“You’re curious about why I tried to die, aren’t you? I keep seeing you pacing by the door.”
“Ah, I wanted to ask if we could have tea together. If you prefer, you can rest alone.” “Come in. It’s His Holiness’s room anyway.” Summer retorted sarcastically, her gaze drifting to the window. Was it a school day? Young priests were lined up, entering the building. The Pope sat calmly opposite Summer with impeccable posture. Soon, a priest entered, placed a simple soup, bread, and tea on the table, and left. “Will you have some? Nothing calms the mind like tea.” Summer silently picked up her teacup and drank. It seemed delicious. “Your Holiness, what are you curious about?” “How did you choose that place?” “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I wanted the last place I saw to be pretty. Somewhere open. I’ve always… lived in such cramped spaces.” Summer clutched the teacup in both hands. To Summer, this world was a place where she had suddenly opened her eyes to find herself in a European village, and where she had to die to return. The fear and horror of still being trapped in the novel lingered, but at the same time, she felt like she was on a trip to a world that was a realization of the text she had read. Especially when she attempted to return, that feeling of leisure intensified. So she indulged herself a little. She wanted to close her eyes in a beautiful place, while looking at pretty things. “Is it wrong to see beautiful places today, tomorrow, and the day after?” “No. I have a place to return to. It’s not as splendid and beautiful as here, but it’s my home… a place where the traces of my life are layered.” “My, my.” The Pope pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve. Only when the Pope’s handkerchief touched her cheek did Summer realize she was crying. Suddenly, why were tears flowing? Summer quickly wiped away her tears. “I miss it.” “Home is always a place of longing. The temple is open for those who have no place they long for.” “…What?” Summer stared at the Pope with wide eyes. The Pope gazed at the swaying tea in the cup with a look that seemed to recall the past. “If you have a home you long for, you don’t have to come to the temple when you’re struggling. You can just go home and rest. So this temple must be the only place for those who have nowhere to long for.” “You’re truly… Pope-like.” “Haha. I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Pope refilled his teacup. Both Summer and the Pope remained silent, quietly sipping their tea. The sounds of people outside weren’t unpleasant. The slightly swaying wind and white curtains, and the Pope sitting opposite her, quietly savoring his tea. As Summer, now calmer, lifted her teacup with a faint smile… “Did you see God?” At the Pope’s question, Summer abruptly set down her teacup. No one should have seen it. Was it a deliberate approach? To inquire about God. “What do you mean?” A faint wariness edged Summer’s tone. The Pope’s previously holy aura had somehow become as cold as a well-honed sword. “You saw the damned God, didn’t you? In the prayer room that day.” “…How did you know that?” “I think I can be of help. What do you think?” Summer abruptly stood up from her chair and glared at the Pope. Suspicious. The Pope, the highest position serving God, saying ‘damned’ God. “Do you know something?” “Let’s say I do.” “….” “If I try something, could you live?” “Well, if there’s another way to go back…” At Summer’s words, the Pope slowly stood up. The white priestly robes, falling smoothly downwards, shimmered faintly in the light. “Follow me.” After walking for a while following the Pope, they came to a door without any decoration. The Pope opened the door, and a cool gust of air rushed in. “This is…” “My private prayer room.” The prayer room was so bare that a voice would echo. The only thing there was a fountain squarely in the center of the prayer room. Summer cautiously approached the fountain. In front of the fountain was a soft carpet where one could pray. “Thank you, wh…?” Thump. The Pope’s delicate fingertips pushed Summer’s shoulder. At the same time, Summer lost her balance and stumbled. With a feeling of being lifted into the air, she saw the Pope smiling brightly. “Go see.” With his words, Summer, who had fallen into the fountain, instinctively tried to stand up. Clearly, from the outside, the water level was low. Now, even if she stood on her tiptoes, her feet didn’t touch the bottom. The icy cold water shimmered with a blue light. Bubbles rose from Summer’s lips. Summer’s eyes blurred, and soon her blue eyes disappeared beneath her eyelids. ‘This is…’ When Summer opened her eyes again, it wasn’t the world of the novel. Her 3-pyeong studio room where she had lived for years. Scattered textbooks. And a woman lying down, unable to stretch out her body. It was Summer herself, in South Korea. ‘I can go back!’ Summer, filled with joy, tried to move forward, but bumped into a transparent wall, falling on her bottom. But Summer’s eyes were already half-mad. She repeatedly threw herself against the wall, trying with all her might to reach the woman, no, her original body. But the wall was solid. Summer screamed and reached out, but it was useless. At the same time, she felt a tug at the back of her neck, and a sensation like waking from a dream. “….” “Did you see it?” “Cough! Huk, uk…” “I had to retrieve you personally because you hadn’t come out for two hours.” The one who pulled Summer out was none other than the Pope. The Pope’s light purple hair was wet and clung to his white priestly robes. He pushed his wet hair back and embraced Summer with his wet body. Summer’s body trembled like an aspen leaf. Her sobbing echoed through the prayer room, and her irregular heartbeat was clearly felt beneath the priestly robes. “It’s alright. It’s alright now…” “I have to go back. I absolutely have to go back! Please, please help me…” “….” The Pope’s comforting stopped at Summer’s cry. The Pope looked into Summer’s blue eyes looking up at him. Those eyes, shining more intensely than a blue lake, were filled with tears. Her eyes were red from how much she had cried. The Pope, firmly holding Summer who was about to collapse as her legs gave way, let out a faint sigh. Did it go wrong again? * * * A carriage stopped in front of the Lindsay Earl’s mansion. “It’s the young lady!” Daisy, who was cleaning Summer’s room, looked out the window and quickly ran downstairs. The carriage door opened, and Summer, looking distraught, stumbled out. Daisy’s bright smile, like a fully bloomed flower, vanished instantly. “Young lady…” “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” When Daisy called out to Summer with a worried face, Summer smiled faintly as if to reassure her. “After you went out, a visitor came looking for you.” “A visitor?” “Yes. I couldn’t hear clearly, but I think they said it was a Duke.” Russell? Ian? What business could they possibly have with an extra? Summer’s face hardened. This is why she didn’t want to come back to the mansion. Summer passed Daisy with a stern face and entered the mansion. Worry was etched on Daisy’s face, following behind her. Seeing that expression, Summer felt a pang in her chest. She knows. Daisy is genuinely worried that Summer might have bad thoughts again. She’s a kind child. “Daisy. Don’t follow me, go about your business.” “Ah, then I’ll finish cleaning the young lady’s room!” Daisy forced a bright smile and left first. The more Daisy moved away, the more Summer slowly raised the corners of her lips. Ah, she had never been this happy since falling into this world. She could go back. If the temple was the medium connecting the author and the novel, Summer could now visit the temple whenever she wanted to peek at South Korea. She was so happy. But she had no one to tell. She felt the lack of pay keenly at this moment. “….” Summer slowly started walking towards the drawing-room. As she climbed the stairs, Summer burst into laughter, then quickly covered her mouth with one hand, stiffening her face. She was clearly happy, but her insides twisted. Because her happiness was their sorrow. The more happy she became, the more visible the path back to her original world became, the more the characters in the novel would grieve and try to stop her. Unwelcome happiness. Summer’s steps stopped at the drawing-room door. “Open the door.” “Yes.” The servant waiting at the door knocked twice and opened the door. “You don’t seem very busy. You’re neglecting your duties.” Summer stared blankly at the uninvited guest with an impassive face. Can a main character in a novel act so impulsively? The story should be starting to pick up pace now that the introduction is over. She was neglecting her duties as a character in the novel, and as a noble. The uninvited guest slowly rose.“Summer Lindsay.”