Bright red meat was poured onto the well-heated griddle in a heap. Chiiiiiik—the sound came along with a rich, delicious smell rising into the air. The lid of the steamer was opened, white steam billowed out, and a red-cooked lobster was lifted out with tongs.
When I pressed rice tightly into bowls from a whole potful, about a third of it was empty in no time. It was a commercial rice cooker, enough for around twenty servings, but I still worried it might not be enough. There were nine of us just going by headcount alone.
I finished serving out all the rice and was about to ladle out seaweed soup when I noticed the me from before the regression standing blankly in front of the refrigerator. It was the refrigerator with the cake box in it.
"What's wrong?"
When I walked over and asked, he glanced at Yoohyun, who was grilling the meat, then spoke in a voice as small as a mosquito's.
"The day still hasn't changed yet."
"The cake, you mean."
"They said that in outside time his birthday was still far off, and also…"
The me from before the regression bit his lower lip slightly.
"…Will he be there?"
"…I don't know."
Both of us simultaneously remembered the fact we had both been trying to put off. Inside the still-blocked Haeyeon Guild building, would Yoohyun be there?
"I'm going to go tomorrow. When it gets light. Once the Association side is dealt with, it'll probably open."
"Right."
I held the ladle, and the other me lined up the soup bowls. When I opened the soup pot, another great cloud of white steam rose up. Water clinging to the lid streamed down in long trickles. I filled each bowl generously with the deeply simmered seaweed soup. I didn't skimp on the meat either. Just looking at the glossy broth made it feel as if it would warm you from the inside out.
We put kimchi and other side dishes onto plates, and washed and shook off the wraps as well. I scooped out ssamjang and added salt to sesame oil. The nutty smell tickled the tip of my nose.
"There's more rice and soup, so say something if you need more~"
Seeing them all sitting in a row, with chairs lined up after we pushed a table against the prep counter where the griddle sat, made me feel strangely pleased. Sung Hyunjae brought out the steamed lobster and lobster sashimi on separate plates.
"Put kimchi on too! You don't even know how to grill it."
Butting in, Yerim grabbed the tongs and slapped a whole strip of kimchi onto the griddle. Yoon Yoon was already busy eating. Their cheeks were puffed full with wrapped meat.
"You should eat too, Mr. Yoojin. And the other Mr. Yoojin as well."
Noah said that quietly, holding his spoon and chopsticks properly. Sung Hyunjae put on plastic gloves and began taking apart the steamed lobster. As he lightly cracked open a claw, thick, plump flesh spilled out in abundance. Young Chaos neatly picked out the meat with skilled chopsticks and ate it.
"Hyung, sit down already."
Yoohyun beckoned to us. We brought chairs and sat down inside the prep counter area. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, my little brother sat me on his left and then sat the other me on his right, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"Would you look at Han Yoohyun loving this so much he could die. He won't even need food at this rate. Ahjussi, just starve him."
With a look that said she couldn't bear to watch, Yerim picked up a piece of meat. Sitting at the very end, Chief Secretary Song moved his spoon and chopsticks quietly, but steadily. Watching the heaping bowl of rice in front of him disappear quickly made me feel happy too.
"Please eat a lot."
Since he was farther away, I put the cooked meat onto a separate plate and handed it to him. Naturally, I didn't forget the vegetables either. Or the lobster.
"Yerim-ah, want another bowl?"
"I'm faster."
"No, I'm faster!"
Yerim and Yoon Yoon, who had emptied their rice bowls at about the same speed, vanished with their bowls in hand. And then—
"Ah!"
"Ow!"
They collided right in front of the rice cooker. Oh dear.
"Bring one for Song Taewon too."
In the meantime, Chief Secretary Song had also finished his bowl cleanly. He really was eating well.
"Yes. Chief Secretary Song Ahjussi, throw it!"
At Yerim's words, Song Taewon hesitated. Throwing a rice bowl did feel a bit much.
"I'll go."
"Please give it here."
There was no need for him to walk all the way around. I took the bowl from him and handed it to Yerim. Song Taewon looked at me, and then at the other me for a moment. Now that I thought about it, even though there was another me sitting here, Chief Secretary Song hadn't said anything in particular. He was calm, as though he had expected it.
"Since the sun has set, should I go stand guard at the door?"
At my question, Young Chaos, who had been drinking soup, lifted his head.
"It's fine for now, since it can't move yet. But you'll have to choose between the two."
"Between two?"
"The moon or the dragon."
I had seen the message saying a dragon would appear. But the moon? He meant the crescent moon, probably.
"Fortunately, they won't appear at the same time. You only have to stop one."
"How strong is the dragon?"
The red eyes looked at me quietly.
"Your nightmare, First."
My nightmare. I drew in a short breath. Rauchitas.
"Even normally it would be hard to catch, and it must have gotten the dungeon buff too. There's no way."
How could we ever catch that? We couldn't.
"And the moon is a crescent moon too, right? That side is a transcendent as well..."
There was no answer either way.
"Is there no third option? Like staying quietly hidden in the hotel?"
"If you're lucky, the hotel might hold out. About a thirty percent chance."
"Thirty percent is way too low!"
By then, every moving spoon and chopstick had come to a halt. I should have brought this up after we finished eating. This wasn't something to talk about at the table.
"It's not that there's no way."
Young Chaos said that, then finished the rest of his soup. Everyone else quickly finished eating as well.
"Bring tea."
"Tea? We didn't buy any tea."
"I'll go get it!"
"Me too!"
Yerim and Yoon Yoon both shot their hands up again. Where were they even trying to go?
"No! The sun's down!"
"There's a café right upstairs, though."
"Yeah, I saw it too."
Ah, right. That was true.
"I'll go along as well. Please place your orders."
"For me, just a café latte. Hot today."
The three of them went up to the café, and the rest of us started cleaning up. Well, except for Elder.
"Was your leg injured?"
Chief Secretary Song asked that quietly to the me from before the regression. I was a little flustered but nodded.
"…Yes."
Without asking any more, Song Taewon looked at me, then at me and Yoohyun.
"Hyung, go sit over there now. You too, Hyung."
When Yoohyun shooed me and me out of the kitchen, he started peeling fruit together with Noah while Chief Secretary Song gathered up the dishes.
"You don't have to do the dishes! We're inside a dungeon anyway."
"Even so, this is a place we'll be staying for the day."
Chief Secretary Song put on rubber gloves. I figured he would, but he really did have a neat and tidy personality. Me and me sat side by side at a large table, resting our chins on our hands as we watched the kitchen. Yoohyun and Mr. Noah really did look good together. They peel fruit so well too.
"You two really do look alike in even your expressions."
Young Chaos said while looking at us.
"I'm taller than this brat. And I'm in better shape too."
"You're showing off disgustingly over barely one centimeter. It's all measuring the height of acorns."
"One centimeter? How tall are you?"
"…178."
"Why stop there? If you're going to lie, why not just say 180?"
Damn it, annoying bastard. Under the table, I kicked his leg. Not willing to lose, he kicked mine back. Oh? I only nudged him, but this punk actually put some force into it, didn't he? Naturally, I kicked him harder.
"Second! Look at these First brats!"
"Hyung!"
Yoohyun lightly vaulted over the counter and came toward us.
"Use words, words. You'll get hurt like that. No, Hyung sits here, and Hyung sits there."
"We're not fighting."
"Right. We're using words."
Even though we said we were fine, my younger brother picked me up chair and all. Then he plopped me down to the side. After that, he brought another chair, set it between us, and sat down himself. Yoohyun took hold of both my hand and my hand.
"You have to get along."
"We do get along."
"That's right. We didn't pull out weapons."
"If it were bad, we'd already have stabbed each other."
"I'm holding back really well from wanting to have a go."
"I'd win anyway."
"What did you just say, you little shit?"
Chief Secretary Song stopped washing dishes and turned to look at us. Noah practically ran over with fruit plates in both hands.
"Please eat. And don't fight."
"Thank you, Mr. Noah. We're not fighting."
"Thank you."
Chief Secretary Song, having finished the dishes, also came over to the table. Not long after, the people who had gone to the café returned as well.
"Here is the café latte you ordered."
Sung Hyunjae set coffee down in front of me and me.
"Grandpa, they said this is bellflower-pear tea!"
A ribbon of water spun around Yerim's body. The cups were lined up one after another inside that warm band of water. Tea was set down in front of Young Chaos, and drinks were handed to Chief Secretary Song and Noah as well.
"Yuja tea and Americano! Here, Han Yoohyun. For you especially, flower tea."
Yerim, there's half water and half dried flowers in Yoohyun's teacup. At this rate he'd be chewing grass, not drinking tea.
"Want some coffee?"
"No, I'm okay."
The me from before the regression took a sip of the café latte and muttered softly, "Sweet." It was sweet, that stuff. Even so, the fact that he put it back to his lips again made it seem he didn't dislike it. Yerim and Yoon Yoon sat side by side, noisily sucking on ades, while Sung Hyunjae had, of all things, green tea.
"So what do we do?"
I asked Young Chaos. While drinking his bellflower-pear tea, Chaos answered.
"The crescent moon here is incomplete. To be precise, it's only something like an afterimage of power. It has a purpose, but it's in a state where it can't properly carry it out, and it's only continuing to weaken, so it will try to find a shell."
"A shell?"
"A body, I mean. There are plenty of those here, aren't there?"
The red eyes slowly swept over all of us.
"If you step out where the moonlight can reach, your body will be taken."
"Then do we just hide? What about going down into the basement entirely?"
"If the moonlight can't find a host body and weakens, the dragon that had been crouching low will start to move. The dragon will go after First and Second. Just like the nightmare."
My hand tightened around the coffee cup. Right in front of me, again, something like that—
"…You said there was a way."
"Offer it."
"Excuse me?"
"Your body, I mean. S-ranks won't do. It would become too strong. But there's an F-rank here too, isn't there."
Everyone's gaze turned toward me, and me.
"Mine?"
"Yes. If it's you, First, then even if the crescent moon takes your body, it'll probably end at around SS-rank. It might even be only S-rank level. Then the ones here can catch it."
So basically, because my body is so weak, even if the crescent moon's power entered it, it still wouldn't amount to much. That was a relief, but also a little sad. On the other hand, if it took an S-rank's body, it would probably wind up around L-rank.
"No."
Yoohyun said flatly.
"I can't let Hyung do something dangerous."
"That's right, and Ahjussi isn't even in good shape right now."
"It won't be dangerous."
Young Chaos took a sip of tea and went on.
"It'll only temporarily become an avatar body for the crescent moon, so the main body should remain unharmed. Though according to the crescent moon's will, it will try to kill that one."
Young Chaos tilted his chin toward Song Taewon. This time, everyone's eyes turned in a rush toward Chief Secretary Song. Yerim, Noah, and Yoon Yoon, who didn't know the full circumstances, tilted their heads. Even Yoohyun looked somewhat puzzled.
Chief Secretary Song set down the cup of yuja tea he was holding.
"Then if I alone leave this place, the crescent moon won't come attacking."
"Why are you trying to go off alone again! No."
"The safest—"
"No, it isn't. If something happens to Chief Secretary Song, then the crescent moon, having accomplished its goal, would disappear too, right? Then wouldn't the dragon appear anyway?"
I turned to Young Chaos as I said it. Chaos nodded.
"Most likely."
"See?"
I stood from my seat and continued.
"So it's right for me to step up. He said it's safe."
"Hyung!"
Yoohyun sprang to his feet after me. Yerim, Noah, and Chief Secretary Song all looked uneasy, and even Sung Hyunjae looked far from pleased.
"We're just fighting. And he said it's even safer this time because it's an avatar body, so there's nothing to hesitate over. You don't like it?"
At my question, Yoohyun's eyes rolled around.
"That's..."
"Actually, you're the one in more danger. It probably won't go easy on you."
"…Won't go easy?"
The corner of my little brother's mouth trembled slightly. It looked like he almost smiled just now. Was I imagining it?
"Yoohyun-ah, I think you look happy."
"No, it's… yeah. Honestly, my heart's racing. After I fought with you, Hyung, everyone else became boring, and I kept thinking only of you..."
"To that extent?"
"Yeah, it was so good. Really."
He'd liked it a lot back then too, but for fighting other people to have become boring because of it? At Yoohyun's reaction, Yerim's eyes sparkled.
"I'd like to fight Ahjussi too. If I really won't get hurt."
Yerim said that, and Noah added, "If no one gets hurt." Of course, Yoon Yoon absolutely hated the idea.
"Then let's prepare. If we take care of the crescent moon, do we not have to worry about the dragon?"
"That rabbit brat will block it."
Hearing that the Newcomer would handle it only made me more uneasy.
- Pii.
I took off Grace and held it out to the me from before the regression. The blue bird hopped down onto the other me's shoulder without much reluctance. Since we were connected, it seemed to recognize us as the same person after all.
"You keep it. If I have Grace, it'll get harder to catch me."
Then I handed the wildcat jacket over to Yoohyun as well. If I got the stealth skill buff, it would just become annoying.
"I'll keep the other equipment on."
If I had nothing at all, I might end up using my precious points. That wouldn't do.
The me from before the regression, Yoon Yoon, and Young Chaos decided to stay at the hotel. Young Chaos said that he too was in a state similar to an avatar body, so if he came into contact with another avatar body, his own body might be taken in reverse. As for Yoon Yoon, they hated fighting, and the me from before the regression wasn't a real human, not really.
"Then Elder, I'll be in your care."
It would be a problem if we fought here and punched holes in the walls, so we decided to move far from the hotel.
"No one else can touch the moonlight first. A brief moment would be fine, but if they stay in it even a little too long, their body will be taken."
"Okay, I'll be careful."
After listening carefully to the warnings, we stepped outside the hotel. Fortunately, the subway entrance was right nearby, so we wouldn't have to stay aboveground long.
Moonlight fell here and there across the pitch-black street. Like searchlights, it moved quickly, looking for something—probably Song Taewon. We pressed ourselves close to the wall where the moonlight would have a harder time reaching and watched the subway entrance.
"Yerim-ah, I'm counting on you. If anyone gets caught, move them right away with teleportation."
"Yes, don't worry."
Was that why Elder had told us to bring someone who could teleport or move through space? Yerim would get exhausted if she had to move everyone all at once, so we decided to go into the subway station one at a time, with help ready in case someone got caught.
Chief Secretary Song dashed out first without a sound. His retreating figure disappeared safely underground, and Sung Hyunjae stepped out next. Fortunately, without a single person getting caught in the moonlight, everyone made it down into the station.
In the subway station, so dark you couldn't see even an inch ahead, a small light flickered into being.
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