Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

"You're impossible," Anna frowned.

She was still mad at YuWon for tricking her, but she couldn't stay angry for too long. After all, YuWon was safe, and that's all she cared about. But she wasn't the only one.

As soon as the girls saw YuWon, they rushed towards him. YuWon was barely standing, covered with injuries and dung. But none of that seemed to matter to the girls. They wrapped their arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

Yeji couldn't say a word and was busy shedding tears. Gina clung to his neck, her face buried in his chest.

"Don't you ever dare to do something like that again!" Gina said before crying.

"idiot..." Lysandra said, trying to sound tough, but ended up crying as well.

"I'm sorry girls, ow—" YuWon groaned in pain.

But the girls only hugged him tighter. YuWon, despite the pain, couldn't help but smile weakly. Meanwhile, Anna stood further away, watching YuWon's reunion with a sad smile on her face.

She had done what she wanted to. She had saved YuWon. The person she couldn't protect in her timeline was alive and surrounded by the people who loved him, and that was enough for her.

Time to leave... I guess.

There was no need for her here anymore. Anna had drastically changed the future. With YuWon alive and the mole dead, her knowledge of future events was more or less obsolete now.

Now, she wasn't sure if she had a place in this one. Her presence could trigger the butterfly effect and make things more complicated. So it was wise for her to leave and get back to her timeline.

"Live a long and adventurous life... my love," Anna whispered, before turning to leave.

But just as she was about to step away, she felt someone grab her hand.

Anna turned to see YuWon holding her arm. His face was still covered with grime, but there was a smile on his lips. It was a smile Anna hadn't seen in ages... not sinceherYuWon died.

"Where do you think you're going?" YuWon asked softly.

The girls were still holding on to him, but all his attention was on her. The sight of him made her heart go wild in her chest. No matter how much she tried to calm it down, just one look at YuWon would get her flustered again.

She hadn't expected him to reach out to her—especially not after everything that had happened between them... or their different versions.

But then she saw a flash of the YuWon from her timeline, the one who used to be the life of the party, always smiling.

The YuWon she loved had died, and no one would ever replace him. But then... another YuWon was smiling at her, and her chest tighten. Was she betraying the one she loved by falling for his other self, or was it destiny?

She had sworn she would let no one else take YuWon's place... but now she was wavering. Maybe... falling for him again wouldn't be so bad.

She would always cherish the YuWon she knew, but maybe it was time to let go of that sadness and appreciate new things.

"Don't leave us hanging," YuWon said, and the girls also looked up. "You're a mess too. So might as well join us in this gross reunion."

They had their doubts about her. But after what she did, they held no grudges. After all, without her, only god knows what would have happened to YuWon.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

Anna smiled and stepped towards YuWon, before being pulled in by Gina.

It was what she needed. It was time to stop running from the past, to stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and to be happy with where she was.

***

The next day...

YuWon lay back in the bed, propped up by soft pillows made of the World Tree's husk. That wasn't all. The girls weren't leaving any stones unturned for his comfort.

"Here, have some. It'll help you recover," Lysandra said, as she fed him one of the dried fruits from the World Tree.

Despite being dried up, the fruit still retained some of the original rejuvenating properties to help him heal fast. Besides, it was the only food they had, so it wasn't like he had a choice.

At his side, Yeji worked carefully, tending to his injuries with her healing abilities. Unlike others, she furrowed her brows as she concentrated on healing him.

"Try not to move too much," she sighed in frustration, holding his arm still. "You need your arm to wipe your butt. I won't do it forever."

"Aww... and here I thought you liked it. Ouch--!"

"Stay still," Yeji replied, glaring at him.

"Yeji... be careful, please," Gina mumbled from the side.

Since she had nothing else to do, Gina sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through YuWon's hair.

"He's not a baby, Gina," Anna rolled her eyes. "A little pain wouldn't kill him."

"You're heartless, noona!" YuWon said teasingly.

"What—I told you not to call me that!" Anna's face flushed, despite her words.

Witnessing her face turn red, everyone laughed.

Technically, YuWon wasn't wrong. He was younger than Anna by a decade. So it was only right for him to address her as such. No matter how much it pissed her off.

Anna had enough of the brats and sat in the corner, staring at the ring on her ring finger. It was identical to the ones worn by Gina, Lysandra, and YuWon.

Yeji wanted one as well, but YuWon was quick to shut that down. After all, the ring was meant for him and hiswives,which didn't include Yeji... for now.

YuWon sighed, enjoying the calm atmosphere of the room. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. There was a knock on the door and they all turned to see... Min-Ji standing there, nervously glancing around the room.