Chapter 101

When I arrived at the hospital, it was already close to 8 p.m.
I told Miss Yura I’d buy her something since she’d been dragged around without even eating dinner, but she jumped in shock and said,

“If you do that, I won’t be able to visit you again!”
“You don’t have to come.”
“Uh, what?”
“Don’t come.”

At the seemingly cold words, Miss Yura’s expression darkened. I tapped the back of her hand and said,

“I’m going to die soon, so why would you want to see me in a bad state? I want to say my last goodbye while I can still smile.”
“Hyunji…”
“I hope the me you remember is the me from today.”
“……”
“Don’t come again. Thank you.”

She didn’t even try to comfort me with empty words like “you might get better,” so it seemed Jang Hyunji’s illness really was severe. A disease’s prognosis can collapse in an instant—looking fine on the outside doesn’t mean it’s true inside.

I wanted Jang Hyunji to suffer for a long time and taste misery, but there is no “Archangel’s Blessing” in this world. It was unfortunate, but also a relief—wishing her to suffer for a long time didn’t mean I wanted her to live long. She must have no future, no hope. She shouldn’t enjoy what she stole from Mari.

After sending Miss Yura away, I returned to my hospital room and sat on the bed, looking out the window for a while.

This dying body had no strength. Just one outing left me drained. If I closed my eyes like this, I might faint.

Several notifications had come to the smartphone.

There was not a single message from the uncle who had taken the money. I hadn’t expected him to thank me, but I had hoped for a few sarcastic words to irritate me. It was a shame. Luckily, I had taken photos of the money bags and his house’s gate in advance. This world was very convenient.

“I’m sorry you’re sick. But I have no reason to hear that kind of talk from you.”
“I thought we were friends, but I guess that was my mistake.”
“I don’t want to say anything bad. Live well.”

I could understand very well why Jang Hyunji had wanted to look confident in front of this friend.

Her feelings toward this friend were like my inferiority toward Enoch.

I didn’t want to cry in front of Enoch, didn’t want to show my weak side. I wanted to hide it, even with false bravado.

Maybe Jang Hyunji would think it was worse that “I” sent her a photo of my current pitiful state to that woman and poured out my honest feelings, than throwing all her money at the uncle she hated. If it were me, I would.

We were the same—pathetic, gloomy, and foolish in exactly the same way.

I could somewhat understand why Jang Hyunji had chosen to possess me. Why couldn’t we become strong? We had the stubbornness to try, but in the end, couldn’t overcome.

I could understand why she wanted to throw away her life.

But I only understood.

If she hadn’t killed Mari, maybe I wouldn’t hate her this much. Among all the things she stole, Mari was the only one that truly had value.

She could take Linus, the family—take it all. Well, she couldn’t have my body, of course.

Thinking about it now is useless.

Even if I realized that the woman who tried to erase me from the world was actually pitiful, that doesn’t mean I have to acknowledge it.

A thief is a thief, and a murderer is a murderer.

A pitiful thief, an unfair murderer—it’s all the same.

Being pitiful doesn’t mean you can take what belongs to others.

There was still time left.

How could I make her endlessly miserable when she returned? She already had so little that I couldn’t take much from her like she did to me. Maybe the only thing she had was me.

She had no one.

Maybe a mother who loved her daughter, maybe a friend she admired.

The money was all thrown in the trash, so Jang Hyunji wouldn’t be able to stay in this luxurious hospital for long.

I didn’t know the exact procedures or laws of this world, but… without money, wouldn’t she have to go back home? Back to the house she had set on fire with her own hands. It was only a shame I wouldn’t be able to see that delightful scene myself.

Beep—

Bee pressed its head against my cheek, letting me know it was there.

“Bee. What more can I do?”

Bee tilted its head, then fluttered up. In the dark hospital room, Bee’s light was dazzling. It blinked slowly, then began to grow larger.

A moment later, Bee stood before me as a small girl.

I almost cried. My eyes stung.

Mari.

“No, Bee. Don’t do this.”
“Florence?”
“Don’t. You can’t. You’re Bee.”
“You can call me Mari.”

I couldn’t.

I shook my head.

“No. Mari is one of a kind.”
“……”
“You were trying to comfort me, right? Thank you.”
“……”
“You’re a great spirit, Bee.”

The Great Spirit of Fire.

When I saw Bee follow me across worlds, I had vaguely guessed its identity.

The Great Spirit of Fire, who repeats death and rebirth over thousands of years, had never once answered a human’s call. No one had ever seen its true form—it was small, warm, and mischievous.

Bee only smiled quietly instead of answering.

“I really like that name.”
“Mm.”
“Shall I fix that body? So you can enjoy your gift longer?”
“No. You don’t need to do anything.”
“You know who I am, and still won’t ask?”
“Yes.”
“I could make that body crippled.”
“I’ll die soon anyway.”
“I could burn more of your skin.”
“Just stay by my side.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”

There was nothing more I wanted from Bee. I didn’t want to ask for such things. I quietly looked at it and added,

“Will you go back to your original form? It’s still hard to look at.”

Bee’s body, in Mari’s form, was engulfed in large flames and soon became a small bird again. I kissed the little bird’s head, closed my eyes, and waited for time to pass.

The phantom pain that had come every night didn’t come.

Neither fire nor darkness scared me.

I wrote a letter to Jang Hyunji, setting it so she’d see it as soon as she turned on the screen.

“You really are a pitiful human.”
“But I still won.”
“Thanks to you.”
“I’m going to be happy.”

Everything I could and should do was done.

Now it was time to return.

“Laila.”

The day I lost Mari, I shared a secret with Laila.

We cut our palms, mixed blood, and made a magic oath—a contract binding our souls. My soul belonged to Laila, and in exchange for making me her servant, she would protect me until the end of my life.

“You’ll be my servant like Nelson and Ted while alive. Is that okay?”
“Once I die, I’ll be free, right?”
“You can go to hell or heaven—wherever you want.”
“I’ll go first and wait for you.”
“I might die first.”

If I could meet Mari after death, it didn’t matter what happened while I was alive.

“Then can I enter your shadow now?”
“You’re… human…”
“I can’t?”
“Nelson and Ted are demons, not humans.”
“…Really?”
“Don’t be disappointed. Why would you even want that?”
“You’re the one who said being able to do anything is important.”
“Increase the number of things humans can do.”

If Jang Hyunji could take my body, then I could do it too. But unlike her, I didn’t know how to return my soul to my world. She had pushed in, but I had only been pushed out.

It was too big a gamble to try with nothing but baseless faith. If I failed, it would only benefit her. Neither Laila nor I could allow that.

The contract with Laila was meant to be a guide.

To guide me so I could return to my world.

Wherever I was, even in another world, I would know where Laila was. She led me like a star.

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.

“Florence. Come back.”

My consciousness headed far away—toward my own world.