100. After the rain, the ground hardens.

There weren’t any noises outside of appliances that emitted an electrical sound. Rather, everything was still. Numerous people and cars roamed the streets, but their presence didn’t reach the top floor. It was a terrible heat that woke up Ko Byeong-gap. All the doors were locked and there was no air conditioning, so it was natural for the air to heat up.

“Ugh, uh….”

His eyelids opened halfway and then closed again. It was clear that someone had poured cement into his eyes. Or did they put glue on it? Otherwise, his eyelids couldn’t have been this heavy. He tried to fall asleep again. No. He tried to lose his thoughts. If it weren’t for the terrible heat, he would have lost consciousness.

Sweat flowed all over his body. His sticky body clung to the floor. How about thirst? He felt like there was a drought in his throat.

‘I’m hungry…’

Recognizing his thirst, he then grew hungry. Ko Byeong-gap suffered from many terrible hardships. So he couldn’t help but wake up. He woke up and was half out of his mind. He just crawled on the floor like a zombie and headed to the refrigerator. He drank two liters of bottled water. When he emptied about half of it, he poured the rest on his face.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha….”

Now, he felt about 30 percent sober.

‘Air conditioner… air conditioner….’

He moved instinctively to awaken the remaining 70 percent. He managed to find the remote control and lowered the air conditioner’s temperature to the lowest level. The internal temperature, which had been hot, began to cool down gradually. He leaned on the sofa in the living room, absentminded. His head was cloudy and dark. He had to deal with something important, but it was too much to even recall at the moment.

For now, he decided to focus on cooling his body. It had been about 30 minutes. The indoor temperature, which was 32 degrees Celsius, dropped to 23 degrees Celsius, and with it, his mind and body seemed to go back to normal. Still, he was hungry. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly found himself eating up all the snacks he had stocked.

“…”

He felt like a beggar. His clothes were worn out; his white cotton shirt had a hole in it like a rag. And why was he wearing shoes when he was inside the house?

“…Gosh.”

It was in an instant that the nightmares of the past came back to life. The fog in his head lifted, and his memory quickly gathered to complete the puzzle. The betrayal of Marilyn, the resurrection of Landriol, the essence of the Goblin Lord, and the murder. The series of events swept past his eyes in a flash. The emotions that came before his anger and resentment were questions. Ko Byeong-gap asked himself questions that a prominent philosopher in ancient times might have asked.

‘Why am I alive?’

His heart was pierced. It was fatal enough to stop his breathing. To make matters worse, there was no one to help him, nor was there anyone to ask for help. It was a good thing he lived through that, but how was he in his house on Earth now? He inspected his memory deeper, but nothing gave him a clue. He thought he saw something dark right before he lost consciousness.…

‘Damn it. I don’t know. Did Landriol save my life?’

That was the most plausible hypothesis he could make now. Landriol changed his mind, healed him, and sent him back to Earth. He didn’t understand, but the actions Dorma and Marilyn showed might have convinced Landriol.

“Marilyn… God damn it!”

When he thought of Marilyn, his anger soared. It was meaningless to come to realize it now, but she must have known everything from the beginning. What was hidden in Vervonia, what it took to revive the king. That was right. Ko Byeong-gap was a sacrifice from the beginning. Her attitude at the end of the day was a bit strange. Soon after arriving in Vervonia, she asked to return to Valtadren, and she looked sullen throughout the trip and even apologized with tears in her eyes.

‘You’ve sold me away.’

Feeling betrayed, angry, and rejected, Ko Byeong-gap was unable to do anything for a while. After being deprived of his power, even Dorma, whom he believed in, didn’t move for him. It was so heartbreaking.

“Ha… I don’t know. Shit.”

Ko Byeong-gap just threw off his clothes. He went to the bathroom and poured cold water on himself. He stayed there for a long time. He took a shower and examined himself. His body was in a state of complete recovery, but his power as the Goblin Lord was no longer there. As far as he could tell, the sense of loss felt like one of his legs had been amputated.

It was when he came out to the living room, wiping himself with a towel.

Brr! Brr!

His phone vibrated. He figured it was a text message because it rang short. The cell phone was in the pocket of his pants. Damn it; the screen was smashed. The battery only had 3 percent left, so he acted as if it would turn off at any moment. After plugging in the charger, he picked up his cell phone again. Ko Byeong-gap’s eyebrows furrowed.

“…Tsk. It’s July 3rd?”

The date the cell phone displayed was surprising. He didn’t know if the expression was appropriate, but the day he died was June 18. In other words, it was 15 days ago. So he had been unconscious for 15 days.

‘I died and came back to life, so it makes sense I fell asleep for a couple of days. No wonder I’m so thirsty.’

He took his eyes back on his cell phone. There wasn’t much of a riot, but there were dozens of missed calls and texts. He didn’t think there would be a lot of people looking for him. He checked the unread texts with doubts. The next moment, he ran out of the house at lightning speed.

***

“Oh my God!”

As soon as he arrived at the underground parking lot, Ko Byeong-gap screamed. There was someone else’s car in the parking lot. His SUV was nowhere in the basement parking lot. Of course! His car was in Vervonia.

He immediately came up to the ground. He thought about catching a taxi, but he started running because he didn’t want to waste that time. His distance between the hospital and the house wasn’t too far.

“Mom, look!”

“Woah, what is that person?”

Ko Byeong-gap ran faster than most cars could. No fences nor barricades constrained him. As a result, the passers-by were very frightened. Within five minutes, he arrived at the hospital in Yongsan-gu. He passed the first-floor hall and took the emergency exit stairs to the fourth floor. His heart pounded to the point of bursting. It wasn’t because he was out of breath.

He finally stood in front of the hospital room. It was a hospital room where his mother, Park Young-ok, was hospitalized. His hand paused as it headed toward the doorknob. His hands trembled like he had tremors. It was then he heard a scream next to him.

“Oh my God, Ko Byeong-gap!”

It was Choi Ji-ok, the caregiver of his mother. She had a kettle in her hand, and Choi Ji-ok was so surprised that she dropped it.

“Oh my God, why are you here only now? I’ve called more than a hundred times a day, and you weren’t answering! Ko Byeong-gap, huh? Why did you disappear like that… I didn’t think you’d show up! Do you have any idea how nervous I was?”

“…I’m sorry, ma’am. I was busy at work.”

“Aigo! How busy were you who didn’t even have time to answer a phone call? What kind of ** happened?”

Only then did she realize the kettle fell to the floor. She picked up the kettle and spoke to him quietly.

“Go in there.”

“…Is she in there?”

“Yeah, she has been waiting for you to come. Where else would she go? Get in there. Get in there. Go.”

“Yes.”

Ko Byeong-gap opened the hospital room door. A very thin middle-aged woman was staring at him; she must have heard the disturbance from outside. Ko Byeong-gap felt himself choke just by looking at her. That was his mother. Just thinking about her touched his heart.

“Mom….”

Ko Byeong-gap approached the bed with a tearful voice. Park Young-ok opened her arms wide to hold him like a baby. And he cried his eyes out. Park Young-ok smiled subtly and spoke playfully.

“Son, you seem to be getting better. Do you work out these days?”

***

“So you’re all better now?”

“Yeah, the doctor said he’d check me out for about a month and would see how it goes, and he said it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Ko Byeong-gap, Park Young-ok, and Choi Ji-ok sat around and ate apples. Ko Byeong-gap’s eyes were still red. It was the first time in five years that he had cried like that. Park Young-ok complained with a frown.

“The day before yesterday, some journalists swarmed the streets.”

“What about them?”

It was Choi Ji-ok who answered Ko Byeong-gap’s question.

“Young-ok is the only case of a complete cure among Korean patients with the Phantom Disease. That’s why those bastard reporters swarmed to cover it… like come on, tsk!”

“Ms. Ji-ok did a great job stopping the reporters.”

“Oh, what trouble is it? I was just swearing at them.”

“Thank you very much, ma’am.”

Ko Byeong-gap bowed his head and thanked her. Choi Ji-ok waved her hands with an awkward expression.

“By the way, son.”

“Huh?”

“What were you doing? I haven’t heard from you in five days.”

Ko Byeong-gap bit his lip. He couldn’t bear to say he almost died. Choi Ji-ok also took a gentle look at Park Young-ok. Park Young-ok continued with her arms folded as if she was displeased.

“Every time I woke up, I thought it was weird. What kind of money do you have to pay for all this expensive treatment? Son… you’re not doing anything bad, are you?”

“Eh, eh, what’s wrong? I just paid for the hospital with the money father left behind.”

“Mom is not stupid. How much was your father’s death insurance?”

Ko Hee-sung, the father of Ko Byeong-gap, was a porter, and he passed away even before Ko Byeong-gap graduated from elementary school. Park Young-ok raised her son with the property that Ko Hee-sung left behind, although she lacked a decent job. They never really suffered from any difficulties in life. They lived as others lived.

It was when Ko Byeong-gap was 22 years old that she reached the peak of her illness. About four months before he was discharged from the military, Park Young-ok fell ill with the Phantom Disease. Ko Byeong-gap hesitated and replied.

“I sold the house.”

“Huh, you sold the house? Well, where are you staying?”

“Living on a lease, I guess.”

“Oh… half a penny, half a penny.”

Park Young-ok caressed her forehead.

“That wouldn’t have been enough.”

She knew it too. Her treatment had cost him more than 1.5 billion won so far. Selling off a house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province wasn’t enough money to solve the problem.

“I made money too.”

“What kind of talent do you have to make money for? Did you graduate from college?”

Ko Byeong-gap thought he should deal with his mother’s worries at this point. Since there was no end to worrying about children, it was clear that she would suffer all night long if she were left alone.

“Mom, don’t worry. I didn’t make money from illegal or bad things. And I bought a new place. I have a lot of money.”

“So what are you doing…?”

Ko Byeong-gap held his mother’s hand tightly. Park Young-ok was surprised when her son held her hand. It was very big and rough. He was completely different from the son in her memory.

“Mom, let’s move to the countryside.”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Mom, you like the countryside.”

“Yes, I like it, but….”

“Let’s go to the country together and live quietly with a garden too. Let’s plant sweet potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. I know how to farm. I studied a lot. Oh, I wish I could raise some livestock. Chickens sound good, and rabbits sound good too. I can make a congratulatory speech. I’ve made a lot of them. I mean….”

“Son.”

“Yes, Mom. Why?”

“Why are you crying again, son?”

“Huh?”

Ko Byeong-gap wiped his eyes, but more tears came out. What was happening to him? At that time, Park Young-ok grabbed Ko Byeong-gap’s shoulder and forced him to make eye contact.

“Son, what’s wrong with you? What is it? What is it? Talk to your mom.”

“Oh, no, no, no worries.”

Ko Byeong-gap raised himself, wiping away his tears.

“I’m going to go wash my face for a second.”

He went to the hospital bathroom. He scolded himself as he poured cold water on his face. What the hell was he doing in front of his mom? He looked in the mirror. Was it because of his bloodshot eyes? His dark circles stood out even more. Ko Byeong-gap murmured like a possessed man.

“Yeah, that’s enough. Let’s not think about Ashvilam anymore. I’ve done enough. What do you want me to do? I even got backstabbed by my men!”

Although the end wasn’t neat, he did his best. Didn’t the Goblins at least obtain enough knowledge and skills to make a living? Now, without him, the Goblins wouldn’t starve to death. Moreover, the position of the Goblin Lord wasn’t vacant. Landriol took away the essence and was resurrected. Now they could support themselves, enjoy stir-fry, and have fun.

“Damn!”

It was disgusting to think about it.

“Ashvilam… the Ashvilam I made….”

Ko Byeong-gap muttered, trembling as if he had been electrocuted. He suddenly realized. He was more attached to Ashvilam than he thought. When he realized it, he felt sad. He felt the bonds he had built were cut off in an instant.

Gobung, Dorma, Doran, Kiriyan, Changsik, Taesik, Turka, Orca, Ea, and the little boys… the scenic view of Mount Somnium and the sunset of Valtadren. Would he never see them again now? In the distant future, would there ever be a place for him in the memories of the Goblins? Honestly, he didn’t want to lose them. He didn’t want it to be like this, even if he had to say goodbye one day.

And the position as the Lord… he thought it was annoying at first. But it became an important part of his life without him knowing it.

“…What’s the point? I’m neither their Lord nor anything to them anymore. I can’t even go to Ashvilam.”

But the reality was cold. Ashvilam was already too far away to be touched. Ko Byeong-gap dragged on his jacket, wiped his face, and returned to his mother’s hospital room. Choi Ji-ok had gone looking for him. She looked his way as if only Park Young-ok had been waiting.

“What about you, ma’am?”

“Son.”

“Mom, can’t you eat out? I think I need to eat some meat. The hospital food isn’t good. Should I ask the doctor?”

“Son.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Park Young-ok staggered for a moment while she was getting up. She had been lying down all these years, and even that simple movement was still difficult. Ko Byeong-gap quickly tried to help his mother. But Park Young-ok withdrew her hand.

“Mom?”

“Son, my son Byeong-gap.”

“Why do you keep calling me? I’m listening. If you have something to say, say it.”

“I’ve been lying down for too long. I should have taken care of you, but you took care of me. I’m such a bad mother.”

“Mom, why would you say that? We’re family, of course.”

“I’m behind on a lot of things because I’ve been sleeping. I’m ashamed as a mother, but I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

“No, I don’t know; I don’t have any worries.”

“You’re lying. No matter what, I’m afraid as a mother, I wouldn’t be able to read a single expression on my baby’s face.”

Ko Byeong-gap shut his mouth. Park Young-ok smiled and held his hand.

“Son, I’m not going to live in the countryside with you.”

“What? Why?”

“Don’t live for this ugly mother anymore. Live your life. I’ll help you even if I have to cut my hair and sell it.”

Ko Byeong-gap blinked. As soon as he was about to say something, Park Young-ok hit him.

“Don’t make me an ugly woman blocking my son’s future.”

“…”

Park Young-ok hugged him and patted him on the back. And said what only a mother could say.

“What makes you sad…I don’t know what it is but go ahead and fix it. Do what you want to do. That’s what I want.”