The dizzying sensation of falling from a great height—then a sharp jolt coursed through my body.
“Gah...!”
I gasped harshly, my body jerking. A hand reached over to cover my eyes as someone spoke calmly.
“Get a grip. Steady your breathing.”
“H-hhk... urgh...”
The person pinning me down kept telling me to control my breath. A heavy, forest-scented aroma drifted from the hand covering my eyes.
As I inhaled it, my wildly pounding heart began to settle. My ragged breaths, which had been impossible to regulate, slowly began to return to normal.
“You almost went into hyperventilation.”
Clicking his tongue, the fake pulled his hand away from my eyes. I cautiously opened my eyelids and was greeted by the bright fluorescent light of the Circle Guild's executive /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ office.
My body was still seated on the sofa, just like before I’d met the replica. Nothing in reality had changed—yet my hands wouldn’t stop trembling.
Feeling a wave of nausea rise from my chest, I covered my mouth with my hand.
“What the hell did you do to me?!”
I snapped, voice sharp and my face twisted. The fake frowned as if I were the strange one.
“I should be asking you. What did you do to end up in such a mentally and physically unstable state?”
“You said the replica wouldn’t move—that it didn’t have an ego.”
The fake's eyes widened slightly at that. He didn’t look like he was lying—he seemed genuinely surprised. He quickly asked:
“Wait... it moved? Did it try to kill you?”
“Yeah. It didn’t try to kill me, but it definitely moved. Grabbed my arm...”
I started to explain what had happened—but then the words stopped in my throat. Even I didn’t understand what the replica’s actions had meant.
‘Sure, grabbing someone’s arm isn’t unusual, but... that hand on my cheek... and the look in its eyes...’
As I wrestled with the confusion, the fake seemed to think for a moment, then finally spoke.
“There was nothing wrong with the space itself. It may have looked simple, but I double-checked everything before putting you in. But if the replica did move...”
He let out a thoughtful hum and crossed his arms as he sat across from me.
“When exactly did it move?”
“...Right near the end. It didn’t last more than a minute.”
“You said it grabbed your arm.”
“And I saw... emotion in its face. Its eyes lit up, I’m sure of it.”
“I see.”
The fake nodded as if he understood.
“It seems the original’s will briefly influenced the replica for some reason.”
“The original’s will?”
“You know how the Catastrophe’s skill works, right?”
As he gestured, the water in the kettle began to boil on its own and poured itself into a teacup. This damn Transcendent bastard didn’t even bother hiding his power anymore.
“All shadows are connected. It looks like even the replica I made was briefly linked to them. It wasn’t a full ego recovery—just a fragment of a powerful emotion from the original surfacing.”
A fragment of emotion from the original?
Even after hearing the explanation, I couldn’t make sense of it. The replica was based on the pre-regression Catastrophe. Why the hell would that guy grab my arm or touch my face? He didn’t even know me.
“What about other possible reasons?”
“There aren’t any. Right now, that’s the only viable explanation.”
“......”
So sure of himself, huh.
‘Why the hell is he acting like he knows everything? What’s he so smug about?’
I glared at the fake, my brows furrowed in irritation.
“Hey, Transcendent. That’s pretty disappointing. You said it was safe, so I trusted you—and this is the result? You expect me to work with you again after this?”
“Mm...”
“What if the damn replica had killed me in that trash heap of a space? Huh? Could you save the world without me? Are you that confident?”
“Ahem... well...”
Even the fake didn’t have a comeback this time. Avoiding my gaze, he let out a sheepish cough. I didn’t let up.
“Must be nice being a Transcendent, huh? Just toss me around like it’s no big deal and expect me to save the world for you. What a mindset. I, a delicate regressor, am truly disappointed in you.”
What a sloppy piece of work this bastard is.
Granted, neither of us had ever served in the military, but I pressed the issue anyway. I was the victim here, damn it. When else would I get to squeeze this bastard dry?
Mixing honorifics and casual speech, I looked about ready to roll on the floor and shout “Turn off Danbi!” right there in the office. In the end, the fake caved and shouted:
“Alright, alright, I get it! I’ll compensate you—more than fairly, alright? Just shut up!”
“Keep your word.”
Would a Transcendent go back on his own deal? I doubted it.
A negotiation over the fate of the world. Only the ruthless survive.
“God, I’ve never met anyone as insane as you,” the fake muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation.
Unbelievable. He’s the one sighing?
‘So I still don’t know exactly why the replica acted that way... and I guess I’ll have to let it go.’
I didn’t exactly have time to chase down every oddity.
The replica vanished once I left, and I made it back unharmed—no lost limbs or missing organs.
‘If there’s a problem, it’s just this lingering feeling in my gut.’
And frankly, that didn’t matter at all right now.
I’d think about it later. Pushing the unease to the back of my mind, I heard the fake speak again.
“I’ll tell you the price now, so shut up and listen. Since I agreed to your request, you’ll need to grant mine. But I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Start with the explanation. What do you want?”
Even if he said he’d help, it might be all talk. A deal should never be taken lightly. Even a Transcendent could be a scammer.
“...You’re thinking some very rude things right now. But fine.”
The fake waved his hand like he had a headache and continued.
“Anyway, once you hear what it is, you’ll probably be eager to go.”
“What?”
“It’s something you’ve been wanting all along.”
The fake rested his chin in his hand and smiled smugly.
With the morning sun at his back, Ryu Sunghyun entered the guild building, exchanging greetings with members just arriving for work as he made his way to the executive office.
“...?”
He stopped in front of the door, preparing to knock like usual, but sensed two distinct auras inside.
One was clearly Song Jiwoon. But the other... who?
It was just past 9 a.m. A guest this early?
Curious, he knocked. A voice from within granted permission to enter.
“Good morning, Sunghyun.”
Song Jiwoon looked up from the documents he was reviewing and greeted him with a gentle smile.
“Yes, good morning.”
“So? What brings you here first thing in the morning?”
“Well, I was about to step out for a bit...”
Ryu Sunghyun trailed off awkwardly—then noticed something odd. A pair of legs were sticking out past the edge of the sofa.
No wonder he sensed a presence but didn’t see anyone. Someone was lying down. Curious, he glanced over—then froze in shock.
“C-Cha Seohu Hunter?”
The profile of the person fast asleep under a blanket—it was unmistakably Cha Seohu.
Ryu Sunghyun stood stunned at the unexpected sight. Song Jiwoon addressed him in a calm tone.
“Good timing. I needed to speak with both you and Cha Seohu.”
“With us? Wait—why is Cha Seohu Hunter sleeping here?”
“We met briefly last night. He had nowhere to go, so I let him stay here.”
The answer only made things more confusing.
Let him stay? Did Song Jiwoon and Cha Seohu know each other? Had they spent the entire night together? Were they that close?
A storm of questions swirled in Ryu Sunghyun’s mind. After hesitating for a while, he finally managed to speak.
“Actually... the reason I was going out was to look for Cha Seohu Hunter. Yesung’s Guildmaster contacted us—said he’d gone missing.”
“Is that so? Then something must’ve happened out there. For now, wake him up. We can talk together.”
Even though he clearly understood why Cha Seohu had no place to go—and why Ryu Sunghyun had rushed in—Song Jiwoon feigned ignorance with practiced ease.
“...Alright.”
He was right. Waking Cha Seohu and having a proper conversation would resolve a lot of this confusion.
Ryu Sunghyun reached out to shake Seohu’s shoulder—then paused. The sleeping man looked terribly pale, and there was a slight tension in his brow.
‘Bad dreams?’
Sleeping all scrunched up on a sofa like that—of course he’d be having nightmares.
‘Kwon Taehyuk did say he was seriously hurt...’
Before waking him, Ryu Sunghyun checked over Seohu’s body as best he could. He was clothed and wrapped in a blanket, so it was hard to be sure, but thankfully there didn’t appear to be any major injuries.
“Mm...”
Just then, Seohu’s brow furrowed more deeply, and he let out a faint groan.
‘This isn’t good.’
He couldn’t leave him like that. Ryu Sunghyun gently grabbed his shoulder and gave him a small shake.
“Cha Seohu Hunter. Are you alright?”
He called the name softly. Seohu’s body tensed, and he slowly opened his eyes.
When their eyes met, Ryu Sunghyun was at a loss for words.
Pale skin. Jet-black pupils.
For some reason, looking into those pitch-dark eyes felt like something was crushing his throat.
Seohu, still half-asleep, stared blankly at him—then whispered in a quiet, wistful voice:
“...Hyung?”
Startled, Ryu Sunghyun quickly let go and took two steps back.
The whisper had been so quiet an ordinary person wouldn’t have even noticed.
It was a voice he had never heard before—one filled with longing and tenderness, enough to make his chest ache.
Ryu Sunghyun felt like he’d overheard something he wasn’t meant to hear.

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