Life is Like a Boomerang

"Excuse me, is anyone inside?"

Knock knock knock. The sound of knocking echoed through the quiet hangover soup restaurant. Along with it came a small but clear mutter.

"Are they asleep…"

He could tell just from the voice. It was Yoon Ga-eul, the one who had shown him the world within the fragments. If it weren't for this situation, she would have been a welcome guest… Cha Eui-jae glanced at the corner. Hong Ye-seong was lying on the floor, his head raised and listening intently. He looked like a lizard surveying its surroundings.

'Of all times, this guy had to be here…'

Cha Eui-jae met Hong Ye-seong's eyes and mouthed silently.

"Do you know her?"

Hong Ye-seong nodded seriously with a grave expression. Cha Eui-jae stifled a sigh and twisted his lips. Damn it, do rankers get together periodically for meals or something?

'How do they all know each other, damn it.'

There was another hesitant knock. Knock knock. Hong Ye-seong, who had extended his neck, asked in a low voice.

"No matter how I see it, it doesn't seem like they're looking for me. Do you know that person, Secretary?"

"…"

"Come on, tell me."

"It's a secret."

"Oh, how unfair. Just dodging the question."

As Hong Ye-seong whispered like a protester chanting slogans, Cha Eui-jae pointed his thumb at the door as if to show off.

"Can I open the door?"

Hong Ye-seong pressed himself even closer to the floor, perhaps to hide himself. But his bright blue, rain-soaked hiking clothes made it quite ineffective.

"They might have come to find me after getting contacted by the surveillance department. Let me think for a moment."

"You just said it didn't seem like they were looking for you."

"You should always keep possibilities open."

Come to think of it, didn't this guy have a secret space with a grand tiled house and a palanquin? Why wasn't he hiding there instead of squirming on the ground? Cha Eui-jae crossed his arms and asked.

"Can't you go to the place where you kidnapped me? That tiled house."

"Not now. It's a very delicate space, so it needs some repair time after each use."

Hong Ye-seong pulled out a silver mat and covered himself like a blanket, ignoring Cha Eui-jae's puzzled look. Surprisingly, the part of the floor covered by the mat turned into a surface that looked just like the floor. With only his head sticking out, Hong Ye-seong gestured for Cha Eui-jae to go out quickly. Cha Eui-jae trudged towards the door.

Click. The door opened, and Yoon Ga-eul, who had been pacing outside, looked up at Cha Eui-jae. She bowed her head.

"Hello…"

"Just a moment."

Cha Eui-jae quickly cut her off and put his index finger to his lips. Yoon Ga-eul shut her mouth quickly. Meanwhile, with his other hand, Cha Eui-jae typed a message on his phone's memo app.

[There's someone else here. Please call me Secretary Kim from Pado Guild.]

Yoon Ga-eul's eyes scanned the message quickly. Then she cleared her throat.

"Ahem, I. I came at a very late hour. I'm sorry, Secretary Kim."

Yoon Ga-eul glanced up at Cha Eui-jae as if to ask if she got it right. Cha Eui-jae nodded slightly and asked.

"No problem. What brings you here at this hour?"

"Well…"

Hesitating, Yoon Ga-eul started typing something on her phone to show him.

[I came to tell you something important. I only had time today.]

If she came at dawn, she must have seen something important… Cha Eui-jae nodded. Yoon Ga-eul began writing another message.

[Since a few months ago, dungeons have started to appear where the environment suddenly changes. It's not a natural change but a completely different form. But from what I've heard… the changed form is very similar to the world within the fragments. Covered in white ash, and unfamiliar white monsters appear.]

The world within the fragments. The apocalyptic world was a familiar space covered in white ash. It was, of course, similar to the West Sea Rift that he had been constantly navigating. Cha Eui-jae clenched his fist.

[Guild Leader Nam Woo-jin calls it dungeon erosion. He says it's like being invaded by a completely different space. Only a few rankers know about the apocalypse, and since erosion doesn't happen often, the investigation into it is being conducted secretly. I've been tasked with comparing the world within the fragments and the eroded dungeons. As I compared what I've seen with this world…]

Yoon Ga-eul pushed up her glasses.

[As you know, the world within the fragments and this world are similar yet different. But I realized that there's a point where the two worlds started to diverge significantly.]

Her fingers moved quickly.

[The West Sea Rift didn't appear in the world within the fragments.]

"…"

The West Sea Rift. Seeing that sudden word, Cha Eui-jae bit his lip. Just as Yoon Ga-eul was about to write another message,

"Achoo!"

A loud sneeze broke the silence. Yoon Ga-eul widened her eyes. Cha Eui-jae quickly turned to see who made the sound. Hong Ye-seong was scratching his nose and laughing awkwardly. Damn, he had forgotten about that guy's presence. If they kept communicating by writing, even someone as clueless as Hong Ye-seong would find it strange. Yoon Ga-eul seemed to have the same thought.

[Who's the person inside?]

Yoon Ga-eul knows that Cha Eui-jae is J. There's no need to hide it. Cha Eui-jae quietly signaled with his eyes.

[Hong Ye-seong.]

Yoon Ga-eul looked surprised. Well, she must have seen Jung Bin's loudspeaker too. Her fingers moved even faster.

[Why is Ye-seong-nim here??? Jung Bin-nim was looking for him a lot before going into the dungeon…]

Cha Eui-jae mulled over Yoon Ga-eul's story. The dungeon erosion that has been occurring for several months, dungeons transforming into landscapes very similar to the apocalyptic world within the fragments. The West Sea Rift also resembles this apocalyptic world. Suddenly, a heavy thought passed through his mind.

What if dungeon erosion isn't just making them similar… but actually connecting them to the same space?

A chill ran down his spine. If that were true, then the eroded dungeons and the West Sea Rift could be connected. It might just be speculation, but…

He had to confirm it.

Cha Eui-jae steadied his trembling hand and quickly wrote a message.

[Can I enter one of the eroded dungeons to see for myself? Anywhere is fine.]

Yoon Ga-eul's eyes widened, then she looked serious, crossing her arms and placing a fist against her mouth. After some thought, she nodded and showed her phone.

[There's a recently appeared eroded dungeon in Jongno 3-ga.]

Jongno 3-ga… luckily, it was within Seoul. If he moved quickly, he could be back before the store opened. Yoon Ga-eul continued writing.

[But sneaking into an eroded dungeon will be tricky. They are under strict control, and only authorized personnel can enter.]

'Is that really a problem?'

If he knocked everyone out and ensured there were no witnesses, wouldn't that be considered stealth? As long as he had something to cover his face, it seemed doable. However, Yoon Ga-eul seemed to think otherwise. At that moment,

"Achoo!"

Once again, Hong Ye-seong sneezed loudly. Yoon Ga-eul's face lit up with an idea.

[Ye-seong-nim might be helpful. He learned how to handle such situations from Jung Bin-nim.]

Cha Eui-jae glanced back into the store. Hong Ye-seong, with only his head sticking out, was now interacting with Kkokko, making eye contact with the chicken.

Him?

No way.

Noticing his skepticism, Yoon Ga-eul signaled reassuringly. She then squeezed past Cha Eui-jae, who was blocking the door, and stuck her upper body into the store.

"Master Artisan Hong Ye-seong! Please help! It's a dungeon erosion!"

"…Who is it?"

Before Cha Eui-jae could stop her, Hong Ye-seong lifted his head.

"Who called for the Master Artisan?"

***

Dungeons. The mysterious spaces that began to appear sporadically after the Day of the Rift.

The vegetation inside dungeons is unlike anything seen on Earth, and dangerous monsters inhabit them. If the monsters inside aren't periodically culled, their numbers can increase rapidly, causing an overload. Hence, unnecessary dungeons are closed, and those with valuable by-products are managed by either the state or guilds.

Lee Min-hoon, an inspector affiliated with the Rift Management Bureau, was in charge of managing the Jongno 3-ga underground dungeon. In reality, being an inspector just meant letting in those with permission from the Pado Guild— a cushy job. He smacked his lips.

'I thought I'd be kicked out after the ownership changed.'

The Jongno 3-ga underground dungeon had transitioned from state ownership to the guild. Usually, when a guild takes over, their members manage the site, but the Pado Guild claimed they didn't have the manpower, so they left the Rift Management Bureau inspectors in place. They were incredibly generous. Thanks to that, Lee Min-hoon continued to enjoy his boring yet leisurely duty.

At 3 a.m., he yawned as he watched his phone running an auto-hunting game. This job was great, except for being incredibly dull. Just as he wiped away a tear from his yawn, he noticed figures approaching the guard post in the distance. Who the hell comes here at 3 a.m.?

Lee Min-hoon rubbed his eyes and adjusted his cap. They kept coming closer, so it wasn't a hallucination. Eventually, the dim light revealed them.

"…What is that?"

A person in a blue hiking outfit, heavily equipped with sunglasses and a black mask, another in a white baseball cap, beige hoodie, and pajama pants, and a tall young man in a gray hoodie. It was an odd combination with no apparent commonality. They walked towards the guard post without hesitation. Lee Min-hoon hurriedly switched on the microphone.

"Stop right there! Identify yourselves."