Vol 4 Chapter 47

As Mu-heon spoke gruffly, still somewhat shocked by the earlier nonsense about dreams, Seung-jo, who had been staring intently without moving a muscle, slowly opened his mouth.

"...Kang, Mu-heon."

Though he had heard it through the intercom, hearing it up close like this made it clear that Seung-jo's voice was distinctly cracked. Mu-heon exhaled a long breath inaudibly and stepped inside through the still-open front door, closing it behind him.

Bang.

As the door closed and he entered the house where no light was coming in, he felt as if he had been swallowed by darkness so deep he could barely see in front of him. Trying to shake off that unpleasant feeling, he stood as straight as possible, putting strength into his legs, and recalled his purpose for coming here.

"Then, I think you know why I came."

At these words, deliberately spoken loudly, Seung-jo, who had been standing without saying anything, suddenly seemed to come to his senses and distorted his expression that had appeared entranced. The chilling gaze directed at Mu-heon disappeared as his body turned around.

Only then did Mu-heon also begin to feel like he was dealing with a living person.

Though no words were exchanged, Mu-heon took off his shoes and followed Seung-jo inside. With each step, he felt a sensation similar to when all his nerves were tensed and on edge before having to use a powerful spell in a crisis situation.

Looking at Seung-jo standing in the middle of the living room as if lost in thought again, in a space that seemed difficult to find footing due to the mess though it was hard to see clearly in the darkness, Mu-heon furrowed his brow.

The house was so dark overall and cluttered with objects that it seemed like living here would naturally make one sick. While briefly looking around, he unconsciously reached out his hand to open a small window connected above.

"Don't."

His hand stopped at the cold command.

"If you have something to say, say it and leave."

At the intense rejection felt in those words, Mu-heon opened his mouth and then closed it.

"I didn't come to just speak, but to have a conversation."

He added one more thing.

"You... don't seem to be in a position to talk like that right now."

When Mu-heon responded with a glare that gathered all his emotions until now, Seung-jo met his gaze with sharp eyes whose meaning was still difficult to read.

The words Seung-jo and Mu-heon were exchanging were informal, but that was merely a remnant of their past familiarity. It was surprising even to himself how his body was exchanging dialogue without hesitation despite his mind recognizing how awkward and cold the situation was.

However, while trying not to show all this surprise outwardly, he continued speaking as clearly as possible.

"The reason I came here is because you didn't come first, and there is no other reason. And whether you like it or not, now that I've come this far, you'll have to engage in conversation too."

"...It really is Kang Mu-heon."

Suddenly Seung-jo made an odd remark.

"What?"

"Was that message to give advance notice..."

After muttering something incomprehensible, Seung-jo turned his gaze to Mu-heon. Seeing his own reflection in those pupils that were calm yet gleaming like a fish's eyes reflecting light, something deep in his chest felt numb. Seung-jo's mouth twisted up.

"Yes... I didn't expect to see you again in a place like this."

"The feeling is mutual."

"What you want to talk about is obvious. Fine, go ahead!"

Mu-heon narrowed his eyes at the hostility that felt almost unconditional.

Though this hostility wasn't unfamiliar as it was the same as what he had seen in Caesar, the thorns extending throughout his words and attitude were somewhat different. Seung-jo was emanating an almost defensive, blind rejection. Were those black eyes facing him also wavering, feeling the weight of settled years like his own?

Three years was a long time.

He couldn't vividly remember the emotions he had felt in the past as if he had just felt them. He had thought only hatred remained when he couldn't bear the vague doubts and emptiness. However, after meeting Caesar in MIST, he had reconsidered what emotions he had felt towards him.

One thing was certain: all his doubts, emptiness, and sense of betrayal weren't because of Seong-jo before the accident, but because of Seung-jo who disappeared afterward. But this guy was still burning with that strange light as if it had been just five minutes since he had run away after finishing the tournament, saying "go ahead and try" as if he didn't want to accept that they could never return to that time.

After exhaling deeply, he firmly clenched his right fist.

"Try, you say? I can do that. But before that..."

Like some time in the past, Mu-heon approached while dragging his leg and mercilessly threw a punch at his cheekbone.

Thwack!

When throwing the punch, he used his protruding second and third knuckles while keeping his fist tight. He struck exactly as they had learned together from someone long ago.

"I think you need to come to your senses first."

It would have been better to use his body weight and rotation, but he could only move his arm as he couldn't disturb his unstably balanced body. Though unsatisfactory, it seemed to land well enough as Seung-jo's face whipped to the side.

As Mu-heon looked down with cold eyes, Seung-jo, who had been staring with wide eyes for a while, slowly turned his head back and was seen grinding his teeth. However, his fingertips were trembling as if afraid, contrary to his expression. Looking at this discordant sight, Mu-heon spoke calmly.

"You're not in a state where you can have a conversation right now."

The Seung-jo of the past had been someone with a sharp mind who sometimes strangely didn't reveal his inner thoughts. Though he had played well with Mu-heon, he had also been someone who seemed so cold that his expression had almost never appeared friendly when dealing with others.

Because he was that kind of person, Mu-heon had thought that even after Seung-jo left for unknown reasons, he would be living just as before, only looking forward. He hadn't expected to encounter him looking even more immature than in his childhood. That was precisely why his anxiety had been amplified after seeing Caesar's strange behavior recently in MIST.