Chapter 25: Unexpected Encounters and Lingering Shadows

Yeowon’s gaze snapped back, following the scream. Sagyeol cursed under his breath, turning his head in the same direction.

It seemed a problem had arisen at the gate beyond the red line.

Tat-tat-tat.

The sound of its footsteps suggested a puppy, yet no such adorable creature could emerge from beyond the gate. The distance closed in an instant.

Smashing through vehicles and a fire hydrant, a massive, buffalo-sized wolf revealed itself. Its black body was marked with a white stripe, painted like a brushstroke from its forehead to its tail.

‘A White-Striped Wolf, then.’

Grrrrr!

Its paws and muzzle were already covered in blood.

‘Was its rank C?’

Upon spotting them, the wolf let out a ferocious growl before immediately lunging to attack. Its yellow eyes gleamed with a cruel anticipation for its new prey.

In that moment, Sagyeol realized what an opportune moment this was.

He cast a sidelong glance at his companion. Despite the approaching monster, Yeowon remained expressionless.

Sagyeol couldn’t help but let out a laugh. At this point, he genuinely wondered if the man intended to conceal his true abilities at all.

Yeowon, who had been observing the wolf with indifference, turned his eyes to Sagyeol. *Why are you laughing?* The unspoken question seemed to echo in Sagyeol’s ears.

“I don’t quite recall its name, but that monster is likely C-ranked.”

“…?”

“If someone claiming to be F-ranked shows no fear when such a terrifying creature charges at them with such momentum, anyone would find it odd, wouldn’t they?”

“……!”

A belated expression of dismay crossed his face. Sagyeol observed the man’s reactions, learning them as if studying.

“If you intend to keep your rank a secret, it would be wise to keep that in mind going forward.”

He stretched his long legs, stepping forward. The White-Striped Wolf, now alarmingly close, opened its jaws wide.

Its target was Sagyeol, who was nearer. Clenching his fist, Sagyeol struck the wolf’s side with a movement too swift for the eye to follow.

Thwack!

The wolf, its head sent flying, tumbled headlong with the same momentum it had charged with. Sagyeol and Yeowon casually twisted their bodies to evade it.

Crash!

The wolf, having been sent flying a considerable distance, finally came to a halt after tearing through two vehicles. The gazes of the two men met.

A shadow fell across Yeowon’s face. While Sagyeol’s sideways strike had prevented a single drop of the wolf’s blood from staining him, the same couldn’t be said for Yeowon’s body.

He had clearly been in its path, and the recent movement was too fluid to be attributed to an F-ranked individual.

“Why are you acting so reserved? You were already exposed during our conversation in the hospital room.”

Yeowon hesitated, as was his custom. This time, however, the pause was shorter than usual.

“…I told you I didn’t lie about my rank.”

“Did you truly believe I would fall for that?”

‘You didn’t believe me?’

His indifferent eyes, now holding a subtle tremor of emotion, seemed to ask the question. Sagyeol clenched his solar plexus, a desperate effort not to laugh.

Yeowon, on the other hand, was profoundly shocked. He had never once considered that Sagyeol wouldn’t believe his words. It was, in a way, natural. His experience had been limited to the Demon Realm, where not a single soul had ever doubted his statements.

Though he had been dragged around like a s*ave, that was only by Kratus’s and Yeowon’s own standards. In the eyes of other demons, he was a powerful figure, basking in the Demon King’s favor. Such was his authority that if he called a dog a cat, even the dog itself would meow.

Of course, Yeowon had never truly lied. The only exception was when he made his final escape attempt. His thoughts, adrift and aimless, drifted to the scar on his chest.

The flesh, now healed and smoothly filled, throbbed with a dull ache. Suddenly, someone grasped his wrist. Yeowon’s body, however, did not react. He simply stared at his captured arm as if it were something utterly foreign.

‘Could limbs that defied their owner’s will truly be called limbs?’

“If you believe others easily trust your words, then you must also easily trust the words of others. It would be wise to be more cautious from now on.”

The man, who was both the ‘other’ and far stranger than his disobedient limbs, spoke.

“Whoa, what is this?”

“I-It’s a monster! Hey, don’t go near it!”

People began to gather around, murmuring amongst themselves. Sagyeol, still holding Yeowon’s arm, led him away.

“It seems we’ll have to move locations again.”

Sagyeol, naturally taking the lead, spoke in a casual tone.

“If it truly makes you so uncomfortable, just think of it as having gained a hunter acquaintance. I have no intention whatsoever of acting selfishly or rudely by forcing my feelings upon you.”

Only after a moment’s thought did Yeowon realize those words were a continuation of what Sagyeol had intended to say earlier. The arm he held trembled, much like his own conflicted heart.

“Will you give me your device number?”

Despite his hesitation and reluctance, Yeowon eventually extended his arm. Sagyeol, smiling kindly until the very end, entrusted his own device to Yeowon. Sagyeol’s long fingers were somewhat rough, yet the movements of his fingertips were as light and delicate as feathers.

Sagyeol found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Yeowon’s movements as he slowly, meticulously, pressed each number.

The underground room, which received little sunlight even during the day, became a pitch-black void devoid of any light when night fell.

Lying alone in the darkness, I reflected on my recent daily life.

‘Daily life.’

The word clung to the roof of my mouth, refusing to dislodge. Waking up, heading to the field, and returning—that was my routine. Occasionally, I would visit a bookstore or prepare for a clandestine voyage, but even those activities, broadly speaking, were part of this daily life.

Sagyeol was an awl that had pierced through such a routine. More precisely, he was a blade attempting to cut open my insides and pry apart my skin. Yet, I couldn’t simply push him away. This was because the blade was filled with goodwill and affection.

“…….”

I looked at my left wrist. Moments ago, my device had been beeping persistently, but it had fallen silent when I didn’t respond. Its quietness, however, only made me more uneasy. Hesitantly, I opened the screen.

Messages streamed across the screen, appearing below the red text that read ‘Unread’.

Until now, the only messages I’d ever received were work-related ones from Park Myeong-seok. Even all of those combined wouldn’t amount to half the messages this man had sent in the past five minutes.

[Home?]

[I said no.]

A slight pause followed my lack of response.

[My apologies.]

[How presumptuous of me.]

[Excuse me.]

The messages continued.

[Cheol-su?]

[No answer?]

[Perhaps?]

[…Surely not.]

It seemed Sagyeol thought I couldn’t write messages. After another period of silence, the last message appeared a few minutes later.

[Next time.]

‘Next time, he says.’

Would there truly be a next time?

Of course there would be. That man would undoubtedly create an opportunity, no matter what excuse he had to concoct. Unless something extraordinary happened, his gaze was always fixed on me. It had been that way throughout our entire time together.

While I was accustomed to gazes filled with malice and killing intent, the vague affection the man directed at me was profoundly unfamiliar.

“…….”

Though unfamiliar, I wasn’t so obtuse as to fail to recognize it.

I sighed. Even with my eyes closed, sleep would never come with such a complicated state of mind. After tossing and turning, I eventually got up and turned on the light. I gulped down the bottled water from the corner.

From experience, forcing myself to sleep at times like these often led to unpleasant dreams. For instance… dreams of a white, chilling, and cruel catastrophe. The nightmares always arrived with an unsettling composure, trapping me in their grip.

‘Useless thoughts.’

Kratus, the Ice Dragon, was entirely white. Yet, to me, he felt entirely black. He was dark, shadowy, and endless. He was despair and agony personified.

‘Yenis.’

Fingers, reeking of tar, gripped my cheek and throat.

A gasp escaped me.

It became increasingly difficult to breathe. I lifted my hand and clawed at my chest. This only made the pain and torment worse.

It was only natural. Everything remained as it was. Nothing had changed, so how could anything have improved? It was as if the collar around my neck remained, even without a hand to hold it.

My body was in the Middle Realm, but my heart and soul still lingered in the Demon Realm.

Beep-beep.

Then, as if by some miracle, my device chimed. It wasn’t a message, but a call.

Sagyeol.

I murmured the name, one I had only pronounced once, in my mouth. With it, the face of its owner surfaced in my mind. His bright smile, his confident demeanor, his words and actions flowing as naturally as water from head to toe. One by one, these thoughts arose, pushing Kratus’s image aside and occupying my mind.

The trembling and pain subsided. It was the first time I had ever shaken off a nightmare so quickly, leaving me utterly bewildered.

Despite my confusion, the device continued to ring persistently. As if entranced, I pressed the button.

Then, a languid voice drifted from the device.

You were so unresponsive, I thought your device had broken.

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