After the fireworks and parade ended, we left the amusement park once I bought Cha Sahyeon a crow-shaped plushie at the souvenir shop.
The ride back was the same as before—Kwon Taehyuk drove us. Honestly, this incident made me see him in a new light. I didn’t think he’d go so far out of his way to help us with such sincerity.
As soon as we arrived at the office, I got out of the car and sincerely thanked him.
“Thank you so much for today, Guildmaster Kwon. Thanks to you, I was able to take the kid out comfortably.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Kwon Taehyuk, having stepped out after me, stood upright and gave a short nod.
“I haven’t had a day like this in a while—it was refreshing.”
“You seemed familiar with the amusement park. Do you go there often?”
“We’ve visited a few times as a group from the guild.”
As a group? Damn, successful guilds even take trips to amusement parks?
Since the guild came up, I figured now was a good time. I cleared my throat and carefully brought it up.
“Um, Guildmaster Kwon.”
“Yes?”
“Well... you mentioned before that you could lend me a room inside your guild building...”
I awkwardly brushed my lips with my fingers, feeling more self-conscious than I expected.
I was prepared for it, but bringing it up was harder than I thought. Maybe because I’d never asked anyone for this kind of favor before—even though he was the one who offered it, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“Is that offer still valid?”
Right after I was discharged from the hospital, I looked up some information about the Yesung Guild’s facilities online.
As expected from one of the top guilds in the country, the building was way bigger than I imagined and packed with all kinds of facilities.
Most importantly, the security was airtight. Security personnel were always stationed inside, and everyone—including guild members—needed a card key to access the building.
What Cha Sahyeon and I needed most right now was exactly that kind of security.
Compared to the lonely office we had now, with only a single steel door for protection, that place was several times safer. My decision was already leaning in that direction.
“Of course.”
Kwon Taehyuk’s face brightened as he responded.
“All the basic furnishings are ready, so you can move in anytime. I’ll get your entry card to you as soon as you arrive.”
“Ahem... tomorrow’s a bit sudden, though.”
Why was he more enthusiastic than me? Anyone watching would think he was the one indebted here.
“I need to talk to my sister and pack up some stuff first. Would the day after tomorrow be alright?”
“That’s perfectly fine.”
At that, I glanced down at Cha Sahyeon, who was still holding my hand. As expected, he was pouting with an expression full of discontent.
I’d made the emotional decision yesterday, but the actual move had been decided only a few hours ago. Since I didn’t discuss it with him beforehand, it was only natural for him to feel unhappy.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I felt bad, but considering the future, this was the right call.
“I’ll contact you the day after tomorrow, then.”
“Alright. Take care.”
Leaving those words behind, Kwon Taehyuk got back in his car and drove away. Only after the vehicle disappeared into the distance did I turn to Sahyeon.
“Shall we head up now?”
“......”
He turned his head sharply without saying a word.
‘Yep, he’s pissed.’
How was I going to make it up to him? I let out a sigh.
To my surprise, Cha Sahyeon didn’t resist much. It seemed like he came to terms with it while showering.
Maybe it was the warm bath, but his cheeks were more flushed than usual as he spoke.
“If we go there, you’ll be a lot safer... so I can understand.”
“What?”
I turned to look at him, sweeping my still-damp hair back. His face was deadly serious.
“Why are you suddenly talking about my safety?”
I raised a brow and asked, amused by the matching thought. He frowned slightly.
“You’re too...”
“Too?”
“...Forget it. You’re going to move in even if I say no anyway.”
He sulked immediately.
He had no idea I was doing this for him, yet he went all serious, then sulky—what a whirlwind.
Smiling, I lay down first and patted the spot next to me. He crawled in right away. So what was the point of that moody face?
“We’re {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} not going to live there forever. Just until things calm down. Then we’ll come back. Don’t worry.”
Lying sideways, I rested my chin on my palm and gently patted his chest.
“You’re right, little rascal. There’s danger.”
Better to get him onboard now, before he sulks again. I couldn’t let today’s hard work in lowering the Seed’s progression go to waste.
“I’ll take care of everything, so quit overthinking and go play your game.”
Noticing his mood lifting a little, I quickly grabbed the console from the nightstand and handed it to him. I wanted to distract him before he started arguing again.
“Hmm...”
He looked a bit conflicted but started playing the game anyway. Meanwhile, I pretended to check my phone and opened the status window I’d been dying to look at.
Let’s check the little rascal’s stats first.
[User Info: Sahyeon (The Villain)]
Age: 22
Main Skill: Living Shadow (B-Rank)
Title: The Master of Shadows
Attack Power: B-Rank
Attack Speed: B-Rank
Movement Speed: B-Rank
Agility: B-Rank
Special Note▼
└Seed of Catastrophe (35% Progress)
The Seed’s progress had dropped from 36% to 35%. That would affect the evaluation of the “Get Closer to the Villain” quest.
‘This might actually be a pretty decent quest.’
The first quest cleared just from bathing together—granted, the reward was small, but it was something.
The second one was trickier but clearly reduced the Seed’s progress, so the result wasn’t bad.
The status screen showed “(2/10),” so I’d be getting eight more quests like this?
If each one shaved off 1%, that meant I could lower it to 27%—not bad at all.
‘With how much effort it takes to clear them, 1% better be the minimum.’
I checked the reward from the completed quest, too.
[No Mercy Allowed (F-Rank)]
In life-threatening situations, small chance to increase attack power and agility (1% chance)
“......”
A 1% chance? Not even 10%?
‘...Still, that’s higher than my other F-Rank trait.’
The still-unupgraded “My Side’s Wide Open?” trait only had a 0.8% activation rate. Wow, compared to that, 1% looked like a goddess’s blessing.
I guess the real reward of this quest was reducing the Seed’s progress. And yeah, that mattered way more than some dumb trait.
Just looking at the status screen made my fatigue spike. Time to sleep.
I was sitting up to turn off the night lamp when I caught a glimpse of Sahyeon’s game screen.
“You named the main character after me?”
He was playing a game where the hero goes on a journey with companions to slay a dragon.
Naturally, the hero was the main character. You could choose the name at the start of the game. Apparently, he had named the hero Cha Seohu.
“Yeah.”
He nodded like it was obvious.
“Why not use your own name?”
Most kids name the protagonist after themselves. It makes the game feel more immersive.
You could also name the companion characters. If he wanted to use my name so badly, he could’ve given it to someone else.
Curious, I asked. He hesitated, then finally answered.
“Because the main character... is good. And he does the most. He’s important.”
“......”
Something about that explanation made my chest feel tight.
Maybe because I just checked the status window, but his words felt like they had a double meaning.
‘The protagonist, huh.’
He wasn’t wrong. The protagonist is important and valuable.
They’re the ones who will stop the Catastrophe in my place—if I fail.
I turned off the lamp with a bitter smile and looked into his deep green eyes.
“I’m okay not being the protagonist.”
“...Why?”
“Hm. Being the protagonist is too much pressure. Too many responsibilities. You have to lead and gather allies. Sounds stressful.”
“S-Stressful?”
“Leaders always have a headache.”
Especially when you’re leading a party to kill a world-ending dragon. One mistake, and all the blame falls on you. It’s terrifying even to imagine.
Not that I was going to explain all that.
“The hero is great, but the companions are just as important. Without them, the hero can’t do anything. They wouldn’t even get to the dragon.”
“......”
“If you ask me, the companions are even more amazing. They follow the hero without question, take on the tasks the hero can’t.”
Sahyeon furrowed his brows and stared at the game screen. After a moment of deliberation, he started pressing buttons furiously.
“I’ll change the name.”
“Really? Then name this one after me.”
“Okay.”
I picked the healer in the party—supporters were always royalty in these kinds of games.
He erased the blank name and entered “Cha Seohu.” At the same time, the hero character’s name became empty.
“...Let’s put your name on the hero.”
“I’m the hero?”
“I’m your healer. Sounds good, right?”
Even though it was just a game, his face lit up with joy. He quickly typed his own name into the hero’s slot.
Seeing “Cha Sahyeon” engraved on the protagonist made me feel satisfied, too.
That’s right. Cha Sahyeon isn’t some dragon that needs to be slain.
Even with the Seed of Catastrophe inside him, he still finds joy in small things—smiles like this. If anything, he’s the one who deserves to be the protagonist fighting to protect everyone.
“Let’s go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
Even if someone tries to change him by force, I’ll stop them.
As I drifted off, holding him in my arms, I made that vow again and again.
Birds chirped clearly outside. Of course, there had to be a tree right next to the window, so it was noisy every morning.
Maybe it was all the walking yesterday, but my entire body ached.
‘Ugh, I’m dying.’
Cha Sahyeon and Kwon Taehyuk, being Awakeners, probably woke up feeling fresh. It was just me—an ordinary guy—suffering like this.
Grumbling inwardly, I opened my eyes—and saw Sahyeon’s head nestled in my arms. For once, he was still asleep, breathing softly.
‘Guess he really enjoyed himself yesterday.’
Moments like this reminded me, no matter how strong he was, he was still a child.
I smiled, reaching out on reflex to pat his head—
“...?”
His skin was burning up.
Startled, I touched his ear, cheek, and neck. Intense heat radiated from his body.
“Kid?”
I quickly pulled him from my chest.
His eyes were shut tight. He couldn’t wake up. Cold sweat glistened on his forehead, and his exposed skin was flushed red.
‘What the hell?’
My heart dropped.
I gently laid him on the bed and wiped his sweat. My hand trembled as I brushed his hair back.
“Hey, kid. Cha Sahyeon. Wake up, Sahyeon.”
No matter how desperately I called his name, his eyes wouldn’t open.
A wave of dread crashed over me.

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