The Boss had no particular reaction upon seeing the weapon. But feeling guilty preemptively, I fidgeted with my hands clasped behind my back.
A whip.
Even if someone told me it was ordered online instead of from a dungeon, I’d believe it. That’s how ordinary the thing looked.
…Why the hell was that crocodile bastard carrying something like this?
Of course, it was also my fault for swallowing the pearl! But that was necessary.
The Boss turned the whip this way and that, then beckoned to me.
When I came closer, the Boss handed the whip back to me.
“The place is the usual one.”
“Understood.”
It meant to deliver the item and come back.
Phew.
I let out a sigh of relief internally. To be honest, I’d come somewhat prepared to get hit with that whip.
While I was carefully putting the item away, the Boss’s gaze shifted.
“That ring?”
His gaze was directed at my finger. There was a sparkling jeweled ring there.
“Huh? Ah…. I just bought it.”
“…..”
The Boss let out a long stream of smoke. I rolled my eyes around for no reason.
I messed up.
I should have refrained from wearing flashy accessories in front of the Boss as much as possible. Since I wore it every day for the effect, I’d forgotten to take it off today.
“…..”
“…..”
The longer the silence dragged on, the more I felt like I was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Don’t tell me he noticed it’s an Artifact?
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
“A grown man, seriously….”
The Boss turned his head.
“It’s irritating. Take it off.”
“Yes.”
I took off the ring without protest and put it in my pocket.
That’s just his usual nitpicking.
While I waited for him to tell me to leave, Go Sangwon came into the room carrying a kettle. Once the teacup was filled with warm tea, the Boss picked it up and sipped.
“Tolerate his nonsense to a reasonable degree.”
“Yes.”
“Though I’m sure you’ll handle it well on your own….”
I could tell what he was worried about. Because I was worried about the same thing.
Looks like I’ll be getting whipped over there instead.
…….
Honestly, where I got whipped didn’t matter either way. The real problem was something else entirely.
A gate was going to burst at the place I was about to go to, and as a result, one important person was scheduled to die.
***
Stepping into the hotel, a spacious lobby welcomed us.
It was a place I was visiting for the first time in six years. It wasn’t exactly a place with good memories, but coming back after so long still gave me a different kind of feeling.
While I was looking around with a somewhat curious feeling, the restless movement beside me disrupted my musing.
“A bowling alley, a convenience store….”
“…..”
“Oh, there’s a bakery too, apparently.”
It was Jang Ijung. I’d figured it would be easier to keep him close by, so I’d taken on the role of his mentor myself.
I wonder if it was a good idea to bring him along.
I grabbed the collar of Jang Ijung’s clothes to stop him as he tried to wander off somewhere.
“Let’s put our things down before we go sightseeing. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
He wasn’t even a kid, yet as I approached the desk with this restless guy in tow, a staff member in obviously suspicious attire blocked our path.
“…..”
“?”
“I’ll show you the way.”
A staff member here to greet us?
He was wearing sunglasses and even a mask. The effort to conceal his identity was blatant.
“Nice to meet you.”
Suspicious, but I greeted him anyway.
We got into the elevator as instructed. The doors closed, and the staff member silently pressed a button.
As the elevator quietly rose, I stared intently at the round back of his head.
Something about this feels familiar….
The more I looked, the more suspicious it seemed.
Looking closely, the black hair appeared to be a wig — pink fur was sticking out underneath.
The moment I confirmed that—
“!”
I immediately yanked hard on the other person’s hair.
“Ack!”
“? Seo Sinwoo?”
The staff member held onto their hair, resisting. Jang Ijung looked a little flustered.
Paying it no mind, I yanked the black hair hard.
“What are you doing, sir! Ack… gyak!”
After a struggle, the wig came off, revealing pink hair.
As I thought.
The person fixed their messy hair and turned around. Seeing the familiar sight, I smiled at the eyes behind the sunglasses.
“Lulu. I told you to fix that bad habit of playing pranks, didn’t I?”
“…..”
Ding—.
The doors opened, but no one got off.
“Ugh… ugh….”
In the silence, Lulu trembled as if frustrated.
“Hmph… sniff, sniff.”
“Stop the act.”
Passing by Lulu, who was absorbed in the performance, I stepped out of the elevator first. Jang Ijung, who had been hesitating, followed me out.
“Someone you know?”
“You remember the café we went to last time, right?”
“Yeah.”
The shop on the first floor of the hideout.
“That’s the owner.”
And also a member of the organization.
“…But is it okay to just leave him like that?”
“He’ll find his way over.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of someone running and clattering behind us could be heard.
“Senior!”
It seemed he’d given up on the act — no more sunglasses or mask, just his bare face.
“Why are you just walking off like that? Tease me some more.”
“…..”
“How was Lulu’s acting? I didn’t think I’d get caught this fast.”
“…..”
“How was it? Huh?”
He showed no sign of leading us to the room until he got the answer he wanted.
“It was good.”
“Hehe….”
Having gotten the answer he wanted, he finally took the lead and started guiding us.
Lulu, who followed us into the room, blushed.
“Senior, you seem different since I last saw you. You seem even cooler now.”
“Is that so.”
“And I heard the news! Smile Clean! Is that our organization’s name? I was sad we didn’t have a name for so long, but of course, Senior!”
“Is that so.”
As usual, Lulu clung close to me, but for some reason kept glancing behind. Naturally, my eyes followed too.
There stood Jang Ijung, treated like he was invisible. His eyes were faintly directed downward.
What is he looking at, my arm?
As I tried to subtly pull my captured arm away, Lulu leaned in even closer.
“One more person came, huh?”
He whispered into my ear, but in such a cramped space, it was pointless anyway.
“What should we do, this room is a single.”
“Is that so.”
It was to be expected.
“Should I change the room? Or get a folding bed?”
“It doesn’t matter. Just don’t go out of your way to mention there are two of us.”
Once night fell, I wasn’t going to be in the room anyway. Jang Ijung would be using the bed alone, so there was no need to bring in an extra one.
Unaware of my thoughts, Lulu raised a clenched fist.
“Should Lulu kick that guy out?”
“I brought him along.”
“Gasp!”
The tour ended in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
“Ah, Senior.”
Lulu, who had opened the door, turned back before leaving the room.
“You’re coming down later, right?”
“Yes. Just the two of us, quietly.”
“Lulu will let them know!”
Lulu, saluting excitedly, closed the door…. no, since it wasn’t fully closed, the gap in the door remained open.
I ignored it and approached Jang Ijung.
“Tired?”
“No….”
The door opened slightly. A face peeked through the gap.
“…Are you really sure you don’t need a bed? Maybe we should change the room after all—”
“I told you it’s fine.”
Lulu pouted. With a sulky expression, he turned his attention to Jang Ijung.
“Hey, you.”
Jang Ijung, with his usual blank expression, turned to look.
“Lulu’s curious about something. You’re not gay, right?”
“Goo-ey?”
Jang Ijung tilted his head blankly and shook it.
“…Senior, idiot!”
Jang Ijung gave the answer, but I was the one who got cursed at.
The door slammed shut. The sound of footsteps stomping away gradually faded, and in the suddenly quiet room, Jang Ijung glanced at me.
“Girlfriend?”
“No.”
I deliberately didn’t explain further. I hoped he’d be shocked when he learned the truth.
“…?”
Leaving Jang Ijung looking like he still had questions, I set the briefcase down on the shelf.
The interior was a two-room layout, but as Lulu had said, there was only one bed.
I looked at Jang Ijung. He was unwrapping a chocolate from the snacks provided. He must have been overwhelmed, but he didn’t ask anything.
The lack of questions was convenient. I picked up a shopping catalog and sat on the sofa. When I patted the spot next to me, Jang Ijung came over and sat down.
“Just think of today as a vacation.”
“Vacation….”
“Yes, a vacation. Sounds nice, right? Don’t worry about the details, just stay here until tomorrow morning.”
“…..”
Jang Ijung had a brief question mark on his face, then took a bite of the chocolate. He seemed to accept it.
After a moment of stretching, I spoke up.
“Nothing else to do…. Let’s rest a bit and then go for a walk.”
“A walk sounds good.”
“I’ll show you around the hotel.”
Jang Ijung nodded while sprawled on the sofa. His already curly hair got even messier. I ran my hand through his hair to smooth it down.
I took Jang Ijung into a watch shop. The staff, who’d been informed in advance, stepped aside, telling us to look around comfortably.
After looking around briefly, I looked at Jang Ijung, who was still standing there blankly.
“How is it?”
“…Meh?”
Was he even looking properly?
I should hurry up and pick something so we can leave.
I pointed to another product visible in the nearby display.
“This one?”
“Don’t know.”
“Nothing you like?”
“Not really…. More importantly, let’s go eat soon, Seo Sinwoo.”
His attitude was frustratingly indifferent, as if anything was fine either way.
That kind of exchange repeated several times.
“How about this one?”
Anything’s fine, just say you like it.
“Nice.”
It felt like he’d said it carelessly out of annoyance, but either way, I’d gotten the answer I wanted.
Thinking I should just get it over with, I called over the staff member who’d been waiting at a distance.
“…Do you have money?”
“Haha.”
What a laughable question. I confidently pulled out my wallet. I had cash I’d wheedled out of the Boss. It was slightly dirty since it had been scattered on the floor, but….
“Of course I have enough money for this much. What do you take me for?”
“Loser.”
“…..”
You son of a bitch….
I hid my fist behind my back.
“Please wrap it as a gift.”
After paying and stepping outside, the sun was blazing overhead. I checked my watch. It was still early afternoon.
Grooooowl—.
A loud sound rang out beside me. Jang Ijung placed a hand on his stomach.
“I’m hungry. When do we eat?”
“Just a moment. There’s still some time before our restaurant reservation, so….”
Looking around, a bakery in the corner caught my eye. Jang Ijung seemed to like desserts.
“Over there… ah.”
In the moment I looked away, Jang Ijung was already walking toward the bakery.
“Let’s fill up here for now.”
I ordered a strawberry latte and an americano and took a seat. By the time the drinks arrived, Jang Ijung came back with a tray loaded with various breads.
“Looks delicious.”
His eyes wouldn’t leave the bread — he was clearly excited. His expression was blank, but it was easy to tell.
Watching him eat, I took the opportunity to speak up.
“Our Boss really is a great boss. Gives a lot of money too. Even sends us to a fancy hotel.”
“…?”
“Where else could you find such a wonderful superior? Right?”
It was an appeal meant for recruitment. Jang Ijung, absorbed in stuffing bread into his mouth, didn’t even respond.
“This bread you’re eating right now is all thanks to the Boss too. Tastes good, right?”
You wouldn’t want to betray him now, would you?
“Yeah.”
Only then did Jang Ijung answer. His pronunciation was muffled from chewing the bread in his mouth.
I leaned back in my chair, satisfied.
“Anything else you want to do?”
“Bathroom.”
“…Go ahead. You know where it is, right?”
Jang Ijung nodded and got up. I watched his retreating figure.
The more I looked at him, the more he seemed like a childlike man. Whether that was a mask or not, I’d only know once I peeled it back. A little more, and he might come around….
I stood up from my chair, planning to pay in advance.
As I headed toward the counter, an unfamiliar voice called out from behind.
“Kim Cheolsu?”
“?”
The moment I turned around, water was splashed onto my face.
