* * *
“Hey, you.”
“Not ‘you!’ Call me Noeul!”
“…Fine, Noeul. Will you listen to me?”
“Of course! I always listen to Heewon!”
“Yeah, right.”
“We’re… friends with Heewon…”
“What makes you think that?”
“Friends!”
“Don’t… you remember…”
“…You all know each other, right?”
“We do?”
“Seems… like it…”
“Meowk.”
Their answers were earnest but completely unhelpful.
Everything about them was bizarre—how they seemed glad to see me, how they apparently knew each other.
They had come from entirely different dungeons, so it made no sense for them to have met.
Surely they hadn’t connected through some kind of online forum.
I decided to shelve the mystery for now.
What was certain was that these creatures were registered in my system, marked as tamed and loyal.
And the system didn’t lie.
“Noeul.”
“Yes!”
“Use [Head Concealment] on me.”
“Got it!”
Noeul suddenly flew between my legs, startling me.
Before I knew it, its head disappeared into my legs, and then its entire body vanished.
“…”
Why use the skill like that?
I awkwardly shuffled around.
I felt nothing between my legs, even when I cautiously pressed them together.
Concentrating, I sensed something perched on my shoulder—not weight, but more of a faint presence.
“Stay still.”
At my command, Noeul stopped moving.
Focusing on my shoulder, I faintly saw something resembling a shadow.
It was only after staring for a long time that I noticed it.
At a glance, it was impossible to recognize.
It’s only because I’m S-class that I could figure it out to this extent.
Most people probably wouldn’t notice anything. It was flawless.
“Not bad. Now, come on out.”
The moment my words ended, Noeul’s form reappeared in perfect clarity.
— Noeul is amazing!
Is that so.
“Then why did you hide between my legs?”
— It’s easy!
Easier to hide your head there, I suppose.
Fair enough.
It did cover you well.
“Can you use the sharing skill too?”
— With Heewon, yes!
“Not with anyone else?”
— I don’t do it for just anyone! I like Heewon!
Why do they like me so much?
I don’t need to be wildly popular with monsters.
Noeul perched back on my shoulder.
From its small claws, magic flowed into me.
For some reason, the sensation was strangely familiar.
As if I’d experienced it not once or twice before—a peculiar déjà vu.
[Connecting with ‘Noeul’ via sharing skill.
Please select the sense you wish to share.]
“Vision? Vision. Vision…”
I focused obsessively until the choice registered.
Just as I wondered if I had to say it aloud, my sight shifted subtly.
Birds are supposed to be colorblind, aren’t they?
Does that not apply to monsters?
The world looked almost identical to what I usually saw.
— It worked!
Noeul leapt into the air with a little hop.
My field of view jostled wildly as it flapped its wings.
In front of me was my face, looking oddly slack-jawed and dumbfounded.
After testing a few other things, I deactivated the sharing skill.
‘While the skill is active, my own senses are completely cut off.’
I’d need to be cautious about that, but it seemed incredibly useful.
“I have some investigations to do on other people. Could you help me with that?”
— Sure! I’ll help with anything!
Noeul answered as if it was only natural.
— If you ever… need me… call me…
Yeon, who had been watching silently, suddenly chimed in.
Why are these guys so obsessed with me?
It’s unsettling.
But I couldn’t keep being cold toward them, so I reluctantly agreed.
And just like that, they all started climbing onto me.
“What are you doing? Move!”
— We like Heewon!
— Heewon-ah…
— Miyaawk.*
I’d wanted a puppy as a kid, but now I had not just a cat, but a snake and a bird, too.
Resigned, I lay back down with the three of them perched on me.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
Another dream.
Today’s dream was strange.
I couldn’t see myself in it. Instead, the first thing I noticed was, inexplicably, Kim Jinhyung.
But he didn’t seem like the Kim Jinhyung I knew.
Normally, he’d be trailing after the old man with a silly grin.
Now, his expression was frighteningly sharp.
A large scar marred his face, making him nearly unrecognizable.
It was a face that carried a heavy story.
And he wasn’t the only one there.
Others I recognized—Jung Eunji, Lee Jooyun, Moon Haeyoon…
And a few faces I didn’t know. All of them seemed much fiercer and darker than the people I knew.
“This is a mess…”
“Stop whining and kill one more monster.”
Someone grumbled, and Lee Jooyun replied.
His overly rigid tone didn’t match the Lee Jooyun I knew.
“Damn it, the one we really need to kill is someone else.”
“Killing Seo Heewon alone won’t solve anything.”
Jung Eunji’s harsh words were answered by Moon Haeyoon, whose face was gloomy.
“Still, we can’t just leave it like this.”
“If the plan works, we’ll get them. Definitely…”
“I’m suspicious of Baek Gunho,” Jung Eunji muttered.
Everyone turned to her.
“You’re doubting Gunho?”
“I’m not saying he’s betrayed us. Just…”
Her gaze grew cold.
“I think he might’ve given up on this round.”
“That’s impossible.”
The door opened naturally, and Baek Gunho entered.
His presence, as always, caught everyone off guard.
Despite overhearing the conversation, he remained unruffled.
“I’ve never given up, not once. I’ll finish Seo Heewon myself, no matter what.”
As I watched this exchange, my vision jostled.
It floated upward, hovering near the ceiling, then moved toward the door.
That’s when it happened.
Baek Gunho looked directly at me, his gaze ice-cold and filled with hatred.
He reached out, his hand covering my field of view completely.
“Eavesdropping, are we?”
With a low growl, the vision was drowned in red.
I woke abruptly, like I’d been thrown out of the dream.
“Urgh…”
The way the vision jolted at the end—it was just like when I’d shared Noeul’s sight.
Judging from the context, Noeul must’ve been spying on them and got caught.
And Baek Gunho… probably killed Noeul.
“…”
Even though I knew it was a dream, it left me shaken.
Dreams like this always felt unnecessarily real.
No one was home.
I summoned Noeul from the shadows.
— Heewon-ah!
I stroked the bird’s head as it chirped cheerfully.
Soft. Alive. Safe.
Maybe it’s these vivid dreams that make me go soft on them.
“Haa…”
I really wish I’d stop having these unsettling dreams.
Why do I keep dreaming this stuff?
Noeul was one thing, but Baek Gunho also lingered in my mind.
His cold expression as he declared he’d finish me—it felt too real.
Like he’d kill me without hesitation, just as he’d killed Noeul in the dream.
It’d be reassuring to have the real Baek Gunho here.
Seeing him would snap me back to reality, proving how absurd the dream was.
I couldn’t dwell on it forever.
Rubbing my face, I got up.
Evening had fallen while I napped.
My stomach growled, but I didn’t feel like cooking.
Maybe I’d gotten too used to Baek Gunho’s cooking while he’d been around.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was Baek Gunho, as if he knew exactly when to call. I answered immediately.
“Why?”
— Are you feeling sick?
“No. Why?”
— Your voice sounded off.
“I just woke up.”
Baek Gunho’s concerned voice was oddly comforting.
See? A dream is just a dream.
The call quickly grounded me.
— Have you eaten?
“No.”
— Go eat. If you don’t want to cook, order something.
“Too much effort.”
— Heewon-ah.
His tone was almost scolding. I frowned.
“Why do you keep calling me by my name?”
— What else would I call you?
“Use my full name.”
— Nope.
This guy… He refuses everything I say.
“It sounds weird, okay?”
— Then let it sound weird.
I expected a snarky reply, but his response caught me off guard.
“Why are you doing this? Didn’t we agree to drop it?”
We’d agreed not to pursue a relationship.
This wasn’t like Baek Gunho, who usually drew clear lines.
— When did I ever agree?
“I told you—”
— You rejected me. That doesn’t mean I have to give up.
“What?”
— I’m courting you right now.
“Are you insane?”
Without thinking, I blurted out, “Are you out of your mind?”
Courting…?
It was such an out-of-place word for Baek Gunho that it sent shivers down my spine.
Was Baek Gunho actually trying to flirt with me?
The guy who never cared the slightest bit about relationships?
“You…”
— I have to head into a dungeon now. Eat well, Heewon.
Before I could say anything more, Baek Gunho rattled off what he needed to say and hung up.
Of all things, he had to mention going into a dungeon, leaving me unable to call him back.
In the end, I was the one left feeling wronged.
Damn it. Just wait till you get out of that dungeon.
I’ll grab you by the collar and shake some sense into you.
* * *
