Chapter 53
The rest of the trip passed in an uneasy, awkward silence. Their mother didn’t say a word, lost in her own thoughts. Chanhee glanced at Hyunjae, who sat quietly beside him, staring blankly ahead. Hyunjae looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. Chanhee puffed out his cheeks and exhaled sharply.
“Is Hyung coming back on the same flight as us?”
“Hyung’s taking a separate flight with his team.”
“He’s not coming with us?”
“We’ll see him at home later. It’s fine.”
After the encounter with the strange man, even more security had been assigned to Chanhee and Hyunjae. The tourism bureau was on edge, worried the incident could escalate into an international issue. Fortunately, nothing else happened after the security detail was added, but Dohyun’s expression remained grim. Chanhee instinctively knew it had something to do with Hyunjae.
On the flight back to Korea and all the way home, neither boy shared their thoughts about their first overseas trip. It wasn’t just Chanhee—Hyunjae didn’t try to start a conversation either.
“Hey, Yu Hyunjae.”
Chanhee deliberately called Hyunjae in a sharp tone. Hyunjae, who had been sitting in his chair, slowly turned his head toward Chanhee.
“…Was the trip not fun?”
Hyunjae hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“Then did something bad happen?”
“No.”
“So why do you look like that?”
“You don’t look good either…”
“I almost got kidnapped!”
Hyunjae looked at Chanhee with a slightly frightened expression. It was the first time he’d shown any real emotion.
“He said it’s because of me…”
“What?”
“That bad things happening to you are my fault…”
“Who said that?”
“Hyung.”
“Hyung? You mean Dohyun?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Chanhee tilted his head. He couldn’t believe Dohyun would say such a thing to Hyunjae. He clearly remembered Dohyun suddenly appearing at the temple, frantically searching for Hyunjae. And then he’d said that? Hyunjae still sat with a gloomy expression, his lips pouting, avoiding Chanhee’s gaze.
***
As soon as they arrived home, they saw Dohyun standing stiffly in the living room, staring intently at something in the air. The moment he sensed their presence, he turned naturally to greet them. Chanhee looked at the empty space Dohyun had been staring at, but there was nothing there.
“You got back early.”
“Yeah. Glad you made it back safely.”
Their mother nodded wearily and went to her room. The housekeeper, who had been waiting, picked up their bags and followed them upstairs. While unpacking and getting ready for bed, Chanhee organized his thoughts about what to say to Dohyun.
“Hyung.”
Dohyun, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked at Chanhee with a slightly tired expression.
“I saw it.”
Dohyun’s eyes sharpened subtly.
“The weird blue window.”
“What?”
“You were looking at it.”
Dohyun got up from the sofa and grabbed Chanhee’s shoulders with both hands. His grip was tight, and Chanhee’s small shoulders ached. He looked up at Dohyun with a slightly frightened expression.
“Ow, Hyung, it hurts.”
“What did you see?”
“The blue window…”
“Did you read it?”
“I don’t know Korean yet, so I couldn’t read it…”
Dohyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The deep furrow between his brows suggested a weight of worry Chanhee couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“When did you see it?”
“When I was bringing you the pen…”
Dohyun narrowed his eyes, as if recalling that moment.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“What?”
“That you saw it. That you saw anything.”
Chanhee nodded. Dohyun let go of him and stood up. His shadow loomed large over Chanhee’s small body.
“Hyung.”
Chanhee still seemed restless, as if he had more to say. He spoke to Dohyun again.
“Is that thing bad?”
Dohyun looked down at Chanhee. At over 180 cm tall, he must have seemed intimidating to the still-young Chanhee. But Chanhee had never once been afraid of him. He clenched his fists tightly.
“Hyunjae said…”
“What did he say?”
“That bad things happening to me are his fault.”
Dohyun waited for Chanhee to continue. Chanhee’s heart raced as he struggled to maintain his pronunciation, speaking clearly and deliberately.
“Is it because I saw something I wasn’t supposed to?”
Dohyun closed his eyes for a moment. His expression seemed to be suppressing anger, or perhaps deep in thought. After a long silence, he shook his head.
“It has nothing to do with it.”
“…Really?”
“It’s not a bad thing.”
“Really not?”
Dohyun nodded again. Chanhee finally burst into tears, clinging to Dohyun’s legs. It’s not bad, that’s good. It’s not bad, so it’s okay. There’s nothing bad in the world…
***
Chanhee, dressed in his pajamas, carefully opened the closed door. The first thing he saw was a neatly organized desk—unlike his own messy room. When he pushed the door open more than halfway, he saw Hyunjae sitting on the bed, reading a picture book.
“Yu Hyunjae!”
Hyunjae blinked sleepily at Chanhee.
“Aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I’m gonna sleep with you.”
Chanhee grabbed a pillow and ran to Hyunjae’s side, flopping onto the bed with a thud. Hyunjae, as if used to this, made room for him. Chanhee, who had been lying face-down on the bed, lifted his head and said,
“You’re not bad.”
Hyunjae looked up from his book. He hadn’t really been reading it since Chanhee came in.
“Hyung said so. He said there’s nothing bad.”
“But…”
“So you’re not bad.”
Hyunjae, who had been pouting, slowly nodded. Chanhee rolled over and draped himself over Hyunjae. With a giggle, the two of them chatted brightly, as if they’d never been gloomy. After playing for about thirty minutes, they grew tired and, without a word, fell asleep side by side.
***
The room was arranged like a study. One wall was lined with books—from ancient texts with incomprehensible titles to recent manuals on advanced mana manipulation. Dohyun sat in a chair, still in his clothes, staring blankly at the empty desk. The room was so quiet it felt like time had stopped. The silence was broken by the loud vibration of a phone.
The phone on the corner of the desk vibrated repeatedly as messages poured in. Dohyun slowly reached out and checked it.
[Hyung]
[I heard you’re back?]
[Can we meet tomorrow?]
[In front of the school.]
[I’ll skip night self-study.]
Dohyun’s expression darkened. When he didn’t reply, the sender grew impatient and called. Dohyun hesitated but eventually answered.
—Hyung, you were gonna ignore my call again, weren’t you?
“…Why did you call?”
—Let’s meet tomorrow.
“I’ll be busy tomorrow.”
—You promised to buy me a meal.
“We can do that later.”
—I’ve got midterms coming up, so it’s hard for me to get away after that.
Dohyun sighed deeply. Then, with a voice that sounded both troubled and resigned, he called the other person by name.
“Suhyun.”
—Ah, don’t call me like that.
“It’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
—You’ll really answer tomorrow?
After a long pause, Dohyun replied with a reluctant yeah. He’d probably keep his phone off all day tomorrow. As if sensing this, Suhyun ended the call, his voice still tinged with unease.
Silence returned. Dohyun bit his lip once, then broke the quiet with a command.
“Show me the progress rate.”
At his words, multiple blue windows suddenly appeared in the air, one after another. The light from the windows illuminated the dark room. Dohyun read the text in the center window, keeping his expression carefully neutral, as if someone might barge in at any moment.
***
—Today’s Progress Rate: 33%
Not bad! At this rate, mission success is practically guaranteed! Today’s fortune: “Do not let petty emotions ruin your plans.”
—3 quests remain to advance to the next mission phase.
—Would you like to check the quest details?
Dohyun nodded. The window changed, and new text appeared in the air.
***
—Your life is constantly at risk! You never know when or where your throat might be slit. Protect your target from enemies and maintain your reputation! It is not advisable to let the target go out today.
Target: Yu Chanhee
Your Reputation Index: 98%
—A drop in reputation reduces your overall stats. Your reputation is composed of 40% ability, 5% luck, and 55% “Secret.” Do not neglect the security of your “Secret.” The “Secret” is always ready to explode. Maintain your “Secret” as perfectly as possible. Good luck, Master.
The screen disappeared. Dohyun laughed for the first time since returning home. It was a cold, mocking laugh.
“Master, my ass.”
Just a damn system. Dohyun sneered.
