Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 605

Extra Story. Episode 12

“Huh? Are you leaving, Oppa?”

“Yeah, you guys get to school safely too. Always watch out for cars.”

“Ehh? Just a moment!”

I could feel the girls following me, seemingly disappointed. Taejin ignored them and quickly approached Jihoon. He was so focused on his vocabulary book that he didn’t even notice Taejin approaching. At that moment, a car suddenly sped into the empty lane. The license plate on the front was familiar. As soon as Taejin realized it was the car that had taken Jihoon’s life, he ran as fast as he could, reaching out to Jihoon, who was oblivious to the danger.

‘Right now!’

If he could just touch him, he could save him. He could change these nightmarish times!

“You shouldn’t do that.”

In that instant, his vision abruptly stopped, accompanied by a whispering voice. A moment later, he realized someone had grabbed him from behind.

“What…!”

Screech—!

Crash!

In that brief moment of shock, a loud noise echoed. Taejin stared blankly as Jihoon flew through the air before his eyes. His body floated powerlessly, falling haphazardly onto the road in slow motion.

“Kyaa!”

Taejin snapped back to reality when he heard a scream next to him. He turned his head blankly. The person who screamed was one of the girls who had spoken to him earlier. As he recognized her, the surrounding voices began to pour in all at once.

“It’s an accident! A student was hit by a car!”

“Someone call an ambulance!”

People rushed to the scene of the accident, pushing past Taejin, who was standing there dumbfounded. The driver, who had slammed on the brakes, got out of the car in a panic. Some people approached Jihoon, who was lying on the ground, and tried to talk to him. But Jihoon remained motionless.

Instant death at the scene.

Taejin recalled the doctor’s opinion he had heard one day. Then, all the strength drained from his legs. He staggered and knelt down on the spot. The crowd surrounding the scene had long since blocked his view of Jihoon.

He couldn’t stop it.

Jihoon died before his eyes.

He had wasted the only chance he had.

He failed to save him again this time.

As he realized the reality, his whole body trembled. He couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes. What on earth was happening to him? Why couldn’t he save Jihoon? Wasn’t he supposed to have returned to the past to save him? Even if it was just a dream, even if it all disappeared when he woke up, he still wanted to save him.

In despair, Taejin couldn’t even let out a groan. Then, someone lightly touched his shoulder and asked,

“Are you okay?”

“……!”

Taejin instinctively recognized the owner of that voice. It was him. The person who grabbed him from behind when he tried to save Jihoon!

It was all because of this person! If this guy hadn’t grabbed him…! Feeling a surge of murderous intent, Taejin raised his head, feeling like he would be sick if he didn’t throw a punch right away. But at that moment, Taejin stopped all action at the sight that came into view. The one standing there was not human. He was clearly in the form of a person, but he instinctively knew that he was not a being of this world.

Long blue hair flowing down to his shoulders, vividly sparkling water-colored eyes. As their eyes met and his gaze wavered, he smiled awkwardly, as if embarrassed. Even so, his eyes were filled with tears, as if he was about to cry at any moment.

“I’m really going crazy. What are you doing right now? Who told you to do this?”

The beautiful being in front of him grumbled, looking at him reproachfully.

“I told you to go and stop your friend before he causes an accident, but what does that even mean… Honestly, you’re doing a great job, Ha Taejin. You’ve completely messed up the space-time continuum because of you. The Divine Realm is in an uproar. Well, you don’t even know what I’m talking about right now, do you? Anyway, I’m so glad you stopped here. You almost caused a huge accident. Do you understand?”

Taejin couldn’t understand a single word of the pouring words. But hearing the scolding voice made him feel a sense of longing. Taejin stared blankly at him and took a deep breath.

“…Kang Jihoon?”

He didn’t know why he thought that. But even though there was clearly nothing similar, Taejin thought he was Jihoon. At those words, the blue eyes blinked in surprise and then smiled softly.

“It’s been a while, Ha Taejin.”

“……!”

His stopped heart began to beat again. Taejin reached out and slowly cupped the face in front of him. He seemed a little embarrassed, but he let Taejin do as he pleased. He felt the soft texture of his skin in his rough palms. It was like caressing the surface of calm water.

“Are you really… Jihoon?”

“Yeah, I’m Kang Jihoon. How does it feel to see a friend who died and became a ghost?”

At the playful question, Taejin wanted to cry. He still touched Jihoon’s face with trembling hands.

“Jihoon-ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Kang Jihoon…”

“Yeah, Ha Taejin.”

When he hugged him tightly, Jihoon chuckled briefly and patted him on the back as if he couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

The warm embrace was so vivid, and the voice whispering in his ear was so unbelievable that Taejin closed his eyes and burst into tears.

One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one allows himself to be tamed.

Being tamed by someone means being prepared to shed tears.

Jihoon didn’t explain anything. He only said that he would know everything someday. Reading the reluctance to talk about the details, Taejin didn’t ask anything more. Whether his appearance changed or what he was doing, he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that Jihoon was alive and in front of him.

“I have to go now.”

His face looked gloomy as he explained that he was only allowed one hour. There was no way there would be no restrictions on the process of a dead person reappearing in front of him in the first place. Taejin, who had calmly accepted it, chuckled and lightly flicked his forehead.

“Why do you look like you’re going to cry more?”

“But…”

“It’s okay. You said we can meet again someday.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Yeah, that’s all I need.”

Jihoon looked even more apologetic, as if he couldn’t understand the words he had readily uttered. Taejin smiled again at the sight.

“You don’t have to blame yourself. It’s not that you tamed me, but that I was tamed by you.”

“What, that’s…”

“In other words, the responsibility for this waiting is entirely mine.”

Although it will be very boring, it will not be as painful as before. If he could only promise the next time, he could wait as long as a lifetime.

“See you later, Kang Jihoon.”

Jihoon paused for a moment at those words and soon smiled brightly.

“Yeah. See you later, Ha Taejin.”

With a clear answer, Jihoon’s figure disappeared as if fading away. It turned hazy like smoke and then spread out in all directions like steam.

Taejin closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. He was still standing in front of the bus stop. Only the scene was completely different from before. The space that had been bustling with the traffic accident had disappeared, and cars were speeding on the road. He could also see the latest buildings towering here and there among the old buildings. The people waiting for the bus at the bus stop were all holding smartphones of a similar model to his.

The tangled flow of time had returned. His stopped time also flowed again. Clearly, several days had passed, but the date on his phone was still the same. The clothes he had bought and changed into had also disappeared, and he was back in his coat. Seeing that the scene was no different from just before he fell into the past, it felt like everything he had experienced so far was just a dream. It might have actually been a dream. But it didn’t matter. His conviction that he would meet again hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Surprisingly, his heart was light. Taejin picked up his phone and called the person whose number was still in his last call history. He replied to Gyuhyun’s grumbling that he always calls but never comes, that he would go.

—Really? You’re really coming without changing your mind again, right?

“Yeah, I’m really going.”

—Okay, I believe you! I’ll be waiting!

After hanging up, Taejin took a breath and lightly straightened his disheveled muffler. As he moved his steps towards the meeting place, he felt tears welling up. He took out a handkerchief and hurriedly wiped them away, but they didn’t stop easily. That day, Taejin shed tears for a long time, tears that he hadn’t even shed at his friend’s funeral.

“Ah, I feel like I’m going to cry.”

As the time to leave approached, the fox said with a sad face.

“It’s your fault. I didn’t mean to make you sad. But you asked me to tame you.”

“That’s right.”

“But you’re still going to cry.”

“Yeah.”

“Then you haven’t gained anything.”

The fox replied to the little prince’s words.

“I have. I got the color of wheat.”

* * *

It was purely by chance that El discovered the place. It wasn’t the season for flowers to bloom, but a pleasant fragrance was coming from somewhere. As if possessed, he followed it and saw a pure white building appear beyond a small path.

“There was a temple in a place like this.”

It was a building that hadn’t been there until recently. He didn’t know who it was, but it seemed like they had recently started their business(?). Curious, El wandered around. Just then, a young priest who was coming out to sweep the yard discovered El loitering around and approached him.

“How did you find us?”

“Ah, I didn’t know there was a temple here. Whose temple is it?”

“It is the temple of Lasec, the god of blessing and grace.”

‘Lasec?’

It was a god he had never heard of before. Judging by the energy, he seemed to be a high-ranking god, but had there been such a name? El checked the red pattern embroidered on the priest’s white robe. The four-petal flower pattern was beautiful, but still unfamiliar.

‘Blessing and grace. Amazing.’

Just hearing it made him feel like a very kind and warm god. There was no need to find out, he was definitely a god of a thousand attributes. Gods of blessing are always popular anywhere. Even a high-ranking god. It was clear that it was deserted now, but soon it would be so crowded with visitors that there would be no room to set foot. This was the only chance to see the quiet temple.

“Can I go inside?”

“Of course.”

Perhaps because he was the god of blessing, the priest’s personality was also benevolent. The priest, who readily nodded, kindly guided El into the temple. The subtle floral scent that he had felt outside the temple became stronger as he went inside. There were no specially decorated fresh flowers or scented candles, so it was the energy imbued in the temple itself. It must be the energy of the god Lasec. As evidence, the same fragrance, though subtle, was felt from the guiding priest.

It probably wasn’t an actual fragrance. The Temple of Flowers also smells fragrant all year round, but there was a difference from what he felt there. Hadn’t the unicorns said that they feel the energy of the soul as a fragrance? He felt strange thinking that this must be what it was like.

“These are the main halls from here. You can all feel free to look around.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After thanking the retreating priest, El began to look around the temple in earnest. He checked the neatly decorated chapel and looked around the counseling room and lounge. Temples generally have similar structures, but each temple had its own characteristics. Lasec’s temple had many sculptures made of glass texture. The windows were also made of colorful stained glass.

El, who was looking around as if he was watching an exhibition, finally headed to the prayer room. The space for quiet prayer was a little darker than other places. Instead, subtle lights were scattered like stars, creating a mysterious atmosphere as if he had set foot in another world. As he looked around the space, El defined the strange sense of incongruity he had been feeling since earlier.

“…Is it a little Earth-like?”

It wasn’t that there were no decorative productions using lighting in Arkhadon [a fictional world]. But it seemed closer to the way he had seen it on Earth. It was when he thought that maybe he was a god who knew Earth well or was interested in it.

“Ah, is it that obvious?”

“……!”

El was startled and turned around at the voice he suddenly heard. He hadn’t even felt the presence, but someone was standing behind him. It was a fairly tall man. El swallowed a little and looked at him. His silver and green eyes were very colorful. His silver hair, decorated with delicate ornaments, was also red from the middle as if it had been dyed with flower water. The clothes he was wearing were close to classical oriental clothing, which made the overall atmosphere even more gorgeous.

There were not many beings who could deceive the eyes of the Spirit King. Since it was a place, it was not difficult to guess the identity of the other person. The fragrance, which had become so strong that it seemed to dominate the entire space, was obvious. But it was unexpected that the man’s face was familiar. Oh my god, El groaned without realizing it.

“Ifrit…”

The man, who heard him muttering unconsciously, widened his eyes slightly and smiled.

“How did you know I was Ifrit?”

At the cheerful answer, El swallowed again. The playful tone and smiling face were all familiar, but not familiar. It was Ifrit’s face, but the habit of making expressions reminded him more of another friend. That’s why this moment was even more unbelievable.

“You… are you really Taejin?”

At the question he barely uttered, the other person’s smile deepened. When he heard the following words, El somehow wanted to cry.

“Your brother has arrived. How have you been, Kang Jihoon?”

Not long ago, El had suddenly received a call from the Divine Realm. The gods who came in a hurry, saying that there was an error in space-time, said that the cause was El’s friend. They also said that El, who had a deep relationship with him, would be able to resolve this matter.

El, who was embarrassed by the urgent situation, had no choice but to accept without even hearing the details. The place he fell to was a very familiar place. Buildings and buses running on the road. It was the way to school that he used to go to every day. It was also the scene of the accident where Kang Jihoon died. Taejin was there.

He had grown taller and more mature than the last time he saw him, but he recognized him at a glance. It was Taejin, so clear that he wondered why he hadn’t realized it when he was Kang Jihoon. He also realized what was going on. He was trying to save Kang Jihoon. So he stopped him without even looking.

It was a strange feeling to watch himself die. It was even more so because he had missed the opportunity to save him himself. But he felt more relieved because if he hadn’t stopped Taejin, a bigger disaster would have happened.

Later, he found out that his desire to change the past was so strong that he unconsciously influenced space-time. The souls of gods sometimes cause absurd miracles, and this was the most troublesome case of all.

It was absurd that Kang Jihoon had died hundreds of years ago, but Taejin was still living on Earth, but he thought that space-time was so erratic that it was okay. He was really lucky that he had safely returned before Arkhadon was destroyed. It wasn’t for nothing that he was said to have seized both bad luck and good luck at the same time.

Anyway, it was nice that he was able to reunite with his friend thanks to it. He was also happy to see him as an adult, whom he thought he would never see. It was also sad and grateful that he still couldn’t forget his clumsy friend and was mourning him even after such a long time. That friend was back in front of him. This time with another familiar look.

“Wow, you, really. What is this? Why are you here? I just saw you a while ago, did you die in the meantime?”

“What are you talking about? Ah, I guess that was a while ago for you. It was a long time ago for me.”

“Th, that’s right? Anyway, how can you do this all of a sudden? Are you trying to surprise people?”

“That’s what I should be saying? Were you more surprised than me when you were surprised?”

Taejin, who smiled with a dumbfounded face, slowly scanned El’s appearance. His blue hair and eyes, and even the energy he exuded. He was undoubtedly the Water Spirit King.

“It’s still embarrassing to see you again. I thought that was just a dream back then, but it was real. Geez, how can you be Elquines? Who would have thought that you were Kang Jihoon, who was excited like a puppy whenever it rained?”

“Why have you become so fancy? The god of blessing and grace, you’ve completely made a name for yourself.”

“Ah, that’s right! I have something to say about this too! Anyway, take responsibility, you. I wanted to go to the place where you were reincarnated, but I got properly backstabbed.”

“What are you talking about?”

El understood the general situation from the explanation that followed. After ending Ha Taejin’s life and arriving in the underworld, he asked Arehis [likely a goddess or guide in the underworld] as soon as he met him where Kang Jihoon was born. Then he asked her to send him there too. Arehis, who had a strange expression on her face, smiled and nodded. Of course. There was no reason not to listen to him when he volunteered for the procedure that he was originally going to do.

“No, shouldn’t you at least give me a minimum explanation? When I opened my eyes, I was a god. I was so dumbfounded at first that I thought I had been scammed.”

“Arehis’s past record is originally colorful.”

“What, were you scammed too?”

“No, my father was.”

“Father? What’s that again? Where does the Spirit King have a father?”

The newly born god didn’t know much yet. He didn’t know that Elquines, who was his classmate, had become a god, that he had become El’s father, or that the three of them had already formed a relationship when they were Ifrit. Another storm was about to break out, and El smiled, guessing the future that was clearly visible. Taejin, who didn’t know the reason, smiled along with El.

“Anyway, it’s really amazing. To meet you again like this. I guess we have a connection.”

“I know, right. It’s so good to see you again, Taejin-ah. Ah, I have to call you by your new name now. It was Lasec, right?”

“I don’t mind if you call me Taejin. My new name is Lasec. It’s a very long name called ‘Lasec Mane Aeternitas’, but they usually use the first name as the main name. Just call me whatever is comfortable.”

“Oh, me too then. You can call me Jihoon. My original nickname is El, but I’ll give you special permission to call me Jihoon.”

“Wow, that’s a great honor.”

The two chuckled and shook hands again. They had completely different appearances and completely different energies, but everything about each other was still surprisingly familiar, as if they were seeing someone they had met yesterday. It was no different from the days when they were getting along without knowing anything.

“Nice to meet you again.”

One tangled relationship was reunited again. It was the day he regained his lost best friend.