Two days after the Gwanghwamun incident, we managed to gather in the room for a short while. There, I was able to hear an explanation of what had happened while I was unconscious.
'You saw all the dreams I had?'
Thinking back, when I woke from the dream and opened my eyes, that mirror-like item was indeed broken. That must have been the item which was connected to my mind.
I vividly remembered the dream I had after losing consciousness from drinking the liquid Samael had given me. It was a memory of the very distant past when I first read the book 'Abyss' given to me by Yeon Seon-woo.
Although there were slight inconsistencies due to Samael's mental domination interference in the middle, it wasn't much different from the actual memory.
"Hmm, the mirror wasn't that big... so probably only a few people at the scene saw it. Don't worry about it too much, Yi-gyeol ssi."
I nodded my head with effort at Min Ah-rin's comforting words laced with concern. But contrary to my response, my emotions tangled complexly like a raging storm.
Of all scenes to show… The truth I had hidden because I didn't want it discovered had been completely exposed. I gave a bitter smile toward the team members looking at me.
The 'Abyss' book was something I hadn't told anyone about yet. I should have explained it along with revealing that my true identity was Kwon Se-hyun, but I deliberately hid it out of fear.
From the moment I realized that the novel I'd read and enjoyed so absentmindedly was actually the painful past my team members experienced, I couldn't easily bring up the true identity of the 'Abyss' book.
Especially to Ha Tae-heon and Cheon Sa-yeon, who were practically the protagonists in Abyss, I felt even more ashamed. If possible, I'd hoped the team members would continue not knowing about that book... but in the end, it was exposed in the worst possible way.
"If it's alright… could I have a chat with Ha Tae-heon ssi first before explaining?"
My clasped hands stiffened with tension. Unable to bring myself to meet the eyes of the team members sitting in front of me, I continued speaking quietly.
"This was something I promised a while back. I sincerely apologize."
"I don't mind."
Min Ah-rin gently patted my shoulder, speaking in a voice that told me not to worry. Following Min Ah-rin, Park Geon-ho also spoke.
"It doesn't matter to me either, but… Han Yi-gyeol, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah?"
"It seems like there's a problem with Deputy-Master Ha Tae-heon."
At the sharp question, a stinging pain spread through my stomach as if a needle were poking around. Forcing myself to ignore my troubled feelings, I spoke as if nothing were wrong.
"…Ha Tae-heon ssi must be confused too, so he probably just needs some time. It'll be fine."
***
Five days passed like that.
Making a fool of myself for confidently telling the team members that everything would be fine, Ha Tae-heon did not answer my calls for the next week.
When I called, I heard an automated message saying the phone was turned off, and he didn't read any of my texts either. I wondered if Lee Ju-ha handled all the public schedules while Ha Tae-heon handled the unofficial ones; even when I searched through news or articles, Ha Tae-heon was nowhere to be found.
Ha Tae-heon had always replied to my messages without fail, even when he was abroad, and tried his best not to be away from me. It felt too unsettling to simply dismiss it as him being busy, given the situation that had just occurred.
'Is it really okay for me to just keep waiting around like this?'
It was certain that Ha Tae-heon and I were emotionally out of sync. This was an undeniable fact. I felt even more guilty because it had all come to light after I'd tried so hard to hide it.
That's why I wanted to meet him in person and talk face‑to‑face if possible… but since I couldn't reach him at all, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
Hadn't I experienced firsthand how much I would regret missing the opportunity to reconcile after what happened with Kim Woo-jin last time? I couldn't just sit around waiting for a message from Ha Tae-heon that might never come.
'Should I just go find him myself?'
I knew the location of Ha Tae-heon's house well. And surely he wouldn't turn away someone who had come all the way to his house.
But as soon as I thought that, I remembered how merciless Ha Tae-heon could be and scratched my forehead. Hm… maybe getting turned away at the door wasn't completely impossible either…
I stood up from my seat after contemplating while gazing at the night sky through the window.
Since I'd already made up my mind to meet with him, it was much better to leave than to waste time worrying. Even if I were to be turned away at the door, I should at least give it a try.
"Fox."
Peek?
Fox, who was lying on the table watching TV, lifted its head at my call.
It was late, almost midnight, so it was just me and the fox in the room. Ha Tae-heon's house wasn't that far, so I figured I could probably meet him and come back in about three hours.
"I'm going out for a bit, so stay put. If you're sleepy, then head to bed before me."
As I spoke while gently stroking its belly covered in pure white fur, the fox blinked its large eyes and sprang to its feet.
Peek! Peek!
The way it clung to my clothes, wagging the tip of its tail, it was obvious that it was begging to be taken along. Normally, I would have taken it, but since I was planning to have a serious conversation with Ha Tae-heon this time, I firmly shook the fox off.
"No. Stay in your room today. I'll be right back."
Peeeek!
"Tsk, I said no."
I grabbed the fox by its scruff as it clung to me, begging to be held, and gently pushed it away. The fox seemed shocked, as if it never imagined I'd refuse this firmly, and it plopped down on the table with a stunned look.
I turned my back on the fox, which was letting out a low whine, and opened the balcony door. Feeling my hair fluttering in the cold night breeze, I spoke to the fox for the last time.
"Sorry. I'll be back soon. Get some rest, okay?"
The fox stared at me silently without answering. The resentful look on its face made me laugh awkwardly.
I was trying to make up with Ha Tae-heon, but now it looked like I'd ended up upsetting the fox instead. I should go and come back as soon as possible.
I gathered the wind and soared off the balcony. The streets of Gangnam spread out below were illuminated by building lights and car headlights everywhere, even at this late hour.
After raising my altitude to avoid being detected, I headed in the direction of Ha Tae-heon's house. My hair was flying wildly, perhaps due to the high speed. At this rate, I should be able to arrive within 30 minutes.
'It's a bit cold.'
It was early winter, and since I was being steadily exposed to the night's wind, it was quite cold even with a coat on. My shoulders shivered involuntarily, but I did not slow down.
It was already far too late at night to be visiting anyone. If the person who caused the problem suddenly showed up at his door in the middle of the night asking to talk, how baffled would Ha Tae-heon be? That was why I needed to get there as quickly as possible.
'What if he's asleep?'
Since he's SS-rank, he'd surely wake up at the sound of knocking on the window, but I couldn't help feeling apologetic. Or maybe he was busy and still working late at the Roheon Guild.
It was just as I let out a sigh, thinking that my trip might have been in vain–shwiik, a sharp sound cut through the air, and a burst of searing pain shot through my shoulder.
"...?"
My body, which had been moving forward without hindrance, came to a sudden halt. Panicked, I clutched my throbbing left shoulder. Something hot and sticky covered my palm, emitting a fishy smell.
I realized only belatedly that someone had attacked me. It was so sudden, so completely unexpected, that my mind couldn't accept what was happening right away.
"What is this?...."
Before I could even finish muttering to myself, chills shot through me once again. As soon as I twisted my body on instinct, pain flared across my cheek this time, and something wet trickled down my face.
A gun? No, what I caught a fleeting glimpse of was longer and sharper than that. A bow? A crossbow? Whatever it was, someone was targeting me, and since I couldn't pinpoint their location, I had to get out of the way immediately.
Having assessed the situation, I immediately increased my altitude. Even then, another arrow aimed at me—flying in from somewhere below—grazed past my leg.
The attack stopped only after I'd risen high enough to obscure my surroundings with clouds. It appeared the attack had come from the rooftop of a tall building. In that case, I could not lower my altitude from now on.
Since I had already reached the vicinity of Ha Tae-heon's house, returning to the Requiem Guild was impossible. The excessively high altitude made breathing difficult, and the temperature had dropped significantly compared to earlier. On top of that, the pain surging from my blood-soaked left shoulder was getting harder to ignore.
Biting my lip, I forced myself to keep flying until I reached Ha Tae-heon's home, then I slowly lowered my altitude. I stayed tense the entire time, ready to flee the moment another attack came, and finally landed on his terrace
The inside of the house, visible through the terrace window, was extremely dark as all the lights were off. Even pressing my face close to the glass, I couldn't see anything clearly, so I couldn't tell if anyone was inside.
Standing alone on someone else's terrace in the middle of the night, clutching my arm as blood dripped down, I hesitated.
What should I do? Should I knock on the window? He might be sleeping in the bedroom; would the sound reach that far? Wait, is Ha Tae-heon even home right now? Since I didn't know anything for sure, it was difficult to make a decision easily.
'Still....'
Having come this far, it felt like too much of a waste to go back without doing anything. After hesitating for a while, I carefully raised my blood-free hand.
"...!"
However, just before I could knock on the window, a dark figure suddenly popped out of the house. Before I could even grasp the situation, the dark figure strode toward me with heavy footsteps and flung open the terrace window in an instant.
With the rattling sound of a window opening, a familiar scent brushed past my nose. Looking up at the face of the person standing a step away, I finally managed to open my mouth.
"Ha Tae-heon ssi...."
"...."
Ha Tae-heon, his brow furrowed in a deep frown, darted his gaze away from my face and landed on my left shoulder. Immediately, a chilling sensation swept over me like a wave. A cold energy emanated from Ha Tae-heon.