By Zephyria 
Side Story Episode 7.
======
Even if the traces smelled similar, Joo-oh didn’t look that pathetic.
He was taller than that thing, his body was sturdier, his ears were longer, and his tail was cooler.
Of course, that didn’t mean he liked the appearance of the Aberrant hiding inside him, but at least it was better than 2-SS or S2FakeJoo-ohS2.
He was so bewildered that he actually felt hungry. Joo-oh rubbed his empty stomach and smacked his lips.
It seemed Jin Mu-hae had been reading the reports on the Experiments earlier. What if he had seen that shabby fake Joo-oh?
‘I’ll tell him it wasn’t me.’
What if he didn’t believe him?
‘I’ll say I don’t know. That I don’t remember.’
It felt unfair. Joo-oh truly knew nothing. It had been a very long time since he had felt this dazed and unfamiliar sensation.
He had been so distracted that he couldn’t even finish watching Jin Mu-hae’s handsome face in deep concentration before he had rushed out to look for something.
Just what other secrets were hidden in this body besides the hazy fifteen-year history of memories…?
He hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed. He spent a long while staring at the footage of the Solar City Experiment, lost in thought.
Then, he sensed someone’s presence and belatedly realized where he was and what he was doing.
As soon as he turned around, he locked eyes with Jin Mu-hae. Joo-oh faithfully stuck to his resolve.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Is that so?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
What was this? Jin Mu-hae’s eyes didn’t look like they believed him at all, yet unexpectedly, he nodded.
Even as the footage of the Aberrant from the time before he became Joo-oh let out a howling scream, Jin Mu-hae took care of Joo-oh instead of wearing a suspicious expression.
In fact, his touch seemed a bit softer than usual. Just as he was about to tilt his head in confusion, Joo-oh suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
It came back to him. How he had first won Jin Mu-hae’s favor and clung to him so he wouldn’t be kicked out.
Back then, he had only vaguely guessed, but now he knew for sure. Despite his cold face, Jin Mu-hae had a weakness for those who seemed pitiful yet useful to him.
And in Joo-oh’s opinion, he had been incredibly useful to Jin Mu-hae. He kept him warm while he slept, cheered him on by telling him he was cool when he overcame hardships, and shared a bite whenever he found something delicious!
‘So, how should I explain this?’
It was forbidden to hastily make up a story when a completely new setting had appeared. Moreover, since there was no longer a risk of being kicked out of the house, there was no need to deceive Jin Mu-hae. Now that Jin Mu-hae had obtained the relevant data, for the first time ever, he was ahead of Joo-oh in the information war.
‘Unbelievable. I’m a total veteran of 「La Vida Blue」.’
Joo-oh’s eyebrows drooped. Thinking about it again, it was bewildering in many ways.
What was even more absurd was that, amidst all this, he felt a surge of ecstasy at the fact that he had discovered a new setting.
The realization that there was still so much to explore in this world—a world he thought he had chewed, torn, tasted, and sucked every drop of sweetness, saltiness, and bitterness from—shook his heart and sent a thrill through his veins.
“Don’t just wander off on your own. Do you think this is Goryeo City?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And first, sigh… calm down.”
Calm down? Instead of demanding where he had been or getting furious as expected, Jin Mu-hae met his eyes while stroking his head.
Only then did Joo-oh realize he was panting heavily.
The excitement wouldn’t subside. He didn’t think he was turning black, but his heart was thumping loudly.
“Huu. Haaa.”
He took a deep breath and walked beside Jin Mu-hae. He wanted to take this opportunity to pretend he needed Jin Mu-hae’s scent and cuddle up to him, but he decided against it because that felt too much like a con artist.
He tilted his head again, feeling something a bit strange. It didn’t feel like his chest was tight simply because of the hidden story of 「La Vida Blue」.
Rather, it was a feeling of closeness that was even more unfamiliar and strange.
Joo-oh fell deep into a bittersweet sensation that made him want to lick his lips. It was so captivating that he didn’t even notice Jin Mu-hae looking at him with a peculiar gaze.
‘Experiment… Solar City Experiment S-22.’
As they moved through the research facility, staring at the broken objects and claw marks left on the walls, he slowly began to understand the emotion he was feeling.
Traces that he was glad to see, even knowing he wasn’t the one who caused them. A bewildered and awkward joy.
…Joy?
Joo-oh closed and opened his eyes slowly. Words he had almost blurted out circled in his head.
‘I’m fluttering.’
Yes, joy. Ecstasy. Though he couldn’t be entirely certain yet, Joo-oh was overwhelmed.
Not just because he had found new information, but because, unexpectedly, there was a place for him in the story of this world.
‘I really was an Experiment with a significant amount of screen time.’
In none of the Quests he had performed while following Jin Mu-hae had there been a setting prepared for Joo-oh.
It was natural. He was an outsider and a variable, a sort of bundle of bugs that appeared to twist the predetermined story.
Thus, he had no place of birth or upbringing to blend in as a human, and he was distinctly different from other Aberrants to settle into the role of a monster.
By a strange coincidence, he possessed abilities close to the ideals of the Blue Energy believers, but he had neither been created nor modified by them.
No matter which direction the history of this world flowed, or how much he contributed to it, Joo-oh was like an intruder who had suddenly fallen from the sky.
But…
‘I guess I wasn’t just a meaningless monster.’
Now, a plausible story had emerged—one that Jin Mu-hae could reasonably guess. A relationship that was distant enough to explain the years they spent apart, yet somehow intertwined with Jin Mu-hae.
He became breathless again from the novelty and excitement. He barely managed to keep his mouth shut and tried to act normal.
‘I want to write a journal.’
The thought suddenly occurred to him. Now that all the Quests were complete and he had secured the hidden ending, there was no longer a need to remind himself of his goals or struggle to record human speech to maintain his sanity.
Yet, he still wanted to record. He felt it would be great to pour out all the exciting new things he learned, save them, and look back on them when he wanted to feel good. Just like his secret collection of photos of Jin Mu-hae…
It seemed fine. If it was Joo-oh’s, security wouldn’t be an issue. If he kept the journal in his Inventory and only took it out when needed, no one would find it.
To do that, unlike the random scraps of paper he had scribbled on last time, it had to be something meaningful based purely on personal taste, yet something Jin Mu-hae wouldn’t notice if it went missing.
Completely forgetting what kind of expression Jin Mu-hae was making while glancing at him, Joo-oh sank into deep thought with a troubled face.
‘…A notebook?’
After a short deliberation, an object flashed into his mind. A notebook. When they went to the prison, Jin Mu-hae had brought one out.
Since Jin Mu-hae had regained his freedom and been given a pad and tablet PC again, he wouldn’t necessarily continue using a paper notebook.
In fact, he had never seen him write anything in it. At most, there might be some memos left from before they escaped the lab…
‘An analog edition journal notebook containing the handwriting of the protagonist, Jin Mu-hae.’
It was so attractive it made his mouth water. His face flushed and his heart raced uncontrollably.
Joo-oh let out a small moan and covered his mouth.
“What is it? Are you hungry?”
“I’m not.”
He had been peckish until a moment ago, but now he had no room to feel hunger. Unable to overcome the churning sensation, he clung tighter to Jin Mu-hae’s arm.
“Come here. Let’s take a break.”
Jin Mu-hae practically carried the stiff-shouldered Joo-oh. The scent of Jin Mu-hae wafted over him. The smell of sweat mixed in. Warm skin.
A large hand touched his cheek and kneaded his earlobe. Seeing that he was kinder than usual, it seemed he had successfully looked pitiful.
Joo-oh savored the pleasant contact and licked his lips. Though there had been hints during the hidden ending, 「La Vida Blue」 was now truly the story of Jin Mu-hae and Joo-oh.
That fact was still dazing, bewildering, and joyful, making him keep rubbing his head against Jin Mu-hae’s chest. The purpose of why they came here to find something had plummeted in priority and vanished from his mind.
‘Mmm… I don’t know. Jin Mu-hae will handle it.’
For the first time, he took an interest in something other than the Starpath. Letting go of the obsession didn’t feel bad.
The two of them were perfect partners and now knew how to divide the labor, so he felt it would be okay to focus on his own business just this once.
S-22
Attached Materials
> [Video Material 001]
> [Video Material 002]
.
.
.
[Play]
—Krrr… Kiiing!
After seeing an Aberrant of a familiar shape in the suspicious research facility, Joo-oh couldn’t seem to pull himself together.
He would mutter something to himself, then space out blankly, and suddenly his pale skin would turn bright red as he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Watching him was enough to make me lose my mind too. I tried not to think about it, but what if Joo-oh was so shocked that he transformed into another form?
It wasn’t a concern if he lost control of his strength and smashed everything around him. This facility was already half-destroyed and had been abandoned for a long time; since I had already extracted the necessary information, I didn’t care if he broke the walls or chewed on the chairs like bubblegum.
My concern was whether he would suddenly bolt and disappear like before. Even if I conceded and he sat quietly, the next problem was that if he didn’t return to his relatively petite form, I wouldn’t be able to fit him into the small aircraft, no matter how much he folded his limbs and curled his body.
I don’t know how many times I told him to calm down. I kept stroking his head and cupping his cheeks to convey my body heat.
Seeing his eyes return to normal for brief moments, it seemed he wasn’t so shocked that he was completely incapacitated.
“This won’t do. Get on my back.”
I disassembled the equipment attached to my jacket one by one and put them in Joo-oh’s bag. As soon as I offered my empty back, he clung to me instantly, as if he had never been spaced out.
I couldn’t see Joo-oh’s face from then on, but I could feel his body temperature and heartbeat more clearly.
His heart was still beating fast, but his body, touching mine through our clothes, had fortunately softened and relaxed.
Every time I took a step, his dangling legs swung back and forth.
…I think he might have been moving to a rhythm just now. No, probably not.