Summons

Lee Sa-young furrowed his brow slightly.

"…Matthew? Why?"

"The doctor keeps checking on him, but his condition isn't improving. Whether it's because of that damned drug or something else, even potions or healing abilities aren't working…"

"…"

The gloved fingertip traced the rim of the cup. Matthew got injured? Wasn't he already dead? I don't recall hearing any reports about issues with his safety. Thoughts that were his and not his own tangled together in a mess. He let out a long sigh, and a hissing sound escaped from his gas mask.

'At this rate…'

It seemed unlikely he'd be able to work properly for a while. Lee Sa-young clenched his fist tightly before releasing it.

That delayed sense of movement, the unpleasant feeling as if his body wasn't truly his own, showed no sign of disappearing. If he let his guard down even a little, an unwelcome presence would push him aside and take control of his body. Even after clinging to Cha Eui-jae at home and barely regaining a sense of control, it was still like this.

Honeybee, who had been muttering with a deeply furrowed brow, looked up. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the gas mask.

"…Did you hear me? About the drugs and Matthew? I told him to pass it on to you."

"To whom?"

What was she talking about? Drugs? Was there even such a thing as drugs? Lee Sa-young's mind felt foggy as if he were groping through a thick mist. It felt like being a lost child, wandering aimlessly. Unpleasantly so.

Honeybee, resting her chin on her hand, asked,

"Aren't you working with J? Your guild. J said he'd pass it on."

"…J?"

J. Cha Eui-jae. He looked sharp in his suit. As he recalled the image of him standing by his side not long ago, his mind finally began to move. Did Hyung mention something like that?

"…Ah."

Lee Sa-young finally let out a small sigh of realization. Now that he thought about it, it seemed Hyung did say something along those lines. When he grabbed Cha Eui-jae as he was lingering by the door, what did he say? Something about Matthew and how it was important to pass it on.

Of course, he let it go in one ear and out the other. He was too dizzy to care about some other man's business. In fact, he deliberately ignored it, annoyed that Hyung was talking about someone else in front of him.

Lee Sa-young replied indifferently,

"I heard it."

"Really?"

"I just needed a reminder."

He did hear it. He just let it slip away. Honeybee glared at him suspiciously. Lee Sa-young shrugged and tapped his temple lightly.

"I'm not exactly in my right mind these days. Sorry about that."

"You were never in your right mind."

"Haha…"

"Don't act like you ever were. Everyone knows you're crazy."

Honeybee shot back sharply and pulled a small file from her inventory, handing it to him. As he quickly skimmed through it, a few words caught his eye. Samra Guild, drugs, Matthew, addiction… all familiar keywords. He twisted his lips into a smile.

"…You've been up to something interesting."

"Hand over the information related to the drugs. That's what I want."

Lee Sa-young tilted his head as he peeked at Honeybee over the file.

"And if I do?"

"Are you seriously asking? We bust them. We find a clue to treat Matthew too."

"No… that's none of my concern."

Thud. A gloved hand set the file down on the table. Lee Sa-young clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. His gas mask tilted slightly as he leaned his head to the side.

"I'm asking… what you'll give me in return."

"…"

"Oh. You weren't planning to take this valuable information for free, were you? Are you really that shameless and unreasonable?"

Bang!

Honeybee slammed her fist on the table and stood up, glaring down at Lee Sa-young. Her bright brown eyes sparkled with anger.

"Don't piss me off like that. I wasn't planning on taking it for free. What do you want?"

"Hmm, let's see…"

Lee Sa-young replied without hiding his boredom.

"Honestly, there's not much I want…"

"What?"

"I doubt you could give me what I really want anyway."

"…"

"…In other words, this deal was never going to work out."

Just as Honeybee was about to say something, Lee Sa-young's violet eyes narrowed behind the lenses.

"But I'll give you the information. Matthew needs to be saved… yeah."

The fist that had been about to slam down on his gas mask stopped just short of his face. Honeybee's hand trembled as she clenched and unclenched it before muttering through gritted teeth.

"You… really piss me off. That was worse than Gyu-Gyu just now. You know that?"

"I haven't had much chance to be mischievous lately."

Lee Sa-young took out a pen from inside his coat pocket. He scribbled a phone number on the cover of the file and slid it over to Honeybee.

"You'll get a call at that number within a few days. Be there. And make sure no one tails you."

"Got it."

"But not right away. I have things to do too."

"I get why you're here. You're after Mackerel, aren't you? That article is from Mackerel, isn't it?"

"…"

"I never thought the great Lee Sa-young would end up being carried by J."

Honeybee sneered as she tucked the file back into her inventory.

"Aha… so that's what everyone thinks."

But contrary to her expectations, the narrowed eyes only seemed to smile more. What the hell? I meant to hurt his pride, so why is he smiling? Honeybee frowned. Maybe he really isn't in his right mind, just like he said earlier. Lee Sa-young chuckled as he replied.

"I just came to say thank you."

"What?"

Without further explanation, Lee Sa-young waved his hand dismissively.

"If you're done, you should go. You can't stay away too long."

"Hmph, I was going to leave anyway."

As she turned to leave, Honeybee spun back around and snapped sharply.

"And make sure you answer your damn phone from now on. Got it? Don't hole up somewhere and make me come looking for you again."

"…What?"

Lee Sa-young, who had been idly rubbing the cup, looked up.

Had Honeybee ever come looking for him personally? No. But he knew. He knew exactly what she was referring to. A fragment of memory surfaced, faint amidst the shattered pieces. A time when he had locked himself away in a dark space, barely holding on to life. The one who opened the door and came in was…

Honeybee, after tidying her hair and tying her scarf, looked back at him curiously.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?"

When she had come through the door, her hair had been a mess, cut unevenly.

"…"

A few long strands of hair slipped out from under the scarf. Honeybee clicked her tongue and gathered the long, uneven strands back together. The mixture of neatly cut and jagged hair intertwined and crossed.

Am I the crazy one? Or…

"Do you remember what you just said? You."

"What? Of course, I do. I'm not some goldfish. I said to answer your phone regularly."

"And after that?"

"After that? Hmm, I said don't hole up somewhere and make me… huh?"

Honeybee, who had been speaking confidently, trailed off. Her fingers, which had been tying the knot, suddenly froze. Confusion clouded her bright brown eyes.

"Right? That's strange. Did I ever come looking for you? I don't think so…"

"…"

"…Ah, this is driving me crazy. What's wrong with me lately?"

Honeybee rubbed her temples, her face turning pale. It didn't seem like something she had said intentionally. Words unconsciously slipped out, a scene from the fragments of the uninvited guest's memory. Honeybee knew that moment. Lee Sa-young stood up. The hem of his black coat fluttered.

"You're not the only one, it seems. In this case."

She took a step back, now on guard. Lee Sa-young spoke ominously.

"Tell me."

"Why should I?"

Lee Sa-young removed his gloves. His blackened fingers grasped the pen on the table. Ssssk, the pen began to melt into black liquid.

"Otherwise, I can't give you the information…"

"What? Hey, are you really going to act like this?"

"Just tell me. I'll believe whatever crazy thing you say."

Biting her lip, Honeybee sighed deeply and responded quickly.

"Fine. Lately, I've been seeing weird things. Things I never did, suddenly coming out of my mouth. Like I'm losing my mind. Happy now?"

"Like what?"

"Goddamn it…"

Honeybee roughly tousled her hair before pointing a finger straight at the center of Lee Sa-young's gas mask.

"If you tell anyone, I'll kill you. Got it?"

"I get it. Now hurry up and tell me."

Even though she promised, she hesitated to speak, pacing back and forth in the room for a long while. Lee Sa-young waited patiently. If he had known it would take this long, he would have brought Hyung along. The longer the delay, the greater his anxiety grew. Not only the fear of losing control but also,

'Please don't cause any more trouble…'

The anxiety was mostly like that of a dog owner with a highly active pet. Cha Eui-jae himself thought he was acting quite rationally, but from what Lee Sa-young could see, he was a complete mess. It was as if several screws were loose, yet somehow, like a robot, he carried out orders perfectly. In some ways, he was even self-destructive.

While waiting for Honeybee to start speaking, Lee Sa-young sent a text message.

[It'll take a bit.]

[You can follow someone named Jang Mi-sook.]

[I'll be there soon.]

It wasn't long before a reply came back.

Hyung: Got it.

Fortunately, it seemed there hadn't been any accidents yet. Just as Lee Sa-young was tapping his phone screen absentmindedly, Honeybee finally spoke.

"…I see the face of a living person, but suddenly it looks like it's been torn apart by an animal, rotting away."

"…"

Lee Sa-young didn't respond, simply listening to her words. Honeybee bit her lip and muttered.

"Do you know what I saw recently? I was talking to Jung Bin, and suddenly, Jung Bin's neck was half-severed, dangling by a thread. I thought I'd been cursed or something."

"Was it not a curse?"

"No, it wasn't."

"…When did it start happening?"

"…"

Her black boots tapped against the floor.

"Since the Day of Change."

Honeybee and Lee Sa-young were both tense, a fragile atmosphere like cracked glass surrounding them. Only the bright red goldfish in the tank swam peacefully.

Lee Sa-young loosened the straps of his gas mask and took it off, placing it on the table. Disheveled hair, violet eyes, and pale lips were revealed in succession. With his face fully exposed, Lee Sa-young tilted his head and asked.

"What about me?"

"…"

"When you look at my face, what do you see?"

Honeybee slowly observed Lee Sa-young. She tilted her head slightly before responding.

"You… seem the same as before."

"…Hmm. Is that so?"

"No, wait. That's not right."

Her light brown eyes filled with curiosity.

"The color of your eyes… it's a bit brighter. Light violet?"

"…Ah."

Lee Sa-young let out a low exclamation, twisting his lips into a smile. But his eyes were filled with displeasure.

"Annoyingly accurate."