Chapter 142
I checked the quests I received a long time ago. Recently, no new quests had appeared, but the ones I received in the past were still listed.
>[The most important thing in creation is the creator’s desire. There is a saying that you must be moved first before you can move others. Whether it’s a poor creation or not, make a song that deeply satisfies you. It’s okay to get help from others in the process. The judgment of satisfaction is left to you.]
Even now, the completion criteria seemed very ambiguous.
I knew very well that I wasn’t satisfied with my current level.
“Sigh…”
I sighed, probably for the umpteenth time today, and clicked to play the makeshift piece I had put together.
The unfinished song played through the headset.
‘This isn’t it.’
The words about having talent felt like bait just to boost my morale, as I had been feeling utterly clueless about what kind of song to write.
Then, during the music festival stage, I felt a small bird flutter in my chest, thinking, ‘I want to do this.’
At that time, I was too busy focusing on the stage to properly think about what exactly I wanted to do, but I definitely felt that way.
I felt it, but…
‘Why does nothing work out in one go?’
I missed it.
I felt that if I stood on that stage again, I would know for sure. It saddened me that I would have to wait at least a year until the next year-end stage.
I pressed my warm eyes, which had been glaring at the monitor showing the music festival stage video in the corner, with my cold hands, probably due to the heater being on high in winter, providing a suitably cool sensation.
I got annoyed by cold hands while gaming…
‘Ah, I was supposed to play a game with Gyun Seong-ha at 9.’
I closed my eyes and shut down the composition program that had been tormenting me all day.
‘Work is important, but so is playing.’
I justified it to myself vigorously, trying not to violate the ‘rules’ stricter than those of Kang Ji-woo.
Anyway, I was on vacation now.
Why is it called a vacation? Even Ban Yo-han has been lounging around as if at home since he came here without any problems.
“On Raon, let’s do it after dinner.”
At that moment, Ban Yo-han, who had unpacked the delivered lunchbox and placed it on the small table in front of the TV, called me.
“Okay.”
…It was a proper apology I received for the first time.
I decided to stop ordering Ban Yo-han around for petty things out of a narrow-minded spirit.
However, I couldn’t stop the guy from oddly trying to take care of me, making me feel strange.
He said he would only do this until this vacation was over, so I shouldn’t worry.
If Kang Ji-woo saw this, he would probably clap in admiration, saying Ban Yo-han had reformed.
But why?
I still felt uncomfortable with Ban Yo-han.
>[The universe hides many things from us…]
The TV channel Ban Yo-han turned on was broadcasting a space documentary.
The vast universe I might have crossed was reflected on a screen too small to contain it.
“Should I change the channel?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Although he seemed to be lying on the sofa and fiddling with his phone earlier, Ban Yo-han, who was actually watching quite intently, fixed his gaze on the TV while eating his lunchbox.
‘There are quite a few people who surprisingly like such documentaries…’
This time, it showed the night sky as seen with the naked eye from Earth.
There were so many stars.
“……”
I often thought of my past life as being like the night sky.
A night sky where stars twinkled faintly.
On moderately clear days, if you looked up at the sky, you could quickly find at least one star twinkling in the darkness.
Maybe two, and if you looked a bit farther, three, and if you moved your body and looked in the opposite direction, four, five, six…
Even after counting all those, there were still a couple of fingers left, symbolizing the few precious moments of happiness I could gather.
When I gathered those few pieces of starlight, which were far from enough to compare to the vast and dark night sky, it looked down on me mercilessly.
Both before and after locking myself in my room.
It was a time as dark and lonely as the expanse of the night sky.
I knew that those times made me who I am now, but I didn’t want to dig up and recall those miserable days.
I never once thought of sharing the seemingly never-ending night with someone else.
Honestly, I hoped no one would ever know how pitiful my past was. Lately, I’ve been feeling that way even more. It’s strange. I wasn’t such a negative person before.
Anyway, people’s attention is usually drawn to the stars worth finding rather than the background, so it’s fine.
>[Who was the first to think of exploring the interstellar space where nothing but darkness exists between stars…]
But really, just really,
There are people out there who, instead of looking at the brightly shining stars, throw themselves into the empty spaces with nothing to see but darkness, like some eccentric or pervert.
“……”
Did that sly guy miss the clues I carelessly dropped or the hints I didn’t even know I left?
I now understood why I felt uncomfortable with Ban Yo-han.
It was a vague anxiety that one day, he might uncover undeniable evidence and discover my secret.
* * *
It was the last day of the vacation when the ordinary life, which had been flowing peacefully despite letting Ban Yo-han into a space filled with numerous significant secrets, experienced a disruption.
>[The administrator has requested a meeting.]
>[Do you accept?]
>[Y/N]
Would it be crazy to think I was glad to see this notification?
Moreover, they were asking for my intention. Compared to the past, when they dragged me away without consent, it was a remarkable improvement.
I glanced around and pressed Y.
Then, I felt the familiar sensation of being sucked somewhere, just like before. Ugh, it made me nauseous.
“Hello. Long time no see.”
As the dizziness that felt like my brain was being shaken subsided, I found the desk I had seen before right in front of me.
I frowned as I noticed Larry sitting across from me.
“What’s with that appearance since I last saw you?”
“It’s fashion.”
“Are you crazy…?”
Larry was wrapped in faintly glowing, translucent chains. Every time he moved slightly, the chains made a clinking sound.
Because of those chains, he looked like a serious criminal, and I felt like I was there for a visitation.
‘What kind of concept is this?’
“Unfortunately, my arms are like this.”
Larry forced his tightly fixed arms to his torso to twitch. It seemed the chains wouldn’t come off easily, as they made a heavy clanking sound as they clashed.
“I can’t serve you tea.”
“I didn’t plan on drinking it anyway.”
“It’s a joke! No matter if my arms are bound like this, even if they were on fire, or if they were cut off, I wouldn’t skip serving tea to a valuable customer!”
“No… if your arms are facing such hardships, I’d rather you didn’t bother about tea for me or the tea itself…”
Ignoring my sensible rebuttal, Larry hysterically whistled a short, high note as he made a gruesome assumption.
The same kind of tea I had drunk before appeared before me, steaming.
The scent was so strong that I might have believed it was perfume instead of tea.
“Please, have some.”
He seemed crazier than ever, especially with that look today.
“Hurry.”
Unable to resist his urging, I took a sip of the tea, which perfectly suited my taste, and finally, the real conversation began.
“What have you been doing? And what’s with those weird chains?”
“Oh, that…”
Larry shook his head. Quite theatrically.
“I was disciplined.”
“Disciplined?”
So, it wasn’t a concept.
“I mean, that ■■ guy didn’t get any punishment and simply transferred to another branch, but I get disciplined!”
Larry, who seemed genuinely upset, stood up abruptly.
He looked very wronged.
“I’ve prided myself on my loyalty like no other, but recently, the Bureau’s actions have been so pathetic and foolish that they’re almost tragic!”
It seemed he was extremely agitated.
“So, you’re saying you got disciplined even though you did nothing wrong?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“……”
“An elite like me made a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
Ignoring my pointed comment, he whistled again.
“Anyway, I didn’t just get disciplined. While meeting colleagues outside, I gathered some news for you—one good, one bad, and another, making it three in total. Which would you like to hear first?”
“……”
“No violence. Relax your fists.”
Then how about a kick this time…
“And who knows, maybe the very good news will offset the somewhat bad news!”
“Are you sure?”
“Maybe?”
“Mayyybe?”
“Probably?”
“Probablyyyyy?”
Larry, who calmly sipped his tea, opened his mouth again.
“Yes. Let’s start with this.”
Larry’s head turned directly towards me.
“The one responsible for switching your soul, my boss, is more of a maniacal psycho than I thought.”
“I know that. It’s not like you haven’t mentioned it once or twice. Instead of wasting time on badmouthing, just tell me what I need to know quickly.”
“No, it’s different.”
Larry offered me more tea.
As I took another sip, feeling like the sweetness had intensified, he continued.
“Recently, a re-investigation revealed that it was intentional.”
“What?”
“In simple terms, it means that person deliberately switched your soul.”