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The first sound that reached her ears as she awoke was the chirping of birds, a serenade reserved for early mornings.

Sunlight filtered through a crack in the slightly opened door, piercing her eyes. The soft, fluffy blanket warmly embraced her body.

It was a refreshing sleep. So long that she could not even remember the last time she had slept like this.

Swish-.

Un Hyang pulled back the blanket and raised her upper body. For a brief moment, the memories of her dream lingered vividly in her mind. She had expected to have worse nightmares than usual because of what had happened yesterday.

Instead, she had dreamt of being saved.

Nod-.

That was when she turned to her side. There was Suhyuk, dozing off while sitting against the wall. It seemed he had found it uncomfortable, since he had left his mask beside him.

“Let’s head back.”

Recalling the end of her dream, Un Hyang moved closer to Suhyuk. She reached out her hand towards his face. The moment she covered his face and only his eyes came into view.

“…What are you doing?”

His lips moved before his eyes opened. He must have sensed her presence, waking him up.

“Did you sleep here?”

“I wasn’t really sleeping, just dozing off for a moment.”

Suhyuk hastily rubbed his sleepy eyes after belatedly opening them. Un Hyang blinked and pulled back the hand she had brought close to his face.

“Perfect timing.”

“Pardon?”

“Try putting the mask on. Quickly.”

Un Hyang picked up the mask lying beside Suhyuk and held it out in front of him. Suhyuk looked baffled by the change in her tone.

“But you said I could take it off when we’re alone?”

“That was then.”

“At least tell me the reason…”

“Oh, hurry up.”

Faced with her unreasonable demand, Suhyuk put the mask on. After all, he’d have to wear it again soon enough anyway. With his face covered, only his eyes were visible through the mask.

Then.

“…It’s exactly the same.”

“What?”

“Exactly the same as Lee Suhyuk.”

When Lee Suhyuk first appeared in her dream, she had naturally thought he was Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk. She remembered clearly. All these decades, he had been her hero and savior.

However,

“Your eyes.”

The Lee Suhyuk in her dream and the Lee Suhyuk in front of her had eerily identical eyes.

“…Don’t all eyes look the same?”

“That can’t be true.”

Un Hyang shook her head firmly, despite having liked both versions of Lee Suhyuk without realizing it until now.

She was confident that the vivid dream she had was not wrong at all.

“It’s fascinating.”

And because of that, it felt even more intriguing.

“They are clearly different people.”

It was evident that the two of them were different individuals.

Her hero, Lee Suhyuk, was undeniably the strongest in the Tower—there was no way he could be retaking tests on the lower floors. Additionally, though their gaze was eerily similar, their eye shapes and voices were completely different.

From an uncomfortably close distance, Un Hyang scrutinized Suhyuk’s eyes. He could have dodged her scrutiny but didn’t.

After a brief moment, Suhyuk removed the mask he had been wearing and finally asked the question he had been holding back.

“Why do you like Lee Suhyuk so much?”

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“You still owe me from yesterday. Remember?”

Suhyuk drew a clear line in response to Un Hyang’s usual teasing.

“Please answer seriously. Consider it as repaying your debt.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

Suhyuk nodded.

Her attachment to him was difficult to explain as mere fandom. It wasn’t about similar eye shapes or eyebrows—she identified them as the same person just by their gaze.

‘That’s something even those guys couldn’t pull off.’

It was something he couldn’t expect even from his comrades like Shiwoo or Yerang. The same would apply even if the roles were reversed. If Shiwoo were to reincarnate and stand before him, Suhyuk couldn’t say he’d recognize him just by his gaze.

“Because he’s my hero.”

Hero.

It was an unexpected answer.

But fortunately, he had a clue to latch onto.

“Is it because of Un Cheon-guk?”

Un Hyang’s eyes widened.

Seeing her shocked face, Suhyuk explained further.

“I heard it from Cheon Ryang. That manager is Un Cheon-guk’s daughter and the heir to the Divine Dragon Group.”

“Cheon Ryang?”

“I asked him. I blackmailed him just like I did with you, holding a debt over him.”

A debt.

If it could be converted into points, this was an enormous debt. It was a situation that couldn’t help but be understood. Eventually, Un Hyang nodded.

“Yes, it’s because of Un Cheon-guk.”

She didn’t refer to Un Cheon-guk as her father.

“Have you seen it? Thirty years ago, the match where Lee Suhyuk completely defeated Un Cheon-guk in the Grand Battle.”

Though he hadn’t seen it, he must have fought that match. But Suhyuk couldn’t immediately recall the specific match she was talking about.

‘I haven’t just met that guy once.’

Suhyuk had won every match. So saying “the match he won” didn’t narrow it down.

“I guess you haven’t seen it. Actually, I didn’t watch it live either; I saw it on video.”

“Did you become a fan after watching that match?”

“Yes. It felt immensely satisfying.”

Hesitating a moment, she then averted her gaze from Suhyuk and bowed her head slightly.

“Well, that’s not the whole story, but….”

“There’s more?”

“Yes…”

The words barely slipped out. As she avoided his gaze, Suhyuk asked,

“Is it difficult to talk about?”

“L-later.”

Un Hyang bit her lower lip and nodded with an awkward expression.

“Sometime later… definitely.”

At her words, Suhyuk recalled what Cheon Ryang had said.

“Yes. One day, he just said it to me.”

“He said, ‘This isn’t it…”.

Cheon Ryang, who had been his friend since childhood in the Divine Dragon Group, also did not know Un Hyang’s secret. No matter how much help he had provided, it was clear he wouldn’t hear it here. He had no intention of using it as a weakness either.

Suhyuk nodded.

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Un Hyang looked at him with a bright smile. During their conversation, she realized why she had such pleasant dreams.

* * *

Inside the temple of the Divine Dragon Group. With red cloth laid out and dragon-patterned walls adorned, Cha Unhyeop entered the grand central hall of the temple.

After healing his wounds and resting for a day, the first person he sought was his senior brother and the master of Divine Dragon Group, Un Cheon-guk.

“I am sorry, senior brother.”

With his head bowed, Cha Unhyeop couldn’t meet Un Cheon-guk’s eyes as he lounged on the throne. How could he lift his head when he had lost thirty elite warriors and failed the mission?

“… I failed.”

In the end, he returned alone.

Having lost everything and barely holding onto his life.

But then,

“I expected as much.”

At the unexpected answer, Cha Unhyeop’s expression showed confusion.

Expected as much?

Even before the departure, Cha Unhyeop had thought it excessive. No matter how much of a genius Un Hyang was praised to be, she was far behind Cha Unhyeop in terms of distribution and experience as a player.

Moreover, he had thirty elite warriors, including more than ten rankers.

“Aren’t you curious why I failed?”

“That child must have been stronger than expected.”

“That is partly true, but—.”

In the middle of speaking, Cha Unhyeop realized that wasn’t the important matter.

What mattered now was something else.

“If you thought I would fail, why did you send me?”

“I sent you to die. To be precise, I thought that would happen.”

Cha Unhyeop lifted his head to study Un Cheon-guk’s expression. Still, he couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. Cha Unhyeop’s heart sank, but Un Cheon-guk’s mind seemed to be elsewhere.

“This wasn’t in the calculations…”

“I need an explanation.”

Cha Unhyeop stared directly at Un Cheon-guk.

“You know very well, don’t you? I have no interest in that position. No, I couldn’t possibly aim for that position.”

Un Cheon-guk was a monster.

A being that Cha Unhyeop could do nothing against.

The master of Divine Dragon Group had been decided long ago, and Cha Unhyeop had no lingering attachment to that position.

Then why?

“It was necessary.”

“For what reason—”

“It wasn’t because of you but because of Un Hyang.”

Un Cheon-guk cut off Cha Unhyeop’s words midway, sounding quite noisy.

“If that child killed you, it would mean she grew up just as I wanted.”

“Pardon?”

“Anyway, step back for now. I’ll summon you again when I have another use for you.”

A tone as if using an object. Having nothing more to say, Cha Unhyeop bit his lip hard and turned his body. His crushed lip bled out of resentment and frustration, but at the same time, it could have been a relief.

He might have died at Un Cheon-guk’s hands right here. After all, Un Cheon-guk was a notorious tyrant in the Murim World.

For now, he had to be content with just surviving.

Creak—.

Just as Cha Unhyeop was about to exit the sanctuary, having turned around. Through the wide-open sanctuary door, Muhwi entered inside.

Muhwi, who bowed her head in greeting, passed by Cha Unhyeop. As the sanctuary door closed, Muhwi came in and sat before Un Cheon-guk.

“You called for me?”

“What do you think?”

In response to Un Cheon-guk’s question, Muhwi felt her breath catch as always. He was always like this. Throwing out questions with unclear objectives, as if testing his counterpart’s intentions.

However, he was fortunate that this time the question’s meaning was clear.

“It seems someone intervened.”

In the process of capturing Un Hyang, someone got involved.

Nothing could be more evident than this.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because this couldn’t have been done by my junior alone.”

To Muhwi’s answer, Un Cheon-guk nodded.

“It’s Lee Suhyuk.”

He already knew everything. It was for that reason he didn’t bother asking Cha Unhyeop.

“If it was just that kid alone, there would be no way that bastard would have returned alive.”

At those words, Muhwi wore a puzzled expression. It was incomprehensible. Un Cheon-guk was implying that if it were only Un Hyang alone, Cha Unhyeop would have been killed.

If that were the case, why send Cha Unhyeop there at all?

“Was it to kill my junior?”

“What’s the point of killing that brat? If I wanted her dead, I would have done it myself.”

It made sense.

Un Cheon-guk never bothered with complicated schemes to kill someone. He was the kind to decapitate in a heartbeat.

Then why?

“Moreover, Muhwi.”

There was no time to think. After all, trying to read Un Cheon-guk’s intentions was never a day’s task.

“Yes, master.”

“Did you surely convey the message I told you to deliver to that child, Cheon Ryang?”

“…Yes.”

“Really?”

Un Cheon-guk nodded and waved his hand dismissively.

“Then it’s fine. You may go.”

Even though it was a trivial question, Muhwi could already foresee what might unfold next. He felt uneasy. Muhwi clasped her hands in front and bowed before leaving the room.

Finally alone in the sanctuary, Un Cheon-guk’s expression twisted for the first time.

“Lee Suhyuk….”

Lee Suhyuk.

Who would have thought he would come to utter that name again?

Even though he was just some streamer, there was this oddly vexing feeling about him.

“Should I meet him just once?”