Chapter 460

〈Chapter 460〉 Part 1, Chapter 19, Section 16

“……”

Every word he spoke made my head spin. In all my life, I’ve never met someone who so sincerely confronted their feelings like this. Not even during the time when his words were influenced by the ‘Spirit’ era or the brief period when I was brainwashed as an officer.

“……The reason I’m wavering is because you’re a being from a higher dimension. If you were just another being from my world, I wouldn’t have given you a second glance.”

“Hmm… maybe not?”

“That’s just how it is with Baek Cheonghwa. It’s all part of the setup. In any romance story, of course it leads to a happy ending. Do you really think people fall in love like that? Just randomly bumping into each other in some alley and going ‘Oh wow!’ before instantly falling for one another? That makes no sense at all!”

“Hey, do you even know why things are like that?”

He grabbed my face with the hand that had been touching his chest. Like in a chess match where castling gave him the advantage, he now claimed the right to touch my face.

“It’s not about chance encounters. You fall for someone based on how attractive they are. Situations might seem random, but moving from acquaintances to something more always depends on mutual attraction.”

“So what’s your type then?”

“You. Your face drew me in, and your figure sealed the deal.”

He bluntly praised my appearance. Though I wanted to punch him, hearing such compliments wasn’t entirely unpleasant. More importantly…

“Why me when there are plenty of other beautiful heroines around?”

“Because you’re the most beautiful?”

“What’s the truth?”

“The most irresistible…”

Hmph.

I sat back down in my chair.

“Hey! Let’s have a baby together!”

“I’ll consider it… only if you behave yourself.”

“You’re letting your guard down more and more. Hehe.”

With a sly grin, he started climbing the stairs again. Since I didn’t leave my seat, he knelt in front of me and began massaging my feet.

“Aren’t your bare feet sore? We’re indoors; why don’t you try wearing slippers?”

“Since this is the spirit realm, and I’m using magic power to protect my soles, what’s the problem?”

“But eventually, the floor will get all sticky. You know, from our overflowing love…”

Hmph.

* * *

D-125

“So, shouldn’t you wear slippers to avoid slipping?”

“Look, you died and resurrected from burning alive, remember? Naturally recovering and tickling my feet now… Hmph?”

He kissed the top of my foot. With a teasing gaze, he slowly pressed his lips against my foot, making my body stiffen momentarily.

“…Do you have no pride?”

“I belong to you, my Phoenix.”

“If you’re going to act like this, I shouldn’t have allowed you to use my name.”

“Hehe, Raon. Regret always comes too late, just like me.”

He stood up after kissing the other foot.

“Is this really what you want?”

“Do you regret choosing this path? Giving up everything from your original world, abandoning 20 billion won just to… well, you know.”

“…I do regret it. But what can I do? If I’d known things would turn out this way, I definitely wouldn’t have done it.”

He sat on the armrest and put his arm around me.

“But it’s water under the bridge now. A series of bad decisions led me here. Still, isn’t it great? The data fragments I thought I’d be having sex with turned out to be a real human being.”

“Not exactly human.”

“Correction: A real existence. Who would’ve guessed they actually kidnapped an entire world to make a game? Those guys are insane. So no regrets… Correction.”

He held my hand seriously.

“If I had known you weren’t just a character in a game but a real resident of another world, and if I knew I’d end up in this situation, what choice would I have made?”

“I’d take the 20 billion and run.”

“Hmm… Maybe not.”

He wasn’t sure.

“Probably not. I would’ve agonized over it, knowing full well I’d regret it later, but I still might’ve chosen this path. You know I’m crazy enough to burn through 20 billion for a shot at something.”

“…Don’t brag about it.”

I kicked him off the chair onto the floor. As he rolled away, he gave me a thumbs-up.

“I welcome BDSM if you’re into that!”

Out of embarrassment, I incinerated him.

…

Embarrassment?

* * *

D-394

“Yuinah, Park Ra-on, Kim Nori, Su Ri, Hikari.

Xiao Lin, Yun Yuhwa, Aruel, Cheon Gaeul, Baek Hee-a.

…Jeolpung, Seok Harang, Ji Ryun, Gaechonkwang, Maamryong, Neutral Dragon.”

“Yeah.”

“Are these the people you’ve been whispering love to so passionately all this time? Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And now that you claim to love me, you’re willing to abandon them all?”

“Yeah.”

Even while smiling, his tone remained firm. How could anyone, even a madman, think such cruel thoughts?

“You’re willing to discard everyone and save only me?”

“From the point of returning to the past, we’re strangers anyway. Just like how the Blazing Phoenix I knew isn’t the same as you, these others aren’t the same people either. While fate might guide them towards similar situations…”

“That’s… that’s too pitiful.”

I felt sympathy and guilt for them. It felt like I was stealing him from them, yet I couldn’t understand why he’d ruthlessly discard those he once whispered love to for my sake.

“How can you treat game characters like real people?”

“They’re different beings. And you’re the one who made me realize that.”

“…”

After realizing I was distinct from the Blazing Phoenix, he treated the women he indirectly experienced through our world with an almost cold indifference. I found it difficult to intervene.

“Shin-ra, I came to this world to save you. Worrying about everyone else would drive me insane. Besides, I’ve already taken basic precautions.”

“Running around shouting ‘You’re a Spirit!’ to every officer you meet?”

“Exactly. Once they hear ‘You’re a Spirit,’ they snap out of it immediately. What happens next is up to them.”

Penril, Hydra, Azidahaka. During the day he controlled my body, they all awakened as Spirits. Although forcing their awakening without meeting the conditions caused conflicts between their officer and Spirit egos, he didn’t care at all.

“If the officer’s ego wins, then that’s fine. If the Spirit’s ego prevails, that suits me too. They’ll become the strength needed to defeat Seongju and the Otherworld God. All comrades are the same. Even if you loved someone in the future, returning to the past could make them your worst enemy. Would a married man or woman, upon returning to their bachelor/bachelorette days, marry their original partner again?”

“What about you?”

“I’m a romanticist.”

“Doesn’t mean you love me?”

“That too.”

He nodded while accepting the contract I drafted.

“…Alright, let’s call this another ‘game’ between us. Hmm, yeah. This is a perfect opportunity to prove my love.”

He bit his thumb until it bled, creating a metallic smell. Then he stamped the blood seal onto the contract I presented.

“I’ll rescue everyone else and defeat Seongju and the Otherworld God. You’ll hide within me, avoiding Seongju’s notice, while I pretend not to know about your existence as I attempt to save the world. That’s the plan.”

“…”

A contract riddled with loopholes, offering nothing but losses for him. Yet, because it was “my proposal,” he accepted it.

“You’re truly insane.”

“Yeah, insane.”

He handed me the contract and smiled as he always did.

“I’d do anything to save you.”

* * *

D-647

“So, you’re saying you’re going to continue working as a hero? Everything you’ve done so far has been part of your hero activities, right?”

“Dealing with kids pretending to smile while cleaning up poop is annoying.”

He openly showed his displeasure. Surprisingly, this guy, who usually avoided dirty or vulgar expressions in front of me, resorted to crude language, which was quite unexpected.

“Knowing full well that Yuna is flirting but pretending not to respond is exhausting… dealing with Ra-on buying sanitary pads is bothersome… Nuri feels inferior and keeps trying to escape. Are you asking me to handle all this again with three troublesome kids?”

Yuinah, Park Ra-on, Kim Nori.

These three, described as the “starting lineup,” were the core members of Team Deathdinas, tasked with maintaining world peace.

“Yuinah is a goddess.”

As the avatar of the Otherworld God, she possesses overwhelming specs. From my perspective, her设定is incredibly irritating, but ultimately, I feel pity for her since she’s merely a pawn in Seongju’s ambition to control the Otherworld God.

“Park Ra-on symbolizes the old heroes, Kim Nori represents the new hunters.”

The long-time hero Park Ra-on and the rising hunter Kim Nori reconcile their rivalry, uniting Korea—and eventually the whole world—under a single force of superpowered individuals.

“This is the method you’ve used to fight Seongju so far.”

“So you’re willing to abandon these people? All because of trivial reasons?”

Is this some kind of joke? I subtly probed him.

“What if I flirt with you?”

“I apologize profusely.”

“What if I ask you to buy sanitary pads for me?”

“The brand doesn’t matter, I’ll already know it. I’ll purchase them in black plastic bags for discretion.”

“What if I get angry and try to kill you every chance I get?”

“It’s my fault for making you angry!”

Hmph.

“How does someone who knows this still say such things?”

“When you bite your lip in anger, it’s incredibly sexy. Ugh, every time I almost… Sorry.”

He quickly backed off.

Though he occasionally jokes around, he always maintains appropriate boundaries with me. He understands me perfectly, recognizing my pressure points precisely—even sensing moments when I decide to vent frustration early.

‘Like just now.’

Killing first, then scolding afterward, he silently closed his mouth after my glare. While somewhat frustrating, it’s not entirely unpleasant that he intends to stop behaving this way with others and focus solely on me.

“Alright. Let’s return to the original topic. Hero or villain? Choose hero.”

“Raon, this isn’t something you can decide so definitively. Once the first button is wrongly fastened, it can never be undone.”

He wants me to continue the image of the original ‘Blazing Phoenix.’

“An unforgiving murderer who kills indiscriminately! But with a weakness for strawberries. Despite her originally diligent and conscientious nature, she dedicates herself to destroying the world under Seongju’s influence. Basically, a villain with an unusual hobby.”

“Objectively speaking, from humanity’s perspective, I’m completely beyond redemption.”

Next to Seongju, I am the biggest mass murderer.

‘And incredibly stupid too.’

Threatening to burn half of America to intimidate the strongest nation and mistakenly setting fire to all of South America instead due to confusion between ‘America’ and ‘continent’… that’s utterly moronic.

…But that’s not me. I wouldn’t make such mistakes.

“Even a perfect superhuman has flaws, which makes them endearing. Hehe.”

“Did transferring her power and reforming her gain her much popularity?”

“Of course, unattainable heroines are always the most popular.”