By Zephyria And his mood had been vaguely strange anyway, even before that.
The first time he watched Jin Mu-hae’s TV. When the lights went out and the colorful screen on the wall flashed in the darkened surroundings, Joo-oh felt the monster hidden inside him writhing and twisting.
It felt like there was something he wanted to forget. Like he had finally forgotten it, but was now facing it again.
A huge, black hole swirled in his chest, sucking him in, a strange sensation that made the back of his neck prickle and his stomach churn.
“Hoo.”
Joo-oh sighed without realizing it.
“It’s just one day. Just bear with it for one day. I’ll buy you meat when we get back.”
Mu-hae, who had somehow heard him despite his quiet voice, immediately chimed in.
He seemed to be constantly worried about the fact that he had lost the pill. More precisely, about Joo-oh, who had lost it, rather than the substitute pill itself.
Was he thinking that Joo-oh might do something if he got hungry?
‘That’s true.’
When he was hungry, he was usually mentally hazy. Occasionally, when his reason returned, Joo-oh was always tearing apart and swallowing something, whether it was an Aberrant, a Beast, or some unknown animal.
The already wavering human mind shrank more often than not whenever the instincts of a beast grew stronger.
He resented his mind for not cooperating as he wished, but that was how Joo-oh had survived until now.
The secret to enduring 15 years without going insane.
…Whether he was really not insane was debatable, but anyway.
In the end, he had waited and met Jin Mu-hae, hadn’t he? He actually saw Jin Mu-hae, touched him, and was even treated to a meal by him.
At first, he only gave him annoyed looks, but gradually he started talking to Joo-oh and asking him questions.
And now he even gave him a job! Jin Mu-hae definitely needed Joo-oh.
That premise kept filling Joo-oh’s heart with pride. It felt like he could stick by his side and twist the story of the game, and survive forever.
Himself, existing perfectly fine next to the confident and cool protagonist, Jin Mu-hae.
“Hahaha.”
Just as a cold gaze seemed to fly his way at the sudden laughter, it soon slid away.
Jin Mu-hae seemed to be getting used to whatever Joo-oh did.
‘When would be good?’
At what point in the main quest should he twist the route?
He just needed to adjust it so that it didn’t change too dramatically, and so that the Blue Crystal didn’t disappear.
He was sure he had pondered similar things countless times over the past 15 years, but unlike the clear story of the game in his head, this part was hazy.
The experience of losing his ego was by no means pleasant. But as compensation, he had gained Jin Mu-hae’s side, so Joo-oh was reasonably satisfied.
Beep.
The lights went out. Joo-oh lay still, stuck to the vehicle body as Jin Mu-hae told him to.
Under the cover of darkness, he stared blankly into the air without even closing his eyes.
Jin Mu-hae’s breathing gradually became regular. The thought of his breath floating in the air made somewhere in his brain tingle.
When the sound of his breathing was completely settled and a languid scent brushed the tip of his nose.
Joo-oh rolled over to him. Even the pitch-black space with no light was no obstacle to looking at his face.
Symmetrical facial lines and a fantastically well-defined nose. A firm jaw. Lips that seemed delicate in comparison.
Jin Mu-hae’s peaceful face was so handsome that it made him sigh. He was the protagonist of this vast world, so it was only natural, but it was satisfying to look at him without getting tired of him.
Joo-oh glanced at the sleeping man and wriggled closer to him. He gently nestled into his arms, stopping abruptly when he felt a twitch.
When his breathing returned, he lifted his arm and clung to him more deeply. Tok. Jin Mu-hae’s arm, which had been gently lowered, naturally grabbed Joo-oh’s waist.
Feeling his warmth, Joo-oh felt like he was melting softly and seeping into the floor.
‘I like it.’
The warmth melted his body.
He physically felt that he was not alone. It was the moment he directly realized that the time he had spent wandering and wandering alone in this unnecessarily wide world was finally over.
‘I like it so much.’
He realized that he was really next to Jin Mu-hae. Joo-oh inflated his lungs and inhaled his scent deeply.
‘Jin Mu-hae. Jin Mu-hae.’
Only then did Joo-oh slowly close his eyes. The cozy sensation warmly wrapped around his tilting mind.
It was okay if Jin Mu-hae woke up in the morning and kicked him with his foot. Because Jin Mu-hae needed Joo-oh.
[Quest]
Main Quest
Tutorial (Completed)
Chapter 1
☞ Misfit of the City (Completed)
The Wolf That Lays Gold √
200,000 Deal Inheritance √
☞ Unquenched Embers (Completed)
Intangible Legacy √
Start of a Journey √
A Pair of Wedding Rings √
Kingfisher √
☞ ⧖……
Joo-oh was no longer alone.
Good afternoon, MH5591.
We have reviewed the exploration report submitted to the CME server.
[4/5] Crystal Zone Confirmed
Since you have not completed all of the above missions, we will not be able to deliver the success reward for this request.
However, the additional reported information is noteworthy,
Report on the massive migration of Beast habitats and changes in the number of Aberrant individuals
Detailed report on the destroyed Small aircraft in Area 5 and its surroundings
We have added a reward for the above information, and paid an amount similar to the existing completion fee.
Thank you for your hard work.
Cheonggang Mining & Energy Service Team
After returning to Goryeo City, a statement of accounts arrived from the Company.
2,877 Deal. It was exactly the reward he had expected. Jin Mu-hae slowly read through the service team’s email with the statement of accounts attached.
“…It’s unsettling.”
The seemingly gentle, emotionless sentences were the same as usual, but there were no particular questions about the report on the Small aircraft.
Traces of someone else appeared along with an anomaly in the area exclusively managed by the Company, but it felt like they were just brushing it off as nothing.
They were even giving him an additional reward, as if they had anticipated this would happen.
Or as if they had sent him to a site they already knew about.
“I’m unsettled too.”
Joo-oh, who was eating cereal straight from the bag with milk, chimed in on someone else’s mutterings.
He glanced over at him and saw that he had eaten a lot for someone who was unsettled. Empty boxes were scattered on the table, and the milk that had been full in the bowl had decreased by two-thirds and turned a cloudy purple color.
“You know that’s for eight servings, right?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Serving size 90 grams. Can’t you see?”
“I didn’t say it was one serving.”
Joo-oh rolled his eyes and pulled the bowl closer to him. He had a very determined expression, as if someone was going to take that little thing away from him.
He was so dumbfounded by the sight that he didn’t even feel like responding. Mu-hae, who was serious but had lost his energy, clicked his tongue softly and leaned back on the sofa.
‘But they don’t seem to know that information is missing.’
The pharmaceuticals of unknown origin found in the Small aircraft. The unidentified corpse that had been torn apart and had only bones left.
Despite judging that there was some connection between the two, Mu-hae omitted the information about the corpse and reported it to the Company.
It wasn’t for any particular reason, but purely because of Joo-oh.
He had brought the first aid kit back to the house without him knowing when he had taken it.
The moment Mu-hae witnessed the rectangular white box in his bag, he had a feeling that he would be involved in something troublesome.
‘…Who told you to bring something like this home without permission.’
‘I found it.’
‘It’s yours, so you brought it?’
‘Yeah.’
After that, he seemed to have given a stern warning for about 30 minutes, telling him not to touch anything and not to bring anything back without permission.
When he said he was going to throw it away at the hospital, Joo-oh frowned and retorted that he would memorize the way back.
Jin Mu-hae didn’t even realize that Teacher Jung couldn’t pawn off a grown man like him as a child, and he looked like he was about to tear his shoes off and go, his butt wiggling.
Damn it. Mu-hae pushed the first aid kit under the bed and buried the matter.
It was a corpse that he wouldn’t have found without Joo-oh anyway. So he had never seen anything like bones in Buckta.
Having done that, he had prepared an answer in his own way in case the Company asked about the Small aircraft…
For some reason, they, who were so picky about Crystal Blue, concluded the request with just one statement of accounts.
It was a fortunate thing, but he felt strangely uneasy.
“It’s amazing. Yaaawn.”
Joo-oh mumbled with good timing, stuffing his mouth full of soggy cereal.
Mu-hae didn’t bother to ask what was so amazing. If he were to talk about amazing things, Joo-oh himself was the most amazing.
“When you’re done eating, get ready to go out.”
“Where are we going?”
“Electronic Store.”
“Director Gil?”
He didn’t think he had ever called him by that title in front of Joo-oh. He wondered where he had managed to pick it up, and he asked with sparkling eyes.
His expression was easy to read. His face was full of excitement that he was going there with him.
“You need to have some useful equipment too.”
Jin Mu-hae turned his eyes to the TV and answered curtly.
“…!”
Did he understand what that meant?
Joo-oh, who had been dawdling, started pouring cereal into his mouth with a clattering spoon.
―Crunch♪ Sweet and sour fun in your mouth!
―Tinkle Fruit Tornado♪♩ Find Tinkle Friends in the box!
The Goryeo City public broadcasting morning program, which was either news or a TV show, ended, and commercials began to play one after another.
The cereal box that Joo-oh had brought and asked him to buy on the way home the day before was shown in a full TV close-up.
Mu-hae inadvertently glanced at Joo-oh.
He had heard a small moan from the study before dawn. But now, the person in question still seemed to be unaware of that fact.
According to Teacher Jung’s theory that he had heard sometime, forgetting is a blessing and not knowing is medicine. There would be no need to delve into something that he himself could not remember.
…That would be the case.
Jin Mu-hae lightly gripped the Link Watch on his wrist.