You enjoy the cool wind that played with your dark hair and smile slightly.
"...Then I woke up in the hospital in the intensive care unit. I was in a coma for two weeks, with blood poisoning and a high fever. When I woke up, the doctors questioned me about how I survived it.... I...couldn't say, though. It was all so different, so strange, then all the people and especially the male doctors. My pulse increased and I hyperventilated. I remember begging the doctors not to do anything to me, even though they wouldn't do anything, but doctors reminded me of my doctor in captivity. They wanted to give me a sedative injection, but I was flailing, crying, and didn't want to deal with any substances they would inject me with. And then... the door was ripped open...," you smile slightly.
"My family came rushing in. Immediately I sat up, ripped off my IV and ran to my mother who hugged me tightly. I screamed and cried loudly, sinking to my knees and holding onto my mother like an anchor. My two older siblings also hugged me, but when I felt a male hand on me, I immediately slapped it away and hid behind my mother. My father sadly whispered my name. At that point they must have known what was happening to me in part because it was explained to them that my torture must have been cruel and I was probably raped as well. Therefore, they were cautious, but I saw the hurt look in his eyes. I felt guilty and cried, apologized, but I couldn't hug my father for quite a while. After I calmed down a bit and there was only one doctor present, three policemen also came in. Immediately I tensed up, the machine started beeping when they saw how fast my heart was beating. They tried to calm me down and my mother immediately hugged me. I calmed down. She was my barrier. When I was in her arms... nothing could happen to me. So I started telling the policemen and the doctor everything. They were shocked, especially my family about my two cousins, even more shocked what happened to them. The cops also asked me what kind of doctor was this that treated me, the doctors at the hospital said he was definitely a genius in his field. I described him all the faces hair exact because they didn't wear masks later. And then... the policeman asked me that they had found two bodies in my 'cell'. Again, I explained to them what I was doing and started crying, afraid to be locked in a dark, cold cell again for killing two people. But everyone calmed me down and said that this was self-defense, which I denied. After all, I had planned everything, which they still gave me credit for. They were also surprised that I was also taught there and found out that I had an above average IQ. Well, what could you do when you were punished for every mistake? It went on like that for years afterwards. I had always tried to do everything perfectly, the fear of receiving beatings remained. Even with my family, although I knew they would never do something like that. Nevertheless, if one was tortured as a six-year-old child, the damage remained. Even though the therapy I went to helped a lot," you look sadly at the floor.
"But my illness caught up with me again.... There were weeks when I was so bad and then months when I was so good. After three years, on my 18th birthday, I decided to move out. I just wanted to go my own way and be independent. At night school I had made up for my school-leaving qualifications and passed with top marks, as well as studying psychology at a university. I also finished my studies and got my master's degree, but after that I went in a completely different direction..." you laugh nervously, "I started an apprenticeship as a hairdresser. I was like - there you're dealing with people every day. So you can overcome your fear better. It was also therapy for myself. My sister trained me, because she is a master hairdresser. It went well as long as my illness didn't make itself felt.... Well... and then, two years after my training, I got a pulmonary embolism and could no longer pursue my profession and ended up in a call center for the energy and water sector. Customers call us when they have questions about their electricity contracts, or about their bills, budget payments or meter readings and so on. It was fun, too, but my illness threw a spanner in the works. I lay at home for several weeks and slept most of the time. But in the night I would wake up because I had to go to the bathroom, but I felt so dirty that I could hardly stand on my feet. I was dizzy, coughing up blood and my body was more than weak. I had not taken much to me in the time, which had not really disturbed me, because I was used to it ... Well, on the way to the bathroom, I lost my footing, I fell, I noticed how my head hit the edge of my table and I became unconscious. And then I woke up in a home... as a child, without memories...", you finish your sentence. Everyone listened to you attentively, not knowing what to say, they were just too shocked by you. Especially Jin-Woo was hurting the most. He would do anything right now to undo his actions, but he knew himself that it was not possible. He closed his eyes and noticed a tear running down his cheek as he draped his arm over his eyes....
---
Jin-Woo woke up after a few hours and sat up irritated. He must have fallen asleep.
"My king... did you sleep well?" his most loyal shadow asked him.
"Yes... No... where is Shin-He!" he exclaimed loudly and he found her quite quickly with his shadow. She was in a restaurant with Baek and Choi, talking. You could see how beat up you looked from crying too much, while your two male companions tried everything to distract you, which worked and you had to smile sometimes. You look at the stage and smile slightly. And when the announcer asked if anyone dared to sing, you raised your hand and were looked at by the two guild masters. You said to them, "I can also shout out my feelings while singing." you giggle and walk to the stage, ignoring the clapping.
"What do you want to sing!" the DJ shouted and you look at him and whisper something in his ear. Surprised, he nodded and said that something emotional was coming now, which was quite important for you. The more relieved you were that the song 'Impossible' by James Arthur, here also gives. Immediately the mood in the bar changed when you started to sing.
Hmm
I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love,
I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot,
I did
And now
When all is done, there is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won, you can go ahead tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Falling out of love is hard
Falling for betrayal is worse
Broken trust and broken hearts
I know, I know
And thinking all you need is there
Building faith on love and words
Empty promises will wear
I know
I know and now
When all is done, there is nothing to say
And if you're done with embarrassing me
On your own you can go ahead tell them
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be impossible
Impossible
Impossible
Impossible
I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did
Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof tops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
Oh what I hoped would be impossible
Impossible (impossible)
Impossible (impossible)
(Impossible)
impossible
(Impossible) impossible
(Impossible)
Impossible
Jin-Woo swallowed hard when he felt the pain in your voice. This song was not about your past, but about him. He knew that. Your heartache, just everything he could make out in your voice. He winced as the crowd clapped loudly, demanding to hear it in their language. You laughed lightly and wiped away your tears. Jin-Woo closed his eyes. He only understood half of the English, though. But, when you started singing in Korean, he understood everything and confirmed to himself that this song was for him.
Jin-Woo swallowed hard when he felt the pain in your voice. This song, was not for your past, but for him. He knew that. Your heartache, just everything he could make out in your voice. He winced as the crowd clapped loudly, demanding to hear it in their language. You laughed lightly and wiped away your tears. Jin-Woo closed his eyes. He only understood half of the English, though. But, when you started singing in Korean, he understood everything and confirmed to himself that this song was for him.
The song in Korean ended.
Jin-Woo got tears again and wanted to go to you immediately, but when he saw your satisfied smile, he knew that he was too late. You would return and apparently you knew how and they helped you. He grabbed his head.
Had he now lost you forever? Was he supposed to grumble with Cha-Hae and kill her for what she did? After all, he lived happily with you! YOU had loved him before he became strong and famous, before he changed like that, but he.... he screwed it all up. You were always there for him even though you had difficult times yourself and even at the time he rejected you, you comforted him when he was exhausted and sometimes desperate to save his mother. Why couldn't he have seen that! Sadly, he watched you walk back, ignoring the cheering from the other guests who were also calling for encores.
"You cried your soul out. It was the right thing to do. Are you feeling better?" asked Choi, and you nodded with a smile.
"Thanks to you guys too... But for today...I want to sleep. Tomorrow I have to get going. I can't thank you guys enough for helping me and organizing a plane ticket for me. When I fly to Germany and go to the place where I died, even though there may be someone else there, or it all looks completely different, I feel like I can go back there," you said, smiling.
"When are you going to leave tomorrow?", Baek asked quietly. "Hmm, to the evening. I want to enjoy everything here for a bit tomorrow before I leave. It would be nice if you accompany me so I won't be alone tomorrow.", immediately the two smiled.
"Of course.", they said synchronously which relieved you.
"But... don't you have duties to do?"; you asked cautiously.
"We can postpone them and we can leave everything to our vice-guild leaders. I think it's in your best interest too if Cha-Hae is drowning in work, don't you?" the redhead grinned, which impressed you and you started laughing.
"Can you do me a favor? I want her to really suffer. Put her in a team with as many Hunters as possible, please, they'll certainly all stink in her eyes. That would already give me satisfaction.", you chuckle ominously and he also grinned slightly. He's pleased that you finally seem to be in a good mood again.
"Of course. That can be arranged. And if it's any consolation, I can also keep her away from Jin-Woo with work.", you smile slightly and look at him.
"No... you don't have to. It's fate, Jong-in. I don't belong here, even though I've lived here for over 20 years, I'm still not a part of this world. I've probably already changed enough of the actual history. Besides...", you look sad and squeeze so hard that your glass jumped into a thousand pieces and glass splinters got stuck in your palm.
"SHIN-HE!" they shouted in sync, but you just shook your head and plucked out the glass shards and wiped your hand with the cloth. Blood was on them. Unimpressed, you stare at this one.
"There are no more shards..." you said quietly, simply wrapping a cloth around it.
"What made you get so angry...", Baek asked quietly, seeing your look, Jin-Woo also gulped slightly, feeling nervous.
"I just pictured Cha-Hae strangling her...", you laugh lightly. "No kidding... What I'm saying is... that in the story, Solo Leveling, he gets together with Cha-Hae. At least in the light novel. They get married and have a child together.... In the Manwha, they're not that far along, but close to the end. So won't be long now. And they get along well...so I want to get out of here before I give myself that, seeing them together, let alone fathering a brat together...that hurts too much, even if I shouldn't have such feelings..."; you grab your head.
"...After all... you are actually just fictional characters...while we readers are eagerly following your story.... But I'm going to, as soon as I'm gone.... I'm going to burn everything that reminds me of this. Maybe I'll forget everything about this when I'm back in my world. But I hope that I can at least remember you two and the good times with Jin-Woo and the others, when everything was still fine.... But maybe, I am also dead, as I should be.", you laugh softly and the boys saw in your eyes that you have already finished with everyone. They wanted to say something, but they knew that nothing would cheer you up.
"Get happy...", Choi Jong-In said and you lean on him.
"Too bad... that I didn't meet you much earlier.... probably... you would have been the one I would have fallen in love with..." you chuckle and look at him. Jong-in's face turned as red as his hair. Baek laughed at him while Jong-in cleared his throat.
"Did you drink too much?" he grumbled and you laugh as well, moving away from him.
"I thank you both. I'm feeling much, much better already.", you were about to unconsciously and instinctively twirl your ring until you realized you didn't have it on you at all. You looked at your ring finger and Jin-Woo opened his eyes and looked at the package, next to it the ring of yours that he had once given you. He looked at his and widened his eyes in shock when he didn't find it on his finger and then paled and took it out of his inventory. The exact same ring. He put your ring to his in his hand and clenched a fist, pressing the fist against his head.
"What have I done..." he whispered, looking at the package. Carefully, he opened it and wrenched his eyes open to see a small, thick photo album in there. Carefully he took it out and tore his eyes open as he opened the first page where he and she were pictured as toddlers playing in the sandbox. He smiled slightly. So carefree in those days before the dungeons appeared. He noted that behind each picture, something is written. Mostly the thoughts of you, which he smiled at. He turned the pages further and further. It was sorted by year. The further back he scrolled, the older they became. His eyes snapped open when he saw the second to last photo before he went into the double dungeon. There was him, you, who was piggybacking on him and kissing his cheeks while smiling broadly, Ju-Hee and the other two he went into the dungeon with, the others who died in the process were not on it. He read what was on it.
"This is my absolute favorite picture. Here we were all still happy. Here, Jin-Woo was still happy. I miss that gentle smile, his gentle hugs, and his gentle voice that always cheered me up. I hope that one day my sun will be like that again. That's what I'm hoping for and I'm sure it will be!"
Again tears came to his eyes and he felt more and more ashamed of his behavior. He turned the page and saw another picture of you and him eating ice cream hand in hand and smiling at the camera. This was shortly after his awakening and his first, official raid with the convicts. After that, there were a few other pictures where Jin-Woo wasn't smiling much anymore, or just hinting at it, while your smile was beaming all over your face, but even that decreased from photo to photo, while the texts remained, all of which he read through. There he immediately recognized how bad you were. Your thoughts. Mostly it said that you firmly believe that his smile will return, or what you could have done wrong that he no longer smiles. He closed his eyes and turned the page, there was a long text that he had also read through. The content was about your feelings. How you felt, that you were in pain, that you missed him and blamed yourself for everything, why it ended the way it did and that you were infinitely sorry.
"No... Why are you apologizing...?" he whispered, tears dripping on the text. He teared up at your last sentence.
"I hope you will be happy one day and give your real smile to the woman you once gave to me. Please take care of yourself and your family. But for me it will end now. I knew this would happen and I knew this would happen. If it didn't and you read it, I would feel more than bad and just rip the page out. :D
But it happened just as I suspected it would.
Sung Jin-Woo, I wish only the best of luck for you.
Ps.
Shin-He Park [Y/n L/n]
---
The next day, you and the two guild leaders had been out and about. You had done a lot together. You went ice skating, walking, and you sat on the beach again and talked to each other. Suddenly, however, something else caught your attention. You saw a brown-haired boy, maybe about ten years old, who was looking frantically back and forth, desperately searching for something. The boy reminded you of your nephew, which is why you stood up from the sand and walked towards him. The other two looked after you.
"Hey you, did something happen?" you asked gently, smiling slightly. The boy looked at you skeptically, but his features smoothed out as he relaxed a bit.
"I got lost... I wanted to get some fri-fresh air and ended up here...", he stuttered a bit and you kneel down to him.
"Do you want us to help you? Maybe we can find your parents.", he widened his eyes in shock and shook his head.
"N-no... I don't have parents anymore."; he said softly. "I-I live in the home...", he whispered and you look at him sadly.
"What's the name of your home? We'll take you there. Oh, and I'm Sh- Y/n L/n. Nice to meet you."; you chuckle softly and he also smiled slightly and introduced himself as Yi Gil-Yeong.
"What a strong name!"; you said delightedly and he smiled. You offer your hand to him and he took it after a hesitation and hugged you to him.
"Jong-in and Yoon-Ho, this is Yi Gil-yeong. He got lost."; you said and the two smiled at the brown-haired boy.
"Where do you live, big one?" asked Baek. The brown-haired boy hid a little behind you.
"Baek, you're intimidating him!" you grumbled and he sweated slightly as he apologized. "Wait a minute... s-are you guys...", his dark eyes lit up as he recognized the two guildmasters.
"I'm a fan of you guys! You guys are so strong! I hope to be like you guys someday!" he exclaimed enthusiastically and the two boys basked in his words, making you roll your eyes.
"Well come on big guy, let's go."; you giggle and he nodded enthusiastically. His initial skepticism was completely gone. Hand in hand you walked in front of the two men. He didn't tell you that much, just the bare essentials. You look at him. >>Probably he's a quiet guy,<< you thought to yourself and grin.
"Yi Gil-yeong, would you like to get on my back?", you grinned broadly and he looked at you with wide eyes and nodded cautiously. You squat down in front of him and he climbed on your back. You notice how light he was.
"So big one, now tell us where your home is.", you look a little behind and see his slightly sad eyes, but he told you the home. Choi looked for it on the map and faltered.
"It's on the other side of town," he said in amazement.
"I'll call my driver, he'll take us there quickly.", he added and you see how sad the look of him became.
"No Choi, wait. Let's take the detours. Let him see and enjoy as much as he can before he has to go back. I know what it's like to be in a confined space. After all, I've been in the home... and I know what it feels like to be in a confined space..." immediately the two knew what they were talking about.
"You're right. That way, you still get a bit of a day out of it too!", he laughed lightly and you nodded appreciatively. Yi Gil-Yeong looked at you with wide and shining eyes and thanked you while hugging you from behind, which you returned and smiled. You didn't even know that Jin-Woo was watching you again and smiled slightly when he saw you. You've always been good with kids, even though you said you'd hate other kids if they weren't your own, or the kids of the ones you like. But you seem to like him.
That's how you spent a couple of hours, too. You were all done. Baek and Choi wanted to get you soaked ones while Yi Gil-yeong watched the ducks swim by the river.
"Y/N!" he called out in surprise and loudly and you immediately look to him and widen your eyes. A gate opened in front of him while he was suddenly grabbed by the arm. Quickly you shifted gears and loudly called out the names of Baek and Choi, who overheard and merely saw you grab the boy and get pulled in with him. Immediately, the two of you jumped in after them and Jin-Woo also showed up and wanted to get in, but by then the gate had already turned into a red gate and he couldn't get in.
"Shit!" he yelled, drumming against it. If only he had been a second faster!
"Y/N!" he yelled again and saw the other people already talking. Many were also talking about Jin-Woo, who was standing in front of the gate but couldn't do anything. Other Hunters were already notified and were on their way to him.
>>Y/n... be safe with them! Come back alive, I must apologize...<<, he thought, dropping down in front of the gate and leaning against it.
"Beru... make sure nothing else happens..." he said gloomily and his shadow appeared and nodded.
Hours passed and nothing happened while Jin-Woo heard a voice he least wanted to hear now.
"Cha-Hae In is here!" said many and the woman came trotting proudly up to Jin-Woo and smiled gently at him, which he did not return.
"You didn't answer my calls, did something happen?" she asked hypocritically, looking worriedly at him.
"Shut up! I was busy and I don't have time for this now, you see this is a Red Gate! We have things to settle later anyway!" he said and stood up again and Cha-Hae got a little nervous, but her heart beat fast when she heard his so dark voice that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. She also boasted about how great she and Jin-Woo were together. She stood next to him looking serious.
"How did this happen? I heard civilians got into it and my guild master and the one from the White Tigers are inside.", now she was working professionally.
"A little boy and Y/n are inside." he said with a growl.
"Damn, if I had been just a second faster, I could have saved Y/n!" he hissed and Cha-Hae looked at Jin-Woo in shock.
"Who's Y/n?!" she asked a little too quickly.
"My fiancée! Her real name is Y/n, not Shin-He Park!" he said, albeit unconsciously. Cha-Hae was shocked and didn't know what to say.
"I thought you guys were separated?" it slipped out of her and Jin-Woo looked at her angrily.
"What, Sung Jin-Woo is engaged? But why is he out with Ms. Cha-Hae In? Who is the fiancée? I guess his fiancée is supposed to be in there!" was heard confusedly from the reporters.
"You stay out of this and get out of my life you piece of shit!", he looked threateningly at Cha-Hae who flinched in fright.
"W-what's wrong?" she asked, trying to touch his arm, but he batted it away with his hand.
"I said get out of here! My heart belongs to Y/n and it only belonged to her! I had just been stressed and needed some distance, but I realized I can't live without her. I love her!" he exclaimed to her and the blonde S Rang Hunter looked at him in shock.
"But she's nothing... she's weak..." she whispered, which made Jin-Woo even angrier.
"She is the strongest person I know! Now watch your tongue and get out! I never want to have anything to do with you again, you fucking hypocrite!", he repeated the words of you. "You threaten and beat my girlfriend to stay away from me and thread everything that we break up? We sick are you woman!", he was in rage and ignored the reporters, who of course took everything beautifully.
"W-what! I would never do such a thing! She's lying! Whatever she told you!" she immediately exclaimed angrily.
"I heard you and your brother, don't deny it!" he growled and she turned pale.
"I can happily replay everything, I just need to call the shadow that was watching you. I'll pull that one back for you, by the way.", immediately the shadow of Cha-Hae In appeared in front of her and went back to Jin-Woo.
"She's going to die in there," it slipped from Cha-Hae's lips again. Normally, he would agree with her that you would never make it, but after knowing your past, he knew you would have a plan and he knew you would make it! Living.
"She won't. I know her best. And now I give you one last warning!" his eyes lit up purple and he looked down at her menacingly.
"Come near my fiancée just once more - I'll kill you!", the blonde haired beauty widened her eyes in shock and backed away fearfully.
---
You rested against a tree while Yi Gil-yeong sat between your legs and slept. Choi stayed with you to watch over you while Baek searched for food again. He looked at your calm figure. You look like an angel. Your long dark hair, your long and thick eyelashes and your beautiful fair skin. Only because of you, they all could survive so long. They had already been in there for three days, and only three hours had passed outside.
Because of your survival skills and strategies, you were able to dodge most of the monsters without fighting, which saved a lot of energy. And to his surprise, the child also behaved calmly and amazingly could communicate with insects, which also showed him the right way, which is why you both were very trusted and in the three days, you really grew fond of each other. Often he slipped out the word 'mom' at you, which you ignored or didn't comment on. You didn't really want to build a strong bond with him, but you couldn't help it. He really was like your own child to you. You were even thinking of taking him with you, but quickly dismissed the idea. You didn't belong here. And he didn't belong with you.
Bushes moved and Choi stood ready to fight, but Baek only came back with a small monster. This they prepared and began to eat after waking the boy. And they had to say that the monster meat tasted delicious! But after a while, you grumbled and everyone looked at you while Choi blushed. That was a sign that you needed to pee badly. Gil-yeong laughed while you got up and moved a few meters behind a tree. There was also a river nearby where you could wash your hands while tissues were in your pocket. However, also your last one. You almost cried about it. But what must be must be! So you did your business quickly and went to the river, which was about 20 meters away from you. There you washed your hands. And then you had a drink. Just as you were about to go back, you saw a small, injured animal, or monster. It was crouching on the other bank of the river and seemed to be bleeding badly. You look at the river. It was not deep and the strengthening was not that strong. But what if it is a trap? But you couldn't leave any injured animals behind either!
"No... they are monsters...", you whisper and you were going to leave, but you see how the animal looked at you. Like it wants to test you. You close your eyes and walk through the river to the other side. Your pant leg and shoes get soaked immediately, which didn't bother you. After a few minutes you arrived at the other end of the bank and kneel in front of the injured monster, realizing that it was probably a snake, or at least bore a resemblance to one. No, it was a snake. Definitely. A baby snake to boot in white.
"Gosh you look cute..."; you breathed and touched it gently. To your amazement, it let you touch it. Carefully, you lifted it up.
"I'll take care of your wound when we get back, I promise!", the snake nodded and you ran back, but faltered when a shadow jumped over you and a huge white wolf, with blood red eyes, blocked your way. In the middle of the river you stopped. You trembled a little and held the snake protectively against you. The wolf growled and the snake straightened up a bit and looked at the wolf, who was sweating a bit and immediately sank down in front of you.
"W-what?" you breathe in fright and slowly walk towards the wolf.
>>What is happening...?<<, you asked yourself mentally, and now you stood right in front of the wolf and knelt down, and even then he was still taller than you. Carefully you stroked his muzzle and he seemed to like your caresses.
"He chose you..." the wolf said suddenly, which made you flinch and move backwards, which was a mistake, because that's where the river was and you fell in. A startled sound came from you, which was heard by the others and they came.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" yelled Choi immediately.
"No! Leave him alone!", you quickly got up and stood protectively in front of the wolf, who was looking at you with wide eyes.
"Y/n? That's an S-rank monster! Get out of here!", but Baek became calm as he watched the big wolf and did nothing. Gil-Yeong ran to you and hugged you.
"Careful." you said softly, still holding the snake in your arms. Cautiously, the young one looked at it and wrenched his eyes open.
"How beautiful~" he whispered, stroking it over his head with pleasure.
"The wolf won't hurt us.", you then assured and the wolf rose and stood behind you, rather he lowered his head.
"I want to stay by this girl's side from now on," he said, rubbing his head against yours.
"Wait? What?!", you made confused and look at him.
"My ruler chose you, so you too are my chosen queen.", he closed his eyes at that and you tear yours open.
"Huh...no...you can't come with me, I'll be leaving here soon! But we have to find an exit first...", you added at the end.
"I can take you to one. You're from the other world, right?" said the wolf, leaning down.
"Get on it. You guys, too. I'll take you away from here. But what do you mean you'll disappear?" he asked curiously as you jumped on him without hesitation and helped Gil-Yeong. The other two also approached you carefully and mounted the wolf. And there was still enough space on him.
"I don't belong in this world, or in the other world, you know? I'm actually a non-existent person here who died in my world and ended up here. I want to go back and if I do everything right, it will be in the next few weeks, but I have to go to Germany," you told him.
"Ah, we had had something like that before. But if that's the case, this world has accepted you and taken you in. That means you are now a part of this world. The other one that landed here centuries ago disappeared and dissolved because the world didn't want it, but you they seem to accept. So you don't have to go back either. The world has accepted you and there will be no repercussions," he said calmly.
"No... because from the world where I come from, you are just fictional characters that don't exist in reality," you explained. Gil-Yeong listened attentively and hugged you.
"No... please don't go! If then take me with you, even if you go back in your world, I'm willing to follow you, just please don't leave me!", he started crying and you stroked him over the head while looking at the snake whose wound suddenly disappeared.
"Huh?", you made confused and the snake crawls over your body and wrapped itself over your shoulders and stayed there quietly while he closed his eyes.
"Um..." you began.
"He chose you.", he repeated and ran off.
"Chosen for what?" you whined, hugging Gil-yeong.
"Probably as its ruler. He is a sanctified animal. Rather, a sanctified god, and he seems to have tested your aura, which is why he accepts you as his master," he said.
"I don't want to be a master! I don't even have magic, let alone being a Hunter! I'm just a normal human, with no special abilities and a shitty-not-good past!" you barely managed to save yourself. You didn't want to teach the boys a swear word.
"You're wrong. You may not have magic, but you are able to hold a god. So he must have seen something in you, even if it's not magic, and even if you return to your world, he will follow you. And so will I. I want to stay by your side too." he said more quietly and you look sadly at his white fur, stroking it unconsciously.
"It will be boring... no fights... a normal life... if I'm still ALIVE, after all, 21 years have passed here and in my world I was already over 20," you said softly.
"You are alive. In your world, too. After all, you have him by your side, who will definitely keep you alive," he explained to her, stopping in front of a medium-sized stone building. The entrance looked like the Brandenburg Gate, with the pillars.
"How do we know he won't kill us?" asked Baek suspiciously.
"I trust him. I kind of don't have a bad feeling about him.", your gut feeling didn't say anything either and so far you could always rely on it.
"Well, if you say it, it will be true.", Baek said and you entered the building. Countless and beautiful statues could be seen, placed all around and above the statues, another one stood, which went up to three floors.
"Wow..." you whispered, holding the hand of Gil-Yeong, who was also amazed.
"There's a platform here. I don't know if it still works, but that should take you back to the place where you came in." the wolf said and walked towards the pedestal. You and Gil-Yeong followed them while the others came after you.
"It looks like mana has to flow in there for it to activate," you mutter, touching the red stone.
"Well guys! Your part!", you grinned broadly and your boys rolled their eyes and put their hands on the object and let the mana flow through it. Other than it briefly lighting up once, nothing happened.
"What, why is nothing happening?", Baek frowned.
"Probably requires more mana," you opined, looking around.
"Or there must be some other requirement.", you look at the statues and try to memorize all the patterns, but nothing helped to indicate that.
"Hmm... Gil-yeong? What are you doing?", you asked as the brown-haired boy walked up to a statue, showing some kind of mechanism. You walked towards him as well, followed by the wolf. But suddenly the building shook and the floor cracked under Gil-Yeong's feet. A deep hole appeared and he fell.
"GIL-YEONG!" you shouted and jumped after him without hesitation.
"MASTER!" shouted the wolf and jumped after it as well. You can still hear your name being shouted by Baek and Choi. You smile at them and grab the boy and pull him to your chest. The snake as well so they are both protected. "I will save you at least, I promise!" you say to the snake and the boys.
"Wolf, I beg you, get them both out of here somehow! Save them!" you shouted to him as he was immediately beside you.
"I'll save you all!", suddenly it all went white around you and time stopped. The wolf and the boy suddenly turned gray and couldn't move them while you stopped in mid-air.
"What?" you breathe and look to the snake who was looking at you with its golden eyes and you suddenly fell on something fluffy.
"Ahhh! It doesn't...hurt?", you started painfully at first, then confused.
"Huh?", you straighten up confused as you see only white fluffy cotton balls and your hand was on a hard surface. You look there and recognized a large wooden table. A cup of tea was in front of your nose. Confused, you look up and recognize several shapes sitting there, looking at you gently. Your snake was next to your cup.
"Huh? Who are you? Where am I here? And where are the wolf and the boy?!", panicking, you look around and hear the snickering of the others.
"You're way too worried about others. You should be more worried about yourself. You jumped after the boys without hesitation.", the blonde haired woman said softly and snapped her fingers. The wolf and the boy appeared behind you. Immediately, you pulled Yi Gil-yeong to you and checked his pulse.
"He's just unconscious. Don't worry." she continued, while behind you the wolf grumbled.
"Ah, Yatsufusa you're awake." another person said. Confused, his ears twitched and he raised his head.
"Master Poseidon!" he exclaimed in surprise to the blond-haired man with the ice-blue eyes and elegant outfit.
"I see you've found someone to serve?" he said with a slight smile on his face as you looked at them both in confusion.
"Y/n L/n. We had once sent you to this world. You died in your world, but your light one was never found, as we revived you with your bodies here into your four-year-old self. In fact, we never expected you to remember, as we only wanted to help you to become happy, but alas, it was to no avail. You became unhappy. We are sorry. Therefore, we would like to give you another chance," said a black-haired man to you who was extremely attractive. Still, you raised an eyebrow.
"Who the hell are you guys anyway? How do you know me?" you said calmly, yet demanding.
"Haha, you're not afraid of anything either. You're really classy, Y/n.", the black haired one laughed again.
"Silly. We are the gods. I'm Izanagi, this is my brother Izanami, our parents Susanoo and Amaterasu, then we have here, the blonde haired beauty, Afrodite, Poseidon the guy in blue with the bored look. The old one over there is Zeus. The one next to it is Hades, the other blonde haired guy is Apollo, then Balder, Thoth, Tsukuyumi, Mars the God of War and our supreme God of Light, the Sacred Dragon Serpent." with that the black haired guy pointed at your serpent. Perplexed, you blink completely and look at everyone in confusion, rather your gaze settles on the Proud Serpent before your eyes.
"What, this?" you ask, confused, pointing a finger at the snake, who looked miffed.
"It is still in its small form, but once you form a bond, it will change over time. Y/n, as I said, we want to give you a third chance to live your life the way you want. You have a choice of two options, but first, extend your hand to us," since you didn't feel uncomfortable and still had to process it somehow, you do so without hesitation.
They all placed a hand on yours while the snake jumped on your hands and you were surrounded by a golden light that entered your body.
This surprised you, but you were relaxed because it felt soft and warm. After a few minutes it was also over and you opened your eyes again, which you seemed to have closed automatically.
"Y/n...you have now been blessed by us. You are our child of light from now on and you can use our powers. We all gave you a small part of our power. Use it well and live happily. You... are now also able to return to your world. And if you choose to, you don't have to be afraid, you keep your powers and... you can take the child with you. You two have formed such a deep bond with each other in these few days.", Izanagi looked at the snake and bowed.
"He chose you and we chose you as well. You will be together forever from now on.", Hades added and you look at everyone and then at your hand where golden particles were buzzing.
"I... can control the light, then, or what?" they all nodded.
"Think of it like you're a light monarch, only you can use it as often as you want. Light is so versatile and can do so many things. You're welcome to train here. Time doesn't pass here and neither does it on the other side. That is...you can train her centuries and you don't age. Which I would recommend you to do, because your powers... Are strong and shouldn't get out of control.", Zeus added and you were more and more confused.
"Who says I want this power?" you asked calmly, looking at them all emotionlessly.
"Well, it's too late now anyway," they all grinned broadly. "You gave me your power, so you can take it away," you said calmly.
"But we don't want that. Y/n, we want you to be happy, no matter which side you're on," they told you sincerely. You let out a soft sigh.
"Well, then, thank you for your powers, gods.... but to get back on topic, what two ways were you going to tell me?" you then asked more composedly, looking at them all.
"Ah right... first you'll train here, that's option zero. Number one is when you're done, you can pick up where you left off - in the ravine and save yourself and the kid while starting your life over from there." he said calmly and you nodded.
"The second option... That we bring you back to your four year old self, with the exception that you remember everything and have our abilities. You can then start over and change everything. In your world, you can still go back at any time by traveling through the dimension, but keep in mind that when you travel from this to your reality, you have to spend at least a month there before you can go back. Dimensional travel is only possible once a month. But you can teleport from one place to another at any time," he told you, and you opened your eyes. No matter what you decide, you can still go back to your world at any time... but what do you decide? Do you pick up where you left off, maybe have a son to take with you, or do you try it all over again as a four year old. This time, though, with your memories and abilities. You could always support and help Jin-Woo... and keep him away from that bitch Cha-Hae... or even kill her before they meet.... You thought about it, but didn't come to a decision yet.
"I... still have to think about it. But I'll accept the training.", you look to Gil-yeong and gently stroke his head.
"He will train with you if you like. But remember, if you decide to start again as a four-year-old, you won't meet him until later. But we can make it so he remembers you," added another. It became more palatable for you, but you also wanted to get back to your family. To experience it all again, another 20 years... you wouldn't be able to stand it. You haven't seen your family in over 20 years now, who knows if they even remember, let alone are still alive... your parents should be around 70-75 by now when you show up. You sigh. You wanted to at least see your family again, you miss them so much. You close your eyes you unconsciously got tears in them.
"You should rest for now and tomorrow you will start training. Your little friend here we will tell everything.", the goddess of love smiled at you and you don't read it twice and let yourself fall backwards, against the wolf and immediately fell asleep....
---
"Mom, you're way too mean!" pouted Gil-Yeong as he dodged your light arrows and attacked you with poison, which you blocked with a barrier of light. The gods watched you very often with amusement. You have been here for about 50 years, training with your powers. At night when Gil-Yeong is asleep, you meditate and keep giving your mana to your snake, which you christen Shiro. As a result, it became stronger and bigger and currently had a considerable size and the creature did not even look like a snake anymore, but a beautiful big dragon, with the body of a snake. Big beautiful wings and golden eyes. The wolf also entered into a contract with you and you now had full control over it.
"So tomorrow we'll go back, huh?" muttered Gil-yeong, dropping exhausted into the soft clouds.
"Hum. I miss Baek and Choi already!" you grinned widely and the boy looked at you after you lay down next to him.
"Will I also... ever meet Sung Jin-Woo?", he asked quietly. "Maybe.", you said curtly. You think about him almost every day. Would you want to see him again? How would he react when he sees that you were strong now? Stronger than him? Would he drop that bitch Cha-Hae?
Yes, by now you didn't care if you changed anything in history or not, you were strong now, had Shiro, Yatsufusa the wolf and your adopted son by your side. Lonely you were not. You smiled gently and pulled the boy to you, which he happily returned and hugged you.
"Gil-yeong... do you really want to come with me? It'll be boring.", you whisper and cuddle his back. He shakes his head and looks at you and smiled gently.
"Even if you go to hell, I will follow you! I won't leave you alone now! I want to stay with you. You are my mother and I love you!", you blushed and hug him tightly.
"Nwww you are so sweet! As soon as we get back, I'll adopt you properly in Korea, I promise!", you said, your mind set.
"Does that mean you've decided to stay in the present?" he asked happily and you nodded.
"Yes, I'm staying. I want to go back to my family and I can be with you, Yatsu and Shiro. But we have to hold out here in this world for a while. We need money, which we can then exchange for Euros. The good thing is, you speak fluent German, so you won't have any problems," he smiled proudly.
"I had you as my teacher! And I want to be able to talk to my grandma and grandpa," he laughed. You also smiled and wuzzed him over the head.
"Come on now. Let's rest for today. You have your strength under control and I. I think now we can be let loose on the world!" you laugh lightly.
"Let's take over the world, Mom!", he put on an evil villain laugh.
"You've been reading too many manga...", you look at him annoyed. Apollo was so fond of getting out of your world mangas that Gil-yeong could read and he liked it a lot. He then chuckled and then stood up and ran into Apollo's arms. The blonde beau also hugged him and put him on his shoulders. Even though they had been training here for over 50 years, he still acted like a kid, even though he was probably smarter than most adults and stronger. Apollo and Afrodite also shared his power with him and since he loves insects, his affinity became controlling insects and making poisons. He also received a mantris as a guardian spirit, which Zeus dragged on.
Actually, he wanted to eat that one, but Gil-Yeong looked at him so innocently and sadly that he couldn't and he now had a mantis as a guardian spirit and that critter was almost as big as a two-story house. And the thing was powerful. Moreover, he could understand the animals and see through the eyes of the insects. Accordingly, it was a damn good ability, especially for espionage. You even thought about joining the army when you got back to your world and telling them what abilities you two had, on the other hand it could have fatal consequences and they would use you for experiments, even if they wouldn't get very far. You two would be the strongest on your planets just by Yatsufusa, whom you rather call Yatsu by Gil-Yeong since he couldn't pronounce the full name, and your dragon, Shiro.
"At least we'll return and be able to see Uncle Baek and Uncle Choi again!" he said out of the blue. You laugh and look up at him, rather looking at the vast horizon.
>>Supposing I return to four-year-old me, experience everything and do so many things differently, will Jin-Woo still drink the cup of incanation and undo everything? That is, I would have to kill Cha-Hae In much earlier, before ten years later the dungeons appear. Because otherwise she'll be alive again in the other timeline and she could go after Jin-Woo again... what am I thinking.... it doesn't matter, I'm going back. Jin-Woo doesn't love me anymore.... at least not the way he once did...<<, unconsciously tears came to your eyes again and you curse inwardly.
"Mom! Come let's eat and then finish!", Gil-Yeong shouts to you. You look up in confusion and look to him.
"Mom...?" he whispered sadly when he saw your broken look. You rubbed your eyes and smiled softly.
"I'm coming!" you exclaimed with a big smile.
>>No, I should forget about all this. I'm starting my life anew. But I could stay here for a few more days. After all, now I could travel through the dimensions.<<, you thought, trying to ignore your renewed breaking of your heart.
>>...But why does it hurt so much...? It's been another 50 years...<<, you couldn't take it anymore and didn't know why, but you started crying and sank down on your knees.
"Mom!" your son cried, jumping off Apollo's shoulder and hugging you.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" he asked desperately. Apollo also came to you and put a hand on your shoulder comfortingly.
"Maybe... you should talk to him again. If need be, you say you'll kill Cha-Hae.", Apollo laughed and you look at him a bit confused.
"Should e-a go-god say such a thing...?"; you sob and are almost crushed by Gil-yeong's bear hug.
"We've been watching you ever since Y/n. And you've suffered so much. We just don't want to see you suffer anymore. So do what you want to do. We won't interfere in your business. You can kill whoever you want, it won't change anything, and Cha-Hae doesn't play a big role in the world. She merely serves as a stepping stone and love interest for Jin-Woo, nothing more. Once that's gone, no one will mind. So from there." he said shrugging his shoulders and you had to chuckle slightly.
"Mom! I'll help you too!", your son said seriously, and so he looked at you too. Ever since he knew the truth, he hated the S-rank Hunter Cha-Hae. You flick him against the forehead and hug Apollo.
"Thank you my blond beautiful god~" you hummed which he immediately replied.
"Anything for my beautiful golden lotus flower~", he added. You have been like this for almost 47 years. You have always flirted with each other for fun. Apollo has become like an older brother or best friend to you.
"But now let's have dinner and then finish the evening."
------
Gilyeoung:
Shiro:
Yatsufusa:
Apollo