In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

When I called Echo’s name into the empty air, a blank system window flashed, then began releasing Echo from within.

Its round body stretched out limbs and even its toes, springing forward like it was stretching. It seemed that both the system and Echo had taken inspiration from magical girl transformation sequences.

-Masteeer!

Echo, with eyes that could never shed tears, wore a pained expression and threw itself into my arms. I gently patted it with my blurry vision, and it curled up against my chest naturally.

-I was so worried, Masteeer! But you only called me after a long time! I’m so upset!

Why was its tone like that?

I apologized while rubbing Echo vigorously as it grumbled, snorting through its little nose.

When it asked what had happened while it had disappeared, I told it about the motel incident.

I explained that Lee Sunho had been a human painkiller, that I had accidentally started speaking casually with him, and that we had decided to join the same clan together.

I also mentioned the dinner, which had come with an extravagant money bomb, leaving me stuffed.

-Mr. Lee Sunho… he’s just light…! Light Sunho!

Echo wriggled under the blanket, moving down to rub my stomach with its front paws.

-Oh, a day has come when Master’s stomach becomes flat!

‘Flat,’ not ‘plump.’ Was it really necessary to marvel over that?

It was a modest, high-level AI, I thought.

I fell asleep afterward, listening to Echo praise ‘Light Sunho.’

But not long after, I suddenly opened my eyes.

The one sleeping with me… well, I wasn’t sure if it had really slept, but Echo lifted its head and pricked its ears.

Soon, from beyond the door, a sound came from the entrance.

Tok tok.

Unlike a normal knock, it sounded somewhat dull, as if lightly tapping.

It was careful, as if saying, “Don’t be startled.” Yet the knocks persisted at intervals, which was slightly annoying.

I first picked up my phone to check the time. While I had been asleep on silent mode, several missed calls and clan contact messages had come through.

‘Nine o’clock… I slept for about an hour.’

Rubbing my dry eyes and stiff body, I struggled to sit up.

“Echo, who is it?”

Echo stretched, raising its rear, and twitched its right ear. That was its habit when scanning surrounding terrain and living beings.

-It’s Seong Do‑wan alone. I guess all the bodyguards who usually lurk nearby have been left behind.

He was alone, knocking, patiently waiting for me to come out. That meant he wanted to speak to me alone.

‘What is he planning with the key?’

Even so, I figured he wouldn’t need to pick the lock and enter from now on.

If it were the old Seong Do‑yoon, maybe, but the current darkened version would never forgive his older brother for barging in.

I forced my creaking body upright and staggered toward the door, bracing myself with the wall.

Tok tok tok.

I approached the heavy, quiet knocking of the entrance. Sensing my presence, Seong Do‑wan stopped knocking and waited.

I unlocked the door and opened it. Seong Do‑wan stood there with a stern expression, his eyes instantly scanning me from head to toe.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

I replied curtly.

I saw the corners of his eyes crease and the corners of his mouth dip slightly. He reached toward my face.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch my pale cheek, I slapped his hand away coldly. I put all my strength into it, and Seong Do‑wan’s large hand moved slightly in the air. That small movement seemed to shock him, as his eyes twitched in surprise.

He hesitated several times before lowering his arm weakly.

“…I guess not.”

Indeed, I looked far worse than what he had seen earlier in the day.

If he had experienced the combination of synchronization and penalty firsthand, he would have dragged me to a hospital before I could even ask. The aftereffects of the extreme pain were still in my body, leaving me appearing extremely haggard.

He was probably thinking internally whether he should shove me into an ambulance immediately.