It might’ve been easy to assume I had misheard the Magic Conch Shell, but judging by the reaction of One More Dazzling Than the Sun, that wasn’t the case. The feeling of devastation was beyond words.
Had I still failed to influence Baek Tae-beom? Was the still-living Yoo Jin-woo gang making contact with him again?
Or worse…
Was Baek Tae-beom’s younger sibling going to die after all?
So this is what it felt like to know the future—utterly horrifying.
[CH.#643nj5 / One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Answer me.
I wasn’t in any shape to hold a proper conversation with him. All of my thoughts were fixated on Baek Tae-beom’s younger sibling. It was clear now—that sibling was going to die.
If that was true, then I had no choice. I had to protect his sibling, no matter what. Otherwise, this ending would never change.
[CH.#643nj5 / One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: This is just astonishing.
[CH.#643nj5 / One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: I want to have a proper conversation with you,
[CH.#643nj5 / One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: but looking at you now, that seems impossible.
I turned away from his words. Something was stirring in the lake I’d emerged from. The water rippled, and something moved beneath the surface. Then, with a splash, an arm broke through.
The problem was—the arm was nothing but bare bone, stripped of all flesh.
An Undead-type monster.
So the skeleton beneath the water really was a monster.
I shoved the Magic Conch Shell back into my inventory and drew my staff. The monster began to tremble and clicked its jaw rapidly before stepping onto land, staring straight at me with hollow eye sockets.
Without hesitation, I swung my staff.
[You are using a skill. Skill: Thorn of Sin]
[Activating Thorn of Sin.]
Countless thorns erupted in midair, ensnaring the skeleton’s movements—like vicious whips and iron chains.
But the problem was this: Undead monsters couldn’t feel pain.
It let out a grotesque sound, baring its teeth and raising its head. Judging by how unaffected it looked, it clearly hadn’t taken any real damage. Clicking my tongue in frustration, I watched it squirm as if the thorns clinging to its body were nothing but a nuisance.
But I hadn’t bought this staff just for its skill.
I closed the distance to the skeleton, which looked like it might break free at any moment. Its empty sockets locked onto me—as if screaming for me to return what I had stolen.
I ignored its gaze and slammed the staff straight into its skull with full force.
CLANG!
The skull went flying and splashed back into the lake with a heavy plop.
SPLASH!
The skeleton’s headless body trembled violently, then went limp. Moments later, it crumbled to dust.
That’s right. The true value of this staff lay in one simple thing: it was absurdly durable. My arm ached from the force of the swing.
[Constellation ‘One More Dazzling Than the Sun’ is flabbergasted by you.]
[Constellation ‘One More Dazzling Than the Sun’ has sponsored you 500 Coins.]
[Current remaining Coins: 511]
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry about the 500 Coins I’d just earned for free. Even I had to admit I looked ridiculous.
I bent down and picked up what the monster left behind.
[Dead Man’s Bone Fragment F]
[A bone fragment of the dead.]
I could probably sell it for pocket change.
“Hyung!”
A voice called out from the distance.
“Ga-hyeon hyung!”
Baek Tae-beom?
The voice was coming from the direction of the tunnel I’d used to enter. Was everything already over? That meant I’d have to suffer again, squeezing through the tight passage with my clothes soaking wet and dragging me down.
I struggled through the tunnel, and on the other side stood a group of people who’d been trapped in the dungeon, along with Lee Myung-won—and Baek Tae-beom.
“Hyung!”
Baek Tae-beom’s face lit up the moment he saw me, but as soon as he noticed how drenched I was, his expression hardened instantly.
“…What happened? Why are you wet?”
“Well…”
“Did you go into the water?”
“Sort of.”
With Lee Myung-won right next to me, I couldn’t lie, so I came clean.
“Why?”
“I figured something might be in there.”
Baek Tae-beom, who had been staring at me with a stiff expression, let out a long sigh. Then he took off his outer jacket and draped it over my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“Aren’t you cold?”
That someone this unfailingly kind could bring about the end of the world… It made no sense.
Baek Tae-beom. I’ll protect your sibling. No matter what.
“It’s okay.”
Lee Myung-won, who had been watching us, finally spoke.
“Let’s head outside first.”
***
“Hyung!”
“Min-seok!”
The youngest of the rescued group burst into a run the moment we stepped out of the dungeon, dashing straight toward a young man who had been anxiously waiting out front. The man scooped his little brother into his arms and began to sob loudly.
“Thank you, thank you so much…”
“Hyung! These hyungs beat up all the bad guys! Just like heroes!”
“Huk… So, did you say thank you?”
“Oh, right! Thank you, hyungs!”
Seeing the cheerful little kid made me smile without thinking. Was Baek Tae-beom’s younger sibling that small, too? Since the only reference had been a flashback that mentioned the sibling’s death, I had no idea what they actually looked like.
The cold felt even more bitter now that we were outside. As I shrank into myself, Baek Tae-beom pulled me closer, his arm still around my shoulders.
What’s with him and all this casual physical contact?
“Hyung, come to my place.”
“…What?”
The words left my mouth before I could even think, pure reflex. When I turned to look up at him, Baek Tae-beom was gazing back down at me with those clear golden eyes.
Like the golden apple Paris gave to the fairest goddess in Greek mythology—radiant and mesmerizing. When our eyes met directly, he tilted his head and leaned in even closer.
“My place. It’s close by.”
“…Why would I go there?”
“You’re soaked, Hyung.”
Baek Tae-beom lowered his eyes, slowly brushing my shoulder with his hand.
“You’re all wet. Come dry off at my place at least. It’s too cold to go home like this.”
I swallowed hard, instinctively.
“You don’t have to go that far for me…”
Go to the house of the man who’s fated to destroy the world? I’d just had that fact confirmed not long ago. How was I supposed to waltz in there all carefree?
But when I saw the slightly sullen look on Baek Tae-beom’s face, my resolve wavered.
“Heading out now?”
Lee Myung-won, who’d been talking to the people in black uniforms, walked up to us while slipping on his gloves.
“We should go.”
“Just a second.”
Lee Myung-won pulled a wallet from inside his coat and handed me a business card.
[Hansung Group – Lee Myung-won]
[010-XXXX-XXXX]
“Why are you giving me this…?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself, but my Constellation was pretty insistent about it.”
He pressed the card into my hand with the same unbothered expression, apparently unbothered by Baek Tae-beom glaring daggers at him from the side.
“What exactly were you doing while we were apart?”
“……”
“You don’t have to answer. I can make a pretty good guess. Looks like I took a hit this time.”
“Mr. Lee Myung-won.”
“But I have no regrets about saving those people.”
He looked down at me as he spoke, then turned his back and walked away. Baek Tae-beom, who had been watching him with a blank expression, muttered in a low voice.
“Let’s go.”
“…Wait. Did something happen between you two?”
“Of course not, Hyung.”
Baek Tae-beom gave me a pleasant smile and patted my shoulder.
“We’re heading to my place, right?”
“…Yeah, alright.”
“Yay.”
Baek Tae-beom smiled brightly, clearly pleased.
So, we headed to Baek Tae-beom’s house—which, surprisingly, turned out to be a completely normal college student’s apartment. I felt ridiculous for having assumed it’d be dark, gloomy, and ominous just because he was supposed to be a villain. I couldn’t deny that I was a little disappointed. In my mind, I’d been imagining him hiding a monster in his basement or something.
I stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, eyes darting around.
“Wait a second, Hyung.”
Baek Tae-beom disappeared into his room, then returned holding a towel and some clothes, which he held out to me.
“Go take a shower.”
“You sure it’s okay?”
“Of course.”
As he spoke, Baek Tae-beom slowly lowered his gaze.
“You ended up going into the dungeon with me because I insisted. You didn’t have to.”
“Well… in the end, we saved people, right? Isn’t that what matters?”
“But you got hurt because of me.”
Baek Tae-beom’s fingers gently brushed the back of my hand, which was holding the clothes. A stinging sensation shot up, reminding me of the scratches I’d gotten while crawling through that narrow passage.
Was this really bad enough to call an injury?
“And your body’s probably still not fully recovered.”
No, it actually was fine now.
I’d healed a long time ago. Maybe because I was a Constellation, the injuries disappeared fast, especially after some sleep.
I awkwardly averted my gaze.
“I’m okay.”
“…Alright. Just go wash up first.”
I was practically shoved into the bathroom. I peeled off my soaked clothes and let out a sigh as I turned on the water. It didn’t take long to clean myself up.
But then came the real problem—the clothes.
“…What the hell is this?”
Baek Tae-beom’s clothes were way too big on me. The pants dragged along the floor, and the oversized shirt hung off me like some saggy robe. I couldn’t help but be baffled. Sure, Baek Tae-beom was tall and built, but the size difference felt downright absurd.
“Tae-beom!”
“What is it, Hyung?”
There was a pause on the other side of the door—probably from him being taken off guard—followed by hurried footsteps pacing back and forth.
Soon, a light knock.
“I left different clothes at the door.”
The new set he brought was a simple pair of shorts and a T-shirt—and they actually fit pretty well.
With barely towel-dried hair and a sense of defeat, I stepped out of the bathroom. Baek Tae-beom’s eyes went wide in surprise as he looked me up and down, then immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes.
“You were about to laugh.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Be honest.”
“I really wasn’t.”
His ears were clearly flushed bright red, as if he was desperately trying not to laugh. I scoffed.
