Warning Beneath the Black Clouds

‘He must’ve picked it up.’

Jiwan didn’t actually think Jiho had stolen the keycard.

He simply assumed Jiho had found one a resident had dropped and kept it.

More than anything, whether Jiho had stolen it or picked it up didn’t matter much to Jiwan.

Even if he had stolen something far more valuable, Jiwan had no intention of scolding him.

What he didn’t want was for Jiho to get hurt or humiliated after being caught with someone else’s property.

“Give it to me.”

Jiwan held out his hand, intending to return what Jiho had “picked up” to its rightful owner.

He even had a spare keycard himself and figured he could pass it along later if needed.

But for some reason, Jiho’s eyes grew moist.

He slapped Jiwan’s hand away and ran.

“Hey—!”

At least, Jiwan thought he was running away.

But Jiho didn’t head for the stairs.

He went to the door directly across from Jiwan’s apartment and placed his hand on the door lock.

The fingerprint-recognition lock beeped and unlocked.

“See? I live here too.”

Jiho’s face was filled with hurt.

Jiwan stood there, stunned—then his expression hardened instantly.

“You live here…?”

“Yes. So I didn’t steal the card!”

Jiwan stared blankly at the keycard Jiho waved in front of him, then closed the distance in a single step.

Jiho gasped as Jiwan suddenly appeared right before him.

“Y-You moved in? How?”

Jiwan didn’t want to bring up Jiho’s financial situation, but the circumstances forced his hand.

This apartment complex was among the most luxurious in Seoul.

The higher the floor, the larger the unit—and naturally, the higher the price.

Jiho, who didn’t even have 2.3 billion won in assets and was in debt, moving into the unit across from him?

Impossible.

‘Could there really be someone backing him?’

Every time Jiwan’s suspicion started to ease, something reignited it.

Was someone deliberately placing Jiho here to approach him?

Jiwan opened his mouth to speak—then closed it.

Nothing was confirmed yet.

If he let his shaken emotions take over, he might say something he’d regret.

In the end, without hearing Jiho’s explanation, he simply turned and went back inside.

I only came out to buy dinner… and ran into him like that.

Watching Do Jiwan storm inside after I told him I’d moved in left me dumbfounded.

“What on earth just happened…?”

I expected him to be upset.

But not that upset.

‘Was it really that infuriating that I moved here…?’

He’d given me an umbrella last time, so I’d let myself hope.

Now I felt so hurt I’d lost my appetite.

I’d planned to grab a convenience-store lunchbox, but instead I went back inside.

The spacious apartment felt empty.

Well, that was obvious—I hadn’t furnished it much.

‘Was this really the best method?’

I began to doubt myself.

Still, at least the distance between us had shortened.

But every time our eyes met and I saw that cold look, it felt like my resolve might shatter.

‘Feelings really are inconvenient….’

If I’d descended in my angelic body and followed Do Jiwan, his anger or joy wouldn’t have affected me at all.

I didn’t regret entering Shin Jiho’s body, but sometimes the weight of human emotions felt unbearably heavy.

‘Is this why humans die from stress…?’

Angels, lacking such emotions, live long because they don’t suffer stress?

It sounded like a stretch—but oddly plausible.

Lost in thought, I must’ve fallen asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the Heavenly Realm.

‘Oh…?’

For a moment, I wondered if I’d truly returned.

But I was in Shin Jiho’s form.

There was no way to return to Heaven in this body.

So this was a dream.

〈Huh? Why?〉

If Heaven appeared, it couldn’t be a meaningless dream.

There had to be a reason.

Suddenly, brilliant light filled my vision.

Carrying radiant glory behind Him, God appeared before me.

Though He had already vanished.

〈My Lord.〉

I approached Him.

I knew this wasn’t truly Him, only a lingering echo.

Yet the first thing I felt was longing.

As I stood there, subdued, He cupped my cheeks in both hands and whispered.

〈Be careful.〉

At that moment, the radiant light behind Him extinguished, replaced by dark storm clouds.

Heaven was swallowed in an instant.

The light vanished.

Only pitch-black darkness remained.

And then—even the image of God looking down at me disappeared.

Panicking, I turned in all directions.

The black clouds that had devoured Heaven rushed toward me, as if to swallow me whole.

“Gasp!”

I woke abruptly, sucking in a sharp breath.

It felt like I’d only slept a moment, but it was already 9 a.m.

‘Today’s dungeon-entry day, right?’

At this hour, Do Jiwan would normally already be gone.

Though even without dungeon entry, he’d usually be at work by now.

I exhaled and replayed the dream.

“Be careful….”

What was I supposed to be careful of?

I didn’t dismiss it as nonsense.

Even if God had vanished, His will remained in divine essence.

That echo had clearly meant to warn me.

‘What I need to be careful of… must be the Demon King’s followers.’

There wasn’t much else Shin Jiho needed to fear.

It wasn’t like the old days with the loan shark.

Surely God wouldn’t appear in a dream just to warn me about that man.

“Ha… what if someone new joined the company?”

And what if that person was a follower?

I immediately grabbed my phone.

I didn’t have many numbers saved, so finding the right one was easy.

The line rang briefly.

• Yeah, Jiho? What’s up?

It was Hyung Jeongho.

Probably in the company car on the way to the dungeon.

“Hyung, where are you right now?”

If the dream truly warned of a follower, I needed to go there.

He didn’t seem suspicious of my sudden question.

• Huh? I’m home.

“What? You didn’t go in?”

• Ah… well…

He explained that dungeon entry had been postponed.

• The guild leader has something to do. It’s delayed two days.

Something to do?

He didn’t know what it was.

He suggested we meet up since he was free, but I declined.

If Jiwan wasn’t entering the dungeon, then he was likely going to meet a Demon King follower instead.

Thinking I had to stop him, I rushed outside and knocked on the door across from mine.

I’d already checked from the balcony—his car was still parked.

He hadn’t left yet.

Bang, bang, bang!

When there was no response, I pressed the doorbell repeatedly.

Still nothing.

I shouted urgently.

“Do Jiwan! Guild Leader!”

Fortunately, he didn’t ignore me.

The door opened.

He looked like he’d been showering—hair wet, robe loosely thrown on—glowering at me through the crack.

“What exactly are you doing?”

His expression screamed What kind of uncivilized person are you?

It stung a little, but that wasn’t important.

“Are you going somewhere today?”

“Why would you—”

“Can you not go?”

My desperate plea made his eyebrows rise.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

“Why should I listen to you, Shin Jiho?”

“Well….”

I had no answer.

Mentioning the Demon King would get me nowhere.

As I faltered, his eyes sharpened.

“Who sent you? Did someone tell you to keep me from attending today’s event?”

“…What?”

“Did that person order you to spy on me?”

“Excuse me?”

I was dumbfounded.

Was he seriously suspecting I’d been sent by someone?

There was no such person.

And even if there were, I wouldn’t obey them.

“No.”

“Truly?”

He didn’t believe me.

His gaze grew colder.

“Are you saying no one instigated you to monitor me?”

“Yes.”

“….”

“It’s true. Watching you is my own choice.”

I’m doing this because it’s me!

If it were another angel, you’d already be dead!

Eliminating you would be faster than monitoring you.

“I just… want to know who you meet when I’m not around.”

The tension drained from Do Jiwan’s eyes.