The Protagonist (2)
Right after the message popped up, even as surprise gripped me, a judgment was already forming in my head.
The spot my gaze had landed on. Lee Sea and the other students from National Academy 1 approaching for the condolence visit. And among them was the protagonist of the official sequel.
"Lee Dojin? Dojin-ah."
Suddenly, a voice called out. Seo Yeon-hee, who had been staring straight at me, asked in a tone laced with faint concern.
"What's wrong? Your face just got all dark."
"No, I was just watching Sea."
I brushed it off vaguely and continued my train of thought.
The protagonist of the sequel... who the hell was it?
There were easily over thirty students coming for the visit. A few staff members who looked like chaperones were with them, but the situation leaned more toward one of the students being the one.
"Auntie, do you know any of the kids who just arrived? Names or backgrounds?"
As I probed to confirm my hunch, she replied with a hint of reproach.
"Hmm? Leaving everything else aside, haven't I been calling you 'big sis' for the past ten years or so?"
"...People might get the wrong idea."
On the surface, she was my mom's junior. A good twenty years younger. In terms of our direct relationship, she was the boss of the organization, and I was the field operative below her. The actual age gap was easily over a thousand years, of course. She just looked like an alluring older sister with that beauty mark under her left eye, but still—auntie was auntie.
People had eyes, after all. I shot her a look that said, Do you have no shame?—directed solely at her—and she furrowed her brow slightly.
"You don't seem like the type, Dojin... but you sure care a lot about what people think."
"...".
Her words stabbed right at me, sounding like: You call me whatever when it's just us, but now that people are around, you're backing off?
It was awkward to keep arguing, so I pretended not to hear and just grabbed some nuts from the plate.
Sure, sometimes when the mood hit, I'd switch up how I addressed her. Very occasionally, when I felt like getting closer. But you had to pick the time and place, right?
She seemed to enjoy my embarrassment, a faint smile curving her lips. Then she stood from her seat and suggested,
"Wanna step out for a bit? Did you smoke already?"
Refusing even this would probably make her mad, even if she didn't say it outright. Anyway, she was undeniably very close to me in all sorts of ways, and upsetting her wasn't something I relished.
I slipped on my shoes and stepped outside with Seo Yeon-hee, glancing back casually. By coincidence, Sea was just bowing before Yeom Ui-jun's portrait at that exact moment.
...Fucking perfect.
I muttered the curse under my breath and headed to the smoking area.
Seo Yeon-hee pulled two cigarettes from her fancy gold case, lit one for herself, and offered the other to me.
"Got a light?"
"Ah, I'm good."
"I brought ones without capsules just for you."
Come to think of it, these weren't her usual slim ones—they were thick and harsh. Normally, I'd thank her for the consideration and even light it for her as a gesture, but...
Today, I had to stand firm. "No, really, I'm good."
Please, just mind the time and place...
Being seen smoking with my mom's junior was bad enough optics. Matching cigarettes? People would talk. Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin raised one hell of a kid.
Thankfully, she got it and only lit her own, exhaling a thick plume of smoke. Then, in a low, subdued tone, she asked,
"So... what was that about earlier?"
A question from my business partner and the boss of the terrorist group Phantom. I answered just enough for her to let it slide.
"I saw it."
"Ally or enemy."
"The latter."
"Threat level?"
"Current power's unclear, but potential is definitely top-tier."
"Can you pinpoint who?"
"No."
"If you could, eliminate on sight?"
"Don't know. Holding off for now."
"Good guy or bad guy?"
"Probably the former."
They were the protagonist, after all. Strictly speaking, we were the latter. Phantom had a notorious reputation worldwide. We only killed those who deserved it and stole what was worth taking, but the public didn't see it that way. Masked criminals plotting nefarious schemes, they'd say.
Seo Yeon-hee took a deep drag and muttered ambiguously,
"Your ability's great and all, but it's kinda frustrating at times like this."
"If it were any better, it'd be too much like a cheat key, wouldn't it?"
"True, I guess."
She knew I could see things others couldn't. Hidden identities. Treasures whose true value went unrecognized. The truths of secret past events, even glimpses of future ones. She guessed that such info popped up occasionally, even if I couldn't control it perfectly. I didn't deny it. It wasn't entirely wrong.
What I knew as the author of World Guardian. What the hologram message had told me as the protagonist of the side story Birth of the Demon God. I was just revealing parts of those advantages.
After pondering, she instructed me,
"I'll compile a list of their faces and send it over. Once we nail down who it is, we decide then—recruit or otherwise."
"Pulling them to our side won't be easy."
Not when it was protagonist versus final boss. Leading them into the abyss of evil was damn near impossible.
Our talk wrapped up, and Seo Yeon-hee said she'd head back.
"No telling when we'll meet again... see you next time."
"Take care, sis."
No one around to hear but us, so I said it casually. She'd been playing the 'we don't see each other often' act, but she blinked in surprise for a moment before chuckling softly and turning away.
Left alone, I headed back to the funeral hall. I'd shown my face enough; on the way home with Sea, I could treat her to something tasty. Sticking around longer would just invite awkward encounters. Better to leave before running into anyone embarrassing.
Sea had finished her bow and was now seated at a table inside with the other students. As I approached, the kids noticed and looked up almost in unison.
"Whoa... huh?"
That was the general reaction. Voices tinged with admiration trailed off as they realized something and glanced at Sea. My sister, who treated her brother like the world's biggest loser, was pretending not to see me.
I asked in the friendliest, softest tone I could muster,
"Hi there? I'm Sea's big brother. Friends with my Sea, right?"
"...Why?"
The curt retort was familiar to me. But I pressed on undeterred.
"Gotta head home together."
"...I'll handle it. I'm going with the kids, so you go first."
"Alright? Then I'll hang out a bit longer too."
The longer I stayed, the higher the risk of unwanted meetings, but it was worth it for a rare walk home with Sea after so long.
But she added, her voice barely restrained,
"I said... I'm not going with you..."
The kids watching silently had subtly complicated expressions. If I had to put it into words, mostly two types: We heard they don't get along, but this is kinda serious... and Poor big bro... That about summed it up.
This might end up making Sea look bad for no reason, so maybe I should back off? I straightened from leaning toward the table and scanned the students' faces. Cute, pretty, handsome kids who still had that youthful innocence. And that was it.
No new message about the 'protagonist' appeared.
No gains here for now... Shame, but I'd have to head home alone.
The person I absolutely did not want to run into—the most standout heavyweight figure among everyone at the funeral hall—made their entrance right then.