Chapter 268 - At the Hotel
—"Christine?"
When I answered the phone, I heard an anxious voice.
—"Prophet? Are you okay?"
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
—"I passed by the house and heard it was broken."
Ryu Min sighed softly.
No one knows what happened.
"It happened that way. But you passed by my house..."
"Are you in Korea now?"
—"Yes. Not only that, but I'm in front of the hotel?"
"What?"
Ryu Min was surprised and decided to look for Christine.
[The face and name match. Follow the target's location.]
[The location of the target "Kristen Craig" has been discovered.]
[Currently 78 meters away.]
[To track the target, follow the arrows in front of you.]
She is very close to the front of the hotel.
It seems they decided to pursue him.
—"I came all the way here. Can I see your face for a moment?"
"...Of course."
After hanging up the phone, Christine took her coat and spoke to her younger brother.
"I'm going to meet someone and I'll be back."
"Who?"
"A colleague."
If you follow the tracking arrow, you will see Ryu Min sitting in the lobby.
"Oh, Christine."
"What are you doing here without saying a word?"
"Sorry. I got worried when I saw the house like that..."
"Follow me."
Christine first led Ryu Min to a nearby café.
"What do you want to eat? Choose what you want to eat. I'll buy."
"No. The one who suddenly came to me was for my embarrassment..."
"Still, you came as a guest, can't we treat you well? Feel free to choose."
"Thanks."
Ryu Min simply ordered a cup of coffee.
Christine did the same and then got to the point.
"I thought you had gone to the United States... Why did you come to my house?"
"Oh, that's not another reason. You came to the United States last time to tell us about the prophecy, right? So, I thought it was my turn to visit this time..."
"Is that really all it is?"
"Yes..."
Christine silently looked at Ryu Min like an interrogator.
The look was tough in its own way, but Ryu Min lowered his gaze as if embarrassed.
'Actually. I came here for a really mundane reason.'
Christine, who read his inner thoughts, sighed inwardly, but was also grateful.
Even if you're a stone Buddha, your heart will weaken in front of someone who cares about you.
"Um, I'm sorry."
Ryu Min, who didn't understand that he had offended Christine, who still looked at him intently, apologized again.
"I was going to see you after talking to you... It was so sudden, right?"
"It seems so sudden."
"I'm really sorry. Anyway, what happened? Why did the house turn out like that?"
"An angel came to visit me."
"What?"
Since there was nothing to hide from Christine, who already knew his identity, Ryu Min told the truth.
"Perhaps you don't know, but the angels consider me their enemy. But I never thought they would come to my house and target my younger brother."
"The angel targeted your younger brother? Is your brother okay?"
"Fortunately, I arrived in time and was able to save her."
"What about the angels? What happened?"
"What happened?"
Christine chuckled.
That cynical smile was enough of an answer.
"I'm really glad no one was hurt."
"I think so too."
"Is that why you returned late to the island? Dealing with angels..."
"Yes."
"This shouldn't happen again next time..."
"I'm still worried these days about that. Because of the anxiety of losing my younger brother..."
Ryu Min must have hated just imagining it, so he looked out the window.
Looking at the extended sky and the city like a toy block spread below, my congested heart lifts.
However, Christine looked at him worriedly, unable to do anything with the anxiety that remained in his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm okay."
"Hey, I don't know how this might sound..."
Christine, who had hesitated for a moment, gathered her courage.
"If you need something, use me at your pleasure."
"......"
"If it weren't for Black Scythe, I'd already be dead, right? So don't feel pressured and use me anytime. If you ask me to be by your side 24 hours a day, I will. I don't have the power to stop the angel, but wouldn't it be better than nothing?"
Indulge to your heart's content.
I never imagined I would hear these words from Christine.
"You can use and discard me. No matter what, I want to help Black Scythe. I'm serious."
Ryu Min just looked at Christine without saying a word.
'I mean it. I feel sorry even without reading your thoughts.'
I feel the desire to help as much as possible.
"Thanks for your kind words, but I still have nothing I can do to help you."
"If I stay by my brother's side..."
Ryu Min shook his head seriously.
"The angel I dealt with is not an easy type. As a supporter, you won't even be able to play the role of a normal shield."
"Is that so..."
Christine was sullen at the thoughtless comment, but it was an unavoidable fact.
Christine is an important force.
You can't lose her in vain with a shield.
Christine, who was drinking coffee, seemed pitiful, like a puppy caught in the rain.
She really seems to have the attitude that just helping Black Scythe is her happiness.
Ryu Min had no choice but to add.
"That doesn't mean I'll reject the help. I promise to call you if I need something later."
"Really?"
As he nodded, Christine's face brightened noticeably.
"You promised! You'll definitely call if there's something I can help with."
"You're already helping me enough."
"No. As a supporter, it's natural to help. I want to help with your personal needs."
"Yes, yes. I promise."
Ryu Min has nothing to lose.
However, we cannot simply deal with Christine, our main force.
"Shall we go when you finish drinking?"
"Yes."
Ryu Min left the café with Christine.
The two people standing in front of the elevator said their goodbyes.
"I want to see you off at the airport, but I don't know what will happen with my younger brother."
"I understand. Don't hesitate to call me if you need something. I'll get on a plane and leave in a month."
Soon, Christine entered the elevator, smiled, and waved.
While Ryu Min entered the lobby bathroom, Min Juri was organizing the scene she had seen in her head.
'Why did Christine meet Min?'
When she searched Ryu Min's name to locate him, Min Juri decided to visit him.
To confirm with her own eyes that this is really the Ryu Min she knows.
That's how I arrived at this hotel and found a woman who looked like Christine in the lobby.
And I even witnessed her meeting Ryu Min, having coffee in a café, and conversing.
'What are you two talking about?'
I couldn't even listen to the conversation because I was afraid of being discovered if I got closer.
I just watched from a distance of more than 30 meters.
I felt bad when I saw Christine's worried expression and then suddenly she smiled cheerfully.
'What are you talking about that makes you smile so happily?'
A third party could see this was jealousy, but the person involved didn't know.
'Did Ryu Min call you? You agreed to tell me first when you decided on a place to stay, but why...?'
Is this the love triangle we've only heard about?
My mind became complicated.
I feel stressed for the first time in a long time, but there's no answer if I only worry about that.
The most obvious solution is to ask Ryu Min.
"I'll have to ask when he comes out."
I kept staring at the bathroom entrance and waited, but for some reason, he didn't come out.
'What? Am I seeing something big...?'
"Min Juri."
"Gah!"
Min Juri was surprised by the voice she heard from behind and turned around.
It was Ryu Min.
My resurrected heart almost fell.
"No, you scared me!"
"I heard someone was following you, so it was you?"
"Oh, did you know?"
Ryu Min smiled at Min Juri, who was embarrassed.
'Of course. My Presence Detection range is 60 meters.
I didn't even say why.
"What are you doing here?"
"Uh, uh, that is..."
"So you decided to track me too?"
"Too...?"
"Christine also came to the hotel. I decided to track her."
"Iced coffee..."
I thought Ryu Min called, but no.
Just like him, Christine had come to locate him on her own.
A small misunderstanding was resolved.
"I was going to tell you the address anyway, but let's talk while we're here."
"Yes."
The two sat back down in the café.
It was a conversation with Christine.
"Order something to drink. I'll buy."
"You?"
"You might have seen it, but I ate earlier."
"L-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to steal it..."
"It's okay."
Ryu Min nodded as if understanding and got to the point when Min Juri's coffee arrived.
"What do you have to talk about?"
"Huh?"
"You said on the phone you wanted to meet and talk. What's going on?"
Min Juri, who had paused in response to Ryu Min's question, opened her mouth after taking a deep breath.
"You... Did you lie to me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Is your nickname really Roast Yak?"
"......"
"I listened carefully when Black Scythe said my name after the round, but there was no such nickname. What's going on?"
"Well, that's...."
"That's not the only strange thing."
Min Juri spoke as if trying to resolve all the questions at this point.
"If I use tracking, it says even if I know your name and face, they don't match."
"......"
"I'm not talking about tracking in the other world. I'm talking about reality. Even if you don't know what this other world looks like because you've never seen it before, you can't track the real Ryu Min. Isn't it strange when you think about it?"
"......"
"There's something else strange. No matter how much I searched on the remote island, I couldn't see you. Even though it clearly wasn't a customized body but a reality."
Are the number of people right, but I can't see them?
That feels really strange.
"You... Were you on the island in the first place?"
Ryu Min remained silent.
Min Juri was asking questions under the assumption she would have the answers.
"I have the answer."
But this is an answer that cannot be given.
It's an answer that must be hidden.
To explain everything, you must reveal your identity.
At that moment, a word suddenly crossed Ryu Min's mind.
—"Can't you reveal your identity? Don't be surprised like me."
Why did my younger sibling's words come to mind?
'Maybe... Maybe you'll understand.
As soon as the idea of wanting to try came to mind, Ryu Min's mouth moved.
"I am Black Scythe."
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