The moment the car stopped, Gong Sijin knocked lightly on the window. The door opened, and Gong Siyoung stepped out, dressed in a short-sleeved T-shirt.
“Siyoung. You know we don’t have much time, right?”
Gong Sijin jumped straight to the point. As he got out of the car, Gong Siyoung shot Yurian a glance. The moment their eyes met, he flinched and quickly looked away.
What was that reaction?
“There’s about 37 hours left until the layered gate opens. In that time, I have to go to the Bureau for meetings, attend the guild masters’ conference, and set up a dedicated team for our guild. I’ll have to split my time down to the minute.”
Hearing the seriousness of it, Gong Siyoung’s expression gradually stiffened. Gong Sijin grabbed his shoulder tightly.
“So don’t go home like this—stop by a mart, buy groceries, and make sure you cook Yurian a proper meal. Fresh rice. Make it good.”
“…What?”
“Feed Yurian properly. I’ll be checking later whether you cooked it yourself. Oh, and he likes meat, so make something with meat too.”
Gong Sijin smiled, eyes narrowing.
“No, why the hell would I—”
He just said they were short on time, and now he was telling him to cook? Had his brother lost his mind? Had he been influenced by hanging around Yurian?
“Why else, Siyoung? Because you’re going to be living with Yurian now.”
Gong Sijin took Siyoung’s reluctant hand and whispered softly. The way he acted, he looked exactly like a mother sending off her son to marriage.
That gaze, filled with concern and expectation, made the corner of Gong Siyoung’s mouth twitch violently.
“Feed him well, take good care of him. And Yurian, if you have any complaints, say them right away. Our Siyoung’s a good kid, but his expression skills are… lacking.”
“Hyung! What the hell are you—!”
“You can see it even now, right? He looks fierce like that, but he’s actually soft-hearted.”
No matter how icy Gong Siyoung’s glare became, Gong Sijin didn’t even blink. He just said whatever he wanted. From that alone, Yurian immediately grasped the hierarchy between the two.
Yurian nodded toward him.
“Got it, Master.”
He gave a thumbs-up. Gong Sijin smiled and returned the gesture. Only Gong Siyoung looked like he was about to explode.
“Alright, get going. I need to head to a meeting now.”
With a push at his back, Yurian got into the car.
As he sat in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt, he could hear Gong Sijin and Gong Siyoung arguing outside. Watching them through the window, Yurian clicked his tongue.
“When he tells you to do something, you just do it.”
As expected, Gong Siyoung was the one who lost. He got into the driver’s seat with a face full of irritation and started pressing buttons aggressively. After entering something, the car began moving without warning.
They merged onto the road at high speed and drove straight ahead. Yurian was once again quietly impressed by how smooth the ride felt when Gong Siyoung finally spoke.
“…Is there anything you want to eat?”
For a moment, Yurian almost laughed. He’d been complaining so much, and yet here he was.
Before Gong Siyoung could snap again, Yurian covered his mouth slightly.
“Hmm. I’m not picky.”
“…Alright.”
Good thing he’d made Gong Siyoung part of the deal. Life in another world was rough—he deserved at least this much enjoyment.
Yurian lightly swung his foot. His sword was fixed, and he had a way to survive now—there was no reason to feel bad.
“Oh, right. I didn’t properly thank you. For finding my sword. Thanks to you, it got repaired.”
He tapped the sword in his arms. Seeing it restored so cleanly, Gong Siyoung muttered like it was nothing.
“I just happened to come across it.”
“Exactly. You could’ve just passed by, but you found it anyway. So thanks.”
Yurian had already heard about it from Woo Yujin and Gu Jayeong.
From what he’d heard, it didn’t sound like something he’d just “happened” to find.
Was he embarrassed?
The thought almost made Yurian laugh again.
“…Just in case.”
Still looking ahead, Gong Siyoung glanced sideways. After hesitating for a while, he slowly began.
Yurian blinked, listening, expecting something serious.
“…Just in case—just in case, seriously, even the slightest chance—I’m saying this because I’m worried. I’m not interested in you. So even if you really like me… I’d appreciate it if you kept your boundaries. Us living together—that only happened because you made it a condition for joining the guild. It’s an unavoidable situation. There are no feelings involved whatsoever. I’m saying this in case you misunderstand and get hurt.”
Yurian tilted his head at the long explanation.
“What misunderstanding?”
“…Don’t like me. I will never like you. Not ever.”
Ah. That.
Yurian scratched his chin.
“Well… I get that, but don’t be so absolute.”
“What?”
“About anything. There’s nothing in this world that absolutely can’t happen.”
Gong Siyoung let out a disbelieving breath. His crumpled eyes gleamed sharply.
“No. Absolutely not. Never. There is no way—ever—that I’ll like you. Not in this lifetime.”
His repeated words carried conviction. He was completely certain.
Yurian looked at him.
“Hmm…”
People who talked like that usually ended up saying something different later.
It wasn’t that Yurian thought he’d definitely fall for him.
But in his experience, the moment someone relaxed thinking something would “never happen,” that was exactly when things started heading that way.
Monsters that “would never appear” invaded villages. People who were “guaranteed not to die” died first.
The ones who were most certain were always the ones who fell into traps.
That was just how life worked.
“Well, let’s say that’s the case.”
“It’s not ‘let’s say’—it’s the truth! I will never like you!”
“Alright.”
Whether he liked him or not—that was his business.
At Yurian’s indifferent reply, Gong Siyoung seemed to have nothing left to say and shut his mouth.
In the uncomfortable silence, Yurian looked out the window.
He’d made Gong Siyoung part of the joining conditions simply because he seemed useful. It wasn’t as emotional a decision as Siyoung feared.
More than liking him, he just seemed like someone who could help him adapt to this world.
And he had helped.
Yurian glanced down at the sword in his arms.
Still… you never knew.
Spend enough time together, and people got close.
Yurian wasn’t someone who believed in “never.”
He himself had crossed into another world overnight.
No one could predict what would happen in the future.
The scenery outside rushed past, as dazzling as ever. Just as he was admiring it again, his gaze suddenly locked onto something.
“Huh?”
He reflexively grabbed Gong Siyoung’s arm.
The sudden contact made Gong Siyoung snap immediately.
“Why are you grabbing me again? Did you not hear a word I just said?”
“You don’t see that?”
Just then, the car stopped at a light. Only after coming to a complete stop did Gong Siyoung turn his head.
“See what?”
His suspicious gaze followed, filled with wariness.
Still staring outside, Yurian pointed.
“Over there.”
In the direction of his finger stood a small building. It was in a residential area.
On top of it hung a colorful sign: “Butterfly Dream Daycare.” In the small yard were toy cars and a little slide.
Could Gong Siyoung not see it?
He tilted his head.
“That’s a place where kids play, right?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s a daycare.”
“Right? A place for children?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. And take your hand off.”
Gong Siyoung yanked his arm free, muttering under his breath.
Yurian ignored it.
As if nailed in place, his gaze didn’t leave the daycare.
“So it’s a place where kids play, right? Then something like that shouldn’t be there.”
“Something like what? What are you talking about? The slide?”
Answering half-heartedly, Gong Siyoung pressed the accelerator. The car moved forward with the green light.
As the daycare slowly grew distant, Yurian spoke.
“It looks like a dungeon is going to form there.”
Screech—!
The car slammed to a stop, their bodies lurching forward. Tires screamed behind them as another car braked hard.
Honk! Honk!
The sound of horns filled the air.
Gong Siyoung frowned deeply.
“…What are you talking about?”
Startled by the sudden stop, Yurian clutched his chest. Realizing the purpose of the seatbelt, he rubbed it absently.
Gong Siyoung pressed again.
“What do you mean a dungeon is going to form?”
“Huh? Ah… that. You really don’t see it?”
The distance had grown; he had to turn his head far to catch a glimpse of the daycare. In Yurian’s blue eyes, a faint swirl of mana reflected.
Everywhere else, the mana density was extremely low.
Which made it stand out even more—
that writhing, overflowing presence.
“Whether you see it or not doesn’t matter. A gate’s about to open there.”