Chapter 131

 

“Where is Zero?”

 

“He just arrived. He’s in the parking lot.”

 

I got permission from the hotel manager, and now, in an unused restaurant, I set up a temporary workspace. This was possible because the entire hotel was rented out by Cheong Rang and the Center, so there were no regular guests.

 

I went downstairs with Seung-yeon, as Han Seo-jin was still nowhere to be seen, and the elevator stopped halfway when Seong San-ha got on.

 

“Seong San-ha!”

 

“Good morning.”

 

Seong San-ha said with a slight smirk, pressing the button and turning his back. He stood there silently, staring at the elevator door without saying anything.

 

This was so unlike him! He used to tease me every time we crossed paths, and if not that, he would at least make some trivial remark. But today, he acted as if he didn’t know me, greeting me with nothing more than a brief hello.

 

‘Did he eat something weird?’

 

Now that I thought about it, he had seemed a little off yesterday too…

 

Noticing his unfamiliar demeanor, I nudged the polished heel of Seong San-ha’s shoe with my foot.

 

“Hey, hey. Seong San-ha.”

 

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Do you have something to say?”

 

“Do I really need a reason to talk to you? Between us?”

 

Eui-jin nim… Seung-yeon whispered quietly, grabbing the edge of my clothes. 

 

Seong San-ha, who let out a small chuckle, reached out as if to pat my head, but he hesitated and withdrew his hand, pretending as though nothing had happened, and then asked.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Zero said he got the ingredients. I’m going to the workshop.”

 

“Ah, the one you set up in the restaurant. What potion are you making this time?”

 

“Ringshon.”

 

Both Seong San-ha and Seung-yeon raised an eyebrow at my short response.

 

“Eui-jin nim, you’re making Ringshon?”

 

“Ringshon, huh…”

 

Both of them seemed to question why I was making it. It definitely wasn’t a potion commonly used by the public, given that it had bothersome conditions and didn’t have any clearly beneficial effects. But my purpose was different. I gently patted the pocket where the hair I brought with me this morning would be stored.

 

Soon, we arrived at the lobby, and the door opened. Seong San-ha pressed the button to hold the door, giving me a slight nod as he said, “Goodbye,” and I stopped mid-step, staring at him.

 

“…Are you acting weird lately?”

“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

 

The two eyes, filled with laughter, squinted as Seong San-ha spoke in a playful tone, almost as if he were comforting a child.

 

“I was wondering why you’re acting like this. The phone is with Lee Cho, so go to room 1414 and ask for it.”

 

Damn, is he messing with me…? Who does he think he’s treating like a kid?

 

I wanted to ask who, feeling both frustrated and curious, but here he was, acting strange in his own way with that carefree attitude, and it only made me more irritated. I glared at him, my anger rising, and provocatively said.

 

“I’ll call you every day once I get the phone, so you’d better pick up.”

 

“What?”

 

“We agreed to report our location, didn’t we? Master.”

 

Seong San-ha’s relaxed expression crumbled when I gestured around my neck.

 

“Kang Eui-jin, you…!”

 

His face flushed faintly, clearly flustered, and seeing him like that was immensely satisfying—it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. Feeling triumphant, I grinned widely, but Seong San-ha covered his face with his hand and muttered something.

 

“…Ah. Get out.”

 

“What?”

 

Before I knew it, I took a step back in surprise. I tried to step forward again, but my feet seemed stuck to the ground.

 

「Your master has used, ‘Wait.’ You obediently wait and focus on your master.」

 

“Yah! Seong San-ha!”

 

「Your master has said, ‘Be quiet.’ You keep your mouth shut tightly.」

 

“Mm, mmph! Mmmmph!!”

 

“Haah, do you even know what you’re doing…”

 

After hearing his complicated voice, the door shut.

 

Yeon Seung-yeon, who had been standing a step behind me, rushed over in a panic.

 

“Eujin-nim, are you okay?”

 

“Mmm!”

 

‘That bastard!!’

 

***

 

“You’re making a Ringshon? I’ve only ever heard of it but never seen it made before. Isn’t it kind of useless?”

 

I stood watching Yeon Seung-yeon as he stuck close to the gas stove, carefully adjusting the flame under a pot, while Zero continued rambling on.

 

“Ringshon. A potion that temporarily allows the sharing of mana. However, it requires a blood relation and conforms to the mana capacity of the weaker party.”

 

“Are you just going to stand there and keep watching? You seem free today.”

 

“Yeah, strangely enough, I’ve been unusually idle. Maybe it’s because my only workplace is currently on indefinite hiatus.”

 

“…”

 

“Oh, wait—are you giving me a hint to leave? Haha, as if. There’s no way the boss, who clearly knows I went all the way to Yangyang to fetch Tears of Faith, would do that to me.”

 

“Damn it, watch all you want. Stay forever for all I care.”

 

Zero smiled brightly and adjusted his glasses.

 

“Gladly.”

 

The sharp-witted bastard. I had hoped to handle this without too many prying eyes today.

 

Right at that moment, Yeon Seung-yeon urgently called out to me.

 

“Eui-jin nim! The color’s turned transparent!”

 

“Turn off the heat and transfer the contents quickly!”

 

Seung-yeon carefully ladled the potion into the prepared glass container. By the time the container was half full, the remaining liquid in the pot was already spoiled from residual heat. He examined the liquid, now at the exact measuring line, with wide-eyed wonder.

 

“To think you can extract this much from all those ingredients! Such perfect precision!”

 

“Of course. I could do this with my eyes closed.”

 

Now, there was only one step left. The true identity of the Ringshon process lay in this final act.

 

I reached deep into my pocket and pulled out a strand of hair. Zero, as expected, didn’t miss a beat.

 

“Isn’t blood usually used for Ringshon? From the clients, I mean.”

 

“Blood? Hell no. That’s just François putting on his mysterious, mystical act for marketing. As long as it contains genetic information, it works.”

 

I dropped the strands of black hair into the glass container. The moment the hair touched the transparent liquid, it dissolved instantly, leaving no trace behind.

 

“Hoho, fascinating. Whose hair was that?”

 

“Client confidentiality. It’s a secret.”

 

I answered curtly, though I wasn’t actually planning to hide it. Because what comes next would reveal everything anyway.

 

“Eui-jin nim…?”

 

“…No way.”

 

Since I needed Joo Ho-hyun’s hair, I plucked a few strands and dropped them straight into the glass container. Yeon Seung-yeon and Zero, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, focused all their attention on the strands as they fluttered down. The liquid, which had dissolved the hair just as before, began to turn a vivid blue from the surface downward.

 

Yeon Seung-yeon’s mouth fell open slightly.

 

“Ah… My gosh. I’ve never seen a Ringshon of such high purity before…”

 

“I’ve read that not even between parent and child does it reach this intensity. If it’s this concentrated, then…:”

 

“Boss, by any chance…”

 

“Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

 

I grabbed the Ringshon and poured it straight down the sink. The decisive disposal left Seungyeon gasping in shock behind me, but it didn’t matter. It was a potion I would never have any use for.

 

There was no partner to share mana with—Joo Ho-hyun’s other half was already dead. What good would high purity do in this situation?

 

I stood still, staring at the stream of blue liquid as it swirled and disappeared down the drain. But it was enough. This proved it—the undeniable truth that Joo Ho-hyun and I were twins.

 

At the moment of confirmation, a strange thought popped into my mind, unbidden. It wasn’t about the implications of having a twin or even about Ho-hyun. Instead, I remembered the glimpses the system had shown me of “Joo Ho-hyun’s” past: brief flashes of our parents’ backs.

 

‘…So they were my parents, huh.’

 

I’d never been the type to grieve for a missing family or long for their presence. But learning about it like this left a bitter taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite shake.

 

And knowing what I knew about Joo Ho-hyun’s ultimate fate only made it worse.

 

‘Such a fool…’

 

Noticing the change in my mood, Zero and Seung-yeon quietly helped with the cleanup without saying much.

 

“Uhm… Boss, are you going back to your room?”

 

“…?”

 

“Boss!”

 

“Huh? Oh… Sorry, what did you say?”

 

I had been absent-mindedly staring out the window, but when I finally turned around, Seung-yeon was hesitant speaking.

 

“Are you going back to your room right away… if so, should I go ahead and order lunch for you?”

 

“No, today let’s all eat together. Zero, you eat too, since you’re free.”

 

“Sounds good to me.”

 

“Seung-yeon, didn’t the kids contact you?”

 

“I did receive messages, but you seemed unwell, so I decided to hold off for now… It’s almost lunchtime, so we can go straight to the lounge.”

 

“Ah, but before that, I have somewhere to stop by.”

 

Together with Seung-yeon, we headed to the 14th floor. I remembered I needed to pick up the phone from Lee Cho.

 

“14… 1414! This is it.”

 

As I stood in front of room 1414, about to ring the bell, I heard some noise from inside and the door suddenly swung open. The woman who came out startled me, and I widened my eyes in surprise at the familiar face.

 

“Oh? You…”

 

“Huh? You…?”

 

Where had I seen her before? I was sure I knew her from somewhere!

 

She seemed to recognize me too. Quickly, I searched my memory. Not from Nox, not a client from our workshop. That only left the center.

 

“Na-yeon? Why? What’s going on…?”

 

I heard Lee Cho’s voice from inside, and the moment the door fully opened, the woman and I both pointed at each other and shouted.

 

“Yes! The handsome customer!”

 

“Seoul Center driver!”

 

Now I remembered. Oh Na-yeon. The friendly bus driver I had met at the Seoul Center!

 

I even saw the diamond ring on her fourth finger as she pointed at me—now it was definitely clear.

 

‘But why is she in Cheon Rang?’

 

“What’s all this noise… Ho, Ho-hyun?”

 

I looked back and forth between Oh Na-yeon’s diamond ring and Lee Cho, who was standing closely next to her.

 

“Huh. Why are you two coming out of the same room?”