CHAPTER 24…………………………………..
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The person bowed to Kang Kwon-ho.
‘No way… is that guild a subsidiary of Kang Kwon-ho’s guild?’
Kang Kwon-ho didn’t seem surprised at all—as if he’d known already. As expected, his thoroughness was something to be admired.
Ding.
A notification sound rang out, and a status window appeared.
[First Guild War Side Quest: ‘Hapjeong Station’ Area Concluded]
[Only two guilds remain. The barrier has been lifted.]
I closed the status window and checked the time again.
“3:48? Already?”
I quickly straightened my sluggish body.
“There’s no way I’ll make it in time if I take a taxi.”
I really didn’t want to say this, but there was only one way to make my plan work.
“Kang Kwon-ho!”
Kang Kwon-ho, who had been sitting atop the collapsed Jeon Gi-hwa, looked up at my call.
“Please help me. I’ll answer one question of yours in return.”
It wasn’t an amazing reward, but what Kang Kwon-ho wanted from me was information. That made it a good bargaining chip.
“That’s a tempting offer.”
For once, I felt relieved.
“I need to get inside the Seoul Station barrier within the next ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes, huh…”
“Is it possible?”
If it were Kang Kwon-ho, even the impossible might become possible. If he could just call someone with a teleportation skill right now, there was hope.
“Gu Oh-sook, come here for a moment.”
One of the guild members who had greeted us earlier rushed over at his call.
“Can you get us to Seoul Station within ten minutes?”
“Yes. I’ll have to make a few short hops, but it’s possible.”
I quickly turned to Ryu Ji-soo, who was watching me in surprise, and hurriedly explained.
“I’m really sorry. There’s somewhere I have to go. Please head in first.”
“Huh? Oh—alright.”
Thankfully, Ryu Ji-soo didn’t press me for an explanation, understanding my urgency.
“Shall we go, then?”
Naturally, Kang Kwon-ho insisted on coming along. I’d expected that from the moment I asked for help, so I had no choice.
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Please hold my hand and close your eyes. It might feel dizzy.”
The woman called Gu Oh-sook must have been quite close to Kang Kwon-ho, since she moved swiftly without further words. That was fortunate for me.
After about five rounds of teleporting and stopping, Seoul Station finally came into view.
“We’ve arrived.”
The barrier was right ahead.
“Thank you.”
Without looking back, I stepped straight into it.
“You’ve done well. You can go back now.”
Kang Kwon-ho dismissed Gu Oh-sook, then followed me inside the barrier. Unlike Hapjeong Station, Seoul Station was a huge area swarming with people. Brutal battles were erupting everywhere, and the chaotic sight left me momentarily stunned.
‘Baek So-hyuk should be here.’
My heart pounded wildly, tightening and loosening in waves. But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find him. The crowd pressing against me only fueled my panic.
‘Three minutes left.’
Sweat trickled down my palms. My vision tunneled—I could barely even see Kang Kwon-ho beside me anymore.
‘At this rate, Baek So-hyuk will be in danger.’
In the first Guild War event, Baek So-hyuk gets impaled by a spear while saving one of his subordinates. Unfortunately, that spear is cursed, and he suffers lingering pain for a long time afterward.
‘I don’t want that to happen.’
Maybe I’d grown attached. Just imagining Baek So-hyuk suffering filled me with unease. Perhaps it was because I’d lived so long without a family—or maybe I was over-identifying with Baek Woo-jin, as if I were him.
I planned to block the spear flying toward Baek So-hyuk with a shield from my inventory—a heroic save that would also strengthen our brotherly bond.
‘Where are you?’
But reality never follows the plan. Instead of heroically saving the day, I was trembling all over, unable even to find him.
‘Where are you, Baek So-hyuk!’
[Skill “Future Reading Lv.1” Activated!]
In desperation, I used the skill. A foggy vision of the future appeared—blood splattered everywhere. Baek So-hyuk’s face twisted in pain as a thick spear pierced him, and his strong body collapsed. His subordinate cried out his name in guilt and panic.
‘No…’
[Forcing skill termination.]
My vision spun as I scanned the area again. Then I spotted the clock I’d seen in the vision. For some reason, its pendulum seemed to swing in slow motion.
‘There!’
As the pendulum slowed, my body moved faster.
[Synchronization rate with target increasing. Calculating value.]
At last, I spotted Baek So-hyuk. There was no time to draw my shield.
“Baek Woo-jin!”
Two men shouted my name—it sounded distorted and slow, like a broken tape recorder. Baek So-hyuk’s body was close enough to touch mine.
Thud.
Blood splattered. Thankfully, it wasn’t Baek So-hyuk’s.
“Baek Woo-jin?”
His face, pale and trembling, blurred before my eyes.
‘Ah… I really didn’t mean for it to go like this.’
“Woo-jin!”
Consciousness flickered in and out. When I was awake, chaotic noises filled my ears and my shoulder burned like fire. When I drifted into unconsciousness, the pain vanished.
The pain was unbearable—I wished I could just keep drifting forever. Floating through the current of unconsciousness, I eventually came upon a great door. Somehow, I knew it was the “door to Baek Woo-jin’s memories.”
The expressionless gatekeeper at the entrance gave me a once-over and wordlessly opened it.
[Synchronization rate calculation complete. Current synchronization with target: 20%.]
As the notification appeared, I stepped inside, and Baek Woo-jin’s past unfolded like a movie scene.
It was the ocean. A summer family trip, perhaps. The air was filled with the scent of vacation.
Baek Woo-jin and Baek So-hyuk, looking like middle schoolers, sat side by side on the beach, both in short sleeves and shorts. The sand was fine, and the sunlit sea glittered brilliantly—it looked like a shot from a beautifully filmed movie.
〈Woo-jin hyung.〉
Baek So-hyuk’s way of calling out to me tickled my ears.
〈I’m glad I have a family now. And I’m happy that my new family is you and Mom.〉
〈I see.〉
Unlike Baek So-hyuk, who spoke his joy honestly, Baek Woo-jin looked strangely melancholy. His lips curved upward, but it was clearly forced. Baek So-hyuk seemed to sense it, though the sound of waves mercifully filled the silence, easing the awkwardness.
〈You’re not happy, hyung?〉
There was a hint of sadness in the question. Baek Woo-jin wasn’t oblivious enough to miss it.
〈No, I like you too.〉
A weak response, given how hard it seemed for him to say it.
〈That’s a relief.〉
Still, Baek So-hyuk smiled and started digging at the sand with his feet.
I stood there as an outsider, watching the two of them. Middle-school Baek Woo-jin looked gentle, even soft-hearted. Listening to their conversation, I thought—he was nothing like the bitter, self-loathing man he would become.
‘Maybe he was too kind as a kid, so he turned twisted as an adult.’
I found myself wondering what had changed him so drastically. For the first time, Baek Woo-jin felt less like a game character and more like a real person. Where was the real Baek Woo-jin now?
〈Is your hand okay? The one you hurt earlier?〉
As if remembering suddenly, Baek So-hyuk grabbed Baek Woo-jin’s hand.
〈It’s nothing.〉
Baek Woo-jin hastily pulled it away and hid it behind his back.
〈That’s what you get for rushing in like that…〉
Baek So-hyuk’s voice grew quieter, and the sound of the waves grew louder. Static began to fill the scene, the image flickering and fading.
The movie ended, and the pain that had scattered through my body gathered once more in my shoulder. I was waking up from the dream.
