By Zephyria 
Tae-un was a child who fell exceptionally often. It had been heartbreaking to see the bruises and scratches on his knees that never seemed to disappear, but he later found out that the child only fell when he was watching.
Knowing the truth didn’t make it any less pitiful. It happened again this time; he had rushed over to help the fallen child up.
〈Brother.〉
The child, who had been looking up with teary eyes, suddenly widened his pupils. The moment he felt as if those deep, three-hundred eyes were swallowing him whole, a hot sensation touched his lips.
Before he knew it, Tae-un, now a 35-year-old adult, was densely licking his lips.
“……!”
Kim Si-baek snapped awake, his eyes wide. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he unconsciously touched his lips. The sensation of the lips from the dream—no, from last night—was vivid.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy…”
Realizing he had been chasing that sensation, he clutched his head in self-loathing.
✽ ✽ ✽
Are the kids in Daejeon okay?
I live alone near the Center, I’ve got my bags packed and I’m ready to bolt lol
Omg the Tohu Guild Master is here! He says he’ll use a newly developed reagent to delay the ripening of the fruit!
Lmao Guild Master Yu hit it in one shot ㅋㅋㅋ
Oi oi, I knew I could trust you!
⤷ Justina hasn’t even naturalized, when did she become a Yu? ㅋㅋㅋ
⤷⤷ She’s from the Hanyang Yu clan, didn’t you know?
⤷ No matter the original nationality, Seoul refugees are Koreans with thick K-refugee blood flowing through their veins
⤷ Justina is a god Justina is a god Justina is a god Justina is a god Justina is a god
⤷⤷ Now now, calling her Justina? She is 『Lance』 itself
Hey, didn’t Justina’s arm just break a second ago?
The camera panned away for a bit, and when it came back, her arm was fine? What happened??
⤷ I saw the live stream where the streamer crawled into the restricted area to take secret photos and got caught by the Invitation Bureau hunters… it looked like someone was treating her arm. Not with bandages, but with some kind of actual healing ability. Like, it healed instantly.
⤷⤷ Cap.
⤷⤷ What do you mean “healed”? You need to be “healed” from the brain up.
I saw that stream too, the one where the streamer got caught by the Invitation Bureau; it’s real; it was too far to see clearly, but some hunter put their hand on Justina’s arm and it became fine fr
⤷⤷ ㅋㅋㅋ who was that hunter? ㅋㅋㅋ you attention seekers really want to draw aggro even at a disaster site where people might die smh. These kinds of people should be thrown to the giant vines.
Holy shit what just happened?? There’s an Id Portal in front of the core and it’s about to mutate??
A person was inside the magical beast?? Does that even make sense??
⤷ Giant vine fruit bursting vs Id Portal bursting—either way, we’re fucked. It’s an unavoidable move.
⤷ ?? Tae-un went in omg
⤷⤷ Wow holy shit, the Mad Dog class is real ㄷㄷ He didn’t hesitate for a second, just slid right in like he was going home
⤷⤷⤷ Even a mutating portal can’t stop the Mad Dog’s temperament ㄷㄷ
⤷ But who’s the hunter that went in with Tae-un…
⤷⤷ Isn’t it a Seven Guild hunter?
⤷⤷⤷ No, for a portal on the verge of mutation, even an A-rank is barely hanging on; you’d need to be S-rank to even maintain your sanity. Seven doesn’t have an S-rank. Even if it’s another guild, is there an S-rank who could keep pace with Tae-un…?
⤷ Then who is it??
What about my parents? They heard there’s a portal inside and were about to evacuate with their bags at the door,
But as soon as they heard Tae-un entered the portal, they just dropped their bags and sat back down in front of the TV… ㅠㅠ I’m so scared, but when I told them to run, they just said it’ll be fine… ㅠㅠ
⤷ Were your parents Seoul refugees by any chance?
⤷⤷ Yes ㅠㅠㅠ
⤷⤷⤷ Then it can’t be helped.. My grandma is a Seoul refugee too, she was super anxious like she was about to become an Id Portal host, but as soon as Tae-un went in, she started peeling tangerines while watching the broadcast;
⤷ Ugh fuck, Seoul refugees are always so extra ㅋㅋㅋ Did you guys be the only ones to experience the Great Cataclysm?? Even a cult that brainwashes people in groups probably isn’t as crazy as those people lol
⤷⤷ You piece of shit, in a world that’s ending, I saw a middle schooler rolling around and getting covered in blood to protect people with his friends; if you can’t believe that, are you even human??
⤷⤷⤷ Are you a refugee too?
⤷⤷⤷⤷ My sister is ㅇㅇ We had given up on everything and were even holding a memorial service on the day she went missing, but she was in Seoul with Tae-un and came back alive
⤷⤷⤷⤷⤷ I’m glad she returned safely
Amidst nervousness, fear, confusion, and worry, people waited only for the news that the Id Portal had been cleared. After 24 minutes that felt like 24 hours, the mutation of the Id Portal stopped. Cheers erupted from beyond TVs, monitors, and smartphones.
The moment the hunters who entered the portal finally returned to reality, a strange phenomenon occurred where the live stream’s comment section, which had been scrolling relentlessly, froze for five seconds.
???????
What’s that
**?
Is that Tae-un?? It looks like he swapped places with a magical beast inside..
Even if Tae-un dragged a fainted person by the foot, people would call him a ** bastard, but it’s the opposite…
ㅋㅋㅋ The world is ending and we’re all dead, I must be dreaming
In the midst of this, the way Tae-un is carrying him is so pretty. He looks skilled, he’s really like a princess ㅎㅎ
↑ Crazy?
He must be at least a hundred kilos, but he’s carrying him as light as a cotton doll. He’s definitely S-rank.
He might have been severely injured inside the portal…
But when he puts him down, he’s walking perfectly fine??
Then why was he being carried??
And not just carried, didn’t he have his arm wrapped around his neck so affectionately? What’s the relationship between those two?
No ** so who is that hunter
Unaware that he had become a celebrity sought after by people craving dopamine overnight, Kim Si-baek was no different from usual, save for the unsettling dream. Since he had received his resident registration card, he stopped by the bank in the morning to open an account and returned after buying snacks for Biyendwe.
“It’s a relief that no one died, but it is coincidental in many ways.”
[Death and Beauty asserts that death and beauty certainly smell artificial.]
It was an extremely rare case, even in mak slecht, for a giant vine to germinate and consume city buildings without a single fatality.
The same went for the injured. Most were unharmed, and those who were wounded only suffered minor injuries. The severely injured were all those found at the magic stone exchange, including those transferred from the Management Center.
“However, if I hadn’t been there, there is a high probability the severely injured would have died.”
That was the most artificial part of all. The fact that the severely injured had been gathered in one place.
If a chaos grand warrior or their seed bearer had been behind this, they had gained nothing compared to the scale of the event. Rather, they had only alerted Earth to the new danger that magical beasts and humans could collude, or that magical beasts could utilize humans.
The host of the Id Portal also committed suicide immediately upon discovery. An autopsy revealed that the portal was created by ingesting a drug. He heard they were tracking the host’s activities while alive, but it was uncertain if there would be any results.
It felt as if a series of unsettling developments had been teased, only to be abruptly cut off.
“Thinking about it now, I wonder what the ‘fragment of longing’ that was the clear reward was?”
[Death and Beauty says your god is also wondering, and tells you to think carefully about whether there really was nothing obtained from the Id Portal.]
Something obtained from the Id Portal. Kim Si-baek pondered, stroking his chin. Aside from the magic stones, which were the reward for the hunt, he had acquired nothing material. Nor was his level so shallow that he would gain a sudden epiphany from a fight with a mere magical beast. The only thing he could say he gained was……
“I got to see a lot of the cute 14-year-old Un-i.”
[Death and Beauty is disgusted, asking if he’s still cute even after being subjected to such things the moment he stepped out of the portal.]
“Hmm. It’s true that 35-year-old Un-i said things that make me want to hit him in the mouth, but that doesn’t fade the cuteness of 14-year-old Un-i, does it? Of course, 35-year-old Un-i is still cute too.”
“…….”
Biyendwe wore an expression that suggested he was speechless, even with a bird’s face.
[Death and Beauty laments that my apostle is such a severe case.]
“From that perspective…… perhaps the reward was being able to meet the past Un-i, even if only for a moment?”
He had simply spoken according to his train of thought, but reflecting on it, it seemed plausible. He had seen the old image of a child he thought he would never see again, and he had come to deeply understand what Tae-un had experienced in Seoul 21 years ago.
“I don’t know about others, but for me, it is a sufficient reward.”
[Death and Beauty concedes that if my apostle feels so, your god shall say nothing more.]
Whatever the reward, it was enough as long as his apostle was satisfied. As Biyendwe began to preen his wing feathers with his beak, Kim Si-baek asked in a serious tone.
“By the way, how did our Un-i, who was as pure as a baby angel accidentally fallen from the sky, become an adult who says such bad words?”
[Death and Beauty suffers, wondering how your god could possibly know such a thing.]
Biyendwe, who was grooming himself, suffered so much that he accidentally plucked out three feathers, causing a brief commotion. Biyendwe watched silently as Kim Si-baek combed and organized the plucked feathers before speaking. Though it was a waste of divine power, the nuances would not be well-conveyed through divine utterance.
“Si-baek.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Why are you relieved that your younger brother only desired a physical relationship?”