I am Destined to Die

I deliberately did not say any words of encouragement, such as, ‘You will find it’. It was because I knew very well that vain hope was of no use to a truly desperate man. So I remained silent. I put my hand on his shoulder in silence. Only the silence would comfort him.

I don’t know how much time passed. Suddenly, the word ‘Gimpo’ caught my eye on the highway sign. The car stopped before long. Outside the window, I saw a huge empty lot, a sprawling concrete building, guards patrolling the perimeter, and a no-access sign.

This was a gated underground bunker in Gimpo.

“Shin Ha-jae. Just in case, turn the bezel and get out.”

“Ah, yes.”

Following Ju Shin-hwan’s words, I turned the bezel of my watch. A thin film completely covered my face before I get out of the car. Simeon, who had arrived first, saw us getting off and passed the barricade earlier. Perhaps he had finished talking to the association in advance, but no one stood in the way through the entrance to the bunker entrance.

We finally reached the bunker across the vast open space. The rugged building made of concrete did not seem resistant to most attacks. I heard that it was installed throughout the city in case of an explosion of rift, but I have never entered it yet.

“Is there a gate down here?”

I asked in disbelief, Ju Shin-hwan nodded silently. Meanwhile, Simeon tapped his hunter’s licence into the terminal next to the gate. Kugung- the entrance opened with the sound of huge stones moving. Ahead of me was a bottomless pit. There were countless steps leading down to an unknown depth.

“This… Are we going down?”

“Whoa, no way. There’s an elevator, so relax.”

Fortunately, as Ju Shin-hwan said, there was an elevator next to the stairs. With a sigh of relief in my mind, I took the elevator with them. After going down for a long time, it finally stopped at some point underground.

There was another entrance. It looks normal on the outside, but I could tell by intuition. There’s something out of touch with reality beyond the door. As I got closer to the door, the cold air cooled down like the dawn of winter. The hairs on my body stood on end, and breath leaked from my blue lips. Unlike me, whose shoulders hunched and floated, Simeon nonchalantly undid his security, as if the chill were familiar.

Kugung. The door, which seemed like it would never move under force, slowly opened. A dust wind passed by, and my vision was wide open. I raised my head without much thought I was carried away by the sight before my eyes.

“This is…”

A giant void. An oval black sphere stood in the middle of a high-ceilinged underground clearing. I’d seen rift before, but the sheer scale of it was overwhelming. It was 7 meters across and at least 10 meters long. What’s more, the space around the rift was subtly distorted, like the rim of a black hole. It seemed as if anyone who got too close would be swallowed up by the void and disintegrate into molecules smaller than dust.

That’s all. The chill that radiated from the rift could not be explained by the winter wind chill. I literally froze in the cold air that I had never felt before. No, this was life. In the pitch darkness of not knowing what was beyond, murderous intentions poured out that seemed to eat me.

This is the power of the cursed diamonds that have eaten countless lives. All I could do was stand, but Simeon strode to the rift. Stopping just short of the edge, he took a step back as if he were examining a piece of art and looked up at the massive fissure.

“What do you think, Shin Ha-jae?”

His eyes, alluding to me, resembled a huge void.

“Did you finally realize the reality?”

Surely, if the fissure exploded as Simeon had warned, the underground bunker would be blown away, and when I failed to assure him that it would be easy, he smirked as if he knew it would be. Then his black gaze slid past me and landed on Ju Shin-hwan.

“Ready?”

“Anytime.”

“Then let’s go.”

Simeon winked at me as he took a couple of steps away from the rift. As I stood dumbfounded, sandwiched between the two of them, Ju Shin-hwan put a hand on my shoulder and whispered.

“Shin Ha-jae. It’s dangerous, so stay back for a while.”

“What are you going to do?”

“It will ease the morale of the rift a little bit.”

I realized that Ju Shin-hwan was about to use his powers.

When I stepped back calmly, Ju Shin-hwan strode toward the rift. Soon he stopped where Simeon was standing, and he exhaled a long breath. The back facing the rift alone was very serious. After a while, Ju Shin-hwan turned his head slightly to the left and raised his arms to stop in the air. It was like catching an invisible violin.

At that moment blue smoke flowed from his fingertips, and in the blink of an eye formed the form of a violin and a bow. For a while, Ju Shin-hwan, who breathed in, began to play the violin. The fast tempo and cheerful melody filled the empty bunker. Fingers constantly moving on the strings were as light as the footwork of a dancing boy. The gray bunker, which was desolate when the virtuoso showed his skills to the fullest, became his concert hall.

While mesmerizing with the captivating violin solo, the blue smoke became thicker. By the time it had completely surrounded the rift, the chill on his skin and his murderous intentions were surprisingly soothed. The blue fog moving along the melody became a boundary, blocking the force of the rift.

The performance is finally over. When Ju Shin-hwan lowered his arm, the smoke that formed the violin and the bow scattered into the air. Several strands of his hair, which had been neatly arranged for how passionate the performance was, flowed down over his forehead. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but applaud.

Clap!

The sound of applause echoed through the quiet bunker. Clap, clap, clap. It sounded as if several people were clapping. Ju Shin-hwan’s eyes were wide open as he looked back at me as if he didn’t know I would clap.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize….”

“Haha, no, it’s been a long time since I’ve been applauded after a performance.”

What? You didn’t clap when you heard this kind of performance? Simeon, you cold-hearted bastard.

I glanced sharply, but Simeon did not care and was checking the condition of the rift with his eyes. In the meantime, Ju Shin-hwan, who came this way, put his hand on his chest and greeted me politely, just like the performers who finished the performance.

“Thank you.”

“I’m grateful, too.”

I know that there are various unique abilities in the world, but I have never had such artistic abilities. The blue violins and the lines that form one by one along with the skillful performance. It was an ability that suited him very well as a famous violinist, and an ability that only he could have.

Come to think of it, the song that Ju Shin-hwan just played was quite familiar to my ears.

“So that song earlier… Mozart, right?”

Simeon, who was next to him, quietly answered him when he asked.

“Bach.”

“Ah, Bach. It was Bach… then Sonata?”

“Partita.”

Haish. I got it all wrong. I thought I’d picked up a few things by doing commission from place to place, but it turns out that knowledge at the drop of a hat doesn’t help.

I coughed to shake off the embarrassment, but Ju Shin-hwan explained.

“It’s a song called Gigue in Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor.”

“I see…. I thought I recognised the tune for some reason.”

“Is that so? Then I hope it was better than the performance in your memory.”

“Of course! It was the best I’ve ever heard.”

Ju Shin-hwan smiled pleasantly. In addition, thanks to his ability, the murderous intention that weighed heavily on the air disappeared, making it easier to breathe.

If only he could play one more time before entering the rift….

“You can’t possibly think that this is good enough for me.”

I shuddered at the sudden incoming voice. I glanced around and Simeon was looking down at me with a frowning brow.

“There is also a limit to pressing down on the power of the spirit. If you make a mistake, it could take down not only the people guarding this place, but professor as well. Do you still think you’re going to do something reckless?”

I hesitate a bit at the thought of putting even Ju Shin-hwan in danger, but I can’t give up now.

“I can see how great it is to see it in person. But my resolution doesn’t change.”

“Sigh…”

“You know that, too. The previous method will not demonstrate ‘s ability.”

The only difference from the time was not the scale. The moment I first stepped here, I felt the resentment and murder against me vividly. So I was even more certain. That blue jewel-embedded necklace contains the soul of a woman who faced an unjust tragedy.

“Just once. Allow me to go alone.”

Despite my earnest request, he refused to listen, so I had no choice but to strengthen it.

“In the unlikely event that I manage to awaken the spirit safely, I’ll hand it over.”

“What…”

“In exchange, you’ll let me be a part of what you do from now on.”

His eyes widened in surprise, but quickly turned to suspicion.

“Are you talking about collecting spirits?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t even laugh because I’m speechless. Why would Shin Ha-jae help me with my work?”

“Because I thought what you’re doing might help me too.”