Side Story 12
The turtle, glancing at Kwon Jihan nervously, responded.
"The front… must not have gone inside someone else, and the back… must not have had anyone inside it either."
"Ah… so, um… when you say inside…."
Yoon Seo stammered, unable to finish his sentence. His eyes darted in confusion.
Thanks to the God of Love, both of them could see each other's skill messages, and right now, this message appeared before Yoon Seo's eyes.
'Kwon Jihan's skill
"Kwon Jihan."
"Yeah."
"Calm down. You're a patient person, remember?"
"Patient, my ass. Who can stay calm after hearing that?"
Kwon Jihan ran his hand roughly through his hair. Riceball chirped, pecked at his hand, and then quietly perched on his shoulder.
"Shit. This feels terrible."
Kwon Jihan tilted his head, exuding frustration. He had some idea of Yoon Seo's past, but hearing about it again made his whole body tense with anger.
Even though Kwon Jihan wasn't someone who had gone astray, an intense and dark aura radiated around him.
The atmosphere turned so menacing that the bartender, the turtle, the deer, and the rabbit huddled together, trembling.
The God of Love is getting excited.
The God of Love's nostrils flare.
The God of Love smashes a wall.
The God of Death scolds the God of Love for being too noisy.
In the midst of this, the gods were in chaos.
A certain God senses jealousy and has come to watch the two of them.
"Wow. What's this? Is it the God of Jealousy?"
"..."
"Looks like I'm getting a new god. Wow, this is crazy. Feels great. Totally worth getting jealous, huh?"
Kwon Jihan grinned with jealousy in his eyes, smirking with only the corner of his lips lifted.
Peep…?
Even Riceball, who normally didn't shy away from a fight, cautiously flew back over to Yoon Seo.
Myam lightly nudged Yoon Seo's elbow, as if to signal him to do something.
Still standing on the other side of the bridge, Yoon Seo spoke calmly to Kwon Jihan.
"Don't misunderstand. It's just because things are… unclear."
"Oh, right. I get what you're saying. Unclear, huh?"
Kwon Jihan let out a series of short, frustrated breaths.
He was practically sighing from the rage boiling inside him.
After pacing around for a bit, he finally let out a long sigh and said.
"I'm jealous, and it pisses me off, but what can I do? You're popular, hyung. I like that my boyfriend is so popular."
"..."
"Anyway, the not-so-uncertain Jihan will go get the box, so wait here. Hey, getting a new god isn't so bad, right?"
Kwon Jihan immediately turned around and strode forward.
At that moment, Yoon Seo saw it— the hurt in Kwon Jihan's eyes.
He was jealous, but he couldn't even ask who the other guy was.
Because the moment he asked, he'd be reminded of the past in the Great Dungeon.
Kwon Jihan was always so careful with Yoon Seo.
He'd tease him lightly, sometimes playfully, but deep down…
'Are you okay, hyung? Does it still hurt?'
He treated Yoon Seo like a fragile, cracked glass statue.
Anything that might trigger Yoon Seo's past trauma was never even mentioned.
Yoon Seo was already aware of this at times. And because of that, he didn't hesitate.
Skill
The alien species were startled by his sudden disappearance, but Yoon Seo had already reached the box and waited for Kwon Jihan to cross the bridge.
"Hyung…?"
Kwon Jihan, who had been walking across with a cold, expressionless face, stopped when he saw Yoon Seo.
Yoon Seo grabbed Kwon Jihan's arm and pulled him in.
And then…
Standing on his toes, he grabbed Kwon Jihan by the collar and kissed him forcefully. Riceball tried to intervene with a peep, but Yoon Seo held it back with one hand, preventing it from moving.
The kiss was deep and intense.
Kwon Jihan was so shocked that he couldn't even properly respond.
Yoon Seo sucked on Kwon Jihan's tongue once before letting go of his lips. Looking at Kwon Jihan's dazed expression, Yoon Seo said confidently,
"See? I just crossed the bridge."
"…You cheated."
"I crossed it, though."
Kwon Jihan blinked.
Yoon Seo grinned at his boyish reaction.
"Tell the God of Jealousy not to bother. You won't have any reason to be jealous anymore."
Still stunned, Kwon Jihan let out a helpless laugh and wrapped his arms around Yoon Seo's waist.
"God, you're driving me crazy."
And then, another kiss followed—this one even more drawn-out and intense than before.
The four alien beings squeezed their eyes shut, Myam watched with satisfaction, Riceball wept sorrowfully, and the gods, especially the God of Love, were in complete chaos…
Druk, druk.
The ego box, which had wandered the dungeon alone for days, wishing anyone would stay by its side, was now wishing to be alone again at this moment.
***
With his berserker gauge full, Kwon Jihan used
In the reset maze, they once again tackled the puzzles with the box, and after passing all the trials and clearing the dungeon, ten days had passed since they arrived on the planet. The second labyrinth took longer because Yoon Seo couldn't use the
Druk, druk.
Peep, peep.
Drrr.
Peep… peeeep.
Riceball, who had bonded with the box from the beginning, wept profusely when it was time to part ways. The box, too, expressed its sadness by repeatedly opening and closing its lid.
Though Riceball seemed to cry often, it only shed such heavy tears when the situation involved Yoon Seo. This farewell was one of those deeply emotional moments.
Watching this, Yoon Seo once again thought about how much he wanted to find an Ego Weapon.
It wasn't just about giving Kwon Jihan a weapon.
Across the entire universe, items with consciousness were rare.
From Riceball's perspective…
In a universe with few Earthlings, it had met another Earthling for the first time, only to part ways after a few days.
'I want to give Riceball a friend.'
Yoon Seo knew all too well how much comfort and depth a friend could provide.
It could likely help alleviate Riceball's separation anxiety as well.
"Excuse me, Earthling Yoon Seo."
The turtle nestled in the bartender's arms interrupted Yoon Seo's thoughts.
"I have a question for you. You can't cross the Bridge of Anadi Viiva with a regular teleportation skill, so what exactly was that skill you used in the final trial of the first labyrinth?"
The turtle had been curious for some time but had waited until after the dungeon was cleared to ask.
"It's a Gaia skill.
"Ah…! I thought you only had Watcher skills. How is it that you have so much favor from the guardian gods? Do you perhaps have another guardian god?"
"Another guardian god? What do you mean?"
"A guardian god that manages the system, of course. like Gaia and the Watcher, gods that aren't labeled as gods of this or that are system-managing guardian gods."
"If that's the case, I only have the Watcher and Gaia. Is there another…"
Yoon Seo was about to ask what other guardian gods there were but didn't finish his question.
"Hyung, the spaceship maintenance is done. Let's go."
Kwon Jihan, who had been examining the elixir with Myam, called out to Yoon Seo with an excited expression.
'Is he that happy?'
Kwon Jihan had been all smiles throughout the second conquest.
And for good reason.
After sharing a passionate kiss on the other side of Anadi Viiva's bridge…
Right afterward, Kwon Jihan had used the key to open the chest. It was something he did while Yoon Seo was a bit dazed from the kiss.
And in the end, he got what he wanted.
'Elixir – Status Abnormality Nullification'
Grade: S
When consumed, all status abnormalities are removed.
However, the elixir must have an additive from the drinker's native planet, and it is a single-use item.
The liquid had a mysterious green hue. You needed to add Earth materials like leaves, dirt, or water to activate its effects, but since they were planning to return to Earth anyway, it wasn't an issue. It was a relief that the additive wasn't something from a black hole or neutron star.
"We're off, myam. We hope Portal Zones continue to prosper, myam. I'll do my best to promote it too, myam."
They said goodbye to Black Kalia before boarding the spaceship.
The bartender, the turtle, the deer, and the rabbit, who came to see them off, all exchanged contact information with Myam. Since Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo didn't have Cosmos contact info, they only received Myam's.
Peeeeep…
"Oh dear, what are we going to do about our Riceball? Don't cry, okay? Gobox will visit often, so stop crying. You little crybaby, you."
As Kwon Jihan held Riceball and stroked it, the little creature buried its beak in his palm and cried even harder. By now, Kwon Jihan's hand was surely soaked.
Gobox (Ego Box) circled it feet, making clattering noises before stopping. It said something in its metallic language, but no human could understand.
"See that? Gobox's not crying. It's older, more mature than Riceball."
Peeeeep.
"Our Riceball needs to grow up too, right? Now, say goodbye to Gobox like a mature adult, and tell them we'll meet again."
Riceball wiggled its tail and turned around. Then, with a melancholic peep…, it walked away. Though pitiful, it was too cute for Yoon Seo to resist pulling out his phone. Click, click. He snapped pictures, even recording a video.
"Oh, right. There's something I need to mention before we go."
Myam and Yoon Seo had already boarded, but Kwon Jihan, about to get on last, stopped in his tracks.
"I'll tell you where I got the key from."
The turtle was so startled that it jumped in the bartender's arms.
"We're very grateful! After spending ten days together, it seems we've developed a friendship."
"But the only key they had was the one we used. Even if you go, you won't get another key."
The turtle's wagging tail grew cold.
"Fine, then. I'm not interested."
Kwon Jihan ignored the turtle's opinion, having decided to share the story.
"They're called Ttyulkkyak. They look like tiny slugs. They sail in an ark and don't have a native planet, so they're all unawakened."
"Ttyulkkyak…."
Kwon Jihan briefly explained the situation with the Ttyulkkyak. The member of Black Kalia looked intrigued, while the turtle's round eyes were filled with moisture.
"There was a fool of an initial awakener who, instead of getting angry, left good rewards in their inventory for the next awakener, even though they only received fruit and vegetables—probably so small in comparison to their size that it felt like grains of rice."
"...."
"After seven hundred years, I was finally able to heal my hyung'sresistance to healing. It's truly something to be thankful for."
The turtle's eyes grew misty.
Kwon Jihan lightly jumped onto the spaceship. Ziiing—the door began to close from both sides. Kwon Jihan smiled and said,
"I wonder if I'll ever meet that awakener. If I do, I'd give them my best item as a gift. What a pity."
"Ah, wait. That awakener is—!"
The turtle's shout was cut off as the door fully closed.
Thinking about the turtle rolling around in the bartender's arms, bursting with frustration, made Kwon Jihan chuckle. Yoon Seo looked at him as if he were dealing with a child.
"Why are you teasing her when you know everything?"
"Because the reaction is funny. You left the item, right?"
"I put it on the bar."
Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo had figured out on the first day that the turtle was the first awakener who helped the Ttyulkkyak. Yoon Seo thought the first awakener who showed kindness to the Ttyulkkyak shouldn't have ended up with just tiny vegetables and fruits. Because the world where good people are fools is over.
So, they left a thank-you gift along with Riceball's feather on the pub's bar.
It was a shield trap containing
***