“Dongwoo-ya. Doesn’t seem like anyone’s here?”
─Yeah, looks like it’s just us.
After confirming no one was around, I pressed my hands down and climbed up. I carefully examined the illuminated interior, and fortunately it seemed no one was there. Following me, I saw Dongwoo also coming up above the water surface.
─Wow, what is this place? How did they find a place like this?
“I know, right.”
Dongwoo and I looked around and slowly entered inside.
The interior had more boxes than when I saw it before. It seemed that as the Demolition Guild invaded other hideouts, they moved the valuables from those places here.
So among the many boxes, it was difficult to find the box with the Goldmess egg at once.
“You open the boxes from that side. If you see a golden egg inside, tell me. That’s the Goldmess egg.”
─We just need to steal that? What about the others?
“Our level is low so we can’t carry much weight. If we carry junk items and can’t carry that, it won’t work. And we don’t know when the hyungs will come here. If they find out we came here… they’ll probably move the hideout somewhere else.”
─Got it. I’ll search hard for just the egg.
Dongwoo started from the right end, and I diligently opened boxes from the left end.
Before, there seemed to be about 30 boxes, but now there appeared to be over 100 at a rough estimate. Each box I opened had glittering enhanced weapons and unknown materials, but I ignored them.
─Wow! What’s this?
“Don’t look at other things, just find the egg no matter what. That’s something you can’t buy even with money right now.”
Every time I saw high-level items that assassin characters wear, I wanted to steal them like a chimney, but I held back firmly.
What was fortunate was that since they probably thought no one could come here, there were no traps or monsters. If there had been such things, Dongwoo and I would have kept dying without being able to take even a few steps.
But it made sense that there were no traps or monsters. This place was very cramped with just the boxes. That meant this hideout might also be moved soon.
‘If not this opportunity, it won’t work.’
I searched here and there diligently with a sense of mission to rescue the imprisoned Demolition Guild members.
I just needed to find a sparkling golden egg, but somehow every box I opened glittered, so it would be faster to find something that didn’t glitter.
─The hyungs are really tremendous. These are all items obtained from killing people, right? The item creators all have different people’s names?
“Probably so.”
To confirm the hyungs’ character once again in this place… Even after opening 20 boxes without it appearing, anxiety crept in that maybe only the Goldmess egg had been moved somewhere else.
─Daeyoung-ah. What about a Vulcanus egg? This one is burning like crazy?
“Vulcanus? Hmm… Who’s the acquirer?”
─Acquirer? It says ‘Control’.
“Good, let’s definitely take that.”
─Who’s Control?
“My hyung.”
─Aha.
Vulcanus was a fire-breathing dragon and belonged to the rare category. It was more common than the Goldmess egg so we didn’t need to steal it, but I wanted to take it because it was Daesu hyung’s.
Dongwoo moved the Vulcanus egg to his inventory as I said and opened another box. I was also quickly opening another box and searching through it when—
─Hey!! Su-su-su-su!!!
“Su?”
At Dongwoo’s urgent words, I turned the screen.
But… Huh. When did he arrive—Daesu hyung’s Control character was standing facing the entrance. The moment hyung was about to turn around, I quickly pressed the skill button.
<<You have entered ‘Shadow’ state.>>
Currently I was in a shadow state, invisible to others. Of course, if Daesu hyung used the ‘Detection’ skill I’d be caught, but since hyung wouldn’t think there were other intruders here, I could get away with it.
Since the skill maintenance time was 10 seconds, I quickly moved positions and hid behind the highest stacked boxes.
─Hey! Your hyung said he was doing homework!
“Did he finish already? University must not have much homework.”
─What do we do? Just take the Vulcanus egg and go?
“Wait a moment.”
First, I had to see what hyung was doing.
Daesu hyung wasn’t at the boxes we were searching through, but was standing still with a somewhat distant box open. He must be moving items from his inventory to the box.
─Still, he does what he needs to do before gaming. Your hyung’s passion is amazing.
“That’s why he’s more annoying. He gamed every day but always got first place.”
─Huh? Daesu hyung is gradually coming this way? He didn’t notice I took out the Vulcanus egg, did he?
“That won’t work. I need the Goldmess egg…”
The Vulcanus egg was expensive too, but anyway it could be obtained at the auction house.
However, when I searched for the Goldmess egg at the auction house, there was no record of it being traded on this server. The only case of it being traded on another server was 30 million won in cash, so to make the hyungs surrender quickly, I absolutely needed that.
“It won’t work. I’ll go out for a bit and come back. Hide.”
─What are you going to do?
“Trip the circuit breaker.”
─Wow.
“I’ll get disconnected too, so in the meantime, you find the Goldmess egg. Got it?”
─Got it.
I quickly took off my earphone and left the room. In front of hyung’s room door, I reduced my footsteps as much as possible, then hurried down the stairs to the entrance. Then I unhesitatingly flipped down the circuit breaker above the shoe cabinet.
Pat─!
Maybe because it’s the countryside, when all the lights went out there was nothing visible around. Like this, I was in a state of not caring what I could see in order to steal the Goldmess egg.
At the same time as cutting the electricity, I heard “Ah, shit!” from upstairs and quickly went outside the entrance.
But if things continued like this, after raising the circuit breaker, hyung would immediately log in, so I could only buy about 3 minutes. So I wracked my brain more. Although hyung was smarter than me and better at studying, my cunning was no less than hyung’s.
With a flash of an idea, I looked up at our house’s rooftop and hurried up there. After carefully avoiding the grains being dried on the rooftop, I looked down at the internet connection cable installed on one side.
“Right. If I’m going to do it, I should do it thoroughly.”
I pulled it out without hesitation and threw it far away.
Hyung would probably raise the circuit breaker and then when trying to log in again, only then realize the internet wasn’t connected and come up here. In case our paths crossed, I quickly entered behind the kitchen as soon as I came down from the rooftop.
I picked up cold medicine from the kitchen table, and as I went up the stairs, I heard a voice from hyung’s slightly open room door.
“Huh? Why can’t I connect? Did the internet cut out?”
I heard the rattling sound of him touching the computer main unit, and I reduced my footsteps and slipped into my room, turned off the lights, and lay down on the bed. And as expected, I heard hyung’s footsteps.
Thump thump.
Clatter.
“Hey!”
“……”
“It’s you, right?”
“……Huh?”
“You lowered the electricity, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about? Yawn… I was sleeping… I think I caught a cold. It’s cold, so close the door.”
“What? Medicine?”
“I took what I left on the table earlier.”
It seemed like he was being fooled for now. Hyung closed my door and I heard the sound of him trudging somewhere again. He probably headed to the rooftop. I felt relieved for now.
Because I threw the cable wire far away, I might not be able to use the internet for a while either. This was truly an act of giving flesh to take bone, and I too had to spend the weekend in an environment without Wi-Fi.
To get the Goldmess egg, I could overcome a boring weekend. I put a hot pack on my forehead and was raising my body heat.
Meanwhile, footsteps were heard again. Hyung’s footsteps were getting more intense. Since the situation wasn’t being resolved now, he seemed agitated. I quietly closed my eyes, waited to see how hyung would react, and carefully removed the hot pack from my face.
A little while later, my room door opened slightly.
“Hey.”
“……”
“Are you sleeping?”
“……”
Daesu hyung came in without even turning on the light and quietly touched my forehead.
“You really do have a bit of a fever.”
I continued pretending to sleep, and hyung touched my hot forehead a few times, then left the room as is.
‘I knew this would happen.’
I gently opened my eyes and put the cold medicine in my pocket into the trash can beside the bed.
“I deliberately took out two cold medicine pills from the table too.”
Ding.
In the dark surroundings, my phone on the desk flashed. I slightly got up and checked the newly arrived message. I frowned because of the overly bright screen, but soon I smiled as brightly as the screen.
[↳ Found the Goldmess egg! ─ 20:47]
[Good. See you at the PC room tomorrow. ─ 20:47]
[↳ ㅇㅇ ─ 20:47]
Tomorrow I would meet Seongheon hyung, introduce Dongmi as my girlfriend, then go to the PC room and upload the Goldmess egg to the auction house with my Keyboard Cleaning character.
“Things are going smoothly.”
Puhaat, just thinking about it was thrilling.
* * *
The next day.
I thought I’d meet Seongheon hyung at the steakhouse entrance, but 1 hour before the appointment time, Seongheon hyung’s black matte SUV suddenly entered our front yard.
Seeing hyung pressing the doorbell afterward, my body stiffened. Hoping to get through today safely, I nervously opened the front door slightly, but as soon as I did, hyung put his hand in the narrow door gap and flung it wide open.
Clatter─!
“Daeyoung-ah.”
“Hyuuung?”
“I came to pick you up.”
Hyung casually approached even as I kept my back against the shoe cabinet, maintaining distance.
Actually, I was on guard, thinking I should keep my wits about me since Seongheon hyung was a scary hyung, but hyung’s appearance today was so wonderful that fact became dulled. Anyone would think hyung was going on a date, not me.
“Why come all the way to our house…”
From the lips that spewed curses last time, a sweet voice flowed out as if coated with honey.
“Why? I came to see our Daeyoung even a little more.”
I couldn’t even make eye contact from awkwardness. But the more I fidgeted, the more hyung’s words and actions became sweet as if containing even richer cream.
‘Why do you keep smiling, making me attached…’
My current creaking behavior was reminiscent of a rusty tin robot. But each time hyung’s smile fell on me drop by drop, I was becoming more human-like as if oiled.
