It had been a long time since Kim Suhyun returned. Kim Yuhyun stepped out of the office. The sun was still high in the sky.
“Ah, User Im Hanna?”
Walking quietly down the corridor, Kim Yuhyun was surprised to see Im Hanna standing by the stairs and called out. Im Hanna responded with her usual gentle smile, covering her chest with one hand and bowing politely. An Sol, standing beside her, also nodded respectfully.
“Have you been waiting?”
“Yes. I’ll see you off.”
Even though she was the leader of a clan representing an entire city, it didn’t look good for her to be wandering alone like this. Understanding the implication, Kim Yuhyun awkwardly scratched her cheek. Im Hanna’s expression showed a hint of embarrassment—it was originally Suhyun’s responsibility.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
The two of them began descending the stairs calmly. An Sol stared blankly for a moment before hurrying to follow. The three of them went down in silence for a while. Whenever An Sol tried to speak, Im Hanna would subtly give him a warning glance or cough to stop him.
Finally, when they reached the first floor and stepped outside the castle gates, Kim Yuhyun broke the silence.
“She’s gone back, but it seems you’re still worried.”
“Of course. It wasn’t a beautiful farewell. I’m sure there’s a lot of regret and lingering feelings.”
“…You probably don’t need to worry so much. I made things clear.”
“Really?”
At Im Hanna’s question, Kim Yuhyun smiled softly.
“Asking you to keep an eye on her a little… that might be asking too much, right?”
“Heh. Of course. There’s more than one person who’s been hurt. We’ve been waiting for this day too, you know?”
Though her words were light, her voice was gentle, without a trace of resentment.
The three crossed the garden and reached the main gate. That was enough to see her off.
“Anyway, Suhyun probably understood everything.”
“I see. Thank you sincerely for your help.”
“No, it’s us who should thank the Mercenary Clan members for all their hard work. And…”
“Yes. I’ll keep the nagging to a minimum. Don’t worry too much.”
Im Hanna said brightly, confidently. Kim Yuhyun gave a bitter smile, nodded, and strode out through the gate.
“Ugh…”
A moment later, An Sol watched Kim Yuhyun’s retreating figure with a complicated expression, lost in thought.
Back in the northern city, as soon as Kim Yuhyun entered the clan house, she summoned Baek Jinha.
“Jinha, how’s that matter going?”
“That matter?”
“The secret library.”
“Oh, that? It’s almost ready. Requests have been pouring in from all over because of it. What do you want to do?”
“Requests pouring in… alright. First, tighten the secrecy.”
“Huh?”
Kim Yuhyun clasped her hands under her chin and smiled faintly at Baek Jinha’s question.
“Suhyun is still dazed from the dream. We’ll have to wait until she comes to her senses.”
Her eyes gleamed sharply like a hawk eyeing its prey. Baek Jinha took a step back, startled. When Kim Yuhyun’s eyes looked like that, it meant she was scheming something. Not malicious, but dangerous nonetheless. Baek Jinha sighed inwardly. Usually, Kim Yuhyun was a flawless clan leader, but when it came to her younger sister, she would stop at nothing.
“Suhyun, just wait and see.”
Ignoring Baek Jinha’s retreat, Kim Yuhyun organized her thoughts.
“If this plan succeeds, it’ll be the first step toward our return.”
The harsh sunlight struck her eyes. As soon as she opened them, she hurried out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. After a quick wash, she went down to the dining room and finished her meal. Then she returned to the office and began work. The familiar routine continued as always.
Mornings in the castle always felt clear and peaceful. But lately, it had been unusually quiet. She had a suspicion why. To be frank, it hadn’t even been a few days since Gehenna left. That night, they had searched high and low for her from dawn, so perhaps everyone was keeping quiet out of caution.
She didn’t regret the days spent with Gehenna. But from the clan members’ perspective, she wasn’t sure it had been the right choice. How did they feel when she fainted so easily? How did the women watch her happily living with Gehenna? She had only seen the surface and thought it was fine. After hearing her brother’s words, she realized she had been too naive. It was entirely her fault.
But apologizing now would be ridiculous. In the end, there was only one thing she could do: return as soon as possible. Being with Gehenna had felt like a dream. But now, she had to wake up and face reality. As her brother said, she had to focus all her energy on ‘returning.’ To do that, she needed to get back to her old self first.
With that in mind, she opened a drawer and summoned Jo Seungwoo. The necklace caught her eye for a moment, but she shook her head firmly. Less than five minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
“User Jo Seungwoo. I’ve read all the reports, and a few things stood out.”
“Is this about the User Academy?”
“Yes. As far as I know, there are still a few weeks left. But it seems User Ko Yeonju has been coming and going continuously.”
“Oh, that…”
“If it’s about her health, she’s long recovered. Even if Lee Hyoeul approved it, coming and going like this won’t look good. Send her back by tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll relay that.”
Jo Seungwoo nodded as if agreeing and scribbled with his quill.
“And I haven’t checked the clan members’ mission status lately. How are things?”
“I anticipated that and prepared in advance.”
Jo Seungwoo smiled and reached into his coat. If her eyes didn’t deceive her, he was pulling out a thick bundle of records rivaling a textbook.
“Be prepared to be surprised.”
“R-Really?”
Trying to calm herself, she lit a cigarette. But as she skimmed the records, she immediately spat it out. The name ‘Lee Yujeong’ was plastered all over the first page. Then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth… She was dizzy. How many missions had she done? Seeing her expression, Jo Seungwoo chuckled. She gave a bitter laugh in return.
“Is this even possible?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. She says she sleeps less than two hours a day.”
“Why…?”
“I don’t know either. When I asked if she was overdoing it, she just said she needs to reach B rank quickly… sigh.”
Just as Jo Seungwoo shook his head in disbelief, a sudden jolt awakened her senses. The phrase ‘she needs to reach B rank quickly…’ echoed in her ears. Suddenly, Lee Yujeong’s boast flashed through her mind.
“If I reach B rank, I’ll come to tease you, oppa!”
…No way. That must be a joke.
She cleared her throat and closed the records.
After finishing with Jo Seungwoo, she left the office immediately. Her schedule was packed tight today. She had to visit the User Academy, had an appointment with Lee Hyoeul, and at night, she needed to check out the night market. Not to buy anything, but because Seo Jihwan had requested a visit for the grand opening.
“Huh?”
“Oh, oppa.”
But when she stepped outside, An Sol was leaning against the wall, shuffling his feet. It looked like he was waiting for her. He blinked rapidly, as if he had something to say.
“What is it?”
“Um…”
“…?”
“Well…”
“An Sol, I’m busy today.”
“J-Just a moment! Are you okay?”
An Sol grabbed her suddenly and shouted. She shrugged, signaling she didn’t understand.
“What? There’s nothing to be okay or not okay about.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s what I mean.”
“So?”
“W-Well, you know…”
“If you keep dragging this out, I’m just going to leave.”
“If you miss Gehenna, I can summon her again for you!”
When she threatened him lightly, An Sol hurriedly continued talking. Curious, she looked down at his earnest eyes and smiled. Then she spoke seriously.
“An Sol.”
“Yes?”
She gently touched his shoulder. He looked up at her with a worried expression.
“You don’t have to do that. …No, don’t ever do that again.”
“Don’t… do it?”
“Yes. You must have realized this time how dangerous your power is.”
“That’s…”
She wasn’t joking. An Sol’s power had truly reached a dangerous level. If he recklessly opened boxes just to see Gehenna again, who knew what disaster might strike? Hadn’t they all felt that painfully during the recent ‘Glacier Snowfield’ expedition?
“But I appreciate your heart.”
She patted An Sol’s shoulder and walked on slowly. Judging by his pale face and fidgeting, he was hiding something. She didn’t know what he was hesitating about, but she had no intention of forcing him to talk. Maybe once he sorted out his thoughts, he’d come to her.
With that thought, she continued walking.
By the time she returned after the busy day, the sun had long set and the moon was fully risen. The night market opened at dawn, so it was inevitable she’d be late.
Step… step… step… step…
Maybe it was the stillness of the early morning. Each step I took up the stairs sounded oddly lonely and weak. I deliberately straightened my shoulders and put more force into my steps. I dragged my feet, which were shouting that they didn’t want to go. But I was used to sleeping alone anyway.
A little later.
Just as I entered my office, took off my clothes, and was about to lie down, something suddenly felt off in my line of sight. I was sure I had left everything neatly arranged, but there was something left sitting alone on the desk. As I got closer, I saw a B4-sized sheet densely covered with writing. That was unexpected. Who could have left this here?
“Hmm…”
It was an unusual record. Glancing over it, the front was written in Korean, and the back in archaic script. I wondered which side to read first, but decided to start with the back. Korean was easier, of course, but since I was just reading, I could understand about 70 to 80 percent of the archaic text anyway.
Alright then…
『If you’re reading this first, it might be better to start from the front.』
Hmm. I don’t know who wrote this, but the tone is pretty cheeky. The sentences themselves are natural, but still. Maybe Vivian is playing a prank. Well, I’ll keep reading.
『Well, if you insist on reading this side first, I don’t particularly mind.』
…Are you teasing me?
『Honestly, I debated a lot about whether to write the back side at all. I thought it over carefully for quite some time… but in the end, I felt it was better to leave it behind.』
What’s this? The record seems to be taking a strange turn. I thought it was just a prank note, but now I’m not so sure.
『Anyway, from here on, the content might be a bit sensitive. So I decided to write it myself. It seems the child before your eyes doesn’t know this script. But you should be able to understand it, right?』
…Wait a minute. The child before my eyes? They don’t know this script, meaning the archaic text?
『Dear reader, while I hope this is needless worry, I want to leave some advice and a few warnings.』
“Dear reader? This tone is…”
That was when it happened.
Suddenly.
『First, about those devils called demons.』
A chill ran down my arm.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
I swallowed hard and slowly began to read the record.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Haha. Some readers thought Kim Yuhyun’s words were harsh.
Well, I see it a bit differently. It’s not harsh—it’s more like a sharp wake-up call. He’s usually a doting little brother, but this time he’s finally acting like an older brother.
To put it simply: it’s a message to snap out of it. Of course, Kim Yuhyun asked first. If Kim Soohyun had loved Gehenna so much that he gave up on returning, Yuhyun would have poured all his energy into dimensional travel. But Soohyun nodded when Yuhyun asked, “Is the plan still alive?” and that’s why he spoke that way.
Wake up already.
Step out of Gehenna’s shadow.
Face reality.
Look around your surroundings (the mercenaries) and focus on the plan to return.
I hope this clears up the comments about Kim Yuhyun going “dark.” :)