Deputy Leader of HID Special Missions Unit’s Counter-Terrorism Response Team.
Sergeant First Class Choi Sang-hyuk.
The only comrade Lee Taeseong truly trusted and relied on.
Of course, it wasn’t that he distrusted the other members, but things were different with Sergeant Choi.
Most of the other team members, to Taeseong, were people he had to look after.
To put it more simply, they were his kids.
It was obvious that once they grew, they would become an incredible force, but for now, they were nothing more than fledglings.
However, Choi Sang-hyuk was closer to being a peer than a subordinate.
From the moment Lee Taeseong was first assigned as the team leader of the Counter-Terrorism Response Team, Sergeant Choi was always by his side.
There were countless operations where Sergeant Choi crossed the line of life and death together with Lee Taeseong.
In other words, he was a comrade who had been with Taeseong since his fledgling days.
Of course, that fledgling was special enough to take down other “chickens” on his own.
At any rate, for Taeseong, Sergeant Choi was like family.
The more fragments of memory he recalled, the clearer that emotion became.
And now, that very person stood before his eyes.
Even Lee Taeseong, who always made cold, rational decisions, was momentarily frozen in shock.
This place was a container ship managed by Tree, swarming with escaped entities…
Why was Sergeant Choi here?
Normally, he would have immediately raised his guard and questioned the situation, but right now, joy overwhelmed any rational thought.
It was proof of just how special Choi was to Taeseong.
“Sergeant Choi Sang-hyuk? Is it really you, Sergeant Choi?”
The man with a bear-like build smiled brightly.
Having only seen him in uniform every day, seeing him in a black suit felt strangely nostalgic.
He still had incredible muscles.
The clear outlines of them were visible even through his suit.
“Yes, it’s me, Sergeant Choi. Captain Lee Taeseong.
I never thought I’d see you in a place like this… but it’s truly great to see you again, Captain.
Have you been well?”
Lee Taeseong asked with a confused expression.
“…No, how are you here?”
“Ah, I’m a Tree-affiliated manager too.”
“A manager?”
“Yeah, it just sort of happened. Haha.”
“…”
Sergeant Choi laughed heartily and reached out a hand toward Lee Taeseong.
“Are you just going to stand there and make it awkward? It’s been so long—aren’t you going to shake my hand? I’ll be hurt, Captain.”
“Ah, sorry. I was just so surprised…”
Realizing it late, Taeseong reached his hand out toward Choi’s large hand.
At that moment—
[Grrrrrr!]
Wairang, who had leapt out from Taeseong’s shadow, lunged at Sergeant Choi with lightning-fast speed.
“You filthy beast!”
[Yelp!]
Sergeant Choi, reacting with incredible speed, grabbed Wairang and slammed him to the ground.
“…Sergeant Choi.”
Blood trickled down Taeseong’s left cheek along the wound.
At the moment of the handshake, the blade hidden in Choi’s opposite arm had aimed for Taeseong’s neck.
If Wairang hadn’t attacked and if his reaction had been just a bit slower, his throat would’ve been pierced.
The face of Sergeant Choi, who had been smiling so kindly, twisted grotesquely.
The voice that followed wasn’t his but a screech like nails scraping a chalkboard.
[Ugh, fuck. I almost had him, but that damn mutt ruined it.]
Even after all that, Taeseong simply muttered as if lamenting the loss of an old comrade.
“So it really wasn’t Sergeant Choi after all. Well, no ordinary human would be here anyway…”
The figure that had twisted its body in ways no human should, let out a low growl and then morphed into the form of Lee Sooah.
[Oppa. What are you doing here?]
Watching this, Taeseong asked Anna Kreuzen, who stood beside him.
“What do you see that as?”
Anna Kreuzen frowned in disgust and answered.
[…My grandmother.]
“Thought so.”
The moment Taeseong realized it was an entity, he immediately recalled what kind it was.
Entity Name: Deceiver.
Grade: Beta.
As the name suggests, it specialized in deceiving its targets.
Even within Tree, it was a rare, growth-type entity.
Originally classified as Delta grade, it devoured countless managers and grew into a Beta grade entity.
Its abilities included cognitive manipulation and transformation.
It would reflect the strongest impression in the target’s mind, appearing as the most effective person to deceive them.
Then, slowly luring the victim in, it would shred and devour them whole with the dozens of teeth inside its true form.
Managers who were immune to its cognitive manipulation described its true form as a giant slime made of mucus.
While “feeding,” its entire body would transform into a giant mouth.
Because its appearance differed depending on the observer, it was considered an extremely dangerous entity, rated at hazard level 6.
“You see it differently too?”
[Grunt! Grunt!]
The “Deceiver,” still mimicking Lee Sooah’s form, spoke in her identical voice.
[Oppa. It’s me, your sister Sooah.]
“…”
[Is this not it? Is this not it? Is this not it? Is this not it? Is this not it? Is this not it?]
When Lee Taeseong didn’t respond, the Deceiver quickly shifted into a new form.
As Taeseong was about to thrust his sword, he flinched and stopped.
[Taeseong-ah. It’s your father.]
[Taeseong-ah. It’s your mother.]
The Deceiver had now taken on the forms of Taeseong’s parents.
It perfectly replicated every detail from his memories.
“…”
Lee Taeseong slowly lowered his sword and looked at them with sunken eyes.
Then, he struggled to speak.
“Fa…ther. Mo…ther.”
Lee Taeseong’s voice trembled slightly.
[Yes. Taeseong. It’s been such a long time. We’ve missed you so much. Our son. You’ve grown even more handsome since we last saw you. We’re so proud.]
[Our son… Our Taeseong… It must have been so hard for you all this time. Oh dear, just look at your gaunt face. I told you to eat properly, but you found it bothersome and skipped meals again, didn’t you? I told you so many times that you must take better care of yourself while you’re young.]
A familiar voice.
Emotions he had forgotten surged up.
How desperately he had wanted to hear that voice.
To hear that voice.
To see that face.
He had endured that hellish life for that reason alone.
But it was already too late, and the only family he had left was Sooah.
Yet here they were, right before his eyes—his beloved parents he had yearned for.
The parents he thought he would never see again were smiling brightly.
Lee Taeseong etched their images into his retina one by one, determined not to miss even a second of this scene.
Just like a child holding onto a precious toy given as a gift for the first time.
“It’s been… so long. I… came too late, didn’t I.”
[Late? No… Taeseong, a home is like a nest. It’s a place you can return to and rest whenever you’re tired after flying far and wide around the world. That’s what a home is. So don’t think such things. Don’t say such things. We will always be waiting for you in the same place, unchanged.]
[That’s right. Parents are always on their child’s side. We have never once resented you. We’ve only ever felt sorry. Wishing we could have done more, given more, loved you more. That’s all.]
“……”
[We love you. Taeseong.]
[We love you, our son.]
He knew.
He knew that these were not his real parents but a ‘being’ deceiving him with an illusion.
That it was nothing more than a mirage, a fantasy.
But…
Even so.
What does it matter?
Whether it’s an illusion or deception, none of that matters.
Parents he could only see in his dreams.
Parents he could only glimpse within the fragments of his fading memories.
Even if they were becoming faint, the fact that he could see them again in any way was all that mattered to him.
Lee Taeseong’s parents opened their arms wide and said,
[Come here. Let us hold you, just once.]
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lee Taeseong stepped forward and embraced his parents.
“I missed you… so, so much.”
At that moment—
The body of the deceiver, who had taken the form of his parents, trembled and twisted, then opened a massive maw with a loud crack and burst into laughter.
[Puhahaha! What a complete idiot, huh?]
Inside the massive slime’s gaping mouth, hundreds of sharp teeth could be seen grinding the lump of flesh (Lee Taeseong) that had entered.
Crunch. Crunch.
Chomp. Chomp.
Gulp.
[…….]
Five minutes passed.
[…….]
Ten minutes passed.
[……?]
When thirty minutes had gone by,
The deceiver, who had been thoroughly enjoying his meal, suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.
By now, the ‘food’ should have been completely digested, yet it remained whole inside him.
It was as if he had eaten something he never should have.
To put it simply, it felt like he had been poisoned.
[……What is this?]
It was the first time since escaping from the narrow flask that he had felt such a queasy sensation.
[……Why hasn’t it been digested yet?]
Squirm!
[……W-what the hell? What are you trying to do!]
The deceiver screamed in panic.
He rolled across the floor, smashed what could be considered his head against the wall, and flailed wildly, but it changed nothing.
The massive slime, easily over five meters in size, was shrinking in real time.
[Stop! Stop it! Don’t do this! No!]
Despite his desperate cries,
The deceiver’s once enormous body had shrunk to the size of an adult man.
Craaaaack!
In the end, his body split open, and from within the mass of unidentified liquid, Lee Taeseong slowly walked out.
His eyes, unlike usual, were as calm and still as a windless lake.
“……”
Lee Taeseong, retrieving a black crystal from within the slime fused to the ground, popped it into his mouth and murmured softly,
“Thank you. For letting me see my parents, even if it was like this.”
It was a sincere gratitude.
He truly thanked this being.
For allowing him, even if only briefly, to become ‘Lee Taeseong the son’ rather than ‘Administrator Lee Taeseong.’
For allowing him to etch the fading images of his parents into his memory once more.
Lost in thought for a moment, Lee Taeseong eventually resumed his steps.
Anna, who had shared the forced experience of being inside the slime’s stomach with him, quietly whispered,
[Grandmother… I miss you.]
Leave a Reply