In the Regression Alliance, if one were to list the notable heavy drinkers, two nas ca to mind.
Firstly, Dang Seo-rin.
She was a natural when it ca to alcohol. Actually, she enjoyed anything when it ca to eating and drinking.
One of the reasons the culinary scene in Busan thrived amidst the end of the world was because the city’s ruler, Her Excellency the Great Witch, was always pondering, "Is there a new place to try?" with a gleeful palate.
Next was... Noh Do-hwa.
Those in the know were aware of her trendous love for wine. She went so far as to carve a separate wine cellar in her underground bunker to safeguard her collection, which says it all.
Dang Seo-rin savored not only the alcohol itself but also the atmosphere of social drinking, enjoying her ti with others —.
Noh Do-hwa, on the other hand, was the stark opposite.
Her sole alcoholic affection was for wine, exclusively.
In fact, she was a true recluse of her era, adamant on dining and drinking alone.
Of course, occasionally, Lee Ha-yul would be summoned to be Noh Do-hwa's drinking buddy.
However, given that Lee Ha-yul was physically distant from anything boisterous, one could guess how much Noh Do-hwa cherished solitude.
Though the culinary industry in the end-of-the-century Busan developed to cater to the tastes of these two influential figures,
They rarely crossed paths due to their 'differences in taste.'
Thus.
“Care for a drink...?”
During their travels, when Noh Do-hwa suddenly offered such a proposition, Dang Seo-rin was taken aback.
“What? Uh, um... what?”
The initial 'uh' was to scan her surroundings. Dang Seo-rin assud Noh Do-hwa was offering the drink to Lee Ha-yul, not her.
The final 'uh' ca after verifying there was no one around, let alone Lee Ha-yul.
“?”
Proving the mysterious truth that most Korean conversations can be solved with a single 'uh,' Dang Seo-rin pointed to herself with her index finger.
“Is there anyone else here but you...?”
Noh Do-hwa responded with the sa expression as usual — one that spoke of perpetual weariness and disdainful contempt for humanity.
“Unless you dislike the idea? If you do, it's perfectly fine to decline...”
“No! I love it! Absolutely love it! Let's drink together, Do-hwa unnie!”
“I'd truly appreciate it if you could toss that 'unnie' title into a recycling bin sowhere...”
And so.
Dang Seo-rin found herself partaking in the event of 'drinking alone with Noh Do-hwa,' an occurrence everyone except for the Undertaker or Lee Ha-yul would consider a penalty ga.
The venue was a night pool — also rented out entirely by Cheon Yo-hwa. A dedicated bartender was stationed at the poolside bar.
‘Wow. I suddenly feel nervous.’
In contrast, Noh Do-hwa, as if lacking any design chanism for nervousness like an android, was nonchalantly conversing with the bartender.
“A sweet martini, please...”
“Yes. A sweet martini. Understood.”
“Oh, and I'll have a Manhattan!”
“Manhattan. Got it.”
Ordering a Manhattan from the first round at a cocktail bar indicated that Dang Seo-rin felt she needed to get sowhat inebriated today.
Even though she'd successfully managed to call her 'Do-hwa unnie,' she still found it awkward to enjoy the social aspect of it all with a clear mind!
“......”
“......”
A death-like silence ensued. Dang Seo-rin slightly regretted not dragging Lee Ha-yul along, even if by force.
The bartender did not particularly contribute to the conversation fuel, probably given prior notice by their employer, Cheon Yo-hwa, not to disturb them.
Normally, by this timing, Dang Seo-rin would have deftly ard herself with her exclusive socialite skill [Small Talk]――.
‘Ugh. No matter how I see it, Do-hwa unnie seems like the type who seriously dislikes small talk.’
A true socialite knows when to wield their skills according to the crowd.
Dang Seo-rin patiently waited for the silent host who summoned her to this deathly drinking session to open her mouth first.
Before long, the cocktails arrived.
‘Ah. It's delicious.’
Dang Seo-rin's happiness quickly recharged at the subtly sweet scent of the cocktail that almost, just almost danced on her tongue.
As alcohol slowly mingled with sincerity during the heart's distillation, a voice ca from beside her.
“Have you heard the news...?”
“Huh? News? What news?”
“The Undertaker, that man. They say he opened the ti capsule yesterday and absorbed all the mories. Just like us.”
“What?”
Drunkenness swept across her face.
“How, how’s that possible? Wasn’t Pandora’s box ant to remain closed forever?”
“It was a lie, apparently. It seems he can manipulate it almost freely on his end...”
‘Cheon Yo-hwa, that rascal?!’
Dang Seo-rin was astounded. Could it be that the deception was concocted at the very mont they opened the box together on the grass?
‘She truly is soone you can’t let your guard down around! Right till the very end!’
Indeed, her insidiousness and surreptitiousness were befitting of a tactician who deceived both enemy and ally. A true priestess of the Yin in the Taiji.
“I had originally considered not giving a damn about whatever choice that man made...”
Noh Do-hwa tilted her cocktail glass.
“My mories with him. Hmm, what were they calling it, a bad ending? Anyway. If he regained those mories, it changes things...”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
“That person is mine.”
“......”
The silence in the pool, barred from anyone else’s entry, was as serene as its water.
Dang Seo-rin looked at her counterpart.
A few strands, like wisteria, draped from Noh Do-hwa’s tied-up hair across her profile.
She wore a light white cardigan over her swimsuit, resembling her iconic doctor’s gown, oddly suiting her.
She was a beautiful person.
“I’m married to him.”
“......”
“If it's a one-sided marriage and vow rembered only on this side, I have no intention of forcing it. Living forever buried in mory isn’t so bad. After all, isn't he practically a different person?”
“......”
“But if he rembers, yes. If he rembers, it changes everything. I won’t let go of that person, no matter the cost...”
The beautiful woman.
Though Dang Seo-rin couldn’t possibly know that she had demanded the eyes of her beloved be extracted so he'd see only her,
Nevertheless, she could feel, without needing to experience it firsthand, just how terrifying this woman’s love might be.
"And so."
"......"
"Would you kindly disappear?"
"I refuse."
Her response was imdiate.
It was only then that Noh Do-hwa turned to face her. The corner of her lips twisted peculiarly. Her gaze was as if she were staring at a corpse.
Yet, Dang Seo-rin t her gaze unflinchingly.
"I will never give up."
"Even if it turns out that the days he and I shared were wild and chaotic?"
"Yeah. It's a different loop, isn't it? Just a bad ending story. In fact, it's rely a half-rembered simulation Cheon Yo-hwa concocted and replaced with mories."
"......"
"Are you sure it actually happened? Because I'm certain. Whether it was the 40th loop or whatever, the first ti the Undertaker successfully repelled a teor shower. I heard we kissed. First kiss."
Dang Seo-rin gladly took the bait.
In fact, she had already calculated how her opponent might counter. Just because she had a drink doesn't an she'd turn into a fool.
A huff of laughter escaped Noh Do-hwa's lips.
It was ominous. Even before that breath could form words, Dang Seo-rin felt as if she had been burned by the emotions it held.
"That must have been with Hecate, not you."
"........."
"Are you assuming you truly beca Dang Seo-rin cum Hecate just because he treated you as such? Is he your benchmark? Well, as I've ntioned, since we've both regained our mories, it's the sa for , isn't it?"
"......"
"Or perhaps you think you've inherited Hecate's legacy by vanquishing reincarnators and surfacing mories from the unconscious? Hmm. But if that's the case, it seems both my mories and yours are equally half-baked."
"......"
"So, which is it?"
—A person like this.
Soone who so casually plunges a knife deep into another's heart.
Could the Undertaker really have loved such a person?
Could even such a person be capable of love?
"You..."
"From 'unnie' to 'you.' Quite the sudden change in address. Personally, I prefer this."
"......You're truly relentless. So, what is it that you want? To chase everyone else away and be alone with the Undertaker? Do you even plan on separating him from Ha-yul?"
"Yes. Of course."
"My goodness. They’re like father and daughter! Both would be unhappy if separated. Don’t you care for the Undertaker’s happiness, even as you claim to love him?"
"Yes."
"......"
"In case of any misconception, I do not wish for his misfortune."
Noh Do-hwa's eyes shimred with mirth.
"I simply desire that all his joys and sorrows stem from . Isn't that what a marriage vow entails?"
"You're insane..."
Dang Seo-rin groaned.
She couldn't help but groan.
“...Among our group, I thought Sim Ah-ryeon was the craziest. But I was wrong. At least Sim Ah-ryeon wouldn’t consider the Undertaker her possession.”
Sim Ah-ryeon simply loved beautiful things.
The fact that the na 'Undertaker' was at the pinnacle of beauty wasn't because she abstracted beauty solely from him.
It's a matter of sequence.
Conversely, the forr manager before her claid that all things of value in the world were singularly derived from the Undertaker.
Dang Seo-rin could intuitively sense this.
"Now I understand why you remained uncorrupted among us. You've been insane all along. A crazy person. That's why there was no opening for any anomalies to seep in."
It was peculiar.
In a world marred by anomalies, Noh Do-hwa was likely the most human of them all.
Yet in this present day, with humans reclaiming their roles, Noh Do-hwa was the most anomalous.
To reminisce once again just how inconceivable the people her beloved collected as comrades were struck her deeply.
"Whether you love the Undertaker or not, it's not my problem."
"Hmm."
"To be honest. Yesterday when I went for a seaside date with the Undertaker, I was going to confess."
Yes.
During their stroll by the pier, Dang Seo-rin had been prepared to accept a life alongside the rest of the mbers, if only the promise of being the 'most beloved' could be etched into her heart.
There wasn’t any grand plan. Let the Undertaker figure it out — if it didn’t work, then think about it later.
But.
"Leaving soone like you unchecked would lead to chaos. You're a level of disruptive beyond comparison to Sim Ah-ryeon."
"That stung a little..."
"So should I hand the reins over to Cheon Yo-hwa? Can't do that. The elder sister lacks trust, and the younger one is overly emotional. Jeong Ye-ji? She's too compassionate and kind. Leaving it to the scholars or Ha-yul would be madness."
"So, you're planning to be the captain?"
"Yeah. Initially, I thought I should work things out with you, but now I see there's no trusting you."
Dang Seo-rin felt a sense of duty.
And when she was set to inherit the flower shop from her family or when Korea had collapsed to the point only Busan remained, she was the type who sublimated her sense of duty into the aning of her existence and the purpose of life.
The hunch that had awakened a couple of tis in the past blared its siren alarm once again.
‘If it’s not , everything will fall apart!'
Toward Dang Seo-rin, who declared with solemn determination that she would stand atop it all, Noh Do-hwa scoffed.
“Can it really happen...?”
"What can't?"
"Everyone living happily ever after together, that is. I don't foresee human hearts being so easily accommodating."
"Wow."
"Do as you please. But inevitably disaster will strike, and when it does, I'll enjoy my leisure."
"Wow, oh, wow."
Dang Seo-rin was genuinely impressed.
"Are you, by any chance, saying that while you foresee our failure, you'll just wait for our downfall? Again? You endured all that chaos until the Undertaker was reduced to a bad ending, and you're rely going to wait for it to happen again?"
"The notion of 'waiting' feels misleading. Regardless of what you do, I'll enjoy the blessings I have with him. So instead of 'waiting,' I'd say 'anticipating' is more accurate..."
“Wow. Just, wow. You’re relentless. Why don’t you finally just admit that you lost the bet with the Undertaker?”
"I acknowledged it. A long ti ago. Yet sohow, even the scenarios where the bad ending is successful have made their way into my mind now... So, even if we count the wins and losses, it's a draw—1 win, 1 loss. Isn't that essentially a tie?"
"......"
"And if it's a tie, it calls for a rematch. It should be a delightful rematch. Do your best to manage, if you can."
Dang Seo-rin clicked her tongue in exasperation.
"Enough. Talking with you... Do-hwa unnie makes feel like my head’s going to get just as twisted. I'm out."
She heard a sarcastic scoff at the change in her address, but this ti Dang Seo-rin didn’t care.
Because she imdiately rose to her feet. She was heading back to her room.
‘Seriously, seriously, seriously, seriously!’
As her heels tapped against the corridor's carpet, Dang Seo-rin fud inwardly.
‘Couldn’t the Undertaker have gotten along with soone a bit more... normal?’
‘...But if they were normal, they probably wouldn't be strong as awakened ones.'
‘Couldn't you just have had a sweet, lovey-dovey thing with ?! I saved you, didn’t I!
‘...Though I guess that was the Outer God, after all. Had it been just the two of us, the universe might’ve been obliterated.’
‘Do-hwa unnie isn’t even that strong as an awakened one! Why bring in soone as twisted as that?!’
‘...She's similar to Ha-yul. Ha-yul would be sad without the Undertaker, and I bet Do-hwa unnie feels life is aningless without him by now.’
‘Why, why is there no normal person in sight?’
‘...Because the Undertaker himself isn't normal.’
This was the problem with being logical.
Even when she tried projecting her anger outwards, her mind was already concocting counterargunts against herself, completing a miraculous self-sustaining system.
“...Haa.”
Faced with the realization that even this cycle was too burdenso to bear alone, Dang Seo-rin sighed deeply.
‘I don't know. I’ve barely drunk. I’ll just head over to the Undertaker’s and see if he’s up for a drink and a chat.’
Just at that mont.
"Dang Seo-rin."
"Yes?"
A familiar voice cut through the hotel’s typical noiseless air. She looked up to see the Undertaker walking towards her.
“Oh, Undertaker!”
The mont she saw him, the turmoil within her unraveled like a gentle thaw. His handso face seed to have an innate soothing effect.
Was it just because she was overly delighted?
“That’s perfect timing! I just had a drink and it was mid-session, so it was quite dull. Can I have a drink with you, in your room—?”
“Drink?”
She didn't imdiately notice the slight shadow in his expression and tone, differing from the usual.
“With whom did you drink?”
“...Huh?”
“Well, sure. It’s an overseas trip—an extravagant one at that. It’s possible you'd et soone else. Though I only left you alone for a day.”
“...Huh? Huh?”
Step.
The Undertaker had stepped right up to her. During which, Dang Seo-rin's face was full of questioning expressions.
‘Um? Isn't this atmosphere kind of different?’
Upon closer inspection. Well, being backed up against the corridor wall by him made it unavoidable to take a closer look.
‘There seem to be so shadows under his eyes. Oh, his shirt is slightly undone...?’
If Noh Do-hwa’s symbol was a white doctor’s gown, the Undertaker's was always his neat attire.
‘Did he go drinking just like I did?’
Yet whether due to a numbed sense of sll or sothing else, no scent of alcohol wafted from his body as he leaned closer, cradling her by resting his head down.
"You own a free spirit. Left unchecked, you could whimsically fly anywhere. I know that well."
“Uh... What?”
Not even twenty seconds into their eting, the air suddenly felt strange.
Feeling she needed to say sothing, Dang Seo-rin, now beginning to sweat, opened her mouth.
"Um, I don't really get what you're saying. It's just a misunderstanding, Undertaker. It’s not as though I was eting so random person—"
Her words were interrupted as her lips were suddenly covered.
".........?!"
Dang Seo-rin's pupils widened sharply. She tried to voice a muffled groan, but even that was caught as his hand tightly clasped hers.
She couldn’t move in the slightest.
".........!!"
It wasn’t just her hand that was caught.
Her chin, gently held, as if yearning to be closer still, directed the angle of their shared breath.
A mont seeming eternal.
Countless question marks and exclamation points alternated in the whirlwind of Dang Seo-rin's mind.
Was she taken aback? Of course. Did this sudden change feel sowhat strange? Perhaps.
Yet just a day ago, Dang Seo-rin had nearly made the proposal of a lifeti, and long before that, engaged in countless, truly countless flirtations with the man before her now.
As the initial shock subsided, the feeling of his breath and touch beca accentuated.
Right there, in the center of the red carpet.
Without even realizing it, just as the Undertaker had secured her hand and chin, Dang Seo-rin, too, had slipped her arms around his waist.
"......"
"......"
Their lips parted. Just a bit.
It was an ideal distance for gazing into each other’s eyes, so Dang Seo-rin did just that. And she understood.
‘Is he anxious?’
Who was? The Undertaker.
‘Why?’
Because they hadn’t seen each other for a day. Fearing that during their ti apart, she might have been with soone unknown to him.
‘It doesn’t make sense.’
Always composed and seemingly one step removed from worldly matters, yet more tangled in the world's cares than anyone else in his quest to save people.
‘The Undertaker? That sa Undertaker?’
Dang Seo-rin once again looked up into his eyes. In those dark depths, only her reflection resided.
‘Are you... fixated on ? Just now?’
Thump.
‘The Undertaker is clinging onto .’
Her heart fluttered.
In that instant, Dang Seo-rin realized sothing about herself she'd never discovered in her millennia as an Outer God, nor as a human.
‘Not bad...’
Apparently, she did.
‘No, even better!’
She loved it when the person she loved clung desperately to her.
12.
As the night drifted by.
Even though Dang Seo-rin had left abruptly, the drinking session didn’t end. From the get-go, Noh Do-hwa had always ant to drink alone.
And so, taking her ti, now that she had the opportunity to make use of a private bartender, Noh Do-hwa indulged in a full cocktail course.
While cocktails didn’t possess the depth of flavor that wine did, they had their own unique charm.
Experinting with the alcohol content and flavor profiles, Noh Do-hwa expertly navigated through the night.
On her way back to her accommodations.
"Director Noh Do-hwa."
"Uuurgh...? Oh. Who might this be? Hmph. Is it not the regressor I wed, wearing a wedding dress just two days ago—Wait, or was it three by now?"
"You sll of alcohol."
"Alcohol? Al-col? Ah, well. I had a bit. Being wealthy has its conveniences. I'm seriously considering freeloading off Cheon Yo-hwa’s place from now on."
"With whom did you drink?"
At that mont.
“……?”
Even in her inebriated state, Noh Do-hwa sensed a foreboding. Her vision was blurred by the effects of alcohol.
‘What is this?’ ‘What’s going on?’ ‘This feels,’ ‘incredibly, dumb, but sohow?’
Yet, Noh Do-hwa was still Noh Do-hwa. The experience of ruling as the absolute power on the Korean Peninsula wasn’t completely lost on her.
Mustering every part of her brain not yet drowned in alcohol, she attempted to interpret the expression on the man in front of her.
Fortunately, Noh Do-hwa knew the Undertaker exceptionally well.
She had known him before, but through the trial and tribulation of a bad ending in a dood world—fussing, bickering, extracting eyes, and getting married—she had co to know him even more intimately. After all, he was her husband.
Her instinct whispered to her.
"With whom did you drink, Noh Do-hwa?"
—This damn fool is up to sothing strange again.
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