Free Web NovelThe suspicion had probably been there from beginning to end. It had only thinned out because of emotion, then surfaced again. Then was this something I could have controlled?
'Who knows.'
Or was it an inevitable result that had happened because there was no helping it?
I didn’t know whether starting things with a threat had been the mistake, or whether trying to judge the situation by emotion midway through had been the mistake. Even if I went back, I probably wouldn’t...... notice it anyway.
'Still, I thought we had a fairly amicable relationship.'
If I looked into it a little more, it seemed like there had been more depth than simply calling it amicable.
But there was no point sorting that out now.
Joo Seowon had never properly trusted me anyway, and now even the flimsy trust that had been holding together on the surface had broken, so going back to our previous relationship would be impossible. Joo Seowon probably wouldn’t...... particularly want that either.
Then would Joo Seowon eventually go back to Kwon Taehan’s side?
'That would be better, at least.'
If they went somewhere else entirely, it would become hard to predict their future movements.
But at the same time, if Joo Seowon went to Kwon Taehan’s side...... didn’t that mean we were ultimately back at the starting point? Everything I had done over the past few months...... no, almost nine months, had merely been for the sake of returning to the starting point.
And at the starting point...... it was quite funny that, in the end, I hadn’t been able to break away at all.
'Even though I tried pretty hard, in the end... is this how it turns out?'
It felt like all the strength drained out of me in an instant. I slowly pushed Joo Seowon’s hand away.
'They’re crying.'
No wonder they had been quiet for a while. It seemed that was why. I stared silently at Joo Seowon and said,
“So are you going to believe me?”
“Can’t you... give me proof?”
Right, proof....
Should I prove that I knew Joo Minha’s location? How? I had no tangible proof. It was just information that had come out in the original work.
Joo Minha appeared in another Dungeon during a Title event that opened after Kwon Taehan’s 999 deaths...... which was a story from a point very far removed from the present.
So Kwon Taehan probably didn’t know where Joo Minha was either. But at the same time, it was something he would learn someday. If Joo Seowon stuck around Kwon Taehan, it would inevitably converge into the correct flow.
But Kwon Taehan would have known that I had not entered the same Dungeon as Joo Minha... and he would have easily seen that my story was bullshit. In any case, Kwon Taehan knew about “me.”
Then if not that, what kind of proof was needed this time? No, no matter what I gave, the result would be similar. The truly important things could not be spoken aloud because of the penalty anyway. No, even if I accepted the penalty and said them, it was questionable whether they would accept it.
I answered calmly.
“I don’t have proof.”
“.......”
“That’s why I told you to just believe me... Well, if it’s like this, you won’t be able to believe me in the end.”
“...I can’t.”
“Yeah.... I know that too.”
And after becoming certain that Joo Seowon could not trust me, I could no longer trust them either.
“Does this... feel like betrayal?”
Joo Seowon asked with reddened eyes. Did they remember everything, including when I told them not to betray me? Instead of answering, I waited for Joo Seowon to continue.
“No. I... I kept thinking about it. Whether you were a good person or not. How much of my sense of morality I could throw away... and still keep liking you.”
“.......”
“This is just my choice.... I just can’t trust you, and even if I put everything I hate about you behind me... I just, with you, keep....”
“.......”
“...That’s your problem, isn’t it? It won’t be something that can be fixed, and you’ll have another goal you haven’t told me about.”
Their voice trembled, but the words themselves were clear. That probably meant it was something they had been thinking about for a long time.
After saying that much, Joo Seowon moved only their lips for a long while before slowly adding,
“I wanted you... to be a good person.”
“You don’t think I am?” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“...I knew from the beginning you weren’t. I just wanted to believe that.”
Wow. That hurts....
I did not avoid Joo Seowon’s gaze and calmly met their eyes.
'What should I do?'
Joo Seowon had already reached a conclusion. They had flatly said they could not trust me, and they had even added that it was not betrayal.
However, letting Joo Seowon go like this carried quite a lot of risk. They already knew too much about what I was trying to do. Well, they had even inferred secrets that were almost close to the truth.
'It would be troublesome if word gets to Kwon Taehan.'
But at the same time, this thought occurred to me.
'But does that even matter?'
They seemed to be dismissing everything I said as lies anyway... would they even clearly distinguish the useful cards among them and use them somehow? Besides, I knew what Joo Seowon’s nature was like.
I reached a conclusion and immediately stretched out my hand toward Joo Seowon’s ear.
“Don’t....”
“Stay still.”
After tossing those words at Joo Seowon when they tried to strike my hand away, I slowly removed the piercing from their ear. Only after confirming that the piercing had dropped into my palm with a tap did I withdraw my hand.
“What did you...!”
“The piercing.”
I answered briefly and opened my palm to show them the piercing. Joo Seowon stared blankly at the piece of metal, then lifted their gaze back to my eyes.
“Should I call it a location tracker?”
“Why....”
“Then were you planning to keep wearing this?”
How strange. If it were me, this would have been the first thing I removed. It was a fatal weakness that exposed location information completely. It was necessary when they were an ally, but if they were not...... there was no reason for them to carry it. Not from my position, but from Joo Seowon’s.
I gave a small laugh, then roughly shoved the piercing into my pocket.
“...What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“.......”
They had clearly come here prepared for this, but Joo Seowon’s reaction was not as good as I had expected. I glanced for a moment at the window beyond Joo Seowon, then asked calmly,
“You said what you’re doing isn’t betrayal... but you hate me. Trust is broken too... so are you going to keep working with me?”
“.......”
“So.”
I had forced it open, but they healed well, so with time, their ear would become fine again in an instant. I didn’t think a B-rank Hunter’s recovery ability would be less than that.
I stared silently at Joo Seowon, then said,
“I won’t think of it as betrayal either.”
“...You’re the one who said it.”
“I did.... But does that matter?”
Because I understood it to some extent.
Well, from the beginning, I had guessed that Joo Seowon would make this choice at least a little. The reason I had gone out of my way to attach the label of betrayal and say it to them was...... who knows, it was just because I had trusted Joo Seowon.
From Joo Seowon’s position, it must simply be a justified choice.
After reaching that conclusion, I turned around. Just as I grabbed the doorknob to leave, a voice came from behind me.
“...What about the covenant?”
Well, if it were me, I would not let go of something that could hold a life hostage. I answered dryly.
“Do whatever you want.”
“Because you can break this too anyway?”
Listening to Joo Seowon overestimate me, I opened the door without answering, meaning they could think whatever they wanted.
Click. After confirming that the door closed and the electronic sound rang out, I walked out into the hallway and called the elevator.
'Hmm....'
The thing I had been certain I had changed had been the starting point all along. It was not irritation or anger...... or sadness, or anything similar. I thought for a very long time about what kind of emotion it was, then lifted my head when the elevator sound rang just in time.
Ding—
I took the elevator back up to the first floor, requested another room from the staff, and headed to that room.
The whole time I was moving, I tried to remember when I had felt something similar to this, and by the time I entered the empty room, I finally realized which moment it had been.
Ah.
'This is really... boring.'
Boring, and trivial....
Perhaps boredom had been part of my daily life, but after coming here, I had forgotten that sensation for quite a long time, so it felt unfamiliar.
I crawled straight into bed and closed my eyes. Maybe because both my mind and body were exhausted at the same time, falling asleep took only an instant.
***
When I woke up and checked my phone, quite a few messages had piled up. I checked the urgent ones first.
Im Haekyung’s message had already come in quite a while ago.
It won’t be me. Taehan will go as support.
Since Taehan volunteered, my priority got pushed back. You’re probably inside the Dungeon right now anyway, but check this later.
Jehyun. Call me when you wake up.
Then did that mean Kwon Taehan had come here one hundred percent of his own will? After checking Im Haekyung’s message, I moved it aside instead of replying.
'Fuck, and this bastard won’t even come.'
There was a whole truckload of bastards whose memories I needed erased right away, Roman included.
I searched Chase and read an article that caught my eye. The last article was from a few hours ago, and all of them were about the Dungeon raid. Did that mean there was still time?
'Are they trying to figure out the route of his death?'
After forming several hypotheses, I discarded everything that needed confirmation and moved my gaze to the next message.
[Kwon Taehan]
This was a little... unexpected.
'Why bother?'
If it had been a message sent before he entered the Dungeon, I would have assumed he was asking why I went {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} into that Dungeon and left it at that, but the time of the last message was only an hour ago.
The content of the message was simple too.
Where are you?
Was there any reason I...... had to tell him that?
But saying I wasn’t curious about his intention would also be a lie, so instead of writing a reply, I called him directly.
I was going to hang up if the ringing went on too long, but unexpectedly, Kwon Taehan answered after three rings.
I waited for the other party, who stayed silent even after the call connected, then spoke first.
—.......
“Hello, Hunter Kwon.”
—Seo Jehyun.
Listening to Kwon Taehan’s voice, I drew the curtains. I didn’t know when the sun had come up, but it was already bright outside.
'Is it morning?'
I remembered it being around three in the morning when I came in here.
Looking outside, I urged him on.
“Go ahead.”
—You....
“Yes.”
Kwon Taehan was quiet for quite a long time, and only after a fair bit of time had passed did he continue.
—You....
“.......”
—Do you really know me?
His voice was full of disbelief, as if even he could not believe himself for saying those words. Only after listening quietly to Kwon Taehan’s words did I answer.
“Building B, basement first floor, Room 7.”
—.......
“Come carefully, Taehan.”
