Chapter 612
“Come out, Nudim.”
A voice, low and composed. Eyes gleaming sharply in the dark.
But I didn’t answer. I just calmly watched him.
A brief silence passed before—click. The living room lit up.
Swoosh.
The man cautiously stepped forward, then spoke again with a firmer tone.
“I know you’re hiding. Come out. Do you even know who I am?”
Of course I knew. His name, face, even his age and hometown.
I didn’t expect this kind of stunt the moment I got home, though.
“Alright, last warning. If you don’t come out by the count of three, I’m calling my close little brother. He’s a top Hunter and scary strong. One…”
I was curious what would happen after he counted to three, but I’d already seen enough.
There was no point in watching any longer.
I sighed and spoke.
“You don’t mean me by that ‘close little brother,’ right?”
“Well damn. So it was you.”
Jinho, who had frozen like a statue from the shock, widened his eyes and looked straight at me.
“What the—what are you doing there?”
“I figured you’d call me anyway, so I came early. Satisfied?”
Jinho was silent for a moment, then spoke with a heavy expression.
“How much did you see?”
“Since the moment you said ‘come out.’”
“Ah, fuck…”
“It was cool though. You had so much presence I almost came out involuntarily.”
“Are you messing with me?”
Without an ounce of hesitation, I answered firmly, and Jinho, who had been staring daggers at me, let out a snort.
“Damn. You haven’t changed at all.”
Just those words—so simple on the surface—filled me with a strange warmth and gratitude. I chuckled and replied.
“I’m hungry. Make me some ramyeon.”
—
Sitting across from each other with steam rising from the pot, it felt like we’d gone back to a year ago.
Though both Jinho and I had changed a lot since then.
“It’s my first time seeing you in a suit. You used to always wear those raggedy sweatpants.”
“Hey, they weren’t raggedy. That was a pretty pricey brand.”
“When’d you buy it?”
“Uh… back in high school?”
I tried to remember how old Jinho was, then nodded.
“So not just raggedy—it was actual rags. Gimme some water. No—do you have soju?”
“You might as well ask if I’ve got meat at a BBQ joint.”
“…You’re gonna die young at this rate.”
“If it weren’t for that bastard Assistant Manager Kim, I would’ve quit already. That jerk’s barely older than me but he nitpicks everything.”
Loosening his tie roughly, Jinho downed three shots of soju in a row.
At the end of last year, he had finally passed the civil service exam he’d been preparing for so long.
“Can’t believe you actually became a civil servant. What’s the world coming to?”
“Watch your mouth, punk. You thought I couldn’t do it?”
“No, I figured it’d either go two ways. Either you’d pass or die watching porn.”
“…Okay, that’s not entirely wrong.” (T/N: If I remember correctly, Jinho was the guy with Taekyung at the start of the series right? The one with the glasses. I think it was his roommate before.)
At least he didn’t deny it. So there’s still a shred of conscience left.
If the government had a Ministry of Porn, this guy would’ve made it to Minister.
Maybe he’d have Sora Aoi as Vice Minister and Kirara Asuka as spokesperson, ruling over PornHub like a boss.
Unfortunately, that insane department doesn’t exist, so Jinho passed through a special recruitment and was assigned to the much-coveted Hunter and Gate Management Division.
Of course, I suspected my personal connection to him subtly influenced that bonus score.
With his soju glass full again, Jinho suddenly spoke.
“So what’s the occasion?”
“You forget this is my house? Even if it looks like a garbage dump or an officetel now.”
“You haven’t shown your face here in months, so it’s fair to ask.”
“Well, partly to see you. And I had something to pick up.”
“Pick up what? If it’s clothes, why not just buy new ones? You’re loaded.”
“Money can’t buy it. It’s not sold anywhere.”
“There’s something like that?”
He tilted his head in confusion, then let out a short sigh of realization.
“Ah. That old capsule?”
“Yeah, that one. Glad you didn’t throw it out.”
“You said you’d kill me if I did.”
“Exactly. Good thing you didn’t. I would’ve seriously killed you.”
“…You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”
That old game capsule—the one that first took me to the Murim World—had been left untouched here for some time.
Thanks to the system, I could now log in and out at will, even without the capsule.
But that didn’t mean I could treat it like junk.
That capsule was the number one reason I became who I am today—a priceless relic.
“I don’t even wipe the table, but I wipe that capsule once a week. Still doesn’t work, though. Why take it?”
“Just for display.”
“You sure it’s not cursed? Remember when you were staying in that cheap gosiwon and had that nightmare after sleeping in the capsule…”
Right, that did happen.
Jinho ’s words reminded me of the first time I logged out, and I quickly changed the subject.
“Did you see the news? The chaos in the Middle East and Afghanistan?”
“Huh? Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“Just—did you see it?”
“Of course. Yesterday, some terrorist groups and rebel forces issued a joint statement saying they’ll dial back the violence and control their people. It was basically a surrender.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. It won’t last.”
“Still, those five masked people—aren’t they amazing?”
Thankfully, the topic shift worked. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded.
“Yeah, they are.”
“Well, anyway…”
Jinho slurped noodles and chased it with a shot of soju before continuing.
“You’ve been through a lot. Monster waves at the start of the year, worse monsters disguised as humans, now deserts and Africa too.”
“It’s not a big deal. Just did what I had to…”
I trailed off. Wait a sec.
What did he just say?
“What?”
“You heard me. I took a guess, and it lined up.”
“There aren’t many people capable of something like that. Everyone complains, saying they wish terrorists would just die, that they hate the rebels, but who would actually pull a mask over their face and go out to do it? Not like anyone has the ability to, anyway.”
Seeing my wide-eyed expression, Jinho let out a smirk.
“I bet some folks suspect it too but keep quiet. No proof, and there’s no point blaming you. But lucky for me, I happen to know what that masked guy’s personality is like. We’ve even shared ramyeon. So I figured I’d test the waters.”
I unconsciously rubbed the back of my head.
I knew I might be suspected, but I didn’t expect to get caught this easily.
“I—I’m really not him, though?”
“Sure, let’s go with that. So when’d you come back?”
Damn it. It’s over. I sighed deeply, refilled my soju, and replied.
“Three… no, four days ago.”
“Nice. Now you’re cooperating.”
“Don’t tell anyone. It’s not just a matter of confidentiality—if word gets out, you’ll be in danger.”
Me, Choi Team Leader, and our families all had invisible protection.
But Jinho didn’t.
Understanding immediately, he clicked his tongue.
“Hmph. Makes me feel like a big shot.”
“You might get a bomb package before that.”
“Nah, even if they knew, I bet they wouldn’t touch me. If Jin Taekyung snaps, who knows what’ll happen. Now *that’s* untouchable.”
He laughed carelessly and kept going.
“Anyway, how busy are you these days? I didn’t even notice you were back.”
“Hm…”
He scratched his now-scruffy beard and answered.
“Just constant training. Eat with my family, then train again.”
“Training? Someone at your level still needs training?”
“You went to a top university and still studied for almost ten years. Same thing.”
“Damn, that hits where it hurts. But come on—me and you? We’re on completely different levels.”
True. His elite university accepts and graduates hundreds each year.
But I still needed training.
There’s no end to learning.
And the word ‘study’ doesn’t just apply to academics.
‘Rather than learning something new, it’s more like slowly reaffirming everything.’
So what I’m doing is more like review—A study for myself, and for the world.
I hadn’t yet produced a complete result, unfortunately.
“Look at that serious face. Makes me want to slap it.”
“…I’m being sincere, and you…”
“Put yourself in my shoes. How would *you* feel?”
“…Fair enough. Cheers.”
We clinked glasses.
After tossing back his shot and picking at the now-cold noodles, Jinho asked,
“So how’s the training going?”
“It’s wrapping up. I started about a month ago… but it’s not easy.”
And I wasn’t exaggerating.
Right now, I’m like a child trying to complete a 10,000-piece puzzle.
I’ve felt frustration and inadequacy at every step, and now I’m fumbling in the dark, searching for the final missing piece.
And I already knew the name of the darkness clouding my vision.
‘[Heart Demon].’
The storm in my heart wouldn’t dissipate easily.
Worries about both the Martial World and the modern world…
And above all, I kept remembering the final moments of Butler Kim Hwajong.
His barely audible voice, his slowly closing eyes in that blood-drenched snowfield.
Maybe the real reason I came here today wasn’t to retrieve the capsule, but because I wanted comfort.
Not from family or comrades, but from a friend living a completely different life—to clink glasses with him, like the old days.
Yeah. That was it.
I suddenly felt at peace.
Even though I hadn’t completely shaken off the Heart Demon, just accepting and acknowledging everything brought lightness to a corner of my heavy heart.
And I realized—this wasn’t where I needed to be.
“I’m heading out.”
“But the ramyeon’s cold. I was about to make tofu kimchi… You’re just leaving?”
“Yeah. Just remembered something. Drink by yourself.”
“You crazy bastard?”
“I *am* the landlord. Want to start paying rent this month?”
Making a grim face, Jinho bowed deeply.
“Please be safe, sir.”
“Good boy.”
As I walked toward the front door with a smirk, Jinho shouted behind me,
“Hey, what about the capsule?”
“I’ll get it next time.”
But even as I said that, I already knew—
I probably wouldn’t take it next time either.
We’d just share drinks again.
“Yeah… Hang in there, man.”
With a quiet murmur reaching my ears, I stepped forward.