DB Vol 8 Part 3

Lucky bastard. Gye Min envied her brother and turned her gaze to the window.

Outside, her daughter was running around the garden excitedly with her husband. Recently, security had caught a stray dog wandering near the mansion, which turned out to be pregnant. A few days ago, it gave birth to five puppies. Captivated by these tiny creatures that couldn’t even open their eyes yet, her daughter had been shouting “puppy” all day long.

The trivial joy in the eyes of adults was a joy that filled her daughter’s life right now. Surely, she and her brother must have had such a childhood too. But until now, they had been so buried in the tragedy of the Gye family that they hadn’t even thought to look for it. Of course, she couldn’t abandon her responsibilities and duties, so it was impossible for her to dig those memories up again, but couldn’t her brother find them?

“Ji Won-woo-ssi refused, but shouldn’t we continue to persuade Vice Head at least?”

Chief Jung said with concern and added matter-of-factly.

“We need to stabilize the east and west as soon as possible.”

“The temporary administrators are doing well.”

“Yes. They’re all trying to kill themselves, though.”

“If there’s too much work, tell them to hire more people.”

Chief Jung shook his head at Gye Min’s response.

“If only it were just too much work. The problem is that they’re all uncooperative and looking at us sideways because we’re from the North. Still, the management positions are a bit better. The center directors dealing with Espers are in even more of a mess.”

“Didn’t you say there weren’t any major problems with the East Center?”

“Yes, public opinion towards the Hong family is at its worst in the East Center because Family Head Hong fled during the war. They’re not openly rejecting our personnel, perhaps thinking we’re better than the Hong family. Well, not that they’re looking at us favorably either.”

Gye Min recalled the content of a previous report and brought up a person.

“You said Han Seona is doing well at the East Center?”

“Very well. The Center director from the North praises Han Seona a lot. Saying she’s relentless in establishing discipline at the East Center. Apparently, she’s excellent at managing the Espers.”

Chief Jung, as if suddenly remembering someone, added curiously,

“Come to think of it, Ji Won-woo really seems to have an eye for people. Director Hwang is an incredible talent too. The Information Department is in an uproar, saying they can’t work without Director Hwang now. Except for being talkative, he’s a real gem.”

Whether he was a gem or not didn’t matter to Gye Min, but she agreed with one thing Chief Jung said. Ji Won-woo had an eye for people. That’s why she had planned to groom Seona well and eventually put her in charge of the East Center.

“But Han Seona says she wants to return to the North as soon as her temporary position as department head ends.”

Gye Min frowned sharply. Why does this one lack ambition too?

“Why on earth?”

“It’s just my guess, but I think it’s because there’s a webtoon artist she likes in the North.”

What’s that about? As Gye Min was dumbfounded, Chief Jung emphasized as if it wasn’t a lie.

“It’s true.”

“That’s the only reason?”

“Yes.”

Gye Min didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter as long as she knew the cause.

“Then move them.”

“Ah, that person just moved to the North not long ago…”

“Send them back. Right next to the East Center.”

And so, the relocation of a certain extremely introverted person who had just barely adapted to living in a foreign place was decided.

“Tell everyone to hang in there since there are no notable big problems yet.”

Gye Min tried to move on from this topic, but Chief Jung spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“With the families that ruled the East and West having collapsed, the Centers are now the only places to control the Espers. There’s a growing internal suggestion that we need to unify the management of the North, East, and West centers. Of course, the person to take that position should be someone with the highest skills.”

That person can only be Gye Yoon. Gye Min understood Chief Jung’s meaning, but she didn’t want to force her brother into that seat yet. Even if he couldn’t become a dragon, she wanted him to at least travel the world.

“Family Head.”

“If you really want to put Yoon in that position, then you, Chief Jung, should move with him as his assistant.”

Chief Jung’s smile quickly disappeared.

“…I’ll try to block the internal opinions for now.”

Of course you should. Gye Min nodded and then asked as if she had just remembered something.

“So where is that bastard now?”

*

When Won-woo took on this cargo, he thought he was lucky. The client who requested the transport company was the East Center. Seona, whom he hadn’t seen for a while, was there. Of course, he had been in touch with Seona occasionally and knew about her recent situation.

But for the past few days, something seemed off. Her voice, and even in their chats, there was a sense of gloominess. She wasn’t the type to show when she was having a hard time, so he couldn’t help but worry. And he wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

‘That’s right. She looked down. She used to always try to sell me on Gopnalssu, sending me lots of fanfiction links and all, but she hasn’t mentioned Gopnalssu at all for the past three days. When I tell her about webtoons I’ve enjoyed, she usually at least comments whether they’re interesting or not, but there’s been none of that either. It’s like she’s completely cut off from webtoons. Isn’t that weird? Don’t you think?’

It was definitely strange. For someone whose only joy in life was fandom, not talking about it for three days? That was like not eating for three days. So this time, he deliberately didn’t tell Seona that he was stopping by the East Center. If there was a problem at the East Center that was troubling her, he planned to quietly observe and then talk to her. But within 30 minutes of arriving, the ‘quietly’ part went out the window.

“What do you mean you can’t load it all? How can that be?”

The person shouting loudly was Department Head Park, a man in his 50s from the Eastern Center Reconstruction Department.

“Get everything out, no matter what!!”

The place where Department Head Park was showing off his vocal cords was familiar to Won-woo. It was the outdoor contamination removal room. This was where he had been bullied by the Head 3 team Espers and received help from Seona. It felt like just yesterday, but it had already been a few months. Lost in reminiscence, he turned his head at the sound of harsh cursing.

“How many times do I have to tell you to do as you’re told when you’ve been paid, you bastard!”

As Department Head Park raised his voice with a frown, the contamination removal room employee standing next to him sighed openly. He threw a pleading look at Won-woo. Because Gye Yoon, who was facing off against Park, was standing still with his hands in his pockets.

“I’ve told you several times that overloading isn’t allowed, damn it.”

A light retort slipped from Gye Yoon’s mouth. The contamination removal room employee looked back at Won-woo in shock, but Won-woo was actually surprised by Gye Yoon’s patience. When transporting cargo, there were often problems with clients or companies, and sometimes there were people who demanded overloading like today.

Even Won-woo and Gye Yoon, who had only been driving for a few weeks, had experienced such problems. So it was admirable to see Gye Yoon responding calmly without getting upset. Ending with just one “damn it.” The first time they fought with a client demanding overloading, Gye Yoon had even destroyed the cargo.

He didn’t use his Esper abilities, but smashed it using only his physical strength with a metal crowbar, earning recognition for his superhuman strength from the client. Although he had promised Won-woo afterwards not to solve problems with violence, Won-woo didn’t know he could control himself this well. Of course, the other party exploded even more after hearing just one “damn it.”

“Damn it?! Hey, you bastard!! A truck-driving punk who doesn’t know his place saying ‘damn it’?! Do you know who I am?!”

“I know that you’re the bastard who’s going to receive a protest letter from the cargo union soon.”

That’s right, Gye Yoon was a member of the cargo workers’ union. After the crowbar incident, the company advised them to seek help from the union if such problems occurred, and unlike Won-woo who shook his head, Gye Yoon joined immediately.

“Ha, cargo workers’ union? This is insane. Hey, I’m an Esper, you bastard! I could kill you and that entire union with just a move of my fingertip!”

Won-woo stepped forward just in case, but Gye Yoon raised his hand to stop him. Despite the gesture saying it was okay, Won-woo looked at him worriedly, but he didn’t sense any sign that Gye Yoon was planning to use his ability. Surely he’s not planning to swing a metal crowbar again? But this time, the cargo was garbage contaminated with monster pollution. Even if destroyed, it wouldn’t impact the client at all.

That’s why Won-woo couldn’t understand Department Head Park’s insistence on quickly removing all the items. The open space wasn’t even full of contaminated materials yet. Come to think of it, it was strange from the start that a Department Head from another department came out personally to get angry.

Won-woo examined the garbage more closely out of curiosity. Most of it was building debris, and nothing special was visible. Then what were they trying to hide? As Won-woo was suspicious, he heard Gye Yoon’s low voice.

“Go ahead and kill me.”

It wasn’t a loud voice, but it was heard clearly as if all surrounding noise had been deleted. Perhaps sensing something was off? Department Head Park hesitated. The two men driving the truck wearing masks and hoodies pulled down low had seemed strange from the beginning. Noticing Department Head Park’s change, Won-woo hoped he would back off cautiously. However, the arrogance of an Esper looking down on ordinary people won out.

“This bastard is putting on airs without knowing how scary Espers are.”

Department Head Park stepped forward, moving his fingers rapidly as if playing the piano. Won-woo immediately realized that this was his activation motion. Although he didn’t know what Department Head Park’s ability was, it was clear it would be his last attack in life. Won-woo spoke up urgently before Gye Yoon could step in.

“The overloading isn’t the only problem. There’s an issue with the cargo itself.”

Flinch. Department Head Park stopped his arm movement mid-air. Won-woo, thinking there must indeed be a problem with the garbage, moved to inspect it more closely. At the same time, he heard Department Head Park shout.

“Hey! Stop!”

But Won-woo didn’t stop and advanced towards the garbage. Department Head Park, seemingly trying to stop him by force, raised his index finger to his temple.

As it happened, he had the ability to stop moving objects and could easily halt ordinary people. But just as he was about to use his power, he felt something drain from his body, and he couldn’t use his ability properly.

“…Huh?”

While confusion spilled from Department Head Park’s mouth, Won-woo stopped in front of the garbage piled as high as a person and carefully examined it.

“What is it?” Gye Yoon, who had somehow approached, asked. Won-woo silently stared at the garbage. After a long while, he finally spoke.

“Because I often retch, my body has become sensitive on its own. Sometimes even old bloodstains that shouldn’t smell make me feel sick.”

Although it seemed like an irrelevant statement, Gye Yoon’s eyes sharpened. His gaze said ‘continue’, so Won-woo voiced the reason for his discomfort.

“I feel a bit nauseous right now.”

“Step back.”

At those words, Won-woo looked back once and stepped away. Department Head Park was now on his knees on the ground, panting. But no sound of breathing could be heard from him. Instead, another sound came from the front.

Wheeee—

As a long whistle sound continued, the piled garbage began to vibrate and fall to the ground one by one. And in the middle of the disassembled garbage, a drum that didn’t fit with the demolished building debris appeared. There was a dark red bloodstain on the tightly closed lid of the drum.

“The body found in the drum is said to be Department Head Park’s mistress. Department Head Park confessed everything in the interrogation room. He says he killed her accidentally during a fight.”

The low-level administrative employee explaining to Won-woo and Gye Yoon was excessively polite to the point of being pale with tension. Unable to properly look at Gye Yoon, he carefully asked Won-woo, who seemed the easier one to approach.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

But Won-woo was staring into space as if thinking about something, and Gye Yoon looked annoyed as if bored with the situation. The low-level employee assigned to the two was barely holding back from fainting.

A body was suddenly discovered in the contamination removal room, and the culprit was an Esper belonging to the East Center. Moreover, the culprit had fainted on the spot for unknown reasons. The biggest problem was the two people in front of him who had uncovered this. Truck drivers.

Thinking they were ordinary people, he had brought them to this small conference room in a corner of the administrative office for a witness interview, but since then, calls had been pouring in to the low-level employee. Starting with the head of the main department, then the East Center director, the temporary administrator in charge of the entire East, and finally even the secretary of the head of the Gye family, said to be one of the real powers.

The content was uniformly strict instructions to follow these people’s orders unconditionally. Just who were these people? Whoever they were, they were certainly people with connections to power. Or maybe they were undercover agents.

Given how quickly they uncovered the murder, there was a high possibility they were undercover inspectors. The low-level employee could clearly see what would happen to his future if he said even one wrong word. Especially since Han Seona, the department head of the main team known for her competence, had shouted this on the phone,

‘Tell them I’m out on an external site! I’m running there right now, so take good care of them until then! If they haven’t eaten, start with a meal, no, move them to a comfortable place without any inconvenience! Don’t mind the tall bastard!!!’

Her last advice was a bit strange. All the other powerful people who had contacted him had earnestly asked him to take good care of the tall man. As the low-level employee glanced at the tall guy, a question came from the other side.

“What about the punishment?”

“As it’s still under investigation, I don’t have any information I can confirm for you.”

“Didn’t you say he admitted to the murder? Has he been transferred to the esper prison?”

The low-level employee rolled his eyes as if troubled by that question.

“Um, no. He’s claiming it was accidental homicide, and with the current shortage of Espers, the center is in chaos…”

“Are you saying they’re letting him go?”

As Won-woo asked calmly, the low-level employee’s eyes rolled again. Then he voiced the obvious reason.

“Well, he is an Esper after all.”

“And he has many connections within the Center, right?”

Unlike Won-woo’s incredulous response, Gye Yoon, who had been sitting as if bored, threw in his first comment.

“That’s good.”

What is? The question that popped into the low-level employee’s mind soon flowed from Won-woo’s mouth.

“What is?”

“Because this time, all those connections will be revealed.”

It’s perfect for cleaning up rotten branches. Although Won-woo understood what Gye Yoon meant, he had a concern.

“Given the shortage of Espers, excessive disciplinary action will face strong opposition.”

And the one who would bear the brunt of that opposition would be Seona working here. Gye Yoon, sensing who Won-woo was worried about with uncanny perception, snorted.

“If the higher-ups are competent, they should be able to handle that much. If they can’t even do that, they’re better off rolling around stuck on a farm.”

“Who says they can’t?”

At the sudden interjection, Won-woo stood up happily.

“Seona.”

Seona, who had rushed in urgently, smiled as soon as she saw Won-woo.

“I came right over when I heard you’d been out in the field, but I’m quite late, aren’t I? I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“If you were going to make us wait, you shouldn’t have come at all.”

This time, Gye Yoon interjected. Seona’s eyebrows twitched as she retorted through gritted teeth.

“No, I have to come even if I’m sorry. If it’s a place where Won-woo is, I’d cross the universe to find him, no matter what.”

At Seona’s confession-like words, Won-woo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. This time, it was Gye Yoon’s eyebrows that twitched.

“What nerve do you have to visit when you can’t even do your job properly?”

“What do you mean I can’t do my job? I’ve already contacted them to keep that bastard Department Head Park in check.”

“You should have sorted it out before things went wrong. Why make us step in?”

Seeing the obvious attempt to pick a fight, Seona’s eyes widened.

“Even if Department Head Park is trash, he does his job. How am I supposed to sort that out? Are you saying I should’ve tailed him and monitored his affairs even though I’m not his wife?”

“You know it well.”

At Gye Yoon’s brazen reply, Seona’s jaw clenched. As Won-woo tried to intervene, Seona’s retort came faster.

“Tailing. Fine, alright. I might not catch others, but I’ll definitely catch you if you cheat.”

“Fuck, why would I cheat?”

“Who knows? Do cheaters plan to cheat? Be especially careful when you’re in your car. I hear people do such dirty things under the guise of car dates. I’ll be watching with both eyes open.”

Won-woo’s face turned pale, remembering he had already done ‘dirty things’ in a car. On the other hand, someone who remembered those ‘dirty things’ as beautiful proudly raised his chin.

“We’ve only done it a few times, but why would I do that amazing thing with someone else?”

“That’s why you never know what might happen… Huh?”

Han Seona, who had been sneering, paused, and just as Won-woo was about to shout to stop, a phone rang. It was the cellphone of the junior employee who had been tensely frozen in the corner.

“Ah, yes, yes, Director Han Seona has arrived here. …What?”

The junior employee’s eyes widened in surprise at whatever he heard. He turned that gaze directly to Seona.

“Um, Director…”

“What is it?”

“They say Department Head Park has been released.”

Won-woo and Gye Yoon ended up staying at the Eastern Center longer than expected. Although the two still didn’t reveal their faces, they were able to directly confirm the progress of Department Head Park’s case with the permission of the center director.

As they watched Seona personally bring back the released Department Head, lock him up again, and then literally grill those who had handled this matter in the interrogation room, it was well past midnight.

While it was admirable to see Seona, a B-rank Esper, confidently dealing with those of higher rank than herself, it was also somewhat pitiful to think how accustomed to resistance and insubordination she must be to act like that.

“Is the job very tough?”

Won-woo muttered, looking at the interrogation room through the glass wall. Gye Yoon, sitting bored beside him, turned to Won-woo with uncomprehending eyes.

“Anyone can see she’s enjoying it.”

Seona dealing with the officials inside looked like she was relieving work stress rather than working. But to Won-woo, who had been worried about Seona for the past few days, she looked like nothing more than a fragile director being bullied by other Espers.

“Can’t you help her, Gye Yoon-ssi?”

When there was no response, he turned to see anger burning in Gye Yoon’s eyes.

“You want me to wield power for Han Seona? Is she that important to you?”

“Yes.”

When Won-woo agreed nonchalantly, Gye Yoon’s face changed as if hurt for a moment. But he quickly spat out harshly.

“If it’s for Han Seona, we should let her establish her position on her own. She’s not a child, and relying on power to establish discipline will only be temporary.”

He really hasn’t experienced social life, Won-woo thought, shaking his head at Gye Yoon.

“That’s only when one lacks personal ability.”

How full of unfairness is society? There’s no one who appreciates it if you try to live nobly like a crane with your beliefs intact. So you should take advantage of what’s favorable to you to a reasonable extent.

“Seona isn’t someone whose abilities would be undervalued just because she gets a little support. Rather, if people know there’s power behind Seona, they might see that as an ability too.”

So just put in a word from behind. You’re a person of power, aren’t you? Won-woo pleaded with his eyes, and Gye Yoon’s jaw clenched again.

“I don’t want to.”

“It’s not because of personal feelings, is it?”

99% of it was for that reason. But he shamelessly denied it as if the remaining 1% was the whole reason.

“No. It’s for Ms. Han Seona’s independence.”

When Won-woo pressed his lips together in disappointment, Gye Yoon’s eyes wavered slightly. He quickly poured out excuses.

“Once you use power to make things easier, it becomes harder next time. Do you know why I don’t reveal my identity and solve problems through the union when issues arise while I’m driving a truck? It might solve the problem easily right away, but it’s not good in the long run. A problematic client will just bully another truck driver. But if it’s through the union, the client will at least be careful with all drivers who are union members.”

Surprised by the unexpected explanation, Won-woo blinked for a moment before speaking.

“I thought you were just trying to make use of the union because you regretted paying the membership fee.”

Gye Yoon casually turned his gaze.

“It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

“I see. I’ll do as you wish, Gye Yoon-ssi. But I’m surprised. I didn’t know you were thinking like that.”

“Did you think I was just a reckless thug throwing my power around?”

“…Something like that.”

Won-woo lowered his gaze apologetically, but Gye Yoon didn’t mind and stood up.

“It’s fine. That impression makes it easier for me to do as I please too.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have to go.”

It’s not like I’m going to use my power, so there’s no need to stay. As Gye Yoon spoke as if it were obvious, Won-woo nodded.

“Ah, you go ahead.”

“…What do you mean, ‘go ahead’?”

“I want to stay and make sure Seona gets firmly established before I leave.”

Won-woo, seemingly decided to reveal his face, lowered his hood and took off his mask. Seeing this, Gye Yoon tensed his eyes and took out his phone. Before Won-woo could ask what he was doing, Gye Yoon called somewhere and coldly ordered,

“It’s me. Gather all team leaders and above in the East Center right now.”

He said just this and hung up without waiting for a response. Won-woo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Who were you talking to?”

“The East Center Director. So…”

Gye Yoon spoke through gritted teeth.

“Cover your face again right now.”

In the end, they stayed at the East Center for one more day. It was thanks to Gye Yoon revealing his face and publicly supporting Seona. Because of this, obstacles to Seona’s progress were removed, and the internal opposition that had been boiling over the pruning of the East Center’s rotten branches subsided.

Won-woo was satisfied, but he was puzzled when he heard about the atmosphere when Gye Yoon declared his public support. The atmosphere was said to have been quite unpleasant. Between Gye Yoon and Seona. Both of them openly showed quite displeased expressions for some reason.

“Some people inside actually showed favor because Department Head Han Seona didn’t seem at all happy despite receiving support from a big shot.”

The one who relayed the news of that day was Umji, who had recently become the team leader of the Support Team. Due to the shortage of Espers in the East Center, she had risen to the team leader position, and there were malicious rumors that she became team leader because she was close to Seona. But with a personality that didn’t care about others’ talk at all, she spoke of Seona’s situation as if it were no big deal.

“Whatever people say, it doesn’t matter as long as Director Han does her job well.”

Won-woo smiled happily as if the praise for doing the job well was for him. He was currently meeting with Umji, an acquaintance of Seona’s, because he didn’t want to disturb the busy Seona. And true to her straightforward personality, Umji immediately solved Won-woo’s curiosity.

“Ah, the reason why Seona, no, Director Han, is feeling down? Haa, it’s all because of Gopnalssu. The author posted a notice saying they’re going on hiatus.”

Won-woo tilted his head, not understanding at all.

“Wasn’t it already on hiatus?”

“It was. But still, the author had shown their will, albeit rarely. Saying they were thinking hard and would get back to work someday. But this time it’s different. They said they can’t continue creative activities because of severe stress due to a big change in their daily life. This is beyond a hiatus, it’s the end of the series! Really, who the hell is bothering our author, seriously!”

Bang!

Enraged, Umji punched the wall. Won-woo glanced at the cracked wall and politely folded his hands.

“But they didn’t say they’re quitting for good, right?”

“But it’s as good as waiting without any promise now.”

Umji sighed as if the world had ended. Won-woo thought seriously. Should he go find the author and grab them by the collar?

“Um, maybe we could go find the author and persuade them…”

“Absolutely not. Our author hates meeting people.”

“…I thought they were an office worker?”

“They pour all their social energy into the company. Isn’t that amazing? Working at a company while creating arts.”

“…I heard they originally worked on webtoons full-time but had to forcibly take a company job because they couldn’t make money due to frequent hiatuses.”

Won-woo leaked the information he knew, but the fan let it go in one ear and out the other.

“They’re trying so hard to live diligently like that. Hah, seriously, what kind of damned bastard is bothering them and interfering with their work?”

Bang!

The crack in the wall grew. Won-woo subtly pushed his chair away from the wall.

“Why don’t you turn your attention to other works in this opportunity?”

When Won-woo suggested this, Umji raised her eyes in disbelief.

“Being a fan is destiny. Do you think it’s easy to find a work that pierces your heart?”

Won-woo thought anything would be better than the mess that was Gopnalssu, but he held back.

“Then is it true that Seona has no other problems besides Gopnalssu?”

“There are none.”

How could there be? Umji informed plainly. On the other hand, Won-woo’s face darkened. This problem was too difficult for Won-woo. He had no idea how to make Seona happy. So he never dreamed that this problem would be solved so ridiculously three days later.

[Ah, this cargo is the last one, you say?]

Arriving at the rest area, Won-woo was waiting for Gye Yoon in the car when he ended up talking with Sang-cheon on the phone.

“Yes. The rumor that the Vice Head of the Gye family is riding around in a truck has spread widely. The company seems to be burdened about assigning work to us.”

He couldn’t tell anyone that the person in charge had begged on their knees to be spared.

[Of course it’s burdensome. He’s the Vice Head of the Gye family, after all. By the way, I’ve heard the rumors too. I heard that the Gye Vice Head is going around in a truck solving problems like some kind of secret royal inspector? Was that really the purpose?]

“How could it be?”

[But all kinds of testimonials about Gye Yoon’s good deeds were being posted.]

“They must all be made up.”

[Ah, is that so? Well, I guess it doesn’t make sense that he fought with evil clients and realized justice wherever he went.]

“That part is partially true.”

At least we did fight. Quite often.

[Really? Don’t tell me it’s also true that Gye Yoon became a strong supporter of the cargo workers’ union?]

“No, that’s also close to the truth.”

He was a militant union member in his own way.

[…Then it’s practically all true, isn’t it?]

“Well, there might be some exaggeration.”

[Of course, there’s bound to be some exaggeration. I heard that people saw the truck you two were riding in parked, and it was shaking vigorously.]

“!”

[I mean, how could a parked car shake like that? It’s not like you were doing a traditional dance inside. Right?]

Won-woo couldn’t bring himself to answer, covering his face with his hands and trembling with shame.

[Hello? Won-woo-nim?]

“Ahem, Mr. Hwang, don’t you have any worries these days?”

As Won-woo hastily changed the subject, Sang-cheon gave his usual response.

[Oh, there are always worries.]

Of course, this person is a worry doll. Won-woo was rubbing his face when he stopped at Sang-cheon’s next words.

[But where is life without worries? I’ve always been a worrier, so I’ve mastered worrying now. If it’s not something you can solve right away, just focus on what you like and forget about it. That’s how I’ve found I can live.]

Won-woo removed his hands from his face and smiled. It was strange. Sang-cheon was the most similar case between his world and the two people in this world. No, he was suspicious that it might really be the same person who crossed over.

[But why are you asking about my worries?]

Because I need to know your worries to make you happy. He wanted to make people happy with his own hands, but Won-woo hadn’t actually achieved anything. The Gye family head was still overworking every day, buried in work, and Seona was also buried in work every day. And Gye Yoon…

Won-woo looked around the interior of the truck accompanying him on his last journey. The trip wasn’t bad. At least Won-woo enjoyed being able to have many conversations with Gye Yoon. No, just being able to be with someone for so long like this felt like it was gradually filling the deep, deep pit of Won-woo’s loneliness.

But what about Gye Yoon? Because he had to drive a lot, there was a lot of boring time. It was depressing because it seemed like only he was satisfied with something that was started for Gye Yoon’s sake. As Won-woo was rubbing his face with his hands again, he heard news that made his ears perk up.

[Oh, by the way, Seona seems to be happy again?]

“Really?!”

At Won-woo’s shout, Sang-cheon inserted his trademark ‘Oh my, you startled me’ interjection.

[It’s true. She contacted me this morning too, so excited. She was already going on about promoting.]

Promoting what?

[Haven’t you received the success story contact yet?]

“Success story? Who succeeded?”

[No, it’s short for ‘I’ll spill the tea about being possessed by a saint and facing off against dinosaurs.’ It’s very popular these days, haven’t you seen it?]

It was a title he absolutely didn’t want to see. He didn’t even want to hear the explanation, but Sang-cheon was already excited and about to lay out the plot.

[So, there’s this high school girl who’s a national judo representative, but always comes in second due to weight class limitations, and she gets possessed by a saint, right? But this saint turns out to have the strongest physique, unrivaled by anyone. So she’s reborn as a fighting saint, making all the heroes kneel before her and physically enlightening the forces of evil, when one day a dungeon opens. Dinosaurs pour out from there, and the saint faces off against the strongest T-rex using only her physical strength…]

“So you’re saying Seona got into a new webtoon?”

[That’s right. Originally, wounds received from fandom are healed by fandom, you know.]

What? Didn’t she say fandom is destiny and not easily encountered?

“Don’t tell me Umji got into it too?”

[Of course she did, she’s the most deeply hooked and already insisting we need to go to a fan-only event.]

Feeling an inexplicable sense of betrayal, Won-woo was at a loss for words. In contrast, Sang-cheon’s voice soared like a bird, riding the excitement.

[I knew they’d both get into it right away. It’s a webtoon I recommended! Hahaha!]

For once, his laughter somehow felt annoying.

[I’ve always been famous for my excellent eye in finding products that suit customers’ tastes…]

“I’ll call you again next time.”

Won-woo cut off the excitedly chattering Sang-cheon and hung up abruptly. Then he buried his face in his hands again in despair. He tried so hard, but it had no effect…