“It’s the first time Tae Woon-hyung has ever introduced someone privately… and you’re surprisingly young.”
Then, Lee Hangyeol covered his mouth to stifle a yawn and gave a brief bow.
“I’m Lee Hangyeol. Sorry, but could we talk another time? I haven’t slept in almost three days, and I’m seriously about to pass out.”
That was all there was to his reunion with his younger brother—whether after 21 years, or 68.
Even after hearing his name directly, Lee Hangyeol showed no interest whatsoever and simply opened the door to the sleeping chamber. Clack. The sound of the door shutting echoed coldly inside Kim Sibaek for a long while after.
***
He thought he wasn’t shaken, but once he sat down on the sofa back home, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably. Kim Sibaek laced his hands tightly together.
Trying to ease the burden, Lord Biendeoé offered comforting words through the Divine Words.
[Death and Beauty says it’s totally normal not to recognize someone if you haven’t seen them in over twenty years. And they add that the brother in question parted ways with my Apostle at a young age.]
“But I recognized him right away. Maybe because Hangyeol hasn’t changed much, unlike Woonie…”
[Death and Beauty asserts that the problem lies not with my Apostle’s brothers, but with this very world.]
[Death and Beauty insists that this world called Earth is broken—since it rejects my Apostle.]
Is it me who’s broken? Or is it this world? With a heavy heart, Kim Sibaek rested his head against the back of the sofa.
[Death and Beauty, glancing at you cautiously, asks if maybe it would be better to return to Mak Slechth.]
“…Yeah, maybe that would be for the best.”
Kim Sibaek murmured bitterly. He had vowed to forget his hometown and rid himself of all lingering attachments. Yet, the long-buried yearning never left him. But really, what was the point in staying in a world that so thoroughly rejected him?
Knowing that Tae Woon and the others had grown up safely and become capable adults—wasn’t that the sole purpose of this abrupt return?
[Death and Beauty offers reassurance, saying that many people who love my Apostle await him in Mak Slechth.]
“…”
Biendeoé was right. Though Kim Sibaek had once left many things behind on Earth, now he had left behind far more in Mak Slechth.
He had spent 28 years on Earth, and 68 years in Mak Slechth. The scales of life and memory had clearly tilted to one side. Only one child’s memory…
…No.
Even continuing the thought felt exhausting. He didn’t even want to think about why his existence had vanished from Earth. Confirming that Tae Woon had grown up safe and sound—that alone was enough. It should have been enough.
Kim Sibaek closed his eyes.
The sleep that had eluded him the night before finally fell upon him, heavy as death.
Was it a dream? Unlike the gentle warmth that brushed his forehead, the voice that seeped slowly through the depths of his unconsciousness was starkly devoid of emotion.
“Hyung.”
“All I want… is just one thing. For you to stay with me, always…”
It wasn’t that the voice lacked emotion—it felt emotionless precisely because it was suppressing violently churning feelings, stuffing them down and grinding them into silence. Before he could follow it to the end, the voice faded away.
Blinking, Kim Sibaek stared up at the ceiling. He touched his forehead—there was a coolness lingering that wasn’t his own. Was it not a dream?
“Did Woonie come by just now?”
[Death and Beauty looks at you with drowsy, half-awake eyes.]
“No, he didn’t.”
Must’ve been a dream. He’s too busy with work to make a trip up here.
Brushing his hand across his forehead, he sat up. He thought he’d been asleep for a long time, but only a few hours had passed. Then again, how could he sleep deeply with his mind in such turmoil?
And then—it happened.
As if it had been waiting for him to wake, a translucent window suddenly materialized in midair before his eyes. It resembled the projection of Divine Words, but with a noticeable difference. This new window repeatedly warped and inflated, crumpling and shrinking again, as though struggling to stabilize—until it finally settled into a familiar rectangular shape.
But the text it displayed was anything but familiar.
[System update complete.]
[Ba-da-da-daaaam♬♪♬ Returnee ‘Kim Sibaek’! Earth sincerely welcomes you back! (ง˙∇˙)ว]
“What the hell…?!”
[Death and Beauty asks what’s wrong.]
The Divine Words window overlapped with the new system interface. Even more bewildered, Kim Sibaek turned toward Biendeoé.
“Can’t you see this in front of me?”
[Death and Beauty gazes at you with growing concern.]
“No, I mean, am I even sane right now…?”
It was clearly right in front of him, yet he was the only one who could see it. As he spoke, a chill swept through him. Had Tae Woon been living with this surreal, senseless feeling for 21 years?
Kim Sibaek closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again. Calmly, he spoke.
“A new window appeared—it looks like the Divine Words interface, but it’s something different. It’s calling itself a ‘system,’ apparently…”
[Death and Beauty is aghast.]
[Death and Beauty cries out that no divine being can communicate with humans except through Divine Words.]
“I’m sorry, but the Divine Word window and this system window are overlapping, and it’s really messing with my vision.”
“……!”
Biendeoé shut his beak tightly, his eyes glaring wide open. Kim Sibaek, now showing only one of the windows, asked cautiously,
“Is ‘System’ your name?”
[Returnee Kim Sibaek! You must be so surprised by your sudden return! But don’t worry! Though the upgrade took some time, we’ve prepared a very special gift just for you ◦°˚＼(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦]
“Why was my existence erased?”
[Open your gift now!]
Unlike Divine Words, this communication wasn’t two-way. Kim Sibaek swallowed dryly and thought about tapping the new ‘Accept’ button at the bottom of the window.
[Tutorial Quest 01]
[Say “I love you” to a living being.]
[Time remaining: 5 minutes 00 seconds]
A living being… Kim Sibaek glanced around. An avatar form counted, right?
“Um, Lord Biendeoé? I love you.”
[Death and Beauty puffs up proudly, asking why you’re saying something so embarrassingly obvious between the two of you now.]
“It’s a quest from the system. It says I need to say ‘I love you.’”
“……”
Peck!
“Ow.”
Kim Sibaek rubbed the spot on his hand where the fledgling crow’s beak had poked him.
[Tutorial Quest 01. CLEAR]
[Correct! (⋆ˆ ³ ˆ)♥ A living being doesn’t have to be human, after all. Humans are just one species out of countless infinite ones! Were you expecting a quest reward? The warm, fuzzy feelings shared with someone you love is your reward.]
[Then, Returnee, we’ll see you again next time for another quest!]
Had Biendeoé read that, he likely would’ve flown into a rage, screaming not to spout such bullshit. Just as Kim Sibaek was thinking maybe that was all this weird and unfamiliar system window had in store, a new line appeared.
[Oh, by the way! If you fail to complete or refuse a quest… Earth will be destroyed.]
…At that moment, the message didn’t immediately register. The gravity of the word “destruction” in reference to an entire world didn’t match the system’s frivolous tone.
[Hard to believe, right? It’s such a sudden notice. We totally get it.]
As if reading his thoughts, the system continued flashing messages.
[Here’s a final bonus! Witness Earth’s destruction with your own eyes!]
The moment the text entered his field of vision, something vast and unfathomable surged into his mind like a flood crashing through the gates.
A silent landscape.
It wasn’t immediately clear that the view unfolding was from a first-person perspective. The angle was far too high—so high, in fact, that recognizing the broken pillar as Namsan Tower didn’t come easily. The confusion stemmed from the surrounding chaos, with numerous beasts towering around it, matching the tower’s crumbling height, obliterating any sense of scale.
Enormous beasts sang. But the song was not heard—it was seen. Drawn by that visual melody, countless beasts gathered upon the ruins of what was once a human civilization.
Ah. Kim Sibaek finally understood. This was a requiem—a hymn of annihilation offered by the beasts to their master, Chaos. The stillness of the scene came from the utter extinction of life—human and otherwise.
Yes. This was Earth’s total and undeniable destruction.
His aerial perspective abruptly narrowed, plummeting toward the ground as though the Earth itself surged up to meet him. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Countless cadavers greeted him.
[■…….]
Before he could even comprehend the phoneme of whatever had been mangled and uttered, the vision vanished as suddenly as it had come, receding like a tide.
Leaving behind a single, transparent tear that wasn’t his own.
[Cheer up, our beloved Returnee! °✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧°]
And with that final, flippant message, it ended.
