By Zephyria Ms. Jang Mi-sook was heard rustling and moving outside the door. Mackerel stuck close to the door and shouted.
“Are you okay, Madam Jang! …Still?”
“He has a lot of scars, but he’s not such a bad guy.”
She just said he was a crazy brat. Mackerel swallowed his words. The first principle of an informant is to listen to others. Because treasures come along with the rambling words of someone with a lot to say. Mackerel waved his fingers in the air. A small Stingray that appeared out of nowhere wriggled and blocked the door.
“Yes, yes, that’s right. People with a lot of scars tend to raise their thorns like hedgehogs.”
“But she doesn’t need me.”
He curled up like a Pill Bug. His eerie muttering voice was strange.
J, a hero recognized by most, even if there are people who slander him. Someone everyone needs. He probably hasn’t heard the words ‘I don’t need you’ since he was born. That’s probably why the shock is so great. Mackerel squatted down in front of him.
“Hey, Hyung.”
“……”
“In my opinion, that crazy brat… no, that hedgehog seems to have said something he didn’t mean while raising his thorns?”
“……”
The Pill Bug’s head lifted slightly. Mackerel rubbed his palms together.
“There’s no way he really said he didn’t need you, Hyung! It’s just that your digging into his sore spots triggered his defense mechanism. People say things they don’t mean when they’re excited.”
“…Really?”
“Of course, of course. Doesn’t he regret it by now? For saying such a thing.”
The Pill Bug raised his head completely. As if asking, ‘Really?’ The modulated voice asked.
“Then can you find out something for me?”
“Ah~ Hyung, just say the word.”
Mackerel nodded so hard his neck almost broke. And he thought.
‘I need to charge him a lot for the table, the consultation, and the information.’
The calculator in his head began to go wild. It was a merchant’s thought.
Even though the Master of the Guild was a doctor, the Seowon Guild smelled of old paper and books. The Guild members running around pushing book carts, and the books that filled the space from floor to ceiling, were overwhelming. However, the Seowon Guild was a little different after that incident.
“……”
Honeybee frowned, holding coffee in both hands. The fragrant coffee smell was soon buried by the pungent smell of disinfectant. The Guild members who had been walking around with books were now running around with various medicines and charts. It could be said that it had returned to its original state, but well.
“I liked the old days better….”
Honeybee pouted and grumbled as she hurried along. Her destination was the heart of the Seowon Guild, where Matthew and Nam Woo-jin, who still hadn’t opened their eyes, were.
Honeybee, who was going down the long stairs, suddenly stopped. Because a small boy in a white coat was standing at the bottom of the stairs. The boy looked up at Honeybee with clear eyes and bowed his head.
“The Master asked me to ask if it’s okay since there’s a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. They might be uncomfortable.”
“Well, as long as it’s not Gyu-Gyu, it’s fine.”
“Then please follow me.”
The boy hurried ahead. The contract with Gyu-Gyu was over, and he had suddenly disappeared somewhere. He’s probably lazing around in some foreign country. Honeybee clicked her tongue as if to be heard.
As originally planned, she was supposed to continue tracking Prometheus with Gyu-Gyu. However, the Awakened Management Bureau chose to cooperate with Prometheus. Of course, Honeybee couldn’t stand it. Cooperating with those who made Matthew like that? It was impossible. She kicked open the Director’s office door and protested.
‘Have you finally gone crazy? How can you join hands with those crazy bastards?’
Director Ham answered calmly. It wasn’t a perfect collaboration, but a temporary one, to prevent Doomsday and extract information, and their data might be able to wake Matthew.
‘Nonsense.’
In the end, the Director must have chosen the easy way. They had already reached the deepest part. The boy slid open the tightly closed door. Honeybee’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Nam Woo-jin swiveled his chair to face Honeybee. But Honeybee was looking at Very Small Miracle Mingi Seo, who was standing next to him like a black totem pole. Her suspicious gaze turned to another dark figure.
The dark figure, Lee Sa-young, was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. With his eyes closed. Honeybee pointed at him with only her index finger raised, holding the coffee.
“Lee Sa-young, why is this crazy brat here?”
“He just barely fell asleep, so don’t wake him up.”
Min-gi Seo pushed up his sunglasses and answered.
“He hasn’t been able to sleep well lately, so he came to get a prescription for sleeping pills.”
“Why is he sleeping so uncomfortably?”
“He says he’s just taking a nap.”
“This is a mess. I only bought two cups of coffee? Doctor Geo’s and mine.”
“It’s okay. I had the seasonal menu this morning. Oh, by the way, do you collect stickers? If you don’t, would you give them to me?”
“Hey, the world is about to end, do you want to collect that?”
“We have to collect them more diligently before it ends.”
“Anyway….”
Honeybee clicked her tongue and handed the coffee to Nam Woo-jin, then took out her phone. Min-gi also quickly took out his phone and started exchanging stickers. Nam Woo-jin opened the lid, took a sip, and then pushed the cup away with a grimace.
“Where’s the syrup?”
“Oh my, I gave you the wrong one. That’s mine, this is Doctor Geo’s.”
“Thanks.”
“Eating too much sugar will shorten your life.”
“I don’t need nagging. I’m a doctor.”
Nam Woo-jin closed his eyes, sipping the sweet coffee. A moment of silence passed. Honeybee tapped the floor with the toe of her shoe and asked.
“How’s Matthew? Still the same?”
“So far, yes.”
“There hasn’t been a Freeze Phenomenon either?”
The moment they witnessed the beginning of Doomsday, humanity froze all at once. Touching somewhere on their bodies. It was said that the shock of Doomsday engraved in their Souls was revived. Some speculated that the part they were touching was where they had been injured before. Nothing was certain, but people were calling the way they froze the Freeze Phenomenon, saying it was like being frozen.
Nam Woo-jin shook his head.
“No. Since he has no ego or reason, he doesn’t know if Doomsday has come, or even what Doomsday is.”
“……”
“But now that we’ve cooperated with Prometheus… we might be able to get the Antidote?”
“I don’t like cooperating. They don’t even see Awakened as human.”
“I don’t want to either. But we have to use all the cards we can.”
“……”
Honeybee sighed and sipped her coffee. The bitter and savory taste lingered in her mouth.
At that moment, the body leaning against the wall twitched. Then, a loud inhale and exhale were heard. Under the disheveled hair, a sinister purple glow seemed to flash. The gaze that had been lingering on the floor for a moment reached Honeybee.
“…What? Who are you.”
“Is ‘What are you’ all you can say when you see someone? Anyway….”
Sa-young frowned as if he didn’t want to hear it and turned his head away. Nam Woo-jin put down his coffee and stood up. He shuffled towards Sa-young in his Crox and looked at his face.
“I gave you a weaker one on purpose. Will you be okay with that much sleep?”
“This is perfect.”
Sa-young finished washing his face and sat down with his legs crossed.
“I vaguely heard you two talking. You still haven’t found Matthew’s Antidote.”
“Is he really sleeping? Or was he just closing his eyes?”
“I have something I brought from Prometheus’s base.”
“……”
He gestured to Min-gi, who was standing aside. Min-gi took out a tablet from his Inventory and handed it over. Sa-young shook the tablet and said languidly.
“It’s a tablet that a researcher at Prometheus’s base had…. I’ve analyzed all the contents. Of course, the only person who can use it is Nam Woo-jin, you.”
“What? Why are you telling me now!”
Crack, the ice glass that Honeybee was holding was mercilessly crushed, and coffee and ice poured out. Sa-young rubbed his eyes and shrugged.
“Well, my sleep is more important….”
“Ah, this crazy brat really….”
Honeybee took a step forward with her fist clenched, but Nam Woo-jin stopped her. Nam Woo-jin put his hands in his gown pockets and looked down at Sa-young.
“I don’t think you’re going to give it to me for free.”
“Hehe, you’re quick to notice….”
The thick corners of his lips turned up. Sa-young rested his chin on his hand and smiled with his eyes narrowed.
“Someone who is curious about me will come looking for me. Probably, soon….”
“……”
“Because there’s no one who knows my body condition as well as you do.”
Sa-young got up from his chair. His large body and shadow covered Nam Woo-jin. A black index finger stood straight on his curved lips. A chilling voice echoed.
“Shut your mouth.”
“……”
“Don’t blab like last time.”