Lee Kanghyun roughly lathered soap all over his body. The foam turned red and flowed down onto the floor.
Several times, the pain that surged over him forced him to sit down and catch his breath. He gritted his teeth, barely managed to stand back up, and finished washing himself. He repeated the process of sitting on the cold tile floor while breathing heavily, then forcing himself to wash again. By the time he had finished cleaning himself completely, an entire hour had passed.
After leaving the bathroom, Lee Kanghyun rubbed his hair dry with a towel and went into the living room. Kang Yujun was sitting on the sofa.
It was not particularly surprising. He had a feeling Kang Yujun would find some way to get inside anyway. He was just curious how he had gotten past the security latch.
He didn’t come in through the window, did he?
Lee Kanghyun was curious, but decided not to ask. If that really was the case, it would honestly be a little scary.
Lee Kanghyun naturally sat down beside Kang Yujun and continued drying his hair.
“You said you weren’t coming.”
“I came because I was worried you’d be lonely and wanted to look after you. But why did you take so long to wash? I was worried you might have passed out or something.”
“I was tired, so I fell asleep while washing. Happy?”
“You really are…”
Strangely enough, Kang Yujun looked like he believed him. That was what made Lee Kanghyun completely dumbfounded.
No matter how much I sleep anywhere, he actually believes that I fell asleep while washing without even suspecting it?
Of course, there had actually been a few times when that had happened…
But this time is different, isn’t it?
Anyway, it was different.
At that moment, Lee Kanghyun’s hand trembled slightly. The sudden pain caused his brow to tighten a little. He immediately shoved his hand into his pocket and put on an annoyed expression.
He could not let Kang Yujun find out.
If that inflexible bastard finds out… I’ll get reported as a drug user and end up in prison immediately.
Kang Yujun had also noticed to some extent that Lee Kanghyun was not acting like usual.
“Lee Kanghyun. You said you can’t feel pain. So why do you look like you’re hurting?”
It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine, but Lee Kanghyun spoke calmly.
“It’s not pain. I’m just tired.”
“That seems a little different.”
He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined Lee Kanghyun’s body.
“Ah, seriously. This is so fucking annoying.”
When Lee Kanghyun spoke irritably, Kang Yujun flinched and looked flustered.
Good. This was it.
Lee Kanghyun continued pressing forward while maintaining that momentum.
“I’m already tired because I cleared a gate alone. Why are you doing this too? Is bothering me your hobby?”
“No, that’s not what I…”
“If it’s not that, then what is it?”
“I’m just worried about you.”
Kang Yujun spoke in a dejected voice. Seeing him look so downhearted, Lee Kanghyun’s resolve weakened again.
Damn it. Fine.
He answered with his momentum somewhat diminished.
“…Then come tomorrow. I’m going to sleep now. If you’re next to me, I can’t sleep. Because you’re noisy.”
At the words telling him to come tomorrow, Kang Yujun’s eyes lit up.
“Really? I can come tomorrow?”
Lee Kanghyun gave a lazy nod as if it were a bother. Seeing Lee Kanghyun acting as he normally did, Kang Yujun was somewhat reassured and stood up.
“Okay. I’ll come tomorrow. If anything happens, call me immediately.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I’m really leaving. Lock the door properly.”
When the sound of the door locking was heard, Lee Kanghyun’s body immediately collapsed.
“Ugh…”
The groan he had been holding back burst out. He had barely managed to pretend to be fine, but he had reached his limit.
Even as time passed, the pain did not lessen. Instead, it only continued accumulating. His fingertips trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down like rain.
He needed Altrafin.
Right now. If he did not take that damn medicine immediately, it felt like his head was going to melt.
“Ha… fuck…”
Lee Kanghyun ran his trembling hand through his wet hair.
He did not want to move. He was so exhausted that he could not even twitch a finger. But he could not fall asleep while carrying this pain.
He probably would not even be able to sleep because of it.
Lee Kanghyun staggered to his feet.
He did not have the energy to change clothes. He roughly pulled a hat down over his head and covered his face with a mask.
He stood once again on the broken window frame.
He had no patience to go out through the front door and wait for the elevator.
Whoosh.
He threw himself into the open air from the twenty-fifth floor.
No one noticed him.
***
A redevelopment area on the outskirts of Seoul.
Lee Kanghyun walked down into the basement of a shabby commercial building that had long since been abandoned by people.
Creak.
He pushed open the rusted metal door and entered.
The inside was completely different from the outside. All kinds of cutting-edge chemical equipment, beakers, and bottles containing unidentified liquids were scattered everywhere.
And in the very center of it all, a man was eating cup noodles while looking at a monitor.
“Huh? Lee Kanghyun? What brings you here?”
The man greeted him by only turning his head, chopsticks still held in his mouth.
This man was Seo Jihun.
He possessed genius-level talent, but for some reason had been unable to find normal employment and was living in hiding. Currently, he was Lee Kanghyun’s only Altrafin supplier, while also working as an information broker.
According to Seo Jihun’s own claim, he and Lee Kanghyun were friends.
Lee Kanghyun denied that.
Without even answering, Lee Kanghyun dropped heavily onto the sofa.
“Medicine.”
“You show up after several months and don’t even say hello. Aren’t you happy to see your friend?”
Seo Jihun complained while slurping up the noodle broth.
“Quickly.”
Lee Kanghyun’s voice came out hoarse.
Only then did Seo Jihun examine Lee Kanghyun’s condition. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his hands were trembling strangely.
“Why do you look like this? The news today said you solo-cleared a Red Gate and came out. Is it because of that?”
“Don’t talk so much. Give it to me.”
“You’re so impatient.”
Seo Jihun rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a small glass bottle before tossing it over.
The moment Lee Kanghyun caught it, he opened the cap and poured the pills into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed them without water.
A bitter and disgusting taste spread through his mouth, but he did not care.
Gulp.
A few minutes after swallowing the medicine…
Lee Kanghyun’s ragged breathing gradually calmed. The spasms shaking his hands stopped as well.
The pain disappeared.
The horrifying sensation pressing down on his mind became numb, and a languid feeling wrapped around his body.
“Hoo…”
Lee Kanghyun sank deep into the back of the sofa and let out a languid breath.
Seo Jihun clicked his tongue.
“Take it easy. If you build up a resistance to that, there’s no answer.”
The more resistance formed, the longer the pain lasted when he did not take the medicine.
Lee Kanghyun, who had once abused it, had realized that himself and had been gradually reducing his usage ever since.
“If you were so worried, you should’ve given me less from the beginning. A few years ago, you gave me as much as I asked for.”
“Hey! You threatened to kill me while choking me if I didn’t give it to you!”
He’s exaggerating. I only grabbed him by the collar and spoke a little intimidatingly.
As the medicine took effect, he finally felt like he could live again.
The pain had faded, and his usual annoyance returned, but there was something else he had to do today besides this.
“Hey.”
“What now?”
“Find someone for me.”
Seo Jihun’s eyes widened.
“A guy with yellow hair. Around my height. Someone who can artificially create and open gates. He can control monsters too.”
“Create gates? Control monsters? Are you writing a novel? Where does an Ability like that even exist?”
“I’m telling you to find him because he exists. At least that’s what he claimed himself.”
Lee Kanghyun recalled the face of that crazy bastard he had seen inside the gate.
Just thinking about him made disgust surge up again.
“Let’s say that’s possible. Why are you looking for him?”
“That bastard ruined my rest. I’m going to kill him.”
Seo Jihun stared at Lee Kanghyun with a bewildered expression.
“For a reason like that?”
“It’s an important reason to me.”
Well, aside from that, there were several crimes the bastard had committed too…
But he did not bother explaining.
Explaining it sounded exhausting.
“No.”
Maybe his explanation had been too insufficient, because Seo Jihun rejected him immediately.
“What?”
“I make medicine, but I don’t do background investigations. My specialty is chemistry, not information gathering. Go somewhere else and find out.”
Seo Jihun picked up his chopsticks again and stirred the cold noodles.
“I’m busy. I have to develop new medicine. I don’t have time to chase after people like that.”
Lee Kanghyun’s eyebrow twitched.
This bastard is lying. He’s an unemployed bum who doesn’t even have anything to do. Besides, investigating people is one of Seo Jihun’s specialties.
Ah. So now he thinks he can negotiate with me?
“Really? You won’t do it?”
“No. I can’t. Am I a detective? Go to the police, or ask Kang Yujun, who follows you around everywhere, to do it.”
“Kang Yujun can’t.”
“Oh, what a shame. I can’t help either. Go back.”
The moment he finished speaking, Lee Kanghyun stood up.
Then he slowly approached Seo Jihun.
“Hey, hey. Why does your face look like that? Are you going to hit me? I oppose violence. I’m an unawakened person!”
Seo Jihun shouted and tried to run away.
But Lee Kanghyun’s foot was faster.
Bam!
“Ah! You crazy bastard!”
Lee Kanghyun’s foot struck Seo Jihun’s backside perfectly.
He screamed and rolled across the floor.
“Are you seriously insane? How can you kick a person with S-rank strength?! My tailbone! Did you just break it?!”
“Stop exaggerating. I controlled my strength.”
Lee Kanghyun tapped the air twice, opened his inventory, and pulled out a mana stone that looked fairly large.
With a thud, the enormous chunk of stone fell from empty air onto the table.
“This is the advance payment. If you find him, I’ll give you another one.”
It was large enough to probably sell for around one hundred million won.
The moment Seo Jihun saw it, he jumped to his feet. The pain in his backside seemed to have vanished completely.
He smiled and bowed his head toward Lee Kanghyun.
“Welcome, customer. I’ll find him immediately.”
The change in attitude was far too fast.
Lee Kanghyun let out a hollow laugh, unable to believe it.
“You said you wouldn’t.”
“Come on. Why are you being like this between friends? If I don’t do it, who will? Where in South Korea is there someone with information skills as good as mine and a mouth as tight as mine?”
Seo Jihun smiled obsequiously and massaged Lee Kanghyun’s shoulders.
“I’ll start right away. What does he look like?”
“Yellow hair. He has an annoying-looking face.”
Seo Jihun waited for the rest of Lee Kanghyun’s answer.
There had to be more than that.
But when nothing followed, Seo Jihun’s smile disappeared.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Yellow hair. And an annoying-looking face. You’ll know when you see him.”
Seo Jihun’s expression became so absurd that it twisted.
“You crazy bastard. There are a truckload of dyed-haired delinquents in South Korea. How am I supposed to find him with that? You need to tell me his eyes, nose, and mouth! I need characteristics if I’m supposed to draw a sketch or do anything!”
Seo Jihun shouted.
“You took my money and you can’t even figure that out?”
“Do you think I’m Gwonge from ancient times with mind-reading powers? At least tell me whether his eyes are big or small, whether his nose is high or low, so I can actually try to find him!”