Chapter 442

〈 Chapter 442: Part 1, Chapter 18, Section 24 〉

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Let’s go over this again— the day the executives all crossed over to Earth was December 25th, 1999.

That was the start of the Bloody Week, and by the exact point of December 31st, one by one, their magic power depleted, leading to their activities ceasing. The timing varied slightly for each executive but was roughly around when the new millennium began.

And according to Ang’s words, I possessed someone 20 years ago. If Chang-yeom took those memories, Ang’s claim starts to make sense.

“But since my memories are currently seized by Chang-yeom, there’s no way to confirm. What did I say to you 20 years ago?”

“Not me, but Azidahaka. Each of the executives were captured one by one, and you came out and said, ‘You’re spirits!'”

“…Really?”

“Yes. ‘You’re a spirit! Maamryong!’ And right after that, I awakened…”

So said Ang.

Azidahaka ran rampant for a week, and on the seventh day, just as they were about to fall asleep, Phoenix suddenly flew in and revealed to the executives that they were spirits. Apparently, we were spirits who had been brainwashed by Seongju to conquer the world.

It was a colossal outing. What in the world did past-me do?

“Because of that, all the spirits awakened… Me, Ji Ryun, Jeolpung awakened, and accordingly, the executives restrained the spirits’ personalities… Azidahaka escaped from this body using a clone and confined me with a Cube…”

“What about Rusalka, Neutral Dragon, and Gaechonkwang?”

“…Things looked incredibly urgent back then. There was a lot of confusion, and then it was like, ‘No more time! You’re the last! This is entrusted to you!'”

Ang summoned magic power from his hand and plunged it into the darkness. The darkness that Azidahaka used to traverse now belonged solely to Ang as his unique domain.

‘Deep Dark.’

This place was also an ‘alternate space’ accessible only by Ang. Even Chang-yeom couldn’t inspect what was inside unless Ang willingly retrieved it himself. Ang rummaged through the darkness for the item that “I” had entrusted him with.

“Hold on… It should be somewhere in here… Ah!”

Ang laughed as he raised his hand high, which had been swiping through the darkness.

“This is what you entrusted me with! …Ah.”

In Ang’s hand hung something impossibly thin, narrower than a fingernail—a strand of thread. To put it bluntly, it was a T-panty, and coincidentally, it was black.

“…Not mine!”

“Who said it was?”

Azidahaka’s space would naturally contain Azidahaka’s belongings, but seeing Ang blush made me snicker. How could I have trusted Ang enough to entrust him with something so significant? With cheeks red as fire, Ang wildly fished out random items.

“Not this… Not this either…”

Ang pulled out all sorts of junk from the alternate space. It felt like stepping into an adult goods department store— vibrators, dildos, rotors, massagers, and even things whose names I couldn’t bring myself to utter. There was even an Xroid shaped like a handsome male actor.

“…Again, not mine!!”

“So, who says otherwise?”

“That gaze keeps bothering me!”

“What kind of look am I giving you?”

After arguing with me once, Ang shrank back with a pout, looking like a scared hamster. I waved my hands, and Ang sniffled before diving his hand back into the darkness. Items kept emerging, all seemingly belonging to Azidahaka.

“Aha.”

With his entire upper body submerged in the alternate space, Ang suddenly froze. My eyes widened; had he finally found it? He was definitely holding onto something.

“Did you find it?”

“…Just, wait a moment.”

Ang dove headfirst into the darkness. I was bewildered by his sudden disappearance, leaving me alone in the sacred ground of darkness.

“Could you at least explain why you left?”

In response to my sarcasm, the empty air split vertically.

“Wait five minutes…!”

Ang’s face peeked out from the void, muttering before disappearing again without making eye contact. I immediately flew forward and grabbed his face. A “tsk” sound rang out as my palm lightly slapped his cheek.

“Do you know your problem? It’s keeping secrets and causing people to misunderstand.”

“It hurts…!”

“How am I supposed to know if you don’t explain and just vanish into the alternate space? Even if it takes time, retrieve it yourself in front of me. Right here.”

“B-but actually…!”

Ang’s face flushed with shame. His pupils spun wildly, showing how flustered he was. I reminded myself anew that Ang was also a spirit.

There must be some sexual issue involved. I had a hunch. It wasn’t that Ang was searching for the item inside the alternate space but rather avoiding retrieving it while I watched.

“Where did you store the item?”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“There’s no way you’d store the item I entrusted you with in a place shared with Azidahaka. So, clearly, you stored it somewhere Azidahaka couldn’t touch. Where?”

“I-I… Inside my stomach…”

“Ten minutes.”

I released Ang’s hair and shoved him back into the alternate space. Had I been smoking, I might’ve spent those ten minutes calming my frustration with a cigarette.

□□□□□!!

Instead, I vented my anger by firing TATs into the sky. What kind of ridiculous thing did past-me pull off 20 years ago? Surely, I didn’t insert it personally, right?

‘Still, quite meticulous movements. Clever. If it’s Maamryong, it’s certainly an entity capable of keeping secrets.’

During those ten minutes, countless thoughts raced through my mind, and Ang returned with a plastic-wrapped object, his face blazing red.

“Here… Here it is…”

“Thank you. But…”

The hard, flat contents inside the plastic were something I knew well. A square shape with a circular hole in the middle— a plastic floppy disk.

“…A floppy disk??”

What era does this belong to? Its blue color left me speechless. Even so, considering the times—

‘It was the year 2000, remember?’

There weren’t smartphones or USBs back then, so having some medium to record and store information was necessary. Still, a floppy disk? At least using a blank CD would’ve been better.

‘That option wasn’t available either, huh?’

I set fire to the sticky substance on the outside of the plastic, deciding not to inquire further. The contents inside were far more important.

“Ugh… Is this compatible?”

Considering the generational gap between magical gear and this relic, it’s probably several generations apart. In an era where smartwatches and magical gear have replaced laptops and even PCs, floppy drives have long disappeared, leaving me stranded in an antique museum.

“Phew.”

I placed the floppy disk on top of the magical gear. Hoping for any reaction—

Beep.

The magical gear emitted a flickering blue light. I felt as if I’d been bewitched. Just now, there seemed to be magic power within the floppy disk…

“He says it’ll take 25 years to read the data inside…”

“Indeed.”

Perhaps the form was a floppy disk, but it could only be read by magical gear. Past-me was more thorough than expected. Now I understood why Chang-yeom erased the memories related to this.

‘As long as this disk exists externally, erasing the memories won’t delete the complete memory stored here.’

Thus, this memory can be considered the pristine recollection I had when I first arrived in this world. I examined the data stored in the magical gear. A short audio file was embedded, lasting less than a minute.

“……You kept this for 25 years?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you agree to this request? And what was Azidahaka doing at the time?”

“…For a brief moment, I gained control of the physical body. That’s when you handed me this and said…”

Ang looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“If I keep this well, we’ll still be friends in 25 years…!”

“…Haha, really.”

Was past-me truly thoughtful and considerate?

Recall revoked.

‘Maamryong has no friends, so I assumed they wouldn’t tell anyone, right?’

Past-me was utterly trashy. I wondered what kind of message that trash left for me.

Static, crackle.

Noise filled the audio file. I quietly listened to the magical gear.

[Ah. Ah. Ice Americano.]

The refined voice of Cheongnyeon echoed. Was that me speaking, or was Chang-yeom pretending to be me?

[Not sure if you can hear me clearly… Understand the tone, okay? Seongju bastard. Interdimensional god damn scumbag. Production crew son of a bitch.]

“……Ahem.”

That’s me.

Definitely me.

[Chang-yeom sibal… Ahem, Chang-yeom is innocent. Uh, ■, whatever it is? Anyway, Chang-yeom isn’t guilty. Don’t hate her. Even if you don’t hate her because my mind doesn’t change anyway!]

“…This is embarrassingly cringy, Ang. Can you cover your ears for a second?”

[There’s so much I want to say, but time is running out. Remember Oracle’s prophecy, right? You will, right?]

“The blue sun will rise in the sky, and the phoenix shall fall?”

[That’s right. That one. Forget it, and you’re screwed. Oracle’s prophecy is absolute. So, if you truly wish to achieve victory and a happy ending, there’s only one answer. I hate beating around the bush, so I’ll be direct.]

Static, crackle.

The noise worsened. It was similar to when a dimensional gate occurs, disrupting the surrounding magical waves.

[Phoenix must die for Chang-yeom to survive.]

“…”

Ang’s expression twisted in fear. While I had anticipated this and remained calm, Ang’s eyes wavered, unsure of what to do.

[Now, I’m going to wake up Chang-yeom. Ideally within a year, but it might take 24 years until the original story begins. I don’t know how long it’ll take.]

“It took 20 years.”

[Based on estimates, it’ll take around 20 years, but I’ll try my best to regain my senses sooner. …Ah, time’s almost up.]

The audio file was nearing its end. Rustling sounds indicated past-me was climbing somewhere.

[…When I’m fully conscious, I’ll surely destroy this, so despite the cringe factor, there’s something I need to say. Ahem. Don’t forget. The reason you came to this world. Why you came here.]

Impossible to forget.

[Save everyone, awaken everyone, and rescue Chang-yeom. It’ll be brutally difficult, and it might feel like dying, but remember just one thing.]

Past-me spoke as if delivering a message directly to me. As if predicting I’d lose my memory and would hear this in the future.

[Even if the world splits in two, Chang-yeom is always on your side. Never doubt that.]

“…”

Unnecessary reassurance started creeping in. Irritated by listening to it, I tried stopping the playback.

[Interdimensional god.]

My hand paused.

[They’re on our side… Got it?]

“No, I don’t get it! Explain more!”

Click.

The audio file ended. My gaze naturally returned to Ang.

“More… That’s it… That’s the end!”

“…Alright. Understood.”

I almost grabbed Ang’s collar and shook him. Opening the door to information only led to more confusion. I was genuinely confused about who “past-me” referred to as the interdimensional deity.

“Could you elaborate specifically?”

Rip. The floppy disk disintegrated. It seemed to be composed of magic, crumbling effortlessly. Now, there was no way to uncover any other legacy or information left by past-me.

“Ang, do you recall anything else I said? You’ve grasped the situation roughly, right?”

“N-nothing else, but… right before leaving…”

Ang hesitated, closing his eyes tightly.

“Right before heading to eat Chang-yeom… you let out a ‘Kkyoowwwt’ sound…”

“….”