Not A Regressor

Chapter 442: Epilogue

A man was lying on top of a luxurious bed, an expensive Swedish-crafted custom bed to be exact, with his eyes closed in silence.

A blonde woman sat beside him and gently placed her hand on his cheek. She stroked his face delicately as if handling a treasure and faintly sighed. “Mr. Oh-Jin...”

Isabella, an incomparable beauty, looked down at Kwon Oh-Jin with trembling eyes.

It had been a week since Kwon Oh-Jin left for the subconscious world. A single week couldn’t possibly compare to the two years she had waited.

“Haaa...”

Perhaps the video had filled her with hope. For some reason, this one week felt even more unbearable than the two years before.

She continued to stroke his cheek and sighed deeply when a bright halo of light burst from Kwon Oh-Jin’s chest.

Woong!

“Huh?” In her excitement, Isabella roughly tore open his shirt. “M-Mr. Oh-Jin!”

The left side of his chest could be seen through the shredded fabric.

“Ah...”

The Stigma of Lyra glowed brilliantly.

With trembling fingers, she gently traced the Stigma on his chest. “Twelve stars?”

Her eyes widened as she touched the twelve strokes engraved beside his Stigma. To make sure she wasn’t imagining it, she compared it with the Stigma on her own chest.

“T-Twelve... It’s really twelve!”

A shiver ran down her spine.

She had wiped his body with a wet cloth every day, so she knew better than anyone that he originally had only eleven strokes beside his Stigma. The fact that it now had twelve could only mean one thing.

Isabella practically threw herself onto him, embracing him tightly. “M-Mr. Oh-Jin... Mr. Oh-Jin, Mr. Oh-Jin!”

Perhaps he heard her. A warm hand brushed her head.

“Ah.”

It felt so familiar. She had longed for this warmth even in her dreams.

Isabella looked down at him with trembling eyes.

Kwon Oh-Jin slowly opened his eyes for the first time in a week. “Am I being jumped right now?”

“Excuse me...?”

What was he talking about?

“Ah.”

Only then did Isabella realize their position. His shirt was torn open, and she was straddling him on the bed. Anyone who saw this scene without context would certainly misunderstand.

“N-No! T-This isn’t like that! I-I mean, I’ve indeed wanted to jump on you, but I’ve always held myself back—No, that’s not what’s important right now—!”

Watching her fluster and panic, Kwon Oh-Jin faintly chuckled. He sat up and gently pulled Isabella into his arms. “I’m back.”

Isabella knew that he wasn’t just saying he had returned from the subconscious world. She knew everything had finally returned to the way it was.

“Hic...”

Just how desperately had she waited for this moment? She had endured each day simply believing that Kwon Oh-Jin would be okay.

“Do you... Do you know how worried I was?”

Even when she said everything was fine, her heart had been burning black with anxiety every day. Finally, that long wait had come to an end.

“I’m sorry.”

Isabella, who always tried to act dignified and sophisticated in front of Kwon Oh-Jin, could no longer hold back her overflowing emotions. She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could and sobbed like a six-year-old child. “Hic, waaaaaa! Mr. Oh-Jin, Mr. Oh-Jin, Mr. Oh-Jin, Mr. Oh-Jin...!”

Calling his name over and over, she pressed her lips to his. Their tongues entwined as she desperately tried to feel him even deeper.

“Haa, haa.”

A thin silver thread stretched between their tongues as they parted.

Isabella’s eyes shimmered crimson as she looked at him. Her eyes looked like those of a starving predator staring at irresistible prey.

She swallowed hard and began unbuttoning the top of her dress one button at a time. Her breasts, too immense to be contained by a thin scrap of fabric, slowly revealed their overwhelming presence.

Isabella let out a heated breath as she pressed down on Kwon Oh-Jin’s chest, easing him back onto the bed. Licking her lips seductively, she lowered herself over him. Their bodies overlapped.

“I’m sorry, I... don’t think I can hold back—”

“The moment you reunite with Lord Oh-Jin, you go straight into heat?”

Isabella jumped like she had been electrocuted and snapped her head toward the voice. “Kyaaaaaaa!”

Cassia stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at Isabella like a serpent ready to strike.

“C-Cassia? H-How long have you been standing there?”

“Since you started bawling your eyes out like a three-year-old who had her toy stolen.”

“I-I wasn’t crying that much!”

“Oh, really? From what I heard, it definitely wasn’t less than that.” With a small smirk, Cassia walked toward Kwon Oh-Jin. “Lord Oh-Jin...”

She had lost the chance to greet him first, but had been waiting for his return just as desperately.

“I believed you would come back.”

“Yeah. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

At his warm answer, the feelings she had been withholding burst out all at once.

Cassia leaped toward him to press her lips to his, only to freeze in mid-motion.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t really have the right to do this.”

Unlike Isabella and Vega, Kwon Oh-Jin had not yet acknowledged Cassia as a lover. She felt confident that her feelings for him weren’t inferior to anyone else’s, but to suddenly kiss him still made her hesitate.

“That’s not like you, Cassia. You’ve been worrying about that?”

“T-That? It’s important to—Mmph!”

Kwon Oh-Jin gently pulled her by the neck and pressed his lips to hers.

Considering she was Isabella’s older sister, accepting Cassia as his lover did make things complicated. Honestly, having more than one lover already made things complicated.

“You don’t need to say you don’t have the right anymore.”

“L-Lord Oh-Jin.”

Besides, Cassia had risked her life for him more times than he could count. Rejecting her feelings just because the situation was a bit complicated wasn’t an option.

Cassia touched her lips with a big smile. “Hehe. I’m finally Lord Oh-Jin’s lover now.”

Her cheeks flushed like a girl who had finally won over her first love.

Isabella shook her head at the cringy sight as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. “Hmph. You’re no different.”

“Then, we should tell Ha-Eun unnie and Lady Vega too—”

Speak of the devil, a brilliant silver light gathered in the air before Isabella could even finish her sentence.

Vega materialized in her true form and flew straight into his arms, her eyes tearing up. “M-My child! I didn’t have a single speck of doubt that you would return safely!”

For someone claiming to have no doubts, she acted excessively dramatic. ƒrēewebnovel.com

“Yeah. Sorry, I broke my promise.”

“Y-You broke your promise...? Did something go wrong?”

“No. Remember when I promised that I would return and break your chains myself?”

“Ah.”

Right, he had promised that.

“Indeed... since you did not break the chains yourself, I suppose you could say that you technically broke our promise.”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect it to take two whole years.”

“T-Then, you must receive punishment for breaking your promise.”

Kwon Oh-Jin grinned playfully and shrugged. “I’ll accept any punishment you want, Goddess.”

Vega paused, thinking hard, then cleared her throat and muttered, “Now that I recall... There is a saying in the human world.”

“What saying?”

“That parents are responsible for the actions of their child.”

Kwon Oh-Jin continued listening.

“S-So, a portion of your wrongdoing is technically my responsibility as well, so...”

Her face reddened as she kept rambling excuses about parental responsibility, poor discipline, and shared punishment.

“What you mean is... You want me to spank you?”

Vega jumped as if snow had slipped into her clothes. “H-How dare you!? At what point in all that did I mention a-a-anything about s-spanking!”

Her expression, glowing with anticipation, outed her as a terrible liar.

Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t help but laugh, his shoulders shaking.

“I-I told you it was a misunderstanding!”

Behind the protesting goddess, a massive wolf with a rough silver mane walked into the room. “Hmph. You’re finally awake?”

“Riarc.”

Riarc clicked his tongue and shook his head as if deeply disappointed. “As expected of you, kid, you’re as slow as ever.”

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled and waved at him. “How have you been?”

“It was peaceful and quiet beyond belief without someone noisy like you. Why not stay unconscious for a few more years?”

Riarc acted bluntly as always, but an unmistakable relief filled his eyes.

“Oh, please. Stop the act,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Ignoring Riarc’s sharp glare, Kwon Oh-Jin looked around the room.

Isabella, Cassia, Vega, and Riarc... He cherished all of them and would never give them up no matter the cost.

“Oh, I texted unnie. She should be arriving soon—”

Kwon Oh-Jin looked at the four who had come and smiled brightly. “Thanks for gathering like this, everyone.”

“What?”

“How about we have a party to celebrate my return?”

“W-Wait, Mr. Oh-Jin!” Isabella quickly sprang up. “What do you mean, everyone? Ha-Eun unnie isn’t here yet.”

“Ha-Eun unnie? Who’s that? Since when do you have someone other than Cassia that you call unnie, Bella?”

Isabella stepped back, her face turning pale. “Mr. Oh-Jin...?”

Just then, the door slammed open. Song Ha-Eun burst inside, her face drenched in tears.

Bang!

“O-Oh-Jin!”

A cold silence fell over the room.

Song Ha-Eun didn’t even seem to notice the atmosphere as she walked toward him.

“U-Unnie, wait!”

“H-Hic... You little brat... Do you know how worried I was?”

Before Isabella could stop her, Song Ha-Eun threw her arms around Kwon Oh-Jin.

Confused, Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head and stared at the woman hugging him. “Who... are you?”

Song Ha-Eun’s eyes trembled. “What...?”

“D-Don’t tell me... You failed to get your memories back?”

No, Isabella’s text clearly said that he had recovered all his memories.

“This is the Ha-Eun unnie you were talking about, Bella?”

“W-Why...?” Isabella trailed off, unable to make sense of what was happening.

He remembered everyone else except Song Ha-Eun.

“So... you’re saying just his memories of me didn’t return?”

“Yes. I-I don’t know why, but that seems to be the case,” Isabella replied.

Kwon Oh-Jin looked around at the confused faces. “When I escaped from the Black Heaven, I made a deal with the Heavenly Demon.”

“A deal...?”

“I don’t remember who it was, but... he said that he would help me escape if I handed over my memories of one person.”

Was that one person Song Ha-Eun?

“Then... Oh-Jin, you...”

That meant he had escaped the Black Heaven by giving the Heavenly Demon his memories of her.

Song Ha-Eun’s eyes shook violently. “Lies...”

How could he do something like that?

“You’re lying, right, Oh-Jin?”

“Yeah. I’m lying.”

“How could you forget only me like that—Huh?”

Wait. What did this motherfucker just say?

Kwon Oh-Jin clutched his stomach, laughing. “Pfft—Hahaha! Wow, it’s been so long I can’t even control my expression properly.”

Song Ha-Eun’s expression twisted viciously as she finally understood. “You little—! Are you serious?! You think this is the time for jokes?! Huh?!”

“Sorry, Ha-Eun.”

Song Ha-Eun furiously grabbed his cheeks and stretched them hard. “You little shit! Do you know how scared I was?!”

“Owww.”

Honestly, her reaction was justified. She had waited so long for him to wake up, only for him to greet her with the dumbest prank possible.

“At least tell me why! Did I do something wrong to you?!”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then why? Why would you do that?”

Because at least for today... I don’t want to see you cry.

He held the words back and gently brushed the dried tear marks at the corner of her eyes.

“I’m back, Ha-Eun.” He pulled her into a hug and pressed his lips to hers.

“You...” Song Ha-Eun was about to scold him further for lying, but deeply sighed instead and shook her head. “Really... you’re going to be the death of me.”

Hugging him tightly, she smiled radiantly instead of shedding tears.

***

Kwon Oh-Jin pushed back the storm of black clouds closing in from all sides and glared at the Heavenly Demon. “So, what kind of deal do you want to make?”

His eyes turned fierce as if warning the Heavenly Demon, “If you say something ridiculous, I’ll fry you with lightning on the spot.”

The Heavenly Demon looked at him and bitterly smiled. “Take care of Ha-Eun, and don’t make her cry.”

Kwon Oh-Jin dryly laughed. “Ha...”

This was the final request the Heavenly Demon made at the cost of his life.

“Fine. I promise that I’ll never make her cry again.”

The Heavenly Demon turned his back to Kwon Oh-Jin. “You’re not lying, right?”

Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and likewise turned around. “Do I look like you?”

Their light, empty laughter echoed through the black clouds.

Just as their paths of fate had been different, the two Kwon Oh-Jins walked in opposite directions. One toward the black sky and one toward the shining starlight.

— The End —

Author’s Note:

Hello, my beloved readers. This is Butterfly Valley! After about a year and a half, the story of Not a Regressor has finally reached its end. Thank you so much to all the readers who stayed with this long journey until the end. I hope the story of our charming liar, Kwon Oh-Jin, remains as a warm memory in your hearts. Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported Not a Regressor up to now!

Translator’s Note:

Hello readers! I hope you all enjoyed Not a Regressor and all the comical, intense, and sometimes questionable scenes in the novel. I often found myself envisioning the pain and struggle Kwon Oh-Jin went through to protect the people he loved. I hope I was able to convey the same feeling I felt through the novel to you all. Kwon Oh-Jin’s adventures as he advanced in star ranks and the way he lied to his advantage were truly impressive. This may be controversial, but I felt empathetic toward the Heavenly Demon, another version of Kwon Oh-Jin. Poor guy, but I do feel the ending did not disappoint in how he was portrayed in his final moments. I believe Kwon Oh-Jin got the happy ending that he deserved, and I’m curious to see where he’ll be headed next. I’ll let my imagination run wild with that one, and I hope you will too! That being said, thank you all for reading and following Kwon Oh-Jin’s journey! Thank you!

Editor’s Note:

Thank you for loving and reading Not a Regressor. Our lying scammer’s journey, filled with laughs and tears, has finally come to an end. Through all the ups and downs in life, I hope everyone can persevere and keep fighting for their own happiness like Kwon Oh-Jin. As Kwon Oh-Jin says, if all it takes is enduring, then it’s nothing at all, right?

P.S. Wuxiaworld has these gag awards among editors and Not a Regressor won for the most cursing in a novel lol. Thank you to our best girl, Song Ha-Eun.