Chapter 10
“You don’t even have Baekmu anymore since you sold it off.”
“Since when has that ever been helpful?”
Seeing him chuckle, Jung Isaac seemed to forget quickly. Eunseong gathered up another handful of courage and placed his palm on Mujin’s chest.
Mujin’s Hwanghwa didn’t react to Eunseong’s power. Due to his ability level being far short of what was needed for communion, it was at a level where it simply ignored Eunseong. In childhood, when Eunseong said Mujin’s energy felt like a snooty fellow, his father used to laugh.
Eunseong frowned deeply and spoke in an anguished voice.
“Even if I can’t control it, I can read your condition. You can’t go, Mujin.”
“This time, Huiseon decided that all guild leaders will participate. You know I can’t be left out.”
“It’ll be dangerous for you. This time especially…”
Eunseong exhaled roughly. He couldn’t tell whether hyperventilation was returning because the medication was wearing off or because too much medication was circulating. His vision was hot and his throat felt like heated metal was lodged inside.
“It seems like the timing was moved up too suddenly. I only heard about the major rift today.”
“Rifts don’t appear when it’s convenient for us.”
Even though it was his own life at stake and no one else’s, Mujin’s tone was too dry. That suffocated Eunseong.
“Why do you always talk like that? You’re acting like you just want to get it over with quickly…”
“…”
“Just a little, just give me a little more time and I’ll somehow find a way…”
Mujin firmly grasped Eunseong’s shoulders with both hands as he began to pant.
“Eunseong.”
His eyes were telling him to accept it, and Eunseong’s heart plummeted with a thud. How could he accept a friend who had given up everything and was just waiting for the day to sacrifice himself?
He hadn’t moved even one step forward from when they argued at Mujin’s house. It only confirmed once again that there was no way to persuade Mujin.
“Let go of this.”
Eunseong shook off Mujin’s hands with a venomous energy that didn’t match his round eyes. When he pushed him away and stood up abruptly, only then did those black eyes seem to waver slightly. Eunseong staggered toward the window just like that.
“You know what?”
When he flung open the large window, fierce wind rushed into the reception room. As he turned around with his back to the wind, Mujin had risen from his seat and was looking toward him.
“People die really easily. I understand your feelings, Mujin… but even without it being because of you, I could die.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Neither is this for me, Mujin.”
The last words carried a lot of sincerity. Eunseong truly found this situation, his life, unfunny. When he suddenly felt tired and chuckled dryly, Mujin’s eyes blazed yellow and fierce.
Eunseong’s hands gripping the windowsill trembled violently. When he put strength into climbing up onto the window frame, the strong wind struck his cheek.
“Yoo Eunseong!”
Mujin’s angry voice was also drowned out by the wind. The moment he let go of his hands, Mujin, who had closed the distance in one bound, urgently grabbed the swaying Eunseong. In the rough pulling momentum, Eunseong lost his balance and tumbled to the floor.
“Ugh!”
With a loud crash, Mujin roughly grabbed the collar of the sprawled Eunseong.
“You, really!”
Mujin could do nothing but glare at Eunseong who had threatened him. Seeing him trembling with a pale face and blue-tinged lips, even the rising anger was bound to cool.
He knew well that Eunseong had difficulty even approaching windows on high floors since his accident. Mujin’s two fists, which had been clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, loosened helplessly.
“Never again.”
Mujin lifted Eunseong up and sat him down on the sofa as if throwing him there.
“Never do this kind of thing in front of me again.”
“…How will you stop me after you’re dead?”
As he smirked while deeply buried in the sofa, Mujin glared as if he would kill him. Eunseong glared back just as fiercely, but like an idiot, his eyes stung on their own and welled up with moisture.
He had no talent for fighting whatsoever, which made him even angrier. Every time, because of these hasty tears, he couldn’t say what he wanted to properly and felt wronged. Whether with Mujin or with hyung Jaeseong, Eunseong had never won even once in any matter.
Even clinging, pleading, and crying, Mujin wouldn’t budge an inch, so now it was becoming resentful. Probably even if he knelt and cried out, he wouldn’t listen.
Eunseong was completely suffocated by the hopelessness.
‘Anyway, if you die, I have no reason to live either.’
With no father or hyung, if Mujin was gone too, how could foolish him endure alone in this world?
But he couldn’t say those words to Mujin.
It wasn’t like Mujin was dying because he wanted to die on purpose.
Even if he seemed resigned, he knew it was because there was no way to live, and he knew too well the sincerity behind acting that way out of consideration for his feelings, so he couldn’t add his own worthless life as another burden to him.
Eunseong lay down on the sofa, fuming. He couldn’t bear it from frustration. When he covered his eyes with his sleeve, he could hear Mujin clicking his tongue quietly.
Just then, Yeon Seokchun, who had finished participating in the first part of the auction, appeared in the reception room.
“Guild Leader-nim, what is all this? This door…”
The broken door panel was scorched in places as if burned by fire. Anyone could see at a glance that it was Mujin’s doing. Despite causing such an incident in a neutral zone without being kicked out, it was probably thanks to Huiseon Guild’s spokesperson who was earnestly making explanations. They might have thrown some money at it too.
Moreover, with guild leader Eunseong lying sprawled in front of Mujin as if protesting, the whole situation was painted clearly in Yeon Seokchun’s eyes as if he had seen it directly.
It must be because of that man Eunseong had followed out, Jung Isaac.
After finishing his thoughts in a short time, as Yeon Seokchun approached, Mujin shot him a look with eyes still glowing yellow.
“If you came along calling yourself a team leader, shouldn’t there be things you should do? You can’t even manage your guild leader’s medication, can’t prevent random people from approaching, and leaving him neglected like this—is this Yuseong Guild’s way?”
“Your words are a bit excessive. Looking at the situation, it doesn’t seem like our guild leader is angry because of Hunter Jung Isaac. Am I wrong?”
Because Yeon Seokchun’s expression was as calm as a lake, Mujin gritted his teeth.
“Jung Isaac from Jeongja Guild, ban him from approaching Eunseong.”
“…You mean Jeongso Guild, correct? If it’s Hunter Jung Isaac, I have information about him too. I didn’t stop the two of you from talking based on my own judgment.”
From Yeon Seokchun’s perspective, it was rather Baek Mujin who should be banned from approaching.
“But suddenly banning that person from approaching? May I ask why you’ve reached such a conclusion?”
Mujin was looking down at the lying Eunseong. Heat boiled intensely in his narrowed eyes. Barely suppressing his anger, he spoke as if chewing and spitting out the words.
“Ask that guy for the reason. That bastard definitely approached with some ulterior motive, but he won’t tell me.”
With those words, Mujin turned his body. He left the sprawled Eunseong to Yeon Seokchun with an irritated face.
When crossing the reception room threshold, he smashed the remaining less-broken door panel. The Huiseon Guild spokesperson’s face turned gray seeing that sight, but he seemed quite angry since he didn’t care. He shot displeased looks at each Yuseong Guild member until the very end before leaving.
When Mujin’s figure completely disappeared, Joo Hyeonwoo whistled quietly. The Yuseong Guild members looked at each other with awkward faces and shrugged their shoulders.
“What a headache.”
Yeon Seokchun let out a long sigh.
* * *
[ On XX month XX day, 20XX, Judgment Day approaches XX district! ]
On this day, the sky will burn and the earth will be dyed purple. Those not chosen will be swept up in the major rift’s vortex. But do not fear.
The eternal sanctuary of light will guide you to salvation. Only our ‘Spiritual Radiance’ has the power to lead you to the door of a new world.
Those who follow our god’s will shall survive even the day of disaster when the tower collapses and welcome new life. For those who reject the truth, only dark and cold death remains.
[ The path to salvation is here! ]
Directions: District 1, XX Area, XX Road, XX Address
Inquiry Phone: 010-XXXX-XXXX
Assembly Time: Every Wednesday and Saturday at 7 PM
Follow the light. The choice is yours. But once the final time of salvation passes, the opportunity will disappear forever.
Do not hesitate. There is not much time.
The person who received the flyer frowned at the preposterous content but couldn’t rashly crumple it up. This was because all media lately was only talking about this religion.
‘Judgment has already begun long ago.’
Just as he was scanning the red letters on the large placard with a displeased expression, a low growling voice was heard from behind.
“Everyone’s going to die…”
The man stiffened abruptly. When he immediately turned around, there were only cult members with kind faces handing out flyers.
He couldn’t tell whether it was a sound carried by the wind or a sound from within his own anxious heart.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
