I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: Choice (6)

Startled by the sudden embrace, Harnie tried to pull away.

“W-what are you doing? Let go.”

“…”

“Let go! You have to go. We don’t have time for this…”

The more she protested, the tighter he held her. As if he wasn't letting go.

Harnie’s struggles intensified, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“You said you were busy! You have to return to your world! You have to go back!”

“…”

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? The portal to your world, the world you’ve been longing for, it’s right there! We don’t have time…!”

As she struggled and pleaded, a horrifying sight unfolded before her eyes.

‘What… what’s happening? Am I seeing things…?’

The rectangular portal, shimmering with the power of the jades, was fading.

She thought she was mistaken, but…

‘No, it’s not my imagination…’

The portal was shrinking.

The shimmering light dimmed, replaced by the scenery of this world.

It was disappearing.

The gateway to another world.

As if it was closing.

“Carsein, the portal! It’s disappearing! It’s disappearing!”

“…”

Silence. What was this reaction?

Harnie was confused.

Then, she realized what he was about to do, and she cried out in desperation,

“Go! You have to go now! There’s no time!”

He held her tightly, refusing to let go.

Even though he had heard her, even though he knew the portal was disappearing, he didn’t move.

He remained silent, his expression unreadable.

He was intelligent.

He knew they didn't have time.

He couldn't have missed her words.

He knew he could be trapped here.

He knew.

And yet…

He didn’t move, didn't answer.

No, he couldn’t do this.

“This isn’t your world, Carsein! You were dragged here against your will, you’ve suffered so much! That’s why you wanted to leave!”

He had to return to his world.

“Your goal was to escape this world! To return to your home! Why are you doing this?!”

He had to escape this endless suffering.

“Didn’t you hear me?! Snap out of it and go! You’ll be trapped here forever!”

She wanted him to forget this world, not be trapped in it forever.

“You’ve endured so much! You have to go back to your world and be happy! Are you really going to give up now, when you’re so close?”

Why wasn't he taking this opportunity, this chance to escape?

The portal had lost its rectangular shape.

It had shrunk, barely large enough for him to squeeze through.

This was his last chance.

“Please… please go. Please… don’t make the wrong choice…”

She pleaded with him one last time.

Hoping he would come to his senses and return to his world.

But…

Carsein held her close and whispered,

“This is my choice.”

With those words, the portal vanished completely.

***

‘What have I done?'

It was gone.

The path to happiness, the escape he had earned after so much suffering…

It no longer existed.

His chance to leave everything behind and start anew had vanished.

He was trapped in this world, forever.

‘It’s over…’

Harnie’s face was a mask of despair.

Then, a different kind of sadness washed over her.

‘I… I tried so hard…'

She had deliberately distanced herself from him, afraid that seeing his face would make the farewell even more painful.

She had ignored his messages, avoided him, waiting for the moment he would leave.

She had tried to accept the inevitable separation, despite the pain it caused.

But everything had gone wrong.

She couldn’t stand by and watch him in danger.

‘I helped him, even though it hurt…'

She had thought she could just help him until he left.

He was a cold, distant person. He wouldn't have any lingering attachments to this world.

He was destined to leave, his heart frozen, his emotions barren, unless something changed.

So, she had tried to suppress her own feelings.

She had tried to hide her love for him.

She had tried her best not to become a burden, not to hold him back.

She had kept her true feelings hidden.

Despite the occasional slip-up, she had maintained her composure.

She couldn’t afford a single mistake. If she held him back, everything would fall apart.

…That’s what she should have done.

‘I was prepared to let him go, to deal with the pain of separation. I tried so hard not to hold him back…'

She had endured.

She had endured so much.

She had wanted him to leave, to be happy.

She had pretended, suppressing her desires, putting on an act.

She had wished for his happiness, even though it meant her own suffering.

And now…

All her efforts had been in vain.

Her gaze, which she had averted to avoid showing her true feelings, now locked onto Carsein.

Her eyes, filled with a mixture of emotions, were now filled with resentment.

As if he knew what she was about to say, Carsein released her from his embrace.

-Release.

“Why?”

Harnie pounded on his chest with her fists.

“You’re intelligent. You knew you had to leave.”

Why wasn't he leaving?

He was smart enough to know he shouldn’t stay.

“If you stay here, you’ll be hunted, living a life of constant fear. But if you just leave, if you ignore this world and go back, none of this will matter.”

He had been bullied by his family, ostracized by the world, and he had almost died countless times.

He couldn’t stay here, not after everything he had endured.

“Who am I to you? I’m just… a stranger. One of the many people you’ve met, someone from a different world, a fleeting encounter that should fade like a dream!”

Yes.

There was no reason for him to stay.

Except for the one concern she had mentioned.

With her head bowed, she continued to pound on his chest.

“Why me?! Why would you give up on returning for me?!”

She was just an ordinary person.

Nothing special.

They had met for a transaction.

They had made a contract, a deal.

A fake engagement.

Once the contract ended, they would be strangers again.

That was who she was to him.

“Why… why would you give up on your world… for a stranger?”

“…”

“You said you had a place to return to, your own world, a place where you could be happy. Why wouldn’t you take this chance, this opportunity to leave?”

There was no reason.

No logical reason for him to stay, not after everything he had endured in this world. He should be returning to his own world, creating new memories, leaving this nightmare behind.

-Thump. Thump.

“Tell me! Say something!”

Harnie continued to pound on his chest, her voice filled with anguish.

“…”

Her blows were weak, almost weightless.

It wasn’t resentment.

It was self-reproach.

Carsein gently grasped her wrists, stopping her.

“…You’re the only reason I stayed.”

Her violet eyes widened.

“What… what do you…”

Carsein smiled faintly.

“You were always there for me. No matter what happened, no matter what rumors I heard, no matter what kind of trouble I was in.”

No.

“I thought everyone had turned their back on me. Even my family. I wondered who would ever be on my side. Consumed by the fear of being alone, I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. But then I realized… there was someone who had always been by my side.”

Stop. Please stop.

“I couldn’t have done it alone. I might have broken before I even got here. My blood always ran cold, my mind consumed by logic and reason. I might have become a monster. But then… someone offered me warmth.”

He shouldn’t be saying these things.

He shouldn't.

“That warmth… it kept me from becoming a monster. And… the person who offered me that warmth… is in danger.”

No…

“That’s all. I stayed because of you. And…”

-Reach.

“Now… it’s my turn to save you.”

Tears welled up in Harnie’s eyes, overflowing like a broken dam.

She sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in his chest.

“That’s… not fair… it’s not fair… why would you say that… what am I supposed to do…”

She cried and cried.

“I… I tried so hard to hide these feelings… I endured so much…!”

She cried for hours, clinging to him.

***

“…”

Harnie finally cried herself to sleep.

Looking at her sleeping face, I was certain.

She was Jieun.

I was an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

My heart had always been warmed by her presence.

My memories were filled with her scent.

My past wasn’t something I had faced alone.

I had been able to overcome it because of her unwavering support and trust.

And it was the same in this world.

I wasn't alone.

She had always been by my side, her presence a constant comfort. We had shared these experiences, these moments.

Yes, this game had been sending me messages all along.

Through the Memorials.

Through memories of the past, and moments of the present.

The Hidden Memorials weren’t my memories.

I had never experienced those events.

But the Memorials, shifting perspectives, had been sending me a clear message.

A message telling me to save Jieun.

‘I can’t make the same mistake twice.’

But…

▶ EX Episode: The True Enemy, in progress. ◀

▶ Eliminate the true enemy to save Harnie. ◀

I had nothing.

I didn’t know what to do.

I had no power, no resources.

I didn’t even know what kind of danger she was in.

I felt lost.

…But I had a chance.

I had information.

These two worlds, so eerily similar, provided me with valuable insights.

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