Uijae kept his mouth shut. Honestly, the main reason he pushed Sayoung away was that he couldn't afford to reveal everything during the battle, but it was also true that he sent Sayoung to protect the others.

Through countless experiences, Uijae had learned one thing: if he was too honest…

Lee Sayoung would get upset.

To soothe him, every word Uijae said had to be wrapped in bubble wrap—soft and cushioned. Rubbing the back of his neck, Uijae answered as casually as possible.

“No… I trusted you, that’s why. I sent you on purpose to protect them. You did well.”

“Oh… So you trusted me, huh? I didn’t realize that.”

Sayoung crossed his arms, his lips curling into a smile as his eyes narrowed playfully.

“You rejected me even when I reached out my hand. Made me wonder… is that really all our relationship amounts to? Right? I even started thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough. My self-esteem took a hit.”

“Self-esteem? Really…”

“I’ve never been rejected like that before.”

Sayoung kept up the nonsense, smiling beautifully. Fortunately, he didn’t seem genuinely offended, since he wasn’t turning away or acting cold. Uijae grumbled under his breath, pouting slightly.

“You're seriously ridiculous…”

Sayoung looked over Uijae’s completely unscathed face, then crossed his arms again and spoke in a low tone.

“Anyway, just try doing that again.”

“And what will you do if I do?”

“Hmm…”

Sayoung seemed to think it over, but the silence dragged on longer than expected. Was he bluffing? Uijae narrowed his eyes, watching him. But Sayoung’s expression remained surprisingly serious, his long lashes casting thin shadows over his eyes.

“…I don’t know.”

“...”

“Maybe… there won’t be a next time. That might be better.”

“...”

After muttering this, Sayoung fell silent, as if lost in thought. The pretty smile he had been wearing earlier vanished, swallowed by the shadows.

Uijae quietly observed him, noticing the black blood staining Sayoung’s pale lips. Reaching out, Uijae wiped the black blood away with his thumb, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

“What happened to your lips? Did you get hit by debris or something?”

“…What?”

Startled out of his thoughts, Sayoung blinked wide-eyed. His gaze followed the black liquid now smeared on Uijae’s hand.

Suddenly, Sayoung grabbed Uijae’s hand tightly, unable to hide the panic in his expression. He hesitated for a moment, then let go, quickly rummaging through his inventory. Uijae frowned and asked.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Why would you just…!”

Sayoung pulled out a vial, crushing the cap and pouring the purple liquid directly over Uijae’s hand.

“Ugh.”  
Uijae groaned softly as a strange sensation crept up from his hand. The thick, sticky liquid covered his skin completely. Sayoung firmly held Uijae’s struggling hand in place and poured another recovery potion over it. His movements were so swift that Uijae didn’t even have time to stop him.

Uijae stared blankly at Sayoung, now drenched in all sorts of potions, after just wiping his lips.

“What the hell…”

Sayoung irritably tossed the empty vial aside. The clattering sound of it breaking echoed through the ruins. With a cold expression, Sayoung sneered.

“Didn’t you learn anything after almost dying last time?”

At this point, Uijae felt wronged. How many times had he told Sayoung? *I’m fine. Your poison doesn’t affect me.* He had said it over and over again, but clearly, it went in one ear and out the other. The one who hadn’t learned anything was obviously Lee Sayoung.

Shaking off his wet hand, Uijae sighed.

“I told you, I’m fine. You never listen, do you?”

“How can you be so careless…”

“At least pretend like you’re listening, you jerk.”

Suddenly, Uijae grabbed Sayoung by the collar, pulling him close. A sweet scent wafted over from Sayoung.

At eye level, Uijae noticed Sayoung’s split lip. For a moment, Uijae considered whether he should drink Sayoung’s blood to put an end to his paranoia once and for all, but quickly dismissed the ridiculous thought.

At that moment, a large black hand suddenly covered Uijae’s face. Scowling, Uijae grabbed Sayoung’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

“You looked like you were having weird thoughts, so I’m blocking your view.”

“Weird thoughts?”

“Adrenaline makes everyone think weird things. I get it.”

“Shut up with that nonsense.”

“Okay, but you need to calm down. It’s been a while since you fought a monster, hasn’t it?”

Uijae’s heart was still pounding relentlessly, with no sign of calming down. It was loud enough that someone with good hearing would easily notice. Finally, Uijae slowly released the tension from his shoulders. As if to praise him, Sayoung gently massaged Uijae's temple with his thumb.

“Mm… just like that.”

Sayoung continued murmuring strange words for a while before finally removing his hand. He straightened his disheveled bangs and then let go completely.

“So, let’s wrap this up for now…”

Sayoung casually sat on the rubble of a nearby building, crossing his legs. He looked at Uijae and patted the spot next to him, motioning for him to sit.

‘Does he really want me to sit?’ 

Uijae hesitated, shaking his head. But Sayoung wasn’t the type to give up easily. He grabbed Uijae’s arm and started pulling him closer. Uijae could’ve resisted if he wanted to, but with Hong Yeseong lying on the ground like a gleaming-eyed puppy and Yun Gaeul watching them wide-eyed, he didn’t feel like starting a tug-of-war. With a short sigh, Uijae begrudgingly perched himself next to Sayoung.

Only then did Sayoung tilt his chin towards the uninvited guests.

“You two had a reason for coming into this dungeon, didn’t you?”

“…”

Gaeul lowered her head in silence. Yeseong turned his face away as if looking at something else.

“You must have noticed that this dungeon belongs to the Wave Guild, assuming your eyes work properly…”

“I didn’t know.”

“Don’t lie.”

“Ugh.”

Yeseong’s bold lie was instantly cut down by Sayoung. Pouting like a child, Yeseong sharply turned his head. Uijae, who had narrowly avoided being treated as an unwelcome guest, leaned back slightly, trying to stay out of Sayoung’s line of sight.

Sayoung crossed his arms, then touched his lips with his thumb, brushing them thoughtfully. A beautiful smile spread across his face, which seemed out of place in the ruined dungeon.

“Alright…”

“…”

“Go ahead and explain yourselves properly. I’ll listen. It’s best to tell the truth.”

His tone suggested that he’d listen, but only as a formality. His long lashes fluttered as he blinked.

“Unless you want to face charges for illegal dungeon trespassing.”

Wait, there’s a law for that now? Uijae was shocked. He had always thought laws changed at a snail’s pace, but apparently, when it came to the awakened, it was a different story. The moment “court” was mentioned, Yeseong collapsed onto the ground, playing dead.

“Well…”

Gaeul bravely began to speak but, upon seeing Sayoung’s face, quickly looked away. She picked up Kokko, who had been squashing Yeseong’s face, and used the bird to shield herself as she continued.

“We had something urgent to investigate related to the Corrosion Dungeon, and of the places I knew, this one was the closest. I’m really sorry for sneaking in.”

“No matter how urgent it was, you should’ve followed the proper procedures, right? I assume you were taught basic protocol.”

“Y-yes, that’s true, but…”

Sayoung coldly extended his hand.

“If it was so urgent, I’m sure that famous Ham Seok-jung would’ve written you some kind of clearance. Hand it over.”

“Well, uh… wait, what?”

Gaeul’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Hold on.”

“If you’re just stalling…”

“No! I swear, it’s really important. Just wait a second!”

Suddenly, Gaeul jumped up and ran past Sayoung and Uijae, heading somewhere in the distance. Despite looking dazed, her steps were resolute, as if she were under some kind of spell. Kokko quickly followed her, bobbing along. Uijae started to get up to follow, but once again, Sayoung’s black-gloved hand caught his arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“She’s headed towards the golem. Alone.”

“I shattered the core into pieces so thoroughly that there’s no chance of it coming back to life.”

Sayoung scoffed, tugging Uijae’s arm lightly. The strength behind the pull wasn’t overwhelming, but it was just enough to make shaking it off difficult.

“There are no monster presences nearby, either. The dungeon boss is dead, so it should be safe for a while. She can handle herself.”

“…”

“Besides, we still need to investigate this dungeon. There has to be a reason why it was suddenly reconfigured. So…”

Sayoung continued speaking reasonably, leaning his head against Uijae’s arm. Uijae momentarily held his breath, Sayoung’s low voice echoing in his ears.

“Stay here. Next to me.”

“…”

“…One time is enough for leaving you behind.”

The leather-clad hand gripping his wrist tightened. Uijae didn’t shake off the hand. Instead, he placed his own hand over the warmth on his wrist. Sayoung’s long, black fingers slid into Uijae’s grip, as if they had been waiting for it.

It was strange. Every time Sayoung acted like this, Uijae felt a strange sense of déjà vu. In moments like this, a certain person always came to mind—someone who had likely died a long time ago.

Just then…

“I found it! Ahhh! I found it!”

From the black hole left in the golem’s chest, Gaeul popped her head out.

She wiped the dust from her face with her sleeve and waved something in her hand. In her hand was a shining fragment, like a kaleidoscope. Uijae recognized it immediately—it was...

“A shard!”

A shard of the world.