Chapter 82

"Chahya, today... what day is it?"

Chahya pressed the button for the top floor without answering. When he turned around, Seo-un seemed to have unknowingly shrunk into a corner.

"I'm not playing hide and seek. Hey, let's figure out what day it is first."

Seo-un, instead of being intimidated by Chahya's cold aura, expressed his grievance.

"Seo-un."

The way his name sounded from Chahya's lips could be so desolate.

"I'm really angry right now, you know."

Even with his eyes closed, anyone could tell from his voice, but Seo-un couldn't just give in. It wasn't entirely his fault.

"You said using the gate would take me straight to Seoul! I didn't, though."

He wished someone else had joined them, but with the guild shrinking, there were few elevator passengers. In an instant, Chahya closed the distance and scrutinized Seo-un's eyes, nose, and mouth.

If it weren't for the warm lighting in the elevator, it could have been mistaken for an interrogation room.

Chahya seemed to be examining the suspect's expression to determine the truth or falsehood. If it turned out to be a lie, he would imprison the person without mercy.

Seo-un, with his purple eyes, stared back at Chahya.

As the numbers on the elevator changed incessantly, Chahya seemed to scrutinize every cell of Seo-un. His gaze was so penetrating that if Seo-un had lied, he would have been forced to confess.

Suddenly, the chill from Chahya's aura dissipated.

From head to toe, Seo-un was dressed exactly as he was when he used the gate to enter the Narakga. Chahya's lips curled up into a habitual smile.

"Yeah, but I'm still going to lock you up."

He bent down and wrapped his arms around Seo-un's waist. Despite Seo-un's cry of "Hey!" Chahya hoisted him over his shoulder.

"I'm really aggrieved! You're a lunatic! I'm not going to the basement!"

Chahya laughed out loud.

"Seo-un, you really did hate my house, didn't you?"

Seo-un, who was struggling, punched Chahya's waist. He was really good at making people speechless. Since they were already on the top floor, Seo-un stopped resisting and just raised his voice.

"What day is it today?"

"It's been three days since we used the gate."

No way... Seo-un, who was being jostled on Chahya's shoulder, punched him again. "Hey, put me down, quickly!" No matter how much he shouted, Chahya didn't budge and headed for his room.

It seemed he had fixed the door lock, as there was no sign of the damage he had caused. He opened the front door with a fingerprint scan and carelessly kicked off his shoes.

Chahya, entering the room without any obstacles, placed Seo-un on the bed. Seo-un, fearing Chahya might break the door lock again, glanced at the entrance. But Chahya just stood there, staring at Seo-un sprawled on the bed.

Seo-un shook his messy hair with his hands. As he tried to take off his shoes and put them by the entrance, Chahya snatched them and threw them behind him. They landed perfectly at the entrance.

"I thought about it, and even if there's a shackle, it can be broken with Cosmo, right?"

Chahya's serious expression suggested that the imprisonment wasn't a joke.

"I'm really aggrieved. You fell straight into Seongsanggo from the gate, right?"

Since Chahya had moved from Seongsanggo to the Narakga, Seo-un would have fallen into the same place. But Chahya's lips were tightly pressed together.

Seo-un, feeling aggrieved for being falsely accused and having to defend himself, thought of Namgung Jun, who might have been falsely accused as well.

"So, when I used the gate..."

He was at a loss for words, so he headed for the mini-fridge, and Chahya followed with his eyes. Even if he had a history of going into hiding, he didn't think Chahya would be this persistent.

Thinking about it, when Chahya went into hiding, an hour felt like a day.

Seo-un, taking a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, which only contained water and drinks, cleared his throat and threw a bottle of water to Chahya.

"I don't know what I saw, but I was standing on a hill that looked like it was painted with chalk... and there was a moon-sized object."

Seo-un raised his hands to make a large circle. When Chahya tilted his head, Seo-un dropped his arms.

"In short... it wasn't like Earth."

"It wasn't like Earth?"

Seo-un expected a sarcastic response, but Chahya's reaction was unexpected. Seo-un nodded.

"And you were there. I thought we had moved to a strange place together..."

"Thought so?"

"There was a wound on your neck."

Seo-un left out the part about the kiss on the cheek.

"It looked like it had been cut and reattached."

Seo-un checked Chahya's neck again, but it was now completely clean.

"Was there a gate there too?"

Chahya got to the point. In reality, what did the Messenger say?

<'Chaseun's' universe is in chaos with the gate. Pfft! I ate it wrong, so I spit it out!> Seo-un couldn't understand what his 'universe' meant, and he couldn't reveal anything about the Messenger, so he didn't elaborate.

"There was no gate. I lost consciousness there and ended up in our office building's elevator."

He arrived with a three-day delay to where he was supposed to arrive. At that moment, something flashed through Seo-un's mind.

Time difference...

When he went to a different dimension inside the tunnel, there was clearly a time difference with the Narakga. Could the 'universe' the Messenger mentioned also refer to time?

"Chaseun."

Seo-un lifted his head, clearing his thoughts.

"I've done everything to find you these past few days."

Chahya only held the unopened bottle of water.

"You weren't anywhere."

I thought you had gone mad.

Chahya muttered quietly. This was the third time Seo-un had gone into hiding without telling him. The first two times were by his own will, but this time, it wasn't.

He didn't want to be arrogant and say he wasn't at fault, knowing how much it could drive someone mad to suddenly disappear without any contact. Especially after using the gate, Chahya's world must have turned black.

Seo-un, in the small room, only needed a few steps to reach Chahya.

"Kid, were you worried?"

He suddenly hugged Chahya and patted his back. Chahya, without a word, pressed his forehead against his shoulder and squeezed him tightly in response. The memory of the kiss on the cheek made Seo-un's body heat up.

"I can't breathe."

But he didn't push him away. Chahya must have been very anxious. Seo-un patted his back more gently this time.

Being on an unknown planet with just the two of them, Seo-un was honestly scared. The reason he couldn't dismiss it as a dream was the clear three-day time difference.

"I think it's better if I just move with the light stones in the future."

Chahya didn't argue, seemingly in agreement.

"Don't go back to the Narakga. Just stay here."

"Idiot, how will you explain it to Ohseong?"

Seo-un pulled Chahya out of his embrace, holding his shoulders. He noticed Chahya's eyes were bloodshot and his skin rougher than usual. Perhaps he hadn't slept at all and had been searching for him.

"When did you last eat?"

Chahya seemed to be trying to recall his last meal, but the silence was long. It seemed he hadn't eaten properly, just like he hadn't slept.

"Stupid. Wait here, I'll bring you some food."

He looked like a baby bird, opening his mouth wide