Choi Harin, who was crouched in the corner of the isolation room, cast her gaze toward the two administrators beside her.
‘They’ve completely lost it. Totally gone.’
The two sat in a daze, staring blankly at the ceiling, their bodies trembling intermittently as if they still hadn’t recovered from the shock of what had just happened.
‘Well… It was their first time seeing Lee Taeseong fight in person. I’d better be careful.’
Among all the lunatics Harin had encountered, Lee Taeseong stood at the absolute top. She had seen plenty of maniacs while working at Tree, but none came close to him.
‘Who the hell challenges the branch director to a fight with no ranks attached?’
Even now, thinking about it made her chuckle in disbelief. He hadn’t seemed like this when he first returned…
Had he been hiding his true nature all along?
Or had his time in Tree changed him?
Whatever the case, Lee Taeseong had grown far too monstrous.
‘I’d better not mess with him.’
Just recalling the sight of those two engulfed in flames, screaming with blood tears streaming down their faces, sent a chill down her spine. If he dared to challenge the branch director, what was stopping him from thrashing a mere intelligence team leader?
Goosebumps rose on her arms.
“Administrators, are you alright?”
Lize and Yoo han, two of South Korea’s Beta-ranked administrators, were well-known figures within Tree’s Korean branch. Their ranks alone were intimidating, but their notoriously foul personalities made them all the more feared among their peers.
Yet now, they looked like mindless husks.
“Can you hear me?”
“……”
To be honest, it felt a little satisfying. Whenever they crossed paths, they always acted so high and mighty.
‘Serves them right.’
But thinking about it logically, everything that had happened inside Lucy’s dream was technically an illusion. The entire space was designed for that purpose, after all.
And yet, the pain must have been so intense that even Beta-ranked administrators were suffering real-world aftereffects.
‘Then… will Taeseong react like this too?’
It was obvious that he couldn’t have won against Park Woo-man, meaning he must have met his death in the dream.
Harin tried to picture him suffering, but for some reason, she just couldn’t imagine it.
“They should be coming out any moment now…”
The moment she finished speaking, Park Woo-man and Taeseong stepped out.
It was uncanny—like a tiger appearing the moment someone spoke its name. But somehow, it suited Taeseong perfectly.
Contrary to her expectations, he looked completely fine.
Even stranger, the two of them were engaged in friendly conversation.
“Oh, and I’m sure there are more suitable candidates for branch director than me.”
“Why? Do you not want the position? I thought you had some ambition—wasn’t that why you proposed forming a special team?”
“You said it yourself, Director. The position is just for show. I have no desire to be a puppet leader. I’d rather not be shackled by administrative work either.”
“……I… see. Still, it’s a prestigious title.”
“I’ll consider it later.”
“Understood. Ah, and if you need any personnel, just say the word. I can even loan you Beta-ranked entities if necessary.”
“I don’t see any need for that right now. If a situation arises, I’ll let you know.”
“Of course! Just ask anytime! I’ll support you however I can. Hahaha!”
Watching their exchange, Choi Harin’s face twisted in confusion.
This was far from what she had expected.
Even if it had been a dream, they must have fought with their full strength inside. And yet, here they were, chatting like nothing had happened.
On top of that, there was an odd tension in the air.
It was almost as if Park Woo-man was desperately trying to win Taeseong’s favor.
The branch director… acting this way toward an administrator?
And not just any administrator, but the lunatic who had challenged him to a rankless duel?
What was going on?
Was she still dreaming?
Was this all just an illusion?
Still struggling to grasp the situation, Choi Harin stared blankly at the scene like a puppy just waking up from a nap. She kept her mouth shut, but her thoughts were in complete disarray.
‘What the hell happened in there? Am I seriously still dreaming? But… it hurts? Oh. Right, pain feels real in Lucy’s dreams.’
There were several ways to determine whether one was inside a dream when dealing with entities that manipulated them.
The simplest method was to use a dream-tracking object, such as the “Dreamer’s Top.”
But if none were available…
“Status window!”
One could will their thoughts into reality by sincerely shouting them aloud.
Even if it was someone else’s dream, a strong enough force of will could temporarily interfere with it.
If this was truly a dream, a status window would appear before her eyes.
And if it wasn’t…
“……”
“……”
Nothing happened.
Both Taeseong and Park Woo-man turned their gazes toward her simultaneously.
Their expressions weren’t filled with disdain or scorn, but with something closer to pity.
‘Just say something, damn it!’
Crushed under the weight of her embarrassment, Harin silently screamed.
Right on cue, Lucy stirred awake.
Perhaps because she had enjoyed a deep sleep, her skin looked as smooth as polished porcelain as she sat up in bed.
Stretching with a satisfied expression, she yawned.
“Mmm… That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages…”
Rubbing her eyes, Lucy scanned the room.
She saw Taeseong and Woo-man staring at Harin with pitiful expressions.
Harin, her face red like a ripe apple, kept her head down.
And the two administrators muttering incomprehensible words at the wall.
“Um… Did something happen while I was asleep?”
After finishing their discussion with Park Woo-man, Taeseong and Harin walked down the hallway together.
Step. Step.
Park Woo-man had declared that he would soon make a major announcement regarding Taeseong’s promotion and the formation of a special management team—Management Team Zero.
As for the Alpha rank promotion, that required direct approval from “The Root,” so for now, it was just a formal request.
Beta-ranked administrators Lize and Yoo Han were to take an indefinite leave to recover. The incident had clearly left them mentally shaken.
During their leave, they would undergo various psychological treatments.
The idea of treating vampires and dragonkin for psychological trauma might have seemed absurd elsewhere, but in “Tree,” it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Harin stole a glance at Taeseong.
As always, his expression was unreadable.
A strange awkwardness lingered between them.
Or rather, Harin felt that way—alone.
“……”
“……”
It was because of what had just happened.
‘Ah, damn it. Of all things, I just had to shout “status window.”’
The reason Choi Harin shouted “status window” among countless possible words was simple. She had always wanted to try it at least once. Every human, at some point in their life, must have entertained the thought of a status window.
Isn’t that right?
If not, then there was nothing she could do about it.
At least, that was the case for Choi Harin.
As a member of the Intelligence Department, she had encountered numerous administrators and entities while working at Tree. Among them, there were even those who could actually see a status window.
Yes. Just like a player in a game.
“Status window.”
“Oh, come on! Stop it already!”
When Lee Taeseong murmured “status window” with an expressionless face, Choi Harin smacked his shoulder with all her strength. But in the end, she was the one who felt the pain.
Rubbing her now-reddened arm, Harin grumbled.
“Damn it… What are you, made of iron? How can a human body be this hard?”
“Do you like games?”
“Not really. I’ve never played one.”
“Then why ‘status window’?”
“…Just because. Doesn’t it seem fun to try?”
An awkward silence settled between them again.
Taeseong didn’t think much of it. Whether someone shouted “status window” or “transform,” that was entirely their own business.
He just found Harin’s reaction unexpectedly amusing.
But there was one thing he was curious about.
That curiosity was why he had been silent while walking down the corridor.
He wasn’t particularly talkative to begin with, but deep in thought, he became even quieter.
Branch Director Park Woo-man had said that he grew stronger through karma. Based on his words, it seemed that Choi Harin’s father, Choi Woosik, was included in that “karma.”
However, Park Woo-man had spoken in a way that implied Choi Woosik wasn’t dead.
That raised a question.
‘Then where is Choi Woosik?’
If he wasn’t dead, but his existence still influenced another person’s karma to such an extent… It was a mystery that couldn’t be brought up lightly.
Everyone carried certain pains within them.
Taeseong understood that better than anyone.
Perhaps the reason an ordinary human like Harin had entered Tree and was working in the Intelligence Department had something to do with her father.
That thought crossed his mind.
“…Hey. By any chance…”
Taeseong turned his gaze toward Choi Harin.
Her face was unusually serious as she struggled to form her words.
“…Did the old man tell you anything about my dad?”
After a brief hesitation, Taeseong nodded.
“Yes.”
A plain response.
Hearing it, Harin muttered softly.
“I see… So he did tell you…”
Taeseong didn’t know what to say, so he simply waited for her to continue.
“The old man isn’t the type to talk about things like that… He must really like you, Taeseong.”
Did he?
Taeseong hadn’t gotten that impression at all.
The man always wore a beaming smile, but his true thoughts were impossible to read.
They walked in silence for about ten minutes. The corridor leading to the surface was so long that it made Harin feel nauseous.
Then, suddenly, Harin started talking about herself and her father.
What had come over her?
Even Harin herself didn’t know why she was telling Taeseong all this.
It was a story that almost no one knew.
Was it because Park Woo-man had already brought it up? Or had she somehow grown fond of Taeseong in the meantime?
She wasn’t sure.
She didn’t know what had changed inside her, but at this moment, she simply wanted to tell him.
Her story continued.
Taeseong only nodded occasionally and met her gaze from time to time.
Before they knew it, they had stopped walking and were just standing there, talking.
It had been difficult to start speaking, but once she did, the words poured out nonstop.
Emotions she had long suppressed burst forth like a waterfall.
Her face changed with each memory.
When recalling happy moments, she smiled as if she had returned to those times. When speaking of painful memories, she unknowingly shed tears.
The Team Leader of Intelligence Team 2, Choi Harin, had become Choi Harin, the daughter of Choi Woosik.
She laughed and cried like a child.
Taeseong simply listened.
And Harin didn’t mind that.
When her story finally ended, silence fell between them.
With her face slightly red, Harin cautiously spoke.
“Do you want to go see my dad?”