Yu-hyun looked down silently at the man who bowed his head in front of him.
His actions and words conveyed his intense will to never lose his precious people again and his sorrow at the sa ti.
The man who was like an iron fortress that never wavered was begging so desperately.
The absolute truth that no one would doubt was denied.
Yu-hyun was not disappointed.
‘So that’s how it was.’
This man who only showed a strong image to everyone had been hiding his sadness all this ti.
No, maybe he had been saying that he was suffering from before.
But people did not notice it, let alone, they made him carry a heavier burden.
The applause of the public erased the man’s tears.
The cheers of the public silenced the man’s cries.
Inside the shadow under the brilliant spotlight, no one knew how heavy and sticky the pain was boiling like magma.
They did not even try to know.
The man who was praised by everyone as the God of War.
He was just an ordinary father.
‘Jin Cheong-woon did this knowing this, and deliberately did such a thing.’
Jin Cheong-woon’s actions were unforgivable. He tried to kill people by using the emotions of soone who lost his family and was sad.
But this way, he was more like Yu-hyun than anyone else.
If Yu-hyun was in the sa position as him, he would have used the sa thod.
Yu-hyun clenched his fist without showing it.
He said to Wi Mu-hyuk that his family was all illusions and fakes, but in fact Yu-hyun did not really think so.
The mont he denied it sincerely, Yu-hyun would be denying the will and life of all the illusions he had t in the ntal realm so far.
The ntal realm was another reality, a possible world after all.
Wi Mu-hyuk just chose a place that was not this reality.
‘But still.’
He could not leave it alone as the ntal realm ran wild.
This man’s work did not work, but it was definitely sothing that had to be dealt with.
“I want to et your family again.”
“…Yes?”
The God of War raised his head. His reddened eyes looked at Yu-hyun with confusion and emotion.
“Why all of a sudden…”
“Just think of it as my stubbornness. Do you hate it?”
“I…”
Wi Mu-hyuk, who hesitated, nodded his head soon.
“…I understand. Follow .”
The God of War got up from his seat and took Yu-hyun back to the ntal realm.
“Ah! Daddy is here!”
As soon as Wi Ye-eun saw the God of War entering the entrance, she ran up to him and hugged him in his arms. Yu-hyun thought that this girl really liked her dad.
Wi Ye-eun rubbed her cheek against Wi Mu-hyuk’s chest and then soon discovered her father’s strange appearance and opened her eyes wide.
“Daddy cried?”
“Huh? No. Daddy didn’t cry.”
“Daddy’s eyes are red.”
Wi Ye-eun glared at Yu-hyun with a prickly look.
“Mister is bad! You made our daddy cry!”
“Ye-eun. Daddy’s friend didn’t do that. It’s just that daddy had a hard ti by himself.”
“Daddy is having a hard ti? Do you want Ye-eun to blow on it?”
“Yeah. Do that.”
Wi Ye-eun crouched down to match her height with Wi Mu-hyuk and blew on his eyes with a breath.
“Honey. What’s wrong?”
Then Wi Mu-hyuk’s wife appeared. She looked at her daughter and husband and then moved her gaze to Yu-hyun.
“Oh my. If you have a guest, you should say sothing.”
“No, that’s…”
“Just wait a mont. I’ll bring you a drink or sothing. Co on in. Don’t stand at the entrance.”
“…Excuse .”
Yu-hyun took off his shoes and entered the living room.
Wi Ye-eun, who was still in Wi Mu-hyuk’s arms, still did not erase her suspicion towards Yu-hyun and continued to stare at him sharply.
“I’m sorry I don’t have much to offer.”
“No. This is enough. Thank you, ma’am.”
Yu-hyun drank the tangerine juice that Wi Mu-hyuk’s wife gave him.
It tasted exactly like what they sold in the market. Yu-hyun glanced at Wi Ye-eun who was taking care of her dad diligently.
“Daddy. Does it still hurt? Do you want Ye-eun to keep blowing on it?”
“No, Ye-eun. Daddy is fine.”
Wi Muhyuk laughed softly.
It was a gentle side of him that he would never show otherwise.
His smile was exactly like the one in the photo that I saw when I first entered Wi Muhyuk’s house.
Yu-hyun silently sipped the drink in his cup, and Wi Muhyuk looked at him with an anxious expression.
He wanted to ask if it was enough, but he couldn’t say anything first because of the fact that he had a family.
After so ti passed.
Yu-hyun got up from his seat, as if he had finished sorting out his thoughts.
Wi Muhyuk also followed him.
“So, what are you going to do from now on…?”
“I have sothing more to check. Can you let talk to your wife?”
“…Sure.”
Wi Muhyuk called his wife.
“Huh? What is it? Do you have sothing to hide from ?”
“No, I don’t. It’s the guest who called you.”
“The guest? Do you have sothing to ask ?”
Yu-hyun looked at Wi Muhyuk, who was still trembling with anxiety, and smiled reassuringly.
“What do you think of your husband?”
“Oh my.”
She covered her mouth with her hand at the sudden question, and then chuckled.
“That’s a bit surprising.”
“I’m sorry for asking such a question out of the blue. I just wanted to confirm sothing. Wi Muhyuk is soone I respect very much. You don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable.”
"No, it’s not like that. Um. My husband is… "
She looked at Wi Muhyuk with a mischievous grin.
“He never listens to even when I nag him all the ti, he doesn’t put his clothes in the laundry basket when he cos back ho, and he doesn’t clean properly either.”
“Ugh.”
Wi Muhyuk’s face crumpled as if he couldn’t stand his wife’s nagging.
Only his daughter, Woo Ye-eun, comforted him by patting his shoulder with her cute little hand.
“But, he loves and cherishes our Ye-eun more than anyone else… He’s my reliable husband.”
She smiled softly at her husband, who looked touched.
“You…”
“So, please do things on your own before I nag you. How long do I have to do this for you?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I see.”
Yu-hyun thought that was enough for an answer and switched to the next person.
“Ye-eun, right?”
“Yes. I’m Woo Ye-eun.”
“What do you think of your daddy?”
“Daddy?”
Woo Ye-eun looked up at her daddy. Wi Muhyuk seed to want to hear this answer as well, as he had a slightly hopeful expression.
“Umm.”
Woo Ye-eun thought for a mont about what to say, and then answered brightly as if she had found a good word.
“Daddy is my Superman!”
“Superman?”
“Yes! Like the hero in the movie! My daddy is very strong and powerful. He always protects . He’s my hero.”
“I see.”
Yu-hyun decided that was enough for an answer and headed for the entrance.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. I didn’t plan to stay this long, but I ended up staying longer than I expected. Thank you for answering my rude questions.”
“But you’re a rare guest of my husband. Why don’t you stay a little longer?”
“Honey. The guest has so urgent business to attend to. I’ll see him off and co back.”
Wi Muhyuk followed Yu-hyun who was about to leave.
The two of them went outside the world of their thoughts. Unlike the inside that was full of warmth, the outside was too desolate and cold.
There was nothing physically different, but still.
Wi Muhyuk felt the air touching his skin was chilly.
“So… what are you going to do?”
He asked Yu-hyun that. It was surprising that this man suddenly asked questions to his wife and daughter, and it was hard to read his intentions, but he felt that the atmosphere had changed from before.
“You love your wife and daughter… right?”
“…That’s obvious.”
“How much?”
“I would give up everything for you.”
“Is that so?”
Yu-hyun nodded several tis.
To Wimohyuk, this short mont felt like an eternity, and his lips dried up.
“This matter… I will keep it a secret for now.”
“…!”
Wimohyuk flinched as if he didn’t expect Yu-hyun to say that.
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t lie about things like this.”
“Why are you suddenly… Didn’t you co here for the Association’s business?”
“No. I ca here for a purely personal reason.”
That’s right. For Yu-hyun, this whole thing was personal.
He didn’t think he had always acted for the sake of justice, whether it was to protect the world’s peace, to collect the fragnts of the Primordial Book, or to fight against the enemies that blocked his way.
“And, I apologize for saying that your family was fake earlier.”
“No, that’s…”
“I realized it as we talked. No, actually I already knew it. That both of those people are alive, and they are your family who love you more than anyone else.”
“…”
Wimohyuk couldn’t say anything.
This man had just declared that he would cover up his mistake in a roundabout way.
“I saw your determination, Mr. Wimohyuk. As for the things related to the Gwanghwamun ntal realm… I’ll take care of it myself. It should be possible among collectors even without a shredder.”
If he had to, he was willing to clear the ntal realm by summoning all four of the Great Demons.
Wimohyuk felt his heart being squeezed by Yu-hyun’s words.
The mont he felt the emotion of understanding that this man showed him, Wimohyuk realized sothing.
This man in front of him had also gone through the sa pain as him. He had said harsh words to Yu-hyun without knowing that.
‘I am.’
He felt pathetic for feeling relieved by Yu-hyun’s words.
He was the one who couldn’t let go of his attachnt, and he was the one who tried to push people he didn’t even know to death by clinging to it.
But Yu-hyun understood him and offered to help him.
“I…”
Wimohyuk couldn’t say anything more.
There was no happy ending for everyone.
This man was definitely strong. The collectors he led were also strong. If they joined forces with other high-ranking collectors, they would surely clear the 10th ntal realm.
But how many people would die by then?
How many innocent people would be hard?
All because of his one selfish desire.
But he couldn’t say that he would step forward. Every ti he did, he saw the faces of his wife and daughter smiling at him.
If only he was really selfish and evil.
Then he wouldn’t have felt this guilt.
No, he was the truly selfish and evil one for feeling guilty but still not giving up his personal desire.
But then he thought of sothing else.
He had sacrificed too much to protect this world.
If it wasn’t for Wimohyuk, Korean society wouldn’t have recovered so quickly after the Idea Integration, and the way people looked at collectors would have taken longer to change.
No collector didn’t know how much aning Wimohyuk’s existence and his past deeds had.
Wasn’t it fair to get compensation for that?
‘I…’
He couldn’t thank Yu-hyun. The mont he uttered those words, he crossed a river that he couldn’t go back from.
It was him who had to make the choice.
Not Yu-hyun.
“I’ll be going now.”
Wimohyuk couldn’t give any answer until Yu-hyun disappeared like a mirage.
***
Wimohyuk, who was left alone after Yu-hyun left, went out to the living room and collapsed on the sofa.
His hand lifted a small fra.
Wimohyuk carefully stroked the picture in the fra with his hand.
If he entered the ntal realm as it was, he could see this face that he missed so much in reality. He could hold her warm hand.
He could hear her laughter.
“…”
The God stood up weakly from his seat and headed to the room on the second floor.
To where his family was waiting for him.
“Honey.”
“Dad. Are you okay?”
As soon as he returned to that familiar place, his wife and daughter asked him with worried faces. Wi Muhyuk realized then that he had a serious expression on his face.
He didn’t want to make his family worry, so he forced a smile on his lips.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
He thought he would feel better when he saw his family, but his mind beca more complicated.
Did his daughter notice his feelings? She ca closer and touched his cheek with her small hand.
He felt a warm heat from her hand on his cheek. It was not fake.
“Dad. Are you having a hard ti? Don’t cry.”
“Yeeun. Dad is…”
“Dad. We’re fine.”
“Yeeun?”
The mont he heard those words from his daughter, Wi Muhyuk shivered. His trembling eyes moved from his daughter to his wife.
“Honey. We’re fine.”
“What are you talking about? Fine?”
“You know better than us.”
Wi Muhyuk thought he was caught. He had no choice. This world was very small, and therefore too imperfect.
His wife and daughter must have wondered why they had to stay inside the house all the ti.
They knew that, but they still lived without complaining until now.
Wi Muhyuk had to desperately swallow sothing that rose up in his throat.
“I don’t… I don’t understand what you an. Honey. Don’t say that. I…”
His wife looked at him with pity and hugged him tightly.
“It’s okay. and Yeeun. We’re fine.”
“I… I…”
Wi Muhyuk couldn’t control his overflowing emotions.
He finally.
Spilled his true feelings.
“I’m not okay.”
He shed hot tears from his eyes.
“I waited too long to et you and Yeeun. I don’t want to lose you again. Just stay with here forever. Please. Please, I beg you. Pretend you don’t know until the end. Just live like before.”
He knelt down. His endless sorrow turned into endless tears.
The man who looked bigger than anyone else beca smaller and more pitiful than anyone else.
His wife and daughter didn’t disappoint him for being like that.
“Dad.”
Wi Yeeun wiped his tears with her hand and smiled brightly.
“Dad is a hero. Yeeun’s hero.”
“Yeeun.”
“Yeeun wishes, dad would always be a hero.”
“…!”
At that mont.
Wi Muhyuk hugged his daughter and wife and burst into tears.
He kept.
Kept.
Crying endlessly.
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