The event venue stretched from the front of Gyeongbokgung Palace all the way to the area around Geunjeongjeon.
I’d already skimmed the materials Kwon Taehyuk had prepared in advance, and from the roof of the council hall, I’d gotten a rough idea of the scale—but once we were actually inside and moving around, the place felt much larger than expected.
From here on, Eun Woojeong and I would have to blend in and move naturally through this massive venue.
With a formally invited actor at my side, and as long as we didn’t do anything stupid, we’d eventually be able to locate Kwak Seunggyu.
“Come to think of it, I never got an answer earlier. That number,” he said.
“......”
“It’s really engraved on Hunter Cha Seohu’s body?”
“......”
“Why no answer? Is it inked somewhere too awkward to show others?”
The fact that of all people, this bastard had to be the actor—yeah, that was the biggest problem here.
Even when I snapped at him like that, he just smiled faintly. It wasn’t a happy smile—more like a smirk verging on mockery.
“You just keep getting more interesting,” he said.
“Ah. Sorry, but as my friend mentioned earlier, I only date women. I’ll take the sentiment, though.”
“Is that a rejection? That’s unfortunate. Especially since we’re about to carry out an important mission together.”
Spouting nonsense as usual, Eun Woojeong removed his dark navy coat and handed it to me.
“Wear this instead of your jacket.”
At the moment, I was wearing a black jumper over a beige turtleneck sweater, with black slacks. I’d dressed conservatively on purpose—to make the later transformation more striking—but wearing this coat would make me blend in better with the formal event.
“Thank you.”
I took the coat ~Nоvеlight~ without complaint and gave his outfit a once-over. A black suit jacket over a simple T-shirt—he had the effortless, relaxed look of someone in a casual formal outfit. The thick fabric made it clear it was made for winter. Not that he’d be cold anyway.
‘He’s S-rank. This kind of weather wouldn’t even register.’
Just because I couldn’t sense his aura didn’t mean he was really unawakened.
I didn’t know how he was hiding his energy so perfectly, but I needed to stay sharp regardless.
“You do know how to show manners, at least,” he said, taking another jab while he had the chance.
I ignored him, tucked my black jumper into my inventory, and slipped into the coat.
With our outfits sorted, we finally stepped into the area where the guests were gathering.
‘The atmosphere is even more vibrant than I expected.’
In front of Geunjeongjeon, large banquet tables were set up, adorned with food and champagne. Traditional decorations sparkled beautifully under the night sky, like stars, while period drama-style music drifted gently through the air.
As we walked through groups of people laughing, drinking, and chatting, the place felt much more surreal than it had from afar.
There were world-famous celebrities even I, an outsider, could recognize—alongside people who clearly had money just by looking at them. This was a global fashion show, after all, so the crowd was impressive.
‘If anything goes wrong here, it’s going to be a disaster.’
And the location was Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Even though we had awakened restorers capable of rebuilding destroyed structures, the aftermath would draw every media outlet and public eye in the country.
To prevent that kind of disaster, we had to find Kwak Seunggyu and get out of here as soon as possible.
I started scanning faces around me, but then someone approached from the side.
“Oh? Eun Woojeong?”
I turned to see a woman in an extravagant dress holding a glass of champagne. Apparently someone he knew, as he greeted her with a smile.
“Lee Chaeram.”
“Didn’t expect to run into you here. I don’t remember seeing your name on the guest list.”
“Ha ha, had a schedule cancel last minute, so I came by.”
No wonder she looked familiar. Lee Chaeram—she was a fairly well-known actress. I remembered hearing she won Best Actress at last year’s awards ceremony.
After exchanging a brief handshake and catching up, she turned to look at me.
“And who’s this?”
“My partner,” Eun Woojeong said easily, throwing an arm around my shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Damn it, this guy always grabs my shoulder first thing. It made my skin crawl, but I forced a smile. No point in making a scene in front of others.
Lee Chaeram looked a little surprised, then offered her pristine hand to me.
“Eun Woojeong brought a partner along? Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Chaeram.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Haven’t seen your face before. Are you a debuting idol? Or maybe a rookie actor?”
“No, just an ordinary citizen.”
“Really? With your looks and style, I figured you were an idol. Hmm, actually—not just handsome. Pretty, too. You match well with Eun Woojeong.”
“...Thanks for the compliment.”
Would’ve been perfect if she hadn’t added that last line.
As I stood there awkwardly, Eun Woojeong smiled like he knew exactly what I was thinking. God, what an insufferable man.
“Well, I came with someone, so I’ll get going. Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”
With a playful wink in my direction, Lee Chaeram walked off and disappeared into the crowd. As soon as she was out of sight, I smacked Eun Woojeong’s hand off my shoulder.
“So cold.”
“From now on, don’t touch me without asking.”
“Such motivating words to hear, especially when I’m working so hard to help.”
“I did tell you from the start I didn’t need your help and we should go our separate ways.”
Smiling as if we were having a friendly conversation, Eun Woojeong and I continued searching for Kwak Seunggyu. To anyone watching, we looked like close acquaintances chatting as they wandered the party.
“Thanks to me, you’re able to move around like this. You’ve got a bolder personality than I expected, Hunter Cha Seohu.”
“Not bolder than some people.”
“‘Some people’... You mean me?”
“Guilty conscience, huh?”
“Maybe a little?”
Smirking, Eun Woojeong picked up a glass of champagne from a table and handed it to me.
“Even if you’re not drinking, carry this. If your acting’s bad, use props.”
Amazing how every word out of his mouth could grind someone’s nerves. I sighed and took the glass, but the moment I did, a cheerful voice rang out.
“Wow, Mr. Eun Woojeong! Long time no see!”
This time, a group of well-dressed men approached, all greeting Eun Woojeong like old friends.
Judging by how they addressed him as “senior,” they were actors too. Thanks to being stuck beside him, I got dragged into it, shaking hands and exchanging greetings with total strangers.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
The commotion drew more people over. One by one, they gathered around Eun Woojeong, wanting to say hello.
It got to the point where with every step, a new person stopped him to chat.
How fake must your life be, that every single person sees you as so thoughtful and kind?
Knowing who he really was, I couldn’t believe the scene. Only I knew the truth about this bastard.
After over 30 minutes of pretending to be Eun Woojeong’s smiling “partner,” my patience finally wore thin.
“This isn’t working.”
Too much time was being wasted. Soon, the event would end, and everyone would move to the hotel. I hadn’t even finished checking the venue yet.
I finally broke away and said, “The event wraps up in twenty minutes. I’ll go look on my own until then.”
“Hmm... You will? That’s a shame.”
He must not have expected this much attention either, because he didn’t argue.
“I’ll follow at a distance. If anything happens, come straight to me.”
“Sure.”
Honestly, walking around with him had been exhausting, so this was better. Holding the champagne glass in one hand, I turned my back without hesitation.
I’d already checked around Geunjeongjeon. The only area left was Yeongjegyo, the bridge between Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun. Guards were stationed near Geunjeongmun, but since I walked over from inside the event, they didn’t question me.
Following the decorations leading to Yeongjegyo, I passed occasional groups out for a stroll.
‘Should’ve done this sooner.’
Without Eun Woojeong, I felt more relaxed, more focused. I kept my eyes moving, scanning faces while making sure I looked like just another guest.
“...Hmm?”
That’s when I saw it. In a shadowy corner beyond the lights, a man stood with his back to me.
A gray suit. Nothing unusual about his silhouette—but for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. A strange discomfort rose in my chest. Then, right as I frowned, he turned his head slightly.
“......!”
Even in that split second, I caught a glimpse of his profile—and I knew. That was Kwak Seunggyu.
No doubt about it. I’d memorized his face from the files Kwon Taehyuk gave me.
I’d finally found him. My lips twisted into a smirk, and my grip on the glass tightened.
No wonder he was hard to find—he’d been hiding in a place like this.
I started walking toward him quickly, intent on catching him, but then I saw him pull something from his pocket.
‘What’s that?’
It was too dark and too small to identify. He dropped it immediately onto the ground.
Tiny, round objects bounced off the dirt floor with a faint sound. It looked like... he was sowing seeds.
After checking that they had scattered properly, Kwak Seunggyu turned and walked away without a second glance.
I was just about to chase after him when—
RUMBLE!
The ground shook violently, and thunder cracked across the sky. I barely kept my balance as screams broke out around me.
“What the hell?!”
“Is this... an earthquake?!”
As the crowd panicked, a terrible sense of dread gripped me. This wasn’t just an earthquake.
A chill ran down my spine. I looked up at the overwhelming energy pressing from above—and saw the anomaly in the sky.
Cracks of blue light spread like shattered glass, a rift opening wide at the center.
No doubt about it.
It was a Rift.

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