Chapter 21

“Hello?”

[Kang Ha-chan, right?]

“Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter…?”

[Si-ho, she’s not there, is she?]

“Huh? She left a while ago…”

I made a flustered expression at his sudden question about Si-ho.

Could it be that Si-ho still hasn’t returned home?

Turning my head, I noticed it was already past 10 PM.

After returning home, I had spent quite some time searching for information on the computer, so a lot of time had passed.

It had been at least three hours since I sent her off.

‘Did she go out to play?’

Though she looks younger, she’s actually 19 years old.

By 10 PM, it would be a reasonable time for a typical high school student to return home after hanging out.

But considering Si-ho’s personality, I couldn’t imagine her doing that.

She’s not very sociable.

So, it’s unlikely she has many friends to hang out with late at night.

‘More importantly, she doesn’t seem like the type to go out and play.’

It might be a prejudice, but that’s the impression I got from her.

“Is Si-ho unreachable?”

And the biggest issue was that Ha Seo-ho had called me specifically.

If Si-ho wasn’t home, he could have just called her, but the fact that he called me meant he couldn’t reach her.

I reflexively started grabbing my clothes to get dressed.

Even though Si-ho is an A-class Spatial Ability User, something could have gone wrong.

‘What if she messed up the coordinates?’

That thought sent a bad premonition through my head.

The worst accident involving a Spatial Ability User was getting stuck in a building wall and being severed.

If she had such an accident on her way home and went into shock from blood loss, it could be an emergency by now.

[Ah, sorry. I know what you’re thinking, but that’s probably not it.]

At that moment, Ha Seo-ho seemed to notice my movements and spoke up.

[She’s skilled enough to set safe coordinates even in unfamiliar places.]

“Then isn’t that even more problematic?”

If Si-ho, with her level of ability, is unreachable and hasn’t returned yet, it naturally means the situation is worse.

[I have a hunch. Haa, I just wanted to check with you. Don’t worry, I’ll look into it.]

With that, Ha Seo-ho hung up.

Having already changed my clothes, I blinked and scratched my head.

Ha Seo-ho, an S-class Hunter, said he’d look into it himself.

That’s much better than me, a regular person, searching for her.

But the unease I felt was unavoidable.

She’s the Hunter I’m responsible for.

If something happens to her, it’s naturally a problem.

I sent Seo-ho a text saying I’d also look for her and then headed out.

Si-ho is a Spatial Ability User.

From a regular person’s perspective, figuring out where she might have gone if something happened is nearly impossible.

So, I decided to call the person with the best abilities in this area for advice.

Ring ring ring—

After a few rings, the call was abruptly answered.

“Domi Oppa, sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry right now. I’ll call you later. Love you.”

With that, the call ended abruptly.

The person I called was none other than Ayu.

“Why did she add ‘love you’?”

It’s amusing that she added that in the middle of a seemingly urgent situation, but I was left pondering.

I couldn’t get advice from Ayu, the closest person.

So, who else is there?

Scrolling through my phone contacts, a few names flashed by.

After Ayu, the next was Ggotbi.

But ever since she revealed to me that she was Yoo Ah from Blackstar, she often shared her schedule with me.

Though it came up casually in conversations, I’m not so forgetful as to not remember.

‘Today, she definitely said she had a broadcast shoot.’

She mentioned that she had a shoot from 8 PM to 12 AM to promote her new song.

Broadcast schedules often run late, so this wasn’t unusual.

“This one’s a pass too.”

With no other choice, I scrolled further down my contact list.

Suddenly, I remembered Baekseolhyang from the World Returner Association, but I didn’t have her number.

We often crossed paths, but there was never a reason to exchange numbers.

But that’s only natural.

Ggotbi and Ayu are special cases because of our gaming connection, but why would Baekseolhyang and I exchange numbers?

Especially since she’s the chairman of our company.

Then, I remembered one more person I could contact.

Ah, right, this person.

Ring ring—

After a few rings, the call was finally answered.

Click.

And then, thankfully, the sound of the other side picking up echoed.

…

In the dimly lit streets of the city, I was waiting for someone.

As summer approached, the heat lingered even at night, and I could feel the stares of passersby.

Following their gaze, I turned my head and saw a woman in a nun’s habit walking towards me, completely out of place in the summer night.

“A nun?”

“Is it cosplay?”

“In the middle of the night?”

Hearing the murmurs, I held my slightly throbbing forehead.

Why did she come dressed like that?

Orzia, the Returner.

The only acquaintance I could turn to in this situation.

Still wearing her patterned eyepatch, she looked at me and clasped her hands together.

“Hello, Ha-chan.”

“Isn’t it hot?”

“To receive Aulaps-nim’s blessing, this attire is best.”

She didn’t say it wasn’t hot.

I forced a smile and decided to move away from the staring crowd with her.

“It’s about the missing person search, right?”

“Yes, I have a photo here too.”

Before coming, I took a photo of Ha Si-ho’s ID picture from her documents.

Showing it to her, she looked at it through her eyepatch and then turned her gaze to me.

“But I’m surprised you asked me for help. You could have asked Cheonma or Baekseolhyang, the Association President.”

“Ah, well, Ayu said she was busy, and I don’t have Baekseolhyang’s number…”

As I spoke, I suddenly froze.

Wait, what did I just hear?

“The Association President?”

“Yes, the Association President.”

Baekseolhyang, the World Returner Association President?

My head spun.

I knew she held a high position in the Returner Association, but I had no idea she was the President.

This isn’t just any big shot.

The World Returner Association is practically a secret to ordinary people.

Even those like me, who are deeply interested in Returners, can’t access much beyond publicly available information.

Especially regarding the Association President, much is hidden.

A Returner acting as the President’s proxy often speaks on behalf of the Association.

Perhaps Baekseolhyang wanted to keep her position as Association President hidden.

‘I heard rumors that the World Returner Association President was Korean.’

But I never imagined it was Baekseolhyang.

Is it okay for me to know this?

Wait, did I say anything wrong?

And Ayu, that crazy girl, acts like that in front of the Association President?

‘Damn it, I’ll think about this later.’

I shook my head, pushing the thought aside.

Right now, finding the missing Si-ho is more important.

“Anyway, can you find her? She’s a Spatial Ability User.”

As I asked, Orzia looked at her phone for a moment, then glanced around.

She then pointed somewhere and said to me,

“Let’s move to a higher place.”

“Move?”

Orzia pointed to the rooftop of a 10-story building.

Rooftops are often locked, so I wasn’t sure if we could easily get up there.

Then, Orzia extended her hands as if to resolve my doubts.

“Hold onto me.”

“……”

Is this right?

At that moment, despite her nun’s habit, her imposing presence was undeniable.

“Are you embarrassed? In terms of age, there’s a century between us.”

She’s from the Joseon Dynasty, so that’s not wrong.

But no matter the age difference, appearances matter.

Orzia stared at me for a moment, then lowered her arms and turned around.

She then knelt down, showing me her back.

“Then, climb on my back.”

No, that’s a bit…

At that moment, a thought struck me.

“Can’t you just go alone?”

After all, I’m not much help in finding Si-ho.

There’s no reason for me to follow her to the rooftop.

It would be better for Orzia to go alone.

Orzia seemed to reach the same conclusion, slowly standing up and clearing her throat.

“Right.”

She must have momentarily forgotten that we didn’t need to move together.

She fiddled with her hair for a moment, then turned around.

“I’ll be back.”

“Please do.”

With that, Orzia leaped lightly onto the 10-story building’s rooftop.

The physical abilities of Returners are truly astounding.

Staring at the building, I waited for her to return.

A short while later, Orzia landed in front of me with a slight puff of dust.

Though passersby were startled by her sudden appearance, I ignored them and asked her,

“Did you find her?”

“Yes, though it’s a bit far.”

“Where is she?”

She asked me to open a map.

After looking at it for a moment, she pointed to a spot.

“Here.”

And the location was none other than Bukhansan Mountain.

Looks like we’re hiking in the middle of the night.

…

Midway up Bukhansan Mountain.

A girl sat on a deserted forest path.

She twirled the end of her hair with her fingers, then shifted her gaze.

Reflected in her eyes was a forest scene.

“It’s started.”

With a light jump, she descended from the tree and began walking.

The distortion of space.

It was none other than the initial phenomenon of a Dimensional Gate.

If left alone for more than an hour, the Dimensional Gate would open, and Dimensional Beings would pour out.

Knowing this well, her eyes slightly twisted in disgust.

The Dimensional Gate, which evoked hatred just by looking at it, had given her the most horrific memories.

“Disappear.”

The girl stretched out her hand and grasped the air.

At that moment, the space began to distort slowly, twisting with a creaking sound.

Though some ripples remained in the space, she shook her hand and erased them.

“Phew.”

With a sigh, she wiped the beads of sweat forming on her temples.

Then, as if in pain, she pressed her chest briefly and practiced steady breathing.

Another nosebleed trickled down, and she wiped it away with her sleeve.

“This much is nothing.”

She’s fine.

Though her eyes were heavy with fatigue, she leaned against a tree.

…

Rustle—

At that moment, the sound of footsteps through the underbrush reached her ears.

Thinking it might be a wild animal, she turned her head and saw a man standing there.

Wearing dark, round glasses, he leaned on a cane, appearing to be blind.

“Ah, found you.”

And as he grinned, a bolt of lightning struck before her eyes.