Noticing Heegang suddenly turning around, Taerim asked. Heegang replied coldly.
“What more is there to do staying here?”
Heegang’s words weren’t wrong. But Siyeon asked him.
“Are you giving up on hyung?”
“…….”
“You’re going to forget hyung like this and just live that way? Being obsessed with a Narae who doesn’t even exist?”
“Shut up if you don’t know anything. Then what can we do? All we can see is that damn timer.”
“That’s…….”
When Siyeon couldn’t easily find an answer, Heegang tried to turn around as if he’d expected that. However.
“Perhaps there might be a way.”
Taerim spoke words no one expected with a serious expression. At those words, Siyeon’s eyes widened with surprise.
“There’s a way? You can make hyung come back as Heo Wonyoung?”
“I don’t know. But it’s better than doing nothing.”
“So what exactly is this method?”
At Heegang’s question, Taerim looked at both Heegang and Siyeon once before opening his mouth.
“Let’s try calling the System.”
“What?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Unlike the bewildered Siyeon, Heegang changed his expression as if he’d realized something. Because he too had seen the System before.
“Earlier, Heo Wonyoung-ssi called the System in response to my words, didn’t he? Although it didn’t appear, instead an explanation came saying connection was difficult because of the backup.”
“You’re saying now that the backup is over, it will appear? But that’s literally the game’s ‘System’. Will it really appear at a character’s call?”
“We have nothing to lose. Rather than agonizing like this, it’s better to try.”
Taerim, who spoke decisively, immediately called the System.
“System. Guide of this game. If you’re listening to our story, come out.”
In that moment, all three were shocked. It had been an attempt made with half-doubt, but a shining sphere really appeared before their eyes.
“…….”
The sphere floated silently in the air. As Taerim didn’t know what to do next, Heegang, who at least knew the System, stepped forward.
“Where is Heo Wonyoung right now?”
“…….”
“Answer. Now that you’ve already revealed yourself, is there more information to hide from us? Is there a truth greater than us being data scraps?”
At Heegang’s sarcasm, a sigh was heard. That sound, which was neither Taerim’s nor Siyeon’s, flowed from the sphere.
“……The Player-nim, that is, Wonyoung-nim is currently in the recycle bin.”
“What?”
At the sudden mention of ‘recycle bin’, all three were momentarily stunned. Then, Siyeon asked in a trembling voice.
“Don’t tell me, hyung was ‘deleted’ again?”
“That’s right. All your speculations are correct. Soon Heo Wonyoung’s and your memories will disappear, and the game will return to normal.”
“Is there no way to save hyung?”
The System fell silent again. But Taerim was smiling faintly.
“So there is a way.”
“…….”
“That’s why you appeared before us.”
As Taerim gained certainty, his voice became clearer too.
“You don’t completely agree with the game creator. Isn’t that right?”
“……He…….”
The System hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“The game creator is absolutely not a bad person. He’s just lost his way right now. Wonyoung-nim also bears responsibility for that. He twisted the game too much. More than we expected.”
“That’s because hyung cared too much about us. You’re the ones who pushed hyung into this situation in the first place!”
“So I guess you appeared. Feeling at least some responsibility.”
At Heegang’s words, Siyeon and Taerim directed their gazes toward the System. The System neither affirmed nor denied, but the undeniable fact was that it had appeared before the conquest characters.
Eventually Taerim said.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point. What can you do?”
However, what came back was a powerless statement.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
“What? Then why did you appear!”
“……I cannot interfere with game characters’ opinions or thoughts.”
“How ridiculous. You say you can’t interfere with opinions or thoughts, but erasing everything is fine?”
“That’s the game’s own rules…….”
“The fact remains that you’re the system of this game. Then we have to see you as complicit in that absurdity.”
The System fell silent again. Heegang leaned his back against a utility pole and snorted.
“Seems like you only babble when it’s advantageous to you.”
Heegang’s coldly shot gaze turned back to Taerim.
“So? What are you going to do now?”
“…….”
“Aha, even the great Kyung Taerim has no tricks it seems.”
At those words, Taerim frowned.
“Do you have some good trick?”
At Heegang’s silence, Taerim sighed as if he’d expected that. But Siyeon, who had been quiet, suddenly raised his hand and stepped forward.
“How about we just talk first? Maybe a good idea will come up…….”
“What stupid thing are you saying? Have a nice chat together? This is why gangster bastards. You have nothing in your head.”
“This bastard!”
“You guys chat a lot among yourselves. I have no intention of being here like this.”
Heegang shot back coldly and turned around without hesitation. But unexpectedly, Taerim agreed with Siyeon’s opinion.
“Isn’t that a good method?”
“What?”
Seeing Taerim agreeing with Siyeon, Heegang laughed as if dumbfounded.
“Have you lost it too, Kyung Taerim?”
“No, I’m saying let’s gather information.”
“Information?”
“You said you’ve already experienced something similar to this. Ki Siyeon, you seem to have heard stories from Heo Wonyoung-ssi too. There might be a clue among them to break through this situation.”
Siyeon, who seriously listened to Taerim’s story, nodded and stepped forward to support him.
“I’m for it. I have no intention of running away like someone.”
Eventually, Siyeon and Taerim’s gazes turned toward him as if seeking Heegang’s agreement. Heegang narrowed his eyes, but instead of taking another step, he said this.
“Gangster, you talk first. Since you experienced it first.”
“……I…….”
Eventually, after hesitating for a moment, Siyeon organized his thoughts and opened his mouth. It was a story about how from some point Wonyoung appeared in ‘Heo Wonyoung’s’ form, and about the incident where Wonyoung disappeared due to the bug he caused.
Next was Heegang.
“I thought it was strange from the beginning. Because I know the original Narae.”
Opening with that, he revealed the trigger that made him notice Wonyoung’s identity and what happened after that, as well as the stories he’d heard from Wonyoung today.
“You don’t know anything, so it won’t help.”
When all the stories ended, Siyeon glanced at Taerim and said. Taerim obediently nodded. But for some reason, there was a smile hanging on his lips.
“Instead.”
“……?”
“It might help in bringing back Heo Wonyoung-ssi.”
“What?! You’re saying there’s a way to bring hyung back?”
Unlike the excited Siyeon, Heegang, maintaining his composure, growled threateningly toward Taerim.
“If it’s nonsense, I’ll kill you, Kyung Taerim.”
“I’m not stupid enough to die easily by your hands.”
“Whatever, what is this method? Talk instead of fighting with that psycho.”
At Siyeon’s urging, stopping the two men’s quarrel, Taerim let out a breath and explained.
“It’s a simple problem. The System actually appeared before us, and it’s not disappearing even while saying there’s nothing it can do to help. And as I said earlier, the System is dissatisfied with the game creator’s actions. To be precise, I’d say it doesn’t agree with the ‘restoration’.”
Then the System finally opened its mouth.
“Because I didn’t know it would be like this. I didn’t know Wonyoung-nim would be this reckless.”
“But you can’t abandon that recklessness, can you?”
“…….”
Then Heegang’s eyes widened as if he’d realized something.
“You, don’t tell me.”
Taerim, making eye contact with Heegang, looked at Siyeon who still didn’t understand and said.
“Heo Wonyoung-ssi was deleted before you, Ki Siyeon, and came back after paying a price. But this time he’s not coming back. Either he doesn’t feel the need to, or this time it’s impossible.”
“So?”
“If it’s the former, the situation afterward might become difficult, but anyway, we can get him back. We just have to do the same as Heo Wonyoung-ssi did. I’m saying we should pay a ‘price’ for getting Heo Wonyoung back.”
“Is that possible?!”
Instead of answering, Taerim looked at the System. The System was still silent, but Heegang opened his mouth seriously.
“Seems like it works.”
Eventually he looked around at the two and asked.
“Then who’s going to stake what? If my guess is right, what Heo Wonyoung offered as a price before was ‘memories’. I don’t know what kind of memories exactly, but it was probably memories as ‘Heo Wonyoung’. Since Narae’s memories are just game settings.”
At those words, Siyeon, who had been biting the inside of his mouth, stepped forward.
“I can stake anything. Even my life is fine. As long as you two take responsibility for hyung…….”
“Watch your mouth. Didn’t I say Heo Wonyoung-ssi might be watching?”
“But if we want hyung to come back, there’s no choice. Or are you saying we should stake our memories? In my opinion, when they’re even trying to restore, game characters’ memories probably have no value.”
At Siyeon’s sharp point, Taerim fell into thought. Something with as much value as Heo Wonyoung’s memories in this game…….
Then, something he’d seen earlier flashed through Taerim’s mind. He immediately told Heegang and Siyeon about it. What Taerim brought up was quite unexpected. Among the flustered two, Heegang asked.
“Are you confident you won’t regret staking that?”
“Aren’t you?”
At those words, Heegang chuckled. What a needless worry, he muttered quietly.
Eventually Taerim approached the System and said.
“System, I propose a deal. We want ‘Heo Wonyoung’s’ return.”
Then the System answered as if it had been waiting only for this.
“To change the game, an appropriate price is needed. What will you stake?”
Taerim looked back at Heegang and Siyeon once each. They nodded without hesitation. Finally, Taerim spoke the ‘price’.
“We will stake our ‘favorability’.”
* * *
“What? Stake what?!”
And Wonyoung, who had been watching all of that, shouted in dismay.
