Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Chapter 542 - Epilogue 4 – The Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (7)

The conclusion of the 1865th regression turn was arguably more flawless than any precedent world-line.

A month elapsed following the end of the ‘Final Scenario’. Damages sustained during the scenarios underwent swift repairs, and with the assistance of the regressors, various nations re-established order and legislation with impressive speed.

Academic institutions threw open their gates once more, and laborers returned to their former occupations. Throughout the streets, slogans were visible everywhere, welcoming the dawn of this brand-new world.

Yi Ji-Hye, standing upon this street that bore an alien sensation, kept her gaze fixed on an athletic field located beyond the fence.

“That is your friend, isn’t it?”

Jeong Hui-Won inquired, to which Yi Ji-Hye simply bobbed her head.

The girl running along the track was Na Bo-Ri. She was a friend whom she had once been forced to slay with her own hands; yet, in this world-line, that very person lived and flourished. She possessed life, she drew breath, and her limbs propelled her forward.

“Ji-Hye-yah. There is no need for you to return.”

The eyes of Yi Ji-Hye remained locked on Bo-Ri’s silhouette. She was the friend she had yearned for, the one who haunted her nightmares incessantly.

She had once believed that saving Bo-Ri would finally silence those nightmares.

Alas, memories are not exorcised so simply. In truth, her nightmares resurfaced with even greater ferocity, assuming far more vivid shapes. Within those dreams, she would endure the same scenario repeatedly, forced to kill the dream-version of Bo-Ri. Each instance brought a crushing realization, time and time again.

The girl she had saved this time was not the deceased Bo-Ri.

The one she rescued was merely a different Bo-Ri from another world-line, nothing more.

“Ji-Hye-yah.”

Yi Ji-Hye stared at the athletic field for a long duration before venturing a reply. “We gave Biyu our word, after all.”

“...”

“We promised that we would certainly traverse the world-lines once more and make our way home.”

Jeong Hui-Won observed Yi Ji-Hye’s countenance quietly as the girl spoke, then rested her hand upon her shoulder.

“It will surely feel lonely once we go back. After all, things that exist here simply are not present on the other side.”

Yi Ji-Hye smiled. With the hand she used to wipe her eyes, she pointed toward her own head. “I shall not be lonely. Because all of them remain right here.”

Her voice quavered as she uttered those words.

Was it truly acceptable to say such a thing?

If she could truly maintain such a sentiment, then why had they gone through such trouble to arrive here in the first place?

“Let us go. This eonni will buy you something delicious today.”

*

“Orabeoni.”

Whenever Yu Mi-Ah employed that title, it indicated she had a favor to ask.

Yu Jung-Hyeok, having survived many regressions, understood this well. She peered quietly at her older brother before she began to speak.

“Orabeoni, you have exerted your utmost effort. Nobody could have done more or achieved better than what you have already accomplished.”

His eyelids lowered in a solemn gesture. Yu Mi-Ah ascended a chair and rested her hand upon his head.

“Let us cease this and go back home.”

*

– The tragic scenario they were compelled to endure.

– The world became shrouded in the acrid smoke of apocalyptic weaponry, and they were robbed of their most precious ones...

The lyrics of a song drifting from afar caused Han Su-Yeong’s brow to furrow deeply.

“Is this supposed to be a funeral dirge?”

[Actually, no, that track is currently trending. It is a story that praises you and your comrades.]

A cackling Bihyung threw the gate of the ark open.

The vessel, now fully restored with Fable energy, awaited them.

One by one, the regressors who had opted to return home boarded the ship. Not everyone made that choice, however; several elected to remain behind.

Gong Pil-Du, for instance, stood there, sweating profusely and unable to utter a word. Young children were gathered behind him. Han Su-Yeong understood his motivation for regressing in the first place.

“You should stay here. Someone must remain to guard this location, after all,” Han Su-Yeong remarked.

Gong Pil-Du offered no response.

“Is there anyone else wishing to stay?” Han Su-Yeong raised her voice with calm composure. “You ought to consider this carefully, alright? If you depart, you will never see your parents, lovers, or friends ever again. Are you comfortable with that? So, think it over....”

Shin Yu-Seung gripped Han Su-Yeong’s hand, holding it tight. “This is not our world-line, you know? Dok-Ja ahjussi would likely feel the same way.”

The majority of the <Kim Dok-Ja Company>’s Incarnations and Constellations opted for a return. Positioned in their midst was the young Kim Dok-Ja, resting upon a stretcher in silent repose.

[Oh, my sweet Persephone, is it truly your intention to abandon me?]

Han Su-Yeong could only offer a wry smile as Hades, unable to mope any longer, launched into a desperate display of singing and dancing, hoping to sway his dearly beloved. Had Hades always possessed such a personality?

Persephone cast a troubled look at the king of the Underworld. [I am truly sorry, Hades. However, I am not the ‘Persephone’ you once knew.]

[You are undoubtedly Persephone. The queen of the darkest spring and the Underworld.]

Persephone gave a soft shake of her head.

[If you are adamant about this, I shall accompany you.]

[This is your world-line, my dear. And you remain the queen of the Underworld. Please, do not discard your dignity.]

[But my world is you, Persephone!]

Bihyung shook his head in resignation. He then looked to Han Su-Yeong. [I realize there is no point in asking this, but... Hey, are you actually leaving? If you chose to stay, you would be treated like royalty for the duration of your life.]

“I did not come to this world-line for that reason.”

Han Su-Yeong cast her gaze toward the young Kim Dok-Ja lying on the stretcher.

Throughout the previous months, Han Su-Yeong and her companions had exhausted themselves scouring the entirety of the <Star Stream> in search of a way to revive Kim Dok-Ja. However, they found nothing. The extent of their success was merely sustaining his existence—neither fully dead, nor truly alive.

“Bihyung. As a parting gift, would you share a small portion of the Bureau’s Fable with us?”

[....The Bureau’s Fable?]

“The system within our own world-line is in ruins. We do not know what might transpire, so provide us with a little bit, will you?”

Bihyung pursed his lips with a displeased expression, yet eventually, he descended and passed a segment of the Fable to Han Su-Yeong.

Just then, a man charged toward them from the distance, kicking up a cloud of dust. He was a large man with a thick, unkempt beard. It was Yi Hyeon-Seong.

“Hurry and kick the engines into gear!!” he bellowed.

Closer inspection revealed military vehicles pursuing him with clear hostility.

“....Now that I contemplate it, he is still a marked man, is he not?”

Han Su-Yeong chuckled dryly and signaled the start.

Prompted by this, Yu Jung-Hyeok opened his mouth. “We are departing.”

Finally, the ⸢Final Ark⸥ ascended toward the heavens.

– The heroes of <Kim Dok-Ja Company> have embarked upon their voyage!

People gazed upward at them. Helicopters operated by broadcasting stations hovered nearby, televising their departure. Reporters shrieked into microphones as cameras zoomed in on the companions’ faces.

– Why are you weeping? You succeeded in saving this world-line!

The ground view receded further and further. One of them muttered quietly.

“I wonder what we came here for.”

Like a sequence from an atrocious nightmare, the world beneath them grew distant. It was transforming into memories—a past that could no longer be reclaimed.

Han Su-Yeong murmured, “What do you mean, why....”

As the ark accelerated, the surrounding scenery shifted. Galaxies of varying world-lines streaked past them in a blur. And Kim Dok-Ja, having been reincarnated, was surely living his own life somewhere in a distant world-line.

When Han Su-Yeong processed this thought, a powerful, overwhelming urge took hold of her. What if she attempted to force a change in their route, even now? What might happen if they began a voyage to rendezvous with Kim Dok-Ja’s reincarnated form amidst those remote stars? If she did that, if they could accomplish it, then...

⸢However, was that truly what Kim Dok-Ja would have desired?⸥

The window of the ark reflected the countenances of Yu Jung-Hyeok and Yu Sang-Ah as they approached her almost simultaneously. They bore the exact expression she felt, staring at the identical vista. The moment she beheld them, she had a realization. They were pondering the exact same concept. And that was precisely why such a plan could never reach fruition.

Suddenly, the ark began to shudder and clatter.

[The vessel has breached a new world-line!]

“Already? Is this not far too...?!”

As if plunging into the atmosphere, the ark abruptly entered a nosedive.

It felt as though gravity had vanished for a mere second, and then the hull of the vessel slammed into something with a deafening, explosive jolt. The internal lighting flickered out, only to return a moment later.

[The vessel has reached its destination.]

Han Su-Yeong grasped her throbbing head and analyzed her companions.

“Dammit, never mind being old, this thing is a absolute antique. Is everyone uninjured?”

“I am fine! What about the others...?”

Fortunately, nobody had sustained any harm. Han Su-Yeong manipulated the hull to open an exit. The door swung wide, and a stairway extended to the surface below.

She stepped down cautiously; the moment her feet touched the ground, a voice echoed out.

“Who are you people?!”

What was occurring? Armed soldiers stood with weapons trained on her and her group. Yi Hyeon-Seong leaped up in fright and ducked hurriedly behind her.

“Su-Yeong-ssi! What is happening here?! Are they attempting to arrest me here as well....?!”

“Of course, that is impossible. This is our home, after all,” Han Su-Yeong retorted. She shoved Yi Hyeon-Seong aside and shouted to the soldiers. “Hey, do you not think your welcoming committee is a bit too abrasive? Do you not recognize who I am?”

The weapons shifted hurriedly toward her as she strode forward like a local delinquent.

“I am warning you. You pull the trigger on that, then all of you will...”

Just then, Han Su-Yeong’s eyes landed on a specific face. It was the face of a middle-aged woman, triggering a vague sense of deja vu, as if she could just about identify it. Blonde tresses cascaded down to her shoulders, and a single crimson eye swirled within a red vortex. Its owner spoke to her.

“....Han Su-Yeong??”

Han Su-Yeong stared dazed at the blonde woman. That voice... Although time had passed, that was a sound she could never forget. The middle-aged woman waved her hand, ordering the soldiers to stand down.

“Han Su-Yeong... Is it truly you?”

Upon hearing that voice again, Han Su-Yeong felt a surge of emotion welling up deep inside.

Descending slowly to the earth, she remained fixed on Anna Croft. Unable to decide where to begin her questions, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“How many years have passed since we left?”

“...It has been 20 years.”

Han Su-Yeong’s quivering lips swallowed those years. An intense dizziness washed over her. Who would believe now that the horrific scenarios had ever occurred in this world?

The city of Seoul was no longer the place she remembered. No, this city possessed a completeness akin to the one from the 1865th turn, a world she had deemed almost perfect. The abundant greenery of trees lined the boulevards, and children were dribbling balls in a distant playground far away.

Twenty years.

So, that is what happened. In a world where we did not exist, you managed to persevere.

And that is how you managed to transform the world to this scale.

“Han Su-Yeong?”

A startled Anna Croft reached out to offer support as Han Su-Yeong swayed unsteadily. This was an embrace from someone she had never truly liked, yet Han Su-Yeong clung to those shoulders and began to weep.

At last, they had returned to the 1864th turn.

The world where they had completed the scenarios for the very first time.

Some had managed to return, while others were lost to time.

Certain occurrences had to remain as history, unchangeable and fixed.

She witnessed the [Industrial Complex] sprawling in the distance.

A fading bronze statue of Kim Dok-Ja stood before it. Next to the figure, posed in a slightly awkward stance, was a massive statue of a squid.

⸢In commemoration of Kim Dok-Ja’s return⸥

Gazing at that bizarre, monstrous squid, Han Su-Yeong alternated between breathless sobbing and hysterical laughter. She wished to deny it. She felt that if she insisted on it, something somewhere might change. But right now, in this very moment, she was compelled to acknowledge the truth.

Their plan was a failure.

And this place, it was the final conclusion of the world they had discovered.

*

Two years passed since the companions’ return.

Two years stretched longer than one might initially suppose, and naturally, several incidents occurred in the interim.

Yi Hyeon-Seong and Jeong Hui-Won departed from the Complex. Shin Yu-Seung and Yi Gil-Yeong entered high school. Yi Ji-Hye managed to land an ‘F’ on her first midterms. Et cetera, et cetera....

When all these many incidents are summarized, they result in the following conclusion:

<Kim Dok-Ja Company> had been disbanded.

<Epilogue 4. The Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (7)> Fin.