Chapter 25

Chahaya placed the convenience store bag on Seoon's home bar. Although it was impolite to wander around an unoccupied house, Chahaya couldn't help but smile when he saw the wine cellar that exuded Seoon's taste.

It was a bit amusing that Seoon had kept wine he didn't even drink.

The bathroom was still damp, indicating that Seoon had used it right after returning from the Narakga. Chahaya walked around Seoon's house calmly. Despite the likelihood of finding them, there wasn't a single framed photo anywhere.

Chahaya stood in front of the grand piano, positioned to view the night scenery.

This time, his smile was even broader.

Seoon couldn't play the piano. Chahaya sat at the edge of the piano bench, resting his arms on the cover. The night scenery reflected in Chahaya's eyes, and the countless nebulae in his gaze absorbed the light.

His phone in his pocket rang, and the name 'Bianso' appeared on the screen.

"Speak, Deputy Director."

Chahaya pressed the call button and switched to speaker mode.

[Did you provoke him again?]

For some reason, Chabyeongcheon had called on an official line to discuss personal matters.

[Whenever Seoon goes off track, you're always there. You're a tough kid, but you always defy your parents when it comes to you.]

Chahaya tilted his head. He had always found Chabyeongcheon strange.

He wasn't an evil force tormenting Seoon, yet Chabyeongcheon was extremely wary of him. Of course, Chahaya knew when this wariness had started.

It was the day Chahaya first visited Seoon's house and honestly told Chabyeongcheon where he lived.

Since Chabyeongcheon, the homeowner, disliked it, Chahaya didn't deliberately visit the house. However, because they lived in the same neighborhood, they often ran into each other.

'Chahaya, if you were my son, my father would probably carry you around and boast to everyone. How can you have better grades than me without even tutoring?'

The next day after Chahaya and Chabyeongcheon met, Seoon would inevitably dig a hole. Therefore, it wasn't hard to guess what Chabyeongcheon had said to Seoon.

He probably undermined Seoon's self-esteem by asking how a poor kid could have better grades than someone who spent so much money.

Objectively, Seoon had no reason to feel inferior to him. He had parents, a wealthy home, and excelled in studies. Moreover, he was also very attractive.

[Do you think I don't know that you manipulated the deputy guild leader position?]

When Chahaya didn't react, Chabyeongcheon raised his voice even more. Chahaya looked at his phone, amazed by the passing call time.

"Isn't it better for Seoon to be called the deputy guild leader of Tacheon rather than by some strange nickname? Wouldn't a parent think so? A typical parent, that is."

[...]

Hearing a trembling voice, Chahaya considered backing off. Provoking him would only make things worse for Seoon later.

He spoke into the speaker.

"Seoon has gone to the Narakga again. Isn't that pitiful?"

Isn't it?

Muttering, he pressed the end call button. His lips curled up consciously, but his gaze towards the night scenery was cold.

'Bianso Chae Seoon's face is perfect for a public toilet, isn't it? He'd be great for old men's cum. His lips are so plump, like a swollen colon.'

'He probably sucked off all the Bianso kids. When hunting mutants, his colon is visibly torn.'

'If there were a prostitute in the mutant profession, Chae Seoon would be the first to awaken. 😂'

'Who wants to see Chae Seoon's wild night stories? A grateful person even drew a manga. I jerked off ten times in one day.'

'Chae Seoon's hunting reward is probably cum. 😂 The top mutants wouldn't be crazy to be loyal to the state for nothing.'

Chahaya accidentally discovered a community where people spewed dirty comments about Seoon.

It was the day Seoon, following the mutant disaster control center's instructions, hunted the 53rd mutant. The hunting video was updated on the Bianso official channel.

After seeing the sexual harassment comments, Chahaya found the illegal site where these people gathered. It was astounding that neither Bianso nor Seoon took action against such treatment.

Chahaya, not the victim, couldn't ignore it. It was natural. If a friend became an outlet for perverted desires, who could bear it?

Chahaya dismantled the site where people spewed dirty comments about Seoon and sent the ringleaders to jail. Seoon wouldn't dream that the ringleader was a high school classmate. Chahaya had no intention of telling him. If he did, the inferiority complex-ridden rat might disappear again out of shame.

"Damn, inferiority complex makes people distant."

Chahaya muttered, and a sigh escaped his throat.

His subconscious had already predicted why Seoon distanced himself. Or perhaps he had always denied that their relationship could change due to such a trivial emotion. He had always justified it with other plausible reasons.

Anyway, Chae Seoon, from now on, I'll really suck it up.

He chuckled and tapped the cover of the piano as if playing the keys.

***

Chapter 2. The Northwest Tunnel

The base of the Tacheon Guild, rooted in the southeastern district, was a commercial-residential building. The first floor was an office converted from a commercial space, and the remaining floors had two two-room apartments facing each other.

As soon as Seoon returned to the Tacheon Guild office, he was assigned an empty room on the third floor. Since older members were assigned lower floors, Abdulraziz was on the second floor.

"If you get lonely, come to me. I've already cleaned it."

Seoon had lived in Abdulraziz's two-room apartment until a few days before going to Seoul.

"Ah, you might find it inconvenient with me around."

"True, we lived with three people in the dorm."

It was unclear whether he found it inconvenient or not, but given Abdulraziz's personality, it was likely the latter.

"Did you come alone, Seoon?"

"I don't know."

Seoon, who had just showered, placed Matahari on an old sofa. A frame was tilted on the table next to the sofa. The woman in the photo was holding a dog that looked like a mutt.

"Looks like the original resident."

"Yeah, I don't know where the Narakga people went."

Abdulraziz looked at the frame carefully.

"Chahaya lives right across from here."

Abdulraziz, who quickly lost interest in the photo, pointed to the entrance. It seemed the opposite two-room apartment was where Chahaya lived.

"By the way, who's your neighbor?"

"It's an unused room."

"Why?"

"It's Youngil's room."

"Is Youngil still in the guild?"

"Yeah. Since you're here safely, I'm going to bed."

Abdulraziz tousled Seoon's wet hair.

"Dry your hair well, or you'll catch a cold."

"Ha ha, okay."

It seemed the former factory manager had taught him to call a cold a 'high fever.' Seoon saw Abdulraziz off to the entrance and glanced at the room he would use as a bedroom.

Although the Narakga people had all vanished, it felt awkward to use someone else's home. He also felt guilty for leaving Chahaya alone in his house. If the owner of this house knew someone else was living there, they would probably be horrified.

Seoon only used a towel and didn't touch other drawers. He was hesitant to use the bed and only took out a blanket from the closet. He folded the blanket in half and placed it on the living room sofa, then burrowed into the space between the folds.

After pushing his body to the limit from morning until now, his eyelids felt excessively heavy. He was still a bit tipsy, and his mind was gradually becoming hazy.

The inspector had said he could stay for three days, but...

He regretted not taking advantage of the time. It would have been better to visit his mother and pack necessary items.

Seoon reached out and pulled Matahari up. Matahari felt cold, as if it had turned its back on its owner. He needed to try Cosmo, but for now, he couldn't move while hugging Matahari.

Still, it was nice to be back in Seoul after a long time. The bustling streets and drinking with Chahaya were all enjoyable. Perhaps he had used up all the happiness he should have shared over three days in just one day, which led to his early return.

"Hari, don't be mad."

Seoon patted Matahari, just like the photo's owner.

***

Early in the morning, Seoon stood in front of the refrigerator, deep in thought.

Since the mutants had crossed over to the Narakga four months ago, there couldn't be much food left in the refrigerator. Seoon lacked the courage to clean the moldy food. However, this place was his home until he returned to Seoul.

The pain would be brief, so he closed his eyes and opened the refrigerator. Instead of the terrifying mold, neatly stacked protein drinks greeted him. Even mold-soft and corn chips, which could be stored at room temperature, were visible.

Abdulraziz had mentioned cleaning, and it seemed the refrigerator was included. No matter how you looked at it, Abdulraziz had joined the wrong guild. He should have joined the Angel Guild, not the Fallen Angel Guild.

Seoon removed the straw from the protein drink and inserted it into the hole. Drinking two packs made him feel surprisingly full. He then drank another pack while staring intently at Matahari. The time had come to do what he had to do. Seoon placed the empty pack on the table and reached for Matahari.