By Zephyria 
“Un-ah, you can’t do that. What’s so hard about giving him your name?”
“Yes, Hyung.”
With that single sentence, the tension in the air vanished, and Tae-un returned to being a gentle lamb, smiling brightly. Gwak Yun-sang, who had been uncertain, was finally convinced. The person capable of holding the leash of the mad dog that no one else could tame was right here.
“My name is Kim Si-baek. I think we should head out now, so I’ll tell you the detailed story next time we meet.”
“Ah, of course. Of course. Please contact me whenever it is convenient for you.”
“Should I ask for Manager Gwak Yun-sang at the Supernatural Phenomenon Response Agency?”
“You may, but I’ll also give you my business card.”
“Hyung, let’s go.”
As soon as he received the business card printed with ‘Gwak Yun-sang, Manager of Support Division 3, Supernatural Phenomenon Response Agency,’ Tae-un quickly opened the door. At his urging, Kim Si-baek grabbed two snacks for Biyendwe, said goodbye to Gwak Yun-sang, and stepped outside.
As soon as the two left, Gwak Yun-sang quickly made a phone call. He had many questions—how Kim Si-baek possessed multiple abilities, and why he looked younger than Tae-un despite being called ‘Hyung’—but what he needed to do right now was clear.
“Kim Si-baek. Dig up everything you can find on a person named Kim Si-baek!”
Kim Si-baek was surprised to find that Tae-un had a car, and surprised again upon seeing his driver’s license. When did the kid, who was too young to even get a motorized bicycle license, grow up like this…?
[Death and Beauty remarks that the apostle is far too small.]
The car, having passed through the city center, stopped at a building in a bustling district.
“This is your company?”
“To be precise, it’s a guild. Among those who have undergone awakening, those who hunt magical beasts are called hunters. You can think of it as a kind of mercenary or service company that employs those hunters.”
“Anyway, you’re the representative here, right? How did such a little thing think of starting a company?”
Feeling incredibly proud of Tae-un, Kim Si-baek patted his backside just like in the old days, and Tae-un’s ears turned slightly red as he flinched. When the card key was tapped, the private elevator transported them, car and all, to the top floor. It was the penthouse of the corporate building where he lived instead of getting a separate house.
The view looking down through the wide windows of the top-floor penthouse was magnificent enough to evoke admiration, but they had too many overdue stories to spend time on that. After showering first, clothes to change into and dinner were already prepared.
“I bought clothes occasionally so that I’d be ready whenever I met you, Hyung.”
The pajamas were a perfect fit for his body. He put the priest’s robes in the washing machine. Biyendwe, who had bathed with him, had fluffy fur.
The meal, which had been delivered separately, was a neat Korean spread. The food of his hometown, eaten for the first time in 70 years, was delicious, but that was all. He wasn’t so overwhelmed with emotion that he felt ecstatic, nor was the taste exceptionally extraordinary.
While settling and living in mak slecht, the first things to fade from memory were exactly these kinds of foods and cultures. The last things he clung to were the members of the orphanage, who were no different from family, and he could not let go of Tae-un until the very end.
Kim Si-baek looked back on his foolish past, where he couldn’t let go of Tae-un even while knowing it was futile. But not letting go had been the right thing to do. Thanks to that, he was able to recognize Tae-un immediately.
As they ate, they caught up on their stories.
“So, you’re saying only 21 years have passed since the day I disappeared? And from then on, magical beasts started appearing, and people began to awaken supernatural abilities? And you’re already 35… that’s surprising…”
“I’m more surprised that you lived in another world for 70 years, Hyung. Your face is exactly the same as before.”
“I’m a complete grandfather now.”
Laughing at the joke, Kim Si-baek pointed to Biyendwe, who was nodding off while perched on his crown.
“The apostles and grand warriors of the religious sect are priests specially chosen by god. Because of that, they don’t age as long as the divine protection is maintained.”
“Hmm.”
It might have been hard to believe that a tiny baby crow was a divine avatar, but Tae-un accepted it without showing any surprise.
“Then were you a priest in that place called mak slecht, Hyung?”
“Smart boy, you understood immediately. To put it simply, among the priests who serve god, the leader of the priests is the apostle, and the leader of the holy knights is the grand warrior. The leader of all priests is the pontiff.”
Roughly categorized, the apostle is a being who acts as the agent of miracles in the history of god, and the grand warrior is the agent of martial force.
“When you said you went to another world, I thought you would have been a sword-wielding knight or a mercenary there.”
“I did hold the position of a holy knight at one point. Back then, our religious sect was very small. It’s still not huge now, but…”
“I figured.”
“It was so small that there were more people who didn’t even know a god called Death and Beauty existed.”
Tae-un’s eyes narrowed as he watched Kim Si-baek smile while reminiscing about the past, but he soon returned to his usual expression.
“I thought magical beasts only appeared in mak slecht, but I don’t know how it’s the same here.”
“Well, there are many scholars researching why this happened, but no one has figured it out. Everyone was confused at first, but since 21 years have passed, people have mostly adapted and are living their lives.”
Tae-un, having cleared his plate, brought out a pear. Since it looked dangerous for the boy to hold a knife, Kim Si-baek quickly grabbed a paring knife and peeled it for him. Having his knife taken away, Tae-un fiddled with his fingertips and smiled brightly.
“Biyendwe-nim, please have some fruit.”
Biyendwe, who loved fruit, woke up rubbing his eyes with his wing feathers and flew down to land on the table. A small piece of cut pear was placed on one side of the plate.
[Death and Beauty evaluates that the food in this world is passable.]
One might have found the sight of a baby crow eating a pear strange or cute, but Tae-un only cast a sterile gaze.
By the time they had finished the pear while sitting side by side, Kim Si-baek decided to ask the question he had been intentionally delaying. He tapped the table lightly to manage his nervousness.
“Many people died when the magical beasts suddenly appeared, right?”
“The population dropped significantly. I think global warming might have been delayed by three centuries.”
“Then, um… how are the other people?”
Even without a clear reference, Tae-un understood immediately. Their common element was unique and absolute.
Tae-un responded nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
“Everyone is doing well on their own. The priest’s term ended, so he moved elsewhere, but the nuns from the orphanage came down to Daejeon together. The kids grew up and scattered here and there, but not a single one was seriously injured or died.”
“…Everyone is safe?”
“Of course.”
The cool affirmation instantly released the tension. Kim Si-baek let out a breath of relief, stroking his chest. The orphanage had been the sanctuary and hometown for the two of them, who had been left alone in the world as orphans.
“I awakened during the Great Cataclysm, and there were a few other kids who awakened with me. They also became hunters and are now in my guild.”
“Really? Who are they?”
“Min-hyung, Ga-eun, Eun-ho, and Han-gyeol. Oh, Sister Benedicta also awakened, though she’s not a hunter.”
With every name mentioned, memories sprang back to life. He felt a lump in his throat and his lips curled into a soft smile, knowing they must have struggled facing magical beasts after awakening at such a young age, yet they were safe.
Since 21 years had passed, those children must have grown a lot, just like Tae-un. The nuns must have aged significantly.
Not only had he reunited with Tae-un, but he could now meet everyone. He had been flustered when he suddenly arrived on Earth, but it wasn’t entirely distressing. There were good things like this.
“It’s great that they’re in the same guild. Since it’s late today, I can meet the kids tomorrow, right?”
He asked with a pleasant excitement, but the atmosphere suddenly sank. Before a puzzled Kim Si-baek could ask why, Tae-un shifted the mood back and smiled brightly.
“Tomorrow is Sunday, and some of them are off duty.”
“Ah, is it Sunday?”
Since it was a holiday, they likely had their own schedules. Kim Si-baek, not noticing the unnaturalness, swallowed his disappointment. He had longed for them for decades; he could easily wait a few more days for the reunion.
“There are some who don’t even pick up their phones on holidays.”
Tae-un joked with an exaggerated air and naturally changed the subject.
“You’re sleeping here tonight, right?”
“Where else would I sleep if not here? Should I sleep with you like the old days, Hyung?”
“Oh, Hyung. Who knows what you might do.”
Since he would have been happy regardless of what Tae-un did, Kim Si-baek answered with a laugh.
✽ ✽ ✽
After guiding Kim Si-baek to his room, Tae-un quietly closed the door. Blinking slowly, Tae-un slowly moved his gaze across a field of vision that could no longer contain Kim Si-baek.
Darkness, writhing and blooming from beneath his feet, seized the surroundings in an instant. The faint moonlight shining through the wide window, the lights of the night view, and the glow of the lamps—all disappeared. In the perfect darkness, Tae-un walked steadily toward his own room.
He sat in the recliner and closed his eyes. As even the sound of his breathing subsided, his appearance became as desolate and eerie as a corpse.
Suddenly, he raised his gloved hand and touched the area around his left chest. A voice echoed from beyond the darkness. It was a strange voice, layered over and over—sounding like a man, a woman, an old person, and a child all at once.
「Will you not regret it?」
“Regret?”
Tae-un let out a short laugh.
And he chewed over that word again and again.
“Regret, regret, regret… I’ve been sick of doing that since I was five.”
The ashen mutter, devoid of any emotion, quietly faded into the darkness.