Chapter 284. Sleepless City (5)

Standing there, Seo Jun-Ho paled. He couldn’t form a coherent thought, but his trembling betrayed his feelings.

“Hm? Did you have a bad dream, dear? You look so pale…” His mother reached for his face, looking worried, but Seo Jun-Ho unconsciously took a step back.

‘It’s dangerous.’ 

This was an illusion made by a fiend. He decided that he couldn’t let it get close.

“...Son?” But when he saw how hurt she looked, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Just then, another voice cut through them. “It’s because he’s going through puberty. He’s nineteen, you know.”

Shwap! 

The voice belonged to his father sitting on the sofa and opening a newspaper.

Seo Jun-Ho had closed his eyes and imagined that voice countless times before because he missed it so, so much.

“It’s not puberty if he’s nineteen. Are you not even worried about him? He looks so pale.”

“...Did you have a nightmare?” His father looked up at Seo Jun-Ho as he spoke. Even though he seemed indifferent, Seo Jun-Ho could see how much he cared when he checked on him.

Slam! 

Seo Jun-Ho closed the door out of compulsion and collapsed on the floor.

“Oh...”

He knew—he knew that Piglet had orchestrated this with whatever mysterious skill he had.

“...”

But despite that, Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes and sobbed silently.

He had always wanted to see them.

Whenever he was having a hard time, whenever his body and mind were exhausted, he wanted to see them, but he could only see them through pictures.

He cried for a long time before he rubbed his reddened eyes. “...This reminds me of the Cave of Trials.”

When he had gone there as Specter instead of Seo Jun-Ho, he had encountered the illusions of his parents. More precisely, it was a reenactment of the day his parents died.

‘There were monsters.’ 

The fiends had forcibly opened a Gate, and the monsters poured out and filled the streets. When he had gone through that trial as Specter, he was forced to relive the day dozens, hundreds of times.

‘It was a disgusting trial.’ 

He had barely been able to clear it, after spending half a day fighting against the monsters and hearing his parents’ screams. Obviously, there had been no time for them to catch up.

“...”

So, that was why the shock he felt today was different. It was because his parents were the same as they were in his treasured memories.

‘Maybe I’m getting old.’ 

Though he had been disconcerted during the Phantom Trial, he hadn’t cried like this. However, the Phantom Trial happened only a few years since his parents had passed away back then.

“Sniff.’ 

He rubbed his nose and looked around. With his second look, he realized that this had been his room when he was still a high school student. Nothing had changed…

“...Why are you crying, Contractor?”

Oh, there was one thing that changed. It was the presence of the Frost Queen, who was worried about him.

“Were there frightening monsters outside? Shall I scold them for you?” she asked.

“...It’s nothing like that.” Seo Jun-Ho smiled weakly. “My parents are outside.”

“Huh? But your parents are…”

“Yes. They’re dead. This is probably Piglet’s skill.”

“So, he is showing you an illusion?”

“I don’t know. Rather than an illusion…” He paused, searching for the words. “Yeah. I think it would be more accurate to say that he sent me to a moment in my memories.”

After all, everything was the same as back then.

“It must be a daydream,” she said.

“...It might be,” he muttered. When Seo Jun-Ho stood up, the Frost Queen quickly grabbed his sleeve.

“I must warn you. Do not fall in too deep. If you do…”

“I know. I’ll drown.” And he wouldn’t be able to go back to reality.

Piglet was probably aiming for that. He would let Jun-Ho dream of the good days so that Jun-Ho would trap himself inside.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Give me your pinky.”

“Here. I promise.” Jun-Ho crouched down and hooked his pinky around the Frost Queen’s.

And then he left the room once more.

“Shouldn’t we take Jun-Ho to the doctor’s?”

“...Should we? What time do they open?”

When he stepped out, his parents were talking in the living room. They looked up.

“Are you alright, dear?” His mother asked.

“Ahem. Tell us if you’re not feeling well. I’ll drive you to the doctor’s.”

“I’m okay. I just…had a nightmare.”

His parents looked at each other. “Honey, Jun-Ho must be all grown up now. He’s speaking formally all of a sudden.”[1]

“...Well. I also started growing up around his age,” his father said.

“Yeah, right.”

Now that he thought about it, he called them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ at this time. Seo Jun-Ho smiled and rubbed his belly.

“I’m hungry.”

“Oh, yes, let’s eat!” His mother pulled him to the dining table, where a bowl of doenjang[2] stew was waiting. The boiling stew smelled nostalgic.

“Thank you for the food.” As he took a bite of stew with his trembling hand, his eyes welled up with tears.

“Honey… are you crying?”

“N-no. It’s just…” He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and smiled awkwardly. “It’s just… really good.”

It was really, really good. It wasn’t just a normal dish anymore. This doenjang stew tasted like the best food in the world because he thought he would never be able to eat this again.

As he devoured his food, his parents exchanged looks, seemingly concerned.

“Honey, did you put some kind of drug in the food today?” his father asked.

“I didn’t…”

“Right? It tastes the same as always…”

Despite their confusion, they watched their son with warm eyes as he wolfed down his food.

“...That was a good meal.” Seo Jun-Ho placed down his spoon after eating three bowls of rice, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“Goodness, you’re acting very strange today.”

“Well, there are days like this…”

He shooed his parents away to the living room and was now standing alone in the kitchen.

‘I don’t know why I never did this for them when it’s nothing.’ 

Hindsight was 20/20. He had no idea how precious they were when he was still with them. And when Seo Jun-Ho realized it, it was too late.

‘Okay, next.’ 

After washing the dishes, Seo Jun-Ho massaged their shoulders. He had only done this for their birthdays when he was still in elementary school. Their muscles were as hard as rocks.

“Really, what’s gotten into you?”

“Haha, stop complaining. It’s nice.”

His parents laughed and happily accepted Seo Jun-Ho’s cute antics. Their reactions encouraged him, so Seo Jun-Ho acted as endearing as possible.

He called for them over and over, like he had always wanted to do.

Unfortunately, happy moments always flew by. After waking up in the morning, it was about time to sleep once again.

“...”

Keen Intuition alerted him, telling him that it was time to go home.

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight, dear?” his mother asked.

“Then what about me, honey…?” Seo Jun-Ho laughed silently when he saw his father’s long face.

There was bitterness in his smile.

‘...I suppose it’s a shame.’ 

If he didn’t have Hero’s Mind, would he have chosen to stay here? Would he have thrown everything away so that he could relive these happy moments?

‘I might have.’

He might have made that decision.

Assuming that this dream would continue, he would feel even more committed to saving the world after saving his parents.

“...”

The Frost Queen was correct. This was merely a daydream. A hopeless, fatal dream.

Seo Jun-Ho bowed to his parents; they had been laughing and talking for a long time.

“I was really happy today.”

“...”

“...”

They stopped abruptly and stared at him in a daze.

“Where are you going, dear?”

“Why would you go out in the middle of the night…?”

“I have to go.”

He had really been happy. He had been able to truly laugh and talk here. His shoulders felt light, and he didn’t have to push himself to meet the expectations of others. If he could, he would live here for a year, or ten. He wanted to stay as his parents’ child.

“There are people waiting for me.”

Maliva’s residents, Rahmadat, and Chief Jung. He had to return to reality and defeat Piglet. He had to do it for them, at the very least.

“...Son, you still need to sleep.”

“That’s right. You won’t grow if you sleep late.”

“I’m alright.” Seo Jun-Ho pursed his lips tightly as he refused.

However, his parents didn’t let up. “Then how about a 30-minute nap before you go?”

“Yes! Let’s do that.”

“Don’t do this…” Seo Jun-Ho mumbled. He was holding back tears. “Please, please don’t do this.”

He squeezed his eyes shut as his parents approached him as if they were possessed. Hot tears ran down his face.

“Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son….”

“Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son. Sleep before you go, son….”

His parents—no, the things pretending to be his parents inched closer and closer.

“...” His eyes were foggy with tears when he opened them. His sight was filled with his parents’ faces.

‘...Rest well.’ 

Crack! Crack! 

With the sharp sound of their necks breaking, a rupture appeared in the space. The walls, ceiling, and floor crumbled around him. Seo Jun-Ho felt like he was falling with no end in sight.

“...”

And with that, he was back.

***

“Ahahahaha! That’s not all, is it? Try harder!”

Rahmadat was having the time of his life beating Rosemary with his fists.

The spell was released upon the deaths of almost all Sloth Squadron members, and the residents of Maliva fell asleep, weakening Rosemary.

“Dammit, dammit!” Piglet chewed his fingernails nervously.

‘At this rate, I think… Rosemary is going to lose.’ 

He looked at Dream Soul. If he trapped Rahmadat in a dream, he would be able to buy time.

‘But there’s a fatal downside to this…’ 

Seo Jun-Ho and that idiot would find it hard to break out of the dream with their mental capacity. After all, Dream Soul was a dream that trapped people in the happiest era of their lives.

However, the Five Heroes had different mindsets.

‘And seeing how this guy is acting… I have no idea why, but I feel like he’ll be able to break out of it right away.’ 

If someone managed to escape, Piglet would receive a huge backlash.

‘I don’t know about those two, but sending Rahmadat is too big of a gamble…’ 

Piglet pondered for a long time, biting his thick lip. Rosemary’s regeneration couldn’t keep up with Rahmadat’s destructive attacks. If this continued, he was sure that Rahmadat would completely destroy her sooner or later.

“No!” Rosemary was his strongest weapon. She would make him the chairman of the Fiend Association.

‘I’ll buy some time first, and then go through the city myself to steal their dreams.’ 

Now that he had a plan, Piglet was about to send Rahmadat into a dream.

“Guh?!”

However, a dizzying pain shot through his organs.

“Gah! Guh!”  He rolled around like a pig in mud and fell to the bottom of the palanquin. When the pain subsided, he wiped all the spit off of his mouth.

‘This pain…’ 

Had someone escaped the spell?

Just as a terrifying thought crept in, a flat, cold voice spoke into his ear.

“Repeat after me.”

When Piglet whipped around, he started to tremble. “W-what?”

A long-haired man stood under the cold moonlight. He slowly lifted his bowed head. His eyes were red between his matted hair.

The man—Seo Jun-Ho—spoke once more, “Repeat after me: I’m dead.”

“What are you… Urp!” Piglet’s hands shot out, clutching at his neck.

Seo Jun-Ho’s bloodlust was powerful enough to choke him. Piglet started trembling when he saw Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes full of killing intent.

“I told you to repeat after me: I’m dead,” Seo Jun-Ho growled in a low voice. Then, he slowly walked toward Piglet.