ll take care of him. You’re scared, aren’t you? Shh- You can hold him for a while.” 

Ryu Won carefully wrapped his arms around my waist and steadied me.

 

I felt dizzy as if I’d been drinking heavily since the strange tentacles had touched my body, and even though he was clearly supporting me, I still wobbled and found it difficult to center myself.

 

It felt as if someone had drained all my energy for the day.

 

My body lifted off the ground and into the air. My legs flailed wildly as I tried to regain my footing, but to no avail. 

 

Ryu Won’s eyebrows slowly furrowed as my rebellion intensified. It was too much for him.

 “Uh, uh…? Wait a minute.” “If you shake like that, you’ll fall off center. Let me hold you.” “What?” “That’s strange. I don’t have the strength…”

Ryu Won had been scratching his head ever since he’d used his ability to lift me up, as if something was wrong.

 

When I stopped flailing my legs and settled into the air, he also settled down too. 

 

I was still floating in the air, but I felt more stable, like I was sitting in a padded chair.

 

My body slowly descended from the air and landed on Ryu Won. 

 

Ryu Won wrapped his strong arms around me. The corners of my ears gradually turned red.

 

I wanted to escape from his embrace immediately, but my body was too weak to do so.

 

Ryu Won walked quickly across the field, not breaking a sweat. There was silence for a moment.

 

Unable to bear the silence, I spoke up and expressed my impressions of the ability.

 “It’s interesting that you have such an ability.” “Maybe you have one too, Yeon-young, but I’ll have to look into it first.” “Me?” “Yes.” 

I am puzzled. This was a strange, strange world, and I had just gotten a vague idea of what it was like, and now I seems to have powers.

 

***

 

Once we left the seemingly endless field area, a large forest came into view. Unlike the fields, which were bright and open to the sky, the forest felt a bit calmer and quieter.

 

As we entered the forest, my heart gradually calmed down, as if I had returned to my hometown.

 “Ah, but just like before, if you encounter a being called Snarl, run away immediately. Unlike Sly, it’s a spirit filled with nothing but evil.” “I see.” 

I didn’t want to encounter the inky creature again.

 

Ryu Won searched for a path as if he knew the geography of the forest, until we came to a clearing where no grass had grown and stopped.

 

He carefully placed me in the air. Even when Ryu Won’s hands parted from me, I didn’t fall back to the ground.

 

‘It’s actually more convenient to bring her here like this.’

Ryu Won thought.

 

Ryu Won touched the ring in his left hand, and just like before, a little light leaked out. The light grew in size until it formed a huge membrane.

 

Ryu Won grabbed my hand and jumped into the barrier.

 

Once inside the portal, the sounds of the forest gradually became inaudible and silent for a moment, followed by the sensation of being crushed by a huge object.

 

Ryu Won pressed their clasped hands together as if to steady her.

 “Oh…”

I exhaled slowly and took a step.

“Is that…?” “It’s okay if you faint, I can give you CPR.” 

At Ryu Won’s nonsense, I spat out the breath I had been holding. He would definitely give me CPR. 

 

As I breathed out slowly, I got slowly used to the weight.

 

I took a step as if I were riding a bicycle in the sky, and a flash of light enveloped me.

 

***

 

When we stepped out of the teleportation portal, Ryu Won landed on the ground and held me so that I would not fall.

 

As soon as I stepped on the ground, my stomach turned and I felt sick to my stomach.

 

I desperately patted Ryu Won’s chest, but instead of being pushed away, the hard chest only pressed closer to her.

 “Eup- please put me… on the ground…, no, let go of my hand. Please.” “Do you need CPR?” “No.” 

In the freezing cold of May, Ryu Won let go of my hand. 

 

I lay on the floor, face down.

 “Hah… Ugh, I’ll never get up again.” “Are you feeling very sick? I heard that there are some rare souls who react to teleportation, and I think you were one of them.” 

Unlike his mouth, which only made jokes that didn’t fit the situation, his hand patted my back in a loving gesture.

 

After lying still for a while, I felt the flutter in my stomach settle. I lifted my head slightly to take in my surroundings.

 

The place I’d been teleported to was even stranger than the field I’d fallen into.

 

The first thing I saw was a small village of colorful, low wooden houses in the distance.

 

They were all well-maintained, and nothing stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

For a moment, I felt like I was in a foreign village. 

 

On the other side of town, I was surprised to see a sleek skyscraper that seemed out of place in the cozy neighborhood.

 

It even looked a bit bizarre.

 “What is the concept of this world?” “Haha! Just know that it wasn’t my idea, ghosts can be a bit stubborn.” 

Ryu Won trailed off and looked away for the first time, just saying that it wasn’t easy to coordinate.

 

I tilted my head and stared at the gray concrete skyscraper in front of me.

 

A plaque on the light gray exterior wall read

 

[Soul Protection Center Branch 1]

 

It seemed to point to the place he had mentioned in the field earlier.

 “Soul Protection Center. Is it a place that collects souls and protects them, like a shelter for lost children?” “Something like that.” 

I carefully pushed myself up to get a better look at the center’s building.

 Ding-ding-ding 

But with a loud bang, the ground beneath my feet shook violently. It was a dangerous vibration that made it difficult to maintain a standing position.

 “Earthquake?” “Yeon-young!” “Wow. It’s a real phantom. Welcome back youngest!” 

Ryu Won’s voice sounded urgent, but I had no idea where to run. Behind his voice, an elegant female voice sounded like an oracle descending from heaven.

 “If you run now, can you avoid being crushed by the central building?” Boom! 

The ground beneath their feet split in two, and a wave of muddy water rose higher than Ryu Won’s height.

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