Beyond the Eternity

Wait...What? Wh-What is this?

Lee Suhye was stunned by Angelica's reaction. It wasn't anything dramatic or overexaggerated. It was just a simple statement.

But it was the way she said it.

Angelica stood still, her platinum hair cascading over the collar of her crisp white shirt was neatly tucked into dark tight-fitted pants, secured with a belt and complemented by black leather shoes. Her presence carried a dignified aura that hinted at origins rooted not just in South Korea, but far beyond.

Her words had been plain, but her cold, grey eyes conveyed something far more menacing.

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

Not matter how she sliced the cake, those words seemed like a warning.

But she thought she imagined it. After all, the invisible weight pressing down on her shoulders had vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

Lee Suhye awkwardly shifted her weight before saying, "Why do you say that? You don't believe he's messing around with someone else?"

"He's not that kind of person."

"Once again, how can you be so sure? Do you know him on a personal level?"

"We attended the same college, so I have an idea of his character."

"Wait, you attended the same university with Jakga-nim?" Yoo Jinsung suddenly interjected.

"I haven't mentioned that before?"

"No, you didn't. Please continue. I'm rather interested. You said you two attended the same college?"

Lee Suhye pressed her to continue. The rest of the group had fallen into silence, their eyes all fixed on Angelica.

[Many constellations are looking at you.]

[The constellations are urging you to continue.]

Even the constellations...

Her companions and the gods above the black clouds had all focused their attention on one person.

They wanted to learn about her story.

They were eager to learn about the Kim Jakga befoe the <Stories>.

Angelica hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "Yes. We both attended Seoul National University and ended up in the same Literature Club."

"Did you two know each other before then?"

"No."

"I see. Were the two of you in the same department?"

She shook her head slightly. "Not really. We were in separate departments. I studied Literature while Kim Jakga studied Law. The only thing that connected us was the Literature Club."

"Wait, he studied Law yet he joined the Literature Club?" Lee Suhye blinked in confusion.

"We were confused too. Even the club president found it strange and asked him about it. But Kim Jakga just shrugged it off, saying he had his own reasons and that joining the club was simply convenient for him."

"Convenient?"

"Yes, about that... He..."

Before she could finish, a message appeared:

[The constellation "Divine Crane Doctor" is shocked.]

[The constellation "Divine Crane Doctor" questions if he studied Law instead of Medicine.]

Angelica frowned. Divine Crane Doctor?

At first, she was confused. But as a reader of Literature and Korean History, the name clicked almost instantly.

Heo Jun.

The royal chief physician of the Naeuiwon during the reigns of King Seonjo and King Gwanghae in the Joseon Dynasty. The author of the Oriental Medicine book, Donguibogam.

Why would a constellation like that be interested in Kim Jakga?

Surely, there was a misunderstanding.

Clearing her throat, Angelica addressed the constellation directly. "Once again, Kim Jakga studied Law, not Medicine."

A pause. Then another message.

[The constellation "Divine Crane Doctor" is disappointed.]

[The constellation "Divine Crane Doctor" questions why he would choose to waste his potential.]

Angelica blinked. Potential?

Kim Jakga has potential for Oriental medicine?

Truly, it was strange. She couldn't imagine Kim Jakga as that type of doctor.

Before she could dwell on it, Miyuki spoke impatiently. "Angelica-nim, please continue with your story!"

"Ah, yes."

Snapping out of her reverie, Angelica cleared her throat, realizing the group was still waiting.

She resumed, "As you know, I wasn't born in South Korea. I transferred to Seoul National University as a foreign student. During my first year, I joined the Literature Club. But it wasn't until my second year that Kim Jakga joined as well."

"So you knew him for only a few years?" Lee Jongho asked.

"That's correct. At the time, Kim Jakga could only be described as a 'loner.' If you didn't approach him first, he wouldn't bother to start a conversation. He was that kind of person. For a while, the only one who spoke to him regularly was the club president, Han Kyungho."

She paused, then added almost as an afterthought, "There were also some… nasty rumors about him, which made the club members hesitant to approach him."

"Oh, rumours? What rumours?"

The group seemed even more interested now, leaning in slightly like children eager for a bedtime story.

Angelica stared at them for a moment before sighing, then said:

"According to the rumors, Kim Jakga would go on dates with different girls, take them to a hostel, and… engage in certain 'night activities.' Afterward, he'd ghost them and never contacted them again."

A heavy silence followed.

Everyone's expressions shifted into frowns, including Yoo Jinsung and Yoo Rin, who clearly understood the implication behind 'night activities.'

[Some of the constellations are laughing.]

[The constellation "Golden-Eyed Prisoner of Wǔ Xíng" runs a finger inside his nose.]

[The constellation "Architect of Destruction" giggles.]

[The constellation "Judge of War and Wisdom" sighs.]

The reaction among the constellations varied. They all understood the situation.

The only one who didn't was Miyuki, the youngest among them. She tilted her head in confusion and asked innocently, "What are night activities?"

"You're too young to understand," Kagura replied quickly, fearing her sister would be corrupted.

"Damn. Was he… really that kind of guy?" muttered Yoo Jinsung.

"No… That couldn't be… right?" Yoo Rin frowned.

"I'm surprised to hear such rumors about Kim Jakga-nim," Jung Yunhee said flatly, maintaining her emotional tone.

"Surely, it has to be a misunderstanding," Lee Jongho chimed in. "After all, rumors are just rumors. There was no concrete evidence that Kim Jakga-ssi did such a thing."

"I'm not saying he did," Jung Yunhee replied evenly. "I'm just surprised there were such rumors about him. But rumors don't form without reason. Either someone misunderstood the situation, or Kim Jakga really was that kind of person."

"Um... That can't be right. Angelica-ssi, are those rumours true?"

Following Lee Jongho's question, all eyes turned to Angelica, filled with anticipation and doubt.

Angelica met their curious gazes with a calm smile. "Of course, all those rumors are completely false."

With that declaration, she calmly continued. "Those rumors were simply exaggerations. Yes, Kim Jakga went on multiple dates with different women, but that was because his friends kept setting him up on blind dates. And according to Kim Jakga himself, those dates were so one-sided that the girls never reached out to him again. Eventually, he gave up on dating altogether."

Lee Jongho chuckled, easing the tension in the room. "Ha ha, I see. So it was all blown out of proportion."

The laughter was light but relieving, and everyone let out a collective sigh, realizing they had greatly misjudged Kim Jakga's character.

However, Miyuki, still too young to grasp the nuance of the conversation, frowned slightly and muttered under her breath, "I don't understand."

Her words faded into the background, unnoticed by the others.

Suddenly, Lee Suhye leaned in, her curiosity reignited. "So, what's your relationship with Kim Jakga? You two seem really close. Honestly, I even thought you were dating."

"What? No!" Angelica's face flushed a deep red. "It's nothing like that! We're just good friends, that's all. Besides, I don't think he's interested in that kind of thing."

"Wait, is that what you meant by him giving up on dating?"

"Yes, but it's more like he's completely given up on 'love'. Even if I were interested, it would only end in disaster."

"Why does it sound like you're trying to convince us you're not interested?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. It's just your imagination."

"Hmmm…"

Lee Suhye squinted suspiciously, scrutinizing Angelica, but the platinum-haired woman maintained her composed salary-worker smile, as if nothing had been said.

Truly, nothing had been said.

The silence lingered for a moment before Jung Yunhee finally spoke up.

"But… that still doesn't tell us where Kim Jakga went."

Silence fell over the room like a thick blanket.

Her words cut deeper than anyone expected, pulling them back from the haze of stories and speculation. The question had been there all along, lurking in the corners of their minds, waiting to be voiced.

The air felt heavier now.

「 Where is Kim Jakga? 」

It wasn't spoken aloud, but it didn't need to be.

Lee Suhye scratched the back of her head, ruffling her brown hair, and muttered, "Damn. Where the hell did he disappear to? Is it possible that he's in trouble?"

"No. That can't be it,"

Lee Jongho shot back without missing a beat. His voice was steady and filled with a conviction so unshakeable it left no room for doubt.

"...Jakga-ssi wouldn't put himself in a situation he can't handle."

But conviction wasn't the same as certainty.

"Then where did he go? And why hasn't he returned?"

"Th-That..."

Hearing Lee Suhye's question, Lee Jongho's confident voice faltered.

Even if his faith in Kim Jakga's abilities was unshakable, he couldn't ignore the unsettling possibility that something might have gone wrong.

Perhaps Jakga Kim was in trouble.

Maybe he was trapped somewhere, caught in a situation beyond even his control.

But how could they help him if they didn't even know where he'd gone?

The silence crept back, thicker than before.

Then—

"Ah, would that help?"

Lee Suhye muttered before glancing upwards the ceiling. Her eyes were focused on the empty space, not exactly the scorched ceiling.

There was nothing there. Just empty space.

Even so, her gaze still lingered up there, as if she was staring at something beyond the wall.

Then, without shifting her gaze, she asked, "Does anyone know where Kim Jakga went?"

She wasn't asking the people around her.

She was speaking to the constellations watching from above.

Thanks to the authority of a certain fairy, beings from distant worlds could observe this one through the Astral Channel. While the power of a Low-ranked Vassal wasn't enough to cover the entire Earth, it was more than sufficient to encompass Seoul—forming the barrier known as the Seoul Dome.

Even if Kim Jakga had gone missing, as long as he remained within the Seoul Dome, his location and presence should have been easily tracked by the watching constellations.

…Or so she thought.

[Many of the constellations are shaking their heads.]

"What? None of you really know?"

Lee Suhye's eyes widened in disbelief. The other party members exchanged stunned glances, mirroring her reaction.

The constellations didn't know where Jakga Kim was?

They'd been watching them like a bunch of voyeurs, yet they couldn't locate a single person.

A surge of frustration flickered in Lee Suhye's eyes, threatening to boil over, but just as she was about to explode, another message appeared before her.

…Not just her. The message flashed before everyone.

[The constellation "Architect of Destruction" explains that it's difficult to track someone that cannot be located.]

She frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

[The constellation "Architect of Destruction" explains that it's difficult to track someone who cannot be located.]

"What nonsense… Are you saying he left the Seoul Dome?"

[The constellation "Architect of Destruction" replies that it might be the case, but also suggests that 'the person with glasses' might have an idea where he went.]

"....?!"

Confusion spread like static electricity in the tense air. The group exchanged puzzled looks, trying to process the cryptic message.

The person with glasses?

Soon, recognised emerged within their gazes.

They all turned simultaneously, their gazes locking onto a white male wearing glasses, standing awkwardly among them. His face was pale, beads of sweat trickling down his temples as if he'd just been caught red-handed.

His stiff posture practically screamed: "I AM GUILTY!!"

Lee Suhye's eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Kim Hyunwoo…"

His voice came out in a nervous squeak. "...Y-Yes?"

Her tone dropped into a cold voice. "Where is Kim Jakga?"