By Zephyria 268
A little while ago, Seowon Guild.
Nam Woo-jin unleashed a torrent of nagging. “You always end up making trouble. Can’t you, a sick person, think about being careful? You’re always causing a ruckus. I’ll add the cost of the bed to your debt, so pay it back. Lee Sa-young, what are you doing not taking care of the sick person? Just because he lost his memory doesn’t mean anything. You need to treat J well…” Nam Woo-jin’s nagging was fierce. Moreover, after the nagging, he was dragged away for a physical examination.
He scanned Eui-jae with a stern look.
“At least your body seems to have recovered.”
“Yes.”
Eui-jae politely put his hands together and answered. He didn’t know, but an angry Nam Woo-jin was truly scary. Scary enough to make even Eui-jae, who feared nothing in the world,’s hair stand on end. Nam Woo-jin brandished the file and glared.
“That doesn’t mean you can go wild again! You never know when the backlash will come.”
“Yes.”
“You’re good at answering, aren’t you? Go! Just try causing trouble again!”
“Yes.”
Eui-jae bowed deeply and escaped the examination room. At the end of the hallway, Sa-young, wearing a Gas mask, was leaning against the wall, waiting for him. Sa-young smiled wryly, offering the mask.
“Did you get a good scolding?”
Eui-jae grumbled as he put on the mask.
“Whose fault do you think this is?”
“Hyung suddenly got angry, that’s why.”
“Who was it that threw the paper rudely? Give it here. Let me see.”
Sa-young obediently handed over the neatly folded note. Eui-jae unfolded the paper and read the contents. Among the scribbled words were facts he knew and facts he didn’t.
Director Ham Seok-jeong died during the Monster Wave
Died along with Director Park Hye-kyung
Wave Guild does not exist
The fish market disappeared
Mackerel missing (rumor has it he went towards Haenam, Jung-bin knows)
Hong Ye-seong lost contact in Jirisan
Bae Won-woo belongs to the Awakened Management Bureau
Seo Min-gi belongs to the Awakened Management Bureau
Choi Goyo belongs to HB Guild
:
:
Eui-jae looked at Sa-young. This guy’s information gathering ability is no joke.
“When did you investigate all this?”
Sa-young shrugged lightly.
“I asked Jung-bin, and he told me.”
“You didn’t threaten him, did you?”
“Well, is it threatening if he got scared and told me on his own….”
That sounds about right. Jung-bin must have provided all the information to prevent bigger problems. Thank you, Jung-bin. Eui-jae paused briefly at the name Park Hye-kyung, then slowly read the rest of the contents.
“…There’s no Wave Guild here?”
“I guess I didn’t create it. In the first place, the reason I created the Guild was….”
Sa-young swallowed the rest of his words. Eui-jae knew what would follow, so he didn’t press him. He probably created it to wait for Eui-jae. No matter how high ranked he was, there were limits to what he could do alone. Sa-young changed the subject.
“I heard that Hyung and I used to go around together.”
“…I see.”
Eui-jae folded the note back to its original shape. By the way, he handed the note back and asked.
“How did you know my body had recovered earlier? How did you know I was untied?”
“Because the way I tied it was different.”
He saw that in that short gap? Whether Eui-jae narrowed his eyes or not, Sa-young casually replied.
“Besides, even though I tied it tightly, you didn’t seem to be in any pain. I thought, ‘He’s recovered to some extent….'”
Ah. That’s right. Ga-eul must have been in a hurry to tie it, so she couldn’t control her strength, but he didn’t feel any particular pain. Eui-jae touched his wrist. The red marks left by the binding had completely disappeared.
Sa-young checked his phone and continued.
“I asked Honeybee to lend me Choi Goyo. He’ll be coming to Seowon Guild soon. Where do you want to go first?”
“I want to meet Mackerel.”
Sa-young tilted his head as if surprised.
“I thought you’d say Hong Ye-seong.”
Mackerel, who lost his other half. Strangely, he had a feeling that he had to meet him. Eui-jae shrugged.
“I don’t know. I just want to go there first.”
“Okay, then. Fortunately, Jung-bin knows where he is.”
In the corner of his vision, the red number 160 flickered. Time relentlessly flows by. He can’t hold onto it.
Eui-jae looked up at Sa-young.
“But let me tell you in advance…. I don’t have much time left.”
“In what sense?”
“Literally. Physically.”
Hmm, Sa-young made a small humming sound and tilted his head slightly.
“You don’t want to talk about it in more detail?”
He already has one warning accumulated. Should he explain it to Sa-young here and consume one warning, or should he save it? If it’s Sa-young’s keen sense, wouldn’t he notice even if he didn’t say it directly? The more warnings he saves, the better.
‘I have that much faith.’
Eui-jae suddenly took off his mask. He grabbed Sa-young’s arm and stared into his purple eyes. With the most earnest expression possible, his eyes shining. Sa-young, who had been scrutinizing his face as if he would devour it, tilted his head. Then, Thud.
The protruding filter part of the Gas mask bumped against Eui-jae’s nose. What is this? Is this a signal to fight? Eui-jae touched his nose with a bewildered expression.
“What?”
“No…, you were looking at me so cutely. I thought you were asking for a kiss.”
Is that it?
“Is that it? Huh? Is that it?”
Eui-jae punched him in the side, but he dodged nimbly. Instead, he grabbed Eui-jae’s fist. A low voice whispered.
“Looks like you have some kind of restriction on speaking….”
“……”
What a quick-witted guy. Instead of nodding, Eui-jae wiggled the fist that was being held. Sa-young sighed.
“There’s never a peaceful day….”
Tell me about it. Eui-jae only nodded. Sa-young calmly asked.
“How much time do you have left?”
‘If I think about it….’
Lee Sa-young isn’t from this world, is he? He’s someone who came with me from our world. There’s no need to convey it indirectly. We’re in a position to escape together. Eui-jae glanced at the red number that was decreasing every moment and opened his mouth.
However.
[Warning 2! You must not interfere with the past. Do not reveal future events.]
[Note: The individual ‘Lee Sa-young’ is also a person from the past.]
[Caution: You will receive a penalty upon accumulating 3 warnings.]
Once again, red letters appeared, and his throat was blocked. Eui-jae widened his eyes. What is this nonsense? Lee Sa-young came into the Dungeon with me!
But he couldn’t even move a finger. Sa-young was looking at Eui-jae with a puzzled expression.
Eui-jae felt like crying a little.
System, you son of a bitches!
Only when he was barely able to make a sound, Eui-jae could hardly speak. There’s no other way. He doesn’t know why, but he has no choice but to use the method he used on Student Ga-eul.
“Sa-young.”
“Yeah, Hyung.”
“How many… roses were in my… hospital room?”
“Seven.”
The answer came immediately. He remembers all that? Before Eui-jae could admire him, Sa-young frowned slightly.
“Don’t tell me….”
Yeah, that’s it.
“You don’t mean you have seven hours left, do you?”
That’s not it!
Eui-jae tore at his hair again.
In the end, Eui-jae had to move to somewhere in Haenam without even being able to tell him the expiration date of his life. Sa-young spat out all sorts of periods, such as seven hours? 70 hours? A week? 7 weeks? But Eui-jae couldn’t answer. Because the red warning window kept hovering in his vision. So he drew an X with two fingers above his mouth. Meaning he couldn’t answer. Sa-young sighed and didn’t ask any further.
Anyway, Choi Goyo of this world, who arrived at Seowon Guild, was more neat than he thought. Honeybee said that Matthew doesn’t like things that are too obvious. Anyway, he opened the door, vomited heroically, and then fainted. Honeybee decided to load him up and move to Jirisan. To meet Hong Ye-seong.
But.
‘The atmosphere is….’
It’s a crisis.
“I don’t know how you came here….”
The smoke mixed with the air and disappeared.
“Did you wash your hands?”
The young man, who appeared with white ashes smeared all over his wet feet, was just smoking a cigarette after saying those words. A white tank top inside a loose checkered shirt that wasn’t buttoned up, loose pants with the hem wet. Scratched glasses and shaggy dark blue hair. He was a completely different impression from the Mackerel Brothers he knew.
‘I don’t even know if he’s the older or younger brother.’
He looks like the older brother, but his actions are like the younger brother. Eui-jae glanced at Sa-young sitting next to him. He was curious about his opinion. But Sa-young was just resting his chin, not seeming very interested in the scene in front of him. Mackerel flicked his cigarette ash and said.
“If you have nothing to say, leave.”
“Wait, I have something I want to ask.”
“I don’t know anything, and I have nothing to answer.”
He waved his hand and tried to go out the front door again. Splat, his wet feet stepped on the floor.
Why did I come to meet Mackerel? Hong Ye-seong would know more.
Cha Eui-jae….
“Tell me how the fish market collapsed.”
“……”
He didn’t want to see anyone left alone.
His feet stopped.
The Whitening of the fish market, the death of the Mackerel Brothers. It hasn’t happened in his world yet. If he knows the details, he might be able to prevent it in advance. Eui-jae stood up from the floor and approached the young man who had stopped.
However.
“You’ve come all the way to a place like this to poke at sore spots…. You precious people.”
Sarcasm flowed from the upright back. Mackerel turned around and faced Eui-jae. Eui-jae was reflected in his narrowed dark blue eyes.
“If I tell you.”
He took off his scratched glasses. And he swept back his shaggy hair that covered his eyes. A crooked smile appeared on his lips.
“What…. Are you going to use that as a lesson and come up with countermeasures?”