HG Ch 14

<14>

Eyes lighting up with curiosity, blushing cheeks, strange breathing sounds, swaying while twisting the body… Perhaps Eunho had grown too accustomed to such reactions that the cold gaze of the man before him felt unfamiliar.

As Eunho stood frozen in place, the man, who had leaned in to whisper, straightened his back and stepped away.

Wait. He stepped away? Not closer?

…Am I not the beauty that can overthrow nations?

Flustered, Eunho turned fully around to face the man. And then, once again, he gasped.

A face sculpted as if by a masterful blade, with prominent brow bones, a sharply defined nose, perfectly proportioned lips, and an elegant jawline. Even in a game where stunning men and women thrived in farming and hunting, this man stood out. And he was watching Eunho in silence.

A true character customization master.

How much passion must have gone into crafting that face? Usually, with 3D customization, a slight misstep could send a character plunging into the uncanny valley, yet this man resided in the pleasant highlands of aesthetic perfection. Could he be a designer?

And on top of that, he’s a fashion enthusiast…

Eunho’s gaze, filled with admiration, now swept down the man’s attire. A subtly lustrous black gat, a sleek black durumagi^[1], and a deep purple sash cinched firmly around his waist. His traditional outfit was flawless from head to toe. The finishing touch was his black taesahye^[2], shoes that perfectly complemented his durumagi. The white stripes on the toe and heel of the shoes subtly enlivened what might have otherwise been a monotonous all-black ensemble.

There’s no doubt he’s a major character.

Then why was he acting so cold? Shouldn’t he be following Eunho around eagerly?

Eunho, who had only ever encountered people utterly bewitched by him, found himself perplexed. Just then, the man, who had been watching him with a slightly tilted posture, finally spoke.

“That’s strange…”

He muttered to himself. His face, partially obscured by the shadow of his gat, felt oddly out of place. Was it because, despite his neatly tied sangtu^[3] and traditional headgear, he exuded none of the grace of a scholar? Or perhaps it was the way his unpolished air seeped through, defying the refined harmony of his features. If having an impeccably handsome face while radiating unruliness was a talent, then he had certainly mastered it.

While Eunho was busy assessing his looks as he pleased, the man furrowed his brows and tilted his head slightly.

“Something feels off.”

Eunho didn’t even have time to ask what he meant.

Just as the man’s scrutinizing gaze inched closer, a small figure abruptly stepped between them.

“Excuse me. Right now, Sori oppa’s time belongs to me.”

And then, the voice of Mr. Green Narae, whom Eunho had momentarily forgotten, rang out loud and clear. The way he stood there, having defeated twenty-three competitors to monopolize Eunho’s time, was nothing short of imposing.

“Sori oppa?”

The man frowned and repeated the name. His already sharp expression grew even colder, but Mr. Green Narae had the confidence of someone seasoned with experience. Without so much as blinking, he repeated himself.

“Yes. If you want to talk to oppa, go stand in line and wait your turn.”

“Hah.”

And just like that, the arrow was redirected toward Eunho. The man, who had been chuckling helplessly, tilted his head and asked, “You tell me. Should I really go stand in line and wait?”

What kind of situation was this…?

Eunho stared at the man in confusion. He had the look of someone utterly convinced that Eunho would take his side.

So… was this what they called the confidence of a beautiful character? Was that why he had deliberately kept his distance earlier, playing hard to get? Eunho had sensed something different about his behavior. Was it because he was a character with an arrogant, high-class persona, befitting his looks?

The thought was so absurd that Eunho couldn’t help but frown.

“And who do you think you are? If you came late, of course, you have to wait.”

Excuse me?

I’m the one with the <Beauty That Can Overthrow Nations> trait in this world. Where do you get off acting all haughty?

Eunho had already adapted to his role, so when he firmly dismissed the man, his expression noticeably darkened.

Eunho smirked to himself. No matter how aloof a character he was, there was no way he could ignore Joo Eunho, the protagonist of this story.

Soon enough, he’d come crawling back. Then, Eunho would coax him into becoming his twenty-fifth fated connection before setting off in search of his twenty-sixth target.

“Alright.”

But contrary to Eunho’s expectations, the man simply waved a hand without the slightest hesitation.

“…What?”

“You said I was late.”

And with that, he spun around. The hem of his robe rippled elegantly with the motion.

It was human nature. When a merchant enthusiastically pushes a product, people lose interest. But when something is made scarce, refused even, it becomes all the more desirable.

“Wait, hold on. You’re really leaving? Where are you going?”

Eunho was no exception. Watching the man’s relaxed, unconcerned demeanor suddenly made his thoughts spiral into chaos.

A unique character had appeared, and he was letting him go too easily. Should he have just added him to his collection? Hesitant, Eunho called out again, but the man remained indifferent.

“I’m listening to you right now. Why do you need to know where I’m going?”

“Hold on. I think you’re too deep into your character concept and forgetting something important here. I’m MwonGaeSori, damn it. And you can walk away that easily?”

At those words, the man came to a halt and smiled.

“Woof.”

And then, he barked.

Startled, Eunho took a step back.

“…What the hell?”

“Playing along.”

Did he just treat my words as literal nonsense^[4]?

Eunho, so thoroughly conditioned by his preordained fate <Beauty That Can Overthrow Nations>, was utterly shaken.

In my entire gaming life, I’ve never met someone like this before.

Even after exchanging more than five lines of dialogue, the Thread of Fate menu hadn’t appeared. That didn’t sit well with him. He couldn’t just let this man go.

Before he knew it, his hand had grabbed onto the man’s wide sleeve.

And at that moment—

Ding!

[SYSTEM] Warning: This individual is marked as a restricted contact. [SYSTEM] Contact will result in penalties.

For a brief second, Eunho thought he saw the man’s gaze meet his through the translucent system window.

Then—

The vast, cloudless blue sky came crashing down on him.

A sharp, pulsing pain radiated through his abdomen.

Before he even registered what had happened, Eunho found himself sprawled out, arms and legs splayed, blinking up at the sky in confusion.

What… just happened?

As he stared blankly at the sky, he heard Mr. Green Narae’s startled scream.

At the same time, a commotion erupted. The twenty-three members of the Royal Guard, who had been stationed at a distance watching over Joo Eunho, came charging toward him with a thunderous clamor.

Swish!

Then, with a fierce whistle, a massive spear sliced through the air like a hunting hawk.

It struck the ground with a deep thud, right in front of the onrushing guards, stopping them in their tracks.

Only then did Eunho realize—

Oh. I was sent flying by the handle of that spear.

The man who had thrown it to block the guards’ approach crouched down and loomed over the still-prone Eunho.

He spoke.

“What was that? What did you just do to me?”

“Uh… W-why are you suddenly speaking so formally?”

The situation was taking a bizarre turn. Feeling overwhelmed, Eunho instinctively switched to formal speech as well.

“Let’s stop playing around now, alright? I know you hate childish things.”

“I-I’m not joking either.”

“Answer me. What exactly did you just do?”

Eunho hadn’t done anything. His system window had simply popped up on its own. But he had no idea how to explain that, so he just rolled his eyes, searching for an answer.

The man spoke again.

“Why would a system window appear?”

That, however, was something Eunho couldn’t ignore.

Until now, he had asked countless people about “system windows” and “how to log out”, but they all acted like they hadn’t heard him. Eventually, he had resigned himself to the idea that, since this was a novel, even the players couldn’t recognize meta-talk.

But now, this man had just mentioned a system window himself.

A hope that Eunho thought had long died suddenly rekindled.

“You… You know about system windows?”

“What the hell are you even talking ab—”

The man, who had been grumbling in irritation, abruptly stopped mid-sentence. His sharp gaze bore down on Eunho.

His eyes, pitch black without the faintest reflection, swept over Eunho’s face, scrutinizing every inch.

Under the blatant stare, Eunho instinctively squirmed. Then, the man spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate.

“So that’s why something felt off.”

He continued.

“■■■■ has become ■■■?”

His words kept flowing, but Eunho couldn’t understand a single thing.

Every time he spoke, a sharp, static-like noise distorted his voice, scattering his words into incomprehensible fragments.

Startled, Eunho clutched his ears and pushed himself up.

“Wait a second, hyung-nim. Just now, you—”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he watched him.

What the hell? This is terrifying. Who the hell is this guy?

The moment Eunho, who had instantly regressed from “exploitative player^[5]” to “scaredy-cat player,” unconsciously reached out to grab the man.

But—

“Shit. Stay put.”

With just those words, the man vanished in an instant, as if using a teleportation spell.

“…Hyung-nim?”

Eunho didn’t even have time to demand why he was allowed to curse when Eunho couldn’t.

Panicked, he frantically scanned his surroundings, but there was no trace of the man. Not a single strand of his hair remained.

“Hyung-nim! HYYYUUUNG-NIM!”

His desperate cries echoed in vain, but the man had disappeared without a trace.

Whooosh.

A stray gust of wind swept across the dirt, ruffling Joo Eunho’s crumpled form where he lay sprawled on the ground.

Ding!

[SYSTEM] Encountered “d20524”.

At the same time, a system window popped up in front of Eunho.

Ding!

[SYSTEM] You are ■■■. [SYSTEM] ■■■ mode activated due to ■■■. [SYSTEM] Unable to add “d20524” to [Thread of Fate] list.

Why the hell is this crucial information only popping up now?!