I Don’t Want This Reincarnation

Through the darkness, there was an exit emitting pure white light.

When we went though, the black hole in the 14th room, where Ha Tae-heon had fallen for the first time, was exposed beneath his feet, and in front of me were the guild members, all with astonished expressions on their faces.

“De-Deputy Master!”

“Oh my god! Are you both okay?”

“What happened?”

As I watched the guild members rushing in, my tension was relieved. That was when…

Kugugung!

“Ooh!”

“The door…”

When the tightly closed door opened, the guild members came out with bewildered faces and looked at the door and Ha Tae-heon alternately. Seeing this, Ha Tae-heon sighed.

“Let’s go out for now, then talk.”

After leaving the room and moving alone, the second team that had gone to the other room greeted us. No matter how much time passed and we didn’t come back, they waited after taking care of all the other rooms.

Ha Tae-heon spoke to the guild members who looked at him with confused looks.

“We ran into an S+-grade monster in a distant area.”

There were too many eyewitnesses to just ignore it, so it was better to tell the truth.

Above all, after me and Ha Tae-heon disappeared, it was right to tell the whole incident to the first team, who must have been terrified by being locked in the 14th room for 3 hours.

After hearing the neatly organized explanation, the guild members made an expression that they understood.

“So that’s why the Deputy Master’s and Han Yi-gyeol-ssi’sconditions are…”

As one of the guild members muttered, I smiled awkwardly and touched my face. I belatedly thought about how I looked after rolling around and fighting.

Ha Tae-heon didn’t seem very different other than the bloodstains on his face.

“The space was distorted due to an anomaly in the gate, so I guess that we encountered a hidden monster.”

Hearing Ha Tae-heon’s explanation, I turned my gaze back. The goddess statue was still standing in the middle of the hall in the same position. The goddess statue in the twisted space and the current goddess statue…

‘Obviously, I heard the goddess statue move here in this hall. If so, can this goddess statue also become a monster?’

The pattern that Ha Tae-heon discovered in the twisted space was also suspicious. If there really was an item hidden under it, we could probably expect a pretty high ranking one.

‘No more, no less, I just wish it could be an S-class. There’s an SS-class coat for defence, so it should be an offensive item.’

It felt pretty good to imagine Ha Tae-heon fighting with an S-class weapon.

I was standing alone among the serious members of the Roheon guild. One guild member glanced at me and asked, “By the way, Deputy Master, what’s your relationship with Han Yi-gyeol-ssi?”

“……”

Oh boy.

Only then I remembered what I did when Ha Tae-heon fell. I called out his name and jumped to save him. It was definitely not something you would do for someone you met for the first time.

What should I do? What excuse should I make? I looked at Ha Tae-heon with a troubled expression. It was ambiguous for me to step up first and say that there was no relationship.

Ha Tae-heon, who was looking at the curious faces around him calmly, slowly opened his mouth.

“Han Yi-gyeol and I.”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Ha Tae-heon. I silently cheered for him with anticipation.

‘You must answer well, Ha Tae-heon.’

He would be able to overcome this situation skillfully. Because he was always prepared for various situations. You can do it, Ha Tae-heon. I believe in you.

“We’ve known each other for a long time.”

“What?” I was so surprised that I asked back.

Ha Tae-heon pointed at me and added, “We’ve known each other since before I awakened.”

“……”

“We still have a good relationship.”

Are you crazy?

The guild members were all excited and chattering as if they couldn’t even see my bewildered expression.

“No wonder. The atmosphere between the two of you was strange.”

“Before he even awakened!”

“Didn’t Han Yi-gyeol-ssi say that he was also close with the Requiem Master?”

“He’s not an ordinary person.”

The evaluation of me began to flow in an irreversible direction. I forced a smile and poked Ha Tae-heon’s side with my elbow.

Ha Tae-heon, who glanced at me, added in a slow tone.

“…I thought it would only get complicated if I had to reveal it, so I first suggested to Han Yi-gyeol to act as if we were meeting for the first time. He was just following what I said, so please refrain from talking nonsense.”

“Ha. Haha.”

The way the guild members looked at me had changed from before. I felt like crying.

‘…I’m going crazy.’

* * *

After such a commotion, we immediately exited the gate. As soon as Ha Tae-heon came out, the reporters who were waiting outside rushed out and shoved their microphones toward us.

Belatedly, the bodyguards blocked the gap, but the surrounding area quickly became a mess with reporters and onlookers who were desperate to get a picture or an interview.

In the midst of that, I was about to escape, but I was caught by Kim Soo-hwan.

“Yi-gyeol-ssi…”

Kim Soo-hwan called me with a sad face. A voice full of regret pierced my conscience.

“I can’t believe that Yi-gyeol-ssi was close with the Deputy Master…”

“I—that… Kim Soo-hwan-ssi—I—”

“I’m ashamed to have pretended to know everything in front of Yi-gyeol-ssi like that.”

“No. I couldn’t tell you in advance…”

“It’s okay. I heard that the Deputy Master ordered it. You couldn’t help it.”

Kim Soo-hwan smiled with a really casual face and shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like he pretended to be disappointed and played a joke on me.

“More than that, give me your number. I’ll send you an invitation later. Ah, you did want to join the fan cafe, right?”

“Of course.”

Thank god. I was relieved and put my number on Kim Soo-hwan’s cell phone.

“The next time we meet, let’s fanboy over the Deputy Master*!”

“Haha, okay…”

I didn’t know what it was to be a fan, but I nodded my head for now. I checked Ha Tae-heon, who was being interviewed with an expressionless face, surrounded by reporters. The only way to escape was now.

“Kim Soo-hwan-ssi, I should get going.”

“Huh? You’re going? Why? We’re having a dinner party! Stop by then go.”

“No, I have some urgent business. I’ll go next time.”

“Then you should tell the Deputy Master…”

“No, he’ll understand. ‘Til then.” I flatly refused and left Area D17 as if I was running away without looking back.

* * *

Tack, tack. The sound of tapping on a keyboard filled the room.

Several large monitors shone brightly in the dimly lit room. The small man, who sat in front of it, hummed and moved his hands incessantly.

Clink. Kkiik—

A thick iron door opened and someone entered. As soon as he entered the room, the man wearing a black stadium jumper and a cap pressed down violently kicked a large mechanical part nearby.

Bang!

“Ah shit, you scared me. What?”

The man, who was singing along to a song with earphones on without knowing who came in, was startled by the sudden noise, turned his chair around, and looked back. Dressed in a grey hood with shaggy hair, big horn-rimmed glasses, he tilted his head when he saw his guest.

“Who are you? No one can come in here…”

“It’s me.”

Even though it was the first time he had seen his face, his voice was familiar. Besides, that blurry presence. The man, who was thinking about something, rolling his eyes about, immediately exclaimed with a friendly face, “Kim Woo-jin! Kim Woo-jin, right?”

“Mh.”

He took off his hat and turned off his ability, revealing his red hair. The man jumped up from his seat and slowly approached him.

“What~ It’s been a really long time. How long has it been?”

“I don’t know.” Kim Woo-jin replied coldly, hitting the man who was hanging off his arm. At that attitude, the man grinned.

“Still the same. So? Are you here to see me?”

Even so, seeing that teasing smile on his face, he didn’t want to admit it. Kim Woo-jin, with a furrow in his brows, strode forward and sat down on the chair where the man was sitting.

“Hyde (하이드).”

“Hm?”

“There’s something I need you to find out.”

“Whoa.”

At those words, the man, Hyde, swept up his bangs with a surprised expression on his face.

“What happened? You haven’t even looked at me until now.”

“Because I didn’t need to.”

“Is it necessary now?”

Hyde, who dragged a new chair from the corner, sat down opposite to Kim Woo-jin.

“Yeah.”

“What? Tell me. Because I’m so expensive that I don’t accept any outside requests.”

He hummed lightly, rummaged through his hoodie pocket and pulled out his lollipop. Lemon flavour and strawberry flavour. After thinking about it for a while, Hyde offered the strawberry flavour to Kim Woo-jin.

Kim Woo-jin said irritably, “Put it away.”

“Why? It’s tasty.”

“Take it away.”

Sensitive. Hyde put the strawberry flavour back into his pocket and shoved the lemon flavour candy into his mouth. Hyde, rolling the candy around, opened his mouth immediately.

“If you came to me, it wouldn’t be about something normal.”

“There’s a lot of noise about the gate problem. Do you know anything about that?”

“Sure but… suddenly talking about the gates? I heard you joined a guild—did they ask you to find out?”

Kim Woo-jin shut his mouth without answering. Hyde, narrowing his eyes, tapped his knee.

“No… If it’s Requiem, they wouldn’t have to ask you to do it.”

He could sense something fun. Hyde’s eyes twinkled with interest.

“Who is it? Who made you come to me for the first time in years and ask for such a request?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Uwah.”

With an unpleasant expression on his face, Kim Woo-jin kicked Hyde’s chair in front of him without mercy. The chair’s wheels slipped and Hyde struggled.

“Damn it! I can help, but you just can tell me that much!”

“I know you’re going to search for more than I want you to find out. Why should I?”

“That’s why it’s fun!”

“Damn it, this is why I didn’t want to come here…”

Kim Woo-jin, who had been staring at Hyde harshly, seemed to realize something, and raised the corners of his lips slightly.

“No, no. Hey. I’ll let you know, so will you check it out first?"

“Really? Of course that’s fine by me. What's going on?”

“First of all, collect information on the current progress of the gates. Including gates where anomalies were found. I’ll ask for it when I need it.”

“That’s easy.”

“And…” Kim Woo-jin spoke in a soft voice that was different from before. “There is an ability user named Han Yi-gyeol. Find out about him.”

“Han Yi-gyeol?”

“If you look for it, you will find something about his sister… That part should be more detailed.”

“Han Yi-gyeol. Han Yi-gyeol…”

Where did he hear that name? Scratching his head and rolling his head, Hyde immediately recalled the news.

“I remember. That A-rank mercenary, right? He said he was close with the Requiem Master.”

“Not close.”

“Everyone’s saying that they are though?”

“They’re not close.” Kim Woo-jin shook his head with a stiff face. What was up with you?

“Well, I don’t care about that… I just have to strip Han Yi-gyeol bare**, right?”

“Strip… hey. Why are you talking like that?”

“Then how else would you describe information digging?”

“Just, you know, getting to know someone…”

“What kind of bullshit…”

Hyde made a face that said he couldn’t understand. Kim Woo-jin, you bastard, I think you’ve lost a bit of your sanity while I haven’t seen you.***

“Ah fuck, anyway—! Find out. Thoroughly. Do you understand?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

Kim Woo-jin sighed deeply in response to the playful answer and stood up from his seat.

“Are you leaving already? I haven’t seen you in a long time, why don’t we hang out?”

“What would we do in a place like this? I’m going.”

Kim Woo-jin left without looking back. Clink, bang! As the iron door closed with a loud noise, Hyde, who was sitting in a chair, spun around, and clicked his tongue.

“Still has a temper.”

Even after several years, nothing had changed. While grumbling, he recalled the contents of Kim Woo-jin’s request.

“Han Yi-gyeol.”

Tap. When he searched for the name on the program, several windows popped up. 

Looking at it, Hyde grinned.