Yoo Areum had lasted barely a day in the West Zone.

  "Do you expect me to sleep on a floor that isn't even marble?" she had gasped, one hand dramatically over her chest, the other already calling her private transport.

  She was gone before nightfall, leaving behind a faint trail of expensive perfume and judgmental silence.

  Naturally, no one missed her. Except maybe the air, which now smelled less expensive and more like dirt again.

  Yoo Eunsae, on the other hand, had no such luck.

  With the chosen hero treating her like an unpaid intern and her sister gone, she was stuck in the dirt with the only other person who wouldn’t shut up: Seo MinHyun.

  “It’s kind of peaceful out here, isn’t it?” he said.

  Yoo Eunsae reached for another potion.

  Elsewhere, the zone’s quiet didn’t last long.

  Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, and Kang Juwon had all taken advantage of Lee Aseok’s declaration that he wouldn’t enter any new gates for a while.

  “I’m focusing on West Zone restoration,” Aseok had said.

  What he really meant was: I will now spend 85% of my time sleeping and 15% playing fetch with Pudding. Do not disturb.

  With that, the trio left to manage their respective guild duties, national security issues, and secret S-rank affairs.

  They would pop in, observe that Lee Aseok was still not dead, and vanish again.

  He Ziqin came and went too, often dropping off supplies, occasionally making suspicious comments about how “this is all probably part of some secret hero training arc.”

  In their absence, the West Zone that had been silent for years was now filled with the soft hum of new life: the rustle of magic-infused leaves, the low growl of Pudding chasing monsters for sport, and Yoo Eunsae’s increasingly aggressive muttering.

  “I will grow these flowers. I will make them bloom. And then I will plant one on Lee Aseok’s face when he’s sleeping.”

  Seo MinHyun, watering a patch nearby, pretended not to hear.

  Still, despite the complaints, the zone was changing.

  Magic-infused seedlings sprouted along old roads.

  The air smelled less like stale mana and more like rain-soaked soil.

  Birds returned.

  Even a butterfly landed on Seo MinHyun’s head once. He declared it a sign of divine approval.

  (Then it pooped on him and flew off.)

  Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, and Kang Juwon took full advantage of the situation..

  They used the lull in action to catch up on urgent work: classified missions, report filings, political meetings and, in Kang Juwon’s case, illegal dealings done with the kind of flair that could only belong to someone both evil and stylish.

  While Mu Yichen and Park Taegun were the picture of lawful strength, heroes in both uniform and spirit, Kang Juwon was… different.

  Yes, he smiled charmingly. Yes, he shook hands with politicians and waved at cameras. But behind that elegant image was a man who once convinced a mid-tier guild to smuggle dungeon materials inside plush teddy bears. For fun. Just to see if anyone would notice.

  (No one did. The bears were later sold at a children’s hospital fundraiser. He was given a “Philanthropist of the Year” award.)

  He was evil. He was brilliant. He was, frankly, a lunatic.

  And now, he was in the West Zone.

  Alone.

  Well, not quite alone, Lee Aseok was there. And Kang Juwon wasn’t about to waste this rare opportunity.

  After all, there weren’t many chances to spend time with the man who had once stopped a dungeon wave with a single sword strike and then complained that it wasn’t satisfying enough.

  So Kang Juwon stayed close. Not too close, of course, Lee Aseok didn’t like that. But close enough.

  Which is why, on the second day of the so-called “West Zone Restoration,” something unexpected happened.

  Lee Aseok, who had been lying on his back with Pudding snoring beside him, suddenly opened his eyes and said:

  “Kang Juwon.”

  The criminal straightened like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

  “Yes, hero?”

  Aseok sat up, eyes blank as usual, tone utterly calm.

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  “I’m bored.”

  “…Right,” Kang Juwon nodded. “Understandable. I can offer card games, minor explosions, or a cursed relic that screams when you touch it—”

  “Can I have mana boosters?”

  The silence that followed was so dense, even the wind seemed to pause in confusion.

  Kang Juwon blinked.

  “…Excuse me?”

  Aseok looked at him with all the interest of someone wondering whether they should eat grass out of curiosity.

  “You’re a criminal, right? You have drugs. I’m bored. So… Can I?”

  The words were slow. Steady. Not a single emotion attached.

  And that—that—was what scared Kang Juwon more than anything.

  He knew addicts. He’d sold them, tricked them, used them. He’d watched people beg, cry, hallucinate, even scratch their own skin off from withdrawal.

  He’d seen ruin.

  But never–never—had anyone asked about drugs with that level of blank indifference.

  Like it wasn’t even a rebellion. Just an activity to pass time. Like chewing gum. Or washing dishes.

  At that moment, Kang Juwon saw a vision, Aseok lying on a mattress, eyes glassy, muttering to Pudding about the color of mana.

  Aseok with trembling hands, unable to fight. Aseok, not dying in battle like a hero, but rotting from the inside out while the world collapsed again.

  A cold sweat slid down his spine.

  “No,” he said.

  Aseok tilted his head. “Why not?”

  “Because…” Kang Juwon licked his lips, trying to think of a reason that wasn’t ‘Because I suddenly remembered I have a soul.’ “Because drugs are boring. You want excitement, right? Drugs just make you lazy and annoying. Like… like Seo MinHyun.”

  “…That’s terrible.”

  “Exactly!”

  And that was that.

  Aseok shrugged and laid back down.

  Kang Juwon, meanwhile, had an identity crisis under a crumbling wall.

  He smirked, eyes cold as he watched Kang Juwon walk, and calmly lay on pudding’s fur and fell asleep.

  Later that evening, Kang Juwon made a decision.

  “I’m quitting the drug business,” he announced to no one in particular.

  Of course, he had no intention of stopping his arms deals, mana trafficking, or dungeon core black market trades. Those were still fun. But drugs? No. Not anymore.

  He couldn’t risk the one person he accidentally respected turning into a drooling husk over a bad trip.

  He would commit crimes, yes.

  But he’d do it responsibly.

  A few meters away, Lee Aseok tossed a stick for Pudding, who ran after it with noble dignity, tail high.

  The man truly didn’t care what anyone did. He’d once told Kang Juwon:

  “You’re evil. But monsters are evil too. I don’t treat humans and monsters differently.”

  Which should’ve been offensive.

  Instead, Kang Juwon had felt weirdly honored. There was something pure about that kind of apathy.

  No lectures. No self-righteous glares.

  Just quiet judgment and unspoken “do whatever, just don’t annoy me.”

  And maybe… that’s why Kang Juwon was still here.

  Not because he hoped for redemption. He didn’t. He loved being evil.

  But because Lee Aseok saw him exactly as he was and didn’t flinch.

  Didn’t moralize.

  Didn’t care.

  In a world full of people who tried to change him, Lee Aseok was the only one who never bothered.

  And for some reason, that made Kang Juwon want to… be less of a threat.

  At least around him.

  The West Zone remained alive with noise. Pudding barked triumphantly with a stick the size of its entire body. Seeds bloomed, gates flickered quietly in the sky, and a few meters away, Kang Juwon watched the Chosen Hero sleep again.

  On the third day, the West Zone no longer looked like a zone of desolation.

  It looked like a jungle that had been force-fed fertilizer and then left alone with a grudge.

  Skyscrapers were barely peeking out between tangled vines, moss had claimed street lamps like it was a victory, and something green was growing inside an abandoned vending machine.

  It was beautiful, in a terrifying, post-apocalyptic kind of way.

  Yoo Eunsae collapsed face-first into the grass, panting.

  “I’m… done,” she whispered. “Let the forest consume me.”

  Next to her, Seo MinHyun flopped dramatically with a groan, his limbs sprawled like a fallen starfish.

  “I built… trees. I’m a mage. Why was I building trees?”

  He got no answer. Only the faint rustle of leaves and Yoo Eunsae wheezing beside him.

  The two had spent three entire days planting seeds, nurturing soil, casting growth-enhancing spells, and manually hauling fertilizer bags that seemed to weigh more than A-rank monsters.

  This, of course, was all for the “West Zone Restoration Project.”

  A noble-sounding title. A very grand mission.

  Led, of course, by one very emotionally unavailable hero: Lee Aseok.

  And because no one dared to question the hero, whose mere glance could freeze time (or at least freeze people in place from sheer pressure)—they obeyed.

  Now, Yoo Eunsae and Seo MinHyun lay defeated on their nature battlefield, covered in dirt, bug bites, and spiritual despair.

  The others had returned just in time to witness the aftermath.

  Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, Kang Juwon, and He Ziqin stood silently, gazing around.

  The forest was thick. Unnaturally so. Trees twisted like they’d been summoned from a fantasy novel.

  Vines draped over buildings, and patches of glowing mushrooms lined the streets. Even the wind sounded suspiciously judgmental.

  “…There are no animals,” He Ziqin muttered, rubbing his arms as goosebumps bloomed. “Isn’t that weird?”

  Mu Yichen nodded slowly. “It’s quiet. Too quiet.”

  “It’s giving haunted fairy tale,” Park Taegun added, crossing his arms.

  Kang Juwon just whistled, impressed and mildly disgusted.

  Then, as if summoned by the stillness, a soft sound of footsteps broke through the leaves.

  Lee Aseok.

  And Pudding.

  The husky walked proudly at his side, tail swaying like it owned the entire overgrown mess they were now standing in.

  Lee Aseok himself was the same as ever, expression unreadable, presence heavy, indifference practically radiating off his shoulders.

  He wasn’t even looking at them.

  He was just… observing the trees. Walking in silence. The others might as well have been decorative stones.

  Yoo Eunsae, still lying half-dead on the ground, suddenly shot upright.

  Her eyes sparkled with desperate hope.

  She had worked for three days. With bleeding hands and mana overuse. Surely—surely—he would say something. Thank you. A compliment. A simple nod.

  Even an uninterested grunt would do.

  She stood to her feet, swaying slightly, hair full of leaves.

  Lee Aseok passed her.

  Did not pause.

  Did not blink.

  Did not breathe in her direction.

  Instead, he crouched beside Pudding, pulled out a strawberry from a pouch, and gently held it out to his dog.

  Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, Kang Juwon, and He Ziqin all turned their heads at once and stared at Yoo Eunsae with deep, knowing pity.

  Seo MinHyun, still lying on the ground, just sighed without opening his eyes.

  “You expected a thank-you?” he muttered. “From him?”

  Yoo Eunsae’s eyes twitched.

  Lee Aseok gave Pudding the strawberry.

  The dog sniffed it suspiciously. Aseok sniffed his own strawberry as well, apparently trying to reassure the dog by example.

  Then, together, they both bit into their strawberries.

  A pause.

  And then—simultaneously—they both spat it out.

  Lee Aseok grimaced. Pudding shook its head dramatically and made hacking noises.

  “Disgusting,” Aseok muttered, wiping his mouth.

  The husky made a sound that could only be described as agreement.

  The others watched this synchronized moment of repulsion with stunned expressions.

  “…They even hate food the same way,” He Ziqin whispered.

  Kang Juwon snorted. “At this point, I’m not sure who’s imitating who.”

  “Maybe they share a soul,” Park Taegun added thoughtfully.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Mu Yichen said, deadpan. “The husky clearly has more emotional expression.”

  Yoo Eunsae slowly sank to her knees.

  Author Note:

  Every “OH MY GOD ASEOK STOP” gives me the strength to write the next disaster.

  Mon ? Wed ? Fri

  (Yes, I too question my life choices.)

  https://www.patreon.com/c/LithutheBloom

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