Chapter 40: A Three-Way Encounter
⬛⬛⬛’s earliest memory was an empty void.
If ⬛⬛⬛ could feel temperature, it might have been a hellish place where half their body burned while the other half froze. Yet, ⬛⬛⬛ remained unscathed.
Why am I here? Who am I?
Such questions never occurred to ⬛⬛⬛. Intelligence and self-awareness were unnecessary for an observer.
However, ⬛⬛⬛ knew its mission:
“Observe civilizations and record the significance of life as they define it.”
With this directive engraved into its very being, ⬛⬛⬛ set out for the first star system in its database.
***
“—Greetings, child.”
When those words appeared on the page, I froze as if I’d turned to stone.
It was more shocking than the time my father revealed an embarrassing childhood story at a family gathering.
Did the words appear automatically when the page was opened? But why were they in Hangul? Hangul didn’t even exist in this world—how could this be?
Questions cascaded one after another, but I didn’t have the luxury of pondering them in peace.
Another sentence materialized almost immediately.
“I’ve heard much about you from Hoyeon. I would like to have a brief conversation with you. Would that be alright?”
“…Who are you?”
Though I didn’t expect a reply, I couldn’t help but ask.
Who was I even talking to?
The idea that someone else might have been pulled into this world—a fellow Korean, no less—was ludicrous, but for a fleeting moment, I entertained it.
I was that desperate for clarity.
To my astonishment, the book responded again:
“I am the mother of Baek Hoyeon. You just lulled to sleep. You may know me better as Onbyeolbi. Call me what you prefer. Let us converse in writing so as not to wake my daughter.”
The moment I read those words, the pieces clicked into place.
Ah. Onbyeolbi.
Had it been anyone else, I would’ve doubted them. But her? I believed it instantly.
Knowing the divine powers she displayed during the final confrontation in the original story, it made sense that she could do something like this.
That said, wasn’t the continent supposed to be cloaked in divine energy, rendering her unobservable? Maybe she could bypass that if she really wanted to.
…Seriously, how were we ever supposed to beat her?
“Understood. But why do you wish to speak with me?”
She seemed oddly friendly, so I decided to play along and see where this went.
Trying to extract information from her was out of the question.
One wrong word, and it wouldn’t be an army but a mountain range flying toward the academy.
“As a mother, do I need a reason to converse with the boy who has piqued my daughter’s interest?”
“I see.”
That was a stupid question on my part. Without being able to see her face, my anxiety grew. If I made a mistake, I wouldn’t even realize it.
“Then let me ask you this first: What do you think of my daughter?”
About Hoyeon?
Honestly, I saw her as a sort of one-person escape pod—a last-ditch option if everything went wrong.
Primarily, she was a pivotal character whose very presence could disrupt the story.
By mitigating her influence, I hoped to stabilize the narrative and, if I was lucky, bypass the second act’s invasion event altogether.
Of course, there was no guarantee that would lead to a happy ending. The author never stated that avoiding the invasion was the key to victory.
All I had was vague information: “Conquer all the heroines to reach a happy ending.”
With only my knowledge of the original work and a somewhat capable body to rely on, I lacked confidence in my success.
That’s why I considered Hoyeon an escape hatch.
…But there was no way I could admit that to Byeolbi.
“She’s the first and only friend I’ve made since arriving at the academy. She’s very dear to me.”
I crafted a plausible answer instead.
“A friend, is it? My daughter said something similar. Then, what do you think of her as a woman?”
Thankfully, it seemed she couldn’t read my mind. Or perhaps she could but chose to overlook it, given her knowledge of Hangul.
Still, her next question made me freeze.
As a woman?
What was she implying?
“I understand you committed quite the audacious act with her locker. If only her father had been as bold.”
…So she’d been watching. I sighed deeply.
“How were you able to see that? Even with the divine energy enveloping the continent?”
I had no way of preventing her from observing me, but I still wanted to know. Not that it would save me from getting pummeled by Jeongho later.
“There’s a convenient medium lying next to you. I can observe what happens around my daughter. It’s amusing how easily you speak such shameless words under the guise of friendship.”
So she had been watching through Hoyeon. One mystery solved.
“Is this her diary, then?”
“It is.”
…Fantastic. As if I hadn’t already crossed enough lines, I’d opened Pandora’s box without realizing it.
“May I humbly request a merciful end from her father?”
I had assumed Hoyeon could only communicate with her parents via letters. I hadn’t expected a diary that allowed real-time two-way communication.
And to make matters worse, Byeolbi had been monitoring her constantly.
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at my misfortune.
“Rest assured, child. He knows nothing of this.”
If Jeongho was unaware, then at least the army wouldn’t be coming for me anytime soon.
My relief was short-lived, as I realized I’d inevitably have to meet him someday.
Jeongho cherished those he considered his own, so his daughter’s first friend—or worse, potential suitor—was guaranteed to be summoned.
And when that day came, if I couldn’t impress him, my fate was sealed.
“Moreover, whatever you do to Hoyeon, as long as it doesn’t harm her life, I will not interfere.”
…Excuse me?
“Don’t you care for your daughter?”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Up until now, she seemed like a doting mother. Why the sudden hands-off approach?
“Of course I care. If she asked, I would destroy the world for her. But I do not wish for her decisions to be influenced by me.”
Decisions? What was she talking about? I had a sinking feeling that I shouldn’t ask.
“When she has seen the world and reached her conclusion, I will decide how to proceed. I trust you understand the implications. Act wisely.”
That was less permission to do as I pleased and more a thinly veiled threat. I didn’t need to ask what she meant by “decide.”
The future of this world—and humanity—was likely at stake.
Nothing more appeared after that, so I quietly closed the diary and returned it to its place.
Let’s review:
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- Hoyeon has a direct line of communication with her parents.
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- Her mother monitors her constantly.
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- If Hoyeon wills it, this world could literally be destroyed.
Could I really handle this? My confidence was crumbling fast.
“…Ugh.”
Unfortunately, Hoyeon chose that moment to wake up.
I wasn’t ready to deal with her or the knowledge that her mother was probably still watching.
***
“You. Why are you here…?”
“Huh? Why am I here…?”
I hadn’t even prepared an excuse. I decided to wing it and see where it led.
“Did you forget what happened?”
If she had, at least my current mess wouldn’t get any worse.
“…You didn’t do anything weird, did you?!”
The way she suddenly clutched her blanket and glared at me suggested she really didn’t remember.
“…I swear I didn’t. Friends don’t do that kind of thing.”
I waved my hands defensively, signaling that whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t true.
“Right…?”
Her quick shift from suspicion to acceptance made her seem easygoing, but knowing who was watching her, I couldn’t treat her the same way anymore.
“…So, how’d you get into my room?”
Ah.
How was I supposed to explain this? If I told her the truth, she might remember everything and start questioning me.
But saying nothing would only make me look guiltier.
“The door… was open.”
A flimsy excuse, but the best I could manage with my frazzled mind.
Judging by her expression, she wasn’t buying it.
Or so I thought until she said something completely unexpected.
“Then let’s go get lunch.”
“Lunch…?”
Wasn’t she about to interrogate me?
Suddenly, memories of her waking me up on the first night surfaced.
“…Wasn’t that why you came?”
She probably thought I was doing what she’d done—waking her up for a meal.
“Oh, right. Let’s go eat together.”
I didn’t want to risk further misunderstandings, so I quickly left the room, letting her follow silently behind me.
As we walked toward the dining hall, I couldn’t stop thinking.
…What do I do now?
The weight of the future and Hoyeon’s presence pressed heavily on my mind.
I tried to convince myself it wasn’t because of Byeolbi’s ominous words.
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