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“Hey, Dokyeom!! How dare you call now after all this time with no contact?! Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?! Ugh, my stomach’s churning, seriously! What did I ever do to you, Dokyeom, huh? Do you think just disappearing solves everything, without a thought for how much I’m suffering?!”
Barely ten seconds after Dokyeom retrieved his phone from his inventory and dialed the number saved as ‘Landlady,’ her furious voice erupted.
Dokyeom momentarily pulled the phone away from his ear, closing his eyes slightly as he waited for the tirade to subside.
After a brief pause, the piercing shouts from the other end of the line gradually faded, replaced by ragged breaths.
This was the direct consequence of him neglecting his phone, having stored it in his inventory before entering the Gate.
For ten days inside the Gate, living without modern conveniences, he had completely forgotten about its existence.
Even after emerging, he hadn’t felt the slightest urge to retrieve it or turn it on.
“I took pity on you, Dokyeom, and carried you even when your rent was overdue!” she fumed. “But what? Where did you learn to repay kindness with such hostility?!”
“I couldn’t sleep wondering how you suddenly paid all that back rent. And now what? Loan sharks?!”
“They’re not loan sharks, they’re a guild–”
“Oh, I don’t need to know! Don’t even try to deny it, because I’ve kept all the evidence!”
“From those thugs coming to harass me and scare the residents looking for you, Dokyeom, to them sitting outside the villa all night and making a mess—I have it all! Good heavens, I bet you haven’t even seen the door they ripped off, have you? I’m going to claim compensation for all of it, so just know that and move out, alright?! Move out!”
Dokyeom pulled the phone away from his ear once more.
Just ten minutes prior, upon entering his apartment and witnessing the ripped-off door and the chaotic mess within, he had frantically searched for his phone.
The moment he turned it on, he froze.
Hundreds of messages and missed calls inundated his screen.
Half of them were from his landlady.
Quickly scanning the message content, Dokyeom realized this harassment was intimately connected to the ‘guild’ that ‘Han Dokyeom’ had been doing odd jobs for.
[Collection day has passed. Little one, you should crawl back here while we’re being nice.]
[You bastard, are you ignoring us?]
[Dokyeom, you need to think carefully. If you act like this, what will happen to the hyungs you work with?]
[We’ll give you exactly three days. If there’s no contact after that, this matter will be out of our hands.]
These were the words left by an unidentified sender, fluctuating between texts and messenger apps.
‘They’re really losing their minds,’ he thought.
This was likely the ‘Guild’ mentioned in a message he’d received sometime ago—most probably the ‘Gwangmyeong Guild,’ despite its illustrious name.
Even that earlier message had been blunt: ‘Overdue. Deposit immediately.’
‘Is this what it means to be plagued by misfortune?’ Dokyeom wondered.
With a troubled expression, he sighed, then sat heavily on the villa’s entrance stairs.
He repeatedly ran his hands over his face, listening to his landlady’s words devolve into curses.
“I could send you a certified letter, you know! Huh?! After being chased by gangsters, do my words just sound funny to you? Dokyeom, you really shouldn’t live like this!”
“…Haa, yes. First, I apologize. I’ll resolve this quickly to prevent any further damage.”
“As for compensation, haa… I’ll cover everything if possible. Yes, I’m sorry.”
Only after apologizing several times was he finally able to end the tempestuous call.
Dokyeom rolled his eyes skyward, glaring at the ceiling for a moment.
[Orias, the Demon of ‘Lemegeton,’ pats your back with a sympathetic expression, as if to say, ‘These things happen in life.’]
“Oh, thanks. But,”
‘How do I crush those bastards?’
He had intended to let it slide, but they were practically swinging a sword, demanding a fight.
Dokyeom’s eyebrows furrowed as he sank into angry contemplation.
After a moment, Agon’s shadow fell across his feet.
A dry hand brushed Dokyeom’s cheek, gently turning his face to meet its gaze.
Agon tilted their head, as if assessing his mood, and even let out a soft hiss.
After the rounded fingertips repeatedly stroked Dokyeom’s eyes, red with anger, he looked into Agon’s deep gaze and ultimately decided on a direct approach.
“…Alright. Since things have come to this, let’s just stay at a nice hotel until I find a job. What’s the point of saving money?”
Of course, he’d resolve this troublesome matter in the meantime, if possible.
Taking Agon’s cool hand, Dokyeom stood up, dusted off his pants, and turned towards the main road.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Bzzzzzt—
Dokyeom looked down at the screen, where eleven large digits prominently displayed.
He had seen them so often by now that they no longer evoked any emotion.
The message from the unknown sender was brief: ‘[If we really find you, you’re dead.]’
“‘You’re dead,’ they say. Go ahead and try your best to find me,” he scoffed.
He had to admit, their tenacious obsession with tracking him down was almost commendable.
Looking up, he saw the sunset washing over the sky like a wave.
Dokyeom thoughtfully considered the events of this particular time.
Wasn’t this around the time the Sahyeon Guild held a briefing about the Red Gate?
In the original story, the Sahyeon Guild lost fifteen guild members and held a press conference to officially brief the public on the damages incurred from the ‘Red Gate.’
This was because the life-detection devices embedded in the combat gloves of the A-rank instructors who entered the Red Gate had transmitted signals indicating their deaths to the guild.
Despite no one witnessing the scene inside the Gate, the Sahyeon Guild swiftly announced the official deaths of their hunters and moved to establish policies to prepare for public safety.
However, as no significant ‘Gate Break’ occurred even after a long time, the hunter industry gradually began to disengage from the ‘Red Gate’ incident.
Some speculated that the Gate had sunk into the deep sea, creating an environment where monsters could not emerge, thus leading to its natural disappearance.
Now, with that future altered, the Sahyeon Guild would likely hold a press conference and briefing under the theme of ‘Conquest Complete.’
“Taeseongyeon… or Han Yuseong?”
Dokyeom leisurely rolled the two names on his tongue.
While Taeseongyeon’s influence in this sector was undoubtedly stronger than Han Yuseong’s, Han Yuseong, whose value had skyrocketed due to the Red Gate incident, could easily resolve this particular issue.
The problem was that Dokyeom was no longer content with merely ‘resolving’ things.
‘Did they really think they could rip off someone’s door and then sleep soundly at night?’
His deliberation quickly concluded, a flicker of resolve passing through Dokyeom’s eyes.
He immediately scoured his phone’s contact list, searching for a name he had saved long ago.
Without hesitation, he initiated the call. Before even a single ring could finish, the other party picked up.
Then came a low voice.
“Yes, Dokyeom.”
His relaxed demeanor was palpable in his subdued tone.
Dokyeom settled Agon, who was frowning at the phone, beside him, then spoke into the receiver with a cheerful voice.
“Mr. Taeseongyeon, I have something to discuss. How about we meet up first? You’re free, aren’t you? See? You answered right away, so you must be free.”
A low chuckle filled the empty space.
Taeseongyeon didn’t press him to state his business.
Faintly, over the phone, Dokyeom heard the sound of a glass being set down. ‘Rumor has it he’s been taking a lot of herbal medicine lately. Is it true?’
“I am freer than you, Han Dokyeom. So, what shall we play?”
“Play… that’s not it at all, is it? It’s hard to talk over the phone, so let’s discuss it over a meal.”
“Since you’re so free, Mr. Taeseongyeon, how about you come to my location? I’ll send you the address.”
“Very well. I’m quite curious to know what business Han Dokyeom has that makes him want to share a meal with me.”
“Ah, just come out if you know already. I’m paying, so we’re not eating anything expensive.”
“I’ll pick something appropriate that I think you’ll like, Mr. Taeseongyeon. Got it? Huh? Should I hang up? I’m hanging up? Come quickly?”
Click—
Seizing the opportunity, Dokyeom pressed the end call button.
He then used a map app to search the vicinity and sent a text message with the name and location of a decent restaurant.
“Since we’re out anyway, let’s go get something delicious to eat, Agon,” Dokyeom said, slipping his phone into his coat pocket and meeting Agon’s gaze.
The only response was an expressionless stare.
‘Why is there no emotion?’
Ever since they came ashore, Agon had consistently reacted this way.
Dokyeom even wondered if something was wrong with their sensory organs.
While food could be substituted with magic, that didn’t suppress one’s inherent appetite.
Despite this, Agon hadn’t touched any food since leaving the Gate.
Dokyeom had tried buying live fish a few times and throwing it to them, but Agon would wrinkle their nose as if looking at rotten meat and refuse, so he had stopped trying.
He suspected either the food here didn’t suit their taste, or consuming only magic had made their palate overly refined.
Contemplating what to feed them, Dokyeom saw Agon’s long hair flowing down and reached out to their cheek.
Agon immediately turned their head, opening their mouth to press their fangs gently against Dokyeom’s delicate wrist.
It was a soft bite, causing no pain, yet Dokyeom frowned.
“Stop being creepy and let go. I want to braid your hair.”
It felt like a waste to cut it, and leaving it unbound was inconvenient, so he had roughly tied it back.
To others, it probably looked rather neglected.
Dokyeom shook his now slightly reddened wrist and swept Agon’s hair behind their ear.
As he smoothed their hair a few times, his gaze suddenly fell upon the main road beyond Agon’s shoulder.
A particular store caught his eye.
“First, let’s buy you a comb and some hair ties.”
Whatever the case, it truly was too precious to cut.
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