GalaxyTL
As soon as he regained consciousness, he became aware of something thick and firm comfortably supporting the back of his neck. It was a very stable support that didn’t transmit any of the unfamiliar rattling that came as a faint noise.
“……”
Ryu Seo-ha opened his eyes wide and looked around. Inside a train, a bed placed where seats should be, and a sculptural face looking down at him while leaning against the backrest. A deep sense of relief soothed his heart.
However, the moment he met those eyes as black as the deep sea, he couldn’t help but recall. What he had done. Could this be a running prison or something like that?
But if that were the case, he was now lying with his head on Choi Gang-hu’s lap. Startled a beat late, Ryu Seo-ha abruptly sat up.
“You’re awake.”
As always, a voice as sweet as honey, and therefore more frightening, warmly enveloped his ears.
“You must be hungry. Shall we eat first?”
The same gaze and attitude as usual, the still gentle tone and voice made him feel strange. He carefully lowered his feet to the floor and looked around again.
Beyond a door on one side, he could glimpse a space that appeared to be a kitchen, and angled table seats were arranged around the bed.
It looked like a night train’s dining car that had been modified. The unfamiliar scenery flowing past the window caught his eye, exuding a charm completely different from Venice.
Invitation
You are invited to meet Director Hwang Munseok.
Time: The day after the IHL closing ceremony, at 3 PM sharp
Place: Entrance to the catacombs inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, Austria
Essential: Ryu Seo-ha must visit alone
He recalled the contents of the photo card that Choi Gang-hu had shown during the strategy meeting with Kwon Se-jeong and other officials. It was a text message presumed to have been sent to Ryu Seo-ha by the cult.
It seemed they were moving between cities on his behalf while he was unconscious and incapacitated. So that the rescue operation could be carried out as planned, allowing him to act as bait later.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to take a night train. Although it was said to have become faster than before due to skill applications, it was still significantly slower than other modes of transportation.
They had carried out detailed conditions 1 and 2 on his behalf. It was more help than expected. During the meeting, when the details of the plan were decided, he had clearly shown dissatisfaction.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
As he silently glared at the edge of the bed, Choi Gang-hu asked again in a voice that seemed to be soothing a boy who had become overly sensitive during puberty.
“…I was wondering if you got permission from the local railway authorities to modify the train.”
Unable to meet his eyes, he ended up saying something irrelevant. He was still afraid. Afraid of being harmed? No, surprisingly, it was something other than survival that was gnawing at his nerves.
“Ah. Secretary Jang is quite capable.”
Choi Gang-hu’s attitude, smiling as if to say he was worrying about unnecessary things, was the same as always, which made him even more anxious. Because premature relief often leads to devastating results.
“How did you get out of the dungeon?”
“I cleared it alone.”
“How did you deal with the opposition from other hunters?”
“There’s no need to worry, as their doubts won’t become concrete.”
The brief exchange contained no useful information. This was because Ryu Seo-ha himself was asking questions while excluding what he really wanted to know.
“The media……”
“Mr. Ryu Seo-ha.”
His shoulder line stiffened at the soft call that cut off the tail of his beating around the bush. Is he finally getting to the point? It doesn’t seem like he’s planning to drive me away right now. Because there’s still some use value left?
“Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?”
“……”
“I want to see your face properly.”
Somehow, he felt like crying. Because the quietly admonishing voice was still affectionate. Even though it shouldn’t be possible, it felt as if he was genuinely cherishing him, beyond just his usefulness.
“Lift your head.”
The gently extended request, as if soothing a frightened child, made his heart race. Painful memories of betrayal sharply clawed at his beating heart. As if to say, you still haven’t come to your senses.
“Hmm?”
A large hand approached very slowly and carefully grasped his knee. The warm temperature transmitted through the fabric gave him a foolish sense of relief. Ryu Seo-ha bit his lip as if scolding himself.
“Why… aren’t you angry?”
He raised his head as requested and, mustering a tiny bit of courage from the depths of his lungs, voiced the question he had wanted to ask all along.
“Why should I be angry?”
In stark contrast to his extreme tension, Choi Gang-hu’s response was one of puzzlement.
“I interfered. With what you were trying to do.”
It wasn’t just a simple matter, but directly interfering with the first step towards achieving his ultimate goal, his first encounter with the target of his revenge. Yet he was trying to pass it by without any mention. It was an incomprehensible situation.
“By that logic, I also interfered with what you were trying to do, didn’t I?”
“…You were going to go beyond that hole. Why didn’t you cross over?”
Ryu Seo-ha gathered his courage once more and pinpointed the core of the incident.
“You don’t think I quickly went over and came back?”
When he couldn’t answer the smiling question, Choi Gang-hu shook his head and gently patted the knee he was holding.
“How could I go anywhere when you collapsed?”
“Even though you acted like you would push through no matter what happened……”
“So you were very surprised.”
Speaking indirectly to avoid revealing that he knew about the purpose of revenge, Choi Gang-hu furrowed his brows as if apologetic and pressed his forehead against Ryu Seo-ha’s. The cool sensation seemed to cool his heated head a little.
“It was an extremely important matter to me. Even if I could turn back time, I’d probably do something similar.”
“……”
“But this time I realized for certain.”
The low resonance that came like a whisper once again fanned a premature sense of relief.
“That nothing can take precedence over you, Mr. Ryu Seo-ha.”
Ryu Seo-ha momentarily stopped breathing. It was because he was gripped by a chilling sensation. It’s difficult to completely trust someone. Especially if you’ve had your life threatened by the knife of trust.
Kindness offered readily sometimes felt more chilling than intense malice. Perhaps because he had experienced the realization that a puzzle he desperately wanted to believe was true turned out to be an elaborately fabricated lie.
When you repeat the foolish cycle over and over again, there comes a moment when even the thought of “let’s believe once more, even if I’m being fooled” becomes difficult. It was a self-protective instinct trying not to aggravate the wounds.
“……”
Choi Gang-hu gave up on revenge, even temporarily? Out of concern for none other than Ryu Seo-ha? A man who categorizes people by their usefulness, who is goal-oriented?
It’s not that he hadn’t felt sincerity in Choi Gang-hu’s words and actions so far. But there had always been a strand of doubt in his heart and anxiety that he would eventually be abandoned.
But now he received a confession that he was a priority even over a life’s goal. That was the reason he unwittingly harbored optimistic expectations.
Perhaps even if his terminal condition was discovered, even if he became useless, he might still remain by his side. He might find a way for them to live together. Such fairy tale-like imaginings.
Our train will soon arrive at Vienna Central Station.
While he was at a loss for words in confusion, an announcement flowed from the speakers. Only then did Ryu Seo-ha recall the purpose of moving to this city.
“Do you want to proceed with the schedule as planned?”
Choi Gang-hu, who had been quietly observing Ryu Seo-ha’s wavering eyes, confirmed whether he wanted to get off or not. Because if he were to follow the instructions in the text, he would need to busily move around various places.
He nodded for now. Honestly, he just needed time to sort out the complexly entangled thoughts in his head, and had no time to think about rescue operations or such.
The two, who disembarked before the attendants, immediately moved to Kärntner Straße, famous for luxury shopping. It was to create a smokescreen for the reason he had accompanied Choi Gang-hu to Vienna.
“From here to there.”
Even while playing the nouveau riche game of visiting brand stores one by one, even while watching unnecessary luxury items pile up, his mind was full of other thoughts.
“All of them, in every color.”
As if sensing this was the moment, Choi Gang-hu was shopping for him like a storm, causing the attendants who soon joined them to struggle with the aftermath, but this didn’t even register in his eyes.
Such an attitude probably looked much more natural to the watchers that the cult had likely placed. Because he would have looked troubled ahead of facing his kidnappers.
“Mr. Choi Gang-hu.”
Only after entering Belvedere Palace, moving to the next tourist spot, did his thoughts settle enough for him to properly open his mouth. Or perhaps his overloaded brain was refusing to think anymore.
“Why, are you cold?”
He wondered what this sudden question was about, but it seemed he had been trembling slightly without realizing it. Ryu Seo-ha shook his head at Choi Gang-hu, who was asking as if about to take off his coat and give it to him.
“I have something I want to ask.”
“There’s no need to give notice for such things. I’m prepared to answer any question.”
His heart began to race intensely, like someone who had just finished sprinting at full speed. Perhaps noticing this symptom, he looked straight up at Choi Gang-hu, who paused. It was truly a magnificent face, no matter when he saw it.
“Is it okay for me to like you, Mr. Choi Gang-hu?”
Choi Gang-hu’s eyes widened at the unexpected question.