Chapter 9

"Stage 5?"

"Yeah."

"Then tell the kids too."

When Chahaya spoke in his usual tone, Seun clenched his arm again.

"It's not certain yet."

"How did you know that?"

Seun looked up at Chahaya, whose eyes were unfathomable. Seun scratched his forehead, feeling awkward.

"You said you were looking for Seun."

"Exactly?"

At the word "exactly," Seun wondered if Chahaya had really searched for him in the netherworld. Before the unnecessary emotion could overwhelm him, he spoke again.

"It's not certain, but... I think I've become a Seacher."

Seun looked at Chahaya, hoping he would believe him, but Chahaya's expression was still indiscernible in the backlight. Suddenly, Seun felt a sense of unease.

"But... aren't you surprised? I was originally a swordsman."

Of course, his ability had manifested as a purple, mental-type ability, but it was specialized in sword combat.

"I was going to be surprised, but you said it's not certain, so I'm less surprised."

Chahaya's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"I'm at least 90% sure. My ability almost disappeared, so how could I have survived? I managed to escape by knowing in advance where the variants would appear. But, I really don't need this ability. Why me?"

"Being a Seacher would make you more valuable. But why did your taste get worse?"

Trying to comfort him, but the last part shattered the sentiment.

"I'm fine. The method to predict where variants will appear—"

<Don't reveal!>

Seun closed his mouth instantly at the reprimand.

<Did giving you a soft drink make your brain soft? 'Chaseun,' do you know all of 'Chahaya's' abilities? Why do you show all your cards? If you reveal everything, I'll disappear.>

<Sniff, I'll make one last prophecy. ...'@#%' is 100% a traitor.>

It felt like receiving a radio signal with poor reception.

So, who is betraying whom?

"Chaseun, are you broken?"

"No, no, just thinking about something. Rather, how do other Seachers find variants?"

"I'll tell you if I reawaken as a Seacher."

It was as if he was asking why a Seacher would ask him.

If Chahaya asked how to predict variant occurrences, Seun would have to consider whether to be honest about the Messenger.

The Messenger had never wished for his death.

Then, should he trust the warning about disappearing? What would happen to him if the Messenger disappeared?

"If Stage 5 is certain, I'll go on the 19th."

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Chahaya made a decision. Gratitude welled up inside Seun.

"Do you know where the theme park is?"

"Yeah, I'm poor, so I never went."

"This brat, talking like that."

Seun clenched his fist and hit Chahaya's arm.

In their second year of high school, the field trip destination was a theme park. At the time, Chahaya couldn't go because his uncle had a medical emergency, not because of money.

"I remember, your uncle was sick, so you missed it. When you were absent, the group became odd, and I had to ride the rides alone."

"You offered to let me ride alone, and now you're complaining?"

Chahaya and Seun were close friends, but they weren't always together. They had a group of friends.

When Chahaya was absent, the group became five, and the atmosphere was strange. Seun had implicitly decided to ride with Han Don-hee, leaving one girl without a partner.

When she learned that her partner, Chahaya, couldn't come, her face turned pale.

"Brat, at that time, Minji was your girlfriend, right? Even if you couldn't come, how could you let Minji ride alone?"

"Minji? Kim Minji?"

"Changing her name now? That's a joke."

"Ah..."

Chahaya finally recalled.

The reason they broke up soon after the field trip was Chahaya's fault. Later, it was revealed that Chahaya hadn't even told Minji about his uncle's emergency and hadn't apologized when he returned to school. When Minji confronted him, he replied that he already knew from Seun, so why should he say it again?

Seun realized then:

Chahaya was an excellent friend but a terrible boyfriend. Of course, Minji also had her faults.

Thinking she was better than others just because she was pretty...

Seun's heart ached at Minji's complaints. He usually didn't eat street food, but that day, he bought chicken skewers with Chahaya.

'Chaseun, what is a "parasite"?'

Chahaya asked, holding a chicken skewer. If he still didn't know the meaning after living in Indonesia, Seun didn't want to explain it.

"Um... it's... a... well... Minji thought you were handsome, so she dated you."

Suddenly, Chahaya started to chuckle. It wasn't really a chuckle but a mischievous laugh that made passersby nervous.

"Putting on a show to be a basic living allowance recipient."

"You bastard! You knew!"

Chahaya grabbed Seun's wrist and bit the skewer.

<Thump! Suddenly, 'Elephant Shrew Chaseun's' heart beats.>

Why is it making such a serious voice?

<...Do you like him?>

Seun pushed away the rising old memories and regained his composure.

"Go with me."

As soon as their eyes met, Chahaya spoke.

"Where?"

"Seoul."

It was a tempting offer that could make old thoughts fly away.

"I'm a mineral poor. Rare minerals don't come out often."

"I'll lend it to you interest-free."

"If I get scratched by a variant, I'll die, so I can't pay it back."

"Then do this."

"What?"

Chahaya's eyes seemed to absorb the remaining light, becoming more vivid. He reached out, lightly grabbed Seun's neck, and pulled him closer.

"From now on, Chaseun, will you be my variant alert?"

Seun pushed Chahaya's chest, whispering like he had earlier. When Chahaya stumbled backward, Seun quickly caught him.

"You did that on purpose, brat."

When Seun let go, Chahaya fell backward without regaining his balance. Seun, worried that he might hit his head, shouted.

"Hey!"

With a thud, Chahaya hit the wall and slumped down.

"Chahaya!"

Seun couldn't shake him, fearing he might have hit his head. He crawled on all fours to look at Chahaya, who was slumped over. Despite his invulnerable body, Seun couldn't help but worry.

"Don't play such a dangerous game."

Seun deliberately put anger in his voice. When Chahaya didn't move, he thought he might have fainted.

"Hey, Chahaya."

Just as he was about to call for help, Chahaya wrapped his arm around Seun's shoulder. He pulled Seun into a tight embrace. Seun, trying to regain his balance, ended up trapping Chahaya in his arms.

"Chaseun, I was really worried about you."

Seun could feel Chahaya's hand on his shoulder trembling slightly. He patted Chahaya's firm thigh. It seemed Chahaya had gone into hiding, and Seun had been worried sick, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

"But you came back as a Seacher. Think of it as a king's return."

The hand that had been on his shoulder moved to the back of his head, roughly ruffling his hair.

"Let's go on the 19th."

"If you personally take me, I'll find my way. As a variant navigator, I'll serve you well."

Seun closed his eyes, smiling, and assumed a prostrate position.

"Don't overeat; chew your fuel well."

Chahaya brought something from his pocket to Seun's lips. The rough texture of the mineral was evident.

"Advance payment? What if I'm not a Seacher?"

"Then I picked a broken alert."

"Honestly, I don't know if I'm a Seacher, but I told you, I'm a thousand times better at detecting variants than DK Seachers."

Though no contract was signed, it was an implicit give-and-take.

If Seun provided information about variants, Chahaya would give him rare minerals as compensation. Seun, who didn't want to be a burden, thought this was a fair deal.

"What if I had no ability at all? Would you just give me rare minerals?"

Chahaya pondered.

"Without any ability, you would have returned, right?"

"Are you joking?"

"Without any ability, you would have gone back."

Only the netherworld had eternal species.

"Why did I go to Seoul as soon as the gate opened? I thought maybe Chaseun had eaten mugwort and fiddlehead ferns and become human again."

No one had ever returned from being an eternal species, but Chahaya seemed to have considered the possibility.

"Exactly. I only found out today that I had been eating mugwort and fiddlehead ferns."

Even as he said this, a sense of guilt pricked his heart.

"When your father heard you were back, he rushed over. I was worried his few remaining hairs would all fall out."

This brat is a real sentiment destroyer. Still, Seun felt selfishly relieved by Chahaya's consistency. He had always been the one trying to distance himself from Chahaya.

"This time, I've gained deep insight. When I go to Seoul, I'll cut ties with my father. So, keep my Seacher ability a secret."

Chahaya extended his hand to Seun, who had stood up. He was smiling as usual.

It seemed like a smile saying, "Can you really do that to your family?" so Seun deliberately grabbed his hand firmly.

Seun's ambiguous strength only tickled Chahaya's hand.