RG 9

“So, what’s going on?”

“Huh?”

This guy suddenly acting friendly caught me off guard. As I glanced at the child, I snapped back to reality upon hearing Hyeon Dowun’s voice from behind.

“You were blabbering about being kidnapped by the research lab, and now you’ve brought a kid we’ve never seen here. What’s going on?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Right, now’s not the time for this. I need to accomplish why I’m here.

Holding the child, I took the chair Hyeon Dowun had been sitting on and sat there. Then, I said, “Bring me any empty box you can find.”

“…?”

With a frown, Hyeon Dowun glanced at the curious ladies before fetching an empty box from a corner.

Placing the box that Hyeon Dowun had brought on the desk, I opened my bag, which I had been carrying all along, untied it, and began taking out items stolen—no, retrieved—from the research lab.

“Wow, what’s all this?”

“These are mana stones, right? The quality is quite decent.”

“There are also artifacts.”

“Seohu, where did you get all this?”

“Shall we call it the price for my life?”

I emptied everything from my bag except for the cloak and sword I had brought for myself and neatly arranged the items in the box.

“Sisters, could you sell these items for me? Deduct a fair commission from the sale, and then send the remainder to me.”

I had planned to let Hyeon Dowun handle the selling, but since the black market managers were here anyway, it seemed better to ask them directly.

Even if I give them commission, those items are in such good condition that the amount coming back to me would be quite substantial.

“And Hyeon Dowun, I have a few favors.”

“Why do you keep asking me for favors?”

“Because only you can do it.”

Hyeon Dowun pursed his lips in a serious response, scratching the back of his head in resignation. “What is it?”

“Well, first, create a suitable guild for me.”

“A guild? Out of the blue?”

“Yeah. Also, find a place near Gangnam where we can live with the sales money. Just for two.”

“what?”

“And create a fake identity. For this fellow.”

“…”

As Hyeon Dowun’s expression soured with each request, he eventually sighed deeply and shook his head.

“So, you’re planning on breaking the law.”

“How is this breaking the law?”

“Then why not go to the Association and apply to create a guild legitimately? Don’t make a fuss with me here.”

“Why do you always do this? You know I can’t afford to do that.”

“Sigh… Let’s not talk about it.” As if his head was hurting, Hyeon Dowun swiftly turned and fetched a new chair, dragging it over to the computer. “If you want to do as you please, you’ll need to create an identity for that child. What’s his name?” he asked amidst the sound of his keyboard.

‘Um. Here it comes.’

I expected that I’d need the child’s identity to do various things. The problem was this situation where I had never heard the child’s name before.

“So… His name is…”

“Is…?”

“Well… His name is… What was it again? Ugh, my memory…”

“…Surely you’re not saying you don’t know?”

“No, I heard it! I’ve been forgetting a lot lately, even the kid’s name…”

“Sahyeon.”

“I think I forgot… What? What was it?”

Startled by a whisper-like voice near my ear, I jerked away, grabbing the kid’s shoulder, but the child squirmed and opened his mouth again, “Sahyeon. My name.”

“Huh…”

He just revealed his name so easily? This fellow who until now barely acknowledged my words, barely even nodded his head?

Stunned and incredulous, I found myself at a loss while Hyeon Dowun clicked his tongue. “Geez, did you really forget? Anyway, I’ll let your careless nature slide. First name is Sahyeon… What about the surname?”

Having become a piece of trash who had quickly forgotten a child’s name after hearing it, I responded with a sense of resentment, “…Use the same surname as mine. Cha. So people think we’re siblings.”

“Okay. Cha Sahyeon.”

The ladies listening in on our conversation, their eyes filled with curiosity, chimed in, “Cha Sahyeon is a nice name. But seriously, where did you two meet? If you’re planning to live together, it seems like you’re taking responsibility properly.”

“There were some circumstances.”

“Don’t tell me he’s your son?”

“Oh, come on, sis! His age is not appropriate. Seohu just turned 32.”

“…I’m 26.”

“Oh, were you that young?”

Isn’t there quite a big difference between 32 and 26? Even counting my regression by two years, I’m only 28.

Do I really look 32? Feeling a bit disheartened, I asked Son Gayoung, who held the highest position among the ladies, for another favor besides selling items.

“By any chance, are there portable inventory items available on the black market? Accessories type would be even better.”

A waist pouch feels uncomfortable, so it might be worth investing a bit more for an accessory inventory.

“Well… There’s one gem available. If you embed it, it should work. What kind of accessory do you want?”

“A ring or a necklace would be convenient.”

Son Gayoung took out her phone and sent a message somewhere. “I’ve asked the kids to make it. They’ll bring it over right away. There’s no available ring to embed the gem, so it’ll be a necklace.”

“A necklace will be enough.” In terms of stability, a ring might have been the best choice, but a necklace wasn’t bad either. As long as I was careful not to break the necklace chain, it should be fine.

“I’ll deduct this cost from the remaining money.”

“Why not consider it as a gift?” I brazenly asked.

In response to my charming smile, Son Gayoung chuckled and pulled out a cigarette. Maybe because of the child’s presence, she didn’t light it. “Aren’t you a cute one? You show up out of nowhere when you need something after disappearing without a word.”

“You’re still as sharp as ever, ma’am…”

I had many arguments to counter her, but in this situation, revealing that I was kidnapped and lived as an experimental subject would only invite ridicule. It could even endanger Cha Sahyeon’s identity.

“Here.” In the brief moment of chatting with the older ladies, Hyeon Dowun had already prepared a few documents and handed them to me. “I’ve submitted the guild creation request as you wanted, and I’ve bought an office space in your name. Send a text to the number mentioned in the document within a week, that’ll be the guild name.” Mixing illegality aside, setting up a guild was a whole new experience for me. As I perused the documents, Hyeon Dowun continued explaining, “The child’s documents are on the last page. Cha Sahyeon. Siblings with you, age 12. I’m not sure if it’s accurate, but that’s how he looks. If you’re unhappy, tough luck.”

“12? Is 12 supposed to look like this?”

I thought he was 10. Even as we discussed the child’s age, Cha Sahyeon just clung to my neck, hugging me tightly. Acting rather like a koala.

Instead of Hyeon Dowun, who looked like he’d irresponsibly said “I don’t know”, the ladies chimed in to assist, “He looks like at the borderline of 12. Kids around that age vary a lot because of growth spurts.”

“Right. Was Seohu this size when he was 12? Considering that, they might be similar.”

“But the two of them hugging like that really makes them seem like real siblings. There’s some similarity in their vibes too.”

“So true! I’ve been thinking the same since earlier. There’s no pinpointing, but they strangely resemble each other.” 

Son Gayoung, who had been observing us from the back, flicked off some ash from her cigarette and said, “Could he be your half-brother?”

“No way.” What’s the age difference between this kid and me? When I was discarded and flowed into Zone C-281, I was quite young.

It’s highly unlikely that there could be a sibling with such a significant age gap. Even if such a situation existed, I would likely have some memory of it. Even contemplating the idea of a newly born child related to me, whether from the man or the woman who shared my genetics… For that child to turn out to be Cha Sahyeon, destined for a great calamity, and coincidentally to end up in the same research facility as a subject of experiments, seems too implausible.

“I’ve handled everything, so I’ll take off now.”

Just then, Son Gayoung’s ordered necklace arrived.

As I received the necklace brought by an employee and put it on, I detached Cha Sahyeon, who was clinging tightly to me. He seemed displeased, gazing up at me, but calmed down when I held his hand.

“Leaving already?”

“Will you contact us this time?”

“If you disappear again, I’ll come looking for you.”

Amidst the mixed teasing and concern from the ladies, I half-heartedly responded with something like, “Sure, I’ll contact you,” an insincere farewell.

“Cha Seohu!”

Just as I was about to escape the room before getting more harassed by the ladies, Hyeon Dowun shouted from behind me.

“You’re just leaving? They… probably expect you to wait.” Hyeon Dowun stuttered and gestured with his eyes towards upstairs. I immediately understood who he meant and instinctively halted my steps.

As I was unable to easily respond, Son Gayoung also said, “Won’t you meet them? They would’ve probably on their way after seeing your visit.”

“…”

“How do you plan to deal with the aftermath?”

Suppressing a deep sigh welling up inside, I spoke with a smile on my face, “Well, I won’t be the one dealing with that aftermath in the future, will I? Today’s not the day for that. Well then, I’ll be off!”

“Ugh… that crazy idiot…”

Ignoring Hyeon Dowun’s expletives and astonishment, I swiftly left the room without looking back.

As I emerged from the dimly lit area, the dazzling neon lights of the vibrant signs stabbed my eyes. The surroundings were a hotbed of illegal activities, with rough criminals lurking around. Despite the size of the building, the air felt stale within it.

‘No wonder they say staying too long in a place isn’t good.’

Thinking I should leave as soon as possible, I quickened my pace, leading the child away.