CH 192

Standing on the roof of the shopping mall opposite the Requiem Guild building, I put on my hat. As expected, at the entrance to the Requiem building, bodyguards were waiting in line that were seen through the hot midday sunlight.

‘It will be difficult to pass through the front door.’

Some of those bodyguards might know my face, but I didn’t want to go there and explain the situation to attract attention. No, I don’t even have an employee card before that, I might not be able to enter.

I have no choice but to sneak in through the window of the room on the 23rd floor where I used to live…

At least getting my cell phone or wallet back made things a lot easier. If I didn’t have to clean up or organize things, I would stay in the room…

I floated in the wind and quickly flew towards the Requiem Guild. I already knew the location of my room on the 23rd floor.

“Hm…”

I leaned close to the window leading to the bedroom on the 23rd floor and looked inside. Although the window was a bit transparent, I couldn’t see it clearly, it was clear that with the lights off, there was no sign of movement.

Rattle, rattle.

The window, which I had pulled out just in case, was locked tightly as I had guessed. How do I get into there.

It was possible to break the window with my ability, but it was dangerous because fragments could fall down and an alarm could sound. It would be much better to go to the entrance and deal with the guards than to cause such a nuisance.

Piiik, piik?

Fox, who had been flying around me in agony in front of the locked window, suddenly removed his invisibility and hurled the sword at me.

“What?”

Pik, piik.

I thought it was a protest to stop lifting because it was heavy, but Fox that flew in front of me as if he was a bald eagle shoved his head through the window. Then, his body penetrated the window glass and went into the bedroom.

Piiik!

“Crazy…”

Fox flew over the window all the way to the tip of his bountiful tail and pushed the lock with his two small front paws. Thanks to this, I opened the window and entered the room without any problems, put my sword down on the table, and caught Fox.

“What the hell happened to your body?”

Piik?

Rubbing his body, Fox tilted his head. Come to think of it, Elohim told me that Fox’s parents were ghost monsters. He could change his appearance at will, his body became transparent, and objects could pass through? Such an incredible ability.

“I envy you…”

Pik!

Fox cried with an excited expression as I muttered in frustration while pressing my thumb on Fox’s soft soles.

“It would be better to take him though. Trust me, he will help a lot.”

I remembered what Elohim said while handing over Fox to me. As soon as I came to Korea, I had nothing to say because I had already been helped by Fox twice.

“You keep guarding the sword well.”

I let Fox go and looked around the room carefully. Although it must have been quite some time since I left, the room was neatly organized with no dust.

After swiping the white bedsheet, I looked again at the table where I had thrown the sword. Right before I left, I left my cell phone, wallet, bracelet, and other things here. Seeing that it was empty without a trace, it seemed that it had been cleaned up to another place.

Probably… I guessed I had to check outside the bedroom as well. Pushing the hat a little deeper, I carefully opened the bedroom door. A familiar living room scene appeared in front of me. In the living room, like the bedroom, the lights were all off, but thanks to the sunlight coming in through the window, it wasn’t too dark.

I walked out into the living room without taking off my shoes. It was a dirty move, but I couldn’t be helped. If someone came in, I had to take the sword and Fox and run away from the bedroom window right away.

“Let’s see…”

After snooping around, I noticed that the living room and kitchen were just as tidy as the bedroom, with a single dust.

It was a room inside the guild, so was it cleaned regularly? Or maybe a new person was staying here after I left.

‘…I hope not.’ (아니면 좋겠다)

If there was a new owner, what I was doing now was nothing more than a crime. I felt very uncomfortable, so I decided to get out of this place by finding my wallet and cell phone as soon as possible.

However, it wasn’t easy to find things. I searched the side table next to the sofa, under the living room table, and even the kitchen cabinets, but all were in vain.

Did they really throw them all away? I didn’t give up despite my anxiety and tried to open the drawer under the TV.

“Oh.”

Familiar objects were placed there. I smiled brightly, took out my wallet and cell phone, and closed the drawer again.

The wallet contained the same cards, ID, and small amount of cash as before I left. Great. If I had this, I wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while. Because the money I earned as a mercenary was still there.

I put it in my pocket so I wouldn’t lose it again, and then I touched my cell phone. The power was off and I had to turn it on again.

‘Phone calls, I don’t think there’s particular one who called me.’ (연락이야 뭐, 딱히 올 만한 곳은 없긴 한데)

Since I left without a word, Kim Woo-jin and Min Ah-rin must have made a few phone calls.

I leaned back, thinking slowly, and I was startled by the cell phone that started vibrating like crazy as soon as the screen turned on.

“Wha, what?”

Missed calls and all kinds of message notifications popped up on the screen that I couldn’t even touch because I was afraid. As if on fire, I dropped my cell phone in shock, and now the floor vibrated.

Bee-beep, beep, beep, beep.

“……!”

I was in a hurry to pick up my cell phone, but to make matters worse, I heard the sound of pressing the password on the front door lock. The door swung open just as I was about to run away to the bedroom with the vibrating cell phone in my hand.

“……”

“……”

Uuung, uuung.

Still holding the vibrating cell phone, stiffly I looked at the person who entered the front door. The man standing in front of the wide open front door had his hair particularly red.

“Kim Woo-jin?”

“……”

His white face, the tip of his eyes slightly raised, and even the piercings in his ears. The Kim Woo-jin I remember was right in front of me.

‘Huu…’

I was wondering who it was. A sigh of relief came out. I was really lucky that it wasn’t an unknown bodyguard or someone living in this room. I almost got dragged to the police station.

“……”

Even when I called, Kim Woo-jin just stared at me with an expressionless face like a statue. I smiled awkwardly as I put my cell phone, which had barely stopped vibrating, into my pocket like my wallet.

It was understandable to have such a reaction. He must be shocked. Anyone would be bewildered if a person who had lost contact suddenly appeared again.

“Um… how have you been?”

“……”

An awkwardness came over the cold air that I had never felt before.

“I’m sorry all of a sudden. I didn’t want to meet you like this, but I don’t have any… Kim Woo-jin?”

I took off the hat I had been wearing for no reason and kept talking about things I had never asked before, but suddenly, Kim Woo-jin staggered greatly.

“Ya, why, what’s wrong?”

Kim Woo-jin, who was panting rough with his upper body bowed deeply, collapsed quickly. I was terrified seeing him like that, so I rushe to him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Kim Woo-jin, calm down and breathe properly!”

He grabbed me with his trembling hands as if it was a lifeline. It was only then that I noticed that Kim Woo-jin’s skin, visible under the red hair, was pale because it wasn’t white in the first place.

“Uh, huu… ugh…”

“Kim Woo-jin.”

Kim Woo-jin, who could hardly control his breath, now even dripped with thick tears. I frowned and carefully grabbed Kim Woo-jin’s head and forced him to look up.

His disheveled bangs and hazy eyes without focus were revealed. I wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks with my thumb.

“Why the hell are you… did something bad happen?”

I remembered Kim Woo-jin I saw on TV while staying at Elohim’s temple. The exhausted and tired face overlapped with the now crying face.

He must have been something bad had happened while I was away. Maybe he was bullied by the new support team. If not, did those thugs who came to the house make another fuss again?

I felt so sorry for Kim Woo-jin, who was unable to speak and cried until he ran out of breath. I was quietly wiping away tears because I didn’t want to hear an answer by forcing him to stop, but if he was still in this unstable state, I felt like I had to call Min Ah-rin.

“Huuk… uh, really… Han Yi-gyeol… is it you, Han Yi-gyeol?”

Kim Woo-jin, who had been crying incessantly with his eyes fixed on me, stuttered and opened his mouth for the first time. His breathing was still on the verge like it would stop.

“Yeah.”

“Uh, ugh, uh, how… how could you…”

“Wait a minute, Kim Woo-jin.”

I can’t do this anymore. I didn’t want to contact Min Ah-rin like this… But if I left this Kim Woo-jin alone, it seemed like he would faint from breathing difficulties.

I straightened my knees and pulled out my cell phone again.

“Stay still. I’m going to contact…”

I turned my back on Kim Woo-jin, who was crying blankly, and looked for Min Ah-rin’s number. Just when I pressed the call button, my calf was suddenly caught on to something and I was dragged.

Bam!

“Ugh!”

I fell to the floor helplessly and lost my cell phone. Rattle, the ringing tone echoed from the cell phone that had been pushed away.

“Don’t, don’t go… don’t go, please.”

“Kim Woo-jin? What…”

Kim Woo-jin, holding my ankle with his large hand, wept incessantly and muttered incomprehensible words.

“Why, why are you wearing shoes… hiccup, leave, leaving again…”

“Ugh, Kim Woo-jin! It hurts, your hand…!”

The hand holding my ankle grew stronger and stronger. I instinctively struggled to escape from the hot pain and his hard hand pressed down my thigh.

“Hiccup, I, I can’t take it any longer… ugh, uh… don’t go, Yi-gyeol-ah, I’m, wrong, uh…”

[Hello? Yi, Yi-gyeol-ssi? Is this Yi-gyeol-ssi? Hello?]

Kim Woo-jin’s gibberish voice with a face wet with tears and Min Ah-rin’s cry from a distant cell phone could be heard at the same time.

What should I do? my ankle hurt so much that I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts.

“Kim Woo-jin!”

It was only then that I realized that Kim Woo-jin was genuinely giving strength to break my ankle. Chilling goosebumps ran down my spine, biting my lip, and swallowing a groan.

“Kim Woo-jin, please…! Gasp, calm down!”

“……”

Even with my pleas, Kim Woo-jin’s hazy reddish-brown eyes didn’t change. I was confused as to what to do in an unexpected situation.

If he had been a stranger, I would have used my ability without hesitation. I couldn’t push away Kim Woo-jin, who was crying.