Chapter 150

9:24 PM Thu Sep 17

Episode 150

The Administrator seemed to have decided, after some deliberation, to send me a warning via message rather than a direct communication.

However, there was one fact he didn’t know.

I was already with the master of the butlers.

Since I was sharing vision with Dominic, he ended up seeing the Administrator’s message as well.

I tensed up, but the tension quickly drained away.

Dominic didn’t seem to care at all. I think I knew what he was thinking.

’He probably thinks there’s no reason to care about the words of a trivial existence.’

Yet, Dominic was meticulous when it came to me.

Sensing that I was walking on eggshells, he withdrew the shared vision.

I felt the power that had inhabited me slip away.

"Good work, Roasted Chestnut."

Dominic’s voice, encouraging me, was serene.

I thought for a moment about the pudding slime on my shoulder. already knew it was a magnificent being.

It was impossible not to know.

The moment I saw even a fraction of Dominic, I realized it immediately.

But the oldest god?

It felt as though I had touched a being far greater and more dangerous than I had vaguely guessed.

Suddenly, my shoulders felt heavy.

Beyond mere curiosity, it was now a mystery why such a being was interested in me and sticking by my side.

It was only natural that I, having lived a mere twenty-four years, could not understand a god this ancient...

Still, there was one part I simply couldn’t accept.

’Why is Dominic so indifferent to his kin?’

He showed no reaction even with the cat butler and rabbit butler right before his eyes.

Since he had recovered some of his power, he must have recognized his kin.

Just as he had with the Administrator, he simply concealed his presence so the butlers couldn’t see him.

His attitude was so cold and indifferent that I wondered if they weren’t actually his kin.

"..Mr. Dominic."

"Yes, Roasted Chestnut."

After deep consideration, I asked Dominic a vague question.

"What are your kin like, Mr. Dominic?"

At that, Dominic laughed as if he had heard something amusing and gave a very brief answer.

"I’m not quite sure."

He spoke as if they didn’t even enter the realm of his thoughts.

I expected him to at least say he wasn’t interested, but it wasn’t even that.

I knew how desperately the butlers had waited for their master.

Their hearts, which had cherished and managed the mansion for a master who never returned, were a sincerity untainted by any impurity.

Even knowing their affection was practically worship, how could Dominic be this indifferent?

"Gods are not beings who bestow, Roasted Chestnut."

Dominic seemed to have already guessed what emotions I was feeling and what I was thinking.

He explained it to me step by step.

"It may be because you are still young, but eventually, you will realize it too. That kin should naturally serve and worship their master."

I hated the way he spoke as if it were a predetermined fate.

Clinging to a sense of rebellion, I asked.

"Are other gods similar to you, Mr. Dominic?"

"They are not as soft as I am with you."

"But..."

A squishy sensation clung to my cheek. The slime, lightly pulling my cheek as if playing a prank, whispered.

"There is something a god does first when they take in kin."

Unconsciously, I leaned in to listen.

Dominic uttered something horrific with complete nonchalance.

"They pluck out their eyes. So that they may look only upon their master. To put them in the best state to plant a loyal, blind faith."

It was insane.

I didn’t need to hear any more; I felt it would be best to change the subject.

And yet... for some reason, I couldn’t interrupt him.

"After that, they usually modify them according to their taste. Roasted Chestnut, how did it feel when you briefly became a believer of man?"

Back then, I had wanted to change the people around me.

I had even felt that it was irrational not to modify the physical body.

The emotions I felt in that moment remained vividly in my memory.

"I will not scold you for having affection for your kin. However, right now, hmm... I feel that you are neglecting them too much."

Am I neglecting them?

"Why not look after your kin as their master?"

Would they then look only at me?

Without a shred of interest in any other god?

"Of course. They will become immutable beings who care only for you, who think only of you eternally. Ah, it would also be much better for protecting your planet."

It didn’t sound bad.

I particularly liked the word ’immutable’.

After all, humans are fragile and ever-changing beings.

A low voice gently swayed me.

"Your kin must be desperately longing for their master’s touch."

Then, should I start by plucking out their eyes?

And then modify their bodies so they wouldn’t feel pain.

In a way that suits each of them.

When I was a fanatic of ■■■, I almost turned everyone into seafood, but since I’m sane now, I won’t do anything strange.

What is this crazy talk about wanting to adorn my kin in the most beautiful way!

I hurriedly peeled the pudding slime off my cheek.

The slime, squishing in my hand, looked at me inquisitively.

Drenched in a cold sweat, I said to him.

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Dominic. But I’m still afraid of taking full responsibility for my kin. I’d like a little more time."

Dominic did not press me. He told me to do as I wished and simply praised me.

"There is no need to be anxious. Young Roasted Chestnut is growing wonderfully!"

And Dominic’s praise only made me more uneasy.

Because I knew what kind of god he wanted me to become.

Back when I ate the eye of ■■■.

I vowed to protect myself.

But perhaps already...

I felt that I might have become a little strange.

***

The next morning.

Kwak Han-mook came to my room to help me move into the official residence.

Dressed in civilian clothes, he looked more fit than usual.

It was thanks to the light cotton T-shirt, which revealed his muscles better than a stiff uniform.

As I looked at him with envy, Kwak Han- mook looked around the room and spoke.

"Got all your stuff packed?"

My belongings were really nothing.

I held my uniforms on hangers so they wouldn’t wrinkle, and other than that, a single duffel bag was it.

Checking the simple luggage, Kwak Han-mook let out a small sound.

When did that thing come back?"

He had spotted the pudding slime on my head.

As the pudding slime put on a sparkling show of reunion, Kwak Han-mook’s expression grew even worse.

I lied for his sake.

"Actually, it’s a pet slime I’m raising. It’s like a pet item that only gods can have."

If the butlers had heard this, they would have fired beams at me for sure, but since they were on another planet, I lied confidently.

Dominic only laughed at my ’pet item’ comment.

Kwak Han-mook let out a hollow laugh and muttered.

"Right... there are gods on Earth, so a pet slime is nothing..."

He led me toward the official residence where we would now be living together.

Since the repairs to the Seoul headquarters were complete, the residence I was moving into was located in Seoul.

I heard that I would also be commuting to the Seoul headquarters again.

It seemed the repairs were fast thanks to Samra.

As we traveled in the car driven by Kwak Han-mook, he brought up the display case first.

"I moved that to the residence."

After visiting the studio apartment, I had told Samra that I only wanted to take the display case.

Apparently, he had already finished talking with Kwak Han-mook and moved it to the residence.

I was worried it might be a nuisance since the case was quite large, but Kwak Han-mook said it wasn’t at all.

"The living room is empty. There’s nothing in the house."

He just said I’d see when I got there, making me wonder just how empty it was.

The Seoul residence was a clean officetel building.

It was a ten-minute walk to the Era Administration Office, so the commute would be very convenient.

Kwak Han-mook stood before the front door and pressed the passcode.

Then, humming a strange melody, he opened the door.

When I looked at him curiously, Kwak Han-mook looked embarrassed.

"Kids these days don’t know this? You’re supposed to sing this when entering a new house."

I felt like I had heard it somewhere

Thinking I’d look it up later, I entered the house.

And I realized that Kwak Han-mook’s statement was the truth, without a hint of exaggeration.

There wasn’t even basic furniture like a TV or a sofa.

There was a six-person dining table standing alone in the kitchen, but it was blatantly obvious that it had been bought new for my arrival.

Opening my room, it was the same: just a bed, a desk, and a small chest of drawers.

"Is this Roasted Chestnut’s new dwelling? It’s better than the previous one."

Hearing the pudding slime’s one-line review, I first set my bag and uniform on the desk.

"One room is too small, so I’m using it as a dressing room. Put your clothes here too. Want to see my room?"

"May I?"

"You can pop in and out whenever you’re bored."

Kwak Han-mook’s room was even worse than mine. There was truly nothing but a bed.

Other than that, a couple of dumbbells in the corner were the end of it.

I heard this was the house Kwak Han-mook originally used, but it would have been natural even if he had moved in today.

Actually, since he’d only be sleeping at the residence, it didn’t seem like a very strange sight.

After looking around, I returned to the living room.

In one corner of the empty living room sat the large glass display case.

Kwak Han-mook gestured with his chin toward the case, which was covered with a cloth just as it had been in the studio.

"By the way, Chestnut. What’s that? Can I see?"

Since we were going to live together, it felt a bit odd to keep hiding it.

I pulled back the cloth with Kwak Han-mook. Then, he looked at the display case with surprised eyes.

"Wow."

Kwak Han-mook, letting out an instinctive exclamation, immediately looked at me.

He likely knew that I had retired due to injury.

Since he seemed cautious about how to react, I spoke first with a smile.

"It’s a gift I received from fans a long time ago."

"Brother Goyo was amazing."

Saying he didn’t have much interest in games and didn’t know much, Kwak Han-mook looked at the items in the case one by one.

"What’s this? Chestnut played such a cute character?"

"Yes. It was a character I liked."

"Wow, this is a totally unripe green chestnut. Look at the uniform."

"I was nineteen back then."

I felt a bit shy.

Still, thanks to the various jokes he threw my way, I was able to look at the display case with a much more relaxed mind.

’Ah, the supplements.’

It was just as I was thinking that I should order the supplements I had promised Kang Byeok-rin today.

Suddenly, Kwak Han-mook roughly opened the display case.

Before I could even be surprised by the sudden action, he held something out to me.

"Is this... you?"

It was a photo of my childhood face composed onto a players uniform.

"Yes. That was when I entered elementary school."

Kwak Han-mook’s expression became blank.

It was a gift fans had made because they thought the photo was cute, but there was a significant difference between then and now.

I had been small and thin, with only chubby cheeks.

Still, it didn’t seem that strange...

Just as I was flustered by Kwak Han-mook’s reaction, a crackling sound was heard.

Blue sparks were flying from the prayer beads.

Kwak Han-mook flinched and grabbed his wrist. However, his frozen expression remained.

Soon, he spoke slowly.

"...Ah, sorry."

Kwak Han-mook put the photo back in its place and grinned.

"Chestnut was so small, it surprised me."

But his hand was trembling slightly.

I wanted to ask why, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was because his complexion didn’t look good.

Kwak Han-mook wiped his face with his hand and took out his phone.

Then, he asked me as if nothing had happened.

"You haven’t saved my number, right?"

On the day I went to Pasung, I had only been invited to a chat room, so I didn’t know the Special Task Team’s phone numbers.

As I saved Kwak Han-mook’s number for the first time, I observed him again.

Tapping the phone screen, Kwak Han-mook raised an eyebrow.

"Let’s have the moving-in party tomorrow. Captain Mo says he’s free tomorrow. Want to eat Jajangmyeon?"

"..Anything is fine with me."

"You’ll have Tangsuyuk, right? Is Tasty Chestnut a pourer or a dipper?"

"I don’t mind either way..."

"Then let’s order Kkanpunggi too."

"Captain Kwak, I’ll place the order."

"No, no. Just organize your things."

Kwak Han-mook patted my shoulder a couple of times.

I replied that I understood and entered the room assigned to me.

And I closed the door.

Leaning my back against the door, I thought.

Why was he surprised?

Moreover, blue sparks flew from the prayer beads. Such a thing wouldn’t happen simply because he was surprised.

I closed my eyes tightly in distress. At times like this, I wanted to open the status window.

I want to know everything.

I hoped that nothing would be hidden from me.

I felt as if the color of my eyes was about to change.

Only after reminding myself several times that I must not act strange in front of the captains did I finally manage to calm down.

Fortunately, I also managed to finish the Jajangmyeon without incident.

Kwak Han-mook ordered so much food that the six-person table was full, and I ate so much that I wouldn’t crave Chinese food for a while.

I was able to act normally after that.

Until I laid down in bed at the end of the day.

With the blanket pulled up to my chin, I stared at the ceiling with wide-open eyes.

This was not the studio apartment I had lived in, nor the isolation ward of the Era Administration Office.

It was a shared residence, yet I still felt like I was living alone.

Even knowing that Kwak Han-mook was in the room right next to me...

The slime on my chest called me.

"Roasted Chestnut."

My answer was late because my thoughts were tangled.

"...Yes, Mr. Dominic."

Why did the blue sparks fly?

I pondered if I had done something wrong, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.

I had even directly asked Kwak Han-mook why he was surprised by the photo.

But Kwak Han-mook didn’t answer and just brushed it off as a joke.

Of course, there was no reason for him to tell me everything.

He was hiding the god sealed within himself, after all.

But this... feels like a problem related to me...

He is my kin.

"Roasted Chestnut has done nothing wrong."

The pudding slime, saying only things that were pleasant to hear, climbed onto my face.

"It is merely the sin of the kin who try to hide things from their master."

He soothed me.

Words of comfort continued, but since they weren’t particularly comforting, I just listened quietly.

Still, the voice was pleasant.

I soon felt a languid sensation.

"Roasted Chestnut. Do you wish to know what your kin are hiding?"

I didn’t answer. I felt that if I opened my mouth, I would say yes.

The squishy sensation wandered freely over my face.

"There is no reason for Roasted Chestnut to suffer because of the kin. You need only do whatever you desire."

A wonderful temptation reached my ears.

"No matter what the master does, the kin will worship their god."

I...

I wanted to know everything.

I wanted to dig everything up so that my kin could hide nothing from me.

But merely looking wasn’t enough.

Because they might create secrets again.

A golden light appeared in the darkness.

Amidst a brightness as if a star had fallen, I slowly raised myself from the bed.

I set my feet on the floor. The sensation touching my bare feet was chilly.

I walked calmly and composedly, and came to a stop in front of Kwak Han-mook’s room.

Knock, knock. I knocked on the door and called him.

"Captain Kwak. May I come in for a moment?"

No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one conclusion.

First, let’s pluck out the eyes.