RG 114

After the fireworks and parade ended, we left the amusement park, wrapping up the day by buying Cha Sahyeon a crow-shaped doll from the souvenir shop. On the way back, just like when we came, we took a car driven by Kwon Taehyeok. Honestly, I saw Kwon Taehyeok in a new light because of this. I didn’t expect him to help out so sincerely.

As soon as we arrived at the office, I got out of the car and sincerely thanked him, “Thank you so much for today, Guildmaster. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy the trip comfortably with the kid.”

“It’s nothing.” Kwon Taehyeok, who had followed me out of the car, stood upright and gave a short nod. “It’s been a while since I had a nice change of pace, too.”

“From the way you guided us, it seemed like you were pretty familiar with the amusement park. Do you go there often?”

“We’ve gone a few times as a guild group.”

As a guild group? Wow, successful guilds even send their members to amusement parks, huh. Since the topic of the guild had come up, it felt like a good moment. I cleared my throat briefly and carefully began to speak. “Um, Guildmaster.”

“Yes?”

“About… you mentioned last time that you could lend me a room inside the guild building.” 

Feeling awkward, I rubbed my mouth for no reason. Even though I had prepared myself, it still felt incredibly awkward to bring it up. Maybe because I’d never asked anyone for something like this before. Even though Kwon Taehyeok was the one who had suggested it, it wasn’t easy for me to be the one to ask.

“Is that offer still valid?”

In fact, right after getting discharged, I had looked up information about Yesung Guild’s facilities online. As expected, it was one of the top guilds in the country. The building was much larger than I had imagined, and it housed an impressive variety of facilities. Most importantly, the security was perfect. Security staff were always stationed in the building, and everyone, including guild members, needed a special card key to access the premises.

What Cha Sahyeon and I needed most right now was that kind of security. A place far safer than this office with just a single iron door. It was only natural that my heart would lean in that direction.

“Of course,” Kwon Taehyeok responded brightly upon hearing my question. “All the basic furniture is already set up, so you can move in right away. I’ll give you the access card as soon as you arrive.”

“Ahem, well… tomorrow might be a bit too soon.”

Why was he more eager than I was? Anyone would think he was the one receiving the favor.

“I need to talk it over with my brother and sort out some things first. Would moving in two days from now be okay?”

“That’s fine.”

At that point, I looked down to check on Cha Sahyeon, who was holding my hand. Sure enough, the child was pouting, looking thoroughly displeased. My heart had shifted yesterday, but I’d only decided to actually move into the Yesung Guild building a few hours ago. Since I hadn’t discussed it with him beforehand, it was no wonder he was upset.

‘It can’t be helped.’

I felt sorry for Cha Sahyeon, but considering the future, this was the right choice.

“Then I’ll contact you in two days.”

“Alright. Get home safe.”

Kwon Taehyeok got in his car and left, telling me to stay in touch. I waited until the car had completely disappeared before speaking to Cha Sahyeon. “Shall we go upstairs too?”

“…”

The child turned his head away sharply without answering.

‘Hmm, he’s definitely sulking.’

How was I supposed to cheer him up now? I couldn’t help but sigh.

***

Contrary to my worries, Cha Sahyeon didn’t object as much as I thought he would. It seemed like he had sorted things out in his own way while he was washing up.

Maybe it was the warm bath, but his cheeks were even rosier than usual as he said, “If we go there, you’ll be a lot safer. I can understand that.”

“What?” As I pushed my still-damp hair back and turned around, I saw that he had a very serious expression on his face. “Why are you suddenly worried about my safety?” I lifted the corner of my mouth in amusement—it was funny that we were thinking the same thing. 

But Cha Sahyeon frowned in displeasure. “You’re just too…”

“Too?”

“…Never mind. And you’re going to go there even if I say I don’t want to, right?” He immediately looked downcast.

He didn’t even know why I accepted such a burdensome offer, yet he kept going back and forth between being serious and sulky.

I smiled and lay down on the bed first, patting the space next to me. Cha Sahyeon quickly followed and lay down too. If he was going to do that, then why the sulky face in the first place?

“It’s not like we’re going to live there forever. We’ll stay just until things settle down, and then we’ll move out again. So don’t worry.” Lying on my side, resting my chin on my hand, I gently patted his chest. “Kid, like you said, there is danger.”

If I could persuade him now, he probably wouldn’t sulk again for a while. After all the effort I put in today, I couldn’t risk the misfortune of the seed progress increasing again. I had to prepare in advance.

“I’ll take care of everything~ So our little guy should stop overthinking and just play some games.”

Sensing that his mood had improved a bit, I quickly grabbed the game console from the nightstand and handed it to him. The goal was to distract him with a game before he had the chance to argue again.

“Hmm…”

He still looked slightly bothered, but he obediently started playing. Meanwhile, I pretended to look at my phone and finally opened the status window I’d been meaning to check for a while.

‘Let’s check the kid’s status first.’

User Information: Sahyeon (Antagonist)

Age: 22

Primary Skill: Living Shadow (Class B)

Title: The Master of Shadows

Attack Power: Class B

Attack Speed: Class B

Movement Speed: Class B

Agility: Class B

Special Note▼

ㄴ Seed of Calamity (35% Progress)

The Seed of Calamity progress, which had been at 36%, was now at 35%. That changed slightly after the “Befriend the Antagonist” was evaluated.

‘This might actually be a pretty decent quest.’

The first quest was cleared just by taking a bath with Cha Sahyeon, and although the reward was stingy, I did get something. The second one was a bit more troublesome, but seeing how it reduced the seed progress, it definitely wasn’t a bad outcome.

From the “(2/10)” displayed on the status window, does that mean I’ve got eight more of these quests coming?

If each one lowers the progress by 1%, that adds up to a total drop of 8%. With a bit of luck, I might even get it down to 27%.

‘I’m out here grinding these quests—at least 1% should get shaved off each time.’

While I was at it, I decided to check the reward I got when the quest was completed earlier.

[No Mercy Allowed (Class F)]

Chance to increase Attack Power and Agility in life-threatening situations (1% chance)

“…”

A 1% chance? Not even 10%, but 1%? Was this even meant to be used?

‘…Still, it’s better odds than other Class F specialties.’

Take that one I have—‘Empty on the Side?’—which still hasn’t ranked up. That one only has a 0.8% activation chance. Yikes, now 1% doesn’t seem so bad.

Looks like the real benefit of this quest was just lowering the Seed of Calamity’s progress. And honestly, that’s more important than upgrading trash specialties like this one.

Just staring at the status window was making me feel exhausted. I should just go to sleep.

I sat up to turn off the lamp on the nightstand, and that’s when I caught sight of Cha Sahyeon’s game screen.

“You named the main character after me?”

The game he was playing was an adventure where the hero and his companions go off to slay a dragon. Naturally, the hero is the protagonist, and the player controls him.

At the beginning of the game, you get to name the hero, and it looked like Cha Sahyeon had named the hero after me.

“Yeah.” He nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and I was taken aback.

“Why didn’t you name him after yourself?”

I could understand if it were an adult who didn’t care about things like this, but kids usually name the main character after themselves, right? It helps them feel more immersed. Plus, in this game, you could rename the companion characters too. If he really wanted to use my name, he could’ve just given it to one of them.

Curious, I asked him directly. Cha Sahyeon hesitated, glancing at me nervously before finally speaking up. “Because… the main character is someone good. And he does the most… and seems really important.”

“…”

Hearing him explain so carefully gave me a strange feeling. Maybe it was because I had just been looking at the status screen, but his answer hit a little differently.

‘The main character, huh.’

He’s not wrong. The main character is someone good, someone who plays a crucial role. They’re the ones who’ll stop the Great Calamity in my place if I fail to protect Cha Sahyeon.

I smiled bitterly, turned off the lamp, and lay back down. Then, looking into his deep green eyes, I said, “I’m okay not being the main character.”

“…Why?”

“Hmm. Being the main character is too much pressure. I don’t like having so many responsibilities… and leading the party and managing everyone sounds super stressful.”

“St-stress?”

“Being the leader is always a headache.”

Especially when you’re the leader of a party heading off to slay a dragon that could destroy the world. One wrong move and all the blame falls on you—just imagining it was a nightmare.

Well, no need to go shattering his dreams with bitter truths. Instead, I threw in some personal bias to highlight just how important supporting characters really are.

“Sure, the hero’s great, but the companions who go on the journey with him are just as important. Without them, what would the hero even be? He wouldn’t be able to fight the dragon alone.”

“…”

“If you ask me, the companions are more amazing. They trust the hero and follow him. And they step in to do things the hero can’t.”

After hearing that, Cha Sahyeon began to groan and mull it over. He stared at the game screen for a while, and then, as if making a decision, started tapping the controller enthusiastically. “I’ll change the name.”

“Really? Then name this guy after me.”

“Okay.”

I picked the healer in the party. In these kinds of games, support characters are royalty. 

The blank-named support character was renamed to ‘Cha Seohu.’ At the same time, the hero’s name field was cleared.

“…Let’s name the protagonist after you, kid.”

“I’m the main character?”

“I’m playing the healer for you. Sounds fair, right?”

Even though we were just talking about characters in a game, Cha Sahyeon looked absolutely delighted as he quickly renamed the main character.

When I saw the name Cha Sahyeon appear above the main character, I felt content too.

Yeah. Cha Sahyeon isn’t some dragon that needs to be defeated.

Even while carrying the Seed of Calamity inside him, he’s still someone who can feel joy and happiness from the smallest things. That’s exactly the kind of person who fits the role of a main character—someone who tries to protect everyone.

“Let’s go to sleep now.”

“Okay.”

Even if someone tries to change Cha Sahyeon by force, I’ll stop them—no matter what.

As I held him in my arms and drifted off to sleep, I made that vow again and again.

***

Chirp, chirp—the sound of birds was sharp and clear. Of course, it had to be because of the tree right outside the window that made mornings loud with birdsong. Maybe it was because I’d been running around all day yesterday, but the moment I woke up, my whole body ached and throbbed.

‘Ugh, I’m dying.’

Awakened individuals like Cha Sahyeon and Kwon Taehyeok probably woke up feeling totally refreshed without so much as a muscle ache. Just my luck to have a plain old human body.

Grumbling to myself, I opened my eyes—and the first thing I saw was Cha Sahyeon’s head, nestled in my arms. For once, the kid who always woke up before me was still sleeping, breathing softly.

‘Must’ve really had fun yesterday.’

Moments like this reminded me that, for all his strength, Cha Sahyeon was still a kid.

Suppressing a laugh, I reached out, almost automatically, to ruffle his hair—when suddenly:

“…?”

His skin felt way too hot at my fingertips. Alarmed, I pressed my palm to his ear, cheek, and the back of his neck—radiant heat was pouring off him.

“Kid?” I quickly pulled Cha Sahyeon out of my arms.

His eyes were tightly shut, completely unresponsive, and cold sweat had formed on his forehead. The skin visible beneath his pajamas was flushed and blotchy from the high fever.

‘What is this?’

My heart dropped. Biting my lip, I carefully laid him down on the bed and wiped away the cold sweat. My hand, brushing his forehead, trembled uncontrollably.

“Kid. Cha Sahyeon. Come on, wake up, Sahyeon.”

No matter how desperately I called, his eyes wouldn’t open. A chill ran down my spine, and a wave of panic crashed over me.