The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 217:

Chapter 217:

Chapter 217

Kang Hye-rim did not answer. 

Yu-hyun did not think that a few words from him would ease her mind.

In the end, it was a matter of time that would solve everything.

Everyone had a different pace of recovering from despair, but Yu-hyun had no doubt that Kang Hye-rim would overcome it faster than anyone else.

In the calm silence, Kang Hye-rim felt grateful for Yu-hyuns consideration.

Yu-hyun told her to lean on him if she was having a hard time, but Kang Hye-rim did not want to do that.

She felt that she owed him a debt of gratitude that she could never repay even if she devoted her whole life to him.

Rather, it was she who should thank him. But when she tried to say it, her voice did not come out as if her throat was blocked.

His touch, his comfort.

She could not refuse them at this moment.

So.

Ill do better from now on.

For now, she decided to lean on Yu-hyun.

Feeling his touch, she closed her eyes.

She slowly sank into the soma that came like a sea breeze.

***

Hye-rim?

I called her name when I heard her breathing become steady, but there was no answer in return.

I stopped stroking her hair and checked on her. 

She was already asleep.

I did not expect her to fall asleep here, and I realized how exhausted she was.

I could not leave her like this, so I picked her up in what they call a princess carry.

[What are you doing?]

Im taking her to her room. She cant stay here like this. She might catch a cold.

[Collector and cold? What nonsense. If youre worried, just say youre worried.]

Shut up.

I shot back at Baekryeon and carried Kang Hye-rim to the residential floor.

The houses given to each person were all locked, but when I tried the door, it opened without any resistance.

What if someone breaks in? How can you be so careless?

Actually, there was no way for a thief to enter this place. This place was one of a kind. 

It had CCTV cameras monitored by world-renowned hackers, and there were many people who were sensitive to other devices.

Still, I was worried about Kang Hye-rims defenselessness.

Was this how a father felt?

You said you wanted to make a lot of money. But you dont have much.

Her two-room house was almost empty except for the basic necessities. 

Even if she had not moved in long ago, it was more barren than I imagined.

I remembered the first time I met her at the goshiwon.

She was so poor that she rejoiced over a cup of ramen, and she was genuinely happy over a piece of cake. 

Her image was now a small memory that I could not see anymore.

Creak.

I opened the door to her bedroom.

There was not much inside either. 

Now that I think about it, it was rather fortunate.

If I had witnessed her privacy that she did not want others to see, it would have been more awkward for me.

I gently laid Kang Hye-rim on the bed.

Ugh.

As soon as she lay down on the bed, she writhed and reached out to me.

Like a newborn baby desperately looking for its parents, her hand grabbed my clothes.

I hesitated for a moment, then carefully removed her hand and left her room.

[Are you going to rest now?]

I wish I could, but I dont have time.

I still had things to do.

The new change that would come in six days would give an advantage to those who adapted first.

And, I had to deal with the official document that came down.

[The one about collecting ideas? Do you have any good ones?]

Its not so much a good idea as a pursuit of convenience.

The change I proposed to the upper echelon was not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

But those small changes would accumulate and create a meaning.

Just like my existence had made a history that was never there before.

If this requirement was accepted, the world would change again.

I came down to the living room that was used as a conference room and sat on the sofa. 

I connected to the Genesis Network.

Hoot.

Bakhyo, who was sitting high up, spotted me and flew over to my shoulder with his wings flapping. 

He nudged his head against me, asking me to pet him.

I chuckled at his cute gesture. 

I realized that I hadnt taken care of Bakhyo lately.

Okay. Come here, Bakhyo.

Hoot.

Bakhyo climbed onto my stomach, which was half-lying down. 

I stroked his head and chin with one hand, and operated the Genesis Network with the other.

The deadline for submitting ideas was three days away, but it was enough for me in three hours.

I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to submit. 

The remaining process was just transferring it exactly.

The Collectors need to change too.

The system that lowered the productivity of stories was over.

The world had to change.

More than now.

Much more.

Maybe I should start preparing for my stories reading?

Tomorrow was the day when the Earths restrictions would be lifted.

The tellers and collectors who were waiting for that moment were saving their energy, and so was Yu-hyun.

Yu-hyun posted a notice in his library that he would soon present his stories.

The spirits had been eagerly waiting for Yu-hyuns stories since the fight with Chulapantaka. 

Even though he only posted a notice, many spirits left comments.

The reaction is not bad.

Of course, there were still some spirits who sent messages and asked him to contract with their spirit armies.

He used to politely decline them, but now he ignored them altogether. It was too much trouble to respond to each one.

Huh?

As he was doing that, he received a direct message to his personal inbox.

He had separated his work and personal messages, so not many people knew about this inbox. 

Not even among the whole mixed world.

That meant it was an important guest.

[The one who laughs in the darkest place requests a private meeting with you.]

[Do you accept?]

All of a sudden?

He didnt expect him to request a private meeting as soon as he posted the notice.

Yu-hyun hesitated for a moment, then made his decision. 

He didnt feel the need to refuse.

Other tellers would be horrified by a message from Satan, but to Yu-hyun, Satan was a good spirit who supported him well.

Of course, he wouldnt contract with him.

[I accept the private meeting.]

As he felt his body being pulled somewhere, a beautiful scenery appeared before his eyes.

It was a snow-white snowfield with dazzling light shining down. 

A quiet space without a trace of wind, and on top of a frozen lake in the center, a man in black fur coat sat cross-legged around a table.

Yu-hyun naturally sat down on the opposite chair.

Satan looked exactly the same as the avatar he had seen before.

A black fur coat and a black hat on his head. 

And the endless abyss of darkness where his face should be. 

The ominous book that flickered in black behind his back was also unchanged.

Why did you suddenly ask to see me?

Satan gave him a strange look at Yu-hyuns natural attitude.

Is that what you say from our first meeting? Were we so distant from each other?

You were quiet until now, but as soon as I posted the notice, you requested a private meeting. Thats not something you should say.

Youre blunt. If you hated it, you could have just declined.

Do you know what would happen if I refused?

Hahaha!

Satan didnt seem offended by Yu-hyuns remark, but rather amused.

He didnt hide that he had a purpose for coming to see him.

Well, youre right. Theres no such thing as an unreasoned thing in this world. I came to see you for two main reasons.

Two reasons?

Ah. If you want to be more specific, maybe three?

Satan spread his fingers with white gloves on and said that.

First of all, the first one is to contact you out of concern. Honestly, there was a big trouble last time. Who would have predicted that Paradise, which used to be so peaceful, would suddenly do such crazy things? The saying that the quiet ones are more dangerous was exactly right.

Thats

Im glad to see that you look fine, though. I was worried that you might be suffering from some serious aftereffects. I was thinking of offering you some personal help, but I guess you dont need it.

Is that all you have to say?

I heard that you got promoted to manager. Congratulations. Youre already a manager. Isnt that the first time ever?

Yu-hyun nodded his head. He didnt see any reason to hide his promotion. The Celestial Stock Company had advertised it as if they were proud of it.

I knew it. I have a good eye for tellers.

Thats an overstatement.

Its a fair assessment. No, its even an understatement. You deserve more praise.

Yu-hyun couldnt understand why this spirit was suddenly praising him so much.

The devil seemed to read his reaction and spoke first.

Am I too excited? You can be honest with me.

Yes, a little. No, a lot.

Heh heh. Well, of course. Thanks to the mess that those arrogant Paradise guys made, we can enjoy the spectacle more comfortably than before. We didnt get along very well with Pandemonium, but this time, we have to give them credit.

Oh.

Yu-hyun finally understood the devils excitement.

The spirits had been feeling frustrated. 

All they could do for the beings of the lower world was to send them points through the system.

But now, some of those restrictions had been lifted, at least partially. 

Who would hate that?

Especially for a spirit who had lived as long as the devil, it must have been a huge change.

Enough with the small talk. Ill tell you the second reason why I came here.

What is it?

Its a warning.

A warning?

Yu-hyun raised his eyebrows.

That didnt sound like something that would come out of the mouth of a big shot like the devil.

A warning? What do you mean by that?

Oh. Well, its not me whos doing it, but rather, Im doing it because Im worried about you. Dont misunderstand.

I see. I thought there was some opinion from Pandemonium or something.

I guess I spoke without context, so there was room for misunderstanding. Thats not it, so dont worry. The important thing is this. Yu-hyun, do you realize how much trouble youve caused this time?

Thats To be honest, yes.

Yu-hyun wasnt ignorant of that fact. 

It was a matter of a spirit intervening in the lower world. But what was even bigger was that the spirit had used his power and failed to kill the beings of the lower world.

Even if he had a penalty on him, Chulapantaka was a second-generation spirit.

If he wanted to, he could kill almost any being of the lower world.

He had survived and won in that impossible fight, so how did the spirits react?

You were amazing. Very amazing. Chulapantaka ended up self-destructing in the end, but surviving against such a being was nothing short of a miracle.

In the darkness where the devils face should have been, countless eyes appeared.

They were all different in shape and size.

All those pupils captured Yu-hyuns face.

And so, a very dangerous guy became interested in you.

Dangerous?

The word dangerous came out of the devils mouth. 

And he was even warning him about it.

Was it just an exaggeration? Or was it a prank to tease him?

No.

Yu-hyun instinctively realized that it wasnt.

Who is he?

The brat at the enge of greed.

The devil sounded like he didnt like saying that name.

Hes the monster that Paradise feared most.