Chapter 97
My brain felt like it had frozen at Dominic’s remark.
No, the clothes, why...?
I blinked, feeling a bit foolish.
"Roasted Chestnut?"
A questioning voice reached me. Then, as if realizing something late, Dominic spoke again.
"It must be because there are many people here. Let’s go somewhere quiet."
From the perspective of an alien slime, the people of Special Ops Team 3, excluding Kwak Han-muk, didn’t seem to be perceived as beings with personalities.
It felt as though he had only just realized, based on my reaction, that he needed to pay attention to them.
However, even if we went somewhere quiet, there was no way for me to just strip Kwak Han-muk’s clothes off.
While I worried about how to explain this properly to the pudding slime, I also wondered if I should take Kwak Han-muk to a public bathhouse or something.
’No, but why do you want me to strip his clothes off in the first place?’
Trying to follow the logic of an alien was no easy task for a human.
I followed Kwak Han-muk, who was leading the way, while agonizing over how to get his clothes off without looking like a pervert.
The cafe located on the first floor of the building was quite crowded.
Amidst the bustle of people in TRA Agency uniforms, two employees were busily preparing drinks and serving customers with practiced hands.
Kwak Han-muk and I stood at the end of a long line.
Standing behind the bustling crowd, I felt a bit like a corporate worker myself.
’Afterall, the essential item for office workers is coffee.’
Just as I was soaking in that office worker vibe, the person standing in line ahead of us turned around.
The man suddenly pulled out his phone, pretended to receive a call, and walked away somewhere.
I wondered if he had remembered something urgent, but that was only the beginning.
The people in front glanced back one by one, then, pretending to be occupied with something else, they all vanished one after another.
The cafe became empty in an instant.
What is this?
Unlike me, who was looking around in bewilderment, Kwak Han-muk walked forward nonchalantly.
Though stunned, I followed him for now.
Kwak Han-muk walked straight to the cake display case and looked down through the glass with a very serious expression.
Because his face was so solemn, I unconsciously stepped beside him and looked at the display case too.
’Nothing special here, though?’
Delicious-looking cakes were on display, along with plenty of snacks like muffins and cookies.
"Sigh."
Kwak Han-muk let out a long sigh.
With a deep furrow between his brows, he asked me.
"How many should we buy?"
It seemed he was struggling to choose. offered a modest opinion.
"Uh... wouldn’t two be enough?"
As soon as I said that, the other employee waiting nearby started pulling desserts out of the display case as if they had been waiting for that cue.
Two of every single type of dessert, that is.
Kwak Han-muk acted as if he had no choice.
"Ah, what can you do? Once they’re out, I have to buy them."
I knew Kwak Han-muk was a big eater.
Even in S2P, he always ate three plates by himself.
But that was him maintaining appearances. The Kwak Han-muk who revealed his true self was even more powerful.
As I watched the mountain of desserts piling up in dazed silence, Kwak Han-muk, who was checking the drink menu, said something truly unbelievable.
"Should I just get an Iced Americano...?"
I gave Kwak Han-muk some courage.
"Go for something sweet."
"Ha... If Sweet Chestnut says so.... One Strawberry Cream Frappuccino, the largest size."
Just as I was thinking Captain Kwak really loves sweets and about to order my own drink...
Kwak Han-muk rattled off the rest of his order, which hadn’t ended yet.
"Change the milk to soy, add extra strawberries, add double Java chips, blend one in and put the other on top with lots of whipped cream, and add chocolate drizzle too."
Despite the long custom order, the employee pressed the buttons on the POS system as if they were used to it.
"And for Sweet Chestnut?"
"Ah, I’ll just have an Iced Americano. ... A small one"
Being called ’Sweet Chestnut’ in front of the employee was a bit embarrassing, but since I was being treated, I quietly ordered my drink.
After paying and while waiting for the packaging and drinks, the two of us sat across from each other at a small table for a moment.
Kwak Han-muk, resting his chin on one hand, frowned deeply.
"The main building got trashed, and the Special Ops office went with it. I even brought my gaming console there."
He grumbled that he had planned to have a match with Brother Goyo but it was ruined, and that he would charge CEO Cha ten times the price of the console.
I had no idea that the gaming device in the breakroom belonged to Kwak Han-muk.
And playing games with me wouldn’t have been particularly fun anyway....
Since I rarely lost, people usually didn’t like playing games with me unless we were on the same team.
After thinking about games for a moment, my gaze shifted to Kwak Han-muk’s wrist.
Even though we were outside the Trial, he was still wearing the lightning-struck jujube wood rosary.
*What is it, Sweet Chestnut?"
Feeling my gaze, Kwak Han-muk spoke up, so I just decided to ask.
"Captain Kwak. Do you always wear the rosary even when you’re not using it?"
"Yeah."
"May I ask why?"
Kwak Han-muk wasn’t the type of person to go out of his way to violate TRA Agency guidelines.
There had to be a clear reason why the higher-ups turned a blind eye to him wearing the item.
I was curious about the information I hadn’t seen in the game. I wanted to know more about the real-world Kwak Han-muk.
At my question, Kwak Han-muk’s expression turned serious.
Then, he spoke in a very low voice.
"I went to a Buddhist kindergarten, you know."
I had forgotten that Kwak Han-muk wasn’t an easy person to deal with in this regard.
Having gained nothing from my question, I ignored the snickering Kwak Han-muk and quietly waited for the drinks.
When we picked up the packaged desserts, it was a literal mountain.
"Do you always eat like this?"
"No?"
I wondered if today was special, but Kwak Han-muk corrected me immediately.
"I only bought a little today. I’m on a diet."
"Ah. Just a little."
Considering Kwak Han-muk’s height, I wondered if this much fuel was necessary, yet the weight in both my hands was still surprising.
Kwak Han-muk headed toward the rooftop and tossed a comment nonchalantly.
"Sometimes I buy a whole cake and eat it with Lt. Col. Je. One cake per person."
Of course, to me, this was far from nonchalant.
"...With Lt. Col. Je!?"
Since he never ate anything in the Trials, I thought he was unable to consume food due to the infection.
To think that wasn’t the case.
I stared with wide eyes because I was so shocked, and Kwak Han-muk laughed out loud.
"Want to have snacks with Lt. Col. Je next time too?"
"Yes."
I was also very curious about his face without the gas mask.
I sincerely hoped they would include me in the snack time between Kwak Han-muk and Je Hyeon-oh.
Just as Kwak Han-muk said, the rooftop was empty.
People from the main office had evacuated to the Gyeonggi Regional Office and were sharing the building.
It felt a bit strange for just the two of us, the outsiders, to be occupying the rooftop.
Holding the mountain of desserts, Kwak Han-muk stared somewhere for a moment.
Then he turned his steps toward the outdoor table and chairs.
I checked the spot Kwak Han-muk had been looking at.
’There’s nothing there but an ashtray?’
I was puzzled for a second, but soon forgot about it as I focused on the desserts in my hands.
I succeeded in transporting the desserts to the table safely.
Afterward. I chatted with Kwak Han-muk about trivial things while eating numerous cakes, cookies, and so on.
Curious about things I couldn’t learn from the game, I asked him various questions.
Kwak Han-muk only answered what he felt like in a hit-or-miss fashion.
Still, I learned quite a bit, though most of it was small, miscellaneous information.
By the time I learned that he loved sweet snacks, that he was disappointed he couldn’t buy Daejeo salty tomatoes when he went down to Busan for 3Clean, that he grew up in a strict household, and even that his birthday was November 19th.
Kwak Han-muk swallowed the last cookie and took a sip of my Americano.
As I took back the cup, feeling the cold moisture, he called my name.
"Goyo."
"Yes, Captain Kwak."
Even after calling me, Kwak Han-muk remained silent for quite a long time.
He couldn’t bring himself to speak easily.
It was almost time for the sun to set. In the midst of the slanting sunlight, Kwak Han-muk asked me.
"You have something to say, don’t you?"
I nodded. However, I couldn’t speak easily either.
In the end, Kwak Han-muk threw out the first question.
"You... what are you?"
It was a question to which even I didn’t know the answer.
Because I myself didn’t properly know what I was.
Until not long ago, I knew myself clearly.
I was a failure and a runaway.
But so many things changed overnight.
From the day the developer’s final broadcast ended and I entered Happy Smile Factory>, my quiet daily life underwent a cataclysmic change.
As the world that had been confined within a studio apartment for the past four years expanded, I too began to lose myself.
Currently, it was ambiguous whether to call myself a soldier belonging to the TRA Agency or a young god of Earth.
However, this was just my own thought, and the excuse for Kwak Han-muk was already prepared.
"If I say this, you’ll probably want to put me in a psychiatric hospital."
I continued carefully and cautiously.
"I think... I’m connected to the System."
"The System that appears when you enter a Trial?"
"..Yes."
"Wow."
Letting out a short sound that could have been an exclamation or a sigh, Kwak Han-muk picked up my already empty cup again.
Only after opening the lid, pouring the ice into his mouth, and crunching it with his teeth did he speak again.
"What about the ability you used when catching the Fire Dragon? You brought up a System window. Is the veil your ability too?"
His gaze told me to cut the crap with the measly excuse about items.
Since I had no intention of lying further, I answered honestly.
"Yes.... It’s an ability that appeared when I got connected to the System."
"And that slime?"
Kwak Han-muk gestured with his eyes toward my shoulder.
There was Dominic, politely listening to the conversation while waiting for the moment I would strip Kwak Han-muk’s clothes.
It was pointless to say I couldn’t see it now.
I answered calmly.
"It is also related to the system’s power."
"Goyo, lean your head toward me."
Confused by his gesture, I leaned my head forward.
Snap! One of the rosary beads flew and gave me a proper flick on the forehead.
"Let’s get you a little flick, Sweet Chestnut."
It was painful enough to bring a tear to my eye. I apologized, saying I was sorry.
After adding two more consecutive flicks, Kwak Han-muk spoke.
"A trainee whose hair hasn’t even dried yet, talking like this to the great Captain, huh?"
After pinching my cheek once, Kwak Han-muk generously forgave my lies.
Having roughly accepted the pudding slime, Kwak Han-muk threw other questions.
"The fact that your eyes turn gold sometimes too?"
"Yes..."
"Was that how you caught the Fire Dragon?"
I didn’t remember the moment I caught Infernum very well, but I answered that it was.
"Ha, this is driving me crazy."
Kwak Han-muk covered his eyes with his hand for a moment before looking at me again and asking.
"And the fact that you were the only one who came out late after the S2P ending."
From the time of Deadzone Deal, everything around me disappeared just before the True Ending.
I always ended up seeing the ending with only myself and the NPCs remaining.
Je Hyeon-oh and the Captains had selected their items and came out as the Trial closed, but for some reason. I wasn’t visible.
It was the same pattern in 3Clean.
He said I came out late just as the entire Dosan Park area was about to be turned into ruins.
Hearing Kwak Han-muk’s story, I thought it must have been because of Dominic.
However, since I didn’t remember, I just glossed over it.
"Uh, that. ... I don’t know either."
Kwak Han-muk just stared at me silently for a while.
As the silence stretched, I waited anxiously. My mouth felt dry.
"You really don’t know?"
"Yes...."
Watching me frozen in place, Kwak Han-muk suddenly spoke.
"Sweet Chestnut, shall I tell you a secret too?"
I didn’t know what it was, but I was curious, so I answered yes for now.
I wondered if he was going to say he went to a Buddhist elementary school, but his hand went to his belt.
Click.
He unbuckled his belt in one go and then started unbuttoning his uniform jacket.
"He is a kin who reads his master’s heart well even without a specific command, Roasted Chestnut."
I watched Kwak Han-muk with my eyes and mouth wide open.
He placed his discarded clothes on the chair next to him.
Left only in a tight black sleeveless top, he looked down at me.
"How about it, Goyo?"
"Now, look at the pattern engraved on his body."
Dominic and Kwak Han-muk’s voices overlapped.
Long ago, I had seen a picture on the internet of the scars left on a person who survived a lightning strike.
It was a tattoo that looked exactly like that.
Starting from the left shoulder, reaching below the collarbone, across the chest, and down to the left bicep...
A vivid blue tattoo in a fractal shape, as if lightning were striking.
"A god is sealed within that man."
"I have quite a secret too, don’t I?"
Kwak Han-muk smirked and asked again.
"Does Goyo have something like this too?"