Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 74

She walked endlessly through the darkness of the unknown.

 

Jaeho’s memory was of darkness without a single light.

 

With her vision stolen, Yeon-young walked forward with only her will to find his memories.

 

Then the night sky appeared.

 

Stars, big and small, hung in the vastness of the night sky, and she was standing in the middle of it.

 

It was too beautiful not to photograph.

 

As she moved closer to the stars, images flashed through her mind.

 

If Ryu Won’s memory was a book, Jaeho was a star.

 

“What should I read first?”

 

Jaeho’s memories weren’t as vast as Ryu Won, but they were just as numerous.

 

Her abilities had improved, but she had to be careful what she read, because she never knew when she’d be struck again.

 

It was then that Yeon-young saw an unusually large star, about the size of her palm.

 

Unlike the other stars, it had something black and sticky on it, like grease.

 

As she approached the star, as if drawn to it, her chest felt tight and heavy.

 

It seemed to warn her not to look into this memory.

 

“Ha.”

 

Yeon-young sighed.

 

It didn’t come easily, but she knew from experience that the more memories like this one, the more likely it was to have been important in a previous life.

 

Holding her breath, she reached out and grasped the black star.

 

For the briefest of moments, she felt a burning pain in her palm, and the night sky disappeared.

 

And before her eyes, she saw a cell.

 

“What prison?”

 

There was an underground prison, dank and dark, like the cave Yeon-young had visited with Jaeho.

 

A young boy was imprisoned there, his face buried in his hands and knees.

 

In front of him was a bowl of stale bread and a bowl of dusty water.

 

Looking at the unique color of his hair, like a mysterious jewel, Yeon-young couldn’t help but wonder.

 

Thump, thump, thump.

 

Someone walked toward the boy. At the sound of heavy footsteps, Yeon-young tensed up and moved closer to the wall.

 

“A.”

 

The man who came jingling keys wore a white robe.

 

He stood beyond the cell and looked at the boy with a satisfied smile.

 

At the sound of the man’s voice, the boy slowly raised his head.

 

“Jung Jaeho…”

 

The boy called “A” was indeed Jung Jaeho.

 

A card with the letter [A] hung around his neck.

 

He tossed a sandwich at Jaeho as if to show goodwill.

 

“Good work again. The crown prince asked me to tell you it’s going to a good cause.”

 

“…….”

 

Jaeho’s body was skinny to the point where his bones stood out.

 

Still, he stared at the sandwich on the floor.

 

The man spun the key in his hand and used it to unlock the cell door.

 

For the first time, Jaeho’s face changed color.

 

“The crown prince wants to bring you in. Come out.”

 

Jaeho slowly pushed himself to his feet.

 

The man shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe and walked slowly toward him.

 

Suddenly, he pulled a knife out of it and held it to Jaeho’s throat.

 

“You know what happens to those who forget their grace.”

 

“…….”

 

“Keep a low profile. That’s the only way to live happily ever after, orphan.”

 

Despite being threatened by a man four times his size, Jaeho didn’t blink.

 

Dodging his sword, Jaeho nonchalantly approached the bowl of water and stretched out his palm.

 

Just then, a tiny baby rat emerged from a small hole in the wall.

 

It sniffed the air and climbed onto Jaeho’s palm.

 

The man frowned hard at the sight.

 

“Ha, you rat… dirty. Throw it away.”

 

But Jaeho didn’t even pretend to listen.

 

The man gritted his teeth and warned him again, but Jaeho refused to let go of the mouse.

 

The man’s face contorted and flushed red as he watched.

 

The man’s face turned red as he watched.

 

“Huck, you maniac. Child abuser.”

 

Yeon-young, who had been watching, backed away from the wall in horror.

 

Jaeho’s thin flesh quickly turned red and swollen.

 

His sleeves were open, revealing bruises, large and small, all over his body.

 

Jaeho glared at the man, his eyes filled with defiance.

 

“Drop that rat in your hand.”

 

“No.”

 

The rat scurried back into Jaeho’s clothes.

 

The man threatened Jaeho even more with the knife he was holding.

 

Still, Jaeho didn’t tremble like a man with nothing to lose.

 

“Ha, unless it’s an experiment…”

 

The moment of confrontation didn’t last long.

 

The man muttered something to himself, but in the end, he couldn’t break Jaeho’s stubbornness.

 

He sighed heavily and gestured to the door with his chin. Jaeho exited the cell first, and the man followed.

 

Yeon-young hurried after him.

 

Outside the cell was a connection of other prisons. In each cell, children Jaeho’s age were locked up alone.

 

The cards around their necks each spelled out a different alphabet. Like Jaeho’s A.

 

Yeon-young turned to look at the back of Jaeho’s head as he walked away.

 

His back was so precarious, so sad, so young.

 

She didn’t know what he’d been caught for, but he was no age for this.

 

For the first time, Yeon-young understood why Jaeho had hated his childlike appearance so much.

 

Yeon-young’s vision blurred, his memories shattering into fragments.

 

“I can’t. I haven’t even gotten out yet.”

 

As Yeon-young took a step, another memory connected and showed her Jaeho.

 

Jaeho had grown to his full height, but his young face still gave away his age.

 

He was in a lab coat in a white-wallpapered lab, manufacturing something.

 

“A, this project must succeed at all costs, so we can end the war and save more of our people.”

 

Jaeho was still called the letter A, but he seemed to be treated better than he had been in solitary confinement.

 

The man who took him out of the cell himself wanted to clean him up.

 

Of course, that didn’t make him any less human.

 

Jaeho watched a rat nibble at the sandwich bread in his palm. It looked like a rat he’d gotten out of solitary confinement with.

 

It had gained a little weight and was wearing a collar with a tiny bell on it.

 

When Jaeho didn’t answer easily, the man urged him on.

 

“A!”

 

“Are you sure you can end the war?”

 

“Of course. Of course.”

 

Jaeho sat back in his chair and tilted his head, silent for a moment.

 

The man wiped his dry lips with his tongue and squeezed his shoulder.

 

“People are dying in this war, even in this short time, and this is the last time. If you finish this job well, I’ll let you out like I promised.”

 

“You’ll… let me out? Out?”

 

“After what you’ve accomplished under the prince, I’ll help you find your place.”

 

Jaeho bit his lip so hard it bled.

 

Soon after, he pulled a vial of cloudy green liquid from his chest.

 

His pale, small hands were bloodshot from the exertion.

 

The man took the vial with trembling hands.

 

“How to use it.”

 

“The moment it hits the water, it takes effect immediately. If used on an innocent person, it will kill them…”

 

“I know, you can’t. It’s on the Telene border. That’s the last place.”

 

Yeon-young rolled the name of Telene around in her mouth. It was certainly not unfamiliar.

 

Hearing the answer, Jaeho closed his eyes as if he was tired.

 

The man’s eyes turned cold when he saw the contents of the vial.

 

“Ugh.”

 

The sound of hammering echoed through the lab.

 

The man had sneakily pulled out a knife from the back pocket of his pants and stabbed Jaeho in the chest.

 

“Jung Jaeho!”

 

Yeon-young ran to Jaeho, who clutched his chest and slowly lurched forward, swallowing a pained groan.

 

The man’s eyes twitched slightly. He threw the knife that had stabbed Jaeho to the ground and shouted.

 

“Nothing personal, but this has to end here.”

 

“You…”

 

“Thank you. Our project will succeed because of you.”

 

“…….”

 

“A. No one will come to save you, so please die here.”

 

The man quickly ran out of the lab.

 

Jaeho let out a hollow laugh and approached the rat with bored eyes.

 

The rat, which had been nibbling on the bread, suddenly bit down on the foam and died in a seizure.

 

Jaeho’s eyes glistened with blood as a stream of fresh blood flowed from his mouth.

 

They hadn’t meant to let him out in the first place.

 

“Shit.”

 

A small, delicate sob escaped.

 

Yeon-young placed her hand over Jaeho’s cold chest, but she couldn’t stop the death.

 

This was just a memory of a previous life.

 

‘Jung Jaeho…’

 

Yeon-young squeezed her eyes shut, preparing to pull herself out of the memory.

 

But she could feel Jaeho’s soul surging inside her. She stood up, putting distance between her and Jaeho.

 

It was a strange movement.

 

As if it wanted to escape from her body, the spirit slowly turned black from toe to toe.

 

Before Yeon-young could intervene, the snarling began.

 

Jaeho’s soul was covered in black as it slipped out of his body.

 

It stared at her with eyes she had never seen before.

 

It was a Snarl without a self.