Chapter 148: 53%
“Gi-ryeo, dyeing your hair looks much better.”
“Haha, dyeing?”
“Maybe if you got a girlfriend, you should introduce her to your mom later…”
“Not that.”
Thud.
But at that moment.
The man in a suit wiped the artificial smile off his face and asked again.
“Can’t you notice anything different?”
My son, who had always been blunt, wasn’t frowning just because he was making a blank face.
But what on earth was this vibe?
“Uh… I can’t really tell just by looking.”
“….”
“Ah, maybe our son has awakened or something and looks cooler?”
Lee Hwa-young squeezed out a cheerful voice to lighten the heavy atmosphere. But what came back were shockingly harsh statements.
“Right. What can I expect from a beast like you? As expected, it’s going as predicted.”
“W-what?”
“Lee Hwa-young, have you been eating well and living fine after abandoning your son all this time?”
Something disguised as Kim Gi-ryeo leaned back, looking thoughtfully down at them.
“Then why have you come looking for the kid you abandoned now?”
Of course, there was no need to hear an explanation for that.
It was obvious. This issue had been the same from start to finish…
*
Money. This time it was undoubtedly about that damn thing again.
‘Sick of it.’
I glared at the Earthling in front of me with disdain.
Everyone made grand claims about celestial authority and all, but really, parents and children were no different.
This woman didn’t even realize her son was dead and just blinked blankly.
“G-Gi-ryeo, what do you mean by that…”
Lee Hwa-young stiffened with a shocked expression, and I pressed on.
The reason why she contacted me was definitely one thing.
“Now that the son you tossed aside has become an S-Class, I guess you’re feeling sentimental?”
“……!”
“Just breaking a single gate can easily earn you a fortune. Huh? Did you come to pocket some leftovers?”
Hwa-young looked absolutely stunned.
“My son, what are you talking about? I just saw him on TV…!”
“Then what was the reason for ghosting me for three years?”
“T-that’s. Naturally, there were circumstances…”
“Shut your mouth? Where in the world do you get off talking about circumstances? You blocked my number right after you received 27 million won.”
She gaped in shock at my harsh words during the conversation.
“Y-you! What do you mean talking to your mother like that…!?”
But I had absolutely no intention of showing respect to that person.
Hwa-young’s betrayal had a significant impact on Kim Gi-ryeo’s fate.
In other words, she was the culprit who killed this flesh.
“Just so you know, I’m not giving you a single cent.”
“Who’s asking for money? I won’t even talk about money with you!”
“Really? Lee Hwa-young, then shall we write a contract? Wanna make a clear promise with the Knight’s Pact?”
By the way, contract-type items are major magic tools often used in regular businesses.
Maybe that’s why even ordinary citizens know a lot about its performance, and Hwa-young’s reaction began to heighten.
Her face reddened as she started to get angry.
“Kim Gi-ryeo! You’ve become an S-Class or whatever, but in the meantime, have you become a complete jerk? You’ve lost all your temper!”
“Hmm.”
“I don’t remember you being like this. Why have you suddenly become so mean? Huh? Do you need to drive a nail into your mother’s heart to feel better?”
Hwa-young shouted with tears welling in her eyes for whatever injustice she felt.
But to me, even that looked disgusting.
As she said, this side had gone through far too many changes in those few years.
“Right? It’s strange. Kim Gi-ryeo never even cursed during his life, yet now he’s acting like this.”
Looking at Hwa-young made me uncomfortable.
This wasn’t merely because of memories stored in the body.
Now, I genuinely loathed her from my soul.
“Still don’t understand what’s weird?”
I deliberately hinted at Gi-ryeo like he was a third person, but Hwa-young still failed to differentiate her family.
“What’s weird is your attitude. Oh, Gi-ryeo. How could you treat your mother like this after so many years…? Your mom had her own circumstances too. Huh? I was planning to come find you like this eventually.”
At a glance, this was obviously nonsense.
Even when Hwa-young lived with Kim Gi-ryeo, she avoided talking about money for a long time. As soon as she confirmed her son’s guard was down, she immediately jumped into business.
Honestly, the series of events that led to what happened started from Kim Gi-ryeo’s graduation day, mixing intention with planning.
“Is the circumstance about not preparing for retirement and just going out to play?”
“Kim Gi-ryeo!”
“Why are you getting angry? If I’m wrong, you can prove it, right? With a dungeon item.”
As the contract discussion reared its ugly head again, Hwa-young seemed to start realizing the situation, her expression turning sharp.
“No, Gi-ryeo. Why are you like this? In truth, mom is… suffering now. I can’t even afford a back surgery. But you’re going to pretend you don’t know?”
“Yep.”
“Whew, unbelievable!”
The lips of the woman with bright red lipstick twisted for a moment.
“You think everything’s going well just because of your own efforts? I hear that other people carry their parents on their backs as soon as they become hunters, thanking them for giving birth to them safely!”
It’s true that there’s genetic influence in awakenings, but I had plenty to say about that comparison.
“Don’t other parents usually not abandon their children?”
Not budging an inch, Hwa-young shivered and fanned herself.
After a while, she cooled down and said something.
“You… you… If this goes on, I won’t be able to hold back either. Families commit such outrages, and I feel wronged, so I’ll just have to voice it to the world.”
“Voice it?”
“Don’t you think people around you know you live like this? If you keep acting like this towards your mom, I’ll freely tell everyone that you’re the disgraceful S-Class hunter. Got it?”
Wow.
I was at a loss for words. Hwa-young spoke in a tone full of herself, seemingly under some delusion.
“Gi-ryeo. You’ve awakened. Now that you’re getting famous and the hardships are over, why are you bringing up such embarrassment now?”
“….”
“Everything is going well. You became a hunter. From now on, you’ll just have to earn a lot of money, right? Huh?”
And Hwa-young grabbed my hand with a gentler tone than ever…
“I’m really sorry. Okay? Now that you have no family in this world but me, I’ll do better from now on.”
In an instant, a memory crossed my mind.
A young woman with thick red lipstick, striking the tiny hand of an infant while conveying words.
-It’s all because of you! If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have married that jerk!
I recalled memories from a distant past, even the owner of this body not remembering them. Consequently, my head began to chill like ice.
Lee Hwa-young never loved Gi-ryeo from the start.
Why on earth can humanity be so cruel? How can they be so skilled at self-justification and cunning?
“……”
I looked down at the hand she was holding and moved closer to the woman. Then I leaned in and whispered carefully in her ear.
“Your son…”
“Hmm?”
“Died frozen under the scorching summer sun.”
What I’m going to convey now is the final fate of this flesh.
“If a person goes too long without food, their thyroid gets damaged and they can’t regulate their body temperature.”
“What are you…”
“Outside, everyone is sweating profusely, but for some reason, that small room felt like a cold dungeon.”
“……”
“It was oddly cold all over.”
I momentarily lost my words.
It felt like my throat was stuck.
The memories flooding my mind were so distinct that it felt like I experienced that life firsthand.
“I trembled for an astonishing 14 hours and then died.”
My eyes turned red.
But these tears weren’t Kim Gi-ryeo’s. This rage belonged solely to a single soul.
“But you dare to appear shamelessly before the son you killed?”
I sincerely warned the person in front of me, suppressing my boiling emotions.
“Lee Hwa-young, listen well. If you show your face in front of me one more time, I’ll make sure you truly regret it.”
“……!”
“And if you run your mouth and tarnish this precious name, I promise you’ll wish you were dead.”
“What?”
But what’s the saddest part at this moment?
Kim Gi-ryeo’s brain didn’t contain feelings of resentment. He didn’t hate his mother who betrayed him.
Looking at her, all that surfaced was an infinite yearning and sorrow.
‘Why…’
Why did Kim Gi-ryeo not wish for Lee Hwa-young’s death?
Why?
What on earth.
If only he had left behind a single word requesting revenge.
If you wanted that, I would’ve gladly granted your wish in return for taking over your body.
“Appreciate that your son grew up well.”
I felt humility against the emotions of the owner of this body. Simultaneously, I violently shook off her hand.
“A… son?”
Even until this moment, Hwa-young couldn’t grasp the situation, but it didn’t matter anymore.
‘For now, I’ll follow the intent of the body’s owner…’
But if I were to strip away even the last mercy, I planned to make that person pay for everything.
I scanned Hwa-young’s appearance as if memorizing it and left.
“G-Gi-ryeo… Kim Gi-ryeo…”
Only the call of someone who couldn’t accept reality hung in the street.
*
Returning home with heavy steps, I threw my jacket down on the floor in despair.
‘How can this be?’
Upon reevaluating the life of the owner of this body, Kim Gi-ryeo was a truly rare soul who had never committed a sin while living.
Diligent and kind.
Knowing he was bound to face injustice, yet willing to save others.
Even regretting he couldn’t donate organs right before his death.
Why did such a person have to endure such a lonely life?
He wasn’t a sorcerer who deserved to die like this.
But now, I couldn’t turn back. I already know what happens to the dead.
‘When you die, that’s the end.’
Where does the soul of the dead go?
It’s not much different from the fate of the flesh. Just like a body buried in the dirt decomposes and breaks down.
The substances that constitute the soul also scatter into the void over time, breaking down into small units.
Once the soul particles return to nature, there’s no chance of them finding their form again.
The probability that Kim Gi-ryeo’s soul fragments would be preserved and reborn was less than 1 in 300 billion.
No, even that is like tossing parts into a swimming pool and hoping a complete watch would assemble itself by chance due to the currents.
“Poor thing.”
The Gi-ryeo, who lived with altruism, could not be rewarded with anything anymore.
Thinking that way brought forth many concerns.
Should I just sit by while a person like Kim Gi-ryeo suffers a miserable death? Isn’t it the case that they’re rushing towards a future similar to my hometown?
As the memories stored in the flesh became my memories.
The first emotion that arose was pity.
The next emotion was intense anxiety.
‘……’
Even on Earth, there are indeed too many selfish beings.
And as generations pass, this tendency will only worsen.
As the viable zones for survival shrink due to global warming, competition will intensify, and typically, the selfish will have a higher probability of victory in such processes.
But having experienced that future firsthand, do I really have a reason to coexist with everyone on Earth?
In such a beautiful planet?
Of course, at the beginning of my reincarnation…
In the spirit of ecological preservation, I thought I should protect the Earthlings.
At times I rambled about conquering Earth and whatnot, but honestly, deep down, I acknowledged I had no right to hold the scissors against outsiders.
But through such events, my heart began to waver little by little.
‘How many more people like Lee Hwa-young exist on Earth…?’
At this rate, I will likely move toward an even more different conclusion as time goes by.
