“Yours……”

A face that bears the weight of more years compared to mine, compared to Yuhyun’s. Yet unmistakably the same face. The two I sent away from the nightmare dungeon. My twenty-nine-year-old self stares at me with a sullen expression. My twenty-four-year-old brother looks slightly startled, but he offers a smile.

They were the pair I had seen, even if only in a dream. I had prayed it was real. Though I was relieved to hear that world had been safely separated, a faint anxiety remained. Their appearance had clearly changed since I last saw them—time had passed. They were truly safe. Emotion swelling in my chest, I rose to my feet and ran toward them.

“Yuhyun! Well—”

“What’s with that disgusting look in your eyes?”

My twenty-nine-year-old self swiftly stepped in front of me, extending a hand. He grabbed me by the collar, spun me around, and threw me over his shoulder in a flawless hip toss. Yuhyun rushed forward to catch me.

“Hyung!”

“Yujin hyung!”

“Just toss him aside. It’s a dream.”

“But this hyung is only F-rank, after all.”

“That’s right! My brother’s body is frail……”

Park Hayul, about to interject, froze at the chill in Yuhyun’s gaze and backed away.

“…You two are really brutal siblings. I greeted Yujin hyung with open arms, and he immediately pulled a knife.”

“Well, it’s just the two of us, and you appeared out of nowhere. Back then, I didn’t even realize it was a dream. I told you to put me down. What right do you have to grab me?”

My heartfelt emotion shattered, pulverized into dust. Stepping down from Yuhyun’s arms, my twenty-four-year-old self glared at me.

“Hey, I was genuinely worried about you! So you really are safe, right? You’re living well… aren’t you?”

In that world, seeing them stirred the broken fragments of my emotion back to life. My twenty-nine-year-old self gave me a bewildered look.

“What kind of sob story is that? It’s not the first time we’ve met. I ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) think it’s the second or third.”

“What?”

“Since this is a dream you dragged me into, you probably don’t remember. But you decided to treat me like your older brother. Because I’m older.”

…Had I been shot in the head to do such a thing? It was clearly a lie.

“When was that, exactly?”

“The most recent wasn’t long ago. In your time, I mean. Our side moves faster. This is the first time with Yuhyun. It’s completely different with him and without him.”

“Of course it’s different. Is time different, too?”

“Do you think it’d be the same? It’s a whole different world.”

Anyway, that dungeon still existed. My brother and I were living together. A strange comfort washed over me. Somewhere, they’d found a peaceful everyday life. That was its own consolation.

“You’re… doing well, right?”

“Yeah. We’ve fought maybe a dozen times.”

“…What?”

“We’re still a bit cold to each other, though.”

Suddenly, I sensed distance between them. Yuhyun’s lips tightened as if clenching his teeth. I, at twenty-nine, shot him a glare, raising the corner of my eye.

“In that time, you just got more stubborn!”

“Right back at you, hyung!”

“You’ve gone and become hard-headed, not listening to reason!”

“Do you ever listen to me?”

I watched the two of them, dumbfounded. The way I joked with Yuhyun and he snapped back at me felt unfamiliar. We had quarreled before, but this was different—an entirely different atmosphere.

“Well, maybe you were the one at fault! Anyway, you’re the older brother now!”

Not knowing what else to say, I blurted it out—and my twenty-nine-year-old self glared at me.

“Outsiders step aside.”

“But it’s me, and it’s my brother.”

“You were the one who told us to fight.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“You said Yuhyun was so anxious that we were quarreling, so go ahead and fight properly. And then we fought again.”

I had no idea what nonsense he was spouting. Because we were anxious, we fought—and then you told us to fight more?

“You meant to calm us down, right?”

“No. You two are so different, you know? So fight. Though you did say we should talk, too.”

“Talking was supposed to be the focus, wasn’t it?”

“We talked. ‘Let’s be more honest about our desires,’ you said. I can’t at all understand how you want to kill me, but you’re born that way. But I have no intention of dying. I want to eat well and live well with you.”

“No, you’re supposed to understand!”

“How the hell am I supposed to understand, you lunatic?”

“But I’m still your brother—”

“You’re a different species. Even humans can’t understand each other if they’re from different countries.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Is there any family that’s never fought? Different nations can’t understand each other, let alone beings whose very nature differs.”

“That’s… no, I know we’re different.”

“I understand Yuhyun has been holding back. He’s only been the obedient good brother because he’s been holding back.”

“Hey, if you knew that, you should’ve treated him better!”

“Why should I?”

His questioning face made my heart skip a beat. It was me. Even if I’d taken a different path, it was still me.

“How could you…?”

“Han Yujin.”

His finger jabbed lightly at my chest.

“Unlike you, I have no guilt.”

“What……?”

“I’ve never lost my brother. We just had a big fight and drifted apart for a bit. I was too weak to protect my younger brother, but at the same time, Yuhyun distanced himself without a word. So I just let it slide.”

My twenty-nine-year-old self—the one who’d never lost a brother.

“You’ve worked hard suppressing your nature all this time. Now you don’t have to. I’ve said my piece. But we’re different. Naturally, we clashed. So what if that’s bad? Families fight when they live together. We clash more often because we’re so different, but you’re the only sibling I have, and I love you best.”

“I only have you, too. I love you best, hyung.”

They laughed as if they’d never fought.

“And the same goes for you. You don’t need guilt toward your twenty-year-old self, Yuhyun.”

Twenty-year-old Yuhyun. I instinctively staggered back.

“I think it’s justified. Your younger brother was like your child. Cherished and raised with care. In a way, more like father and son than siblings. How could you remain normal after losing someone like that?”

A look of pity filled Han Yujin’s gaze.

“And he died protecting you. It takes courage to stay sane.”

I found it hard to breathe. Yuhyun supported me, and I clutched his arm tightly.

“No matter what Yuhyun did, you’d want to accept it. If he could live after trying to kill you, if there was nothing left to reclaim, you’d have given your life.”

I couldn’t refute him. It was true. I remember my pre-reincarnation self was much like the young me in front of me: angry at my brother’s attempt to hold me back, determined to leave on my own. If I’d remained ignorant of the truth, would I not have quarreled often with Yuhyun, resenting him and thinking him strange?

“Your advice helped. I think striving to see and accept Yuhyun’s differences and live together is right. But embracing everything unconditionally—that’s far from understanding.”

I should stand at the shore, feet and hands dipped, but not plunge into the depths no matter how much I longed to. We are different. We stand on parallel lines, holding hands, but we cannot cross over.

“If we remain ourselves, we’ll clash forever. And that’s surprisingly okay. It’s no big deal. That’s just life.”

“…Life, huh.”

“Nagging, anger, sometimes proper fights. You have no intention of changing Yuhyun, and he can’t change you either. So we walk different paths side by side. Since they’re different, at times we’ll drift or even go opposite ways, but you don’t intend to let go.”

“Of course.”

No matter what, we’ll grasp each other’s hands again.

“Living with others is rough, but living with Yuhyun is especially rough.”

It was true. Even with close friends or family, sometimes you part ways or misunderstand each other. I sank into a chair.

“So what’s the problem? Why does a face that got pushed around look so pathetic?”

“I—my physical condition is serious.”

“I heard that.”

He said calmly. Kind-hearted Yuhyun looked at him with concern—it was hard to believe they were siblings. They truly were different species.

“I don’t know how much you heard, but right now I’m……”

I explained the recent events. To my surprise, he listened calmly.

“I think Yuhyun’s reaction was justified. And I feel it might be time to give up.”

“What about you, without Yuhyun? What do you think?”

I paused, then answered.

“You know me.”

“Then do as you wish.”

I glanced alternately at him and Yuhyun. Do as I wish?

“Hey, Yuhyun!”

“I told you—you need no guilt toward your twenty-year-old self, Yuhyun.”

“But before guilt—my brother is so worried he doesn’t know what to do!”

“Yuhyun, how many times have I run away from home?”

“Three days ago was the fifth time.”

“I’m you.”

His brazen face said it all. I ran away repeatedly, worrying my brother—no need to lecture me. Though it stung, I had to admit it.

“You’ve been living like that?!”

“Well, I’m healthier than you. Don’t get worked up. Han Yujin, you’re yourself before you’re Yuhyun’s brother. A caregiver has their own life, too. Though you shouldn’t treat your child that way, Yuhyun is an adult.”

“But he’s just barely twenty-one, a month past his birthday!”

“…Still young. But it’s what you want, isn’t it? Your choice.”

“But I’ll never let go of Yuhyun’s hand.”

“Who’s stopping you? Keep holding it. We’ve been holding it all along. That’s how we came this far. It’s not a path walked alone.”

I looked down at my hand. I’d been clenching it without realizing, a faint warmth still lingering. I sensed—yet did not fully understand. My brother and I.

“Hyung.”

Yuhyun’s voice reached me.

“That too, if it’s us, will be okay.”

“…Okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay. And, hyung.”

Yuhyun paused, then continued.

“He’s probably already sensing it too—your guilt. He’s sensitive about you, so he likely instinctively detected that you were projecting something else onto him.”

My heart dropped. Now he’d learned about the pre-reincarnation me. If he also sensed that I couldn’t forget my dead brother and thus overprotected Yuhyun…

“…At first he was confused, but now he recognizes my two brothers as different beings. They’ve changed.”

“Then act accordingly. I cared for Yuhyun, but I didn’t tiptoe around him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have caused a fuss about being a Hunter and ended up in trouble. I was Han Yujin who fought back at Yuhyun with anger.”

It wasn’t wrong, but hearing him nag so much made my blood boil. Who did he think he was?

“Don’t spout off like it’s someone else’s problem! It’s not just Yuhyun—others I’ve worried about, too. How dare you say otherwise? You try it, then talk!”

“Right. That must’ve been tough. I’m sorry.”

I cursed him. What a jerk—he’s never lost a brother, has he?

“I thought the most annoying person was Seong Hyunjae, but turns out it’s right in front of me!”

“That’s too harsh.”

I kicked his leg and sank into the chair. Park Hayul watched from a distance, eyes rolling.

“…I tried.”

“Sure, go team.”

“…Hyung.”

Yuhyun tugged at him to stop. He complained, but Yuhyun covered his mouth. When he struggled more, Yuhyun pinned him down. He kicked and shouted.

“Are you siding with him, too?!”

“Hyung is hyung.”

They bantered naturally. Neither Yuhyun nor I held back. But their bond didn’t look broken—in fact, quite the opposite.

‘…Yuhyun is…’

I recalled my younger brother from childhood. Growing up, leaving, returning, and the times we spent together. Then I suddenly realized.

“That’s right. I—we have always been together.”

“Obviously.”

He scratched the back of his head and heaved a big sigh.

“The half-and-half looking one.”

“Me!”

Park Hayul shot her hand up.

“Don’t come crawling back now. Our worlds are completely separated. If you keep interfering, it’ll have an impact. Actually, that’s why I came—to tell you this. If needed, I’ll have Yuhyun give you a quick nudge.”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

“So this is really the last time.”

I looked at myself.

“It’s a brand-new world, so soon a new intelligent species will emerge.”

“…An intelligent species?”

“Yeah. Whether they’ll be similar to us or a totally different avian or reptilian race is unknown. That’s why you mustn’t meet them. It could have negative effects on them.”

They both stepped back. I stood reflexively.

“So you two, you’ll… be able to live well, right?”

“Of course. Maybe we’ll become legend—myth even. We’re newborn humanity, after all. Starting from the Paleolithic, maybe.”

He smiled as if he found it amusing.

“Yuhyun might even pass on fire to them. There are such folktales in your world.”

He spoke as if he truly belonged to another realm. Yuhyun bid me take care before he left. Han Yujin turned and walked away without a word.

Despite his talk of sympathy for the new species, it would be Han Yujin most moved by it. Yuhyun would remain indifferent—perhaps even dislike them. A legend of brother gods where the older brother stole fire for humans came to mind. They’d bicker again, but they’d manage.

I watched the two vanish until they were completely out of sight.

“Hayul.”

“Yes, hyung!”

“Is there any way you can help me?”

I have things I must do. And I want to tell Yuhyun something important.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep