Park Taegun was sent overseas for an extended joint operation with the European Gate Defense Alliance, the group dynamics had slightly shifted. Now, after months away, he was finally back.

  Yet as he entered the private office that afternoon, something felt…off.

  Very off.

  Mu Yichen sat at his usual desk, a document open but completely untouched.

  Seo MinHyun was sprawled across the couch dramatically, eyes glazed over and chin resting in his palm like he had just lost a bet with the universe itself.

  Neither acknowledged Park Taegun’s arrival.

  Which was unusual, at least for Seo MinHyun, who usually made it a point to throw a sarcastic jab within five seconds of his entry.

  “…I didn’t die in another country for you two to ignore me,” Park Taegun said calmly, setting down his duffel bag.

  No answer.

  He slowly approached and sat down across from them.

  Still nothing.

  His gaze narrowed. Seo MinHyun being dramatic was expected routine, even. But Mu Yichen… he was different.

  Taegun had known the man for six years and never once saw him waste time on emotional dazes.

  “…What happened?” he asked directly, cutting straight to the heart of it.

  Seo MinHyun flinched.

  Mu Yichen remained quiet, but his hand twitched slightly on the edge of the table.

  Park Taegun’s sharp gaze caught it.

  “I know it’s not about the Holy Sword,” Taegun said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re not the kind of person to lose sleep over symbolic nonsense. And MinHyun’s only this quiet when he’s guilty or confused.”

  Seo MinHyun shot him a glare. “Why do I feel like you have a tracking chip inside my brain?”

  Park Taegun didn’t even blink.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Mu Yichen’s gaze lowered to the reports again, his mind drifting not to the data but to the weight of that fragile figure in his arms. The feel of damp hair against his cheek. The coldness, the stillness...

  And those eyes that didn’t fear death.

  Park Taegun’s sharp gaze moved between the two men in front of him. Their expressions were anything but normal.

  Mu Yichen, calm as always, looked thoughtful too thoughtful.

  And Seo MinHyun, who usually ran his mouth like it was a sport, now sat stiff with his arms crossed, grumbling under his breath like a cat forced into a bath.

  “What happened?” Park Taegun asked again, his voice as calm and grounded as always. “Yichen, did something go wrong with the Holy Sword? Or is there something worse?”

  Mu Yichen offered a faint smile, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s not about the sword.”

  “If it was,” Seo MinHyun snapped, his arms flailing, “I’d be sleeping right now instead of losing brain cells trying to figure out a lunatic!”

  Park Taegun blinked. “…Lunatic?”

  “Yeah. West Zone lunatic. Lives in an abandoned building. Jumps off five-story buildings like it’s his hobby. Sleeps all day, eats delicious food, and watches cartoons like a five-year-old.”

  Park Taegun turned slowly to Mu Yichen.

  “He’s not exaggerating,” Mu Yichen said with a small nod. “We met someone… unusual.”

  He then recounted the encounter with Lee Aseok, his silent fall, the lifeless yet beautiful eyes, the way he said he didn’t like humans, and how he went about his life in the ruined zone like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

  Park Taegun listened without interrupting. His brows slowly drew together.

  “And now you’re both like this… because of him?”

  Seo MinHyun groaned and buried his face in a pillow. “I don’t even know why I’m thinking about him this much! He ignored me—me! Can you believe that? Do you know how many people beg for my attention every day?”

  Mu Yichen said nothing, eyes lowered to the table.

  Park Taegun crossed his arms. “And you still don’t know what made him like that?”

  Mu Yichen shook his head. “His file was clean. No major trauma on record, no strange awakenings. Just… abnormal intelligence and complete emotional detachment.”

  “I want to meet him,” Park Taegun said firmly.

  Seo MinHyun looked up. “I mean, you can, but… he said he doesn’t like humans. You count as human, right?”

  Park Taegun raised a brow.

  “Just saying,” Seo MinHyun muttered.

  Mu Yichen stood slowly, brushing off invisible dust from his sleeve. “I was going to wait a few days… but I think it’s better to go now.”

  Park Taegun tilted his head. “What about the search for the Chosen One?”

  Mu Yichen glanced out the window. The sky outside was blue, but something about his tone made it feel like a storm was brewing.

  “There’s no lead yet,” he said calmly. “But my instincts tell me… the answer isn’t far. Maybe, we’re already closer than we think.”

  Seo MinHyun looked at him, confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Mu Yichen didn’t answer.

  Park Taegun narrowed his eyes, studying his friend’s side profile.

  For the first time in a long while, Mu Yichen seemed… distracted. Not by duty, not by pride, but by something or someone else.

  Without another word, Mu Yichen walked toward the door.

  Park Taegun followed silently, curiosity fully piqued.

  And Seo MinHyun, despite himself, hurried after them, muttering under his breath, “Tch. Like I’d let you guys meet the lunatic without me.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The car came to a slow stop on the cracked pavement of the West Zone.

  What once might have been a thriving district now stood silent, hollow. Buildings with broken windows leaned like crooked teeth, shadows stretched unnaturally in the gray light, and not a soul stirred in sight.

  Park Taegun stepped out, scanning the surroundings with practiced caution. His sharp military-trained senses absorbed everything at once.

  “This place really does look haunted,” he said quietly, adjusting the cuffs of his dark uniform jacket.

  Seo MinHyun threw his arms dramatically. “That’s what I’ve been saying! You see it now, right? The guy who lives here isn’t normal.”

  Mu Yichen didn’t respond. His eyes were already on the building ahead, the same five-story structure where they had first encountered Lee Aseok.

  Memories flashed in his mind: the fragile figure soaked in rain, those lifeless reddish-brown eyes, and the quiet words “I don’t like humans.”

  The trio walked toward the door.

  For a brief moment, Seo MinHyun hesitated. He stared at the entrance, recalling with vivid clarity how he had blasted it open without a second thought last time.

  Mu Yichen noticed and said nothing.

  This time, Seo MinHyun knocked.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Silence.

  “…Tch.” Seo MinHyun clicked his tongue but didn't lose his temper. Instead, he pulled something from his coat pocket and held it up with a smug grin. “Good thing I came prepared.”

  It glimmered faintly in the light. A small artifact, A-rank drop item, shaped like a silver eye, obtained from a mimic-type monster. It could bypass any standard lock, enchanted or not, exactly once.

  Mu Yichen’s gaze sharpened. Park Taegun raised an eyebrow.

  “…You brought a lockpick?” Park Taegun asked dryly.

  Seo MinHyun shrugged. “Would you rather I kicked the door again?”

  Mu Yichen folded his arms but didn’t stop him.

  As the door clicked open and swung inward, Park Taegun muttered, “I should upgrade the security system at my place.”

  Mu Yichen entered first, followed silently by Park Taegun.

  Seo MinHyun lingered for a beat, pouting at their backs. “You’re all acting like I’m the problem,” he grumbled, but still stepped inside and with hand raised.

  A faint glow danced around his fingertips, a sure sign that a fire spell was forming. His lips were already twisted into a dramatic scowl.

  “I swear, if this guy pulls another stunt, I’m going to..!!”

  But then he remembered the eyes.

  Those empty, heavy, bloodshot eyes.

  They weren’t the eyes of someone playing around.

  He let his hand drop and huffed. “Tch. Fine. I won’t burn the house. Yet.”

  The three of them stepped inside, their boots quiet on the worn floorboards.

  And then they froze.

  In the middle of the room, sprawled out on the cold floor like a starfish, was Lee Aseok.

  His long hair fanned around him like a silk curtain. His limbs were stretched out without care, arms flung wide, one foot crooked, the other slightly twitching. His eyes were closed, his face pale and emotionless.

  For a moment, no one moved.

  If it weren’t for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, they might’ve thought he was dead.

  “…What the hell,” Seo MinHyun muttered, rubbing his temples. “Is he always like this?”

  Mu Yichen silently stepped forward, his brows drawn together.

  Park Taegun remained by the door. His eyes hadn’t left the motionless form on the ground.

  And then, he felt it.

  A strange, stabbing pain in his chest.

  Guilt.

  Sorrow.

  Grief.

  For a person he had never met before.

  His military-trained composure faltered for just a breath before he forced it down. He took a slow inhale, grounding himself, then glanced sideways at his two friends.

  Now he understood.

  Why did Mu Yichen look so unreadable.

  Why Seo MinHyun, the loudest of them all, was uncharacteristically quiet.

  Park Taegun stared at the long-haired youth again. There was something pulling at him, like an invisible thread connecting them. It made no sense, but he couldn’t shake it.

  Lee Aseok, lying there with his limbs limp, was clearly aware of them.

  He had sensed them coming long before they entered.

  The footsteps. The familiar auras. Even Park Taegun's presence wasn’t a surprise.

  But Lee Aseok didn’t want to remember.

  Didn’t want to feel anything.

  His mind tiptoed along the edge of old memories, but he shoved them back into the dark.

  He had made a decision.

  He would do only what he wanted.

  Nothing more, nothing less.

  So, he opened his eyes.

  Just slightly.

  His dull, reddish-brown eyes landed on them, three of the strongest awakeners in the country, standing awkwardly in his living room.

  Lee Aseok stared for a few seconds.

  Then, just as silently, he closed his eyes again.

  Seo MinHyun’s jaw dropped. “He… he looked at us and just, just went back to sleep?!”

  Mu Yichen pinched the bridge of his nose.

  Park Taegun remained still, hands in his pockets, staring with an unreadable expression.

  Seo MinHyun exploded with disbelief. “Seriously! Is he a cat?! Or a sloth?!”

  Lee Aseok, of course, did not respond.

  Seo MinHyun froze.

  He blinked. Once. Twice. Then opened his mouth with visible irritation.

  “That brat,” he muttered, digging through his inner coat pocket, “I swear if I splash him with a full glass of.."

  A soft chuckle interrupted him.

  Mu Yichen, who had been standing next to him, unexpectedly knelt down on the floor and calmly sat with his legs crossed.

  Park Taegun glanced down, shrugged slightly, and also lowered himself into a seated position with the silent ease of someone used to following battlefield protocols.

  Seo MinHyun looked at them both like they’d lost their minds.

  “What the hell are you two doing?! Did you catch some kind of virus from that crazy guy?”

  Mu Yichen didn’t answer. He simply adjusted the sleeves of his coat, leaning an elbow on one knee and resting his chin on his hand. There was a quiet amusement in his eyes.

  Park Taegun didn’t even bother glancing at Seo MinHyun. His gaze remained fixed on the young man lying in front of them.

  Seo MinHyun stood for another full five seconds, debating whether he was about to lose his last functioning brain cell. But after a long sigh, he gave up and plopped onto the floor with a dramatic groan.

  “Fine. Let’s all go insane together.”

  On the floor, it was silent again.

  Three of the nation’s top S-rank awakeners sat in a semi-circle, staring at a person who seemed like he couldn’t care less whether they were gods or grass.

  Lee Aseok, however, was not asleep.

  He could feel their presence. Hear the way their breathing changed. Sense the warmth of their auras surrounding him.

  His lips twitched slightly.

  Why were they still here?

  He slowly opened one eye, then the other.

  What he saw nearly made him snort.

  They were sitting. On the floor. Just… watching him.

  Are they doing some kind of psychological tactic? Interrogation by awkwardness?

  Lee Aseok stared up at the ceiling, reconsidering every decision that led to this moment.

  Eventually, he sighed internally and decided to give in.

  Sleeping in front of three men staring holes into his face wasn’t exactly peaceful.

  So, in true Lee Aseok fashion, he moved.

  Slowly.

  Excruciatingly slowly.

  First, his arm lifted.

  Then the other.

  Then, like an elderly man rising after a nap on a rice field, he dragged himself up, vertebrae cracking one by one until he sat cross-legged on the floor.

  Seo MinHyun blinked. “Is he… meditating or charging up his madness?”

  Mu Yichen remained silent, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

  Park Taegun raised a brow but said nothing.

  Now, four grown men, three famous awakeners and one socially withdrawn mystery were just sitting there. On the floor. In complete silence.

  Lee Aseok stared into space as though he were reconsidering being reborn.

  The other three just continued staring at him.

  After what felt like another full minute, Lee Aseok very slowly stood up.

  His movements were quiet and steady, like a spirit floating through an abandoned temple.

  Lee Aseok, still in his loose, oversized pajama top and hair trailing like a silken veil behind him, slowly got to his feet. His motions were unhurried, more like a ghost rising from a forgotten grave than a person with somewhere to be.

  He began walking toward the front door.

  Mu Yichen stood up first. Park Taegun followed without a word. Seo MinHyun, after blinking in confusion, quickly got up too though he muttered something under his breath about crazy people with good skin.

  The three of them quietly trailed behind Lee Aseok, unsure of what this strange man was doing or where he was headed.

  Lee Aseok opened the door.

  He stepped outside.

  The three followed.

  Then...

  He stopped.

  Without any reaction or acknowledgment of their presence, he turned back around.

  Mu Yichen tilted his head slightly. Did he forget something?

  Seo MinHyun whispered, “Maybe he sleepwalks with his eyes open?”

  Park Taegun didn’t say anything, just watched silently.

  Lee Aseok walked past them again, walked back into the house,

  And then, without any change in expression, turned to face them…

  Click.

  The front door shut firmly in their faces. Locked.

  Mu Yichen, Seo MinHyun, and Park Taegun stood on the steps, staring at the closed door.

  The warm sound of the lock sliding into place was somehow louder than any insult.

  A long, heavy silence followed.

  Seo MinHyun blinked. “Did he just…?”

  Park Taegun’s jaw tensed slightly. “He kicked us out.”

  They stood there, the three most elite awakeners in the country, outsmarted and outmaneuvered by a man in pajamas.

  Seo MinHyun’s face twitched. His jaw dropped. “I—I was just locked out… by a lunatic who thinks floors are beds!?”

  He turned red with fury. “This is an insult! A crime! No one dares humiliate me like this! I…!”

  Park Taegun, already recovered, calmly crossed his arms. “I’ll start locking my door from now on. Anyone who enters without my permission, I’ll kick them out too.”

  Seo MinHyun spun to face him. “You’re acting like you weren’t part of the crime!”

  “I didn’t open the door illegally,” Park Taegun replied coolly. “You used a gate item. That’s a felony under the Awakened Residence Act.”

  “That’s not even real law!” Seo MinHyun shouted. “You just made that up!”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’d still kick you out.”

  Seo MinHyun looked like he was going to explode. “You.!!”

  The two began bickering again, voice rising, tone sharp.

  Mu Yichen, still facing the door, suddenly let out a low laugh.

  A clear, amused chuckle.

  every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Yes, every week!