Exactly an hour ago, I realized that Kim Hyun-Sung had disappeared.
I was in Ha-Yan's arms; she had gotten up early and showered me with kisses. Then, I sipped my coffee while watching the rookies and the pig train in the morning.
I patted Kim Ye-Ri’s head as she smiled brightly with excitement while staring at me. I then exchanged a few silly jokes with Ahn Ki-Mo, and, out of boredom, I found myself looking at the cabin through the Telescope.
While I was reading the newspaper to pass the time, I thought Kim Hyun-Sung was heading to the Blue Guild. After a while, I had no choice but to acknowledge that he had vanished.
There was no way I wouldn’t notice because he ought to be here by now, even if he had taken a detour. I thought perhaps he had stopped by the auction house to buy a bag or something, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that my assumption was wrong.
“H-huh?”
Kim Hyun-Sung was nowhere to be found. It was absurd, but it was an undeniable fact.
“Huh? H-huh?”
The situation was so unexpected that my mind went blank, unable to think straight. To make things worse, I couldn't find his location even through the Regressor Instruction Manual.
The connection was still there, but I couldn’t pinpoint his location. I hurriedly opened the Telescope again and scanned the cabin, but Kim Hyun-Sung was nowhere to be seen.
“No...” I mumbled.
“W-what’s wrong, hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“...”
“W-why are you suddenly acting like you’ve lost your mind...?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“...”
“I-is something wrong?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
‘Damn it... He’ll come back, right? He probably just stopped by somewhere for a bit, right?’
I could hear the pig yelling something from the training grounds, but I couldn’t pay attention. Meanwhile, I checked every possible route from the Union of Kingdoms back to Lindel as well as every place where he could be right now, but I couldn't find him.
He was nowhere to be found, which was unbelievable, but...
‘That jerk ran away, didn’t he?’
“...”
‘He ran away just like that?’
Well, Kim Hyun-Sung had the tendency to run away. His life on the continent had been a cycle of running, running, and running again. Still, I never imagined he would vanish this dramatically.
I wondered if he had decided to go completely independent, or if Rafael’s outburst had sparked a fresh wave of self-loathing in him, but even then, I hadn’t thought that he’d just disappear without a word.
‘No, damn it. Calm down. Damn it. He’ll be back soon. This is just temporary. He’ll come back eventually.’
If I were to sever the Regressor Instruction Manual, I felt like he would come looking for me, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was afraid that we wouldn't get reconnected again if I were to sever it, and it was a fear too much for me to bear.
After all, there was a chance that he wouldn't come back.
‘Did I push him too hard? He never said anything about it, but was he truly feeling cornered? Should I have been a bit more understanding? At this point, is he just broken? Damn it... maybe I should’ve just called it a draw, swallowed my pride... and given in.’
Perhaps Rafael showing up midway was the killing blow. After all, his appearance wasn't in my plan.
“Hyung-nim?” Park Deok-Gu called out.
“...”
“Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim! Say something. How many fingers am I holding up?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
‘Damn it.’
“Go call Ha-Yan,” I instructed him.
“Uh...”
“Go get Ha-Yan,” I repeated.
“Ah... o-okay,” Park Deok-Gu answered.
“...”
“...”
“O-oppa. You called for me? He... hehe... oppa... kiss... k-kiss...” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.
“...”
“Kiss...” Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.
“...”
“Ki...” Jung Ha-Yan trailed off.
“...”
“...”
“Can you find out where Kim Hyun-Sung is?” I asked.
“Ah, ah... uh... y-yes. I’ll try,” Jung Ha-Yan answered.
“...”
“...”
“Noona,” I said.
— Yes?
“Check Kim Hyun-Sung’s location,” I ordered.
— W-why?”
“...”
— What now? Did something happen?
“I’ll see you at the Union of Kingdoms,” I told her.
— Ah... okay. I’ll head there first.
“...”
“...”
“Mr. Chang-Ryeol,” I called out.
“Yes?”
“You know what to do, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ll follow your orders,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
“Keep him alive,” I added.
“Understood.”
Even though I tried to calm myself down, my anger wouldn’t subside at all. Of course, whether that coward Kim Hyun-Sung disappeared or not had nothing to do with me, but my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
‘Don’t get worked up, Ki-Young. Don’t get worked up. Don’t get worked up.’
Even if he had actually decided to run away, he would just be a little pest.
'Where did that jerk even go? Fine. Damn it.'
'He has already disappeared, so I might as well rough up that quack doctor.'
After calming my heart down and walking into the warp gate, I immediately headed to Kim Hyun-Sung's cabin. Of course, familiar faces were already there. Lee Ji-Hye was waiting anxiously with her arms crossed, and members of the Black Swan Guild were investigating Kim Hyun-Sung’s cabin.
They were Ji-Hye noona’s people led by Ha Yeon-Soo, but I had no intention of greeting them warmly.
“There are no traces,” Lee Ji-Hye reported.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes. We can’t confirm where he went. It doesn’t look like he erased his tracks as he moved, but their skill level is probably lower than Kim Hyun-Sung’s, so they might’ve missed something. Even so, someone like Kim Hyun-Sung has chosen to disappear.
"How are you going to find him? Yeon-Soo is capable, but not to that extent,” Lee Ji-Hye explained.
“Have the higher-ups checked?” I asked.
“Miss Lauren is checking now. It’ll take some time for the results, so I think it’s better if we split up the task... That woman, Jung Ha-Yan... she used Anemone’s Eye, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Yeah. She’s probably working with Han Sora right now,” I replied.
“There’s no record of a warp gate being used. It’s only been a day since he disappeared, so you’d normally limit the search to the Union of Kingdoms, but that doesn’t mean much with Kim Hyun-Sung.
"Should we expand the search to the entire continent?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Report anything unusual immediately. Don’t miss even the smallest clue. Release Dominions and Thronus as well. Contact Max, too, and under the Continental Protection Management Committee’s name, look for any witnesses...” I instructed.
“I’ll get it taken care of, so don’t worry. I’ll also assign the task to Commander Jin,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“...”
“So relax, oppa. You’re going to scare someone to death,” Lee Ji-Hye commented.
“What? This is how I normally look. Also...” I trailed off.
“...”
“I plan to catch someone,” I told her.
“The quack doctor?” she asked.
“Yeah. Have you checked the mansion?” I asked.
“No, not yet. We started with the cabin. The area is already sealed off, so he can’t have slipped out. And... one person went into the mansion. You’re the one who sent him in, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Yeah. Chang-Ryeol’s digging the place now,” I answered.
“Geez... I feel bad for that quack doctor. Anyway, let’s go together. I want to see what’s going on. Seriously... what kind of grown man runs away like a kid at his age? It’s ridiculous,” Lee Ji-Hye commented.
“...”
“He’s doing it just to get attention. I’m willing to bet he’s staging some kind of protest, like ‘please come find me.’ Even if on the surface he says it’s for you or because of you, I can guarantee that, somewhere in his head, he’s praying to be found, so don’t worry too much.
"Folks who run away from home don’t last long out there. Even if they stray, they end up going back to their old partner. Besides, Kim Hyun-Sung isn’t even cut out for anything else,” Lee Ji-Hye continued.
“That’s a strange example, but... honestly, I’d rather that be the case,” I said.
‘That would fix everything.’
“Oh, it’s Mr. Chang-Ryeol, but...” Lee Ji-Hye paused.
“...”
“He’s alone.” Lee Ji-Hye pointed out.
‘I’m watching too.’
He looked like he was just stepping out of the mansion. A mask covered his mouth, so I couldn't read his expression, but there was a flicker of anxiety in his eyes. I caught sight of him moving toward where I stood to report, and I could guess what he was about to say through the look in his eyes.
'There was nothing?'
“I'm sorry, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.
“Any traces?” I asked.
“None,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
“None at all?” I asked.
“Yes,” Lee Chang-Ryeol replied.
“Does that mean everything's been wiped?” I asked.
“No. To be precise, there are signs that someone lived in the mansion, but there have been no new traces since yesterday. I also found no signs that anyone exited the mansion. We're still searching the whole place, but...” Lee Chang-Ryeol trailed off.
“Investigate it immediately,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
“Will the people over there be enough?” I asked.
“We will do our best,” Lee Chang-Ryeol said.
Soon, I saw Lee Chang-Ryeol hurrying into the mansion while talking with Ha Yeon-Soo.
Lee Ji-Hye looked a little unsettled.
“You don't think... they ran off together, do you?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
'If that's true... then we're really in a bad spot'
“If that's the case, our chances of finding them are high. The quack has stamina issues, and with luggage, he'll move even slower. Honestly, it's unlikely that they ran away together hand in hand as patient and doctor, but if they did run away together, then—wheeew. Oppa, you're thinking the same thing as me, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Probably...” I answered.
Once again, I had no choice but to walk into the mansion; I could see the rangers carefully combing the whole place again. From the basement to the hidden rooms, they seemed to be following every trace from start to finish, but even in my eyes, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
Those searching this house had to be feeling frustrated. There was clear evidence that someone once lived here. The mansion was absurdly neat, almost obsessively so, but no matter how tidy it was, one couldn't possibly erase every trace.
A top-tier ranger could tell what time the people ate and when people used the bathroom. The rangers assigned here would be the sort of people one would place at the top of the continent, so they were probably collecting enough data to map out even the quack’s daily routines.
In a house where signs of habitation were so clear, one person had suddenly gone missing. There was no sign of anyone leaving or entering the house. The fact that every trace from yesterday onward had vanished... this was nothing short of supernatural in the eyes of these top-tier rangers.
Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung probably knew how to take the quack away without leaving any traces, but erasing even the quack’s traces from a house like this wasn't easy.
He wasn't some elite investigative ranger, after all. Even Templar Gen couldn't wipe away every single one of his traces when he ran away at the time. It was true that Kim Hyun-Sung was far more capable than that guy, but taking someone else along and fleeing was by no means simple.
While I was tapping my thigh, an idea suddenly occurred to me.
“Excuse me... Mr. Chang-Ryeol,” I called him over.
“Yes, sir?” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
“Were there no other traces?” I asked.
“Only those of Dr. Michele and the guild master. Judging by the circumstances, it seems that the guild master visited him for a consultation,” Lee Chang-Ryeol replied.
“Was there no one else? No other patients entered or left?” I asked.
“None,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.
Ji-Hye noona’s expression was twisted. I probably had the same expression as her.
“...”
“...”
There was one more person living in this mansion in addition to Doctor Michele.
“...”
“I’m sorry, Oppa,” Lee Ji-Hye said.