#116
The first time he thought something was strange was during his last visit to Earth. When he crossed the portal at Mount Yonghwa and found Nam Hyun-seok, the entrance manager told him that the deputy director was looking for the section chief in Suncheon and couldn’t be reached.
But when Jin-ha arrived at the headquarters of the Anomaly Management Agency in Seoul and went to the deputy director’s room, Nam Hyun-seok was searching through the deputy director’s room.
At that moment, when their eyes met, he felt a strange gaze. It was a gaze far from the one he had known for over a decade. It wasn’t hostility. Rather, it was a joy as if he had found a precious item he had lost.
Yes, an item. It was a gaze as if looking at an object, not a person.
“I need more information…”
After parting with Nam Hyun-seok, he had passed out due to a strange condition, so he couldn’t think properly. He was also busy investigating the issue with his father that Cha Ki-young knew about and the deputy director’s disappearance.
He couldn’t ask someone from the Anomaly Management Agency to investigate. No matter who he asked, it was clear that it would reach Nam Hyun-seok’s ears. That person had a wide network.
What if he asked the World Gate Information Association to look into it? Jin-ha shook his head as he continued to ponder. Of course, the association would investigate secretly, but it was clear that the information wouldn’t be completely confidential. There was no information that could escape Dr. Cho’s ears in the association. Especially since he was someone who cared about Jin-ha. He didn’t want to make such a big deal out of it yet.
Then the only one left was Cha Ki-young. Jin-ha never thought he would ask Cha Ki-young, whom he had nagged for doing suspicious things, for an investigation other than his father’s issue. If he had known this would happen, he would have been arrogant, thinking that all the nagging would have been helpful. But it was better than dealing with Dr. Cho’s worried surveillance.
The last remaining problem was more fundamental.
Would Riyekan really let him go?
* * *
“…”
Riyekan’s expression turned sulky. Jin-ha quickly moved away before Riyekan could get more upset. When he sat down next to him, Riyekan’s mood improved slightly.
But even so, it was at the level of “Go ahead and try to make an excuse.” Jin-ha felt a surge of anger for a moment, thinking that he had never been in such a subordinate position in a romantic relationship, but he suppressed it well.
“I’m not saying I won’t come back at all.”
“If that were the case, it wouldn’t have ended like this.”
“I’ll go and come back after two days of work.”
“Two days?”
Riyekan shouted as if he had thought Jin-ha would be gone for months.
“I’ll buy you a present on my way back.”
Jin-ha took Riyekan’s hand and gently rubbed it to soothe him. Fortunately, Riyekan seemed to calm down a bit.
“…I have a condition.”
“I can’t go with you.”
“Why? Are you going to cheat on me?”
“Riyekan.”
There were things that could be said and things that couldn’t. Jin-ha tried to accommodate his lover’s whims and complaints, but he could never tolerate baseless suspicions.
Cheating was the most despicable act among those that could be done between lovers.
Jin-ha looked Riyekan in the eye and said,
“I will never be the first to turn away in this relationship. Never.”
In fact, if one of them were to cheat, wouldn’t it be more likely to be Riyekan? Because to Riyekan, Jin-ha was just a casual relationship wrapped in the guise of a serious one. No, on second thought, Riyekan didn’t seem like he would cheat. This man would coldly declare the end of the relationship before cheating.
“The reason I can’t go with you is that you are the master of this tower. If I were to announce that the master of the Noon Moon Tower is visiting and then leave without giving them time to prepare, the people there would all panic. You know your position, don’t you?”
“I know. And I can’t go anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
Jin-ha asked, and Riyekan replied with a pouty face.
“The portal connected to Earth was opened through a contract between the Queen and me. When we made the contract, the Queen said she would open a portal that I could call for what I wanted. That means I can call it, but I can’t cross over.”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
It seemed that was why he had reacted sensitively even when Jin-ha said he would briefly visit Earth, taking Seo Ji-seop and the agency’s magicians hostage. It was probably why, on the day he first went to Mount Yonghwa to investigate the portal, only a hand had reached out and pulled him in, and why he had sent an invitation with endless riddles so that Jin-ha would come on his own.
“So, I can’t just let you go this time either.”
“Hmm, I understand. You’re a bit sensitive and picky, so there’s no helping it. I will definitely return within two days, so take hostages as you wish this time too.”
“Really understand? Taking hostages?”
“Yes, honestly, I think it’s surprisingly trusting of you to do so.”
Riyekan raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand what he meant. Jin-ha gently tapped the back of Riyekan’s hand and said,
“You told me the truth even though you could have hidden the fact that you can’t go to Earth. That means you trust me enough to tell me such things. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s… because I thought I couldn’t hide it since you’ve become acquainted with the Queen…”
“Even so, it’s meaningful that you said it with your own mouth.”
As Jin-ha whispered softly, Riyekan rolled his eyes in bewilderment.
“Why are you like that?”
“Hmm… honestly, my plan went awry, and I’m thinking about what to do.”
“What plan are you talking about?”
Even though he said he understood everything, what did he mean by his plan going awry? At Jin-ha’s question, Riyekan hesitated for a moment and then revealed what that ‘plan’ was.
“I thought that if I said I would take hostages, you would get angry and say, ‘Do you not trust me?’ Then I was going to offer this in exchange for relaxing the rules.”
As he said that, what Riyekan took out from his bosom was a ring with a bright blue gemstone. To be precise, a pair of rings.
It couldn’t be an ordinary ring. If it were an ordinary ring, he could have just handed it over normally. Jin-ha looked at it with suspicion, and Riyekan grumbled.
“It’s a ring that can communicate. If you tap the gemstone on one side, the other side vibrates. Then if you press the gemstone firmly, it connects.”
“You can have a conversation even from a distance. I don’t particularly dislike it.”
“I thought you would find it bothersome.”
“If it were anyone else, I would have.”
“Is it okay in a serious relationship?”
“Yes, this much is fine. They have these on Earth too.”
Jin-ha nodded and put on the ring. Communication rings weren’t particularly rare artifacts on Earth either. They were used not only by lovers but also by guilds to create and use multi-communication artifacts.
He didn’t know for sure, but perhaps Seo Ji-seop had also exchanged such rings with his wife.
What was this, that he had to wear it with such a plan?
“You’re quite considerate of others.”
Jin-ha, who had unconsciously chuckled, suddenly stopped. Was Riyekan the type to be considerate of others in such matters? That couldn’t be.
Before he could send a suspicious gaze, Riyekan put on his share of the ring and tapped the gemstone to make a call. Jin-ha’s ring vibrated softly. Jin-ha unconsciously accepted the call.
– Does it have this function too?
Surprised by the voice resonating in his mind, Jin-ha flinched and looked back at Riyekan. Usually, the voice would pop out from the artifact, but it seemed that the one Riyekan made communicated in a way similar to telepathy.
After several attempts, Jin-ha replied to Riyekan.
– No, I’ve never seen this before…
– I thought so.
As he looked on in amazement at the surprising function, Riyekan smiled in satisfaction. Seeing that sinister and suspicious smile, Jin-ha reflexively frowned. He wasn’t the type to be so satisfied just because he had put on a communication ring…
“Oh, did I get caught?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t get caught?”
“You said that knowing you didn’t get caught. Stop teasing and tell me what you’re talking about.”
“It’s nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, then tell me.”
Riyekan extended his hand to Jin-ha. It seemed like he was saying to check for himself, so Jin-ha tried to take off the ring but couldn’t. It didn’t budge at all. Jin-ha hurriedly tried to take off the ring he had just put on, but the ring on his finger was the same.
“What is this…”
“I made it so you can’t take it off your body in case you find it bothersome and don’t answer the call. How is it?”
“How is it… Take it off for me.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Riyekan!”
“I said I don’t want to.”
Jin-ha was dumbfounded as he looked at Riyekan, who was shamelessly shrugging.
“Instead, I’ll make sure the kids can stay comfortably while you’re on Earth.”
“…How?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
