Chapter 35: The Second Desire Quest (2)
Words are truly mysterious. A single careless word can become either a blessing or a curse.
"Think three times before speaking," "One word can pay off a thousand ryō of debt"—there was a reason there were so many proverbs about words.
'Stay strong.'
'Don't worry.'
'You can do it.'
For example, words with positive intentions could sometimes become wounds to the other person, depending on the circumstances. When offering comfort to someone in a desperate situation, one had to wonder if that comfort was a premature word.
Twenty-three-year-old Seo Juhwan didn't know that fact. So he unintentionally wounded the other person.
'Stay strong? Oppa, how am I supposed to stay strong...?'
Han Soo-ah, crying tears down her cheeks, spoke those words.
Her face bore serious scars, and she was in a wheelchair because one of her legs was missing. Even her arm, which should have been able to wheel the chair, wasn't in good condition, so without someone's help, even slight movement was difficult.
It was rather miraculous that she had survived at all.
To say something like "stay strong" to such a person was only natural that resentment would follow.
'If only Oppa had just come to pick me up then....'
'...'
Seo Juhwan opened his mouth but ultimately couldn't speak the words aloud.
He was worried that even a single word of apology would wound her.
Days later.
Han Soo-ah left letters for her parents and acquaintances and took her own life.
'I'm sorry. It's not Oppa's fault.'
A brief letter was left for Seo Juhwan as well.
'Soo-ah...!'
Even in that moment of taking her own life, was she still thinking of him?
Han Soo-ah, who had been kind-hearted by nature, departed without even being able to properly resent anyone.
Tears flowed endlessly from Seo Juhwan's eyes as he read the letter.
'Soo-ah...'
His heart ached as if it had been pierced by a sharp blade.
Everything felt like his fault, and he felt guilty because of it.
*
Good morning~!
Ding ding ding~!
Beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep beep!
The demon alarm rang from his smartphone.
Seo Juhwan opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling before spitting out a curse.
"Damn it."
The incident with Han Soo-ah happened on the day he went to a concert with Seo Juhui. After returning from the concert and heading home, Han Soo-ah caught the eye of a vicious criminal who was being heavily reported in the news at the time.
The criminal dragged Han Soo-ah to a secluded place. After that, he not only committed rape but also dismembered her body. The criminal wasn't just a simple rapist but a serial killer famous for dismemberment murders.
"Damn it."
Seo Juhwan spat out another curse, and his eyes glistened with moisture.
The content of the dream, the memory of that day, was still vivid.
Han Soo-ah asking him to come pick her up.
Han Soo-ah crying at his words to stay strong.
Han Soo-ah smiling brightly in the memorial photo.
The reason this memory, buried in a corner, surfaced so clearly was probably because today was that very day.
Ding!
[Detected the user's intense desire.]
[Desire Quest has been activated.]
"Save Han Soo-ah!"
▶ You have continued to regret it.
'If I had gone to pick her up on time, such a thing wouldn't have happened.'
It was not an incident that happened because of you, but it is true that you could have prevented it. That is why your trauma deepened day by day. Without blaming anyone, you cursed yourself for your own misfortune.
But you are different now.
You know the future, and you have more than enough ability to save Han Soo-ah.
Now, overcome this trauma.
▶ Completion Condition: Han Soo-ah's safe return
▶ Reward: 20,000LP
It was the second desire quest.
*
Today, like any other day, he was having lunch at the snack shop.
Han Soo-ah and Seo Juhui, sitting at the same table, exchanged words with serious expressions.
"You're ready, right, Soo?"
"Of course, Hee."
The two stretched their arms and clasped hands.
To them, Seo Aera spoke in a displeased tone.
"Can't you skip the concert? The news has been chaotic because of that vicious criminal lately."
"I can't, Mom! This might be the last concert before the group disbands!"
"Auntie, I'll be careful and go straight there. Really, I won't go anywhere else."
"Sigh. They keep reporting this on the news..."
Despite the two's answers, Seo Aera looked at the TV with anxiety. The TV was covering a recent series of murders that had occurred in Bucheon.
The criminal's identity was unknown. All that was known was that based on the crime scene, the perpetrator was likely a large male.
Watching the situation, Seo Juhwan naturally placed his hand over the backs of the two hands and spoke.
"Don't worry, Mother. I'll go with them."
"Oh my, really?"
"...What?"
"Huh?"
The surprised mother, Seo Juhui looking with eyes that said it was absurd, and Han Soo-ah making strange sound effects.
Seo Juhui crumpled her face and spoke accusingly.
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean? I'm saying I'll go to the concert with you."
"No! I mean, why are you coming along! Do you even know whose concert we're going to?"
"Swing Lady concert, obviously. Hey, I'm a bat too."
Swing Lady's fanbase name was bat.
The exact fanbase name was "bat," but among fans, they used the slang term "battas" because it sounded cooler.
Seo Juhui narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Liar. You, a bat?"
"You're really suspicious. Look, if I managed to get a ticket while in the military, doesn't that prove something?"
Seo Juhwan confidently pulled out a ticket from his pocket.
Still, Seo Juhui looked at the ticket with suspicious eyes. Finally, she took his ticket and even compared it with her own to verify its authenticity.
After confirming that the ticket was real, Seo Juhui looked at Seo Juhwan with a newly surprised expression.
"You weren't interested in celebrities?"
He explained the reason with a composed face.
"Try being locked up for over a year in a place crawling with only men. See if you don't develop interest in girl groups. And in the military, the first thing you listen to when you wake up in the morning is girl group songs, and the last thing you hear before bed is girl group songs."
"Wow. That was actually true."
It was, of course, a lie.
It was true that he listened to girl group songs when waking up and before bed, but Swing Lady was such a niche group that they didn't receive attention from soldiers. And honestly, except for one member, their visuals and vocal skills weren't worth noting.
Seo Juhwan's words were merely an excuse to avoid suspicion.
Then how did he get the ticket if he wasn't even a fan?
Obviously, he had purchased a scalped ticket. Buying a scalped ticket was the first thing Seo Juhwan did when he came on leave.
Anyway, as time passed.
"Let's go now."
"Will they really disband?"
"I hope they don't."
Seo Juhwan and the two high school girls set out to watch the concert.
- 175 Advanced Chapters of {The Desire System: Reincarnated with a Demon God's Gift}: patreon.com/aristo0_0