# 46
The destination was a small hut on the opposite side of the tower. Jin-ha hesitated, wondering if he should enter an unauthorized hut, but when the sheep stepped back about fifteen paces and then charged forward to headbutt the door, he was so startled that he had no choice but to open it instead.
Considering how Legas cherished the sheep despite disapproving of it, this seemed better than letting it injure its head.
Jin-ha, who had followed the sheep inside with the intention of preventing any accidents, opened his eyes wide at the sight within.
“What… is this?”
Unlike the exterior, which looked like a shabby hut, the inside was extremely luxurious. It wasn’t even simply the appearance of a high-end residence. The inside resembled a museum.
“Stones…?”
But the exhibited items were quite strange.
Looking at the objects preserved in thick glass cases, Jin-ha felt an odd sense of déjà vu. He didn’t recognize all the items lined up in a row, but some of them he did.
A stone, a broom, a large teddy bear…
“Items Riyekan was obsessed with in the past…?”
They were all items the children had talked about. A stone, a broom, a large teddy bear, and even the sheep rolling on the floor.
‘I collected and stored them all.’
Suddenly, Legas’s words flashed through his mind. He had spoken as if he was merely preparing for the future in case Riyekan might someday want these things again. However, the current scene didn’t match the simple explanation of storing items no longer in use.
The display method, which seemed more like exhibition than storage, made it look like a stalker’s collection.
Yes, this must be Legas’s “museum.” A place where the vice master of the Noon Moon Tower, who worshipped Riyekan like a god, had gathered every trace of his idol.
[ Stone ]
Common stone
Lost soul fragment (0 / 0.5)
The moment he activated his Information Eye and confirmed the simple branch of information, Jin-ha felt déjà vu again. It seemed like he had seen something similar recently…
“I came because the alarm went off.”
Jin-ha turned around in surprise at the voice from behind. Legas, who had appeared without notice, was looking at him with his arms crossed.
“I didn’t expect Mr. Lee Jin-ha to be here.”
“…I’m sorry for entering without permission.”
“It’s fine. It was probably the sheep’s doing anyway.”
“How did you…”
“It’s not the first time.”
Legas clicked his tongue and looked at the sheep with disapproval, but the sheep didn’t care and continued rolling on the floor. Its nonchalant behavior suggested that this truly wasn’t the first time.
“This is where I store the Master’s past obsessions. I mentioned it to you once before. Although these are things the Master is no longer interested in, it would be troublesome if they couldn’t be found should the day come when he asks for them again.”
“I… see.”
Jin-ha nodded mechanically. Legas, looking at Jin-ha who seemed half-dazed, spoke in a tone like one soothing a child.
“Don’t worry.”
“…What worry do you mean?”
“I told you, I have no intention of storing living people.”
Legas said this with a picture-perfect smile. When Jin-ha’s wariness didn’t subside, Legas asked with a dissatisfied expression.
“People who have seen this place all say it gives them chills. Do you think so too, Mr. Lee Jin-ha?”
Jin-ha couldn’t bring himself to say no. If his fate were the same as that stone, he too might be preserved in a glass case once his role was over.
As if guessing his thoughts, Legas sighed.
“I feel wronged. Look at that sheep. I built a shed in a green meadow, maintained the grass to create a pasture, and yet it escapes every day and ruins the garden, but I still let it be. If I treat even an animal like a sheep this well, would I really confine a person?”
That statement was even more chilling. It sounded like just as he provided customized services for the sheep, he would devise and provide appropriate customized services for humans as well.
Jin-ha was struck anew by the fact that Legas was a bizarre follower obsessed with Riyekan, the master of this tower. Even the followers attached to Dr. Jo Sung-hyun, the genius in the field of interdimensional biology on Earth, weren’t this extreme.
When Jin-ha just stared at him warily, Legas added as if feeling wronged:
“I’m telling you, I won’t confine you.”
Jin-ha impulsively asked:
“Then what will happen?”
“Pardon?”
“When Riyekan loses interest in me, what will you do with me?”
At this direct question, Legas groaned as if troubled. He glanced around carefully before calmly laying out his explanation.
“All transactions with Earth will be conducted through you, Mr. Lee Jin-ha. That way, we can maintain contact with you. Of course, we won’t care how much commission you receive in the process.”
“…With me as an intermediary.”
“You can wield power considering us as your backing. As long as we can maintain regular contact and you visit this side periodically.”
Now it made sense.
The excessive favor the tower was currently showing to Earth was a preparation for that day. Making the country desperately desire the power of the other world, so that when the time came, Jin-ha wouldn’t be able to refuse the role of intermediary even if he didn’t want it—they were in the process of making them addicted to the benefits.
It was like the method drug dealers use to addict street kids. And the method was working well according to Legas’s calculation.
When Jin-ha went to Earth this time, he submitted reports written by the children themselves and reported that teaching magic to the children was progressing smoothly. The very next day, the news was buzzing about this fact. How dumbfounded he had been, seeing news labeled as a project being promoted by the Deputy Director of the Anomaly Management Agency. Now that the rumors were out, there was no backing down.
Korea would do anything to successfully promote this.
Yes, even if it meant putting pressure on Jin-ha.
“…”
“Is that burdensome? If so, there’s another way. If you wear a bracelet with location tracking and communication functions, you wouldn’t need to play such a visible role. We would even pay a monthly salary if necessary.”
Of course, that bracelet would be an artifact that couldn’t be removed from the body even if the arm was cut off without Legas’s permission. Jin-ha felt he could now somewhat read the young man’s mind.
Jin-ha silently waved his hand.
Fatigue suddenly washed over him from the shock of this bizarre space’s existence and its deep connection to him. Jin-ha rubbed his forehead and turned toward the annex.
Before he could take a few steps, Legas asked:
“When shall I tell the Master you will visit?”
“…Tomorrow, please tell him I’ll have lunch with him tomorrow.”
“Understood, Mr. Lee Jin-ha. Farewell then.”
Jin-ha watched Legas bow respectfully, then turned away with a troubled expression.
* * *
Let’s start by acknowledging it.
If he blindly ignored it, it might grow wildly and form a thicket in the blink of an eye. This feeling seemed to have already grown to some extent, wrapping around the fence and hiding it from view. He had pushed away the slender, downy tendrils many times, but he could no longer ignore them.
‘I like Riyekan.’
Damn it. Why?
Why had he developed these feelings for such a nasty man?
Jin-ha couldn’t understand himself. There was no match between his preferences and the man’s personality. Riyekan rather resembled the kind of people Jin-ha despised and avoided.
Though his appearance was excellent…
‘Don’t tell me I’ve fallen for his looks?’
That’s absurd. Jin-ha, pale-faced, retraced his past. Could he say… he hadn’t fallen for the appearance?
Jin-ha flipped his head back to look at the ceiling and exhaled with a growl-like sigh. This was because he recalled the first thought he had when he properly faced the man after waking up with the strange man on top of him in a strange place.
‘For a moment, he looked like a fairy.’
That’s what Jin-ha had thought when he saw the man. Riyekan didn’t even look like a fairy. That he would think of fairies when looking at that sturdy, solid appearance…
Ah, what a fool he was.
He wouldn’t say he fell for him from that moment. But it was clear that Jin-ha had let his guard down with Riyekan from then on. That’s why he had let the man into his heart out of sympathy and pity.
“…What’s done is done. This is like an accident.”
Having recognized it as an accident, he now just needed to handle things well going forward.
Since the man didn’t match his preferences anyway, it seemed like he could detach his feelings if he set his mind to it. Jin-ha thought he should carefully observe whenever Riyekan acted forcefully or behaved badly.
With his future actions decided, there was no more hesitation.
Unlike yesterday when he had wanted to avoid everything and ended up running away, Jin-ha headed to the second floor of the tower without reservation. And following Legas’s guidance, who had been waiting at the top of the stairs, he went to meet Riyekan.
“Was running away fun?”
“It was very helpful.”
Jin-ha answered without agitation, and Riyekan suspiciously watched him sit down across the table but soon gave up trying to read his thoughts and reached out his hand.
“Give me my gift too.”
“…Don’t you know how to wait?”
“I’ve waited more than enough. Give it to me.”
He was clearly upset about receiving his gift late. But how could he try to snatch away a gift like this, as if stealing it?
There wasn’t a trace of decorum to be found. It seemed things would be easier. Jin-ha stared at the man, who was narrowing his eyes with a dissatisfied expression, and took out a small box from his breast pocket and tossed it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
