By Zephyria 193
“Ugh, what is it.”
“He’s doing all sorts of things…, really.”
Sa-young’s muttering voice could be heard in the narrowed field of vision. Eui-jae frowned and glared at Cluck. The light that had been shining so brightly soon subsided. Cluck was still nestled in Sa-young’s hand, using it as its nesting, and its bean-sized eyes were tightly closed. Eui-jae crossed his arms.
“Did something happen?”
“……”
“Let’s just go find Yoon Ga-eul. And abandon it.”
“Cluck!”
Cluck raised both wings and cried out loudly. A strange intelligence resided in its bean-like eyes. But all that returned was a pair of cold gazes. Cluck, carefully folding its wings, began to chirp. A hurried whisper flowed from its cute face.
“Friend, don’t call me! I just came for a moment to say that.”
“Why?”
“Because the Master here is that guy. This is trespassing.”
“So, this isn’t a dream, but a separate Shield?”
“That’s right. Like the Memorial Dungeon you visited before…. Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it.”
Fzzzt! Sparks flew from its round, smooth body. Cluck jumped up and down. The movement of its beak quickened.
“I can’t do this. I’m leaving? Seriously, what’s with the temper.”
“Hey, at least give me a hint before you go!”
Cluck, no, Hong Ye-seong, shook its smooth head as if dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about, friend? You have to find the opening yourself!”
“Me?”
“Of course. You have the biggest role. I’m just a soon-to-be-kicked-out s… no, a chicken. Ah, sorry, I’m going, I’m going. I’m leaving, okay? Ack!”
Cluck-cluck― Along with a long cry, white light and wind burst out once more. This light faded even faster than before. Eui-jae frowned, tidying his disheveled hair. Sa-young closed his eyes and placed the curled-up Cluck on the plush bed.
“So….”
“……”
“It was completely useless?”
“…Not completely. I have the biggest role, right?”
“Haa…. Isn’t that something anyone could figure out without being told?”
Sa-young swept his hair back in annoyance. Black hair tangled between his fingers.
“‘Lee Sa-young’ created this Shield. There’s no way Hyung wouldn’t be important?”
“But there’s no role―”
“No.”
Sa-young cut him off firmly. It was then. Doro-rong, Hong Ye-seong, sprawled out, snored loudly. Sa-young, who had been about to continue speaking, sighed briefly. Strangely, he suddenly seemed sensitive. What was making him so sensitive?
Sa-young pointed to the door.
“Let’s go for now. We’ll leave this as it is.”
Leaving the suite, Sa-young began to walk ahead silently. Eui-jae followed behind him with his hands in his pockets. The people on the street recognized Lee Sa-young and moved out of the way. Thanks to that, the misfortune of Eui-jae bumping into other people as he followed did not occur.
Silence flowed. Eui-jae didn’t speak first. It didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk.
‘What was the problem?’
He replayed the events that had happened since arriving here, but there was no particular problem. Of course, Lee Sa-young’s mood was as easily twisted and tangled as a thin necklace chain….
“……”
This time, he couldn’t figure it out at all. Why was he taking a vow of silence? Eui-jae stared blankly at the fluttering black coat. Just then, the steps ahead stopped. He felt a familiar energy in front of him.
“Lee Sa-young? What brings you here?”
Jung-bin dusted off his hands and approached. But somehow, Jung-bin looked a little different. His neatly combed-back hair in a 2:8 split, and his face was slick. The Jung-bin he knew was always a gentle but firm person with a warm smile! Eui-jae muttered without realizing it.
“……Doesn’t look like him?”
“……”
“Why does this Jung-bin look so greasy?”
“I wonder……”
Sa-young also muttered with a dumbfounded expression. The greasy Jung-bin chattered.
“This is perfect timing. I had something to contact you about….”
“……”
“……”
The two exchanged glances. To deduce, this place was ‘Lee Sa-young’s’ Shield. Presumably, he had reconstructed the world based on his memories and senses. Just like the food that had no taste. But human memories are not perfect.
Especially when creating humans, personal feelings or prejudices would have been mixed in. In the end, Jung-bin was reconstructed into such a greasy form.
Eui-jae muttered.
“…Were the two of you not on good terms? Did you have a lot of animosity?”
“……”
“His impression is a bit…. very distorted?”
“I don’t think of him that way.”
“Ah, I guess not….”
As he mechanically replied, Sa-young, who had been listening to Jung-bin’s words with one ear, muttered.
“It seems the me in this world wasn’t kidnapped and experimented on.”
“……”
“Naturally, there would have been no reason to live with Jung-bin and Bae Won-woo. Well…. If I were to guess, he would have been annoyed by them interfering in everything. He would have been working hard as a civil servant here too.”
“That story just now….”
“Let’s go. It seems like it’ll get annoying if we listen any longer.”
“Lee Sa-young?”
Sa-young ignored the greasy Jung-bin’s words and started walking again. The greasy Jung-bin floundered and eventually remained in that spot. As they walked, an empty lot appeared. There was no sign of people in the desolate lot. Sa-young stopped in the middle of the lot.
And Cha Eui-jae suddenly became curious. Seeing the people distorted through Lee Sa-young’s perspective naturally led to curiosity. What does Cha Eui-jae look like through Lee Sa-young’s eyes?
A Shield realized with Lee Sa-young’s thoughts. The people here don’t know Doomsday, they don’t know J. No one knows J, Cha Eui-jae lives in the same house as Sa-young. Only the two of them.
A utopia maintained because Cha Eui-jae is there, desired by ‘Lee Sa-young.’
“……”
Suddenly, his mind lit up brightly. Enlightenment came. This place is a utopia. Not reality. ‘Lee Sa-young’ lost Cha Eui-jae and wandered alone for a very long time. Perhaps a world without Cha Eui-jae is more familiar. Utopia and reality are different.
What is the reason for the existence of someone without a role?
“……”
Maybe….
Wouldn’t the real ‘Lee Sa-young’s’ world appear if Cha Eui-jae wasn’t there?
‘…Seems possible.’
Eui-jae reached into his Inventory. Great Spear and Basilisk Fang each occupied a spot. Great Spear would be uncomfortable. And wasn’t this a Shield created by the original owner of Basilisk Fang?
As he grabbed the handle of Basilisk Fang and pulled it out, it began to thrash like a fish meeting black water.
Now it was time to do something cruel.
Turning his head, Sa-young was staring at him with an unreadable expression. And during the brief eye contact, Eui-jae instinctively realized.
Lee Sa-young knew. ‘Lee Sa-young’s’ weakness.
What had to be given up to find out the hidden side, and how to do it. That Cha Eui-jae would finally realize it. Eui-jae looked at Sa-young with Basilisk Fang casually resting on his shoulder.
“You knew, didn’t you.”
“Ah….”
A cold smile appeared on his bloodless face.
“How could I not.”
“……”
“In the end, that guy is me too.”
Sa-young closed his mouth tightly. In fact, Eui-jae didn’t want to do it either. However, there are things in the world that you have to do even if you don’t want to. If it’s something only you can do.
“Lee Sa-young.”
“……”
“Do you trust me?”
A long silence flowed. Sa-young moved his lips several times, repeating the act of opening and closing them. The hesitation was long.
How long had it been? After a very long time, his pale face moved up and down very slowly. Eui-jae grinned.
“Thanks.”
Without hesitation, he raised Basilisk Fang high. And―
Thwack―
He pierced his own solar plexus.
Bright red blood fell in drops. The hand gripping the handle became wet.
It didn’t hurt. Just as his body was about to lose strength and collapse forward, a firm hand caught him. Eui-jae rested his forehead on the broad shoulder and caught his breath. A large hand stroked his back soothingly. A faint voice muttered.
“See….”
“……”
“I told you it felt bad here.”
That’s what I’m saying.
This crazy brat is really a pervert….
Suddenly, Eui-jae became curious. What kind of expression Sa-young was making. It was a pure, but therefore more cruel, curiosity. A sharp jawline came into his struggling field of vision. Looking up a little more, Sa-young lowered his head to meet his gaze. And,
“……”
Ah.
Eui-jae opened his mouth slightly. But no voice came out. The face that had been in his field of vision also gradually faded into darkness. Nevertheless, he could still think.
He faintly felt a hand stroking the back of his head. It was gentle. That’s why it was more frightening. Eui-jae swallowed hard, both saliva and blood. The blood that surged up filled his mouth, but fortunately or unfortunately, it didn’t taste like blood.
Anyway, Eui-jae thought.
‘Wow, this is really….’
He thought again and again.
‘I’m in big trouble, sht….’
He was really screwed.
No, you said you were okay. Didn’t you nod your head saying you were okay….
Soon, his breath stopped. A white wind began to rage.