Chapter 372

[CHOI JEOKHYEON’S POV]

The day you learned that Seo Yuseong, whom you had believed to be dead, was actually still alive, you seemed completely absorbed in something on your laptop. We’ve spent too many years together, haven’t we? No matter how hard you tried to hide it, there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed that something major had happened to you.

Unlike Seo Yuseong or you, I had absolutely no connection with Han Seungbeom, so I had no idea how that so-called ‘ system’ worked. It was only after Seo Yuseong called me over as the concert began and explained everything that I finally understood the plan you had in mind.

“My brother plans to bring Han Seungbeom back to life. He intends to do it even if he has to sacrifice his own life.”

Any talk about Seo Yutae’s well-being always made me react sensitively. If it had been anyone else, I would have shown my displeasure just at the mention that Seo Yutae could die. But the one speaking was none other than Seo Yuseong. Since he was a boy who cherished his older brother so terribly, his words—be they nonsense or lies—were at least worth listening to.

After all, in the end, we share the same goal: to do what’s best for Seo Yutae.

“Given that you talk about ‘bringing Han Seungbeom back to life’ … does that mean Han Seungbeom’s already as good as dead?”

“Han Seungbeom overused his abilities, and his soul suffered fatal damage that cannot be reversed. Under normal circumstances, he would have simply perished, but with the power of the system, he’s somehow managing to hold on.”

When I heard that, I immediately felt a pang of despair.

He would do everything in his power to put Han Seungbeom back to his rightful place, and if it meant saving Han Seungbeom, he would throw away his own life without hesitation. Knowing this well, I spoke with an even heavier heart.

“…So the system that had revived bodies damaged beyond the point of certain death after drowning, falling from a building, or being hit by a car has suddenly become useless?”

“This system exists solely for Han Seungbeom, so reviving anyone else’s body comes at an enormous price. Since that cost wasn’t properly prepared, Han Seungbeom paid with his soul to save us. Physical damage can be fully healed as long as the cost is covered, but the soul is an entirely different matter.”

“…….”

“Judging by the fact that Han Seungbeom, the system’s favored target, still hasn’t been able to get out, this is clearly a problem that can’t be solved by ordinary means. At the very least, an equivalent price is required. For example, someone else’s soul.”

The happiness Seo Yutae experienced in his current life was genuine. He truly rejoiced watching Pantheion grow and felt anguish over the fact that he wasn’t a member of Prism. There were also promises he had made with me.

The current Seo Yutae was clearly attached to his present life and the relationships he had formed.

But when I thought about how much that would really affect his final decision, all I could do was let out a bitter laugh.

‘All those thoughts are meaningless.’

Because the answer was far too easy to predict.

Seo Yutae probably doesn’t care at all about what he himself feels. Even while enduring a pain that tears at his heart from parting with the people he loves, he would still throw his life away without hesitation to save Han Seungbeom.

He would do it simply because it was the right thing to do .

For Seo Yutae, that one reason was more than enough.

That’s right, you’re the kind of person who gets stronger when protecting what you cherish. I wanted to keep you by my side because I liked that about you, but ironically, once I actually gave you my affection, it made me feel sick to my stomach every time I saw you act that way.

“There’s only one way to stop my brother.”

It’s impossible to persuade Seo Yutae. Having known this from the start, I listened closely to what Seo Yuseong said next.

“…Tell me.”

I’ll do anything .

If it means I can save Seo Yutae , I’ll do whatever it takes.

“Disappear from my brother’s sight right now. And don’t ever appear before him again. No matter what happens to him, no matter what happens to you, just pretend you’re strangers and live that way until you die. That’s what you have to do if you want my brother to live.”

That’s what I thought, but what came out of Seo Yuseong’s mouth was something I never could have expected, leaving my mind blank. No, rather than saying I hadn’t expected it, it was more that I just couldn’t bring myself to accept it.

Every desperate, wretched effort I had made up to this point had been driven by nothing but the desire to stay with Seo Yutae. And yet now, I was being told to crush all of that with my own hands? I didn’t show it in front of Seo Yuseong, but it felt like I’d just been struck on the back of the head.

“At the end of the day, the status window belongs to me, not my brother. Since he can’t freely use it, unless he deliberately causes an error in the system through you, he won’t even be able to reach Han Seungbeom.”

“…From now on, I’ll never appear in front of you again. So, make sure you take care of yourself. Okay?”

I uttered those words with a smile on my face. In an instant, your face turned so pale that it hurt me even more to see it. For a moment, I nearly lost my self-control and almost blurted out, “ I didn’t mean it ”, which would have undone everything that had just happened.

“…….”

I must not waver.

With that resolve, I moved my legs, heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, and turned around.

And then, I started walking away from you, one step at a time.

Then, from behind me, your voice reached me once more, calm beyond words in a way I had never expected.

“You can ask my manager for the gift, and he’ll hand it over to you. I think the size should be fine, but if it doesn’t fit, just go and exchange it.”

A hollow laugh escaped me as I wondered what on earth you had been listening to this whole time. Letting out a soft sigh, I turned back, only to find your face right in front of mine, so close I instinctively held my breath.

Something is going wrong.

The moment I saw Seo Yutae ’s expression and the hand gripping my wrist so tightly, I realized it at once. Just a moment ago, you had been staggering like a sailboat caught in a storm, yet now you were staring at me with a resolute gaze, steady and unshaken.

When I hastily lowered my gaze, I caught sight of your fingertips touching something on the table.

‘…A laptop?’

Seo Yuseong had clearly said that Seo Yutae needed a laptop to access the system.

‘When on earth did he put that there? Don’t tell me he knew I might react this way…….’

It felt like my mind couldn’t keep up with what was happening. I was just muttering your name over and over in a meaningless way when the face that had always worn a crooked smile softened into a gentle one. While my eyes were momentarily caught by your hands, trembling violently in a way that didn’t suit that expression, your lips parted.

“To be honest, I was going to erase all of your memories. I thought it would hurt less if you didn’t even remember that I had come back to life, rather than making you go through the experience of losing someone precious all over again……”

“…….”

“But, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m sorry for being selfish. I was genuinely happy being with you guys. That’s why … I can’t get rid of this feeling that I want you to remember that too.”

And then, light began to pour out from the spot where Seo Yutae’s hand touched the laptop.

“…Sometimes, when you have a little free time, could you think of me? Someone like him existed too … just like that.”

The moment I saw it, I realized.

I made a mistake by coming to see Seo Yutae now.

“…Don’t.”

Just as Seo Yuseong said, I shouldn’t have appeared in front of Seo Yutae at all.

All because I wanted to see your face, even just one more time.

Because I was curious about the gift you chose for me for the first time.

I rationalized my actions with a bunch of excuses: ‘ The concert isn’t really over yet ‘, ‘ Seo Yutae must want to say his final goodbyes to the fans too ‘, ‘ He probably hasn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to the Prism members yet ‘. Even as the thought crossed my mind that Seo Yutae’s farewell might have already been given on that final stage, I wanted to deny it until the very end.

Or maybe, I thought, Seo Yuseong was lying again. He had resented me from the very first time we met for trying to get close to his brother and would go to great lengths to drive me away. No, I didn’t just think that; I hoped he was lying.

Sure, I could always watch over you from afar, but from now on … I wouldn’t be able to look you in the face ever again, would I?

You’re always the kind of person who never takes proper care of yourself, so if I didn’t tell you to ‘ take care of yourself ’, I would get unbearably anxious.

In front of the person I should have been most rational and level-headed with, I was at my most impulsive and foolish.

And of all people, you, Seo Yutae, were too cruel to even pretend to overlook my foolishness.

‘Ah, where on earth did it all go wrong? ‘

When I asked myself that question, the memory that came to mind wasn’t from when I arrived at the concert hall, but from long before, from not long after I first met you.

“The human heart is simply irrational by nature. Even when you know the choice that would give you the most beneficial outcome, a single fleeting emotion can completely sabotage your decision.”

If you were going to leave me like this, then why did you teach me these feelings?

“And yet, everyone still falls in love like fools. I just can’t understand it, can you?”

“Haha, there will come a time when you understand too. I’m sure of it.”

You’re truly a cruel person.

You never taught me that the end of love would be this miserable loss and helplessness.

“I’m sorry for being so childish until the end, I’m sorry ……. I really am.”

“…….”

“You have to take care of yourself.”

I couldn’t even bring myself to utter a single word of resentment to you, who was apologizing to me through tears.

It was because, of all moments, this very instant reminded me of the conversation I had with Seo Yuseong.

“Come to think of it, do you know why that system always glitches whenever you are around?”

I was furious. Why does the system always malfunction only in front of me? Why, of all people, must I be the one to shoulder this role? But after hearing Seo Yuseong’s answer, I couldn’t harbor any more complaints.

“…I already told you. That system was built based on the game Han Seungbeom’s mother made for him.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“A system powered by a guardian’s love for the person they protect is bound to malfunction when faced with the guardian of someone it has chosen to ostracize. It’s a contradiction in itself, isn’t it? To cherish your own child so dearly while tormenting someone else’s.”

“…Guardian?”

“…I hate to admit it, but it’s because my brother sees you as his guardian.”

And then, like a puppet whose strings had been suddenly cut, Han Seungbeom’s body fell into my arms.

I couldn’t believe this reality, so I just stared down at it in a daze.

You once said this to me, with your back turned to the blue sky, just as the sun began to set.

“If you’re just going to waste your life getting drunk like that, then shut up and follow me. I’ll show you a stage that’s far more enjoyable than that.”

“…Because I’m the top idol, and you’re my number one fan.”

…Ah, why must you be so cruel to me?

[END OF CHOI JEOKHYEON’S POV]

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Translator’s Corner:

If this is the typical OP male lead novel, the author would 100% put “The End” here

The “Take care of yourself” that Jeokhyeon and Yutae both said to each other is translated using the standard English way of translating it .. but if we went to more literal route, they literally told each other “You have to live well”. I actually want to keep it literal but then it won’t exactly match with CJH monologue about how Yutae never took proper care of himself so he has to tell him to.

Not sure why I must translating this when my blog’s theme is healing, cute, romance ….this is the kind of cuteness that didn’t make my heart flutter but made me want to tear my hair apart …. everyone made theories about how CJH must have some special power when in fact it’s just because Seo Yutae thinks of him as someone who’s unconditionally protecting him …. hahaha …. not funny …. what level is this platonic love …..

ugh my chrome lagged so bad i can’t never type in peace (cry) i really need to learn the art of letting go and start moving to firefox … firefox worked so smoothly … and i tried to recommend a sad song for this chapter but idk, i feel like “sad” doesn’t quite match the tone of this chapter ….. so here’s happy song

Thank you None for supporting the wishlist!

(and thank you for still reading my translations too … maybe it’s because i’m F to the core, but it’s really moving to see reader who used to read my translation back when i first started this blog (aka when I have zero knowledge about grammar and pretty horrible and got rightfully cursed at a lot) is still sticking around in this place … hahaha … you’re stuck with me forever now …. /no) (wow but it really makes me miss people T_T everyone, come back too please …… i’m better now i promise……)

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