As soon as he got back to the car, his phone rang. After checking that it was Gong Sijin’s number, he pressed the call button. A bright voice rang out.
─ Siyoung! Where are you going without even saying goodbye!
“You told me to run the dungeon. Anyway, I dropped that crazy guy off. You handle the rest.”
─ Still, you could’ve at least shown your face before leaving…… Anyway, got it. Are you heading straight into the dungeon?
“I am.”
He had to go get his sword, after all. Starting the engine, he dug through the previous destinations in the navigation and found the dungeon’s address. A notice popped up saying it would take a little over an hour to reach.
─ My team’s waiting at the entrance, so go in with them. Don’t go in alone like last time.
“Yeah, yeah. Hanging up.”
Siyoung ruthlessly ended the call.
Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at the Bureau building. He couldn’t see as far as the lobby, but for some reason it still lingered in his mind. Curling his fingers around the steering wheel, he muttered,
“……He’s seriously insane.”
That’s it. I’ll never see him again.
His fingertips tightened hard around the wheel.
* * *
“I’m sorry. Siyoung’s normally such a rude kid…… mm.”
It seemed even Gong Sijin couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence with “not that he’s usually rude.” Unable to lie, he let out an awkward laugh and smoothly changed the subject.
“Anyway, welcome. Did you sleep well last night?”
At the warm smile, Yurian nodded.
No joke, the softness of that bed had practically been cloud-level.
The second he rested his head on it, he’d passed out like he’d been knocked unconscious. If Gong Siyoung hadn’t woken him up, he might’ve still been asleep even now.
“It was an amazing time.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Ah, this way, please.”
Yurian followed him up the stairs.
Once they went up a floor, it became noticeably quieter. Yurian brushed his foot back and forth over the carpeted floor. The way it wrapped around his soles was weirdly addictive.
“Normally, you’d have to submit an evaluation request and wait about a week. After the document screening, we’d schedule a reservation, but considering the circumstances, I pulled a few strings.”
Yurian roughly interpreted that as he’d slipped someone some money and nodded. He even gave him a thumbs-up to show approval.
“Impressive.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Think of it as special protocol exclusively for visitors from another world.”
Jokingly, Gong Sijin waved his hand.
The curve of his eyes looked downright foxlike.
His face already gave that impression, but his attitude even more so. He’d said he was Gong Siyoung’s brother, but how could the two of them be this different? One had every thought written plainly across his face, while the other was black-hearted all the way through.
“You’ll wait here, and once they call your name, you can go in. Just do as they instruct. If there’s anything you don’t understand, call for me. I’ll be waiting outside.”
At the door Gong Sijin pointed to, Yurian nodded.
If they told him to do it, then what choice did he have?
Right then, the door opened and a young woman appeared.
“Mr. Yurian.”
He gave a fluttering little wave.
“I’ll be back.”
“Please be careful.”
Following the woman inside, he stepped through the door.
Aside from the lighting being dimmer than outside, nothing seemed particularly different.
As Yurian slowly looked around, the woman who had called his name gave him a series of explanations.
“Please place your belongings in this basket. Including your phone, we ask that you remove all electronic devices. Your name is Yurian, correct?”
“Yeeep. What about my clothes? Do I need to take those off too?”
When he cautiously grabbed at his shirt and asked, the staff member flinched and frantically waved both hands.
“No, no, that’s not necessary. If you’re ready, please come this way.”
Since he didn’t have anything on him anyway, he simply trailed after her.
Not long after, they stopped in front of a rectangular black object.
“You see the red line, right? Please align your feet there, stand at attention, and place both hands on the marked areas. Do not move until I tell you it’s done.”
Doing exactly as instructed, Yurian stopped in front of the red line and reached out.
Before his hands touched the rectangular object, the woman explained once more.
“The moment you make contact, a status window will appear. The contents will be projected onto the entity evaluation scanner in front of you. Please don’t panic, and maintain the same posture until I tell you to stop.”
“A status window?”
What exactly would appear if he touched this thing?
Feeling a little excited, he quickly slapped both hands onto it.
The instant his skin made contact, a sharp zzing ran through his fingertips, making them tremble like a cramp had struck.
Still, they’d told him not to move, so he stayed perfectly still and held his breath.
The sensation quickly faded back to normal.
Then one minute passed. Two. Three.
Nothing changed.
Yurian only blinked blankly.
After a long silence, the staff member finally spoke.
“You’re sure your hands are in the exact right position?”
To make a point, he pulled them off and pressed them back on again.
This time too, his hands landed exactly where they should.
Still no reaction.
“Uh…… um, hmm……? You really can’t see any status window right now?”
“I can’t see anything.”
“That can’t be right……. Even if someone isn’t a hunter, they should still be able to see a status window. When your hand touches the device, look.”
The staff member stepped closer and placed her own hand against it in his place.
Blink.
A light flickered on, and a transparent window floated above the black object.
“Ooh,” Yurian murmured in amazement.
+
[ Viewing information on the contacted subject. The status window will close when contact is removed. ]
― Name: Jeong Mirae
― Date of Birth: 20**. 12. 11
― Rank: Non-combat classification not confirmed.
― Titles: <Stylish Tomato> <Woman of Sudden Fortune>
― Traits: Physical records excellent, mental stability average
― Skills: None
-No combat aptitude.
+
Just like spoken language, even though the letters themselves were in an unknown tongue, he understood every word perfectly.
Jeong Mirae gestured toward her own status window.
“You can see it, right? Even an ordinary civilian like me can view their information when touching the scanner. Now, try holding it like this one more time.”
“Like this?”
How fascinating.
Then maybe it would show things like my rank or skills too?
But no matter how neatly he placed his hands, nothing happened.
When he turned his head to look at Jeong Mirae, she swallowed.
“Hmm…… this does happen sometimes. If someone’s rank is very high, the loading can take quite a while before it appears……”
Of course, even in those cases, there had never once been a situation where the status window failed to appear entirely.
Normally, the rank, traits, and skills would at least show as loading.
This was the first time the screen had gone completely dead like this.
Awkwardly scratching at her chin, Jeong Mirae looked troubled.
Picking up on the fact that something had clearly gone wrong, Yurian cautiously spoke.
“Did something mess up?”
“For now, just one moment. If you could wait outside for a bit, I’ll check again.”
Yurian obediently removed his hands.
When he retraced his steps, Gong Sijin, who had been waiting outside, approached.
“Did it go well?”
Watching Jeong Mirae leave Yurian behind and head back into the room, he tilted his head.
“No. She said something wasn’t showing and told me to wait a bit.”
“Really? You couldn’t see the status window either?”
“Couldn’t see it.”
“Hmm…….”
His expression gave away nothing.
It almost looked like this was what he’d expected, yet at the same time like it had surprised him.
Whatever the case, Yurian finally said what he’d been holding back this whole time.
Until now, he’d endured through sheer force of will, but…… now he was really at his limit.
“Hey, so, um…….”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
Looking at the smiling face in front of him, Yurian put on the most pitiful expression he could manage.
“I’m starving…… Could you buy me one meal?”
At the pathetic look in his eyes, Gong Sijin blinked.
“You didn’t eat breakfast?”
After checking the time, Gong Sijin frowned.
Just then, the hour hand was pointing near twelve.
“I’ve been starving since yesterday.”
“Since yesterday?!”
Was that really something worth reacting to so dramatically?
Embarrassed, Yurian scratched the back of his head.
“Why didn’t you say so?! Come on, hurry over here!”
Immediately grabbing Yurian by the wrist, Gong Sijin hurried off somewhere.
The fact that he abandoned the rank evaluation entirely without a second thought was oddly touching.
“That bastard Siyoung didn’t even make sure you ate……! Hold on, hurry this way.”
Practically dragged along, Yurian was taken into a restaurant on the first floor.
The second they sat down, Gong Sijin aggressively started ordering food.
A full spread was set out before them in no time.
“Can I really…… eat this?”
At the sight of steaming soup and freshly prepared dishes sending hot vapor into the air, Yurian’s eyes stung with tears.
Watching his moved expression, Gong Sijin placed some kimchi onto Yurian’s side plate.
“I’m not sure it’ll suit your taste. If you don’t like it, let me know. There’s plenty of other food too. Are you okay with spicy things?”
“I’m not picky.”
At this point, he’d be grateful for anything that filled his stomach.
He took a sip of the rich meat broth, and his eyes went wide.
“This is incredible……. What is it?”
“Galbitang. Eat as much as you want.”
His hands moved faster than ever.
Every single dish was frighteningly delicious.
Only after thoroughly filling his stomach did he finally set down his spoon.
Looking at the plates wiped spotless, Gong Sijin let out an impressed breath.
“You really eat well…….”
Even though it looked like he was shoveling everything down without pausing to breathe, not a single grain of rice had been spilled. The clean precision of it was strangely satisfying.
“So this is why people watch mukbangs,” Gong Sijin muttered quietly.
When he handed over a glass of water, Yurian accepted it and gulped it down eagerly.
As Gong Sijin stared absentmindedly at the pale line of his throat moving with each swallow, something in his pocket started buzzing.
Checking his phone, the caller ID read My Little Brother❤️.
The moment he answered, a furious shout exploded from the other side.
─ Hey, you insane Guild Master!! How could you send a team member out like this?!
At the piercing yell, Yurian looked over while still drinking water.
As if it were nothing serious, Gong Sijin simply waved his hand.