Chapter 5: In Some Everyday Life (1)
Darkness spread across the night sky, with starlight twinkling in between.
A man lying on the sofa opened his eyes.
The night sky and stars outside the window were beautiful. Everyone said so, so it must be true.
But he couldn't resonate with that imagery. The stars in the night sky stirred no emotion within him.
Every night, he tried to sleep, but it was always just a ritual. To recover the lost routine. To feel the emotions of ordinary people. He closed his eyes at night and guided his body into a sleep-like state.
But he did not fall asleep.
To be precise, he could not fall asleep.
After spending so much time like this, he often felt as if his body was being swallowed by the darkness. Like dropping a single drop of blood into a clear lake, the boundary between his body and the darkness gradually blurred. At those times, his senses, buried in darkness, would fade.
It was as if he were watching someone else's life from the side. He was there, yet there seemed to be something there that was not him.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Even now, he could feel his senses dimming.
Still, this time was somewhat better. Because it only happened at night. In previous cycles, there had been no distinction between day and night.
His senses would return vividly when he killed an enemy. Here, the "enemy" was defined according to his own judgment.
There were rules for identifying enemies.
Those who could hasten the apocalypse even slightly, those who had historically hastened it, or if not, demons… anyone, group, idea, or phenomenon that should not be left alive.
When Yu ji-tae killed such enemies, and tangibly felt the apocalypse receding, the scattered senses would converge sharply.
Just as the faint sensation had been unpleasant, killing an enemy brought a non-negligible pleasure.
It was dangerous. To feel pleasure in killing.
Like all the pleasures he had ever seen or felt in life, this pleasure was fleeting. The rarer it occurred, the weaker the stimulus, and if addicted, it became self-destructive. That's why, from some cycle onward, Yu ji-tae restrained unnecessary violence and killing.
Yet, he had never had enemies as peaceful as this time.
So the time-traveler felt a bit uneasy.
He felt as though he must immediately rush out the door and kill those he should. Centuries of failures were etched into his mind, making him restless.
"······."
Lying down, Yu ji-tae turned his head toward the living room wall. Beyond this wall, three dragons were likely occupying his bed, sleeping.
A peaceful home. Dragons as sentient beings. And himself as their protector.
He suddenly thought he did not belong here, like an unsightly rock in a brightly colored flowerbed.
Even mimicking sleep while unable to sleep felt out of place.
Yet even feeling this, there was nothing to change here. It was just another sense of alienation he had to endure.
He closed his eyes again.
Then, he heard a faint whisper.
He had no hobby of eavesdropping or surveillance. Yet the sound came, probably because one of the dragons had deliberately made a noise.
It must have been Bom (Spring).
-That's… a macaron… huh…? Not a macaron…?
It was Autumn's (Autumn's) sleep-talk he heard.
-Then…? Tu, fat macaron…? Twice as chubby…?
His intuition sensed Bom's hands brushing Autumn's hair as she slept.
-Summer. Are you going to sleep hugging that?
Then came Bom's voice.
-Yes. I'll sleep well.
-She seems to like it. But you know it's not meant to be hugged, right?
-I'll also… use it for… other things.
Then came a slightly brighter voice of Yeoreum (Summer).
-Gladly. Summer likes you.
-Hey.
-Yes?
-Are you really going to call me that? Summer?
-Yes. Why? Don't you like the name?
-It's fine, I guess.
Bom chuckled lightly.
-Summer, you should also call me 'unnie' (older sister).
-Why?
-This is Korea, and I am actually your older sister here.
-Are you really going to live here?
-Yes.
-Why?
-Well… at first, I thought running away wouldn't help, so I stayed. Now, being here is quite fun. How about you? Earlier, you could have left. Why didn't you?
-Well… I also thought it would be hard to escape. And until that guy grows enough to smash his head, I'll just stay here.
That guy.
Probably referring to Javier Karma.
-Planning to become that guy's disciple?
-No, not interested in that.
-Then?
-Just… just…
Summer hesitated in answering.
-Don't know, me neither.
-······
-Enough, let's sleep.
-Okay. Good night.
The conversation ended.
A little later, Summer's calm voice was heard.
-You too, unnie.
***
Opening the window, the chirping of sparrows came in.
The next day. Bom was busy from the morning, chopping something in the kitchen. Yujitae looked for his clone. Oh, the clone had already gone to work.
"Everyone, come eat. You need something tasty when you're feeling down."
Bom had made something like a thick porridge.
…Honestly, he didn't know what it was.
Yu Ji-tae stirred it with a spoon just in case. Luckily, the metal spoon did not discolor or melt.
"Wow, unnie cooked this? It's been ages!"
Autumn ran over excitedly.
Summer also sat down with a much-improved expression.
"Thanks, I'll eat well."
At the crucial mealtime, Autumn took a spoonful and stiffened.
Then suddenly smiled.
"Hah. As expected…"
…?
"Bom's cooking has its charm. Human food is tasty too, but it doesn't feel like this, right, unnie?"
A question to summer, who nodded obediently.
"Tastes fine."
Then she started eating properly.
Watching them, Yu ji-tae took a spoonful himself. Perhaps the previous cooking had failed.
But the moment it touched his tongue, it felt stiff and hard. Unsurprisingly, it was extremely salty and bitter… in short, a disaster.
Thus, the time-traveler learned a new fact about dragons:
Their taste is similar to humans, but something about it is broken.
Regardless, they all ate well.
Clink, clink.
In the quiet sound of dishes, Yu ji-tae thought about the life ahead.
The first plan of this cycle had been to gather the dragons together without force. And it succeeded.
Now it was time for the next plan.
In all cycles, the cause of the apocalypse was the death of a dragon.
Many deaths were due to external pressure, but sometimes they took their own lives—like in the cycle where Yu ji-tae had completely confined them.
Looking back, they must have been unhappy, and living with that unhappiness for thousands of years, it was better to die.
Thus, to prevent the apocalypse, they had to be happy.
He thought silently.
It was good to bring them here. But if he only kept them confined and blocked what they wanted, it would be no different from the labyrinth imprisonment.
They needed to be able to do what they wanted.
And in the process, they needed to feel happiness.
For memories that would remain forever without forgetting.
Thus, he decided to enroll them in "Rare."
An academy city where many superhuman youths lived. It would allow him to control them for the minimum five-year enrollment and help them realize themselves.
Coincidentally, it was currently the application period.
After the meal, Yu ji-tae told them:
"Let's go make your ID cards."
***
"Wow, the air is so nice!"
Autumn exclaimed.
They arrived in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.
Not far from the Portal Management Bureau was a shabby residential area.
Shops there laundered identities or falsified qualifications for the wealthy, influential, or hunters. Essentially, the largest identity-laundering hub in South Korea.
Going down to a semi-basement villa with no sign, the interior was surprisingly busy.
Various superhumans were there, like at a bank counter, taking numbers and waiting their turn.
As soon as Yu ji-tae and the three dragons entered, ripples spread.
"Uh…?"
"Huh…"
People glanced at them, whispering in admiration, chatting among themselves. Yu ji-tae had seen this countless times with Bom.
Some glances were more blatant.
But he didn't care much.
All dragons possess the ability 「Transcendent Form (S)」, which radiates an overwhelming aura to those of lesser rank.
Even a brief glance can make one feel, "Wow, this is overwhelming," forcing them to look away.
That's why young and naive humans could carry such beautiful faces around without incident.
[152]
Their number appeared on the reception screen.
Summer and Autumn had their photos taken; Bom already had an ID.
After submitting the documents, Bom asked him:
"Can we go explore a bit? There's so much interesting outside."
It would take time to issue the IDs anyway, so Yu ji-tae nodded.
But Autumn hesitated.
"Sister, can I stay here?"
"Huh? Why?"
"I feel like I'm in a suspicious place, like I've become a bad person!"
The chick made a 'bad person' face.
Not bad at all.
"Okay, stay with the uncle. We'll play outside first and then come back?"
"Alright."
Thus, at the reception, Autumn watched the people while Yu ji-tae waited for the IDs.
Some gazes started to bother him.
These were far more impure than others, filled with filthy desire.
He looked at Autumn.
She was wearing the tennis skirt she bought yesterday. Her legs stretched out beneath the pink checkered skirt.
Yet two large middle-aged men had been staring persistently at her legs.
To look at a dragon that way implied they were a superhuman of some rank.
"Uh? What is it?"
Autumn noticed the change in Yu ji-tae's mood and blinked.
He shook his head.
"Nothing."
He spoke casually, but the time-traveler's gaze was on the middle-aged men. Their eyes met; they avoided his gaze and whispered to each other.
Low-level thoughts like: "That's a guy? Must be loaded? Gets to sleep with her every night?" were exchanged. They thought they whispered secretly, but Yu ji-tae had keen ears.
Autumn, thirsty, went to the water dispenser.
Then one of them approached her.
"Miss."
"Yes?"
"What's your name?"
"I'm Autumn! Yu Autumn."
"Oh, Autumn. That's a pretty name. Where are you from?"
"From home!"
"Where's home?"
"Um… Seoul Special City, Nonhyeon-dong xx-······."
As Autumn began reciting her address in full, the middle-aged men laughed in disbelief and asked again.
"And what about him? Is he, like, your boyfriend?"
"No? He's our uncle!"
"Uncle? What do you mean? So he's not a boyfriend or like an actual uncle?"
"No."
At that, smiles flickered across the faces of the two men.
One of them asked in a subtle voice:
"So… does that mean we uncles have a chance too?"
"Excuse me?"
"Want hang out with us uncles today? We've got lots of money. We can make it more fun than that guy."
At that point, Yu Ji-tae stood up.
Having repeated life enough times, he had seen plenty of people like this, and their next moves were predictable. There was no reason to watch any longer.
"Autumn."
"Yes, uncle!"
"You know the coordinates of our house. Go on in first."
"Huh? But···."
Autumn, looking a little reluctant to leave, saw Yu Ji-tae's expression and carefully nodded.
***
In a quiet residential alley, as night fell and the sky darkened, the streetlight flickered on and off along the alley.
With each flash of light, the blood-soaked body of a man appeared and disappeared into the darkness. A head smashed beyond recognition. From his freshly opened throat, blood gushed forth.
Annoyed by the light, Yu Ji-tae moved with lethal intent and smashed the streetlight.
In the complete darkness that swallowed the alley, the man looked toward the one who was still alive.
"Hah… ha… p-please… s-save me…"
Terrified and losing control of his bodily functions, the man cried, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Having witnessed his friend's death firsthand, he dropped to his knees and rubbed his hands together like a fly.
"I'm s-s-sorry…"
Yu Ji-tae had no interest in hearing any further apologies.
That said, as he vented his rage, a question arose.
Why was this guy wearing some kind of mask on his face?
Yu Ji-tae grabbed the man's face with one hand. Then, with a brutal strength capable of crushing steel, he twisted and tore at the man's facial skin.
"Gah… ugh…!"
The man, crushed by murderous intent, could barely breathe, coughing and gagging, while Yu Ji-tae stared at his exposed, bare face.
It was familiar. The face had appeared in the memories brought by his clone.
He rifled through the man's pocket and pulled out his wallet, then checked the ID.
「Jo Ho-sik」
Ah, now he remembered.
This guy. The human trafficker the rare branch police had been looking for day and night.