S Chapter 46

‘What’s “something like a friend” even supposed to mean?’

Is it a “some-relationship”? Ugh! What kind of act is that between two guys with the same equipment? It’s not just disgusting, it’s revolting.

‘Does that bastard know? That Shin Jukyeong was the one who flirted with me first?’

There’s a high probability he doesn’t. Because I’m just a substitute for him. Shin Jukyeong must have done this, hoping to provoke jealousy. Why? Because Shin Jukyeong is infatuated with me. It’s one thing to struggle for love, but either way, a charge of insolence has been added.

‘Does he think I’m an idiot? Fuck. Does he think I’ll give him even a shred of attention if he does that?’

A surge of anger flared up inside. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being played. Why do I have to suffer this crap because of that bastard? I wanted to bill him for my emotional distress.

“……”

…Hmm. U-dam’s eyes curved into crescent moons. A flower-like smile bloomed on his handsome face.

“Hyung, what intersection did you say?”

I don’t know what senile old man it is, but while I’m at it, I feel like I need to smash that bastard’s face to feel better. Just imagining it made my mood start to lift.

‘I’m definitely going to crash your date.’

U-dam’s deactivated psychic abilities clicked on. In other words, “mental illness on.”

“What. Just lower your eyes and eat your food, you bastard.”

There he goes, picking a fight again. Shin Jukyeong’s eyebrows twitched. His rudeness was still as low as ever, but I’ll tolerate it this once since he’s paying for lunch. You just saved your life. Be grateful. Monster bastard, Yang… what was it? I forgot.

‘Can’t be helped. Just keep being the monster bastard.’

Shin Jukyeong snickered, “lol,” secretly from the Yang brothers.

Anyway, the monster bastard and Yang Ji-ho (baby mammal) were sitting side-by-side, eating pizza. If you ask why this insane combination, Yang Ji-ho was the original appointment, and the monster bastard just tagged along as a guardian. And in the midst of it, Yang Ji-ho was sulking because he didn’t sit next to him but came to this side. Tsk, such an un-adult-like fellow.

「You’re the same, Shin Jukyeong~」

Eve chimed in, seizing the opportunity to tease him.

‘I’m the same?’

Shin Jukyeong’s delusional switch flickered on.

~(Delusional state)~

~(Delusional state ends)~

…Wow. That makes me angry, doesn’t it? Even trying to think rationally doesn’t work. If Eun were sitting next to that monster bastard instead of me, beaming… Then something truly fun would happen. On that day, one would die and one would live, and I’d be the one to survive 99.99% of the time.

“Huh? That bastard’s glaring again?”

“…Tsk.”

An invisible sword fight began between the two. Clang, clang! Yang Ji-ho, oblivious to it all, eating pizza with his two beloved dolls, was the sole victor.

From lunch to the entire shopping trip, the two never became friendly. They clashed at every turn.

“This Akihabara is cute.”

When Shin Jukyeong picked up a doll—

“It’s a capybara, you idiot.”

—he was met with a correct retort.

“……”

“Only the ‘bara’ part is right, you blockhead. Why are you changing the name of a kid’s toy arbitrarily?”

But with a slight touch of unpleasantness. Of course, Shin Jukyeong didn’t back down either.

“Kids like game consoles and clothes, don’t they…? And the complete monster collection.”

“Don’t subtly slip in weird stuff.”

When the monster bastard tried something, Shin Jukyeong immediately shot him down. They were such bitter rivals, constantly poking at each other.

However, there was one thing they did agree on: both the monster bastard and Shin Jukyeong had little interest in shopping. They exhibited the typical average adult male tendency to only buy exactly what was needed.

Therefore, once their allocated shopping was finished, both were dramatically collapsed. Incidentally, Yang Ji-ho was bouncing around, looking at various things.

Shin Jukyeong glanced at the monster bastard sitting next to him, head tilted back.

‘It’s over.’

Look at that expression, like he’s dying to go home. But he probably looked no different himself. He sighed and took a sip of the coffee in his hand, when the monster bastard suddenly shot up. Then, looking haggard, he said.

“Hey, Jap.”

Jap… He’d been acting like that ever since Shin Jukyeong mispronounced ‘capybara’ earlier. Shin Jukyeong’s eye wrinkles deepened.

‘Whether it’s Akihabara or capybara, it’s all the same, you bastard. You hold a grudge for a long time.’

Correct answer: ‘Capybara’. That’s right. Shin Jukyeong was not good at listening to others!

“I’m going to go have a cigarette, so keep an eye on our Yang Ji-ho.”

Cigarette? Shin Jukyeong’s eyes widened, and he inadvertently stood up. Cigarette, cigarette… Ah, sweet suicide item. Just hearing the name made his heart pound madly. He instinctively swallowed hard.

‘Damn, how could I have forgotten you?’

The words to ask to smoke together wouldn’t come out. Even if the contents were a tired, old 30-something, the packaging was a teenager. Whatever the case, he couldn’t break societal rules. Hmm. Indeed.

Ugh… But I’m so jealous! What’s the point if only my body is fresh, but my world-weary soul remains the same?

‘I just want one puff.’

Shin Jukyeong clicked his tongue in regret.

‘That’s enough. No regrets.’

He could smoke legally in a little while. He’d enjoy it all then. Damn it.

“Yes…”

“Look at that bastard’s answer. Tsk.”

He bid farewell to his distant beloved (cigarette) and let out a huge yawn. Next to him lay shopping bags filled with sneakers, a game console, and dolls. There were many annoying situations, but it was still a good idea to come with the little one. He had good taste.

‘I hope the kids like it.’

He was embarrassed, but he even planned to write a short letter.

Just when he thought the day would end without any particular incident, as always, God didn’t leave Shin Jukyeong alone. Whether for good or for bad.

‘I’m going to go look over there!’

Yang Ji-ho, who had run off to where many kids were gathered, playing card games, still hadn’t returned.

He’s taking too long. Shin Jukyeong stood up and casually walked towards where the children were. The little ones were huddled together. Snot-nosed kid #1, snot-nosed kid #2… Huh? That’s strange. Yang Ji-ho isn’t visible. He calmly scanned again, but he wasn’t there.

“Watashi no turn!” (My turn!)

He grabbed a child who was enthusiastically shouting and asked.

“Have you seen a kid in a yellow t-shirt and overalls?”

The child merely shrugged.

“No.”

Then he turned his head away. Just as Shin Jukyeong was wondering if he should call Eve, snot-nosed kid #3 approached and said.

“He said he was going to the restroom earlier and went that way.”

Shin Jukyeong followed the direction the child pointed.

“…You should have told me before you left.”

He’s incredibly good at making me worry, in any case. He grumbled, and just as he took a single step,

「Shin Jukyeong.」

Eve reacted. At the same time, a subtle vibration was detected.

「Over there.」

Should I say he’s unlucky? The direction Eve pointed was consistent with the direction the child had mentioned earlier. That’s right. It was the direction Yang Ji-ho had headed, saying he was going to the restroom.

Before he knew it, Shin Jukyeong was running breathlessly. The distance was quite far.

“Haah, hah.”

Upon arrival, a hopeless sight awaited him. A shimmering purple gate. A murmuring crowd and Hunters holding their heads. The air felt somehow cold.

Ah, this isn’t the time for this. Shin Jukyeong frantically scanned his surroundings. He searched everywhere for Yang Ji-ho but found nothing. No way… His gaze naturally drifted towards the gate.

“Over there!”

With a pounding heart, he pushed through the crowd and approached.

“Whoa! You can’t come in here. It’s dangerous!”

A Hunter blocked Shin Jukyeong. But he couldn’t back down either.

“I apologize. I’ll just check quickly. He’s about ten years old. This tall, in a yellow t-shirt and—”

“Step back!”

His actions were aggressive. It wasn’t that Shin Jukyeong couldn’t understand. Honestly, it was justified. Dungeons were too dangerous for ordinary people. Strict enforcement was a good thing.

‘But why aren’t they clearing the Dungeon and just lingering outside?’

It seemed like a bigger accident could happen at any moment, so what was with their leisurely pace? Even after some time passed, no one showed any sign of entering the gate. Based on the aura he felt, it seemed to be only a C-grade Dungeon.

As Shin Jukyeong pondered, Eve brought him another piece of information. The one he hoped wasn’t true…

「Shin Jukyeong. Life sign inside.」

…Damn it. Shin Jukyeong clutched his forehead. At that moment, a couple shouted at the Hunters.

“Why aren’t you saving him?!”

Their tear-streaked faces were, at first glance, pitiful. Their eyes were raw from how much they had cried. As the woman swayed, the man pulled her into his embrace.

“Honey, snap out of it. Honey!”

His voice was trembling. The man raised his head and shouted once more.

“I’ll sue all of you, just so you know! You goddamn bastards! Why, why won’t you save my child, why! Hmph… Honey. Honey, snap out of it! If something happens to you too, how will I live, how…!”

The atmosphere grew agitated. A Hunter, pressing his temples, tried to calm them.

“It’s not that we don’t want to save him. We already explained.”

His voice was quite aggrieved. A tired face, and a completely exasperated attitude. The subsequent remarks, summarized, were as follows:

The Dungeon that had appeared was, as expected, C-grade. However, there was one problem: it was a Special Dungeon. Unlike regular Dungeons, they couldn’t enter it. No matter how much the Hunters tried, they were simply passed through to the other side; entry into the Dungeon was impossible. In other words, it expelled Hunters but swallowed only non-manifested individuals. It sounded like a cheap ghost story.