Chapter 71: Star, The Shadow (2)

After Chang-Sun and Baek Gyeo-Ul finished eating dinner, they went to bed earlier than usual. Perhaps because they had gone through tough battles in the training institute, they felt more fatigue than they expected after getting a chance to relax.

Chang-Sun was actually happy to be sleeping in a comfortable bed after such a long time. Even the fiend ‘Divine Twilight’ needed to take breaks and recharge himself, but somehow he could not sleep. He would be able to force himself to sleep if he used his magic, but he did not want to. Judging from how he could hear Gyeo-Ul toss and turn in the mattress beside his bed, it seemed the other man was in a similar state.

“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Chang-Sun asked with his eyes closed.

“Huh? Yeah, a little bit…” Gyeo-Ul replied as he stopped moving.

“Tell me if the mattress is uncomfortable,” Chang-Sun told Gyeo-Ul, just in case.

“No, not at all! It’s comfortable. The floor is warm, and the comforter is really soft,” Gyeo-Ul fervently explained, not wanting Chang-Sun to misunderstand. When he heard Chang-Sun quietly chuckling, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then why can’t you sleep?” Chang-Sun continued.

“I’m not… sure,” Gyeo-Ul replied, fidgeting with the comforter.

“It seems you have a lot on your mind,” Chang-Sun said.

“Did you… notice?” Gyeo-Ul slowly answered.

“I would be an idiot if I didn’t,” Chang-Sun said concisely, making Gyeo-Ul smile bitterly.

Gyeo-Ul had not wanted Chang-Sun to worry, so he had been careful not to reveal anything. Still, it seemed he could not fool Chang-Sun’s eyes. In truth, however, Gyeo-Ul had only been fooling himself, because it would have been far stranger for anyone not to notice. Before eating dinner, Gyeo-Ul had been incredibly happy just to be able to play games, but after the meal, he had begun staring into the air and sighing occasionally, not even touching a game controller.

“What’s wrong?” Chang-Sun asked, opening his eyes.

“It’s not as if something is actually wrong,” Gyeo-Ul replied sincerely.

“Then?” Chang-Sun continued.

For a moment, Gyeo-Ul wondered how to answer Chang-Sun. No matter how he answered, however, Chang-Sun would notice if he replied dishonestly, so he decided to come clean. “It’s… just.”

“Just?” Chang-Sun repeated.

“I’m not sure whether I can be this comfortable…” Gyeo-Ul trailed off.

Although he had not lived for a long time, he had had nothing but lonely memories, so he could not help but wonder whether he was truly allowed to enjoy everything he was experiencing. He was happy, but that made him nervous that the happiness would merely be temporary. He was relieved that he had cured his half-spirit curse, bonded with Chang-Sun, and gotten a warm place to sleep in, but he felt that he did not deserve it. That was why Gyeo-Ul could not help but feel anxious.

Perhaps he was dreaming right now, and in reality, he had been captured by a monster and placed in an illusion. If he escaped the monster’s illusion, everything he was experiencing right now would disappear into thin air. Or, perhaps, he would soon have to think of the present as one of the pointless fantasies he had once had. However…

“Who decides that?” Chang-Sun suddenly asked.

“Huh…? W-Well…” Gyeo-Ul stuttered.

“No one else can decide if you’re allowed to do so. You decide that,” Chang-Sun said calmly.

“I decide…” Gyeo-Ul subconsciously repeated after Chang-Sun, the words ‘You decide’ echoing around his ears.

“Cherish yourself more. You decide your own value. If you consider yourself pathetic, you’ll be as valuable as trash on the ground, but if you appreciate yourself, you’ll be more valuable,” Chang-Sun continued.

Gyeo-Ul remained silent.

“So, you choose whether or not you deserve to have everything,” Chang-Sun said.

Chang-Sun could see his old self in Gyeo-Ul, who was silently pondering the situation. When he ended up in Arcadia without anything, he had only been obsessed with fighting and not realized how valuable he was—no, even after he became a Celestial, he had failed to realize that. Without thinking much, he had only kept walking the path he had been given.

However, he had ended up losing everything and falling into the abyss, enabling him to start realizing how wrong he had been. He had never allowed himself to take a break, cherish anything, or reflect on himself; thus, he had remained incredibly full of himself, just running amok like a daredevil.

If he had relaxed or introspected a little more, Chang-Sun would not necessarily have fallen like that. His old colleagues would not have left him, and the fight against those damned Zodiacs could have turned out differently. He had become aware of that only after he regressed and spent a month with his family.

Thus, Chang-Sun did not want Gyeo-Ul to follow in his footsteps. Before curing Gyeo-Ul’s half-spirit curse or fighting the Jigwis, the Gyeo-Ul he met had resembled his past self. There had been nothing but spite and regret inside Gyeo-Ul, so it was not hard to imagine how he would end up. That was why he wanted Gyeo-Ul to realize that early and learn to appreciate himself.

‘Xerxes, as his father, you should be the one to talk about this kind of stuff. Where are you? And what in the world are you doing?’?

Chang-Sun called for his colleague in his thoughts, but received no answer.

Gyeo-Ul said nothing for a long time, but soon, Chang-Sun heard faint sniffles filling the quiet room, so he pretended not to hear anything.

“…T-Thank you,” Gyeo-Ul said, his quiet voice faintly filling the room.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ sniffles, wiping her nose with tissues.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ benevolently watches you.]

The first night after they had cleared the ‘Black Blood Mountain Range’ wore on.

* * *

The next morning, Lee Ha-Seon tugged on So Yu-Ha’s sleeves, glancing at Chang-Sun’s room, from which Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul had not emerged yet. She began, “Mom.”

“What?” Yu-Ha asked as she trimmed bean sprouts.

“Isn’t it strange?” Ha-Seon asked.

Yu-Ha curtly asked, “What are you trying to say again?”

Sensing how uninterested Yu-Ha was, Ha-Seon pouted as she grumbled, “You must think I’m only going to say weird stuff.”

“Then are you not?” Yu-Ha replied with a chuckle.

“I’m not! Anyway, listen,” Ha-Seon said, straightening her back.

“Yeah, yeah. What?” Yu-Ha asked as she continued to trim the bean sprouts.

“You know, our scoundrel…” Ha-Seon began.

“Why must you always call your brother…?!” Yu-Ha interrupted.

“Ah, don’t cut in on me and listen first. Don’t you think our scoundrel is weird?” Ha-Seon asked, looking at Chang-Sun’s door.

Yu-Ha stopped trimming the bean sprouts, but Ha-Seon did not notice because her eyes were still fixed on the door. Yu-Ha quietly asked, “…What are you talking about?”

“Well, you know, he became a completely different person after he was entangled in the Jamsil Gate. He stopped drinking, and he stopped throwing tantrums. I tried to irritate him on purpose last time, but he just ignored me and left,” Hae-Seon busily explained.

“How can you say those things proudly as his older sister?” Yu-Ha replied, clicking her tongue.

“Anyway, he’s weird. He became totally different—no, he’s still cocky, but it’s almost as if he became really old overnight. He talks less, is more mature, and even has a talent that he didn’t have before… Right!” Ha-Seon continued, becoming more and more certain as she went on.

In truth, Chang-Sun’s family had almost given up on him. It was understandable because, unlike his elite siblings, Chang-Sun had been crazy about games, causing conflicts with his father. After Chang-Sun retired, he had even become an alcoholic and made even his mother worry.

While he was in the Jamsil Dungeon, his family had almost fallen apart, but after Chang-Sun returned, he had acted as if nothing had happened without making any apologies, angering Ha-Seon.

As time passed, however, Chang-Sun had begun to lead a different life. Although he was still unfriendly to his family, he tried to show he had changed: He had quit drinking cold turkey, which had previously been the biggest problem for Chang-Sun’s family, and lived a regular life, never missing dinner with his family. Due to those changes, the family could meet Chang-Sun more often; naturally, Chang-Sun’s father, who had all but given up and always been discontent with him, slowly became less angry.

On top of that, Chang-Sun had become a world-class genius. Thus, even Ha-Seon, who had never been familiar with Players, had begun to hear and see the word ‘Tyrant’ nonstop. As such, it was not unusual for Ha-Seon to talk about Chang-Sun this way.

‘And why are there so many people wanting me to introduce them to him…?! Ugh, everyone should get their eyes checked. Why do they like him so much?’?

Ha-Seon grumbled inwardly.

Looking at her daughter, Yu-Ha wondered how to answer for a moment, feeling mixed emotions and silently working through her inner conflict.

“The strangest part is,” Ha-Seon continued seriously.

Because she was worried about where her daughter was going with this, Yu-Ha looked at Ha-Seon nervously.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“He made a friend,” Ha-Seon concluded, still just as serious.

“…?” Yu-Ha silently tilted her head.

“You don’t know, Mom? He’s had zero friends ever since he was a child… Ouch!” Ha-Seon shrieked as Yu-Ha slapped her back.

“That’s no way to talk about your brother,” Yu-Ha snapped, scowling at Ha-Seon.

“Ouch, ouch! Mom! It hurts! Stop hitting me!” Ha-Seon shouted.

Yu-Ha slapped Ha-Seon’s back nonstop; although Ha-Seon tried to dodge her, she never missed.

“Stop! Stooop! Hold on, Mom! Mom, let me-Let me say just one more thing! I have to tell you something really important!” Ha-Seon exclaimed, attempting to cover her back with her hands.

“Are you just going to say more useless stuff now?” Yu-Ha asked, although she briefly stopped.

“No, I’m not!” Ha-Seon exclaimed, holding out her hand to put some distance between her and Yu-Ha.

Yu-Ha’s gaze turned sharp, ready to resume slapping Ha-Seon’s back any minute.

“His friend’s looks and physique are totally my type, so can you ask if he has a girlfriend later? He hangs out with that arrogant Chang-Sun, so he’ll be really gentle…! Ouuuuch!” Ha-Seon yelled.

While Ha-Seon was being scolded(?) by Yu-Ha, Chang-Sun suddenly opened the door. As if they were about to go somewhere, Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul were all dressed up. However, as the clothes Gyeo-Ul had worn the previous day were in the laundry machine, he was wearing Chang-Sun’s biggest sweatsuit. Of course, the clothes were still so short for Gyeo-Ul that he was practically wearing capri pants.

“Are you heading out?” Yu-Ha asked, standing up.

Gyeo-Ul politely bowed to Yu-Ha and Ha-Seon, saying, “I hope you had a good rest.”

Watching from far away, Ha-Seon grinned as she thought,

‘Look at him. I can see that he’s gentle in one glance.’

“We’re going out to train. We’ll eat outside, so go ahead and eat,” Chang-Sun answered.

“Don’t overwork yourself,” Yu-Ha said, smiling faintly.

“Yeah, I won’t, so don’t worry. I’ll head out then,” Chang-Sun said, opening the front door.

Before following Chang-Sun, Gyeo-Ul hurriedly said his farewells to Yu-Ha and Ha-Seon. “I-I’ll head out too.”

Full of worry, Yu-Ha lightly sighed. She had heard that Players’ parents tended to have short lifespans because they were always worried and anxious about their children, and she could now see why they were concerned. She just desperately hoped that nothing would happen.

* * *

“Please go to Seongsu-dong,” Chang-Sun told the taxi driver.

The taxi Chang-Sun had reserved left Jamsil. Inside the taxi, Gyeo-Ul somehow looked very peaceful, and it was all due to Chang-Sun’s advice. After the previous night, he had organized his thoughts and changed his mindset.

“Where are we going?” Gyeo-Ul asked, tilting his head; he was unable to tell where they were going. As far as he knew, there was no Player training facility in Seongsu-dong. If they were going to train, they had to either go to Gangnam or areas on the outskirts of Seoul, such as Hanam.

“To change weapons,” Chang-Sun explained simply.

“Weapons…?” Gyeo-Ul repeated, his eyes widening a bit. His weapon was currently in the inventory, and as he had spent a fortune on his weapon, he had not planned on changing or repairing it.

“Well, are you going to keep using that dull spear?” Chang-Sun asked, looking outside the window.

“But I don’t have money…” Gyeo-Ul trailed off, falling silent as he was suddenly forced to think about reality. Although he had received some rewards by clearing the Dungeon and gotten his salary a couple of days prior, the seller would set the prices of weapons and defensive equipment.

However, Chang-Sun dismissed Gyeo-Ul’s concerns immediately, replying, “Did you already forget what I said? You set your own value.”

Gyeo-Ul stayed quiet.

“A weapon is important for protecting yourself and killing monsters, and it’s especially important because your combat power will be halved if you aren’t comfortable with your weapon,” Chang-Sun continued coldly. “That doesn’t just apply to weapons. It applies to everything, including defensive equipment, talismans, and jewels.”

Gyeo-Ul recalled the weapons Chang-Sun had used in the ‘Black Blood Mountain Range’. He had used a unique-looking spear and whip, as well as special daggers. Of course, his physical ability was exceptional, and every weapon he had was high-quality. In contrast, Gyeo-Ul had…

‘An ordinary spear I got from an ordinary forge,’?

Gyeo-Ul thought bitterly.

The spear was not bad, but it had become dull just as Chang-Sun said. Thus, even if Gyeo-Ul repaired it somehow, it would grow dull again as he fought through harsh environments.

“So, don’t say anything and just follow me, because I’m going to pay for your weapon. Get ready, because I’ll test your skills afterward,” Chang-Sun said. He closed his eyes, leaning against the seat.

Chang-Sun’s weapon-handling skill was certainly splendid; what would it be like to learn from him one on one? Gyeo-Ul lightly gaped without realizing it. Although Chang-Sun’s lesson would be difficult, it would be the second turning point in his life, the first being the moment when his half-spirit curse had been undone.

‘He’s been part of both of my turning points,’

Gyeo-Ul thought, looking at Chang-Sun with shining eyes.