Theoretically - not that I had any understanding of how all this worked - I could have just killed Haein and see if another one popped up. If yes, then good (hopefully). If not, then at least I get my revenge and severe this damned thread of destiny that bound me to this girl who was both angelic and demonic at the same time.
But I decided to play the long game. Nobody in the world could be better than me in playing the long game. It was a game I couldn't possibly lose.
So instead of rushing for the head-on collision course with Haein, I decided to sit back and observe - just like how I did with the first Haein. Who knows? Maybe this one will follow the same path and kill herself. That will serve her right.
I didn't even sit inside the ramen shop this time. I didn't want to take any chances. It was an open space restaurant in the food court with no walls so I could see what was going on inside perfectly from sitting in a cafe across it.
Why isn't she here…?
I checked the time and she was already five minutes late. This couldn't be. I could accept that things always went against expectations with Haein, but she should not be able to break the pattern prior to meeting me. Only I had such power in this world.
"I found you"
I got so startled I let out an embarrassing yelp and jumped up from my seat.
When I quickly turned to see who just tapped on my shoulder and spoke, I got rooted to the spot.
It was Haein.
The devil version of her.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I mistook you for someone else"
The little girl, who now I knew to be not so innocent, apologized.
I was still lost for words and all I could do was try to stop my hands from shaking. Flashbacks of what happened the day before sent the shivers down my spine. My ass still felt sore from the tail plug and spanking, although it shouldn't really be.
"But… have we met before?"
The third coming of 'this' Haein tilted her head to a side and asked me.
"No… no. I don't think so"
"You look familiar. I'm sure we've met before"
"We definitely did not"
"Oh my god! I know now! I've seen you in my dream!"
Huh?
"Last night! I saw you in my dream"
What in the fuck?!
"You were-, er, sorry. I'm really sorry"
"What are you sorry for?"
"It… wasn't a particularly pleasant dream"
Now I was truly scared. Did she carry over the memory from 'yesterday'?
"Gosh… I don't know why I have such dreams sometimes, but - hey, it's nice to meet you, Yui-, right?"
Oh my fucking god.
"How… how did you?"
She still looked exactly the same as before. 19 years old, a young girl with a sweet little face. Petite and cute.
"Heh, I'm a bit of a psychic I guess"
"What?"
"Sometimes I see things in dreams and it really happens"
I fucking hope what she saw in her 'dream' doesn't fucking happen again.
"So what happened in your dream?"
"Nevermind. It's not something I'd like to talk about. May I take a seat?"
Before I could even respond, the nonchalant girl pulled out a seat from my table and plopped herself down.
"I think we should talk"
Haein then beckoned me to take my seat as well.
I duly obliged.
"Do you know who I am?"
I don't know why, but this question just popped out of my mouth.
"May I look at your face more closely?"
Of course, she just grabbed my head with her palm on each side of my face and studied me carefully, concentrated. I felt like she saw right through me.
"You poor thing"
A single drop of tear ran down her cheek.
"You poor, poor thing"
Her words broke something inside me.
Nobody, I mean NOBODY understood what I was going through.
And this girl couldn't possibly know everything, because if she knew what I did to her the other time, she wouldn't be feeling any sympathy for me.
But I felt like for this moment she was the first and the only one who understood the pain of my immortality.
I broke down and cried. Haein said nothing and embraced me as if I was her long-lost friend.
"Shhhh, it's okay. I don't quite understand what happened to you but I'm sure there is a way"
So she really was some kind of a psychic this time. She had a feel for these things but she was no oracle. She couldn't see everything that I had seen or what would happen in 40 days, but something inside her told her that I was in pain that no other human could have gone through.
"Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help you"
"The world… :hic: it will end in 40 days…"
I involuntarily whispered between my sobs.
"Wow. That sucks. I didn't see that coming"
":hic: You can see the future?"
"No, but sometimes I see things in my dreams, and sometimes I just feel things in my heart. They tend to be right"
"How do you do that…?"
"Why don't you tell me first how YOU know the world will end in 40 days?"
I was completely disarmed now that there was finally someone who was willing to listen to me.
"I've seen it! I've lived it! And it ALWAYS ends the same!"
"What did you see?"
"The beast-, the Hell Beast. It's got horns. It's massive - green eyes. Its whole body is burning in flame, it appears everywhere, and it kills everyone. EVERYONE!"
"And then?"
"There is no 'and then'! Listen to me, the world is going to fucking end! We are all doomed!"
"Can we stop it?"
"No…"
Haein gently stroked my hair and looked into my eyes with the empathy that I hadn't felt for a very, very long time.
"Do you want to stop it?"
"I will do everything in my power to stop it. If there is a way", I felt a sudden rush of fire through my veins, a seed of determination in my heart, a courage born out of pure hatred for the Beast and the hell it's put me through for 'years'.
"Why don't you tell me everything? We can think about it together"
"Everything…?"
"Yes. Everything"