Chapter 28
After leaving the <Tower of Command>, I greeted Kim Sangyoon and his party and moved to the nearby warehouse to pick up my confiscated cell phone.
To be honest, I was a little hesitant to approach Kim Sangyoon as he maintained a fierce expression on his face. But, after one of the party members kindly said, “Oh, good work today,” I was able to finish my greetings and escape conversational courtesy without much awkwardness.
As I left the entrance area, an alarming number of cameras, reporters, and media outlets were swarming the immediate surroundings. Judging from the jubilant atmosphere, it seems that rumors of the successful raid had spread far and wide.
“Your name?” said a warehouse worker.
“Choi Lee-kyung.”
“What model?”
“A Galaxy…”
After I recovered my cell phone and turned it on, I received several alerts from various portal sites. Articles detailing Bae Jaemin’s success over the hard mode scenario occupied all of the headlines.
I stared at Bae Jaemin’s photo on the screen. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Seo Dawon’s steady gaze, so I turned the phone off. However, when I looked at him directly, Seo Dawon was not staring at me but at some indeterminate point on the ground…as if he was deep in thought.
I called to him, carefully, “Seo Dawon.”
“Huh?”
""
“If you don’t mind, I want to go home and rest…Is there anything you need to do?”
“No, let’s go.”
After seeing his quickening pace, I impulsively asked, “Bae Jaemin is going to have a press conference…Do you want to see it?”
“It’s fine.” He said, with an obvious tone. Then, hesitantly, “Besides, I got to see his face up front and close earlier, didn’t I?”
“When? Ah….”
He was probably referring to the encounter right after our contract was finalized.
Come to think of it, Seo Dawon must have shielded my body and presence at that time…What was he thinking when he saw the guild’s traitor? I opened my mouth to ask, but closed it subtly when I noticed three random Users passing by.
After they were far enough for our conversation to go unheard, I asked with a low voice, “About your revenge…What are you going to do about it in the future? I have no clue how to proceed, honestly.”
“First, I need to know what Bae Jaemin was offered for his betrayal. Only then can we begin planning in earnest.”
“Ah….”
Seo Dawon answered my questions as if he was mumbling to himself, tapping his cheeks with his fingertips. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts, so I opted to organize my own without disturbing him.
Since I’ve signed the contract…Bae Jaemin…I’m expected to kill him, right? And, recalling Seo Dawon’s memories, Bae Jaemin isn’t the only target for revenge. There were at least four other key figures: Lim Jisoo, Red Dragon guild master Koo Kyungman, Opera deputy guild master Ryu Hyerin.
Right now I was curious about the scope of Dawon’s perfect revenge. How many must I kill before he’s satisfied? In addition, no one could easily disdain the status and power of all the targets..
“You keep sighing,” Seo Dawon remarked.
Still lost in thought, I evasively murmured “Ah, I’m just…” Not only did I have nothing particularly salient to add to the conversation, but I also had no desire to offend my partner with careless errant words.
However, Seo Dawon looked at my expression and wrung his hands. “I’m not scolding you…Why do you look more depressed than me–the literal dead corpse?” he asked.
“…I’m just tired. Enough about me; are you okay?”
Seo Dawon must have a strong and stable mentality. Even as a vengeful ghost he expended the effort to talk in a friendly manner, as if everything was normal. If I were in his situation, I wondered if I could wholly retain my rationality and banter with others.
“Why? Do I look too jovial for a dead man?”
“That’s…I didn’t mean anything bad with my question.”
“It’s true. I’m in a good mood.”
“….Really?”
“It’s been a while since I came to the Hub. It’s gotten a lot better since I went into the <Tower of Command>. The air is refreshing.” He even closed his eyes and breathed deeply, as if he were basking in the natural mountain air.
I didn’t want to sour the mood, so I simply said, “That’s a relief.”
Seo Dawon, however, continued with a smile on his face. “Once you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. My spirit is still reveling in the victory of revival. Match my beat.”
“….Yeah.” I bowed my head; I had no idea what expression I should make at this moment.
“As a matter of fact, I still can’t believe I’m dead. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve fully accepted my death yet.”
“…..”
“Besides, thinking about these matters for too long will only result in a headache.” His words implied that comfort was not necessary–that he would reject my sympathy. Afterwards, we crossed the city streets awkwardly; any meaningful conversation had ceased.
As I led the way through familiar alleys and storefronts, I saw the blue front gate of my lodgings. I hesitated before pointing at the door.
“Here it is….”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yeah.” I sidestepped Seo Dawon, who was gawking at the surroundings, and entered through the door.
As Seo Dawon looked curiously at the small yard and porch, I realized that this was the first time someone had visited my home since I became a User. Though, perhaps vengeful ghosts would not count as an ordinary guest…(Lol, you think?)
I flinched for a moment when I saw him follow me into the house while wearing shoes.
Since Seo Dawon was just maintaining the image of his form right before death, his clothing was merely an illusion. However, the vivid nature of the ghost made it hard to distinguish reality from falsehood; I couldn’t help but be repulsed by the breach in social norms.
While I stood, faltering, Seo Dawon began to look around the living room in earnest, like a familiar guest. My mouth froze; I didn’t know how to talk to him. Gracelessly, I plodded to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and poured myself a glass of water. I realized I was quite thirsty after emptying that full glass.
“Can I turn on the TV?”
“Huh? Yeah!”
However, unlike me who was dying of awkwardness, Seo Dawon perched on a small sofa and comfortably asked to use the TV; he was already holding the remote control. After nodding, I also watched the TV screen from the kitchen table. I wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone in the living room just yet.
Bae Jaemin’s face filled the screen. Judging by the red ‘Live’ banner at the top of the screen, Bae Jaemin seemed to be conducting a live interview in the media zone we had passed earlier. 1 I involuntarily flinched at his face; in contrast, Seo Dawon–largely unperturbed–simply put aside the remote control.
–Please briefly tell us about your current state of mind.
–….Actually, I feel a bit complicated right now. However, if I have to pinpoint something, I think it’s relief.
“Oh?” Despite Bae Jaemin’s appearance, Seo Dawon was watching the interview comfortably, leaning his back against the back of the sofa. Suddenly, he leaned forward and began to focus after Bae Jaemin fixed his microphone and began to talk. Something seemed to catch his eye.
“…….What is it?”
“Wait a minute.” He was on the verge of piercing the screen with his focused gaze. Then, he began to flip through various channels, observing Bae Jaemin through various camera angles.
Seo Dawon stopped at a channel that showed his whole upper body–not just a close up of the face; his forehead scrunched at what he had found.
Meanwhile, the interview kept on progressing despite Dawon’s machinations. I couldn’t hear the questions properly because the sound kept cutting as the channels changed, but Bae Jaemin looked to be answering the interviewer sincerely while maintaining a humble attitude.
–Thank you very much. However, I could not have finished the raid today without the much needed assistance from the rest of my teammates. If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce the team members; since long before, they’ve suffered so much to help me.
I carefully looked at each of the faces introduced on TV, one by one, wondering if these new ‘teammates’ were the reason for the forehead creases currently on Seo Dawon’s face.
As if this segment was prepared in advance, subtitles containing their names and occupations accompanied each photo. After introducing the last team member, the camera once again zoomed in closely on Bae Jaemin’s face.
When the camera light shined upon him again, Bae Jaemin seemed speechless unlike his previous relaxed attitude. Everyone on the premises fell quiet; he bowed his head in purpose of some indeterminate behavior.
Long and delicate fingers dabbed at his eyes, as if he were wiping away unseen tears. He then spoke in an overtly hoarse voice, as if his throat was parched.
–Now, I think I can speak about future plans….From now on, I plan to create a new guild with them and continue regular activity.
His acting was so outstanding–he must have been preparing for this situation for quite a long time.
Naturally, the audience would recall his tragic story while listening to his hoarse voice and seeing his grim expression. In addition, the news was delivered after clearing what was once an impregnable dungeon, the <Tower of Command>, after a three-year ban. I wondered when he began planning this performance.
–Since long ago, I’ve received many favorable offers from other guilds…But the Red Lotus guild has always been stagnating in my heart. It’s become sort of a trauma. If I, the sole survivor of the guild, decide to dedicate my services to another, then Red Lotus would truly disappear. It felt like I was betraying them….
“Ha…..” I sighed.
Seo Dawon did not comment, but I, who knew the depths of Bae Jaemin’s sins towards the Red Lotus, was flabbergasted at his bold-faced lies.
His performance was not finished.
–Thus, this raid on the <Tower of Command> was very important to me. The team members here….they understood my deep obsession and supported me both mentally and materially. They gave me a new goal in life where before I couldn’t imagine such hope beyond finishing this dungeon.
–Then, what will be the name of the new guild?
The convenient flow of the reporter’s question convinced me that this interview was scripted.
Bae Jaemin raised his clear eyes, black and white, to the camera lens.
–It’s River and Sea ( 河海 ). I look forward to working with you all in the future. 2
With that, Bae Jaemin bowed his head deeply.
The [River and Sea] guild members behind him also gave their own polite greetings. The camera focused on Jaemin’s movements, capturing all of his careful poise, as he turned and walked away.
A small round of applause awaited the new members of the ‘Sea and Rivers’; reporters flocked like vultures…Above all, Bae Jaemin heartily smiled on camera for the first time–his countenance happy and relaxed.
Click–
If Seo Dawon hadn’t turned off the TV, I would have run to turn it off myself. I couldn’t bear to see such a deceptive scene. I, who had no talent for comfort, couldn’t force myself to look at Seo Dawon’s face and remained silent in front of the empty screen.
Comments