NOVEL NEXT chapter 19
Chapter 19. Trap
‘It’s been a while.’
Kim Do-jin’s eyes sparkled as he watched Kim Mu-ho trudging in.
Standing at a towering 185 cm, his broad shoulders and robust physique commanded attention.
His pitch-black hair framed a face with fiery red eyes that seemed to devour the very surroundings.
‘It seems your magical power has increased quite a bit, hasn’t it? Well, that’s only natural…’
Though Kim Do-gyeom was also an S-class Awakened, that classification was merely a reflection of the current limitations of the ‘magic measurement device.’
Even if they were both labeled as S-class, the actual power levels were worlds apart.
Kim Mu-ho was a bona fide master of flame abilities, renowned as the world’s greatest, with a legendary tale of melting an entire mountain during battle.
Since Kim Do-jin had already taken residence in the body of Kim Mu-ho’s son, he intended to extract as much as he could from him.
That was a plan for the future; for now, it was crucial to navigate this moment without a hitch.
– Druk.
As Kim Do-jin rose from his seat, following Kim Do-gyeom, he slightly bowed his head.
– Thud.
Kim Mu-ho walked to the head seat and spoke.
“Sit.”
His children promptly took their places, and soon the meal began.
“Last week, regarding the S-class breach in Pyeongtaek, the government…”
Kim Do-gyeom skillfully exchanged words with Kim Mu-ho about company management and guild status amidst the meal, while Kim Do-hyung interjected now and then, trying to show off his knowledge.
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-ah seemed disinterested in such discussions, engrossed in taking pictures of her food and chatting with friends on messenger.
“…”
On the other hand, Kim Do-jin quietly observed the dynamics of the Kim Mu-ho family.
“How’s life in the Ark?”
Suddenly, Kim Mu-ho turned and asked.
“No problems at all. I’m working hard.”
Kim Do-jin answered calmly, having anticipated the question.
It was a somewhat brazen response, even to himself.
“…Really?”
The rumors of his reckless weekends and poor character within the Ark were already widespread; there was no way Kim Mu-ho was unaware.
“Hmm…”
Kim Mu-ho narrowed his eyes, as if he found the situation untrustworthy, seemingly choosing his words carefully. Suddenly, Kim Do-hyung, who had been standing beside him, interjected as if the moment had finally arrived.
“Not much of a problem, really. I hear your grades are still in the lower tier? Your reputation isn’t great either… Why not give up on aiming for the top and focus on making friends with the upper-tier kids instead? They say there are plenty of talents in this cohort; why not try to bring some of them into our guild?”
It was truly petty how he only spoke up to belittle Kim Mu-ho when he wasn’t around.
In contrast, Kim Do-gyeom, who was usually quiet, now seemed to relish the moment.
It was easy to see why Kim Do-gyeom had been chosen as the successor so early on.
‘Of course, Kim Do-hyung himself wouldn’t understand what the problem is.’
Kim Do-jin forced a bitter smile and replied vaguely, when suddenly Kim Soo-ah, who had been distracted, clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.
“Oh, right! But did you have a fight with Lee Ji-an? I texted her a while ago about some items I was curious about, but she hasn’t replied at all.”
Now that he thought about it, there was indeed a problem.
The sudden announcement of his fiancée, Lee Ji-an, breaking off their engagement.
It might seem trivial to some, but Kim Do-jin answered Kim Soo-ah with a nonchalant expression.
“It’s not that we fought; it’s just that she called off the engagement a few days ago.”
At this, both Kim Soo-ah and Kim Do-hyung reacted with shock.
“What!? Really?”
Kim Mu-ho and Kim Do-gyeom tilted their heads in confusion.
“What happened?”
In response to Kim Mu-ho’s question, Kim Do-jin answered plainly.
“She suddenly announced that she wanted to break off the engagement, and I said I understood. Was there something that hadn’t been discussed?”
The moment Kim Mu-ho heard this, he snorted, about to say something, but Kim Do-hyung, oblivious to the tension, jumped in first.
“How foolish! Why would you let her decide something like that on her own? This is a serious business that involves absorbing the strength of the Jinjeon Guild; if you let that fall through, what use are you to us…?”
As he blustered, Kim Do-hyung secretly felt pleased with himself for speaking out.
However, Kim Mu-ho’s reaction was entirely different from what he had expected.
“Would you have begged her to reconsider if it were you?”
Kim Do-hyung wasn’t so oblivious as to miss the implication.
“Uh? Ah, well, that is…”
Under Kim Mu-ho’s cold gaze, Kim Do-hyung finally realized he had misstepped and stumbled over his words.
“Ha…”
With a sigh, Kim Mu-ho shook his head and turned back to Kim Do-jin.
“You handled it well. How dare she think she could sever our dealings without understanding her place? She will pay the price for that ignorance.”
His tone was calm, yet there was a palpable menace in his words.
‘Hmm… is it really that much?’
A thought flickered in my mind, questioning if it was a bit excessive, yet I felt no remorse for Lee Ji-an.
After all, it was all their own doing.
Anyway, after some more time passed, the meal finally came to an end.
‘Phew…’
Fortunately, there were no other pressing matters, and Kim Mu-ho, having received a report from some aide, stood up first, claiming he had business to attend to.
“I thought I’d be shaken down for my reckless behavior, but it ended up being smoother than expected. There seems to be a subtle favoritism towards Kim Do-jin…”
Kim Mu-ho suggested that others could stay longer if they wished, but of course, he had no intention of doing so.
Kim Do-jin hurriedly left to call Secretary Jin.
Once again, he found himself in Secretary Jin’s car, returning to ‘Ark,’ and he flopped down onto the sofa in his dorm room.
“Ah… this is comfortable…”
Now, this place felt as cozy as home.
A space of my own, free from anyone’s interference.
With a chilled cola in hand, the stress of the day melted away.
But then…
“Winter, where the hell have you gone?”
Once again, Winter was nowhere to be seen.
He had probably gone out for a night stroll, but feeling a bit bored, I decided to look for Winter while getting some fresh air.
‘Surprisingly effective.’
I had attached a tracker to Winter’s collar just in case, and it turned out to be more functional than I had anticipated.
Checking the map for Winter’s location, I strolled leisurely in that direction.
After some time had passed.
Finally, there came a moment when Winter was drawing near.
“Eek!”
Suddenly, a woman’s scream pierced the air, faint yet sharp.
“What the hell!?”
In an instant, every nerve in my body was on high alert.
The very fact that a scream had erupted meant danger was afoot, and the likelihood of that danger not applying to me was slim.
“Oh no!”
A sudden thought struck me, but there was no time to ponder it now.
– Bang!
Kim Do-jin urgently kicked off the ground, starting to sprint with all his might.
Towards the abandoned building ahead, where the screams echoed.
* * *
Room of Im So-hee on the 3rd floor of the ‘Ark’ girls’ dormitory.
Im So-hee, dressed comfortably, crouched on the sofa, fiddling with her smartphone.
[Im So-hee – What are you doing? If the time is right, should we go in together?]
[Kim Do-jin – Ah, I finished work early, so I’m already inside. Where are you? Should I send a car?]
[Im So-hee – Oh, I see. Then it’s fine! I’ll go in alone!]
[Kim Do-jin – Okay. Let me know if you need a ride again.]
[Im So-hee – Yeah. Thanks…^^!!]
– April 10, 2044. Sunday. –
[Im So-hee – Thanks for yesterday. For going that far for me……ㅠ]
[Kim Do-jin – No problem. But if anything happens, just tell me.]
[Im So-hee – Yeah! Really, thank you.^^ I’ll definitely repay this favor! If you want anything from me, just say it anytime. I’ll do whatever I can!!]
[Kim Do-jin – Okay, lol.]
[Im So-hee – ^^v.]
Since that morning, the messages had abruptly ceased.
Im So-hee found herself repeatedly scrolling through the past messages, lost in thought.
How could she continue the conversation naturally?
‘Should I say I feel uneasy, like someone is watching me? No! That’s too cruel!’
She had lost count of how many ideas she had gone through.
How many times had she typed and deleted messages like this?
Just as she was about to type something again, a new message arrived.
[Yu Da-hee – What are you doing?]
A text from Yu Da-hee, one of the few friends in the Ark who shared a similar situation.
“Da-hee?”
Im So-hee pressed her petite fingers on the smartphone, quickly sending a reply this time.
[Im So-hee – I’m resting in my room. Why?]
[Yu Da-hee – Aren’t you getting close to Kim Do-jin these days?]
[Im So-hee – Huh? Yeah… But why?]
[Yu Da-hee – There’s a puppy here that Kim Do-jin is raising.]
Im So-hee’s eyes widened in surprise as she awaited a response, tension coiling in her chest.
If it was indeed the puppy that Kim Do-jin had recently started to care for… it could serve as the perfect excuse to rekindle their conversation.
With her face now flushed with excitement, Im So-hee hurriedly typed her reply.
[Im So-hee – Really? Where is it?]
[Yu Da-hee – You know that building behind the dormitory that was just finished but hasn’t opened yet? It’s holed up in there, refusing to come out.]
[Im So-hee – Is that so? Should I wait there? I’ll head over right now!]
[Yu Da-hee – Yeah. Hurry up. It’s on the left side of the 3rd floor.]
With a beaming face, Im So-hee sprang to her feet and dashed to her wardrobe.
She quickly changed into her favorite pretty outfit and fussed with her hair in front of the mirror.
The thought of a lucky chance to naturally continue her conversation with Kim Do-jin filled her with glee.
In her excitement, she failed to notice the subtle shift in Yu Da-hee’s tone.