CHAPTER 189: DÉJÀ VU

’SOULMATES.’

It was a common word, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wonhee thought the word was familiar.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel it on a more personal level.

"Bitna-ya, have we talked about this before?" Wonhee asked, confused. "I feel like I’m having a déjà vu."

"Yeah, I already mentioned this to you once."

"But I don’t remember..."

Oh.

Wonhee knitted her eyebrows when the realization finally hit her. "Did someone mess with my memory again?"

"It happened when Hwang Yejun came to pick you up here."

[No wonder I fainted back then even though I was fine before that.]

"The System had to because, back then, you didn’t know that the world had been reset yet," Bitna explained, smiling apologetically at her. "But now that you know that you and Hwang Yejun were the ones who ended up saving the previous world, the word ’Soulmates’ isn’t forbidden anymore."

"Is being Soulmates relevant to saving the world?"

"Yes," Bitna said while nodding. "There are Fated Pairs like Han Graham and Ahn Kisoo who have a high matching rate because they are meant to be. The same goes for Yeon Soobin and Shin Geon."

Oh, right.

[Those two pairs have the highest matching rates in Korea except for me and Yejun.]

Ah.

[There’s one more pair.]

"Yes, Park Ruda and Lee Seodam also belong to that category," Bitna said as if she could read Wonhee’s mind. "All pairs who have a matching rate over 75% are considered Fated Pairs. That’s why only Awakened People within that range are strongly encouraged to do the Advanced Treatment. After all, only the Fated Pairs could feel the benefit of having sex with each other. If a Hunter and a Guide with a low matching rate have sex, nothing much will happen."

And that exactly what happened during the ’dark times’ when the laws for Advanced Treatment weren’t properly established yet.

"But the pairs referred to as ’Soulmates’ are pairs like you and Hwang Yejun who have a perfect matching rate," Bitna continued with her explanation. "There’s a belief that Soulmates are two souls who were born from the same star. Then they got separated when their star crashed into the earth. Hence, they must find each other at all costs in order to be complete."

"I don’t know if that sounds romantic or creepy," Wonhee said, shaking her head. "The hopeless romantic in me finds it sweet. But the logical part of my brain tells me it’s quite the chore."

Bitna laughed as if she found Wonhee’s words funny. "You know, the world suffered because you and Hwang Yejun found each other a little too late."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Yeah. And when the world was reset, the System didn’t awaken you," Bitna said. "You were supposed to awaken at the same time as Yejun so that the two of you could grow together this time. But the System decided to nurture the Hunters who sacrificed themselves in the past first. After all, the world after the Outbreak was too dangerous for a Guide like you."

[You’re also a Guide, Bitna-ya...]

"It was unfair to Yejun since as a Soulmate, he’d never be compatible with another Guide," Bitna continued, obviously sympathizing with Yejun. "But, fortunately, his suffering ended earlier than it did before."

"Bitna-ya, you seem to know a lot about the previous world. I thought everyone had forgotten about the previous world when the world was reset."

"I was in the other world when it happened, so some of my memories were retained."

"Then why..."

"Why I still got stuck in the dungeon?" Bitna asked, smiling. "Because I just recently retrieved my memories when I opened a door of one of the Floors in the Tower."

Wonhee knitted her eyebrows when she realized something important. "Wait. You were able to retrieve your memories when you were in a different world? And Yool will regain the stored memories in his original body that’s currently residing in a different world. That means our memories of the previous world are deleted here. But if we go to a different world..."

"I have the same theory as you, Wonhee-ya."

"Then should I ask the System to send me to another world in order to retrieve my memories?"

"The System wouldn’t risk your life, Wonhee-ya," Bitna said, laughing as if she found her suggestion adorable. "And it’s not guaranteed that all your memories would return anyway. Take me for example. I remember the things I did to help you save the previous world. But I don’t know who or what started the second apocalypse."

"To simply put, you have no recollection of who are enemies are?"

"The Virus deleted all the information about who or what caused the apocalypse."

"Then how would we know—"

"There was one thing the Virus failed to destroy before the reset," Bitna said, cutting off Wonhee as if she already knew what she was going to ask. "It was Gong Yool’s original body— he had the full data about the second apocalypse."

Wonhee flinched because she already knew where the conversation was headed. "Yejun already asked the System to bring the other Gong Yool here instead of sending back our Gong Yool to the other world."

"But didn’t I just say that the important data about the second apocalypse gets deleted as soon as we return to this world? That means we can’t ensure that the data the other Gong Yool brings would remain intact if the System succeeds in summoning him here."

Oh.

Yeah, they just talked about that.

"The Virus takes control of the corrupted part of the System," Bitna explained patiently. "That’s how the Virus can hide the Status Windows of the people it controls."

"It hides the Status Windows of the villains?"

"So that the System wouldn’t detect who the enemies are— and that’s why the System depends on your feelings heavily, Wonhee-ya."

"Me? What do you mean by that?"

"The System can’t detect the enemies, but the System believes you can subconsciously tell allies and enemies apart," Bitna explained. "That’s why it rewards the people you cherish and punishes those you dislike. The more negative feelings you have towards them, the heaviest their punishment is."

That was the same thing that Yejun said, but Bitna explained it better.

"But what if I was wrong?" Wonhee asked, worried. "Seodam-ssi’s skills dropped just because I was hurt by our break-up. That wasn’t fair..."

"Well, you can always increase his stats if you want."

Oh.

That was...

"Do you find the responsibility heavy?" Bitna said, raising an eyebrow. "It’s normal. And that’s exactly why everyone who knows the truth doesn’t want you to find out."

"I’m not a kid who needs protection."

"The kind of protection that you think they’re doing might actually be different from what it actually is."

"What do you mean by that?"

Bitna fell silent for a moment before she opened her mouth. "The way I see it, they just want to lighten your burden. You already saved the world once, Wonhee-ya. The System nurtured them first so that you wouldn’t have to suffer again. To simply say, for them, your previous sacrifice was enough— it’s time for you to rest easy and let them do the job they failed to do in the previous world because they weren’t strong enough to support you back then."

Oh.

[Oh.]

Wonhee failed to see it from that angle.

[Because I got mad right away.]

"But your feelings are valid, Wonhee-ya. You have the right to get mad at everyone for keeping you in the dark," Bitna said while patting Wonhee’s shoulder. "Just don’t get too hard on them— I know you care about those people, too."

That was right.

[Just because I’m upset right now doesn’t mean I hate them already.]

Wonhee was about to say something when, suddenly, the nauseous smell of camellia flowers hit her nose and made her dizzy.

"What’s wrong, Wonhee-ya?"

She wanted to tell Bitna that she was feeling unwell, but she could only shut her eyes tight and cover her ears with her hands.

There was a loud voice ringing in her head, after all.

["Chu Wonhee, please help me."]

Wonhee suddenly opened her eyes. "Park Ruda-ssi?"

"Ruda has just left..."

Oh.

[Why am I suddenly here?]

***

"DON’T WORRY, Semi Noona," Yejun said while standing on top of the roof of his parents’ house and talking to Semi via his Status Window. "I have a skill that lets me know where Wonhee is."

"That’s stalking. Make sure you only use that skill for emergencies!"

"Yes, Noona..."

He trailed off when another Status Window popped up.

[GUIDE CHU WONHEE IS AT THE GALEN MEDICAL CENTER WITH HUNTER LEE SEODAM!]

What?

"Noona, Wonhee is back," Yejun said, knitting his eyebrows. "Apparently, she’s with the fake carnivore."

***

WONHEE looked around and realized that she was in a familiar hospital room.

After all, Lee Seojin was there— still lying unconscious in the bed.

"How did you get here, Wonhee-ya?" Lee Seodam asked curiously. "Did you teleport? Alone?"

Yes, it was Lee Seodam.

[Fortunately, he’s the only one in this room at the moment.]

"I wanted to visit Seojin," Wonhee answered vaguely, avoiding Lee Seodam’s curious gaze. "How is he?"

"Ah, I see you don’t want to answer my questions."

[It’s not that I don’t want— I just can’t because I don’t even know how I got here.]

"Wonhee-ya, did you really come alone?"

That question made her feel uncomfortable.

Wonhee turned to Lee Seodam— surprised to see that he had already gotten too close. She was about to ask him to give her more space, but someone suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. It almost gave her a mini heart attack.

Fortunately, the familiar voice echoed in the room almost immediately.

"N-Noona..."

Oh.

Wonhee beamed when she turned to Lee Seojin and realized that he was already awake. "Jin-ah!"

Seojin was about to say something, but he suddenly coughed up blood.

"Jin-ah!"

At the same time, the door of the hospital suddenly burst open and several men entered without permission.

But Wonhee immediately recognized them.

[What are they doing here?]

***

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