Not A Regressor-Chapter 273: Greed And Love (5)

Isabella looked up at Song Ha-Eun with a pale face. “U-Unnie...?”

Song Ha-Eun’s expression, usually warm and vibrant as a blazing flame, had gone ice cold. “What did I say before? I said I would respect Oh-Jin’s decision, didn’t I?”

And Kwon Oh-Jin’s decision had been for them to sort out their feelings. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t ignore the choice he had made.

“B-But before he lost his memory—”

“You’re saying he agreed to accept your feelings, but changed his mind after losing his memory?”

Isabella nodded desperately. “Y-Yes! That’s right!”

Song Ha-Eun frowned and muttered to herself, “Something’s not right...”

Isabella didn’t seem to be lying out of desperation.

Kwon Oh-Jin had only lost a few memories of his date with Isabella. Of course, how much he had forgotten couldn’t be pinpointed exactly. However, it couldn’t have been enough to completely reverse his personality or emotions. Even when he had forgotten about dating Song Ha-Eun, his feelings hadn’t changed.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say earlier that you wouldn’t lie anymore?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

That meant Isabella had lied before.

Isabella flinched and averted her gaze as cold sweat dripped down her face. “T-That’s...”

Song Ha-Eun narrowed her eyes. “What did you lie to Oh-Jin about?”

Isabella lowered her head like a criminal standing before a judge. “I-I’m sorry, unnie.”

“I’m not asking for an apology. I asked about the lie.”

“That’s...”

At Song Ha-Eun’s irritation, Isabella hesitantly confessed what had happened with Kwon Oh-Jin. As the story unfolded, Song Ha-Eun’s expression shifted with each passing moment. When the unexpected confession finally ended, she sighed deeply and pressed her forehead.

“Ugh, my head. You pathetic little girl.” She smacked Isabella lightly on the head. “You think that scammer guy would fall for something like that?”

“B-But I thought—”

“He probably knew something was off, but chose to believe it anyway because that’s how much he trusts you.”

Isabella could only remain silent.

“But you tried to deceive him.”

Isabella had no excuses. She bit her lip, feeling like the guilt was tearing apart her heart.

“I’m sorry...”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to, is it?”

“I’m sorry to you too, unnie.”

Knowing full well that they were in a relationship, Isabella still tried to pull something off. She owed Song Ha-Eun an apology as well.

“I’ll apologize to Mr. Oh-Jin tomorrow too...”

“And after that? What are you going to do? Go back to Italy or something?”

Isabella turned ghostly pale. She instinctively knew that she would never have a future with Kwon Oh-Jin if she returned to Italy now. The hope sustaining her life would be utterly lost.

“I’ll... go back.”

The crime she had committed was too great for her to shamelessly stay by his side.

“I-I won’t... h-hic... show up in front of Mr. Oh-Jin again.”

Tears as big as raindrops streamed down her cheeks. It felt like something was tightening around her throat as the thought of never being by his side again utterly crushed her.

“That’s what she’s saying she’ll do,” Song Ha-Eun said after silently watching Isabella cry.

“What?”

Who was she talking to? Isabella looked up in surprise.

Song Ha-Eun faintly chuckled and pulled out her phone from her pocket. She had an active call on it.

Isabella widened her eyes in disbelief and muttered to herself, “No way.”

Song Ha-Eun put the phone on speaker as a familiar voice flowed out.

—That won’t do.

Isabella wanted to hear that voice the most, but also feared it the most.

“M-Mr. Oh-Jin?!”

—I figured something was off, so that’s what happened.

Kwon Oh-Jin bitterly chuckled on the other end of the phone.

Isabella, pale as a ghost, grabbed Song Ha-Eun’s shoulders. “U-Unnie, d-don’t tell me he was on the phone from the very beginning?”

“Oh-Jin said he was worried about you and asked me to check.” Song Ha-Eun shrugged and clicked her tongue. “Well, I figured it’d come to this eventually.”

Right after returning from the Demonic District, Isabella had completely fallen apart from thinking that Kwon Oh-Jin had died. Song Ha-Eun already suspected something like this would happen.

“This is all your fault, you idiot.” Song Ha-Eun glared at her phone.

Isabella started pacing in a panic, unsure of what to do. “Ah, umm.”

Had he heard their entire conversation? If so, didn’t that mean he had heard all of her lies too?

“I-I’m...”

“You’re what?”

“I have no choice but to die now.”

Isabella tightly shut her eyes and pressed her sharp nails against her neck. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“H-Hey, wait a second!”

Song Ha-Eun quickly grabbed her hand. Isabella’s incredible strength nearly knocked her over. Thankfully, she managed to stop Isabella before her nails dug into her skin.

“What do you mean die?!”

“Unnie, didn’t you say before that you would die too if Mr. Oh-Jin died?” Isabella said while trembling.

Song Ha-Eun became speechless.

“Me too. I feel the same way.”

Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t actually died, but it was no different if she couldn’t be by his side.

“I’m sorry for coveting your place, unnie. I had no right to do so.”

Song Ha-Eun stared at her with her lips tightly sealed. Seeing Isabella sobbing so pathetically made her boil with irritation. “What’s with you? You’re not usually like this.”

The Isabella she knew would always keep up her refined, dignified act and feign elegance like a sly fox. Right now, she was acting more like a leech squirming in the mud. The pitiful sight of her, utterly deflated, left Song Ha-Eun feeling disgusted.

Song Ha-Eun fiercely glared at her. “Why did you even tell such a pointless lie in the first place?”

If she just wanted to be by Kwon Oh-Jin’s side, there was no need to be his first.

Isabella bit her lip and lowered her head. “Because...”

“Huh? What was that?”

“Because I was scared.”

Deep down, Isabella knew that no matter what she did, she could never take Song Ha-Eun’s place. She understood that more than anyone, which only made it more terrifying. So much so that she thought she would go insane.

Kwon Oh-Jin had lost his memory of dating Song Ha-Eun, yet he naturally found his way back to her as if that wasn’t a big deal. The bond between them surpassed memories and time.

What about her? What did she have as second? Did she share any moments with him, worth calling nostalgia, that could surpass memories and time?

“I’m... h-hic, sorry.”

If he used that power again and forgot her, would he return to her like with Song Ha-Eun?

“I just wanted to be like you, unnie.”

For that selfish reason, she wanted to be first. Even though it wasn’t her place and a lie couldn’t possibly accomplish it, she decided to be greedy.

“I’m sorry.”

Song Ha-Eun stared at the sobbing Isabella and deeply sighed.

“Hey, Kwon Oh-Jin.” She turned toward the entrance of the house. “You’re there, right?”

“What?” Isabella asked.

The front door opened, and Kwon Oh-Jin entered in his hospital gown.

Isabella flinched in shock and stumbled back. “M-Mr. Oh-Jin?!”

Without a word, he approached her and gently wiped her tears away.

Song Ha-Eun clicked her tongue and turned away. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Leave it to me?” he asked.

“Didn’t I say so before? I’ll follow whatever decision you make.”

Kwon Oh-Jin thought deeply for a moment. “Sorry, Ha-Eun. Guess I really am a piece of trash, after all.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?” Song Ha-Eun dryly laughed and kicked him in the shin. “What would you do if I brought home some other guy and said I wanted both of you?”

“I’d beat the bastard up and tell him to get lost.”

“You selfish asshole.”

“Told you, didn’t I? I’m trash.”

At this point, he gave up trying to overthink things. Who cared about the aftereffects of Open Heaven anymore?

“I’m not saying this makes up for anything, but...” Kwon Oh-Jin trailed off and held both their hands. “I’ll make you both happy.”

Even if he had to trample and burn down the entire world to do it.

“M-Mr. Oh-Jin...?”

“Bullshit.” Song Ha-Eun frowned and cursed.

Despite her harsh words, she didn’t let go of his hand.

“I’m letting you off easy, so you better listen to me from now on. Got it?” Song Ha-Eun demanded.

“I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Dance to ‘Zero Two’ in a maid outfit.”

“Sorry, Isabella. I don’t think I can accept your feelings.”

“Ah...” Isabella’s pupils contracted, and her shoulders trembled as despair washed over her.

“Hey, hey. Don’t make her cry again.” Song Ha-Eun laughed and lightly patted Isabella’s shoulder.

“Unnie?”

“I mean, yeah, I’d probably be pretty pissed too if some random chick tried to be next to Oh-Jin.” Song Ha-Eun smiled faintly and brushed Isabella’s hair. “But, well... Honestly, I don’t really hate you. It feels like I gained a little sister or something, y’know.”

Though Isabella’s boldness sometimes made Song Ha-Eun want to yank her own hair out, Isabella was inherently polite and kind. It felt like having a sharp, capable younger sister. As a rival in love, she was the absolute worst. However, it would be hard to find anyone better than Isabella as a friend and comrade.

“So... are you saying you accept me, unnie?” The emptiness in Isabella’s eyes lit up like a sparkling galaxy.

Song Ha-Eun shrugged and turned to Kwon Oh-Jin. “You snuck out of the hospital room without a word, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yeah.” He didn’t have time to explain or think anything through.

“They’re probably freaking out over you disappearing right now.”

The hospital had to be in chaos since a VIP patient suddenly vanished.

“Hold on. I’ll call—”

“Forget it. I’ll go handle your discharge paperwork.” Song Ha-Eun cut Kwon Oh-Jin off.

That fancy hospital room wouldn’t magically cure the aftereffects of Open Heaven anyway.

Song Ha-Eun glanced down at Isabella. “You two talk things out while I’m gone.”

“Thanks, Ha-Eun.”

“Forget it. This is all my fault for dating the wrong guy in the first place.”

With a heavy sigh, Song Ha-Eun turned to leave. Then, she stopped, as if remembering something, and rummaged through a drawer in the room. She pulled out a small paper box just slightly larger than her palm.

“If you’re gonna do it, use this.” Song Ha-Eun tossed the box to Kwon Oh-Jin.

Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella both froze in silence when they saw the bold number printed on it.

“0.01.”