Chapter 113: Before Dawn

“Just a moment, please.”

With his expression deliberately stiffened, Sung Ji-woo asked the guild members for their understanding. Excluding Lee Won-jae, who was still swaying drunkenly, the other two sensed the heavy mood and quietly nodded.

Sung Ji-woo stepped into the staff room, which also served as his bedroom.

“Hello?”

[-Is this Mr. Sung Ji-woo?]

“Yes. Go ahead.”

His heart thudded violently. Chae Min-jung had said there would be no side effects, but his scalp burned as if he were tipsy.

[-I’m calling about what I mentioned before… arranging a visit.]

Son Seong-cheol’s voice on the other end was extremely quiet—so faint that Sung Ji-woo had to turn the volume all the way up and strain his ears to hear him.

Sung Ji-woo understood why he was being so cautious. He tensed as well and swallowed his dry saliva.

[-I was going to text you, but… it’d be troublesome if it left a record.]

“Yes.”

Text messages were stored digitally and easy to review. Sung Ji-woo knew that too, so he waited in silence, sharpening all his senses in case he missed even a single word. His replies naturally grew shorter.

[-I can’t push this through directly, but I can connect you. We’ll match the time and place and meet that way…]

“Yes.”

[-So if you could tell me when would be convenient for you first—]

“Today.”

[-…Pardon?]

“Right now. As soon as possible.”

[-…That would be difficult, but would early tomorrow morning work for you?]

By dawn, less than half a day remained. Sung Ji-woo didn’t ask why such a late hour was being suggested.

“Yes.”

[-From what I know, the researchers change shifts between 3 and 4 a.m.]

“Let’s do it then.”

There were no extra explanations, no additional questions. The conversation moved swiftly to the point.

[-As for the location—]

“……”

When the topic turned to location, Sung Ji-woo chose silence. He knew almost nothing about the place. Park Su-jin had explained it to him, but he’d never been there himself. He had no idea which areas were lightly monitored and which were heavily watched.

Perhaps sensing that, Son Seong-cheol hesitated for a long while before giving a concise answer.

[-Let’s meet in the lounge.]

‘Isn’t the lounge too dangerous?’

The chance of being exposed—to CCTV or to people—was far too high. For a moment, Sung Ji-woo thought he’d misheard.

[-Haah… There’s a high probability sensors are installed. Even if not, leaving designated areas might trigger an alarm. Since we don’t know much, the safest option is to avoid drawing attention as much as possible…]

Unlike before, Son Seong-cheol added a long explanation, likely aware that his proposal wouldn’t be easy to accept. Sung Ji-woo listened quietly, then spoke.

“I’ll go while invisible from my side, so just give me the exact coordinates.”

[-I was about to ask if that was possible—thank goodness.]

Son Seong-cheol let out a relieved sigh. Sung Ji-woo thought of Chae Min-jung and quickly jotted down the coordinates Son Seong-cheol recited.

The call ended abruptly without any formal goodbye. Sung Ji-woo slowly blinked, licking his dry lips.

His heart soon settled back into a steady rhythm. The heat in his head cooled.

He had waited a long time for this. He couldn’t afford to waste the opportunity.

Opening the door, Sung Ji-woo met the eyes of the three people looking at him.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Lee Won-jae, I’ll—”

“We’ll take him home!”

Just as Sung Ji-woo was about to say he couldn’t take Lee Won-jae himself, Chae Min-jung shot her arm into the air. She’d said “we,” but the decision was clearly hers alone.

Thinking it might be too much for her to handle alone, Sung Ji-woo opened his mouth again—only for Chae Min-jung to grab Son Ji-hwan’s arm and forcibly raise it. Son Ji-hwan’s brow furrowed slightly.

“We’ll take him.”

The clearly enunciated words weren’t directed at Sung Ji-woo. With a voice that was half coercion, Son Ji-hwan gave in and raised his other arm as well, signaling surrender.

“…All right.”

“Thank you.”

Son Ji-hwan already looked tired, as if he could foresee the future where he’d be the one supporting Lee Won-jae alone. As he stood up, he spoke to Sung Ji-woo.

“In return, please take good care repairing my weapons.”

The weapons that had been abused all day lay pitifully scattered across the table.

“Leave it to me. I’ve seen a lot of your new combat patterns today, so I’ll try making you a new weapon too.”

Son Ji-hwan’s eyes widened slightly before quickly lighting up. Then, as if he’d never been reluctant, he hoisted Lee Won-jae onto his back with vigor.

“Let’s go.”

Chae Min-jung clicked her tongue at his transparent change of heart and followed after him.

“Ah—wait, Ms. Chae Min-jung!”

At that moment, Sung Ji-woo hurriedly stopped her.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Um… if you have any invisibility potions, could I possibly get one…?”

Worried it might sound rude, Sung Ji-woo’s voice grew softer with each word. Chae Min-jung frowned into empty space for a moment, then pulled out several potions, filling both hands.

“Of course.”

Four bottles were placed in front of Sung Ji-woo.

“The darker the color, the longer the duration. There’s no way to cancel midway, so calculate carefully before drinking. The longest lasts six hours—but that one might have side effects. I’ve seen someone pass out after it wore off and not wake up for six days.”

She said something chilling with complete nonchalance. Sung Ji-woo forced an awkward smile and promptly returned the pitch-black potion that looked dangerous at a glance.

‘Why does she even carry things like this…?’

He swallowed the unasked question. Somehow, he felt that if he asked, the answer would be utterly unhinged.

“This one lasts five hours.”

Chae Min-jung pointed to the next darkest bottle, a deep navy hue tinged faintly with purple.

“But this one doesn’t just turn you invisible—it makes your body disappear too. Meaning you can’t touch anything.”

“Then holding objects would be—”

“Impossible. Your clothes would probably disappear too. So when it wears off, make sure you’re somewhere with no people…”

Without complaint, Sung Ji-woo returned that potion as well. As if she’d expected it, Chae Min-jung took it back.

“Something more normal… please.”

“Okay. Next is a three-hour one.”

This one was a brighter blue than before, with a faintly shimmering glow—like the sea at dusk rather than at night.

“And the side effects are…?”

Expecting the now-customary explanation, Sung Ji-woo waited. Chae Min-jung shook her head.

“None.”

“…What?”

“None. But it’s too ordinary. They’re everywhere, so it’s boring.”

“…I think this one will do.”

Was she serious? Sung Ji-woo stared at her blankly, and Chae Min-jung puffed out her lower lip.

She was serious. Sung Ji-woo let out a hollow laugh and handed back the final remaining potion. At that, Chae Min-jung cried out dramatically.

“Ah! The next one is the really fun one!”

“…W-What is it?”

Her eyes clearly begged him to ask, and as if bewitched, Sung Ji-woo did. Chae Min-jung answered brightly.

“It’s a one-hour potion that makes whatever touches your body invisible.”

“…What?”

“Not your body—your clothes and accessories turn invisible.”

“…What?”

Faced with the absurd explanation, Sung Ji-woo reacted like a malfunctioning machine.

“…Then that’s not an invisibility potion, is it?”

Conceptually, invisibility potions assumed bodily invisibility. Strictly speaking, the suspicious white potion she described couldn’t be called one.

“Well, something turns invisible, so it counts.”

“But… why would you even make that…?”

“It’s fun. Among potion masters, it’s called the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ potion. The drinker can still see their clothes, you know.”

“……”

It was far too extraordinary for Sung Ji-woo’s brain to process. He gave up trying to understand and nodded. I see…

“So, that’s all you need, right? No other potions? Defense, offense, or some just-for-fun ones—I’ve got plenty.”

“N-No, I’m fine. If I need anything later, I’ll ask then.”

At that, Chae Min-jung clicked her tongue and waved her hand. Sung Ji-woo couldn’t see it, but it looked like she was closing the subspace where she stored her potions.

“Can we go now?”

Son Ji-hwan, who had been carrying Lee Won-jae the whole time, finally spoke up.

“Ah—yes! If anything changes, I’ll contact you separately.”

“Understood. We’ll wait.”

Catching the implication behind the words “if anything changes,” Son Ji-hwan bowed and left the general store. Watching him go, Chae Min-jung spoke again, her expression calmer than before.

“Honestly, you looked a bit too tense, Assistant Guild Leader. I was just joking around to help you relax.”

“…Huh?”

“I believe you’ll do well. A lot of people dislike you—but there are also people who adore you. Did you know they call you ‘Lord’?”

“…What?”

Completely baffled, Sung Ji-woo stared at her. Chae Min-jung continued casually.

“Our guild’s name is Gwangmyeong—Light. The base is Pilgrimage General Store. And if you say your name quickly—Ji-woo, Lord—it fits perfectly, doesn’t it?”

“No, that’s ridiculous—”

“Believe in the Lord and find the light. I believe in you, Assistant Guild Leader.”

“……”

Sung Ji-woo could only laugh in disbelief.

“Let’s definitely have a team dinner next time. All five of us. Pork belly and soju—you know the drill.”

With a click of her tongue and a wink, Chae Min-jung left. Watching her, Sung Ji-woo smiled faintly, thinking that for someone who’d only just become an adult, she played the part of a seasoned drinker far too well.

After the three left, Sung Ji-woo sat alone at the table, which now felt even emptier. He’d already sent Park Su-jin a message asking her to come to the store immediately.

At that moment, Sunrye appeared out of thin air and licked Sung Ji-woo’s hand. He’d never thought Sunrye was small before, but after seeing its gigantic form earlier, it now felt unbelievably tiny.

Sung Ji-woo pulled Sunrye into his arms. Feeling the warm pulse of life, peace settled into his heart. Sunrye seemed to feel the same, resting its head against him.

“I’m finally going to meet him.”

Sung Ji-woo murmured into the soft fur. As if responding, Sunrye licked his cheek.

“I hope you didn’t resent me too much…”

For reasons he couldn’t help, he had pushed him into trauma. Sung Ji-woo’s expression darkened.