Chapter 138

 

“How did you catch Fake Eui-jin?”

“We raided Novarion. We had to capture him before they exposed you.”

“The ringleader… you haven’t found them yet, right?”

At my question, which carried little hope, Seong San-ha nodded.

“It’s still a long way off. But it’s not a complete loss. We found out that Novarion belongs to a cult group called ‘South Wing.'”

“South Wing?”

“For reference, the group tracking Spica and Algedi is called ‘West Wing.’“

“So what, does that mean there’s an East and North too?”

“Probably.”

At that moment, Lee Cho took a small box from a safe in the corner of the room and handed it to me.

“This is…?”

“It’s the glasses the imposter was wearing. An item imbued with an A-grade confusion effect.”

Come to think of it, unlike before when he always wore glasses, the Fake Eui-jin visible beyond the glass now had a bare face. I accepted the thin glasses and examined them closely.

“You’re saying he fooled all those people with just this one item? He looked so much like me that even I almost fell for it at first.”

“The resemblance was due to the mimicry skill the imposter possessed. But it couldn’t achieve a perfect likeness, so he used the item to bridge the gap.”

“The first time I saw him, he looked so ridiculously handsome I thought there were two of me. But at some point, he started looking different. Was that because I realized he wasn’t the real Kang Eui-jin, and the confusion effect stopped working on me?”

“Probably. The confusion effect of the glasses makes the wearer appear as the face the viewer remembers. So the image you saw when you first met him is likely how you subconsciously picture yourself.”

“Ah, I see.”

Lee Cho carefully took the glasses from my hand, closed the box, and spoke cautiously.

“The glasses themselves aren’t particularly dangerous. If someone unaware puts them on, they won’t have any effect and just show the wearer’s real face. The real problem is that you’re a well-known potion master, and they impersonated someone like you. That’s likely why they made a public appearance at something high-profile, like the World Atelier Expo. Since your face has never been revealed…”

“People seeing him for the first time would naturally believe that face was mine.”

“Exactly.”

…But why copy me, of all people? Was it just because I’m an S-class potion master? Or could it be that they knew I possessed a Constellation?

As I pondered, staring intently at the face beyond the glass, a hand rested on my shoulder. Turning to the side, I saw Seong San-ha, who was also watching Fake Eui-jin.

“Whatever their motive, their direction is clear: killing Constellations.”

“…Do you think they know I have one now?”

“Of course. The Constellation Map points to only one person.”

Damn it. That cursed Constellation Map. I had forgotten about it while staying inside the safe confines of the hotel.

These bastards even managed to kill Ryu Su-yoon inside the highly secure Center. If I leave the hotel, there won’t be any guarantee of safety.

‘Are they going to chase me for the rest of my life, trying to kill me?’

I pushed aside that chilling thought and asked cautiously.

“But this will all get resolved eventually, right? They’re bad guys, so plenty of people must want to take them down.”

“We have to do our best to root them out. Especially since their movements vanished after the Party Quest incident. That was probably something they hadn’t anticipated. But once the Tower opens, they’ll definitely reappear.”

“When does the Tower open?”

“Soon. The wave is stabilizing, and the Gate’s form is becoming visible. It wouldn’t be surprising if it opened as early as tomorrow in some places.”

Life had thrown plenty of crap my way, but being hunted by shadowy enemies like this was a first. 

At least before, running away from Tae Jae-heon was a clear and tangible adversary. Now I had to worry about being chased and possibly killed by people I didn’t even know.

Feeling like prey was utterly infuriating.

I glared intensely at Fake Eui-jin, who was still collapsed beyond the glass, making up my mind. If I couldn’t avoid it, I’d eliminate them first.

‘No one messes with my workshop and gets away with it.’

I turned away from Fake Eui-jin and said firmly.

“Let’s head back.”

Maybe it was because the future ahead looked like it was going to be exhausting, but I felt uneasy. Unlike when I first arrived in Cheon Rang, I didn’t even have the energy to look around.

‘Should I hire more mercenaries? I need to buy more equipment too… How much do we have left in the workshop funds again?’

I stared blankly at my fingertips while my mind worked through the numbers like a calculator. 

Seong San-ha, who had been sitting beside me, poked at the end of my bangs, which curled rounder than the rest, and asked me.

“Why are you making that long face again? Since we’re outside, how about going on a date with me?”

“Get lost.”

“You’re so cute. It’s a shame to leave.”

“Seong San-ha, the meeting is coming up soon. We should be extra careful until then.”

Before I could even say anything, Lee Cho interrupted and stole the chance to talk. I just gave Seong San-ha a look of pity and nodded along with Lee Cho’s nagging. Seong San-ha shrugged his shoulders and sighed in exaggerated disappointment.

“Is that so? Guess there’s no helping it. I was hoping to show you the workshop beforehand.”

“What?! I want to go!”

At the mention of the workshop, my eyes lit up, and when I turned to look, Seong San-ha was grinning, tilting his head.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah! You should’ve said you were planning to go to the workshop earlier. Let’s go to Wolgye Naru quickly!”

“San-ha nim! Eui-jin nim! Do you know what time it is…!”

“Wolgye Naru, turn the car around.”

Despite Lee Cho’s screams, the car changed direction and headed towards Wolgye Naru.

***

I couldn’t take my eyes off the view outside the window. The quiet area around the workshop had filled up with all sorts of shops, and there were already crowds of people outside, eager to take a look.

The faint chatter of people leaked in through the slightly open window.

“When does this place open?”

“In three days!”

“They’re opening a Seok Cheong branch and a Francois Potion Shop too!”

“Wow, damn. How many blacksmith shops are there? If I’d known, I would’ve bought some land!”

“That big white building over there is from Cheon Rang, right? Do you think we could have bought it?”

The car suddenly stopped, and as I looked ahead, Lee Cho opened the window and handed something to the woman guarding the barricade. A moment later, the barricade lifted, and the car entered the street. Soon, loud protests erupted from behind us.

“Open the gate for us too!”

“Why are they going in first?”

“They’re with us. Everyone, move back from the line.”

Once we entered the street, there were even more workshops and shops than I had expected. I saw rare shops like a Monster Taming shop, a gem store, the famous blacksmith Bihyana’s forge, and Seok Cheong’s tailor shop, known for its high-grade clothing. I couldn’t help but glance at Seong San-ha.

“How did you manage to bring all this here?”

“I only passed on the information in advance. Whether they came or not was their choice.”

“What information?”

“What do you think? That the Potion Master, Kang Eui-jin, has a workshop here.”

My mouth dropped open. Does that mean they’ve all seen me?

Unable to contain myself, a laugh escaped. Without realizing it, I tapped my foot and stretched my neck out.

“Let’s go quickly, to my workshop.”

While the shops on the outskirts were packed tightly together, the area around my workshop was different— the buildings were shorter, and there was more space between them. 

Given that once the traffic restrictions were lifted, it would get crowded, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. I had been worried about an attack, but now I felt a bit of ease.

When the car stopped in front of the workshop, Lee Cho opened the car door and spoke.

“Though it’s early, congratulations on your return, Eui-jin.”

As I opened the workshop door and stepped inside, the elf tree, now with fuller leaves, seemed to greet me, shaking gently as the leaves rustled in the wind. Sunlight filtered through the moving leaves, glistening on the grass, creating an enchanting scene. 

I felt so grateful for this beautiful workshop— remembering that I almost ended up captured by Tae Tae-Jeon made my heart ache.

‘Damn it, Tae Jae-heon, that bastard.’

I sniffed, holding back my frustration, and ran into the workshop.

I checked the workroom, then quickly cleaned up the materials that had been rotting in the storage. After inspecting the office and my bedroom, I felt a strong urge to stay here, rather than leaving.

Lying on my soft bed, I looked back. Seong San-ha was standing by the doorway, arms crossed.

I knew it was pointless, but out of curiosity, I tentatively asked.

“Can I sleep here tonight?”

Seong San-ha raised an eyebrow. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he slowly approached me.

“You didn’t have to ask.”

“What? Really?”

“Of course.”

I quickly sat up at the unexpected permission. However, Seong San-ha strangely came closer, placed his knees on the bed and then leaned toward me.

“But, we kissed yesterday. Isn’t it moving too fast? I’m fine with it, though.”

Only then did I realize what kind of nonsense Seong San-ha was talking, and my face turned bright red with embarrassment.

“What? What the hell? You crazy, idiot bastard. What are you talking about? That’s not what I meant!”

Seong San-ha, who had wrapped his waist and pulled me down, leaned over me and whispered.

“Isn’t asking if you can lie down and sleep in bed a form of seduction?”

“Wow, wow. Damn. Only a pervert like you would think like that.”

His hair fell over my face, tickling me. Seong San-ha gazed at me with lazy eyes. Both of us fell silent, and in the sudden stillness, I swallowed hard.

‘Is he really doing this again?’

I couldn’t kiss a man anymore, but I was stuck thinking only about Seong San-ha’s face, which was getting closer. Suddenly, footsteps were heard.

“Is something going on? What’s with the shouting…?”

As soon as I heard Lee Cho’s voice, I immediately rose up. I pushed Seong San-ha with superhuman strength and threw myself for about 3 meters away. That moment, Lee Cho stopped in front of the open door.

“What are you doing…….?”

Lee Cho asked, looking strangely at me who was sitting on the floor.