Chapter 30: Huh?

I logged out of Eftarel Verden.
Virtual reality was based on the brain’s perception, or so they said. While immersed in the game, I suddenly felt Sephie’s presence.

I came to my senses and opened my eyes.
The capsule was open, waiting for me to emerge. Gripping the handle, I sat up, climbed out, and headed straight for the entrance.

The apartment was absurdly large for just one human and one angel, but it didn’t take long to reach the door.

“Sephie!”

I saw the back of the angel I lived with, her white hair unmistakable.

“Yujin-nim.”

“What’s going on…?”

Sephie, standing in front of the door, replied to my question and extended her right arm, signaling me to stop.

“Why… Hmm?”

I peered over Sephie’s shoulder. I saw the closed door, then tilted my head slightly.

“Is someone here?”

Beyond the entrance,
I sensed a considerable presence. Each one sharp and focused like a honed blade, yet contained, like a sword in its sheath.

Sephie seemed to sense it too.

“…Intruders, perhaps.”

She slowly stepped back, her white hair rising around her as if pulled by an unseen force.

She was on guard, preparing for a fight. Confused, I blinked, and as I cautiously reached out to touch her shoulder,

—♪

A cheerful chime echoed from the living room. Sephie turned her head, our eyes meeting.

We hurried to the intercom. On the screen, we saw people in black suits standing at the entrance.

“…What is this?”

I looked at Sephie questioningly. She glared at the intercom as if she wanted to incinerate it and declared,

“How dare they…!”

She seemed to know something.
Just in case, I mouthed a question to Sephie. She frowned, hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly and answered,

“…There were people loitering nearby since we went out.”

“Ah… I see. I thought I was being too sensitive.”

So, it was true?
I recalled looking back as I walked with Sephie.

I had seen a man in sunglasses staring at us from within the bustling crowd.

I’d simply felt a gaze,
And when our eyes met, he’d looked away so naturally that I dismissed it. But was he intentionally approaching us, enough for even Sephie to notice?

‘Was I too careless?’

But even so…

‘They didn’t do anything?’

What had I even done since returning from the other world? I hadn’t harmed anyone I met at the gate, and I’d quietly disappeared.

After that, I stayed home, played games, and only briefly went out when Sephie insisted.

‘Did those two…?’

Tell them about me?
Baek Ji-a and Shin Hak-cheol, the guild masters of two of South Korea’s four major guilds, came to mind.

They were the only ones who knew anything about me and Sephie, but there was something puzzling.

‘They don’t know my name, do they? And finding my address so quickly…’

My thoughts became muddled. Hesitation and contemplation were different things. I unconsciously rubbed and pinched my chin, and Sephie asked,

“What will you do?”

“…Just in case. Let’s buzz them in.”

With slightly trembling fingers, I pressed the intercom button.

A short silence followed.
It was a rare moment of tension.
I wondered if this would disrupt my peaceful life. Just then,

“[Ah, yes. Excuse me.]”

A slightly stiff, but not unpleasant, voice responded.

It was the man standing at the front.
He carefully folded his sunglasses and placed them in his breast pocket.

I looked at Sephie.
She looked back at me and nodded once. Sensing her resolve, I shook my head slightly.

If I had nodded, she would have rushed out and subdued them. Breathing an internal sigh of relief, I spoke,

“Who… who is this?”

It had been a while since I’d used formal speech.
I stumbled over the words before finally managing to speak. Sephie stared at the intercom, motionless as a statue.

“[I apologize for the late hour, but could we speak with you for a moment?]”

“I asked… who you are.”

I covered Sephie’s mouth with my hand. I saw her expression darken.

The man seemed flustered by my question and ran a hand through his hair.

“[…Ahem.]”

He cleared his throat, then,

“[We’re from the Awakened Association. We don’t mean to cause any trouble, we just wish to speak with you.]”

His tone was cautious.
The statement was unexpected. Confused, I paused for a moment, then, sensing Sephie’s growing agitation, sighed softly.

In the end,

“Please, come in.”

I let the unexpected visitors, who claimed to be from the Awakened Association, into my apartment.

There was no need for hostility, only vigilance. Sephie seemed displeased, but she didn’t object.

It didn’t matter who came to this place.

I quickly assessed their strength. Even if something happened, I wouldn’t need to intervene. Sephie could easily subdue them all.

We gathered in the living room.
Sephie and I sat on the sofa, while the others stood opposite us.

“First, we sincerely apologize for this intrusion.”

The man who appeared to be the leader bowed his head. The others followed suit, bowing respectfully.

Though unspoken,
Their actions echoed his words.

I placed my hand on Sephie’s to prevent her from suddenly attacking and watched them.

But I couldn’t stop her from speaking.

“Even knowing that, this is why humans…”

—Tsk.

Sephie clicked her tongue.

“…Ahem.”

The man cleared his throat again. This time, I didn’t stop her.

He raised his hand apologetically and took a deep breath, as if trying to compose himself.

Once he seemed calmer,

“Allow me to introduce myself.”

The introductions followed.
Sephie and I stared at the man’s moving lips, listening intently. He seemed uncomfortable under our gaze, stumbling over his words a few times, but he didn’t avoid our eyes.

I glanced at the others standing behind him. They looked like they were standing on the precipice of death.

“—And so, that’s how things stand.”

“Hmm…”

He started by introducing himself,
But then went on to explain the current situation. He had just finished.

The man in the black suit,
Jang Baek-do, one of the executives of the Awakened Association, gulped repeatedly after finishing his explanation, as if parched.

Feeling a twinge of sympathy, I thought about offering him some water. I whispered to Sephie, who, instead of hesitating, glared at Jang Baek-do before heading to the kitchen.

Jang Baek-do flinched at her gaze and lowered his head, exhaling softly.

“…Thank you for listening to my lengthy explanation. Do you have any questions?”

He asked cautiously,
His desire not to offend us evident. His explanation and his demeanor matched.

I slowly raised my hand.
This time, not just Jang Baek-do, but everyone behind him flinched. While their reaction was amusing, that wasn’t my intention.

“Could I have a moment to process this?”

“Ah, yes. By all means…”

I pressed my fingers against my temples and rubbed in circles as I spoke to Jang Baek-do.

“And please, have a seat. You don’t have to stand the whole time.”

“I’m fine…”

“You might be, but the people behind you, and I, are not.”

Their fidgeting was making me uncomfortable. Startled by my words, Jang Baek-do quickly turned and ordered his subordinates to sit.

They cautiously glanced at me, then slowly lowered themselves to the floor.

Only after all his subordinates were seated did Jang Baek-do accept the glass of water offered by Sephie and take a drink.

I sank into the sofa. Sephie leaned her head against my shoulder.

Her white hair tickled my neck as I tried to process Jang Baek-do’s explanation.

‘…Hmm.’

First,

1. The Association saw the video footage of the ‘inside of the gate.’ That’s how they learned about Sephie and me.

2. The footage taken from outside the gate also showed Sephie and me emerging.

3. Connecting those two pieces of information, along with the scale of damage and the clear time of the S-rank gate, the Association questioned Baek Ji-a and Shin Hak-cheol.

4. Baek Ji-a and Shin Hak-cheol finally confessed. The Association, sensing a crisis, decided to act.

‘Hmm…’

A simple summary.
I looked at Jang Baek-do, whose hand was trembling as he lowered his glass, and spoke,

“First…”

“Gah?!”

Perhaps startled by my sudden address, Jang Baek-do flinched and dropped the glass.

It rolled across the floor and stopped at my feet. Jang Baek-do’s eyes widened, and the people behind him bowed their heads deeply.

“How dare…!”

Sephie growled, and realizing how complicated the situation had become, I sighed softly.

Then, I continued,

“Yes… I’ve heard your explanation.”

Perhaps relieved by my calm demeanor, Jang Baek-do took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

Staring intently at him,

“But…”

I added, and

“…”

Jang Baek-do’s face crumpled.

‘…Why is this strangely amusing?’

Suppressing a smile, I asked seriously,

“How did you find this place?”

It was a natural question.
They recognized me from when I went out, which wasn’t impossible since I did have an identity in this world, but

Finding me so quickly seemed difficult.

Jang Baek-do gulped and,

“…Th-this.”

Carefully raised his left hand and slowly pulled something out of his pocket with his right.

He held a black phone.
As I tilted my head in confusion, he shakily turned the screen towards me.

There—,

“Huh…?”

Was a clear picture of me,
With my old friend, Mobidik. A picture of me tearing up after finally hearing his true feelings in Eftarel Verden.

“These days, it’s a piece of cake to identify someone…”

Jang Baek-do said, glancing at me nervously, but I couldn’t focus on him.

‘Why is there a picture of that?’

The question arose.
Frowning in confusion, Jang Baek-do quickly lowered the phone and bowed his head.

I looked at him for a moment, then sighed.