novelnext Chapter 362: Choose (5)
Chapter 362: Choose (5)
Chapter 362: Choose (5)
A large wheel and a wing blocked my view. As I turned my head with a frown, I found myself standing in the middle of a vast plane runway under the setting sun. The dazzlingly beautiful scene looked only red to me, as if the world was drenched in blood. The cool breeze that blew felt uncomfortably cold, almost mocking my solitude.
There was no one here but me. The eerie silence and emptiness felt like I was facing the end of the world alone.
“What the hell is this...?” I muttered to myself. My voice was barely louder than a whisper.
It was the first time I realized how terrifying peace could feel. I sank to the ground and buried my head in my knees. My family and my group members all vanished because of me. The phrase "falling apart" perfectly applied to me in this situation.
Even if I wanted to quit, return, or undo it all, I didn’t know how. That helplessness was as loathsome as the burn scars on my body. The feeling of being utterly powerless gnawed at me.
[Make your choice.]
[Make your choice.]
[Make your choice.]
“For fuck's sake, give it a rest,” I spat out in frustration.
What had I done wrong? How bad could my sins be to deserve this relentless torment?
[Make your choice.]
The loud, persistent notification sound rang in my ears, so I clamped my hands over them. However, the noise continuously echoed in my brain and demanded my attention. Make a choice? What now? I wished I could just die rather than make another choice. I felt trapped in a never-ending nightmare.
I couldn't forget the last look on my parents’ faces. The way they looked at me, trying to understand, trying to believe... It haunted me.
Footsteps approached and broke the eerie silence.
“Why aren’t you making a choice?” A curious voice, oblivious to the situation, was accompanied by a hand on my shoulder.
I looked up to see a stranger smiling down at me. A man with mysterious hair, a swirling blend of pastel pink and blue, was standing next to me. He was almost too whimsical for the grim reality I was in.
I instinctively knew this man was the mastermind behind everything that had happened. He was the puppet master pulling the strings of my life.
“You bastard.”
I forced my shaky legs to stand and grabbed the man by the collar. He looked surprised as we both toppled forward. Despite scraping against the rough runway, the man didn’t show any sign of pain. He just kept smiling as if this was all a game to him.
His tone was light and almost amused. “I get that you’re angry, but I don’t understand why. I just came to ask why you’re not making a choice.”
He wasn’t worried or mocking me. He sounded genuinely curious, like someone asking, “Why aren’t you eating your food?” His question seemed so innocent, aimed at someone not doing something they obviously should be doing.
I couldn’t respond. My anger locked my mouth shut, and my lips refused to move. The man looked somewhat wronged and spoke again.
“Why are you mad at me? You said you will do whatever I want as long as you can go back in time.”
“When did I ever... Stop with your bullshit and make everything normal again.”
“Why are you being so annoying? Don’t just remember what you want to remember. Remember everything properly.”
Snap!
If you compare it to a game, it was like saving the game at different points to see different endings based on the choices you made. The main storyline remained the same, but the outcome varied depending on the protagonist's choices.
This system categorized me as the protagonist and everyone else as NPCs for this reason. I was sure that, to others, I would be considered an NPC while they were the protagonists.
“The first world has a bad ending, the second world is paused because there’s no player, and the third world is now at its final choice before the ending.” The god pointed to the plane with a smile. My lips felt dry and parched. I had been trying to ignore it, but the final choice was, indeed, the plane.
I couldn’t help but ask again, “Why did you create this world? There was no need for it. This is just torment.”
“You say such hurtful things. This world was created by synchronizing with your trauma. I’m doing my best to meet the conditions for your regression, but you just think badly of me.”
So that was what he was trying to say. Why did he always speak so cryptically? I didn’t have the capacity to humor his jokes or antics. I was barely holding back my urge to kill him so I could keep the conversation going.
The man saw my frustration and looked even more exasperated. “For you to keep living in the second world, your body and mind need to be fully synchronized. But you are still tied to your trauma from the first world. That’s why synchronization isn’t happening.”
“...What.”
“If you had just overcome your trauma, the suffering in this world wouldn’t have been this bad.”
I finally understood what he meant. This world was created as a reflection of my trauma. It was a world that embodied my deepest fears and anxieties.
“The fact that people disappeared every time I made a choice...”
The man nodded.
“That means you overcame your past trauma.”
Every person I couldn’t bear to let go, like the older Goh Yoo-Joon, who embodied my inferiority, and my parents, who always seemed sad just looking at me... They were all part of my trauma.
I had unconsciously chosen the second world over them. 'For myself...' I had coldly decided to shed them and move forward.
And so they vanished. The trauma that had shackled me for years disappeared as well.
“Even though I forced you to make these choices by creating this world, it was for your regression. That’s my grand plan. My big picture.”
[AHAHAHAHHAHA]
A system window popped up, filled with laughter. It seemed to reflect the creator god’s true feelings. Watching me struggle in this fake world must have been extremely amusing for him.
The man glanced at me and saw my expressionless face as I glared at him. Clearing his throat, he pointed to the plane again. “Anyway, once you get your head straight and stand up, your three main traumas will be gone. These are just three out of many, but it’s enough. This will meet the conditions for your regression.”
I turned to look at the plane. Just seeing it made my hands sweat. The massive object was bathed in the sunset, and it felt overwhelmingly threatening.
“Next time I get bored, I’ll come to mess with you again.”
A system window appeared in my view once more with the god’s playful remark.
[Make your choice.]
“...Ugh!”
What choice was there? What was the point of staying in a world that had nothing left? I started walking without hesitation.