Chapter 378

Right after Seo Yutae pressed the ‘ Yes ‘ button, a shiver ran down Choi Jeokhyeon’s spine, and he instinctively looked down at the person in his arms.

“…….”

Something felt off just now.

A spine-chilling fear, coupled with the feeling that time itself had stopped.

The feeling was far too tender to be called betrayal, and it wasn’t regret either, for he knew well that there was nothing he could have done . If he had to put a name to it … yes, it was something akin to despair.

Han Seungbeom still lay limp with his eyes closed, and the only signs of life he gave were the faint pulse at his neck beneath his hand and his shallow, raspy breaths. It was the same as just moments ago. Nothing had changed. Yet what was this strange sensation?

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had felt it, as his eyes met those of the Prism members.

And Nicholas, who had been busily moving about with the staff, suddenly froze in place. Even as the other members urged him to come over, he didn’t move at all, his gaze locked on Choi Jeokhyeon.

“Just now, what was that?”

But they avoided the subject, because speaking his name felt as if it would make everything truly irreversible, once and for all.

There lingered a vague fear that they would truly never be able to see Seo Yutae again

From the moment Seo Yutae left them, the future was already set. No matter how afraid he was, Seo Yutae had always been someone who, in the end, made the choice he believed was right, and before him, Choi Jeokhyeon was always left powerless.

He felt a pain as if his insides had been stabbed with a knife. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, yet it seemed he still hadn’t grown calloused to it.

“…I’m asking you, what happened to Seo Yutae?”

When no one gave an answer, Nicholas’s trembling voice slipped out once more.

In stark contrast to the silence of Prism and Choi Jeokhyeon, it almost sounded like the tantrum of a child who had lost their most cherished doll.

“Pantheion! Pantheion!”

Before long, the fans in the audience could be heard chanting Pantheion’s name.

It meant that all the preparations were complete, and it was now time to get on stage.

As Choi Jeokhyeon listened to the sound, he felt an indescribable emptiness. He tightened his grip on the thing that only moments ago was Seo Yutae and lowered his head.

“…Can you hear it?”

He spoke in a voice so low that no one else could hear, as if refusing to allow anyone to intrude. Since the person he wished to speak with was no longer here, in the end, the only one who could hear those words was Choi Jeokhyeon himself.

At that, Choi Jeokhyeon let out a self-mocking chuckle. However, even that sound soon died away, and what remained was a voice drained of everything but emptiness.

“It’s the voice calling out for you…….”

Because you treasure your fans so deeply. I thought if I used them as an excuse to urge you to come back, maybe you’d listen. I’ve lost all my confidence now, so this is the only thing I could think of. With that feeling, he uttered those words like a last desperate plea, but mercilessly, no answer came back.

Choi Jeokhyeon lowered his head further and rested his forehead against the lifeless body, where no longer could any trace of Seo Yutae be found.

Then, what had been pooling beneath his red eyes seeped straight into Han Seungbeom’s clothes and disappeared. For a brief moment, his eyelids felt light, only to grow heavy again in an instant, until finally a single droplet fell with a heavy drip onto the body he was holding.

Then, on the laptop that no one was paying attention to, a small window appeared.

[Warning! Guardian CHOI JEOKHYEON’s emotions are flowing into the system.

System unstable. Control over the system persona is weakening.]

***

Seo Yutae’s body was enveloped in a light so blinding he could hardly open his eyes.

As he felt the same pain he had felt the first time he discovered Han Seungbeom’s true identity in the laptop, Seo Yutae understood that this was the ending the system had intended.

Just as he was enduring the pain, holding onto only Han Seungbeom’s warmth as his sole support, a small voice came from within his arms.

“…If you’re not there, Dad, I’ll surely be lonely forever. No matter who I meet in the future, I’ll never … ever meet someone like you……”

At that, Seo Yutae smiled, his pale face slick with cold sweat.

No one could see it, though, as he held Han Seungbeom tightly in his arms, keeping him from lifting his head.

“Why wouldn’t I be there?”

“…….”

“I’ll always be watching over you. Whether you’re eating well, sleeping well … from the most mundane parts of your daily life to the very moment you achieve your dreams, I’ll be there.”

And when he softly added, “Just like your mother is always with you, even though she is no longer in this world.”, the status window flickered with static for a brief moment. It was so fleeting that Seo Yutae thought he must have imagined it and let it pass.

Yes, this is enough. I have no regrets.

While muttering those words to himself, he suddenly felt an almost instinctive flutter of anxiety, the same kind he got when hearing a child’s cry.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw Seo Yuseong standing below, in the path of the fallen debris, drenched in blood atop the ruins of the collapsed building.

‘…Seo Yuseong?’

He didn’t have control over this world like Han Seungbeom, so chasing him this far was an almost impossible feat.

Even if he were to kill Seo Yutae, now that the button had already been pressed, there was no way to stop the status window until Han Seungbeom’s soul was restored. There was nothing left he could do to prevent Seo Yutae’s disappearance. Even though Seo Yuseong knew this, he kept his gaze fixed on Seo Yutae until the end.

Their eyes met, and Seo Yuseong barely found the strength to speak.

“…Don’t go.”

Perhaps feeling that saying it once wasn’t enough, Seo Yuseong wiped the blood from his eyes with his sleeve and repeated, “Don’t go.”

“I can’t be happy without you, hyung.”

Then, with the unmistakable voice of a younger brother, he begged.

“Don’t leave me…….”

What on earth do you think he endured nearly a hundred regressions for?

He endured those moments that made him feel like his mind would combust, driven solely by the wish to return to the way things were and be with Seo Yutae.

But if it ends like this, won’t all of it have been for nothing?

He got his revenge on Kang Hyukwoo and freed Prism. He helped the Pantheion members, who couldn’t even take their first steps properly, rise to the top. He cut off Han Seungbeom’s shameless family and created an environment where he could live comfortably and financially secure. Seo Yutae had certainly accomplished a great deal in this life.

But none of that meant anything to Seo Yuseong.

For him, nothing was more important than Seo Yutae’s existence.

“Is living righteously really that important?”

He was willing to repeat that foolish ordeal again. No matter how painful, he could endure it.

What he couldn’t endure, however, was the thought of no longer being able to save or meet Seo Yutae.

“I’m content as long as I have you, hyung.”

What he realized after living so many lives was that he could never be happy without Seo Yutae.

“You want to be with me too, hyung, don’t you?”

You’ve never once lived putting yourself first, so why are you being so cruel to yourself even now, at the very end? Everyone else lives selfishly, so why only you, hyung? You’ve always done everything for me, so why are you stopping now?

Even though there was no more blood to wipe, Seo Yuseong kept rubbing his eyes furiously.

Seeing him like that, Seo Yutae’s heart felt like it was being torn apart. He bit the inside of his cheek before reaching out a hand to Seo Yuseong.

“Yuseong-ah!”

Then Seo Yuseong, without any hesitation or calculation, threw down the knife in his hand and grabbed Seo Yutae’s hand.

The moment the two made contact, a status window appeared before all three of them.

[Contact between SEO YUSEONG and HAN SEUNGBEOM has been confirmed.]

[The status window transferred to SEO YUSEONG and the one remaining with HAN SEUNGBEOM are being merged.]

[The system persona has fully broken free from control.]

[Beware of unpredictable actions from the system persona.]

[SEO YUTAE’s soul cannot be consumed. The cost for the restoration has been changed to SYSTEM PERSONA’s soul.]

And the image of Han Seungbeom as a newborn appeared in the minds of all three, like a film playing on a screen.

It was slightly different from what they had seen in the gallery.

This was not something Han Seungbeom had fabricated to his liking. This was a real memory that actually existed.

[“ Seungbeom-ah, Mom really, really loves you.” ]

[“ Thank you so much for being born as my son.” ]

Han Seungbeom’s tiny hand was gripping the narrator’s fingers tightly. The narrator let out a laugh full of happiness and affectionately whispered, “ Oh my, our Seungbeom caught Mom? ”

Then, another scene played out.

[ “Maw, momma.” ] 1

[ “Oh my goodness, did you just say ‘Momma’? Mom? Seungbeom-ah, try again! Mom, ma!” ]

It seemed to be the memory of the first time Han Seungbeom called out to his mother. She was so overjoyed by the baby’s barely babbled “ Momma ” that she kept pressing kisses to his cheeks.

[ “One, two. One, two. Oh my, you’re doing a good job, my baby!” ]

In the memory that followed, Han Seungbeom appeared a little older than before.

Wobbling as he walked toward her, Han Seungbeom giggled and reached out his hand, and his mother scooped him up into her arms. She looked so happy. Unfortunately, that happiness didn’t last long, as the scene soon shifted to show young Han Seungbeom lying in a hospital bed, struggling to breathe.

Han Seungbeom’s mother was holding his hand, tears streaming down her face.

[ “Seungbeom-ah, it hurts a lot, doesn’t it? Let’s be strong for a little while longer. The doctor will make the pain go away soon.” ]

[ “ It’s okay. You have Mom. Mom will always be by your side. “ ]

Next, whether it was because she had been murmuring to herself alone in the dim room, or because she had made a deal with the system for Han Seungbeom, nothing was visible. The only thing that could be heard was her solitary whisper, “I wanted to see Seungbeom grow up too…….”

Then, several status windows appeared, enveloping Han Seungbeom’s body.

This time, Han Seungbeom’s memory seemed to play, and once again, a young Han Seungbeom appeared.

The child, who had forgotten to bring the necessary supplies and couldn’t join the class, fidgeted in the corner of the classroom. He stared down at the floor, making a deliberate effort not to look at the classmates noisily playing and folding colorful paper. Then, to hold back the sudden surge of sadness, he covered his lower lip with his upper lip like a little beak.

Han Seungbeom, after finding a school uniform store, looked around at the kids his age who had come with their parents to buy uniforms. He quickly picked a uniform that fit well enough, and then rushed out. Soon after, a scene appeared of Han Seungbeom groaning and clutching his knees, unable to sleep from growing pains. Then he was shown quietly staring at the uniform that no longer fit because he had grown taller.

Those words brought forth the image of Seo Yutae holding Han Seungbeom, who had taken the form of a cat, in his arms. A series of memories played one after another: Han Seungbeom carefully approaching the sleeping Seo Yutae, curling up beside him and staring intently at his face, then even playfully messing with Seo Yutae’s hair for no reason. After that, a status window appeared before them.

[Thank you so much. For cherishing and loving Seungbeom.]

[Please continue to be by Seungbeom’s side and be his family.]

Those were the words Han Seungbeom’s mother addressed to Seo Yutae.

Somehow, her emotions were conveyed deeply, and Seo Yutae nodded resolutely.

Then, as if time was running out, countless status windows hastily appeared right in front of Han Seungbeom.

[If you’re not feeling well, don’t hide it. Be sure to tell an adult around you. Being sick doesn’t make you a burden to others.]

[You mustn’t give up on your dreams. Make a choice you won’t regret.]

[I’m sorry I couldn’t stay by your side until the end. I wanted to see you grow up into an adult too.]

[…Was I a good mother to you?]

At the last words, Han Seungbeom hurriedly spoke up.

“I was so, so happy to be born as your son, Mom.”

“…….”

“I’ll do my best to live bravely and well from now on. So, please, don’t worry.”

As soon as those words were said, the world in front of him turned a brilliant white.

After some time, when he finally managed to open his eyes, he could faintly see a status window shattered into tiny fragments.

[HAN SEUNGBEOM’s soul has been successfully restored.]

[Returning to the original world.]

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Translator’s Corner:

The translator definitely didn’t feel sad while translating this chapter…..

I think I have never talked about this before (maybe), but other than because this novel told a story about grief so beautifully, the reason I’m so obssessed with this series is because everything started because of a mother’s love. Both Yutae and Seungbeom lost their mothers at an early age, but their mothers’ love is still scattered throughout the story. We know Seungbeom’s, and Yutae … a lot of characters mentioning how loving Yuseong shaped Yutae, but if you look closely, in truth, Yutae was only imitating their mother. He was copying the love that their mother gave him, to make up for the affection that Yuseong could never get from their mother. And there was Choi Jeokhyeon, whose mother was loving in a twisted way, that he ended up finding Yutae at her funeral.

There’s really something very … selfless, very comforting about a mother’s love for her child. This novel gave me a lot of comfort because it tells a story about how that love lasts, even after the giver has long been gone.

Okay now I’m sad in this happy occasion. Everyone already know the ending category by this point right? Now, go write your review draft to post on NU ….. I’m definitely going to live for another week to finish this main story so everyone can read the ending with proper tl…..

(Also I just found out how those boxes few days ago … after using wordpress for years … because I was trying to make status window proper formatting for my new project. Can’t believe I found this after we reached the ending arc ….. sorry for the ugly formatting in all these chapters…….)

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