"How does it sound? It shouldn’t cause you any harm," Ham Seokjeong said, her empty smile lingering.
Uijae stared at that hollow smile for a mont. He could tell her everything now. Despite his fragnted mories, the last monts of his aunt were still clear. It would be difficult to recount, but they had been like family.
But there was a strange instinct within him. If he told her everything about his aunt now, Director Ham Seokjeong…
Uijae glanced up at her dry face. Even the last trace of life in her had faded, leaving her like a wax figure—intricately made but lifeless.
‘Soday, I’ll tell her… but not now.’
Uijae deliberately hunched his shoulders and lowered his head.
"If you don’t mind it being a little later."
"……."
"I’m sorry, but I don’t rember everything that happened inside the rift. I think I’ll need so ti."
Ham Seokjeong frowned slightly. A small emotion flickered across her otherwise hollow expression. She asked with concern,
"Is there a problem with your mory?"
"Yes… a little. To be honest, I’m not even sure how I made it out of the rift."
"Your body’s okay, though? Shouldn’t you get examined?"
"No, physically I’m fine."
"That’s good, at least."
Ham Seokjeong replied more calmly than Uijae had expected. She sighed lightly and shifted her fingers, supporting her chin.
"I suppose there’s nothing we can do about it… I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope you can rember sothing. From what I’ve heard, your experience in the West Sea Rift seems to be connected to the End."
The End. Uijae’s head shot up. He asked urgently,
"Director, how much do you know about the End?"
"I don’t have much information. All I’ve heard are vague statents about how the End will co soday. Fragnted scenes… but we still don’t know when or how it will happen, and that’s the problem."
"But why do you believe in the End?"
"Well, part of it is because an S-rank talked about it… and also, because of Protheus. As ridiculous as that sounds."
Ham Seokjeong sighed deeply, rubbing her chin with a worried expression.
"Have you heard of Protheus?"
"Yes, I’ve heard of them."
"Of course, since you’ve been working with the Wave Guild. It’s no surprise you’d know."
Damn it. Uijae rolled his eyes behind his mask. He knew she wasn’t unaware, but hearing it confird still made him feel strange. It was almost as if she was implying he was part of the Wave Guild. Ham Seokjeong spoke slowly.
"I’ve known about them for a long ti. They started moving after the power vacuum created by the West Sea Rift incident. You wouldn’t have known back then."
"There must’ve been a trigger that made them reveal themselves."
"Yes. Civilians were disappearing, and the common factor was that they were people who had been caught in a dungeon or rift and managed to escape. The police cooperated with us to investigate, and at first, we thought it might be human trafficking. But it turned out to be much worse."
Uijae suddenly recalled the story Nam Woojin had told him while they were walking through the forest.
‘Back then, their research hadn’t progressed much, so they used people with unusual traits as test subjects.’
‘Unusual traits?’
‘Yes. Things like having been caught in a rift or having wounds from a monster attack. Basically, people with so special connection to rifts. It was practically anarchy at the ti, so kidnapping people for experints wasn’t that difficult.’
As Uijae had listened to that story, he had thought of the boy who had reached out, pleading for help. Who would have guessed that boy was Lee Sayoung? And who would have known that during Uijae’s disappearance, Sayoung had endured such hellish torture and experints?
‘But that jerk won’t tell anything about it….’
It would be nice if Sayoung just told him the story directly. Instead, he had to hear everything secondhand. It was infuriating.
‘I want to know everything.’
Uijae tapped his foot impatiently. Ham Seokjeong leaned back in her chair and continued.
"Back then, they didn’t have the grand na they do now. It was just a group of losers who felt inferior because they hadn’t been chosen by the system, or madn who were obsessed with creating their own Awakeners. And they were a very small group."
"……."
"If we had left them alone, they would’ve disappeared on their own, having accomplished nothing."
Uijae recalled his conversation with Hong Yeseong, who had been in possession of Kkokko. Hong Yeseong, who had watched over both the First and Second Worlds, had been dismissive when Uijae asked about Protheus.
‘Well, in my world, they never amounted to much. I only know their grandiose na from reading Greek mythology.’
In the First and Second Worlds, Protheus probably did disappear without leaving much of a mark. They likely didn’t even make their na known. However, Ham Seokjeong’s voice now carried a hint of frustration.
"But at so point, they began to change. The people who would have disappeared on their own suddenly had a clear goal."
"To stop the End?"
"Yes. They believed that instead of relying on the Awakeners chosen by the system, they had to create their own to prevent the End. That humanity had to stop the End with their own hands… A lofty goal, don’t you think? Almost like chasing after clouds."
"……."
"Soone told there’s a seer within Protheus."
"A seer?"
"Soone who claims to know what will happen in the future… Hah, sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?"
"……."
"Misguided knowledge and faith are the most dangerous things. Even when they lack the power to accomplish anything, they can justify everything with their belief alone. They can make the impossible seem possible."
Ham Seokjeong closed her eyes in irritation. Uijae thought hard. Even Yun Gaeul couldn’t see the future. She could only look into the fragnts of worlds that had already ended, glimpsing the past. If that were the case, Protheus’s so-called seer might not be seeing the future at all…
‘Maybe they’re applying past experiences to the future?’
But this world was already on a path completely different from the previous two. There were far too many differences—starting with the West Sea Rift, the eight-year gap, Protheus, Lee Sayoung being kidnapped and used as a test subject…
‘Still….’
To find out when and how the End would co, and what exactly had happened in the Second World, Uijae needed to dig deeper into the information the "other" Lee Sayoung possessed.
"……."
No, no way.
Uijae squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to get involved with a freak who asked to be strangled. That other version of Lee Sayoung was still Lee Sayoung, but there was sothing seriously wrong with him!
But sotis, to grow up, you had to do things you didn’t want to do. Uijae clenched his fists tightly and muttered,
"…I’ll try to rember as much as I can."
"Good…. But don’t push yourself too hard."
Ham Seokjeong pushed herself up from her chair, leaning on her cane. Uijae awkwardly stood up as well. She slowly approached him, resting a warm hand on his shoulder and giving it an awkward pat.
"I left the keys with Jung Bin. The keys to Hye-gyeong’s house and the house you lived in. Pick them up before you leave."
"Oh… okay."
Was she really the one taking care of that? Uijae blinked. Why hadn’t she gotten rid of the houses of people who had been declared dead?
"She must’ve resented . I know that."
Was it out of regret?
"I won’t ask for your forgiveness."
"……."
"Just… be careful."
Her hand, which had been gently patting his shoulder, suddenly tightened its grip. She leaned in and whispered in a low voice.
"People at the top tend to stand out."
"……."
"I know you’re the type who stubbornly refuses to run away, but not everyone knows that."
The red text that had been written on Protheus’s website flashed in Uijae’s mind.
"The higher up you are, the more visible your fall. There are plenty of people waiting for that."
**—Do not trust the hero J.**
**—He is a traitor who abandoned the world and ran away.**
"Always keep that in mind."
"…I will."
Ham Seokjeong’s hand left a dull ache as she let go. She opened the door to her office and saw him out. Just before the door closed, Uijae caught a glimpse of her eyes—empty but tinged with a faint worry. Sohow, that reassured him.
The hallway was quiet, probably because it was right in front of the director’s office. Most of the activity seed to be happening on the lower floors. Uijae scratched his head, preparing to go find Jung Bin, when he suddenly sensed a strong presence coming from downstairs, heading straight for him.
‘They’re probably coming to et ….’
Uijae purposely walked toward the stairs. Soon, a head of black hair streaked with gray appeared at the bend of the staircase. Tap, a cane hit the floor. The long coat swayed as the sharp
face of Song Joheon—a clever, aging tiger—turned toward J with a look of surprise.
"Oh my… Am I seeing this right?"
"Yes, you probably are."
"Good heavens!"
Uijae responded playfully. Song Joheon quickly ascended the stairs, skipping several steps at a ti, and opened his arms wide.
"J! I don’t know how you managed to return, but I truly welco you!"
"Song Joheon Hunter. Or should I say Guild Leader now?"
"Haha, call whatever you’re comfortable with."
A rough hand reached out, offering a handshake. Song Joheon smiled brightly.
"Welco back. I’ve missed you."
"……."
‘The higher up you are, the more visible your fall. There are plenty of people waiting for that.’
Ham Seokjeong hadn’t said that for no reason.
With a smile, Uijae shook the offered hand, slowly moving it up and down.
"Thank you for welcoming back."
Reviews
All reviews (0)