By Zephyria 
Descending into the basement, what Yoo Jiha witnessed were incantations inscribed on the walls and ceiling, bloodstains pooled on the floor, and a tear in the void. Jeil Heon was nowhere to be seen in the place suspected to be the source of the Contamination; there was only the entrance to an Aberrant Realm that had been forced open.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t scared. However, there was a very high probability that Jeil Heon was beyond that threshold. After squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, he sent a text to Je Seong-jae saying he was entering the Aberrant Realm and leaped inside.
‘Aaaah…’
He hoped it would be one of the Aberrant Realms he had explored before, but this place was unfamiliar. To make matters worse, he didn’t even receive the Management Bureau’s warning text notifying him that he had entered an Aberrant Realm.
It became even more chilling once he confirmed that the concept of this Aberrant Realm was the End of Goryeo, Beginning of Joseon. Since these things were needlessly faithful to their concepts, he had to be careful about his attire. Unfortunately, because he had been searching the villa in the heat, he had taken off his outer layer and was wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt.
‘I’m a commoner. I’m a commoner. I’m a commoner.’
「Heyyy.」
“Gah! I’m a commoner, that’s why I’m dressed like this!”
「Whaaat are you talking about.」
Looking back, it was an entity that looked like a merchant. It pointed to its stall. A hemp cloth resembling a specific part of the male anatomy wriggled.
「Nowww, it’s a bit hard to explain with words, but this is a veeeery useful item for men. Give it a try.」
[■■■■Sell■Today■■■■■■■■■■…….]
Though it wasn’t clear through the True Eye Text, Aberrations that mimicked merchants usually demanded a Contaminated Entity or a corresponding body part. Jiha asked, desperately hoping a fingernail would suffice.
“H-how much is it?”
「Cheeeap as chips. Just scoop out a spoonful of braaaain… ¿¡Y-y-y-you, what do you have on you¡」
The Aberration, which had been about to open a human skull, suddenly recoiled in horror. Jiha was the one who was surprised instead. The only thing he had brought with him was a golf club, and while he had held it up before the Aberration’s eyes, that couldn’t be it.
Wondering if there was something else, he felt around his body and thought of his necklace. Since receiving it from Jeil Heon, he had worn it while showering and sleeping, to the point where it was now perceived as a part of his body. When he pulled the necklace out from under his collar, the reaction was dramatic. Not only the merchant entity, but all the other entities nearby recoiled in terror and bowed their heads.
「Oh myyy, my Lord¡ Please forgive my rudeness¡」
“…?”
He didn’t know what was going on, but in this Aberrant Realm, the necklace seemed to be a kind of free pass, much like Jeil Heon’s blood.
The Aberrations guided the bewildered Yoo Jiha to a tavern and treated him with utmost hospitality. Jiha desperately averted his eyes from the soup the Aberration brought. That black clump floating in the soup must be seaweed or laver, not human hair…
“I-I’m looking for someone, an Aberration. Have you seen an entity this tall? Their clothes are similar to what I’m wearing.”
「Could it be that Japaneeese fellow from earlier¿」
‘They even implemented Wokou pirates for the End of Goryeo, Beginning of Joseon era… they’re truly hardcore concept-followers…’
From what he heard, there had been an entity recently that slaughtered everything in sight like a Wokou pirate. Since it had made the Aberrations tremble in fear, Jiha was certain it was Jeil Heon. He felt like he could guess what kind of thing he had done to be called a “Japanese fellow,” yet at the same time, he didn’t want to know.
“Where did he go?”
The Aberrations guided Yoo Jiha by carrying him on a sedan chair. The ride quality of the sedan chair, made by the Aberrations weaving their own bodies together, was horrific. He almost died of embarrassment when they even shouted, 「Clear the way¡ The Lord is passing through¡」
The treatment was the same when they arrived at a wealthy estate. Once guided to the central courtyard, he spotted a familiar back.
“Ajusshi!”
A sense of relief washed over him. Although there was a bit of blood on his clothes, Jeil Heon was standing there with all his limbs intact. It seemed there had been no great danger. What a relief. Like a tightly stretched string suddenly loosening, the tension that had been gripping the depths of his body dissipated. Even though he believed Jeil Heon would be fine, he had been unconsciously anxious and worried.
Once he confirmed he was safe, another worry crept in. It was his fault for secretly following him into an Aberrant Realm. Just as he was about to speak carefully, Jeil Heon rushed over.
“Yoo Jiha!”
Jeil Heon quickly scanned Jiha’s entire body with his eyes and hands to check for injuries, then let out a sigh of relief.
“What on earth are you doing coming in here! And alone, at that!”
Clear anxiety was evident in his raised voice. Rationally, Jiha understood that he was blaming him out of concern because he had followed him into a dangerous place. However, upon hearing those first words of reprimand, the anxiety that had been coiled inside him for the days he was gone finally burst forth.
“It’s because you kept disappearing without any word! You didn’t answer calls or texts! Do I look like the kind of person who could just stay perfectly calm while you vanish?!”
“If I had gone somewhere else, I would have told you, of course. But since it’s a dangerous Aberrant Realm, there was no need to let you know… ”
“But you told your brother!”
“…Did you hear it from Seong-jae?”
“What does it matter who I heard it from!”
Simply shouting blindly wouldn’t solve anything. He wanted to speak calmly while looking at him, but the stinging ache in his heart, which had begun the moment he heard it from Je Seong-jae, overflowed painfully.
“I… I’m your partner, but I didn’t know where you went and just kept worrying, and do you know how I felt when I finally found out through your brother?”
The stinging reached his eyes, and Jiha rubbed under his eyes repeatedly. Jeil Heon rubbed his face roughly and let out a low groan.
“Since I was entering an Aberrant Realm alone, I didn’t want to worry you for no reason…”
“Because I’m a child? You’re saying you couldn’t tell me because I’m a child?”
Even as he spat out the words he couldn’t hold back, Jiha regretted it. It felt as though he was only revealing how young he was compared to him. How much more would he view him as immature?
However, Jeil Heon gently grabbed the wrist that was rubbing his eyes hard and pulled it down. His fingertips were cautious as he tended to the skin under the eyes that had become red and swollen in a short time. Because the gaze looking down at the tears shed in a moment of indignation was full of self-reproach, Jiha could only bite his lip helplessly before thumping his forehead against Jeil Heon’s shoulder.
“I might look like nothing but a child in your eyes, but I miss you when you’re gone and I worry when I can’t reach you. It’s not just me receiving your care; I can take care of you too.”
“…I wasn’t thinking clearly, Jiha. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever disappear without contacting me again.”
“I won’t.”
As if trying to absorb the stinging pain, soft lips slowly caressed the reddened, swollen area around his eyes.
Leaning into Jeil Heon’s embrace as he pulled him close with a low sigh, Jiha suddenly locked eyes with someone beside his shoulder. It was an Aberration leaning against the railing of the pavilion, watching them with an intrigued expression.
“…!”
He had forgotten in the heat of his emotional outburst, but this was an Aberrant Realm. As he froze in surprise, Jeil Heon also realized it belatedly and covered his face with his palm.
「Is the lovers’ quarrel over already? Now I see why the yeosong call this ‘dopamine’.」
The Aberration stared mischievously with a hearty laugh. Rather than admiration for its haunting beauty, a chill ran down Jiha’s spine.
[■]
Not only was the True Eye Text unreadable—the shape itself was unrecognizable—but unlike the other Aberrations, its entire set of clothing, including the gat, was in the style of the late Joseon period, suggesting it was a special entity of this place. Jiha stealthily moved sideways and hid completely behind Jeil Heon. As if to reassure him, Jeil Heon hugged his shoulder tightly and turned around.
“Finish the explanation you started earlier.”
「Is the younger brother thirty by human years? A fine age for loving. The elder brother also had such wonderful days.」
“…The Divine Tool.”
The Aberration, who had been laughing heartily, snapped its folding fan shut.
「As you know, the Mansin was a benevolent and giving person. He even touched the hearts of the Aberrations of Mount Guwol, so much so that they still voluntarily guard the shrine to this day. Thus, the Divine Tool must also be obtained in accordance with his common sense for its divine power to remain intact.」
“Did you set up some kind of quest in the Aberrant Realm?”
「Find the most noble person here and resolve their distress. Until then, feel free to stay in this house as if it were your own.」
With those words, the Aberration vanished as if melting into the air.