The Legendary Programming Mage

"Okay..."

Hooo...

Drawing in a deep breath, I locked eyes with Allen. "I'm starting now."

The young man looked at me with his usual sweet, innocent expression.

No, you idiot, focus.

Maybe—no, I was certain the reason I was acting like this was because someone I liked finally returned my feelings.

Some might say it's because of my new face.

Well, I was quite attractive in my past life, and even if I wasn't, who cares?

It's my face now, so I can use it however I want.

But was I really going to tell him everything about me?

Would he even tell me about himself?

I wanted to know who he was before. Was he Allen, or just some random old man?

I lay down on the floor as if I were sleeping.

Allen looked at me, rubbing his chin. "Night?"

My eyes lit up as I nodded.

Then, I quickly jumped to my feet and went over to the window, pointing at the birds.

He tilted his head slightly. "Bird? Night Bir—"

His words noticeably caught in his throat.

'He knows.'

Well, it would have been stranger if he hadn't figured it out.

The Night_Hawks were famous all around the world.

"Night_Hawks."

The moment the words left his lips, I waited for the system to say something, but it didn't.

Hehehehe...

A loophole has been found, as that bastard would say.

Allen thought for a moment. "So you were a cop in charge of the Night_Hawks case?"

I nodded.

"Hmm... Then are you a man?"

"Huh?"

I quickly shook my head and hand. "No, no, I was the only female on their case—Kim Jin-ah."

He paused for a bit, then his eyes widened. "The big-butt Korean cop on the news."

I instantly turned my face away from him.

'So embarrassing.'

But somehow, it didn't feel so bad.

I lifted my gaze to meet his, feeling the heat crawl up my face. "Yeah, that's me."

He didn't say anything for a full minute, which honestly made me panic a little.

Gulp.

Downing the entire glass of alcohol in front of me, I finally looked him in the eye. "Now that I told you who I was, tell me who you were."

Allen leaned back on his arm with a sly smile. "The past is in the past, isn't it?"

Look at this bastard?

I slammed my hand on the floor again and again. "The past doesn't matter, but just satisfy my curiosity."

He shrugged. "I don't want to say anything."

This bastard!

"Why won't you tell me? Huh? Is it because you were some loser? I won't mind either way."

Please, just tell me.

His sly grin suddenly disappeared, as he averted his gaze away from mine. "I'm sorry, I can't. At least not now."

I clenched my teeth, staring at him as though glaring alone would wring the truth out of his mouth.

But no matter how long I stared, all I saw was that same faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Tch… fine," I muttered, dropping back onto the floor with a thud. "You win. I give up."

Allen blinked, tilting his head in that annoyingly innocent way, as if he hadn't just denied me closure. "Really?"

I threw my hands up. "Yes, really. Forget it. Though I wouldn't mind you telling me."

Silence lingered between us, but somehow it didn't feel so bad.

I had a lot to process, and so did he.

Perhaps telling him about my past wasn't the most rational choice.

But who cares.

I'm in love with him, and nothing else mattered.

If he said I should die, I would gladly do so.

That was just how much this bastard had me trapped in his grasp.

The alcohol burned down my throat as I took another gulp.

Allen leaned in. "Hey, Sylvia."

Looking up at him, he continued, "What year did you transmigrate?"

I raised a brow. "2027. Why?"

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I transmigrated here in 2025, so can you tell me what happened?"

I pouted. "You want to hear from me but can't tell me."

I glanced at him shyly.

Damn it, I wanted to fulfill his request.

Am I… a simp?

No, no. I was just a normal girl… right?

"My system won't let me."

He paused, then muttered, "I don't think it'll be a problem now that you've indirectly shared that main info."

Is that so?

He was the genius villain, so perhaps he knew more. And I doubted I could send the message of the future through sign language.

I leaned back on my elbows, swirling the cup in my hand.

"It was… messy. After that bastard, the so-called legendary programmer, died, everything spiraled out of control. You know what he did, right?"

Allen shook his head.

A bitter laugh slipped out. "He hacked into everything. AI networks, personal servers, even people's private chat histories. Uploaded it all."

That idiot really didn't want to die alone.

Though even now I'm still a bit jealous that part of the reason he did it was because of his boss.

Raising my gaze to the curious Allen, I continued. "He somehow got every ugly secret, illegal government experiments, hidden war plans, assassinations that were never supposed to see daylight, thrown into the public eye. Countries snapped, trust shattered. Next thing you know? World War Three."

I hesitated briefly.

Just for a second or two, I could have sworn I saw Allen reacting to my words.

Like I was targeting him.

'No, I must be reading too much into it.'

The alcohol was clouding my head.

'Better finish my story fast.'

"And this… legendary programmer," Allen asked carefully, "who was he?"

I lifted my cup again, draining it in one go. "He's your namesake, Allen Park."

He nodded. "Sounds like a cool name."

My face tightened before I knew it. "Eww… No. He said it so many times I preferred a cringy kids' TV show over it."

The cup trembled slightly in my grip as I went on. "I chased that idiot for years. It was kind of my personal mission to bring him down."

My expression darkened as I clenched the now empty cup. "But he slipped away. Every. Damn. Time."

Allen stayed silent, but I could feel the tension between us.

I laughed, trying to ease it.

Yet my expression was still twisted.

Just thinking about that bastard made me furious.

"Allen Park was crazy, impulsive, manipulative, inconsiderate, sarcastic, narcissistic, egotistical, God, the list goes on and on."

Allen let out a groan.

I chuckled softly. "I know… hic… it sounds like much, but that's how he was."

I let a small smile escape. "But he was always kind in his own weird way, at least when he was looking at you."

"Honestly, after his death, my whole world shattered. He was the reason I became a cop and the reason I stayed a cop."

After that, I lost my job and became a hopeless gamer.

The kind that never touched grass.

Even the game itself, I had forgotten most of it, but somehow I still knew all about it.

Like someone had engraved it in my heart, the way a mother carries a mark for her child.

I turned toward Allen, my gaze unwavering. "You know, in my world you were a villain in a game."

I sighed. "Because someone you loved died, you became twisted."

"So your mission is to stop me from becoming that villain?"

I could barely register Allen's words, but I nodded.

'I can't believe he believes in me.'

He… must truly love me, right?

I felt the cup slip slightly from my hand.

'I'm sleepy…'

I wanted to rest on Allen's chest, even though it was still morning.

I crawled slowly and climbed onto his lap. "Al~ can you skip classes today?"

His hand steadied my waist as I swayed from side to side.

After a beat, he muttered softly, "Okay."

I nodded eagerly. "Hehehe, let's stop it together, okay? So you won't end up the bad guy."

Though I wouldn't mind if you became one because of your love for me… hehe.

My body sagged against him, heavy with alcohol and exhaustion. "I'm so sleepy," I mumbled.

Then, in a softer tone, it slipped out: "I love you."

He said nothing, only nodded before lifting me gently into his arms.

The world tilted as he carried me to the bed.

Just before he set me down, a sneeze wracked my body.

"Blessings," he murmured.

"Thank—"

I froze.

My smile lingered, then faltered.

That word.

Not bless you.

Blessings.

With the last s sharp, like a buzzing note.

My breath caught.

No way.

No way, right?

What were the chances?

But the thought refused to leave me.

What if… just what if he's Allen? My Allen.

What if this is my second shot at being his number one instead of his boss?

I swallowed hard, heart pounding.

Instead of asking, I chose the lie.

I knew Allen would dodge it, I knew he would never answer directly.

So just one white lie.

"Hey Allen," I whispered, forcing my voice steady. "I forgot to tell you something important… The game revealed who you were before reincarnation."

He raised a brow.

His body went rigid, though he tried to relax.

I leaned close, pressing my lips near his ear, with a faint smile. "Mr. Park… you're under arrest."

---

A/N:

Hey guys, I'm honestly not sure what to think about this chapter.

I spent a lot of time on it, debating whether to reveal this now or save it for later. In the end, I felt that moving on to another arc without addressing it first would just get frustrating.

Humans naturally have habits, and the people closest to them are the ones who pick up on those signs.

That's why I concluded Sylvia should have the brains to figure it out too, though a bit slower.

Drop your thoughts in the comments—I'd really appreciate the feedback.