By Zephyria Joo-oh. Twenty-two years old.
Fifteen years had passed since the possession, but he was still twenty-two.
Joo-oh thought so. The time he spent wandering, having lost his ego, wasn’t included in his human age.
Therefore, he had to become more human.
‘Little by little, I’m getting better.’
Fortunately, his dazed mind was gradually clearing. He was even developing a little patience when food was in front of him.
He also wasn’t mindlessly breaking things anymore. Jin Mu-hae was diligently helping, too.
That was enough. From now on, he just had to spit out the bones instead of eating them. Even if there was something else he forgot, he could just fix it as soon as it became a problem.
“Here. Swallow this.”
Just then, Teacher Jung handed him medicine and water. Joo-oh obediently took the round pill and swallowed it, gazing up at him.
His gentle impression and noticeable scar evoked a nostalgic feeling, like a long-lost neighbor he was meeting again.
Well, even if it wasn’t Teacher Jung, Joo-oh knew him very well. He had delved into the side stories of important characters while playing the game countless times.
If he searched that cabinet right now, he would find narcotic painkillers and sleeping pills, and if he pried open the bottom of his bed, there would be lethal weapons.
Teacher Jung was a ‘prepared’ person. Joo-oh quite liked his quiet but reliable personality.
“I heard about that.”
“From Boss Gil?”
“Yes.”
While clicking the puzzle in his hand, Jin Mu-hae and Teacher Jung were having their usual conversation.
Joo-oh swung his legs and quietly eavesdropped on their conversation.
“I did get advice from him… but honestly, I don’t know where to start.”
“I suppose so. It’s only been yesterday since you opened it.”
“Boss Gil thinks of this as a qualification test my father set.”
“A test… Well, it would be dangerous to jump into this without a certain level of ability.”
Teacher Jung’s eyes sparkled. Joo-oh caught a subtle change in the scent emanating from him.
“You’ve read the records, so you know, right? What we were involved in was by no means a small project. Besides the main participants, there were many others involved.”
“It seems so.”
“Most of them have returned to their daily lives, living quietly. It’s hard to believe, but somehow, they managed to do it.”
“How on earth…”
The core of this city was by no means easy to deal with. How could figures who could shake the system survive, let alone live ordinary lives?
Teacher Jung glanced at the tightly closed window and lowered his voice to answer.
“If there were participants within Central, it wouldn’t be impossible to downsize the incident. Don’t you think?”
Only then did Mu-hae look like he understood. The record of a project encompassing all classes must have come to mind.
“Do you want me to go looking for them?”
“If necessary, yes.”
“Who should I dig up first?”
“Hmm… Well, we should start with the safest ones.”
Teacher Jung picked up a memo on the side table. He scribbled something on it for a long time and then handed it to Mu-hae.
“Read it and burn it. Or swallow it.”
“I don’t eat paper.”
“Who said you did?”
Joo-oh watched them bickering and licked his lips.
‘I can eat it, though.’
It wouldn’t be delicious, but it wouldn’t hurt him. Joo-oh vowed to swallow it neatly if Mu-hae asked him to eat the paper, and placed the clicking wire puzzle on the bed.
“I’ll be going.”
“Be careful.”
Only after exchanging brief greetings did Mu-hae turn to look at Joo-oh.
He nodded slightly. It meant to go out. Joo-oh jumped up from the bed and scurried after Mu-hae.
“See? I told you I was okay.”
“Shut up.”
“Jin Mu-hae is louder.”
Jin Mu-hae didn’t seem interested in the childish conversation and shut his mouth.
Still, he kindly put the hood over his head, which made Joo-oh feel good.
He was glad he met Jin Mu-hae. He was glad he could interfere in his life. At first, he had planned to thwart Jin Mu-hae’s grand plan and change the ending, but once he met him, felt his touch, and smelled his scent, nothing else mattered.
“Jin Mu-hae is louder.”
“…”
“Jin Mu-hae is more…”
“Okay, stop it and follow me. Stand next to me.”
A satisfying shiver ran down his neck.
The road he walked alongside him was as colorful as Joo-oh’s mood.
Ting-a-ling. After the cheap metal bell rang, the clinic became quiet.
Teacher Jung stood there blankly for a long time before slowly relaxing his shoulders.
Thump, thump. Making footsteps in the silence, he erased Mu-hae’s traces one by one.
Then, finally, he fully opened the half-closed curtains and looked at the bed where Joo-oh had been, and the wire puzzle lying alone on the blanket caught his eye.
“Hmm.”
Whenever there was a patient who didn’t listen, Teacher Jung would often hand them a puzzle with a difficulty level close to a bad habit.
None of them had ever solved the puzzle, but at least they would be quiet for about 10 minutes.
But now, the puzzle was neatly separated and sparkling.
Clatter. He hardened his expression and held the puzzle in his hand.
Jin Mu-hae brought an interesting fellow.
Goryeo City was basically in the shape of concentric circles.
In the very center was Central, where the residences and Business District of the upper class were concentrated.
Around that heart, additional business and production districts were located in a circle, and beyond that, residential areas for ordinary citizens were formed.
Further out was the labor district. Beyond that lay the slums, and basically, the further away from Central, the more shabby the lives of the residents became.
Since there was hardly any need to leave the Comfort zone in this era, the roads leading to the outside were more of a measure of danger than convenience.
Even within the same district, neighborhoods connected to the outside had relatively lower house prices.
Jin Mu-hae’s destination this time was the southern part of Taeul District, a neighborhood crossed by that road.
“I know this neighborhood.”
Jin Mu-hae muttered, burning the end of the paper.
“I see.”
Joo-oh chimed in for no reason.
Jin Mu-hae had been to Taeul District about four or five times so far.
Although residential areas were divided, it didn’t mean that members of the slums were permanently isolated outside the security zone.
If there was no criminal record, it was possible to enter simply by undergoing a simple inspection and passing through the gate.
Even if someone like Jin Mu-hae was linked to his father’s criminal record by guilt-by-association, it was not difficult to pass through if there was a legitimate purpose such as work.
So, this time too, he could just stride into Taeul District…
‘That was the charge.’
Ha. Mu-hae let out a hollow laugh. If such a record remained, he would be subject to tracking.
He hadn’t realized it until now, but perhaps he had been under surveillance every time he visited other districts, even Central, for a request.
It would be the same this time. As soon as he left the west side of the slums, someone would magically confirm him from somewhere.
In that case, it would be more natural to have a job than to move around the district without a purpose.
Mu-hae needed a proper residence, especially a request related to Taeul District.
“Damn it.”
“Why?”
“Can you stay home alone?”
“…Why?”
At the same time as the question, Joo-oh’s eyes widened. His pupils seemed to dilate slightly, as if he had noticed the sign that he was going to be left behind.
It was the reaction he expected, but it was more troublesome than he thought. When he was looking for the wolf, he had taken Joo-oh with him because he was just going to lightly look around the outside, but this request was likely not to be the case.
Especially considering what Joo-oh had done in front of the wolf, leaving him behind was beneficial to both of their mental and physical health.
“I’m going too.”
The problem was that he wouldn’t readily accept his situation.
“I explained it last time, but we’re not going for fun. I don’t have the mental capacity to work while worrying about you.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not worry? You’re the type to stick your neck into the Beast’s mouth. Don’t gloss over it by saying you’re okay, just wait quietly, I’ll be back soon…”
Ominous.
A strange sensation ran down Mu-hae’s spine for a moment.
Without realizing it, Mu-hae tried to bring one hand behind his back, but he realized that he was unarmed and returned it to its original position.
The street he looked around was ordinary without any dangerous elements. People passing by glanced at Joo-oh, who had pulled his hood down, but that was all.
“Everything I said was okay is okay.”
Joo-oh’s eyes, which he faced, seemed a little redder for some reason.
Mu-hae was seized by a strange feeling and reviewed the events he had experienced with Joo-oh.
‘…He was strong, though.’
A grip strong enough to tear through tough leather at once. A strange detection ability that he couldn’t identify.
He kept jumping around, but strangely, there was no damage or disadvantage to Mu-hae. Rather, the last incident was helpful.
Certainly, if what Joo-oh said about knowing something more was true, there would be a corner to use this time as well. He was still doubtful, but even more so if he was an ‘Experiment’.
Jin Mu-hae frowned deeply and pressed his temples.
“Okay.”
After agonizing for almost a few minutes, an answer flowed out with a sigh.
At the same time, the intangible pressure that had been weighing down on his shoulders disappeared surprisingly quickly.
“Haha, hee.”
Joo-oh smiled brightly as if he had never been sulking.
Mu-hae felt uncomfortable and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to the side.
“I’ll take you with me depending on what you do. Behave yourself.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t just answer. If you go poking around everywhere, I’ll lock you in the study.”
“Okay, okay.”
Jin Mu-hae turned his gaze back to manipulate the Watch. A small Hologram Window floated in front of his eyes.
Welcome!
Location Information ▶ [Goryeo City]
Today’s Weather: Clear/Dry
[Request Request]
[Request Order]
Request Type
Exploration Type▽
Escort Type▽
Recently, there had been no plausible jobs other than the Company’s long-term requests.
However, that was only a judgment based on income.
If he included requests with ambiguous value, he could find a plausible excuse.
Mu-hae, who was skillfully scanning the list, twitched the end of his eyebrow before long.
Escort Type ▷
No. 11258
Visit the rest stop on the middle road of Iron Horse Valley
310 Deal
Round trip – Departure location Goryeo City East Gate
Found it. A cheap request.