Let’s Not Write A Novel Recklessly

CHAPTER 13 – FINALE

The three stepped through the gate into a lush green meadow. The fresh air and the mirror-clear sky were dazzlingly bright. They were accustomed to the dark skies of the Demon World.

“There! There’s a temple! Shall we go in?”

In the center was a huge temple that was emitting an intense aura. 

“Yeah. I think we have no choice but to go in there. Let’s go!” 

Se-ho stopped Fran and Kairan, who were about to run out.

“Wait a minute, I think we should take a look around, just in case.”

“No! I think we should defer to Kairan here, we’re in a hurry.”

“I’m not opposed to going in, I’m just saying it’s better to take a look around and make a judgment call.”

“Don’t you know majority rule? Don’t give orders when you’re not even a real prince, and can we please speak in our native tongue because it’s awkward?”

“It’s not a command, it’s a reasonable suggestion. I’m comfortable in this tone, and when have you ever been a prince?”

Se-ho’s temper rises as he speaks.

“You’re the reason we’re here in the first place!” 

This was not a Fran who would stand idly by.

“Don’t muddy the waters, when you’re incapable of doing anything but sobbing….” 

“I never did!”

Kairan looked at the two of them with cold eyes. Honestly, at first, the two of them fighting every time they opened their mouths was a bit amusing. But now it was tiresome and even a little pathetic.

“Why don’t we just take a look around and go in when we’re not fighting….”

But Kairan’s mutterings didn’t reach them. Deciding it would only be to his detriment, he kept quiet.

After a while, the warring Se-ho and Fran finally agreed. 

“Let’s go our separate ways.”

“Okay. I’m tired of looking at your face, so let’s do it.”

Turning away from each other, the two walked in different directions.

There was only one entrance to the temple anyway, fools. Kairan couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

Between those two idiots, Tae-ram, and the two people he’d left behind, he felt at ease for some reason. It was a comfort he had never felt in over ten thousand years of life. Maybe, Kairan thought, this is what Tae-ram had been talking about, this trust.

A relationship with a colleague. If he hadn’t met him, he’d never have known, and maybe he’d tell him about their relationship.

“I’m coming with you!”

Kairan ran to pick up the fools.

* * *

Tae-ram was walking through a space he didn’t recognize. He had no idea why he was wandering around or what he was trying to do, only that he needed to get out of there.

But as he walked and walked, he kept coming back to the same place. At some point, Tae-ram became disoriented.

Where did he want to go? More importantly, who was he?

There was silence everywhere. He was terrified that he would wander forever in this unknown place. He wanted to get out of here now.

“I’m scared. I wish someone would show up….”

He pushed his fears aside and started walking again.

* * *

After walking for a while, Tae-ram felt a strange pull and entered an unfamiliar space.

It was a row of slightly dilapidated grayish-brown buildings, with trees planted in rows. It was still uninhabited, but at least it was a little better than the space at the beginning.

“Is there no one here? Where am I?”

Just as Tae-ram was feeling a little disappointed that he was alone here too, someone suddenly appeared. 

“Tae-ram, I missed you!”

The voice came from behind him, and just as he was about to turn around, the voice grabbed him from behind and hugged him tightly. It was a redheaded man, taller than Tae-ram.

“What are you, let go, let go!”

Frightened by the sudden contact, Tae-ram squirmed and tried to break free of the man’s embrace, but he didn’t budge.

“That look is a little hurtful, but Tae-ram flapping is cute, too! I shouldn’t be doing this, but I’m getting a little excited.”

“Stop making creepy noises and get off me!”

Tae-ram shouted sharply, and for some reason, the man’s grip loosened. Tae-ram took advantage and quickly slipped out of his arms.

“He’s really angry. It’s not funny that he hates me.”

The sight of the emaciated man made a pit in his stomach. Upon closer inspection, the man was quite handsome.

Was he too harsh? He looks like a puppy in his innocence. Maybe he’s a little cute? 

“When you jump on someone like that, you startle them.”

“Then you didn’t push me away because you didn’t like me?”

“I don’t know you well enough to know if I did or didn’t.”

The man, who had almost cheered up a bit, was depressed again by Tae-ram’s cold words that seemed to draw a line in the sand.

“It’s a shame because it was so fresh at first. After all, I like you for remembering me.” 

“Do you know me?”

“Yes, I know you very well. I found this hard, so please accept it.”

The man pulled a round ball of light out of his pocket.

“What is that?”

“It’s not dangerous, can’t you trust me?”

Tae-ram shuddered, but at least the man in front of him didn’t seem like someone who would do him any harm.

“Okay. Give it to me. I don’t know what it is, but it’s pretty, so I’ll take it.” 

“Yeah, here it is, just what you need right now.”

The man immediately handed Tae-ram a round ball of light. 

“It’s warm.”

The ball of light absorbed into his body as soon as it was in his hands. 

“What do you think?”

All sorts of information poured into his mind: how he’d stayed up all night studying to come to the school, how he’d taken his college exams, and how happy he was when he’d passed. It was a mysterious sensation.

“I remembered, I was a student at the university.” 

“Good. I’m in the right place.”

The man’s body began to blur as he smiled in relief. 

“Aha, just like that.”

Tae-ram was sad to see the man disappear.

“Hey! What’s your name? Will we meet again?”

“Yes. We will meet again soon, so don’t be sad. Just remember me when you do.” 

Before Tae-ram could reply, the man had completely disappeared.

“I don’t know why, I’m so sad.”

Tae-ram stood there for a while before deciding to move again. He still didn’t have the whole picture, but he knew the ball of light would be of great help to him.

“Let’s just aim to find that ball of light.”

He picked himself up and walked at will until he came to a strange, yet somehow familiar place. There were a lot of books on the shelves in the room. Tired from wandering around, Tae-ram decided to rest there for a while. Luckily, there was a sofa to make himself comfortable.

“I’ve never seen these books before, but they’re really interesting.”

He flipped through the pages of one book after another. He was engrossed in the book for a while. The door opened and someone walked in. It was a dark-haired man with dashing features, and he was delighted to see him.

“Tae-ram, there you are.” 

“Who are you? Do you know me?”

The man’s face instantly stiffened at Tae-ram’s words. When it disappeared, the man’s expression turned cold. It was a shame, Tae-ram thought because he was so handsome.

“I had expected that you might not remember me, but it’s still hard.”

Tae-ram felt strangely uncomfortable as he met the man’s sad eyes. He didn’t want to see him sad anymore. A lame excuse sprang to mind.

“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling very well right now, and I’ve always been bullied for not being able to remember people’s names… But then I realized who it was that said that. How did I forget that? I must have a really bad memory.”

“That’s okay. You’ll just have to fill in the blanks.” 

“Uh… That’s very nice, so….”

“It’s Lee Se-ho. Let it go. You’re always like that.”

The aggressive man’s attitude made Tae-ram feel quite embarrassed, but not in a bad way.

“Yeah, well, since you say so, it must be, but it’s weird. There’s no way I’d forget such a handsome junior….”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

The man smiled sweetly, and Tae-ram felt as if the air in the room cleared. If this were a sport, that would be foul play, he thought, cooling the heat in his face with his palms.

“That book you’re reading was written by Min-ah. Don’t you remember?” 

“Min-ah?”

“There was a time when I was jealous of the relationship between Min-ah and you….” 

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything.”

“That’s okay, you’ll remember everything, please take this.”

The man handed Tae-ram a round ball of light. This time he took it without warning. Just like before, new memories came flooding back.

“How had I forgotten about Min-ah? We were so close….”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember the last thing about the handsome man in front of him who claimed to be his junior. Tae-ram felt even more sorry.

“I’m sorry. I still don’t remember you.”

“It’s okay. Oh… I wish I could stay, but I guess I can’t. I guess I didn’t get to say what I wanted to say after the battle.”

The man’s body began to blur. As he faded away, he called out urgently.

“Senior, when we meet again, even if I don’t remember you, please come to me first!” 

“I will!”

At the man’s desperate cry, Tae-ram’s mouth opened involuntarily. It felt like he had to say that.

“It was nice to see you in that club room! I knew we’d end up fighting if we ran into each other, but still, every time….”

He didn’t finish his sentence and disappeared completely. 

“…He’s gone.”

Tae-ram felt an emotion greater than the sadness he felt when the redhead disappeared. It was a great loss.

“If I get my memories back, I’ll be able to see him again, right?”

The next place Tae-ram found himself in was an ornate, medieval European-style room that he couldn’t help but feel familiar with. It was a place he could not relate to as an ordinary college student, so he could only watch with his mouth open.

“And… That’s big. How much is all that?”

“You really like to put a price on things, Tae-ram.”

A small chuckle came from the side. Tae-ram turned his head toward the source, and there stood an impossibly beautiful man.

“Oh, hello.”

A mint-colored man with a beauty that transcended gender. Nervous, Tae-ram stuttered.

“I’ve missed you so much, Tae-ram.”

“You’re here to give me memories too, aren’t you, and so are the two before you, and why are you so handsome? Are you all fairies?”

“Fairies? That’s an interesting thought. Unfortunately, they’re all human. ah… Except for one?” 

“I think I recognize him, the one you just mentioned. That’s the one with the red hair, right? He’s a bit dog-like.” 

“Well, Kairan is dog-like, but Tae-ram is cute, even if he’s lost his memory.”

“What? No… I hear that a lot, but that’s because… You’re prettier!” 

“Thank you, please call me Fran.”

The man stared longingly at Tae-ram, his eyes filled with an unknown desire. 

Shuddering at the intensity of his gaze on his face, he absentmindedly brushed the back of his neck.

“I thought about being trapped here with Tae-ram for the rest of my life, but I’ll stop now. I don’t want to make any more mistakes.”

Tae-ram thought the man looked scary because of his appearance. 

“Don’t be so wary. Will you accept this?” 

The man handed the ball of light to Tae-ram, just as the two before him had done.

“Thank you.”

Tae-ram remembered his family.

“I’m such a weird kid, how did I forget my family’s faces… I must have done something wrong.”

“It’s not weird at all, there’s only one person who did something wrong.”

The man looked back at Tae-ram and smiled wistfully. He felt a strong urge to comfort him. 

“I guess it’s time to go back.”

The man’s body began to fade.

“We’ll see each other again, right?” 

“Of course.”

The man smiled, pretty but still sad, and Tae-ram wanted to comfort him. 

“Next time we meet, don’t feel sorry for me.”

“What?”

The man’s eyes flickered impatiently.

“You kept looking at me earlier, so I can’t help but notice. It was only for a moment, but I don’t think you’re a bad person, and someone who looks so pretty can’t be that evil… Anyway, I forgive you all, so you don’t have anything to be sorry for!”

The man who was about to disappear shouted.

“Tae-ram, I had a family too, so you shouldn’t feel guilty for me too!”

* * *

Tae-ram closed his eyes and opened them to see a space where nothing existed. He felt like he had had a long dream.

[This is your last memory.]

A talking sparrow held out a ball of light. 

“Eek! Bird. A bird is talking to me….”

Tae-ram rubbed his eyes with both hands in disbelief. The unidentified creature still hovered in the sky.

[Thank you, child, with a shard of possibility, you are very funny, stop being scared and take this.]

The moment he touched the light, he remembered everything. Everything he’d forgotten came back to him, and he was grateful to Se-ho, Fran, and Kairan. And to his little friend who had been helping him all along.

“Yellow, you’re in there, right? Thank you. Really.”

The yellow bird’s expression changed from sullen to affectionate. Tae-ram knew at once that Yellow was back.

“Yellow, is that you?”

[It’s me. Thanks to you, this world is one independent world. Thank you for everything, and take care.]

“What? Dude. I mean, it’s like the last time.”

Just as Tae-ram was about to say something more, the room shook.

* * *

“Have you returned?”

As Tae-ram regained consciousness, he found himself on the bed in the guest room of the palace. When he first landed here, he felt uneasy, but now it felt as comfortable as his room in the original world.

“Tae-ram, do you remember me? It’s Kairan!”

He turned around at the familiar voice and saw the people he’d missed coming toward him. 

“T-Tae-ram, are you feeling well?”

“After what you did, do you think you can talk to Senior?”

“Tae-ram is a gentleman. He forgave me for my sins even though he lost his memory, and it’s none of your business!”

“It’s my business, why is it none of my business!”

“I thought about you when you were a prince, but you’re so self-centered. You and Tae-ram have nothing to do with each other.”

“At least I think our relationship is deeper than yours!” 

Kairan looked at the two of them and said something frightening.

“Is this what you call fighting and settling down, no. Was it a battle love affair?” 

“Kairan, where did you learn to say that?”

Se-ho shook his head, stunned.

“Amil told me in a vision that that’s what he calls a relationship that works, even if you argue.” 

“That’s very one-sided knowledge. It’s horrible and I hope you don’t say that again.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m offended that there’s a relationship involved.” 

“You two keep hanging out, I’m going to Tae-ram!”

Kairan ran at a frightening speed toward Tae-ram, followed by Se-ho and Fran. 

“Hey, Kairan, I thought we said we weren’t going to bother him.”

“Fran is right. Kairan is too selfish.” 

“You two are close after all, right?”

“No!”

“No!”

“Look at them. They’re breathing in sync.”

Things were getting out of hand. 

“Stop arguing, sit down over here, there’s a lot I want to hear.” 

Tae-ram decided that he was the only one who could clean up the mess.

The three men who had been arguing turned to him and smiled. It was nice to be around such handsome boys.

The yellow one said. The world in the book is now a world of its own.

The little world at his fingertips had become real. It was a special experience that will never happen again. And he’d made a friend.

Although there is still a lot of work to be done, Tae-ram is looking forward to the days ahead. He just needs to be careful in the future. ….

“Do not write a novel recklessly.”