The Reason I Live
The interior of the White Lion Clan’s mansion was as splendid and impeccably maintained as its exterior.
A separate building used for administrative purposes stood on the left.
“So you mainly stay and eat here in the mansion?”
“That’s correct. Only executives who’ve earned a significant amount of public merit are allowed to sleep and reside here.”
Chris spoke in a proud tone.
The carriage door at the very back opened, and several clan members dragged out the unconscious Yushido.
His limbs were bound in brightly glowing chains as he was hauled off somewhere inside the headquarters.
“I heard the vice-leader personally brought that holy relic from the temple?”
“Yeah. They say he even gave up several oracles to get it.”
Kang Yoonsoo’s group also entered the mansion.
The ever-kind Amanda personally assigned them their rooms.
“There will be a party at eleven. If you feel like having a drink, come up to the fifth floor.”
Each of them went into their rooms, changed into comfortable clothes, and rested.
When eleven o’clock arrived, they all came out of their rooms.
“Where’s Iris?”
“She’s sleeping deeply. So I just left her alone and came out.”
While walking down the corridor, Shanette wore a worried expression.
“Isn’t it customary to dress up elaborately or wear formal attire for a party?”
“Who cares? Besides, I don’t even have a tuxedo to change into.”
Henrik replied, sounding annoyed.
When they reached the fifth floor, an unexpected sight greeted them.
“……?”
There were no dazzling lights or musicians playing soft melodies.
All the clan members were dressed casually, lounging on sofas or leaning against tables.
Quite a few were sprawled out on the sofas, and instead of expensive appetizers, the only alcohol available was beer.
They laughed freely, chatting or playing card games.
“……Did I have the wrong idea about what a party is?”
“I thought parties were where nobles acted all refined, dancing or sipping wine?”
Kang Yoonsoo said indifferently.
“Everyone here is a traveler.”
Now that he mentioned it, every single person was indeed wearing a Terminal on their wrist.
Shanette and Henrik, who had expected an elegant, old-fashioned social gathering, couldn’t help but feel out of place.
Chris spotted them from across the room and waved enthusiastically.
“Oh! Mister Kang Yoonsoo! Over here!”
Kang Yoonsoo glanced back at Shanette and Henrik, who were standing there awkwardly.
“This party has no formalities. Wander around and drink comfortably.”
With that, he walked over and joined Chris’s table.
Henrik rolled his eyes, snatched a bottle of dark beer from a nearby table, and plopped down in the nearest seat.
Left alone, Shanette glanced around self-consciously before walking off in another direction.
“So this is the guy the leader praised so highly?”
A Western woman looked at him with curious eyes.
She had flowing light-blonde hair, blue eyes, and a well-toned figure.
Her thin sleeveless top revealed a generous amount of cleavage.
“Ah, this is Margarita. She’s from Vladivostok, Russia.”
Chris introduced her.
“Nice to meet you.”
Margarita extended her hand while giving him a subtle, appraising look.
Kang Yoonsoo shook it lightly.
“Kang Yoonsoo.”
Besides Chris and Margarita, Amanda and Pascho were also seated at the table.
Kang Yoonsoo picked up a bottle of beer and expertly popped the cap.
Everyone clinked their bottles and took long, refreshing gulps.
“Puuhaah! How long has it been since I last had beer!”
Chris licked the foam from his lips and smacked them appreciatively.
Pascho thought for a moment before speaking.
“To be precise, it’s been exactly twenty days and half a day.”
“Ugh! Of course the model student would count that precisely.”
“It’s probably just that your brain is lacking.”
“You wanna die?”
Chris and Pascho bickered like brothers.
The warm night air drifted in from the terrace.
“By the way, when did you meet the leader, Mister Kang Yoonsoo?”
When Chris asked, Amanda also looked curious.
“Right. The leader is usually friendly, but he doesn’t maintain relationships unless there’s something in it for him. This is the first time I’ve seen him act so warmly toward someone.”
“We met in Hilledan.”
“Hmm? That’s quite far from here.”
“Just speak casually. It’s easier that way.”
“Oh, is that okay?”
Amanda clapped her hands and laughed.
Pascho immediately made a disgusted face.
“What’s with the sudden cutesy act? It doesn’t suit you.”
“Cutesy act, my ass!”
Amanda protested, her face turning red.
After drinking beer and snacking, a pleasant buzz settled in.
Chris suddenly let out a sigh.
“Damn, if I could just video call my late-born youngest sibling once, I’d have no more wishes. I wonder if they’re doing well in school?”
“Video call? Lucky you. My family always used a laptop for video chats.”
Amanda looked gloomy.
Surprisingly, Margarita let out a small laugh.
“Whenever I turned on my laptop, it was always World of Warcraft.”
“Ah! World of Warcraft! If I could just eat a slice of pepperoni pizza while running a raid, I’d have no regrets.”
When Chris lamented, Amanda asked,
“Why? The real world has turned into a game now. We have raids here too.”
“Damn it! How can you even compare the two? This place is hell!”
Chris chugged his beer.
Margarita swallowed a cherry and gazed steadily at Kang Yoonsoo.
“What kind of person were you in reality, Kang Yoonsoo?”
Kang Yoonsoo, who had been quietly drinking, finally spoke.
“I was probably a working adult.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“I don’t remember.”
“What?”
Margarita tilted her head.
Kang Yoonsoo said quietly.
“Memories of the original world don’t come back easily.”
He had parents. He was an only child.
He never went to university.
That was the extent of his memories from the original world.
Whether he had friends or what his dreams had been had long since vanished from his mind.
Kang Yoonsoo didn’t particularly care.
If they were truly precious memories, they would still be in my head.
“You don’t remember? What are you talking about?”
When Margarita frowned, Chris stopped her.
“Don’t pry. Whatever he did in reality is none of our business. It’s rude.”
At that moment, the cheerful sound of a harmonica rang out.
Han Sehyun, lounging comfortably on a sofa, was playing it.
“It’s ‘Happy Day.’”
“Haven’t heard this in ages!”
Happy Day was a hit song by the popular singer Querelle.
It had topped the Billboard charts and racked up two billion views on YouTube at the time.
It was a song that anyone from around the world gathered here could enjoy.
However, the only two Continentals at the party couldn’t enjoy anything.
Henrik approached and sat down beside Shanette.
“What the hell are they talking about?”
Shanette looked at Kang Yoonsoo, who was sitting with Margarita and Amanda, and said gloomily,
“Why are you asking me?”
“Yeah. Why am I even asking you?”
“Uncle, you’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“Drunk? Me? And why don’t you call me Oppa!”
Shanette sighed.
Laptop, World of Warcraft—they were words she couldn’t understand.
She felt a deep sense of alienation.
Seeing Kang Yoonsoo sitting among the travelers made the distance between them feel even greater.
Why am I acting like this? I’m not a child.
Meanwhile, Margarita glanced at Shanette, who was sitting across from them.
“By the way, why does Kang Yoonsoo travel with Continentals?”
“Yeah. I was actually curious about that too.”
Amanda agreed.
“Usually travelers stick together. Why bother dragging Continentals around?”
“When you think about it, they’re basically NPCs. Why not join our clan instead? We’d have a lot in common, and you could grow faster to return to reality.”
NPC.
Extras who only existed as background characters from another world.
That was how most travelers viewed Continentals.
Kang Yoonsoo set down the beer bottle he had just started drinking from.
Just as he was about to answer—
“Everyone, attention please!”
Han Sehyun suddenly stood up and drew everyone’s focus.
“Today’s surprise attack was a success. All of the Black Tiger Clan’s core forces lost their lives at our hands. But I’m sure you all felt it. Things went a little too smoothly. And you’re right. Normally, there’s no way Yushido would have fallen so easily.”
The clan members looked puzzled.
Han Sehyun continued.
“The reason today’s raid on the Black Tiger Clan went so smoothly wasn’t because of me alone. The credit belongs to Kang Yoonsoo. It was entirely thanks to the information this man provided us.”
When Han Sehyun pointed at him, all eyes turned to Kang Yoonsoo.
“The location of the Black Tiger Clan’s headquarters. The infiltration route. The perfect timing for the surprise attack. Without Kang Yoonsoo, we wouldn’t have even attempted today’s operation.”
A round of polite applause followed.
Han Sehyun smiled at him.
“In recognition of today’s contribution, I intend to accept Kang Yoonsoo as one of us and as an executive of the White Lion Clan. From now on, he will work and live alongside us.”
Shanette flinched, her shoulders trembling.
She watched Kang Yoonsoo with anxious eyes.
She couldn’t bear the thought of him accepting the offer.
“You’re making him an executive right from the start?”
One clan member asked in surprise.
Han Sehyun nodded calmly.
“In my opinion, he’s worth that much. He’s already proven it with his contributions. Does anyone object?”
A few clan members looked displeased, but no one raised their hand.
It was the clan leader’s decision. Who would dare object?
However, one person did.
A man raised his hand indifferently.
“I won’t.”
Kang Yoonsoo said flatly.
Silence fell over the mansion.
Chris looked shocked and whispered urgently.
“Hey, Kang Yoonsoo. You might not know this, but this is an incredibly generous offer. Normally, you’d need at least fifty major achievements to reach executive rank. Being a White Lion Clan executive comes with tons of benefits. This is an extraordinary privilege.”
“I said no.”
Han Sehyun gave a bitter smile.
“Well, I can’t force someone who doesn’t want to join. But I’d like to know why. Why do you dislike the idea of working with me so much? If travelers cooperate, your knowledge would be a tremendous help to our clan.”
Kang Yoonsoo glanced at Shanette and Henrik.
He answered in a low, serious voice.
“Because I already have companions.”
Shanette suddenly clenched her hand tightly.
Henrik had his glass to his lips, but his eyes sparkled.
“Why do you travel with them?”
Kang Yoonsoo filled his last glass.
“They are the reason I keep living.”
Dawn had arrived.
Kang Yoonsoo noticed that the clan members’ gazes toward him had grown cold.
But he felt nothing in particular.
The clan members either collapsed where they were or retreated to their rooms to sleep.
Henrik was completely wasted, and Shanette had drunk so much she could barely stand straight.
Kang Yoonsoo approached Shanette, whose face was bright red.
In her drunken state, she whispered into his ear.
“Kang Yoonsoo… Kang Yoonsoo… I’m so glad. Please stay with us always. Don’t leave. Stay with me. Let’s keep being together like this.”
Kang Yoonsoo supported both of them at once and took them to their rooms.
He gently laid Shanette on the bed and tossed Henrik onto the floor.
He stepped out into the corridor and moved quietly.
He continued down the stairs leading to the basement.
“What business do you have?”
The guard on duty looked at him with cold eyes.
“Pass out.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s your role right now.”
Kang Yoonsoo drew his sword and struck the guard with the flat of the blade. The fallen guard faithfully fulfilled his role.
When he reached the end of the basement, he saw an iron door secured with several locks.
Kang Yoonsoo took a pair of tweezers from his pocket, inserted them into the lock, and turned.
Click… click. Clack…!
With a few skilled movements, the lock opened easily.
He quickly undid the final locking mechanism and opened the door.
Creeeak…
Beyond the thick iron bars, a man was visible.
He was still bound in glowing chains.
A large black tiger tattoo writhed across his bare back.
“Yushido.”
“……Why are you waking me up?”
Yushido said.
His voice was hoarse, as if he had just woken up.
“I’m going to release you now.”
Yushido answered shortly.
“Crazy bastard.”
“In return, you must follow me to the imperial palace.”
“What the hell for, in the middle of this muggy night?”
There were exactly two reasons.
To find the alchemist who created Iris and uncover the identity of the White Shadow.
And…
“Tonight, we assassinate the emperor.”