I was anxious.
Just the fact that Kyle wasn’t by my side made this world feel like a strange and terrifying place. If I thought about it, the time I had spent in South Korea was much longer than the time I had spent in the Northern Blake Territory, but…
Countless thoughts swirled in my head. My heart pounded so fast it was suffocating, and my hands grew cold as if they were freezing. Yeah. This was fear. The fear of being lost in an endless labyrinth with no way out.
As the attendants placed me onto the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
“What should I do? I need to check when Kyle arrived in this world first… Communication. Right. Can I contact him? But if time works differently, he might not even be here yet…”
If he arrived, then he might be able to return as well. That thought crossed my mind—
Then, ding! A sharp sound accompanied by a translucent system window appeared before my eyes.
[Connection confirmed. Verifying data.]
[Quest distribution in progress.]
It was the system. The system!
[Calculating mana index.]
[Synchronizing stamina using the mana stored in your possession.]
[Synchronization 0% complete.]
This situation was similar to when I first encountered the system.
But this wasn’t what I wanted. I wasn’t concerned about how much of my stamina had been synchronized.
I was…
[Objective set: Return to Blake with Kyle.]
[Selecting quest…]
[Find your missing counterpart in the unfamiliar world!]
[The required quest item, ‘Compass,’ has been added to your inventory.]
[Reward: ‘Blur Travel’]
Kyle. He was here. Somewhere in this world. If I had the system’s help, I could find him.
“Haa…”
A deep breath escaped me. The tension in my chest unraveled like a snapped string, and my once-anxious, wavering gaze gradually steadied.
I covered my face with both hands and reread the quest the system had assigned me.
For now, I had to assess my situation. At the very least, I was sure of one thing—Kyle had definitely arrived in this world.
“Stay calm.”
Right. The colder my head, the better. Hadn’t I learned that well enough in the North? If I let despair consume me and crumble under the weight of confusion, I wouldn’t be able to change anything.
I took a slow breath to steady myself and opened both the status window and my inventory. The status window refused to load due to an error, but the inventory functioned properly.
Not all my items had disappeared. Instead, the only thing in there right now was the ‘Compass’ I had just received from the system.
I wanted to take it out and check it immediately, but before I could, my bad luck struck—
A doctor entered the room, followed by a few young-looking nurses and a woman in a resident’s uniform.
The doctor asked me a few basic questions: my name, place of residence, age, and so on. Then, in a cautious tone, he also asked if I had any idea where I was.
“Looks like they think I’m out of my mind.”
Well, I had made some strange noises the moment I woke up, so it wasn’t surprising that they suspected delirium. Medically, it was a reasonable assumption.
I answered in the calmest voice I could muster. My name, Baek Soo-hyun. Age, twenty-nine. Place of residence, a small studio near my office. Family, none. Birthday, March 10th. Occupation, developer. Reason for hospitalization, traffic accident.
The pain from my battered body, which had left me half-conscious for so long, was finally kicking in. The aches from my bruises throbbed like dull echoes through my muscles. My arms were stiff from IV drips, and my throat was dry from having worn an oxygen mask until just recently.
But I had the system.
[Synchronization 20% complete.]
[Synchronization 43% complete.]
[Synchronization 67% complete…]
As my body synchronized with the one I had in the North, the pain quickly began to fade. It was almost surreal, as if my arms had been braced moments ago and were now regaining their strength. My sluggish movements became smoother. I had no idea why, but I wasn’t about to complain—it felt good. I accepted every change half in relief and half in fascination.
Time to find Kyle. I sprang to my feet. The first thing I did was casually detach the expensive monitoring device strapped to my wrist and set it aside.
That’s when the nurses rushed toward me, alarmed.
“Patient, what are you doing?!”
“You need to stay put! We have to take you in for further tests!”
Huh? Did I say something weird?
“Uh, I’m fine, actually? I answered all your questions properly, and I feel completely normal now. I can even walk.”
“Wait! Please stop! Don’t lie back down! Don’t move!”
The medical staff pressed me down by force. I flailed, resisting as much as I could, but they wouldn’t budge. They had me pinned, flipping me over and restraining me like I was some unruly patient trying to escape. And now, they were preparing to run some actual tests. Someone even picked up a phone to make a call.
“Hey! Wait!”
“I’m not a patient anymore! The synchronization is done! I’m healthy! I’m perfectly fine! I swear, I—hey, let go! Seriously!”
Of course, to the medical staff—who had no knowledge of the system—my words meant nothing.
***
Ah, getting out to search for Kyle had become even harder.
Still, the silver lining was that, in the end, all the seemingly endless tests finally finished, and I was officially discharged.
I smiled with a haggard face.
“I never imagined there could be this many tests in the world…”
Modern medicine was truly thorough. Exhaustingly thorough.
Just when I thought I was done, another test would be ordered. And just when I really thought it was the last one, they would draw more blood. Then there were the scans, the endless barrage of questions…
Honestly, by the time they were satisfied, I was ready to collapse.
I understood why they were being so cautious, of course.
If I were a doctor, I would also be skeptical if a patient who had been bedridden for weeks suddenly jumped up as if nothing had happened. I’d want to examine them thoroughly. Especially since I hadn’t received any rehabilitation treatment yet was somehow walking normally within a day—running, even, to try and escape.
When I met with the doctor one last time to receive my discharge papers, the look he gave me was still filled with deep suspicion.
I pressed my fingers against my forehead and let out a short sigh.
“Synchronization really is a blessing…”
Right now, I was just grateful for the system. Thanks to it, I didn’t have to worry about my health, and I managed to get through that whole ordeal in just a matter of hours.
[(￣▽￣)]
The system gave a little wave, as if it had done something praiseworthy.
[You can now utilize 100% of your physical strength!]
A pleasant chime rang in my ears.
There was no time to waste. If Kyle had been wandering around this unfamiliar world while I was stuck getting tested, then I couldn’t afford to hold back my stamina—I needed to spend every last bit of it wisely.
After using the last of my cash to pay the hospital bill, I stepped outside and bought some clothes at a nearby shop. It had been a long time since I had worn modern clothing, and it felt strangely unfamiliar.
“Achoo!”
So it really was winter here.
Though it was cold, it was nowhere near as brutal as the Northern winters. Wrapping my coat tightly around me, I reached into my inventory and pulled out the compass.
Instead of a traditional needle, it had a smooth, flat face like polished glass. It didn’t display directions but subtly quivered, pointing toward something.
“Kyle is in that direction.”
That was all I needed to know. There was no point in overthinking it.
With determined steps, I began to follow the path.
The streets were filled with people dressed similarly to me. Most of them wore padded winter coats in dull colors, their faces wrapped in scarves. A mix of ordinary city folk and those who appeared to be travelers.
It was winter, after all—puffer jackets were everywhere.
Puffer jackets were the best. And nothing beat black when it came to versatility.
That reminded me—Kyle didn’t have a puffer jacket.
“Wait, don’t tell me… his clothes ended up here too?”
…In that case, maybe checking the news would be more efficient than relying on the compass.
I absentmindedly fumbled for my phone before finally giving up and continuing forward. I never thought I’d be trying to track someone down in the middle of Seoul.
“Well, even if I find him, I should get him some clothes first…”
I had plenty of money now, so I didn’t need to worry about affording anything.
But first, I needed to complete my quest. With renewed determination, I picked up my pace.
***
Why did I always forget that reality and my expectations never quite matched?
My trembling legs burned with exhaustion. My body had returned to its peak condition, but there was one major flaw I had completely overlooked—
I wasn’t exactly in great shape to begin with.
Even at full synchronization, my stamina was pathetic!
“Haa… haah…”
Someone, save this poor developer.
I panted like a madman, practically gasping for air. Just as I wiped the sweat from my forehead, I misstepped and tripped over the curb. As if things couldn’t get worse, I slammed my foot into a loose brick, making my toe throb in pain.
I clung to a nearby wall and let out a soft groan.
In the end, frustration boiled over, and I yanked the compass closer, snapping at it.
“Why the hell are you taking me through this route?!”
I flicked the device against my palm before furiously shaking it.
I had followed the compass exactly, yet the path was a complete nightmare—deserted backstreets, suspicious alleyways, steep inclines that were exhausting to climb, and even stairs that looked like a death trap!
Even a clueless, lost Kyle wouldn’t have wandered into a place like this.
“Are you sure this is the right way? Really?”
The system responded with a pitiful whimper.
[No errors detected! (T ^ T);;;]
Fine. Whatever. I might as well keep going.
I took a deep breath and trudged forward. The compass glowed faintly as it led me to my destination, flickering like a broken light bulb.
That was when I finally noticed my surroundings.
I slowly lifted my head and scanned the area.
“Wait…”
The narrow alleys, the rows of old, rundown buildings, the tiny convenience store that looked like it could collapse any second, the torn fabric of a faded awning flapping in the wind—
This was my neighborhood.
“…Kyle is here?”
I blinked a few times, then turned my gaze toward the familiar old apartment building. The topmost unit on the third floor—that was my place.
It had been half a year since I left. I wasn’t sure if the landlord had already cleared out my belongings, but my feet naturally moved as if retracing old steps.
The northern district was always deserted, leaving only the sound of my footsteps to echo softly. It was as if everything in this place had come to a halt the moment I left.
Then, just as I reached the entrance, something unusual hit my senses—
A scent.
Scents don’t usually linger in memory for long, but this one… it stirred something deep inside me.
Memories of exhaustion.
Back when I was younger, I relied on cheap three-dollar convenience store meals, never took up part-time work, and poured all my energy into game development.
Those days, I was constantly sleep-deprived, drowning in stress, and desperately craving the strength to keep going. I would crouch in the dim glow of my desk lamp, too exhausted to stand, too frustrated to move. I remember hesitating before opening my fridge, only to find it empty—yet again.
Now, I stood before my old home, reaching for the front door.
Just as I was about to step inside, something black moved in the corner of my vision, landing lightly in front of me.
A dog.
Nothing about the scenery inside had changed from the past, yet somehow, this unfamiliar creature had made itself at home.
A large, sleek-furred dog lay curled up near the entrance, fast asleep. Someone must have placed a blanket underneath it, making it look strangely settled, as if this had been its spot for a long time.
“…Kyle.”
I wasn’t sure why, but the moment I saw it, I was convinced.
Kyle had always been the kind of person to appear exactly when I needed him most. And now, when I had finally returned to this place, he was here too.
Because I needed him.
As if it understood, the dog perked up its ears and slowly opened its eyes.
Then, without hesitation, it stood, stretched, and walked toward me—pressing its head firmly against my leg. Its thick, fluffy tail wagged, sweeping side to side with unmistakable enthusiasm.
“Pfft!”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Of all the ways he could have taken root in my life, this was the one he chose.
Not just as my future, but as a past I had forgotten and a present I never expected.
“I missed you, Kyle.”
In response, a familiar warmth nuzzled against my neck—gentle, steady, and comforting.
A warmth that could only belong to him.
[Quest complete!]
[Reward: ‘Blur Travel’ – You are now bonded to Kyle Blake as a shared fate entity.]
He became a dog! Aww…