The moment I saw that overly familiar face, I unconsciously called his name. With the front door still wide open, I hesitated for a brief moment.
Should I slam the door shut?
Should I laugh it off and claim it was nothing?
Or should I confront him and ask what he was staring at?
But I chose none of those three options.
“Wow. It really is Jeong Uijin….”
I feigned confusion, letting out a dazed remark like someone stunned to see a celebrity.
It must have sounded quite natural, because Yoonji Huh, who had come with Uijin, gave a small laugh.
“Jeong Uijin is fairly famous. Still, I’m surprised you recognized him at a glance.”
“I heard he was an incredibly handsome man who carried two longswords. A Player I happened to meet once even showed me a photograph of Jeong Uijin taken from a distance.”
The latter was obviously a lie. I had only borrowed the idea after hearing that some Players used Polaroid-camera items to photograph famous figures from each District and sell the pictures.
“You have a good eye.”
“Thank you. But what brings you… here…?”
I could not finish my sentence.
The intensity of Uijin’s glare was terrifying. Even with his mouth tightly shut, his eyes seemed to pour out countless words at me, and that look alone made me instinctively retreat behind the front door.
What is this? Why is he looking at me like that? Did hearing that I’d seen a secretly taken photo offend him? Or did Alt scratch him with his claws when he flew past just now…?
As I shifted my gaze uneasily, the front door that had been covering half my body was suddenly wrenched all the way open. Since I had been holding it, my balance pitched forward—straight toward Uijin.
Just as I nearly fell into his arms, a hand seized my waist from behind and pulled me back.
It was Seo Wonil.
“Are you all right?”
Wonil supported me from behind and glanced at Uijin and Yoonji standing in the doorway. His face was filled with cold vigilance.
“What is this about?”
“Oh, we only came to—”
“Kyaoo! Kya! Gyao!”
“Grrr, hrrng! Grrrr…”
“—say hello for a moment—”
“Gyeh—gyag! Gyaaa!”
“Sniff, grrk! Grrrr!”
“…”
“Gyaoooo!”
“Grrrrrrrr!”
Yoonji stopped speaking at the strange exchange between the two dragons and scratched her cheek, looking both irritated and awkward.
“Well, we did come to say hello, but Uijin’s dragon says he and Mr. Lee Jaeo’s pet are siblings.”
Wonil was surprised by her words, and so was I. Our gazes turned toward the two dragons circling each other in the air beyond the corridor window.
They had a sibling setting?
Since they were all different colors, I had assumed they were simply pet eggs with separate concepts. Apparently, there was a setting that made the dragon eggs siblings.
Uijin had owned the black egg out of the two pet eggs sold at the Special Supply Station, so that black dragon, which looked far larger than Alt, must have hatched from it.
Unlike Alt, who looks soft and gentle like fresh tofu, that one looks incredibly vicious.
Just look at those fierce crimson eyes.
Of course it’s Uijin’s pet. How could it have the exact same eyes… as… him…?
Only after turning toward Uijin for comparison did I belatedly realize that he and Wonil were locked in a staring contest.
Neither of them was blinking properly as they glared at each other with open hostility.
What is wrong with these people now?
My companions watching from inside looked bewildered, and so did Yoonji. She tapped Uijin on the side a few times, but nothing changed.
“I’m fine, so you can let go now.”
I pushed Wonil’s arm away to defuse the situation. His solid arm, backed by his high Strength, loosened surprisingly easily.
“I didn’t know pets could have siblings. It’s unexpected, but I’m glad they got to meet.”
“Right? Come to think of it, Mr. Lee Jaeo’s pet is extremely small compared to Rox. Was he born recently?”
Yoonji’s eyes sparkled, and she began speaking faster.
“Rox hatched a little over two weeks ago…. Oh, Rox is the name of Jeong Uijin’s pet. He named him Rox because he came from Ferox’s Egg. His naming sense is hilarious, isn’t it? Ahaha.”
I could not bring myself to laugh at her comment.
My own naming sense was no better than Uijin’s.
“And Rox—”
“Mr. Lee Jaeo.”
Uijin coldly cut Yoonji off and called my name. His pitch-black eyes rested steadily on me, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
“Could you spare me a moment?”
A chill ran down my spine.
Without Mental Stability, my face would probably have gone pale under the oppressive presence bearing down on my shoulders.
At that moment, Wonil stepped in front of me as though shielding me. Kim Seokju, who had been watching from inside, had also moved behind me and cautiously addressed Uijin.
“What is this about? I would appreciate a proper explanation.”
“I was speaking to Mr. Lee Jaeo.”
“I know. But Jaeo is physically very weak. If you speak to him that threateningly, he might collapse.”
Even though I had invented the cover story that my skill made me frail, I had never taken it that far.
And just like that, I was branded as the most sickly young man alive.
Perhaps because of that, Uijin’s voice, partly obscured by Wonil standing in front of me, softened slightly.
“…There is something I would like to tell Mr. Lee Jaeo in advance regarding tomorrow’s raid. I want to show him a detailed map of the expedition route and discuss it with him, but the conversation may involve sensitive information.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Even after Uijin answered, Wonil and Seokju still looked tense.
I had heard that fights sometimes broke out between Players over the most trivial matters. Perhaps this ominous atmosphere was the warning sign of one.
Wanting to escape the suffocating tension, I decided to simply go along with Uijin.
“I’m fine, so there’s no need to be so wary. I’ll be back soon.”
I patted Seokju and Wonil on the back, then voluntarily headed toward the entrance.
Since I had chosen to go on my own, neither of them tried to stop or protect me any further.
As I stepped outside, Uijin gestured with his chin toward the two pets beyond the window.
“Keep an eye on them and deal with it appropriately.”
“I will. But…”
Yoonji looked at me as though she wanted to say something, then stopped, her expression complicated.
“No, never mind.”
Swallowing an inexplicable sigh, she whispered quietly into my ear.
“He isn’t as frightening as he looks, so don’t be nervous. I’ll see you later.”
“All right. Please toss my pet back into my companions’ room afterward.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll play with him a little first, then put him back.”
Leaving behind that openly self-interested remark, I followed Uijin as he walked ahead.
As we passed the people in the third-floor corridor, all watching the two of us with interest, I thought about the raid Uijin had mentioned.
It sounds like they’ve already planned the expedition route. Is he deciding where to place me along it? I thought a low-Level Player with a passive skill wouldn’t have much say, but this might be better than expected.
In that case, I wanted to be assigned somewhere with as few monsters as possible.
Or perhaps it would be better to focus solely on keeping the boss occupied while the other Players handled the remaining monsters….
While I was considering that, we reached the stairs to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor housed Eclipse’s members and the interview room used for alliance applicants.
The moment I stepped toward the stairs, Uijin suddenly seized my hand.
His grip was remarkably careful for someone with such an enormous Strength stat, yet it was also firm enough to make it clear he had no intention of letting go.
Without a word, Uijin began climbing the stairs while holding my hand.
He moved urgently, but I could feel how carefully he was making sure I would not fall behind and trip.
Before I could say anything, he had already pulled me up to the fourth floor.
He flung open the door directly across from the stairs and, without turning on the light, pushed me against the wall beside the entrance.
Thud—
The door slamming shut sounded like my startled heartbeat.
I shifted my gaze through the darkness and tried to steady my breathing.
We had only hurried up a single flight of stairs, yet I was slightly breathless, whether from nervousness or Uijin’s icy presence.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jeong Uijin?”
“You had a name… all along.”
Uijin had already trapped me between his arms. His voice dropped dangerously low.
“Why did you say you didn’t?”
“Excuse me, what are you—”
“Mr. Lee Jaeo.”
Calling my name coldly, his eyes gleaming even in the darkness, Uijin met my gaze.
“Do you still think I don’t recognize you?”