Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 70

Chapter 70

As I read the email, I held onto my blanket with the feeling like the entire floor was caving in.

Just a moment ago I was talking on the phone with Cha Yeowoon. However, now the boundary between reality and unreality seemed to be rapidly blurring.

It was a strange sensation. Originally, Cha Yeowoon and reality were distant. To be precise, the person in my reality was ‘senior.’

As I came to my senses and scrolled down the email, the contents continued.

[ These were changed.

★ Cha Yeowoon doesn’t injure his leg.

☆ Tae Myeongha makes a friend.

★ Cha Yeowoon doesn’t quit track and field.

☆ Tae Myeongha rises in ranking.

★ Cha Yeowoon falls in love for the first time.

☆ Tae Myeongha earns $2250.

★ Cha Yeowoon sets a new national record.

☆ Tae Myeongha gains a fan.

★ Cha Yeowoon’s ill-fated relationship doesn’t disappear (new).

※ A sudden change exceeded capacity, causing an error in the server. Current missions are temporarily suspended. A rollback seems to be necessary.

※ Until the server stabilizes, all efforts will be focused on stabilization. ]

Whether it was exam ranking, money, or things related to fans, it was undoubtedly the Sub-Mission for Cha Yeowoon, so why was my name written there?

It was also difficult to understand the meaning of the words added below.

The word ‘error’ reminded me of the system error I had seen this time. What if it wasn’t simply caused by Cha Yeowoon’s social media account being deleted?

“Stabilization…”

What was this? Before I could finish muttering, a ding sound interrupted my thoughts.

[ Compensation given for the sudden Sub-Mission interruption. ]

A new message that I had never seen before appeared in front of me.

[ Recover some of Tae Myeongha’s past memories. ]

As sudden as the termination, the compensation was also abrupt. It was impossible to read and accurately guess what it meant.

Like the film of a movie being abruptly cut, my view faded unnaturally.

The scenery in my room blurred and reassembled in different textures and forms.

A redrawn surroundings gradually settled.

“I don’t like words like destiny.”

Next, my voice was heard.

When did I say such a thing? It was certainly my words, but it sounded unfamiliar enough to be ambiguous. The timing couldn’t be determined.

I didn’t know exactly where I was. The chilly river breeze brushed against my shoulders as the night sky reflected in the dark waves shook.

“Why?”

Someone standing next to me asked.

Their facial features and silhouette were blurry as if they had been intentionally soaked in water, but I could tell who it was as soon as I saw them.

Senior.

I couldn’t remember his name, face, or anything, but senior was senior.

“Everything seems to be predetermined.”

“I see.”

“What? Does senior believe in such things?”

It was a dull reaction, so when I asked again, he gave me a smile that made it hard to tell what he was thinking. I felt that way despite him being just a blurry form.

“Well. Then you don’t believe in fate either?”

“Fate or destiny, it’s just talk.”

When was this conversation?

Why did I say this?

“That’s what my grandmother used to say. People are like books that have already been written; how they will live and die is already predetermined. If you live a good life, you’ll be born with good fortune, and if you live a bad life, you’ll have a wretched destiny in the next life.”

It sounded familiar. I was often told I was unlucky wherever I went.

I had heard it from someone who had learned about my family situation, and I had also heard it from a fortune-teller I had gone to on a whim. I was told that I was unlucky and had no family luck.

It was like a tag. The sticky residue that I couldn’t remove even if I put in effort. The everyday misfortune that a person without support had to suffer. It wasn’t my fault I struggled without a family, but people, whether out of sympathy or malice, casually attached a minus price tag to me.

Perhaps this was what I had said after hearing something similar.

“I don’t like it. Even if it’s predetermined, I should be able to change it.”

“Should you?”

“Otherwise, there’s no point in trying.”

Did I say this to senior? I must have thought very intimately.

I wasn’t accustomed to being honest with others. I thought that showing weaknesses would make me weaker.

Unlike me, who was being honest as if revealing my bare skin, senior looked at me with eyes that were hard to read.

Among the blurry shapes, only his pupils reflecting the dark sky, like the river that illuminated the pitch-black night, were clear for a moment.

It seemed like senior was laughing again.

“Okay. I got it.”

It was a strange answer.

But senior was simply an unreadable person.

An unusual person different from ordinary, and someone who was difficult to grasp accurately. I seemed to have always thought of senior as such.

“Then, Myeongha…”

Something more was said. However, the sound became too faint to hear amidst the swift flowing river.

My vision faded in and out as if I was blinking several times. The scenery by the river was peeling away.

After what seemed like a coat of paint was scratched away, my room at the age of 19 appeared again.

I found myself pressing my eyes with my palms. Slowly lowering my hands, I saw the cellphone that had fallen onto my blanket.

[ I hope to see you after the happy ending. ]

The email ended like that.

Senior was the only person who could explain what this was all about, the current situation, and where this was.

I rushed to the top of the email. I tried to reply, but the only thing that came back was the notification that the email address didn’t exist.

“What happens after the happy ending?”

I asked, knowing it wouldn’t be heard. I felt like if I didn’t do that, the tremors wrenching my insides wouldn’t subside.

My phone screen remained silent.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Just as I was trying to forcibly turn off my phone, a new email arrived.

Without hesitation, I pressed on the new email.

This time, it wasn’t an email from senior. The sender was marked as anonymous.

[ Subject: Tae Myeongha

Content: Die. ]

That was all.

* * *

I was so agitated that I couldn’t sleep at all.

The email from senior was unclear in its meaning, and now an anonymous curse followed.

Since my email address was made public to receive reports, I thought that such prank emails might appear. However, the timing was awkward.

Five o’clock in the afternoon in July still felt like midday. The sunlight pierced my eyes like thin needles. Receiving messages with a lack of sleep added to the torment.

[Cha Yeowoon] : We’re meeting in front of the mart at 5:30 PM, right?

I checked the message from Cha Yeowoon. My part-time job ended earlier than I expected.

It was commendable I was able to finish work in my current state. Nevertheless, it was nice to have less distracting thoughts when working. The more I was alone, the more I started having random thoughts.

[ Time remaining: 192 days ]

[ Penalty: Death ]

Because of these things.

Although Cha Yeowoon’s social media account had been restored, the Sub-Mission didn’t resume. Messages of support formed waves, and Cha Yeowoon’s stalker was still receiving harsh criticism.

[ Entering Love Supremacy Zone. ]

As I passed the main road and toward an intersection, I saw the familiar alarm. Was he already here with 30 minutes to spare?

The traffic lights were red, and cars were speeding along the wide road without stopping.

As I tried to spot Cha Yeowoon, a chilly sense of discomfort crawled up the back of my neck.

I had been experiencing this feeling quite frequently lately. When I had roamed the alley of a pawnshop to retrieve Cha Yeowoon’s medals, and when I had left my lodging after agreeing to meet Cha Yeowoon. And now.

After looking at the road, I turned my head. Just then, a motorcycle passed with a piercing exhaust sound.

There was a stranger standing behind me.

Wearing a black mask covering half their face, eyes with evident blood vessels, a pale complexion as if sleep deprived for days, and arms extending forcefully to push me, all entered my view.

I knew I had to avoid this.

Despite the quick decision, my body moved sluggishly.

The pushing hand was faster than me. My back made a loud thud as it was pushed. The force was much stronger than expected. Naturally, my gaze returned to the road. Cars were approaching. Staggering, my balance faltered toward the driving lane.

What would happen if I died here?

I had the same thought when I first fell into this world and saw the penalty attached to the mission.

In reality, it was only an instant, but everything seemed to be moving slowly.

There was a saying that your life would flash before your eyes at the moment of death, but only one thought came to mind as I fell forward. If I died here, I wouldn’t be able to see Cha Yeowoon again.

I should have been more careful after seeing the email.

Then, my fall stopped.

A solid arm blocked my chest like a safety bar and guided me toward the sidewalk. Just a step ahead, a bus passed.

I staggered back a couple of steps and checked the person in front of me who had intervened. Under the hat with a crooked brim, a familiar mouth could be seen.

“Cha Yeowoon?”

Cha Yeowoon took off the baseball cap he was wearing.

As the brim slid over his forehead, his hair became disheveled. Beads of sweat were glistening on his forehead.

His rigid face revealed tension.

After he saw me standing completely inside the sidewalk, he frowned and glared to the side. Following his gaze, I noticed the person that had pushed me standing awkwardly with their mouth slightly agape.

“Do you know me?”

Cha Yeowoon’s tense voice, asking and probing cracked in anger. The assailant who had remained frozen like a statue suddenly sprinted away upon hearing those words.

The pedestrian signal had already turned green. Cha Yeowoon clicked his tongue briefly as he watched the assailant flee across the long crosswalk.

“Senior, are you okay?”

“Huh? Uh.”

Cha Yeowoon scrutinized me, who was still bewildered.

“Wait a moment.”

As Cha Yeowoon’s words fell, he immediately sprinted away.

Next to the walking signal was a sign showing the remaining seconds until the signal changed. Before it could change, Cha Yeowoon crossed the crosswalk of the 4-lane road.

Suddenly, the distance that had widened narrowed. People on the other side of the sidewalk, who were witnessing the pursuit unfolding, cast curious glances.

The assailant running ahead was sprinting for their life, but they seemed to have underestimated their pursuer. Ironically, the person chasing happened to be the fastest high school runner in the country.

As if the assailant didn’t want to be caught at all cost, they rushed into traffic.

No, it seemed like they were attempting to leap. However, just before that, Cha Yeowoon managed to catch them by the scruff.

Cha Yeowoon roughly pulled the struggling assailant, threw them onto the sidewalk, and climbed on top of them.

I immediately checked the traffic signal. Seeing that it was still red, my throat tightened with anxiety. I had to cross quickly and intervene.

At a glance, my child was so angry I thought his eyes would pop out.