Chapter 86: Chapter 86: A Persistent Plea and a Lingering Gate

Chapter 86

This encompassed the Stellar Beings who cherished their contractors, seeking out other Stellar Beings to save a contractor on the brink of death.

Such actions were deemed an infringement after the last ‘Mythical Resurgence,’ as they disrupted the amusements of other Stellar Beings. Orias’s prolonged absence, lasting several days to avoid nagging, was precisely due to breaking this rule.

The problem now was that a certain ‘demon’ was attempting to approach Dokyeom, exploiting Orias’s absence.

Dokyeom, of course, already knew which Stellar Being this was. This was, after all, the same Stellar Being who had approached the original Han Dokyeom in the novel.

Even after the original Han Dokyeom survived the Red Gate and emerged into the world, he didn’t immediately begin his active role. The established plot design ensured this.

While Han Dokyeom’s appearance was predetermined, his encounter with the protagonist, Geon Ita, was slated for a much later stage.

To put it favorably, they were destined to meet under dramatically staged circumstances. Less favorably, he was essentially neglected, only to appear later as a dramatic helper for Geon Ita.

Thus, Han Dokyeom’s significant contributions were primarily focused on the mid-to-late stages of the story.

Until that time arrived, Han Dokyeom, in addition to his familiar Agon, inadvertently acquired numerous fortuitous encounters. The skill ‘’ was what made these possible.

And one of those was precisely that Stellar Being.

However, that time was not now. The moment that Stellar Being would be needed was still far off in the future.

‘What a persistent one, that thing.’

Despite continually seeing its messages, Dokyeom had maintained his silence. Perhaps growing more impatient, it was now persistently sending messages day and night, begging him to speak.

‘Please, just talk to me. Let’s have a conversation.’

No chance.

Dokyeom disregarded the message and headed to the guild’s welfare facilities on the sixth floor, specifically the swimming pool.

Dali, who had been sitting far from the water since morning, engrossed in the cube puzzle Dokyeom had bought, immediately ran to him when he saw him, presenting the completed puzzle.

“Peep!”

“Wow, our Dali is so smart! You finished this already?”

Blinking their gentle eyes, Dali shyly nodded their head. Dokyeom stroked their hair and then headed to the lounge. He laid out the rice balls from the hotel and the bread he had bought on the table, watching Dali eat.

“Dali, I’m going upstairs for a bit, so keep eating. I’ll play with you to your heart’s content when I get back, so just bear with me, okay?”

“Peep!”

Dali, nibbling on a rice ball, opened their small mouth to respond. Only after pouring milk for them, fearing they might choke, did Dokyeom leave the lounge and approach Agon, who was leaning on the edge of the pool, watching him.

“What’s bothering you now that you’re staring like that? Is it because of Yeonhu? We finished talking about that ages ago; why are you still making a fuss? You gave your permission.”

****

No sooner had Dokyeom spoken than Agon surged out of the water, as if kicking off the surface of the pool. Though his face remained expressionless, his gaze, full of venom, gleamed fiercely.

Agon, his body dripping wet, approached and pressed his nose against various parts of Dokyeom’s body. After sniffing around, his fine nose wrinkled slightly, seemingly displeased by something again.

‘He’s acting like this again because I picked up someone else’s scent.’

Now, he even grabbed Dokyeom’s arm, persistently pressing his body close. Dokyeom clicked his tongue, cupped Agon’s cheek, and met his gaze.

“Alright, alright. I’ll wash up after I go upstairs, so just keep an eye on Dali. Turn around so I can braid your hair.”

Dokyeom swiftly reached out, untangled the matted strands, and painstakingly braided Agon’s wet, clinging hair. Only after loosely weaving it into a presentable style did he caution Agon not to bite anyone, then exited the pool area and headed towards the elevator.

“Hyung, we’re going up now.”

“Right.”

Beom Yeonhu, who had been waiting in front of the elevator, smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. A faint tension could be sensed beneath his calm smile.

Today’s contract was purely a one-on-one agreement between Dokyeom and Beom Yeonhu. Dokyeom had already finalized discussions with Taeseongyeon about hiring Beom Yeonhu directly onto his team as a personal employee.

The contract would be made under the Sahyeon Guild’s name, but Beom Yeonhu’s salary would be paid from Dokyeom’s personal share.

“Are you going to your death? Just think of it as meeting the representative once and then leaving. It’s nothing big.”

As the elevator doors dramatically opened on cue, Dokyeom stepped inside and pressed the button for the 25th floor, feeling the surrounding scenery swiftly change. He glanced at the numbers, then yawned widely again. His condition was at its worst, having barely slept the night before.

He contemplated taking Dali to a park for a nap, but then wondered how much free time he would have before the next incident. Dokyeom mentally calculated the in-story timeline.

‘What was next? Was it around the time of the ‘Grand Historical Reenactment’?’

Even so, it hadn’t been long since the Red Gate incident, so it wasn’t yet time for something major to happen in Korea.

At least about a year later.

He recalled the novel’s focus being filled with gate incidents in China, Japan, or the US until then. Remembering how much criticism it had received for being boring, a sudden sense of melancholy washed over him.

While he was lost in thought, recalling the future, the elevator quickly reached the 25th floor. As it stopped and the doors silently parted, Dokyeom immediately stretched out his legs.

First, the contract, then a nap. That was his top priority right now.

As expected, Taeseongyeon was waiting for Dokyeom, seated in his usual spot. His silver eyes swept past Dokyeom, then settled on Beom Yeonhu, who followed behind. For a moment, Taeseongyeon’s eyes slowly closed and then reopened.

“Now that I look closely, Mr. Han Dokyeom seems to have a knack for picking people up.”

“Why are you looking for a fight again? I’m already dead tired.”

Dokyeom patted his own shoulder, then slumped into the chair opposite Taeseongyeon. He pulled Beom Yeonhu’s hand, gesturing for him to sit beside him.

Their gazes instantly locked. Taeseongyeon’s refined eyes were unusually cold, betraying a deeply twisted mood. Dokyeom wondered why, then realized the Sahyeon Guild had been plagued by numerous issues lately due to internal personnel mismanagement, which offered a strange sense of understanding.

“If the contract is ready, please give it to me, Mr. Taeseongyeon.”

“Before that, I believe the submission of the rank verification certificate comes first.”

“Here.”

Dokyeom unfolded the crumpled document envelope he had kept in his pocket and handed it to Taeseongyeon. Taeseongyeon took it and read through it with an air of boredom.

Today, Taeseongyeon seemed particularly more dressed up than usual. While he always favored suits, his neatness today surpassed his norm, almost as if he had an important appointment.

“Mr. Dokyeom, staring won’t make it disappear, so if you have something to say, just say it.”

Taeseongyeon spoke in a gentle voice, his gaze still fixed on the documents. As if he had been waiting, Dokyeom immediately asked,

“Are you perhaps going out somewhere today, dressed so formally?”

Only then did the eyes, which had been scanning the documents, turn to Dokyeom. His expressionless gaze softened into a gentle curve after a brief pause.

“It’s because I wish to make a rather good impression on our Mr. Han Dokyeom.”

“Please don’t spout such nonsense.”

‘Is he insane?’

Dokyeom shot a sidelong glance at Taeseongyeon for his shameless pretense of speaking words he didn’t mean. The reply followed a low chuckle.

“Regarding the blockade of the Seolleung Station Red Gate, representatives from other guilds and the Association will be visiting Sahyeon Guild today. Even if it’s just for formality’s sake, we should at least maintain some decorum, shouldn’t we, to uphold the guild’s prestige?”

Taeseongyeon tapped the documents with his fingertips, then returned his bored gaze to the text. Dokyeom’s eyebrows, however, furrowed slightly.

A blockade? The Seolleung Station Red Gate should have vanished as if evaporated immediately after Dali, the Chimera, emerged. That was how it had been set in the original story.

But it was still there now…?

Either something had changed, or something had gone wrong.

“A blockade means the gate hasn’t closed yet, but it’s been almost half a month now. No, why is it….”

“Indeed. Why hasn’t it closed?”

Taeseongyeon added cryptically, posing the question as if expecting Dokyeom to provide an answer. After his seemingly cold gaze briefly closed and reopened a few times, Taeseongyeon retracted his stare.

“The Association arranged this meeting precisely to find out, so there’s no need for Mr. Han Dokyeom to fret. It seems our appointment time is almost up, so I won’t be able to spend leisurely time with you today, Mr. Han Dokyeom. Let’s just sign the contract and then I’ll leave.”

Dokyeom closed his mouth, a sense of unease settling over him, then a weighty statement filled the space.

“And, well, Mr. Han Dokyeom, perhaps you should step out for a moment. I have some private matters to discuss with Mr. Beom Yeonhu.”

“If you’re going to threaten him, I’m not leaving.”

“Even if it’s private.”

The contract was carelessly tossed onto the table. Dokyeom shifted his gaze to Taeseongyeon, who had, in the interim, propped his chin on his hand.

His relaxed and gentle demeanor somehow made Dokyeom feel as if he were losing. ‘Why is he always so composed?’ The thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘Just once, I wish I could see him frown, a look of agitation on his face…’

“Dokyeom, I’ll be fine, so you can go downstairs first.”

At that moment, Beom Yeonhu spoke with a faint smile. Hearing his words, Dokyeom had no choice. He sighed, placed his hands on his knees, and slowly pushed himself up.