The Love That Remains

He is relying on this weird woman temporarily.

The last eight years doesn"t mean anything to him. It is just that he likes her happy face when she eats the food he cooks. Just a bit. She is still annoying. Less bothersome than Fate, his archenemy, but more vexatious than most mortals.

Eight years ago, he didn"t show her the whole truth because she didn"t need to know. He offered her the truth. She was keen to accept. But he chose to reveal her the truth that answered all of her questions. The reason behind the sudden silence of w.a.n.g Mei. The reason why her father hated her. The truth about her mother. The reason why Sung Jun left her in her past life.

That was enough to manipulate her and she left with him. For the last eight years, they have changed people"s fates and changed the future. It reduced the fate"s strength. She had helped him in regaining his power.

He has been playing the game with the G.o.d of fate for a long time. But this game created an imbalance in the powers of the three G.o.ds. The G.o.d of fate and the G.o.d of death has become powerful than him. He is tired and bored. The G.o.d of fate is too proud to give up. He isn"t willing either. Giving up means being imprisoned back to his realm since the G.o.ds cannot die. That"s not a choice.

Reis isn"t a saint. He doesn"t care about anything much. He just wants to relax a bit. He wants a bit of peace. Without the interference of the G.o.ds, the world is going to end anyway. But it will take longer.

He peeps at the sleeping woman. He needs her to come with him again. Willingly. Forcing a woman isn"t his style. Sung Jun will find them soon anyway. Fate is behind him. He needs her to choose him over Sung Jun.

"It will hurt a bit, woman." Reis hesitates a bit before he places his index finger between her brows. The tip of his finger s.h.i.+nes.

***

I find myself sitting on the roof of a bus. I don"t know where I am going or where this bus is going. There is n.o.body beside me. I have no idea about the driver, but his driving is reckless. It is odd because I don"t remember climbing the roof of the bus. I look around and find only the green fields with no ends. Where is this place? It is nowhere.

I blink twice. The scene has changed. I am not on the roof of the bus. I am in a hotel room. This scene is too familiar to me. This is the memory of my previous life. Sung Jun is sitting on the bed and holding a phone. My naked body is sprawled on the bed without any shame. His other hand is patting my head.

"Have you arrived there, Mother? Is father really sick?" He sounds a bit annoyed. "He isn"t pretending, is he?"

"In that case, I will leave right now."

"No, I don"t want her to get tangled in this."

"No, she won"t leave me after learning about my ability to see ghosts or the council."

"Alright."

He ends the phone call. He kisses my head. I hear myself complaining in sleep and his chuckle. He gets ready in front of me. Before he leaves, he writes a note and sticks it on the lamp near the bed.

The words written on the note are "I will come back. Stay out of trouble."

After he is gone, a strange breeze comes from nowhere. The note falls on the floor. I see the red thread of the G.o.d of fate that came along with the breeze and pus.h.i.+ng the note underneath the table.

I have seen it all before. Now, I wonder if I am dreaming.

The stage s.h.i.+fts. Sung Jun is sitting across his father. Both of them are keeping poker faces. The butler looks like he is going to have an anxiety attack.

I sit on the floor. This is a long conversation. It"s not fun to see this dream. It would have been fun if I could set this office on fire. They can"t see or hear me. This is a thing of past.

"Where is my mother?" Sung asks in a bitter tone.

"After she found out that I tricked her, she was quite mad." His father seems amused and throws in front of Sung Jun. "It was her temper that attracted me to her once. Anyway, She is fine. I have locked her in the room."

Sung Jun doesn"t pay any heed to his father. He takes the file and opens it. He stares at my picture in the file.

"This is a lie." Sung Jun scowls at his father.

"Is it? Have you not wondered why she is living with a nanny? Who is her mother?" There is a twinkle in his father"s eyes. "You can ask Jaemin if you think that I am lying."

"What do you want?" Sung Jun scorns at his father.

"I want you to leave her," He tells him cheerfully.

"That won"t do."

"Then, I will have her imprisoned."

"You can"t do that."

"You underestimate me, my son."

His father flinches when he sees the undisguised hate in his son"s eyes. But his smile doesn"t falter.

"The seal is protecting her from her mother, isn"t? What if I tell her how to undo that seal? Or maybe, I should break the seal myself and bring her here as a specimen. She is only living child of Dabria." He adds, "Dabria must have some feelings for her."

After a long silence, Sung Jun says in an emotionless voice, "You are not fit to be the president of the council."