IF Route, Normal Ending. 13-A
by Shini
The IF Route is a hypothetical scenario derived from the main story, unrelated to it.
This may cause discomfort depending on the reader, so those who wish to read the main story can skip directly to the next chapter without issue in understanding the content.
Please be aware that character derailment may occur in some cases.
Just before I was about to summon Changyeom, who kept interfering in my mind, my smartwatch lit up and rang loudly. It was even louder than the chattering noise in my brain, so I responded with a voice full of irritation.
“What are you doing at this hour?”
[Well, it’s because you weren’t answering my calls. Look. I always wear the hairpin you gave me to sleep, but you’re not wearing the badge I gave you right now, are you?]
They had unnecessarily good eyes. I clicked my tongue, picked up the badge from the desk, and put it in my pocket.
“I took it off to change clothes.”
[Don’t lie. I’ve been calling you for 30 minutes, and you haven’t responded at all.]
Should I admire them for persistently trying to contact me for 30 minutes, or should I call them stupid for wasting time when they could have just called directly? Either way, there was only one answer.
“So, why did you call?”
[Because I missed you?]
“…….”
[…….]
Neither of us said anything. I subtly checked the time. Four fifty in the morning. It was the time when people who had stayed up all night were most susceptible to sentimentality. I tried to calm the mana that was slowly beginning to surge and questioned them.
“Just go to sleep.”
[……No, I just said it.]
Seok Harang scratched their head. Then, they immediately got up from the beanbag and said,
[Just come down. My head’s super complicated right now too, so let’s solve this the easiest way for both of us.]
“Easiest way?”
Seok Harang raised both fists and smiled brightly.
[Let’s have a sparring match to celebrate me reaching SS-rank, you idiot.]
“……Hehehe, hehehehe.”
It seems they’ve become a bit stronger and now see nothing in their eyes. As Seok Harang’s master, having taken over from Gwanggeom, it felt like it was time to give this foolish disciple another loving beating.
“Wait just 10 minutes. I’ll fly right over….”
I fell into thought for a moment. There was no need to fly all the way to Seoul from here right now. I closed my eyes briefly and used mana to transfer.
To the Mini Phoenix embedded in Seok Harang’s hairpin.
“Why? Are you afraid of me-Ughyaaaak?!”
I stepped on Seok Harang’s head with my bare feet and entered their room. I had clearly cleaned up last time, but clothes and trash were strewn all over the floor. Seok Harang was rubbing their scalp when they saw me, startled, and pointed a finger.
“Y-y-y-you, are you a ghost?!”
“I’m a Spirit. Ugh….”
I picked up the bra caught on my foot. Thanks to Cheon-mo, I could now estimate the size just by feel.
“AA?”
“Nuaaaaaah!!”
Seok Harang let out an unidentifiable shriek, snatched their underwear from my hand, and huffed. Well, who told them to live in a messy room again? I generated a tiny flame on my finger and flicked it at Seok Harang.
“Please, just clean up and live-“
Ka-ang! Just before it touched their forehead, the flame was blocked by a wall of ice and extinguished. Seok Harang crossed their arms with a triumphant look.
“Hmph! This much is nothing for the world’s strongest Hero! Don’t look down on me, I’m a Round Table member now!”
“Yes, yes, world’s strongest Hero-nim. Then, before we test our might.”
I kicked the pile of clothes in the corner. T-shirts and underwear that had been washed but not yet folded scattered across the floor.
“Before I burn these, how about you clean them up right now?”
“……You’re not even my wife.”
I threw a pair of underwear into Seok Harang’s mouth, who was grumbling with pouted lips. Perhaps unable to bring themselves to ruin their own things, they obediently approached and began folding the clothes. No, rather than folding, they were trying to stack them neatly and shove them roughly into the closet.
“……Wait a minute. You organize underwear like that?”
In the end, I got annoyed and cleaned everything up for them. While Seok Harang showered in the bathroom and got ready to go out, I had to wage another battle against the enemies sprawled throughout Seok Harang’s house.
About an hour later, we went out for a morning walk.
* * *
“Yaaaaaaah!”
Seok Harang let out a shriek and launched a physical attack. Phoenix couldn’t hide their bewilderment at the reckless charge, covered in ice from head to toe.
[Crazy!]
“Winning is all that matters!”
Phoenix quickly enveloped themselves in flames. As they had reached SS-rank, the concentration of their mana had deepened, making it difficult to deal with easily.
“If you lack power-“
Seok Harang concentrated mana at the front. The ice spears, propelled by mana, easily pierced through the wall of flames Phoenix had erected.
“Just add more power!”
[The kid’s become simple-minded.]
Phoenix tried to provoke them, but Seok Harang paid no mind and unleashed attacks as planned. Ice spears pouring from all directions now intercepted the flames orbiting Phoenix like satellites, and through the gaps, ice butterflies flew in, slowing Phoenix’s movements.
Phoenix flicked a finger at the ice butterflies clinging to their armor. Even after being told, they had no learning ability.
[Useless-]
Charaak. The moment the ice butterflies touched the armor, they turned into water and clung to it. The water flowed down the armor, reaching between the plates and touching Phoenix’s flame body.
Chiiiiiik—!
[…Indeed. This is quite painful.]
Phoenix cleanly severed their left wrist where the water had touched. The gauntlet fell off, and the flame hand was ravenously consumed by Seok Harang’s ice butterflies.
Hwareuk! They regenerated their body, but the severed armor did not return. Seok Harang, who was about to continue their attack, showed a glint in their eyes.
“Wow, why doesn’t that regenerate?”
[The monstrous human-type armor is a trace containing the corrupted mana of Otherworld-Terra. Think of it as demonic armor that corrupts the wearer’s mind.]
“What? Then you’re currently-“
Seeing Seok Harang’s worried expression, even withdrawing their mana, I generated mana over my regenerated left hand and restored the armor.
[That’s the story of other executives; it doesn’t apply to me. I’ve already purified the corrupted mana of the demonic armor, and it no longer corrupts my mind.]
“So you’re saying your mind was corrupted before?”
[Enough of this meaningless conversation. Since I’ve been caught off guard for once, how about we play a game?]
Phoenix deliberately removed the gauntlet from their left hand and raised it.
[The day you extinguish my entire body, I’ll grant you one wish. That should be enough to ignite your motivation.]
“Ha, motivation?!”
Seok Harang’s hair fluttered as they created a massive spray of water in the sky. As their will to destroy the armor in a single blow became apparent, Phoenix gathered mana in both hands and brought them together as if in prayer.
“My motivation has been maxed out since way back when?!”
[Still desperate.]
The two opposing mana clashed, and the Barrier Phoenix had erected shattered.
* * *
2022, a summer day in Busan.
“Alright, this is your penalty. Today, it’s cold brew.”
“Syrup, at least put in some syrup….”
Harang buried their head in the table, utterly exhausted. I gestured to the cafe owner, Juan, pointing at a slice of cake. Thanks to us, who frequented this shop countless times and were responsible for its sales, Juan could now discern what menu item we wanted just from a glance and would promptly bring it over himself.
“Thank you. Oh, by the way, what happened to your plan to move to New Seoul?”
“Thanks to customers like you, it seems I can continue operating here.”
“That’s a relief. Put today’s on the tab too.”
It was too bothersome to pay every time, so I had a tab set up. Juan hummed a tune, pulled out a black notebook, and listed the drinks for today.
I scooped a large spoonful of the parfait in front of me. Ever since we became regulars, Juan would often ask us for our impressions of new menu items.
“Ah—-“
The moment I was about to put the parfait into my mouth, Harang closed their eyes and opened their mouth. As always, I gently placed the ice cream with chocolate syrup into Harang’s mouth.
“Ha-um.”
Harang smiled faintly and ran their lips over my spoon. A trace of Harang’s lips remained on the ice cream left on the slightly indented spoon.
“…….”
“Wow. Isn’t it about time you stopped caring about things like that?”
Harang looked up at me with a prim expression. I shook my head, scooped up the parfait, and took a big bite.
“It just made me think of the old days. Back then, you said you didn’t even want our saliva to mix, so we ate separately.”
“Why are you talking about something from over two years ago? How much have I changed since then?”
Harang straightened their back and took a deep breath. Over the past two years, their blossoming chest timidly but fully displayed its presence.
“Even so, it’s still a B.”
“…If someone touched them more, they might get bigger~?”
“That’s an unfounded rumor. If they grew as much as they were touched, you’d be bigger than Cheon Gaeul by now, wouldn’t you?”
“……No, I don’t want to be as big as that unnie. What I like is a certain size….”
Seok Harang stared at my chest with a lecherous gaze. I snorted at that look and flicked my finger. My entire body was enveloped in flames, and my perspective heightened. Seok Harang openly exuded discomfort.
“I told you not to transform however you want in public places!”
“Is this a public place? It’s just the owner and us two.”
I waved at Juan, and Juan brought over an iced americano and placed it in front of us. Sensing they wanted to say something, I bowed my head slightly.
“My apologies. I felt my chastity was threatened.”
“No, you can stay as you are. When you two come, it’s chartered. More importantly….”
Juan looked down at my left hand with a squinting face. Only then did I realize what Juan wanted to say.
“It happened.”
“Congratulations, Seok Harang-nim. You finally won.”
Harang, who had been sipping their americano, made a V-sign with their hand and smiled. A bluebird-shaped ring was on Harang’s left hand.
“Hehe. I don’t know how many times I lost, but I finally won.”
“…I never thought you’d make such a wish.”
I rested my chin on my left hand. A white butterfly-shaped ring was on my left ring finger, reflected in the glass. Juan cleared the empty dishes and asked,
“Then, when will you two be giving out your wedding invitations?”
“…….”
Harang’s face turned red. I couldn’t help but chuckle at Harang, who was bowing their head and hesitating. I pointed at the ground to Juan and answered his question.
“We’re planning a small wedding, but we haven’t decided on the venue yet. So I was hoping to ask for a favor….”
* * *
“So why did you tell me not to transform in public places?”
I asked, lying on top of Harang and watching the projector on the ceiling. Harang, who was lying on the beanbag, hugging me like a doll, mumbled and equivocated for a moment.
“Because you’re ugly, so don’t show your face outside.”
“That’s a bit hurtful. But why does someone like that blush so much and can’t look at my face when I’m in my male form?”
“……Shut your mouth.”
Harang put a finger in my mouth. I licked their finger as Harang wanted, pointing at the video on the ceiling.
“Lick. Isn’t Gaeul-ssi amazing? They finally reached SS-rank and succeeded in removing all their Tentacles just to appear on screen again.”
“I’m scared to death of that unnie. Ever since she became SS-rank, she keeps telling me to hand you over and fight.”
“And you have no intention of losing. Chup.”
“Why would I lose? I’m Seok Harang, the world’s strongest, encompassing Heroes, Villains, and Spirits.”
Harang took their finger out of my mouth and wrapped their arms around my stomach. Since we were both naked, not a single thread covering us, Harang’s cold fingers brushed against my stomach, sending a chill through me.
“…You must be happy. Succeeding in synchronization before me.”
“Hehehe, you’ll never be able to beat me now.”
I couldn’t resist Harang’s fingers tickling my stomach. Harang had already reached the realm of myth and attained divinity on their own, a 100% Affinity Rate stage that I had not yet reached.
“Hmph. Seongju still has 3 years left to come, you know?”
“I think I could win even if I fought alone right now.”
“That’s true, but as I’ve said repeatedly, fighting alone is dangerous. Your case is different. What if you were brainwashed by Seongju-“
“Then you’d kill me. And if it were the other way around, I’d kill you.”
Our hearts beat in resonance. I embedded Changyeom into Harang’s heart, and Harang inserted their Ice Spirit into my Core. Despite it being a perilous act where either could kill the other with just a flick of a finger, Harang stubbornly insisted.
“You never know when that girl inside you might pop out. Is she still sulking and refusing to come out?”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t even talk to me anymore, I don’t know why she’s sulking.”
If only Changyeom, the Spirit, would help me, I too could reach myth and fight the Otherworld God, but ever since Harang reached myth first, Changyeom has been completely silent, as if they’ve shut their mouth. Harang seemed to know something but never tried to talk about it.
“Tell me honestly. You two talked about something, didn’t you?”
[…That’s something you don’t need to know. If you’re curious, fight me and win. Then I’ll tell you.]
“Wow, that’s really mean. Now you’re spouting nonsense, saying you’ll definitely win.”
“If you don’t like it, why didn’t you just get born with a continuous attribute?”
I flipped over and met Harang’s eyes. At my squinting gaze, Harang realized what I was thinking and shook their head.
“Ah, fighting on the bed is out of the question! That’s cheating!”
“Tch.”
I buried my face between Harang’s breasts and exhaled with a shudder. Harang chuckled and grabbed my head, shaking it.
“Stop, stop it. That’s something I truly can’t tell you. …Yes. Absolutely. I can’t tell you even if I die.”
Harang’s eyes were utterly serious. They weren’t originally this kind of heroine, but at some point, their stubbornness became truly unrivaled. Feeling a sudden pique of annoyance, I used mana to change my gender.
“……Excuse me? Gaeul unnie’s drama isn’t over yet, you know?”
“It’s fine. You can just watch the rest later and tell me your thoughts.”
My greatly enlarged lower body slightly parted Harang’s lower lip. Harang sighed deeply, raised their arms, and wrapped them around my neck.
“You used to say you’d rather die than do it.”
“You were the one who said you wanted to first.”
I pointed at the screen. The projector was already turned off in Harang’s hand. Harang pouted their lips and raised their head.
“In times like that, you just pretend not to know, you idiot.”
“You’re still challenging fights you’ll lose. Fine. Since it reminds me of the old days, if you win this fight, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“Hehe, don’t you remember getting caught by me like that? You know this fight lasts a lifetime, right?”
“Don’t worry. When it comes to the bed….”
I pulled Harang’s neck closer and kissed their lips.
“You can never beat me.”
* * *
October 13, 2026. Juan’s Cafe in Seomyeon, Busan.
We defeated Seongju.
Ten months had already passed since the battle with Seongju. Although we couldn’t summon the Otherworld God and win, the Spirits, centered around Harang and me, barely managed to defeat Seongju and restore peace to the world.
And now, I was ready to face another battle.
“If it’s too much, just say so. I’ll wear it instead.”
“No thanks. You don’t like showing me outside because you say I’m ugly. Hmph.”
“No, that was a joke back then! If you show up in a tuxedo in your male form, those unnies are obviously going to go wild again, so how could I just stand by?!”
“I want to see you in a wedding dress.”
At my words, Harang’s face flushed as they fiddled with their hairpin. Since that day, when I tried to summon Changyeom but ended up with Harang, the newly made hairpin had never once fallen from Harang’s hair.
“Th-then, there’s that….”
Harang, dressed in a tuxedo, subtly whispered into my ear.
“When we go to Hawaii, you wear the tuxedo. I’ll wear the dress.”
“……Deal.”
That much was perfectly fine. I pulled Harang’s tie and kissed their lips. Harang closed their eyes and was about to insert their tongue when a rough hand appeared from behind, and they were promptly chased out of the bride’s waiting room.
“Uh, Mom?! Let me stay a little longer!”
“Grooms don’t come into the bride’s waiting room. Kids, take them away.”
Harang, forcibly moved by Anastasia, was escorted away by Yuha and Gaeul. I waved at Harang as they were dragged away, then gave an awkward smile at the piercing gaze from beside me.
“……Sorry?”
“I wondered what kind of scoundrel would snatch my daughter away, sigh. Really. …I understand, so I can’t really say anything, but….”
“Isn’t it the same feeling? You too. …And me too.”
“Is there some gene in Heo Yun-hwan’s blood that seduces Spirits? This is truly absurd.”
The father took a Water Spirit, and the daughter took a Fire Spirit. Anastasia continued, looking exasperated.
“…They say you grow fond of someone after fighting, but I never thought it would really happen. If you have children, I hope it’s a daughter. If you have a son, those ‘aunties’ might be after him day and night, you know.”
“It’s sad that I can’t deny it.”
Anastasia and I chuckled, waiting for time to pass. Since it was a wedding held at Juan’s Cafe with only a very small number of invited guests, no one intentionally came to the waiting room.
“But there’s something I’m really curious about, can I ask?”
Anastasia asked as she fixed my makeup. I answered by closing my eyes. Anastasia tidied the veil on my head and asked again,
“Why are you wearing the wedding dress and Harang the tuxedo? …It suits you quite well, but you deliberately researched and succeeded in changing to a male body, didn’t you?”
“……Harang told me to keep it a secret.”
Since it’s my mother, it probably doesn’t matter if I tell her. I gestured for Anastasia to come closer and whispered very softly into her ear.
“Actually….”
“……Seok Harang, that crazy girl?!”
Upon hearing my words, Anastasia immediately went to find Seok Harang, grabbed them by the collar, and shook them. I chuckled at the farce and waited for the wedding to begin.
* * *
“So why did you call me to be the bride’s father?”
Jo Deokbae grumbled, awkward in a suit that didn’t suit him. I grinned under the veil and replied,
“It’s fun, isn’t it? And the bride can’t walk alone.”
“No, bride aside…. Ha, really.”
Deokbae scratched his head, despite having no hair, looking troubled. Ryu Cheon-seong, an experienced person, was supposed to officiate, but breaking everyone’s expectations, I specifically chose Jo Deokbae to hold my hand and lead me to Harang. Deokbae pointed with a sidelong glance at the two women on the bride’s side who were sending jealous looks.
“Hey. Look over there. They’re trying to kill me with just their eyes.”
“Just die. I’ll bring you back to life.”
I subtly waved at Cheon Gaeul and Eun Yuha. Both were trying to smile, but their lips were trembling. I offered my left hand to Deokbae.
“That day, if you hadn’t turned me into a monstrous human, I wonder if I could have come this far. Thank you, for everything so far.”
“Don’t say embarrassing things. …Well, congratulations anyway.”
After those words, we both said no more. Led by Ryu Cheon-seong, I walked along the carpet laid on the floor and stood next to Seok Harang.
Both of us were overwhelmed. We were simply happy just holding hands tightly.
“Then, the bride and groom, the kiss of…vows….”
Ryu Cheon-seong trailed off. His awkwardness, looking back and forth between Harang and me, was quite noticeable. Saladin even poked his own eyes with his fingers, closing them completely.
“……Why aren’t you doing it? Let’s hurry up, it’s not like it’s the first or second time.”
Harang urged Ryu Cheon-seong, but Ryu Cheon-seong nervously licked his lips, glancing at someone. Kim Ji-hwa, who volunteered as the cameraman, also hesitated to press the shutter, as if the composition wasn’t to their liking.
“…….”
Ryu Cheon-seong took a deep breath at the killing intent from Heo Yun-hwan, who was sitting in the groom’s parents’ section, huffing.
“Bride and groom, then-“
“Ah, I can’t wait, it’s too tantalizing.”
Harang immediately lowered their head and grabbed my face. I could feel the guests clapping but also a sense of discomfort, so I gently pushed Harang away. Harang’s pupils began to tremble slightly with unease.
“……You don’t like it?”
“No. It’s not that.”
Click. I snapped my fingers. The wedding dress was engulfed in flames, and with my vision heightened, I looked down at Harang in a tuxedo.
“I wanted to do it like this.”
I placed my hand on Harang’s shoulder. Harang’s tuxedo, reacting to my mana, emitted a white light and transformed into a pure white wedding dress.
The guests were utterly astonished at the wedding where the bride and groom instantly swapped places. Especially Cheon Gaeul and Eun Yuha, who saw my appearance, showed extreme agitation. The stinging gaze from behind me was undoubtedly from the drunkard.
“Hey…!”
Harang looked up at me, flustered. I held Harang’s face and smiled brightly.
“Even if it’s a small wedding, the kiss photo should be known worldwide. That you’re my bride.”
“…Bullshit. You’re my bride. Did you forget that the winner gets to be the groom?”
Harang pulled my tie. I bent down, and Harang grabbed my tie and the back of my neck, then kissed my lips.
Watching the recorded video later, I realized that trying to insert their tongue, even at a wedding, was a bit much.
* * *
After our 7-night, 8-day honeymoon in Hawaii, we finally stood before the true final battle, fully prepared.
“If it’s too much, just say so. I’ll cover everything for you.”
“…No. It’s something I have to do.”
My hands trembled. My anxiety was clearly evident. Harang’s hand grasped mine.
“It’ll be fine. They’ll understand.”
“No. Absolutely not. They won’t understand.”
Heo Yun-hwan, who had strode in from the entrance, sat down on a chair, exhaling roughly. Anastasia completely shut her mouth between her husband and daughter, who were glaring at each other in a cold war.
“I understand both sides, so I won’t take a separate side. You two figure it out.”
“Mom?! Mom, you should still take my side!”
“Why would Rusalka be on your side? Rusalka is mine. Hey, trash. If you have a mouth, speak.”
“……I’m sorry, Father-nim?”
Gwanggeom trembled like an aspen tree, and I pursed my lips. Speechless. Seok Harang slammed the table and opened their mouth.
“Alright. What do you want to say, Dad? Surely it’s not what I’m thinking, right?! Huh?!?!? Just try it! I’ll kill you!”
“Harang-ah, actually.”
“I’ll say it.”
I stopped Harang and met Gwanggeom’s eyes. The opponent was a monstrous human I created, but they had grown and were now a master who had reached the same level as me.
“Ah. And if you’re going to fight, know that I’m on Yun-hwan’s side.”
…With Rusalka also on their side, the matchup is much more disadvantageous for us. But I have no intention of losing.
I took a deep breath and shouted at Gwanggeom.
“Father-nim, please give me your daughter!”
“I knew you’d say that, so I already activated my Ultimate Skill!!”
As the saying goes, no parent can ever truly defeat their child.
Harang, who had reached the realm of a god, claimed victory against their parents after a fierce battle.
I merely cheered from behind.
Why, you ask?
Harang and Rusalka scolded me fiercely, saying it’s not good for prenatal education if a pregnant woman fights.
…Well, you know.
Harang said they were scared of getting pregnant. But they still wanted to have a child.
So I tried a few times during the honeymoon, and it actually worked.
It was a moment where I was extremely worried about the next 10 months.
* * *
The Otherworld God opened their eyes.
The subordinate who had called them was nowhere to be seen.
The last trace of their disappearance was felt from a distant alien planet.
Earth.
The Otherworld God quietly closed their eyes.
A yellow storm roamed the interstellar space, drifting through the cosmos.
* * *
Under the moonlight. A man and a woman walked on a white sand beach covered in a blanket of snow.
The woman asked first.
‘The moon is truly beautiful.’
The man replied.
‘The moon is beautiful too.’
The woman spread her arms and asked the man,
‘Aren’t you curious what my wish is?’
The man nodded and asked,
‘I don’t know what kind of wish it is that you challenged so much for it.’
The woman raised a finger and pointed at the night sky.
‘Honestly, I don’t know what kind of battles lie ahead. You’ve already experienced it, so you know how terrifying it is. The monster coming from beyond those stars. But listen.’
The woman took the man’s hands and raised her head. The woman’s eyes, like a snowfield, were filled with conviction.
‘Trust me. I’ll be by your side to help you not go astray, and help me protect this world I love and the people I love.’
‘Is that your wish?’
‘Of course. What wish could a Hero want more than world peace?’
That day, on a Snowy Night.
The man realized he had fallen for the woman.
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