Chapter 228.

There was a lot he wanted to say, a lot he should say .

But he didn’t know where to start .

He had expected to run into her someday .

He didn’t plan on running away forever .

But he hadn’t prepared any excuse or pretext either .

“…It’s been a while . ”

She had a lot to say to the man who finally offered her a plain greeting .

She also had a lot of feelings that she wanted to pour out .

But her thoughts were all jumbled inside her head .

She needed time to sort them out .

“You’re goddamn right . It’s been a while . ”

She looked at the man she used to like .

The lump of emotions in her heart—the affection that she had for him, the question, and the hatred—beat violently .

The icy clang of the sword slit the awkward atmosphere in half .

She pointed at him with her longsword .

She raised her sword against the man who had once said, ‘A sword suits you better than a bow . ’

His indifferent face, which had been engraved in her heart, was now at the tip of her blade .

“I have… a lot of questions to ask . ”

She wanted to sound nonchalant, but the lump in her throat prevented her from forming a clear sound, and she loathed her tremor and sobs .

“… . ”

He looked at her straight in the eye .

There were a lot that he didn’t get to tell her, a lot he couldn’t tell her . But what he couldn’t say in the past, he couldn’t say in the present . Although it might seem as though he changed, he hadn’t . He was still scared and lost between the two worlds .

“I’ve thought about it every night . ”

And because she knew that, she raised her sword . Her magic power clung to the blade and blazed up . A torrent of magic power raged in all directions .

“Sure, I’m not the brightest, but I still can’t figure it out even after all these nights . ”

A line of tear ran down her cheek .

“I still don’t understand . ”

She didn’t say much .

Thousands of sentences were condensed into one .

Overwhelming emotions were trapped in a single sentence .

“So, tell me yourself, in a way that I can understand . ”

Her firm determination was upheld by the sword she lifted .

“Speak . ”

“… . ”

He understood her . But he knew from his deep contemplation and mental anguish, which had started from the moment they reunited, that the only thing he could say right now was…

“Wait . ”

…this cowardly remark .

“Wait for what?”

She let out a laugh .

For a moment, she was simply dumbfounded .

Life had been hard on her . She didn’t feel like she was alive, and she didn’t have a reason to live either . She thought about taking her own life, but she didn’t because she had to wait . Wait for him to tell her the truth someday .

“You’re gonna run away again?”

She clenched her teeth .

When her sadness choked her, she could have been comforted by Chae Shinhyuk .

Her father was prepared to abandon everything, even Daesung, for her sake .

When her rage blinded her, she could have consulted Chae Joochul .

Her grandfather would have found Kim Hajin and tore his body apart .

But she refused all those options and endured everything alone .

She carried everything—her rage, her sadness, her affection, her hatred—on her shoulders .

Just so that she could… hear him tell the truth someday .

“I’m not running away . ”

He answered calmly, in a voice she still remembered .

“…Then take your weapon out . I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to . ”

At her remark, he took out his gun .

She nodded heavily .

“Be serious, or I’ll kill you . ”

A cold mutter .

She lowered the longsword diagonally . Sssss… Immeasurable magic power blazed up from her body like vapor and also from the sword; she was now prepared to strike at any second .

“You shouldn’t have said what you just said . ”

With that remark, her body leapt forward . Her intent to kill was sincere, and the magic power in her sword danced viciously as it changed its shape .

Tzzzzz…

The blade burned silently as it moved toward his side . But Aether’s barrier blocked its path . The formless Aether absorbed her magic power through ‘Extraction’ .

But she wasn’t taken aback by it .

She didn’t have the time to .

She continued to swing her sword . Once, twice, thrice… The series of reckless attacks were fueled only by emotions . They were not even fit to be called sword techniques .

She continued to slash, so that he wouldn’t notice the tears streaming down her cheek .

Her attacks poured down like rain, accompanied by devastation and explosion .

Koong, koong, koong, koong… .

Suddenly, there was a low groan .

She held her breath out loud and stopped .

“…!”

Beyond the vision blinded by tears, she saw a man whose face was distorted by pain .

His body was in tatters, and Chae Nayun only realized then that the gun in his hand hadn’t fired a single bullet .

She stared at him blankly . Her thoughts wouldn’t continue as though her brain had frozen .

Her hands were shaking . But why?

Was it because she had hurt him?

…But soon, she tightened the grip around her sword .

“You coward!”

This time, she didn’t keep any distance between them . She ran frantically toward the man on the other side, who was deceiving her even now .

KOOOONG—!

The sword, which swerved 180 degrees right in front of him, was extremely destructive . He raised his arm and stopped the blade .

Crack—

Despite Aether’s defense, his arm snapped in half .

“…Why!”

She yelled and kicked out at him . The kick landed on his stomach, and he was sent flying .

The sight of him holding his chest as he lay on the floor was pathetic . But he crawled back up and stood in front of her again .

She hated that .

So, with her sword in her hand, she jumped at him .

Their hands intertwined, and so did their bodies .

The hard ground below turned into a puddle… and finally .

“Haa… . ”

She breathed heavily as she looked down at him . He was below her, worn out, and the sword was in her hand .

The fight was over .

But she was still enraged at the unwavering aftertaste .

“…You son of a bitch . ”

Her voice trembled, filled with rage, and she grabbed him hard by the collar .

“You think doing this will make me forgive you? By just letting me beat you up? You bastard…”

As he watched her murmur full of resentment, a thought crossed his mind . I can never be forgiven, nor can I apologize . But at least I can spare one death for her . He felted relieved by the thought and also disgusted at himself for thinking so .

“… . ”

“Do you even know what happens to me when I think about you?”

Her cry continued .

“My chest feels tight and my heart hurts . I want to see you but I can’t, I want to meet you but I don’t . I want to trust you but don’t . I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . Just what did you do to me… . ”

She picked the sword up from the ground and raised it high .

Now, his heart was at the tip of her sword .

One single thrust and their ill-fated relationship would be over .

But one fact made her hesitate .

Death was absolute on the 20th floor .

But even so, I…

“I can kill you . I can!”

She cried as if asking him to dodge, while looking down at Kim Hajin .

Kim Hajin’s eyes were still fixed on her .

“——!”

A bestial cry resounded .

She thrusted her sword down hard .

Crack—!

Cold silence replaced the violent storm of emotions .

Haa… Haa… .

Small, thin breathing filled the space .

“Fuck . ”

She let go of the sword and collapsed forward .

Her forehead touched his warm chest .

“There’s no way… that I can kill you… . ”

The longsword had penetrated not his heart, but the cold ground beneath .

She trembled in his arms, crying sorrowfully .

“You cowardly son of a bitch… . ”

A raspy sound emerged from her mouth .

The slight tremor that touched his body almost broke him .

It was a shock that shook his heart .

**

Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon was standing in front of the sixth door of Aisle 8 . She wasn’t alone but with a Ranker whose name was unknown .

This ranker, a man, kept glancing at Jin Seyeon as if he had something to say, then he finally decided to speak out when Jin Seyeon grabbed the doorknob .

“Um, the other two disappeared . ”

“…Really?”

Jin Seyeon pretended she hadn’t noticed and glanced behind .

Her vision stretched far and saw the pair in the middle of a violent brawl . They were Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun, both unveiled .

“Hmm . ”

Jin Seyeon had known who they were for a while . As the Divine Archer, she could dismantle a number of the Tower’s traps . She had been keeping her eye on them even as she walked .

“Wait a minute… . ”

Since she was peeking on them, she decided to do it thoroughly .

She focused her magic power around her eyes, turning them blue . Now, Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin were reflected on her retinae even more clearly .

“…Mm, I see . ”

She was already aware of Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin’s relationship from the rumors .

‘I really want to hate you, enough to kill you with my own hands, but I can’t do it . You hurt me so much that I want you by my side… . ’

But from the looks of it, the rumors were wrong . Those emotions were far too deep for a relationship that ended as just a fling .

“… . ”

She quickly glanced to the side . Fortunately, the Ranker was only vaguely aware of what was happening through the obvious clash of magic power and the sound of air being cut .

“It looks like they’re busy, so let’s just move along . ”

This man didn’t have the ability to listen in on them .

Jin Seyeon decided to stand down .

Her goal was the skillbook, so her top priority right now was to reunite with Aileen .

**

…I was lying still .

I wasn’t sure how much time passed . It could have been only a moment, or it could have been very long . But I came back to my senses when I heard footsteps approaching me .

“… . ”

What approached me swiftly like the wind soon became a shadow . The dark shadow then took on the shape of a human, and she silently stared at me who was covered in blood and barely breathing .

“Boss . ”

Boss stretched her shadow before I could say anything else . The shadow blade stopped at the back of Chae Nayun’s head who was on top of me . Boss looked at me with eyes filled with rage and question .

I said briefly .

“Put it away . ”

“… . ”

Boss gazed at me in silence . A staring contest began unexpectedly, but she soon withdrew her killing intent, and I put Chae Nayun down on the ground .

She had fallen asleep as soon as she finished crying that left me distressed .

Boss looked at Chae Nayun and asked .

“Who is this woman?”

I stared down at the woman who was sound asleep with blood and tear clumped together on her face .

…Suddenly, the aftermaths of my past mistake came back to me as a sharp blade and thrusted my heart .

I swallowed a sigh and took my robe off .

“3 years . ”

I made up my mind after seeing her today .

3 years .

The time left in the original timeline .

My original plan was to continue letting myself be hated by her until then . But now, I decided otherwise .

Though it was far too late, I realized that hating somebody was extremely difficult . I had unknowingly put Chae Nayun through tremendous pain .

Even if the result turns out to be an imperfect understanding, even if we can never be what we were in the past .

Even if it’s too late, I’ll try from now on, so… .

“Wait a little bit . ”

I bent my knees and placed my robe over Chae Nayun’s cold body . Using Stigma, I cooled her head, which was boiling hot from spending too much magic power, and adjusted her to a more comfortable position .

“Kim Hajin . ”

At that moment, Boss called me .

I looked up at her, and she asked worryingly .

“What happened?”

“… . ”

I shook my head and stood up .

We were inside the last compartment of Aisle 8, which meant it was unlikely that anyone would find Chae Nayun here and harm her . As such, I left her there and walked . Boss followed me in silence .

She seemed to be wondering about what happened, but I was too exhausted to explain .

My body was telling me to go lie down just like Chae Nayun; that continually moving wasn’t something a human should do .

“That woman,”

I was in search of a place to rest as my body commanded when Boss broke the silence .

“Is she, like, precious to you?”

“… . ”

Why did she want to know that?

I clutched my burning head in my hands . I was feverish in all parts of my body . Rather than answering a stupid question like that, I needed to find a place to rest .

Fortunately, we had arrived at the next compartment .

I opened the door with the Mystic Key .

No one was inside .

I sat down sluggishly on the couch .

“Kim Hajin . ”

Boss sat next to me and called me worryingly .

“Yes, what is it?”

“…It’s nothing . Looks like I wasn’t being considerate . Rest well for now . ”

“… . ”

When I saw Boss step back, slightly sullen, something inside me wavered . My heart throbbed and shook my whole body .

It was a compulsion of unknown origin; the influence of nameless emotions .

I forced my exhausted body to move .

My body moved as if it wasn’t mine, and I stared at Boss .

“Boss . ”

“Hmm?”

“I, um, know . ”

“Know what…?”

A single sentence came out of my mouth .

“That you were the one who brought me to the orphanage . ”

…At that moment, my vision darkened, my consciousness blurred, and my entire body collapsed forward .

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