Chapter 171 - In Front of the House
"Brother! Over here!"
The younger brother, waiting in the alley, greeted Ryu Min with a happy face when he saw him.
"You've come, Ryu Min?"
Though the younger brother winked at him covertly, Ryu Min inwardly turned his head as he licked his lips.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?"
"I just got hit on the cheek a bit, but I'm fine."
"It doesn't seem like just a bit, does it? Come here."
When Ryu Min touched the swollen cheek, a warm light spread.
"Eh? It doesn't hurt now. What did you do?"
"It's a simple healing skill."
"Wow, looks like I won't need to go to the hospital. It works well."
"Let's go home now."
"Brother."
Ryu Min, about to move, turned his head at his younger brother's call.
"Why?"
"Why don't you say something to me? You said something like if you had been home, this wouldn't have happened, and now you realize how dangerous it is to be a player. But why don't you say anything?"
"I already know, what good would saying it do?"
"What?"
"Haven't you felt it too? The reason it's dangerous outside. The fear of the players."
Ryu Won silently nodded.
This time, he clearly felt it.
It's still a dangerous world to roam.
"Since you know, there's no need to say it. Saying it wouldn't serve more than scolding."
"...."
"I'm satisfied to know you're safe. If something had happened to you..."
Ryu Min turned his head as if he didn't want to think about it.
Leaving the rest in his heart.
"Let's go. Home."
"Yes."
Ryu Won glanced at Yamti as he walked behind.
As if saying to go ahead.
"Brother, why isn't Yamti coming with us?"
"Because our house is in the opposite direction. She'll manage on her own."
"Yeah, sure... Ryu Won. You go ahead."
Yamti waved her hand, but Ryu Won's eyes continued to be fixed on Ryu Min.
"Brother, shouldn't we invite Yamti to our house too?"
"Why?"
"Well, just like you, she also saved my life. Helped, so I can't just part ways like this. It seems appropriate to repay the favor in some way..."
After all, it was Yamti who directly saved him.
It's understandable to want to treat well the savior of one's life.
"But there's not much to offer if we invite her home."
"I can cook. Lately, I've had a lot of time, so I've been practicing cooking while watching YouTube. I already have all the ingredients at home."
"Are you going to cook dinner yourself?"
"Yes. Yamti, what do you say? Don't you want to have dinner at our house? Though I'm a bit inexperienced, I know enough."
"Oh... really?"
Though it was touching, Yamti rolled her eyes as she watched Ryu Min's reactions.
Her desire to go was strong like a chimney, but she first needed the owner's approval.
Ryu Min, who secretly sighed, said dryly:
"It's fine. Yamti, do you want to have dinner at our house if that's what my brother wants?"
When she got permission, Yamti's face lit up.
"Okay!"
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Ping-ping-ping- Piiiriiing-
Returning home, Seo Arin sighed as she dropped onto the couch.
Her mind was complicated.
That was because the face she had been trying to forget suddenly appeared.
'Hwang Yong Min. I didn't expect to see that bastard there...'
The last time she saw him was in round 4 of death.
Since then, she hasn't seen or thought of him again.
"Because I wanted to forget.
Because I was afraid to remember.
But I never thought we would meet in reality by chance.
"Only the body's muscles were different, but the face was the same as that of another world."
Though it was brief, if it's an evil fate, it's an evil fate.
It seems he also realized who he was.
'Well, I'm also identical in appearance in this world and reality...'
Recently, I filmed a community service ad for the CPF, and since I'm a public figure, there's no way I won't be recognized.
'Why would the representative of the Church of the Four Gods come for a good reason? Wasn't he mistreated by Black Scythe at that time?'
Was he only mistreated? Both arms were cut off, and since then, Hwang Yong-min has been constantly tormented.
Of course, Seo Arin didn't know how he was tormented.
'I can't believe that bully came to the Church of the Four Gods for a good reason. He surely came to get revenge on Black Scythe.'
Maybe Black Scythe was lurking around, fought with some man who hated him, and fled after realizing the looks around him.
Given the circumstances, she couldn't think otherwise.
'I can't allow Black Scythe to suffer harm. I have to eliminate that guy.'
Although he survived until round 10, it's astonishing, but the important thing is that it's unknown if he'll become an obstacle in the future.
'I have to kill him.'
Of course, Black Scythe spared his life, but thinking of the future, it was better to kill him.
She was determined.
'The me of that moment and the current me are completely different people.'
After being betrayed by colleagues she trusted, after hearing Black Scythe's advice not to trust people, Seo Arin was reborn.
She would no longer allow herself to be mistreated.
Instead of being mistreated, she would strike first.
As she thought about that, lying on the couch looking at the ceiling, a face suddenly appeared.
It was An Sang-cheol.
"Oh, what a surprise!"
"Did I surprise you?"
"Of course, isn't that obvious? Shouldn't you be surprised too?"
Seo Arin got up, annoyed by the interruption.
She thought there was no one because it was quiet, but apparently he entered without notice.
"You didn't know I was here? You could have deduced it if you had seen my shoes."
"I had no way to confirm that."
"Why? What happened? Why were you so quiet?"
Seo Arin hesitated for a moment at An Sang-cheol's question.
'Can I trust the bodyguard?'
After receiving Black Scythe's advice, she developed a sense of distrust.
'He could leave me at any time if necessary. And as for the bodyguard, I don't even need to mention loyalty to Mr. Ma Gyeong-rok.'
Ma Gyeong-rok and An Sang-cheol were practically a set.
Two equally amazing people.
"Why? What's going on that made you thoughtful?"
"...."
Though she didn't want to give information, in the end, Seo Arin decided to speak.
After all, wasn't it he who shared with her the experience of being on the brink of death?
"Do you remember Hwang Yong-min?"
"If it's Hwang Yong-min... the one who chased us in the forest in round 2?"
"Yes. I ran into him today by chance."
"That guy's still alive?"
An Sang-cheol didn't know, as he wasn't paying attention while on missions.
"He's alive."
"He's quite resilient. I thought he'd be out before round 10."
"His unpleasant personality remains the same, then and now. Always calling out the disabled to kill them."
"...."
Though An Sang-cheol put on a surprised expression, what truly surprised him was Seo Arin's gaze.
"What's this? Living?"
Despite her beautiful face, there's a coldness in her gaze.
"You have to kill him."
"..."
"That guy, keeping him alive will only be a nuisance. You must kill Hwang Yong-min."
At those serene words, An Sang-cheol only blinked in surprise.
"Is this the same Seo Arin I knew?"
Even in the second round, Seo Arin questioned why it was necessary to kill Hwang Yong-min.
She, who had forgotten the fact that she was almost violated, worried about the life of the aggressor like a saint.
"But how did she change like this?"
Though she had faced many hardships until now, it was the first time she showed such a notable change.
"Could there have been a reason?"
The betrayal suffered by the actors was a fact known only by Black Scythe and Seo Arin. It was no wonder An Sang-cheol was perplexed.
"It's fine. Killing him as Arin says would be cleaner and better."
"Really?"
"But last time, it was Black Scythe who saved Hwang Yong-min. The Prophet also warned Arin not to track Hwang Yong-min anymore."
"The Prophet...?"
Seo Arin asked with a perplexed mind.
"What's the reason?"
"I told the boss I'd face serious consequences if I got involved with Hwang Yong-min."
"Is that all?"
"Yes. He said he couldn't reveal more details."
"..."
It was something Seo Arin didn't know either.
"Why would the Prophet protect Hwang Yong-min?"
Though she felt puzzled, there was nothing she could do if the Prophet said so.
"It's inevitable. We should hope that guy doesn't cause any more trouble in the future."
"Don't worry. He's been lucky so far, but someone like him won't live long."
"I'm more worried he'll seek revenge on Black Scythe before me."
"Do you see this?"
An Sang-cheol shot her a look.
He had already realized she had sympathy for Black Scythe, but openly worrying like this was something new.
Though he felt a strange sense of jealousy, An Sang-cheol smiled lightly and said:
"Do you know what the most useless worry in the world is? Worrying about Black Scythe."
"Bodyguard. Does that mean I can't worry as much as I want? After all, Black Scythe is also human. He could be in danger at any time."
"..."
To say they were about to kill each other over a joke was a bit exaggerated.
An Sang-cheol was momentarily speechless.
At that moment, Seo Arin looked into space and smiled.
It seemed she was receiving a message.
"Why are you like this, Seo Arin?"
"Just in case, I tracked down Hwang Yong-min. But it seems a bit strange."
"What's strange about it?"
"He seems to not exist."
"What?"
Tracking someone was an ability that could be used in reality if one knew the face and name. If they met those conditions, there was no way they couldn't track them.
"Did Seo Arin see the right person as Hwang Yong-min?"
"Yes."
"It wasn't a perceptual error, right?"
"It wasn't. Do I seem to have such a bad memory? It was definitely Hwang Yong-min, that person."
"Then could his name not be Hwang Yong-min?"
"If it were an alias, the face and name wouldn't match. But it says he doesn't exist at all..."
"Hmm. That's strange."
Even in An Sang-cheol's view, it seemed strange.
"Wait a moment. I'll try another name."
Just in case, Seo Arin searched for Hong Seon-ah with a restless heart.
And then she realized.
[That person doesn't exist.]
"Ah."
The message wasn't lying.
"Why are you like this, Miss Seo Arin?"
"Just in case, I tracked down the name of a deceased person, but it seems they don't exist."
"Really? That means Hwang Yong-min is already dead."
"Uh... yeah, that seems to be it."
"Then, who did Miss Seo Arin see? Did she see a ghost or something?"
"..."
With a chilling feeling, Seo Arin couldn't continue speaking.
'What the hell did I see?'
Thinking of a ghost, she shivered down her arms.
"I-I'll look for another person. M-Maybe it's a technical error."
The system was faulty.
It was silly, but if she didn't do it this way, she might have really seen a ghost.
'Who should I look for? Oh, let's try with the Prophet.'
Seo Arin recalled Ryu Min's face and uttered his name.
[The face and name match. Tracking the target's location.]
[The location of the target 'Ryu Min' has been determined.]
[He is currently at a distance of 125 m.]
[To track the target, follow the arrow you see in front of you.]
"Thinking of the Prophet, it tracks. He's quite close."
"Ah, really?"
"It seems he's coming home, as the distance is decreasing."
"Then why don't we ask the Prophet now? Did Hwang Yong-min really die?"
"Will the Prophet know that?"
"If someone said from the beginning we shouldn't mess with Hwang Yong-min, he probably knows about his life and death."
"Alright."
Both of them exited the house and descended the stairs to the lower floor.
If they waited in front of Ryu Min's house, they would encounter him when he arrived.
Ding-
When the elevator doors opened, they were able to meet Ryu Min as expected.
"Hello, Ryu Min."
"Hm? Miss Seo? Director Ahn?"
Even his brother Ryu Won was present.
However, among them, there was a woman Seo Arin looked at with curiosity.
'Somehow, she seems familiar... where have I seen her?'
As Seo Arin pondered deeply, she soon remembered.
"You're..."
She was the woman Black Scythe had mentioned as an acquaintance in reality.
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