Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World – Chapter 62

Author: rolypoly

“Now’s not the time for this, we have to find Mueum, Mueum-aaaah!”

The moment Hwashin spotted Mueum, he ran over and pulled him into a tight embrace. Only then did Mueum, pressed snugly against him, come to his senses and start struggling.

“Wa—wait—!”

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, right? And what are these filthy things now?”

With the combined attack of “Get lost” and fire, the monsters instantly crawled back into the floor. Perhaps that line—excessive desire can bring disaster—had been foreshadowing.

“Look at how dirty Mueum got. Good grief, I shouldn’t have sent you alone.”

Hwashin grabbed Mueum’s still-soft cheeks firmly with both hands. His mouth puffed out like a pufferfish as he muttered something. Only then did Hwashin’s gaze shift toward Suho, who was on a rampage. In the original story, it ended with “revenge,” so Lee Suho never lost control. But that development had changed. There would be no more revenge.

Crackle. A violent wind tangled with Suho’s magic, friction sparking between them. His hair shot upward.

Lee Suho was inside a nest.

In the small nest he had made himself, a boy was crouched.

“What should we do now? I personally recommend just killing that kid. Ah, you said we shouldn’t kill the ‘protagonist’ in a Red Gate? Hmm, that’s a dilemma. But since I’ve never killed one before, maybe it’s okay to just kill him once?”

“And have you considered the backlash if you fail?”

“I’m quite lucky.”

Zap. Sparks flew here in a different sense. Hwa-shin observed the broken Lee Suho carefully. Hwashin had never seen what happens when a ghost story breaks down.

However, he had witnessed a similar sight before.

Ah, of course. That time, the one who had broken was himself.

“Both of you are mistaken about something.”

Hwashin smiled brightly and placed both hands on Mueum’s shoulders.

“We agreed that Mueum would be the one in charge of this gate. So the decision should be Mueum’s too.”

A startled face turned toward Hwashin.

“…But.”

The usually rational Jeong Mueum, who always looked after others first, was not here right now.

He was trapped in the past—about to return to the time when he had always been alone, unable to trust anyone, with nowhere to lean. But Hwashin did not want that. There was only one thing he wanted to give Jeong Mueum in this dungeon.

“It’s okay.”

Someone who would support him, whatever he chose.

“…”

A pillar that he himself had once wanted to have in the past before giving up.

“I’ll help you.”

The low, heavy voice pressed down on Mueum for the first time. But it was different. This weight wasn’t a burden. It was the weight of trust—something he had never felt before.

“Like we always have, I—no, we—will help you. So do what you want. You’ve been by my side watching and learning, haven’t you?”

The corners of his mouth curved upward. How could this man smile while saying such difficult, heavy words?

What kind of person was he?

Jeong Mueum couldn’t understand him. It had been that way since their first meeting. He had been endlessly light. The kind of actions that would make an ordinary person shake their head.

It had been the same during the Freak incident. Even though it was unpleasant work, he had raised his hand first. His black hair had turned white from overusing his ability. And yet, he had never once said it was hard.

And again, even now, he said nothing about himself. Trusting someone like that was difficult.

“How about it? Is there an ending you’re imagining?”

And yet, he wanted to believe. He could trust him.

He was his hero.

Mueum slowly nodded and looked at the broken curse.

“I told you, didn’t I? That there’s a world I want to show you.”

Could he become a hero for Lee Suho?

No. That was impossible. He himself was still wandering in the past—what right did he have to preach or to fix anything?

“I’ll try one more time.”

Mueum rolled his neck once and straightened it upright.

“But the surrounding pressure is too strong, so it’s hard to apply gravity. Could you stop that technique for just a moment?”

“Of course.”

“Jaeha Hyung and Jin-ssi, please clear out the sticky ones below. There’s no need to listen to what they’re saying. They only spout nonsense.”

His eyes turned forward again. The fierce wind obstructed his vision. Mueum clenched the badge pinned to his chest and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm? For what?”

“…For thinking I was alone. Now that I think about it, ever since you appeared, Hyung…”

I don’t think I’ve ever been alone.

Having said that, Jeong Mueum ran forward without waiting for a reply.

“Maybe it’s because Mueum is going through puberty, but he’s quite shy.”

Smiling with satisfaction, Hwashin overlapped his thumb and forefinger. Between them was a silver thread only he could see. It trembled and trembled, but stubbornly remained connected to Lee Suho’s core.

“[Lee Suho.]”

At the voice that pierced his chest, Lee Suho jerked his head up. No one had spoken aloud, yet his body moved first. His gaze shot toward Hwashin in the distance. He caught the shape of his lips at the end.

“[Calm down.] [Look ahead.]”

Cough. Dark blood clotted and spilled from his mouth. Hwashin was startled at himself for coughing up blood from such a brief incantation, but he immediately ignored it. That wasn’t what mattered.

Seizing the moment when the wind pressure around Lee Suho weakened, Mueum crushed the air with gravity. Boom. The floor dented in a perfect circle. But he did not stop.

Maximum output.

The entire space was pressed down by an immense weight. Even Cha Jaeha and Jin, who were fighting the sticky things, were forced to bend their waists.

“Aaaagh—!”

Lee Suho writhed in pain. Not because of the weight. Everything was tangled together now. His own ability attacked him. The wind he had spread out returned to him. Paths of wind carved into the boy’s body. Blood flowed. Blood sprayed. Electricity ran along the wind, as if to strike anyone who approached. No one else suffered—only one person was dying.

An arm leapt into the vortex. It was fragile, and the wind did not choose its target. The outstretched arm shook violently, but it aimed for a single point.

“Lee Suho!”

Jeong Mueum shouted. Still, there was no reaction. But he didn’t give up. One arm became two. Then not just arms—his upper body pushed inside, and soon both legs pierced through the space. Jeong Mueum pulled away the hands covering Suho’s ears.

“Stop it now.”

The protagonist does not change.

The protagonist of every story was already decided. That was why they were the Master.

The one who could change the story was not Jeong Mueum.

“Turn everything back.”

Amid the raging ability and twisted progression, he gripped both hands tightly. Inside the eye of the storm, Jeong Mueum shouted.

“Let’s be friends!”

“….”

“I’ll help you so that tomorrow can come.”

“….”

“….Hurry and lift your head. The hyungs are all watching.”

He whispered low, but perhaps due to the distorted space, Mueum’s voice reached the other three as if he were using a megaphone.

Jin burst out laughing. “Wahaha! That’s so childish!” Cha Jaeha turned his head away, but judging by his trembling shoulders, he was clearly laughing too.

At this moment, Hwshin recalled a scene from <Your Hero Is Here>. It was a conversation Cha Jaeha and Jeong Mueum had shared after resolving this episode.

「 The Gate closed. Thanks to finishing safely this time as well, there were no casualties. Cha Jaeha asked Mueum, who was still staring at the flickering void where the remnants of the closed Gate remained.

“What are you doing?”

“….Hyung. I’m glad I have you.”

Otherwise, I think I would have ended up like that too. Jeong Mueum gripped the headphones still resting on his shoulders. Anxiety was always there, upon those shoulders. 」

The headphones were a symbol of anxiety for Jeong Mueum. Upon the shoulders of the child who had found his friend, ‘anxiety’ had now vanished, and another anxiety stood before him. But this time, it was a different kind of anxiety.

The typhoon subsided. Darkness lifted, and bright daylight seeped into the hallway. Lee Suho cried, “I’m sorryyyy!” so pitifully that no one would believe he had been that overwhelming presence just moments ago. Not knowing what to do with him, Jeong Mueum kicked him lightly.

“Waaaaah, why did you kiiiick me—.”

“Ah, step back a bit.”

“You said we’d be friends!”

“Ahahaha! Let me join the hug too!”

“Jin-ssi, why are you hugging us! Ugh!”

***

Click. The green notebook closed lightly. A black mechanical pencil was set on top. It was over.

“Are you all done?”

“Yeah.”

“Ugh, that was tiring.”

“….Hyung didn’t do anything.”

“I did something in front. I cheered Suho on.”

Hwashin clapped as if cheering. Sitting beside Lee Suho, Mueum looked down at the notebook with an indifferent expression. The homework was finished. There had been no revenge. The hyungs seemed to have done something, but he decided not to think about it. Still… what was he supposed to do next? He didn’t know.

Maybe it had been easier when he just killed monsters without thinking.

After staring at the notebook for a moment, Lee Suho spoke quietly.

“Um… aren’t you curious? …Ah, are you?”

It was a polite speech directed not only at Mueum but at the others as well. Tilting his head with his hands framing his chin, Hwashin asked,

“Hm? About what?”

“About why something like that happened to me. If you want, I can tell you everything.”

Lee Suho thought he had to explain. It was the only excuse he had, the only way to keep them from hating him.

“I’m not going to listen, though?”

“…Yes?”

“I’m saying I don’t need to hear your circumstances.”

Normally, wouldn’t someone listen? …Didn’t you say you’d be my friend? This is strange. No, really strange. Why would you say that?

“…W-why?”

Dumbfounded, Suho asked again. Why won’t you listen?

No, seriously. Why????

“Is it something you want to say?”

“…Well, yes.”

“Because you think there was a reason you were bullied?”

That—

Lee Suho couldn’t continue. Jeong Mueum also stayed silent. He couldn’t find words to refute Hwashin.

Hwashin liked this episode. To say it again, he liked that the kids wore school uniforms and looked cool, and he liked the scenes where Jeong Mueum played an active role interspersed throughout. It was only natural for the protagonist to stand out, too.

At the same time, it was sad. That child, Lee Suho. The original story went into great detail about his circumstances. But did that matter?

“There’s a reason for everything in the world. Even an unremarkable reason is still a reason. The results that branch from it are infinite and unpredictable. Threads stretch out in all directions—so far that even the owner of the thread doesn’t know where they lead.”

Just as there is no result without a cause, everything has a reason. That was how he had always thought.

But there are times when such logic does not apply.

“Then, if someone hates you, must there be a reason? Is there a reason for someone to bully you? Then, if there is a reason, is it okay for someone to kill you or curse you?”

Lee Suho did not answer.

“I hate that. I’ve never once given anyone the right to curse me, the right to get angry at me, or the right to make me angry. There might have been days I was wrong. But reflecting and fixing that is my responsibility. Kid. Lift your head.”

Lee Suho had already lowered his head.

Who was this person? Why did he seem so large? Like a towering tree standing right before him.

“I don’t need to hear your inner circumstances. It must have been agonizing. It must have been hard. Then that’s enough. Stop thinking about it now. Let’s move on to the next path. You have a newly made friend beside you, too.”

Actually, Mueum doesn’t really know how to make friends either. It’s his first time. The whispered words made Suho’s heart feel light again.

He’s a strange hyung. Before he knew it, Lee Suho was smiling.

He looked down at the completed homework. Yes. It was truly finished.

Suho looked at Mueum, then at the two across from him, then at Hwashin, and opened his mouth again.

“…Thank you, everyone.”

“I think I’ll be able to turn in my homework properly tomorrow.”

Ding.

A hologram window appeared above the crying Suho’s head.

「 School Ghost Story. Formal Title: Alternative School Ghost Story. A strange and unusual tale.

The boy who was alone was no longer alone.

‘They say this school returns to night every twelve o’clock.’

But now, there was no reason for the boy’s world to return to the night.

Because for the first time, he had a tomorrow.

A reason why he could look forward to tomorrow’s daylight instead of the night. 」

It appeared. The final scene.

The keyword indicating the end differs slightly for each dungeon, and for this dungeon, it was ‘Tomorrow comes.’ In the original work as well, after completing his revenge, Lee Su-ho said while crying, ‘Tomorrow will be able to come.’

Yes. Back then, the child had cried. He hadn’t smiled. But this time, he smiled. That was what had changed. And Jeong Mueum seemed to have somewhat overcome his bad memories of school as well.

Hwashin’s original goals had been two.

First, to ease Mueum’s aversion toward school. Gates would open there more frequently in the future; there was no need for him to suffer every time.

The second…. well, he wouldn’t know if it was successful until later, not now.

Just like during Albion, a familiar window opened.

[The rift in this dimension has been restored.]

[The story of this dimension has ended. The roles of those drawn in are complete.]

[ A total of 4 people dragged into the rift will return to their original world. ]

Hwashin tilted his head. Something… wasn’t this different from Albion?

Right, ‘The story of this dimension has ended.’ There was no such case even in the original work. In the first place, the story shouldn’t come to a complete end.

Because the condition for resolving a Gate was ‘the protagonist reclaiming their place and connecting to the future so the dimension does not become distorted.’

If it ended like this, nothing was truly resolved.

Several windows overlapped above.

[ Simultaneously, a new story begins for the protagonist of the ended dimension. ]

[ The protagonist of said dimension still wishes to continue his narrative. ]

[ A total of 1 protagonist from the vanished dimension will move forward to a new world. ]

[ Then, we wish you luck. You will always be the protagonist of your world. ]

What does this mean?

Flash—

Their vision was instantly washed in white.

Hwashin walked along an invisible path. Only when the end of the Gate was in sight could he confirm the individuals who had come out with him.

Outside the Gate, Ha Cheongwon’s voice could be heard faintly. He sounded like he was swearing. Or was he?

“Theo!”

“Hyung.”

Hwashin, watching the reunited brothers, tilted his head to the side.

He thought the younger brother was supposed to be taciturn… but Theo didn’t seem blunt at all. Theo examined Jin’s body here and there.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. What about you? Did you wait long?”

“…I’m okay. It didn’t take very long.”

The tall, large-framed younger brother stood right in front of the Gate and fussed over his brother, as if he had been waiting anxiously. Unlike that touching scene….. Ha Cheongwon was standing with his weight on one leg and his arms crossed.

“…Everyone who went in has come out.”

He seemed to be checking the returning heroes one by one. The workshop drones were still hovering in the air.

When Hwashin waved happily, Ha Cheongwon’s expression crumpled severely. It looked like his eyes, nose, and mouth were about to bunch together in one spot.

Soon, one of his fingers trembled as he pointed at a boy.

“…Who is that child?”

That child?

When Hwashin turned around, he was indeed there.

“Oh….”

“…Who….”

Instead of Cheongwon, who was lost for words, Hw-shin rubbed the back of his neck and spoke. This was something even I didn’t expect.

“Lee Suho…?”

“Who is Lee Suho?”

This time, San Ihyeong, who was standing behind Ha Cheongwon, asked.

How should he explain this?

“To sum it up… the dungeon boss?”