The Hidden Magic Circle and the Boy Named Do Jiwan

Several days passed inside the dungeon.

As my divine power slowly repaired Shin Jiho’s body, the bruises and scabs on my beaten face faded little by little.

Now only faint marks remained.

While waiting at base camp for the Hunters to return, we chatted idly.

“Only one passage left now. This dungeon feels pretty small.”

“Yeah. Looks like we’ll clear it this round.”

“Then we’ll get a break until a new dungeon pops up.”

As they said, the raid was nearing its end.

Three of the four passages had been cleared.

Only one remained.

When a dungeon was cleared, we usually got three or four days off.

As we talked about what to do during the break, the radio crackled.

We headed into the passage.

Deeper inside, we found the guild members resting.

“Wow, we’re pretty deep.”

“Yeah. It’s almost done.”

Just like we thought, it seemed likely to be cleared this round.

After clearing away corpses that might get in the way, I washed my hands and helped Do Jiwan shower.

By now, everyone had grown used to me attending him.

Even so, he never let me inside his boundary.

‘How do you even become close to someone like this?’

Neither Shin Jiho nor I, as an angel, had ever made friends.

No matter how I approached him, I couldn’t move past that next step.

Impatience gnawed at me.

‘…Should I just kill him.’

Why was I choosing the harder path?

From what I had seen, he was prickly but not malicious.

It was hard to believe he would become the Demon King.

The future had vanished.

So had his future sins.

I couldn’t kill someone who hadn’t committed a crime.

I sighed.

‘All I can do is try harder.’

After dinner, I walked around base camp to move my body.

Divine power was repairing it, but building muscle would help recovery.

Lately, people had even said I no longer looked so gaunt and gloomy.

As I walked idly, something strange flickered near the wall.

“Huh?”

It appeared and disappeared in an instant.

Had I imagined it?

But it flickered again.

‘What is that?’

I touched the wall.

It felt like ordinary stone.

Then I sent a bit of divine power into my eyes.

It wasn’t power to waste lightly, but if something was hidden, this would reveal it.

Golden lines spread across the gray stone.

“Whoa….”

“What are you doing here?”

Startled by the voice behind me, I quickly withdrew the divine power from my eyes.

My heart pounded as I turned.

It was Do Jiwan.

“N-Nothing. I thought I saw something here.”

Had he noticed?

He shifted his gaze to the wall.

“Something?”

He stepped beside me and placed his palm on the stone.

“I don’t sense anything….”

“Maybe I was mistaken. Heh.”

I laughed awkwardly.

He glanced down at my face.

Then suddenly, his aura flared.

Before I could react, energy burst from his palm.

The dungeon trembled.

“Ah!”

“What’s happening!”

The others rushed out.

The tremor must have agitated the monsters in the last passage.

They came charging out.

“I just ate!”

“Do we really have to fight now!”

The guild members grabbed their weapons and engaged.

Only Do Jiwan remained by the wall.

Golden lines spread from where his hand touched.

“So there was something after all—”

He couldn’t finish.

The golden magic circle pulled him inward.

“Do Jiwan!”

As I shouted, the others turned.

“Guild Leader!”

Some ran toward us.

But he was already halfway inside the circle.

I grabbed his waist desperately.

The pulling force was overwhelming.

In the next moment, I was dragged in with him.

The last thing I heard was Jungho hyung calling my name.

Then darkness swallowed me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the dungeon.

“Huh?”

Where was this?

I looked around.

I only knew my studio, the company, and dungeons.

This place was unfamiliar.

“Where’s Do Jiwan?”

He wasn’t here either.

I staggered to my feet and began walking without direction.

The neighborhood was quiet and affluent.

No apartments.

Only large houses with high walls.

Then a ball bounced into view.

Thump.

Thump.

It rolled in front of me.

Reflexively, I caught it.

A gate opened, and a child peeked out.

“Ah?”

Seeing his face startled me.

The child hesitated when he saw me.

He ran over, snatched the ball, and tried to run.

I chased him.

“W-Wait!”

“…….”

“Do Jiwan!”

He looked exactly like Do Jiwan shrunk to ten years old.

At my call, he faltered and glanced back.

As I approached, he panicked and ran inside.

Luckily, I slipped in before the door closed.

He looked at me strangely but didn’t ask why I entered.

Taking that as silent permission, I followed shamelessly.

He occasionally glanced back but said nothing.

Strangely, the other family members ignored me completely.

It was as if they couldn’t see me.

‘Only Do Jiwan can?’

But he pretended not to.

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

By evening, dinner was set.

A man who seemed to be his father, a woman, a younger sibling, and Do Jiwan sat at the table.

I sat beside him.

He ignored me, though clearly aware of my presence.

Pettily, I reached over and stole his sausage.

He stared at me in disbelief.

The others acted as if nothing had happened.

Even when food disappeared into thin air.

He opened his mouth as if to protest, then closed it.

I stole his rolled omelet.

His meat patties.

The adult Do Jiwan was intimidating.

This small one was easy.

Finally, he slammed his spoon down.

His father glanced briefly, then returned to eating.

Without a word, Do Jiwan stood.

I grabbed the rest of his side dishes and followed.

Laughter echoed behind us.

He continued pretending not to see me.

In his room, I licked the sauce off my fingers.

His brow furrowed in disgust.

Still, he asked nothing.

He did his homework at his desk.

When he left the room, I hurried after him.

This time, he looked at me directly.

“Don’t follow me.”

Then he entered the bathroom.

I didn’t intend to watch a child bathe.

So I quietly waited outside.