"Giryeo, it looks much better now that you've dyed your hair."

"Haha, dyed hair?"

"Maybe if you got a girlfriend, you could introduce her to Mom later..."

"Not that."

Tuk.

But at that moment, the man in the suit wiped the artificial smile from his face and asked again.

"Don't you notice anything different?"

Since her son was originally a blunt person, she probably wouldn't be particularly angry if he kept his expressionless face. But this atmosphere... what was going on?

"Uh... Mom can't really tell just by looking."

"-_-"

"Oh, could it be that my son awakened and became even more handsome?"

Lee Hwayoung squeezed out a cheerful voice to break the heavy atmosphere. But what came back was a series of shockingly unexpected words.

"Yeah. What could I expect from someone like you, a heartless wretch? In the end, it's all going as I thought."

"What... what?"

"So, Lee Hwayoung-ssi, have you been living well all this time after abandoning your son?"

The entity wearing Kim Giryeo's shell clasped its hands behind its back, gazing intently down at the woman in front of it.

"But why did you come looking for the child you abandoned now?"

Of course, there was no need to hear an explanation for this. It was obvious. This matter, from start to finish...

***

Money. Once again, it was inevitably the issue of that damn thing.

"I'm sick of it."

I looked at the Earthling standing before me with disgust. Everyone had been going on about fate and destiny, but in the reservation reasons, I occasionally spoke of conquering the Earth and such, but honestly, this woman didn't even know her own son had died, and all she was doing was blinking in confusion.

"Gi, Giryeo-ya. What do you mean by that...?"

Lee Hwayoung's face hardened in shock, and I pressed further. There must be only one reason why that woman contacted me.

"Did you suddenly feel regret, now that the son you abandoned has become S-rank?"

"-_-"

"People who earn billions just by clearing a single Gate, you know. Hm? Did you come here hoping to scrape up some crumbs?"

At this, Hwayoung was startled.

"Son, what are you saying? Mom just saw you on TV, and..."

"Then why did you disappear for 3 years?"

"Th, that... Of course, there were circumstances. The thing is, Mom..."

"Are you not going to shut your mouth? Don't talk about 'circumstances.' You cut me off as soon as you got the 27 million won."

She opened her mouth in shock at the harsh expressions that came out during the conversation.

"N, no! You! What kind of disrespectful words are you saying to your mother right now...?"

However, I had no intention of showing any respect for that person. Lee Hwayoung's betrayal had a huge impact on Kim Giryeo's fate. In other words, she was the main culprit responsible for the death of this body.

"I'm telling you in advance, there's not a single penny for you."

"Is that so? Lee Hwayoung-ssi, then should we sign a contract? Should we make a clear promise with the knight's oath?"

For reference, the contract-type item is a major magical tool often used in regular businesses. Perhaps because of this, even ordinary citizens are familiar with its performance, and Hwayoung's reaction became increasingly intense. Her face reddened as she began to grow angry.

"Kim Giryeo! You've become an S-rank or whatever, and in the process, you've completely turned into a useless person. You've lost all your temper!"

"Hmm."

"You weren't like this originally. Why have you suddenly become so mean? Huh? Do you really have to drive a nail into your mother's heart to feel satisfied?"

Lee Hwayoung shouted, her eyes welling up with tears, as if something were truly unfair. But to me, even that seemed despicable. As she said, I had undergone such significant changes in those few years.

"That's right. It's strange, isn't it? Kim Giryeo was such a good kid who never once cursed in his life, so why is he acting like this now?"

I feel disgusted when I look at Lee Hwayoung. This is not just because the memories remain in the body. Now, even my soul truly despises her.

"Do you still not realize what's strange?"

I deliberately referred to Kim Giryeo as a third party and even gave her a hint, but Lee Hwayoung still couldn't distinguish between her family and others.

"What's strange is your attitude. Oh, Giryeo. How could you treat your mother like this after so many years... Mom had my reasons too, you know? Once everything settles down, I was planning to come find you like this again."

This is clearly nonsense. Even when Lee Hwayoung lived with Giryeo, she avoided talking about money for a while, but as soon as she saw that her son's guard was down, she immediately started the conversation. Honestly, the series of events that unfolded in the past had already been mixed with intentions and plans since Giryeo's graduation day.

"Is the 'circumstance' you're talking about related to not preparing for retirement and just going out to have fun?"

"Kim Giryeo!"

"Why are you getting angry? If I've made a mistake, all you have to do is prove it, with a dungeon item."

When the contract topic came up again, Hwayoung also began to understand the situation, and her eyes turned venomous.

"No, Giryeo. Why are you acting like this? Actually... Mom is sick. I can't even get a back surgery because I don't have money. Are you really going to pretend you don't know that?"

"Mhm."

"Ha, really!"

The woman's lips, painted with bright red lipstick, twisted into a grimace.

"You! Do you think everything you've achieved is solely because of your own efforts? I've heard that once people become Hunters, they carry their parents on their backs, thanking them for raising them in good health!"

While it's true that awakening has some genetic influence, if we're going to compare like that, I have a lot to say too.

"Don't other parents usually not abandon their children?"

Not backing down an inch, Lee Hwayoung fanned herself with her hand. After a moment of cooling off, she finally spoke.

"You... you... If you're going to be like this, I have no choice. If my family is going to commit such a monstrous act, I'll have to cry out to the world for my injustice."

"Cry out?"

"Do the people around you know you're living like this? If you keep treating me this way, I'll go around telling everyone that you're an S-rank Hunter and a disgrace to humanity. Got it?"

Oh my.

I was dumbfounded and kept my mouth shut. Lee Hwayoung spoke with a face that seemed to have mistaken something and spoke with arrogance.

"Giryeo, you've awakened. Now that you've become famous and the hardships are over, why are you trying to embarrass yourself now?"

"-_-"

"Everything's going well, right? You became a Hunter. From now on, all that's left is to make a lot of money, right?"

And Hwayoung grabbed my hand, speaking in a gentler tone than ever before...

"I'm really sorry. Mhm? You have no other family in this world but me. Mom will do better from now on."

At that moment, a memory overlapped in my mind. A young woman with heavily applied red lipstick, speaking words while slapping the tiny hand of a newborn.

"— It's all because of you! If only you weren't here, I wouldn't have married that brat!"

I recalled a memory from a distant past, one that even the owner of this body had forgotten. Thanks to that, my mind became as cold as ice.

Lee Hwayoung had never loved Giryeo from the beginning. Anyway, how can humans be so cruel? How can they be so good at rationalizing themselves and being so cunning?

"-_-"

I looked down at the hand I had caught, then moved a step closer to the woman. I carefully whispered in her ear.

"Your son..."

"Mhm?"

"He froze to death in the scorching midsummer sun."

What I am about to convey is the end of this body.

"If a person goes without food for too long, their thyroid gland breaks down, and they can't regulate their body temperature."

"What are you..."

"Everyone outside is sweating profusely, but why on earth was that small room so cold to me?"

"-_-"

"I felt strangely cold all the time."

I couldn't continue speaking for a moment. I felt a tightness in my throat. The memories that were flooding into my head were so vivid that it felt like I had personally experienced that life.

"I was shaking for 14 hours before I died."

My eyes turned red. But this tear is not Kim Giryeo's. This anger belongs solely to one soul. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"But how dare you show up in front of the son you killed?"

I suppressed the boiling emotions and sincerely warned the person in front of me.

"Lee Hwayoung. Listen carefully. If you show your face in front of me one more time, I will really kill you."

"-_-"

"And if you go around blabbering and tarnish this precious name, I promise you, I'll make sure you'd rather be dead than an face what I'll do to you."

"What?"

Do you know what the saddest part is at this moment? In Kim Giryeo's mind, there was no trace of resentment. He never hated the mother who had betrayed him. All he could feel when he looked at her was an endless longing and sadness.

"Why..."

Why didn't Kim Giryeo wish for Lee Hwayoung's death?

Why on earth?

If he had left just one word in his will, asking for revenge on this woman. If that was what you had wanted, I would have gladly granted your wish as repayment for taking over this body.

"Be grateful that your son grew up to be a good person."

"S...son."

Lee Hwayoung still had a clueless expression, unable to grasp the situation, but it no longer mattered.

"I'll follow the wishes of the body's owner for now, but..."

If I were to strip away the last bit of mercy, I would make sure that person pays the price no matter what. I scanned Lee Hwayoung's appearance, as if committing it to memory, and then left.

"Gi, Giryeo-ya... Kim Giryeo..."

Only the calls of those who couldn't accept reality lingered in the streets.

***

I returned home with heavy steps, took off my jacket, and threw it limply on the floor.

"How could this be?"

Upon reviewing the life of the body's owner once, I realized that Kim Giryeo was an exceptionally rare soul who had never committed a single sin in his life.

He was diligent and kind. He helped others knowing he would face injustice. He was the kind of person who, even at the brink of death, regretted not being able to donate his organs.

Why did someone like him have to endure such a lonely life? He wasn't the kind of sorcerer who should have died like this. But now, there's nothing to turn back. I already know what happens to the dead.

"When you die, that's the end."

Where does the soul of the dead go? It is not much different from the fate of the body. Just as the flesh is buried in the earth and decays, the substance that makes up the soul also scatters into the air over time, breaking into smaller units. It is impossible for a soul particle, once returned to nature, to regain its original form.

The probability of Kim Giryeo's soul fragments being preserved and reincarnated is less than one in 300 billion. No, it's more like dumping parts into a swimming pool and hoping that, by chance, the current will assemble them into a completed clock.

"Poor thing."

Kim Giryeo, who lived with selflessness, can no longer be repaid by anything. Thinking this way, many doubts filled my mind.

Should I just stand by and let someone like Kim Giryeo die in such misery? Aren't these people also rushing toward a future just like my homeland?

As the memories stored in the body became 'my' memories, the first emotion I felt was pity. The next emotion was a strange sense of unease.

"-_-"

There were too many selfish individuals on Earth, too. And as generations passed, this tendency would only intensify. As the habitable zones shrink due to global warming, competition would intensify, and in such a process, selfish individuals would have a higher chance of prevailing.

But having already experienced such a future, is there really any reason for me to live alongside everyone on Earth? Especially on such a beautiful planet?

Of course, in the early stages of my reincarnation... I did think that I should protect the people of Earth for ecological preservation reasons. I occasionally spoke of conquering the Earth and such, but honestly, deep down, I acknowledged that I had no right to wield the pruning shears to outsiders.

However, after going through something like this, my heart wavers a little.

"How many more people like Lee Hwayoung are there on Earth..."

If this continues, I will probably come to a different conclusion as time goes by.