Chapter 140: A Seeping Fragment (2)
“This is the Guild Leader’s private residence within the guild. Are you carrying any location-tracking items?”
“No, none.”
Though I do have a spirit.
Now that I stood at the threshold, hesitation crept in. With my Fear Resistance still at C-rank, and yesterday’s ordeal fresh in my mind, this reaction felt natural. His mood was reportedly poor too. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome.
“By the way, do you have any Hunters who can extract information from corpses?”
“Pardon? Corpses?”
Kang Soyeong blinked in confusion. I’d brought it up hoping to secure cooperation without directly involving Seong Hyunjae, but her expression showed genuine bewilderment. It seemed her expertise was limited to domestic affairs and dungeon strategy operations.
Further probing revealed she knew little about the Hong Kong incident either. She was only aware that Seong Hyunjae had assisted in my rescue. It appeared I had no choice but to face him directly.
Noting my deep sigh, Kang Soyeong regarded me with concern.
“If you’re worried, perhaps come back tomorrow?”
“I’d love to, but it’s urgent. I need to meet him as soon as possible.”
I should have sought his cooperation last night, but exhaustion had overwhelmed me. Plus, I’d wanted to minimize my time around that man. Today’s me was suffering for yesterday’s choices. If only I could pass this off to tomorrow’s me.
“Well, the thing is, the Guild Leader hasn’t actually authorized your visit.”
“…Pardon? No authorization?”
“No! To be precise, we couldn’t reach him.”
Kang Soyeong’s cheerful response left me baffled. What kind of nonsense was this?
“He wasn’t answering calls, and we were too scared to check on him. So we asked around, and they just told us to let you in. So, here we are.”
“Hold on… Can you really allow an outsider in without proper permission?”
“It’s fine! I cleared it with the security chief and others—all settled.”
…Is this really acceptable, Sesung? Though I suppose as an F-rank facing an S-rank Hunter—one of the elite at that—there’s no safety concern. Even if Seong Hyunjae were completely defenseless, I couldn’t harm him if I tried.
“They say his mood isn’t great, but he won’t eat anyone, right? It can’t be so bad that you can’t go in.”
“Even in a regular company, employees wouldn’t visit the CEO’s home for non-work matters.”
That’s true. And this was purely personal—imposing on Sesung guild members wasn’t appropriate. Their allowing me this far without permission was already a kindness. I bowed slightly to Kang Soyeong.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“You’re welcome. If possible, try to improve the Guild Leader’s mood. And let me know how he is.”
Perhaps that explained their easy compliance—gathering intelligence on his mood. Before stepping into the portal, I activated my Nullification item. The magic stone I’d fed him previously probably hadn’t fully digested, but it should last an hour at least.
The portal led to a door. I pressed the bell, receiving no response. Anxiety began creeping in. Using Kang Soyeong’s key, I entered.
“Seong Hyunjae? Are you here?”
Impressive house. I surveyed my surroundings as I ventured deeper. The central area featured an open ceiling, reminiscent of a hotel lobby. A small garden occupied the middle, with a cylindrical water tank descending from above.
Light danced across the rippling water. The tank’s glass was so pristine it appeared as though the water simply held its shape in mid-air. Colorful fish swam within. How do they even maintain this? Cleaning must be a nightmare.
“Where are you, anyway?”
How many floors? Given the ceiling height, at least two, maybe three. The water tank was absurdly massive.
“Living alone in such a ridiculously large house. Why don’t you get married?”
No, actually, for any potential partner’s sake, better stay single. Whoever ended up with that man would need to be at least Liette’s caliber to match him—unfortunate for anyone nearby. The mere thought of such a couple is terrifying.
Tiring of my exploration, I settled onto a garden bench. He must know I’m here—the least he could do is indicate his location.
“Could you at least tell me what floor you’re on! And maybe the direction!”
As an F-rank, I’m already exhausted, and now I have to search this mansion? Still no response. Reluctantly rising to begin my first-floor search, something slithered through the garden foliage.
“…Does he keep monsters in his garden too?”
I stepped back reflexively as something snake-like emerged—a golden chain. Thank goodness I wouldn’t have to wander.
Chrrrk?
The Seeker’s Chain coiled around me and yanked forward. I fell face-first as it dragged me across the floor.
“Seriously, you crazy bas—ugh, hey! Seong Hyunjae!”
Stairs, damn it, stairs! The bumping and rattling would leave serious bruises. My legs worked fine—he could have just guided me. Why this?
After an endless descent, we reached bottom—only to climb another level. Then a long hallway stretched ahead. I wanted to curse until my throat went raw. Was he using my body to clean? Though everything already gleamed, spotless.
Finally, after more dragging, we reached a spacious room overlooking the water tank below. Rain pattered gently on the glass ceiling. I didn’t need to look up to recognize that chilling sensation—the terrifying presence filling the room.
Frightening as it was, I had things to say.
“I have feet too, you bastard.”
My muttered complaint met silence. Usually, he’d make some quip about forgetting my legs existed, but he remained quiet. Even the binding chains didn’t loosen. He wouldn’t release me.
A shiver ran down my spine, a beat too late. Sensing serious trouble, I raised my head.
Seong Hyunjae stood at the room’s center. The glass floor was nearly invisible, so transparent it seemed nonexistent, making him appear to stand on water. He tilted his head slightly, regarding me with unusually dark eyes.
“…Could you say something?”
“Han Yujin.”
The chain moved again, dragging me toward him, over the water tank. Deep water rose just beneath my nose. The distant garden below looked unsettling through the hazy surface. The glass seemed impossibly thin—was it even there?
“You were the Haeyeon young master’s brother.”
Seong Hyunjae murmured, as if remembering. His tone suggested uncertainty about my identity.
“Are you developing dementia at your age?”
Again, silence. Instead, the ground beneath me vanished.
“What, ngh!”
With a soft splash, I plunged into the water, chains pulling me down. Unable to move, I sank straight to the bottom. Looking up in panic, I saw the madman still standing on the surface. Damn it, I knew that glass wasn’t ordinary.
My breath caught. What little air I’d held escaped in bubbles.
‘Drowning… doesn’t count as damage, huh.’
Well, that’s new information. Also, the eleventh contract clause was useless here. Iryn, in tattoo form, couldn’t see or hear anything without specific conditions. No skills worked, and even the earring’s shield failed.
Though I trusted Seong Hyunjae wouldn’t let me die—
Yellow and blue fish darted across my blurring vision. At least tell me why, you madman. With that thought, consciousness slipped away.
It was an unpleasant sense of dissonance.
Something felt wrong. Upon noticing this, Seong Hyunjae checked the date. August—summer. The same time as in his memory. Yet he remembered being on a dungeon conquest during this period. The vague memory shifted completely when he heard something from Kang Soyeong.
“I hope Comet grows quickly. The training starts soon.”
Seong Hyunjae stared at her, not comprehending. Kang Soyeong, maintaining her smile, backed out of the office without breaking expression.
The incongruence persisted. Amid minor oddities, he felt something close to anger upon hearing he’d been at the dungeon break site last night. He hadn’t been there—hearing this lie sparked something within him. Unable to vent in the dungeon, he’d returned home.
As he attempted to clear his thoughts, his phone rang. ‘My Item’. The name intrigued him. Part of him wanted to answer out of curiosity, but knowing it would only increase his dissonance, he refrained.
Shortly after, someone entered his house. The doorbell rang, and Seong Hyunjae connected his phone to the house’s security system. The face on the front door camera was unfamiliar. Yet somehow, also familiar.
A young man, appearing mid-twenties, used a key to enter.
[Seong Hyunjae? Are you here?]
As he explored, the man paused before the garden, gazing up at the water tank before muttering to himself.
[Living alone in such a ridiculously large house. Why don’t you get married?]
What’s he talking about? Then he shouted about at least indicating which floor to find, and Seong Hyunjae’s curiosity grew. He dispatched the Seeker’s Chain. When wrapped in the chain, the young man startled but showed no fear. Instead, he cursed.
That casual familiarity with the Seeker’s Chain… When dragged before Seong Hyunjae, their eyes meeting directly—not through a screen—he remembered.
Han Yuhyun. And certainly…
“Han Yujin.”
He tightened the chain, drawing him closer. The water wavered just below Han Yujin’s nose, his body trembling slightly, apparently frightened.
The Haeyeon Guild Leader’s older brother. A non-Awakened. The information in his memory was clear, yet the Han Yujin before him was Awakened. Judging by his inability to resist the chain, his stats were low. And that red earring—
‘Why does Han Yujin have that?’
Though the design was common, Seong Hyunjae recognized it, having obtained it himself. The increased magic stat option was useless, but the B-rank shield skill added considerable value. He hadn’t given it away or sold it.
Confused, Seong Hyunjae watched as Han Yujin mocked him again. Surprisingly, it didn’t irritate him. However, dampening his spirit seemed necessary for a proper conversation.
Seong Hyunjae opened a section of the special item containing the water. Specifically, where Han Yujin was. Pulled by the chain, Han Yujin sank underwater. He looked up at Seong Hyunjae in panic. Though dying, he didn’t struggle, just stared as if asking why.
‘Does he think… I won’t let him die?’
His expression suggested so. But consciousness soon faded. Left alone, he would die. The thought that this wouldn’t be so terrible crossed his mind, but—
The Seeker’s Chain moved, pulling Han Yujin from the water.
‘…This bastard is truly insane.’
Opening my eyes, I swallowed a curse, replaying the moments before I sank. His gaze had held faint curiosity, his voice sounding like he was recalling something.
‘Could it be some kind of memory issue?’
Dementia was impossible, but something seemed wrong with his memory of me. Could his pre-regression memories be interfering? That would be disastrous, I thought, pushing myself up. My hair remained wet, but my clothes had been changed. How considerate. Or maybe he just didn’t want his sofa getting wet.
“How long has it been?”
I asked Seong Hyunjae, seated across from me.
“About 30 minutes.”
I retrieved my phone from the table, messaging Yuhyun. Fortunately, it had survived—thanks to being waterproof, I wouldn’t need a replacement two days running.
“Do you remember anything about me beyond my name and appearance?”
“My item.”
“Drop the possessive, would you?”
“So it was you.”
He hadn’t actually remembered—more like deduced it. His changed tone suggested he might have mixed in pre-regression memories, but this seemed like his memory of me had been completely overwritten. Though both versions were still him, a Seong Hyunjae without any memory of me posed a problem.
“What kind of relationship did we have?”
“We acknowledged each other’s usefulness and agreed to take advantage of that.”
And beyond that—
“I was a disgruntled tourist, and you were the tour guide.”
“…What?”
“I’m also raising one of your pets. You saved me from a dragon once, and somehow we ended up dancing together too. You even bet one of your eyes and arms on me. We attended an auction together, with you as the customer and me as the product. And, let’s not forget the eggs—sunny side up.”
“Is this nonsense?”
“I’m giving you pure facts. And we also caught two SS-rank monsters together.”
Seong Hyunjae’s eyes widened before he laughed silently. Was it just me, or did he look even younger than usual?
“Did I mention I fell for you?”
“You also gave me a rose.”
“When?”
“When I flattened the new association building. You weren’t there, though. I invited you to watch, but you refused.”
“That was my mistake.”
He laughed aloud this time. His apparent enjoyment was encouraging, but now what?
“Seong Hyunjae, this might be a bit much to ask since it’s practically our first meeting again, but could you trust me just once?”
Because it seemed I might need to look deeper into his house.
–TL Notes–
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