Byeol always woke up by 10 AM. No matter how late she stayed up the night before, it was as if an internal alarm clock would go off. As usual, today at precisely 10 AM, her eyes fluttered open, and she quickly checked the time. Then, she threw off her blanket, went to the living room, and turned on the TV with the remote. The intro of a children’s animation titled “Pororong and Friends” played on the screen, and Byeol smiled with joy. Among the many characters in Pororong, Byeol’s favorite was the white bear. The bear, though a bit foolish, was steadfast, kind-hearted, and always helped his friends. Byeol admired his warm personality. ⌜What should we do today?⌟ ⌜Let’s all go sledding!⌟ Pororong led his friends up the snowy mountain. Among them was Byeol’s favorite, the white bear. But suddenly, while sledding, the fox character veered toward a cliff and ended up dangling precariously by one hand. ⌜Oh no! The fox is in danger!⌟ As everyone panicked and shuffled their feet, the bear clenched his fist and carefully approached the cliff’s edge. The fox grabbed the bear’s hand and was safely pulled back up. However, at that moment, a strong mountain wind blew, and the bear fell. The scene cut to the next, and everyone was standing by the bear’s grave, crying. ⌜The bear was such a good friend.⌟ ⌜Sob, I’m so sorry... this is all because of me.⌟ ⌜Let’s all wish for the bear to find peace in a better place.⌟ As the climactic music played, the episode ended. “W-wha... t-this can’t b-be.” Byeol dropped the remote on the floor. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked back at the TV, but nothing had changed. Sad music played as the villagers mourned the bear’s death. “The bear... died...” At Plus Studio, the creators of Pororong, chaos was unfolding. They were flooded with complaints about why the bear character had been killed off. The customer service lines were ringing off the hook, to the point that they had to unplug the phone temporarily. The director, Oh Jung-Min, saw all of this coming. But what else was he supposed to do? “How is Il-Sung doing?” he asked one of the staff. “Not good. Worse than yesterday, actually...” Park Il-Sung was the voice actor for the bear. A month ago, he was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer after visiting the hospital for abdominal pain. Understandably, he couldn’t concentrate on work and eventually stopped chemotherapy. The late diagnosis meant the cancer had already advanced beyond treatment. Since he was living alone without family, Park Il-Sung had been facing this ordeal alone. His coworkers, who had worked with him for years, often visited to bring whatever he needed, but Park Il-Sung had started refusing their visits, preferring to be left alone. In light of these circumstances, Oh Jung-Min considered replacing the voice actor or writing the bear out of the story by sending him on a distant journey. However, due to Park Il-Sung’s distinctive voice, finding a replacement was nearly impossible, and sending the character away ambiguously seemed less viable than removing him entirely for the long term. Amid the storm of complaints flooding the customer service portal, Oh Jung-Min clicked on the latest post: Explain why you killed the bear. Make me understand. Kiriel was not in a good mood. His expression was sour, and he had been tapping his leg nervously all day. Watching Kiriel fidget, Hakase shouted irritably, “What’s with you today? Why are you so restless?” Kiriel ignored Hakase’s complaints and seemed lost in deep thought, his leg trembling more intensely. The reason was simple: Byeol had been crying in the morning. When Kiriel asked why, she told him it was because the bear in Pororong had died. Kiriel checked his smartphone. He had received a response to the complaint he had posted an hour ago. Hello, this is Plus Studio, where we always strive to bring you joy. Thank you for your continued love and support of Pororong. Regarding the bear’s death, voice actor Park Il-Sung’s health has unfortunately deteriorated[....]. We appreciate your understanding. Kiriel abruptly stood up. “Lizard, I’m stepping out for a bit.” “Wait, we’re about to open—” Before Hakase could finish, Kiriel disappeared without a trace. The Millennium Snow Ginseng was known as a panacea among the residents of the Deep Realm. To obtain it, one had to endure three grueling trials known as the Path of Suffering. Its difficulty was so extreme that only the mightiest could attempt it. The first trial was the Trial of Fire: crossing a bridge of hellfire so hot it could melt steel. Even Kiriel’s Transcendent body suffered burns from the flames. Though excruciating, he dashed across the bridge at the speed of light. The second trial was the Trial of Water. After crossing the burning bridge, he faced an endless ocean shrouded in toxic mists. The poison dissolved weaker adventurers on contact, and even Kiriel wasn’t completely immune. He felt sharp stings all over his body, but pressed forward. The third trial was the Trial of Blade Winds: on the sacred mountain where the Millennium Snow Ginseng grew, bladed winds attacked anyone who entered. The winds showed no mercy to outsiders. Kiriel’s body was covered in burns, seeping blisters from the poison, and fresh cuts from the wind blades. Blood trickled from his wounds. But he refused to give up. He forced his way through the wind blades and reached the mountain peak. Once he reached the top, the winds stopped as if by magic, and in front of him was the ginseng, radiating a mystical energy. Kiriel wrapped his bloodied hands with a cloth and carefully harvested the Millennium Snow Ginseng. Park Il-Seong lay on his bed with his eyes closed. The average survival rate for stage four stomach cancer was less than twenty percent, but the cancer had already spread too far. The doctor had told him to prepare himself. Park Il-Seong reflected on his life, with twenty years spent as a voice actor. Thanks to his distinctive voice, he landed many jobs. By chance, he appeared in Pororong and established himself as a popular voice actor. He spent many happy days receiving support from children and their parents. I have no regrets, he thought. No. That wasn’t true. I wanted to do it for a little longer.... There was nothing more precious than the happiness of children. Beyond money, there was no greater joy than to make someone happy. The bear character he had been voicing was killed off. There would be a flood of complaints from parents for a while, but it would eventually die down. Someone else would take his place. It’s fine. Let’s not hold on to regrets anymore, Park Il-Seong consoled himself. Suddenly, the window shattered, and a young man with an exotic appearance climbed in—his entire body covered in blood. Kiriel looked at the bald, emaciated man lying in bed. Park Il-Seong let out a small scream. “Who... who are you?” he asked. This was the twenty-eighth floor of an apartment building. How had this man broken in through the window? “Eat this. I found it on the ground on the way here,” Kiriel said, holding out a tiny piece of ginseng. “This is called the Millennium Snow Ginseng. Eating it will heal any disease or injury. Probably.” “Excuse me...?” Park Il-Seong stared at Kiriel. The blood sticking to Kiriel’s entire body made him look like a walking corpse. “I-it looks like you need it more than I do,” Park Il-Seong said. “I’m fine. I’ll heal in a bit.” Park Il-Seong hesitated but eventually took the ginseng and chewed it. The situation was anything but normal, but as someone staring death in the face, he instinctively accepted it. The next moment, he let out an involuntary exclamation of disbelief. The tightness in his chest vanished, and his body felt rejuvenated. “H-how is this...” He struggled to speak. “Work long and hard. At least for another three hundred years. If you start slacking off, you’ll see me again,” Kiriel warned him. “W-wait! What’s your name?” Confirming that Park Il-Seong had recovered, Kiriel jumped through the shattered window. It wasn’t only because the bear in Pororong had died, but also because Kiriel hadn’t been there for the past week. Every morning, she toddled over to Hakase’s food stall to check if Kiriel had reported to work. “Oh, hey, Byeol. No, Kiriel hasn’t come yet.” Byeol dropped her head in disappointment and trudged back home. Once she left, Hakase sighed as he looked at Kiriel crouched under the stall’s kitchen counter. “What are you even doing?” Hakase asked. “My injuries haven’t fully healed yet. But I’m sure I’ll be good by tomorrow.” He didn’t want to show Byeol his unsightly condition. Knowing how Kiriel felt, Hakase sighed even more. He knew all too well what Kiriel had gone through. Kiriel quietly browsed the internet on his smartphone for a news article. “Voice Actor Park Il-Seong Recovers!” Byeol saw Kiriel at work. She was so happy she couldn’t hide her smile. She had spent restless nights worrying that he might have gone far away. She ran up and hugged Kiriel’s leg tightly. “You’re here!” she exclaimed. “Yup. If I’d taken one more day off, I would have been fired by that lizard.” Kiriel smirked and checked the time. It was time for Pororong to air. He pulled up the live broadcast on his smartphone. “Look.” The bear was back. The storyline had been changed to say the bear, who was thought to be dead, was actually found and rescued from the bottom of the cliff. Byeol’s eyes widened. Kiriel smiled, knowing she’d be happy. However, what she said was unexpected. “Kirieh, your finger is hurt!” His index finger, swollen and burned, stood out. He hadn’t noticed it in his rush to recover. “This is nothing...” He brushed it off. Byeol quickly ran home. About a minute later, she came back holding a bandage. She unwrapped it and carefully wrapped it around Kiriel’s injured finger. “Is it better now? Does it still hurt?” she asked him with concern. “Uh, well. Look, the bear is on TV. He didn’t die.” However, Byeol wasn’t looking at the phone. Her eyes were fixed on Kiriel’s bandaged finger. At that moment, Kiriel felt his chest tighten. Tears began to stream down his face. “Kirieh! Are you crying? Does it hurt a lot?” Kiriel wiped away his tears and said, “I’m not crying because of the pain.” “Then why are you crying?” Kiriel kept tearing up, and Byeol fidgeted anxiously. At that moment, Kiriel thought he was truly glad to have come to Earth. Just then, a customer entered the stall. “Kiriel!” Hakase called to Kiriel as the customer approached. “Help that customer.” Kiriel looked at the customer, a bald man — well, not completely, since he had some hair growing back. He nodded politely at Kiriel. “Hello. I finally found you.” Hearing his voice, Byeol gasped. “Ah! He sounds just like Bear!” Park Il-Seong smiled warmly.