Chapter 143
The moment Guinness heard Sasha’s voice, he froze as if someone had taken his breath away. The voice he had longed for so desperately had ultimately dragged him into despair.
“Ah… no…”
Realizing Sasha’s identity too late, Guinness lowered his head. At that moment, Sohee, who had been tightly closing her eyes, slowly opened them.
The moment Sohee saw Sasha’s blue eyes before her, she remembered meeting him in a dream before.
The pain that had pierced her entire body vanished, and her limbs could move freely again. Surprised by the sudden disappearance of the pain, Sohee quickly looked at Sasha.
At that moment, Sasha coughed up blood and staggered, collapsing weakly into Roni’s arms.
“Sasha!”
Sasha let out weak, ragged breaths. Sohee glanced at Guinness behind him, who wore a stunned expression, then immediately shifted her gaze back to Sasha.
-
You’ve endured so much. Now it’s time to go back.
“What about Sasha? Is he really going to be okay like this?”
-
This isn’t the first time. The pain is only temporary.
“But Sasha…”
Sohee tried to say something, but Sasha shook his head to stop her, signaling that there was no need to speak.
Shivering, Sohee pulled the dying Sasha into her arms. Soon, a golden aura enveloped her, signaling that the time had come.
It was truly time to return.
Sohee looked at Allen, who had collapsed in the distance. She stared at Allen with tightly closed eyes, feeling the ache of not being able to see his violet eyes one last time. She tried to memorize him as best as she could.
“I’ll just say goodbye for a moment.”
Sohee gently placed Sasha down and slowly approached Allen, pressing her lips to his. It was a farewell. Tears fell uncontrollably, wetting Allen’s face.
“I’m sorry… for leaving like this.”
Sohee’s form gradually became hazy. Just before she completely disappeared, she turned her gaze toward Guinness one last time.
By this point, one would think he’d glance back, but Guinness didn’t pay any attention to the vanishing Sohee. He sat slumped, as if he had lost everything, his gaze fixed only on the dying Sasha.
“Take care, everyone.”
And so, Sohee returned to her original world.
Chapter 18: Return
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in her studio. She hurriedly checked her reflection on her smartphone. Instead of Roni Shallegane with long, flowing hair, the screen showed Kim Sohee with her hair cut into a short bob.
A sense of emptiness washed over her as she realized she had truly returned. She was no longer Roni Shallegane. She fussed with her bobbed hair, feeling strangely unsettled.
The storyboard she had completed was already being sent to the author. As he had said, the ending of the original work remained unchanged.
From the moment she returned earlier than the contract period, her contract with Guinness was no longer valid. Her vision blurred as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“You’re finally back.”
She tried to speak bravely, wiping away her tears. In the end, it was a safe ending for everyone. He had guaranteed the safety of Allen and the people of that world.
While the original story would continue, the people she had met in those moments could now live freely without Guinness interfering. Judging from the last scene, Guinness would no longer be able to act as the administrator.
Memories of the encounter in the consciousness world she had previously forgotten surfaced in her mind, and she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Everything had truly come to an end.
By now, she was probably someone forgotten by everyone. Being forgotten by existence itself was like that.
She recalled Allen’s final moments. It pained her that she could not say goodbye with a smile. She thought of asking for just a little more time, but he had already shown so much consideration. Thinking of the dying Sasha blurred her vision with tears once more.
Soon, she packed her things and returned to her apartment. The city, with its sharp car horns and bustling streets, felt unfamiliar.
There was no fragrant garden outside the castle walls; only the crowded city reminded her that she had returned to Korea.
As soon as she entered her apartment, she flopped onto the bed. Even though she had traveled a long path, it was familiar enough to find easily.
The bed smelled slightly musty. Unlike the cozy beds of Shallegane Castle, it was cold and hard.
“I really am back.”
Even though she had returned to where she belonged, everything felt strange. She didn’t feel like herself. Tears flowed freely.
Regardless of her will, life went on. She carried out her responsibilities as if nothing had happened, but every night she sobbed under the covers.
Nothing was okay. She missed everyone. Coming home to an empty apartment that greeted no one felt like being trapped in a prison.
Feeling as though she might sink into depression, she began drawing whenever she missed people. At least through drawing, she could feel a connection to them and survive.
After repeating this routine for several days, she was still in pain but began to regain the strength to endure. Then, a familiar letter arrived at her old address. It was from the center director who had helped her.
In the past, she might have tossed such a letter aside, but this time she didn’t. Helping Freddy had made her decide to confront her own wounds.
Inside the letter was news of her mother. It said her mother had little time left and asked her to come see her.
Her hands shook. She hadn’t seen her mother since she was a child, and the thought of reuniting brought fear. If Allen had been there, he might have held her hand tightly. Missing him again, she collapsed to the floor, crying out loud.
The next day, she steeled herself and went to the center.
“You came.”
The director greeted her with a warm smile. She had been coming to the center for quite some time, so Sohee looked at her awkwardly.
The director handed her a warm cup of coffee. Sohee took it and said,
“It’s been a while, Director.”
“Thank you for having the courage. I was worried you might refuse this time too.”
The director smiled gently as she spoke. Perhaps Sohee’s reluctance to move addresses all this time stemmed from lingering feelings for her mother. The same could be said for not blocking her number after their argument.
“I didn’t call you to forgive your mother.”
“I know. You’ve always respected my choices, Director.”
The director held her hand firmly. It had been a long time since Sohee had felt someone else’s touch. The director, whom she had met through the center, cared for her more like a mother than her own mother. Feeling her hand touched her deeply.
Even after being separated from Sohee, her mother had often sought her out, but the director had always prevented contact. Her mother probably wasn’t in the right state of mind to meet her. And Sohee herself wasn’t ready, often having episodes at the mention of her mother.
“Your mother has improved greatly over the past few years with counseling and psychiatric treatment. Her auditory hallucinations have also decreased.”
“That’s a relief.”
“She recently underwent major surgery, but the results weren’t good… Will you go see her?”
“Yes, I plan to.”
“If it’s too hard, I can go with you.”
The director spoke with concern, recalling how Sohee would have episodes when her mother was mentioned. She had always been warm to Sohee. She shook her head.
“No. This is my responsibility. I know you can’t do it for me. I’m no longer a child.”
“…You’ve grown a lot, Sohee.”
The director smiled kindly. Matters between her mother and her were ultimately something no one else could handle. Sohee had only been avoiding facing it out of fear.
‘Did Allen speak well with the marquis?’
Whenever she was alone, she thought of Allen. Meeting the Romanit Marquis made her wonder if her mother might feel regret too. She now wanted to hear her mother’s explanations. Whether good or bad, she wanted to release her past hurt, young self.
After a warm tea time with the director, she prepared to leave.
“Director.”
Sohee called out as she left the office. The director looked back with a curious expression.
“Thank you for everything.”
The director, who had been silent for a while, smiled warmly and said,
“Alright, take care.”
She would not need to return to the center. She would finally be free from this wound. Perhaps the director sensed her farewell, blessing her safety until the very end.
