Eternal life

Chapter 45

Nevertheless deity had the power and used it not to take the instrument, but to unable her servant to move anymore. She held her high, using the same trick as she did with Ji Woon and Woong Tae back in the times.

'How dare you fight with me, your goddess?!'

'You're only usurpatory deity! You think you have the right to control everyone, but look around you! You're trapped here! You can't do anything!' Her opponent screamed, being hung up high.

Goddess in her anger dropped her servant, so she hit hard the cobblestone and breathed hard. 'Don't forget that your soul is in my hands. You decided to rebel. Now you'll meet your own hell.' Then she grabbed bells and turned around to stop the girl, but it was too late.

Even though for young master Shim it felt like almost a half of the century, in reality it was less than a minute. Aeri spirit left Young Saeng and he wobbled, weighted suddenly by all of those painful reminiscence. He felt dizzy and his vision was blurry. He tried to focus what was in front of him. When he realised, that it was his saviour, he tried to grab her, to stop her.

'No... We're not worth it!'

She instead smiled and whispered. 'Just try to be better now. Fulfil my last wishes.' She pulled out the cork of the small bottle she held and she dived into Ji Woon's body, holding tightly the vessel.

Woong Tae landed hardly on his knees, with his arm stretched out. The bottle did go into the body, in slipped from the Ji Woon's body and hit the ground with hollow clang. The fluid inside of it disappeared.

Everyone froze in fear what is going to happen. Goddess tried to swallow hard her failure. Woong Tae moved close to Ji Woon and held his hand. Emotions filled his heart and he started to weep bitterly. He was his brother and he brought upon him so much pain. He deserved to be dead. No one ever should pity him. He always had everything in life, why he wanted to have more? He didn't deserve any kindness.

Ji Woon started to open his eyes. The first thing that hit him was how actually cold it already was and how sky at this time tends to be permanently grey. Second he felt something flowing from his eyes. He recalled what he remembered and when he started to think about it, he felt stinging in his chest, like something was squeezing something inside. He screamed and rolled to the side.

'Ji Woon... Hey, Ji Woon, it's alright...' Woong Tae tried to calm him by patting him, but he didn't actually know what to do. 'Ji Woon, it's over... We're both alive! You have a heart!'

'Take it out!' He screamed back. 'It hurts so much!'

'Ji Woon, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry what I did to you...' Woong Tae had in mind that the last step was them to reconcile. They have to accept their own mistakes and forgive those made by the other. 'I wanted to control everything... Even you.'

Ji Woon slowly calmed down, realising what in actually happened. As Woong Tae was introduced with all of the emotional luggage just now, Ji Woon had it all in his mind, but locked, so it poured out in one second, terrifying him. 'I just wanted everything to be as it always was... You and me friends, and my sister save in her home...'

'Ji Woon, I understand now. If I could just see that earlier...'

'I'm sorry... I screwed up so hard...'

'And done! Curse lifted!' Goddess screamed, so the men turned her heads to her. 'Maybe not the way I wanted... But what's done is done!'

Ji Woon and Woong Tae looked at her, this time fearing her completely. They actually didn't feel anything, as she said it's over, but maybe it was because of all of this feelings they felt. Later they noticed that those weird marks they had disappeared.

'But now I will just give you another!' Deity screamed and they halted in fear.

'You can't! They suffered so long! You're too cruel!' The servant said, breathing heavily.

'Shut up. Everyone should know I will always have it my way.' She answered her and turned back to Ji Woon and Woong Tae. 'And you should accept it.' They kept still, with their heads low. 'You were cruel, when you lived. It was spoiling you from inside, making you bad and evil. If you would live until you would be old, you could've become a true villains. That what I thought I saw in your hearts. But I guess I also make mistakes, as I slowly realize.' She looked at her assistant. 'So I brought upon you a curse which was supposed to punish you... But it hurt not only you. It got to the innocent ones. I do admit, it wasn't intended. Now there's new curse, something I should give you hundreds years ago. You'll have to repay those poor souls you've hurt. You'll live and die normally, but anytime you'll be born again, your lives will revolve around those people. They will be the masters and you'll be servants, living humble lives. You'll reincarnate and exist like this until you'll pay them back or until the end of the world. Do you agree?'

Woong Tae was thinking it over. He actually didn't know how his life will look like starting from now, but changing his behaviour was one of Aeri wishes.

'Before that... May I ask something?' Ji Woon spoke, slowly recalling his true talkative nature.

'If you have the audacity...'

'Through all of those years... Why we didn't meet anyone from previous lives? Did they... were so hurt that they didn't reincarnate?'

'No. It was just better for them not to ever meet you again. But from now you may encounter them.' Goddess answered and Ji Woon smiled faintly.

'We agree to that, madam.' Woong Tae answered to the question asked earlier, on both of them behalf. Ji Woon just nodded, so he agreed.

'Good. If you would not I would definitely end your lives on spot. So go on. Get to work and repair what you've broke. I have someone to punish.'

She snapped her fingers and all the temple disappeared, with its people and walls. Men relaxed their posture. Woong Tae looked up to the sky, closed his eyes and breathed the cold, fresh mountain air in.

Ji Woon still kept his head low. 'You want to know why I asked that question? It means that you're going to meet that nurse sooner!'

Woong Tae figured it out earlier. He realised that his friend didn't get all of the memories, like he did. So he didn't have any idea about everything which happened around Young Saeng run-of-week, either about how he is still alive.

'Ji Woon... Aeri gave her life so you could have a heart.'

'What?'

'She won't reincarnate. Also it means we will be paying back until the end of the world.'

Ji Woon bit his lips. 'Why the fuck did you push us from that damned scarp!' He screamed in pain.

'If you want to fight again lets better get off of this ground.' Woong Tae said sadly and stood up, gloomy that his friend still have the spirt to argue. He felt like sacrifice of Aeri was for nothing.

'Woong Tae... Woong Tae!' Ji Woon stood up and run after his friend, acknowledging that he made mistake. 'Woong Tae... No... I didn't want it mean like that! I just... You have to tell me what happened with her. We'll figure out something! We'll definitely repay her!'

'You always like to weasel, don't you?'

'You know me the best, you're my brother.' Ji Woon said.

Woong Tae smiled. Maybe the other really came back to his old self. But it didn't mean he didn't change. He did, in his own way. He patted Ji Woon's head, dishevelling his hair.

'Just this time... tell me what you're planning.'

'If not, it certainly will sting.' Ji Woon pointed at his chest and wiped the remains of tears from his face. Even if he sounded cheerful, he was hurt deep inside.  

[Box for feedback, for better neatness. Please, leave your comments here.]