Threat Assessment (5): A Summons I Can't Refuse

A violent shiver ran through me.

"Ugh..."

I glanced around, unsettled by the sudden chill. It felt like something enormous and threatening was drawing near...

"What? What's wrong with you?"

"...Nothing. Just a feeling."

"You're no fun. Anyway, these past few days were a blast."

MoneyIsPower grinned, saying he'd had a great time watching the show. It was the kind of smile that could make a string of women cry — which was exactly why I jerked my head away in irritation. I had zero interest in a guy's smile.

That aside, the weekend was already over.

"Tomorrow's Monday, huh."

"Yep. Back to work. You're unemployed, so no commute for you, right, hyung? Gotta admit, I'm a little jealous."

"If it bothers you that much, just get rich."

"I am rich, though?"

I gave him a look that said, So what? MoneyIsPower flinched and took a step back.

Was he trying to brag about working hard even though he already had money?

"And for the record, I don't have a job — but I do work."

"Playing games isn't work, hyung. Same goes for stock trading."

"I don't think of those as real work either! I mean actual work. Proper work!"

What did this guy even take me for? Literally just a rich bum?

Well. He wasn't entirely wrong. At least, not until a few days ago.

I'm literally working a job commissioned by the number-one Awakened in the entire country... tch.

And that job was investigating something that could potentially become a global crisis. The fact that I couldn't tell anyone about it was genuinely depressing. If people knew, they'd be floored.

"You're on the fifty-ninth floor right now, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll be working, so hurry up and catch up. We'll climb together."

"Keep your weekend free. I'll be up there by then."

"Okay. So I just need to be ready to hop on the bus?"

Sure. Whatever.

MoneyIsPower snorted at my halfhearted reply, then logged out.

"...Virtual reality's more fun than I expected."

I'd frozen up at first. Whoever made this game, every single monster in the Trial of the Tower was a monster that came out of real Gates. For someone with severe Gate trauma like me, facing them had been a little much.

Thankfully they were the same ones I'd hunted back in the day. If anything stronger had shown up, I might have locked up completely and been unable to move.

"Right. How many years of Gate experience do I have, again?"

Compared to active Hunters it was a drop in the ocean, but compared to ordinary Awakened it was leagues ahead. Even the weakest Awakened from that era had a completely different level of seasoning than regular people.

"...I shouldn't have brushed Eunseo off like that."

If I'd known I'd enjoy it this much, I would have just said yes. She'd still play with me if I asked again, but accepting the first time she offered would have been easier on both of us.

I was thinking roughly along those lines, about to log out, when—

"...Huh?"

How did she know?

I scanned the area, wondering if she was nearby, but there was no sign of Eunseo's face. Come to think of it, I'd heard there were items that could change your appearance. Had she used one of those?

At home?

Then how did she know I was playing Trial of the Tower? The only people among Eunseo's acquaintances who knew me were Uncle Haseong, Auntie, and Kim Ye-eun.

...Kim Ye-eun?

No way.

I whipped my head around again, but just like with Eunseo, there was no face that even vaguely resembled Kim Ye-eun.

Kim Ye-eun told her? How? Had she just happened to spot me in passing?

A sudden wave of anxiety hit me, and I hurriedly mashed the logout button. Staying here any longer felt like it would lead to disaster in more ways than one.

That familiar sensation of being pulled away washed over me, and my vision went black. I yanked off the headgear and scrambled to my feet.

My phone was flooded with message notifications.

"..."

The messages from Eunseo left me momentarily speechless. Kim Ye-eun was furious. And on top of that, I was supposed to contact her the moment I saw the messages.

"...Should I call?"

If she started ranting about suing me again, things would get awkward. No — why was she even this worked up over a few missed calls? Especially when the person she was mad at was the same person she'd tried to sue in the first place!

"Seriously..."

Why was she doing this to me? If she kept it up, I was going to tell Eunseo everything. What was she going to do if I got so annoyed I tanked her entire love life?

...Not that I actually would.

"Haa..."

Fine. I'd call. It wasn't like I was calling Kim Ye-eun directly, so it should be fine, right?

With that thought, I pressed the call button.

Rrring— Click—

The call connected in under ten seconds. Had she been waiting by the phone this whole time? Eunseo must have been pretty desperate too.

I opened my mouth to speak, and then—

"Hic—?!"

From the other end of the line came a voice that absolutely should not have been there. Not Eunseo's characteristic calm — this was a voice like a raging volcano.

D-did I dial the wrong number?

I checked the screen in a panic, but the name displayed was clearly "Eunseo." Kim Ye-eun had simply answered my call on Eunseo's phone.

...But why?

"H-heee..."

I had terrible chemistry with women. And among women, my chemistry with the strong-willed ones was the absolute worst. A completely idiotic sound slipped out of me at the fury pouring through the receiver.

"Ah..."

Was she talking about after we'd parted ways at the police station? That was when I'd lost my phone. And back then...

...I actually had been kidnapped by some weirdos.

Should I tell her or not? Judging by what she was saying, she really had been worried. But if I told her the truth, she'd just get mad about why I was only mentioning it now.

"I-I don't want to!"

"I said I don't want to go out!"

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't care! Do your worst! I am absolutely not going outside!

Unless it was to report to Uncle Haseong, I was never leaving this house again! Looking at my recent outing count alone, I'd already blown past my yearly limit by a mile. And she wanted me to go out again?

Absolutely not!

"...?"

"..."

Unlike her usual calm tone, her voice was thick with apology. With Eunseo going this far, could I really still refuse? Especially after I'd told her virtual reality games weren't my thing and then gone and played Trial of the Tower with abandon.

Guess I don't have a choice.

I was absolutely not going because of Kim Ye-eun. I was going because Eunseo — my little sister-figure, Uncle Haseong's daughter, and my favorite Hunter — was asking me to. For Eunseo's sake, going outside once...

I really, really didn't want to... but one outing...

"...Fine. I'm coming."

"I'm glad you're happy, Eunseo."

"Huh."

Why, though? More importantly — she'd bought clothes for me? Why?

Hundreds of question marks bloomed above my head, but the call disconnected before I could get any answers.

"Haa..."

I stared at the address in the message and let out a long sigh. So I really had to go.

"...I should shower before I leave."

I'd spent days lying around in a headgear doing nothing but gaming, and my whole body felt grimy. I didn't smell, but still — there was such a thing as personal standards. Going to see my favorite without washing up would be rude, too.

"I will never forgive Kim Ye-eun."

I clenched my fist and swore it to myself. Someday, when Eunseo and I were alone, I was going to expose every last bit of her true nature! Regret it all you want when that day comes, you idiot.

I huffed through my nose and washed up with my eyes squeezed shut.

"Haa..."

The clothes Auntie had given me the last time I'd met Uncle Haseong. She'd said they were from when Eunseo was little. They fit me suspiciously well, so I'd already decided to wear them whenever I went out — I just hadn't expected to need them this soon.

I'm not going to see Kim Ye-eun. I'm going to see Eunseo. Kim Ye-eun just happens to be at the place where I'm meeting Eunseo, and that place just happens to be Kim Ye-eun's house.

Only after finishing my excuses to myself did I open the front door. Whether it was the pressure difference between the apartment and the hallway, the door felt heavier than usual.

"When I see Eunseo, I should ask her to play Trial of the Tower with me."

Without Kim Ye-eun, of course.

I snickered, imagining the look on Kim Ye-eun's face if Eunseo accepted — then tilted my head at a sudden thought.

Come to think of it... why did I start playing Trial of the Tower in the first place?

I was pretty sure I'd started it because there was something important I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠needed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to check.

Hmm...

Eh. If I can't remember it, it probably wasn't a big deal. No point dwelling on useless thoughts — time to go see Eunseo.