episode_0141

141.

Ajinhyuk.

A childhood friend who had already died.

A few months ago, the childhood friend who had lost his life instead of Jin Soyeon stood before him now in perfect condition.

Without a single scratch, too clean.

“…You guys.”

From a logical standpoint, it was an unbelievable sight.

So Jin Soyeon clenched his lips tightly, to the point where blood droplets formed. The taste of blood could be felt between his lips.

“…You guys.”

The image of him when he died was still vivid in his memory, just like last night.

The sight of him dying with his abdomen pierced, his organs and blood scattered without mercy, and his face slowly losing breath was still vivid in his memory.

But why did he appear in such good condition now?

So blatantly?

There’s a limit to shamelessness.

“…You guys really…”

Seeing his childhood friend, whom he had dreamed of, alive and well, Jin Soyeon’s expression only grew more clouded.

His expression was as chaotic as a torn piece of paper, his eyes sharp as knives, and his gaze fierce.

It was a natural reaction for her.

Because Lee Jinhyuk was a dead person.

It was more realistic to think that he was imitating Lee Jinhyuk’s appearance through a resurrection artifact rather than spouting nonsense about resurrection.

“…You guys have no sense of boundaries.”

Therefore, Jin Soyeon could only be angry.

At their ridiculous actions.

Imitating Lee Jinhyuk’s appearance was insulting to both him and her.

“How dare you imitate Jinhyuk’s face now? Do you really want to die by my hands?”

“Soyeon, it’s not like that…”

“You!”

As Lee Jinhyuk tried to say something, Jin Soyeon rudely interrupted him.

“Don’t call my name with that face!”

Jin Soyeon shouted out in anger, as if she were boiling with emotions.

And with a fierce aura, she shot it towards the man imitating Lee Jinhyuk.

But even with such a strong aura exposed, the man looked perfectly fine.

It was enough to make even a high ranker slightly tense.

Why did he look so unaffected by such a strong aura?

“Soyeon.”

“I told you not to call me!”

Swish!

Jin Soyeon reflexively swung her sword.

The blade-shaped magic arrow swept past the man’s clothes narrowly.

If he were hit directly by such a sharp sword, it wouldn’t just end with a slight pain.

However, Lee Jinhyuk, as if unaffected, just stared at Jin Soyeon and took a step forward.

“Lee Jinhyuk!”

“Jinhyuk!”

Yuseolhyun and Roksanne, who had been quietly watching from behind, hurriedly approached Lee Jinhyuk with surprised expressions.

But Lee Jinhyuk quickly reached out his hand to stop their actions.

“It’s okay! I’m fine, so just stay still.”

“No, what is that?”

“I have confidence to persuade her. So leave it to me for now.”

“You…”

Yuseolhyun and Roksanne hesitated for a moment.

Is it really okay to leave Jin Soyeon, who was so excited, to him?

It seemed quite risky to leave Jin Soyeon in his care, but they decided to watch a little longer.

Because they believed that Lee Jinhyuk would be able to persuade Jin Soyeon.

The Lee Jinhyuk they knew, that is.

“What, Soyeon, do you… think I’m fake?”

“Hah.”

At his shameless words, Jin Soyeon scoffed, her lips twisted in disdain.

“Do you think I’ve fallen for this kind of thing one or two times?”

There were quite a few villains who tried to deceive her by imitating Jinhyuk’s face, voice, and actions, so she was quite used to it.

Of course, the appearance of that Jinhyuk over there looked quite convincing, more than she had expected.

“I’m really sick of this.”

“Is that so? But I…”

“Shut up.”

“Soyeon…”

“Shut up! Keep your mouth shut! Don’t babble as you please with that face and that voice!”

Jin Soyeon seemed excited, as if she would swing a sword at Jinhyuk at any moment, but he didn’t stop moving forward.

Slowly but steadily, he approached her step by step.

In a tense situation.

Jinhyuk met Jin Soyeon with a blank gaze.

Their faded golden eyes met and intertwined.

His eyes, shining brighter than anyone else like the sun in the sky, had turned so cold and unyielding.

With a slightly perplexed expression, Jinhyuk slowly licked his lips.

“The notebook.”

“What?”

“You must have gone through quite a bit of trouble reading the notes I wrote.”

“How did you…?”

Jin Soyeon asked, slightly biting her lower lip.

How did that man know about the notebook with information about the future written on it as Jinhyuk? Only Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon would know about that notebook.

“It must have been difficult to decipher my handwriting, but you managed to figure out the cultivation guide, didn’t you?”

“…”

“I had planned to eradicate the cult group by the end of the second year, but I didn’t expect to accomplish it in just a few months.”

“…”

Taking another step towards Jin Soyeon.

“It must have been possible because you ran non-stop all this time.”

“What are you?”

“You’ve really worked hard, Soyeon.”

“What are you talking about! How, how did you…!”

“You know.”

Another step.

“Who I am.”

His firm and clear words.

As Jinhyuk slowly approached, Jin Soyeon felt an inexplicable fear and shouted in frustration.

“Don’t joke! Jinhyuk, Jinhyuk, he’s already dead…”

“…And resurrected. Through the relic.”

Another step.

“What, did you know that I had no preparations at all? Oh, of course, I didn’t expect it to take this long to come back to life.”

He resurrected quickly in the game.

“Surely you saw something about the resurrection relic in the notebook? Oh, you didn’t investigate that?”

“That, that can’t be true.”

“Ugh, Soyeon, honestly, it’s a bit disappointing. I thought you would figure it out quickly. Even a childhood friend of ten years is nothing special.”

“…You.”

She’s trying to be witty, just like Jinhyuk.

His behavior, tone, voice, and so on.

They are very similar to the Jinhyuk she remembers.

That’s why she can’t believe it.

No, she doesn’t want to believe it.

If he didn’t really come back to life and is just spouting lies to deceive Jin Soyeon?

The shock would be indescribable.

Therefore, to protect herself, Jin Soyeon could only think that the man who had come back to life was not the Jinhyuk she knew.

“What do I have to say for you to believe me? Hmm. Should I tell you a story from the past when you were almost kidnapped? Or maybe, what, a story of you confessing after drinking and getting rejected?”

“Are you reading my memories right now? With telepathy or something.”

“Wow, what. You’re saying the same thing as Yuseolhyun.”

Jinhyuk was suddenly puzzled.

“Actually, your psychic abilities don’t work well on me, right?”

“…”

That’s right.

Jin Soyeon can weaken others’ psychic abilities.

If he had tried to see through Jin Soyeon’s true feelings with his psychic abilities, he would have been able to expose them.

But the current him…

“Well, okay.”

Exhaling a short breath, Lee Jinhyuk raised his head and met her gaze again.

Jin Soyeon involuntarily swallowed dry saliva and shuddered, her shoulders trembling.

Somehow, it felt like she was really talking to him, so her body kept shrinking.

“From your perspective, it must be hard to believe that I suddenly came back to life.”

After walking step by step, Lee Jinhyuk finally reached almost within arm’s reach of Jin Soyeon.

“Don’t just blabber on without thinking, or I won’t believe you.”

As he approached, he could reach a distance where he could touch her.

“So, ask yourself once.”

“Oh, please…”

“Whether you really think I’m fake or real.”

“Oh, please stop…”

As he tried to take another step forward, she raised the sword as if she were a frightened person.

The sword was covered in dried blood.

It looked quite fierce, but he could see her arm trembling.

“Don’t come any closer! If you come any closer…”

“If I come closer?”

As he took another step forward, she stepped back in a very flustered manner.

And then, she quickly raised the sword even higher.

Her appearance was reminiscent of a hedgehog with its quills raised in fear, trying to protect itself, a fragile hedgehog afraid of getting hurt.

“If you come closer…”

“What will you do if I come closer?”

Ignoring Jin Soyeon’s warning, Lee Jinhyuk continued to step forward.

“Stab me with that sword?”

“…!”

Finally, Lee Jinhyuk reached right in front of Jin Soyeon.

And the flustered Jin Soyeon…

“Soyeon, stop being reckless and put the sword down.”

“Oh, please! Do you think I can’t stab you?! Do you think I can’t stab you?! How many times do I have to tell you not to come…”

Thud.

“…Huh?”

A reflexive thrust of the sword.

Lee Jinhyuk was pierced by the sword.

The sensation of the sword blade plunging deeply into his left abdomen.

The sharp blade smoothly pierced into his side.

“…Uh? W- wait.”

A voice mixed with confusion flowed through Jin Soyeon’s trembling lips.

For some reason, Jin Soyeon looked more surprised than Lee Jinhyuk, who was stabbed.

It wasn’t the first time he had been stabbed.

He thought he had become accustomed to it, as if it had already become familiar.

But his whole body trembled as if he had stabbed someone for the first time. Why, why is this happening? His breathing quickened, his heart pounded, and his mind became a mess.

“…No, I-I really didn’t mean to stab you.”

“It’s okay.”

Ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen, Lee Jinhyuk gently embraced the trembling Jin Soyeon with a pale face.

It was quite painful, but not enough to die.

Well, this much should be bearable.

…No, actually, I want to go crazy, but I can’t do that in this situation, right? So let’s endure it, endure it.

If this is the extent of the injury, it should be enough to heal with treatment.

Probably.

“It’s okay, Soyeon.”

“Ah.”

“It’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself.”

“W-wait.”

Suddenly, the dying words of Jinhyuk came to mind.

– It’s not your fault… It’s okay…

“Jinhyuk?”

And then, he felt a sudden weakness in Lee Jinhyuk’s body.