The Hero Volume 7 Chapter 21

The Hero

Volume 7 – Disjunction

Chapter 21

With that answer from earlier, Haneul was convinced.

He wasn't the only one that had fallen into this world.

"In this world, my father has already passed. The one who is left in my family is my mother now."

Haneul coolly spoke the truth.

JoonYoung's eyes began to shake. He quickly tried to escape from his current spot.

"It, it was a mistake. I'm fine now. I don't have any problems with my head. I'm fine!"

"I know. You're not crazy. You might seem that way for others, but I will never think that way. You should know as well. You and I have the same memories from our world!"

Haneul yelled.

Everyone in the café turned to stare at him.

However, Haneul did not care.

A heavy silence fell between the two.

Haneul did not dodge JoonYoung's eyes. He continued to stare straight into them.

JoonYoung also did not want to leave his spot anymore. He had no reason to run. With a cold look to his face, he sat back down.

"Do you think I can believe what you're saying right now? It was 1 year at the least, that I was stuck inside the insane asylum. You probably don't know what happens to people who awaken when they're not in the right state of mind. Thinking that I might start a huge problem, I was imprisoned, and it all began from my own family. That's why, in order to get back into the normal flow of things, I put in quite the effort. I had to prove that that was something that had occurred from momentary shock."

JoonYoung had put in bone grinding effort to come out from that place.

"Because I put in the effort, I am able to be here today. It's been so many years since it's happened, so why are you in front of me again and saying such things? What are you expecting?"

"I'm not expecting anything. I just want to know the truth. The things that you have gone through and the things about this world."

"Shut your mouth, Haneul. Do you think you can understand the things that I have been through?"

"It's exactly as you've said. I don't know what you've been through in this world. However, the life that you've lived, the life that you're trying to cover, I'm the only one that you can share it with. Because, just like you, I am an alien to this world. Trust me."

Alien.

That word melted into JoonYoung's heart.

It was just as Haneul had said.

JoonYoung was an alien to this world.

Nobody in this world believed in what he was saying. They just assumed that it was an illness. A syndrome that had risen from a wound during a rift.

For 1 whole year, he had to receive psychotherapy, and during that whole time, JoonYoung had cried out loudly. That there weren't such things as rifts in his world. That he had believed to have gone unconscious for a moment, because of a truck that had run into him. He had thought that he was dead. Yet, that's when he realized that, in order for him to get out of the asylum, what he needed wasn't the truth, but lies.

"I really can't understand what you want from me."

"You really don't understand?"

Haneul was trying his best to control his emotions, but suddenly, his face expression completely changed.

"JoonYoung Lee, open your damn eyes, collect your mind, and look at me. Just like you, I was suddenly transported to this world. We are the same. You should understand by now, so why are you trying to look away from the truth?"

A long silence fell between the two, as if it was planned.

The coffee was now completely cold.

JoonYoung was unable to take his eyes off Haneul, and was lost in thought. As always, his face was filled with disbelief.

However, that expression had now become a bit gentler, as he affirmed the truth that he had heard from Haneul just moments ago.

Haneul now felt that JoonYoung was ready to speak with him.

"You died that day. In the world that I had lived, you were no longer existing. Even after the accident, until the moment that I got transported to world B, you were still dead."

"Okay. If my chance to come to this world was because of my death, then what about you?"

"It's because of this ring."

Haneul showed JoonYoung the silver ring.

"Ring?"

"A little after I put this ring on, everything changed."

"Do you think that even makes sense?"

"Is there a reason why it wouldn't make sense? To me, Heroes, monsters, magic and the like are all things that don't make sense."

"How absurd. You're saying you came to this world after you put the ring on? Anyone would think that what you're saying is a joke."

"Do you think that I would want to meet you here right now to joke around about something like that?"

"…….Then why are you still wearing that ring?"

"It doesn't come off."

As if to tell JoonYoung to try and take off the ring, Haneul stuck his hand out. JoonYoung tried to take it off, but no matter how much strength he put into it, the ring didn't budge as if it had become one with Haneul's body.

"There definitely is something wrong here."

"I'm not going to strain myself to take it off. Even if I take it off, there's no proof that I'll be able to go back anyways."

"You're going to accept it so simply? It took me a whole year to accept that fact."

"It's weird for me too. The amount of time it took me to adapt to this world is abnormal. Something weird is going on with me."

Haneul coldly stated his own condition.

Speaking with JoonYoung and thinking back to his own past, Haneul felt that something was weird. Personality, demeanor, behavior, driving force……..Everything was comparatively different to the Haneul from the past. He could say that it was a result of his decision and experience, but even still, Haneul felt that he was a completely different person from who he was in World A.

Seeing that Haneul was lost in thought, JoonYoung tried to change the atmosphere.

"Do you remember the thing that happened in 6th grade? During the school field trip, NaKyung Yoo…….."

"Are you talking about when she kissed WoonSung Kim outside?"

JoonYoung made a shocked expression.

Haneul smiled.

"Back then, you used to teach me sex education. Even when you were young, you were always horny. Since, I didn't know anything, I always had to go to you for clarity. And, because you weren't too sure yourself, you would always tell me the wrong things."

JoonYoung closed his mouth.

In the beginning, he was suspicious, and until just a few moments ago, he was thinking 'maybe'. However, at this moment, he was now sure.

The memories that he had buried in the past was now coming out from someone else's mouth. His best friend that was with him from elementary school till junior high - Haneul was in front of him.

Chapter 21 Completed.

Chapter end