episode_0021

“Did you find it?”

“I couldn’t find it.”

“Why?”

“The rain washed away the tracks…”

“I know that too. But why?”

“She’s a cruel woman. Only the headless members make it past twenty.”

“I saw that too. But why?”

“A body appearing in an area without a signal, before we can even blow the whistle to signal our presence…”

“I’ve thought about that too. Why couldn’t you find it?”

“…”

Heuksal stared at the rough stone floor.

His adopted son, Cheonsal, precisely Cheonsal’s son, lightly tapped Heuksal’s cheek.

“Hey. Do it properly. It’s worth five hundred gold.”

“…”

“If you fail a mission worth five hundred gold, how will I face our leader? What should I say? Oh, leader, we embarked on a mission, but the target suddenly disappeared. So we failed. Like that?”

Cheonsal’s son continued to tap Heuksal’s cheek.

“No. Let me go and tell him, leader, the kids are completely useless. They can’t even signal or hide properly. The Heuksal Clan used to be different, but after the new leader took over, it’s become a complete mess. Losing five hundred gold just because we couldn’t catch a single woman, and our members are dying left and right.”

Leader, how did you raise your son?

Heuksal swallowed his sigh.

If his precious adopted son was so important, he should have made a person before that.

But the image of the leader who had picked up Cheonsal, who had begged earnestly, came to mind.

“Even if the kid is like that, he has a good heart. Right now, he’s just wandering after losing his mother. Please grant my request. If this matter is resolved, the talk of succession will stop. Please grant my true request.”

Heuksal suppressed his anger.

For the sake of his beloved leader.

If this damn kid is chosen as the successor, he will leave the industry altogether.

“I will do my best.”

“Good. Heuksal, go yourself. Don’t just sit around here. What’s the point of getting old and wrinkled?”

—-

Traps. Ambush. Signals.

The more you move, the more you lose.

So why not just not move?

Achyeong dug a hole about the height of his head in the ground.

His clenched fist tore off chunks of earth like peeling mud.

Suddenly, a memory resurfaced.

Wow. If there was a martial artist during serious construction, he might have become the top ace in the military, surpassing even the special forces.

No? What’s one person’s hand with an excavator.

Still, if he had wielded a shovel with both hands, he would have just dug up the ground, rocks, and tree roots.

He dug a small burrow like that.

He pushed the dirt with his foot and piled it roughly at the entrance.

He thought there should be a breathing hole, so he didn’t completely block it.

The problem was the condition of Jinjangmyeong.

Already shivering from the cold, his body trembled.

In the pitch-black burrow, his lips turned blue.

Achyeong hugged Jinjangmyeong tightly.

In truth, Achyeong was cold too.

Exhausted, broken, and with a wet body, holding a cold child, he felt like he might freeze to death.

But if I feel cold, wouldn’t the child feel warm?

Fortunately, Jinjangmyeong’s trembling gradually subsided.

Jinjangmyeong couldn’t overcome his fatigue and fell asleep.

Soft, faint scratching sounds echoed.

Does the child have pneumonia?

Achyeong’s mind became hazy.

A sense of relief washed over him as the tension eased.

But it felt like a good thing.

Whether he was awake or not, it was so dark that he couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or closed.

Every now and then, when he regained his senses, he wondered if he had dozed off.

Then suddenly, a small whisper was heard.

“Why go this far?”

“What’s the matter?”

“You could have just left it behind.”

“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

“What didn’t you know?”

“I didn’t think they would chase us if we just left. I didn’t think they would set up such a trap and act recklessly. Damn bastards, I won’t just sit back and do nothing. If I leave, I’ll…”

“If you knew?”

“Huh?”

“If you knew it would turn out like this?”

“If I knew, would I have just left it behind? So, there’s no need for you to feel sorry for me. It’s my own stupidity that got us into this mess.”

“… ”

There was silence.

Then the question was asked again.

“You could still betray me now.”

“Now?”

Achyeong snorted.

“I may have killed some of your people, but I was just trying to survive. If you want to let bygones be bygones, I’d be more than happy.”

“But…”

“Now you’re a hostage. If you try anything funny, I’ll put a knife to your throat. Oh, my moonlight sword. I paid a lot for it. Anyway, there’s a river in this town, right? They want a boat in exchange for you, and then they’ll let you escape.”

“… ”

The child spoke again after a while.

“Yangtze.”

“Huh?”

“It’s the Yangtze River. They said it’s the longest river in the world.”

Then the mother added belatedly.

“How ridiculous. The longest river is the Nile.”

“The Nile?”

“But is the Nile really there? Even here? Are the things I know really here? That salt lake, I wanted to visit it before I die…”

“What are you talking about?”

The child spoke again.

“Why go this far?”

“Didn’t we just talk about that?”

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Achyeong said something irrelevant.

“Kid, when you wake up, you’ll turn into a handsome man.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s just leave it at that. Let’s say it’s a dream. But in the dream, you don’t wake up. You get hungry when you’re hungry, sleepy when you’re sleepy, and hurt when you’re hurt. So, is this really a dream?”

“…Then it’s not a dream.”

“But the status window, no. Um… yeah, like a ghost following you around. It keeps talking. You’re dreaming right now. This is a dream world.”

“So, it’s a dream?”

“I’m not sure. That’s the problem.”

Achyeong bit her lip.

Every time she went to bed, she imagined waking up in the cozy one-room apartment.

The manual laborer who fell asleep at his desk would wake up groggily and laugh when he saw the character I created on the monitor.

She could delete the game out of unease, or just enjoy it as it is.

Even if she suddenly came and suddenly left, so what?

So Achyeong just lived.

She lived as she pleased and said what she wanted.

Because, no matter when she leaves, it’s not strange, is there a reason for me to be cautious here?

So Achyeong didn’t hold back.

There was no reason to save money.

What’s the point of saving money to buy a house and fill it with gold? It’ll all disappear when you leave.

Of course, this world was undoubtedly real.

Achyeong didn’t consider this world as a dream.

If only that damn status window wasn’t there.

The status window always says Achyeong is an outsider.

A being that doesn’t belong in this world.

What happens if I die?

Just die?

Will the game be over and I’ll retry?

Or will I go back to the monitor?

If I was dragged into this world for no reason, then there’s no harm in being kicked out for no reason.

But if there was a reason I was brought here?

If some transcendent being brought me here for some purpose.

And if that purpose becomes invalid whether I succeed or fail.

Then what about me?

“…Are you okay?”

Achyeong forced herself to calm her anxious mind.

It wasn’t the time to have a fit and go crazy.

“Of course. I’m fine.”

“It’s okay, right?”

“Why worry about a little kid like me?”

Achyeong tried to smile.

Anyway, it probably won’t look dark.

In the end, the problem was people.

Is a life spent eating, sleeping, and fighting really a human life?

In the end, people lived as people.

Because they were too lonely.

Loneliness was unbearable, so they eventually made friends, and then eventually left because they were strangers.

They didn’t want to be hated, so they built up good deeds and played nice.

And then they acted like they didn’t care.

“Hey.”

“Why.”

“But why did you bring me here?”

“It’s my whim. Why.”

“Isn’t there a reason?”

“Well, if I had to choose one person, there was no one innocent except you.”

Just like that, that’s why.

If you have to choose one person, you should choose the innocent one.

Whether it’s a scammer or a child molester, it’s all the same.

“Something about being pure and innocent. Our little one wanted to be born that way, so I’ll become pure and innocent, pure punch! Pure punch! I wasn’t born that way. What’s wrong with that.”

It was also a word to oneself.

Is it a sin to play games? Is it a sin to create a female character?

It just happened like this, what could I do.

“But. Mom. Dad……”

“I’m sorry to say this, but your mom is a scammer, right? In fact, if she’s the Golden Thousand Gate, she’s a big scammer among scammers, honestly.”

“But, Mom and Dad did it for me.”

“Did you ask them to? Mom, please scam for me for my sake. Otherwise, Mom, daughter, will die? You didn’t say that. But what’s your fault. None. Innocent. Bang bang bang. No rebuttal.”

“But. Those people……”

“Even if they tell stories, they’re ultimately child molesters, minors drugged and so on, very active criminals. Really bad guys. Eat shit.”

Acheong said firmly.

Jinjangmyeong sobbed in Acheong’s arms.

“Is it really okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Really really?”

“Sure.”

“Really really really?”

Acheong frowned at the sudden thought.

“Come to think of it, you’re sixteen. What’s that? Pretending to be cute? Are you enjoying being a little kid?”

“What are you talking about. I’m ugly.”

“I didn’t have to say it out loud, did I?”

Acheong said with a smirk.

“In fact, you’re not that easy either.”