Chapter 40

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 40

Secluded Training (1)

Three days had passed since I treated her eyes through the Dragon Horse Eye.

*rustle*

When Oh Jin came down after his usual early morning light training, he was met with an unusual sight.

“Is, is this the right way to do it?”

*screech*!!

“Aah!! What, what is this!! Why did it turn into a lump of charcoal!!”

In the small kitchen, Haeun, wearing an apron, was kneading something.

Yes.

This is not cooking, but kneading.

“...What are you doing?”

Oh Jin looked at the room filled with thick smoke, his expression one of exasperation.

*startled*!

Haeun's shoulders trembled.

“E, eh? Ah, nothing!”

“Doesn’t look like nothing, the house is a mess.”

*Cough, cough*.

He waved away the thick smoke and opened the window.

He chuckled bitterly as he looked at the meat (or what was left of it) on the frying pan.

“What’s with all the cooking?”

Leaving aside whether this could be called food.

It was the first time he had seen her cook.

“Ah~ Well, I suddenly got a craving for meat!”

“So you decided to make charcoal?”

“It’s not charcoal!! Ugh… it’s strange. I was sure that if I did it this way, the Maillard reaction or something would happen….”

She scratched her head while looking at her smartphone.

“Well… anyway, here.”

She placed the charred meat on a plate and held it out to him.

“Try it.”

“…You want me to eat this?”

Is this sister crazy?

“Just cut off the burnt parts, it’ll be fine!”

He stared at her confidently and picked up a knife.

‘Well, it’s the first time my sister has cooked, I should at least try it.’

It’s a shame to waste the meat.

He slowly brought the knife to the meat.

*crack*.

The meat split in half, revealing a charred interior.

“……”

He threw it away.

“Hey!! What are you doing, throwing it away!”

“What am I supposed to do, eat this!!”

How could she burn it to this extent?

“Our stove’s flame is too weak, so I used a bit of my Sacred Mark….”

“No.”

It’s not the stove, it’s you, sister.

‘She just started her rehabilitation training.’

Even though I removed the curse with the Dragon Horse Eye, her body hasn’t fully recovered yet.

At best, she’s at the level of a toddler taking their first steps.

Using her Sacred Mark in this state, she couldn’t control it properly.

“*sigh*.”

Haeun turned her head, as if she had nothing to say.

The side of her face, now turned away, revealed a part that didn’t match her beautiful appearance.

“Is your eye okay?”

“Ah, this?”

She touched the area around her left eye.

Unlike her normal right eye, her left eye had a fierce, yellow pupil that resembled a reptile’s.

It was much larger than her right eye, and the area around it was covered with blood vessels, making it look quite grotesque.

“Even though it looks like this… I can see perfectly fine. In fact, when I focus on my left eye, I can see things much more clearly.”

“That’s a relief, at least.”

I was worried every time I saw those fierce, yellow eyes.

“…Is this not a side effect of the curse?”

[No, don’t worry.]

The answer came from an unexpected place.

*chime*.

Vega appeared in the air, surrounded by a silver light, and circled Haeun once before responding.

“If it’s not a side effect, then why is it like this?”

Haeun, who also didn’t know why, gently touched the area around her right eye.

[Hmm.]

Vega gazed intently at Haeun’s left eye and continued.

[It’s not a side effect, but rather… in a certain sense, a kind of ‘blessing’.]

“…A blessing?”

Haeun narrowed her eyes, as if Vega was saying something absurd.

[Your Sacred Mark… the power of the Dragon Constellation’s Sacred Mark and the curse interacted during the process of removing the curse, creating the ‘Dragon Eye’.]

“Dragon Eye?”

Haeun tilted her head and looked at her left eye in the mirror.

The yellow pupil, reminiscent of a reptile, and the vertically slit iris.

While it could be called a ‘Dragon Eye’ if dragons are reptiles, it didn’t seem much different from a normal eye.

“…But it doesn’t seem much different from a regular eye, does it?”

When she focused on her left eye, she could see things more clearly, but that was the only difference.

In daily life, apart from its grotesque appearance, it was no different from her normal right eye.

[That’s because you’re not yet familiar with the power of the Dragon Eye. Once your Sacred Mark returns to its original state, you’ll be able to use the power of the Dragon Eye properly.]

“Hmm.”

Haeun thought of the Sacred Mark on her left chest.

The Sacred Mark of the Dragon Constellation.

It wasn’t one of the 12 zodiac constellations, but it was a powerful Sacred Mark, not far behind them.

‘Of course, in terms of recognition, there’s a huge difference.’

There are only a handful of Awakened individuals with the Sacred Mark of the Dragon Constellation.

In Korea, there are only 4-5, and worldwide, fewer than 20.

Moreover, none of them have shown outstanding performance.

‘It’s no wonder it’s not well-known.’

If she didn’t have the Sacred Mark of the Dragon Constellation herself, she wouldn’t have known how powerful it was compared to the 12 zodiac constellations.

“Well, I guess I need to focus on rehabilitation training for now.”

“There’s no need to rush.”

“Hehehe! No need to rush, indeed.”

Haeun smiled and gently pinched Oh Jin’s cheek.

“I need to recover quickly to take care of our Oh Jin. You know I can’t live with debt.”

“Are you going to keep cooking like you did earlier?”

“Just trust me, sister.”

“Damn.”

Why are you doing this to me, sister?

“Oh, by the way. A package came earlier. Did you order it?”

“Yeah, I did.”

He opened the small box in the room.

“Here, this is for you, sister.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Haeun looked surprised, not expecting him to have ordered something for her.

He handed her the item he took out of the box.

“…An eye patch?”

“Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to walk around with that eye?”

“You’re right.”

She put on the black eye patch over her left eye.

The eye patch was quite large, covering the entire area around her left eye, where the blood vessels were visible.

“Eh, how does it look?”

Haeun asked cautiously.

“You look like a failed youth who couldn’t find love until the age of 30 and escaped reality by immersing himself in otaku culture, only to develop a late-onset middle school syndrome.”

“I was thinking of making mint chocolate fried tonight.”

“You really suit it, sister.”

How can my sister look so beautiful even with an eye patch?

“Hehe. Yeah, I do, don’t I?”

Haeun smiled and adjusted the eye patch.

But, to be honest, she looked quite good with the eye patch, thanks to her natural beauty.

It did look a bit like middle school syndrome, though.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“No. It’s a bit inconvenient not being able to see on one side, but it’s manageable.”

Well, considering that until recently she couldn’t see with either eye, this must be a minor issue for her.

“By the way, are you okay? You spent all your savings, didn’t you?”

Haeun asked in a slightly lowered voice.

“Money is just a means. I can earn it again. There’s no rush now.”

“Hmm. R-right?”

Haeun blushed and cleared her throat.

The feeling of overwhelming happiness that came from his words, “There’s no rush now,” was indescribable.

It felt like being tickled by soft feathers all over her body.

She found it hard to keep the corners of her mouth from curling up.

“Who would buy something at the immediate auction price like a fool? If we had just participated in the regular auction, we could have gotten it much cheaper.”

She poked Oh Jin’s side with her elbow to distract herself from the ticklish sensation.

“What if someone else had called the immediate auction price first?”

If that happened, the auction would end immediately, and the Dragon Horse Eye would go to someone else.

It’s a rare item that might only appear once a year, so missing this opportunity would mean Haeun would have to live in darkness for a long time.

“It’s better to buy it when the opportunity arises rather than take that risk.”

Money is just a means.

As long as the goal is achieved, the cost doesn’t matter.

‘Well, calling out 100 billion at once was a bit foolish, though.’

He never intended to call the immediate auction price from the start.

He planned to gauge the situation and buy the Dragon Horse Eye at a reasonable price.

*But*.

The moment he saw Song Haeun, tears streaming down her face.

Something inside him flared up, and he called out 100 billion without thinking.

“A, ah.”

Song Haeun blushed deeply and bowed her head.

“H, hehehe.”

She laughed nervously, her shoulders shaking.

“I, I’m going out for a bit!”

She rushed out of the house as if fleeing.

[…….]

Vega, who had been watching her retreating back, flew over to Oh Jin.

[You really cherish that girl.]

“Huh?”

[I heard you’ve been protecting her since you were young. Is there a reason for that?]

“What? Did sister say something like that?”

Protecting Haeun since they were young.

It’s partly true, partly false.

“I didn’t protect her; she protected me first. Or rather, she protected everyone in the orphanage.”

[Hmm?]

Vega’s eyes sparkled at this new information.

“She was like a leader to the children in the orphanage.”

Oh Jin smiled wistfully.

He recalled the distant past.

The girl who bravely confronted the director to protect the children who followed her.

Haeun, who shone like a bright gem.

“But did you know? Despite how she looks, our sister is actually a big crybaby.”

She would secretly cry under her blanket on nights when she was beaten by the director.

“So….”

[Did you step in to repay her?]

“I guess.”

Repaying her.

Of course, that was part of it, but not the only reason.

‘It wasn’t the only reason.’

Oh Jin shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I’ll tell you later.”

[Hmm.]

For some reason, Vega pouted and stuck out her lip.

*Pfft*.

Vega, who had flown up to his head, pulled his hair irritably.

It hurts.

[Still, it’s a relief.]

Vega, who had been pulling his hair, now gently stroked it.

[This is the first time I’ve seen you smile so genuinely.]

“……”

Oh Jin nodded with a faint smile.

[Did you fail to save Haeun in your previous life?]

“That’s….”

He didn’t know.

Whether he saved her or not in the first cycle.

‘I probably failed.’

Was that why the first cycle’s him destroyed the world?

‘I don’t know that either.’

He had no memories of the first cycle, so there was no way to know.

Frankly, it was hard to believe that he was the one who destroyed the world, let alone know the reason.

Anyway.

“Yes. Back then… I couldn’t protect her.”

Let’s go along with it for now.

[As I thought.]

Vega looked at Oh Jin with a sympathetic expression and tapped his forehead.

[Cheer up. You’ve already saved her this time. You’ve already changed the first page of fate with your own power!]

“Haha! That’s right.”

Of course, he wasn’t a reincarnator.

He didn’t have any memories of the first cycle.

But he could still change fate.

[Cough! Still, don’t forget! Haeun is only your ‘sister’!]

Why is she emphasizing the word ‘sister’ so much?

[Anyway! Now that Haeun’s curse is lifted, what’s your next plan?]

Vega quickly changed the subject.

‘Next plan.’

He had one in mind.

“Vega, can you do me a favor?”

He needed her help to carry out that plan.

*Thud*.

Vega, sitting on his palm with her legs crossed, straightened her back and replied.

[I’ll do anything I can!]

He nodded and gently wrapped his hand around her.

“A few hours a day isn’t enough.”

[Hmm?]

“24 hours… I want to be with you, Vega, all the time.”

[Wh-what?!]

Vega’s cheeks turned bright red.