A Sight So Vivid It Stops the Breath

It was so vividly lifelike that it took his breath away. Nothing like watching a video could compare.

But who was Yoo Taejeong? He was a man with the heart of a Buddha, able to brush off something like this without a second thought.

'It's fake anyway. Just a ghost or something. No harm in looking a little. Besides, in this weird world, it might even be a clue. I should check it out more carefully.'

With that in mind, hoping for some hint(?), Taejeong examined her nude form closely. Then Gerard's voice rang in his ear.

"What do you mean?"

"That's... gotta be a glitch. I'm totally fine right now."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Dismissing Gerard, Taejeong searched Lee Soo-young's body for anything unusual(?) but found nothing. He began scouring the room again.

But there were no documents or USB drives anywhere. All that was left was the metal locker on the wall that had been bothering him since earlier. It looked exactly like the in-room safe he'd seen at the old Myeongdo Hallasan Hotel.

'How do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I open this thing?'

He couldn't touch people, but everything else felt vividly real, so manipulating the safe was possible. The problem was the lock.

No password, no key. And from the looks of it, it didn't open with something like that anyway. There was a handle, but no keyhole or anything else.

He gave it a sneaky tug, but it didn't budge.

Normally he'd ask Gerard, but since they saw different things, even that was impossible.

"It's gotta be in here... Should I wait? But time's not on my side..."

If the rescue team hadn't come, he could've waited days. But now he was alone, scattered from the group—though he'd come here for the expedition rescue in the first place. He couldn't afford to waste time on personal gain.

As he pondered his options, his eyes landed on a cosmetic item. A slim stick-shaped eyeliner.

'Might as well try drawing attention with this.'

Taejeong grabbed the eyeliner and scribbled on the safe.

'Is this right?' He couldn't help but chuckle at his own writing. Even he thought it looked ridiculous.

But with no better ideas, he slammed the desk hard.

Thud!

"What was that?"

Startled by the noise, Lee Soo-young froze mid-hair-drying and glanced around. But she soon tilted her head and resumed drying.

Taejeong slammed the desk again.

Thud!

"What? What is it?"

This time she clearly noticed, jumping up and approaching the desk. She spotted the mysterious message.

"Your item has... been stolen?"

Fear flashed across her face as she read it. Then she began frantically searching every corner of the small room.

Watching her, Taejeong found her actions frustratingly slow.

'Who else would be here? If it were me, I'd check the safe first.'

Of course, he'd probably search the house first too in a situation like this. A message appearing out of nowhere meant someone had been inside.

After checking the bathroom, she scanned under the bed last.

"No one's here. When did that get there? Did I miss it? No way. There was definitely nothing..."

Muttering like she was entranced, she suddenly took a bracelet from the vanity and brought it to the safe. A hologram appeared above it. She pressed her palm down, and with a beep!, the door clicked! open.

"What? It's all here? What got stolen?"

Everything she'd brought was inside intact. One file caught Taejeong's eye—a paper document under something like an external hard drive.

This was what he was after. Without hesitation, he reached in and placed his hand on the file.

'Got it.'

Now just wait for the notification sound. But nothing happened.

'Why? Is this not it?'

As he hesitated, Lee Soo-young, having checked the contents, closed the safe door. But it caught on Taejeong's arm, staying half-open and refusing to budge further.

No matter how hard she pushed, the door didn't move.

"Why won't this work? Huh? What's wrong?"

While she struggled with the door, Taejeong reached a conclusion.

'Like the magic stone quest, maybe.'

It meant he needed to secure it fully in his inventory.

He opened his inventory right away.

The inventory wouldn't open. He tried again immediately, but the same message repeated.

"Gerard, why's the inventory busted?"

"What's that mean? Explain simply."

"Then what about you? You're a skill too."

"Then how do I..."

Things had seemed too easy. Though he didn't fully grasp Gerard's explanation, one thing was clear: in this place, he couldn't use skills or anything awakening-related.

As Taejeong racked his brain, he absentmindedly picked up the file. Then Lee Soo-young's forgotten voice cried out.

"Wha—!? Hey! What's happening!?"

She grabbed the file like she'd seen a ghost and immediately started making a call.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me. Send someone here now. Something's... Just send them quick, hurry!"

Her urgency made Taejeong panic too. Staying put would ruin everything.

"Gimme that, damn it. Why's this woman so strong?"

Wrenching the file away with all his might, he flung the door open and bolted.

"Wha—!? No! Stop right there!"

Seeing the file floating out the door, she dashed into the hallway reflexively. But she quickly retreated, realizing she was naked.

Throwing on a robe haphazardly, she emerged again. The file was long gone.

A hollow sigh escaped her. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"What the hell..."

Having snatched the file from Lee Soo-young, Taejeong ran blindly, over and over. To avoid detection, he dodged people as much as possible, but soon an announcement blared inside.

He couldn't understand the foreign language fully, but enough English words stood out. Paired with the blaring siren, he instantly knew it was about the document he held.

'What now? I need to get out.'

As a ghost-like entity, he wouldn't be spotted. From the background, this seemed a distant past before awakeners appeared. No one could see him.

The issue was losing the file. He'd never get it back. He was a powerless ordinary person now.

If they swarmed him, he'd have to hand it over.

"Gerard, what do we do? No way out?"

"Too good to give up. Who knows when another chance like this comes."

Per Gerard, this quest's prerequisite level was 700. Back in reality, this document wouldn't be easy to obtain. Thinking of Jeju Island or Gold Lion Guild incidents, he knew the ordeal ahead.

He didn't want to let this accidental opportunity slip.

Hiding in a corner, brainstorming, shouts echoed from somewhere. Turning, he saw uniformed foreigners charging with fire in their eyes.

A grumble escaped automatically. "What's their deal, running like that for this?"

To Taejeong, they were mere past figures. And this world was a dream-like illusion. Their fervor was annoyingly petty.

The chase began anew—Taejeong fleeing, them pursuing. The crowd grew, dangers mounting. His only solace: no physical contact.

Several times paths blocked, nearly losing it, but he slipped through using his incorporeal form.

But humans were apex for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason. Soon, net-like barriers sealed gate entrances. Blockades everywhere, and he ended up back at the research lab hallway he'd entered from.

Structures closing in from front and back. He'd run hard but couldn't escape.

'They're gonna take it.'

Right then, an unfamiliar voice whispered in his ear.

The voice was crystal clear. Taejeong whipped around. "Who?"

At "Sirius," Taejeong reflexively replied. "How do you know him..."

"Wh-who are you?"

"You can get me out of here?"

"What are they?"

"And?"

"So, just free you for now."

"Why should I trust you?"

"……"

"Ha. You call that a joke? Not funny."

At her words, Taejeong shot back. "Where are they now? Are they safe?"