# 045. The King’s Arrival (16)
He stared at Kim Shin, or rather, what used to be Kim Shin.
It was completely black, appearing almost like the black flame itself.
The black skin protruded in bumpy, uneven patches, and its torso continued to expand as if being inflated, yet strangely, the limbs remained the same size. The tiny arms and legs looked ridiculous attached to the massive torso. One thing was certain—it could no longer walk upright. Those feet couldn’t possibly support such an enormous body.
It was hard to tell whether the transformation was complete or still slowly progressing, but after some time, something like an eye formed on top of its head. The eye was positioned in the center of the face, with a yellow iris and a vertical, elongated pupil resembling that of a reptile. It blinked and slowly began to look around, seemingly exploring its surroundings.
Meeting that eye evoked a revulsion that couldn’t simply be described as fear or terror.
Once it seemed to have gained some awareness of its surroundings, it shook its head from side to side and opened its mouth. It repeatedly opened its mouth wide as if yawning, which unfortunately gave Jaehee an unwanted detailed view of the inside. Its mouth was a void. While a living creature should have organs like teeth inside its mouth, this thing’s mouth was just an empty black space. This was far more chilling than seeing sharp teeth. Each time it opened its mouth, the dark empty space resembled the entrance to a cave.
It made bizarre sounds as it shook its body, and each time, something dark and clumped dropped from its body and pooled on the ground.
A foul, putrid smell began to emanate. It was like the acrid smell of something burning mixed with the nauseating scent of sulfur.
Jaehee realized anew that keeping the survivors inside the photos had been a good decision. If they had to protect the survivors while fighting, it would have been impossible.
“Jeong, Jeongwoo…”
“Jaehee, while it’s still adapting to its new body and can’t move well, you should evacuate the remaining people. Just being near that thing will affect them. We can’t let more people become appendages of the dungeon.”
“Got it. I’ll evacuate everyone.”
As he was about to evacuate the remaining people, Jaehee hesitated for a moment.
“Jeongwoo.”
“Yes?”
“What, what about the people who have already transformed? Jeongwoo, my, my stepmother seems to be one of them.”
“Jaehee.”
“Huh?”
“What do you want to do?”
“What, what do you mean?”
“About your stepmother. Do you want to save her? Or do you want to leave her as she is?”
“Wh-what are you saying?”
The moment Jaehee heard Jeongwoo’s words, he felt as if someone had struck his head hard. He was at a loss for words. He couldn’t understand why Jeongwoo was asking such a thing.
As Jaehee stammered in confusion, Jeongwoo gazed at him with gentle eyes. Receiving such a look from Jeongwoo made Jaehee feel somehow exposed.
“Of course I want to save her. If my stepmother isn’t around, Yeong-i would be so sad.”
“Jaehee, what about you, not Yeong-i? I’m asking about your feelings. Do you want your stepmother to return too? You know I won’t judge you no matter what you say. I’m just asking what you truly want.”
“What are you really saying? This isn’t the time for this. Why do you keep doing this!”
Despite Jaehee’s irritable, sharp response, Jeongwoo didn’t back down. Strangely, the more persistent Jeongwoo was, the more agitated Jaehee felt.
“My actions will depend on your answer. If you ask me to save her, I’ll do it no matter what. Because it’s your request, Jaehee. But if you don’t ask, I might not save her. There are more important things right now than that.”
“No, I mean, why on earth do you think I wouldn’t want my stepmother to return?”
At Jaehee’s words, Jeongwoo slightly furrowed his brow and sighed.
“You don’t like your stepmother. You told me so yourself. You said you wished she would disappear.”
Jaehee was considerably taken aback.
Did I ever say such things to Jeongwoo? When did I say that?
There had certainly been a time when he disliked his stepmother. When he first moved to the city from the countryside, he deeply resented his stepmother’s smiles. He had heard that his stepmother wasn’t the one his father had an affair with. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that his parents’ divorce was somehow her fault.
Still, he didn’t want to go back to the countryside, so he tried his best not to show his feelings and to avoid conflicts.
He would leave home early for school, and whenever he said he wanted to attend academy classes, his father would support him without question, allowing him to stay out until late at night going from one academy to another.
Back then, he hated his stepmother so much that he didn’t even want to face her.
When had that changed? When had it become okay?
His heart began to thaw little by little because of the snacks that were always on his desk. Snacks that were supposedly good for students preparing for exams would always be placed there. Not the kind easily bought from stores, but ones that required careful preparation and effort.
And the short notes left on his desk.
“Good job today.”
At first, those notes felt burdensome and annoying, but as time passed, they gradually touched his heart.
At some point, he no longer disliked his stepmother. Conversations were still awkward, but he looked forward to the notes left on his desk.
“What ancient memories are you talking about! Sure, when you’re fighting and in a bad mood, you might say such things. But that doesn’t mean you truly wish for the other person to die or get hurt. I even volunteered to come to Daejeon because of my stepmother. Stop this nonsense and tell me how to save her. I’ll trust only you.”
“Alright. Trust only me.”
At Jaehee’s words, Jeongwoo smiled brightly. His already handsome face lit up with a beaming smile, creating a strange feeling in Jaehee’s heart. Filled with various emotions, Jaehee slapped Jeongwoo’s back repeatedly. But even as his back was being slapped, Jeongwoo continued to smile, clearly pleased about something.
The creature, which somewhat resembled an alligator, shook its massive body. Each time it did so, stones on the ground scattered in all directions.
Then it opened its huge mouth, and from the empty void-like interior, a black fire suddenly shot out.
The black fire shot from its mouth fell onto a tree. The black flames began to burn on the tree, gradually expanding their territory. The creature opened its mouth again. This time, it spat out several black fires. The black flames that fell everywhere started to burn on the ground and on rocks. The black flames made no sound and emitted no heat, but they continued to exude a foul odor.
Jeongwoo watched this and then ignited a red flame on his sword. The red flame instantly flowed along the blade, making Jeongwoo’s sword look like a massive flame itself.
Jeongwoo swung his sword. He hadn’t even noticed when it had become so dark, but darkness had gathered all around. As Jeongwoo swung his flaming sword, the darkness retreated a little each time.
It was as if Jeongwoo and the black flames were engaged in a power struggle.
While Jeongwoo was pushing back the darkness, Jaehee gathered the remaining people in one corner. The Doomsday Cult members had lost their motivation since their leader Kim Shin had fallen, so it wasn’t difficult to gather them in one place. Park Yongpil and Kim Jisu also helped Jaehee.
“Jisu-ssi. These people too, in photos…”
“Ah! Yes, yes. That would be safe. But… what about the Awakened Ones from the Doomsday Cult? Should we take their photos too? But they’re Awakened Ones… wouldn’t it be better to have them around for conquering the dungeon?”
At Kim Jisu’s words, Jaehee looked at the Awakened Ones from the Doomsday Cult. Most of them either bowed their heads or turned away, avoiding Jaehee’s eyes. Among them, there was one who didn’t avoid his gaze—Ju Serin. Serin’s face was pale. Not far from her, Jaehee also spotted Yang Jeongil. Jeongil was keeping his head down with a deeply cowed expression.
“People whose loyalty is uncertain won’t be helpful as allies. We’d be lucky if they don’t stab us in the back in a moment of crisis. Besides, they knew exactly what they were doing. Just take photos of all of them. Ah! Please try to save the film as much as possible. The survivors might… return.”
“Really? The survivors can return?”
Kim Jisu, who had been nodding, widened her eyes at Jaehee’s words.
Jaehee smiled a little and pointed at Jeongwoo with his chin.
“That guy said he would bring them back. Despite how he looks, he never makes promises he can’t keep, and he always keeps the promises he makes. He must have said that because he has some way to do it.”
