Chapter 39: Paradise (6)

Chapter 39: Paradise (6)

"..."

For a moment...

An ice-cold silence set down inside the auction house.

"Uh... $10,000,000! $10,000,000 has been called!! With it being bought at the buyout price, the auction of the 'Dragon's Cursed Eye' will end here!" shouted out the auctioneer with a panicked voice.

"I'll take the item right away."

Thud, thud—

Ohjin walked towards the Dragon's Cursed Eye up on the stage. It was a star relic that looked as if an azure crystal was carved into the size of a table tennis ball. With the Dragon's Cursed Eye in his grasp, he turned around.

"W-Why are you..."

A question that repeated like a broken machine. He could see Ha-eun's body shake with a pale expression on her face.

He came down from the stage one step at a time and moved his feet towards her gray eyes.

"Who are you?" Ohjin ferociously glared down at the man that was sitting next to Ha-eun.

"..."

Ohjin could see that the man's hand was placed on top of Ha-eun's thigh.

"Who are you to intrude in the middle of the auct—"

"Remove it."

"What?"

"Your hand, remove it."

His cold eyes glared at the man.

For a moment, a blue fen fire sparkled inside Ohjin's black pupils.

"...!"

Flinch!—

Choi Jongchul unconsciously removed his hand from Ha-eun's thigh in haste.

'W-What was that?'

Although it was extremely brief, the inside of the auction house was covered in pitch-black darkness like a blackout had taken place.

An eerie shiver ran down his spine.

"Ugh!"

Looking around the auction house that had become bright as it had originally been, Choi Yongchul shot up from his seat and stared at Ohjin with his furious red face.

"What kind of bastard are you to dare order—"

"Didn't you hear from before?"

He lightly shook the Association Special Officer license in front of him.

Choi Jongchul looked at the license and snorted out.

"Ha! A mere dog of the Association dares to provoke the Starlight Lake guild?" he said as he laughed while looking at Ohjin.

No matter how great Association Special Officers were, they could not provoke the Starlight Lake guild that belonged in the ranks of the top ten guilds.

'But was there a bastard like this amongst the Special Officers?'

Because the Association Special Officers possessed powerful authority, their faces were very well-known.

'He definitely wasn't on the list— ah."

At that moment, he recalled one news article he had seen a couple days ago. The commotion that had appeared at Seoul Station. The news that a lone Awakener from the Association had eliminated the monsters that appeared from underground without casualties.

He was certain the youth in front of his eyes had the same face he saw in the photos.

"W-Wait. Perhaps... the Lightning Wolf?"

Stammer—

Choi Yongchul glugged his mouth like a carp while stepping back.

To be honest, he wouldn't be this surprised if it simply ended with him being the Awakener that eliminated the monsters at Seoul Station.

However...

'The Lightning Wolf's stigma was definitely...'

The stigma of Lyra.

He possessed a stigma of a celestial that was amongst the North Stars, said to make even the celestials of the 12 Zodiacs bow their heads.

'S-Shit!'

Choi Yongchul's expression went pale.

The Star of the Weaver Girl's, Vega's, apostle was an Awakener that not only Korea, but the whole world was paying attention to. A rookie amongst rookies whom it wouldn't be weird for if dozens of "Ultra" s were attached in front of his name.

That was the identity of the Lightning Wolf before him.

"Well, I do think that they call me by that name as well."

The ice-cold look in his eyes stared down Choi Jongchul.

"You said you were from the Starlight Lake guild?"

"Ah, t-that is. I..."

Choi Jongchul stuttered with a deathly pale expression.

Most of the major guilds had gone into an emergency meeting as soon as the news that a North Star's apostle appeared in Korea had spread out. It was the same for the Starlight Lake guild that was in the ranks of the top ten guilds.

The official notice in the end of the long meeting was this:

-Maintain a friendly relationship with the North Star's apostle at all costs.

It went without saying.

There was nothing to be gained by becoming an enemy of not just another Awakener but the unrivaled 'North Star's apostle'.

"I-I believe that there's a misunder—"

"Ah, that was a misunderstanding?"

Heh—

Ohjin laughed coldly.

"Why don't we ask the same thing to the guild leader of Starlight Lake?"

"...!!"

Choi Jongchul's eyes opened wide.

Bang!—

He quickly got on his knees and bowed his head.

"F-Forgive me for being d-disrespectful without knowing that she was in your party!! So please, please don't say anything to the guild lea—!"

"Alright."

"...Yes?"

"I'll quietly overlook this matter if you listen to my one request."

"Ah...!"

Choi Yongchul's expression brightened

"Thank you! Just give me the wor—"

"Get lost."

"Yes?"

"I said get lost, right now."

"..."

Choi Yongchul's face turned red and blue from anger.

Ohjin could see his thick veins in his clenched fists popping out.

His appearance was filled with a sense of shame.

'So, what will it be?'

Ohjin looked down at him with distaste.

Although Choi Yongchul currently possessed more experience and a higher star-rank, that was it. Taking the future into account, his worth was nothing but a bug compared to Ohjin, who was a North Star's apostle.

"Hehe. Then I'll leave it in your hands."

It appeared that Choi Yongchul wasn't stupid enough to be unaware of that fact, judging from how he put up a servile smile while getting on his feet before proceeding to exit the auction house.

"Tch."

* * *

* * *

After the commotion settled down—

"Let's go."

—Ohjin placed his hand on top of Ha-eun's shoulder.

"O-Ohjin, why did you..."

It seemed like Ha-eun still couldn't understand the situation, as she stuttered while continuously pouring out questions.

"Follow me."

"W-Wait!"

Ohjin dragged her by the shoulders.

He could hear Ha-eun's pressing voice.

"Start by telling me why you came— Hey! Gwon Ohjin!"

He ignored her.

"W-Where are you going!"

Ohjin led Ha-eun with her arms firmly held within his grasp.

The place he was heading to was the public garden located on the rooftop of Yongsan auction house. It was a place famous for having a great view—even in Seoul.

Swoosh—

The cold night breeze grazed their cheeks as they arrived at the public garden.

"Haa, haa."

Was it because she was panicked from the abrupt situation?

Ha-eun's breathing was rough.

"O-Ohjin, you..."

Her gray pupils wandered around the air.

"What about moving into Paradise? Why did you buy that!!" Ha-eun shouted out in a reprimanding manner.

The $10,000,000 that paid for the Dragon's Cursed Eye was money that was supposed to be used elsewhere.

"Paradise?"

His lips slowly twisted up.

Paradise.

Ohjin had desperately saved up money in order to move to Paradise during the past five years.

To be exact...

He had made her 'believe that'.

'Otherwise, she would have made a fuss again.'

Whether it was in the past or the present, Ha-eun was a girl with a tiresome personality who could never live on whilst being indebted to another.

'Though that is one of her charms.'

He carefully raised the Dragon's Cursed Eye grasped in his hands, an azure crystal the size of a table tennis ball. Inside the translucent crystal was a yellow pupil reminiscent of a reptile's eyes.

"That's right! What about Paradise, why did you—"

"Stay still for a second."

Reaching out his hand, he grasped her cheek.

Flinch—

Ohjin could feel her shake from his hands.

"Y-You."

Tears formed on her gray pupils.

Owoong—

As he brought the Dragon's Cursed Eye close to her left eye, subtle lights started to pour out of the translucent azure crystal.

Like melting ice, the Dragon's Cursed Eye flowed into her pupil.

Sizzleee!!—

With the sound of frying oil, purple clouds started to escape her two pupils.

"Argh!"

An intense pain was felt.

The agony of searing pupils with scorching.

—However.

"Ah, aah."

To the point where even that pain was insignificant—

Ha-eun's heart thumped. Her heart pulsated as if it was going to explode.

"It's ok. Hold on a little longer."

A warm voice spread throughout the darkness that was without a speck of light.

Her heart that was beating explosively calmed down a little, and the intense pain that burned her eyes gradually settled down.

And with that—

Boom!—

—it collapsed.

The solid darkness that confined her fell away.

The long night she thought would never end for all eternity lit up.

The dark fog gradually crumbled like a sandcastle being swept away.

"—Ah."

The brilliant night view unfolded in front of her eyes. A Milky Way composed of lamps embroidered the city as if the night sky was turned upside down.

"Ah, uh."

Ha-eun rubbed her eyes as if she couldn't believe it.

She could see it.

The detailed lamps that brightened the garden, the organized branches and leaves.

And above all—

"How is it?"

—for the first time in five years, she saw his face.

...It had become a little scrawny.

"The appearance of Paradise."

"Y-You..."

Ha-eun staggered while taking steps back. Her lips wouldn't open; too many emotions were rushing through her.

"Ah, right. There's one more thing."

"What?"

Ohjin took out a luxurious black case.

"W-What's that?" asked Ha-eun with a trembling voice.

"You'll know once you see it."

Click—

Ohjin grinned while he opened up the black case. Inside the case was a top-quality prosthetic leg that had been made so well that it was difficult to differentiate from the real thing.

"This is..."

"Hold out your right leg for a moment."

"..."

Ha-eun's face slightly blushed as she lent out her right leg.

Ohjin, who was down on one knee, removed the cheap prosthetic leg she was using and equipped the one that was in the case.

"Woah."

An exclamation flowed out on its own.

Ha-eun could feel the snug sensation like that of touching soft skin. She tried moving the leg around in worry that it would fall off due to it feeling too soft, but the leg moved naturally as if a new leg had really grown.

"How is it? It's much more comfortable than the one you were using, right?"

"..."

Ha-eun gently bit her lips.

She could see Ohjin's face smiling brightly.

—The fact that she could see that smile.

For some reason, it could not feel any more agonizing.

"...Why."

Her voice shook.

"Why, why, why?!"

The overwhelming amount of emotion merged that couldn't be defined with one word, but the emotion she currently felt the most distinctively was unbearable 'anger'.

"Why did you do such a useless thing!!!"

Ha-eun wailed out.

"It was precious money!! It was the money you saved up desperately!!"

Ha-eun knew how desperately he had lived through the past five years, no, throughout his entire life.

She was the only one that knew.

His appearance before he became an Awakener.

His gruesome life.

She had continuously watched over him.

Gasping from the heat, shivering from the cold.

Solving meals with one cheap calorie bar, wearing worn-out clothes he picked up.

Enduring, enduring, and enduring through countless struggles to save up money.

"Y-You said that you would buy the right to enter Paradise! You said that you wanted to live comfortably at least once in your life!"

Five years ago.

The day Ha-eun lost everything was the day he had approached her and told her...

That he would go to Paradise.

That he didn't want to live life like this any further...

That he would save up money and depart...

"You promised that you would stay only until you saved up enough!!!"

"Ah, that?"

Ohjin shrugged his shoulders.

Looking back at her, he smiled.

"Ah."

Ha-eun's pupils opened wide.

A fragment of an old memory surfaced.

-Ohjin!! Y-You should run away as well!! You said that the kitchen's on fire!!

-Ah, that?

Just like he had back then...

Unchanged from back then...

Identical to back then...

He cackled out and replied.

"—I was lying."