“Is there a problem?” I ask.
“Can you take things more seriously?” Rachel quashes whatever dissatisfaction she must be feeling towards me. “You work as the organization’s second in command, so please take better care of your image.” She adds in a scolding tone.
I understand something must be bothering her. “What is it? Am I bothering you?” My words sound funny even to me. Shouldn’t it be Rachel who is bothering me? She is the one who bumped into me after all.
Rachel glances at my box of VR tech, and then at me. “Can you please play less, and work more? I know it is shameless to request this when you are contributing so much already.”
“Oh~ it is fine!” I shrug off her negativity feeling not slighted even a bit by her words. I appreciate her being frank with me, but I hope we can be more comfortable with each other.
As a sincere fan of the ‘Hajin-Rachel’ ship, I feel a lot for Rachel. Sadly, it looks like Hajin will be sailing the Nayun ship in this timeline. I add. “The world is ending. And the best thing we can do has already been done and is being done. For me to have peace of mind, we shouldn’t think of the negative stuff too much.”
“A peace of mind through what? By deriving fun from everything you do knowing that shouldn’t be the case?” Rachel seems to be pointing out something about my actions.
I am a mischievous kind of guy who likes to pranks and cause trouble. I am an attention seeker too in some sense. My mind rewinds to my hunts of Djinns recently around Cube, and how I kind of tormented them like some whack job with a screw loose on the head.
“I think you are right…” It is enlightening, but I must look like a psycho judging by the way I act. But in the end, they are just acting after all. Even my eloquent speaking is just part of the act.
The pretend madness is my coping self-defense mechanism to this insane world where Devils exist. Though it is simply a manifestation of acting, I must be careful not to let madness encroach on my rational thinking.
“Thank you, Rachel. I will remember that. From now on, I will play more in a normal way and avoid getting stressed. It is a good advice.” I smile, sincerely thankful for her advice.
“What are you even saying? Do you think this is a game? We are not on the same wavelength at all! Are you looking down on me?” Rachel glares at me hatefully. I understand now that she must mean something else by her words. “I… I am losing confidence in our cause. I don’t know if I am being delusional or being manipulated, but I sincerely believe that I must help Yeonha! Can you please take me more seriously?”
A small teardrop slides from her cheek but she quickly wipes it. She has become stronger, and more admirable when I am not looking at her. No, Rachel has always been admirable. She pushes a piece of paper to me.
I feel funny. Truly. There is no reason for me to be annoyed by Rachel for her impertinent remarks. She is just a child in my eyes— to me, Hajin, and possibly Nayun who has regressed.
I read the Exam Report that I myself wrote, while Rachel walked away in a tantrum. I understand now. I must have offended her.
***
Rachel wants to throw a violent tantrum, but she is not a child anymore. She returns to [Under Cube] and gets in her own private room with features so much more humble than her VIP accommodations from [Surface Cube].
“What have I done?” She massages her head in self-reproach. She should have not said those things. To think that she dared demand him to do more when she herself is doing less.
Rachel feels terrible for what she has done. She doesn’t like it, and she wants to apologize. She contacts Yeonha, hoping that she can give her advice on her predicament. She contacts her via smartwatch.
Yeonha’s voice comes from her smartwatch through an audio call. “Hello?”
“It is me, Rachel.”
“I know.”
A short silence ensues between the two of them. Rachel feels terrible two times over being reminded of her guilt toward Yeonha. “I am sorry.”
“Why?”
Self-blame suddenly assaults Rachel. “Maybe you wouldn’t be in that position if I convinced you somehow. If I strongly advocated for the Devil Hunters’ Club, maybe you wouldn’t be kept in that place… That is why I feel the need to apologize.”
“You silly…” Yeonha’s voice sounds exasperated from the other side. “I thought you were feeling sorry because you didn’t contact me any sooner. Honestly, I am sad because you didn’t contact me sooner! Evandel is a nice company, but I’d like to talk to friends too, you know…”
Like Rachel, Yeonha is also a person. She needs to talk to someone else too. She needs to socialize and stay connected. Rachel realizes she has been a bad friend for not thinking from Yeonha’s perspective.
Rachel wants to say sorry for her lack of sensibility, but she resists. “Thank you,” she softly mutters. She is thankful to have Yeonha as a friend. Rachel changes the direction of their conversation, wanting to ask for Hyon, but then, she realizes, it might sound unnatural to her so she thinks up another topic. “Why is it an audio call, and not a video call? Can I video call you? Also, I really want to visit your place… I hear that Evandel is very cute!”
Shortly after, Yeonha’s voice doesn’t reply. This worries Rachel. “Yeonha?” She asks from her smartwatch. After five seconds and more, Yeonha replies.
“We cannot. The audio call is the limit. Moreover, it is only a one-way method of contact. For example, I cannot initiate the ‘contact’ with you, but you have to do it. If we connect to a Video Call, I might accidentally leak information. I have the Devil’s Seed within me, and anytime, I might break and set loose. Hyon prepared countermeasures to secure my containment with my inputs in mind. The reason you cannot visit me here is also because of these ‘countermeasures’ in place. I am also not the only one being contained in this area, but also Evandel. I cannot tell you much, but my containment area is impressively secured that no matter what happens, I won’t be able to escape it.”
Rachel grows quiet just by hearing her. She doesn’t know what to say. Should she comfort her? “I will ask Hyon. I should be able to visit you even once for a while.”
“Don’t. He is very busy. He might not show it, but he is working hard on improving himself and making his schemes. Moreover, staying here isn’t so bad. Hajin entered this place once to place furniture and daily necessities. I have Evandel as a companion. And then there is the Death Knight… uhm… doing household chores. My stay in this place isn’t so bad. Moreover, I can help with various tasks by staying here, of course, with limited freedom.”
“Busy?”
Rachel doubts it. But if Yeonha says so, he must be. Rachel feels the weight of guilt on her shoulders getting heavier. She feels very terrible. Yeonha explains how busy Hyon has been.
“He is hunting Djinns in his free time. It is unsavory work, but Djinns are quickly adapting to their situations as underdogs. Plenty of criminals are also taking advantage of the power vacuum caused by the retreating Djinn factions.
“He also only sleeps an hour a day, which is inhumanly possible if not for his [AI System]. From what I understand of Miss Cube’s explanation, he is programming his body to exercise while his brain sleeps. I wish he could rest more.
“He is doing a lot of projects with vague goals. Recently, he is investing a lot of money in charity foundations, and an art gallery. He is also buying a lot of raw materials from the Violet Banquet. There is his project about Data Simulation too.
“He is very busy. The others too are busy in their own ways. Hajin continues to polish his TRH and TNE manuscript, while he buys stock from the side. He is also training his craftsmanship ability and selling his works from Hajin Page. Nayun is investing in Essence of the Strait quite lucratively lately which I am thankful for. From what I hear, many of the booths at this Festival of Heroes are co-owned by her and my Guild. Then, there is Suho. He seems to be going to a lot of places lately.”
Rachel realizes how useless she is. Even Shin Jonghak has contributed greatly by using himself as a fodder to feed Hajin’s fame. Rachel understands that Hajin grows stronger the more ‘popular’ he becomes, and Jonghak’s sacrifice must mean a lot for the group as a whole.
After all, Hajin’s increase in strength can also be the increase of the strength of the others through the use of his ‘Setting Intervention’ so that he can provide more of his unique resource— SP.
Not to mention, there is Yeonha who even while in containment is able to contribute to the growth of their organization without a hitch.
“Yeonha,” Rachel softly calls to her. “I said something really bad to Hyon. I want to apologize to him. Can you help me? Please tell me, where is he now?”
Before Yeonha answers, a notification resounds from Rachel’s smartwatch. It is Hyon requesting entry to her room. Rachel short-circuits at the unexpected development, sending her into a panic.
“Is there a problem?” I ask.
“Can you take things more seriously?” Rachel quashes whatever dissatisfaction she must be feeling towards me. “You work as the organization’s second in command, so please take better care of your image.” She adds in a scolding tone.
I understand something must be bothering her. “What is it? Am I bothering you?” My words sound funny even to me. Shouldn’t it be Rachel who is bothering me? She is the one who bumped into me after all.
Rachel glances at my box of VR tech, and then at me. “Can you please play less, and work more? I know it is shameless to request this when you are contributing so much already.”
“Oh~ it is fine!” I shrug off her negativity feeling not slighted even a bit by her words. I appreciate her being frank with me, but I hope we can be more comfortable with each other.
As a sincere fan of the ‘Hajin-Rachel’ ship, I feel a lot for Rachel. Sadly, it looks like Hajin will be sailing the Nayun ship in this timeline. I add. “The world is ending. And the best thing we can do has already been done and is being done. For me to have peace of mind, we shouldn’t think of the negative stuff too much.”
“A peace of mind through what? By deriving fun from everything you do knowing that shouldn’t be the case?” Rachel seems to be pointing out something about my actions.
I am a mischievous kind of guy who likes to pranks and cause trouble. I am an attention seeker too in some sense. My mind rewinds to my hunts of Djinns recently around Cube, and how I kind of tormented them like some whack job with a screw loose on the head.
“I think you are right…” It is enlightening, but I must look like a psycho judging by the way I act. But in the end, they are just acting after all. Even my eloquent speaking is just part of the act.
The pretend madness is my coping self-defense mechanism to this insane world where Devils exist. Though it is simply a manifestation of acting, I must be careful not to let madness encroach on my rational thinking.
“Thank you, Rachel. I will remember that. From now on, I will play more in a normal way and avoid getting stressed. It is a good advice.” I smile, sincerely thankful for her advice.
“What are you even saying? Do you think this is a game? We are not on the same wavelength at all! Are you looking down on me?” Rachel glares at me hatefully. I understand now that she must mean something else by her words. “I… I am losing confidence in our cause. I don’t know if I am being delusional or being manipulated, but I sincerely believe that I must help Yeonha! Can you please take me more seriously?”
A small teardrop slides from her cheek but she quickly wipes it. She has become stronger, and more admirable when I am not looking at her. No, Rachel has always been admirable. She pushes a piece of paper to me.
I feel funny. Truly. There is no reason for me to be annoyed by Rachel for her impertinent remarks. She is just a child in my eyes— to me, Hajin, and possibly Nayun who has regressed.
I read the Exam Report that I myself wrote, while Rachel walked away in a tantrum. I understand now. I must have offended her.
***
Rachel wants to throw a violent tantrum, but she is not a child anymore. She returns to [Under Cube] and gets in her own private room with features so much more humble than her VIP accommodations from [Surface Cube].
“What have I done?” She massages her head in self-reproach. She should have not said those things. To think that she dared demand him to do more when she herself is doing less.
Rachel feels terrible for what she has done. She doesn’t like it, and she wants to apologize. She contacts Yeonha, hoping that she can give her advice on her predicament. She contacts her via smartwatch.
Yeonha’s voice comes from her smartwatch through an audio call. “Hello?”
“It is me, Rachel.”
“I know.”
A short silence ensues between the two of them. Rachel feels terrible two times over being reminded of her guilt toward Yeonha. “I am sorry.”
“Why?”
Self-blame suddenly assaults Rachel. “Maybe you wouldn’t be in that position if I convinced you somehow. If I strongly advocated for the Devil Hunters’ Club, maybe you wouldn’t be kept in that place… That is why I feel the need to apologize.”
“You silly…” Yeonha’s voice sounds exasperated from the other side. “I thought you were feeling sorry because you didn’t contact me any sooner. Honestly, I am sad because you didn’t contact me sooner! Evandel is a nice company, but I’d like to talk to friends too, you know…”
Like Rachel, Yeonha is also a person. She needs to talk to someone else too. She needs to socialize and stay connected. Rachel realizes she has been a bad friend for not thinking from Yeonha’s perspective.
Rachel wants to say sorry for her lack of sensibility, but she resists. “Thank you,” she softly mutters. She is thankful to have Yeonha as a friend. Rachel changes the direction of their conversation, wanting to ask for Hyon, but then, she realizes, it might sound unnatural to her so she thinks up another topic. “Why is it an audio call, and not a video call? Can I video call you? Also, I really want to visit your place… I hear that Evandel is very cute!”
Shortly after, Yeonha’s voice doesn’t reply. This worries Rachel. “Yeonha?” She asks from her smartwatch. After five seconds and more, Yeonha replies.
“We cannot. The audio call is the limit. Moreover, it is only a one-way method of contact. For example, I cannot initiate the ‘contact’ with you, but you have to do it. If we connect to a Video Call, I might accidentally leak information. I have the Devil’s Seed within me, and anytime, I might break and set loose. Hyon prepared countermeasures to secure my containment with my inputs in mind. The reason you cannot visit me here is also because of these ‘countermeasures’ in place. I am also not the only one being contained in this area, but also Evandel. I cannot tell you much, but my containment area is impressively secured that no matter what happens, I won’t be able to escape it.”
Rachel grows quiet just by hearing her. She doesn’t know what to say. Should she comfort her? “I will ask Hyon. I should be able to visit you even once for a while.”
“Don’t. He is very busy. He might not show it, but he is working hard on improving himself and making his schemes. Moreover, staying here isn’t so bad. Hajin entered this place once to place furniture and daily necessities. I have Evandel as a companion. And then there is the Death Knight… uhm… doing household chores. My stay in this place isn’t so bad. Moreover, I can help with various tasks by staying here, of course, with limited freedom.”
“Busy?”
Rachel doubts it. But if Yeonha says so, he must be. Rachel feels the weight of guilt on her shoulders getting heavier. She feels very terrible. Yeonha explains how busy Hyon has been.
“He is hunting Djinns in his free time. It is unsavory work, but Djinns are quickly adapting to their situations as underdogs. Plenty of criminals are also taking advantage of the power vacuum caused by the retreating Djinn factions.
“He also only sleeps an hour a day, which is inhumanly possible if not for his [AI System]. From what I understand of Miss Cube’s explanation, he is programming his body to exercise while his brain sleeps. I wish he could rest more.
“He is doing a lot of projects with vague goals. Recently, he is investing a lot of money in charity foundations, and an art gallery. He is also buying a lot of raw materials from the Violet Banquet. There is his project about Data Simulation too.
“He is very busy. The others too are busy in their own ways. Hajin continues to polish his TRH and TNE manuscript, while he buys stock from the side. He is also training his craftsmanship ability and selling his works from Hajin Page. Nayun is investing in Essence of the Strait quite lucratively lately which I am thankful for. From what I hear, many of the booths at this Festival of Heroes are co-owned by her and my Guild. Then, there is Suho. He seems to be going to a lot of places lately.”
Rachel realizes how useless she is. Even Shin Jonghak has contributed greatly by using himself as a fodder to feed Hajin’s fame. Rachel understands that Hajin grows stronger the more ‘popular’ he becomes, and Jonghak’s sacrifice must mean a lot for the group as a whole.
After all, Hajin’s increase in strength can also be the increase of the strength of the others through the use of his ‘Setting Intervention’ so that he can provide more of his unique resource— SP.
Not to mention, there is Yeonha who even while in containment is able to contribute to the growth of their organization without a hitch.
“Yeonha,” Rachel softly calls to her. “I said something really bad to Hyon. I want to apologize to him. Can you help me? Please tell me, where is he now?”
Before Yeonha answers, a notification resounds from Rachel’s smartwatch. It is Hyon requesting entry to her room. Rachel short-circuits at the unexpected development, sending her into a panic.
