GTLTGIDES chapter 63

* * *

“Go ahead. Ask whatever you want.”

“You knew everything, didn’t you? You could have prevented it all.”

“The Genius Guide’s Melancholy” begins with the government rescuing the kidnapped Ye Eunsoo.

The story’s origin is Jake Polwel’s abduction of Ye Eunsoo.

And Elizabeth Polwel, who had long awaited the ‘savior,’ must have known about this incident long before Eunsoo was even born.

“Just like you tested me this time, there are times when you intervene directly, aren’t there? You don’t avoid every worldly affair. Then why…?”

“Why didn’t I prevent Eunsoo’s kidnapping?”

“Yes…”

I nodded heavily.

If Elizabeth Polwel had stopped it, Eunsoo’s childhood could have been ‘normal,’ and Jake Polwel might not have become a criminal.

There were countless ways she could have managed Jake’s inferiority complex or even prevented him from being sent to Korea.

But Elizabeth Polwel did nothing.

“Even if I have the power to see the future, I can’t stop all tragedies. There are limits to what I can touch, and to what I can change. Sometimes, actions taken with the best intentions bring even greater misfortune. So… I’m sorry. I saw it, but I closed my eyes and pretended not to.”

I already knew. It had been explicitly mentioned in the narrative.

Elizabeth Polwel uses her abilities as minimally as possible, only adjusting events enough to ensure the world moves toward the most peaceful outcome.

So, I didn’t plan to lash out or demand that she take responsibility for Eunsoo’s life.

The part that puzzled me wasn’t that she hadn’t saved Eunsoo, even though she knew everything.

“But… Jake is your precious great-grandson, isn’t he?”

Not a stranger, but family.

Elizabeth Polwel was a woman who deeply loved her family, and no matter how flawed Jake was, he wouldn’t have been an exception.

Just as one often feels a deeper affection for the most troubled child, perhaps Jake’s inferiority complex and low self-esteem made him stand out even more to her.

How must it have felt to watch her great-grandson make the worst choices, ruining not just his own life, but someone else’s as well, for years?

As someone who found Eunsoo so utterly adorable, I couldn’t understand her indifference.

Elizabeth Polwel looked at me, her expression surprised, as if my question had caught her off guard.

“Yes. He is a dear child of mine.”

Then, a bitter smile spread across her wrinkled lips.

Silence settled in the room, along with the setting sun, turning the once-bright space into a dim, crimson shade.

I quietly lifted the teacup to my lips.

The moderately cooled tea pleasantly wetted my lips.

-Clink.

When I had drunk about half, Elizabeth Polwel, who had already emptied her cup, sat up straight, seemingly ready to give me an answer.

“To you, I must seem cold and heartless. You might even hate me. But if I were to return to the past and stand at the same crossroads, I would make the same choice. Because that was my best option.”

Her voice carried an unshakable conviction that erased the silence that had preceded it.

This, in turn, made me curious again.

“Do you think that was the right thing to do?”

I fiddled with the round teacup, staring at the faint reflection of Yang Heewoon’s face in the translucent liquid.

An entirely ordinary ‘extra’s’ face.

So different from Eunsoo, the radiant ‘protagonist.’

“Even when you know what’s happening, is it right to stand by, turn a blind eye, and do nothing? Just because the outcome will be good, does that justify ignoring the pain caused by the process?”

“Child.”

Her voice was tinged with a smile as she softly called me.

Her warm, crescent-shaped eyes met mine.

“For someone asking questions, you seem to have already reached an answer.”

She saw right through me.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Yes. If Eunsoo were in danger, I would do everything I could to stop it.

Whether it changed the future or destroyed the world, I couldn’t just stand by and watch Eunsoo suffer.

I would do whatever it took to protect him.

Even if it wasn’t the role of an ‘extra’…

“I’ve already caused a lot of trouble for Eunsoo’s life…”

It was a relief that Elizabeth Polwel’s test ended as just a ruse, but because of me, Eunsoo had suffered in the past and continued to struggle now.

Even now, just recalling Eunsoo’s injured face made my heart ache.

His sorrowful blue eyes, full of regret, haunted me, especially when he told me how sorry he was, even though he had almost killed me and sealed his incredible powers.

But Eunsoo had told me many times.

“He says… as long as he has me, he’s happy.”

The boy always came to me willingly, smiling as he held my hand like it was the greatest comfort in the world.

“I don’t want to deny Eunsoo’s feelings. So… I want to believe that the future is something we can shape.”

Even as I said those words, I felt myself wavering.

Maybe it’s just an excuse. I’ve already altered Eunsoo’s life significantly, and there’s no going back.

Perhaps I’m just consoling myself, unable to fully trust my own actions.

Did Elizabeth Polwel see through my conflicted thoughts?

She, who had been quietly listening, chuckled softly.

“If that’s how you feel, then so be it. I’ve grown too old and carry too many burdens. So much changes when I move. But I don’t stay still because it’s ‘right,’ I do so out of fear. Fear of disappointment, fear of failure—it holds me back. I’ve let go of so many things, one by one, that now, giving up has become far too easy.”

A hint of self-mockery appeared on her wrinkled face.

But I understood her.

I had struggled with similar concerns.

Like me, she must have agonized over countless choices before arriving at who she is now.

“But child, you have youth, passion, and a good heart. If you believe you’re doing the right thing, don’t hesitate. If trying your best becomes a mistake that leaves you unable to act, wouldn’t life become unbearably dull?”

I bit my lip. Then, after a deep breath, I smiled.

“…Yes.”

We shared a connection, one that was different and special from others.

Elizabeth Polwel sees the future, and I know the future.

Just as I could do anything for Eunsoo, she too was someone who could do anything for the world.

That’s why I wanted to meet her. I wanted to ask her.

Of course, I didn’t expect to get a definitive answer.

It would just be her opinion in the end.

But simply sharing a burden too heavy to speak of with others and hearing her thoughts helped organize my own.

I was glad I came here.

“Um… may I ask you one more question?”

I fidgeted with my hands on my lap before gripping them tightly.

“Go ahead, child.”

“What happened to the real ‘Yang Heewoon’…?”

Her golden eyes softened.

“Ah, you must be talking about the original owner of your body.”

“…Yes.”

It’s me who controls Yang Heewoon’s body now. So where has the real Yang Heewoon gone?

Though I tried to carry on as if it didn’t matter, I couldn’t completely forget about him.

I ignored it because there was nothing I could do about it anyway.

“Your existence lies in an area even I cannot fully comprehend, so I can’t give you a clear answer. I don’t see everything, you know.”

“…I see.”

“However, over the long years, watching countless lives, I’ve come to understand one thing: nothing happens by chance. That child must have made a choice of his own.”

The word “choice” lingered in my heart.

The last memory I had of Yang Heewoon was of him holding a hospital bill for his daughter’s treatment, tormented by the sound of ringing in his ears for what seemed like an eternity.

A body that had begun to fail.

A dwindling bank account.

Despite scraping together every last bit of life he had, all he could afford was to maintain treatment, not cure his daughter.

The despair of knowing he couldn’t save her, no matter how hard he tried, sank deeper and deeper.

And then, a day after that last memory, I opened my eyes in Yang Heewoon’s body.

I couldn’t help but wonder, what happened during that empty day?

At the same time, I was afraid. Did I take away what little time he had left?

“Did my words bring you some comfort?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Though Elizabeth Polwel’s words didn’t offer a clear answer, they were enough.

I hadn’t expected to resolve all my questions about this supernatural phenomenon anyway.

At the very least, her suggestion that Yang Heewoon might have made a “choice” eased the burden I carried in my heart—a burden that would flare up now and then as I lived through this ‘bonus stage’ of life.

I smiled gratefully, and she returned the gesture.

“You really are a kind child.”

“No, I’m… I was just asking for my own reassurance.”

I was about to say that my question had only been for self-comfort, but Elizabeth Polwel spoke first.

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*