082 – To catch a big fish, you need a big bait #1
Yu Yeo-reum and Seugal began to hope they might be rescued.
After all, Nam Woo-joo, the top-ranked Awakened One in South Korea, had appeared for some unknown reason just beyond the door.
However, Nam Woo-joo suddenly disappeared without a trace after an unexpected explosion, leaving only a small crack in the door.
The issue was that through this crack, a thick darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing up the floor.
Swoosh-swoosh.
“Ahh! My workout equipment! Seugal, bring that thing over here and take a look!”
“Hey! Do you really have time to worry about your workout equipment right now?”
Anything enveloped by the darkness lost its form, turning into ash and vanishing. Both the “dolls” and the “radios” had long since disappeared after being engulfed by the darkness.
The only consolation lay in Yu Yeo-reum’s presence. The concept she possessed was “light.” No matter what kind of darkness, it would lose its power in the face of the light Yu Yeo-reum emitted.
“Hey! Yu Yeo-reum! Try putting more effort into it!”
Seugal was nagging Yu Yeo-reum because the intensity of the light emanating from her eyes seemed rather weak.
“Seugal! Just shut up! I’m freaking out here!”
“Huh? Are you insulting me? You little brat! If you have that much energy, try driving away those pitch-black things instead! We’re all going to d*e at this rate!”
Yu Yeo-reum, too, had grievances against Seugal, who was only flailing her legs from atop the bed while yelling loudly.
This overwhelming surge of anger was rare for her. Yu Yeo-reum, who had grown up enduring hardships since the orphanage, was not adept at honestly expressing her feelings. Aside from anger, she felt awkward feeling other emotions and was trained to experience them as little as possible.
But lately, while spending time with Seugal, Yu Yeo-reum found herself rediscovering buried emotions, surprising herself. Especially negative feelings like irritability, melancholy, and anger were overwhelming beyond endurance.
“Seugal, you brat! If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be locked up here and suffering!”
That rising anger increased Yu Yeo-reum’s output.
“Light from the eyes!”
Aaaaahhh!
Finally, Yu Yeo-reum’s eyes emitted a dazzling light.
“AAAAAAH!!! My eyes!!!”
Unaware of the danger, Seugal screamed like a pterosaur due to the intense brightness. The darkness that had been swallowing the floor recoiled and retreated, giving a glimmer of hope—momentarily.
“My strength is fading…”
Unfortunately, the stored amount of light was insufficient. Although the light’s intensity was at its peak, it barely lasted, and Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum found themselves in the midst of the darkness.
Swoosh-swoosh.
“Hey! Yu Yeo-reum! Try moving a little closer!”
“I don’t have any space either!”
Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum embraced each other tightly, as if becoming one body. It was something they would never do under normal circumstances.
“Hey, Yu Yeo-reum, you smell nice.”
“Take your hands off my chest!”
In this tightly-knit embrace, both called to mind a man’s face.
Hanamjin.
It seemed like he could handle their current predicament.
“Hanamjin, you b*stard! We’re going to d*e!”
Just as Seugal screamed, a window on the ceiling opened and a bright, warm light similar to a rope descended.
As this happened, the darkness that had been enveloping their feet quickly retreated, fleeing to the outside of the room.
“This is Inonoi not arriving too late! Kore, are you unharmed? If not consumed by the Red King’s darkness, respond!”
Inonoi’s head peeked out of the ceiling window. The lamp-like object in Inonoi’s hand blinked repeatedly; whatever it was, the light it emitted had saved Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum’s lives.
“Inonoi! Thanks to you, we’re alive!”
“Take your hands off my chest! I said let go!”
Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum sighed with relief and parted, but the problem wasn’t entirely gone. They didn’t know when the strange darkness might attack again.
“Inonoi! What is that lamp? What are those strange shadows?”
Seugal asked, and Inonoi proudly replied.
“This is the ‘Miracle Light’ created by the princess! The princess drove away the Red King’s darkness using the ‘Miracle Light’!”
The mention of “Miracle Light” triggered a certain part of Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum’s brains. The individual words in the name didn’t sound unfamiliar.
“The ‘Miracle Light’ is very Nymph-friendly and warm, but the problem is that the light stored in this ‘Reservoir’ lamp is nearly gone.”
Inonoi sorrowfully realized that the light stored by the princess in the lamp was almost depleted. Without the princess who disappeared, there was no way to refill the Miracle Light in this lamp.
“Inonoi might not be able to approach the food storage room shrouded in darkness and could starve for life. This is very sad…”
Inonoi began to snivel, and Seugal asked Yu Yeo-reum while looking at her.
“Inonoi mentioned we resemble ‘Kore,’ right? Could it be that we truly resemble them because of the concepts within us?”
Seugal suspected that their concepts might actually belong to the Fairy Princess. If that suspicion were accurate, it would be heartbreaking news for Inonoi. Concepts in this world only exist in one form.
“Kore might be…”
For detailed answers, they would have to ask ‘Kore,’ but the “radio” had vanished completely without a trace due to the recent incident.
When Seugal hesitated to reach a conclusion, Yu Yeo-reum, fiddling with the hanging lantern in the air, asked Seugal.
“Seugal, I think ‘Miracle Light’ might be a combined technique with two concepts. If we combine our power, wouldn’t we be able to recharge this lamp and drive away those shadowy things?”
Yu Yeo-reum recalled hearing that active Awakened Ones used “fused techniques,” creating them by combining forces with a suitable partner.
“Combined concepts only work when the concepts’ compatibility is good and the Awakened Ones’ compatibility aligns well. But…”
To Yu Yeo-reum, her compatibility with Seugal seemed to be the worst.
However, when she embraced Seugal earlier, a pleasant smell filled the air, and a surprisingly warm and soft feeling washed over her. She was amazed at how tender and warm a high school girl’s body could be. Despite being the same age and gender, her own body, hardened by training, was different in multiple ways.
Not displaying it outwardly, but Yu Yeo-reum, still wondering, tightly hugged Seugal.
“I… Luwawet!”
“Ah! What the heck?”
Screaming like a pterosaur ambushed by a sea dragon while sitting by the water, Seugal shrieked.
That’s when it happened.
Swish-swish-swish.
Yu Yeo-reum’s and Seugal’s bodies flickered with a warm light, akin to the lamp’s glow emitted earlier.
“Ah! It’s the ‘Miracle Light!’ Storing this light in the lamp might allow Inonoi to approach the food storage room shrouded in darkness!”
“Let me go! You freak! I’m not into that kind of thing!”
Pffft!
Seugal broke free from Yu Yeo-reum.
Meanwhile, Inonoi rejoiced sincerely since the lamp had been fully charged with light.
“Fully filled! It’s warm and Nymph-friendly ‘Miracle Light’!”
With the lamp fully charged, it might even be possible to access the Fairies’ ‘Treasure Exhibition’ beyond the food storage. While Inonoi rejoiced, Yu Yeo-reum asked.
“Would you mind looking for a man named Nam Woo-joo while you’re around? He disappeared after fighting the darkness here.”
“I’ll try! However, since he disappeared after battling the darkness, it might not be wise to expect much. The Red King’s darkness works that way.”
With that, Inonoi crept backward through the ventilator and disappeared.
At that moment, the door opened, and Hanamjin appeared.
“Seugal, we’re going out. Come out.”
# #
Everything went well until getting the Zombie Demon’s contact info from Seo Do-cheol, but the question was what kind of trap to set that the Demon would like. A text message sent through Seugal’s account to the contact received a reply within a minute.
“Bring Seugal to the below location tonight.”
“D City Memorial Park.”
D City Memorial Park?
Why would he summon Seagal and me there? It’s not due to inappropriate grave visits, surely.
“Isn’t the Demon’s ‘Great Labyrinth’ entrance somewhere nearby?”
That theory had merit. He probably aimed to lure me into his trap to beat me up. Even if I disagreed, I’d likely do the same.
“Seems like he won’t meet us unless Seugal comes.”
For catching a big fish, I need to use a big bait. Unfortunately, there’s no choice.
I must bring Seugal out.
Heading towards the Great Labyrinth, today was unexpectedly noisy right from the entrance.
“Excuse me, uncle, what’s the matter?”
“That man went inside and hasn’t come back!”
The man the security guard was talking about was Nam Woo-joo. Since yesterday, Nam Woo-joo entered this labyrinth beneath the cinema and hasn’t been in contact. Among the gathered crowd, a familiar face stood out.
“Wasn’t that Kim Bo-reum?”
“I am Colonel’s adjutant Jang Bo-reum. If you plan to enter the Great Labyrinth, Hanamjin, please cooperate with the Colonel’s search.”
The puffiness around her eyes indicated she had been crying. It seems the disappearance is genuine.
“Why did that man enter the Great Labyrinth?”
“I can’t say.”
It might indicate that Nam Woo-joo wasn’t entering the labyrinth related to Seugal’s and Yu Yeo-reum’s kidnappings. However, one can’t make definitive conclusions.
“I’ll look around inside too.”
Having nodded accordingly, I entered the Great Labyrinth. Nam Woo-joo’s disappearance was also a headache for me. If someone of his caliber could vanish in the Great Labyrinth, it suggests there’s something threatening safety here. Could it be that unknown ‘Demon’ Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum saw?
This ‘Great Labyrinth’ is no longer safe as a confinement site.
Since I intended to change the confinement location anyway, it might not be a problem?
Arriving at the flower room with that thought in mind, I called Seugal.
“Seugal, we’re going out. Come out.”
“What? Another outing?”
Despite seeming pleased, Seugal showed a subtle reaction, glancing at Yu Yeo-reum. It appeared they were hesitant to leave without the other, a fact I anticipated.
“Yu Yeo-reum, you’re coming too. It seems I might need your strength.”
“What? Me too? Is it okay? What’s your game plan?”
Instead of offering deeper explanations, I neatly placed Yu Yeo-reum and Seugal into the “Shrinking Cage.”
“Illuwet!”
But today, their resistance was unusually fierce. They refused to enter the cage, making loud noises and acting like crazy women.
“I won’t go out!”
“Me too. Explain what’s going on first.”
What is this? They should be happy to get out after being confined. Something’s off.
“Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum’s improved rapport bothers me. They seem like comrades who’ve shared secrets while crossing d*ath-defying boundaries. What’s going on here?”
Suspecting something might be amiss in this room—I mean, the sudden appearance of ‘dolls’—I decided to investigate this room carefully later. But there was no time now, so I resolved to play my trump card.
“You two, don’t you want to go home soon?”
The radical suggestion of sending them back home! Of course, the term ‘limited’ would have to follow, but regardless, what about my bait?
Can’t resist, right?
As expected, Seugal wriggled like a winter surfperch hooked on an angler’s bait.
“What’s the catch? You wouldn’t just let us go home, would you?”
“Yeah! Exactly that!”
“You d*mn b*stard!”
“But, if you cooperate with me, it’s a different story. By the way, the person I’ll send home is just one. Discuss it well among yourselves.”
One out of two.
One stays, and one goes home.
At that, Seugal and Yu Yeo-reum looked at each other.
