Advance to the FutureDing—![Quest]Main QuestTutorial (Completed)CHAPTER 1☞ Outsider of the City (Completed)- Gold-Birthing Wolf √- 200,000 dil Relic √☞ The Unextinguished Ember (Completed)- Intangible Legacy √- Journey’s Beginning √- A Pair of Wedding Rings √- Kingfisher √☞ Mayday, Mayday (In Progress)- The Lost Blueprint √- Secret Deal √- Wind’s Direction[Wind’s Direction]The signal device is complete, but the only contact is “Cloud.”If I meet him, will I learn the way forward…?After a couple of trial runs, the signal device was finally complete.Boss Gil, who’d warned he’d have to call someone to code it if it didn’t work again, exhaled in relief.“Do those ‘participants’ still have theirs?”Muhae asked. Boss Gil shrugged—he didn’t have any either.“That’s irresponsible.”“Why should I care? You have no idea what surveillance I’m under.”Of course Muhae didn’t know. His father had never told him, and by the time Muhae reclaimed his father’s relic, he’d never once noticed. They’d never been close enough to share such things.Now, the lone signal device on his palm announced to any insider that he was the new participant and sole leader of the Revolt.[>>>][>>>][Target not found.]The first thing he keyed in after installing the device on his watch was “Kang.” After ten minutes of attempts, the line went dead.Kang had no device.It was disappointing that so many numbers in the network went silent, but not surprising. The Revolt predated Muhae’s birth; by now, who would still carry such a dangerous thing in their watch?[Target not found.][Target not found.][Target not found.]Only one contact in the list had not yet returned a failure message: “Cloud.”[>>>][>>>][>>>]But the signal’s connection hung pending for days. Either Cloud’s device was faulty, or he simply ignored calls.“Move.”Muhae, his expression hardened, glanced at his watch at every spare moment—until, after another fruitless hour, he shut off the screen and rose.Joo-o, glued to his side, toppled over with a face like he’d been deprived of food.“Huh… where’re you going, Jin Muhae?”Muhae didn’t reply. He was neither so idle nor so friendly as to answer every question. Letting Joo-o follow him everywhere was already more generosity than he deserved.He hadn’t had time to wonder how Joo-o ended up sprawling beside him in the study. Something felt wrong, but he had no mental space to fix it.‘Jin Muhae. Aren’t you going to change clothes?’‘That’s got a hole. Need help with it?’‘I do all your tasks well now.’On the day he procured the signal device parts, he’d absentmindedly stroked Joo-o’s hair—and Joo-o had gushed in a sudden torrent. His cheeks /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ had flushed pink as he chattered excitedly without being asked.Then he’d pressed close, leaning his head on Muhae’s shoulder. Normally noisy, he’d finally quieted, and his face had looked peaceful and happy—so peaceful Muhae hadn’t driven him away.Afterward, Joo-o latched on at every opportunity: leaning on the sofa arm, nesting his head against Muhae’s shoulder, slipping a hand around his arm. He even sniffed for Muhae’s scent, as if it would go unnoticed, or maybe believing Muhae truly didn’t mind.It was a spectacle of satisfied contentment.“Ugh.”When Muhae still made no move, Joo-o sighed and flopped onto the sofa. He buried his face in the spot where Muhae had been sitting.At least he’d glanced before pressing his head there—but now he brazenly presumed it was normal. Muhae scowled and turned away.“I’ll give you a tete-a-tete later, Jin Muhae.”“No need.”“Even Boss Gil only took it because he needed it.”In just a few days, Joo-o’s speech had sharpened. He’d once replied in broken, clipped sentences; now he spat out sly remarks.Whenever Muhae neared, Joo-o’s naive gaze sharpened with a deadly glint—an absurd thought, yet for that moment his mind seemed fully clear. Muhae wondered if he should drag him back to Dr. Jeong for a checkup.“We’ll hit Chapter 2 soon. Excited, right?”He hadn’t stopped Joo-o’s odd comments—but he let them pass.Soon another Company contract would come down. As always, Muhae set about servicing his gear like his own limbs.His storeroom, long used but never restocked, was empty. He bought a few tools, more ammo, and charged weapon batteries.Most urgent was repairing the jacket he wore like a second skin. Tough, flexible, durable, and light—its wear had torn seams that needed mending, but the tailor advised simply replacing it, given how harshly Muhae wore gear.“What if I patch it? It’ll just tear again. Make a tougher one.”“Damn… how long will that take?”“The machines handle the stitching—quick work. But good leather is scarce these days.”High-quality hides were rare. Synthetic leather lasted shorter, and beast skins bore many flaws. The best hides went straight to Central. This side of the trade only offered inferior goods, none of which satisfied Muhae.“If you bring the hide, I’ll give you a discount.”Even knowing it was the leather supply that was the bottleneck, the tailor made a show of it. Normally, a mercenary would source the material through contacts; luck or misfortune, Muhae was one, so he could go fetch it himself.“I’m coming too.”As he gathered shockwave rounds, Joo-o announced without asking.He intended to bring Joo-o anyway, but the compulsion twisted his gut.Muhae snapped his mouth shut and rigged the jacket. At that, Joo-o dashed for the study, zipping on his outdoor clothes in a scramble.His desperate haste oddly lifted Muhae’s mood. He quirked a half-smile, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed out.“You said you wouldn’t mind me tagging along.”“I never said don’t come.”“Then why pack alone?”“Wear your hat right.”Muhae reached for Joo-o’s cap; Joo-o rose onto tiptoe, brushing Muhae’s palm with his head.“I’m helping.”“Move.”“I’ll do fine.”“Before I clobber you, put on your hat.”“Fine. Hit me, then pet me.”“—Didn’t I tell you not to say that?”At last, Joo-o fell silent. It was exactly what Muhae wanted—but for some reason it felt off.Muhae sighed and smoothed Joo-o’s hair. Joo-o’s drooping lips curved into a pleased smile.“Stay put when we’re out.”“Pet my ears.”“Not outside.”“At home?”“Don’t irritate me.”Again that peculiar sense that Joo-o must have been raised in a cage. Beyond memory loss, something in his head seemed absent: he didn’t know what he did, only that it felt good.When Muhae’s hand slid to Joo-o’s sideburn, Joo-o leaned in and rubbed his cheek. Soft ear cartilage pressed under the rough fingertips.“Huh.”Joo-o closed his eyes and smiled, lips trembling in satisfaction.The strange tingle at the nape of Muhae’s neck made him swallow dryly and look away.

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