Chapter 92

Chapter 92

“You said that before.”

“What did I say?”

“You said that just because someone awakens, it doesn’t mean they become a completely different being.”

Ah, I remember. It was when I was coming back from buying the Purification Tree from the dungeon plant nursery. I vaguely recall talking about the twins, Joo Shin-woo and Joo Shin-hee, and saying something like that.

“I felt relieved the moment I heard those words. It felt like you were saying I hadn’t become a different person.”

“But that’s something anyone could say.”

Indeed, it is. Even if I hear the words I said through his mouth, they sound so trivial. If I asked anyone on the street, they would probably say the same thing.

“You’re right.”

Ki Yu-hyun readily agreed with my words and then added,

“But in reality, the only person who said that to me was you, Lee Eul. So...”

His voice trailed off, his breathing becoming shaky. I turned my head and quietly looked at Ki Yu-hyun.

“So I wanted to tell you, Lee Eul, about who I am. At least, I wanted to be honest with you.”

“...”

Faint? No presence? Why did I think such absurd things just now?

The man looking at me is so clearly visible. His eyes, which seem to hold light even in the dark, his gaze that feels like it has a temperature, his well-defined jaw, and his softly closed lips.

My heart beat wildly.

This was different from the reflexive tension I feel when facing an incredibly handsome man. The emotion I felt was unfamiliar.

I’m definitely not perceptive. I’m not perceptive, but...

The problem is that I’m not so clueless as to mistake this tension I feel, which is towards a man who supposedly sealed the Gate of God alone, for guilt or worry.

I quickly turned my head and mumbled,

“T-the time is late, let’s hurry back. Asga was making a fuss, saying to come in quickly.”

“Ha ha, right.”

Ki Yu-hyun also turned his body and straightened his posture. Only after his gaze moved away from me did I finally feel able to breathe easily.

Grandma said that if a man makes you feel sorry for him, you should run away.

Grandma, I think I’m in trouble...

During the drive back to the shop, we hardly spoke to each other.

In the tense but not uncomfortable silence, the car finally stopped in front of the shop.

I tried to open the car door quickly, but it didn’t open easily, perhaps because I was in a hurry. I just pulled the lock, and Ki Yu-hyun’s upper body suddenly came closer. I tilted my head back in surprise.

“Lee Eul, the seatbelt.”

“...Ah.”

Click. Ki Yu-hyun reached over and undid the seatbelt that hadn’t come off properly. Then he added with a smile,

“Lee Eul, think about my proposal carefully.”

* * *

“Phew, ah, haa...”

When the car that dropped me off was completely out of sight, I took a deep breath. The cold air I inhaled finally calmed my heart.

I could feel my cheeks burning, even without touching them.

<Café Lee Eul> was right in front of me, but I couldn’t go in like this. My face clearly showed that something had happened.

I was at a loss for words to answer the overwhelming curiosity of the animals in my house. I needed to cool my cheeks first.

Just as I was thinking this and about to walk around the alley in front of the shop,

“...Huh?”

I felt a strange gaze and turned my head.

On the other side of the street stood a person I had never seen before.

The first thing that caught my eye was his extremely beautiful appearance. His gender and age were unclear, but he had a captivating charm.

However, his eyes, which were just staring blankly without any expression, were unsettling. They seemed empty, devoid of the emotions that human eyes naturally carry.

I needed to cool my cheeks inside the shop. This person didn’t look ordinary.

Feeling uneasy, I tried to open the café door, but my body wouldn’t move. It felt as if someone had paralyzed me.

The strange person quickly closed the distance between us.

His hand touched my cheek. The burning heat of my cheeks was replaced by a chilling cold. The long fingers of the suspicious person, who had suddenly come closer, lightly touched my hair and then moved away.

“...It’s you.”

Huh?

“The owner of the key. The one who will reach the ultimate door.”

...Huh?

I wanted to ask what he meant, but my lips wouldn’t move. I could only listen to this strange person’s words helplessly.

“Aah, what a ridiculous mistake! Haha... Why did I only realize it now! The anomaly has already begun. So this time, it’s an independent loop that has broken free from the infinite spiral. Yes, it started when the old man survived, or even before that.”

He rambled on for a while, saying things I couldn’t understand.

The hollow eyes, which seemed to have glass eyes embedded in them, suddenly sparkled, and I could feel the strange person’s emotions clearly.

It was joy.

He trembled with joy.

The thought that came to my mind was what Ki Yu-hyun had said earlier about a crazy religious group appearing.

I immediately knew. This was the person. His eyes were lost in his own thoughts.

The strange person mumbled more incomprehensible words and then laughed brightly.

Eek. It really felt like a crazy cult doing proselytizing in such a place. I wanted to run away, but my body wouldn’t move, probably because he had done something to me.

“Are you wary of me? Don’t worry. I wouldn’t harm the key’s owner who has finally appeared.”

His hand brushed my eye again, and the pressure slightly lessened. I managed to let out a suppressed breath and speak.

“What... is that?”

Is that it? Are you a messiah or something, asking for money or statues to prepare for the end of the world?

“You don’t need to know now. As long as you reach the door, we will naturally meet again.”

“No, I don’t know about that!”

I tried to speak as sharply as possible, but my trembling voice was swallowed by my breath. Sweat that had already formed was stinging my eyes.

I tightly closed and then opened my eyes, and the person who had grabbed me was gone.

* * *

Bang!

“Huh, huh...”

I hurriedly opened the café door and went in. As if they had been waiting for me, Asga and the animals turned their heads.

“Why are you like that, meow!”

Hearing Mi-eum’s calm voice, I finally felt like I had returned home. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and tried to act calm.

“Oh, I ran because it was cold.”

“What? I’ve never seen that human act so rudely. He didn’t even bring you to the door after a date!”

“Date?”

Asga sharply repeated. Mi-eum, aiming her front paws at Asga, added,

“Then what did you two go out for, meow!”

“...Hmph.”

It wasn’t a date, and Ki Yu-hyun did bring me to the front.

But, when did Asga start understanding Mi-eum?

There were plenty of things to comment on, but I didn’t say anything and slumped to the floor. The events of just now were so chilling that my body felt drained.

I muttered to myself,

‘What is this, so scary...’

I needed to seriously consider Ki Yu-hyun’s proposal.

On the way back in the car, he made a proposal to me.

The proposal was to officially announce that <Café Lee Eul> serves drinks with special effects.

According to him, if we request it from the <Dungeon Management Office>, we can register as a special business. In return, his guild would provide security for the café to prepare for any unpleasant incidents.

So far, we had managed to run the café without any major issues, but unexpectedly, it had become very popular.

The dream of a five-day workweek (meaning five days of rest) was already shattered, and there was no guarantee that things would continue to go smoothly.

‘But...’

I made a face, and Ki Yu-hyun added,

“If you don’t like having too many customers, we can set a reservation system and only accept a certain number of people.”

Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.

It wasn’t a proposal that would harm me. In fact, it was a proposal that didn’t benefit Ki Yu-hyun at all.

When I asked him about it, Ki Yu-hyun shook his head.

“No, if I can drink Lee Eul’s coffee stably every day, that’s a benefit.”

But it felt like I was taking a step away from the cozy and comfortable café. I decided to think about it more and put his proposal on hold for now before returning home.

Then, a crazy cult member appeared.

It was too unsettling to just brush off as a mere unpleasant proselytizing, especially with that joyous expression.

I immediately took out my phone to send a message to Ki Yu-hyun, but my hands were shaking so much that I couldn’t type properly.

Phew, calm down. It’s late, so I’ll sleep and contact him in the morning to ask about the proposal in detail.

I turned off the input screen with typos and stood up.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Meow!”

But the next morning,

I couldn’t contact Ki Yu-hyun right away.

Because something unexpected happened.

“Huh...?”

* * *

At the moment Lee Eul was in shock.

Lee Se-in slowly lifted her head.

Her mind was clear, as if she had just woken up from a long dream.

The throbbing headache and the strange voice were gone. So, Lee Se-in could look around her with a perfectly calm mind.

The quiet guild leader’s office of <C&L Corporation>.

She saw what she had achieved so far.

The gleaming high-rise buildings, numerous awards, a solid position, reputation, and countless hunters who followed her orders...

And the people who were like family to her, who had no family of her own: Choi Sedric and Choi Rona.

How long had it been since she visited Choi Rona’s hospital room? How long had it been since she had a calm conversation with Choi Sedric?

She had already achieved enough success, so why had she been so anxious? Had she been chasing after an unquenchable thirst and lost sight of what was truly important?

“...I’ll quit.”

With that decision, Lee Se-in stood up.

In her hand was a summons from the <Dungeon Management Office>, asking her to testify about her relationship with the <Silk Crown Party>.

It was for the best. There was still time to fix things. She would end the plan, admit what needed to be admitted, and focus on running the guild.

Click.

At that moment, the door opened. In front of the door stood Lee Se-in’s secretary, who had been missing for some time.

“...Lee On.”

It had been a few days since the Gate of God closed and the power of the faceless one □□□□□ was deactivated.

Lee Se-in had noticed the secretary’s disappearance but hadn’t bothered to look for him. He had always been reliable, but recently he had felt unsettling.

“President Lee Se-in.”

Lee On silently walked in.

The secretary in front of her was smiling brightly. His beautiful eyes, which could captivate anyone, disappeared and reappeared under his eyelids.

Lee Se-in felt a chill run down her spine.

Wait, was this Lee On’s original face? What did he look like? Why did the person in front of her feel so unfamiliar?

No, was he even human to begin with?

A cold voice reached her ear.

“You failed again.”