Two days had passed since Ji-kai's return from Egypt.
He hadn't met anyone since, nor had the Guild recorded any activity from him.
As for Park Yoon-suk, the unease gnawed at him, though he held on to a thin thread of hope — that Ji-kai was fine.
At that moment, Park Yoon-suk sat in his office, confined to his wheelchair, overseeing the work of the new recruit who had taken his place due to his condition.
« Where should I put these documents, Mr. Park? » asked the rookie, glancing over his shoulder.
Park Yoon-suk seemed lost in thought, rolling the small red heart pendant between his fingers absentmindedly.
« Uhm, Mr. Park? »
« Huh? » Yoon-suk jolted upright as the rookie called him again.
« Mr. Park, sir… you've seemed a little off lately. It's not just me — everyone noticed it. I mean, I'm new, but the others said… »
The rookie hesitated, then continued after a pause.
« Ever since you survived that assassination attempt, you've been… different. Distracted. You smile a lot more — more than usual, to be precise. »
Yoon-suk blinked, taken aback by the words. For a moment, he found them oddly true. There was something about himself he couldn't quite explain — yet he just smiled naturally, as always.
« Don't worry about me. I just keep remembering things from the past… about my late parents. You could say I miss seeing them. »
His tone was calm, relaxed, but that wasn't the whole truth.
To be honest, I don't even know what I'm thinking about when I space out.
It's as if whatever I was thinking of simply fades away within a fraction of a second.
Could this be the side effect of that serum they injected into me that day?
Maybe. But I have no way to prove it.
« As for those papers.» he added, shifting back to business,
« could you tell me what they're about? I'll decide where they should go. »
« Ah, right, » said the rookie, adjusting his glasses.
« They're registration records of the latest fifty adventurers who joined the guild. The first one is Park Ha-jin, the most notable is Jaeon Jo — the rising star everyone's talking about — and the last one is Kim Joo-na. Oh… »
As he spoke, a few sheets slipped from his grasp. He bent down to pick them up, then froze.
« Wait — isn't this for … Kim Ji-kai? The adventurer who's been missing for a few days? » he asked, pointing at Ji-kai's evaluation sheet, catching Yoon-suk's full attention.
« He didn't disappear, » Yoon-suk replied, taking the paper.
« He just traveled abroad to deal with something personal. He contacted me on his way back. »
He paused, exhaling softly.
« But I can't deny I'm a little worried. The last time we spoke was two days ago, and his phone's been off ever since. I just hope he's fine. »
Ji-kai wasn't in danger. He wasn't on a mission either.
He was, in fact, sitting in his new house — directly across from Camestra Orlandria — eyes narrowed, as if trying to see the specks of dust floating in the air.
The same could be said for Camestra. Her gaze was sharp, serious, unwavering.
« Camestra, » Ji-kai said sternly, « it's been two days since we started this. Aren't you going to give up already? »
« In your dreams, » she shot back with pride. « I am Camestra Orlandria, the proud Queen of Vampires. I won't surrender to you so easily. »
Her brows furrowed in fierce determination, her voice dripping with regal defiance.
« Then you leave me no choice, » Ji-kai declared, his tone rising as if on the verge of battle.
« I'll show you who I really am — here, and NOW! »
With that, he slammed his hand down between them — and placed a playing card atop the pile on the table.
« I win! Again~! » Ji-kai announced with a smug grin, nose tilted high.
« What?! You must've cheated! » Camestra protested, slamming her cards down in frustration.
« How could I cheat in this game? Just admit you can't beat me! Come on, say it~ say it~ »
Ji-kai teased mercilessly, leaning forward with a playful grin, while she stared in silent fury.
Both wore matching green facial masks — Ji-kai's idea of a punishment game — and Camestra's long hair was tied neatly back.
For the past two days, they'd done nothing but play — video games, board games, anything to pass the time.
« Hmph! Whatever! »
Camestra crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, pouting in frustration.
« I'm still better than you at those other games — the… video games, was it? Yes. Video games. »
Her sarcasm was deliberate — a perfect counter to his teasing earlier.
« Hah? Uh, yeah… sure, whatever, » Ji-kai muttered, trying not to remember the humiliating number of times she'd utterly destroyed him in those.
After a few quiet seconds, Camestra exhaled and let her body fall back onto the floor, stretching out with her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
They were both in the living room, seated under the glow of the brand-new television — the replacement for the one Ji-kai had smashed.
« Hey, » she said lazily .
« mind telling me why you broke the TV that night? We'd have been in trouble if there wasn't another one in storage, you know. This one's pretty good. »
Ji-kai, sitting cross-legged nearby, cracked open a soda.
« I saw the face of a bastard I want to crush under my heel. He was on the news — talking about honor and justice and all that crap. Made me so furious I punched the screen. »
« …Weirdo, » Camestra murmured softly.
Then, narrowing her eyes slightly, she added, « You said he betrayed you, right? »
Huh? What's with that question out of nowhere?
« I just want to know, » she continued, her tone oddly calm.
« How did it feel… being betrayed by someone you trusted deeply? »
The quiet weight in her voice caught Ji-kai off guard.
Do vampires… get fevers or something? Every time she talks like this, it makes ji-kai uncomfortable.
Still…
How did it feel to be betrayed?
Well, I've been betrayed in more ways than one — as Kim Ji-kai, and as Park Jae-ron.
« Hm. About that, » he began, voice low but steady,
« the feeling of betrayal was never clear-cut for me. Not because I didn't understand it — but because I've experienced it in so many forms. »
« The betrayal of someone you love. The betrayal of a friend. And the worst of all… betrayal by your own family. »
« I've gone through them all. And I can tell you — betrayal feels like a blade. »
« The closer the betrayer is to you, the deeper it cuts.
To the point where death feels easier than the weight of that disappointment. »
His words carried the weight of lived pain — both as Kim Ji-kai and as Park Jae-ron.
Those betrayals had shaped him, forged in him a desire — a desire to crush anyone who had belittled him, who had stabbed him in the back.Especially… Jaeon Jo.
Camestra watched him silently, expression unreadable.
Then, suddenly, her face twisted into a mocking smirk.
« I'll believe the part about friends and family, » she said with a cruel grin,
« but love? You? Don't make me laugh. Who'd ever fall for a clown like you? »
Ji-kai's smile twitched, his irritation barely contained. He glared at her with one eye half closed.
« And here I was, trying to be serious for once!!.» he said through clenched teeth.
« You're just a stuck-up queen after all! And who are you calling a clown? You're wearing the exact same face mask as me — doesn't that make you a clown too?! »
« What are you talking about? I'm gorgeous in every state — mask or no mask, » she retorted, tilting her head with mock grace.
« Besides, why are you even using something like that? Are you one of those… soft types? »
She said it without even glancing at him.
« I only used it because I lost the stupid bet you came up with! I don't use these things normally! » he snapped, his ears reddening — which only made it more amusing for her.
« Sure, sure~ » she replied coolly, smiling faintly in triumph.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she changed the topic.
« So, why have you been holed up here for two whole days? You said after dinner two nights ago that you'd go back to clearing dungeons for money. What changed? »
It was a fair question — his absence had already caused some unease within the guild.
Ji-kai sighed at her sudden shift of subject. He took a deep breath, collecting himself before answering.
« I just needed some time to rest. My body was barely holding together after what happened under that pyramid in Egypt. And since I just moved here, I figured I'd settle in before heading out again. »
That was a lie.
The real reason wasn't physical fatigue.
It was what happened the morning after he woke up.
[ Warning ]
[ A strange presence is stalker and watching you. ]
Someone's stalker and Watching me you say…
Interesting.
Now then —Who exactly is this person?