A sorrowful sobbing continued, as if trying to hold back tears but failing repeatedly. After a moment, Lee Yoo-jung, still hiding her face, broke down and ran out, crying uncontrollably. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. It was as if everyone had been doused with cold water—the once lively, festive mood suddenly deflated. Ha Seung-yoon, who had been hopping around joyfully, looked around awkwardly. Yet no one stepped forward; everyone just exchanged uneasy glances.
In the end, I decided to leave. The event was over, and there was no reason to stay. Besides, I never liked lingering in noisy places for too long. The clan members looked at me in surprise, but I smiled and encouraged them to keep enjoying the celebration. They seemed to relax, whispering among themselves, probably thinking I was going to check on Yoo-jung.
For a moment, I really considered going after her… but I decided against it. I’m not the type to offer comfort well, and I doubted anything good would come from it anyway. Any words I could say would just be clichés.
So, I headed upstairs to my office on the fourth floor. I dragged a small table and a chair out onto the terrace, only then realizing I hadn’t brought any food or drinks. I could have just pressed the call button to fix that, but… ah, maybe it’s better to just get some fresh air and sleep.
I sat down, tilting my head back. The cold night sky was dotted with hundreds, thousands of stars, sparkling like scattered jewels. A cool breeze blew, but it wasn’t unpleasantly cold. It actually felt like it was soothing the slight heat in my body.
Hmm… suddenly I felt a bit wistful. It would be quite charming to enjoy this view with a drink in hand. Maybe I should at least light a cigarette?
Creak…
“Hm?”
Just as I reached into my pocket, I heard the door slowly open.
“Hanbyeol?”
I turned around, surprised to see Kim Hanbyeol standing hesitantly inside, clutching a bottle and a glass in both hands. She wasn’t wearing her usual robe but something neat and cool-looking, giving off a subtle, mysterious vibe. My eyes caught the half-open door behind her.
“I just… saw you come up empty-handed earlier…”
She spoke softly, nervously scraping the carpet with her foot.
I was about to tell her to close the door when an awkward feeling suddenly washed over me, and I scratched my head.
“So… you came up here just because of that?”
Hanbyeol shook her head.
“And…”
“…?”
“I wanted to hear your answer now.”
“Answer?”
The moment I asked, Hanbyeol narrowed her eyes sharply.
“Oh, that answer? Haha.”
I barely remembered. I had promised to give her an answer about my confession once I returned to the human world, but I’d completely forgotten in the chaos. Too busy… well, that’s just an excuse.
“Come in first.”
Though I said it, Hanbyeol was already stepping inside. She stomped onto the terrace and looked around. I’d only brought one chair. I tapped my thigh twice, inviting her to sit, and her cold eyes widened in surprise.
“What’s with the surprise? I’m telling you to sit. Or do you want to stand all night?”
“Ah, no… it’s just… there…”
“Don’t like it?”
“…”
I teased her, and Hanbyeol bristled. Probably thinking I was mocking her, she stepped forward with a challenging look, cleared her throat, and turned away. Watching her hesitate as she lowered herself onto the chair, I straightened my index finger and jabbed it sharply into the center of her thigh.
“Yelp!”
She jumped as I poked her, then burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Her scream was nothing like what I had imagined.
“You… you jerk! Pervert! Scoundrel!”
Hanbyeol playfully cursed me, hitting me alternately with the bottle and the glass. After a while of this back-and-forth, she finally calmed down, slamming the bottle down hard enough to make a thud. Gripping the shaky table, she groaned as she dragged over the sofa and collapsed onto it.
“Sorry.”
“Try that one more time, I dare you.”
Hanbyeol glared at me with gritted teeth, then sighed deeply and nervously twisted the bottle cap. The sound of fizzing followed, and the pale blue liquid bubbled as it poured into the glass. It looked refreshingly cool.
She handed me a glass with a sigh.
“Ugh. Looks like I’m not getting an answer today either.”
Though she spoke as if to herself, it was clearly meant for me.
I grabbed the glass lightly.
“Why do you think that?”
“Why? Because of what happened earlier. You must be feeling unsettled. Honestly, before I came, you were still thinking about Yoo-jung.”
…That was exactly right. More precisely, she came in just as I was about to think about Yoo-jung.
I gave a bitter smile.
“Cut me some slack today. My head’s a mess.”
“I get it. And fine. You ruined the mood with your weird antics…”
Hanbyeol grumbled in a strange tone, then poured herself a drink and spoke with a pout.
“But why did Yoo-jung act like that?”
“Hm? Oh, she fought hard. But she lost, so she must’ve been frustrated.”
“Hmm…”
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
The pouring stopped. I heard the bottle set down, and felt a steady gaze.
“Let me rephrase. Why is Yoo-jung like this now?”
“…Like this?”
I looked away, puzzled, and saw the glass in front of me. Slowly, I lifted it. The clink of crystal touching crystal was followed by a curious voice.
“You know… honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, didn’t she adapt pretty well at first?”
“Hmm.”
“Well, according to Hyun, she was the fastest learner in the early days. She even felt a bit competitive, always picking things up faster than others.”
“That’s right. She did.”
Suddenly, memories of the old days at the inn came to mind. Back then, Yoo-jung was definitely quick to learn for a rookie. She was one of the first to adapt alongside Hanbyeol during the initiation.
“But now…”
Hanbyeol trailed off cautiously.
I gave a faint smile.
“Hey, don’t think so badly of her. Whether you believe it or not… Yoo-jung’s actually a decent user. And a good person, too.”
“A decent user? A good person?” Hanbyeol repeated, incredulous, her expression bordering on disbelief. She seemed to focus on the ‘good person’ part. Well, she’s got a point.
“That’s how I see it. You weren’t around at the start, so you might not know…”
I fiddled with my glass, closing my eyes gently. Slowly, memories from three or four years ago began to surface. Yoo-jung back then… Yoo-jung…
“So… it was when we first left the city? No, it was when we ran into Renga’s group in the dungeon.”
Suddenly, I chuckled. That moment was truly remarkable, in many ways.
“Not only was she talented, but she was fearless. Just a rookie, mind you. I was the one who sent her in, but still, a zero-year veteran charging straight into a pack of monsters. Then she went wild.”
“That’s not always a good thing.”
“True. That’s when the danger comes. But it’s funny—before I could even say anything, she’d either back off on her own or risk injury to finish the fight. Can you believe it? She’s still got traces of her modern world self, and she’s a girl, yet she calculates without hesitation against monsters bigger than herself. ‘Ah, I should retreat here.’ ‘Ah, if I do this, I can win.’ She’s reckless, sure, but her battle instincts are no joke.”
“…”
“And she smiles through it all. Unlike some people, she doesn’t cry because she can’t follow orders, nor does she show mercy to her enemies. After the fight, the first thing she does is treat wounds or check the loot. If she finds something good, she calls out ‘Oppa! Oppa!’ with a bright, lively smile. That’s why Yoo-jung is a true user. Haha.”
“But… why is she like this now?”
It was the same question, after all.
Why had Yoo-jung changed so much?
Suddenly, my throat felt dry. I downed the drink in one gulp. The liquid rushed down, tingling my esophagus. I slowly opened my eyes to find Hanbyeol watching me quietly in the dim light.
I lit the cigarette I’d taken out earlier and exhaled a sigh. The smoke drifted slowly into the night sky.
“I just don’t understand. I really don’t. Today’s event was a shock. It’s not just me—everyone feels the same.”
Hanbyeol kept glancing at me nervously, as if trying to explain.
“She’s talented, adapted well, and you didn’t hold her back. She’s kept up steadily all this time, through every challenge.”
“…That’s true.”
“But today’s battle… Of course, that user named Ha Seung-yoon was stronger than anyone expected, but… how could it have been so overwhelmingly one-sided…?”
“……”
Perhaps the silence that followed felt stifling. Kim Han-byul lifted her glass slightly and began swirling it around. The whirlpool forming in the liquid seemed to mirror my own restless feelings.
Then, suddenly, she stopped.
“Or… could there be some other problem?”
Leaning back on the sofa, she brought the glass to her lips and asked.
Some other problem, huh.
Well, rather than a problem…
“Maybe…”
I fell into a brief, deep thought.
And then,
“It might be because of me.”
I quietly spoke the words I’d been holding in my chest until now.
That was the moment.
Kim Han-byul’s eyes narrowed sharply, her brow furrowing. The glass she was about to raise lowered back down. A weak cough escaped her lips before she could even take a sip. My words had caught her completely off guard.
But she wasn’t the only one surprised.
“…!”
Outside the door, a woman with fiery red hair stood frozen, eyes wide and hand covering her mouth.
It was none other than Lee Yoo-jung, standing just beyond the half-open door.
She hadn’t come with any particular purpose. After fleeing the square, wandering aimlessly with a troubled heart, she had simply shuffled her way here. Instinctively, she found herself at the office on the fourth floor. She arrived just as Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Han-byul had begun their conversation.
At first, when she peeked inside, she almost bolted. Seeing Kim Han-byul there, chatting quietly with someone else, ignited a spark of jealousy. But as she listened more closely, she realized they were talking about her. So she stayed, quietly eavesdropping almost from start to finish.
And now, Lee Yoo-jung was utterly confused.
When Ha Seung-yoon’s name came up, she had squeezed her eyes shut tight. No matter what she heard, it felt like a dagger piercing her wounded heart.
But to hear it was because of her?
That her weakening was Soo-hyun’s fault?
It made no sense at all. She wore a look of disbelief, trembling all over as she cautiously peeked around the terrace, holding her breath.
“Oppa… you mean it’s because of me?”
Just then, Kim Han-byul, having barely regained her composure, asked in a puzzled voice.
At that moment, Soo-hyun suddenly looked weary. Then, something indescribable began to shift within him. His face remained the same, but it was as if I was looking at a different person. Time around him seemed to speed up, making him appear at least ten years older. It was a face I’d never seen before.
After a moment,
“Do you know what Lee Yoo-jung’s nickname was when we were on the Northern Continent?”
Soo-hyun broke the silence with an oddly abrupt question. Both Kim Han-byul and Lee Yoo-jung, standing outside, naturally focused their attention.
He continued.
“She was called the ‘Madwoman.’ The ‘Blood-Obsessed Madwoman.’ They called her the ‘Lunatic.’”
He chuckled to himself, as if amused by the absurdity.
“Haha… It’s ridiculous to call such a bright girl ‘blood-obsessed.’”
“……”
“But the funny thing is, there was some truth to it.”
“Truth…?”
Kim Han-byul asked cautiously.
Soo-hyun nodded with a short breath.
“Once, I think it was in the Cave of Wails, we fought some bloodied monster. Yoo-jung was so excited to fight, and we took it down without much trouble. Then she kept poking the collapsing corpse, laughing.”
Lee Yoo-jung swallowed repeatedly, listening intently. She leaned against the wall, focusing all her senses on his words.
“But do you know what happened next? Suddenly, she saw the gush of blood and closed her eyes gently… She didn’t even try to avoid it. I swear I saw it—amid the pouring blood, Yoo-jung was smiling.”
Coincidentally, Kim Han-byul’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
“Was she… filled with murderous intent?”
“Maybe. Or it could have been the influence of her user data.”
Soo-hyun carefully skirted around the explanation. But whenever he recalled that moment, his mouth turned bitter, and he scratched his chin. That was when he first realized Yoo-jung’s special ability.
“So I started managing her. Broke her magic sword, forced the Headband of Purity on her, scolded her. But still, the result was ‘blood-obsessed madwoman.’ Haha.”
“You were worried about her, weren’t you?”
Kim Han-byul said, almost comforting him without realizing it. Soo-hyun’s last laugh sounded strangely self-deprecating.
He brushed his hair back and began stretching his neck, still looking exhausted.
“Yeah. That was the problem.”
His voice sank deeply, as if sinking endlessly beneath the sea.
“As you know, for a user to grow stronger, many factors are needed. A good class, awakening abilities that fit that class, specialized stats, and of course, experience. You have to study all these deeply and harmonize them to truly become powerful. If even one is missing, it’s only half the picture.”
So, Yoo-jung definitely had a way to grow stronger.
Smart Kim Han-byul immediately understood what Soo-hyun meant. In other words, he had deliberately limited Yoo-jung’s potential to grow. And indeed, that was true. He had succeeded in protecting her mind, but it came at the cost of severely conflicting with her most important special ability.
“So… if you hadn’t stopped her and she had grown as she was…”
Soo-hyun shrugged.
“She wouldn’t be like this now. No, she would have definitely gotten stronger. Even if it meant becoming a killer.”
“That might be a bit presumptuous, but… wouldn’t it have been okay if you were by her side? Even if she really had that tendency, she listens to you well. For example, if you stuck close to her and just kept her in check…”
Soo-hyun paused, pressing his lips together. He looked thoughtful, tilting his head. Kim Han-byul watched him nervously for no particular reason. Yoo-jung felt the same. After all, she had always wondered why he took An Hyun with him instead of her.
Then Soo-hyun burst out laughing lightly.
“Heh. What nonsense are you talking? No way. She and I get along too well.”
“Too well…? So that’s why you say no?”
“No. Even if I took her along, what would she learn from me? At best, how to be more cruel, how to kill more efficiently. That’s it. She’d only get worse, never better.”
“……”
Soo-hyun shook his head vigorously.
“Yeah. If someone like me tried to raise Yoo-jung seriously… I’d just ruin her.”
He said this as if confirming it once more, then leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head.
“Well, if she’s just a tool to be used and discarded a few times, maybe that’s not so bad. I’ve actually thought about just letting her grow as she is. But recently, my thoughts have become clearer.”
“……”
“Honestly, I don’t really care. Because I think it’s already way too late for me. But Yoo-jung? She’s not there yet. Watching her change like this… it’s such a waste. Whether as a person or as a user.”
“……”
Kim Han-byul fell silent. She had nothing to say, but at the same time, something felt off.
Just now, too. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but the phrase “I think it’s already way too late” felt deeply unsettling. As if he was predicting her own future…
After a moment,
Soo-hyun slowly tilted his head back. His half-closed eyes stared endlessly into the pitch-black night sky. Kim Han-byul tried to follow his gaze but instead studied his eyes carefully. They looked hollow.
His slightly parted lips moved weakly.
“…I don’t know. Lately, I’m not even sure if I’m doing the right thing, or if I ever did.”
Then, suddenly, Soo-hyun shuddered and turned his head sharply toward the door. His eyes fixed precisely on the doorway.
“Who’s there?”
“……!”
At that moment, Lee Yoo-jung swallowed silently. She instinctively tried to pull back her head but remained rooted in place. Slowly, she raised her hands and pressed them over her heaving chest. Only then did she realize how loudly her heart was pounding.
Hearing Soo-hyun’s honest words felt like a suffocating weight pressing down on her chest.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Rules, ru ral, ra—somewhere I hear
A dream-like melody that touches my heart.
Between the stopped clock hands,
Someone quietly approaches.
Why does my heart race like this?
As if I’ve heard kind words.
What if even the moon wakes from sleep?
Moon, Night, Moonlight Sweety!