By Zephyria Unlike the thrilling previous day, the return trip was quiet and peaceful.
When passing through the area where the battle had taken place, Jin Mu-hae briefly considered the byproducts of the Twilight Tiger, but soon clicked his tongue and hurried on.
The rental car, having completed its two-day journey, arrived in Goryeo City in the early afternoon.
Jin Mu-hae completed the mission completion process and delivered the news of the Aberrant that had appeared in an unusual location. Only after resting for a long time did he enter Taeul District.
‘Temporary registration?’
‘He’s someone we rescued from outside recently. He lost his memory due to an accident, so we’re protecting him here.’
‘He looks fine. Who’s the guarantor?’
‘Also us. We’re just showing him around and leaving. I’m going for free drinks, so I felt bad leaving him behind.’
Everything went smoothly except for a slight delay due to Joo-oh not being a registered citizen.
It wasn’t calculated, but Mu-hae judged that having the seemingly harmless Joo-oh around would reduce suspicion.
Usually, someone planning something wouldn’t bring along a person who seems to be mentally unstable.
Thus, Jin Mu-hae was only able to enter the formal residential area around sunset.
Even the most underdeveloped outer neighborhoods of Taeul District had tidy streets.
Roads stretched straight in accordance with the divisions, and uniform buildings rose to match the standards.
Of course, as people settled and lived there, there were changes to suit the characteristics as one went to the outskirts, but compared to the haphazardly expanded slums, it was surprisingly neat.
Joo-oh seemed to feel it too, his gaze darting around with curiosity.
Mu-hae grabbed his forearm to prevent him from acting out and pulled him closer as if telling him to follow properly.
“Haha, heh.”
A foolish laugh pierced his ear. The corners of his mouth, not covered by the hood, drew a properly pleasant arc.
The beaming smile didn’t stop even when Mu-hae met the client or entered a moderately shabby bar.
Perhaps because of that, the two parties had to endure glances from people throughout their walk.
From the start, Mu-hae himself was noticeably tall and had well-defined features, making him stand out wherever he went. Joo-oh’s appearance, with only his lower face exposed, also had an attractive aura that was hard to ignore.
The client, having returned to Goryeo City and relaxed, seemed to notice the attention they were getting.
“Let’s go to a seat inside.”
The man took a table in a suitably secluded corner. Beer and simple snacks were quickly brought before them.
Mu-hae took the drink placed in front of Joo-oh and drank it himself, pushing the food to the side.
“It was a truly amazing experience. I met an acquaintance after returning today, and they asked if I had really been there. They were horrified when I said I saw an Aberrant.”
“The Aberrant alert was just issued in that area, so you must have received some attention.”
“I also heard stories about you. You’re quite famous in that industry. Only by word of mouth, though… I’m grateful that you accepted my request. Truly.”
If you know that, refrain from doing things you shouldn’t in the next Deal. Mu-hae barely swallowed the words he was about to utter.
It was thanks to reminding himself in time that there wouldn’t be a next time for the man.
In the end, Jin Mu-hae engaged in light conversation back and forth. He wasn’t the type to avoid interacting with people, but with the task ahead, his sociability naturally plummeted.
Just at the right moment, Joo-oh spoke up.
“When are you going out?”
“Why? Are you bored? I’ll be here for at least two or three hours.”
“Are you going alone?”
“……”
“……”
“You. You’re not asking about going home, are you?”
For some reason, Joo-oh was guessing Mu-hae’s actions even though he hadn’t explained anything.
It seemed he had overheard the conversation with Teacher Jung at the treatment center. Well, it wasn’t like they were hiding it, and they were talking openly, so if he had ears, he couldn’t have missed it.
The fact that he understood the situation after hearing only that part felt strangely unfamiliar.
Joo-oh was still not quite right in the head. If a crazy guy suddenly showed intelligence, Mu-hae couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“I’ll be back soon. Until then, eat whatever you want to your heart’s content.”
“Hmm. I’m thinking.”
“What are you thinking about? Don’t do anything weird, just eat. Don’t answer anyone who talks to you. Are you listening?”
“I’m going to eat a lot. Because Jin Mu-hae isn’t here.”
“You talk as if you ate little at any time.”
Even now, he had already devoured all the snacks they had ordered. Moreover, while Jin Mu-hae was drinking with the client, he was stuck right next to him, holding his arm as if hugging it.
It was annoying, but he had to leave him behind soon. Thinking that he should cater to him as much as possible, Mu-hae gave up the freedom of one arm and stalled for time.
“I’ll go to the restroom for a bit.”
When he felt he had pretended to enjoy the drinking session enough, Jin Mu-hae slowly got up.
“I’ll say it one more time.”
“I’ll be eating.”
A lingering warmth remained on the arm that Joo-oh had released.
Mu-hae scanned him with his eyes, who had become a little gloomy, and hurriedly left the bar.
As Jin Mu-hae left his seat, his floating heart sank slightly.
Of course, it was his first time coming directly into Taeul District, so he was happy and excited. Still, something felt off.
Joo-oh, with a sulky face, ordered any food on the menu at random.
If well-fried potatoes, steak, and fried rice came out, the strangely empty feeling would subside to some extent.
When the fragrant and appetizing smell pierced his nose, Joo-oh would surely lose his mind and crave the food.
“Jin Mu-hae said he’d pay for this.”
When he placed an order that was easily enough for ten people, the client’s face briefly stiffened, but upon hearing those words, he soon showed a light of relief.
It was an understandable reaction. He was already not well-off, and he had debts from covering his wife’s hospital bills five years ago.
After receiving his death date, he had poured all his savings into repayment and succeeded, but now the only money he had left was for his post-mortem arrangements.
Like this, 「La Vida Blue」 had NPCs with various stories. Although most were disposable connections for sub-quests, if you postponed the story progression and searched their homes or belongings, you could discover unexpectedly detailed and interesting character settings.
While there were errors in important parts such as the world setting and physical laws, these side stories were made in a perverted level of detail.
It was the characteristic of a bad game itself, but Joo-oh didn’t dislike the dense side information.
‘It was nice because it felt like I was really living here.’
Even though he didn’t remember the past, the feelings he had felt while playing the game remained within him like petroglyphs.
Joo-oh had probably been obsessively immersed in this bad game. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to endure 15 years of hardship and still recall the game’s information.
“What kind of person was your wife?”
Naturally, Joo-oh became curious about information beyond what was revealed during gameplay.
Now that 「La Vida Blue」 had become reality, Joo-oh’s heart was pounding at the thought that he could collect even more stories and items.
Every time he encountered something that wasn’t in the game, he felt like he was melting into this world. That feeling was unbearably good for Joo-oh.
“Oh, um… she was ordinary. As ordinary as I am. But she was more resourceful and understanding than me.”
“Do you have children?”
“Ahem. I wanted to have them if possible, but it turned out this way.”
Thinking of the wife’s letter he had found during the game, their relationship must have been very good. Joo-oh stopped asking questions and stared silently at the man’s fingers.
Just in time, the food he had ordered in bulk began to come out. The appetizing smell made his mind spin, but still, it had been a few days since he had returned to human form, so it was easier to endure than before.
“This.”
Joo-oh barely pushed a plate of fluffy fried rice to the client and then picked up his own utensils and began to eat.
The savory, salty, spicy, sour, sweet, and greasy flavors that filled his mouth abundantly filled his empty stomach.
He wasn’t eating particularly quickly, but the food disappeared miraculously clean. The eyes of the people around him were drawn to the unusual sight.
“I’m realizing again, you eat really well.”
“Jin Mu-hae said that too.”
“Well, keep eating. I’m going to go to the restroom for a bit too.”
As the last remaining companion left to take care of business, the attention became even more blatant.
Just as Joo-oh was cutting a large piece of a new steak, someone approached the secluded table.
“Wow, are you really going to eat all of this?”
A gruff voice. The man with hair cut close to a buzz cut didn’t look like he was of good quality at a glance.
Joo-oh glanced at him and then pretended not to see him and focused on his meal again.
He felt a hand approaching unexpectedly, but it wasn’t threatening, so he ignored it. In return, Joo-oh’s hood was pulled back.
‘What is he saying…’
He’s an extra I’ve never seen in the game, pretending to be a local.
Low-quality gangs lived in every district, and as always, there was trouble wherever people lived.
Still, wouldn’t this place be better than the slums? The guys who peeked out from under the umbrella of the law were nothing compared to the people who truly had no tomorrow.
It didn’t seem like they could do any particular harm. Joo-oh recalled Mu-hae’s words to stay still and only frowned slightly.
Mu-hae’s work and the food in front of him were more important than them. Perhaps his attitude was displeasing, as the buzz-cut guy’s hand approached Joo-oh once again.
“……!”
“It’s not very tasty.”
The buzz-cut guy picked up a large piece of steak with his bare hand and ate it.
In that instant, an eerie light flowed into Joo-oh’s usually calm eyes.