EVERY STRANGE thing started when Song Moonho received the intel that a Guide with the power to ta Hwang Yejun had finally awakened.
It was Chu Wonhee— a young miss known for three things: as a wealthy A-list actress since childhood, as the daughter of the late Actress Chu Sara, and as Hunter Lee Seodam’s girlfriend that ’SeoDa’ shippers hated to death.
To simply say, Chu Wonhee was born to be a star.
In the new world where the beautiful Awakened people dominated the shallow entertainnt industry, Chu Wonhee managed to remain on top despite being a Civilian with no sponsor. She was a celebrity among celebrities.
Chu Wonhee was so popular that even Song Moonho, who wasn’t interested in celebrities, knew her face and na. Even though Chu Wonhee was inactive as an actress, her career as a model kept her relevant. Her CFs were played everywhere, her face plastered on every product she endorsed, and her short videos would always go viral.
Hence, Song Moonho couldn’t understand why Chu Wonhee’s face suddenly looked different to him.
"How old is Chu Wonhee again?" Song Moonho asked even though she knew that the child was in her mid-twenties. Anyone under the age of thirty was a child to him. That was why he was a bit confused. "She’s not in her mid-thirties, is she?"
Zaizai almost dropped her bubble tea, and then she turned to Song Moonho in disbelief. "Are you crazy, Guildmaster? Actress Wonhee is only in her mid-twenties. Plus, she still could pass off as a high schooler because of her youthful face!"
"She has baby skin," Dawn whispered while playing with her voodoo doll. "Actress Wonhee’s skin looks better than mine even though I’m younger."
"Does she look that old to you?" guro Shun asked. "That’s an."
Moonho leaned against his seat. "I wonder if I should get my eyes checked."
But he didn’t have to because his ’eyesight’ returned to ’normal.’
Until he t Gong Yool, the failed idol.
It happened when Moonho found out that Song Sunho was shot by a re Civilian.
To be fair, he was relieved since his younger brother didn’t die anyway.
[Because it ant Sunho’s plan to keep Ahn Kisoo locked up failed even without my intervention.]
Having said that, he still wasn’t happy that his younger brother was hurt.
Hence, he paid Gong Yool a visit.
["You must be Gong Yool-ssi. You’re really a Civilian, huh? But how co your soul–"]
["Right– that Ahjussi is a Necromancer..."]
["Ahjussi? That hurts."]
["Am I that old for you to address as ’Ahjussi?’"]
["Well, you’re already forty-years old, Ahjuss. It’s awkward for to address you as ’hyung’ since I’m only twenty-five years old."]
["Are you?"]
The first ti Moonho t Gong Yool, he thought he saw sothing strange in his soul.
As a Necromancer, he was used to seeing two things: corpses and souls.
[Ghosts, if you may.]
In fact, Moonho had also encountered zombies many tis before.
Hence, he knew right away that Gong Yool’s soul was strange.
Just like how one could count a tree’s age by its dark circles, Moonho had the ability to see a soul’s age. That was how he could tell when a corpse had died. It was an ability that he needed as a Necromancer.
Gong Yool’s soul was older than his physical body.
So, from the start, Moonho knew that the Gong Yool he t wasn’t the real Gong Yool.
It wasn’t that hard to believe.
[After the Outbreak, everything and anything is possible.]
That was what sparked Moonho’s obsessio— er, interest in Gong Yool.
It also helped that Gong Yool was close to Chu Wonhee, and Chu Wonhee also got Moonho’s interest.
The two best friends obviously had a secret.
[I’m sure Do Ahyeon is already aware of that secret, but so far, Do Ahyeon seems to be the most normal among the trio.]
Well, Do Ahyeon’s abrupt growth as a Hunter was interesting.
But not as interesting as how Chu Wonhee looked older in Moonho’s eyes, or how Gong Yool’s soul didn’t seem to match his physical age.
He wanted to unravel the secret that the trio had been hiding.
As Moonho got close to Gong Yool, more unexplainable things began to happen.
Like unfamiliar mories that involved an older Gong Yool and Chu Wonhee.
But, fascinatingly enough, Moonho spent more ti with the older Gong Yool in those mories he didn’t rember.
No, it couldn’t be ’mories.’
[Because it happened in the future.]
And it might happen soon.
Fortunately, Moonho finally got the chance to confront Gong Yool about it.
"What a sha. I almost shared my secret with you."
Moonho knew that Gong Yool was only joking, but he thought it was the right ti to talk about the pressing issue. "I already know what your secret is anyway."
"Excuse ?"
"You’re not the real Gong Yool," Moonho said confidently. "The Gong Yool and Chu Wonhee in the blurred mories in my head are older than you are at the mont."
"What blurred mories?" Yool asked, turning to Song Moonho with knitted eyebrows. "And what do you an by an older Chu Wonhee?"
Song Moonho smiled slyly. "Should we exchange secrets now, Gong Yool-ssi?"
Ah.
He could see it.
In fact, he could almost hear Gong Yool’s brain going overdrive.
[Yool-ssi has never let his guard down around . It’s sad, but I admire careful people like him.]
Especially since the older Gong Yool’s wariness saved Moonho in his mories.
[Ah, co to think of it...]
"The Gong Yool in my mories look different than you," Moonho comnted, and then he smiled teasingly. "But it’s okay, Yool-ssi. I like your personality more than your face."
Yool raised an eyebrow at him. "What an interesting way to say I’m ugly."
"You’re pretty."
"Shut up and let think."
Moonho just smiled and acted like he was zipping his mouth close.
[It seems like all the assumptions I made are correct.]
"Let talk to Wony first," Yool said after a short pause. "To be honest, Hwang Frost doesn’t know about my secret yet."
"So, you’ll reveal your secret to Hwang Yejun?"
"As I said before, we need Hwang Yejun to put a rein on you. He’ll be our insurance in case you betray us."
"Yool-ssi, why do you always think the worst of ? I’ll never betray you."
"If you’re good to Wony, then maybe I’ll trust you a little."
Moonho fell silent for a mont, and then he nodded after making a decision. "Alright, I’ll try to think of Chu Wonhee as my niece or a distant relative."
Yool suddenly burst out laughing.
Hmm?
[Yool-ssi looks cute when he laughs.]
Moonho smiled while watching Yool laugh his heart out.
[Yes, I can get used to this.]
***
WONHEE couldn’t watch it properly.
Right now, she was in the garden— sitting on the bench while trying to watch Yejun train Ahyeon.
Their training was simple.
Ahyeon just needed to quickly create a barrier before Yejun’s ice daggers and ice arrows hit him.
[According to Yejun, Ahyeonnie needs to learn how to make barriers quickly.]
Wonhee understood that it was training.
But she still flinched every ti Yejun’s ice weapons hit Ahyeon’s body.
[For every five daggers Yejun threw, four of those hit Ahyeonnie.]
Ahyeon really needed more practice.
[It’s alright— Ahyeonnie is a quick learner. And I have plenty of healing potions with . Yejun also promised that he would stop if he deems Ahyeonnie can’t continue with the practice anymore.]
Wonhee was silently praying for Ahyeon’s safety when her phone vibrated.
This ti, it was a ssage from Lee Seodam.
Wonhee gasped out loud.
She was surprised by the news, but she was even more surprised when Yejun suddenly appeared beside her.
"Are you okay, Wonhee-ya?" Yejun asked worriedly. "What happened?"
Wonhee blinked, surprised. "Why are you here? You were just with Ahyeon earlier."
"I heard you gasp."
"You ca to just because of that? How did you even hear gasp when you were busy throwing daggers at Ahyeonnie?"
"I’m always alert when you’re around," Yejun said bluntly. "So, what happened? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Wonhee was touched by how attentive Yejun was to her, but she put a rein on her heart first. "Seodam-ssi sent a ssage and told Jin is at the hospital. Apparently, Jin is in a comatose state."
"’Jin?’"
"Lee Seojin— Seodam’s younger brother."
"Ah, that interesting kid," Yejun said, and then he paused for a mont. "If he fell into a comatose state, then maybe he’s in the middle of awakening?"
"Seodam-ssi didn’t say anything like that, but now that you ntion it, that’s possible."
She almost forgot that people who awakened would usually fall into a comatose state first.
[I didn’t experience that, but that should be the normal process.]
"Are you going to visit that kid at the hospital?"
"No."
Yejun raised an eyebrow. "No? I thought you care about that kid."
"I do. But my presence won’t help him wake up," Wonhee said while shaking her head. "Plus, knowing Jin, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to be an instrunt for and his family to et again."
"I’m so proud of you, Wonhee-ya."
"Having said that, it won’t hurt to send so flowers wishing Jin a speedy recovery," she said. "Since Seodam-ssi is important to APA, I’m sure APA will take care of Jin."
Yejun nodded, and then he gently patted Wonhee’s head. "I’m still proud of you."
"Thank you," she said, and then she paused when her phone vibrated again. This ti, the ssage was from Yool. "Oh."
The ssage was signed with the ’secret code’ that only Wonhee, Ahyeon, and Yool knew about.
[It’s to make sure that we aren’t being impersonated by other people.]
Hence, the ssage was really from Yool.
Wonhee raised his head and t Yejun’s questioning eyes. "Yejun-ah, I have sothing important to tell you."
"Are you going to confess to , Wonhee-ya?" Yejun asked teasingly. "The answer is ’yes,’ always~"
"I’m serious, Hwang Yejun."
"Yes, ma’am."
***
YEJUN knew that Wonhee wasn’t about to confess her feelings for him.
Even so, her revelation shocked him.
"Gong Yool is a Transmigrator?" Yejun asked in disbelief. "And this world is only a world within a BL novel?"
Wonhee nodded. "That’s right."
He fell silent for a mont.
Now he understood why Gong Yool seed to know things he shouldn’t know as a Civilian.
However...
"Is it really a story that Gong Yool read in a novel?" Yejun wondered out loud. "Or is it a vision of the future that he saw?"
"That’s plausible, but is that your first takeaway?" Wonhee asked, confused. "I just revealed that this world is just a world within a novel, Yejun-ah."
"Yeah. But I don’t care whether this is a real world or not, you know?"
"Why not?"
"Because you’re here, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said sincerely. "I’m grateful to be born in the sa world where you exist."
"Oh."
Wonhee didn’t say anything else, but her entire face turned red.
Yejun was satisfied for now.
[I’ll patiently wait for Wonhee. We have all the ti in the world anyway.]
RIGHT?
***
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