Ch.79Chapter 79 – Unfortunate Past (2)

Han Do-hyeon began caring for Yoo Seol-hwa with such devotion that it truly embodied the meaning of “utmost sincerity.”

For example, he was showing his affection by peeling fruits and feeding them to his girlfriend who couldn’t move one of her arms.

“Do-hyeon, I told you I can peel it myself.”

“No matter what, knives are dangerous. Just sit still and eat what I give you.”

The sight of him carefully carving an apple into a cute rabbit shape before handing it to her seemed so sweet that it was like honey dripping from the scene.

After seeing such behavior and knowing his past, his disciples could immediately tell that Yoo Seol-hwa must have had a deep relationship with Bing-yeon in her previous life.

“…That sneaky cat.”

Bi-wol was the one who showed the most displeasure at the situation. She was so upset that she was even seen kicking the hospital wall.

“He looks at her completely differently than he looks at us! I’ve never seen that kind of gaze from him before!”

“So our brother was just a man after all… Charming so many women, yet giving his affection to only one woman…”

As if not to be outdone by Bi-wol, Verdandi Astraia and Azazel Blackheart were also showing their jealousy toward Yoo Seol-hwa.

Their master Bing-yeon rarely showed such sides to his disciples. He was someone who restrained himself from showing personal affection toward anyone.

“…Though that’s actually what made us fall for him in the first place!”

Verdandi nodded slowly as she watched the couple. After all, they had fallen for Bing-yeon’s warm side.

They appreciated his gentleness, how he was nursing his girlfriend with such devotion even though she was badly injured and confined to the hospital.

“What are you going to do about your writing now?”

“Well… I can still move one arm! So I’m going to try to keep writing!”

Yoo Seol-hwa answered Han Do-hyeon’s question with the brightest expression she could muster. She couldn’t disappoint her boyfriend who was taking care of her with such devotion.

She was currently typing on a laptop placed on the narrow bedside table. With an IV drip in her immobile right arm, she was using only her left hand.

“I have novels that I need to finish with you, Do-hyeon.”

Yoo Seol-hwa said while looking at several notebooks on the nearby shelf. They were labeled “Diamond Fist King,” “I Need To Kill The Hero,” and “I was Possessed In Idle Game.”

These were the trajectory of Han Do-hyeon’s life and the novels that Yoo Seol-hwa had influenced.

“It seems like my life is written in here!”

Verdandi picked up the notebook titled “I Need To Kill The Hero” and opened it. Inside was everything about the life she was originally supposed to live.

* * *

“Verdandi Astraia was a hero who reflected my unfortunate school days.

A village where everyone ostracized her was a direct recreation of experiences I had gone through in my childhood.

Having suffered domestic violence from my father, I developed a habit of reading people’s expressions and gazes, allowing me to detect lies and sweet talk.

On top of that, I incorporated the verbal abuse and mistreatment I received from my father. I still vividly remember being told I was an unwanted child.

Therefore, Verdandi was sensitive to seeing ‘truth’ from birth. She was like a lotus flower born in a muddy village that despised her.

‘Why was I born with this ability?’

Verdandi was sobbing as she looked up at the dark sky where rain was pouring down.

She never wanted the ability to detect others’ lies or to see whether someone was good or evil.

Perhaps because of this influence, she remembered all too clearly how her mother had tried to kill her when she was young.

She couldn’t help but realize she was an unwanted child. Envying other children who grew up with their parents’ love, she secretly wiped away her tears.

‘No. Verdandi, if you work hard, others will see you properly. Fairy tales say the world rewards those who live kindly.’

Verdandi clenched her hands and made a resolution. She believed that if she lived diligently, others would recognize her.

But despite thinking that,

‘Verdandi, I’m sorry about before. Can we be friends now? You’re a hero after all!’

After it became known that Verdandi was chosen as a hero, the villagers’ hypocrisy only seemed to increase.

Some people tried to forcibly befriend her because they couldn’t treat the hero carelessly.

‘Won’t you leave our village and go on a journey? You have a mission to defeat the Demon King.’

Or there were those who feared Verdandi and tried to drive her out of the village.

‘I understand! Because I’m a hero!’

Even though Verdandi knew these people were saying these things because they disliked her, she pretended to be fine and set out on her journey.

She believed it was something only she, as the hero, could do. She thought killing the Demon King to bring peace to the world was for everyone’s benefit.

However,

Killing demons and monsters at every turn wasn’t as smooth a task as she had thought.

‘Please spare me, spare me…! I have a mother at home. I can’t die here!’

‘Are you really human? Only a madman could live a life so drenched in blood and flesh.’

Hero Verdandi’s emotions gradually wore away as she killed countless demons and monsters.

‘Justice is wherever the tip of my sword touches. You are all evil.’

Eventually, after killing the Demon King, her sense of justice became irreversibly twisted.”

* * *

“This gives me chills! I can’t imagine what would have happened if Master hadn’t saved me!”

Verdandi’s fingers trembled slightly as she read the novel depicting her alternate self. Her Eyes that Know Truth confirmed that what was written wasn’t a lie.

“So we were all supposed to live the lives written in these novels.”

Azazel also sighed deeply as she picked up her own novel. Her future self who was abandoned by Kang Si-woo and tried to restart the world with the power of an Outer God.

If such a future had really come to pass, it would have been terrible. She would have been obsessed with past memories and tried to monopolize a garbage man.

“But Master tried to change everything.”

Bi-wol nodded as she read the novel too. In the original story, she had become a complete Heavenly Demon, strong enough to burn down the entire martial arts world.

All of this had been written together with that woman, Yoo Seol-hwa.

“This part is too gloomy, let’s change it later!”

“Let’s give Bi-wol, Verdandi, and Azazel happy endings!”

Different handwritings appeared throughout many parts of the text, showing how she had helped transform Han Do-hyeon’s dark past into art.

“Seol-hwa, slowly. Put weight on your feet slowly…”

Yoo Seol-hwa, now free from her full-body cast, was practicing walking while holding her boyfriend’s hand.

Looking at the calendar, a year had already passed.

“Good, one step at a time, don’t fall…”

“I can do that much. But aren’t you pressing your chest against me too much?”

“T-this posture is unavoidable if I want to help you!”

“Sure, just wait until I’m fully recovered, okay?”

“……”

Han Do-hyeon’s face turned bright red with embarrassment while Yoo Seol-hwa smiled broadly, clearly enjoying his reaction. Even a traffic accident couldn’t stop the love between these two young people.

The disciples could only watch with folded arms as the couple’s relationship grew stronger through adversity.

The two looked like the happiest newlyweds in the dreary hospital space.

“…Something is strange. An entity like Yog-Sothoth caused this, yet everything is going too smoothly.”

This time, Azazel was the first to notice something was wrong. She knew better than anyone how terrifying and frightening an Outer God could be.

If Yoo Seol-hwa recovered her health like this, there would clearly be no reason for Bing-yeon to be born in this world.

According to Shub-Niggurath, in the future where she was alive, the serialization was never discontinued.

At that moment,

“Huh? Do-hyeon, what’s this? A military draft notice…?”

As Yoo Seol-hwa discovered a letter, Azazel couldn’t help but lower the corners of her mouth.

“…The inevitable has finally come.”

It was an artificial letter made of purple bubbles, ensuring that no one could escape their fate.