"Surely breaking my stomach over a rejection wouldn't be necessary.
Even though he seemed a bit crazy, he didn't appear to be someone easily deterred. Sihyun lifted his head to look at him, and the cool expression on the man came into view. Was it? Sihyun's lips twitched. It was when he started thinking that maybe he was the one who caused the accident.
Picking up on the hesitation, the man's lips twitched a few times. When it seemed like the constant twitching might be mistaken for a smile, he burst into laughter. Laughter filled the cabin. Sihyun wanted to cover his ears from the loud laughter but restrained himself, fearing unnecessary sparks. Fortunately, the man didn't seem ruthless enough to break his stomach just because of rejection.
"Yeah, it should be at least this much for a Quadruple. Don't you think so?"
After a long laugh, the man, who had recovered from his amusement, spoke in a cheerful tone. Despite being rejected, he seemed oddly cheerful. Sihyun nodded awkwardly.
"Well, uh..."
"If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
Whoosh, Russ rummaged through his pocket and threw a piece of paper to Sihyun. Sihyun caught the paper he threw and examined it. It looked odd, but in this situation, there was only one thing to be given.
A business card.
It was the second one he received regarding guild contacts.
The first one was...
Recalling the man with the dark and uncomfortable demeanor, Sihyun grimaced. As he did, Russ, who was in front of him, asked if there was something wrong with his card. Sihyun had to clarify twice that it wasn't about the card to finally steer the conversation away from his feelings. It was precious. When the man spoke in a confident tone, Sihyun, with a perplexed expression, slowly opened his mouth.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"I can't see it."
"It got wet."
The business card soaked in water was blurry, with inked letters smudged and erased. Sihyun showed the wet card with a troubled expression, and Russ, seeing it, burst into laughter again. Yeah, it got wet! While brushing his blonde hair aside, Sihyun, in that moment, found the man genuinely crazy and bit his lip unconsciously.
Among all the crazy people he had met, he seemed the most insane.
Perhaps it was the insanity that had matured with age.
Lost in unnecessary thoughts, Sihyun, amidst the broken chairs, pulled out a relatively intact one and sat down. Russ, who had chosen the only remaining chair among the shattered ones, looked at Sihyun's hand. The hand holding the wet card was still tightly gripping it.
"Throw that away."
"The business card?"
"Yeah."
"It's precious, though."
Could he just casually throw it away? Looking at Sihyun, who was about to sneakily dispose of it when Russ wasn't looking, Russ chuckled again. Yeah, it got wet! Watching Sihyun crush the card without hesitation, Russ laughed once more.
Seems like a person who laughs a lot.
Unlike the man who felt like a dangerously flickering flame, this person genuinely seemed to laugh a lot. Hence, it was quite noisy.
Suppressing his feelings, Sihyun, realizing the conversation had ended, looked at the teachers. Just as he was about to ask what to do next, the teachers left to deal with the Kraken and Titan incident. They went to clear the collapsed areas, check on injured students, appearing to need support. Sihyun glanced between Russ and the teachers.
It seemed better to be here than there.
It was at the moment he was about to move willingly to help.
"Where are you going?"
"...Excuse me?"
He should have moved more agilely. Without even lifting his foot, Sihyun, held captive by the voice, turned his head to see Russ smirking and nodding towards the chair opposite him.
"You should talk with me."
Sit down?
It was a question, but it didn't feel like an invitation. If he refused, it seemed like the disadvantages would outweigh the advantages, so Sihyun reluctantly took a seat. Russ, satisfied with Sihyun's compliance, asked with a tiresome expression.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm perfectly fine."
"And emotionally?"
"If you're asking about my current mood, it's a bit uncomfortable."
Sihyun spoke honestly. It was a signal to lift him up. Worried that it might irritate him, Sihyun was surprised to see Russ not likely to do so. Moreover, it didn't seem like he would let him go. Sighing, Sihyun attentively answered the following questions about the next Awakening, what kind of Awakening he planned, whether there were guilds seen in Korea, and his experience with irregular disposal. To most of the questions, Sihyun answered that he didn't know. It wasn't because he dismissed them; he genuinely didn't know. After a prolonged and inquisitive conversation, Sihyun raised his hand.
"Excuse me."
"Why?"
"Until when do I have to be the only one answering? This feels like an interrogation."
His demeanor was quite noticeable, and although I responded to all his questions, the one-sided questioning and answering weren't particularly enjoyable. The man, who chuckled at my remark about wanting to get up, leaned comfortably against my back and looked at Sihyun.
"So, do you have any questions too?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, if you have something you want to ask, go ahead. Opportunities like this don't come often."
He raised his arm on the armrest, speaking casually. It seemed like he had no intention of letting me go anytime soon. Eventually, Sihyun, who had given up on escaping, stared at the man and asked whatever came to mind. And there was something he was curious about.
"How old are you?"
"Why, do you have an interest?"
"..."
He had asked about the man's age and appearance because it wasn't properly revealed in the media. The awkward response came back. His physical appearance was that of a seventeen-year-old. Whether there was a twenty-three-year-old inside or not, the exterior was that of a seventeen-year-old. Sihyun looked at the man as if he were a nuisance. The man, smiling at his gaze, said he was twenty-nine. Despite claiming to be in his late twenties, he truly seemed like he was in his late thirties.
For someone like him, he looks quite young.
Having seen the man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties at best, Sihyun, curious about the next thing, asked, "You're mainly into disguises, right? Is this your real appearance?"
"I don't really like double disguises."
So, it's the real deal. When Sihyun first saw him, he had short black hair. He probably wouldn't disguise himself unless he fell into the sea. Sihyun, gazing at his wet blond hair, tilted his head.
"Is it okay to reveal your face like this?"
"Those who need to know already know. Most higher-ups are aware. Well, I didn't plan to reveal it here. Someone fell into the sea, you see."
"Thank you."
Sihyun said it without much enthusiasm. Despite saving him and even owing him, he showed no gratitude. Suddenly, a towel was placed on his head. It seemed like the man had been taking care of him like a superior all along. Sihyun, who had been enjoying the extravagant treatment in Class A, raised his eyebrows, looking at the person drying his hair.
Usually, I would have said I could do it, but now, after coming out of the water, my body felt sluggish, and I didn't feel like refusing. Sihyun, confirming who the person gently drying his hair was, looked at Seowoo with a faint smile, then shifted his gaze to Russ. Since a moment ago, Russ had been watching Seowoo drying my hair as if he were used to such treatment.
He remembered there was something he hadn't asked.
"What class did you imprint?"
Whether pressure came separately from the United States or he was reluctant to disclose it, the media only mentioned how great he was, not the specific class he imprinted. Since he had already heard about the Quadruple Class, he decided to ask, hoping it was something decent. Russ, who had shifted his gaze from Seowoo to me, nonchalantly told me the class I imprinted.
"Buffer, attribute, and teleport."
"What attribute is it?"
"Well, it's like electricity, or maybe lightning. I'm a new class, so I haven't been accurately classified into an attribute. Anyway, when I registered, the class name turned out to be Zeus's Lightning."
What a crazy class name.
I can imagine it being a skill name. His laughter matched his strange name and was eerily out of place, just like his personality. Despite being someone who could be called a hero by humanity, his laughter seemed strangely sinister. The way he grinned in response to Sihyun's expression was just like Lee Min Park.
"How about Zeus's Lightning?"
"It's too cool."
He answered without revealing any hint of his soul to the seemingly probing question. Before he got more involved in this, Sihyun felt the need to change the topic and mentioned the next class.
"As for the attribute, let's say it's because it's a new class. Why did you want to be a buffer?"
"You don't have to receive buffs embarrassingly from others."
"Hmm."
The reason was just as expected. Just as Sihyun was thinking that, he added.
"If you're struggling with strength while kicking someone, you can use an attack buff and kick them."
"..."
His wicked laughter was quite malicious. Although he would undoubtedly be called a hero by humanity, his laughter seemed strangely sinister. Why would someone imprint as a buffer for such a reason? Judging from his words, it didn't seem to be for supporting others. Sihyun, who hesitated for a moment, continued with his questions.
"...And what about teleport?"
"Chase down the guy running away and kick him."
"Ah..."
There was no sign of any hesitation. Sihyun, who sighed briefly at his straightforward words, imagined the scene of the Irregular and Russ fighting. The unfolding battle scene was horrifyingly unimaginable.
Either get struck by a lightning bolt and die, or if you endure that, die from a stronger lightning bolt after using a buff. If you manage to survive that and escape, the crazy teleporter will chase you until you die. That seemed to be the case. Sihyun stared at the man. He lifted the corners of his mouth as if he were really going to kick every Irregular.
I've thought about it several times, but that guy is truly insane.
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