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7.   It has been three days since I participated in the job ranking competition. Today was Friday, so I went straight to Chae Yoo-jeong’s house after work.   “Just a few more rounds and I’ll be in 4th place, so just wait a little bit.”   “I’m fine, so don’t worry about it and just relax.”   After eating dinner together and taking a shower, I borrowed Chae Yoo-jeong’s computer and logged into my Zenoris account.   If possible, I tried to do it on a weekday when I couldn’t meet Chae Yoo-jeong, but on Friday night, I would be matched quickly and there weren’t many points left for 4th place, so I decided to only do it for about 2 hours.   “I wanted to watch Hyung play a ranking match.”   “I sent you the videos.”   “Seeing it in person is different.”   Chae Yoo-jeong gave me a look full of expectation. Um, it’s a bit burdensome.   “I could lose.”   “I saw that in the video– it was a 12-game winning streak?”   “That’s because I met gamers, who only enjoy the game, not long after the ranking match started.”   “What… I don’t know if he’s a gamer, who enjoys the game, but he’s probably worse than Hyung.”   Chae Yoo-jeong gave a fairly cool-headed evaluation, despite my efforts to put it into perspective.   “And it’s okay to lose. Because I want to watch Hyung play games from the side.”   It wouldn’t be fun if we were just watching instead of doing things together, so I don’t know why people want to watch like this. I’m also collecting Chae Yoo-jeong’s selfies, so I don’t have anything to say.   ‘Let’s finish it as quickly as possible.’ I also didn’t want to come over to Chae Yoo-jeong’s house and play Zenoris. How can I simply play a game when my pretty and cute lover is sitting next to me?   Since I only need to reach about 150 points, I have to work hard to win two games and play with Chae Yoo-jeong. It was a time when I was about to start ranking matchmaking with great enthusiasm.   “Hey, Hyung.”   “Yes?”   “You know.”   Chae Yoo-jeong, who was hesitating and wriggling his fingers, looked at me and asked.   Chae Yoo-jeong placed a small chair next to me and sat close to me.   “Can’t I sit with you and watch it together?”   “We’re sitting together.”   When I was confused and did not know what he meant, Chae Yoo-jeong looked embarrassed and added an explanation.   “I want to sit in the chair Hyung is sitting in now.”   “……?”   That is… Is it possible? It’s a gaming chair, so it’s bigger than a normal chair, but……………….   I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t answer, and Chae Yoo-jeong thought I was rejecting him, so he started crying.   “No?”   “……Why not?”   I nodded without even knowing what he was going to do.   I can’t help it. If Chae Yoo-jeong looks at me like that, I can’t possibly refuse whatever request he asks.   “Whoa!”   When I gave permission, Chae Yoo-jeong immediately felt better and stood up with a bright smile. Then he pulled my arm and pulled me up.   Chae Yoo-jeong moved the small chair he was sitting on far away and lowered his back on the chair flat on the other side.   “Sit, Hyung.”   Chae Yoo-jeong, who sat on his chair before me, spread his arms wide. Just in case, I sat down between Chae Yoo-jeong’s legs, and as if he had been waiting for me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his forehead on my shoulder.   “This is just a back hug.”   “Yes.”   Yes, what yes. I laughed out loud in vain as I leaned on Chae Yoo-jeong’s body instead of the back of the chair.   “You want me to play a game like this?”   “I like it very much?”   “What are you doing?”   I play the game, so what does it matter if you like it?   It was absurd, but I didn’t want to kick him out when he was so excited, so I tilted my upper body back slightly. A hard, warm body touched my back.   In the meantime, the screen changed as if a match had been found. As I lightly stretched my hands and grabbed the keyboard and mouse, I felt a tickling sensation on the back of my neck.   “………………Chae Yoo-jeong.”   My fingertips naturally trembled. Even when I called his name as a warning, he just kept eye contact with his lips on the back of my neck.   The T-shirt I changed into after washing was wide-open, so the nape of my neck was clearly exposed. The tips of my ears grew hot at the feel of his tender and soft lips.   “Did you mean to do this from the beginning?”   “Hyung, the ranking match has begun.”   Even though I had doubts, Chae Yoo-jeong just smiled and said nothing.   I clicked my tongue and focused on the game for now. I’ve already matched, and the countdown has started, so kill my opponents as quickly as possible...……   My barely regained concentration was instantly broken by Chae Yoo-jeong’s hand inside my t-shirt.   His slightly cool hand slowly stroked my waist. Chae Yoo-jeong, who had been kissing the back of my neck while making a sound, was now biting it weakly with his teeth.   My entire mind turned to Chae Yu-jeong, who was standing close behind me, and I was going crazy with the opponent’s skill effects on the screen. With the last of my sanity, I narrowed my eyes, barely avoiding my opponent’s restraint skill.   It takes at most 5 minutes for each round before ranking. Since the opponent used the restraint skill in vain, it is now time for me to attack. If you exclude all useless skills and only focus on the strong ones...….   “Hyung………”   Ah, shit.   The whining, full of emotions that I was going to die of happiness, eventually made me unable to hold on any longer and pressed the ALT and F4 keys at the same time to force close my Zenoris game itself. I may have lost a lot of points since I left midway through the rankings, but that didn’t matter right now.   “Hyung?”   When I stood up, Chae Yu-jeong spread his arms awkwardly and looked confused.   It was so cute that I grabbed Chae Yoo-jeong’s collar and pulled him roughly without any explanation. I looked at Chae Yoo-jeong’s wide-open eyes for a moment as his upper body was pulled toward me, and then I kissed his lips.   “Gasp, ugh……”   Chae Yoo-jeong, who was taken aback by the sudden start of the kiss, immediately responded by grabbing my waist.   A muddy sound rang out as saliva mixed together. I placed my hand on top of Chae Yoo-jeong’s hand holding my waist and leaned my body closer to his torso.   The feeling of his tongue rubbing against each other was tickling and pleasant. Chae Yoo-jeong has gotten used to kissing, and now he can match my pace without him gasping for breath.   I continued kissing him, mixing his tongue greedily with mine and biting his lip. But I had no intention of ending it with just a kiss, so I left my regrets behind and parted our lips.   “You want to get scolded, Chae Yoo-jeong?”   “……no. I really wanted to take a look.”   “You say you want to look around, but why are you groping my body like that?”   “That……”   Chae Yoo-jeong hesitated, his face burning as if he was ashamed of the expression of groping.   He excused himself.   “I was just going to hug you from behind. But now that I did it, I don’t know…”   “Hm.”   You are faithful to your instincts.   I lowered my gaze to check Chae Yoo-jeong’s lower body and asked with a satisfied smile.   “So?”   “What?”   “Should I play games for a while?”   At my question, Chae Yoo-jeong’s eyes followed me and turned to his lower body. Then he closed his eyes tightly.   “No………”   “Then?”   “Play with me.”   I never thought the word ‘play’ would sound so dirty.   “You told me to play a game and you would watch.”   “Hyung started first.”   “I started first?”   It’s unbelievable. When I looked at Chae Yoo-jeong in confusion, he also slightly avoided my eyes, as if he had a conscience.   “Hurry up, Hyung. Let’s go to the bedroom. Okay?”   When I didn’t answer, Chae Yoo-jeong became impatient and pulled my arm. I laughed and obediently followed Chae Yoo-jeong’s lead.   ***   HM: I wonder if his bottle was calm when MC was sitting on him.   TGITG fans, hello, we were planning to write the fanfic of TGITG series as the continuation for the novel, but our editor got too busy to join us. I want a *co-writer* to join us. The plot line and storyboard for each chapter is already finished. It’s around 10-20 chapters. In return, you will get to read the rest of the chapters around 13 chapters left as of now. Please contact me directly to discuss about this. Please join the discord server on the below link. We made a Discord Server ! please join us! --- Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Meimei, Ghostx We made a Discord Server ! please join us!

He took the marshmallow and put it in In Yoo-shin's mouth, and In Yoo-shin licked his finger without thinking, and his cheeks turned red. He rolled the remaining sweetness on his tongue, but the feeling of his fingertips slightly brushing past was much sweeter. Thankfully, Park Seung-gi was a studious graduate student who was able to ignore the teasing of his friends' couple. "People usually divide parallel worlds into ones with priests and ones without, but that seems too simplistic, don’t you think?" "Well, scholars can define it precisely, but I would broadly categorize it into three types. The first is a world where, even as scientific civilization advances from the Age of Gods(神代), people still receive divine oracles and witness miracles. This dungeon would be an example of such a world." "Were you a theist, Hunter- nim ?" "Well, there has to be a god for there to be divine power, right? Just like that priest a while ago." "Oh, indeed." While listening to the conversation between the two, In Yoo-shin quickly put the remaining marshmallow in his mouth. I only hope that the sweetness that spreads warmly will erase the sensation. “The second is the world we live in. It can be said to be a world only for humans, where the power of God does not exist and religion is not blindly believed in.” “Then the third category is half and half?” “That’s right. Religion continued to spread throughout the Middle Ages, and churches can be seen everywhere in our country, and freedom of religion was barely recognized in Europe until the 17th century, and there are extreme religious fundamentalists all over the world, and the interpretation of the religion designated as the state religion is more important than universal social ethics, and even though Yoo-shin- ssi  may have grown up in a church orphanage instead of a temple, he couldn’t come into contact with God, so non-religious people and atheists coexist. That’s the world.” When he brought up his story, In Yoo-shin, who had been mumbling marshmallows, nodded after thinking. “It would have been nice to grow up in a church, but I still like a world where I can meet monks better. Oh, right. Seung-gi. By the way, did you hear about someone who anonymously donated a large sum of money to an orphanage a while ago?” “Oh, yeah. I've been so worried about the building being so old, but it's great that we've got the funds to fix it up. And, Hunter, the three categories you mentioned are really good. I guess it's because you've had so much experience observing different backgrounds. Have you thought about polishing it up and presenting it? I think our professor would really like it.” “Why would I do something so troublesome? There's no way to record a video and use it as evidence, so it'll just end up as a rumor, right?” “Aoh, the problem is that there’s no evidence left.” Leaving behind a major student struggling against the harsh realities, Hyeon Gyu-ha got up from his seat. “It's time for the guard shift, so I'll be going now. I just wanted to see Master’s face before I left, but our conversation went on longer than expected.” “Ah, should I go with you?” “It’s cold, so just stay. Even just talking feels nice.” Hyeon Gyu-ha wrapped In Yoo-shin’s loose scarf and gave him a last kiss on the crown of his head before floating into the air. It seemed like he was probably standing guard at the edge of the forest. Even if the demons don’t spawn directly near the gate entrance, there are cases where the spawned demons approach. After seeing Hyeon Gyu-ha off, he walked around the forward base looking for 8- se . 8- se , who had fainted, came back to his senses, and Choi Jin-hyeok exclaimed when he found him stuffed in a pouch. 8-se didn’t mind, so I put it on my palm, so he must be okay with me now. The forward base was secretly noisy with people gathered in groups of three or five and talking. Choi Jin-hyeok was found among the people sitting in front of the camp shelter’s brazier. The people he was with were Gong Tae-seong and Han Jun-su from the Narsha Guild. “What about Hunter Song Chan-young?” “Chan-young went to bed early because he was tired. Healer is a precious person who doesn’t need to stand guard.” On Choi Jin-hyeok’s palm, 8-se was munching on a leaf. “Squeak!” Even while eating, he recognized his owner and greeted him by wagging his cotton-swab-like tail. Animals that wag their tails in joy would be dogs or wolves, but now it didn’t seem to matter much now. “The plants in the dungeon have a small amount of mana in them, so they are better to eat than other foods.” “Is that so? I didn’t know you liked mana more.” In Yoo-shin sat down in the empty seat next to him. “Did you have a good dinner?” He was about to greet Han Jun-soo, who was looking at his daughter’s photos on his phone, and Gong Tae-seong, who was looking at his daughter’s photos on his phone, but the moment he saw him, he suddenly felt strange. ‘What is it?’ A strange sensation of both unfamiliarity and familiarity coexisting at the same time passes through his brain. "Bye-oh." Since Hyeon Gyu-ha didn’t have any reprimands for saying that it wasn’t the sound of a mouse, 8- se  tilted his head, making a whining sound. “No. Eat slowly.” He shook his head and stroked 8- se ’s back on Choi Jin-hyeok’s palm. The brief sensation soon disappeared. It must have been an illusion. Maybe he was sensitive because he was inside a dungeon. “It’s all done, guild master.” Han Jun-soo, who had the skill to polish iron, wiped the blade with an oiled cloth and held out the sword. Gong Tae-sepng took the sword with a sigh, putting his phone in. I didn’t know because I had never seen his sword up close, but now that I look at it, it was a Japanese sword. ‘You use a Japanese sword. Is it a normal artifact?’ He just thought that, but Gong Tae-seong flinched noticeably when he realized that In Yoo-shin was in front of him. “It's the only artifact that works with the one I have implanted in my ear, so I'm forced to use it. I really have no other option.” “Ah, yes.” In fact, In Yoo-shin didn’t think much of it. While it is a bit odd that it was specifically a Japanese sword, given that Japanese swords were used in the Joseon Dynasty as well, couldn't it be that they had no other option due to the situation? At that moment, Choi Jin-hyeok whispered in a voice that Gong Tae-seong could hear, saying that he had caught the gun. It was strange that he had such a boring life, but he was so lively when Gong Tae-seong was looking for something. “Native Japanese.” “No, shit. Why am I the one who was dragged into a dungeon tour that didn’t even cost a penny and got cursed at?” “In Yoo-shin, do you know what that hunter artifact is?” “There’s no detailed information about the hunters’ artifacts on the internet.” “Hey! Choi Jin-hyeok!” “It’s called ‘the east-blooming daisy’.” It was unexpected. “Isn’t that lyrical? Last time you liberated some artifacts, I thought it was related to the battlefield because the sword had a murderous aura." "It's true that it's related to the battlefield." Gong Tae-seong's face looked like he wanted to beat Choi Jin-hyeok with the back of his sword or something, he said. "If you know Japanese history, you've probably heard of the name, but the dungeon where that native Japanese obtained the artifact is Sekiga Hara (a civil war in Japan after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death)." “Ah, ah. That, that thing that the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans fought over……………….” “Damn it! It’s a bound item, so I don’t know its name or identity until I get it, so what do you want me to do! So you want me to throw away the artifact?! Another unique item that I might not get again?!” “If you had realized that the dungeon was Japanese territory, you shouldn’t have taken it.” “I told you how many years it took to win the first round! You made such a fuss that I even changed the guild name to pure Korean!” I've also learned about the secret story behind the guild's name change from Uranus to Narsha. Han Jun-soo was calmly polishing the weapons of other guild members, as if he was familiar with the sight.   In Yoo-shin sighed heavily.  Just how much did Choi Jin-hyeok need to tease him for Gong Tae-seong to be so embarrassed by his own words? “If it’s a daisy, then it’s the Tokugawa family’s emblem, right? At least it's Tokugawa." "If that guy was fed by Toyotomi, then he's not just a collaborator, he's outright a traitor." "If there's a way to remove the bound item, I'd be the one to take it out and throw it all away right away!" "So In Yoo-shin, if you find an artifact in a dungeon, make a careful decision. If you're unlucky, you'll end up like that guy." “Will I ever get that chance? It’s like winning the lottery.” “I think Hyeon Gyu-ha will give it to you someday, sooner or later.” In Yoo-shin slyly changed the subject. “I think Japan is drooling over the guild leader’s artifact.” “It was a dungeon that opened in the middle of our country and Japan and was recognized as our country’s property. Apparently, Narsha won the bid for that, and when Japan found out, they were so envious they were practically green with envy.” That was a bit messed up. But since Gong Tae-seong's sacrifice gave the Japanese hunter community a small payback, isn't it a good thing in the end? ‘I’m starting to think this way too.’ Until recently, if you mentioned the guild master of Narsha, it was like talking about someone from another world. It was a big deal that he'd become so familiar, so easily seen as just a neighborhood hyung. If it weren't for Hyeon Gyu-ha, he wouldn't have exchanged even a single word with Choi Jin-hyeok or Lee Hye-yeon. Reflecting on the world that had expanded because of him, In Yoo-shin took a bitter breath. However, In Yoo-shin didn't know that he would be facing a 'big problem' the very next day. ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Editor M, eteryl Support on KOFI: Chapter 60 Chapter 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 If you wanna become a translator, editor or proofreader, please use the discord link given below and follow the instructions in the recruit channel. We made a discord server! please join us!

6.   [Guild] Mocha Bread: Breaking News   [Guild] Mocha Bread: Sleepy enters the top 10 in rankings in two days   [Guild] Mocha Bread: “Honestly, it’s easy” statement... Everyone was shocked   [Guild] Drink some water: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: kya crazy crazy, huh   [Guild] TheHunter: Cool omg   [Guild] I’m sleepy: No, when did I say that? ㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Harn: After saying that Yoo Chae is pretty, he went on to say that rankings are easy;;   [Guild] Bright Clouds: the saying maker itself   [Guild] Staric: Is it possible to enter the top 10 in two days?   [Guild] Staric: while being an office worker and that?..   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: Staric-nim, I think you’re getting hit with reality rn   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I’ve never lost and won consecutively, so they gave me good points   [Guild] Harn: The shorter the winning streak, the more points are awarded   [Guild] Harn: As long as you don’t stop your winning streak, you will accumulate good points   [Guild] Harn: That’s because it’s tough^^;   [Guild] Drink some water: fr If winning streak was easy, anyone would do it   [Guild] Manaolingnam: No, I understand the streak of giving in a hundred times   [Guild] Manaolingnam: It’s a shame to take extra points   [Guild] Manaolingnam: How much did you beat up the hell out of themㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Mocha Bread: That’s what I want to ask as well   [Guild] I’m sleepy: ㅋㅋ   [Guild] I’m sleepy: What can I do when my opponent can’t do it?ㅋ   [Guild] Drink some water: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ fk   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: Wow!   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: Wow, that’s out of the question.   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: Sleepy, I heard it wasn’t like this before...   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: Why did you become a monster?ㅠㅠ   [Guild] I’ll take care of you: Since Yoo Chae-nim left the guild, Sleepy-nim became a monster.   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Monster Preservation Law   [Guild] Harn: What ur score now??   [Guild] I’m sleepy: 880 points   [Guild] Mocha Bread: ㅋㅋlook at the clean score   [Guild] Let’s do this: I know you’re a monster, that won 11 times in a row   [Guild] Drink some water: Keep accumulating points until you reach 4th place, right?   [Guild] I’m sleepy: yeah Just a 1200 points more   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I’m still doing matching   As the score accumulated, the matching time also increased. This meant that there were very few users who could match me.   After about 5 minutes, the opponent seemed to have been caught and the ranking match began. As I took a sip of the drink placed in front of me and looked at the monitor, a somewhat familiar nickname of someone came into view.   “Hmm?”   Melody Code? That Melody Code I know? As I laughed at the unexpected meeting, the other person must have seen my username, and a messenger chat message came through.   [Melody Code: Ah what is it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]   [Melody Code: Why are you here?? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]   [I’m sleepy: hi]   During ranked matches, the chat window was locked, so messenger was the only way to communicate. As I sent an appropriate response, I was reminded that Melody Code had the same job.   If it was met as soon as it entered the top 10, Melody Code must have accumulated quite a few points. Well, my game sense wasn’t bad since the Guardian Guild Selection back in the day, so I deserved to come up here.   [Melody Code: The shame I suffered in the past...]   [Melody Code: It’s time to pay back]   [I’m sleepy: ㅋ]   [I’m sleepy: Fighting ^^]   [Melody Code: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ f1k]   The ranking match will begin soon. Get ready for battle!    3, 2, 1   Battle begins!   As soon as Melody Code finished speaking, the battle began. I moved without hesitation.   I moved my hand leisurely as I watched Melody Code closing the distance using the thruster.   ***   [Melody Code: Ouch, you son of a bitch]   [I’m sleepy: Why are you swearing like that?]   Melody Code, who had lost miserably this time following the selection match, sent a chat full of anger as soon as the ranking match ended.   [Melody Code: Why do u have a 9th level staff, sad?]   [Melody Code: I’m really shocked ㅋㅋ]   [I’m sleepy: I took this photo during the ranking match haha]   [Melody Code: Ha]   [Melody Code: lost due to differences in specs]   [I’m sleepy: It’s not a difference in skill, is it?]   [Melody Code: Shut up]   As I was playing around with the Melody Code, my cell phone, which I had thrown nearby, vibrated. It was Chae Yoo-jeong’s call.   [Melody Code: nim Please cue quickly]   [Melody Code: quick]   [Melody Code: Hurry up so we can meet one more time!!!]   [I’m sleepy: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ do u want me to kill u again?]   [I’m sleepy: I can’t do that because I’m on the phone]   [I’m sleepy: Next time, let’s do it]   [Melody Code: Ah]   If it had been someone else’s phone call, I would have ignored it and played the game, but since it was Chae Yoo-jeong, of course my choice was to call. I typed to Melody Code, who begged to do it one more time and pressed the call connection button.   “Unn, Yoo-jeong.”   -Hyung.   When I heard the soft voice coming from the other end of the phone, a smile came to my face. I asked, leaning my upper body against the back of the chair.   -Yes. The interview schedule was changed to be held after the vacation.   “Did it go well?”   After complaining that you didn’t want to go for the interview, I guess you were finally able to change the schedule. It may be possible because not only Chae Yoo-jeong but also other team members disliked it.   “Good.”   For me, the postponement of the interview was quite good news.   Chae Yoo-jeong has already worked hard throughout the season, so why are interviews scheduled so frequently? During his vacation, I wanted him to peacefully rest.   -I can’t even watch Hyung play games because of the meeting. I’m really annoyed.   I burst into laughter at the very glum look.   He was Chae Yoo-jeong, who liked my decision to compete in a ranking match more than anyone else. Chae Yoo-jeong, who was excited and said that he would definitely watch the game since the spectator function will be available starting from the top 10, was unable to watch a single game because as soon as I entered the top 10, he was dragged into a meeting.   “I haven’t even played a few rounds yet.”   -Still.   “Hmm…………”   I thought for a moment and then asked.   “Yoo-jeong.”   -Yes?   “Do you want to see it? The ranking match.”   -How?   “I recorded everything.”   When playing a fighting game like this, recording was essential. This is because it can be useful when reviewing your play or meeting against a hack user. Although Zenoris does not have hack user, it’s still pretty useful.   - Really? All 11 rounds?   “12 rounds. Because I just played one more round.”   -I want to see it! I want to see you!   Chae Yoo-jeong was so excited because he had no idea that I had recorded it. I tilted my head and spoke to Chae Yoo-jeong, who gave the exact reaction I expected.   “Then take a selfie and send it to me.”   -Ugh… yes?   “Make sure your face comes out well. Then I’ll give you the recorded video.”   It was one of my favorite things these days. This is Chae Yoo-jeong’s photo.   Not satisfied with just collecting photos from Chae Yoo-jeong’s fan cafe and photos from articles, I also wanted photos taken by Chae Yoo-jeong himself. But it wasn’t easy to collect Chae Yoo-jeong because he wouldn’t send me selfies unless I paid him like this. Tsk.   “Not the one you took before, but the one you took now.”   -Hyu-Hyung...……………   “There’s no use calling me cutely.”   When I firmly answered that I would also give him a recorded video if he sent me a selfie, Chae Yoo-jeong, who realized that his cuteness wasn’t working, hesitated and then opened his mouth.   -Now?   “Um, now.”   ………Can you show your face?   “Yes, let everything come out without anything hidden.”   -Hyung… I’m still in the dorm’s conference room.   “There’s no one around.”   Chae Yoo-jeong was mostly confused as if he didn’t want others to see him talking on the phone with me.   He used to make phone calls while I was sleeping. Chae Yoo-jeong, who groaned for a long time as if he had been stabbed, eventually declared surrender.   -Alright……………   “You’re always pretty, so don’t worry, just take a picture and send it to me.”   -Only at times like this do you call me pretty………………   “What are you talking about? I did it once a day, right?”   -You asked me to send a selfie once a day previously.   Oh, this time I had nothing to say.   “Then should I ask you to do it twice a day?”   -That’s okay.   Chae Yoo-jeong, who responded in a rough voice as if he was already upset, hung up the phone without saying bye. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, so I waited quietly and soon a message arrived.   [Yoo-jeong: (photo)]   As soon as I saw the picture, I burst out laughing and pressed my hand to the corner of my mouth.   Chae Yoo-jeong’s face, slightly glaring at the camera, appeared on the cell phone screen. He gave off an awkward vibe, as if he was quite uncomfortable taking pictures alone.   ‘It’s so cute, I’m dying, really……………….’   After seeing the tips of Chae Yoo-jeong’s ears and cheeks turning red, I couldn’t hold out any longer and lowered his head.   How can someone be this cute?  My shoulders were trembling, and I was hitting the save button indiscriminately.   [Yoo Ji-han: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]   [Yoo Ji-han: It’s pretty^^]   [Yoo-jeong: Is it pretty?]   [Yoo Ji-han: the prettiest person in the world]   [Yoo Ji-han: The video is large so I will send it to you by email]   Since I’ve received it, I need to organize it in chronological order so it’s easy to see and send it to him. Yoo Chae seemed happy as well.   I smiled happily as I set the selfie that Yoo-jeong had sent me as my phone wallpaper.   ***     HM: all the korean boyfriends should learn from YC lol I heard that nowadays that korean bfs are really possessive when their gf even talks to another person…..   --- Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Meimei, Ghostx Support on Kofi: Side stories 1(Complete) We made a Discord Server ! please join us!

Epilogue 4.   I quickly left the house, putting my arms into my black hooded zip-up. As I ran out of the alley and onto the main road, there was a taxi passing by, so I caught it.   After I told the driver Chae Yoo-jeong’s home address he had sent in the message, the taxi drove down the road on Saturday night. As I looked at the road passing by through the car window, I felt strangely good.   “Haa………………”   I sighed as my heart beat rapidly and washed my face dry. I was really unfamiliar with my appearance as I got into the taxi at this late hour, wearing only my coat, with only the thought of wanting to see him.   ‘It will take 40 minutes to get there at the earliest.’   It was then that I checked the time on the cell phone screen.   Tok-todok . When I lifted my head at the sound of a light tapping on the car window, I saw raindrops falling from the night sky filled with dark clouds. I was so busy coming out that I only now realized that the weather was cloudy.   The rain became thicker at a rapid pace. By the time the taxi arrived at its destination, rain was pouring down so hard as if there was a hole in the sky.   I barely had his coat on, so I couldn’t have taken an umbrella. I clicked my tongue and put my hooded zip-up over my head. Even though it was a sudden meeting due to my greed, I later realized that it wouldn’t be cool to go out in the rain.   Even if I don’t, he’s the guy who compliments me and says I’m cool no matter what I do. This time, the bean pods came off properly.   Because it was an apartment complex with tight security, it was not possible to take a taxi into the complex. When I got out of the taxi that stopped in front of the main entrance, rain poured down on my head as if it had been waiting.   There was no point in wearing a hat, so I tried to run to the front of the building to get a little less wet. An umbrella popped out from the side, blocking the rain.   “Chae Yoo-jeong?”   Of course, Chae Yoo-jeong, who I thought was playing Zenoris, was standing in front. The guy who made eye contact with me, who was surprised, smiled shyly.   “It rained a lot, so I waited.”   “Thank you, but how long did you wait?”   I took a taxi, but it would have taken a while. When I lightly held Chae Yoo-jeong’s hand holding the umbrella, I felt a cold touch.   I knew it would be like this. No matter how warm the day was, the air was very cold due to the spring rain falling in the middle of the night.   “Let’s go in quickly.”   What should I do if he catches a cold? It’s game season, so even if he’s sick, he won’t be able to rest well.   Instead, I took the umbrella that Chae Yoo-jeong was holding and grabbed his empty hand. My hands, which had been in the taxi the whole way, were much warmer than those of Chae Yoo-jeong, who was standing outside.   While holding his hand, I went into the house with Chae Yoo-jeong. Even though I used the umbrella right away when I got out of the taxi, the shoulder and hat areas of my hooded zip-up were damp.   Chae Yoo-jeong, who casually took off the hooded zip-up, asked.   “Sit down. I’ll bring you a warm drink.”   When I was about to refuse, I remembered Chae Yoo-jeong’s cold hand that I had been holding the entire way, and I nodded. If you bring it to me, I’ll pretend to drink it and feed Chae Yoo-jeong.   While Chae Yoo-jeong was in the kitchen, I sat on the sofa and looked around the house. I felt a little sad because the interior of the house had not changed much since the last time I visited. Of course, the period of time he stayed at home wasn’t long because he was living in a dorm, but even taking that into account, not much had changed.   It seems that it is still difficult to attach affection to the house. Perhaps, for Chae Yoo-jeong, living in an accommodation with other people would be a more comfortable place than a bleak house.   “I’m sorry, Hyung.”   Chae Yoo-jeong returned from the kitchen and put the glass down on the table in front of the sofa. What was in the glass was warm water.   Chae Yoo-jeong, sitting next to me, said with a shy expression.   “I thought there was something there, but the lady who came to clean it seems to have cleaned it all up.”   “It’s alright. I like water.”   Since the conversation was already going to be long, it was better to have water. After moistening my dry mouth with water, I handed the glass to Chae Yoo-jeong. Chae Yoo-jeong took it without thinking and blinked while holding the hot cup in both hands.   “Chae Yoo-jeong.”   “Yes?”   “First…… I’m sorry for coming to you so suddenly.”   After hearing the apology, Chae Yoo-jeong looked at me blankly for a moment, then smiled brightly, like snow melting on a spring day.   “No. I’m glad Hyung came. Even if it’s late, I can see your face... really good. It’s true.”   Chae Yoo-jeong, who stuttered slightly, had the tips of his ears immediately dyed red. When I saw that, my throat became dry reflexively.   ‘…Let’s calm down.’   Maybe at other times, but now I’m here to have a serious conversation. After clearing his throat for a moment, he opened his mouth.   “The reason I suddenly asked to meet you was because I wanted to talk.”    “A talk?”   “Yeah. Not just doing it but looking at your face like this. Because…………….”   I paused for a moment and looked at the face of Chae Yoo-jeong, who was sitting next to me. The gentle expression on his face that says he will follow whatever I say... To be honest, I was very satisfied.   I never thought I would end up like this. I feel satisfied with someone who only looks at me. Did my quality really degrade?   Determined to control it so it wouldn’t get worse, I raised my hand and carefully touched Chae Yoo-jeong’s pale cheek.   Chae Yoo-jeong slightly tilted my head in response to my touch and lowered his long eyelashes.   “That way, unnecessary misunderstandings won’t arise.”   “Misunderstanding………………”   “But it’s not a very serious talk.”   Afraid that Chae Yoo-jeong might be worried, he jokingly added and laughed bitterly.   “Chae Yoo-jeong.”   “Yes.”   “We played Zenoris together today… Are you really okay?”   Chae Yoo-jeong opened his eyes slightly in surprise and then responded meekly.   “Yes. It was really okay. It was fun.”   “But you didn’t feel at ease, did you?”   This time there was no reply from him. There was an embarrassing light in Chae Yoo-jeong’s eyes as his lips closed.   “Ah.”   “Those People… came where we are and asked us to raid together.”   I thought for a long time about how to resolve the rigid atmosphere that remained between Chae Yoo-jeong and me. I found the answer to his concerns while playing Zenoris with Chae Yoo-jeong.   “I made that offer…I thought you would say no.”   Why didn’t I notice it earlier? It was painful to realize that I didn’t know much about Chae Yoo-jeong.   “If it were like before, you would have declined because you wanted to play games with me. I actually would be okay with that.”   “…….”   “You didn’t notice me this much back then. There was no feeling of guilt for deceiving me. So you were able to express it honestly.”   I realized this while playing Zenoris. Why is the ‘Yoo Chae’ I played with in the past so different from the ‘Yoo Chae’ I played with now?   At that time, I didn’t know who ‘Yoo Chae’ was. Chae Yoo-jeong was just ‘Yoo Chae’ and happily played the game next to me. He must have been the most honest and comfortable person I’ve ever met.   I vividly remember him complaining or begging me to marry him when something disappointing happened to me, and him honestly asking me if I could go on a raid with him.   ‘That… That must be Chae Yoo-jeong’s true appearance.’   He must have been happier back then than now when he is suppressing his emotions because of me.   “I’m not comparing it to what you used to be. It’s not like I’m forcing it. What I want to say to you is...”   “I know.”   Chae Yoo-jeong placed his own hand on top of my hand. His body temperature, which had suddenly become warmer than mine, spread to the back of his hand.   “I’m saying this because I’m worried. I hope you feel at least a little more comfortable.”   Afraid that Chae Yoo-jeong might be hurt, I swallowed what I wanted to add and nodded my head. Then the guy rolled his eyes and smiled brightly.   Chae Yoo-jeong, bending over with his large body, came towards me. I liked his body temperature filling my arms, so I opened my arms and hugged him.   Chae Yoo-jeong opened his mouth as he hugged me with all his might.   “Then, Hyung, please tell me honestly.”   Chae Yoo-jeong made eye contact with me from a distance so close that his breath could touch me.   “If there’s something you want to do, say so. I want to do the same.”   When I heard that, a hot and tearful feeling rose up to the very tip of my throat.   Me asking you to tell me what you don’t like, and Chae Yoo-jeong asking me to tell me what I like. We are similar yet different.   “……Okay.”   I answered, barely able to swallow my emotions that came over in waves.   “I will.”   Chae Yoo-jeong, who had been patiently waiting for my answer, slowly kissed me. I also happily accepted Chae Yoo-jeong’s kiss.   There were times when I wasn’t sure whether Chae Yoo-jeong and I could work out. I was afraid that we might end up hurting each other over and over again like we did before.   But now I know. We can do it well.   I am by Chae Yoo-jeong’s side, and Chae Yoo-jeong is by my side. Let’s move forward together, slowly, little by little.   That guy is that guy. Completed.     HM: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh! I’m screaming internally…….   --- Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Meimei, Ghostx Support on Kofi: Side stories 1(Complete) We made a Discord Server ! please join us!

The library on the fifth basement floor was always deserted. Perhaps because of that, you could sometimes see guys lying down between the secluded bookshelves, their faces covered by books, fast asleep. The usual corner between the bookshelves where Jeong Tae-ui always sat to read was already occupied by some guy sprawled out, so Tae-ui went to the opposite side and crouched down. There was a spacious six-person desk available, but if I sat there and read, one or two familiar faces would always come over and bother me. So, I ended up hiding here to read, but I also thought it was better this way since I could just fall asleep if I got drowsy. Jeong Tae-ui flipped through the books on the shelf and picked one out. He silently scanned the pages. However, his quiet and comfortable reading didn't last long. A team member looking for a book came all the way into this secluded corner, and it was a familiar face. "Oh." At the short sound, Jeong Tae-ui only glanced up. It was Wien Ho. Ching was behind him. Wien Ho strode over and gently tilted the end of the book Jung Tae-ui was holding. "What are you reading? ……The Art of War? This guy reads weird books sometimes. Reading stuff like that won't help you in real combat, you know." "Do you know of any other book that compiles the Thirty-Six Stratagems so neatly?" Jeong Tae-ui replied curtly and shook the book. As he was about to explain the saying that classics are timeless, Wien-ho waved his hand dismissively, looking annoyed, and took a step back. "Yeah, yeah, keep reading diligently. The instructor will be very fond of you when you discuss strategic theories." Jeong Tae-ui briefly thought of his uncle, who was in charge of strategy, but immediately scoffed inwardly, thinking, 'No way.'  My uncle wasn't the type to favor model students. If anything, he tended to show interest in slightly oddballs. That person himself was quite unconventional. "But why the Thirty-Six Stratagems all of a sudden? Planning to run away from somewhere?" "Well──you know that training video from yesterday? After watching that, I figured that's the only way I can save my own life. If you're not confident you can win a fight, you should at least be good at reading the situation and running away to prolong your pathetic life by even a day." Whether they thought Jeong Tae-ui's casually muttered words were a joke or not, Wien-ho and Ching laughed as if they found it amusing. "There are opponents it works on and opponents it doesn't. It's not going to work on everyone. ……Hmm. Well, you do seem like the type who could survive even if you were thrown into the deepest jungle and manage to come back alive." As Ching nodded and muttered, Wien-ho also nodded in agreement. Jeong Tae-ui wondered how his image had plummeted like this in just a few days, but he didn't feel like denying it, so he just shrugged. Maybe this was the kind of intuition my uncle had been talking about. In a very short moment, I can make a decision. What is the best way to act, what is the best I could do within my capabilities, what should I give up and what should I gain to be most efficient, I could quickly judge by assessing the opponent and myself. But when you encounter a monstrous madman, the best thing is to give up your pride and gain practical benefits. In other words, just run away as soon as you see them. "But still…… it doesn't say here what the best way to run away is." Jeong Tae-ui muttered while flipping through the pages of the book. As expected, the two guys laughed, thinking it was another joke. Looking at their faces, contorted in laughter, made me want to lightly tap their cheeks to death with the book in my hand.  Jeong Tae-ui stared alternately at the book and their faces, but he couldn't fulfill his desire because his pager vibrated in his pocket just then. Closing the book and taking the pager out of his pocket, Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head slightly at the unfamiliar number. It was an internal extension, but the number was unfamiliar. I had roughly memorized the numbers of the instructors who had paged me before. "Where is number 07?" Jeong Tae-ui, who had taken out his pager and was staring at it with a serious face, suddenly asked. "Huh?" Ching, who was next to him, craned his neck and looked at the pager. Tae-ui didn't have a reason to hide it, but he instinctively pulled his body back and withdrew the pager. Ching grumbled, "What's the big deal?" and answered. "07, let me see. If it's number 7 on the ground floor, that's, where was that again? It must be the Administrative office." "Administrative office? Why would they call someone there…….?" Jeong Tae-ui, who had been muttering with raised eyebrows, suddenly closed his mouth. Then, he stared intently at Ching and blinked. Ching seemed uncomfortable with the gaze and subtly stepped back. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "……No……, could you put this back on the shelf for me?" Jeong Tae-ui suddenly stood up, shoved the book into Ching's hands, and immediately bolted out from between the bookshelves. He heard a few "Hey, wait?" sounds from behind, but he pretended not to hear and ran out of the reading room. My stupid memory! Right, if he didn't contact me yesterday, today would be the day! Did you already forget that you went to sleep disappointed last night, Jeong Tae-ui? He didn't even want to waste time waiting for the elevator, which was stopped on the first floor, to come down, so he dashed up the stairs. He didn't even feel out of breath as he ran from the fifth basement floor to the ground floor. Reaching the ground floor in one go, Jeong Tae-ui patted his pounding chest and walked towards the office. Regular hours were already over, so usually only Administrative officers on duty would be left inside the office. He took a deep breath in front of the door──unaware that his uncle would later clutch his stomach laughing after seeing that scene on the recording camera──and knocked. He heard a sound from inside, and the door opened. Xinlu was the only one left in the office. He smiled brightly when he saw Jeong Tae-ui. "Tae-ui hyung, you're here." " Unn . ……Are you alone?" "Yes, I'm on duty today. ……Were you busy?" "No, I had spare time on my hands so I went to read a book in the library. I was actually annoyed by the interruptions, but then I got your pager, so I rushed over. If you're on night duty, you can't leave, right?" "Yes. Administrative officer Kiffen was originally scheduled to be on duty, but he suddenly got acute indigestion, so we switched. So, I don't think a walk will be possible today. I'm sorry, hyung." Xinlu lowered his head apologetically and whispered. Jeong Tae-ui continued, "No, it's fine. Is Kiffen very sick?" but he was secretly disappointed. So that's it. He paged me to cancel the date. Even though he tried not to show it, Jeong Tae-ui's face must have been too obvious. Xinlu hesitated, looking at Jeong Tae-ui's expression, then smiled awkwardly and continued. "But there's not much work to do today anyway, so all I’ve to do is stay in the office. …….Would you like to sit down and have some tea? Vice-director Jangtil brought us some good tea a while ago when he came back from a trip. If you're not busy, please sit down for a bit, hyung." "Oh, really? Of course, I’m not busy. …… Unn , what kind of tea is it?" "Keemun. Do you like it?" "I haven't tried it. Green tea?" "No, it's a black tea…… it has a nice smell like orchids. I'll get it for you right away, so give it a try." Xinlu busily went into the private room. Jeong Tae-ui could hear the sound of water and clinking dishes from inside. Jeong Tae-ui hesitated and peeked through the crack in the private room door. Then, noticing the recording camera installed in the corner of the office as always, he quietly took a seat. Yeah, there's no real reason to go for a walk. It would have been nice to go outside, walk along the beach, and look at the sky and the sea, but being with Xinlu is more important. If we can be together, what does it matter if we're indoors? As long as we can quietly drink tea and chat. Not long after, Xinlu came out of the private room carrying a tray. The tray with the teacups looked precarious, so Jeong Tae-ui quickly stood up and took it from him. Xinlu's smiling face as he said, "Thank you," was also lovely. Just like my uncle said, maybe my taste really doesn't change. The second person in my life to make my heart pound like crazy is also this lovely and beautiful young man. "Have you fully adjusted to being here yet? It’s hard, isn’t it?" Xinlu asked, sitting down across from Jeong Tae-ui. Jeong Tae-ui, who had adapted far too well, was momentarily confused by the question. Then, realizing that Xinlu was talking about how it had only been a few days since he arrived, he nodded, saying, "Ah, right." It would be a lie to say it wasn't tough. In fact, once I got past the regular work hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, I was free to do whatever I wanted. No one would bother me whether I drank, smoked, or stayed holed up in my bed. So, the daily schedule itself was much more relaxed than when I was in the military. However, the training during regular hours was quite exhausting. It felt like the training here was twice as hard as my military training. There were all sorts of processes to learn, and the colleagues I was competing with in those processes were all top talents from outside, so facing them in competition was no easy task. Carlo, who always had a slouched and sloppy posture, Tou, with his perpetually smiling face and simple way of thinking, Alta, who was short-tempered and always smelled faintly of alcohol, and so on, were all considered top talents……. Furthermore, thinking about it, even that crazy guy he saw in the video yesterday was a man of great talent……. Jeong Tae-ui stopped thinking for a moment and let out a quiet sigh, clearing his head. What is this world coming to? "Are you very tired? I have some dried fruit preserved in honey, would you like some?" Suddenly, Jeong Tae-ui flinched, realizing Xinlu was leaning towards him with a worried expression. Before he knew it, the young man's face was right in front of his nose. I could see the fine, downy hair on his earlobe, sparkling white. His cheeks were also round, making him look like a young boy who hadn't lost his baby fat yet. His heart suddenly stung. As Xinlu moved closer, the air shifted, and the scent of soap brushed against his nose. Then, a sudden heat flared up in his chest. And it wasn't just his chest that was heating up. "Hmm──I'm not that tired, but if you're offering, I'd like to try some." Jeong Tae-ui said, forcing a calm smile. Xinlu said, "Okay," and stood up to go back to the private room. As soon as Xinlu disappeared from his sight, Jeong Tae-ui frantically patted his chest and thighs, careful not to make any noise. What are you doing? You've only known him for a few days, do you want to show such an ugly side of yourself? Get a grip, Jeong Tae-ui! He's still young, look at those cheeks that haven't lost their baby fat and the downy hair on his earlobes. How can you have such thoughts about a child like that! However, while thinking that, he also heard a voice whispering from another corner of his mind. Twenty-two years old is a proper adult, and there's no real reason to feel guilty for having such feelings. It's not like you're going to force anything, and look, you're getting along fine, drinking tea together right now. Jeong Tae-ui groaned in anguish amidst the conflicting thoughts and clutched his head. Either way, after smelling that soft scent, the first thing to do is to cool down my heated body. Has it been building up that much? Come to think of it, it's been over a month since I properly had sex with another human, but still, to have my self-control break down this much, I still have a long way to go. Jeong Tae-ui thumped his chest as if he was choking. He took a deep breath and patted his chest several times, and his body cooled down a bit. Then, Xinlu returned from behind him. "What’s wrong, hyung? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Xinlu, who was bringing out a plate of dried fruit, looked strangely at Jeong Tae-ui, who was patting himself, and asked. Jeong Tae-ui smiled and shook his head. The fingertips that had been stroking my chest were now much cooler. He drank his tea and quietly observed Xinlu, whose gaze was lowered over his cup. Even though he looked young, he wasn't a child. His slender eyes with their slightly upturned corners, his plump and moist lips, and the roundness of his cheeks and clear skin just made him look younger. In fact, if you had to categorize him, he leaned more towards the alluring side. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Xinlu looked up. When their eyes met, he paused for a moment and smiled with his eyes. The slight upturn of his lips was incredibly seductive. Was it because I was looking at Xinlu with such eyes that I felt that way? "By the way, hyung, I heard that Jeong Jay, who used to be at headquarters, is your older brother." " Unn ? Ah, Jae-ui hyung? That's right." Jeong Tae-ui nodded, relieved that the topic had changed. It seemed that the fact that Jeong Jae-ui was Jeong Tae-ui's brother had already spread throughout the entire branch. Well, with only about a hundred people confined in one building, there was no way a secret could exist. Not that it was a secret anyway. "Everyone says he's incredibly smart. And that you two are twins." "Hmm──we are twins, but we don't look alike at all. Not in appearance, intelligence, or personality. My brother is better than me." Jeong Tae-ui bit into the dried fruit and slowly counted off the points. As I thought about it again, there was nothing I could do better than Jeong Jae-ui. Except for being closer to being a normal person. Then, Jeong Tae-ui suddenly clicked his tongue with a bitter taste in his mouth. It was a well-known fact that I couldn't beat Jeong Jae-ui in anything. I had accepted that obvious fact from the beginning. Now, I was used to people reacting that way regarding my brother. I had been experiencing it for nearly a quarter of a century, so it would be strange if I wasn't used to it. So, it was okay now, but what had been difficult to get used to until very recently were the people who approached me with my brother as their goal. It was better when people were upfront about their curiosity towards Jeong Jae-ui from the beginning. The bitterness I felt when I realized that the people who approached me seemingly without such intentions had ulterior motives was incomparable. Jeong Tae-ui thought about the past for a moment and chuckled to himself. People eventually get used to anything that happens repeatedly. The hurt and pain only last for the first few times. When similar things happened again and again, I felt extremely hollow. Jeong Tae-ui quietly gazed at the beautiful red color of the tea, from which a subtle orchid fragrance was rising. Well, what would happen? If, for whatever reason, this young man became more interested in Jeong Jae-ui and tried to use me, Jeong Tae-ui, as a means to reach him. In that case…… Jeong Tae-ui smiled.  In that case, what about it? There's nothing to do but watch how things unfold. There are things I can control and things I can't. Other people's hearts belong to the latter. But even if that happens, I would still find this boy adorable. Just like the others before him. "Do you want to meet him?" Jeong Tae-ui asked. Xinlu, who had been enjoying the aroma rising from the tea, widened his eyes. He looked like he didn't understand what he was saying. Then, as if he had grasped the context of the conversation, he said, "Ah," and tilted his head. "There's no reason for me not to want to meet him…… but I don’t even know him." "I see……." Jeong Tae-ui just smiled calmly. It wasn't always bad, come to think of it.  Even though they approached Jeong Tae-ui wanting to know Jeong Jae-ui, some of them stayed by Jeong Tae-ui's side. They are people who are now by his side, people he wouldn't have even had the chance to know if it weren't for Jeong Jae-ui. "But he must be popular." "Yeah." "Your older twin brother. Even if you don't look alike, as twins, there must be some similarities. If your brother resembles you and are that smart, he must be popular." "......" Jeong Tae-ui, holding his teacup, just blinked for a moment. Xinlu, who spoke so casually, drank his tea as if nothing had happened. Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head and looked at him. What should I say? It feels like I heard something that could be interpreted as a compliment, depending on how you look at it. "Hmm…… My brother is popular. (Though it's mostly with the ambitious men from major foreign public institutions.) But…… I'm not." Jeong Tae-ui trailed off. Xinlu's eyes widened in surprise. "Don’t be silly, I think you just don't know it. I think you're popular too. You're really charming." Xinlu said calmly, smiling. Then, he reached out and gently brushed the hair that had fallen over Jeong Tae-ui's forehead. His small, pale hand brushed Jeong Tae-ui's cheek and reached his ear. "You have nice features…… I think you are better with your hair out of your face so that your face shows more. Ah, and your neck too. You have a nice neckline, so I think you'd look good with shorter haircut." "Hmm…… really?" Even as he answered, Jeong Tae-ui didn't know what he was saying. I couldn't move. The warm hand brushed my forehead and cheek. The fingers that briefly touched my neck were very ticklish. I felt breathless. "Oh……, Hyung, you seem to be hurt. You have a bruise here. Hold on, I have some ointment, I’ll put on some for you." Xinlu's hand stopped midway between his shoulder and neck. He hadn't been aware of it until now, but sure enough, as he pressed lightly where Xinlu indicated, it throbbed. I must have gotten hit during sparring. Xinlu opened a desk drawer within reach and took out an ointment. He squeezed some onto his palm and again stroked Jeong Tae-ui's neck. "Oh, no, it's okay, it doesn't hurt that much—" Jeong Tae-ui, flustered and trying to stop Xinlu, trailed off. His voice was faintly hoarse. He became even more flustered hearing his own voice. Fortunately, Xinlu didn't seem to notice and began to rub the ointment on Jeong Tae-ui's neck. Soft fingers brushed over his neck. It was a pleasant and relaxing touch, as if giving a massage. However, Jeong Tae-ui was flustered. Xinlu's breath touched his ear. The regular breathing, along with the warm breath, warmed his face. "Xinlu, that's enough, stop─…." A jolt went through his body. Jeong Tae-ui ended up grabbing Xinlu's wrist and pulling it away.  I could feel my face was incredibly flushed. But what was even more mortifying was the reaction in my groin. The fabric of his thin, loose-fitting indoor clothes couldn't hide the faint protrusion of his aroused flesh. Xinlu, who had been staring blankly at Jeong Tae-ui who suddenly pushed him away, seemed to realize where Jeong Tae-ui's lowered gaze was directed. Jeong Tae-ui could feel Xinlu flinch in his hand as he followed his gaze. A bewildered gaze lingered on Jeong Tae-ui's face, unsure of what to do. Xinlu's voice, muttering "ah," anxiously circled in his mouth. Even as his head burned, Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue. I’m so angry at my own foolishness. What am I doing? I'm not some horny teenager. I wished someone would burst in and slap me hard across the face. "Hyung……, um……." "So, ……rry." Only then did Jeong Tae-ui realize the wrist wriggling in his hand, and he quickly let go. Their eyes met. Young eyes blinked on Jeong Tae-ui's face. Seeing those eyes made his face flush again. Bump. He suddenly stood up, his chair hitting the floor with a thud. Jeong Tae-ui nervously clenched and unclenched his empty hands, not knowing what to do, then mumbled "sorry" once more and turned away. I felt like I should offer Xinlu more of an explanation or apology, but I couldn't bring myself to face him right now . Jeong Tae-ui hurried out of the office and stepped into the dimly lit hallway. I didn't think I'd ever felt so mortified in my life. His quick, rough, and wide steps were almost a run. He brushed past one or two people while going down the stairs, bypassing the elevator, but none of them tried to stop Jeong Tae-ui, who was passing by with a bright red, stiff face. Jeong Tae-ui walked aimlessly, wherever his feet took him, his hair a mess as if he didn't even know what he was thinking. As he walked, he found himself in front of his uncle's room. In his dazed state, his feet must have instinctively found the familiar path. He grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, but the door was locked. My uncle didn't seem to be there. Good riddance, rather. Jeong Tae-ui took out the key he always carried and went into his uncle's room.  As always, the room was impeccably tidy, without a speck of dust. He carelessly threw off his coat, opened the refrigerator, and took out a beer. He finished it in a few gulps, but it wasn't enough. He took out another one and drank it all at once again. So he took out one more and drank about half of it before he finally felt a bit cooler inside. Suddenly, a large mirror next to the desk caught his eye. He met his own gaze in it. His face was bright red. Red from his earlobes down to his neck. Seeing this made Jeong Tae-ui even more awkward, and he rubbed his cheeks with the cold can in his now-cold hand. He had hoped his cheeks would cool down, but his hand warmed up first. Jeong Tae-ui stood there blankly holding the can before collapsing onto the floor in front of the refrigerator. The heat in his groin had long since subsided. It had deflated as if it had never stood up in the first place. Yet, his face and chest still felt hot and wouldn't cool down. "Damn it……. If you were going to shrivel up like this, you shouldn't have stood up at all. Why do you have to make things so difficult for me?" Jeong Tae-ui muttered his complaints to his own groin. But it wasn't that part that needed to be understood, it was his head. Jeong Tae-ui, who had been sitting on the floor in front of the refrigerator staring blankly at his feet, suddenly raised his hand and brought it to his neck. He traced the spot where the soft fingertips had touched just moments ago. The slippery ointment was still there, I guess it’s not absorbed yet. He rubbed it over his skin. He was just putting ointment on me. I could touch myself like that a hundred times, but I wouldn’t get hard. It’s just my neck! Did I seriously get a boner just because it was Xinlu who touched me. "I guess I'm really hung up on him……. What am I going to do?" He deliberately mumbled aloud, but of course, there was no reply. I had hoped that saying it out loud would help organize my thoughts, but I didn't feel any sign of that happening. Jeong Tae-ui wiped his still-red face with the back of his hand for no particular reason. I needed something to cool my head. At this rate, I felt like this heat wouldn't subside even after a lifetime. Should I take a cold shower? Maybe I need to cool down my body as well as my head. Jeong Tae-ui finished the rest of his half-empty beer and stood up. Shouldn't have drunk that beer. It just seems to be making my face even hotter. Scolding himself for his foolishness, Jeong Tae-ui headed to the bathroom. I might as well fill the bathtub with cold water and soak in it completely. He turned on the cold water in the neatly cleaned bathtub and stared blankly at the strong stream of water when he thought he heard a faint mechanical sound mixed with the sound of the water. He leaned halfway out of the bathroom and looked around the room. Sure enough, Jeong Tae-ui had heard correctly; the phone on the desk was ringing. The sound of the phone quietly filling the room was now familiar. Jeong Tae-ui closed the bathroom door and walked over to the desk. As he approached, he saw his reflection in the mirror and realized he looked ridiculous. His face was completely red, and he couldn't hide his flustered expression. I looked just like a naive adolescent boy. "Get a grip, Jeong Tae-ui. How long has it been since you got out of the military that you're already this lax? This isn't an easy place, so don't go around losing your mind." Muttering to himself, Jeong Tae-ui lightly patted his cheeks a couple of times and then, after hesitating for a moment at the number displayed on the phone's screen, pressed the blinking light. "Yes, hello." '—It seems like you’re the only one answering the phone every time I call these past few days.' Those familiar elegant hands appear on screen every time without fail. Suddenly, I remember with the image of Xinlu's hand. Xinlu's hand was smaller and more lovely than that. His slightly stubby knuckles were cute. It was different from that delicate hand, which looked as if it had been meticulously crafted and polished from wax and glass. What would that hand feel like? It would definitely be different from Xinlu’s warm, ticklish touch. Jeong Tae-ui gave a wry smile, disgusted with himself for thinking of Xinlu even at a time like this. "Well, I'm the one who's curious. Just how often do you call my uncle for me to be in the room every time you call?" 'To be precise, you're the one who's there every time I call, Tay. Though it’s true I’ve been calling more frequently as of late.' "Why? Is Uncle pestering you to quickly sent the book by Laurent Gasset?" Jeong Tae-ui pulled a chair over and sat down, smiling weakly. But come to think of it, this man wasn't an antique book dealer. Or maybe he did it as a side job. 'Haha, I already sent that. I sent it by ship, but it should arrive before the end of this month.' Ilay laughed. Even though it was a mechanical voice, his cheerful tone felt refreshing. The heat in my head seemed to cool down a little. The coolness that came through the heat felt good. I had wondered whether to answer the phone or not, but it seemed I made the right choice. This man had a cooling effect. Jeong Tae-ui brushed back his fallen hair and smiled faintly. "That's good. Once the book arrives, I should be the first to read it," he murmured languidly. Silence flowed for a moment from the other end of the phone. Fingers tapped intermittently on the desk, as if probing the other side. 'Tay. Did something happen?' The quiet voice, asking so subtly. The voice, tinged with an interesting light, could have been unpleasant, but surprisingly, it didn't feel bad. Rather, I even felt like rambling on in my exhausted state. "I guess it’s written all over my face, huh?" 'You can say that. Well, your face is, quite red.' "......" Jeong Tae-ui roughly rubbed his face with the back of his hand. It should be cooling down a bit, but now I was starting to feel the alcohol. 'A complicated face. What could be so troubling in that simple world of yours, isolated on an island?' "......Ilay. You see……." Jeong Tae-ui trailed off for a moment. He hesitated, feeling like some old drunkard grabbing a stranger to ramble to, but he had already started talking. "Have you ever... had something happen that was sexually(性) immoral?" Jeong Tae-ui said seriously. A brief silence passed over the phone before the man replied, his voice a little deflated as if it was an unexpected topic. 'I'm not sure what you mean by ‘Sexually immoral’. What kind of situation are you referring to? If it's an unethical relationship, let's see... are we talking about incest? Or a relationship with someone who has a spouse? Or perhaps rape, assault, or other acts that are taboo from a human perspective……, and from a conservative viewpoint, a relationship with someone of the same sex could also be included. Well, there are so many, I'm not sure which one you're referring to. Take your pick.' ".......Well…… I could pick one from that list if I really had to……, but it's not something that depraved." Jeong Tae-ui, slightly tired of the relentlessly pouring out amoral words, muttered. Hearing those words, I feel a bit lighter. I haven't had such taboo-breaking thoughts myself. Except for one. 'Depraved, huh.' Ilay chuckled. However, he didn't elaborate on that and continued.  ‘You see, I keep my desires and emotions separately. So, there have definitely been instances where I’ve done sexually immoral things, by your standards anyway. Though, I'm curious, what exactly is this sexually immoral thing that happened to you today?’ "......" ‘Why? Did some person jump you and take off?’ "......, ......" This man's thoughts are a bit extreme. Not only extreme, but they also jump in unexpectedly strange directions. Jeong Tae-ui sighed deeply and laughed weakly.  "What kind of person in their right mind even thinks of doing such a thing to me? No, it's not that  serious……. What am I saying, I'm making myself sound ridiculous. It's just that the guy I have feelings for touched me a little, and I got visibly aroused right in front of them. It was just a hard-on but……." Jeong Tae-ui hesitated, unsure of how to continue. Silence returned from the other side.  The way his fingers, which had stopped, slowly tapped the desk one by one, showed that he didn't quite understand. He mumbled, "Why is that……" then suddenly, as if he understood, he muttered, "Ah." 'So, you sexually harassed them? It seems like you regret it.' This time as well, it was Ilay who jumped in an unexpected direction. Jeong Tae-eui stared at the monitor with a bewildered expression before sighing. "No, it's not like that. I didn't mean I got an erection in bed or in a private setting. I mean, we were just normally drinking tea and talking, and it happened in front of someone who has no romantic feelings for me." 'Hmm……?' His fingers tapped the desk, tap, tap. Now, even by the shape of his hand and the movement, I could roughly tell. That gesture meant he still didn't quite understand. 'I'm not sure I understand. I can see your way of thinking……. But I don’t understand why you feel ashamed. That wouldn’t benefit your life in any way. If it were me, I would have just made a move while I was already aroused. That would be better than ending up whimpering and blushing over my own sexual frustration.' Jeong Tae-ui frowned. He rubbed his face with his palm, wondering if it still looked flushed. I probably shouldn't have drunk. "Just go for it, huh……. What about the other person's feelings?" Ilay didn't answer. It wasn't that he didn't know or was thinking, but rather that he seemed to be refraining from answering.  "Well..." he replied in a subtly amused tone, and Jeong Tae-ui realized that this man had his own answer but was deliberately not saying it. And Jeong Tae-ui, feeling the same way, didn't bother to press him. 'If it were me, I would sleep with someone I'm attracted to first. I think emotions are just temporary whims and not worth worrying about that much. Or rather, I wouldn't say that a momentary desire is inferior to a lasting emotion—if such a thing exists.' "Are you a hedonist?" 'Something like that.' He affirmed with a smile. Jeong Tae-ui also nodded. Although I couldn't entirely agree with the man's way of thinking, I understood what he meant. Jeong Tae-ui also didn't disregard pleasure. However, I still felt that my way of thinking was very different from this man's in some aspects. Jeong Tae-ui chuckled and stroked the back of his neck. Regardless of their differing opinions, these kinds of conversations that flowed without any awkwardness weren't bad. I enjoyed talking with this man in that respect. Suddenly, Ilay burst into laughter as if something was very amusing. A short, low chuckle followed. 'It's something I think about every time I talk to you, but you are so different from Jeong Jay in many ways.' "Well, we're different people. Have you been talking to me all this time looking for traces of my brother in me?" 'Not exactly, but the thought that you are Jeong Jay's younger brother has always been on my mind.' Jeong Tae-ui let out a sigh mixed with laughter. "What is it?" Is this man also one of those people who approached me because they were interested in the genius Jeong Jae-ui? No, but he doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives, so it's hard to say he approached me. It would be more accurate to say that he became more interested in me because I was Jeong Jae-ui's brother. I was past the age of feeling resentful about such things, and it had happened so often in my life that it wasn't a big deal anymore. "You seem very interested in my brother." When Jeong Tae-ui subtly brought it up, the man casually laughed it off. 'Is there anyone who isn't interested in the genius Jeong Jay? At least not anyone in my circle.' "Haha, alright. So, what do you think now that you’ve compared us?" 'Hmm? Compare……. I haven't consciously compared you, but alright, let me think. …….It’s obvious without much thought.' "Ah, what is it?" 'Jeong Jay is more human. In many ways.' Jeong Tae-ui closed his mouth. Like most of what the man said, this was also quite unexpected. It was something I had never heard before—at least not openly—and something I had never thought about it myself. Jeong Jay is more human. In many ways, Jeong Tae-ui hmmmed and smiled wryly. Of course, I had never once considered myself to be full of humanity. But I hadn't expected to hear such words. Unlike the common prejudice people have towards geniuses, I knew very well that Jeong Jae-ui was a person with a great deal of humaneness. "Without me knowing, you must have thought I did something terribly inhumane to you, or perhaps my brother did you a great favor. If you mishear that even slightly, it sounds like an insult." 'I didn’t mean it as one. For example…… yes. Perhaps it's that Jeong Jay suffers from more anxiety and stress than you. That's what I mean by being human.' Jeong Tae-ui lost his words again. The things the man said casually without much thought felt particularly surprising today. Anxiety and stress. Perhaps that was true. How could I know how he feels when I’ve never been inside his head? Since individual feelings cannot be extracted as absolute numerical values, it's not a matter of comparing who is more or less anxious. "But objectively speaking, my brother seems like he would have no idea of what anxiety and stress are because of how lucky he is. He's the kind of person who left home saying he wanted to experience some bad luck himself." Jeong Tae-ui shook his head and muttered. Ilay watched him silently for a while. Somehow, it felt like he was smiling from the other side of the monitor. 'Certainly, Jeong Jay is extremely unlucky. To the point where you'd throw up your hands. But, have you ever thought about what lies at the root of that luck?' The smile disappeared from Jeong Tae-ui's face. I  had been feeling like something was off for a while now. Something was nagging at me in the man's words, but I hadn't known what it was. Now, I felt like I vaguely understood. This man knew something that I myself had never thought about, nor needed to think about. "He's my brother, but it seems you know him better than I do." Ilay seemed to immediately catch the meaning in Jeong Tae-ui's bitter words. "Oh no," he muttered, feigning embarrassment, and held out his hand. 'My bad. I didn't mean to upset you. Shall we change from this topic?' Ilay concluded the conversation in a light tone. Jeong Tae-ui stared intently at his white hand before finally sighing. It wasn't a topic I wanted to dwell on. 'I think you’ve calmed down a lot. The flushed look on your face has returned to normal.' At those words, Jeong Tae-ui, who had been wearily rubbing his forehead with his thumb, turned his head to look at the mirror. As he said, the flushed look that hadn't seemed to want to subside had returned to normal. Just as Jeong Tae-ui casually ran his hand over his face, Ilay's subtle voice entered his ears. 'Anyway, if you’re trapped on that island, the person you have feelings for must not be a woman,' Jeong Tae-ui replied sullenly to Ilay, who trailed off ambiguously. "Of course not. Ever since high school, I haven't even held hands with a woman, except for a handshake." ‘Aha, so then that must be part of sexual immorality you mentioned. Indeed,’  Ilay murmured to himself as if understanding. Jeong Tae-ui, who hadn’t brought up the topic first but had no intention of hiding his preferences from the start, shrugged. “Yeah, do you find that distasteful?” ‘Distasteful? Why should I find someone else’s preferences distasteful?’  Ilay said, bursting into laughter. His words clearly drew a line. Even though we were talking as if we were close, we were clearly strangers. Not only practically, but emotionally as well. It was then that Jeong Tae-ui suddenly realized. This man, while talking so freely with me, didn’t harbor any intimacy or liking towards me. Nor did he have any negative feelings. He was literally a pure stranger, nothing more and nothing less. Even though it was obvious, Jeong Tae-ui felt a vague sense of surprise. Only now did I realize that I had felt quite a bit of familiarity towards this man.  They had only encountered each other over the phone a few times, but as most people do with someone they’ve talked to multiple times, Jeong Tae-ui had also developed a sense of familiarity corresponding to the time they had spent together. However, none of that mattered to this man. He wasn’t someone whose feelings were proportional to time spent. Looking back, there had been plenty of room to realize this, but he hadn’t noticed at all. He probably wouldn’t feel any different towards me even if they talked hundreds or thousands of more times. His feelings towards me would remain that of a stranger. Leaving aside the issue of being cold or not, he was outside the emotional spectrum of ordinary people. When it comes to being human, you’re probably the last person who should be talking about anyone……. Those words rose to his throat, but he swallowed them back down without saying anything.  I had no intention of arguing, and having realized that the other man was drawing a line as a stranger, I felt that giving such advice to a stranger would be presumptuous. “What a shame, I actually quite liked you.” ‘Aha, if you mean that in a sexually immoral way, then anytime is good.’ “……No. That’s absolutely not what I meant.” Jeong Tae-ui muttered, sounding fed up. Of course, Ilay, who obviously knew, chuckled softly. Just then, a faint mechanical sound came from afar. The regular beeping sounded like a timer, an alarm, or a call of some sort. It was coming from the other end of the phone. Ilay seemed to turn around. He sighed heavily and tapped the desk with his fingertips. ‘They always call just when I tries to take a break. I should get going now.’ “Alright, then let’s talk again if we have the chance next time.” ‘ Unn . — Ah. Come to think of it, the joint training between the Asian and European branches is around the corner, isn’t it?’ “That’s right. You know pretty well.” A broker of antique books, a broker of weapons, a man who could be considered extremely suspicious depending on how one looked at it. However, the schedule for the joint training wasn’t exactly a secret, and Ilay seemed to have a close relationship with my uncle—though the specifics were unknown—so it wasn’t strange that he knew. ‘Going straight into joint training as soon as you enter the branch must be tough. Good luck. Try not to die.’ “That's a pretty ominous way to wish someone good luck, but thank you.” Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a dumbfounded laugh, and Ilay seemed to chuckle a little as well. And just like that, the call ended. *** ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago We made a discord server! please join us!

"I knew it, but I got completely wrecked." The person who called Jeong Tae-ui more than 30 minutes before the start of the regular schedule the next day was none other than Golding Instructor of the 2nd Special Forces Education. It was only natural, as he was roll calling at the end of the regular schedule, and the guy who had gone to change his clothes more than 30 minutes ago was not there. In fact, he had been called separately right after the evening roll call the night before, but Jeong Tae-ui, who lay sprawled on his uncle's bed, pretending to be dead, hadn't budged. And he paid the price in full by being dragged out before the start of the regular schedule in the morning and being put through the wringer, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, staggering into the morning regular lecture. The combat practical analysis, which took up the entire morning, had not yet begun. The lecture hall with the large screen installed was not very large, more like a spacious seminar room. The team members were already sitting around in a circle, silently keeping quiet. When Jeong Tae-ui entered the lecture hall, the instructor glared fiercely at him, but having already heard about it from Instructor Golding, he didn't say anything. As he cautiously found an empty seat, Tou snickered beside him. "Did you have a good date with Golding? Being called out right after breakfast, you guys must be really close." "Yeah, so hot I almost burned to death." Jeong Tae-ui, who had been teasingly needled by Tou's whispering, retorted sullenly, then bowed his head again as the instructor in front glared at them with wide eyes. Tou pretended not to notice and looked ahead. "As you all know, joint training with the European branch is just around the corner. So today, as part of the interpersonal analysis, we will be looking at the records from last time. Now, these are the records from last year's joint training." While Jeong Tae-ui mercilessly poked Tou in the ribs, the instructor pressed the controller key. The dark screen brightened, and a video appeared on it. The image quality wasn't great, but it was perfectly adequate for recognizing the content. ‘You son of a bitch, that hurts!’ Tou muttered beside him with a grimace, but Jeong Tae-ui pretended not to notice and just looked ahead. ‘Be quiet and watch that. It's the joint training recording.’ Jeong Tae-ui said curtly. Tou reached out as if to retaliate, but Carlo, who was watching from the back, lightly kicked Tou's chair. With a small thud, the instructor's icy gaze flew their way. Beep, the video paused. "You there. Do you want to see it separately during free time after the regular schedule?" A frosty voice rang out sternly. Tou straightened his back and sat upright, his expression serious. "No. I absolutely do not wish to." "I apologize. I’ll be quiet." The best policy is always to submit unconditionally. Jeong Tae-ui had just realized this morning that arguing with a superior here would only hurt him. Of course, Tou, who had been here longer, must also know this. Although the ranks were Director, Vice-director, Instructor, and then team members, the position of Instructor was not one to be taken lightly. It was said that while they were instructors at UNHRDO, they could immediately secure a senior position if they moved to another organization. The instructor, whose hair was beginning to turn gray, glared at them fiercely before grabbing the controller again. "If you want to stay alive a little longer, you need to study your enemies properly. Watch carefully." As the instructor finished speaking, the video began to play again. It was a recording of last year's joint training with the European branch. It wasn't the entire record, but rather a compilation of necessary parts, edited with cuts between scenes. The lecture hall, which had been quiet when the video started, gradually became more animated as the content progressed. Everyone watched the recordings with serious expressions, quietly exchanging brief words with their nearby colleagues. It could be described as a discussion in the form of casual conversation. Jeong Tae-ui, who had never experienced joint training, focused on the screen, casually picking up the snippets of conversation he could hear around him. "How is it? Less than ten days left. Does watching that make you think you can keep up?" Tou leaned over from beside him and muttered softly. Jeong Tae-ui rested his chin on his clasped hands, gazing intently at the screen without looking away as he replied. "It feels like a systematic gang fight. The job is just to join hands with your teammates and fight your enemies to death. ……Still, I'd better watch out for myself. I'm not so confident." Among the men fighting in the video, there were familiar faces. Colleagues currently sitting in this lecture hall appeared occasionally. But their expressions were ones Jeong Tae-ui had never seen before. They were faces truly on the brink of life and death. Faces that said, 'If I lose, I die.' Lethal weapons were not provided. The guns were paintball guns or airsoft guns. The blades of the knives had been dulled so they couldn't cut people. In other words, everywhere it was formally just training. But there was no one here who didn't know that even without those things, you could kill someone. "Aha, Tou getting caught doing something stupid is on video." Jeong Tae-ui chuckled and pointed at the screen. A man with a deeply furrowed brow was visible inside. He had been trying to seize an opportunity to land a blow on an opponent when he lost his balance by accidentally stepping on someone who was lying on the ground behind him. Because of that, the punch he threw didn't have enough force behind it and was as good as a miss, and naturally, the opponent seized the chance to counterattack. Tou clicked his tongue, grumbling about why such a thing had been filmed. Beside him, Wienho, who had been chuckling, soon saw himself on the screen and had to put on a grim face. "Honestly, instead of just showing us failure cases, I wish they'd show us some success stories. It's embarrassing to watch, seeing all our team members making stupid mistakes." "You little punk...—you think your mistakes won't be shown, so you're all relaxed, huh?!" "It's not easy to shorten your lifespan with such a basic mistake." Tou, enraged by Jeong Tae-ui's blatant snickering, tried to roll up his sleeves, but the atmosphere around them suddenly turned cold. Startled by the sudden silence, Tou looked around in confusion, and Jeong Tae-ui also looked ahead. An edited video clip was playing on the screen. Even though it was edited, it was just the unnecessary parts at the beginning and end that had been cut out; the main parts were still intact. Inside it was a man. His face was so pale it was bloodless. Tall and lanky, he was looking down at his feet, seemingly lost in thought. Perhaps looking somewhat melancholic, this man had a neat appearance that didn't seem to fit in such a video. He would have looked more fitting in a photo from a fashion magazine. "……He looks like he'd be cute if he smiled." But his face is completely white, poor thing, Jeong Tae-ui added in a mumble, then his eyes met Tohu's, who was glancing at him with eyes wide as if he'd seen a ghost. And it wasn't just him. The colleagues sitting within earshot all turned to look at Jeong Tae-ui in astonishment, their eyes wide as if they might pop out—or maybe they were glaring. 'Why are these guys all acting like this?' Jeong Tae-ui thought, meeting their gazes directly before tilting his head and turning his attention back to the screen. The man in the video didn't even have a weapon. His hands were empty. He was only wearing black gloves on his hands. It didn't seem like he was hiding any other weapons either. His form-fitting shirt and pants were simple, without any cumbersome attachments. 'Did they put in the wrong video? No, but the background is definitely our branch.' Jeong Tae-ui, who had been looking at the screen curiously, his chin resting on his hand and his fingertips rubbing his lips, met the man's eyes in the next moment. When those black eyes looked at me as if looking through a glass, I felt my heart drop. The man, who was probably looking at the recording camera installed on a high wall, blinked once and then smiled faintly. As the smile spread over his expressionless and melancholic eyes, Jeong Tae-ui realized that the man might be younger than him. He had an appearance that made it difficult to guess his age, but there was a very faint hint of youth in his smiling face. The man tilted his head slightly and approached the camera. Then he reached out his hand. The screen was filled with his black-gloved hand. However, before the screen was completely covered in black, his hand paused. Beyond his receding hand, another man appeared behind him. He was quite tall for an East Asian man. Seeing the newly appeared man, someone nearby whispered, "Kiyomi." Jeong Tae-ui racked his memory, trying to recall where he had heard that name. This man was the previous occupant of the room I was currently using, the one who had been injured in the last training and was now in the hospital recovering. The man named Kiyomi was holding a knife in his hand. It was a knife with a blunted blade, made dull so it couldn't cut people. Kiyomi's face was deathly pale, but he didn't back down and stared straight at the man. It looked like he was saying something, but no sound was recorded in the video. The man calmly approached Kiyomi. He walked without hesitation, at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, and tension flickered across Kiyomi's face. Whether Kiyomi made a split-second decision, he rotated the knife half a turn so the blade pointed downwards and moved closer to the man. Then, he swung his other elbow outwards, aiming to strike the man, while raising the hand holding the knife. It was a situation where an opening would appear whether the man was hit by the elbow or if he bent over or dodged to avoid it. The man slowed his pace. Then, he reached out and touched the wall beside him, using the tips of his fingers to push off it. Or rather, he himself leaped sideways. Jeong Tae-ui stopped rubbing his lips with his fingers. This is something strange. On the white wall where the man had touched with his fingertips, a black mark remained, exactly where his fingers had been. It was as if water had leaked from his black gloves and stained the wall. 'What is that?' There was no time to think. Kiyomi's elbow slammed into the man's chest. It was a blow that could have easily broken ribs. However, the man only frowned slightly. Even in the midst of that, the man's hand shot out and grabbed Kiyomi's wrist, which was descending towards him, and he smiled faintly as he saw the dull knife Kiyomi was holding. The man twisted Kiyomi's wrist. In the soundless video, an unheard scream erupted. The knife he had been holding fell heavily to the floor. The man lightly tapped his chest a couple of times, as if the pain from the blow he had just received was only now registering. But his head tilted with a face as expressionless as a mannequin. Jeong Tae-ui unknowingly clenched his fist. A cold feeling was spreading through a corner of his chest. The surroundings were silent, without even a breath to be heard. The man, who was holding Kiyomi's other arm, wrapped one hand around his neck. Kiyomi's neck fit comfortably within the large hand wearing the black glove. The man stroked Kiyomi's neck gently for a moment, as if caressing it. Again. Again, a black trail followed the man's hand. Over Kiyomi's neck. Jeong Tae-ui frowned and glared at the mark. It couldn't be that his gloves were soaked in black mud water from rolling around in a puddle. What in the world was that.…….? Then, it suddenly dawned on him. It wasn't black. That mark was a deep red, so dark it looked black. Maybe even the gloves weren't black. That crimson light that had soaked the gloves……. The color drained slightly from Jeong Tae-ui's face. The moment he realized the identity of that crimson light, the man in the video, who had been gripping Kiyomi's neck, straightened his thumb and pressed it down instantly, right above the collarbone. "No way……!" The words escaped his lips before he could stop them. But he couldn't finish the sentence because the clearly recorded reality was unfolding before his eyes, and also because his spine had chilled and his tongue had frozen. The finger that had pierced through the middle of his neck slowly withdrew. That finger was stained with an even darker light. Kiyomi, his eyes rolled back and white, convulsed and then went limp. The man dropped him to the floor without a second thought. He rubbed his chest, looking displeased, but then shook his head and turned away. Again, he stood facing the camera directly. Jeong Tae-ui rubbed his now cold lips with his fingertips. His eyes met the man's on the screen. His face was still pale and calm. It was impossible to see that face as belonging to the person who had just pierced someone's neck, which made it even more chilling. He looked up at the camera for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. Soon after, just like before, the gloved hand came closer and filled the screen, and with that, the edited video ended. Following that, a video of other men grappling played, but the image of the man's last smile was vividly etched into Jeong Tae-ui's retina. A coldness had settled in his chest. "What the hell was that?" Jeong Tae-ui murmured in a voice so faint it was barely a whisper. A low reply came from beside him. "That's that psychopath from the European branch. That madman Rick, who no one in the European branch can handle." Tou's face was also hardened as he replied in a voice filled with dread. "It's not just the European branch. He's already notorious as someone you can't associate with in the headquarters and all the other branches." Carlo's heavy voice came from behind them. "Reigrow from the European branch. They also call him Madman Rick." "Reigrow……." "Because of that bastard, Kiyomi was lying in critical condition with a tube down his throat. We should probably be grateful he was dealt with quickly and survived." Jeong Tae-ui, who had been staring at the lingering image of the man in the video where other people were now visible, frowned slightly and turned to look at them. "Even after all that, the organization doesn't take any action? Even though they have a recording of the evidence like that?!" Then Carlo chuckled, a bitter and grim laugh. "Hey, Tae-ui. That, you see, is 'training.' And that was a 'counterattack by an unarmed trainee' against a 'trainee with a weapon.' What you saw was part of the 'training' process. Okay?" "Well…… still, it's pretty obvious that that bastard intentionally went way too far and killed him. He doesn't even try to hide it, so he must have been in and out of the detention center several times." Following Carlo, Tou, who had been muttering, pointed to the floor with his finger as if remembering something and added, "Ah, there's a detention center on the 7th basement floor. Once you go in there, you come out looking like skin and bones. Well, it's understandable if you're locked up and tormented for days or even months." "……In that bastard's case, wouldn't the supervising instructor have ended up looking more like skin and bones?" While half-listening and half-ignoring their muttering with serious faces, Jeong Tae-ui rubbed his goosebumped arms. 'That guy is going to tear someone to shreds before they get a chance to tear him to shreds.' No, before that, I wanted to tear my own mouth first for saying that the man looked like he'd be cute if he smiled. I thought I had a pretty good eye for people, but I'd completely failed. Now I understood my colleagues' reactions. Jeong Tae-ui kept rubbing his arms. My chest still felt cold. My anxiously fluttering heart wouldn't calm down. Those black eyes I had met across the screen. That snow-white face. Those black gloves. And the blackish-crimson traces left by them. "......" "Alright, everyone watched carefully? I'll replay a few points with emphasis, so watch closely." The instructor tapped the desk lightly and spoke. Then, he started playing the video they had just watched again, this time pausing at intervals. Jeong Tae-ui felt his heart calm down a little and quietly took a deep breath. Then, he watched the videos again, slowly and carefully. As a result, Jeong Tae-ui came to the conclusion that running away was the best option. *** ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago We made a discord server! please join us!

132. Hyeon-woo lay down on the rug and looked blankly at the ceiling. Then he rolled once to the right and once to the left. “Kyuuuu.” Next to him, Kero was sleeping on his stomach, and Spotty occasionally made strange noises like talking in his sleep. It was very cute, but now he didn't feel any emotion. "Haa." Hyeon-woo sighed deeply. He couldn't get rid of his boredom even though he was rolling around in the dark. TV? I've already watched to my heart's content. I've watched it so many times that now, just by looking at the first part of the drama, I can predict the end. Comic book? It was the same. Game? I worked hard for a while and rose to the top of the server, but I quit because it became a hassle. Finally, going out. Don’t get me started on that. There was more than one reporter who clung to my story no matter how tightly I was guarded. It was so sticky that the situation got heated up more than once. I felt like something big would happen everytime I stepped out, so I stopped going out.   Of course, it is the reporters who are in trouble, not Hyeon-woo. 'You can't commit a crime.’ Because now he had decided to live as an ordinary law-abiding citizen. “Then how about going through the portal? This is not an ordinary situation as there is a shortage of hands all over the world. Everyone is suffering from a heavy workload.” As Deputy Guild Leader Chan-young said that, the area under his eyes was dark. “There are several guilds requesting help. Would you like to see the list?” “It’s too much. It hasn’t even been that long since I rested.” "Ah, yes." At Hyeon-woo’s words, Chan-young opened his eyes in a triangle shape. It looked ugly as it was just rolling around doing nothing. I don't know how others might see me, but I didn't particularly dislike him because he always treated me the same way. It was nice that he treated me the same way as before. However, if I  told him that directly, he would get sick of it. Even though he said he didn't want to do it, Chan-young still left the list of guilds who needed help behind.  If someone leaves something like this next to you, you can't help but look at it even if you're not curious. 'He's like an intelligent criminal.' Hyeon-woo rolled over and arrived in front of the documents. “There are especially many requests for help from the United States.” Well, it was worth it since all the top guilds collapsed. The land must be so large there. “What should I do?” Hyeon-woo thought for a moment. I mean, get up, pack your bags, go to America, and attack a portal. And not long after that, the documents were all covered up.  I thought it would be too much of a hassle to go just because I was bored. At that time, a familiar voice was heard along with the sound of the door opening. “Hyeon-woo.” It was Do-jin. After being busy for a while, it seemed like he had some time left today. “By the way, did you change the password for the entrance?” "No?" "Really?" The two looked at each other for a moment and laughed. He realized who had changed the password. “It looks like Seon-woo changed it.” Do-jin was able to open the door from the inside by pushing the shadow. So, what Seon-woo did was nothing more than causing trouble. “He’s a cute younger brother.” “That’s just for you.” "No. Even if you look at it objectively, Seon-woo is cute.” Hyeon-woo steadfastly maintained his opinion despite Do-jin’s words. 'Anyway, it's been three days since I have seen Seon-woo.' It seemed like he was really busy. “Grunt.” Hyeon-woo stopped thinking and stood up. Still, Do-jin came and he was thinking of giving him some juice. “By the way, I think I’ll go to America this time.” “To America?” "Okay. So, do you want to go with me?” “Uh, um.” It was a bit much there, but here too, reporters are harassing us, and it will probably be even worse in the US. That was the country of the paparazzi. “Do you really have to go there?” “Amber contacted me to go help, but I can’t just stay still.” “That’s true too.” “I’m not leaving right away, so think about it. If I go, I’ll be back in about a week.” “Unn, I’ll think.” If I had known this would happen, I would have left Two-eyed with me. The fairy said that the other two were fine, but Two-eyed was out of standard and forced him to return. Therefore, the only remaining monsters were Kero and Spotty. Although they were occasionally dispatched by Hyeon-woo, when they weren't, they were always dozing next to him. Since the owner was lazy, the monsters seemed to follow his example Hyeon-woo handed Do-jin some juice and sat down next to him. When viewed from the side, the bridge of the nose was straight and the lips were tinged with red, making him look particularly pretty. Should I give him a kiss? Then how will he react? While he was thinking that, their eyes met. 'You can do this.' That was what he thought. And when he suddenly came to his senses, he was on top of Do-jin. ‘Well, what do you think?’ Hyeon-woo lowered his head and pressed his lips to Do-jin's. When he lightly touched his lips, Do-jin laughed as if he was tickled. He kissed, once on his forehead, once on the bridge of his handsome nose, and once on his cheek. He showered him with kisses. Do-jin hugged Hyeon-woo and rolled onto the floor. After that, guess what? Before they knew it, Hyeon-woo was under Do-jin. “It seems like you’re used to this?” "What are you talking about? I am virgin.” Do-jin proudly revealed that he was a virgin. Then he lowered his head and licked Hyeon-woo’s lips with his tongue. He was trying to part his lips. His intentions were clear to him. He grinned at that and parted his lips, his tongue beginning to trace the delicate lining inside. Their intertwined tongues were too hot. Not only that, but his body slowly started to heat up. Before he knew it, Do-jin’s hand, that had been resting on the floor, touched his waist. The baggy T-shirt was lifted up, revealing Hyeon-woo’s well-toned body. It looked skinny on the outside, but if you take his clothes off, you can see quite a bit of muscle. Do-jin slowly touched the muscle. A moan escaped his mouth as he felt that touch. And just as he was about to progress further, he heard a cute sound from the side. “Kirrk.” Spotty and Kero had suddenly woken up and were staring at them. Do-jin, who saw that, stood up awkwardly. He knew that Kero and Spotty were great monsters, but when they were small, they seemed infinitely delicate and soft. Because of that, he couldn't continue this in front of them. “Clueless fellows.”  Hyeon-woo pressed Kero's moist nose with his finger. “Wang wang!” Kero desperately tried to explain that no, it was all because of Spotty, but it didn't work. 'It's unfair!' Even when he complained to Spotty, he just tilted his head. Apparently, Spotty had no experience like this. How old was he to not know this? Kero looked at Spotty with a pitiful expression. It was something that Little Spotty could not understand. “Let’s eat first. What do you want to eat?" "Pasta!" “Okay, I have all the ingredients, so I’ll do it for you.” While he was wondering how many servings he should make, the door opened without hesitation. “Hyung!” Then, Seon-woo entered inside with a charming voice. And then he immediately ran to Hyeon-woo and hugged him. As the younger brother was taller, it came out a bit awkward. "Hm!" Do-jin, who was looking at the two, cleared his throat. Even if he and Seon-woo were not on good terms, he was going to save a little face. “Why are you here?” Seon-woo noticed Do-jin's presence and glared at him with sharp eyes. “I stopped by for a moment after work.” “Is Seon-hyeon’s guild a local Sarangbang [1]? I am asking why the Peace Guild Leader is here.” “You know, don’t you?” “Just why!! what?” “What do you mean?” “Hyeon-woo and I are in love.” “Stop talking!” Seon-woo was furious, his body shaking. “Didn’t I tell you to stop being delusional?” “It’s not a delusion, it’s reality.” “That can’t be possible.” Seon-woo said that and looked back at Hyeon-woo with pitiful eyes. It looked like Puss in Boots and I wanted to let it go, but I couldn't do that forever. My younger brother is also an adult now.  After organizing his thoughts, Hyeon-woo opened his mouth. “Do-jin and I are dating.” "Hyung!" “Seon-woo-ya, it’s time to admit it.” “I can’t admit it! Why with someone like that!” “What’s up with you, Hyung? My Hyung is also a guild leader and handsome.” (Hyung→ Do-jin) “But that doesn’t work! I can’t even tolerate dirt getting in my eyes!” Seon-woo said a common mother-in-law comment. “Wang wang!” Kero looked at Seon-woo with a sad gaze. The Hyeon-woo he knows is someone who would actually put dirt in his eyes. Of course, he might not include it because he’s the other person's beloved younger sibling. “Can I just put in some dirt?” "Hyung?" Seon-woo looked at Hyeon-woo with a shocked face. “No, since I’m an Awakened, I thought a little dirt would be okay.” Unbelievable! Hyung has changed. Seon-woo made a sad face. “You said you loved me!” “That’s because you are my precious little brother.” “Listen to what that precious little brother says!” “No, that’s another matter.” Seon-woo tried to run out, but was caught by Hyeon-woo. Even if he tried to shake him off, he couldn't overcome Hyeon-woo's strength. Hyeon-woo forcibly pulled Seon-woo and hugged him again. “Seon-woo, listen. I love you. But I love Do-jin too.” "I do not want to." “I don’t know why you hate it so much.” Hyeon-woo patted Seon-woo’s butt. “You too will find someone you like someday.” “My favorite person is only Hyung.” “No, not as brothers, but because you’ll find someone you really like?” “It won’t happen.” "Why not! How handsome my younger brother is!” While the brothers were bickering with each other, Do-jin finished making three servings of spaghetti. In addition, he also prepared a meal for Kero and Spotty. Notes: [1] Sarangbang: (“동네 사랑방” translates to “room for men” in English. It refers to a room separate from the main building of a house where the male owner lived and received guests. HM: I kinda feel sad for SW, cuz u know…. It’s sad.. I think our editor can relate as well. ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Davine, YaagRabRag We made a discord server! please join us!

5.   [Guild] Let’s do this: Sleepy-nim, I heard you’re doing a ranking match. Is this true?   [Guild] I’m sleepy: Yes   [Guild] I’m sleepy: starting today, I’m going   I was already checking my equipment before participating in the ranking match. The guild chat quickly became noisy with my answer.   [Guild] Bright Clouds: If that’s the case...   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Anyone who crosses his path will be punished personally..☆   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: I feel sad cuz I don’t have a loverㅠㅠ   [Guild] Manaolingnam: Did you say lycheeyum?   [Guild] Manaolingnam: 1st place in Dark mage now?   [Guild] I’ll take care of you: So, this is an operation to reclaim first place?   [Guild] Harn: I support you   [Guild] Harn: It would be a big deal if we came out first in our guild, which is often said to be outdated   [Guild] TheHunter: the materialistic snob itself omg   [Guild] I’ll take care of you: I have to ask what are you going to do?   [Guild] I’ll take care of you: it might be fine if u reach an appropriate ranking, but for 1st place, you don’t have much time left   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I’ll show you that it’s possible   [Guild] Harn: Kya   [Guild] I’m sleepy: And I enhanced my weapon too   [Guild] Mocha Bread: weapon?   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I took the staff to level up yesterday ^^   [Guild] Harn: Oh   [Guild] Manaolingnam: Gosh   [Guild] Harn: Did you do it alone??   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I did it with Yoo chae   [Guild] Drink some water: fr?   [Guild] I’ll take care of you: Sleepy-nim, what level is it?   [Guild] Harn: 8 level?   [Guild] I’m sleepy: yeah 8 level   [Guild] I’m sleepy: now it’s 9 level ㅋ   [Guild] Drink some water: Sleepy, thinking about ur luck   [Guild] Drink some water: u must have exchanged some money with enhancement stonesㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Mocha Bread: I’m sleepy-nim... good on his face, voice, and gaming skills, but   [Guild] Mocha Bread: A man with a husband like Yoo Chae but a very unlucky man...   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Phew, God is fair   [Guild] I’m sleepy: lol   [Guild] I’m sleepy: ㅋ   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I don’t think I even used 1000 reinforcement stones.   [Guild] Bright Clouds: ?????   [Guild] TheHunter: Why not??   [Guild] TheHunter: If it’s Sleepy-nim   [Guild] TheHunter: I think u came here after reaching the 5 level again ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   Damn you sharp guys.   When I saw TheHunter’s chat detailing exactly what happened yesterday, I got a little emotional, but I tried to speak calmly.   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I’m unlucky   [Guild] I’m sleepy: My wife is luckyㅋ   [Guild] Mocha Bread: My wife?;;;   [Guild] Drink some water: crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Is your wife Yoo chae-nim?;   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: Guaaaaaaaa   [Guild] Manaolingnam: He says wife   [Guild] TheHunter: Crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Staric: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Monster born from capitalism: I’m dizzy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I made it to 9th level   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I’m collecting reinforcement stones ^^   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I personally made it to 9th level   [Guild] Drink some water: ㅋㅋ fk   [Guild] I’m sleepy: How pretty it is~   [Guild] Harn: Ah..ha..ㅋ   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: How to turn off Guild chat   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Get lost;   [Guild] I’m sleepy: Thanks to him, I made it to level 9 and played ranked battles   [Guild] I’m sleepy: I have to take first place no matter what   [Guild] I’m sleepy: Ha I’m really happy that I married a great person ㅋ   [Guild] Drink some water: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: ha f1ck....   [Guild] Bright Clouds: Gilchat is not easy today   [Guild] Let’s do this: Let’s enjoy it   [Guild] Staric: Can you see hunter-nim? Haha   [Guild] TheHunter: -?   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: Sleepy-nim, are you with Yoo chae?   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: Are you actually dating in real life...?   [Guild] Mocha Bread: omg   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: Gasp??   [Guild] Bright Clouds: That’s a bit...   [Guild] Let’s do this: Hm;;   As Crazy Hunting Friend cautiously asked a question, the atmosphere in the guild became strange. I was a little embarrassed by the unexpected situation and touched my mouth.   I guess everyone is reacting like this because they know that Chae Yoo-jeong and I are men, right? I clicked my tongue and tried to say that we had never actually met, but then a guild chat came up.   [Guild] Bright Clouds: even in Zenoris, he can’t handle him   [Guild] Bright Clouds: In reality;; Isn’t this too much for you? Phew   [Guild] Mocha Bread: Sorry   [Guild] Manaolingnam: I’m sleepy-nim It looks like you passed out while holding the back of your neck   [Guild] Harn: yeah   [Guild] Harn: I support you   [Guild] Harn: I don’t have that kind of prejudice^^ㅋㅋ   [Guild] Drink some water: Me too^^   [Guild] Seasoned crab sauce: Can’t you hear Yoo Chae laughing?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ   [Guild] Let’s do this: Please flatter me like that in front of Yoo Chae-nim, not here   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: No   [Guild] Crazy hunting friend: In real life, I was planning to go out to eat when they got marriedㅠㅠ   [Guild] Mocha Bread: They do it in the US all the time, let’s all go   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: ha America   [Guild] Park Seung-jin99: They’ll provide plane tickets, right?   I lost consciousness for a moment due to the shock that seemed to pierce the chat window.   Sure, this is our guild. I misunderstood for a moment. I shook my head and sighed.   ***   A job ranking competition is held only once a year. Since I was only planning to play one or two rounds on the last day, the participation quests I had previously received remained.   I pressed the button to participate in the ranking match that came as a quest. Then the screen changed and moved to a map exclusively for those waiting for the ranking match.   A square made of marble appeared. By clicking on the bulletin board in the center, you could immediately participate in the ranking match.   In ranking matches, rankings are determined based on a points system, and from 3rd place onwards, players can only move up the rankings by beating an opponent who is one level higher. Since I had not yet participated, my priority was to play at least one game.   Starts a match.   As soon as I pressed the matching button, I automatically entered the duel arena as if my opponent had been decided. Since this is my first game, my opponent will probably be caught as a user with 0 points or below 100 points.   ‘Currently, third place was in the 1,200-point range. If you win a game, you usually get about 50 points... All I have to do is win 24 times in a row.’   There was a need to find out how much time was consumed per round. First, we looked at the opposing character that was caught this time.   Since it was a Dark Mage job ranking match, of course the opponent was a Dark Mage like me. The staff he is holding in his black robe is... Is it about the 7th level? Since the specs didn’t look that good, there was a high possibility that he was a user whose goal was to participate in the event itself, unlike me whose goal was to be first place.   The ranking match will begin soon. Get ready for battle!   3, 2, 1   Battle begins!   Kwasik! As soon as the countdown ended, a bright blue skill flew to where I was standing. It was the Dark Mage’s W skill.   I honestly dodged the incoming skill with ease and predicted the next skill. Q? Or, you can use a lunge to narrow the distance. I can also use the floor covering skill D to slow down my movement speed.   Of the three guesses, the first one was correct. I noticed the opponent’s play type by watching him use the Q skill, which has a fast-casting speed.   It wasn’t particularly strange to use the W skill, which had the most damage, and the Q skill or R skill, which had fast casting speed, in succession. This was the order of skills commonly used by dark mage users.   However, skipping the W skill that binds the opponent and using non-target skills first is very less stable.   ‘It’s easy.’   Victory was assured 10 seconds after the battle began. It was natural. The opponent has already used not only the W skill, which is responsible for the Dark Mage’s attack power, but also the R skill, which is the target skill, even though it does little damage.   To intentionally create confusion, I moved to the right once and then used a lunge. As expected, the opponent was taken aback and reacted one beat slowly to the lunge. The opponent, who saw me approaching right in front, tried to increase the distance with a lunge, but it was already too late.   There was no class better than the Dark Mage when it came to killing opponents who came within range. Without hesitation, I pressed E to tie up my opponent with the restraint skill and then quickly tapped on the keyboard.   A Dark Mage’s representative skill sequence and a connection that opponents also tried to attempt. E-W-Q-R-1-4. There was no need to use W twice. Even before the W skill cooldown comes back, there is no opponent who gets hit by all skill combos while tied up.   Like ice cream in the sea, my stamina melted away at once.   Ugh , the other character screamed and fell down. At the same time, a system message appeared along with a ding-di ding and a cheerful notification sound.   You have won the ranking match.   The quest to participate in the ranking match has been completed!   You have completed the quest to win 1 game in a ranked match!   The quest to earn 50 points in ranked matches has been completed!   The battle will end, and you will soon be taken to the waiting room.   At the same time as the first victory, the event quests piled up in the quest window were completed. When I returned to the waiting room, I saw that I had accumulated 80 points on the Dark Mage ranking match leaderboard.   It looks like I won in a short period of time and scored more points than average. It’s 80 points, so if you win 15 times in a row like this, you can fight with the 3rd place, right? Good?   With a deep smile, I immediately started the next match. I have to kill them all.   ***   HM: MC is op!!!   --- Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Meimei, Ghostx Support on Kofi: Side stories 1(Complete) We made a Discord Server ! please join us!

"Are you nervous?" "A little." "Since we'll be dating in dungeons a lot from now on, you'll get used to it." Hyeon Gyu-ha gently ran his thumb over the back of his hand. A tingling sensation spread and the tension eased. "First, let me introduce the Narsha Guild members who will be helping you in this training. You all know Guild Leader Gong Tae-seong. It just so happens that you've gotten to have this luxurious training with two S-class Hunters. So, instead of trying anything funny, let's all quietly board the top-tier premium bus that our S-rank hunters have prepared for us." The Awakeners, who were nervous about stepping into the dungeon for the first time, awkwardly laughed at Choi Jin-hyeok's expressionless joke. "As I told you in advance, the environment inside the gate is really cold. We've made a temporary changing room inside the factory, so please change your clothes first and come out." In Yoo-shin also took out winter clothes. It was a long padding that Hyeon Gyu-ha, who saw that the padding at home was only short, had caught and bought. "8- seya . Are you okay? Should I put a hot pack in your pouch?" "Squeak." “It’s an irregular demon, so it won’t catch a cold.” As if that was true, 8- se  nodded. Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was as tolerant of temperature changes as a top ranker, was dressed no differently than usual. Those who changed into winter clothes in early summer were quickly covered in sweat. “Hyeon Gyu-ha, get ready.” “Okay.” At Choi Jin-hyeok’s nod, Hyeon Gyu-ha injected a mana pattern into the barrier covering the gate entrance. The scenery shook, revealing a transparent distortion in the air. It was the third gate that In Yoo-shin had experienced. In Yoo-shin stepped inside cautiously. [Time left until dungeon reset: 39 hours, 06 minutes, 57 seconds] “Wow.” As Hyeon Gyu-ha had said, the dungeon was a white birch forest with snow piled up to his ankles. Just a moment ago, it was the beginning of summer with a scorching sun, but as he took a single step forward, he found himself standing in a winter forest at dusk. Hyeon Gyu-ha put his hand on his shoulder and bowed. "It's not as good as midnight when the stars are out, but sunset isn't a bad time to go camping either, right?" "The sunset shining through the birch trees is really pretty.” "There was plenty of time left until the reset, so we should be able to kill the dungeon boss right away and go camping comfortably." The two people's white, condensed breaths dispersed into the air. It was a snow field where no human traces had touched. The sound of footsteps on the snow, crunching and dyed in the sunset light, leaving traces for the first time was enjoyable. Under the guidance of the Hunters, the Awakeners entered the dungeon one by one. Exclamations of wonder at the sight of the dungeon and the message they were seeing for the first time could be heard from all over. "If I could see the constellations, I could roughly guess the location, but ugh. What a shame." The most excited one was Park Seung-gi. He immediately flew a drone and explored the surroundings. “But Hunter- nim , it’s not as cold as I thought. Is it Europe?” “What century is it?” The only people interested in the dungeon’s setting were Park Seung-gi and In Yoo-shin. The other hunters and Awakeners were busy setting up forward bases near the entrance where the monsters did not appear. Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was also a hunter interested in the background, tilted his head. “Yoo-shin- ssi , it’s a bit too much to show you, so I originally planned to clear it by myself.” “ Gasp . Why?” “Because you’ll end up seeing a lot of corpses in the illusion.” The weather was already wintery, but the thoughtless remark made it a little colder. Even though it was just an illusion that had already passed in the flow of history, witnessing such a cruel scene wasn’t a very pleasant experience. In the first dungeon, In Yoo-shin hesitated whether to go or not, not realizing the change in Hyeon Gyu-ha, who had been able to see the illusion of slaughter without hesitation. In the meantime, the tents where the party would stay and a simple defensive barrier were set up. Choi Jin-hyeok picked up the loudspeaker again. “It was on the test, and you probably know because you’ve heard it so many times, but when the reset time ends, the dungeon literally ‘resets’ your stats. If you stay inside the dungeon during the reset time, you will not only die, but you will not be able to find your body, so be careful.” When the reset time comes, the dungeon will be restored to its original state, with all traces of humans and monsters remaining inside disappearing. The accumulation of mana caused by these repeated resets is one of the factors contributing to dungeon breaks. “If the number of demons in the dungeon drops below ten, a notification window will pop up for the Awakener.” Park Seung-gi whispered while looking at the drone screen. “It's great being an Awakener. In Yoo-shin, you get a notification window too, right?” “Uh, it’s fascinating.” “While I don't expect you to directly engage in combat, if you do end up hunting monsters, please stop once their numbers have dwindled significantly. If all the monsters in a dungeon are eliminated, the boss will appear. The biggest problem is that if you summon or kill the boss in a national dungeon without prior agreement, and consequently close the dungeon, you'll have to pay a huge fine to the government. Isn't it a waste to pay a fine to a government that only takes taxes?” I don’t know if this is something a civil servant should say. Ohana, who was filming nearby, muttered to herself as if she had the same thought. “I really have to edit this part…………….” “Monsters that can solo clear large-scale dungeons or higher are classified as S-rank, and we have two S-rank individuals present here. Since this dungeon is so small, I bet those big shots over there could clear it before a cup of instant noodles even gets soggy. Don't you agree, guild leader?” As he entered the gate, Gong Tae-seong, who had regained his senses a little, glared at Choi Jin-hyeok, who was making such a rude remark. Regardless, he continued talking. “So please don’t cause trouble, do as I say, and go back after enjoying a relaxing dungeon tour.” With this last request that seemed to come from experience, the group began to head north through the birch forest. The stillness of the forest, where not a single bird flew by or animal howled, was disturbingly broken. “Are you going too, Yoo-shin- ssi ?” “The purpose of the training is to experience clearing, so I don’t think I can miss it.” “Yeah, I thought about it well. An experience that you can’t get even if you pay for it.” After blurting out a word, Park Seung-gi went to Choi Jin-hyeok and Gong Tae-seong, whom he had become friends with during the three days he was trapped in the gate, and spoke to them again. He seemed like a guy who would survive no matter where you dropped him. Thanks to that, In Yoo-shin, now that he had no ears to hear, could cautiously ask Hyun Kyu-ha. “I was listening to Team Leader Choi earlier and it occurred to me, what if another hidden boss appears after we hunt the boss of this dungeon?” “We can catch them.” “That’s true, but there was a hidden boss stone that Gyu-ha said he was looking for. Last time, Æ……………….” In Yoo-shin, who was speaking absentmindedly, flinched. He thought of 'Tuesday's Saint, Spunta Marchi' in his head and created language on the floor, but the moment it came out of his mouth, his pronunciation broke. Hyeon Gyu-ha gently stroked In Yoo-shin's hair, who was in embarrassment. "I know what you're trying to say. What you thought of is a concept that exists in this world too, but because the world perceives it differently, it can't be expressed clearly. Not only can I not say the name, I can't even write it." When he heard that, something suddenly came to mind. "Could it be that the broken letters in Gyu-ha's and my status window are because of that?" "Of course. If you look at the status window, you'll see something different from the previous dungeon." When he checked the status window, the letters that were somewhat revealed as '니' in the first dungeon were all displayed as broken ø³¼Îð' as usual. "In the dungeon where I'm looking for what I need, maybe some of it will be revealed." "Aha...…………." I still don't know what's what, but I don't think I need to worry.  Hyeon Gyu-ha bent down and made eye contact. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm looking for again?" “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t answer?” “I might have changed my mind now.” The old him who said he wouldn’t tell, and the current him who playfully locked eyes. What had changed?  In Yoo-shin didn’t ask and took a step forward, feeling burdened by the gaze that was staring at him intently. Hyeon Gyu-ha didn’t ask again. Outside the forest, a snowy field spread out. There were several long, deep pits that were similar to the height of an adult male. The pits, which were cut off here and there but continued in a winding manner, seemed to stretch on infinitely. Gong Tae-seong clicked his tongue in displeasure. “The terrain isn’t good. It’ll be hard to predict if a monster formed under the pits appears. Choi Jin-hyeok, quickly move those useless things to the back.” Choi Jin-hyeok agreed with that opinion and silently made the Awakeners retreat closer to the forest. In Yoo-shin looked back at Hyeon Gyu-ha with a hopeful thought. In addition to what he had said earlier about seeing a large number of corpses, seeing the pits made me think of something. “Gyu-ha- ssi , are the pits trenches?” As if answering the question, the illusion moved more dynamically and screams began to be heard. It was a hell on Earth, a manifestation of hell in the human world. ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Editor M, eteryl Support on KOFI: Chapter 58, 59, 60 If you wanna become a translator, editor or proofreader, please use the discord link given below and follow the instructions in the recruit channel. We made a discord server! please join us!

Looking back, Jeong Tae-ui had never actually been in a proper romantic relationship. There had been times when my heart fluttered looking at someone, but that person had disappeared before I could even properly recognize my feelings. I had slept with numerous people, but it was hard to call it a relationship. A young man I had hung out with for a while and slept with—the very same person from the stabbing incident—insisted that they weren't in a relationship, which was incomprehensible considering his later actions.  So, in the early days of getting involved with that young man, Jeong Tae-ui had been quite hurt. Am I destined to only have shallow relationships with anyone? After that, I hadn't met anyone who struck me to the core, and besides, my military life became so difficult that I had no room for other thoughts. So, these feelings were very unfamiliar. But they weren't bad. In fact, even though it was unrequited love, I felt good. The experience of feeling happy just by looking at someone. "Excuse me—" As Jeong Tae-ui entered the office, there were four men inside. Three instructors and one vice director. Seeing the vice director he had exchanged a formal greeting with the day after arriving, Jeong Tae-ui straightened his posture and gave a slight bow. The vice director seemed to have just finished his business, as he nodded to Jeong Tae-ui in acknowledgment and then passed by him. Rudolf Jantille. The man who was my uncle's direct superior. I didn't know much about him, as they had only exchanged a very brief, formal greeting. However, judging from the opinions of those around him, he was apparently a person who seemed soft but couldn't be underestimated. Does that mean he's a shady character? Jeong Tae-ui suspiciously asked back, but only received an ambiguous reply. I don't care anyway. As long as this superior protected my life for the next six months, I wouldn't mind if the man was so dark inside that he was rotten to the core. "Tae-ui hyung? What brings you here? ……What happened to your clothes?" Jeong Tae-ui, who had been briefly looking at the vice director's back, turned his head at the soft, familiar voice. Xinlu, who was sitting in the seat closest to the door, looked a little surprised at Jeong Tae-ui's appearance. " Unn ? Ah. It got ripped when I was sparring. I came to get new clothes. Is it okay?" Jeong Tae-ui awkwardly laughed and fiddled with his torn sleeve. Xinlu replied, "Of course," stood up, went into a private room attached to the office, and brought out a new set of clothes. "Thanks. What should I do with these clothes? Should I take them off and give them to you, or just throw them away?" "Umm……. If they're torn like this, it'll be hard to repair them. I think you can just throw them away. ……You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" "Getting hurt is an everyday occurrence, what's the big deal? I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern." As Jeong Tae-ui smiled sheepishly, Xinlu also smiled slightly and whispered, "Please take care of yourself." Xinlu, the youngest person in this branch, had stiffened his face in surprise when he saw Jeong Tae-ui again less than an hour after their encounter in the bathroom that day. However, that was only for a moment. After meeting and talking a few times, he seemed to have let down his guard and became friendly, calling Jeong Tae-ui "hyung" and following him around affectionately. "......." Xinlu's top of head, as he examined the torn collar and considered whether to repair it, was right below his eyes. The faint scent of soap brushed his nose. I wanted to touch him. Jeong Tae-ui, his fingers twitching as he debated whether to touch the top of Xinlu's head, quickly lowered his hand and gave up when Xinlu looked up. If my uncle had seen that, he would have clicked his tongue and called me spineless. "You've worked hard today too, hyung. There's not much regular work left." As Xinlu said that and smiled, Jeong Tae-ui finally realized that it was already late afternoon. Turning his head, he saw reddish clouds spreading across the sky outside the window. I was always underground, so I couldn't keep track of time without looking at a clock. "The sky is so beautiful……." Jeong Tae-ui murmured in admiration. It wasn't just because I was usually cooped up underground and didn't get to see the sky properly. The colors of deep blue and reddish-purple blending together across the expanse of the sky were truly beautiful. "Hey, are there snakes outside here?" "Huh? Yes. They come out a lot at night. But that's more towards the forest. It's okay if you go towards the coast." "Hmm------ Wanna go together?" "……Now?" Xinlu asked back softly, sounding slightly flustered. Jeong Tae-ui smiled and nodded. And inwardly, he admired himself. See? I can ask someone out on a date without any problem if I set my mind to it. I'm not some shy guy just blushing and holding back. Believe it or not, I was famous for my quick hands in clubs…… No, that's not a good thing, so let's move on. Jeong Tae-ui felt proud of himself, but his face was already bright red. Xinlu looked at him intently with a strange expression. He seemed to be trying hard not to laugh, and in a way, he also looked troubled.  Jeong Tae-ui flinched a little at that look, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem like he felt any unpleasantness, which was a relief. "Hmm……, do you dislike it?" "It's not that I dislike it, but I still have work left. Please go by yourself, hyung. It seems like there's a nice breeze blowing too." Xinlu smiled faintly and shook his head. Tae-ui felt disheartened but made an effort not to show it and muttered, "Okay, I see." Suddenly, the sky and everything else felt gloomy. Should I really go out alone, but the excitement that had briefly swelled up inside me died down. Inviting, anticipating and being disappointed in solitude, humans are such self-centered creature s, Tae-ui thought, smiling bitterly to himself. "Okay, then finish your work diligently, and let's see each other again. Good luck." "Yes, Tae-ui hyung. ……Ah, wait, hyung!" As Tae-ui turned around and walked out of the office, Xinlu, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, came to the doorway and called him back. Then, looking at Tae-ui, who turned back with a questioning "Huh?", he smiled shyly and said, "Let's go together tomorrow or the day after. I know a nice, secluded place, people don’t usually visit." " Unn ? ……Oh……, really?" "Yes. If you're okay with it, hyung." "Oh, of course, I'm okay with it. …… Unn , sure. Anytime. Call me when you finish work. I don't have any other plans after regular hours." Jeong Tae-ui, flustered but smiling at the sudden turn of events, quickly nodded. And fiddling unnecessarily with the pager issued by the branch, he added, "You can call me anytime." "Yes," Xinlu replied with a bright smile, then went back into the office. Left alone in the hallway, Jeong Tae-ui stared blankly at the spot where Xinlu had been standing for a while before silently clenching his fist. See? I told you it was worth a shot. Anyway, even if it's not today, we'll be able to meet up alone tomorrow or the day after. Jeong Tae-ui finally gave up trying to suppress the smile that kept creeping up his lips and turned around. I instantly feel better. I even feel like going outside and looking around with a happy heart. But since I'll be going out with Xinlu soon, it's better to save this outdoor trip for then. Jeong Tae-ui hummed a tune as he walked towards the elevator. However, while waiting for the elevator, which was stopped on the 5th basement floor, to come up, he shook his head. There was still some time left before the official work hours. I was supposed to go back. But I had initially planned to skip work with Xinlu. Just because it was now, it didn't suddenly make me want to go back and finish the sparring match. I would probably face some consequences later if I didn't go back, but my already excited heart didn't want to return. "……In times like this, the best thing to do is laze around in a room full of food and things to read……" Muttering to himself, Jeong Tae-ui turned away from the elevator and headed down the stairs. His destination was his uncle's room, which was full of food and things to read. The key he held in his fingertips jingled pleasantly in his pocket. As usual, I didn't encounter anyone while going down to the 1st basement floor and heading to my uncle's room. It was truly a deserted floor. Even if a murder happened here, it would take a while to notice─… No, that's not right. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Jeong Tae-ui pointed out each camera installed in inconspicuous places as he made his way to his uncle's room. Before entering his uncle's room, he politely gave a peace sign to the single camera there and then knocked on the door. Knocking on the door was almost pointless. If my uncle was inside, the door would definitely be unlocked, and if he wasn't, it would be locked. So, at least in terms of asking for the door to be opened, it was an unnecessary action. It probably wouldn't even serve as a way to announce my arrival. My uncle would have already known that someone was approaching the door from the moment I turned the corner. He knocked on the door twice, paused for a moment, and then pulled the handle. The door was locked. Jeong Tae-ui slightly raised his eyebrows and took out the key from his pocket. It was a key he had received some time ago with the room owner's permission. My uncle had readily given me the key, telling me to come and read any book I wanted whenever I felt like it. The room was as neatly organized as ever. It had everything one could need, yet sometimes it didn't even feel like someone lived there. "Uncle has a surprisingly desolate side to him……." The room, clean without a speck of dust, always felt like this when my uncle wasn't there. Like a model room where no one lived. That feeling vaguely resembled the hidden side of my uncle that I occasionally glimpsed,  and Jeong Tae-ui sighed. Jeong Tae-ui freely opened the refrigerator, took out a can of beer, and chugged it down in one go. Then, he threw himself onto the neatly made bed without a single wrinkle. Rolling around a few times on the bed, which had just the right amount of firmness, finally made it smell faintly of human presence. He lay face down on it and picked up a book from the bookshelf within reach. I used to come here almost every day after finishing my regular work and laze around reading if I had nothing else to do. Dozens of pages a day, slowly savoring each sentence. Jae-ui would really like these rare books collected in this bookshelf. No, perhaps he has already read all of these and more. There's no reason to worry about that lucky guy, but I’m curious. Where is he and what is he doing right now? Has he returned home? Is he holed up in some library or research lab, engrossed in books for days without sleep? I had tried calling home yesterday as a test, but no one answered. Considering it was close to midnight when I called and no one picked up, it seemed right to assume he was still wandering around somewhere. Suddenly, I remembered the image of my Hyung making a scissor motion with his fingers, saying it was time to cut the thread of fate. I didn't really think Hyung disliked me or wanted to sever their connection. But what should I say? I had felt a strange feeling at that moment. Hyung was so lucky that everything he wished for came true. So, when Hyung made a gesture like cutting their ties, it felt like the connection between them would really be severed. Maybe at that moment, the connection between me and Jeong Jae-ui had been cut. Would we never be able to meet again then? "I don't want that to happen……. It doesn't feel real though." Jeong Tae-ui lay down and spread out his hand, looking at it. I looked for the trace of an invisible red thread, the kind that might have been tied to my pinky finger as Hyung said. But could it really be cut? Jeong Tae-ui wiggled his pinky finger a few times, as if checking if the end of the invisible red thread was fluttering. It was then. A quiet mechanical sound reached Jeong Tae-ui's ears as he lay blankly staring at his hand. It was a sound he had heard before. When he turned his head, a red light was blinking on the telephone. "……." Staring intently at the phone that was constantly flashing and emitting mechanical sounds, he briefly considered whether he should answer someone else's phone. In fact, I know without even thinking that it will be easier in many ways and leave no room for trouble if I don't answer. But the phone kept ringing so persistently that I couldn't bring myself to ignore it. Jeong Tae-ui got out of bed and looked at the caller ID displayed on his phone. Tae-ui had no reason to know what number his uncle might call from, but he slowly traced the unfamiliar digits. It was an international call. If the number started with 49…… was it Germany? The following digits would be the area code, but I didn't know that far. In the meantime, the phone hung up. Jeong Tae-ui went back to bed and picked up his book. However, once thoughts of his Hyung surfaced, they didn't easily go away, and he ended up covering his face with the book. Hyung often used to sleep like this. When I asked if it wasn't heavy, Hyung would instead retort, asking what was heavy about a book of only a few hundred pages. It was amazing how Hyung's features remained intact even though he always slept with something like this on his face. Come to think of it, I didn't look much like Hyung. Even though we were twins, there was absolutely no resemblance that would suggest it. Not in our faces, our hair, our personalities, or even our luck. ".......Still, my face is better. Even if I can't beat him in anything else." Actually, even our faces had such different vibes that it wasn't even a matter of who was better-looking or uglier. Jeong Tae-ui slightly lowered the book from his face and turned his gaze. From his current position, his reflection wasn't visible, but there was a large mirror hanging next to the desk. Jeong Tae-ui got up again, walked over there, and pressed his face close to the mirror. A man with a calm face was reflected . I hadn't even lived half my life yet, but I was probably a little tired. He ran his hand over his face in the mirror. The cold, smooth surface of the glass was felt at his fingertips. Around his eyes, nose, and mouth, he was tracing them like that when the lamp flickered again. Almost simultaneously, a mechanical sound rang out.  It was another call from the same number. This time, he didn't wait long before answering the phone.  A call that comes like this in quick succession is bound to ring again soon if you don't answer it. "Yes, hello." When he pressed the lamp, the monitor lit up. And the screen on the other side of the receiver was reflected within it. Nothing was visible. It was a white wall. Only a corner of a picture frame was faintly visible at the edge of the screen. It was impossible to tell what was depicted in the picture with colors that were hard to discern on the small screen. "──Hahaa. It's the nephew again." A voice that sounded familiar spoke. Then, on the screen, a hand reaching out in front of the phone to touch the desk appeared. I remember that hand well. It was a hand so beautiful it was hard to forget. "Ah, a hand."  'What?' When Jeong Tae-ui reflexively blurted out, a short, questioning reply came from the other side, as if surprised. “Your hand." For a moment, Jeong Tae-ui thought he had answered incorrectly, but with an unconcerned expression, he tapped the white hand on the monitor. The hand moved inside the monitor. It looked like it was looking at its own hand. "I recognized those pretty hands right away." 'Haha, thank you. It’s nice to hear such a compliment about my hands for the first time.' The man on the other side of the monitor laughed.  It was still a mechanical voice, but it wasn't as jarring as the first time I heard it. 'Is Instructor Jeong showering again? You seem to go there often, nephew.' "No, my uncle isn't here. I just came to read a book. My uncle's room has a lot of good books." 'Ah. Instructor Jeong does have a decent hobby.' The white hand tapped the desk playfully. Those hands really are as clear and pretty as glass. I want to touch them once. Cool shards of glass attached to each finger. ‘Do you like my hand that much?’ “Hmm?” ‘You’re looking at it with such hungry eyes.’ He said with a chuckle in his voice. Jeong Tae-ui also chuckled and shrugged. “Was I that obvious? Well, yeah, they’re very tempting. It wouldn’t suit me, so I’m just admiring.” Jeong Tae-ui added this preemptively, thinking the other person might again say he'd cut off his wrist and give it to him after he died. He laughed cheerfully, as if he had guessed Jeong Tae-ui's thoughts. Jeong Tae-ui suddenly tilted his head. They say you can tell something about a person's life by looking at their hands, but I couldn't figure this man out at all. He didn't seem like he would do rough work, but he also didn't seem like he did desk work holding a pen all day. Even an antique book dealer would have some tough tasks, but hard labor just didn't seem to fit those hands. “Ilay……?” Jeong Tae-ui opened his mouth. Come to think of it, this was the first time I was calling this man's name.  The man naturally replied with a still-chuckle-filled voice, "Hmm?" “When I told my uncle that name, he seemed a bit confused. It seems you have several names.” ‘Ahaha, was that so? Well, Instructor Jeong doesn’t call me by my first name. I only have one name. I’m not doing anything bad, so there’s no reason for me to use multiple names.’ “Hmm──I guess that would be the case if you’re a book dealer……but what line of work are you in?” Jeong Tae-ui trailed off for a moment before asking. What kind of work would someone with hands like that do? Then the man didn't say anything for a moment. Only the sight of the white hand tapping, tap, tap on the desk was visible. Rather than seeming displeased, he seemed to be gazing intently at him, lost in thought.  A cool gaze from behind the lens. Soon after, he seemed to finish his brief thought and answered slowly. ‘I sometimes help my brother with the family business. My brother will probably take over that, so I don't know……, what will I do for a living. I’ve never thought about it, but hearing you say that makes me a little worried.’ Listening to his voice, which showed no sign of worry at all, Jeong Tae-ui suddenly began to worry about his own future. If I got out of here safely in six months, I would still be unemployed. Of course, according to my uncle, the experience of being here alone would be enough to find a job without any difficulty, but what kind of work could I really do to make a living? I didn't even know what I wanted. “I became a total bum after being discharged…….” He muttered with a deep sigh, and it seemed the sound reached the other side. ‘Discharged? Were you a soldier? Well, there are sometimes people who go there after being in the military. But that’s interesting. Jeong Jae-ui’s younger brother is a soldier…….Haha.’ The man chuckled with a subtle nuance. Jeong Tae-ui slightly raised his eyebrows, looked at his white hand, and then snickered. “Why? Is it funny that there’s a physically active younger brother under a brainy older brother?” Then the man laughed out loud this time. He laughed as if he had seen a great comedy and slowly waved his white hand. ‘Not at all, that’s not what I meant. Besides, you don’t seem to have the kind of robust physique to confidently call yourself ‘beastly’, unless you mean it in another way. ……My apologies.’ At the man's laughter, Jeong Tae-ui made a bitter face and said, "It's alright." ‘No, what I meant was that the combination of an older brother who develops weapons and a younger brother who is a victim of those weapons is interesting. If you’re a soldier, aren’t you closer to being a victim rather than a user?’ Jeong Tae-ui, with his chin resting on his hand, paused. He replayed the man's casual words in his mind. The latter part didn't matter. What was important were the first few words. The man seemed to notice the strange look on Jeong Tae-ui's face as he stared intently at the white hand. After thinking for a moment, he seemed to realize the reason and muttered, as if embarrassed. ‘Oh dear. Didn't you know?’ “……Yeah. I didn't know. Was my brother involved in weapons development?” Even as he chuckled and muttered, "Someone else knows my brother better than I do," Tae-ui felt a strange reluctance to say anything more. Jeong Jae-ui and I weren't brothers with a bad relationship, but we also didn't share everything; we were just ordinary brothers with a moderately good relationship. Moreover, from the time I graduated high school, I rarely stayed home, and Jae-ui was also frequently away, so we didn't really know much about each other's lives. I had only heard here that Jae-ui was a specially treated researcher at the UNHRDO Americas headquarters. But he’s developing weapons. When would he have done something like that? If he did, was it at UNHRDO? But it could have been before or after. In any case, we weren't interested in each other's work, so we didn't talk about it much. Weapons. Weapons, huh. Jeong Tae-ui smiled bitterly. I knew they were a necessary evil, but I had seen their negative effects far too many times. ‘Looks like I said something I shouldn’t have. People who should know probably do, but it’s still confidential information, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep that in mind.’ “I also don’t really feel like saying out loud that my brother develops weapons.” ‘Haha. Looks like you don’t like that. Still, your brother is a well-known genius in this industry.’ “Even if he’s a genius at making weapons, you know, it doesn’t really make me happy.” Jeong Tae-ui, who had been grumbling like that, suddenly raised his eyebrows. Then he rubbed his chin for a moment and chuckled. “Seeing as you mentioned ‘this industry,’ are you also involved in the weapons business?” The man fell silent again. This silence was rather long. If it weren't for the hand moving occasionally, I probably would have thought the call had been disconnected. Finally, he laughed, a sound like a sigh. ‘To be precise, my brother is involved in that. I did say I sometimes help with the family business, didn't I?’ “The family business is weapons-related?” Jeong Tae-ui asked back with a dumbfounded expression. Then he quickly realized. This man wasn't just some antique book dealer. He was a dealer, but the items he dealt with weren't antique books, but weapons. “So you make a living selling weapons……” ‘Not me, my brother.──You really seem to dislike it. The rocket launcher your brother designed the prototype for has consistently been in the top rankings for the past few years.’ “Honestly. A world without war is just a pipe dream of someone who lives in a fantasy land…… Jae-ui hyung. If I see you, I’m going to ripe ou a new one.” The man laughed. The man, who had caused a brief but significant upheaval in Jeong Tae-ui's mind, seemed completely unfazed. ‘How scary. So, are you going to cut ties with your precious brother or something?’ “Like that would make a difference? He’s the one who cut ties first.” ‘Aha?’ The man's voice changed, tinged with interest. I want to see the man's face. He was surely looking at the monitor with a slow, subtle smile. ‘I didn’t know you were such estranged brothers. I thought you were quite close. Why, did you even fight? I wouldn't have thought Jeong Jae-ui would be the type to cut ties with his younger brother first.’ “He said he was going to cut the thread connected right here,” Jeong Tae-ui said, holding up his pinky finger, “and then he left home that day. And he’s still missing.” Jeong Tae-ui muttered, holding up his pinky finger.  It wasn't the complete truth, but that was the gist of it. Then the man was silent for a moment before speaking. ‘Haha. Jae-ui did that? That’s interesting.’ “It might sound interesting to you, but for me, it’s a family crisis.” ‘Haha, ahahahaha.’ The man kept laughing, as if something was very amusing. The sound of his mechanical voice laughing was quite bizarre. “You seem to be in a good mood.” ‘No……I just think you’re quite different brothers. I thought that even though you’re twins, you’d have some similarities, but your faces are different. Your personalities are different. It’s interesting.’ “──Have you ever met my brother?” ‘Hmm. Well, I’ve casually run into him, just seeing his face. I was very surprised at how young he looked.’ That was something he had experienced many times. People who had heard about Jae-ui through various channels since childhood and finally managed to find him were always surprised when they saw him. It was rare for someone not to express their shock, saying they hadn't expected him to be so young. But this man doesn't seem that old either. Jeong Tae-ui stared intently at the white hand, even though he couldn't possibly know the man's age just by looking at his hand. However, he didn't feel like prying into such personal matters, so he changed the subject. “The way you talk, you must be very similar to your brother who deals in weapons.” ‘Well, I haven’t heard that I resemble him much, but my brother and I aren’t twins. There’s quite an age difference between us.’ Jeong Tae-ui, who scoffed at the irrelevance of age difference to whether siblings resemble each other, waved his hand. At that moment, the man paused. He seemed to turn his body slightly, as if someone had come up behind him or perhaps there was some sound. He said he helped with the family business; maybe he lived harmoniously with his family. ‘This is sudden, but I have to go now. Let’s talk again later.’ “Huh? Oh, okay. Uh, but what about my uncle?” ‘I’ll call again later. Bye-bye.’ The white hand waved slightly. With that, the phone call ended. The monitor went dark again. Jeong Tae-ui sighed and pressed the lamp again. The surroundings became quiet in an instant. Ding, ding.  Just like the white hand had done on the monitor earlier, Jeong Tae-ui stood like a statue, silently tapping the desk. My head felt like it was about to get complicated. But thinking differently, it wasn't something for Jeong Tae-ui to get complicated about beforehand now. “Geez……I don’t know. I’ll just live in a world where wars break out. It’s not like I’m going to join an anti-war movement.” Yeah. Even though I quit, there are still many careers in the world that soldiers can do, and they need to make a living too,  he muttered, throwing himself onto the bed. Thwack! He hit the top of his foot on the corner of the bed. It hurts like hell. *** ------ Credits: Translator: Hoshi Miya Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago We made a discord server! please join us!