When he was young, what he wanted to say to Seo Kang-rim. If he could go back in time, how much he wanted to say this.
When he heard that, Seo Kang-rim’s eyes grew wide.
[But hyung… … . you said it would be good to be possessed by a god.]
“No. You suffered so much because of that guy, you don’t need to accept such a god.”
Only after hearing those words did Seo Kang-rim smile faintly. Seeing that smile, Kang Do-hyun felt as if the lump in his chest was being released.
The regression was perfect. It was a chance for him to correct his mistakes.
Now, Seo Kang-rim and I can really be like close brothers like we did when we were children.
‘If you regress, your fate will be revived, but it’s okay. You have memories from before your regression, so you can use them.’
Besides, the return was endlessly provided. After apologizing to Seo Kang-rim, I decided to settle my second regret.
‘There’s no need to make Seo Kang-rim suffer by being at odds with Sook-myung for no reason.’
I knew very well what kind of pain Seo Kang-rim had gone through, so I didn’t want him to go through that again.
He could have done that for himself. He had the memories of returning. He entered the Fate Protection Agency and used them, and he quickly became stronger.
‘I have to defeat Destiny.’
I couldn’t create a situation where all of the secret rooms were destroyed and Seo Kang-rim was on the verge of death. However, a problem arose.
[Brother, I want to enter the secret room.]
It was clear that Seo Kang-rim was prevented from entering the training facility of the Fate Protection Agency, but he kept coming into contact with Shin Soo-ah.
No matter how many times he tried to return and stop the two, the fate between Seo Kang-rim and Shin Soo-ah was not easily broken.
The only hope to stop it was himself, said Kang Do-hyun firmly.
“I told you, don’t go through the secret gate.”
[But I think I can be active there too. Shin Soo-ah highly values my abilities.]
“He’s trying to use you. Stop it.”
He had once told me honestly that fate was using you. But Seo Kang-rim didn’t believe him. Instead, he distrusted him.
[Why are you trying to stop me from doing anything? I can do something too.]
“You have an unfortunate constitution. Are you planning to make Bihomun unhappy as well?”
Seo Kang-rim’s face distorted at those words. He said harsh words, but he didn’t regret it. If only he could stop it this way. That’s what he definitely thought.
“Seogangrim, Seogangrim. Come to your senses… … .”
I somehow managed to prevent the meeting with Shin Soo Ah, but this time Baek Young came. To break the vessel of fate.
Seo Kang-rim was dead, his chest pierced by Baek Young’s sword. His face was pale and bloodless, so it was obvious that he was a corpse.
“… … It’s okay. You can go back. You can start over.”
Where should I start? Should I go back a month and hide Seo Kang-rim?
Or, should I go back in time even further, to when Baek Young was a test subject, and kill her while she was a test subject?
Or maybe we should just go back to the beginning and start over?
[Would you like to return?]
The system window asking if he wanted to return popped up again. Kang Do-hyun had no reason to refuse. But then, a familiar voice was heard from behind him.
“Don’t go back.”
When he looked back, there was another Seo Kang-rim standing there. With the same face as the Seo Kang-rim who was dead in his arms.
Who is that? I couldn’t understand. Since the dead Seo Kang-rim here was real, it was clear that this was fake.
But even though it was fake, it was Seo Kang-rim. Seo Kang-rim looked at Kang Do-hyeon quietly and said.
“Where do you want to start again?”
“……I don’t know.”
“Why did you regress?”
“I regret saying something harsh to you when I was younger, and I want to apologize for that. And now… … .”
Yeah. That’s how I started regressing at first. I wanted to correct the mistakes I had made.
Then I started to get greedy. Since I had already regressed, I wanted to create a world where Seo Kang-rim wouldn’t suffer. That was the only atonement I could make to Seo Kang-rim.
“My brother is constantly regressing now. If something goes wrong again, will he regress again?”
“… … Is that bad? Wanting to go back in time? Wanting to fix my mistakes? Is that wrong?”
He knew very well how much Seo Kang-rim was hurt by what he said, so he wanted to change that.
I wanted to take away my childhood of suffering alone and give me a childhood filled with only good memories.
I wanted to give him a peaceful past instead of a future where he left home and lived in a single room in a semi-basement without a family. Kang Do-hyun said, glaring at Seo Kang-rim.
“You know, right now it’s not perfect.”
“Yeah, it might not be perfect. A lot of people died, a lot of things were lost.”
If we start from the beginning, we might be able to do better this time. But Seo Kang-rim looked at Kang Do-hyeon calmly and said.
“But this is the present where we did our best. You have no right to take that away from us.”
Kang Do-hyun flinched at those words. Taking it away? It sounded like he had made a big mistake. Kang Do-hyun gritted his teeth.
“You can create a better present! You can fix the past. So… … .”
“There is another way to correct the past.”
Seo Kang-rim said firmly. Is there something other than regression? He couldn’t believe it. Kang Do-hyun stared at him blankly.
“What the hell is that?”
“My brother regressed because he was sorry for saying such harsh things to me. But what he really had to do was… … .”
Seo Kang-rim clenched his fists and looked at him. His golden eyes were shining brightly.
“You just have to apologize to me.”
“… … .”
“We just need to acknowledge all the conflicts we’ve had, apologize, and move on.”
After saying that, Seo Kang-rim held out her hand to Kang Do-hyeon. Kang Do-hyeon hesitated as he looked at her hand.
Because he had the dead Seo Kang-rim in his arms.
To hold that hand, he had to let go of the dead past in his arms. Was that okay? As he hesitated, he heard Seo Kang-rim’s voice.
“Don’t run away to the past, hyung.”
——————
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Run away. Only then did Kang Do-hyeon realize what he had done.
It was an evasion called regression. He couldn’t accept his mistakes, so he kept going back to the past.
“I live here.”
Seo Kang-rim, right in front of me, said that. A clear voice. The voice of a living person.
In the end, Kang Do-hyeon let go of the past he had in his arms and grabbed his hand. Then, the dead Seo Kang-rim opened her eyes wide and glared at him.
[Brother, are you going to leave me to die and go to the future?]
The voice coming out of the dead Seo Kang-rim’s mouth was eerie and mechanical. And at the same time, numerous system windows began to open before my eyes.
[Would you like to return?]
[Would you like to return?]
[Would you like to return?]
[Would you like to return?]
[Would you like to return?]
It was a system window that came up as if threatening him, as if pushing him. At that moment, Do-Hyeon Kang moved his lips with a strong urge to go back.
-Whoa!
Seo Kang-rim’s sword cut through the system window. Seo Kang-rim’s living face was visible through the fragments of the system window.
“Don’t go back. One regression is enough.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the dead Seo Kang-rim’s form began to change. It began to writhe and resemble a giant lump of mud, and began to pull Kang Do-hyeon towards it.
[Don’t go. Stay in this dream forever! Stay in this perfect world!]
A perfect world. Yes, this was a perfect world.
A world where if you make a mistake, you can go back and start over. A world where you are given infinite opportunities. Kang Do-hyun strongly shook his arm as he heard that shout.
“I wanted to go back to the perfect past. But… … .”
He wanted to erase his mistakes. But it wasn’t for Seo Kang-rim, it was for his own pride.
“I will return to the present.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the demon let out a roar and rushed at Kang Do-hyeon. However, Kang Do-hyeon’s sword was faster than that.
The sword cut Seo Kang-rim in half. The demon’s hand was crushed and scattered, and the surrounding scenery also became blurred.
When he came to, he was standing in the ruins. He had returned to an imperfect present.
“… … I was played by a demon from the mental world.”
He muttered like that. He had fallen into a trap using his deep regret and remorse as bait.
Kang Do-hyeon slowly looked back at Seo Kang-rim. There was something he had to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
His lips opened and closed several times. Someone might have felt frustrated, but Seo Kang-rim waited for him calmly.
A gentle silence flowed through the cave. And after a while, Kang Do-hyun’s voice was heard through it.
“……sorry.”
Kang Do-hyun’s shoulders were shaking slightly. Words he had been unable to admit because of his pride were slowly leaking out.
“I said harsh things to you when you were young. And I didn’t accept you as family even after we were reunited. I didn’t apologize properly. I’m really… … sorry.”
Kang Do-hyun bit his lip, somehow holding back the urge to cry. He spoke as if he was squeezing out his breath with difficulty.
“I’m sorry, Kangrim… … .”
It was too late to apologize. I should have apologized as soon as I saw him. But because of my petty pride, I was just caught up in past regrets.
Seo Kang-rim simply patted Kang Do-hyeon on the shoulder. He smiled quietly and said.
“If you’re sorry, buy me a drink.”
“… … .”
“I’m leaving work on time today.”
“… … You stupid kid.”
Kang Do-hyeon said with a sly smile as if he couldn’t believe it. However, his eyes were even more playful, and he had regained his composure.
“Okay, let’s get off work on time today. Let’s take care of this magic first.”
* * *
-Beep be …
The alarm sounded again today. Kang Do-hyun, who had been lying in bed, got up.
He woke up at the same time as usual, but unlike usual, he smelled faintly of alcohol.
‘It’s been a long time since I drank yesterday.’
Yesterday, after conquering the Demonic Realm, I left work on time for the first time in a long while. And then I remembered drinking with Seo Kang-rim, Yoon Bom, and Yoon Gyul-woo.
I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d had a drink so leisurely. Nor had I slept for so long.
‘I think I had a dream…’
I think I saw the young Seo Kang-rim in my dream. I don’t remember what I talked to him about.
But it didn’t matter, because I think I know what he was talking about.
He may not have been a good older brother when he was young, but he must have said that he would become a good older brother now.
He changed into his usual suit and headed to the Civil Protection Bureau building. As soon as he sat down, the day shift drivers started coming to work. Seo Kang-rim was among them.
Kang Do-hyeon spoke to the messengers as usual.
“Okay, then let’s start the weekly meeting. Everyone, come to the conference room.”
But Kang Do-hyun’s expression was different than usual. It was a more relaxed expression, as if he had been liberated from something.
The usual, yet unusual, routine of the Civil Protection Agency was beginning again.
