Beyond the Eternity

Night Management's Main Building

Yoo Jinsung and Jung Yunhee hurried back after hearing the explosion.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the scene. The fourth level resembled a battlefield, with walls partially destroyed and debris scattered across the area. Smoke lingered in the air, but most of it had dissipated, leaving behind only the aftermath of the blast.

Still, an uncomfortable feeling crept over them.

What could've possibly caused this?

Fortunately, when they entered the building, they found that none of the survivors had been seriously harmed. Most of them seemed shaken but otherwise unscathed.

"Excuse me, do you know what happened here?" Yoo Jinsung asked one of the survivors.

The person blinked, clearly disoriented. "Um… no, I don't."

Jinsung's brow furrowed. "What? An explosion happened, and you're saying you don't know anything?"

"A few people went to check it out, but Kim Hyunwoo-ssi sent them back. He said the situation was under control," the survivor replied hesitantly.

"Kim Hyunwoo?"

Jung Yunhee muttered that name she recognised. He was an individual that she spent some time with before meeting up with the group.

I see… If he sent them back, that must mean he's handled it.

Glancing around at the unharmed survivors, Yunhee quickly ruled out the possibility of an enemy attack. If it had been one, there would've been casualties.

But what was it?

An experimental accident? No… that doesn't fit Kim Hyunwoo at all. From what I've seen, he's extremely careful and calculative. He wouldn't risk the safefy of others like this.

With so little information, Yunhee couldn't make an accurate judgment. The only way to uncover the truth was to investigate further.

She exhaled softly, relaxing her tense shoulders, and glanced at Yoo Jinsung, who still looked confused.

"Let's go upstairs," says Yunhee, already moving toward the staircase.

"... Ah, yes."

Leaving behind those meaningless words, Yoo Jinsung followed Jung Yunhee and climbed up the stairs. There was no electricity in Seoul due to the global emergency known as <Stories>. The blackout wasn't limited to South Korea, the entire world was likely facing the same crisis. Thankfully, Kim Hyunwoo had managed to rig a backup generator using [Crafting]. With some makeshift wiring and salvaged parts, he'd restored power to the building.

Of course, climbing the stairs was tedious, and Hyunwoo had even suggested building an elevator. But that idea was quickly shot down by Kim Jakga, the company's head. Jakga's reasoning was blunt but logical: "It's unnecessary right now. Focus on what matters."

So, in the absence of modern convenience, stairs were their only option.

They climbed from the ground floor to the first, then the second, third, and finally reached the fourth floor.

The hallway was a mess. The walls were scorched and warped, the surface bubbled and partially melted as if exposed to extreme heat.

Jinsung clicked his tongue. "What the hell did this?"

They followed the trail of destruction, stepping over chunks of debris and burnt fragments. Along the way, they noticed several small mechanical drones, barely the size of a clenched fist, scuttling across the floor and walls, making faint mechanical noises.

Item Entity: Nanobots.

They were Kim Hyunwoo's creation, tiny repair drones designed to maintain the building in case of damage. Some zipped through the air, while others crawled over cracks, patching up walls with an unknown liquid substance.

Hyunwoo had even been experimenting with a variation capable of closing wounds and healing injuries, but he hadn't made much progress on that front.

Yoo Jinsung looked dumbfounded as he watched the little guys work.

What are those things?

I see. Hyunwoo-ssi made something weird again. Damn guy...

Apart from his initial shock, he wasn't too surprised. This wasn't the first time Kim Hyunwoo had made something strange. Nobody knows what happens inside that room of his, but it was certain he had a useful skill.

If he succeeded in his experiment, then that would become a new miracle of humanity of the new era.

A few seconds later, Jung Yunhee, walking in front, along with Yoo Jinsung following behind, reached the room that was the source of destruction.

The moment they stepped inside, the scene spoke for itself.

Everything was pretty much ruined.

Debris scattered everywhere, walls charred, and furniture reduced to splinters. But what truly caught their attention wasn't the wreckage.

The party members were already there: Lee Jongho, Angelica, Lee Suhye, Kuro Kagura, Kim Hyunwoo, Yoo Rin.

They stood in the center of the room, seemingly unaware of Yunhee and Jinsung's arrival. Their attention was fixed on something, or rather, someone.

Following their gaze, Yunhee and Jinsung spotted Miyuki kneeling on the floor.

The twelve years old girl was pouting profusely and both of her cheeks were bright red. Not the natural kind of blush, but the kind that screamed, "someone's been pinching me within an inch of my life!"

Standing in front of her with both hands on her hips was Kagura. It was clear she was furious with her sister.

"I'm sorry."

"Again."

"I'm sorry."

"Again."

"I'm sorry."

"One more time."

"I'm sorry."

Miyuki's voice grew smaller with each apology, yet Kagura's sharp gaze never wavered.

Yunhee and Jinsung exchanged a knowing glance. Without needing to ask, they pieced it together:

The cause of the explosion that blew up the fourth floor was Miyuki. And her sister, Kagura, was scolding her.

After yet another apology, Kagura raised her hand, signaling Miyuki to stop.

"Enough. But tell me, what's this about learning magic?"

"I thought it would be good."

"You thought?"

"I wanted to raise up my skill level."

"So you didn't tell anyone and just practiced here? The result of that was this." Kagura gestured dramatically at the wreckage. "Did I miss something?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't you know something bad could've happened? What if someone had seriously gotten hurt?"

"I'm sorry."

Miyuki apologized once again, almost as if it were one big joke.

Kagura's eye twitched.

Without hesitation, she reached down and pinched Miyuki's cheek.

It was a deliberate assault!

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Onee-chan, please stop pinching my cheeks!"

"Yes, I'm your onee-chan, and I'm going to keep pinching your defenseless cheeks!"

"Um, Kagura-ssi," Lee Jongho cut in hesitantly, wincing as Miyuki's face stretched like taffy. "I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but… don't you think the punishment is a bit much?"

Watching Miyuki's poor, squished face tugged at his heartstrings.

"Too much?" Kagura shot him a flat, unimpressed look. "I was thinking it's too little. In fact, I was planning to pinch her a few more times… then start over again with the other cheek!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really, really am!" Miyuki yelped, flailing her little hands in surrender.

The samurai-like woman narrowed her eyes, studying her sister's face.

It seemed like the girl's words were truly genuine and looked deeply apologetic for what she had done.

Truth be told, she didn't like punishing her sister.

Not one bit. In fact, she was inwardly despairing that she had to do it at all.

Who in their right mind would want to hurt something so small and ridiculously adorable? Anyone who could look Miyuki in the face and say, "Yes, I'm going to punch this child," deserved to rot in the deepest pits of hell.

But Kagura couldn't let her off the hook, especially when what she did was genuinely reckless.

No matter how hard she tried to project a cold, strict image, at the end of the day…

She was just a big softie.

Seeing Miyuki's wide, innocent eyes staring up at her, Kagura let out a long, defeated sigh.

With a reluctant shake of her head, she finally released her grip on Miyuki's cheek, letting it snap back with a soft 'pop'.

Miyuki muttered a soft, "Oof," as she cupped her pinched right cheek. From her teary eyes, it was clear she was just one step away from bursting into tears.

She had been pinched so hard that she looked like a red tomato.

Apart from Jung Yunhee, who wore an indifferent expression, everyone else let out the same resigned sigh. They had expected something more serious like an enemy attack, perhaps, but no, it was just Miyuki attempting to improve her magic.

The real problem, however, was Yoo Jinsung, who was desperately trying to hold back his laughter.

Oh no. Not good. No matter what, I cannot laugh!

His face twitched. His lips trembled. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as he fought the uphill battle against the rising tide from within.

Yoo Jinsung and Kuro Miyuki had a unique relationship. They didn't like each other, but they didn't hate each other either. It was a rivalry of sorts.

He remembered all the times Miyuki had jumped on him and bitten him like some pesky mosquito. The fact that the girl now looked so pitiful only satisfied his sense of justice!

"Pfff—"

Oops. He immediately covered his mouth, but it was already too late.

The group turned in surprise. Seeing Yoo Jinsung barely holding in his laughter, Miyuki's expression darkened in an instant, and she glared at him.

It was as though she had completely forgotten how pitiful she had looked just moments ago.

Lee Suhye posed a question, "When did you two get here?"

"Not too long." answered Jung Yunhee indifferently.

"... I see."

"From what I heard, Miyuki was the one that caused the explosion. Yes?"

Lee Suhye scratched the back of her head, irritatedly.

"Well, that's what looks like, right? She was trying to experiment with her magic, but something went wrong. I even thought we were being attacked, but it was just this girl. Geez... Still, everything's ruined here. What kind of dark magic was this girl practicing? I don't know whether I should be impressed or worried."

She then glanced around at the wreckage, and then clicked her tongue before turning to Kim Hyunwoo.

"How long will it take you to repair this floor?"

"Hmm..." Kim Hyunwoo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It depends on the materials presently available. But if I push myself, it should take at least a day."

Lee Suhye frowned slightly as those words. "Great. We'll have to use one of the rooms above. I really liked this one."

"You do realize all the rooms look the same, right? What's so special about this one?"

"I like this room and became attached to it, of course! Isn't that reason enough?"

"Hmm. I see. There was an article I read that said humans often become attached to their environment, especially things they see every day. I believe your case is similar to that."

Lee Suhye gave him a deadpan look. "Was all that extra stuff really necessary?"

While the two continued their meaningless conservation, Jung Yunhee surveyed the group and quickly noticed two people were missing.

Soo Jinyoung and Kim Jakga.

Jung Yunhee dismissed Soo Jinyoung from her thoughts. Though she had been invited by Kim Jakga to join the company, Soo Jinyoung had refused to formally associate with Night Management. At most, she occasionally lent a hand, but her absence wasn't a major concern.

The real concern was:

"Where is Jakga-nim?"

At her question, the room fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to her, as if none of them had noticed until now.

Lee Suhye's eyes lit up as she muttered, "That's true. Where is Jakga-ssi? There's been an explosion in the company, yet the head of the company is nowhere to be found?"

"Miyuki, do you know where he is? You were the last one to see him," Jung Yunhee asked.

Miyuki hesitated before answering. "Ajusshi said he was stepping out, but he hasn't come back since."

"Did he say where he went?"

"No."

"Did he mention when he'd be back?"

"Uh... no..."

"How long has he been gone?"

"I don't know exactly, but I think it's been about two hours."

Lee Suhye let out an exasperated scream, clearly frustrated.

"What is wrong with him? He just disappears without a word, goes off for hours, and comes back whenever he feels like it! Does he have some woman we don't know about?"

The instant those words spilled out from her mouth, a subtle yet chilling murderous intent filled the room.

The source was...

"Hey, don't say that about Kim Jakga."

It was Angelica. Contrary to her name, she didn't look anything like an angel at that moment.