I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 223

Chapter 223

A Scheduled Farewell

***

While Elensia was watching her prey, ready to swallow it whole, Lian was busy digging himself into a deeper hole.

‘I… I’m trash…’

His thoughts, tangled and chaotic, headed straight for a dark, depressing pit. To Lian, who had lived in a world where monogamy was the norm, his tendency to fall easily for different women made him feel like absolute garbage.

If any of those women had fallen for a man who flitted from one woman to another, he would have torn him apart with his own hands. But since he couldn’t tear himself apart, the only answer seemed to be distancing himself voluntarily. That thought spread through him like a slow, creeping sadness.

As Lian continued to dig himself deeper into his mental pit, a snake that hadn’t yet had its fill slithered up to him and quickly bit down on its prey.

“Huh…?”

His chin and cheeks were firmly gripped, forcing his face upward to meet a pair of gleaming red eyes.

If there had been even a hint of the negative emotion from the earlier kiss in Lian’s eyes, maybe the broken brakes would have been fixed, even just a little. But unfortunately, his eyes only reflected confusion and a faint sense of expectation.

The prey, sitting there dumbfounded and innocent, as if inviting another bite, didn’t run away. And so, their lips were swallowed once again.

***

What would happen if the world were to end in three months?

What if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?

These are questions that everyone has heard at least once, and questions they’ve likely pondered.

If you knew how much time you had left, what would you do? Would you cling to your conscience, love, or pleasure? Most people, in such a situation, would do things they hadn’t done before.

Elensia’s relentless pursuit of Lian, like a bicycle speeding downhill with broken brakes, was for the same reason. She no longer had a “tomorrow,” so she allowed herself to be honest about her desires.

If Lian had pushed her away, she wouldn’t have forced herself on him any further. In fact, she might have wanted him to reject her outright, to feel hatred, so that she could finally let go of all her lingering feelings.

But what she got in return was a gaze filled with subtle anticipation and increasingly skilled kisses as he slowly became accustomed to her.

“Lian.”

“Uh, uh, what, what?”

“One more time.”

“…!”

She no longer hesitated and expressed her desires plainly. Lian, blushing, didn’t reject her kiss.

It was only after seeing that his son wasn’t responding that Lian realized he was in a spiritual state. Elensia, who had said she’d be satisfied with just a kiss, clicked her tongue in disappointment at the realization.

Lian shuddered with a strange sense of dread.

The two of them walked and kissed, walked and kissed… If anyone had seen them, they would have thrown stones, calling it a disgusting display.

Having just confirmed each other’s feelings, the fire between them showed no signs of dying down. If they had been in their physical bodies, they would have stopped when their lips became sore, but in their spiritual forms, their energy would quickly recover after a short rest.

Elensia felt a mix of emotions—displeased that Lian’s lips, which swelled up, would quickly return to normal, but also pleased that she could kiss him again.

Even though everything had noticeably slowed down, she could feel the energy drawing closer at a rapid pace. She wondered if the chaotic nature of this place was mixing everything together. With that thought, she quickened her pace.

‘If I stay with him any longer, I might not be able to let him go.’

The more he accepted her affection, the greedier she became. If she wanted to save Lian, she had to act quickly, before she was consumed by her own desires.

The energy that had once felt so distant now felt larger and stronger. As the end approached, a wave of anxiety swept over her.

‘Is following this energy the right thing to do? What if… what if it’s a trap? What if it’s not Lian’s energy, but another Outsider’s?’

She knew there was nothing else she could do but follow the familiar energy, but the anxiety wouldn’t leave her.

Grip.

“…!”

As if sensing her unease through their clasped hands, Lian tightened his grip. The firm pressure brought Elensia back to her senses. In his gaze, she saw deep affection.

‘…Right, if something were to happen, I’ll protect him. I’ve already prepared myself for annihilation.’

Shaking off her anxiety, she was about to resume walking when Lian lowered his head toward her.

Meeting his gaze, she naturally assumed he was going to kiss her again.

Though momentarily flustered, Elensia didn’t refuse the prey that was willingly walking into her mouth.

Their breaths overlapped.

***

After walking for quite some time, they arrived at a strange place. It was as though a line had been drawn, separating a pure white space from a pitch-black one.

Just one step forward, and they would leave the dark space and enter the blindingly white one.

Lian and Elensia stood at the boundary, staring at the white space. While checking the surroundings for any traps, monsters, or Outsiders, Lian’s eyes widened as he pointed at something.

“Huh? Over there…!”

“…!”

In the middle of the white space stood a door that radiated a sacred aura. It was so white that it blended with the surroundings, making it hard to notice unless you looked closely.

‘That’s it!’

Elensia recognized that Lian’s energy was emanating from that door.

‘If we open that door, we can return to reality.’

Having walked the path to the afterlife before, she instinctively knew what the door’s purpose was.

Lian… He’s alive. Unlike me, he didn’t die!

A dizzying sense of joy spread through her body like wildfire. She was about to step forward when—

Thud!

“…?!”

It was as if there was an invisible barrier between the two spaces, and her body was thrown back.

“Elensia…?”

“…!”

Elensia quickly looked toward Lian. He had already crossed into the white space and was staring at her in confusion.

“Ah…”

In that moment, she realized. This was as far as she could go. The dead could not cross any further.

Elensia let out a faint sigh and looked at Lian’s hand, which hadn’t yet crossed fully into the white space.

Without a second thought, she let go of his hand. The fear that she wouldn’t be able to release him when the time came now felt utterly unfounded.

“Elensia? What’s wrong? Hurry and come over here!”

Thud!

Lian, panicked, tried to cross back into the dark space to grab her, but it was as if an invisible wall was blocking his way. He pressed his hands against the unseen barrier, his face filled with confusion.

“What’s going on… Elensia! Come over here!”

Feeling an ominous chill run down his spine, Lian called out to her urgently. Elensia bit her lip and placed her hand on top of his, mirroring his gesture on the transparent wall.

“I can’t go.”

“What? But…”

“Lian, the truth is… I’m already dead.”

“…?!”

Lian froze at her unexpected words. Elensia gazed at his face, as if trying to etch it into her memory, and continued speaking slowly.

She calmly explained what had happened after he left, the choices she had made, and the consequences of those choices. She had been wandering aimlessly until she heard his voice and followed it here.

As her story neared its end, Lian’s face contorted in agony. To face the death of someone precious to him, without any divine power or godly vessel to shield him, was too cruel for Lian to bear.

“No, I don’t want this. Let’s go together.”

“We can’t. Lian, you… you’re still alive.”

“No, I’ve died before. I’ve died and come back to life. Yeah, that’s it. We can ask the god of the world I lived in. I’m sure they’ll bring you back. They’ll probably ask for something in return, but… I’m sure we can make it happen!”

Lian’s voice trembled as he shouted, trying desperately to hold her hand, but the invisible barrier stopped him. His fingers only pressed harder against the wall.

“I’ll figure something out, so just—!”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“What…?”

The more desperate Lian’s voice became, the calmer Elensia felt. She had thought that at the end of this road, she would be facing despair alone… but she wasn’t. The despair she felt was mirrored in him.

Lian, who loved her.

That fact alone gave her the strength to let him go. Elensia stepped closer to the transparent wall, where Lian’s face was pressed, and leaned in.

Smooch.

Her lips, though they couldn’t touch, made a faint sound as they parted. She took a step back, a gentle smile spreading across her face.

“I love you, Lian. And thank you for loving me. I’ll go ahead and wait for you. You… see and experience a lot, and come as late as possible.”

It wasn’t an eternal farewell, just a temporary one.

That’s what she was saying, but the tears welling in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

End of Chapter