Chapter 521 – The Second.

Today, I came to the zoo with Mom.

Before starting kindergarten next week, I managed to persuade Mom to come to this place just once more.

To be honest, I felt slightly guilty for calling her when she’s so worn out from work.

But hey, isn’t it fine for a little kid with a single-digit age to throw a tantrum like this?

“Son, where do you want to go?”

“I want to see the dolphin show!”

This is my last bit of babying before heading to kindergarten.

I held Mom’s hand and walked along quickly.

I thought I was walking impressively, but it didn’t feel that great in reality.

“Son, are you that happy?”

“Yes!”

Still, since Mom seemed to enjoy it, I felt good about it.

I was also excited to see the dolphin show in person, something I had only seen on TV.

However, that excitement quickly faded, like a piece of gum stuck to the ground.

“Looks like they’re resting today.”

“……No way…”

What caught my eye was a sign blocking the entrance to the performance hall.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t learned yet, or maybe it was simply a word I’d learn in kindergarten, but the letters were all hard to comprehend, even though I could read them.

No Entry, Poor Construction, Collapse, Danger, Repair Scheduled.

“Looks like we won’t be able to see it until next year.”

“NO!!!”

I think I heard Mom say life doesn’t always turn out as expected.

I didn’t really get what that meant, but I felt completely wronged.

I just barely managed to drag Mom to the zoo, and now I had to give up what I wanted.

“Son, how about we see some other animals? What about the tiger?”

“No! I came to see the dolphin show!”

And with Mom saying we should go see something else instead of what I wanted, it only made me more upset.

“Son, let’s come back another time. I promise.”

“No! I’m going to wait here!!!”

I vaguely felt I shouldn’t act like this, but I couldn’t help but be stubborn.

Maybe if I threw a fit, it would somehow resolve itself.

“Son, I’m sorry. What should we do if we can’t see it today?”

“No! I’ll stay here until I see it! I’m not going anywhere!!!”

“To make it up to you, I’ll go get some cotton candy, so cheer up.”

“I don’t care!”

But Mom just left the spot.

Sure, I was a bit glad she said she’d bring cotton candy, but the fact that she was leaving made me even angrier.

I came all this way to see the dolphin show with Mom.

Tears started to well up in my eyes out of frustration.

– Thud. Thud. Thud.

“……I wanted to see it together…”

As I wiped my tears, I fixed my gaze back at the performance hall.

There was a lot of stubbornness in my eyes, which I hadn’t released with my tears.

“Liar… There’s a dolphin inside…”

Then, I slightly pushed the door to the performance hall, which I passed by.

Maybe someone hadn’t locked it because that large glass door opened easily with my small hand.

As soon as that happened, the stubbornness I had before got heavier.

If it wasn’t locked in the first place, then why was the door open?

They were just a bunch of liars wanting to enjoy themselves without me.

I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.

With that thought, I pushed the door hard to get inside.

“Are you really going in?”

“……Huh?”

A thin voice from behind made me stop in my tracks.

“I think it’d be better not to go in.”

“……Who are you…?”

I turned my gaze nervously, feeling like I’d been caught doing something bad.

“Nice to meet you.”

“……”

There stood a girl who looked about my age.

She was as dark as I was, with long black hair that reached the floor.

She wore a black dress that didn’t quite fit in with the zoo.

And there was something slightly ominous about her red eyes.

“Aren’t you going to greet me?”

“……”

Upon seeing her, I couldn’t help but smile a little.

Even though I had never seen this person before, she felt too familiar to me.

Not the ‘me’ as a child, but the ‘me’ now.

“Nice to meet you, Piece-nim.”

[It might sound a bit strange to say it’s been a while, but it’s nice to see you anyway.]

At my words, Piece’s appearance changed slightly.

The childlike form stayed the same, but somehow she seemed trapped within a fragment of a dreamlike background.

As if she weren’t supposed to exist here in the first place.

“Isn’t this dangerous?”

[Just came because I felt something was off, but was it a mistake to worry?]

Seeing Piece’s faint yet confident smile, I forced a smile of my own.

It wasn’t really a smile for her but rather a laugh at my pitiful self.

“Oh no, it was really touch and go this time.”

[Glad it wasn’t in vain then.]

To be honest, this time was extremely dangerous.

I had resolved not to buckle, but I never expected it would hit during this season.

It could very well be the only real breakdown in my life.

Thanks to that, I had been keeping the memory of this period tightly hidden in the back of my mind.

“But how did you know about this?”

[I just had a chilling feeling.]

With the word parent leaving scars, I couldn’t shake the feeling.

If I had faced the worst accident because of my foolish actions, and that guy had asked me to give up afterward, I would have said I was thinking about it, even if I didn’t know what that meant.

At that time, I wanted to give up on everything.

“Even if the reason is weird, thank you anyway.”

[It’s the only way I can help.]

In that moment, I remembered something Piece had once said.

To break free from the possibilities through regression, it’s not enough just to recognize them.

The entire timeline must be completely nonsensical or brought to a definitive end.

However, this was undoubtedly a timeline with tangible possibilities.

One with a horrific outcome I never wanted to experience again.

Honestly, I worried about how to escape from this midway point.

“But how do I escape from here now?”

[Take this.]

At that moment, Piece handed me a small fragment.

It was too big for my childhood hands to hold, with sharp edges that could easily draw blood.

“What is this?”

[That is all that I am.]

At the same time, it was Piece (피스) herself.

“What should I do with this?”

[If you have that, you can forcibly bring this timeline to an end.]

“So there’s no next time?”

[I’m sorry. This is all I can offer.]

It must have been the essence of Piece herself.

“And if I give this to you, Piece-nim, won’t you completely disappear?”

[There will be a slight grace period, but yes, I will disappear.]

I gave a wry smile and gripped that fragment tightly with both hands.

A tingling sensation began to appear in my palms as blood started to pour forth.

My childhood instincts were screaming at me to let go of it, but I pushed harder with my grip.

This was all that Piece had, and she trusted me enough to hand it over.

It was an act of completely discarding her existence.

In other words, she was choosing her own death.

[But why does your face look like that?]

“This time, no matter what I do… I don’t know about the next time.”

I felt very sorry for Piece, but truthfully, I was worried.

If Piece didn’t show up this time, I’d really be in danger.

I kept thinking about whether I’d be able to endure next time.

[If you have that, at the last moment, when that guy asks you, you will be able to recall everything.]

“Still, I can’t help but feel worried.”

Plus, enduring it wasn’t the end of the line.

I was truly about to be left all alone there.

The despairing fact that I could never see Piece again.

But Piece simply smiled and suddenly pressed her forehead against mine.

[You can do it.]

“……Is that so?”

[I believe so.]

That was Piece showing me her utmost trust.

“……Thank you. I’m just receiving help till the end.”

[Usually, I’d want to hear everything after it’s all done, but hearing it beforehand isn’t so bad either.]

In that case, the least I could do was not betray that trust.

Before I knew it, the trembling in my hands had stopped.

It might have been that I lost all feeling from the excessive bleeding.

Or maybe it was because I had finally strengthened my resolve not to break.

[Are you ready?]

“Yes.”

What remained was simple.

This wasn’t a possibility that shouldn’t exist.

I had to bring down this world with the borrowed power of Piece.

To keep the promise of returning home.

[Insert it.]

“Understood.”

Rejecting the instinct to cling to life, I plunged that fragment into my neck.

Deep enough to ensure a proper severance.

Soon, a torrential spray of blood erupted from my neck, and my consciousness began to blur.

At the same time, Piece’s form started to shatter and disappear.

And the world began to crumble along with it.

[So this is goodbye.]

“Guess… so.”

This truly marked a complete farewell.

The thought of never seeing her again made me well up with emotion.

Suddenly, hot liquid began to flow from my eyes without me realizing it.

In that moment, Piece waved her hand to me with a bright smile.

[Take care.]

“Thank you.”

And I responded to Piece’s smile with a smile of my own.

Even though this led to our eternal farewell—an irreversible result.

I still thought I needed to leave her with a smile one last time.

That was our way of saying goodbye.

“But what do I do about the Elf Coin? This sucks.”

[Ah, right. F*ck.]

Of course, we ended things on our note, with a curse.

And the world returned to normal.

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