Not A Regressor-Chapter 350: Starlight (2)

A mixed-use high-rise apartment near Hapjeong Station used to be a modest twenty-pyeong unit. Thanks to renovations, it had been expanded into a spacious fifty-pyeong home.

After several months, the door to Kwon Oh-Jin’s house burst open.

Song Ha-Eun flung both arms in the air, kicked off her shoes haphazardly, and dashed into the house. “We’re hooooome! Haa. Now that’s the good old smell of our couch.”

Flopping face-down onto the living room couch, she grabbed the cushion that Kwon Oh-Jin usually used like a body pillow and hugged it in satisfaction.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled softly at her over-the-top excitement. He wasn’t as giddy as Song Ha-Eun, but was in a good mood as well.

“It feels nice to be home after so long.”

Maybe this was how it felt to return home after a long overseas assignment. Their experience in the Demonic District flashed through his mind like a panorama, and a smile crept onto his lips.

“Let’s leave unpacking for tomorrow and just relax today.” He dropped the bag that could carry an infinite amount of material on the ground and set down his gear in the corner of the living room.

That bag had arguably been the MVP of their journey in the Demonic District.

Now that they had safely returned home, a wave of fatigue struck him like a blanket.

“I think I’ll need to step out for a bit,” Isabella said.

“Where to?”

“I just got a message from Roberto. Some urgent matters came up that I need to deal with.”

“Ahh.”

The Colgrande Family managed dozens of businesses. It wasn’t surprising that work had piled up in her absence.

“But do you really have to jump back into work the moment we get back?”

“I’ll just take care of the urgent stuff and come right back. Let’s have dinner together, okay?” Isabella leaned in and kissed Kwon Oh-Jin on the cheek.

“Mmm.”

Moments like this made him feel like a pampered househusband living off his rich wife’s earnings.

“See you later, Mr. Oh-Jin.”

“Yup. Oh, Ha-Eun and I’ll prepare dinner, so take your time.”

“With unnie?” Isabella looked skeptically at Song Ha-Eun, still sprawled out on the couch.

Song Ha-Eun hugged her cushion tighter and spun around with a pout. “Hey! I can cook, you know?”

“Of course, anyone can cook. It’s just a matter of being any good at it or not.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Nope,” Isabella firmly and bluntly replied.

Song Ha-Eun curled up like a shrimp, looking deflated. “That’s so mean...”

“Hehe, I’m just teasing, unnie. I’ll look forward to dinner, okay?” With a light pat on Song Ha-Eun’s shoulder, Isabella smiled and headed out the door.

Now, only Song Ha-Eun and Kwon Oh-Jin remained in the living room. She patted the seat beside her, inviting him to sit. As soon as he did, she casually draped her long legs across his lap and flopped back on the couch.

“It’s been a while since it was just the two of us like this,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Yeah.” He leaned back against the couch and gently massaged her legs resting on his thighs.

She trembled with delight and basically melted into the cushions. “Ahhh. Right there. A little harder.”

“Hey, could you not say things that are so easy to misinterpret?”

To anyone overhearing, this definitely wouldn’t sound like a massage.

“Huh? Misinterpret what?” She cocked her head innocently until she realized what he meant.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. With a sly grin, she gently rubbed her heel along his thigh as her gaze grew hotter.

“Well then, why not make it so it's not easily misinterpreted?”

“Let’s just rest for today...”

“Ugh, boring. Fine. Then, move your hands, you jerk.”

Kwon Oh-Jin blankly stared at her as she playfully turned away with a pout.

He chuckled and grabbed the TV remote nearby. “Wanna watch something?”

“No, I’m good.” Still turned away, Song Ha-Eun stared silently at the blank TV screen and carefully asked, “Oh-Jin...”

“Yeah?”

“Um... You know what you told me before about the Heavenly Demon?”

On their way back to Earth, after everything had wrapped up in Niflheim, he finally came clean to both Song Ha-Eun and Isabella about the Black Heaven, being a Regressor, and the Heavenly Demon’s true identity and purpose.

They were both shocked.

Not quite as stunned as Vega, but both of them had looked at him like he had betrayed them for keeping these secrets. He hadn’t been able to talk to either of them properly for the first few days afterward. Thankfully, they had forgiven him before returning to Earth.

Their situation is different compared to Vega.

Unlike Vega, whom he had lied to about everything, Song Ha-Eun and Isabella had partly known the truth already. The shock didn’t hit quite as hard, especially for Song Ha-Eun, who already knew about the Black Heaven and Kwon Oh-Jin pretending to be a Regressor.

“So, there are two of you, right?” Song Ha-Eun turned back around and looked up at Kwon Oh-Jin.

He nodded. “That’s right.”

The Kwon Oh-Jin from the past life, and the Kwon Oh-Jin of this one. Their lives and ways of living were different, but the fact remained that they coexisted in the same timeline.

“Hmmm. Two Oh-Jins, huh...” she trailed off and squirmed her toes on top of Kwon Oh-Jin’s thigh. Then, as if struck by a good idea, her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. “Should we share?”

What the hell would we share, you crazy woman?

“Don’t look at me like that. I was joking, geez.” Song Ha-Eun burst into laughter and poked him in the side with her toes.

“What do you think, Ha-Eun?”

“Hmm? What do I think about what?”

“That there’s another me.”

“Oh, that?” She rested her head on top of her clasped hands. “To be honest, it doesn’t really feel real. I haven’t seen him myself or talked to him or anything.”

“Fair enough.”

If the roles were reversed and someone told him that Song Ha-Eun from the past timeline was still alive, he probably wouldn’t think too much of it either.

“Well, when I first heard about it, I did feel kind of bad for him...” She slowly sat up and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Her gentle, pleasant scent tickled his nose.

With a faint smile, she wrapped her arms around his. “But I still wanna stay with you, Oh-Jin.”

Song Ha-Eun knew from Kwon Oh-Jin that the Heavenly Demon had gone through unbearable pain and countless sacrifices for her sake. Honestly, a part of her felt sympathy for him, but that flimsy feeling wasn’t nearly enough for her to choose the Heavenly Demon over him, who already had a place deep in her heart.

“Still, the Heavenly Demon would devote himself to you alone.”

“Hmm. Now that you say it, it is kind of annoying.” She squinted and pinched his side. “Past Oh-Jin said I’m all he needs, but the current version of you seems like he won’t be satisfied until he’s got a bajillion wives, huh?”

“That’s...” Kwon Oh-Jin honestly didn’t have a leg to stand on there.

He hung his head with a defeated expression.

Song Ha-Eun laughed brightly and rubbed his stomach gently with the same hand she used to pinch him. “Still, I’d rather have someone like you who looks after all the people he cares about than some guy who says he only needs me and doesn’t care if everyone else dies.”

“Ha-Eun...”

“Aww. Were you scared I was gonna leave, you cute little thing?” She tugged at his cheek with a teasing smile. “We made a promise, remember? That we’ll stay by each other’s side forever.”

Song Ha-Eun’s grin immediately loosened his stiff expression, but her follow-up question made his face harden again.

“So, what are you gonna do about Vega?”

Just thinking of Vega made him feel stuck, as if a cloud had settled over his chest.

“I have to visit the Sanctum.”

He heard that she had shut her temple doors, but he couldn’t just sit back and wait for her to come out on her own.

“Well, knowing Vega, I think she’ll understand. She likes you too, after all.”

“You knew?”

“Please, she was so obvious about it. How could I not?”

Even without some special female intuition, just looking at Vega’s eyes when she gazed at Kwon Oh-Jin made it crystal clear that she had feelings for him.

“Haa. Of all things, I didn’t think you’d go and seduce a Celestial.” Song Ha-Eun rubbed her forehead like she had a headache.

Then, she climbed onto his lap and pushed him back onto the couch.

“W-Wait, Ha-Eun!”

“No can do. The more I think about it, the more I feel like you deserve to be punished.”

She had planned to let him rest since he said he was tired, but all this talking made her blood boil. There was no way she could leave him alone.

“Let’s get at it until I’m not angry anymore... You know the drill, right?”

“Ugh.” Knowing he had wronged her, how could he say no?

Kwon Oh-Jin swallowed hard and pulled Song Ha-Eun in tightly by the waist as she straddled him.

***

The next day, Kwon Oh-Jin arrived at the Sanctum with a deep sigh. His steps toward the temple felt as heavy as lead.

How am I even supposed to apologize?

Thinking of how betrayed Vega felt weighed on his chest like a stone.

“I have to go see her first...”

Just standing there, lost in thought, wouldn’t produce any answers.

Following the path that stretched out like the Milky Way, Kwon Oh-Jin made his way up toward her temple. Vega’s temple sat at the very top of the Sanctum. Of the three branching paths, he made his way toward the one that led to the Weaver’s temple.

Just as Allen had said, the doors to the temple were firmly shut. Standing before them, Kwon Oh-Jin bit his lip.

He raised a clenched fist and carefully knocked on the door. “Vega...”

No response came.

He knocked a little harder.

Knock, knock.

“Vega, I have something to say.”

The tightly shut doors began to open, little by little.

Woong.

He sighed in relief—

Wham!

“Kugh!”

With a violent shock, Kwon Oh-Jin flew back like a missile. It felt like his insides had twisted and tangled. Nonetheless, clutching his stomach in agony, he slowly raised his head. A wolf with silver fur stood in the doorway.

“Riarc...?”

Riarc looked down at Kwon Oh-Jin with lifeless, icy eyes. “After using Lady Vega however you pleased, you have the nerve to come here and ask for her to open her doors?”

His icy tone contained a thick, restrained fury.

Kwon Oh-Jin staggered to his feet. “I have something I need to say to Vega.”

“Something you need to say?” Riarc scoffed and stepped closer to him. “Lady Vega said she has nothing more to say to the likes of you.” 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Kwon Oh-Jin could only remain silent.

“Leave.”

Instead of answering, Kwon Oh-Jin took a step toward the temple.

“Tsk. I figured you’d do something like this.” Riarc curled his lips into a savage grin and bared his white fangs. “If you really want to see Lady Vega...”

With the sound of bones breaking, Riarc transformed into his werewolf form.

Crunch, crack!

“You’ll have to get past me first, kid.” The beast’s eyes, gleaming with bloodlust, locked onto Kwon Oh-Jin.