Plentiful assets, especially money, give a person comfort and stability.Even if it’s not immediately in one’s grasp, someone tightening their belt over meager living expenses and someone harboring 200,000 dil in their mind approach the world very differently.“So where’s my 204,000 dil?”“I’ll send it in installments, so be patient. Besides, I didn’t actually pawn it off; I intercepted it by pretending you’d loaned it to me.”“That’s just an excuse—‘big money moving around draws attention,’ or something?”“Don’t play dumb, kid. And it’s not 204,000 dil, it’s 200,000. I used the extra 4,000 to shut the pawnshop up.”Even without much spare cash in hand, Jin Muhae no longer needed to work for the time being. However, despite having breathing room, he didn’t stop taking jobs. It wasn’t about scraping together 400,000 dil; it was that he couldn’t just abandon the reputation he’d built up so far.The mercenary obsessed with money. The kid who'd jump at any profitable gig. If that Muhae vanished from the field, rumors would start flying. So he decided to keep at least the Company’s contracts.“My shoe strap’s broken.”“How the hell did you manage that?”Once he sorted out Joo-o’s problem, the plan was simple. A ticking bomb that might bolt any second if left °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° unattended. Should he haul him around, or leave him idle for days? If he’d been the old Muhae, he wouldn’t have even considered it. Work isn’t a joke—especially combat, where the smallest lapse can end in injury.But ever since meeting Joo-o, he’d kept getting dragged into it. Granted, Joo-o’s strength far exceeded that of a normal adult male, and—though Muhae couldn’t explain it—the results always turned out fine, however things went. Still… taking Joo-o along on missions was nothing but irresponsibility. He felt like an idiot for doing it again and again.Beep-.잘 지냈나요, MH5591.지난달에 수락했던 탐사 스케줄이 이틀 앞으로 다가와 안내 및 주의 사항을 전달합니다.xx. xx. xx ~ xx. xx. xx블루 크리스털 확인 탐사 건버크타 3-21부터 7-08까지1급 장거리용 소형기/ 지상 이동용 캐리어최근 버크타 일대의 블루 크리스털 채굴량에 변동이 생기고 있습니다. GPS로 표시되는 지점의 크리스털 지대를 확인하고, 해당 일대에 새로운 변동이 있는지 보고하세요.바닷물의 오염 수치가 낮아지고 있으나 인체에 유해하니 접촉을 최소화하세요.업무 중 발생하는 상해나 손실은 가장 최근에 갱신한 계약서를 따라 처리됩니다.무운을 빕니다.청강채굴앤애너지 서비스 팀Muhae reread the Company’s message and considered what gear to pack. For an exploration contract like this, the norm was a light load for quick in-and-out. But the unusually high pay meant the Company probably expected a fight. And issuing a carrier instead of simple mobility hinted at trouble. If he’d known a Thorn Wolf would net him 50,000 dil in one go, he might’ve picked an easier job. A pity.Mentally adding some explosives and defensive gear to his usual kit, Muhae recalled the Burkta region, which he’d visited a few times.“This place has more than one crystal field. It’s risky, but the yield’s huge. Lock in a spot and last two years, and you’ll set yourself up.”“No fights break out. Even in a shared field, the City divides sections in advance.”A vast area where beach and forest coexisted. Because of the outstanding crystal-blue yield, the ruins of an old city here had vanished faster than elsewhere. It was famous for turning miners into blue-energy meat grinders. Even with all safety rules followed, it was so dangerous they posted permanent mining crews—and none lasted three years. Everyone either hit their target and left or disappeared first. If a body couldn’t be recovered, they were listed as missing—so effectively dead.“So in a pinch, they’re just meat shields.”Packing away his prepped gear, Muhae glanced sidelong at Joo-o, who sat on the sofa watching TV, oblivious to Muhae’s grim thoughts. A moment ago he’d been distracted, but now he stared at the screen as if nailed there, barely blinking at every ad break.Click.When Muhae switched off the living-room light, Joo-o jumped and looked back.“Jin Muhae. Turn it back on.”“You said the dark was fine.”“Yeah. But… I don’t know. I want it on when I watch TV.”Joo-o’s tone seemed somehow rambling. His broad, straight eyebrows curved in an oddly anxious line.“Then stop watching TV.”Muhae had been about to ditch Joo-o and rest. His firm command made Joo-o’s face fall.“Can I sit next to you a bit?”“I’m resting, so don’t bother me.”A softened version of “go away,” but Joo-o took it as conditional permission. He nodded vigorously, scooched over, and gripped Muhae’s arm tight.“What are you doing?”“Resting.”“Do you think I’d just sit my ass here and rest with you?”“Then go to bed?”“Don’t say weird shit—get out of the room.”Tch, Joo-o huffed. He didn’t let go or stand up.“I’ll turn off the TV.”“…Okay.”“Why are you holding my arm?”“Beats me.”Only when Muhae switched off the TV did the sticky hand drop. In the dim wall lamp glow, half of Joo-o’s face shimmered. He looked vacant again, long lashes casting flickering shadows below his eyes. His red pupils rolled somewhere, then he suddenly straightened from his hunched posture.“I’m going now.”Contrary to his earlier tantrum, Joo-o quietly walked into the study, making no sound at all. Muhae watched his receding figure vanish into the dark.Shuuuu.Back at the makeshift stop outside Goryeo City. Muhae slipped his hand into his pants pocket and checked the time. Beside him, Joo-o, hood pulled low, kept munching.Waap. Almost half a hot dog disappeared in one bite. His rounded cheeks bounced rhythmically.“You actually ate the whole thing.”“Mmm.”“Throw your trash over there.”“Mmm, okay.”Joo-o had polished off six hot dogs in no time. Muhae had bought a bagful to keep him occupied, but barely ten minutes had passed. He tossed Joo-o a wet wipe and quietly stared toward the city entrance. Soon a small vehicle rumbled down the lane—transport to the airstrip.“No more food from here on.”“I know.”“Only those pills we took in Cheolma Valley. You’ve got to tough it out on those.”“I can do it.”Despite Muhae’s drilling, Joo-o’s reply was steady. He just licked his lips once and nodded resolutely. Compared to the drooling kid earlier, he seemed almost… human.Muhae watched Joo-o scan his empty backpack, then place his LINK watch against the vehicle’s door.Click. The locked door slid open. Following Muhae’s nod, Joo-o climbed inside first.“Remember everything I said and move accordingly.”“Got it.”“Tightened your boots properly?”“Yeah.”As the vehicle pulled away, Muhae’s firm jaw curved into a faint smile. Oddly, he felt like he could almost see the black hair pressed under that hood. He rubbed his neck twice, then pulled out his device and opened the screen:CME Exploration ReportBurkta 3-21 >> 7-08Blue Crystal Yield Variance CasesConfirm Crystal Fields [0/5]Combat_His fingertip froze mid-input on “Combat.” Joo-o, glancing sideways, turned his head to the window and sat staring blankly.‘He seems out of it.’When hadn’t he been? But now, outside the Comfort Zone, he looked unsettled. The day before he’d vegged in front of the TV all day—laughing, muttering, drifting, humming. And he’d eaten five solid meals. Frozen rations, plus two boxes of cereal Muhae had set aside—all gone.‘Yeah. After eating that much, he can skip meals for days.’Muhae chuckled to himself and watched the flat, wide helipad approach. In its center sat the small craft they’d been briefed on—swift, safe passage into the danger zone. Suddenly he remembered the afternoon he first met Joo-o. Back then, they’d taken a small plane to Kan Rano. Joo-o had sat in his seat with a vacant expression the whole way back to Goryeo City.“Waaa.”“Waa.”Only weird, human-unknown noises. He never imagined he’d be hauling this kid all the way out here.

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