Hugo tilted his head in puzzlement as he looked at Baby Lee Gun. He seemed worried because Baby Lee Gun was acting very differently from his normal self.
“What is wrong with Gun? He isn’t crying, nor is he making a fuss. For some reason, he’s very quiet today.”
It was beyond being quiet.
“Why is he so glum?”
As Hugo said, Baby Lee Gun was lying on his back, appearing lifeless. His expression looked oddly resigned. This was why Hugo wondered if something was wrong with Lee Gun.
In truth, the fallen Lee Gun was cursing.
‘Damn it!’
He had met Hailey after several years, and it was a great experience. Everything had been great except…
Damn this body of a baby!
Lee Gun despaired as he flailed his small body.
Hugo’s curious expression turned even more curious. Why was he being like this?
After meeting Hailey, Lee Gun was acting a bit strange.
An oddly suspicious look entered Hugo’s eyes as he looked at Lee Gun. When he and the others had gone searching for the missing Baby Lee Gun, they had arrived upon Mimir changing the diaper of a humiliated Lee Gun. They saw Aslan uproariously laughing as he pounded on the wall.
Moreover, Hailey was watching Lee Gun, and Shiva was trying to distract her.
Hugo found this odd. Why was Aslan suddenly laughing while watching Lee Gun’s diaper change? He had seen that numerous times before.
Anyway, Lee Gun had become sullen after that incident. Why was he acting this way?
Despite the odd look of suspicion in Hugo’s eyes, Lee Gun didn’t care. The look in his eyes became more vicious.
‘Divine status! I have to find my Divine status!’
In strict terms, he didn’t possess the body of a human. Naturally, he grew up faster than a human.
However, Aslan had told him something while trying to hold back his laughter.
- Yes. Gods do grow faster until the age of ten.
Ahhh!
After they reached the age of ten, it takes a god several hundred years to look like an adult!
What kind of nonsense was that? No, he was putting the cart before the horse.
- You can grow faster, but it’s done in stages.
- Byaa?
- Mmm. For example, it’s like you suddenly grow into a ten-year-old body from being a one-year-old.
- Byaa??
- I’ll make it simple. You will have to be a baby for three years.
Ahhh!!! Damn it! This meant Lee Gun had to live like this for three more years! What kind of nonsense was that? That was nuts! He hadn’t come back for this!
Lee Gun was almost about to spit fire in anger.
‘I have to regain my Divine status.’
If he could recover the Divine status of a Creator, he could easily create a growth-type item. He could become an adult in one fell swoop!
‘I can’t live like this!’
There was no way he would meet Hailey without being potty trained!
In reality, that wasn’t the true reason for his desperation. The biggest problem was the erosion of his brain.
Was it because he had his memories? Lee Gun possessed the body of a baby, yet he was using too much brain capacity, so his brain fatigued faster. If he used his brain too much, it wouldn’t function. He would almost pass out. In other words, he would black out.
Of course, it didn’t matter if he blacked out in front of Hugo. The problem was if it happened in front of others.
This was why Lee Gun wondered if he should tell an ally that he had his memories in case of the unknown. Of course, Hugo was excluded from the list of allies that he would pick.
Lee Gun had done all kinds of things to Hugo after his return. If Hugo found out that he had his memories, he would try to get even. There was no way Hugo would take care of him.
So he needed an ally he could trust in absolute terms. He needed someone who would never neglect him and a trustworthy person who could protect him from Hugo, who could turn evil toward him!
Chun Jiwoo was trustworthy, but it was embarrassing to ask her. Therefore, Lee Gun discounted her.
‘Yes. Yooha should be good enough.’
After becoming a baby, he felt embarrassed by how much other people tried to touch him because he was cute. It was excessive.
If it’s Yooha, she would be able to stop it.
In truth, Heiji, the Virgo Constructs, and the Lee Gun fans had tried to touch him. It didn’t matter if they were male or female; every time, Yooha stopped them like a brick wall.
So Lee Gun thought about telling Yooha that he had his memories. He thought about forming an alliance with her…
- Noona. Do you really think Uncle doesn’t have his memories?
- I don’t think he does, but if he did…
It was unclear what Yooha was imagining, but she kept grinning. Her following words made Lee Gun’s soul leave his body. He was struck dumb.
‘I’m screwed if I tell her that I have my memories.’
He gave up on Yooha. In turn, he also became worried about Sungjae after hearing Yooha’s words.
This left only one person: Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo was gone often because she was tracking down his stalker. However, she visited Lee Gun from time to time.
This stalker was Abyss, and that was why it was taking Yeonwoo time to track down the stalker. However, Yeonwoo came whenever she had time. She would sneak into Hugo’s house to meet Lee Gun.
Lee Gun always relaxed when Yeonwoo made her appearance.
‘Yes. I can trust Yeonwoo.’
She was his only family, who would never betray him. Yeonwoo had been away, so he hadn’t had the chance to tell her. However, Lee Gun was sure she would help him if he told her the truth.
Lee Gun planned on calling for Mimir while Hugo and his family were asleep. He would ask Mimir to tell the truth to Yeonwoo.
That was what was supposed to happen…
- Ah. If only Gun had his memories, I would do xx, xx, and xxx to him.
…Y…Yeonwoo?
Lee Gun had thought Yooha had been scary, but Yeonwoo’s temperature had suddenly shot up!
Yeonwoo thought Lee Gun didn't have his memories. So she was talking to herself and revealed her true feelings. The temperature raised to a point where she was talking about stuff inappropriate for those under 19.
Lee Gun felt his soul leave his body.
‘Wait a moment!’
He couldn’t reveal the truth for an entirely different reason! Lee Gun massaged his face.
Just like that, half a year had passed, yet Lee Gun had given up telling those around him that he had his memories. He didn’t know how long he could hide it, but he had to look for his Divine status. He had to use it to grow…
“Oh my, Lee Gun-nim! It’s time for you to have your diaper changed.”
“I’ll bring it.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
“Ah. While we’re at it, should we give you a bath?”
Ahhhk!
Heiji and other guests had come to see Lee Gun again. Lee Gun became angry when they threatened him.
‘Wait a moment. I can take care of this myself… No, I can’t! My Constructs…! Ah. I sent them away to find my Divine status. Damn it! I don’t want this. Call Taeksoo for me!’
At that moment…
Slam!
Someone seemed to have heard the voices of the guests approaching Lee Gun and violently opened the door.
Lee Gun’s face brightened.
‘Yes! Taeksoo is here….’
Lee Gun became surprised by who had entered through the door.
“Byam. I’m going to take care of him.”
No, it was Hailey!
Hailey had come to Hugo’s house to play. She let out a bright smile as she approached Lee Gun.
Unable to stand this sight, Heiji tried to pick up Hailey. She tried to chase Hailey away, yet something surprising happened.
Flash!
“Huhk! Heiji-nim!”
When Heiji laid her hand on Hailey, she turned into a baby.
“W…What the hell just happened right now?”
That wasn’t all. Along with a flash of light, all the guests were sent away using teleportation. They reappeared on the roof of Hugo’s house!
“Kyaa. Why are we here?”
Lee Gun’s black eyes blinked. What the hell? Was that Hailey’s ability? No, that wasn’t important right now.
“Byam!”
It seemed Hailey had wanted to see him. She let out a bright smile as she approached him.
Lee Gun was glad to see her, but something happened at that moment.
‘Kuhk.’
“Byam. It’s time to change your diaper!”
When Hailey took off his pants, Baby Lee Gun screamed inwardly. No! Wait a moment!
When a flustered Lee Gun struggled, Hailey used her small hands to put Lee Gun on her knees and took a firm grip on him.
“You shouldn’t move. Byam. He told me to always change it for you. Byam. He said you’ll be uncomfortable at night if I don’t do this.”
What the hell? Who the hell would tell Hailey to do this?
“Pfft. Ke ke ke.”
“…!”
Lee Gun became angry as he heard suppressed laughter coming from near the window. With a violent look in his eyes, he glared at the window.
As expected, Aslan was there, bursting with laughter and pounding his fist against the window frame.
It had recently started with the disciples of the Sagittarius temple. Then it expanded to all the guests who visited him. Lee Gun had found it odd that they kept doing things that embarrassed him.
‘It’s his doing.’
Feeling Lee Gun’s murderous intent, Aslan stopped laughing and looked at Lee Gun. “You deserve what you get. Why would you pretend not to have your memories? Who told you to hide the truth from your father?”
While he was able to laugh thanks to Hailey, Aslan felt hurt that Lee Gun had hidden the truth about his memories.
“I never expected you to use your power to pull it off.”
Lee Gun had used the power of Universe to confuse Aslan’s Translation skill. No, he made fake words and fed them to Aslan.
Aslan knew Lee Gun had to go through a lot of hassle to pull this off, so he felt disappointed. What was so hard about revealing that he had his memories? Why would he go through all the hassle to hide the truth even from him?
“Did you plan on doing this from the start?”
“….”
Aslan didn’t laugh. It wasn’t simply about Lee Gun hiding his memories. Naturally, Aslan felt a bit disappointed that his son had decided to hide the truth about his memories. Still, his decision was understandable.
Lee Gun had entrusted his memories to Shiva. He had used his abilities to hide this.
However, what shocked Aslan was that Lee Gun had tried to hide all this until the end. He had plenty of opportunities to speak up.
This made it seem that Aslan didn’t engender the feeling of trust in Lee Gun. It was the same when Lee Gun had acquired his Karmic debt.
Originally, Aslan had planned on going to the World of Emptiness instead of his son. However, Lee Gun had turned down this offer before going there himself.
Then Aslan decided to save his son by going to the World of Emptiness. But when he arrived there, his son killed himself by destroying his heart.
Whenever he recalled that moment, Aslan felt a sense of loss and a feeling of helplessness.
Aslan bit his lips as he looked at Lee Gun. “Do you even see me as your father? I wonder.”
“…”
When there was silence, Aslan laughed as if he was embarrassed by what he had just said. “Yes. I already know. I’m not fit to be your father. I’m sorry!”
Aslan was unable to protect his wife, whom he had loved. He had sent his son into the flow of the Universe. He had watched over Lee Gun as a soul first, then as a slime. However, he had never acted like his father.
As if his lack of being a father wasn’t enough, he had been the reason why Time had appeared. He was the source of all the torment Lee Gun had gone through in his life.
Aslan knew all of this, so he let out a deep sigh. “Forget what I just said. I just… If you have your memories, I have one question for you.”
He had wanted to ask this to Hugo, but had been afraid of the answer. So he was unable to ask the question in the end. “Do you resent me?”
“!”
Aslan had felt a great shock when he had gone to the World of Emptiness to find Lee Gun. It was when Lee Gun had taken his life in front of him.
Lee Gun should have found out midway that Mimir wasn’t Aslan. This was why Lee Gun had been about to accept Aslan’s offer when he turned him down. Lee Gun had said,
- No. I won’t let you. I went through the trouble of setting this up.
What did those words mean? Like how he wanted revenge against his older brother, his son wanted revenge against him?
There were too many reasons why his son might hold a grudge against him. Aslan couldn’t guess which one was behind this move.
His son was born because of him. He was the reason his son grew up alone. He was the reason the Divine status of the Serpent Bearer had been transferred to Lee Gun. He was the reason Time appeared in this world. He was the reason his son had to travel a path in life that he didn’t want to travel.
In some ways, Aslan was the source that started all these events. This was why it seemed like Lee Gun wanted Aslan to feel despair and helplessness. It was why he had ended his life in front of Aslan.
“Weren’t you talking about me when you said you went through the trouble of setting it up?”
“…”
“I ruined your life, and it caused pain for those around you. So you developed a grudge against me. Is that why you ended your life as revenge? Is that why you said those words to me?”
Aslan had lowered his head as he asked the question, and Lee Gun was unable to say anything. His eyes were round as he looked at Aslan.
When the deep silence felt like it would go on for eternity, Aslan could wait no longer. He raised his head. “You can curse me. I can handle it all. Just say something!”
[That’s crazy! How the hell did you come up with that from what I said?]
“!”
It was a familiar voice that Aslan hadn’t heard in a while.
Lee Gun looked dumbfounded as he gazed at Aslan. It was as if he could have never imagined this.
Lee Gun had forcefully activated Aslan’s Translation ability as he continued to speak.
[How twisted can you be that you would think dying in front of you would be a form of revenge?]
“Uh… Uh…?”
[Wow! This is shocking! I know you’re a twisted psychopath who would come up with such a revenge plot. That doesn’t mean others think like you…]
“What?” Aslan couldn’t comprehend what was being said. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Lee Gun sighed.
[I didn’t want you to be trapped in the World of Emptiness because I went through all the trouble of setting things up.]
Aslan put on a pained expression. “Yes. I get it. You wanted the image of you dying to be replayed over and over again. You wanted me to taste the feeling of helplessness and despair for eternity…”
[My goodness!]
At that moment, Lee Gun gestured with his hand, and Aslan’s vision suddenly changed.
Lee Gun used his ability to show a different place in the concurrent timeline. Aslan had no idea which country was being shown, but he saw a newly born baby in someone’s home.
This child was a girl. She was growing up while receiving immense love from her parents.
Aslan immediately recognized the identity of the child. At the same time, his vision returned to him. Lee Gun spoke as if he knew what Aslan had seen.
[She’s your wife.]
“….”
[No, she’s my mother.]
Lee Gun spoke as if he had gone through a lot of work to find her.
[When I was saving Hailey from the World of Emptiness, I had the opportunity to look over the registry. I found her by coincidence. That’s why I looked for her at the same time as Hailey. I thought it would be great if everyone could reincarnate.]
“Ah!”
Aslan was speechless.
Lee Gun had revealed the true reason he had declined Aslan’s offer. He had revealed why he had ended his own life.
[I went through the trouble of reviving my mother. It’ll be all for nothing if you die.]
Lee Gun had said, “I won’t let you,” in the World of Emptiness for this very reason. He had revived his mother, who had died a long time ago, and wanted to show her to Aslan.
Aslan was at a loss for words. He could only place a hand over his face, feeling himself choke up.
His son spoke.
[I went through a lot of trouble in finding her. That’s why I had to wait there for longer than necessary.]
“….”
[At this point, shouldn’t you be thanking me? Are you going to say nothing when you’re receiving something?]
Aslan pressed firmly on his wet eyes. “Yes. Thank you.”
[I won’t tell you where she is since I can tell that you will stalk her.]
“Hmmph.”
[You should meet her at a later time. Don’t even try to act as if you know her. At your age, you will be committing a crime.]
“Yes. You’re right.” Aslan soundlessly shed his tears. “Thank you!”
