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The man had an aura of terror, which immediately made everyone shrink away in fright. The citizens of the former Syswitz Industrial Complex may have been on the road to recovery after the heavy losses they faced during the Revolution, but everyone's mental state was still quite fragile.
So, when they saw the man in black strut through the complex as if he owned it, everyone shut themselves up in their houses, praying he wouldn't look at them. Some even doubted that their Revolutionary, who had defeated that horrible Duke, could face this person. Even if he could, he was currently out of commission. The Industrial Complex was at its weakest, in other words.
Thankfully, the man did not draw that sword at his waist (was it broken? The citizens shuddered to think of the entity could break even this person's sword). After walking around a little, someone finally approached him.
'Uh… welcome to our Industrial Complex.' Jang Hayoung had recently had a boost in her self-confidence. She'd killed seven Executioners with her own hands, after all, so there was no way she'd just let this random guy destroy their recently-obtained peace and freedom, not after all the hardships everyone in the complex and Yoo Joonghyuk had gone through. 'Who are you?'
'Where is Kim… Yoo Joonghyuk?' The man didn't bother answering and looked at her with a terribly cold gaze. A vein was going off in his temple. He spoke the Revolutionary's name as if he had to tear each syllable out of his throat.
'Ah… what is it that you want with him?' Jang Hayoung hadn't seen Aileen come out, but the red-haired woman was standing in front of her now. There was a degree of wariness in her eyes, but she seemed more exhausted than anything.
'Just tell me where he is.' Clearly, the emo guy had reached the end of his patience (which was quite short), and a truly terrifying scowl was forming on his face. All of Jang Hayoung's confidence flowed out of her.
Still, she wasn't about to betray the man who had done so much for her home, even though he didn't really get anything from it. She opened her mouth to speak, but Aileen was quicker.
'I'm really sorry, but we can't let you see him right now,' Aileen had her strict "doctor" voice on. 'He's not in a condition to meet visitors.'
Jang Hayoung threw a panicked glance at Aileen. Why the hell was she telling this guy that?! If he knew the main power of the Industrial Complex was unconscious…
'What did that fool do to himself?' There was a hint of fear in the apathetic tone now.
Wait… had she been interpreting the situation completely wrong?
'Hey wait…' Jang Hayoung finally had a slow realisation. Hadn't she seen this guy somewhere?
Right, the screen had been quite grainy and unclear… but wasn't this the guy who'd killed the Demon King of Salvation…?
Ki■ Do■j■! N■! ■im Dok■■!
The voice had been heavily distorted in the illegal streams, but it was definitely this guy's.
This guy, who was currently headed right towards where the sleeping Yoo Joonghyuk was.
While Jang Hayoung's cognitive wheels had been turning, Aileen had given up trying to dissuade Emo Guy when his hand went to that broken sword. She was now leading him through their clock shop.
'Are you the real Yoo Joonghyuk?'
Aileen sounded like she was just testing out a theory, her voice unsure. Jang Hayoung looked at her with shocked eyes.
'Eh? What the hell are you saying? Is that guy not-?'
Aileen shook her head swiftly. Emo Guy's resident scowl had somehow deepened. 'So, at least some of you aren't stupid enough to fall for that guy's lies.'
…Why did Jang Hayoung get the feeling Emo Guy fell for a lot of "that guy's" lies?
And what the hell was that fondness in his tone? (You had to listen for it, any real emotion in his voice was hidden…very… deep down.)
They finally reached where Not Yoo Joonghyuk was lying, unconscious. Story packs were hooked up to him, and though his shirt concealed it, Jang Hayoung knew there was a scar over his heart.
Seriously, was he not the real Yoo Joonghyuk? Was Emo Guy the real one?
'Is the reason why the Revolutionary suddenly decided to stab himself in the heart related to you?' Aileen asked, her voice extremely tired.
Emo Guy (Yoo Joonghyuk???) sighed. That was answer enough.
'Will he recover?'
Aileen nodded. 'In fact, he was doing just fine, but suddenly he just had to-'
'He has a tendency to do that,' Emo Guy interrupted, a tone of deep understanding. Without meaning to, everyone looked over at the man who, for once, looked completely vulnerable.
Now that she thought about it, Jang Hayoung hadn't seen this kind of expression on him at all. Even when the Duke had pulled out one scheme after another, the Revolutionary's face had shown nothing but determination. He always had a plan, and well, no self-preservation.
Emo Guy was staring at the Revolutionary as if the exact thoughts were running through his head too. There was a look on his face that baffled Jang Hayoung. Emo Guy may have no sense of colour and a permanent scowl, but he was really very handsome. This man, who looked like he had been crafted lovingly by the hands of some God, was making 'that' look at such an ugly guy?
Huh?
But didn't the Revolutionary's features look a lot softer now? Full lips, long eyelashes, a slender nose, high cheekbones… he didn't look ugly at all, what the fuck? It was like he'd stepped right out of a dream.
Aileen looked at Emo Guy with a weird expression, maybe finally coming to the same conclusion as Jang Hayoung. 'Is he… um…?'
She trailed off, and Emo Guy didn't answer. Aileen coughed, 'May I ask what the Revolutionary's real name is, if you are the real Yoo Joonghyuk?'
'His name is Kim Dokja.'
That sounded vaguely familiar to Jang Hayoung. It was like she'd heard the name before, spoken by the very same voice as now.
Oh well.
It was probably nothing.
'So, are you the Duke of this complex now?' Aileen asked.
Hey, what the fuck? Jang Hayoung looked at Emo Guy in horror.
Emo Guy… Yoo Joonghyuk didn't seem very pleased about it either. 'Yes, but you can do whatever you like. I don't care.'
Was this guy refusing the ruling rights to the complex? Something like this had definitely never happened before.
Jang Hayoung's head hurt. Far too much had happened in the past weeks.
First, some guy in a white coat shows up, talks like he knows everyone in this complex better than they know themselves, and he actually does, fucking announces that he'll become the Demon King of the entire realm, pretends to be the Revolutionary, actually starts a revolution and kills the Duke. And all of the credit for this goes to some random guy who isn't even him? Then said random guy doesn't even want it?
Why did Jang Hayoung get the sinking feeling this migraine was the first of many, and just why did her gut tell her it would be this "Kim Dokja's" fault?