Faith Over Curiosity
Ryu Shin-ah, having heard up to that point, tilted his head in confusion.
"Why didn't you open it? It's not like there's any problem with doing so. It's basically a special privilege."
"……."
"Of course, I'm the type who suspects anything the system hands out first."
Yul glanced sideways at the empty air beside her.
From the moment she'd opened her eyes that morning until just before Ryu Shin-ah had spoken, her constellation had been chattering nonstop—but the status window was silent now.
She spoke deliberately, as if for the constellation to hear.
"…I asked Star-nim. Whether they knew exactly what that tower was."
"……."
"They said they were sorry, but they couldn't tell me."
"……General."
"I'll wait, then."
Until they told her later.
Yul added flatly.
Her constellation had given her the choice, but for some reason, it didn't seem to want her to open it right away. Or maybe that was just her feeling—but anyway.
"If Star-nim can't tell me, there must be a reason. I don't feel the need to pry against their wishes."
"General, you…."
"That's it."
Silence hung over the table.
Ryu Shin-ah blinked blankly for a moment. Then, without a word, he propped his chin on his hand, covering his mouth as he fixed his gaze downward.
Yul stared into the empty air.
The status window still didn't appear.
What the hell. Why so quiet? It's not like they'd be moved by something like this.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' is squeezing waterfalls from their eyeballs.
Tears of emotion are pooling at their feet.
They're sobbing that they can't believe their Yul has grown up so much.
…Nope.
Constellations were always beings that exceeded her expectations, as always.
Yul thought indifferently to herself.
And it wasn't even over yet—Ryu Shin-ah took it a step further.
"……My god."
He gaped, clearly moved, his eyes sparkling.
It was a gaze so burdensome by Yul's standards that it bordered on repulsive.
"When did our General grow up so much…! Ughhh!"
"It's that mouth of yours. You bastard, Ryu Shin."
With a motion as natural as breathing, Yul smacked the back of his head.
Whack—a crisp sound rang out, and Ryu Shin-ah's head jerked forward.
"B-But General. You're really not climbing that tower?"
"Why would I?"
"I just thought since they're giving you that kind of special treatment, you might get something differentiated from other hunters. If you don't want to, fine."
Ryu Shin-ah rubbed his head casually as he replied nonchalantly.
Yul cracked open a fresh banana milk.
"There are plenty of other people who could climb it—why bother? And that 'truth' thing? Can't see it anymore anyway."
"……What?"
"It locked again after I refused."
With an impassive face, she pointed at the empty air.
Access permission has been locked.
Ryu Shin-ah alternated blankly between it and Yul's face, his expression turning complicated.
If it couldn't be opened anyway…
"……So you haven't grown up after all."
"Shut up."
"Got it."
Ryu Shin-ah surrendered faster than anyone and stood from his seat.
Better to get to work before the General killed him.
There were quite a few gates to clear before Double Black's concert in nine days.
Double Black's dorm.
Kim Yu-jun yawned as he came down from his room, blinking his puffy eyes at the living room.
What the…
Someone was on the sofa.
Upon closer inspection, he yelped in shock.
"I-In-ah hyung?!"
"……Ah. Yu-jun, huh."
"What are you doing here? Did you pull an all-nighter or something?"
Seo In-ah turned to look at him blankly, dark circles under his eyes.
No way—the hyung who loved his sleep more than anyone…!
Worried about his eldest hyung's poor stamina, Kim Yu-jun hurried over.
"Why are you like this here? You said you had something to think about yesterday and went to the studio."
"I just got back a bit ago. It's nothing."
"Just now? You've been at the studio this whole time?!"
His attempt to calm things only backfired.
Does our eldest hyung have worries weighing on him?
His expression turned deadly serious.
Kim Yu-jun asked cautiously.
If it wasn't worries, then maybe…
"Hyung. Are you excited about the concert news?"
The concert wasn't canceled. They could see the fans. Ticket refunds were underway for the already-sold-out presale due to the postponement.
Thanks to the news of Lee Seonjwa's attendance, even non-fans had jumped into the reservation war, leading to a minor fiasco with the introduction of a "fan club member priority re-reservation" system.
Still, anything was better than cancellation. Hell, it even felt overly generous.
Lee Seonjwa was coming! To protect them and the fans!
Thanks to that, every member of Double Black was overflowing with motivation lately.
So Kim Yu-jun figured Seo In-ah must be the same.
The maknaes were seriously debating if they could get Lee Seonjwa's autograph, so even the stoic eldest hyung might be secretly looking forward to it.
But.
"…Not quite."
"……What could our eldest hyung possibly have to think about so hard he'd skip sleep?"
Kim Yu-jun sat quietly beside him.
It'd be better if it was just excitement.
No matter how he looked, it didn't seem like mere hype.
He patted Seo In-ah's back lightly.
"Don't worry, hyung. It'll go off without a hitch. With the world's strongest and our country's top tanker coming, how could it not be safe?"
"Yeah…… You're right, probably."
"Of course! If anything, we should worry if our concert won't turn into Lee Seonjwa's concert……."
Not that it'd be bad, of course.
He added playfully with a grin.
Unlike other top-rankers who stayed active regardless of agency, sightings of Lee Seonjwa were rarer than hen's teeth. They'd even gone into hiding for the past year.
But upon reappearing, they'd earned titles like "the first hunter to open the tower's door, acknowledged by the system" and "the world's only S+," pumping out national pride in lethal doses.
For such a Lee Seonjwa to make a public appearance as announced.
"Can we get Lee Seonjwa-nim on stage right before our finale? Just for a thank-you and a few words…!"
Even Park Sa-ha had said something like that.
Seo In-ah, who had been listening silently to Kim Yu-jun, lifted his head.
"……Yu-jun-ah. No word from the CEO on when we can meet that hunter, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. But a few days before the concert, don't we have to meet then due to scheduling?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Worst case, we could relay through the Management Bureau…? But why all of a sudden?"
"Nah, it's nothing."
Seo In-ah pondered briefly before speaking.
"Could you ask the CEO if I could meet that person separately, just for a bit?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Kim Yu-jun's face.
Seo In-ah met his eyes calmly, and Kim Yu-jun could only nod slowly in response.
A week later, inside the dungeon.
Two figures stood on the rough, barren ground.
Ryu Shin-ah and Joo Young, bearing utterly opposing colors.
Jet-black hair floated in the air, revealing eyes of the same hue.
Joo Young rose, readjusting his grip on his scythe.
Krrrrk…!
A grotesque metallic screech mixed with the earth's vibrations.
The last remaining centipede-like monster charged at him.
In that instant, pitch-black darkness tore through the air and engulfed the monster.
Crack.
The space not far away ripped open—right above Ryu Shin-ah's head.
Ryu Shin-ah reflexively looked up and spat a curse.
"Hey, you son of a—!"
Krrk!
He immediately drew his sword from his inventory and swung.
The monster's remains split in two by a hair's breadth, falling to either side.
He turned to Joo Young with a baffled look.
"Yo, fanatic. Isn't that a bit too malicious?"
"You didn't warn me about the last one? Should've lost your head for your own folly."
"Haha, got some guts. What if I hadn't blocked it?"
Of course he would've, but Ryu Shin-ah deliberately poked at him to rile him up.
Joo Young, domestic rank 2, S- hunter.
He was top-tier even globally, having received a tinnitus-inducing title from the tower's emergence—but.
"How upset do you think our king was?"
"……."
……He was a total personality wreck, meek only to "Lee Seonjwa Murderer."
And Ryu Shin-ah, Yul's one and only friend, knew that weakness and exploited it well.
Grind.
His teeth ground together, twisting Joo Young's face.
"As if you'd fail to dodge that. If your head flew, it'd be 'cause you let it on purpose."
"Doesn't feel good getting props from a fanatic."
"……I still can't wrap my head around how she befriended trash like you."
His grip tightened on the scythe involuntarily.
Whatever was cute about this guy that she'd accept him as a friend—it was the one decision she made that he couldn't comprehend.
Ryu Shin-ah shrugged.
"Whether you get it or not, we're friends. Fact."
"And she lets shit like that happen while rotting abroad with a guy like you?"
"That pisses me off too, y'know?"
Ryu Shin-ah sighed.
That one thing would be milked for ages.
Gu Se-ji was one thing, but this Yul-obsessed fanatic too.
They'd latched onto the pretext of allowing the Management Bureau's conspiracy—even though it was ongoing—and they'd cling doggedly.
Who wanted to leave it alone?
He irritably swept back his bangs.