Chapter 49: The Unfathomable and the Irresistible Force

Two years had passed since then.

Grisha enjoyed a period of peace, with a steady supply of magic stones. Other cities, having once been severely burned, now exercised extreme caution. The subjugation of the aquatic menace also proceeded without issue.

When half of the entire area had been reclaimed and the gates within it brought under control, the news arrived.

[This is Extermination Team Jeong Mina. We have an urgent report.]

The voice delivering the message was laden with a sense of utter defeat.

[Code Zero.]

The extermination teams used codes to easily convey common situations. The most frequent occurrences were coded from 1 to 9.

Code 9 signified an urgent rescue request, 3 was a call for support, and 5 indicated successful subjugation and gate closure—in other words, the situation was resolved.

As for Code Zero, the least frequent of all…

[It’s completely blocked. There isn’t a single crevice visible anywhere in the labyrinth.]

Once again, the labyrinth sealed all its doors, transforming from a maze into an impenetrable wall.

This marked the arrival of the second major obstacle.

Ching.

The antique wooden door swung open.

“Welcome.”

The Cafe Ifrit employee turned, taking his place behind the counter. Despite the absence of malice, the large man with an unyielding expression appeared quite menacing.

The customer hesitated, then awkwardly backed out the door.

The employee, maintaining his usual stoic expression, lowered his gaze. Yet, he couldn’t quite conceal a hint of dejection.

He pondered.

‘Do I really look that intimidating?’

No. Objectively speaking, he was quite handsome.

‘I thought I was just ordinary at my old workplace.’

What the man failed to realize was that it wasn’t his appearance, but the overpowering aura he exuded. Regular customers had grown accustomed to his striking face and physique.

But unfamiliar patrons, too busy fleeing, never stayed long enough to explain.

Ching.

“Welcome.”

This time, the customer was a regular. They returned the greeting with familiarity, ordered an iced americano, and settled into a window seat.

The bar-style seating, positioned directly in front of the large glass window, was the most sought-after spot in the cafe.

Ifrit was a cafe situated in an excellent location, on the edge of a vast city park. It offered a direct view of a massive lake, encircled by cherry trees.

Though only bare branches adorned them in winter, the entire landscape here would be painted white in spring.

The lake’s water was perpetually purified by magic stones, rendering it transparent and pristine. Consequently, no aquatic life could thrive, but in summer, it transformed into a public swimming pool.

Even the ‘opposition,’ who had once decried the artificial purification, insisting a lake should remain natural, had faded with time.

As his thoughts concluded, snow began to fall. A thin layer of ice had already formed on the lake, visible through the skeletal branches.

It was a scene of perfect winter, in the ambiguous late afternoon, with only two female customers of a similar age occupying the small shop.

During a brief lull, the part-time employee prepared a coffee for himself. Having once known nothing about coffee beyond ordering espressos one by one, he could now expertly craft his own café mocha.

The cream, touching the hot coffee, melted slowly. As he held the mug with both hands, its warmth seeped into his palms.

He disliked winter. There was no escaping the season, and when the world was blanketed in snow and ice, deeply unpleasant memories resurfaced.

It used to be that way.

“……”

Along with those memories, the image of a certain man also came to mind—a man he ought to despise, yet found himself unable to simply dismiss.

He added more cream to his finished coffee. The woman seated in the corner found the contrast between his stoic expression and the sweet cream strangely striking.

As he piled the cream high, he fell deep into thought. The day he had arrived here, too, had been marked by a gentle snowfall, much like today.

Yeowon opened his eyes beneath a tree. Looking up, he saw a broken branch dangling precariously—the very spot from which he had fallen.

‘Moving… is out of the question.’

He had been sprawled on the mountainside for three days, utterly unable to move. It was a fortunate misfortune that his landing spot was deep within the mountains.

His body, having undergone repeated transformations, possessed remarkable regenerative abilities. His limbs, which had been reduced to tatters, became mobile enough to move after a few days.

On the fourth day, he limped down the mountain and sought refuge in the outskirts. The real challenge, however, began there.

‘How was he to hide from Sagyeol’s gaze?’ It was evident that Grisha was entirely within Sagyeol’s grasp. Perhaps, despite all this arduous escape, he would be captured and dragged back within days.

From alley to alley, he traversed the stone-walled paths with utmost caution, even in the deserted rural village. His destination was the bus stop.

He had no money, his appearance was wretched, and above all, being a fugitive meant he couldn’t openly board a bus. His plan was to cling to the roof and travel to the city center.

He believed that once he arrived, things would somehow work out. His reasoning was that Grisha boasted the highest population density in the world, and if he blended into it, even Sagyeol would struggle to find him.

Before he knew it, the sun had set. Darkness was a fugitive’s ally. He relaxed his guard slightly, hiding nearby as he waited for a bus.

However, no matter how long he waited, none appeared; only two Porter trucks passed by in two hours.

The surroundings grew completely dark. Streetlights flickered on, and one by one, white snowflakes began to fall.

He gazed up at the sky, where thick clouds obscured the stars, leaving only darkness, before turning back.

‘How utterly tiresome.’

Grisha lay north of Baekdam. While Baekdam still clung precariously to the last vestiges of autumn, this place had already stepped into early winter.

He wished to live somewhere without winter. A desire that would never have blossomed before now inexplicably surfaced. Sleet fell as he walked down the empty rural road, without any destination in mind.

Sagyeol had once asked him what he would do after achieving his objective.

Nothing. After that, there was only nothingness.

“Then let’s think about it together.”

“What would be good to do, what we should live for. I’ll worry about it with you.”

The person who had promised to share his worries had vanished with the airship. Now, Sagyeol was likely searching for him, eyes bloodshot with determination.

‘Living somewhere where it doesn’t snow wouldn’t be so bad.’

Not in this vicinity, of course, but surely there were cities far to the south where winter never came.

‘There, alone…’

As he mumbled the obvious truth, something snagged in his chest with a jolt. His aimless steps faltered.

Even as snow accumulated on his head and shoulders, he found himself unable to walk any further.

Sagyeol had always bothered Yeowon. It had been that way since their very first encounter.

Sagyeol was so fundamentally different from him that, while he instinctively recoiled, he also couldn’t help but be curious. It was particularly unsettling because Sagyeol always seemed to be hiding something, yet merely smiled innocently, like a snake slithering over a wall.

Then, at some point, he found himself constantly thinking of Sagyeol. He waited for contact he couldn’t even reply to.

He couldn’t bring himself to be cold, nor could he shake off Sagyeol’s hand. With an uncharacteristic foolishness, he had complicated matters.

Having escaped the Demon Realm, he had, by his own hand, created a new entanglement. ‘Was there ever such a fool in the world?’

Honk! Honk!

Just then, a light horn sounded beside him. His mind belatedly snapped back to reality.

To think he hadn’t even noticed a car pulling up next to him, lost as he was in thought. He directed his gaze towards the descending car window, his eyes cool.

Considering his current predicament, he should have ignored them and left immediately. Yet, knowing this, he stood rooted to the spot, meeting the driver’s gaze.

It was because of the horn. The sound was remarkably gentle, unlike a typical blare, and exuded a sense of ease.

Yeowon found it strange that a mere horn could reveal the personality of the person who pressed it, and so he remained frozen.

The window lowered completely. A man of a similar age tilted his head.

“Hey. Are you alright?”

“……”

“Are you hurt? You look a mess.”

“I’m not… hurt.”

“Really? Well, you don’t live around here, do you? This stop hasn’t been used in ages, so no buses come here.”

Yeowon was speechless. To someone familiar with the area, how pathetic and ridiculous must he have seemed, waiting for so long at a bus stop where no buses ever came?

“Are you perhaps heading to the Inner City? I can give you a ride then.”

The Inner City. It was the heart of Grisha, its most bustling urban area.

After a brief moment of deliberation, he nodded. He knew it wasn’t wise to accept help from a stranger, especially while being pursued by Sagyeol.

But he simply wanted to rest now, preferably without a single thought.

His mind was more exhausted than his body, which he had pushed to its limits for days. As he reached for the car door, his tattered clothes caught his eye.

He paused, withdrawing his hand, and the man gave a languid smile.

“I suppose offering a ride out of the blue might seem suspicious.”

On one side, a sturdy young man who seemed familiar with the area; on the other, a dust-covered outsider in torn clothes. There was no need to ponder which of them appeared more suspicious.

The man couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

“Don’t worry. I’m incredibly frail. If you hit me once, I’d probably pass out.”

Yet, that was his reply. Yeowon sensed a familiar lightness and brazenness in his words. His stiff shoulders relaxed slightly; the stranger, though unknown, didn’t feel particularly dangerous.

It was ridiculous. Truly ridiculous.

“My clothes are dirty.”

“Then take them off and get in.”

“……”

“Oh, no… I’m joking. If you’re really concerned, just take off that jacket. It’s warm in the car, so you’ll be fine.”

He did as instructed. Clutching his removed jacket, he settled into the passenger seat, and the car pulled away.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

A Tangy New Life After Breaking Up with My Girlfriend

HaremRomanceSlice of Life

Read Now →
Not interested