Screeeech…
The sound of the restaurant door opening echoed faintly—a barely noticeable noise, the kind you’d usually tune out in everyday life.
Inside, the atmosphere was so tense it felt like it could explode at any moment. Yet no one spoke, so the simple creak of the door rippled through the silence like a wave.
All eyes turned toward the entrance, where a resident dressed in priestly robes stepped inside. The man hesitated, clearly unsettled by the intense stares, then stammered nervously.
“E-excuse me for interrupting your meal. I’m a messenger.”
“What? Already?” Lee Yoo-jung jumped up abruptly, then immediately wore a look of regret. The priest blinked several times, then spoke again, his tone even more cautious.
“Um… is Mercenary Lord here by any chance?”
At that moment, Shin Jae-ryong squeezed his eyes shut. Jung Ha-yeon let out a long sigh, and Kim Han-byul bowed her head. Even Vivian, who had been busily serving herself, stopped mid-spoonful.
It was just a summons from the temple. Nothing unusual—this had happened several times before. But the variety of reactions around the room made it clear this wasn’t just any ordinary call. If one had to sum it up, the expression on everyone’s faces said, “So, it’s finally come.”
Kim Soo-hyun noticed it all clearly.
After a moment, Kim Soo-hyun slowly rose from his chair and raised his hand.
“That’s me.”
“Yes, yes. They’re asking you to come immediately…”
“Understood.”
“Then…”
The priest bowed and hurriedly disappeared.
The heavy silence settled back over the restaurant. How much time passed, no one could say. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the clatter of utensils.
“You’ll have to go again.”
The calm voice belonged to Ahn Hyun.
“You’ve always been busy anyway.”
Without turning around, Ahn Hyun finished bluntly. Kim Soo-hyun stared silently at his back as he ate.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t go.”
This time, it was Vivian’s voice, hoarse as she spoke. She downed the glass of water beside her in one gulp before continuing.
“Besides, you promised me something, remember? So where else would you go? You can’t leave until you fulfill that promise.”
Her voice was still rough despite just drinking.
“What on earth…”
Kim Soo-hyun pressed a hand to his forehead, shaking his head. He let out a long, silent breath. Something had clearly happened, but no one was willing to say outright, and it was frustrating.
“Why is everyone acting like this today…?”
He trailed off, glancing around. But no one answered. Waiting any longer would only bring more sighs.
Finally, Kim Soo-hyun turned toward the entrance.
“Well, I have to respond to the summons. Whether it’s tonight or tomorrow morning, I’ll go first and listen later. I have urgent matters to discuss as well.”
Just three sentences. Leaving those words behind, Kim Soo-hyun strode across the table. Hands reached out to stop him here and there, but none even brushed his collar—they waved uselessly in the air. Whether he noticed or not, he moved swiftly and disappeared outside.
Step…
One step.
Step…
Two steps.
Step, step…
Three, four…
Before long, even the sound of his footsteps faded. Kim Soo-hyun’s agility was truly extraordinary. His pace was far faster than a normal user’s. In other words, he was out the front door in no time.
“So this is why you wanted to have a final gathering? Just to grumble a bit?”
Ko Yeon-ju’s voice broke the quiet in the restaurant.
“Are you really okay with this? Letting him go like this? Parting ways like this?”
Her gaze was on Ahn Hyun, but her words weren’t meant for him alone.
“At least you could send him off with a smile.”
Her tone, which had sounded reproachful at first, softened into something more soothing.
“Think carefully. After this moment, you might never see the person you know, the one you remember.”
But Ahn Hyun continued moving his spoon slowly, more out of habit than appetite. He reached for his glass and gulped down the water, then resumed his mechanical motions.
Could he even hear her?
A look of sadness flickered across Ko Yeon-ju’s face.
Finally, she spoke again.
“Fine. Do as you please.”
“If you’re sure you won’t regret it.”
At that moment—
“!”
The word “regret” stopped Ahn Hyun’s robotic movements cold. His whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind, then, like a broken machine, he creaked as he turned around.
And there, in the spot where Kim Soo-hyun had just been…
“…Ah.”
An inexplicable emptiness and futility lingered in the air.
Ahn Hyun’s lips parted slightly.
“Hyung…”
He called out, but of course, there was no response. Kim Soo-hyun was gone. There was no way he could hear him. Realizing this, Ahn Hyun’s eyes stared blankly at the empty chair, slowly shimmering with unshed tears.
Kim Soo-hyun had truly left.
“Looks like he went upstairs to get his gear…”
Ko Yeon-ju slowly turned her gaze toward the direction Kim Soo-hyun had gone.
“It’s not too late yet.”
Suddenly—
“Hyung!”
With a loud thud as he pushed back his chair, Ahn Hyun jumped up and dashed madly out of the restaurant.
At that moment, just as Ko Yeon-ju had said, Kim Soo-hyun was gathering his equipment in the office and was just stepping out the door.
But then, sensing a sudden rush of footsteps, he stopped abruptly on his way to the garden. Behind him, the mercenary clan members, led by Ahn Hyun, burst out in chaotic pursuit.
“Hyung!”
Ahn Hyun caught up to his back and shouted at the top of his lungs. Kim Soo-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise, then he clenched his teeth—but soon, a grin spread across his face. Laughing brightly, he called out cheerfully.
“Hehe, sorry! I was just sulking a bit because I felt left out!”
“What?”
“But it’s okay, right? No! It will be okay, right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Come on, it’s fine. Say it’s fine. You’re the strongest, hyung. There’s nothing you can’t beat!”
“You…?”
Ahn Hyun’s words were so agitated they became almost incoherent—more like rambling than anything else.
But Kim Soo-hyun couldn’t bring himself to say it was nonsense. He saw the tears streaming down Ahn Hyun’s face.
“That’s right! Our big brother is so strong!”
Oh Sol shouted loudly.
“It’ll definitely be okay, I swear on my luck!”
She smiled brightly, but—
“Right? Big brother. My big brother!”
Oh Sol’s face, screaming as if in defiance, was soaked with tears as well.
“Alright! If that’s the case, maybe we can postpone the promise a little!”
Vivian stepped forward, hands on her hips, unwilling to be outdone.
“Just finish quickly and come back soon! Got it?”
But her attempt to sound strong was betrayed by the faint tremble in her body.
“I’ll be here… waiting for you… okay?”
At that, the other users couldn’t stay silent either. As Vivian finished speaking, the mercenary clan members all shouted in unison.
Words of thanks, trust, encouragement, and pleas to come back safely… Though varied, they all fell under the umbrella of support. The scene was enough to fluster the departing man, and Kim Soo-hyun stood there, dazed for a while.
“Hey, it’s not like you’re heading into a death trap or anything…”
Still, as he listened quietly, a small chuckle escaped him. For some reason, despite not knowing the full story, the strange confusion he’d felt began to ease.
“Heh… really.”
Kim Soo-hyun glanced around subtly, then looked up at the darkening night sky, scratching his cheek lightly.
Then he said,
“Well, I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
He smiled shyly.
In that brief moment—
“…!”
The noise stopped as if by magic.
It was an awkward, forced smile, nothing more.
But that smile was neither a mad laugh nor a sneer.
It was the brightest, purest smile Kim Soo-hyun had ever shown.
A moment later, he vanished completely into the darkness.
“Ah, ahh…”
Lee Yoo-jung collapsed to her knees, burying her face in the ground as she began to sob quietly.
At the same time—
“Fool.”
In the third-floor office, Suna lay on the bed, eyes tightly shut.
Outside, the noise of shouting was loud and chaotic.
“Honestly. Why all the fuss? It’s just one human leaving. Always making a big deal.”
Suna covered her ears, scowling as if she hated the noise. Still, the restless feeling persisted.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s stupid. Really pathetic. That weakling is supposed to be the father? What a joke. I’ll never accept such a weakling. Let them do as they please. I’ll just go back to hell.”
As if trying to shake something off, Suna kept muttering to herself.
“…Hah, but I’m generous. If you come back now, there might still be a chance to reconsider…?”
It was then. While she was silently hurling every possible insult in her mind, the little girl suddenly noticed that the commotion outside had abruptly stopped.
“…….”
Suna still hadn’t opened her eyes. Yet, without her realizing it, the hands that had been covering her ears slowly began to lower.
Outside was definitely quieter than before. The only sound that could be heard was a woman’s sobbing. Suna’s heart sank.
“No way.”
She jumped up and rushed out onto the terrace, peering down into the garden. Below were the mercenary clan members. Suna’s gaze darted quickly in every direction.
“Ah….”
But—
“Ah….”
No matter how much she searched—
“Da-Dad…?”
There was no sign of Kim Soo-hyun anywhere.
“W-Where is he?”
It was a pointless question. It made no sense that the one who had toyed with the god of death with one hand couldn’t find a single man.
“W-What?”
After spinning around in a daze for a long moment, Suna finally realized that Kim Soo-hyun was truly nowhere to be seen. Her expression fell, utterly devastated.
“…He’s really gone?”
That faint hope in her heart—the hope that maybe he wasn’t—shattered like glass.
“Is it true? Really?”
Did she still refuse to believe the reality?
“W-What? Why are you so cold? I’m still here…”
Pouting, she blinked rapidly.
“Geez, that’s so mean. And to think you only played with me for one day…”
Her voice was drained of strength. Not sharp and biting like before, but tinged with a hint of tears.
“I ran to you so desperately, and you didn’t even come once…”
Each time she blinked, her eyes grew wetter, until finally, liquid began to pool at the corners.
“D-Don’t…”
Her large eyes filled to the brim.
“Don’t go…”
At last, a hot tear traced a sorrowful path down her flushed cheek.
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry for being rude earlier…”
Before she knew it, Suna had stretched her arms over the railing, her tiny hands repeatedly curling and uncurling as if trying to grasp someone.
“I’ll listen to you from now on…! Ugh.”
She knew perfectly well that no one would hear her. But her voice had already turned into a full sob.
“So…”
Her words came out in broken fragments as she lowered her head.
“Waaah…”
Eventually, tears streamed endlessly from her tightly shut eyes. Swallowing the sob that rose in her throat, she barely managed to speak.
“Please don’t go… Please… Da-ad…”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Here’s a little hint: no reader has yet fully guessed the ending.
Of course, it’s not exactly that Kim Soo-hyun’s memories were ‘erased.’
There might be room to interpret it that way, though.
Have a great day! :)