Malrang jumps down from my shoulder and comes forward.
I pulled that guy into my arms.
The guy looks at my face, his beard twitching.
“Do you remember when we first met at the Namsan Natural Science Museum?”
“Most people never forget their first time seeing a talking cat.”
"That's true. But, that wasn't our first meeting. Do you remember that, too?"
Malrangi wagged his tail in my arms.
I think about it. When did I first meet this talking cat?
It didn't take long to recall the memory.
"In the pantheon of voices! When I speak to the voices of the world!"
"That's right. To be more precise—I met you, Gunwoo, when you, as the 'executor,' were spitting out the voice about the survival of the Earth."
Malrang's tail gently stretches over my arm.
“That’s not a coincidence.”
“…?”
“At that time, there was another cat in front of me. Of course, it wasn’t a cat, strictly speaking… Don’t you remember that?”
Next to Idun, who is in Aya's guise, he seems to be talking about something that resembles a hair wheel.
“Then that is….”
“That’s right. He’s just like me. Like I said before.”
Malrang stretches out his legs.
“The illusions of those two people, strictly speaking, are two mortals who existed in the past. Just like Gunwoo and Aya. But… at the same time, they are also the ‘selves’ of Gunwoo and Aya.”
"What are you talking about?"
“Just think about it! Back then, didn’t Gunwoo defend humans, and Aya speak of humanity’s destruction?”
Come to think of it… .
Peter advocated for human survival, Idun advocated for human destruction.
Strangely enough, it fits perfectly with our situation at the time.
"Like the ego, illusions also need a point of existence. In the end, those two were just saying what they thought at the time!"
Saying that, Malrang glanced at Aya.
“Well, it seems different now, though!”
That's understandable.
So, that means the two hairy wheels existed before us.
“So, you and that cat too? Are you saying they’re byproducts of the voice?”
“Byproduct? How rude.”
Malrang is kicking in my arms.
It's just like a fat cat purring and acting cute, it's so unnecessarily cute.
"He created us both when he created sisters. You could say we were created as a kind of witness. Thanks to him, we gained eternal life... but not power."
I stroke Malrang's head.
The soft touch is definitely that of a cat.
"reporter?"
"The voice can't come down to Earth directly, you know. The other sisters are like that, 'in principle.' When He created them, He created them from the perspective of an observer."
Come to think of it, if only the voice could fly through the timeline itself.
A situation like this wouldn't have happened.
“Then what about the monster you met in Atlantis?”
"If you become a distorted being, to the point of annihilating your very existence... you might be able to break that law. But in that moment, you'll be destroyed, so it's meaningless."
I think of the ancient beings, tentacles and slime, howling beneath Atlantis.
Indeed, it is as he said.
"So, you and I were created. To report. In other words, to convey the results of our observations to them."
“If that’s the case, why did you make two?”
"You idiot. Don't you know what Eden and Paradise, Hannam and Femmy, and now Gunwoo and Aya are like?"
“….”
"There can be two opinions on everything. He knew that, so he created two types of information-gathering beings. So that the sisters could hear 'reports' from a wide variety of perspectives!"
Malrang struggles and falls under my arm.
I quickly snatched it up.
The lovely cat grins as if he knew it would happen.
“This is it.”
"what?"
“A person who receives a falling being.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Not at all. Not at all.”
Malrang moves his legs and escapes from my arms.
And, Malrang, who is staring at me from above the table.
Not necessarily a cat.
It feels like a different, alien being.
“Over the course of eternity, the guy and I have witnessed many things. More precisely, in the timeline of the end.”
“So… just like you appeared before Aya and me, you appeared before people like that every time the end came?”
"That's what it is. And every time, that guy and I explore, analyze, and understand humanity, and then we sisters... But there's only one sister left."
Malrang licks his whiskers with his tongue.
“I reported it to her. I mean Tir, of course.”
Malrang closes his mouth tightly.
As if waiting for me to speak.
“So… what’s your conclusion?”
Malrang doesn't answer.
“Have you come to a conclusion?”
And then Malrang laughs.
It's the first time I've seen a cat smile.
Well, I've never seen the Cheshire Cat in Wonderland.
You may have seen stray cats yawning or hissing or something like that.
Cats can laugh too.
"Humans are trash. All they do is bury philosophers alive, murder their neighbors to rape their wives, fight to avoid even receiving bonus points in the military, secretly take pictures of pregnant women online and abuse them... That's what they do."
I couldn't say anything.
Because it is an undeniable fact.
"however."
Malrang smiles slyly.
"however?"
"But… at the same time, humans are beautiful. Bringing a drink to someone you don't even know, extending a hand to a crying child, or uniting an internet community that normally fights every day for a single person."
The cat's whiskers tremble slightly.
“And, for one loved one—or die.”
The lounge is as quiet as a mouse. You could hear a pin drop.
“So, I finally came to a conclusion.”
“….”
“Of course, that decision was heavily influenced by someone who shared food with a furry creature they’d never met before, jumped into a pit of fire where a fat woman sharpens a knife to save a furry creature they’d never met before, and sacrificed herself like a fool for the woman she loved.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I concluded that I ‘need to watch humans more closely.’”
Malrang quickly flies off the table and goes to Aya.
Aya hugged Malrang with her familiar skills.
Malrang rubs her cheek against her chest, seeming to feel good.
You're the only guy besides me who can legally touch my wife.
Are you angry?
“Save humanity, or humanity is great. No… Let’s watch a little longer?”
"That's right. Human love hasn't yet shown its end. So…."
Malrang smiles meaningfully.
"I have to watch more. I have to love more. I have to live life more intensely. It can't end yet. Because humanity's ending hasn't come to a close yet."
Anyway, one of the keys seems to have made up its mind.
"So, you're a key? Some kind of biometric terminal? If I insert you into the Stairs of Ascension... the door opens?"
At Hwayi's gaze, Malrangi's tail stands up.
“Don’t even think about dissecting it!”
“Hey, I’m a programmer, not a biologist.”
“But, there are two keys.”
At my question, Malrang pricks up his ears.
"That's right. As Gunwoo said, we need one more key. That's why I said there were two reporters earlier."
“Then that is exactly….”
“That’s right. That white cat that follows Noh Ae-jeong. That’s him.”
Malrang closes his eyes.
"But Snow Cat's opinion differed from mine. Just like his voice—he hoped for the destruction of humanity and the creation of a new world. That's why he followed his ego, No Ae-jeong."
“We’ve seen the same timelines, but the conclusions are different?”
“Isn’t that why he created two reporters?”
After all, the snow cat is different from the Malrang.
It looks like things haven't been looking so good in the apocalyptic timeline.
"Then I'll have to convince him to open the final door. I need both keys."
At Jinbyeol's words, Malrang chuckles and shakes his beard.
"But he won't be persuaded, you know. He and I are different, yet the same. Like something reflected in a mirror is reflected in a lake. That's how I know. Just as I never change my mind, Snow Cat will never change his mind either."
“Then we should either beat them up or make butterfly soup to open the door.”
At Cheonma's words, Malrangi wags his tail.
"I don't know if that's possible. I've never been to the last door before. Is it designed to open by simply shoving the key in, or is it designed to open by embracing the key itself? If it's the latter, even peeling the snow cat's skin won't help. It'll be a complete failure."
“Then what do you want me to do!”
“Don’t you know me? Our Cheonma has a small chest, so her heart is small too. Without a chest, there’s nowhere to hold her. Like the cliffs of Niagara Falls.”
“This little thing! Should I put some water in the pot?”
“The small one is your chest.”
While Cheonma and Malrang were growling in the same way they always did.
I think about something for a moment.
“It might be possible.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s not about fighting, it’s about finding another way.”
"But, Master, the animosity between No Ae-jeong and Snow Cat seems considerable. That seems unlikely."
"That's right. Didn't you even take a history class, teacher? In the middle of a battlefield... what's the difference between that and someone suddenly asking for a handshake?"
I quietly look at Cheonma and Seol-ah.
“That stupid thing might be possible.”
"what?"
“In the middle of a fight, you might be able to ask for a conversation.”
Aya, who is hugging Malrang, and Kilk, who is resting his chin on his hand and flapping his clown pants indifferently.
Everyone looks at me with a puzzled look.
I move my fingers under the table.
Is that possible, as I find the signs of a thought form as a singularity?
Now, can I use that ability as I wish?
A strange sensation flows through my mind.
This feeling is something I've experienced before.
So, I opened my mouth.
“This is it.”
“Teacher, did you drink during the day?”
“Arcadia.”
I can see Cheonma opening his mouth to say something.
The act itself becomes meaningless in this sea of ether.
Even slowing down itself is just a part of the quantum cycle, a loop that keeps circulating.
A halo of ether, incomparable even to the Milky Way, transforms the entire lounge.
No, it doesn't transform, it becomes its very existence.
"what's this!"
The horse screamed.
“Master… Are you conscious…? This is my past… Where are you entering now?”
In the waves of light, a voice I've heard before greets me.
“Oh, you’re late.”
The last model number, TG55, looks at me politely.
“It seems that now, Gunwoo… can freely handle Arcadia.”
Cheonma is so flustered that he starts shouting something.
But, unlike the time of your inspiration.
My consciousness is not smooth. It is tossed and turned like a wave being swept by a torrent.
We are unable to move forward to a ‘conversation’ where we project our hearts and share our true feelings with each other.
Like a feast of noises, something noisy stabs and stabs and stabs my brain.
Then, something grabs my hand.
I look to the side.
"are you okay."
A woman who smiles brightly at me.
“It’s okay.”
I have to hit it.
####
"It's an amazing experience. If this fight ends... and I can survive as a human again. I'll write this book! Then I'll become a monthly writer, too? Yay!"
Pizarro is still talking non-stop, as if his excitement hasn't subsided.
"Unearth a massive vehicle in the Amazon, use it to find El Dorado! Save a clueless android and a derelict man from an ancient monster! Tearfully reject the man's confession! Travel to Antarctica and discover the palace of a forgotten civilization! And finally, defeat a cosmic being and return!"
"The content is incredibly distorted. It's almost like it was manipulated."
"And finally, marrying the most handsome man on Earth. I was originally a man, but even that was overcome by love! Love that overcomes blood is wonderful... No, not blood, but gender."
“Isn’t that gay or BL?”
"And then, that man's son returns to El Dorado, bringing back the treasure! But the treasure actually has the power of eternal life... and I'm reincarnated as a beauty in her twenties..."
“No one will read it.”
Pizarro ignores Seol-ah's words and continues talking.
"And you can communicate without speaking... uh, you can speak without speaking? The person speaking is silent, but they can speak while riding a horse? Communication through the heart! The great ability of Artemis?"
“Mr. Pizarro, it’s Arcadia, not Artemis.”
“What? An armadillo?”
“….”
While the Conquistador and the Android are chatting.
I'm lying down on the sofa.
Next to me, Aya is stroking my head.
“It’s okay if you don’t do that.”
Aya strokes my head with a playful face.
“It’s not because of you, sir?”
"okay?"
“Yeah. I do it because I want to.”
Even as she said that, she didn't let go of my hand.
That's really dishonest.
"It seems like excessive quantum computations have overloaded the brain. The very circulation of the ether is being converted into quanta. The result is annihilation... but the problem is that Arcadia is probably the intermediate point that connects the circulation after that annihilation to conversation. In other words, the problem is not in the oral structure, but in the system itself that quantizes the ether itself to exchange egos."
“Hey, come here.”
"huh?"
I look at Hwayi, who is lying down, shaking her glasses.
“Can you explain it a little more clearly?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Hwayi smiles brightly.
"So, I don't think you should use that Arcadia ability on multiple people at the same time. Conversation, for example, is a completely different burden when used with one person than with multiple people. In my opinion... I think it's best to limit its use to at least two people."
“What if I don’t?”
Hwayi thought about something for a moment.
Answer Aya.
"I don't know for sure. I'll have to research it further, including talking to that guy, number 55. But I doubt the user's body or mind will be able to handle it."
"then…."
Hwayi opens both hands towards Aya.
"pop."
“….”
“It might just pop, like the charcoal marks the devil or we leave behind when we die.”
Aya looks at me with a serious face.
"Sir, from now on, never use Arcadia on multiple people."
“Right now, I’m just showing it to my teammates all at once….”
“Sir, you understand?”
“Well, this time it’s an exception… From now on, only one or two people…”
Aya grips my hand so tightly that it hurts.
“Ouch! It hurts!”
"mister…."
There are tiny tears welling up in Aya's eyes.
"uh?"
“Now, I’m not alone.”
“….”
“You’re not alone anymore, sir. So….”
I immediately understood what he meant.
“I’m sorry. I won’t be using my abilities like this again.”
"huh…."
Aya comes and rests her forehead against mine.
It feels like her warm body temperature is entering my head.
“We barely made it this far.”
"okay."
“And now, I will always be by your side.”
“I know.”
"Don't even think about dying first. Don't throw your life away needlessly, or shoulder everything alone. Just try that."
“Then what are we going to do?”
At my words, Aya raises the corners of her mouth slightly.
“We have to chase after it.”
“….”
“Just like at the convenience store, in Atlantis, at the meeting place with my childhood friend, at the amusement park, and throughout the timeline… I will tear death apart and chase after you, old man.”
“I can never run away.”
"Of course. Hiding behind Tyr's throne won't do any good. No one can stop me."
Aya smiles brightly.
“Wherever that old man is, I must find him….”
“What happens after you find it?”
“….”
Aya, for a moment, looked down at me in that same posture.
Just blushing.
Soon, he lowered his head and kissed me.
"hey!"
In my confusion, I couldn't offer any resistance.
A slightly salty, tongue-in-tongue tangle.
Aya wasn't kind, and took my mouth as if checking something.
I opened my lips and accepted her.
We trembled a little, tasting each other's mouths like that.
"ah…."
The saliva and saliva create a slightly sticky rainbow, and a single drop of water hangs down.
“Then, I’ll do this. Over and over again. Over and over again.”
“Then it’s difficult. I won’t be able to enjoy such luxury.”
Ayaga, still pressed close to my face.
He looks into my eyes as if he is wondering.
"why?"
“Because… now I won’t be separated from you.”
"mister…."
“Even if the universe ends, I will not leave you.”
“It’s fatal.”
"what?"
“I told you before. Don’t come into my heart.”
“Was that so?”
"That cruel man needs to be punished. That way, he won't have any other thoughts."
This time a little slower.
A little more gentle, but with a lot of love.
We kissed again, exploring each other's tongues.
Pushing the tongue in a little deeper, as if conveying each other's feelings.
I can feel our hearts beating like lovers who met for the first time yesterday.
I guess this is love.
It's so fucking crazy, it drives anyone crazy in an instant.
That's probably… .
that is….
“Ahem! Ahem ahem!”
At Seol-ah's awkward cough, I was startled and pushed Aya away.
"what…."
All the team members in the lounge are just looking at the sofa we're lying on.
Malrangi opened his mouth wide and only waggled his tail.
"Ah, hello. I'm from the Special Committee on Promoting Childbirth. I hope everyone is doing well."
The Pissarro we saw last time, wearing the glasses, walks slowly towards us.
“Even if you are a couple, in a public place….”
“This is not a public place.”
"Reporter Seol-ah. If you're an intern, please keep quiet. Or I'll fire you next week."
“Why did I become an intern….”
Pizarro lightly ignored her words.
He hands us the shiny, round microphone he had prepared.
"That's a really obscene public kiss. How about we settle down? Our committee's slogan—sun-ae, in other words—is an abbreviation for "obediently give birth."
“It… doesn’t matter.”
Aya, looking embarrassed, clutches her chest and then breaks away from me.
“Oh? Why is that?”
“Ah… My uncle and I.”
Because of Pizarro's banging glasses, Aya's face dropped slightly as if she was embarrassed.
“Because I’m already married.”
"what!"
Pizarro throws his glasses far away.
"What kind of scoop is this? Why didn't anyone tell me? My dear... is he married now?"
"Teacher... getting married? When? Now? Tomorrow? Yesterday? Or in the future?"
“Heavenly Horse… The time order is going backwards….”
“Master, congratulations.”
Seol-ah, with a strange smile on her face, turns her head and looks at me.
And, an android picking up a glass bottle on the table.
The glass bottle shatters in an instant.
“Hey, you piece of shit! I need to clean that up!”
“Sorry, isn’t that an android, not a dick?”
“What do you want me to do? I’m the one cleaning up.”
While Jinbyeol was arguing with Kilk.
Seol-ah looks at me kindly.
Kind…?
“If you had told me in advance, I would have attended as a guest.”
"That's right! Teacher! When did that happen? Were you already married before the destruction? A fake relationship?"
What the hell is that word?
“Ha! My dear, they say the quiet cat goes down to the dock first.”
“Mr. Pizarro, you are all wrong.”
“Anyway! You must have bought the vaginal ejaculation ticket without telling anyone!”
“Why is everyone making a fuss?”
At those words, everyone looks at Hwayi.
"what?"
"No, everyone knew the team leader and vice-team leader were dating, right? Marriage is up to the parties involved, whether they decide to get married or not when the time comes. They're not losers kicked out of a harem."
An incredibly deep and cool silence covers us.
“Hwayi, you… did you know?”
At Cheonma's words, Hwayi shrugs.
“Huh? Of course I knew that?”
“….”
"No, where would the marriage certificate be? It's tucked away in a corner of the office at the sports complex. I gave it to Aya yesterday or the day before. I figured that was probably the case."
“Oh my.”
"I see."
“I see.”
“Uh… Huh?”
Cheonma, Seol-ah, and Pizarro create a wall of wailing around Hwayi.
“Uh… guys?”
“Can you spare me a moment?”
Hwayi glances at Andromeda, which is turning away from us in the distance.
"Ah! I remembered a study I forgot about! What was that... study on turning white mice into black mice!"
And then, Hwayi quickly grabs one of the tentacle arms.
“Then, let’s talk again later!”
And, Hwayi grabbed the tentacle arm.
As if catching a drone and running away, it quickly disappears outside the lounge.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
“I feel like frying something today. And at full heat….”
“Even a fried wound will heal quickly if you regenerate it back into a singularity.”
The three of them chase after Hwayi and leave the lounge.
“Oh, those idiots.”
Jinbyeol sitting with one of Saladin's arms crossed over his chest.
He giggles as if it's funny.
“It’s like Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu following the first line.”
“Master, we are missing one person.”
“It doesn’t matter because there were a lot of things added by Luo Guanzhong to the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”
"okay."
Through the open lounge door, Cheonma appears, panting.
“What are you doing….”
“Sister, come with me!”
And then, Seocheonma quickly grabbed Aya's arm.
“Wow! Sir?”
And then, Aya is dragged out of the lounge and disappears.
"Oh, shit. The Isis Club needs to open early. Those fucking idiots."
Kilk also grumbled and got up from his seat.
"why?"
"For women to chat, there's no better place than that. I've already prepared everything for the reopening, but some idiot didn't give me the go-ahead, so I've been putting it off…."
Scarily enough, one of Andromeda's tentacles returns to the lounge.
“Brother.”
“Oh, damn it. They say even a tiger will come if you call it.”
“Finish cleaning the floor by 3 o’clock, and open the Isis door at 4 o’clock. And… Captain, please come to me by 3 o’clock.”
"why?"
“Because I have to explain the final route to Antarctica.”
Andromeda is leaving.
Kilk grumbles.
“A world without my sister… My only peace is seeing her return to the underworld….”
And Pierrot also disappears outside the lounge.
“What do you want to eat?”
It seems like the Jinbyeol couple is also planning to leave.
“No, it’s okay.”
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms enthusiast shrugged his arms once.
He left with his ego.
Inside the Odyssey, it became quiet after everyone left.
I decided to just lie there for a little while.
wee.
Even you need a break.