I took great care in explaining the process so they could fully understand. When I told them that just like people need to exchange phone numbers to stay in contact, something similar was required to communicate with a Constellation, everyone listening gave me strange looks.
It seemed their awkward reactions came from the jarring sense of dissonance—being confronted with the mundane side of transcendent beings. The gap that dissonance created was clearly too wide for them to accept my words outright.
“So basically, it’s like meeting someone in person and trading contact info, metaphorically speaking? Ga-hyeon-hyung, you do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”
At Yoo Ji-won’s comment, Oh Kwon-hyuk nodded in agreement. His jet-black eyes fixed on me. He looked genuinely angry at this incomprehensible situation.
“Even if I said I’d protect you, that didn’t mean I was going to go along with this nonsense.”
“When did you two ever have that kind of conversation?”
With things turning out like this, Baek Tae-beom, who had believed everything I’d said up to now, started to appear in a new light. He hadn’t just believed what I said—he believed in me.
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: That’s what he says, Anubis. Hermóðr.]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Truly, how pitiful are the ones we’ve chosen as Contractors!]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: Silence.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Guess there’s no choice. We’ll have to use that method here.]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: That method?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: The Secret-Spill Method. Telling a secret that only a Constellation of the Contractor could possibly know.]
Hermes seemed oddly amused.
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Got any good ones? Something entertaining?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: …My Contractor. Every night before bed. Gives himself a foot massage.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: That’s just useless TMI. You’re gonna get the wrong idea spread around.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Hmm. My Contractor wore pink panties today.]
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: Do none of you care about basic human rights…?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: None of that boring stuff!]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: My Contractor wore toe socks today!]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: I didn’t ask for details about Lee Myung-won’s personal life.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: This isn’t working. These are all way too boring.]
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: Can’t we just let Ga-hyeon show them his ability?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: My ability?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Oh, that’d work perfectly!]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Ga-hyeon’s a Constellation, so he can read other people’s information, right?]
They were clearly referring to the ability to view someone’s status window. I took a deep breath. Everyone’s eyes were on me.
“My Constellation is Odin, the ‘Magician Who Seeks Knowledge.’ He’s deeply connected to all of this. Through Odin’s abilities, I can communicate with other Constellations—and see your information too.”
“You can see our info?”
“For example…”
I looked at Yoo Ji-won.
‘Information Overview.’
[Viewing target’s information.]
[One Shot! Yoo Ji-won]
[Title: One Shot!, Dazzling, Everyone Look Here…
Rank: A
Status: Unavailable
Contracted Constellation: Horseback Herald
Coins Owned: Unavailable
Skills: [Bang Bang!], [Iron Wall Mentality], [Subscriptions and Likes Are Just the Basics], [I’ve Got a Question], [Magician of Language]….]
“Things like skill names or titles. Yoo Ji-won, you currently have a title called ‘One Shot!,’ right?”
“…You could find that out with just a little research.”
“Your Constellation is the Horseback Herald, Hermóðr. You’re ranked A.”
“You helped me pick my Constellation, remember? Of course you’d know that.”
“Your skills include <Bang Bang!>, <Iron Wall Mentality>, <Subscriptions and Likes Are Just the Basics>…”
“What’s with those skill names?”
Blue Star looked completely baffled. Yoo Ji-won’s ears flushed red.
“Don’t make fun of someone else’s skill names…! …Still, yeah, no one else knew them.”
“I wouldn’t tell anyone either if those were my skills.”
Aquila nodded in agreement. Yoo Ji-won looked even more mortified.
“But knowing that kind of info—what difference does it make?”
Oh Kwon-hyuk stood firm.
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Anubis. Can’t you just tell Oh Kwon-hyuk directly?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: You can message him, right?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: I already am.]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: What did you say?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: I already. Sent the message.]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: My Contractor. Doesn’t even react.]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: It seems… he refuses to believe it.]
“It’s only now that I’ve finally built a semblance of peace for myself.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk spoke with a stiff, restrained voice.
“I had no family. No relatives. The only family I managed to create in this life are my guild members.”
His eyes were deeply sunken with emotion.
“And now you say destruction is coming? That we’ll turn on one another and try to kill each other? How could I possibly believe something like that?”
Oh Kwon-hyuk stood from his seat, casting a cold gaze down at me.
“I can’t accept this. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait.”
I stopped him in his tracks.
“If you really have people you love like family, shouldn’t that make you more willing to believe me?”
“……”
“Is denying reality and running away really your style? I don’t think so. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how strange things have gotten. And yet you’re saying you’ll just stand by and do nothing?”
“The world won’t be destroyed.”
“It won’t—because we’ll protect it.”
I raised my voice with conviction.
“And to make that happen, we need your help too.”
“……”
“What I’m saying now isn’t some attempt to scare everyone into trembling in fear over the end of the world. I’m talking about stopping those who are trying to bring about destruction. I, too, have people I love in this world—people I want to protect. But I won’t run away just because I’m scared of what’s to come.”
“I’m not running away…!”
“Yes, you are. Right now.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk strode up to me. His pitch-black eyes glared down, as if he might devour me whole. His gaze blazed with intensity.
“You’re saying I’m running away?”
“Yes. What else would you call it, when you’re panicking and denying what’s right in front of you?”
“Choi Ga-hyeon.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk looked off into empty space for a moment. It seemed he’d just received a message from his Constellation. I kept going.
“Running away from what’s coming won’t preserve your peace.”
“……”
“Hey, Mr. Oh. Just sit back down for a sec,” said Blue Star with a wave of his hand.
“You’re not the only one with someone to protect, you know. I’m not alone either—I’ve got all my lovely fans~.”
“……”
“Okay, so I get that Ga-hyeon isn’t lying. He’s really talking to Constellations… though I still don’t fully get it. So, Ga-hyeon? Lee Myung-won?”
Blue Star’s eyes locked onto me.
“What are you actually trying to say? You want to stop the end of the world?”
Lee Myung-won pushed up his glasses.
“To be precise, there are two key objectives. First is to expose the crimes of Gongmyeong.”
“You said before that this Kang Si-hoo guy is the Guildmaster of Gongmyeong, right?”
“Yes. Gongmyeong is currently using kidnapped children as sacrificial offerings to fuel some kind of plan. We need to stop them.”
Yoo Ji-won gave a slow nod.
“So that’s why you were looking into Gongmyeong at Hansung. Meanwhile, I was trying to make a deal without knowing any of this.”
“And the second objective?”
Aquila asked the question.
“To find Fenrir.”
“Fenrir?”
“Angrboda had three children: Hel, Jörmungandr, and finally, Fenrir… The first two have already been released by Kang Si-hoo. We have to find the last one—either stop him or kill him.”
“You believe that if all three are released, destruction will follow?”
I nodded.
“Angrboda’s deepest desire is likely to be reunited with her children… but if that’s all it was, she wouldn’t be going about things like this.”
“So this Kang Si-hoo—what do we do if we find him? Kill him?”
Blue Star’s tone was casual, but the question was heavy. I hesitated.
Kang Si-hoo, the protagonist of The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World, a man who—originally—fought harder than anyone to protect this world. He gave everything in his attempt to stop Baek Tae-beom. He regretted, despaired, got hurt, and rose again. I had witnessed all of it while reading the story. I never saw the epilogue, but I stayed with him until the end.
That man… by my hand.
“If that time comes, I’ll take care of it.”
I wanted to be the one to end it.
Just then, Baek Tae-beom walked in holding a plate of sliced fruit. He placed it at the center of the table, then glanced around at everyone like they were a nuisance.
“If you’re too scared, get the hell out.”
“Tae-beom.”
“…If you’re terrified, then get out of this house.”
“Doesn’t change the point, even if you put it that way.”
I tugged on Baek Tae-beom’s collar, who was still glaring murderously at Oh Kwon-hyuk.
“So, if you’re willing to cooperate, there are some things I’d like to ask of you.”
