BCGWR Chapter 40 Part 1

Sweet Dream 11

‘Patron’ God of Rest looks at Han Ji-su.

The message window disappeared, but this time, an answer didn’t come immediately. Ji-su, already accustomed to conversing with a Patron, waited patiently instead of rushing. Soon, a new message appeared.

‘Patron’ God of Rest says, to be honest, the longing for a loved one never fades, no matter how much time passes. However, unlike longing, sadness definitely grows fainter with time, he assures.

“…Yes… I see….”

Ji-su, still with his eyes closed, mulled over the God of Rest’s answer and took a deep breath.

On hearing it, it seemed somewhat true. However, in his case, the sadness might not subside even with time.

Even after five years since The Cataclysm, Ji-su still couldn’t properly speak about his Loveis members and his family. Recalling them made him sad, pained, still longing, and so intensely yearning that even mentioning them was difficult.

Seeing himself like this even after five years, he grew a little despondent, thinking things might not change much in the future. But concluding that this wasn’t an issue he could immediately resolve, Ji-su opened his eyes and sat up.

“Whew… Well… now that I’ve cried my fill, I want to go back to doing what I need to do. How do I leave?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest suggests, why not stay a little longer before leaving?

“…Why?”

Ji-su couldn’t hide his open skepticism at the unexpected answer, and a message came quite quickly again.

‘Patron’ God of Rest says he is a very busy god. He says there probably won’t be another chance to converse so leisurely like this, and advises him to ask anything he’s curious about now.

“No, but what’s the point of asking? You said you can’t answer most of my questions because of some rule or other, didn’t you? And I should really feed Toto soon. How much time has passed in reality?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says that in reality, it is currently January 24th.

“…What? The 24th!? Has that much time passed already!?”

Ji-su was shocked, recalling that he had arrived at the hospital in Seong Ha-jin’s arms around the 19th, according to his memory.

“Then what about Toto!?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says Han Ji-su is hospitalized, and Toto is currently being well cared for by another human.

“…Another human, meaning Esper Seong Ha-jin?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest nods.

Ji-su muttered, “It’s a relief that Toto at least follows Seong Ha-jin well, but…” Then, suddenly curious, he opened his eyes wide and called out to the empty space.

“God of Rest!”

‘Patron’ God of Rest looks at Han Ji-su.

“I have a question! About Esper Seong Ha-jin, is he perhaps Esper Jung Ha-jin?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says, He

“He?”

The moment Ji-su tilted his head, the window vanished instantly, and a few seconds later, a new message popped up.

‘Patron’ God of Rest says he is speechless, asking why he is asking him such personal questions instead of asking the person himself.

“…He didn’t say no, did he?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest tells him to ask the person himself about such personal curiosities. He says that relationships between people are to be forged by themselves.

“….”

Ji-su stared blankly at the empty space, then conceded that it was true. Feeling a bit embarrassed for trying to gain information about someone else through indirect means, he added unnecessarily.

“No, it’s just… I’m a bit unsure, and it doesn’t make sense… Why would an S-rank Esper, whose every second is precious, stick around me? But then again, they seem subtly similar… If I ask, and it turns out not to be true, I might die of embarrassment.”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says he has lived for a very long time, but he has never seen a human die of embarrassment in all those years, so he tells him not to worry.

“Ugh, never mind. Still, I should get up soon. If I sleep too long, our Toto will worry a lot. How do I get out of here?”

He asked again, but this time, after a long silence without an answer, Han Ji-su spoke first.

“God of Rest. Do you perhaps want me to stay here longer?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says yes.

“…Why?”

‘Patron’ God of Rest says that Han Ji-su is currently undergoing mental stabilization treatment through sleep, so the longer he sleeps, the better. And if he had to add another reason, he says it has been a long time since he took in a new Protégé, so he wants to know more about Han Ji-su.

“….”

Ji-su, having read the answer, scratched his cheek and averted his gaze. Judging solely by that statement, he seemed like a god very interested in his Protégé, but something felt off. Just recalling what other Awakened individuals had shared about their Patrons, they weren’t beings who conversed with their Protégés for such extended periods.

They usually answered three or four sentences at most, then quickly left, only appearing when their Protégé was in a dangerous situation. For a rather famous Patron, the amount of time he was dedicating to him was suspiciously excessive.

‘Could something have happened in reality…?’

Ji-su wondered if something he wasn’t supposed to know had happened, and the God of Rest was stalling to keep him here, but he soon concluded it was just speculation.

Why would such a famous Patron care so much about him, as if he were someone important?

While he was feeling embarrassed, thinking such thoughts were self-indulgent, the void of nothingness instantly transformed into a flower garden, and a blue sky appeared simultaneously.

“…!”

Ji-su, eyes wide with surprise at the sudden change in scenery, looked around. As the wind swept through the endlessly stretching flower garden, colorful petals scattered.

“….”

‘Patron’ God of Rest asks if he likes it.

It was unclear why it was a flower garden, but it seemed impossible for anyone to dislike such a beautiful place. Ji-su slowly surveyed the surroundings, filled with unnamed flowers, and answered blankly, as if enchanted.

“…Yes. It’s incredibly beautiful.”

Indeed, it was a place so beautiful it felt a shame to behold it alone.