How on earth should I describe this scene?
The moment I glanced around, I nearly burst out laughing—but barely held it back. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on me. The clan members wore expressions that defied description. No, “frozen in place” might be a better way to put it.
Tak. Go Yeon-ju dropped the dagger she’d been holding.
Jung Ha-yeon’s mouth slowly opened as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Shin Jae-ryong rubbed his tired forehead—and then just froze.
Cha So-rim stared at me with a blank, almost breathless look.
Every clan member I could see was staring at me in stunned silence. It was as if time itself had stopped flowing in this space, and everyone had been frozen solid. Only Heo Jun-young leaned casually against the wall, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Hahaha.”
Amid those gazes, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a laugh that came out for no particular reason.
“Ah… ah…”
Then, someone groaned softly, and a few clan members, as if spellbound, slowly rose to their feet. Their faces were etched with disbelief. Understandably so—after all, the clan lord they thought dead had suddenly appeared this morning. I doubt anyone had even dreamed of this.
“I returned just before dawn. I ran into him by chance at the gate.”
A quiet voice broke the silence in the dining hall. A few clan members turned their heads slowly. Heo Jun-young still wore that inscrutable smile.
“He said he wasn’t feeling well, so he wanted to eat first and rest a bit. Then he asked us all to meet this morning… By the way, I vouch that this man is Kim Soo-hyun.”
The moment Heo Jun-young mentioned vouching, something clicked in my mind.
I took a step toward the nearest table. Someone who had been groaning earlier shifted their chair with a scrape. Jung Ha-yeon looked as if trapped in ice, but her eyes, fixed on me, trembled uncontrollably.
I smiled gently at her, then drew my sword from my waist. There was a faint shing sound, but no blade appeared. Only the hilt was in my hand—the invisible sword revealed itself in the hall. Some clan members staring into the empty air widened their eyes as if seeing a ghost.
“I heard the rumors at dawn. Seems like a few impostors have been pretending to be me while I was gone…”
Several clan members nodded blankly. I raised the invisible sword high for all to see, then slowly placed it on the table. A nearby clan member glanced at the sword, then back up at me. I met that strange, subtle gaze and spoke quietly.
“If you still can’t believe I’m standing here… anyone, ask me anything. Test my skills if you want. Any way you want to verify—I’ll prove right here and now that I am your clan lord.”
I scanned the room, but no one stepped forward to challenge me.
“Hmm. Seems no one will. Then I’ll take that as acceptance.”
But then, something shifted.
The frozen time began to flow again. Some made bubbling noises, others staggered to their feet. The clan members, thawing from their shock, started showing all kinds of reactions.
“Well, somehow I’ve come back. Anyway…”
I ignored their reactions and smiled calmly once more. Then I spoke softly.
“…Yes. Everyone, I truly missed you all.”
“Ah, ah… aaaaah!”
Just as I finished saying I missed them, someone suddenly screamed loudly. That sharp, piercing voice could only be Lee Yoo-jung.
At that moment—
“Oppa!”
“Soo-hyun!”
“Clan Lord!”
“Hyung!”
Before I could even turn my head, I instinctively took a step back. Suddenly, a barrage of unintelligible shouts slammed into my ears.
The noise was so loud it felt like multiple voices collided and exploded. My head rang.
And that wasn’t all. Clan members were charging at me from all directions, shouting at the top of their lungs. I kept retreating, but the distance closed in an instant.
Then—
Vwoom!
A sudden hum of magic sounded, and a flowing red barrier unfolded from my chest, wrapping around me in a protective sphere. Watching clan members stumble and fall against the barrier, I realized something.
The Gehenna Orb had activated on its own. It had identified the charging clan members as threats and was shielding me.
The clan members stared at me in confusion, reaching out to touch the shimmering red light. I hurried to deactivate it but stopped mid-motion as a thought crossed my mind. Right now, I was surrounded by clan members, protected by a red barrier—almost like when I crossed dimensions. Suddenly, a curious idea struck me.
A moment later, I put my hands in my pockets and wore a mockingly sorrowful expression.
“Well… looks like this is as far as I can go. The time I’m allowed… haha.”
The room fell silent instantly. The shouts died down, and the once highly charged faces of the clan members wilted.
“W-what do you mean all of a sudden? You just came back…”
Hearing the voice, I lowered my gaze about 45 degrees and forced a smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oppa?”
“The truth is… I wanted to meet you all one last time, even if just like this. Like I said, I really missed you.”
“W-what are you talking about?!”
Bang!
Someone slammed their fist hard, but the red barrier didn’t budge. It was a fortress of protection—if it broke, that would be the real surprise. I chuckled quietly and looked up.
But as I looked around, I sensed something was terribly wrong.
“Hyung…”
“This can’t be…”
An Hyun and Lee Yoo-jung, who had charged ahead earlier, collapsed to the floor. Their eyes were darkening, fading away. An Sol’s face had turned so pale it was almost ghostly.
Jung Ha-yeon was the worst off. She trembled, covering her mouth tightly with both hands. Not long after, tears like clear dew streamed down her wide, bloodshot eyes. She stifled sobs as if trying to hold herself together.
I was deeply unsettled.
‘Damn, this is bad. Orb, deactivate the barrier quickly.’
Vwoom?
‘It’s okay, just hurry!’
Vwoom…
As the red barrier slowly faded, the clan members reached out to grab me, mouths wide open. But when they saw I was still there, their expressions shifted again. I looked at the strangely contorted faces and cautiously spoke.
“T-this was a joke.”
“…What?”
Did the sobbing suddenly stop, or was it just my imagination?
“The reaction was so unexpected… I just wanted to give you all a moment to calm down…”
I scratched my head and glanced away.
“Well then…”
“Yes. I really have returned.”
“…So the disappearing was a lie?”
“Hmph. That’s right. If you were that shocked, I’m s-sorry…”
At that moment—
“You…! You bad person…!”
Smack!
Before I could finish, a spark flew before my eyes and my vision spun wildly. The clan member who had seemed calm moments ago exploded forward again. Jung Ha-yeon was the first to grab my chest, followed by An Hyun and Lee Yoo-jung clinging to my arms. I tried to hold on, but their desperate embrace overwhelmed me, and I collapsed.
Even buried from head to toe, Jung Ha-yeon still gripped my collar tightly.
“How… how could you do this?!”
“J-just kidding…”
“Kidding? You call this a joke? Do you know how much pain we’ve been through?!”
“Th-then it really was a joke… I’m s-sorry.”
Jung Ha-yeon’s voice broke as she trailed off. I immediately apologized. I’d only meant to lighten the mood, but now I realized it might have been too harsh.
“Th-this…”
She trembled with anger for a moment, then suddenly her expression softened. Tears welled up in her vivid blue eyes. She gently touched my cheek, then buried her face in my chest and began to cry like a child.
And she wasn’t the only one.
“Waaahhh…”
“Boohoo…”
The room was still filled with cries calling my name, incomprehensible wails, and someone else sobbing. I managed to free my hand from the tight grip and stroked Jung Ha-yeon’s hair, closing my eyes softly.
‘S-so suffocating…’
Ah… I’m really late with this… ^_ㅠ No, no. (__)
I got home around 7 p.m. yesterday, but I was so exhausted that I just lay down for a quick nap. Next thing I knew, it was well past midnight. I let out a frustrated scream, jumped up, quickly posted a comment about running late, and dove into writing. But when I opened my notebook with my ideas, the words seemed doubled—like I was seeing double. -_-a (That’s me scratching my head in confusion.) It took a while to clear the fog and get my brain back on track.
Right now, it’s 7:23 a.m. I’ve got about 30 minutes to shower, eat, and head out again. Honestly, I had more to write, but I had to skip the latter part of my notes. So today’s update is a bit short. Please think of it as a breather, and be kind to this weary writer. ㅜ.ㅠ
There’s so much more I want to say, but with my dad’s stern gaze and my mom’s impending smack on my back looming over me, I better get going and wash up. Wishing all my readers a bright and energetic morning! |ㅇ3ㅇ/ (That’s me singing and cheering with my hands raised!)