Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 52

“Ophir. Anyway, since Ryu Won changed his name, it’s become a trend, and Korean names are quite common in Branch 1.”

 

Ophir.

 

It was a name she didn’t know or even hear.

 

But the more she rolled the name around in her mouth, the more she felt a strange sensation.

 

Yeon-young tried to figure out what it was, but nothing immediately came to mind.

 

She could only wonder why he’d changed his name and left his original name behind.

 

Samo checked her papers and pulled out a square black stone pedestal.

 

“Here, please place a sign of your affiliation with the Center on top.”

 

Yeon-young rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and placed her wrist bracelet on the pedestal.

 

The pedestal scanned her bracelet twice and a green light appeared with a cheerful message.

 

“You are authorized. Your room is 826, and the door will open with your wristband. Turn around and take the elevator to the right. Have a nice day.”

 

Samo turned back to her work and waved a polite goodbye.

 

After checking into her room, Yeon-young looked up and down with the magpie, hoping to find Ryu Won.

 

Ryu Won must have spotted them because he stopped talking in the common room and approached the reception.

 

The ghosts he was talking to were told not to follow him.

 

However, the middle-aged man who had greeted him earlier dragged all the ghosts in the common room after him.

 

“Even though I recognize your face, you shouldn’t make a public statement.”

 

The middle-aged man opened his mouth and grumbled, apparently annoyed by Ryu Won’s cold response.

 

The phantoms in the common room surrounded Ryu Won like spirits in a village.

 

There was not an inch of escape in sight.

 

“Wow, they’re so cute.”

 

“People die hard. To see phantoms in this world.”

 

“I mean, people may have extended their lifespans overall, but do you think anyone dies?”

 

Yeon-young listened in a daze, just like when she had been left alone for a while in the village of District 1.

 

A tall man stepped forward as the leader of the group, introduced himself as Edelous, and offered to shake her hand.

 

His long silver hair and violet eyes were striking.

 

“Didn’t we introduce ourselves earlier? Call me Edelous. Nice to meet you, new guy.”

 

“Please call me Kim Yeon-young.”

 

“Is that kind of name still in fashion?”

 

Edelous sounded surprised, as if he knew the rumors about Korean names.

 

When Yeon-Young accepted the handshake, he squeezed it hard, testing her strength.

 

After holding her hand for a while, he chuckled softly and said that Ryu Won would be a pain in the ass.

 

He touched his beard, which had grown to no more than the tip of his chin.

 

“I’m a little worried about the emergency inspection, by the way. I didn’t see any signs of Snarl’s intrusion at the entrance…”

 

“You’re capable of that, Mr. Edelous, aren’t you?”

 

“Of course. I’m a phantom.”

 

“May I ask what kind of ability?”

 

“Think of it as a gatekeeper. I can erase traces of souls. I’m a gatekeeper for the Fifth Order, and I’m sure you have one too. Idelia. I don’t know how she is.”

 

Edelous found Yeon-young’s girlish appearance cute and tried to stroke her head, but was rebuffed by Ryu Won.

 

At the sound of the name Idelia, Yeon-young’s momentarily forgotten memories were forcibly pulled up like a fish on a hook.

 

She touched Idelia’s ribbon in the pocket of her uniform coat. Ryu Won’s face darkened slightly.

 

“She is my first student. We used to send each other tracks through mirrors to report our survival, but it hasn’t worked lately.”

 

Edelous fell silent, seemingly lost in reminiscing with Idelia.

 

It took only a moment of silence for Yeon-young to realize the deep bond between them.

 

Ryu Won took a moment to bite back the ghosts of the other branches.

 

Everyone seemed to have gotten what they wanted to know most about Yeon-young, and they all backed away.

 

Soon, only Edelous and Ryu Won were left around Yeon-young.

 

“Edelous.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Idelia has been destroyed.”

 

“What do you mean? She was reborn? When?”

 

“No. She used her ability to erase traces of herself.”

 

At that moment, a look of confusion crossed Edelous’ face.

 

As if uncomfortable, he loosened his tightly worn tie, revealing a few buttons.

 

“Is that possible? To erase yourself.”

 

“She vanished before my eyes, her memory restored.”

 

Edelous sank to the floor of the hotel lobby.

 

He couldn’t bear the loss of his favorite apprentice.

 

The sudden change in his mood caused everyone to look over in confusion.

 

Yeon-young cautiously approached him.

 

“Idelia,” she said, “she realized that while she was erasing the traces of the Snarl, she was breaking the soul of her long-awaited lover.”

 

“How could she choose to destroy herself?”

 

Edelous choked back a sob as he thumped his chest loudly with his fist.

 

The white shirt of his uniform crumpled and unbuttoned, but no one stopped him.

 

It was hard for the rest of them, too, to lose the one we loved most, not to reincarnation, but to annihilation.

 

Ryu Won looked at Edelous in silence, then spoke.

 

“That must have been more important to her than reincarnation. Some people are like that.”

 

At the sound of Ryu Won’s deep voice, Edelous regained his composure.

 

Silence fell over the hotel lobby.

 

He straightened his rumpled shirt and smoothed his hair.

 

“The beautiful soul is gone. I’m going to see Jihwa.”

 

Hearing his words, Yeon-young tilted her head slightly.

 

She wondered if this had happened before.

 

Jihwa was someone Veronica had mentioned before. She remembered the name correctly because it was Korean.

 

Edelous seemed to have finished organizing his thoughts.

 

“So the crack in the entrance is the reason for the emergency inspection.”

 

“Yes. Normally we’d take over and pass the torch to the next generation, but Idelia suddenly disappeared from the world.”

 

“Well, that’s enough greetings. I should get back.”

 

Ryu Won clenched his fist slightly and patted Edelous on the shoulder, comforting him.

 

Edelous understood and smiled slightly.

 

Ryu Won ended the conversation and turned to lead Yeon-young to the elevator.

 

At that moment, Idelia’s last words to her suddenly popped into his head.

 

“I think you can deliver this, for the first and last time.”

 

Yeon-Young pulled out a ribbon from the pocket of her uniform.

 

The blue ribbon was set with a sapphire-like gem, a gem that mirrored Idelia’s eyes.

 

She grabbed Edelous’s arm as he walked away and pulled the ribbon out of her pocket.

 

Edelous recognized the ribbon immediately.

 

“It’s Idelia’s.”

 

“She said I could deliver it… No matter how much I think about it, I don’t recognize it as yours.”

 

“She asked you to give it to me. What an asshole.”

 

Despite his harsh tone, Edelous touched the smooth surface of the ribbon with great care.

 

He slipped the ribbon into his coat pocket and looked at Yeon-Young.

 

“I gave it to her the day she was transferred to the First Division, I think she realized it was a 

mistake. It’s important to have a memento to remember someone for a long time.”

 

Yeon-young patted her chest, happy that the ribbon had found its rightful owner.

 

Edelous patted her shoulder lovingly.

 

“Whatever happens next, I’ll help you at least once. It’s my way of repaying you for delivering Idelia’s things.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Yeon-young wasn’t sure if she could ask for anything from Edelous, who lived in another branch, but she was glad to have another wish to fall back on.

 

He looked at her and asked her a question.

 

“What are your abilities?”

 

“I can see the memories of souls.”

 

“Hmmm, so you can read the memories of beings who have to live with forgetfulness… Things are getting interesting. Perhaps Tanato will be different.”

 

Edelous created a white light in his hand and brushed it over Yeon-young’s body.

 

Ryu Won didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t stop him.

 

Yeon-young felt a warmth creeping through her body.

 

“Snarl will like it. It’s clear and attracts ghosts. Be careful.”

 

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“I hate to admit it, but he’s got some good powers, so if there’s a dangerous situation, let him handle it. He’s a good employee to have.”

 

Yeon-young nodded several times in acknowledgement of Edelous’ words.

 

Edelous tugged at his beard as if admiring her.

 

“After Idelia, you’re the second most greedy soul I’ve ever had as an apprentice.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Ryu Won cut off Edelous’ words like a knife and turned around without a second thought.

 

But after only a few steps, he turned his head to look at him.

 

“I’m pretty good, not only as a colleague, but also as a husband.”

 

Yeon-young seemed to be the only one embarrassed by his bold statement.

 

Ryu Won could hear Edelous’ harsh voice muttering curses behind him, but he ignored them all as he stepped into the elevator.

 

After delivering Idelia’s things safely, Yeon-young entered the elevator feeling much more relaxed.

 

“Ms. Yeon-young, what room did you say we were in?”

 

“Room 826.”

 

Yeon-young pushed the button for the eighth floor and leaned back against the wall. She could finally rest.

 

As she looked at the elevator numbers going up to the higher floors, she suddenly remembered her most important problem.

 

She had to stay with Ryu Won.

 

Realizing this, Yeon-young’s heart began to sink.

 

But before she could calm down, the elevator quickly reached the eighth floor and opened the doors.