Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero - Chapter 61
“Ohm, hmm! Hm, ohm! Take it, take it all. I offer everything, I give it all!”
Sol pleaded relentlessly.
She danced with her bell in hand and her eyes wide open, even though her entire body was on fire and her mind was tearing itself apart. It had been a month. She begged until her face was red from exhaustion and she was coughing up blood.
She sobbed, “Help me. Help me, spirits. Please help me!”
In order to change Jiyeon’s fate, she had to interfere with that world. Though it was known on this side, that world existed elsewhere. It was a difficult undertaking, one that came at the risk of her own life.
“Please, help me!”
Sol begged and chanted until she collapsed in exhaustion. By the time she opened her eyes, Sol saw her bitter-faced grandmother holding a damp cloth to her forehead and the book emitting a pale light. Had she succeeded?
Through her trembling eyelids, Sol glimpsed her grandmother sigh and nod.
“My dear. You are so determined.”
“The book…did it…change?”
It worked! The after-story was appended to the book. Though it would conclude with the altered happy ending, the novel would now also show the events that followed when Jiyeon reads it—how everyone would meet a tragic end after Saint Iora’s death. And in that crucial moment, Jiyeon would realize that she was the true saint the entire time.
And then, and then…
She can call upon a miracle that allows her to start over without dying. Instead of being killed by Arcanda, Jiyeon can survive until the end and escape the twisted world of the novel. There was no doubt in Sol’s mind that Jiyeon could do it—because Jiyeon is a strong person.
“It’s funny. Thanks to you, I’ve cut ten years off my life.”
Sol was able to laugh, because really, she was happy to do it. She laughed, baring her teeth.
Now, Jiyeon would enter the fictional world with faint memories that the coercive power of that world will make her eventually forget.
“But the power I put in will make Jiyeon remember. My voice. And the after-story that she read.”
“That book will constantly try to suppress her memories,” said her grandmother.
“But if Jiyeon remembers even just once, then she will know she has the powers of a saint. And with that, Jiyeon can turn back time and be untouchable. No one in that timeline will be able to hurt her…I know this novel better than you, grandma, hehe. I’ve read it so many, many times.”
Coughing up another mouthful of blood, Sol took a ragged breath and asked, “And…has Jiyeon’s death in this reality changed, too? Not burning to death in a fire…”
“Yes, her death now will be quick and painless. Also, since you’re buying a few hours to influence that world at the cost of your own life, make it count, my child. Be sure to make her read the after-story and force her to remember. But you cannot tell them directly or warn them about their own death.”
“Ugh, huu…”
“Are you okay, dear?”
“Y-yes. I’m okay. I’m okay. It’ll hurt a lot, but still, still Jiyeon will definitely remember….”
Thank you. Sol cried, tears streaming down, pleading and pleading again. Thank you. Thank you.
As soon as she composed herself, she headed to Seoul. And immediately made a call, swallowing back her tears, then cheerfully shouted.
Sol’s face, hearing her lively friend’s voice, was soaked with tears.
“Jiyeon, come out! My treat today. Is there anything you want to eat?”
* * *
It felt like her mouth was tightly sealed shut. Sol anxiously stomped her foot, but there wasn’t much she could convey.
Sol smiled, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. She held Jiyeon’s hand, trying to put strength into it and coax Jiyeon into reading what was essentially an extra story not originally present in the novel. Jiyeon won’t remember it at first, but later, she will surely recall.
“Jiyeon, if you could have one wish, like the characters in these novels, what would it be?”
She’s saying weird things again. Sol smiled sadly, seeing the look on her face. How confused, how frightened, how scared.
Perhaps Jiyeon might be looking for her now. She might be crying, suffering, and saying that she misses Sol.
‘Jiyeon.’
She was her partner in crime, her family, her sister, her friend, her everything.
Perhaps after Jiyeon leaves, Sol would be the first to grieve and flounder in sadness. She wanted to give not just 10 years of life but 20, or better yet, tear away all of her life right now. However, the spirits, deities, and gods that were Sol’s patrons would never allow it. That was the limit. It was precisely cut.
“But what’s that, I’ve never seen that cover before. Is it a new book?”
She was talking nonsense to buy time, but eventually, it came. Sol bit her tongue to hold back the sudden surge of tears. Reluctantly, she handed over the book that she didn’t want to give.
