Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Wuling Mountain
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"Why am I here again?"
Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Shim Young-jin grumbled as he exited Jiangbei International Airport.
"My apologies."
Do-jae, following behind him, apologized.
Shim Young-jin scowled, glaring at Do-jae.
‘I should be sleeping comfortably at home right about now.’
Normally, Shim Young-jin would be lying in his Gangnam apartment, not here in Chongqing.
"Ah, whatever. We're already here."
*Thud.*
Shim Young-jin kicked the ground.
It was a petty outlet for his frustration, a small act of defiance.
"It's just that you were the only person I knew who was familiar with China, Chief Shim."
"Hoo… I shouldn't have shown off…"
Shim Young-jin recalled the events of the previous day.
***
Having returned from vacation with his unit members, Shim Young-jin was unpacking in his Gangnam apartment.
Suddenly, he received a call from his unit, ordering an immediate return.
Startled, Shim Young-jin rushed straight to the base.
Since his unit was now part of the Suppression Corps headquarters, he didn't have to go to the Chilgok Unit in Cheorwon, but to the main headquarters in Seoul.
He had just arrived hurriedly at the main gate.
A familiar man was standing there.
"Chief Shim, there's somewhere you need to go with me."
"What? I'm in the middle of returning to base…"
"Yes, I'm the one who called you. You'll be coming with me."
"Wh-What!"
Shim Young-jin was immediately whisked away to the airport with Do-jae.
He was still in the flashy shirt and shorts he'd worn on vacation, looking more like he was about to depart on a trip rather than return from one.
When they arrived at the airport, a man in a black suit was waiting for them.
He handed tickets and a passport to Do-jae, who then passed them to Shim Young-jin.
‘A fake passport?’
Shim Young-jin’s eyes widened as he opened the passport.
A name and date of birth he had never seen before were written inside.
As he lifted his head with a bewildered expression, Do-jae held out his hand.
"Your ID, phone, and all personal belongings—may I hold onto them for you?"
Shim Young-jin clutched his smartphone tightly.
He sensed that the situation was taking a strange turn.
‘Shit… I feel like I've gotten tangled up in something bad…’
*Thrust.*
Do-jae extended his hand again.
"Do-jae, what's going on…"
*Thrust.*
Do-jae extended his hand a third time.
Looking into Do-jae’s eyes, Shim Young-jin knew he couldn't refuse any longer.
"Huuuh…"
Shim Young-jin emptied his pockets and handed everything over to Do-jae.
Do-jae then took out his own wallet and smartphone and stored them in his special inventory.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Would you like to use the restroom before we depart?"
Do-jae said with a slight bow.
Shim Young-jin trudged toward the restroom, shoulders slumped, muttering to himself.
"I don't remember agreeing to cooperate…"
***
And so, Do-jae and Shim Young-jin arrived in Chongqing.
The exhausted Shim Young-jin had many questions, but he fell asleep as soon as he boarded the connecting flight.
Putting aside the baffling circumstances of his arrival, Chongqing brought back faint childhood memories, stirring a sense of nostalgia.
"Hey, Do-jae, now that we're here, can you please explain why we came to Chongqing?"
Shim Young-jin asked as they left the airport.
Since all their luggage was in Do-jae's subspace, there was no need to wait for anything.
"There's something we need to acquire for the advancement of the Republic of Korea."
"…The advancement of the Republic of Korea!"
At Do-jae's words, Shim Young-jin's heart began to pound.
Although he'd been dragged here, how could his heart not race at the thought of working for the national interest?
"So, what do we need to get?"
"It's too late today, so let's find a place to stay first. I'll explain things as we go."
"Then let's go to a hotel. I know a decent one, but since you have all my stuff…"
"One moment."
As Shim Young-jin's voice trailed off, Do-jae, sensing his meaning, opened his subspace.
He pulled out a bundle of cash in a manila envelope.
"Whoa, why are you carrying around a wad of cash like that?"
"It was given to me. Is it not enough?"
"It's not a matter of it being enough… Never mind. It's a hassle to carry, so give it to me later. And let's just find a decent place nearby."
At Shim Young-jin's words, Do-jae put the money back into his subspace.
The two began to search for a nearby, clean hotel.
Once his fatigue subsided, Shim Young-jin became talkative.
The conversation flowed from his childhood stories of attending school in China, to Chinese culture, and eventually to the best local restaurants.
At first, Do-jae found Shim Young-jin's rambling annoying, but as he continued to listen, it became quite interesting.
The stories of Shim Young-jin, who had lived in a completely different world, were refreshingly new to Do-jae.
Moreover, Shim Young-jin was surprisingly knowledgeable.
He was well-versed not only in common sense but could also play instruments like the piano and had a deep appreciation for art.
His personality was naive, but he was a man of considerable learning.
"How about this place?"
After checking a few hotels, they found one with decent facilities, immediate check-in, and accepted cash payments.
It wasn't a five-star luxury hotel, but it was suitable for a one-night stay.
Just as he had claimed, Shim Young-jin booked a room in fluent Chinese.
Suddenly, Do-jae placed a hand on Shim Young-jin's shoulder.
He spoke quietly, so the front desk couldn't hear.
"Just one room."
Do-jae couldn't speak Chinese, so Shim Young-jin handled all the conversations, but Do-jae had his earring.
The translator he had put on as soon as they left the airport lived up to its name, making all languages sound like Korean.
Thus, he understood the content of their conversation.
"What? You want to sleep together? Even so, sharing a room is a bit…"
"I'm sorry, but we're not here on vacation."
Shim Young-jin's face fell.
Not only was he swept up in some strange affair and brought to Chongqing, but the fact that he had to share a room with another man made him want to scream. In the end, he booked one large room.
"This is too much… I was planning to go clubbing later. *Sob*."
"Get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow is likely to be a bit tough."
"What's that supposed to mean? Hey? Do-jae?"
Do-jae, having taken the key, strode over and pressed the elevator button.
"If you don't get in, I'm going up without you."
Do-jae, now inside, was about to press the 'close' button.
Shim Young-jin, dumbfounded by Do-jae's actions, scrambled into the elevator.
"I'm coming. I'm coming."
***
The next day.
Do-jae woke Shim Young-jin up early in the morning.
"Young-jin."
Even after entering the room, Young-jin hadn't stopped grumbling.
He kept talking, pestering Do-jae.
From Do-jae's family background to his hobbies, skills, and favorite things, it was like a full-blown interview.
At first, Do-jae had tuned him out, giving vague answers, but when Young-jin looked hurt, he began to answer with a bit more focus.
As they talked nonstop, Do-jae found himself won over by Young-jin's simple and straightforward way of speaking, and they eventually started treating each other like brothers.
Still, it felt pretty good.
Talking with Young-jin helped him clear his mind of distracting thoughts, and he found himself taking a liking to the way Young-jin earnestly tried to lead the conversation.
After they had talked for about two hours, Do-jae noticed that Young-jin had gone quiet. He looked over to see that he had fallen asleep.
Young-jin slept soundly without a single snore, allowing Do-jae to get a comfortable night's rest as well.
"Time to get up."
"Huh? Yes…"
Young-jin sat up and stretched, barely able to open his puffy eyes.
Then he looked toward the door and jumped in surprise.
"Gah! A monster…! Ah…"
Young-jin's expression shifted dramatically before he slumped back onto the bed.
He had realized the monster standing by the door was Do-jae's golem.
"It's not your first time seeing it. Why are you so surprised?"
"Well… it looks different than before. You could have at least warned me…"
*Ziiiing.*
Do-jae stored the golem in his subspace.
After Young-jin had fallen asleep, Do-jae had summoned the golem just before bed, preparing for any unforeseen situations.
It was unlikely anything would happen in a place like this, but he was putting into practice a lesson learned from experience.
The complacency he realized only after his brother was endangered.
The night before, Do-jae had resolved to act with caution and thoroughness anytime, anywhere, so he wouldn't be locking the barn door after the horse was stolen again.
"Hurry up, wash and get ready. We need to leave early if we're going to be roaming the mountains."
"What? The mountains?"
*Shwook.*
*Thud.*
Instead of answering, Do-jae tossed a towel at Young-jin.
With a mournful expression, Young-jin picked up the towel that had fallen in front of him.
"Haaa…"
***
"Do-jae… are you sure this is the right place?"
Young-jin asked Do-jae in a whining tone.
They were currently on Wuling Mountain.
It was a mountain belonging to the Wuling Mountain Range, which stretches from Chongqing City to eastern Guizhou Province and western Hunan Province.
It was a mountain known for its sheer cliffs and frequent, dense fog.
Do-jae and Young-jin had been traversing this mountain since early morning.
"Let's search a little more."
With poor visibility and the fact that they weren't following any path, even the two Awakeners were having a tough time.
An ordinary person would have fallen off a cliff or gotten lost hundreds of times by now.
"Do-jae, can't you use your golems to search? I think we'd find it in no time."
"No."
Do-jae shook his head.
Golems were too conspicuous.
Only those who knew Do-jae or saw the utility in golems would think differently; to most, a golem was just a monster.
If they were spotted by Chinese hunters, he could lose his precious golems.
"We've been wandering for five hours already. Can't we rest for just a bit?"
Young-jin wiped away his sweat, looking exhausted.
Do-jae looked at him with sympathy and sat on a flat rock nearby.
"Alright, let's rest for a bit before we move again."
*Flop.*
Young-jin collapsed onto the bare ground.
Do-jae thought it was understandable that Young-jin was tired.
Moving nonstop over unpaved mountain terrain—even a C-rank Awakener would run out of stamina.
"Do-jae…"
Young-jin called to him.
The earlier exhaustion was gone, replaced by sparkling eyes as he stared at Do-jae.
"Let's eat. It's past lunchtime, I'm starving!"
The current time was 1:48 PM.
It was definitely well past lunch.
"Alright."
Young-jin beamed at Do-jae's reply.
He even started licking his lips, seemingly quite hungry.
But when Do-jae took food out of his subspace, Young-jin's eyebrows drooped into a sad eight shape.
"Huh? What's this?"
Young-jin took the triangle kimbap with a look of dismay.
Do-jae had stocked his subspace with convenient meals, and triangle kimbap was one of them.
"Give me my food. I'll eat my own."
Young-jin pleaded, holding his palm out to Do-jae.
Do-jae had no choice but to take Young-jin's food out of his subspace.
"This is it. When in Chongqing, you have to eat this."
What Do-jae handed him was Suanlafen.
It was a type of Chinese noodle soup, a representative dish of Chongqing.
Similar to ramen, it was a noodle dish characterized by its sour and spicy flavor.
Before they set out for Wuling Mountain, Young-jin had bought it packaged from a street vendor, and since Do-jae had stored it in his subspace, it was still steaming hot.
"Want some, Do-jae? The noodles are really chewy and delicious."
"I'm fine. I prefer this."
Do-jae unwrapped a triangle kimbap, a twin-pack of tuna-mayo and Jeonju-style bibimbap.
He had no desire to eat such oily, red noodles on an empty stomach.
A sour smell was even wafting from it, making it completely unappetizing.
*Slurp.*
"Mmm, mmm. Do-jae, after we're done, let's go to this great restaurant before we head back to Korea. It's really good for the Korean palate, so you'll like it."
"We'll see."
"Tsk. You have to try these kinds of dishes too. Travel is all about the food! The true joy of traveling is enjoying diverse and delicious cuisine."
"I've told you several times, I'm not here on vacation."
"Hmph. We're here anyway, what's so bad about enjoying it a little?"
After saying his piece, Young-jin focused on eating again.
Do-jae took a bite of his kimbap and gazed at the mountain.
As Young-jin said, since they were here, it would be nice to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wuling Mountain and the unique dishes of Chongqing, but it wasn't that easy.
*Caw.*
A single bird flew through the fog.
Birds rarely flew in fog this thick, so it was the first one he'd seen since they started climbing.
But then.
*Thump.*
The bird, which had been flying fine, was about to enter a cave when it suddenly collided with something and fell.
At a glance, it was just an ordinary, small cave entrance.
After seeing that, Do-jae shot to his feet.
"You done eating? Let's go."
"What? I'm not done ye—"
Before Young-jin could finish, Do-jae was already heading down the slope.
Young-jin stared blankly after him for a moment before scrambling to follow.
"Do-jae! Wait for me!"