BOPE 100

Chapter 100 …

“…Hello…?”

—Donghee! What time do you call this? You still haven’t gone to work? I told you a bunch of times that I have to leave early today for my nephew’s wedding!

The moment he answered, the store owner’s angry voice blasted out of the phone speaker.

“Boss? Is that really… you?”

—Of course it’s me, who else? Don’t tell me you were still sleeping, Donghee?

The boss’s brusque voice rang right next to his ear.

“No, it’s not that…”

Donghee’s mind went completely blank, and he couldn’t figure out what to say. Stammering, he suddenly felt a gaze and slowly turned his head. The moment he faced the mirror hanging on the wall, he froze.

Inside the mirror, a disheveled face holding a phone and looking flustered stared back. The haggard, tired features were unmistakably Ha Donghee’s.

—Hello? Donghee! Are you listening to me? I have to leave in thirty minutes.

“Ah… yes. Just a moment, boss. I’ll call you back shortly.”

—There’s no time for that!

The convenience store boss shouted impatiently, but Donghee pressed the end button anyway. Almost entranced, he stood and walked toward the mirror.

In the reflection, the tired, messy-haired face of Ha Donghee grew larger as he approached. The faint flab and dark circles under the eyes—it was unmistakably his own body.

“I came back?”

Instead of relief, what flooded him was disappointment and sorrow.

“Don’t tell me it was a dream? All of it?”

Delma, Screwge… were they all just a dream?

Shaking his head in disbelief, Donghee muttered, “It can’t be a dream. It felt so vivid… it hurt so much.”

Delma’s tearful face as she looked at him, the voice of the financial officer Screwge, Handsome’s bright eyes full of trust, the wounds from fighting Qulen, and the status window—

“Ah! The status window!”

Suddenly realizing, Donghee hurriedly called it out. But the only response in the tiny apartment was an awkward silence.

No. Please, no!

His hands trembled.

Bzzzzzz, bzzzzzz.

The phone vibrated again. Thinking it was the boss calling to rush him, Donghee looked at the screen—but it wasn’t. The caller ID read “Taechang.”

Donghee’s mind spun even more wildly. Could it be that Taechang? The Silver Hairtail Taechang? Or did he know someone by that name? He couldn’t figure out what to think first.

“Hello?”

He pressed the call button and waited for a response. But on the other end, Taechang said nothing.

“Taechang… is that you? S–Silver Hairtail Taechang?”

Afraid he might sound strange, he asked cautiously. But—

—What are you doing?

It was indeed the Taechang he knew.

“You! You really are the Silver Hairtail Taechang, aren’t you?”

Donghee’s voice rose, nearly breaking into tears from relief. It meant what he had gone through wasn’t a dream. It meant he could see Delma and the others again.

—Wake up.

“What?”

—Wake up from the dream.

The moment Taechang’s voice echoed, Donghee’s eyes flew open.

Even though he had just woken from sleep, he was panting as if he had sprinted a hundred meters.

“You’re awake… Lord? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Delma, who had entered to wake him because it was the time he’d mentioned, nearly dropped the tray in her hands when she saw him pale and gasping on the bed. She hurried to his side.

Setting the tray down quickly, Delma pressed her palm to his forehead. His skin was clammy with cold sweat.

“My lord! Are you alright? Good heavens, you’re drenched in sweat! Wait here, I’ll call Doctor Gallon right away.”

She was about to rush out when Donghee urgently grabbed her arm.

“What’s the matter?”

Delma sat back down, concerned. The expression on her lord’s face was nothing ordinary.

“My lord!”

But instead of answering, he leaned against her with a trembling face, clutching her tightly.

Delma, startled, hugged him back and patted his back. His clothes were damp with cold sweat.

“My goodness! Did you have a nightmare? Why are you sweating like this?”

“I thought it was a dream.”

His voice shook like a frightened child’s.

“Pardon?”

“I’m so glad I can see you again, Delma. Truly glad.”

His arms squeezed tighter around her. And then Donghee realized—Delma wasn’t just some NPC meant to give him a naming quest.

Her warm embrace, the concern in her voice, the gentle gaze, even the scolding like one would give a wayward child—all of it was what he had longed for from his mother.

Mom.

He swallowed the word with aching fondness.

“Oh dear, our lord is still just a child. Look at you, trembling from a dream.”

Delma soothed him, patting his back tenderly. Donghee burrowed deeper into her arms. She smelled faintly of freshly dried laundry and warm cookies.

“Yeah. I’m still a child. So don’t ever leave my side, okay?”

It was childish, but he didn’t care.

“Of course. Where else would I go? I’ll always be right beside you.”

“Good. Stay right here.”

Delma held him until the tea on the tray went completely cold. To her, the lord felt especially small today, and she couldn’t stop gently stroking his back with pity.

Later, after soaking in warm water and changing into soft, dry clothes, Donghee felt much better.

“Feeling a little better now?”

Delma’s eyes still brimmed with worry. Though her lord had accomplished unbelievable things for the estate, in her eyes he was still just a child.

“Yeah. Thanks. I’m really fine now.”

But even while saying so, Donghee kept reaching out to touch Delma’s sleeve, confirming her warmth, reassuring himself with the feel of her hand and clothes. Every time, it relieved him—it wasn’t a dream.

“Shall I ask the financial officer to postpone today’s meeting? Do you want to rest more?”

“Yes. Just one hour.”

“Alright, rest a little longer. I’ll go tell him.”

She ruffled his hair gently before leaving the room.

As soon as she was gone, Donghee quietly stood and approached the front door.

The plain gray door, oddly out of place against the ornate wallpaper, had become familiar after so long. But today, because of his dream, it felt ominous. What if he went in and couldn’t come back?

He stared at the door for a long while before steeling himself and walking closer.

After making sure no one was around, he entered the four-digit passcode. Each beep of the electronic lock made his throat dry with anxiety.

Cold metal met his palm, and with a heavy clunk the door opened. He took a deep breath as if diving into water.

The first thing he did after stepping inside was whirl around. The door was still there. Relieved, he stepped out again, then back in. The door remained unchanged.

Inside, the apartment was exactly as he had left it.

The stubborn mold stains, the worn spring mattress with old spots, the battered desk, the peeling leather chair—all mismatched pieces scavenged from different places—stood frozen in place, as if waiting for him.

He turned toward the refrigerator and yanked the door open. Just like the first time he had entered the Grayce estate through the door, everything inside was the same.

Nothing spoiled, nothing missing. As though everything except him was trapped in a still photograph.

Suddenly feeling suffocated, Donghee desperately called,

“Status window, I need an assistant.”

Before he could worry that there would be no response, the familiar blue screen appeared. He had never been so glad to see it.

—The cost depends on the assistant’s tasks. What do you need them for?

“Just… to follow me around.”

Today, he couldn’t bear being alone. Even if it was Taechang, who always looked at him disapprovingly, he needed someone by his side.

—For simple tasks, the cost is only 20 points.

“It’s simple. I won’t even ask him to carry anything heavy today.”

—20 points deducted for summoning assistant. Remaining balance: 50,790 points.

As the screen spun, Taechang stepped out with his usual reluctant expression.

“What is it this time?”