Chapter 303

If I were to express it in color, it would probably be black.

The headache Hong Ki-jun was experiencing was like the deepest darkness itself.

It seemed like he had already gathered enough clues to escape the pain, but he wondered if there might be more. The more countermeasures, the better.

“I think I thought about people. Among them, one person. I strongly recalled just one person. Believing that I could return to that time.”

It was lust after all. That jerk, why didn’t he try harder when he had the chance? Hong Ki-jun grumbled inwardly.

“I vowed that if I went back, I would run to that person. It was a boring life, but I also remembered the times I laughed. Like the day I went on a picnic with my mom and dad on a tractor, or when Jang Gun-i first came home as a puppy, and also…”

Jin Hyuk couldn’t continue.

The little drunk who used to make Jin Hyuk laugh with her cute antics was no longer in this world.

It was the price of conflict and struggle.

The shadow said it was 300 years in your time, so I guess that’s how it is. It felt like an eternity spent crouching in the darkness.

Then one day.

The darkness receded, and the voice of Dugu Elil was heard.

– 【To the one who has fulfilled the contract, as promised, I will grant any wish.】

– “I want to see my mom and dad. Even if it’s just for a day, or even just once.”

Jin Hyuk, who had no body, sobbed.

He missed his parents so much, and he was filled with sadness and guilt for never being able to see the little drunk again.

– 【I will create a bigger and more splendid world as a gift. I will also create beings that look exactly like the humans you desire. That place will be peaceful, beautiful, and eternal. You will live there forever, enjoying the power of an emperor.】

– “Not that! Not clones! I want to see them for real! In reality!”

– 【Hmm… I didn’t expect you to wish for that.】

– “Is it because it’s already past time? Are you going to say that the past can’t be changed? I know that much. But that’s all I want. If you can’t grant it, just erase me. I want to rest.”

– 【This is a finite world. Do you still want to go back?】

– “The beauty of life is because it has an end. Screw immortality! Living alone for thousands of years, is that even human? That’s just a monster…”

– 【It is done.】

– “What…?”

– 【I have turned back time to when your parents existed. I am telling you that I have restored the world for you.】

– “Really? Is that possible?”

– 【I am a serious being. That place is the world you lived in, it will be reality, and it will exist just as you knew it. I keep my promises.】

– “This is unbelievable…”

– 【Do not dare to measure my power with the petty notions of humans.】

Dugu Elil’s voice was emotionless, and it sounded like a threatening growl.

– “What about this guy?”

– 【He has harmed my messenger too much. He will soon be punished.】

– “He’s just lost and has been living for revenge to avoid being consumed by darkness. He killed to survive, to not die. If I hadn’t helped him, he would have died. He’s a pitiful guy, punishing him is-.”

– 【No matter how much I favor you, do not go that far. This is not your concern.】

Favor my foot! You show up now after leaving him alone.

– 【Anyway, everything is his fate, the key is how well he grows. You have done well.】

Jin Hyuk couldn’t defend him any further.

Because he was excited to see his parents.

And because he was afraid that guy might change his mind.

– “Will we meet again?”

There was no answer.

Jin Hyuk’s soul was enveloped in light and gently escaped the darkness.

– 【You, Er Aflah, have suffered greatly. I will send you back. If you do well, you may save three lives from death. May you live a happy life…】

And so, Jin Hyuk resolved all his doubts.

Except for one.

*

As he listened to Jin Hyuk’s explanation, Hong Ki-jun wiped his eyes.

Even though he had seen it all, hearing the explanation with his own emotions made him empathize.

“But there’s something I can’t remember until the end. It’s driving me crazy.”

“What is it?”

Hong Ki-jun sniffed once.

Jin Hyuk stared straight at Hong Ki-jun.

With a look that said, you’re involved too.

“Why did I have to suffer so much in a strange world? Dugu won’t tell me. No matter how hard I exercise or how deeply I sleep, I can’t remember…”

Jin Hyuk looked quite disappointed.

“You know, right? That’s why you said you owed me.”

While Hong Ki-jun was searching for words, Jin Hyuk mumbled like a drunk.

“It’s my business, so I should know too.”

Jin Hyuk’s hand plucked at the innocent grass.

“Why didn’t you tell me why you were being so nice to me? It’s not because of some past connection, or because I’m your father’s son, right?”

Squish-.

The fragile grass screamed.

“Why did I do those things?”

Thud-.

The roots were pulled out.

“Results are important, but to people, the reason is important too.”

From where the grass roots were pulled, two small black bugs panicked.

“You know, Chairman.”

After all, it’s between a child and an adult.

One of the child’s greatest weapons is throwing a tantrum. Jin Hyuk had learned that skill by watching Yoo Jin and Jeong Won.

“Ugh-.”

Hong Ki-jun stretched his legs and placed his hands on his knees.

Ugh-. Feels good.

It’s a way of speaking that doesn’t scold but makes the listener feel guilty.

How could he ignore it?

‘Ah-, what should I say?’

He looked around.

He checked Jin Hyuk’s shadow, and even looked at the particularly dark tree shade with uneasy eyes.

“Is that also a confidentiality agreement?”

“There was no such talk. But since he didn’t say anything, I’m reluctant too.”

“Him? Ah, that guy. What kind of name is Dugu Elil-.”

Even though he knew it meant a small god, the second greatest god, he grumbled on purpose. As if for Hong Ki-jun to hear.

“That’s not a name. It’s more like a title used externally.”

“What’s his name?”

“He didn’t tell me either.”

“What a funny guy. Is his name too rustic?”

“Do you really want to know? Why you went into the darkness?”

Jin Hyuk nodded silently. Still plucking at the grass.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. Why I said I owe you.”

Hong Ki-jun’s time quickly moved to the day after the high-level executive meeting when Hong Ki-jun and Jin Hyuk got into a car together.

**

“Let’s go-.”

Boom-!

Screeeech-!

With a loud noise, the car shook and their bodies were thrown to the side.

Instinctively, Jin Hyuk stretched out his arm to protect the old chairman from the impact.

“Ouch-, that scared me.”

Chairman Hong Ki-jun, holding his neck with one hand and his waist with the other, complained of pain.

“Chairman, are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks to Team Leader Son.”

“If it weren’t for Manager Kim, there could have been an accident.”

“That’s right. Manager Kim? What happened in front?”

Kim Chul-min, gripping the steering wheel tightly, leaned forward and looked at the raindrops falling in the air.

“Ah-, it happened so fast… Something fell, or maybe not? Was it just a collision…? It felt like lightning flashed…”

Even though he had used his quick reflexes to prevent an accident, Kim Chul-min was so flustered that he rambled.

Jin Hyuk, who had been talking with Chairman Hong Ki-jun, also didn’t see what had happened in front.

Leaning forward to look ahead, Jin Hyuk saw an overturned SUV and a sedan lying on its side.

“Manager Kim, please call 119 and the police.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Right, we should call…”

If someone was trapped in the overturned vehicle, rescue was the priority.

Jin Hyuk approached the accident vehicle, ignoring the falling raindrops.

Thud-, thud-.

The driver of the overturned SUV was pounding on the window, struggling.

Jin Hyuk tried to pull the door, but it wouldn’t open due to the pressure from the pillar.

“We need to break the window. Do you agree? Turn your face to the side.”

After confirming the driver’s nod, Jin Hyuk struck the corner of the window hard with his elbow.

Crack-! Crack-!

After two strong hits, the glass broke, and the driver crawled out.

“Ouch-, thank you.”

“It’s a relief you’re unharmed after such a serious accident. Nighttime collisions on wet roads are frequent-.”

“It wasn’t a collision. Come here, here-. I was just driving fine, then I floated and flipped over. Something flashed and fell…”

The SUV driver pulled Jin Hyuk, who was about to check on the sedan driver.

When Jin Hyuk followed, his eyes widened.

A crater.

The pit that had been hidden by the SUV’s size was now visible.

And.

‘Lava?’

There was no other way to describe the boiling fluid.

Along with smoke, a pungent sulfur smell rose.

“Damn-. That scared me, damn-. Is there an anti-tank mine or something?”

The sedan driver, who had miraculously escaped the vehicle, cursed while holding his neck.

“Are you okay? Even if it was the speed, we should have been thrown forward, but we just floated up and fell. Right?”

“Ah, yes-. What’s going on? Something fell from the sky.”

“Right? Something flashed, but it was too fast…”

While the drivers were sharing their thoughts, Jin Hyuk inspected the accident vehicles.

Since there was a fuel leak, it seemed best to leave the scene.

If they delayed, they could lose their lives in an instant. What’s the point of figuring out the cause in this situation?

“Let’s move to the side of the road first. It’s dangerous here.”

As Jin Hyuk herded the drivers to the side of the road, Hong Ki-jun approached, dragging his old legs.

“Team Leader Son, it’s raining, let’s get in the car. We’ll leave the rest to 119.”

“Ah, yes-.”

As Jin Hyuk turned to head to the car where Kim Chul-min was waiting, a strange voice grabbed his ankle.

【Finally found you.】

Along with it, a strange discomfort numbed Jin Hyuk’s cheek.

‘Time… stopped?’

In the middle of a busy road full of cars, no engine noise, no rain, no wind could be heard.

The drivers holding their necks, the onlookers at the accident scene, even Manager Kim Chul-min with his phone to his ear, all froze.

A silence and stillness amidst the chaos, truly fitting for an apocalypse.

“Ugh-.”

Chairman Hong Ki-jun’s legs gave out, and he slumped down.

The strange thing wasn’t just the voice.

If darkness had a form, it would look like that.

A silhouette darker and larger than darkness itself swayed heavily in the air like an ocean. A darkness that absorbed all light and stole life.

“Who are you?”

Jin Hyuk, who had stepped in front of Chairman Hong Ki-jun with his eyes tightly shut, asked.

His voice was firm without a hint of trembling, and his legs stood solid without shaking.

【Not bad.】

The silhouette, leaving an incomprehensible remark, glanced at Hong Ki-jun, who was trembling behind Jin Hyuk.

【The old man is lucky. Seeing me is like using up a lifetime of luck.】

Jin Hyuk quickly racked his brain to understand the situation.

While time had stopped, only he and Hong Ki-jun could move. But it seemed Hong Ki-jun had no business with the silhouette. Probably because he was attached to Jin Hyuk when time stopped, allowing him to move.

“I asked who you are.”

【Your curiosity is pointless.】

“You’re overstepping. I decide what’s valuable or not.”

【How trivial. My light breath could turn you to dust.】

“Such a petty threat. I’m not afraid of death. You didn’t come to save me, did you?”

As he said that, Jin Hyuk gestured towards the atmosphere beyond the silhouette.

Fire rain.

It could be called a meteor shower.

From the size of fireflies to the size of houses, countless spheres of fire filled the sky.

【I might save you.】

“That doesn’t sound like it’s your doing.”

If there were a meteor shower heading towards Earth, wouldn’t the media have made a fuss about it years ago? And the thought that a firefly-sized meteor could flip a car and create a crater the size of a bus didn’t seem plausible. Plus, lava boiling in the middle of the crater? That was beyond imagination.

Jin Hyuk, who had the deepest trust in science among all disciplines, pointed to the silhouette as the culprit behind all these phenomena.

But the silhouette wasn’t easy either, not getting caught in Jin Hyuk’s logic.

【It depends on your attitude.】

Wondering what this meant, Hong Ki-jun, who had raised his head, slumped back down.

There weren’t many attitudes an old man could take after witnessing an impending apocalypse.

Especially if he had a family.

“Ouch-, honey-. Soo-jeong-.”

If that fire rain fell, no one in there would survive.

High-rise buildings, apartments, would explode, burn, and eventually melt.

“You seem to have come for me. Right?”

【This will be easy. I have something to entrust to you.】

“Explain first.”

Then.

The silhouette’s mouth twisted grotesquely.

And.

Whoosh-.

It was the sound of fire roaring.

The water that had soaked the world trembled, afraid of the fire it couldn’t overcome.

The fire rain began to fall.