Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Beginning (1)
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"Shall I?"
Im A-rin was having a dream.
It was a vicious nightmare from a time long gone—a time when she had witnessed the man she loved and her closest friend secretly sharing their love.
"Ju-hee... the kids are in the room."
"So?"
"This girl, really... Ah! Take your hand out...!"
"Shh! What if we get caught?"
"You know that and... No, at least go to the room... Mmph...!"
In the thick silence of the living room, faint rustling sounds and suggestive noises quietly echoed.
Hidden in the pitch-black darkness, Im A-rin quietly watched him being toyed with by Seol Ju-hee.
"Pha...!"
"Seol Ju-hee. Stop before I really get mad...! We'll wake the kids...!"
Im A-rin remembered that day clearly.
No... she couldn't forget it even if she tried.
"Hng... You won't get mad."
"Do I look like I'm joking right now?"
"Looks like you're pretty fired up here."
"Hey...!"
"If you don't want to get caught... try keeping me from making noise?"
It was a September day, when they had all gathered for the holidays and drank together.
Im A-rin had gone into the room first with Hong Yu-ra and woken up by chance, only to witness the two left in the living room entangled.
And just like that, she had to watch the two people she cherished most in the process of becoming parents.
"Heup...! Mmm...!"
"Chup... smack... kiss... Hoo... slurp... ."
In truth, Im A-rin had long realized she was dreaming.
Since it was a nightmare she'd had countless times before, the moment she heard Seol Ju-hee's voice, she knew she was wandering in a dream.
"......"
But she deliberately didn't wake up.
She could easily awaken her consciousness and escape this horrific scene,
or even swap places with Seol Ju-hee to gain some small satisfaction.
However...
"Haa... haa..."
"...I love you."
"Wait, I'm about to... Outside...!"
"No answer?"
"I love you too...! Ah..."
Im A-rin did not.
To remember the cold rage rising until her lips trembled.
And the chilling pain that tore through her entire body, as if her heart had stopped.
And the cruel sense of loss from knowing he loved someone else.
"......"
Finally waking from the dream, Im A-rin blinked her moist eyelids and stared at the ceiling.
She wiped the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes and picked up the phone on her nightstand.
The time was 11 a.m.
As promised, a message from Gu Seok-il had arrived.
[Seol Ju-hee has departed for her Chuncheon schedule.]
Confirming that things were proceeding as planned, Im A-rin set the phone down again, closed her eyes tightly, and envisioned the future ahead.
A hopeful future where she would bear Do Ji-hyeok's child and build a happy family.
*
"We've come all the way to Chuncheon, so we have to try the dakgalbi, right?"
Jin Seo-won and I met up with Yoon In-kyung in downtown Chuncheon.
The restaurant she took us to was a high-end dakgalbi place with quite a steep price tag,
and from her casual comment about bringing someone whenever they came, I could gauge her level of wealth.
"I hope I didn't drag you into this on the weekend for nothing."
"Not at all. I was actually hoping for a chance to have a meal together. Thank you for suggesting it."
Yoon In-kyung, in her early thirties, looked like a well-maintained mature woman in her twenties, her delicate features carefully tended.
Her long brown hair cascaded freely, and she wore an elegant dress that didn't overly emphasize her figure—it felt like she'd put some thought into her appearance.
"How about you, Seo-won? Settling in okay?"
I nodded at her question, which came naturally like a guardian's, and glanced at Jin Seo-won, who was eating side dishes beside her, before replying.
"She's doing well. Training hard... and keeping up with work just fine."
In truth, Jin Seo-won was only doing team training, but there was no need to mention that.
"Getting along with everyone?"
"She seems to get along great with the team members since they're around the same age. There's this girl in our team named Han-na who looks after Seo-won a lot."
"Oh, really?"
In fact, Bang Han-na did take good care of Jin Seo-won, and Jin Seo-won followed her well.
Though she still hated training together.
"Excuse me."
Just then, our orders arrived, and we continued eating while chatting about this and that.
"I heard from Seo-won that you live around here. Close by?"
"You can see my apartment from here? I live there."
Yoon In-kyung lived in a high-rise apartment right in the heart of Chuncheon.
It seemed solidly built given the high property value, but if a gate opened nearby, it'd be hard to respond from there.
'Did she die at home?'
As I pondered ways to protect Yoon In-kyung inwardly, I absentmindedly picked up a piece of golden-brown cooked chicken from the grill and placed it on Jin Seo-won's plate.
At that moment, Jin Seo-won glanced at Yoon In-kyung, poked at the meat, and quietly spoke up.
"...Not me. Give it to sis."
Yoon In-kyung and I exchanged puzzled looks at her words, and only then did I understand what Jin Seo-won meant. I quickly picked up a well-cooked piece and placed it on Yoon In-kyung's plate.
"Here you go."
She seemed to catch on late, looking slightly bemused...
Then, unable to hold back a smile, the corners of her mouth twitched as she expressed her thanks.
"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
Thanks to Jin Seo-won, the atmosphere lightened, and we began sharing more personal stories.
"So you're always at the cafe during the day?"
"Yes. I don't hire extra part-timers, so the place doesn't run without me."
Through my conversation with Yoon In-kyung, I learned both the cause of her death and the location influenced by the gate...
'Right around here.'
And unfortunately, that spot was downtown Chuncheon.
"What do you usually do on weekends, Ji-hyeok?"
"Unless something comes up, I mostly research materials at home. The job requires it—the more data, the better."
"Ah... So you're always home?"
"Pretty much."
"Then let's go cycling together sometime. I'll help you out. Seo-won will come too, right?"
"...Me too?"
"What's with her? Acting clueless. Of course you're coming!"
Yoon In-kyung seemed to like me, taking the lead in the conversation quite actively.
Jin Seo-won watched us with an oddly intrigued gleam in her eyes, as if she were eager to play matchmaker.
As we finished our meal amid the lively chatter,
the idea of moving to Yoon In-kyung's cafe came up naturally.
"Let's grab some dessert at my cafe. My treat."
"You've already fed me dinner—feels like I'm mooching too much."
"What doesn't sell just goes to waste. You're coming, right?"
"...Then I won't hold back."
I accepted her offer readily, and after settling the bill, we left the restaurant to head to the cafe...
"Is it going to rain? I didn't hear anything about rain today."
For some reason, we noticed thick black clouds blanketing the sky.
'...What's this?'
Staring at the clouds, I felt an eerie sense of déjà vu.
The color was too unnaturally dark for ordinary storm clouds.
'Still a week away?'
At first, I thought it might be a sign of a gate opening, but it didn't match the timing of the second incident.
I'd read that part meticulously multiple times—it was accurate.
"...Get in the car for now."
Harboring my doubts, I approached the car to take the two to the cafe when
Kugugugu───
a sound like the sky splitting open reverberated from above.
"Whoa... lightning out of a clear sky."
Yoon In-kyung and Jin Seo-won looked up, thinking it was just thunder...
But I knew what it really was.
Kugugugugu─────
A gate.
"Everyone, get in the car quick!"
"Huh?"
"...?"
"It's a gate! Dangerous to stay here!"
"G-Gate!?"
I got the two into the car and tried to flee the city center before the gate fully opened.
But...
Bang─! Honk honk─!
The roads were already jammed solid—no way out.
"Everyone hold on tight!"
"Huh?"
Screeech---!
"Kyaa!!"
I urgently turned the car to escape in another direction.
Kugugugugugugu──────────!!!
But the gate, as if fully prepared, unleashed a massive roar,
Crack─────! Craaaack───────!
and finally opened.
"J-Ji-hyeok! What do we do...!"
To make matters worse, the roads were long since blocked by abandoned cars.
Escaping by vehicle seemed impossible now.
"Let's run!"
"...R-Run!?"
"Hurry!"
I slammed on the brakes, and we dashed across the city together.
"Kyaaaa─!"
"Run awaaay!!!"
"Don't stop! Keep running!!"
The city had descended into utter chaos, a scene of pandemonium.
Panicked people ran blindly forward, having lost their way,
and worst of all, in the direction of the gate.
"Everyone! This way! That direction has the gate!"
I tried shouting the gate's location to minimize casualties, but...
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"S-Save meee!!!"
Most people weren't listening, charging toward the gate like moths to a flame.
'Damn...!'
Then.
Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!
A sound of something landing nearby echoed.
"M-Mommy!"
"!"
The hyena-like beastmen monsters from the second incident—the Nols—had appeared.
'The timing's been pulled forward...!'
The Nols showing up meant the gate, supposed to open a week later, had opened now.
Slightly rattled by the unexpected change, I quickly pulled myself together and led the two into a nearby restaurant building, shouting,
"Hide in here!"
"Y-Yes!?"
"Nols track by scent! Hide in a warehouse inside—it'll mask you with food smells, and they won't find you!"
"...P-Produce─!?"
At Yoon In-kyung's call, I paused briefly and glanced at Jin Seo-won standing beside her.
Then, from the subspatial pouch I always carried, I pulled out a piece of equipment and handed it to her, pleading,
"Seo-won. If anything happens, you protect your sister."
"...Huh?"
She floundered in confusion at the unexpected words.
I forcibly slipped the Dark Dragon Gauntlet onto her hand.
"Channel your magic power and swing with all your might. I taught you—remember?"
"...Uh... uh-huh...."
"P-Produce─! Seo-won is...!"
Yoon In-kyung grabbed me, looking anxious.
Jin Seo-won was still an F-rank who couldn't properly handle her magic power yet, so her concern was understandable.
But...
I believed this was the perfect opportunity for her to grow.
Since Seol Ju-hee in the original story had also been F-rank when she first awakened her powers.
"Seo-won can do it. Believe in her."
With that, I quickly hid the two in a small warehouse inside the restaurant.
"The gate won't reach this far. I'll check it out—wait just a bit!"
"P-Produce─!"
"Seo-won! Please!"
Leaving Yoon In-kyung and Jin Seo-won behind, I rushed out of the restaurant.