episode_0026

“Shall we?”

Lim Arin was dreaming.

It was a terrible nightmare from a time now gone, where she once witnessed the man she loved and her best friend secretly making love.

“Joohee… . There are kids in the room.”

“So?”

“This guy is really… . oh! Take your hand away… !”

“Shh! What if I get caught like this?”

“The kid who knows that… . No, I’d rather be in my room… Ugh… !”

In the living room, which was filled with deep silence, faint rustling sounds and strange noises rang out.

Im A-rin, hiding in the pitch-black darkness, quietly watched him being harassed by Seol Joo-hee.

“Puha… !”

“Sol Joo-hee. Stop before I get really angry… ! If I keep doing this, I’m going to get caught by the kids… !”

Lim A-rin clearly remembered this day.

no… Even if I wanted to forget, I couldn’t.

“Hmm… . You won’t be angry.”

“Do you think I’m joking?”

“I’m very angry here.”

“Hey… !”

“If you don’t want to be caught… , Did you try to stop me from screaming?”

One day in September, we all gathered together and drank alcohol to celebrate the holiday.

Lim A-rin, who went into the room with Hong Yu-ra first and then woke up by chance, witnessed the two people remaining in the living room tangled up.

In this way, he had to watch the two people he loved the most become parents.

“Hey… ! Umm… !”

“Chuck… Squeeze… side… . Huh… Just… .”

In fact, Lim A-rin had already realized that she was dreaming a long time ago.

It was a nightmare that I had had over and over again, so from the moment I heard Seol Joo-hee’s voice, I knew that I was wandering in a dream.

“… … .”

But she deliberately didn’t wake up from her dream.

I was able to fully awaken my consciousness and escape this terrible scene.

By switching his position with Seol Joo-hee, he could have achieved a small amount of satisfaction.

however… .

“Ha… ha… .”

“… I love you.”

“Wait a minute, I think it’s coming out! outside… !”

“Not answering?”

“I love you too… ! oh… .”

Arin Lim didn’t do that.

The cold anger rising to the point that my lips were trembling.

A horrifying pain that cuts through your entire body to the point that your heart stops.

And to clearly remember the cruel loss of his love for another.

“… … .”

Eventually, Lim A-rin woke up from her dream and looked at the ceiling, blinking her wet eyelids.

Then, he wiped away the tears from his eyes and picked up the cell phone he had left on his bedside table.

The current time is 11 am.

As promised, Gook-il’s message had arrived.

[Seol Joo-hee’s Chuncheon schedule has departed. ]

After confirming that everything went well as planned, Lim A-rin put down her phone again, closed her eyes, and imagined the future ahead.

Give birth to Do Ji-hyuk’s child and have a hopeful future with a happy family.

*

“I came all the way to Chuncheon, shouldn’t I still try dakgalbi?”

Jin Seo-won and I joined Yun In-kyung in downtown Chuncheon.

The restaurant she took us to was a luxurious dakgalbi restaurant that was quite expensive.

From her statement that she brought someone from outside every time she came, we were able to guess the extent of her wealth.

“I don’t know if I caught it on the weekend for no reason.”

“No. Actually, I wanted to have a meal together, so I was grateful that you recommended it.”

In-kyung Yoon, who is in her early 30s, seems to have taken good care of herself and has a nice appearance that makes her look like she is in her mature 20s.

She had long, loose brown hair and was wearing an elegant dress that did not overly highlight her body, and it felt like she had put some effort into it.

“How about Seowon? Are you adapting well?”

I nodded my head in response to her question, which naturally spoke to me like a guardian, and answered while glancing at Jin Seo-won, who was eating a side dish next to her.

“I’m doing well. I train hard too… . Work is going well.”

In fact, Jin Seo-won is only receiving training as a team member, but there is no need to reveal it.

“Do you get along well with people?”

“I think I get along well with my teammates, perhaps because we are of similar age. There is a child named Hanna on our team, and she takes good care of Seowon.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

In fact, Bang Hanna is taking good care of Jin Seowon, and Jin Seowon is also following Bang Hanna well.

Of course, I still hate training together.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, all the food we ordered came out, and we continued eating while chatting about various things.

“I heard from Seowon that she lives here, so I guess her house is close by.”

“See the apartment over there? I live there.”

In-Kyung Yoon lived in a high-rise apartment located in the center of downtown Chuncheon.

It seemed like it was built safely as the house was expensive, but it was in a location that would be difficult to use if a nearby gate was opened.

‘Did he die at home?’

While I was thinking about how to protect Yoon In-kyung, without even thinking about it, I picked up the golden brown chicken from the grill and placed it on Jin Seo-won’s plate.

At that moment, Jin Seo-won glanced at Yoon In-kyung and spoke quietly while chewing on meat.

“… Give it to me, not me.”

Yoon In-kyung and I looked at each other, puzzled by her remarks, and only then did I understand Jin Seo-won’s true intentions, so I quickly picked up the well-cooked meat and placed it on Yoon In-kyung’s plate.

I will give you “”

Then, she looked slightly dumbfounded, as if she belatedly understood Jin Seo-won’s words… .

Soon, he twitched the corners of his mouth as if he couldn’t hold back his laughter and expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you. I will eat well.”

Thanks to Jinseowon, the atmosphere was relaxed and we began to tell our personal stories little by little.

“So are you always at the cafe during the day?”

“Yes. I don’t hire any part-time workers, so the cafe doesn’t run without me.”

Through a conversation with In-kyung Yoon, I was able to simultaneously find out the cause of her death and the place where the gate affects… .

‘It’s around here.’

Of course, that place was downtown Chuncheon.

“What do you usually do on the weekends, Jihyuk?”

“Unless I have something to do, I usually do research at home. Since a job is a job, the more data the better.”

“Ah… . So are you just staying at home?”

“Right?”

“Then, let’s ride a cycle together later. Let me help you. Are you going to go with Seowon?”

“… Me too?”

“What about him? Are you pretending not to know anything? Of course we should go together!”

In-kyung Yoon seemed to like me and took the lead in the conversation quite actively.

Jin Seo-won looked at the sight of Yoon In-kyung and me with strangely curious eyes, as if she was very satisfied, and it seemed as if she wanted to connect me with her.

By the time we finished eating, we were having a great conversation.

Naturally, there was talk of moving to In-Kyung Yoon’s cafe.

“Let’s go and eat dessert at our cafe. I will treat you.”

“I get food, but I think I’m just getting too much.”

“If it doesn’t sell, it’s all left over. Are you going?”

“… Well then, I won’t decline.”

I accepted her offer, and we left the restaurant after paying to go to the cafe… .

“Is it raining? There was no mention of rain today?”

For some reason, I discovered that dark clouds had covered the sky.

‘… what?’

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as I looked at the dark clouds.

Because it seemed strangely dark in color to be considered an ordinary dark cloud.

‘There’s still a week left?’

At first, I thought it was a sign that the gate was opening, but it did not coincide with the time when the second incident occurred.

It was a part I had read carefully several times, so it was accurate.

“… Let’s get on it first.”

The moment I approached the car to take the two people to the cafe with that question in mind.

Kugugugugung───

A sound like something breaking apart began to echo in the sky.

“Wow… . It’s a lightning strike in a dry sky.”

Yoon In-kyung and Jin Seo-won were looking at the sky as if they thought it was just thunder… .

I knew what it was.

Kugugugugugugung─────

It was a gate.

“Everyone, get in the car quickly!”

“Yes?”

“… ?”

“Gate! It’s dangerous to stay here!”

“Geez, the gate!?”

I put two people in the car and tried to quickly get out of the city before the gate opened.

but… .

Wow! Bang bang—!

The road was already clogged, so there was no way to get out.

“Everyone, hold on tight!”

“Yes?”

Geek-gi-gi-gi-geek—!

“Aaaah!!”

I quickly turned the car around and tried to get out in the other direction.

Kugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugung’’

However, the gate emitted a tremendous roar as if it had already been prepared.

Blink─────! Blah blah blah ───────!

It finally opened.

“Ji, Jihyuk! What should I do… !”

To make matters worse, the driveway has long been clogged with abandoned cars.

It seemed difficult to get out by car anymore.

“Let’s run!”

“… Yes, yes!?”

“Hurry!”

I quickly stopped the car and crossed the city with the two people.

“Aaaagh—!”

“Run away!!!”

“Don’t stop! Run!!”

The city is in shambles and is literally in shambles.

People in confusion lost their way and ran blindly forward.

Of course, that direction was the direction the gate was opened.

“Everyone! This way! If you go there, there’s a gate!”

I tried to reveal the location of the gate to reduce the number of casualties as much as possible, but… .

“Aaaa!!!”

“Sa, save me!!!”

Most people didn’t seem to have any inclination to listen to me and just jumped towards the gate like moths to fire.

‘shit… !’

at that time.

Cooung—! Cooung—! Cooung—!

The sound of something landing nearby was heard.

“Uh, mom!”

“!”

In the second incident, a monster, a beast resembling a hyena, appeared.

‘Time has been delayed… !’

The appearance of the gnoll means that the gate that should have been opened a week later has now been opened.

I was slightly taken aback by the unexpected change, but quickly came to my senses and shouted as I led the two people to a nearby restaurant building.

“It’s in here!”

“Yes, yes!?”

“Gnolls find their opponents using their sense of smell! If you hide inside in a warehouse or something, you won’t be noticed because it will be covered by the smell of food!”

“… Phew, what about the producer!?”

I paused for a moment at Yoon In-kyung’s call and glanced at Jin Seo-won, who was standing side by side with her.

Then, he took out a piece of equipment from the subspace pocket he always carried with him, handed it to her, and made a request.

“Seowon. If something happens, you have to protect your sister.”

“… Yes?”

She panicked, as if embarrassed by the unexpected remark.

I thoughtlessly placed the Dark Dragon’s Gauntlets on her hands.

“Raise your magic power and swing with all your might. I taught you, remember?”

“… Uh… .”

“F, producer! Seowon… !”

In-kyung Yoon grabbed me, looking somewhat anxious.

Jinseowon was currently an F-level person who couldn’t even handle magic properly, so it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

but… .

I thought this was a golden opportunity for her to grow.

Because in the original work, Seol Joo-hee was in F grade even when she just awakened her abilities.

“Seowon can do it. Please trust me.”

I quickly hid the two people in a small storage room inside the restaurant.

“The gate will not reach this far. I’ll take a look at the gate, so please wait a moment!”

“F, producer… !”

“Seowon! Please!”

I left the restaurant straight away, leaving In-kyung Yoon and Seo-won Jin behind.