Chapter 16: Holding Hands While the World Closes In

Seong Ju-an smiled and opened the window on the opposite side of the living room.

Whoooosh.

A cross breeze rushed in, sending both of their hair fluttering.

“Now the wind’s here too. Sunlight, shadows, and wind. Even in the moments when you felt you were alone, Se-yoon, you were never truly alone. If you choose to, you can always be with the others.”

Gong Se-yoon stared at the window with widened eyes, then at the shadows, then back at Seong Ju-an.

The unfocused brown in his eyes seemed to regain its original color.

Such a beautiful shade.

No artificial graphics could ever come close to that color.

As Ju-an admired it sincerely, tears welled up in Gong Se-yoon’s eyes once again.

Was my child-soothing skill lacking?

I tried to imitate a mom, at least…

Sniffling, Gong Se-yoon spoke.

“What should I help with? I’ll do it.”

That’s it!

Let’s start by getting him outside.

Seong Ju-an took Gong Se-yoon out of the building.

Since it was still before rush hour, there were barely any people around, perfect for shaking out blankets.

He placed one end of the blanket into Gong Se-yoon’s hands, took the other end himself, and shook it up and down.

“Like this. Shake it out.”

Matching Seong Ju-an’s movements, Gong Se-yoon began shaking the blanket vigorously.

“Eek!”

He shook it too hard, throwing Seong Ju-an off balance and straight into his arms.

“…”

“…”

A brief silence passed before Gong Se-yoon jolted in surprise and shoved Seong Ju-an away.

What, did I ask to be hugged?

You’re the one who pulled me in because you couldn’t control your strength, why are you snapping?

No, calm down.

He’s not in a normal state.

The normal one has to endure it.

Suppressing his irritation, Seong Ju-an forced a smile and spoke gently.

“Haha, you did great. Just use a little less strength next time.”

Gong Se-yoon’s eyelashes fluttered as his eyes darted around.

He looked like someone who had been startled.

“L-let’s stop.”

Still clutching the blanket, Seong Ju-an waited until Gong Se-yoon calmed down.

Then, with a hurt expression, Gong Se-yoon said,

“Please don’t touch me casually. When you touch me like that and then pull away, it gets really cold. And… I belong to my Constellation. I don’t like it when other people touch me.”

Cold when touched and then separated.

Just how long had he been alone, how lonely must he have been to think like that?

His chest tightened as Seong Ju-an imagined how people must have treated Gong Se-yoon in passing.

At the same time, a strange determination rose within him, to make Gong Se-yoon smile today, no matter what.

“Alright. I won’t touch you. It’s late anyway, so let’s eat first, rest a bit, wash up, and sleep.”

Gong Se-yoon stared at him with wide eyes.

Ju-an could already predict what would come out of that mouth, so he hurriedly added,

“I’m not going to leave you alone, so don’t worry. I’m starving, do you have any food at home?”

“F-food? Um… I haven’t eaten in a while. Since my Constellation stopped logging in…”

Damn it.

Then how long had he been starving?

The guilt pressing on Ju-an’s chest grew heavier.

“My god! Not eating alone makes depression worse. Come on, hurry up. Let’s put the blanket away and go grocery shopping. I need to buy equipment anyway.”

“…You want to go outside?”

Ju-an knew how depression made even movement feel exhausting.

Gong Se-yoon probably came to the center for treatment because he hoped he might meet the Creator of Sacrifice again.

And after being told that Ju-an knew nothing about the Creator, whatever little will he had left must have vanished.

That was why Ju-an wanted to keep him moving.

“I’m starving to death. You’re not suggesting we starve together, are you?”

“Well, that’s not it, but going outside is kind of…”

“This place is basically outside too, isn’t it? Come on, put the blanket away and let’s go to the Awakeners-only shopping mall. What if a dungeon opens suddenly and I die with no potions?”

“…That’s true.”

To prevent him from running away, Seong Ju-an firmly held Gong Se-yoon’s hand and went back inside.

After neatly spreading the blanket on the bed, he tried to head out immediately, but Gong Se-yoon planted his feet and resisted.

“What is it? You don’t want to go?”

“No, it’s just…”

After hesitating, Gong Se-yoon spoke with effort.

“I need my wallet to shop.”

He craned his neck toward the room.

Should I let him go get it?

He won’t pretend to get it and run away, right?

Ju-an did have the card Mo Jun-young gave him, so he could take Gong Se-yoon out as is.

But the cost of expensive equipment and potions weighed on his mind.

Coins and currency had different values, covering gear prices with cash would be absurdly expensive.

Without letting go of Gong Se-yoon’s hand, Seong Ju-an said,

“Let’s go get it together, still holding hands. That’s fine, right?”

Gong Se-yoon nodded.

****

“You are completely surrounded. Disarm yourselves, lock your skills, and surrender peacefully!”

The search unit leader shouted loudly in front of Baek Eun-hoo’s house.

On the surface, it looked like the hunters from the Management Center were too afraid of Baek Eun-hoo to enter, but in truth, it was a diversion.

While the leader drew Baek Eun-hoo’s attention from the front, the real search team, led personally by Mo Jun-young, was heading for the back entrance.

If Baek Eun-hoo hadn’t kidnapped Seong Joo-an, things wouldn’t have come to this.

At least one thing was fortunate: the mansion stood alone, so even if Baek Eun-hoo went on a rampage, civilians wouldn’t be harmed.

Successfully entering through the back door, Mo Jun-young froze at the sheer size of the mansion.

He knew Baek Eun-hoo ran a guild with high-ranking Awakeners, but still… this was excessive.

“Director, Director? Did you hear me?”

“Ah. Say that again.”

“There are too many rooms. It’ll be hard to find Baek Eun-hoo. But we can’t exactly destroy such an expensive-looking house either.”

“I see.”

Mo Jun-young felt like he was going insane.

Upholding justice against mad Awakeners while still having to follow laws and regulations, it was an utterly disadvantageous situation for him.

“There’s no choice. We’ll have to open every door and search. Hopefully we can find Seong Ju-an before Baek Eun-”

“Sir, over there!”

Turning toward where the agent pointed, Mo Jun-young sensed a dark aura at the end of the corridor.

Baek Eun-hoo, fully armed, was walking toward them at an unhurried pace.

It seemed the pincer tactic hadn’t worked.

“What’s this? Was taking Seong Ju-an not enough, did you come to hold me responsible too?”

Baek Eun-hoo spoke with an emotionless expression.

From that face alone, it was impossible to tell whether he was hiding Seong Ju-an or not.

Ignoring the provocation, Mo Jun-young stated his purpose in a civil-servant tone.

“Baek Eun-hoo, you are under arrest on charges of kidnapping and unlawful confinement of Seong Ju-an.”

He was about to read him his rights when Baek Eun-hoo snorted.

“Kidnapping and confinement? That accusation is absurd. You barge in during a polite conversation, snatch him away, and now you say that?”

At that moment, hunters from the Hanbaek Guild began gathering behind Baek Eun-hoo one by one.

Whether he had summoned them beforehand or planned to go hunting with them, there were quite a few.

Judging that a full-scale battle here would be disastrous for both sides, Mo Jun-young applied pressure instead.

“If you’re so confident, Mr. Baek, would you allow us to conduct a search of your house?”

It was a polite request, but sharp with menace.

Baek Eun-hoo merely twisted his lips into a smile and didn’t move aside.

In the narrow corridor, packed with people, a silence fell so heavy that even breathing sounded loud.

Is a full confrontation really the only option?

As that thought crossed his mind, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

It was a call from the search leader stationed outside for the diversion.

“What is it?”

“Director, he’s not here. Seong Ju-an was found somewhere completely different.”

Somewhere else…?

He had assumed Baek Eun-hoo kidnapped him.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Baek Eun-hoo, Mo Jun-young ended the call and composed his expression.

If Baek Eun-hoo found out Seong Ju-an had been located, he would surely try to abduct him by any means necessary.

Not letting that slip was crucial.

“So, Mr. Baek. Are you truly intent on engaging me in a full-scale battle?”

“If you’re determined to search my house, I have no choice. But tell me, Mo Jun-young, don’t you find something strange?”

What nonsense was he trying to spin now?

Mo Jun-young stiffened his shoulders and stayed alert.

“The strangest thing here is you, Mr. Baek. What else could possibly be strange?”

Baek Eun-hoo let out a quiet chuckle.

The mocking smile irritated him, but Mo Jun-young clenched his teeth and endured it.

“Didn’t you say the kid disappeared? This is disappointing… To think the clever Mo Jun-young wouldn’t grasp his true intentions.”

“You’re saying you didn’t kidnap him?”

Though he was responding, Mo Jun-young was eager to leave and search for Seong Ju-an.

He planned to pretend to search briefly and withdraw, but Baek Eun-hoo kept talking.

“If someone who claims to know the Creator of Sacrifice suddenly awakens as an S-rank buffer and vanishes, what do you think that means?”

The statement caught him off guard, but it wasn’t without merit.

A Constellation with infinite coins appearing out of nowhere, and an ordinary civilian who knew him awakening as a rare S-rank buffer, both were suspicious.

Mo Jun-young slowly replayed Seong Ju-an’s actions in his mind.

It really is suspicious.

Appearing at the center out of nowhere as a civilian, bringing up the Creator of Sacrifice first, having no address or bank account…

Could it be…?

As Mo Jun-young’s eyes widened, Baek Eun-hoo sneered.

“Finally figured it out? That he’d already contracted with the Creator of Sacrifice and was pretending otherwise.”

Though he partially agreed, Mo Jun-young didn’t reveal it.

“Let’s assume, as you say, that Seong Ju-an took the Creator of Sacrifice for himself. Then why would he voluntarily come to a center frequented by S-ranks and ask to see the director? It’s obviously suspicious. He’s not an idiot.”