Waiting For Your Reincarnation

“It’s the ability to erase traces, which is why they were gatekeepers between worlds.” “Erase traces.” “To prevent ghosts and humans from connecting, because it’s not a good thing.” “So what are the chances that Idelia covered her tracks?” “She’s too sloppy for that. The Idelia I know would have done it more perfectly.” 

Yeon-young bit her lip, unable to hide her frustration. This was not going to be an easy case to solve.

 

Like a cloth over her eyes, she could only see a sliver of Idelia’s memory.

 “What do the places have in common, what do they have in common…” 

The stone grunted against Yeon-young’s toes as it ran out of places to roll.

 

Seeing this, Yeon-young tried to pick it up, but Ryu Won snatched it away with a rather rough hand.

 

He put it into the pocket of his vest.

 

The stone peeked out of the pocket, revealing a tiny part of his body.

 

Yeon-young stopped thinking and looked at the last place the stone had led them to.

 

It was a park, full of people.

 

It was still early in the park, but it was unusually crowded. Yeon-young picked up one of the many flyers on the ground.

 “A park famous for its beautiful lake.” “What’s that?” “There’s an event in the park.” “That’s why there are so many people there.” 

Ryu Won frowned slightly, as if this noisy atmosphere wasn’t very pleasant.

 

There were people in the park, but there seemed to be an unusually high number of couples.

 

One by one, people made their way into the park, but another group of people came out of nowhere and filled the entrance.

 

‘Why did Idelia come to a park like this,’

she wondered. 

 

Yeon-young turned back to the pamphlet.

 

<Lake that fulfills love/ Nightly duck boats open for lovers>.

 “Ahh… The lake in the park is said to fulfill love, so if you have someone you love, go there and make a wish.” “Ms. Yeon-young, can you tell me again?” “There’s a lake at the end of the park, and if you go there with someone you love, it will make your relationship work.” “That’s where we should go.” 

Ryu Won’s eyes lit up and he strutted with his long legs, weaving effortlessly through the crowd.

 

Yeon-young shrugged her shoulders and followed him.

 “Follow me closely, it’s hard to tell if it’s a person or a ghost at night.” “Yeah.” 

It was nice to be able to move quickly through the crowd, but she never got used to the feeling of wind in her stomach.

 

Yeon-young felt a pang of guilt when she heard people asking if it was cold at night.

 

The path to the lake was crowded with couples. Yeon-young, still fresh from her death, tried to avoid them as much as possible.

 

Ryu Won, on the other hand, walked straight ahead as if he knew what to do.

 

Just then, the pamphlet in Yeon-young’s hand fell to the ground.

 

She bent down to pick it up and then turned to look at the white back of Ryu Won’s head as he walked in front of her.

 “Mr. Ryu Won?” 

She called out to Ryu Won in an urgent voice, but his voice was drowned out by the muffled voices of the others.

 

At night, it was hard to tell if it was a person or a ghost.

 

She finally understood what Ryu Won was worried about at the park entrance.

 

Ryu Won had vanished without a trace. It was just a moment.

 “What should I do?” 

It wasn’t the first time she was separated from Ryu Won.

 

She’d been alone in the library when she fell into the temple program, when she was taken to Jaeho’s lab, and when she fell into the sinkhole, but she’d never felt so scared.

 

Yeon-young has been afraid ever since she suddenly became Sly again.

 

Somehow, she felt that she would never be able to return to Tanato and would be left alone in this world.

 

It was as if she had suddenly died and fallen into the world of Tanato.

 

Yeon-young stood there, lost, and looked at the map again.

 

She steeled herself and started walking towards the lake, but not for long.

 “The paths diverge.” 

The crowd made her dizzy, and she fought back a wave of nausea.

 

She crossed her legs and buried her face under her arms.

 

She would rest for a while and then continue when she felt better.

 

Even as Yeon-young stayed where she was, the others moved forward.

 

It was then that she felt a cool breeze on the tip of her right cheek, bringing all these sensations to life.

 

She could feel the breeze slowly spreading from her cheek and enveloping her face, then her head, then her entire body.

 

As if the wind was protecting this being.

 

The familiar feeling made her slowly raise her head to see Ryu Won leaning over her, looking down at her with loving eyes.

 

His white eyes were as beautiful as pristine snow falling deep in the mountains.

 “I found her.” 

The moment Ryu Won spoke those words, she remembered the first time they met in the forest at the Pillar of Iris.

 

Even then, Ryu Won had come to her rescue, knowing exactly where she was, like the prince on the white horse in the fairy tale.

 

As if he had waited for this moment for a long time.

 “Ms. Yeon-young, you miss me because you’re thinking about something else.” “What?” “You should have held my hand somehow and not let go.” “I’m just…” “What are you going to do, Ms. Yeon-young, to catch me?” 

Ryu Won held out his hand to Yeon-young.

 

She obviously had the option not to take it, but she had the feeling that she shouldn’t.

 

Ryu Won had a look in his eyes that said he was sure Yeon Young would take his hand.

 

This certainty that no matter where he set her free, he would find her again. That look that was sometimes tinged with arrogance.

 

Despite the condescension in his eyes, she couldn’t help but follow him.

 

When she gently took his hand, the stone jumped out of Ryu Won’s pocket and settled into the pocket of her uniform.

 “Well done.” 

The lake that had seemed so far away was closer than she thought.

 

In the middle of the lake, a fountain bathed in colorful lights rose very high.

 

Out of nowhere, he held out his other hand and asked for the pamphlet. Yeon-young handed him the crumpled pamphlet.

 

Ryu Won tore through the pamphlet as if he had memorized it, and his eyes fell on a section.

 

It was the section about the origin of the lake.

 

It began with a story about a man who jumped into the lake and died pining for his dead lover.

 

The man, who couldn’t let go of his love even after death, became the guardian spirit of the lake.

 

The guardian spirit watched over the lovers who came to visit and blessed them.

 

He hoped that they would fulfill their unfulfilled love.

 

And that was the end of the legend of the lake.

 “That seems silly.” “What?” “Why bless other people if you can somehow bring your dead lover back to life?” “You realize that’s impossible, right?” “Not even this lake.” “Mr. Ryu Won, have you been here before?” “No. Why?” “You’ve always been very interested in the origin of the lake, so I was wondering if you knew anything about it.” “I’m only here because my lover told me to come.” “Ugh.” 

Yeon-young bit her tongue, startled by Ryu Won’s bold statement, and let out a groan mixed with pain.

 

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she lowered her head, not daring to close her mouth.

 

Ryu Won gripped her chin anxiously and lifted her head to examine the inside of her mouth.

 

But when they touched, Ryu Won was flooded with memories in an electrostatic sensation.

 

* * * 

 

The events of the past unfolded before Ryu Won as if he had turned back the clock.

 “Did I travel back in time?” 

The place where Ryu Won had lost her earlier was once again in front of his eyes.

 

The only difference was that instead of Yeon-young, it was Ryu Won who had gone back.

 “Yeon-young?” 

Looking behind him, Ryu Won realized that Yeon-young was gone and his eyes turned murderous.

 

The first place Ryu Won went was the lake, where the wind carried him through the air.

 

Maybe he was mistaken and thought that Yeon-young had left before him.

 

When Ryu Won found no sign of her at the lake, he stood up sharply.

 

He swept his fringe roughly up and tousled it. His usual carefree demeanor was long gone.

 

Watching Ryu Won lose his composure, the stone fumbled in his uniform pocket.

 

Only then did he calm his breathing and open his hand.

 

The ring’s light flickered briefly, indicating that he had used the wind to find Yeon-young.

 

As Ryu Won cut through the wind and ran towards her, he couldn’t hide the buck-charm that came from deep inside him.

 

Ryu Won’s fingertips trembled slightly. He saw Yeon-young crouching across from him.

 

His breathing gradually stabilized, like paint mixing with water.

 “Were you looking for me?” 

With a loud bang, the water in the well burst again.

 

At the same time, Yeon-young snapped back to reality.

 

When she saw Ryu Won looking at her, her heart poured out of her like an exploding firecracker.

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