Chapter 9: Are you really destroyed?
by AfuhfuihgsA peaceful morning.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window, and the savory scent of toast subtly filled the room.
Yoon Sihyun was preparing breakfast, frying eggs in a pan.
“Luna, do you like your eggs soft-boiled or hard-boiled?”
Across the table, a small girl sat upright.
Her golden eyes quietly gazed at Yoon Sihyun.
The girl pondered for a moment, then,
“……Something delicious.”
A short, confident answer. Her gaze seemed to say, ‘Why ask something so obvious?’
“Then soft-boiled. You don’t like dry food, right?”
Luna slowly shook her head.
“……I don’t.”
‘Right. Even an entity of horror wouldn’t like something tasteless; they’d prefer something delicious.’
And so, Yoon Sihyun was making soft-boiled eggs for the girl who, until yesterday, had been an apocalyptic-grade horror.
‘Can life really be this dynamic?’
She was an existence that seemed to hold some enormous secret.
Yet, when her name was called, she appeared as an innocent girl, overcome with emotion, rushing to embrace him.
Luna.
The girl quietly looked down at the plate in front of her, then raised a small hand and took a bite of toast.
Crunch.
Her lips chewed slowly, as if savoring the taste for a long time. Soon, she quietly parted her lips.
“……It’s delicious.”
A short, yet definite, impression.
Yoon Sihyun also nonchalantly took a bite of toast.
“Looks like it suits your taste.”
Honestly, he hadn’t thought this would be possible until yesterday. Eating a meal with an apocalyptic-grade horror.
‘Still, it’s a relief she’s eating well.’
Watching Luna quietly chew her toast, she seemed like a normal girl.
‘In the novel, powerful horrors above a certain grade could hide their presence.’
To anyone looking, Luna appeared to be an ordinary child right now, so there was no sense of threat.
Yoon Sihyun felt a bit of stability and took another bite of his toast.
‘By the way, what do I actually do now? Since I’ve met Luna, it feels like I can’t put it off any longer.’
The notification window that suddenly appeared after meeting Luna, and the message displayed there.
[Please bring the stories of the apocalyptic-grade horrors to an end.]
[Stories Resolved: 0]
It seems he has to bring all the stories of the apocalyptic-grade horrors to an end…
‘At least tell me how many I need to do!’
Another problem was that he had no idea how to end the stories of the apocalyptic-grade horrors.
In the novel, to resolve a horror, it was easier if one knew its background story—why it became a horror in the first place.
Attempting to resolve them without that knowledge was pure madness, and even if it were possible, countless sacrifices would be inevitable without immense luck.
‘Luna surely has a background story that forced her to become a horror, but I can’t ask her about it.’
Horrors are fundamentally beings that were exposed to irrationality and consequently fell.
Because of this, they forget why they became that way, and if forced to recall their past, their minds become unstable, making a rampage highly likely.
‘It’s like how it’s dangerous to force someone to recall PTSD.’
Moreover, Luna is apocalyptic-grade. If she were to rampage…
‘Wouldn’t the world probably end immediately…?’
Therefore, Yoon Sihyun resolved that he needed to learn about Luna even more carefully.
‘If a status window like in a game would pop up and tell me, it would be manageable…’
—Ding.
‘That sound?!’
The notification window began responding to Yoon Sihyun’s call again.
[Sihyun-nim. Are you alive?]
‘Seriously, the first thing it says after turning on again… how absurd??’
However, not knowing when it might stop responding again, Yoon Sihyun decided to overlook the triviality and stood up from his seat.
“Luna, I’m just going to the bathroom for a moment. Can you sit quietly?”
Yoon Sihyun felt that he shouldn’t let Luna know about the existence of the notification window, so he decided to continue the conversation in the bathroom.
“Okay. Sihyun.”
Luna’s response was more obedient than expected.
He had been wondering what he would do if she followed him, but it seemed she was somewhat complying with his words.
‘When she’s quiet, she’s just a pretty girl.’
“I’ll be right back. Keep eating your bread.”
Yoon Sihyun quickly entered the bathroom and locked the door.
—Click.
“So… did you reappear to check if I was still alive?”
The familiar light appeared before his eyes.
[I am truly sorry about yesterday. I thought there was no time, and I instinctively…]
The text in the notification window faintly trembled. It seemed to acknowledge its mistake and hesitate.
“Haa, well, I’m alive, so it’s fine, but please, from now on, listen to me.”
[Yes. I will try my best!]
“……You know that tone of yours right now inspires absolutely no trust, right?”
[Hehehe…]
In truth, there was much more he wanted to dispute, but for now, he felt it would be most satisfying to quickly ask his questions.
“I understand that I need to bring the story to an end, but why did the novel become reality, why is my appearance changing, and who are you? There are so many things I’m curious about, but please, at least tell me this.”
[I’m sorry, Sihyun-nim. There are things I ‘cannot yet’ answer, so I cannot tell you everything you’re curious about.]
Hah, after putting a good person like me, who was just quietly reading novels, into this situation… what do you mean?!
“……Ah, this is truly a cliché-fest. Is it just, ‘I’ll tell you when you get stronger!’ kind of thing?”
[Hmm… something similar?]
“I said that as a joke, but it’s true?”
If the novel becoming reality was a cliché, then fine, but it didn’t need to be cliché even in this aspect!
“……Alright, for now, just tell me what you can answer from my questions. That much is possible, right?”
[I will tell you everything within what I am allowed to disclose.]
“Please do.”
[First, the reason the novel became reality is because Sihyun-nim wished for it. Very intensely, and for a long time.]
“I don’t think I wished for it that intensely. I’ve read the novel from the beginning, but I never wished for it from way back.”
Yoon Sihyun replied, tapping his temple.
[This is all I can tell you regarding this question. I’m sorry…]
“Haa… then what about my body changing?”
[That… please think of it as a kind of beginner’s package! It’s a minimal mechanism for Sihyun-nim to progress. You can’t just die to some random horror, can you?]
‘How very grateful I am.’
It just casually throws out an unknown ability, and then look at how it talks.
He was starting to wonder whether he should be thankful for this or not.
“Even so, the risk is too great. It might be fortunate that I didn’t die on our first meeting, but Luna is mistaking me for something she misses or something precious. I could die any time she finds out the truth.”
[Huhu, is that so?]
“Don’t talk so casually like it’s someone else’s problem. My life is on the line here!”
[Don’t worry too much, Sihyun-nim. It will surely be fine.]
He had no idea what it was relying on to speak like that, but he decided to stop pressing, as it would likely just say it couldn’t tell him anything more.
“Third question. Who are you?”
[…]
“Who exactly are you, that you can tell me such things?”
[I’m sorry, Sihyun-nim. For now, I can only tell you I am a ‘Helper.’]
“Hmph, truly frustrating answers right up to the last question.”
However, it wasn’t entirely without gain.
‘They aren’t satisfying answers… but it’s better than knowing nothing at all, right?’
[Right? Hehe.]
“Don’t read my mind.”
[…I can only tell you this much for now, but please do your best, Sihyun-nim.]
“I’ll try my hardest. I don’t want the world to end either.”
He leaned against the wall, silently staring at the ceiling.
It was a little strange. Somehow, it felt like something that had originally existed was being put back together.
[Sihyun-nim.]
“Yes?”
[For a while… it will be difficult… to meet. But… please know… that I am always… worrying… about Sihyun-nim…]
Suddenly, the notification window began to static and its text blurred, looking as if it would soon disappear.
“Wait, why is it doing this again!”
[Please… save… them…]
His heart sank.
Them?
A simple phrase. But at that moment, something twisted in his mind, like massive gears interlocking.
He instinctively realized. This was not a simple request.
‘If I don’t save them, they will never be able to return.’
“Wait, wait! Tell me how to end the stories! I don’t know any methods!!”
Despite his desperate cry, the notification window shook violently, and its text remained unreadable.
[The more you see the end of the sto…ries, the more you will know. So—]
[Sih…yun-nim… can… do it… so don’t… worry… too much. Please… take care…]
Soon, the unsteadily shaking notification window vanished, and only silence enveloped the space.
He reached out and swiped at the empty air, but the notification window was already gone.
“Haa… it just appears and disappears as it pleases.”
He closed his tired eyes and slowly exhaled.
‘…So it’s because I wished for this world? If that’s true, what on earth was I thinking to want something like this?’
And.
‘…Them?’
He instinctively thought of the apocalyptic-grade horrors.
‘Could it be that all apocalyptic-grade horrors are connected?’
Just seeing a regular horror would be enough to make him faint, but now he had to see more apocalyptic ones.
“If I’m going to die whether I do it or not, then I might as well give it a shot, sigh.”
Since the story had begun, he wouldn’t be able to stop until he saw its end.
“I’ve already collected… met Luna.”
Coming out of the bathroom, he glanced into the room and saw Luna sitting quietly.
Her golden eyes looked up and met his gaze.
Seeing Luna sitting so obediently, a subtle emotion crossed him.
‘…It asked me to save them.’
He couldn’t tell who was supposed to save whom.
‘I could die at any moment in this situation.’
Even after the notification window disappeared, the words he had heard still echoed in his mind.
—[The world Sihyun-nim wished for.]
—[Please save them.]
“……I never wished for it.”
The notification window probably wouldn’t lie. It wouldn’t gain anything from it.
But if he truly wished for it, why couldn’t he remember?
‘No, perhaps it’s not that I don’t remember, but rather…’
He quietly raised his hands and gripped his head.
“……Is this even my original memory to begin with?”
His mind grew increasingly complex.
“Sigh.”
It seemed useless to rack his brain any further.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze from in front of him.
He realized Luna had been staring at him intently for a while. More precisely, it seemed she hadn’t taken her eyes off him from the start.
“……What is it?”
Yoon Sihyun naturally frowned slightly due to his various worries.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luna quietly gazed at him.
“……Sihyun.”
“Yes?”
“……Are you not feeling well?”
Luna placed her hands on the table, watching Yoon Sihyun intently.
‘…How does this child know I’m not feeling well?’
In truth, Yoon Sihyun wasn’t the type to show his emotions outwardly. Yet, Luna recognized his state at a glance.
“No. I’m just a little tired.”
It wasn’t a reason he could explain anyway, and saying it was because of her felt like inviting a sudden disaster.
“It’s just that I have a lot to do, I guess.”
“……”
Luna lowered her gaze without a word. And then quietly put down her spoon.
“……Sihyun.”
“Yes?”
“Give me your hand.”
Luna asked Yoon Sihyun to offer his hand.
‘Touching you takes quite a lot of courage.’
“Why my hand all of a sudden?”
“……Because you’re not feeling well.”
“……?”
Yoon Sihyun didn’t understand what she meant for a moment. But Luna extended her hand as if it were the most natural thing.
Luna’s small hand was stretched out towards Yoon Sihyun.
‘She’s truly unpredictable.’
He couldn’t risk something happening if he refused, so he reluctantly offered his hand with an ambiguous expression.
*Plop.*
Luna tightly held Yoon Sihyun’s hand.
“……?!”
A hand that was a little cold, yet small and warm.
Luna held his hand tightly without a word, then quietly whispered.
“……It’s okay.”
“What is?”
Luna slowly raised her gaze and looked at Yoon Sihyun.
“……Because Sihyun belongs to Luna.”
“……?”
He had heard these words yesterday too.
But now, it felt a little different.
If yesterday it sounded like simple attachment, now it sounded like an awkward attempt to comfort him.
‘…What is she, really?’
Yoon Sihyun looked at Luna, who was holding his hand tightly.
Was this small being truly a horror?
Could an entity with the name ‘apocalyptic-grade’ care about someone’s feelings to this extent?
How could a horror know about comfort?
He couldn’t understand it at all.
Who in the world would think they could be comforted by a horror?
“……Hoo.”
Ultimately, Yoon Sihyun let out a short sigh.
And then he looked down at Luna, who was holding his hand.
“……Did you think this would make me feel better?”
Luna quietly nodded her head. The hand holding his seemed to tremble ever so slightly.
“……If you’re not feeling well, you have to hold hands.”
“Who told you that?”
“I don’t know. But… it feels like that’s what should happen.”
Luna spoke as if she wasn’t entirely sure herself, yet it sounded natural, as if she had seen it somewhere.
Yoon Sihyun didn’t know what kind of logic this was, but he found himself smiling faintly without realizing it.
“……Really?”
When he left his hand still, Luna squeezed it a little tighter.
Her fingertips were warm. As if she had wanted to hold someone like this for a very long time.
And then she muttered softly, as if satisfied.
“Mm.”
For the first time, Yoon Sihyun truly realized that Luna, before being a horror, possessed something as an individual being.
He felt conflicted once more, wondering if he could truly bring Luna’s story to an end.
Most horrors are born from misfortune.
Perhaps Luna too, within an unbearable misfortune, forgot herself and fell into ruin.
‘I don’t know what you’ve been through.’
An unknown depth resided within Luna’s golden eyes.
Eyes that seemed to vaguely recall even her own existence.
‘But what’s certain is that I must bring your story to an end.’
But then.
‘Is that really okay?’
Simply to revert this world, he had to bring the stories of the apocalyptic-grade horrors to an end.
But was the Luna before him truly just a horror?
He unknowingly clenched his hand tightly. As if he couldn’t easily make a decision.
‘Don’t think too deeply… she’s just a horror.’
It’s just about putting a period at the end of a story.
‘That’s enough, isn’t it? What else is there to think about?’
Yoon Sihyun muttered as if he didn’t want to infuse emotion, but in truth, he knew himself.
Both in the novel and in this current reality,
He already considered Luna ‘special.’
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