DB Vol 7 Part 7

Unlike Yoon-im on the phone, the person asking the question had grasped the point accurately. But Won-woo just looked at him silently for a long time. Gye Yoon, who had been sleeping for days, was there.

“I heard you were very worried about me?”

As Gye Yoon grinned, Won-woo retorted grumpily.

“Your hair’s a mess.”

“It’s okay. I look good no matter what.”

At the brazen words, Won-woo seemed to be reassured and calmed his heightened breath internally. Gye Yoon sat across from Won-woo and asked again curiously.

“You said there was no one in this world who could become a Purifier, right? What are the conditions?”

At his question, Won-woo recalled the most painful time in his life.

“The cure for the Guide disease.”

In Won-woo’s world, where they didn’t use the Guide disease vaccine developed by the Esper side, quite a few people contracted the Guide disease. There was only one effective treatment method.

“There were people born with antibodies. The plasma treatment derived from them was somewhat helpful. Even this didn’t work in severe cases, though.”

So Won-woo, who survived, was lucky. And what was even luckier was,

“There was a treatment made from the blood of one of them. Only those who received it awakened as Purifiers. That’s the condition.”

“That means… the owner of that blood doesn’t exist here.”

Won-woo nodded. It was the first information he searched for when he came here. Why were there no Purifiers here? Could it be because of the plasma’s owner? Probably because they had died. Even if alive, they would be very old by now.

“That’s right.”

Gye Yoon looked at this world’s only Purifier with heated eyes for a moment, then quietly asked.

“Did the Espers there monopolize the Guide disease vaccine and not give it out?”

“At first yes, but later, even when it was available, no one wanted to take it.”

“Why?”

Won-woo turned his gaze to the window for a moment. In this world, thanks to Ji Geun-oh, all guides had taken the guide disease vaccine at least once. Thanks to Ji Geun-oh, who moved busily to expand his influence. And thinking of him, who would have wanted to find and become a purifier more than anyone, he turned back to Gye Yoon.

“There’s a side effect. If you take that vaccine even once, you can’t become a Purifier.”

They couldn’t deploy many people in the operation to capture Yang Cheon-hyo. If by chance he controlled their minds, they could attack their own allies, so only the minimum number of people who wouldn’t be affected by his ability were going. But the problem was that Yang Cheon-hyo was equivalent to an S-rank. In other words, only two people could go to capture him. Won-woo and Gye Yoon.

“Bring him alive.”

Gye Min ordered the two as they were about to leave. For safety, she planned to stay as far away as possible from Yang family head’s hideout, where Yang Cheon-hyo was presumed to be hiding, along with reinforcements.

“Yes. We’ll try our best.”

Unlike Won-woo who answered, Gye Yoon just stared at the point where Yang Cheon-hyo was supposed to be without saying anything. Gye Min threw a displeased look at her brother’s disregard and asked Won-woo.

“Can Ji Yoon-im’s words really be trusted?”

“Did you punish the Cha family head and his family?”

When Won-woo asked back instead of answering, Gye Min nodded.

“Yes. Including the last bloodline of the Yang family.”

Though a cruel result came from her mouth, Won-woo didn’t sympathize.

“Ji Yoon-im is someone who would do anything for her own goals, but unlike other Ji family members, she’s rational. She’s someone who knows that to get what she wants, she needs to pay an appropriate price. Yang Cheon-hyo will definitely be there.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. What’s important is whether Ji Yoon-im’s words about the Yang family head are true.”

Won-woo knew what Gye Min was worried about. Yoon-im, who provided the information, had informed like this,

‘The Yang family head is in a state where he can’t use any power now. I don’t know the exact reason, but it’s clear he’s not sick or attacked by someone. But Yang Cheon-hyo was afraid he might be able to use his power again, so he never neglected surveillance. That means he could regain consciousness at any time.’

“Whatever it is, we just need to crush them.”

Gye Yoon interrupted in an indifferent voice, grabbing Won-woo’s hand and pulling him. Then he pulled Won-woo’s body close, as if hugging him from behind. Both Won-woo and the onlookers found his behavior truly irritating.

They wanted to ask if he really had to hug like that when teleporting, but no one opened their mouth. Gye Yoon would do as he pleased anyway. Nevertheless, there was someone who finally spoke up.

“If you’re that confident, why don’t you go alone?”

Seona asked with annoyance. If by any chance the Yang family head woke up, it would be dangerous, so was there really a need to take Won-woo along? Of course, Won-woo’s ability could neutralize their power, but didn’t he just say he could crush them himself? Seona shot a strong look saying ‘You go alone’. Gye Yoon hugged Won-woo’s body tighter and glanced at Seona.

“I’m not confident.”

Leaving behind only these brazen words, the two disappeared in an instant.

Everything was going well for Yang Cheon-hyo. The being who had ignored and oppressed him for being weak in his original world was now gone. So this world was a paradise for Yang Cheon-hyo. It certainly was until a few days ago. Yang Cheon-hyo was confident he could bring down both the Hong family and the Gye family.

No matter how much Gye Yoon had found a Guide, their wavelengths couldn’t match perfectly. Moreover, the Gye family had deep familial affection, which was a big weakness. This weakness always worked. While Gye Yoon was helping others in Hong family territory, he would go to the Gye family and grasp his weakness, and it would be over.

But everything went wrong. Nothing went right that night. Gye Yoon wasn’t in Hong family territory, and the North unexpectedly intervened in the war and became the victor. Yang Cheon-hyo had to find Gye Yoon’s weakness in the North, but time was short and he was just busy fleeing. Just as a slightly skewed direction can completely change the destination, Yang Cheon-hyo now felt like he had fallen into a deep abyss.

The Yang family mansion that seemed safe as if hidden behind multiple layers of protection, and the numerous Espers who protected him, were no longer around. The teleportation Esper who had uniquely cared for him and followed him here had stopped responding to his calls a while ago. Yang Cheon-hyo trembled with an ominous feeling. It felt as if death was right before his eyes. What filled his mind now was regret. He should have listened to his father.

‘The most dangerous thing isn’t some Purifier. It’s a comrade who can willingly turn their blade against fellow Espers in the name of justice. That’s why we need to strike the Gye family first. Only by completely crushing the Gye family can we gain the upper hand.’

When striking the Gye family in the previous world, his father had asserted with a firm voice. It didn’t matter even if he knew his true intention was to get his hands on the corpse of an S-rank Esper. The Gye family would betray Espers, so what’s wrong with using their bodies?

In a situation where Purifiers had become enemies, there weren’t many Purifiers who could make Alpha seeds. Even if there were, the random explosions that occurred while making Alpha seeds only increased the damage. So a more accurate and sure method was needed, and the Gye family was just right.

Unfortunately, the Gye family head’s body was ineffective. Was it because he had gone to the brink of rampage from fighting? The monster tree that absorbed his body produced almost no Alpha seeds. But the Gye family head’s granddaughter was different. The tiny baby’s body, little more than a lump of blood, was incredibly effective. Countless Alpha seeds grew on the monster tree. And a considerable number were used on the Yang family head. He told his son this,

‘I’m going to open a door with this power. I plan to open a door to a world without Purifiers and bring in allies. It will also be the only place for us to take refuge in the final moment.’

But in front of Yang Cheon-hyo, he revealed the fangs of truth.

‘When the door opens, you go and bring the Gye family’s child. Use your ability to bring me S-rank fertilizer.’

This was the real reason the Yang family head was sending him through the door. Yang Cheon-hyo was afraid. Who knows what’s beyond that door? What if the Yang family head opens a door to a world that has turned into hell? But the Yang family head, who had gained tremendous power, was confident.

‘This door is created solely by my will. If I had been just a little short on power, I wouldn’t have reached the door and there would have been side effects, but I’m not like that now. I can open it right away. And I’m going to open a door to a world exactly like this one, but without Purifiers.’

‘Let’s capture the Purifiers, Father. Let’s make them create Alpha seeds.’

‘Already dozens of Purifiers have exploded while making Alpha seeds. Don’t you know there are no more Purifiers to capture? Stop spouting nonsense!’

The Yang family head’s hand struck Yang Cheon-hyo’s face hard. Yang Cheon-hyo knelt before his father, trembling and begging forgiveness.

‘With your brainwashing, it should be easy to secretly bring the Gye family’s child. You’ve already succeeded once here, haven’t you? It’s nothing for you.’

‘B-but, wouldn’t I exist in that world too?’

The Yang family head coldly retorted as if it was no big deal.

‘Kill him.’

‘!’

‘To cross through the door, you need a medium connected to you. That’s the you in that world. You’ll meet yourself first as soon as you go. Kill him as soon as you see him.’

Yang Cheon-hyo was now trembling all over. To think he had to kill himself. The Yang family head mocked him as he shook with fear.

‘Smash his face when you kill him. Then you’ll never be suspected as the culprit. Even a ten-year-old could do this. Understand?’

When Yang Cheon-hyo couldn’t answer and just lowered his head, the Yang family head called him in a kind voice. But the hand gripping Yang Cheon-hyo’s shoulder was exerting strength as if to crush his bones.

‘Cheon-hyo, only the first time is difficult. From the second time, it becomes very easy.’

The second time. Only then did Yang Cheon-hyo realize. Father intends to keep opening dimensional doors to keep kidnapping the Gye family’s S-rank child. With his ability heightened by numerous Alpha seeds, he seemed to be addicted, thinking only of gaining that power.

But Yang Cheon-hyo didn’t want to become his father’s puppet. To think he had to keep going to unknown, strange worlds. Then an idea occurred to Yang Cheon-hyo. A way to escape from his father. What if I just stay in that other world? Couldn’t that become my refuge?

‘But… you said you only have enough power to open the door once now. To come back, you’d have to open the door again…’

Yang Cheon-hyo raised his eyes as he asked to gain information, but quickly lowered his head again in horror. The Yang family head was staring at him with a brutal gaze, as if seeing right through his intentions.

‘You don’t need to know.’

‘…Yes.’

Though he didn’t know anything then, Yang Cheon-hyo was able to guess the conditions when the dimensional door opened, thanks to his father’s instructions.

‘When everything is done, go to the place I tell you. Wait for me there.’

‘But don’t I need a medium to return too?’

‘You don’t need one since you’re already a person from this place. All you need to do is be at the place I tell you.’

The Yang family head emphasized the importance of the location twice. Yang Cheon-hyo vaguely realized that location was a requirement, but pretended not to notice and asked a different question.

‘Until when? What about the time?’

‘That’s not important. Time can’t be an issue in opening the door.’

And Yang Cheon-hyo leaped through the mist his father created. It was his room. In the darkness, he saw himself sleeping in the bed. Goosebumps covered his entire body. What if that guy wakes up and sees me? Even without his father’s order, fear engulfed his entire body. Yang Cheon-hyo gritted his teeth and swung the knife in his hand.

Much later, the sleeping person’s breath stopped, his face severely mutilated. But as his father said, it was okay. He was Yang Cheon-hyo, and he could frame the dead person as an intruder who suddenly entered his room and attacked.

A new world. This place truly had no Purifiers. Yang Cheon-hyo couldn’t take a single step outside the room for a while. And he thought. His father had spoken as if the self that had crossed over to this world was a signpost, so he would surely be able to find him. However, his father, having used his power to open the dimensional door, might not have enough power to open the door next time.

What if that place his father set as a condition was like a lighthouse to find the signpost that was himself? If his father was trying to open the door to find him by borrowing the power of that place… It means if I just don’t go there, father can’t open the door, right? As time passed, this assumption turned into certainty.

So the first thing he did with the Alpha seeds he brought when crossing over was to show them to this world’s Yang family head. And he urged him. There’s a door. If you absorb the power of these Alpha seeds, father can open a dimensional door.

This world’s Yang family head was similar to the Yang family head from his world. Strangely, both were obsessed with dimensional doors. Like an S-rank Esper with no more rivals wandering in search of a higher goal, this world’s Yang family head also tried to open the door at Yang Cheon-hyo’s urging.

Of course, Yang Cheon-hyo didn’t tell him how dangerous this was. He deliberately didn’t mention that without a signpost, opening the door would fail and have terrible side effects. The inherently selfish Yang family head would never be able to find someone to be the signpost.

Yang Cheon-hyo’s scheme succeeded. Now he had only one priority. Not leaving this place that had become his world. To do that, he just had to avoid going to that place his father had mentioned. So he stayed cooped up in the Yang family for many years. But why did everything crumble?

“Ugh!”

Yang Cheon-hyo suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed, feeling intense pain inside his body. It felt as if all the power in his body was being sucked out, leaving him breathless. No matter how much he gasped, he couldn’t breathe properly. A chilling terror overcame him. This was like a Purifier’s attack.

A Purifier really has appeared in this world. It was clear that a Purifier, which couldn’t be created no matter how many experiments were conducted, had appeared. Yang Cheon-hyo raised his bloodshot eyes and hurled accusations at the Yang family head lying like a doll before him.

“What world without Purifiers? Because of you, I’ve ended up like this. Because of your greed, I’ve ended up like this!”

As soon as Won-woo arrived at the destination, he used his power to drain the energy of all unseen Espers inside. He had thought he might have to face the Yang family head, but he encountered the enemy after entering surprisingly easily.

Yang Cheon-hyo had already lost his will to fight and was rolling on the floor, spouting nonsense like a madman. He looked pathetically weak, to the point where it was infuriating to think they had suffered for so long because of someone like this. Having lost his power like that, Yang Cheon-hyo kept crying and raving that it was all his father’s fault.

Gye Yoon initially glared at Yang Cheon-hyo with a cold look as if he would kill him, but soon felt something strange and looked to the side. The expression of the precious person who had allowed him to take revenge was odd. Won-woo was staring intently at one spot.

His gaze was fixed on a person lying in bed. He seemed unable to move his body, not even twitching a finger despite what was happening around him. But his eyes were open. Though his gaze was empty. However, this seemed to be what made Won-woo’s face turn pale.

“What’s wrong?”

Gye Yoon held his arm in confusion, but Won-woo approached him like someone who had received a great shock. It was impossible to immediately discern who was lying on the bed. If Yang Cheon-hyo, who was now out of his mind, hadn’t been shouting that the person on the bed was his father, they might have searched other parts of the house looking for the head of the Yang family.

In fact, Gye Yoon wasn’t yet convinced that he was the head of the Yang family. The man on the bed was covered in scars and burns all over his exposed body and even his face. Not only that, but he was missing an arm and a leg. As if he had been caught in a large explosion. Or like someone who had survived a rampage.

Won-woo-ssi. Gye Yoon called out to him again from behind, but Won-woo couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of his heart. The condition of the Yang family head was similar to Gye Yoon from the previous world. …Why? A single question dominated Won-woo. It was too strange to be just a coincidence, and an eerie chill clung to his heart and wouldn’t let go. Then Yang Cheon-hyo’s bitter lament was heard.

“Why? I didn’t even go there like father said. I didn’t even go near the monster farm to prevent father from taking me back there again, so why!”

Won-woo’s head turned slowly. He looked at Yang Cheon-hyo, who was gasping in agony, and asked in a whisper.

“…What do you mean by monster farm?”

But Yang Cheon-hyo, half out of his mind, didn’t hear the question and only continued to mutter resentments about his father.

“I knew everything. Father can never find the signpost. They said you can only find the signpost if your heart moves. Since you can only open the door you want if your heart reaches it, it was something father could never do. How could he create a signpost when he’s never desperately wanted someone? That’s why he told me to wait there to borrow the power of the monster farm. I know everything. Ha, did he think I would go to the monster farm? I’ll never go anywhere near it, I’ll never…”

*

‘If an S-rank Esper surpasses themselves and reaches the ultimate, they can meet the door.’

This was the answer to a question young Gye Yoon had casually asked his mother. What would happen if one’s power became even, even more tremendously strong.

‘What door?’

‘The door to other worlds.’

‘What kind of worlds?’

‘Any world you desire.’

Gye Yoon thought his mother was joking and grumbled.

‘If I want a world where I can fly around riding a dragon, will I meet that world?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where are such worlds?’

‘They exist. In places you can’t see, there are more worlds than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on a beach. If your desire to meet a dragon is truly great, that dragon will become your signpost and guide you to that door.’

Gye Yoon was about to turn away, half-listening to his mother’s words. If becoming tremendously strong only allowed you to open a door, what was the point? A door to another world, what would you do with that? But part of him was curious. If it was really a world where dragons lived, or where he could keep dogs or cats as big as houses, he wanted to go see it. That’s when he heard his mother’s warning.

‘But your heart must reach it. You must be able to clearly draw the signpost of that world with truly desperate desire. If that feeling is clear, you might be able to find the door and attempt to open it many times, and eventually succeed. But if someone unprepared, someone unqualified, tries to find the door, they’ll fall into a terrible place before they even see the door.’

‘What do you mean by a terrible place?’

‘The eternal prison.’

His mother replied seriously, but Gye Yoon brushed it off again. Where in the world would such a place exist? So he never dreamed that he would end up trapped in that eternal prison. That was years later, when he was struggling to find Yang Family head and Yang Cheon-hyo for revenge.

With all his family dead and left alone, all Gye Yoon could do was seek revenge. But both Yang Family head and Yang Cheon-hyo had disappeared. He could instinctively tell that they hadn’t gone into hiding because of the war with the government forces led by the Purifier. Yang Family head, known as the most powerful S-rank, was an arrogant person who would never hide in the face of an enemy.

Although young, Gye Yoon was an S-rank sound ability user. Being a born eavesdropper, he had an advantage in gathering information. Still, it took years to find Yang Family head. But in the end, the Yang Family head he faced was pathetically disappointing.

He just lay there blankly like a living doll. At first, Gye Yoon couldn’t believe it was Yang Family head. No power could be felt from his body, and he was covered in scars and injuries to the point of being unrecognizable.

‘He, he tried to open the door again and failed, getting trapped.’

Gye Yoon was able to extract information by torturing the person guarding Yang Family head. Yang Family head had already opened the door once and sent Yang Cheon-hyo through it. Yang Family head tried to open the door again to bring Yang Cheon-hyo back, but for some reason, he failed. Since then, he hasn’t woken up like that.

The Yang Family head lying there had dull eyes as if his soul was truly dwelling elsewhere. If so, wouldn’t it be pointless to kill this body? Just as he was about to despair, important information slipped out from the person guarding Yang Family head.

‘Yang Family head squeezed out all his power to return to his physical body, and because of that, his body exploded as if going rampage. But I must continue to guard this body. Yang Family head said I must protect this body no matter what happens.’

His words reminded Gye Yoon of something. What his mother had said about the dimensional door. If you can’t find the signpost, you’ll be trapped in the eternal prison. Gye Yoon beheaded Yang Family head on the spot. If Yang Family head had truly failed to open the door and was trapped in the eternal prison, with his physical body gone, he would remain in that eternity.

The remaining revenge was for Yang Cheon-hyo. The root cause who manipulated minds to toy with his family and kidnapped his young niece, leading to the death of his parents and sister. He had to bring him back. So Gye Yoon made a dangerous attempt. To open the door and bring Yang Cheon-hyo back. He believed that his hatred for him, this feeling, would be the signpost. And he ended up in the same state as Yang Family head.

The eternal prison. Could there be a more fitting name? Time flowing in reality had no meaning here. One second in reality was an eternity here, and tens of thousands of years in reality was the same eternity here. Gye Yoon found one door he wanted, but he didn’t have the power to open that door with his abilities.

There was no way to return to the original world either. In this world of nothingness where even he couldn’t see himself, where there was no sound, nothing at all, he spent an eternal time. There was only one way to escape from here. Either open the door or return to the original world.

However, he lacked the strength to recall the door that had disappeared after his failure. He instinctively realized that returning to his original body was the best option. He spent another eternity trying to find his body. In doing so, he was unaware that his physical body had burned and become tattered as if exploding multiple times.

Still, he was lucky. He eventually returned to his body. But it wasn’t complete. It felt like he could be sucked back into that eternal prison if he let his guard down even slightly. There was only one thing to do with his body that couldn’t move while lying down. To end this pain, he had to die. When his soul was contained in this body, he should have died.

That’s when she appeared. The nanny who had raised Gye Yoon in the past, and his Guide. Somehow she found him and took him to her home. There, she did everything she could to save him. Not knowing anything, she tried to comfort him with words like this,

‘If your reason for wanting to die is simply to turn away from your reality, I can’t help you. Yes, you must be suffering because you feel your revenge has failed. And there’s not much more you can do with your body now. But that’s not true. Though it may seem like you’ve achieved nothing, the seed you’ve planted could grow into a massive tree that will eventually devour them. I believe the seed I’ve planted will grow like that. No one knows how our efforts will return to us in the future. That’s why I want you to live a little longer. Trust me and try to live just a bit more.’

How ridiculous. If she truly cared for him, she should have helped him die before he fell back into the eternal prison. But he couldn’t reveal the truth. He couldn’t speak, and he couldn’t even move his remaining fingers at will. He just thought reality was truly horrifying.

Because he met him there. The son of Ji Geun-oh, who had contributed to the downfall of the Gye family along with Yang Cheon-hyo. The child of his enemy was looking at him with surprised eyes. For the first time since his body became like this, a feeling other than the desperate need to die arose.

It started with hatred. Most days were spent struggling not to fall into the eternal prison, as if in a daze, but whenever Ji Won-woo came close, his senses detected him like a ghost. Even though he couldn’t hear sounds, which had been his ability, his senses towards Won-woo developed over time. His smell, the presence of a person detected by his skin. And the sight that came into view.

Strangely, the more he focused on him, the more he felt his soul stabilizing in his body. Perhaps because of this, he was able to move his body a little more. At first, he thought it was because of his resentment for not achieving his revenge. But after the nanny died, he realized.

The reason he couldn’t take his eyes off him wasn’t because of hatred. He had somehow come to care for the child of his enemy. So much so that he didn’t mind continuing this terrible life if that’s what Won-woo wanted. As he began to desire life, other desires grew one by one.

If only he could move a little more to hold his hand. If only he could speak a little to answer his words. If only he could hear his voice, even a little. From birth, sound had been his strongest sense. He felt everything through sound, remembered everything through sound.

That’s why he wanted to hear Ji Won-woo’s voice. He wanted to see his breath. That longing grew so intense it felt like it was etched into his bones. The desire deepened to a degree that his feelings of resentment could never reach. But he knew. His power was tied to the eternal world. Although his soul had escaped, his power was still there, so he couldn’t even hear Won-woo’s breathing.

On that night when intruders suddenly entered, Won-woo hid his body and rushed out to lure the enemy away. Gye Yoon realized that his inability to save him was more horrifying than being trapped in the eternal prison.

He wanted to regain even a little of his ability to save Won-woo. For that, he had to open the door. So he decided all too easily to jump back into the eternal world. He decided to recall that door he had barely found. The decision was made in an instant, and he thought of a different person as the signpost beyond the door this time.

And this time was different from before. Beyond eternity, Won-woo’s presence was clearly felt. At that moment, whoosh, the darkness of eternity disappeared and his vision brightened. For a very brief moment, he thought he saw Won-woo sitting in the middle of the monster farm. And another Won-woo running towards him. Was this an illusion? Well, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that he soon returned to reality and was able to hear sounds. Among the many enemies, one breath was particularly clear in his ears. Even though it was the first time he heard it, he immediately knew it was Won-woo’s.

Feeling the enemies closing in on Won-woo, Gye Yoon burst out his remaining power. As his body exploded, a large explosion occurred. In the moment of death, he smiled truly happily. Not because he could finally die. But because he heard the sound he had wanted to hear. Won-woo’s breathing couldn’t have been more dazzling.

* * *

Now, cold winds began to blow in the evenings. Because winter came earlier in the North, the aunt always prepared materials to be used as fuel for the wood stove in preparation for winter heating as soon as autumn arrived. The aunt would drive her truck out to work in the morning and return in the evening with wood waste she had obtained from somewhere.

But no matter how diligently she collected like an ant, there were always people in need, so she would share. In the middle of winter, they had to pitch a tent inside the house and sleep wrapped in several layers of blankets inside it. It was the most difficult time due to lack of resources, but rather than the shivering cold, the small warmth felt inside those layers of blankets always comes to mind first.

It seems that no matter how cold and impoverished life is, it can’t push away happiness. Because that time was happiness for Won-woo. In that place he reached after escaping from the Ji family, there were people he believed to be family. Family. There were only two people Won-woo could include in this category. The aunt and him.

After Won-woo moved to the North, they only lived poorly for a few years, and after that, their circumstances improved. However, one day after he came to the house, the heating was cut off and they had to light the old wood stove again. In the middle of the night, it was so cold that Won-woo went to where he was lying and pleaded for a long time, explaining,

It’s too cold. And I’m too sleepy. If you fall asleep when it’s cold, don’t you freeze to death? I don’t want to die. So let’s sleep together. Muttering nonsense that even he didn’t understand, Won-woo lifted the blanket covering him, hugged his body, and slept. It was when he was looking at Won-woo coldly as if he were an enemy, so as soon as he opened his eyes the next day, sure enough, he met that gaze. Thanks to that, he became wide awake and had to apologize for another 10 minutes.

The memories with him, who was silent and unresponsive, are all of Won-woo’s one-sided actions. So until now, he thought only he considered him family. Even though his gaze towards Won-woo had changed, he thought it might have ended in hatred after all. Because what he wanted was death, and Won-woo had prevented that. The letters he had requested from the aunt with his barely moving fingertips were still vivid before his eyes.

‘Kill me.’

At the time, he thought the reason for wanting to die was simply because of his immobile body. As the aunt worried, he thought he was trying to substitute death for the resentment of not properly finishing his revenge. He also misunderstood his blank stare as having lost his purpose in life. But the insane Yang Cheon-hyo, despite being out of his mind, revealed quite a lot.

The door that an S-rank Esper could open, its conditions. And that Yang Family head’s state was the fate of one who had failed. Unlike Yang Family head, he sometimes regained consciousness in reality, so it probably wasn’t a complete failure. That’s why he might have tried to open the door again.

So did he open the door?

It’s questionable, but an answer wasn’t necessary. Even without someone to answer, Won-woo could instinctively know. How he came to this world. At first, he thought it might simply be a strange phenomenon created by the monster farm. So he didn’t dig into the reason. But he should have asked. He should have looked for the reason, should have doubted.

Self-blame weighed Won-woo down. How selfish a person was he, both when he was there and now? His heart felt like it was being torn apart. He didn’t know with what feelings, what pain he had endured that life, and he still couldn’t even fathom with what emotions he had opened that door.

Tears didn’t come. He didn’t deserve to cry. It felt like he was suffocating and his head was full of hot tears, but they didn’t flow out of his eyes. He just sat down, lay face down on the ground, hiding his face and curling up his body.

He knew the hand on his shoulder was gripping tightly as if afraid he might run away, but he couldn’t lift his face now. With Yang Family head and Yang Cheon-hyo, the enemy, right in front of him, Won-woo remained motionless for a long time. His faint breathing, barely exhaled, strangely sounded like desperate sobbing.

The revenge of the Gye family was over. Yang Cheon-hyo and Ji Geun-oh were captured, and with the death of Yang Family head, who had been barely alive, the Yang family completely disappeared. Hong Family head, who had fled, was also easily caught and lost his life. Everyone trembled in fear at the bloody retaliation that took place over several days, but the head of the Gye family stopped the killing once all the direct descendants of the Hong and Yang families were gone. Luckily, the collateral lines survived, but they now faced restrictions on promotions and positions.

The world was now reorganized around the Gye family. Although the winner was different from Won-woo’s world, in the end, those based in the North came to rule the East and West. Many things changed, and to minimize confusion, the Gye family let the surviving Espers continue working in their positions.

Hong Seung-wook and Yoo Geon-young also returned to the East Center. They thought their ranks would remain at their last demotion, but unexpectedly, they maintained their positions as team leader and deputy team leader. But this wasn’t the problem. Seung-wook had to face the hostile gazes of his remaining colleagues for being the first to bow his head to the head of the Gye family.

Because he was originally popular, when one thing to criticize came up, everyone inflated it several times over and made it an issue, cutting him down. Geon-young was irritated by the Center espers who were comparing ranks when they were in the same position of having bowed their heads. He was receiving the same criticism for going with Seung-wook to follow the head of the Gye family to fight in the West.

“F***ing bastards.”

Geon-young cursed as soon as he entered the office and barged into team leader Seung-wook’s office without knocking.

“Hey, I heard there’s a monster hunting competition, so let’s prepare hard and…”

Geon-young, who had entered angrily, saw the person in the office and opened his eyes wide.

“Han Seona…”

“Director.”

Seona informed him of the title he should use. Yoo Geon-young’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.

“Don’t tell me you’ve come as the East Center Director?”

“That’s right.”

Seona replied informally, but Geon-young only frowned instead of cursing. But inside, he was considering with annoyance. Should I quit the East Center?

“The new Center Director is from the north, so she’s only staying temporarily until things stabilize.”

When Seung-wook explained, Geon-young inwardly sighed in relief. I just have to endure for a while. Still, he looked at Seona, who had been promoted to Director, with an unpleasant gaze.

“You got an undeserved position thanks to choosing the right side, Director.”

“Yes. I chose well. I didn’t overlook and helped the Guide you guys looked down on and ignored.”

The eyes of both men turned serious as they immediately realized who Seona was referring to as the Guide. Rumors about Won-woo’s abilities had already spread to many places. Most were along the lines that Won-woo had become a super-special Guide capable of guiding Gye Yoon, from being a D-rank Guide.

There had been no official announcement about the reason, but people were concluding that Won-woo had been a victim of Ji Geun-oh’s Guide experiments and had luckily had his abilities enhanced.

But Seung-wook and Geon-young weren’t interested in this topic. Of course, it was unbelievable that his Guide rank had increased, but more than that, his other ability was more deeply etched in their minds.

The numerous Esper corpses they saw when they got off the western transfer portal. And Ji Won-woo slaughtering the survivors. That wasn’t something that could be done just because one’s Guide rank was high. However, they hadn’t been able to get any explanation until now. As soon as Won-woo’s name came out of Seona’s mouth, they asked as if they had been waiting.

“What exactly happened to Ji Won-woo?”

“What is Ji Won-woo’s true identity?”

You don’t know? Seona replied as if puzzled.

“A D-rank Guide.”

“Stop with that nonsense and tell us his real identity!”

Seona looked at the agitated Geon-young as if he was pathetic.

“What will you do if you know?”

“What will I do? I’m just curious…”

“Keep being curious. That way, I can happily watch as you get your necks cut by Mr. Won-woo.”

As Geon-young froze, unable to say more, Seona seemed satisfied and was about to leave. But Seung-wook called her and persisted in asking about Won-woo.

“Is Won-woo with the Gye family now?”

Seona stared at him for a moment and then muttered instead of answering.

“You’ll have a short life indeed.”

*

Sang-cheon decided to move from the dormitory to the Gye family’s main house because of the living being he had become attached to the fastest in his life.

“Ah, you don’t know how brave Kko-kko is. Even though that Baroque chicken coop was flying in the sky, he wasn’t afraid at all and stood straight on the roost, even picking fights with the flying birds! Whew, I was shaking in fear, but Kko-kko stood guard over the house proudly with his head held high as if he would protect us. Moreover, do you know how smart Kko-kko is? He crows at the exact time every morning. We don’t need a separate clock at all.”

As Sang-cheon enthusiastically poured out praise for Kko-kko, Chief Jung, who had just been discharged from the hospital today, responded with lifeless eyes.

“Ah, yes.”

With people who used to work for the Gye family dying off and things being so busy, Sang-cheon, who had come to the information room, was chattering away at him. Chief Jung tried to change the topic forcibly to stop his chatter.

“Didn’t you say you were chasing the direct bloodline of the Yang family who survived and escaped from the West Center? How’s the work going?”

“Of course, I found them. I’ve already passed on the information, so they’ll probably be caught today. So, our Kko-kko…”

“Ah, you said you were also collecting public opinion from the West Center, right? What method are you planning to use?”

“I created an anonymous bulletin board for them to talk on purpose. If you set the stage, hidden dissidents are bound to pop up. Come to think of it, you don’t know how good Kko-kko’s jumping skills are. Ah, he can jump onto my shoulder in one go! I’ve taken a video…”

Chief Jung urgently brought up another topic, like a front-line defender blocking an attack.

“I heard information that Yang Cheon-hyo is still alive has spread. Are there any people getting agitated?”

“Not at all. Rather, public opinion is very negative, believing that the Yang family collapsed because of Yang Cheon-hyo. Even if we keep him alive and torment him for 1-2 years, no one will sympathize with him.”

Sang-cheon said the latter part jokingly, but Chief Jung didn’t bother to say that it was actually true. Gye Min was keeping Yang Cheon-hyo alive. Plunging him into such pain that he would cry tears of blood wanting to die. Except that, as Sang-cheon said, it wouldn’t be 1-2 years, but he would live a hellish life for about 50 more years. Along with his close friend, Ji Geun-oh.

“That’s good. That there are no foolish people.”

“Well, isn’t it because the Yang family has no power now? Still, when you see foolish people talking nonsense, they seem worse than Kko-kko, you know? Did I mention? Kko-kko is not just ordinarily smart. He seems to remember people’s faces because he didn’t show much interest when he saw Mr. Won-woo, but oh, when the brute came, he charged at him like a ghost! Wow!”

Just stop now. Are you Kko-kko’s dad? Chief Jung asked with some expectation, feeling a bit sick of it.

“So, did he die?”

Sang-cheon’s face, which had been chattering excitedly, immediately hardened.

“Who died? Why would our Kko-kko die?”

“No, you said he charged at the Vice Head. Did the Vice Head spare him?”

“Ah, well, there was a bit of a commotion. But with our team Kko-kko standing firm there, what could even the Gye family’s Vice Head do?”

“Team Kko-kko?”

When Chief Jung asked with a tired look that said ‘What is this?’, Sang-cheon counted on his fingers and answered.

“Me, Kko-kko, and Hwan. Ah, Chief Jung, do you want to join our team too?”

Chief Jung was about to shake his head, of course, as he hadn’t been hospitalized for a head injury. That’s when Sang-cheon added,

“Oh, Mr. Won-woo and the Gye family head couple also joined this time.”

“I’ll join immediately.”

And that’s how Chief Jung also became part of Team Kko-kko.

Due to the collapse of the two families that had supported the East and West, the world was chaotic and hectic, but Won-woo ended up spending peaceful days with nothing to do. Having been accustomed to war and fighting for a long time, a daily life without killing or hurting anyone felt awkward. It felt somehow broken, like watching TV on mute.

But he knew the problem was with himself, not the world. Seona was happy that Won-woo would no longer vomit from the smell of blood now that the war was over. Sang-cheon sighed with relief several times, saying it was fortunate that there was no one left to run away from or torment. And Gye Yoon…

Won-woo was sitting blankly looking at the huge monster farm in front of him when he noticed an approaching figure and looked up. It was Gye Yoon, who had gone to solve a problem that had arisen at the farm. Since the day they caught Yang Cheon-hyo, he hadn’t asked Won-woo anything.

He didn’t try to find out why Won-woo had collapsed at the sight of Yang Family head’s appearance and hearing Yang Cheon-hyo’s mutterings. He just acted as usual, and Won-woo also lived as if nothing had happened after leaving that place. But today, for the first time, Won-woo made a request that was unlike his usual self.

‘I won’t enter the monster farm.’

Gye Yoon just looked at him silently, not asking for a reason this time either. Even if he had asked, Won-woo wouldn’t have had an answer to explain. He couldn’t bring himself to say that he was afraid he might return to his original world if he stood in the middle of the monster farm like Yang Cheon-hyo. Even though he knew there was no one left to call him from there.

So he waited here for Gye Yoon, who said he would return quickly. He came back as promised. Before coming close to Won-woo, he stopped, brushed off the dust on his clothes, and then plopped down next to him.

“It was really tough.”

He whined right away. Of course, this wasn’t something that should come from the mouth of someone who had sorted out the situation in less than 30 minutes and was still full of energy.

“You didn’t even break a sweat.”

“I only sweat when I’m not supposed to be tired.”

He lied shamelessly with an expressionless face. When Won-woo looked at him in disbelief, Gye Yoon asked back as if wondering why he didn’t understand.

“You know when I sweat. Did I look tired then?”

“When do you sweat?”

Then Gye Yoon announced in a calm voice.

“When I’m pounding into you for hours.”

Won-woo frowned in shock, but Gye Yoon rather curved one corner of his mouth upward. And he stared intently with somewhat heated eyes.

“When I start to sweat, your hair is already wet with sweat and sticking to your forehead. I really like that look.”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

Won-woo replied grumpily, but Gye Yoon didn’t mind and lowered his voice, recalling memories.

“You don’t know how turned on I get by that sweaty look? Sometimes I deliberately turn off the air conditioning because of it.”

“So that’s why it was hot?”

“You remember well.”

As Gye Yoon grinned, Won-woo averted his gaze awkwardly.

“It’s just that I didn’t remember right away because it was a long time ago.”

After saying this, he realized it really had been quite a while. And that Gye Yoon hadn’t tried to tempt him during that time. Just as he didn’t ask Won-woo for any reasons, he also didn’t demand intimacy under the pretext of guiding.

Won-woo hadn’t intentionally pushed him away. He just felt guilty about being simply happy here and now while recalling his past self. Then Gye Yoon slowly responded.

“Yes. It’s been a long time. So…”

So? When Gye Yoon paused, Won-woo turned back curiously. He took Won-woo’s hand, interlaced their fingers, and gripped tightly.

“Look at me.”

“…I am looking.”

“Look only at me.”

The smile disappeared from Gye Yoon’s face. But other emotions seemed to fill that expressionless look. His next words sounded strong, almost like a threat.

“Look only at me, Ji Won-woo.”

Won-woo felt the answer “I understand” rise to the tip of his tongue, but in the end, he couldn’t muster the courage to say it. He averted his gaze briefly, then took a breath and faced him. And he glared back, refusing to back down.

“You have to hold onto me.”

Won-woo looked into his eyes, gritted his teeth, then exhaled as if breathing.

“Keep holding onto me, don’t let go.”

Please. He barely managed to swallow the desperation. As if hiding the “please” inside, he lowered his eyes. Though he couldn’t see his face, relief spread as the already held hand was trapped in an even stronger grip. An answer was heard like a whisper in his ear.

‘I will hold on. No matter what world you’re in.’

With a tickling sensation, their lips met. The long-awaited contact gave him goosebumps, but he welcomed it gladly. Right before his eyes, in the closest place, he was there. His living presence was proof of reassurance. Even though he felt guilty about this emotion, making his eyes teary, it was a happiness he couldn’t let go of.

Won-woo reached out and grasped the solid body under his hands. The other’s warmth touched his skin. His scent entered his nostrils. His breath seeped into his ears along with the warmth.

‘I won’t let go. Ever.’