Chapter 146: Chapter 146

*The Day of Change*

Two and a half months ago.

It had been two weeks and two days since Lee Sayoung had fallen into his deep sleep. Baewonwoo, with a blue bruise around his eye and his entire body wrapped in bandages, gathered a group of people. Among them, uninvited but present, was Cha Uijae, responsible for those bruises, even if he didn’t remember doing it.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

A small group of carefully selected individuals sat awkwardly around a large table in the Wave Guild’s conference room. The people gathered were J, Baewonwoo, Jung Bin, Mingi, Yun Gaeul, and Hong Yeseong.

Cha Uijae, though usually confident, found himself uncharacteristically lowering his head. After all, he had beaten up more than half the Hunters in the room. Even if he didn’t remember it, the bruises on their faces were evidence enough. Luckily, his mask helped shield his embarrassment. He glanced at Jung Bin, who was wearing bandages around his head.

Uijae carefully asked, “…Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. Nam Woojin has treated me,” Jung Bin replied with a reassuring smile.

But before anyone could relax, Hong Yeseong, ever oblivious, asked, “Why’s the shield guy got a black eye? Who hit him?”

Jung Bin flinched at the remark, his calm demeanor shaken, and Uijae wisely chose to pretend he didn’t notice.

Baewonwoo, still rolling a boiled egg over his bruised eye, muttered, “Can we have some quiet, please?”

“Wait, did someone actually hit him?” Hong Yeseong asked, eyes wide in curiosity.

Before the banter could continue, the door to the conference room slammed open, and a sharp killing intent filled the air. The tension was palpable. Nam Woojin, the latest arrival, stepped in with a cool, detached expression, completely unfazed by the hostile atmosphere.

“Is this how Hunters welcome guests these days?” he asked, pointing his chin toward a pale Yun Gaeul, who was visibly trembling. All eyes turned to her.

Baewonwoo hurriedly waved off the murderous intent, embarrassed. “Sorry about that. We’ve all been on edge lately…”

“I-It’s okay…” Gaeul stammered, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Why don’t we all have some juice to calm down? Sweet things help,” Baewonwoo suggested, rushing to the fridge in the corner and grabbing juice.

Hong Yeseong cocked his head curiously. “Why is there a fridge in the conference room?”

“We have people who get grumpy when their blood sugar drops.”

Juices were distributed. As they drank, Nam Woojin made a blunt announcement.

“Lee Sayoung is still asleep.”

“What, seriously? Is he really just sleeping?” Baewonwoo asked, dumbfounded.

Nam Woojin crossed his legs and sat back in his chair. “There are no signs of brain death. He’s in the same condition as someone in a deep sleep.”

“But is it okay for someone to sleep that long?” Baewonwoo pressed.

“Look, a Black Hole turned into a White Hole, and a whale flew through the sky. Is someone sleeping for a long time really that strange?”

“Well…”

Nam Woojin raised his hand to cut off Baewonwoo’s concerns. “Granted, this isn’t normal. He isn’t consuming any nutrients, yet his body isn’t deteriorating. His muscles aren’t atrophying. He just... exists, like time has stopped.”

“Like time has stopped…” Uijae muttered under his breath.

Baewonwoo sighed in resignation. “I see…”

“You can’t hide his absence forever,” Nam Woojin said bluntly. “Figure out a plan. When people find out, certain higher-ups won’t stay silent.”

“Thank you for your advice,” Baewonwoo replied.

Nam Woojin’s sharp gaze swept around the room, eventually resting on Cha Uijae. He studied him for a moment before turning to leave the room, a knowing look on his face. Silence fell over the group once again.

Baewonwoo, running a hand through his hair, turned to Yun Gaeul. “I heard from Jung Bin that Sayoung went to save you. Do you have any idea why?”

Gaeul hesitated before speaking, “I have a theory, but please don’t take it too seriously.”

Her glasses caught the light as she spoke. “In the world that was destroyed, I met a version of Lee Sayoung. He saved me. But soon after, J and this world’s Lee Sayoung came to rescue me from that world.”

Baewonwoo glanced at J, who nodded in confirmation.

“So… is it possible for two versions of the same person to exist in one world?” Gaeul asked cautiously.

“…What?” Baewonwoo asked, incredulous.

“The person I met was roaming the destroyed world, waiting for the end. He hadn’t left, by choice. But then our Lee Sayoung showed up. So, two versions of Lee Sayoung ended up in the same world.”

The idea of two Lee Sayoungs in one world was strange, but the laws of the system were absolute. The system sought balance and order. Uijae muttered, his voice distorted through his mask, “One must disappear…”

Or they must merge.

Two entities that were split had to become one. The system would have demanded such an outcome. Gaeul looked between Jung Bin and Uijae.

“And... since Lee Sayoung fell asleep, haven’t the number of debris drops from the White Hole decreased?”

Jung Bin, looking uneasy, nodded slowly. “I’ll have that investigated.”

“The Lee Sayoung in that world and the Lee Sayoung here are essentially the same being,” Gaeul concluded.

Just then, Mingi, who had been silently observing from the corner, raised a hand. “Wait, how can you be sure about that?”

“What are you getting at?” Gaeul asked.

“We can’t be certain about anything. The other world was destroyed, right? Couldn’t the version of Lee Sayoung in that world have changed or become something else?” Mingi suggested.

“That’s…”

Gaeul’s eyes darted around the room before settling on Uijae. She hesitated, then pointed to herself. “I... I just feel certain.”

“Do you have any proof?” Mingi pressed.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then share it, for everyone’s trust.”

Gaeul looked down, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s his obsession.”

“…What?”

Mingi recoiled in shock, and Uijae stared at her, speechless. Why did she have to say that while looking at him?

Someone broke the awkward silence. “So their souls merged?”

“What?” everyone turned to Hong Yeseong, who had been folding paper airplanes out of spare sheets of paper.

“If their essence is the same, it means they’re rooted in the same origin,” Hong Yeseong explained.

“And what does that mean?” Baewonwoo asked, frustrated.

Hong Yeseong sighed dramatically and stood up. “Fine, this genius will explain it so even you can understand. Someone give me a cup.”

He grabbed a few juice cups from Jung Bin and Baewonwoo, placing them side by side on the table.

“Okay, so what do you see here?” he asked.

“They’re glasses,” someone answered.

“No, I mean what’s inside?”

“Grape juice,” Baewonwoo answered.

“This one?” he pointed to another cup.

“Also grape juice.”

“Now watch…” Hong Yeseong poured one cup into the other, filling it to the brim. “Now, what is this?”

“Still grape juice…”

“Exactly. Even though I mixed them, it’s still grape juice. Now, imagine this is Lee Sayoung’s soul,” Hong Yeseong explained.

Uijae uncrossed his arms. The explanation, oddly enough, made sense.

“If the other Lee Sayoung was holding onto an entire world, then he couldn’t have had an ordinary soul. And we know the Lee Sayoung here isn’t ordinary either….” Hong Yeseong flicked the glass lightly, making the surface of the juice ripple.

“So when two powerful souls were forced into one body, it filled up. And now... he’s asleep because it’s overflowing.”

“Wow…” Baewonwoo, impressed, stood up and clapped loudly. “You’re a genius, Hong Yeseong!”

Hong Yeseong grinned smugly. Even Mingi, standing in the shadows, joined in with a slow clap.

“You explained that so well. I’m amazed,” Mingi added.

“What? Of course! I’m the genius craftsman of the heavens, after all!” Hong Yeseong boasted.

“I didn’t say that…” Mingi muttered.

Ignoring the banter, Uijae tapped the armrest of his chair. This theory was the most reasonable explanation they’d heard so far. But there was something about Hong Yeseong that still bothered him.

‘Is he the same Hong Yeseong from the Memorial Dungeon?’

The way he spoke now, with intelligence in every syllable, didn’t match the Hong Yeseong he knew. As if sensing his confusion, Jung Bin leaned over and whispered, “I call this his ‘intermittent genius’ phase.”

“Is he usually like this?”

“Very rarely.”

Like a broken clock, he was right twice a day. Baewonwoo, now concerned again, asked, “So... is there no way to wake him up? Can’t we do something?”

“If Lee Sayoung’s state

is like this glass…” Hong Yeseong tapped the table lightly. The glass wobbled, and a few drops of juice spilled over.

“Even the smallest disturbance could cause a disaster.”