#072
How did he know I was upset with Shin Haejun? I thought I wasn’t showing it… I mumbled with mixed feelings.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I didn’t want to live unable to speak my mind anymore, but was it right to further torment someone who was already regretting their actions?
“Jaeha’s emotions are justified, something anyone would feel. So speak up.”
“You have something to say?”
Shin Haejun asked, looking at me in response to Hyun Dowoon’s words. I hesitated a bit more before carefully saying:
“But… isn’t it wrong to say something knowing it will hurt someone?”
“The most vulnerable to hurt here is you, Jaeha.”
Hyun Dowoon told me with a determined face. I bit my lip hard and then looked up at Shin Haejun.
“I… I was upset. That you let go of me… Of course, I understand you had to save Kim Sehyun, but-”
“I was wrong.”
As I stammered, Shin Haejun immediately apologized, hugging me tightly. I expected him to make excuses like it was reflexive or unavoidable, but it was surprisingly a clean apology.
“You should have been the priority. I don’t understand why I did that…”
Shin Haejun whispered with a face full of self-reproach.
“I don’t remember that moment clearly. But when I came to my senses, I had let go of you and saved Kim Sehyun instead…!”
It seemed like he wanted to say he had been regretting it ever since. He doesn’t understand his own actions?
I could understand if he just said he acted reflexively, but I was suspicious of him saying he couldn’t remember clearly but his body moved.
‘Could this also be due to the novel’s compulsion?’
But why was Hyun Dowoon less affected, while Shin Haejun followed the compulsion? From the beginning, both of them were breaking away from the original story.
This seemed like something I needed to discuss with Nine. A weighty question had arisen. Still, speaking up as Hyun Dowoon suggested did make me feel a bit better. There really is a difference between understanding and actually speaking out and releasing your feelings.
Shin Haejun’s face also looked a bit better after hearing my resentment. It seemed my silence had made him feel even more guilty. I glanced at Hyun Dowoon. He was certainly more mature than me, probably because he was older.
Turning my head, I saw that people were about to join us, so I pushed Shin Haejun’s body away. After waiting a bit, people soon approached.
“I’ll explain what happened inside, so you rest for now.”
Hyun Dowoon told me and then approached the people to start explaining something. It would certainly be better for the Center Director who went in with me to explain, so I nodded and stood quietly. Then I saw Kim Sehyun in the distance.
‘Why does he look so… shocked?’
Kim Sehyun was standing far away, looking at me with a pale face. He looked very disappointed and puzzled that I had come out safely.
I instinctively realized that Kim Sehyun wished for my death. And at the same time, I wondered, ‘How did he know I had a near-death experience?’
‘I need to keep an eye on Kim Sehyun.’
His attitude was suspicious both when I was sucked into the portal and now that I’ve come out. It might be a strange thought, but I wondered if Kim Sehyun might have some role with the constellations, like Nine who helps me.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious Kim Sehyun seemed. At first, I thought he was just a character moving according to the author’s writing, but the Kim Sehyun I saw this time didn’t feel like a simple character.
‘The role the author gave Kim Sehyun is supposed to be good. But…’
Even if he was described as a materialistic person who wanted everyone’s love, it wasn’t an evil personality. After all, everyone wants to be loved by many.
But the allergy incident that was supposedly just a prank, and the smile I saw when I was being sucked into the portal, didn’t seem based on this personality.
At first, I thought he was just inconsiderate and selfish, but the more I looked, the more it felt like Kim Sehyun hated me. His behavior pattern went beyond what someone who lost a loved one to another person would typically do.
The fact that he immediately suspected me when something went wrong with his guiding ability, and other things, made it seem like Kim Sehyun had some hidden agenda. It was as if he knew I wasn’t ‘following the predetermined path’.
‘At least this incident is strange.’
If this incident were to be written, it would probably be described as ‘Shin Haejun let go of Lee Jaeha’s hand and saved Kim Sehyun’… but it was odd for Kim Sehyun, the protagonist, to smile so joyfully at the villain’s crisis. The author wanted to portray Kim Sehyun’s personality as kind and timid.
‘Personally, I think it’s possible to feel relieved when someone you dislike is in trouble.’
But typical protagonist characters don’t act that way. Especially not characters with settings like Kim Sehyun’s.
Above all, even I, who could probably fill an A4 page with names of people I dislike… I don’t think I’d feel entirely happy if they were to die.
‘I think I’d feel strange if Manager Park actually died.’
The company I used to work for was a shitty small business managed by my uncle. Knowing that my uncle, the company representative, disliked me, the company people ostracized and mistreated me every day to look good to him, even going so far as to tell me to die… But that doesn’t mean I want those people to die. I’d rather have died myself.
Can someone wish for another person’s death just because they lost someone they liked? Of course, such people might exist, but given that the author constructed Kim Sehyun’s personality, it didn’t seem likely.
‘Should I consult with Hyun Dowoon now that he knows the situation…?’
I wasn’t sure if it was right to rely on Hyun Dowoon like this, but after he realized this world was inside a novel, I found myself emotionally depending on him. Was it because we shared the same secret?
It’s difficult to discuss these things with Shin Haejun who doesn’t know anything….
‘Wait a minute.’
As I was thinking about Kim Sehyun, I suddenly remembered something important and was startled.
We definitely destroyed the dungeon core, so why hasn’t the exit portal opened?
“Haejun. Something’s strange.”
I immediately called Shin Haejun who was standing next to me. He looked down at me. When I said something was strange, his face became very serious.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”
“No, that’s not it. Inside the portal with the Center Director… we destroyed the dungeon core, right? But the exit portal isn’t opening.”
Shin Haejun’s face turned serious at my words. The exit portal not opening meant there was a major anomaly in the dungeon.
The entrance being strangely large for a B-rank dungeon, the entrance portal becoming a boss monster, the exit not appearing even after destroying the dungeon core. All of these were bizarre anomalies.
“Center Director. We need to discuss something.”
Shin Haejun called Hyun Dowoon with a serious face. Hyun Dowoon, who was explaining the situation to people, paused his conversation and came over.
“What’s the matter?”
“Did you really destroy the dungeon core inside?”
Hyun Dowoon’s eyes widened, seemingly realizing the problem just from Shin Haejun’s question. I hoped Hyun Dowoon knew a solution to this situation. But it seemed he was also facing this for the first time.
‘Is this also prepared by the author?’
It seemed they had no intention of letting me go until the very end. But the dungeon they had prepared was destroyed in vain, and the prison they prepared next was eliminated along with Hyun Dowoon.
If they intended to prevent me from leaving here, it meant that all the people here couldn’t leave either. If all these characters are confined, the novel would end at a strange point. I tried to understand the author’s thoughts by checking Tweedy, but there were no new posts. I couldn’t figure out how they planned to keep me here in this situation.
Hyun Dowoon and Shin Haejun shared the problem of the exit portal not opening with the people. This was because everyone who entered here were high-ranking awakened ones.
“You had a great debut, but there are unusually many anomalies.”
Someone’s muttered words stuck in my ear. Though they weren’t blaming me, I felt deflated for some reason, but Hyun Dowoon lightly changed the atmosphere.
“Isn’t it fortunate in a way? Since it happened in a dungeon where so many high-ranking awakened ones are gathered, we can minimize human casualties.”
“That’s true. If regular B-rank awakened ones had entered here, it could have been disastrous.”
People agreed with Hyun Dowoon’s words. Impressed that he could change the atmosphere like that, I gaped at Hyun Dowoon, and he turned around and gave me a slight eye smile.
“Come to think of it, there have been many cases of undiscovered monsters appearing in dungeons recently. Could it be that anomalies are increasing?”
The S-rank Esper I had seen during the previous S-rank Red dungeon said, shrugging her shoulders. At her words, people started murmuring and talking about the dungeons where they had seen undiscovered monsters.
Occasional light complaints like “I want to stop sleeping rough” and “When can we get out!” were also heard.
‘I guess they’re not scared.’
I thought I would panic first, but no one seemed to be trembling in fear, probably because they were confident in their abilities.
“For now, let’s reorganize the base camp and observe the situation. There’s no use just standing here gathered like this. Let’s conserve our strength and try to find a solution to the situation again.”
At Hyun Dowoon’s words, people started to take out tents from their inventories again.
“Um… would you like to use my tent?”
Feeling that I should provide some convenience to these people who got involved because of me, I cautiously suggested.
People turned to look at me with sparkling eyes.
“Can we ride that spaceship again?”
What, what? Did they like it that much?
“I… I was going to set up a tent on the ground… Do you prefer the spaceship? Wouldn’t it be better to be on the ground if we’re going to stay for a while?”
The spaceship was technically classified as a vehicle, so there was a time limit on how long it could be summoned. Not knowing how long we’d be here, I asked in confusion since it couldn’t stay out continuously, and people looked at me as if wondering what amazing thing I would bring out this time.
‘For all those people to fit in…’
Hmm… Would this be enough? If each person wants a bedroom, bathroom, and living room…
I took out the “99-Room Noble’s Hanok” from my inventory in a direction where there were no people. A housing item large enough to occupy an entire map even in the game spread out before my eyes.
This should be good enough, right? As I turned my head to look at the people, I saw astonished faces directed towards me.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
