translation by mourningmoor
Roa
Hyungnim, the paparazzi hasn’t returned to Korea yet. According to their SNS, they’ve moved to Macau following DAS 17. I’ll leave their profile picture and SNS link for you.
After checking Roa’s message, I told the others I’d meet Kim Jeongsoo for a bit and quickly got out of the car.
Then, I headed straight to the nearest public restroom and locked the door.
“The exact coordinates are…”
I quickly flipped through the map and coordinates I had stored in my mind through Media Acquisition.
<Senado Square = 22.193732079279187, 113.53969492709383>
“Got it. Shall we go now?”
Using the photo the paparazzi uploaded a minute ago, I gauged their location and teleported directly to Senado Square in Macau.
Landing in a dark alley at the corner of the square, I hid my presence with shadow concealment and revealed myself when the coast was clear.
It was a relatively simple task—find the paparazzi, deal with them quietly, and head back.
But I ran into an unexpected obstacle.
“Wow. This is amazing.”
As soon as I revealed myself from the shadows, I sensed someone nearby.
I had checked the area before revealing myself, so how could there be someone here?
This wasn’t normal.
The owner of the voice approached me with a surprised expression.
“I’ve only heard stories, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.”
The man, tall and emaciated, looked like a walking skeleton with his gaunt face.
His hunched shoulders, turtle neck, pale face, and hollow eyes reminded me of a character from that Christmas animation movie I watched with the members recently.
His bizarre appearance was startling, but what he said next was even more shocking.
“You’re a mage, right?”
What’s with this guy?
I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized him.
“Was that teleportation just now? And disappearing for a moment—was that invisibility or something?”
He was speaking Korean.
Mid to late 20s?
His outfit—leather pants, a vintage T-shirt, a chain necklace, leather bracelets, and dark eye sockets—gave off a rocker vibe.
Most importantly, I couldn’t read his mind.
This feels like facing Aki or Jung Yoobin.
Which means I can’t erase his memories either.
In situations like this, it’s best to play dumb.
“You must’ve seen wrong. I’ve been here the whole time.”
I casually pointed deeper into the alley and turned to leave.
Since it didn’t seem like he took any photos, I could just ignore him and move on.
But this skeleton-like man followed me, persistently poking at my nerves.
“No, I was sitting over there, and you just appeared out of nowhere, disappeared, and then reappeared.”
“Does that even make sense? This isn’t a movie.”
“But it’s true! Just now, you…”
He pointed to the end of the alley where I had revealed myself.
“You’re mistaken.”
“I’m not mistaken. My grandfather told me mages can do things like that—read minds, erase memories, and all that.”
For a moment, I felt something was off.
It was strange how naturally he accepted the existence of mages, and the fact that he heard about it from his grandfather.
“Who told you that?”
I asked, my face filled with suspicion.
My mind was racing.
If what this man said was true, then there are people who know about mages, which shouldn’t be possible.
“What do you mean, you know about that?”
The man’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, scanning me like a rat in a back alley. Now that I think about it, his sharp chin, long nose, and thin mustache made him look exactly like a rat.
But this rat-like guy gave me an unexpected answer.
“I know people like you.”
“What do you mean, people like me?”
“When I was very young, there was someone like you. So what I’m saying is… I know about mages.”
There’s a mage in this world?
And he met them when he was very young?
That would’ve been around 20 years ago. Is that even possible?
After a brief moment of thought, I concluded that it wasn’t entirely impossible. In fact, I had already been considering the possibility.
It’s been strange from the start.
There are humans whose thoughts I can’t read, even though it’s not the Demon King’s doing. The existence of such beings already proves it.
“Who was that person…?”
“It was 22 years ago, so if he was an old man back then, he’s probably dead now. I got lost at night and was wandering around…”
The rat-faced man rambled on, dredging up memories. But I wasn’t really listening.
Honestly, that wasn’t the important part.
Whoever that person was, whether they really existed or not, it didn’t immediately affect me.
Once I fully recover my magical power, conquering the world would be a piece of cake. Until then, I just need to live quietly.
But for that to happen, the fact that I’m a mage can’t be revealed to the world.
The problem is this guy. The biggest issue is that I can’t manipulate his mind. If I could just erase his memories and leave, this wouldn’t be such a waste of energy. It’s frustrating.
If this guy spills the beans and it gets out that I’m a mage, things will get complicated.
The noise aside, it’ll just be a hassle.
I might not even be able to continue being an idol.
What about the Circle Up? My magical power?
In the end, there’s only one solution.
“Should I kill him?”
I cast a barrier around us and hid our presence in the shadows.
The guy’s hollow eyes widened in surprise.
“Whoa!”
What kind of guy is this?
He didn’t seem scared—if anything, he looked excited. No, he seemed to be enjoying it.
With his mouth hanging open, he looked around with an expression full of anticipation.
“This is so cool. Mage-nim.”
“Don’t you realize I could kill you?”
“I do.”
“Then you should be scared.”
Instead, he grinned, his eyes curving into crescents.
“What’s so scary about dying?”
I couldn’t read his mind, but his words didn’t feel like a lie.
“In fact, I’m glad I got to experience something like this before I die. No.”
His hollow eyes softened with a pure light.
“I was planning to die anyway, so dying at the hands of a mage sounds pretty cool.”
At least I could tell he wasn’t a dangerous person. Just a weirdo.
Yeah, this guy is seriously strange.
“The fire from your hands—that might hurt. Can’t you just kill me in one go? Like turning me into dust? That would probably hurt the least.”
The fact that he knows about fireballs and material decomposition means he’s definitely met a mage before. He must’ve seen magic in action with his own eyes.
But the fact that he’s still alive and hasn’t lost his memories is the strangest part.
“What are you, really?”
At this point, I was curious about what this guy actually was.
Could he be a mage too?
But his answer surprised me.
“Me?”
The rat-faced guy laughed heartily.
“I’m just a musician like you, Ichan-nim.”
* * *
Ichan-nim?
Since he recognized my face, I should’ve killed him.
But I didn’t. No, I chose not to.
Because I found something worth studying.
[That mage I met back then told me my attribute is music. He said my mana is red. That’s why I became a musician, but no one appreciates my music, I’m drowning in debt, and I don’t even have the money to return to Korea…]
As he poured out his depressing story, I formed a hypothesis.
An old man, a mage, music attribute, red mana, teleportation…
I concluded that the mage he mentioned wasn’t from this world. This world’s mana flow makes it impossible for mages to exist here.
Which means he must’ve come from another world. But is that even possible?
At least it’s not Armania. The gate to the other world only opened once last spring.
For now, I’ll take this guy to meet the Demon King.
I need to figure out why I can’t read his mind.
Until then, I’ll keep him close.
“So, you’re stuck here because you don’t have the money to return to Korea? An illegal immigrant?”
I handed him another box of egg tarts, and he nodded, shoving a tart into his mouth.
“Yeah. I got scammed, lost all my money, and ended up as a street vagrant. I occasionally play as a substitute at clubs to get by.”
He said he hadn’t eaten in three days, and he was already on his second box of egg tarts.
At least he didn’t seem to hold any ill will toward me, unlike Aki or Jung Yoobin. If anything, it was the opposite—something beyond admiration, almost like worship.
It was a bit burdensome, but given my current situation, I couldn’t just leave someone like this alone.
The closer I keep him, the better.
“Do you want to go back to Korea?”
His eyes widened.
They sparkled with anticipation before quickly dimming.
“I can’t. I don’t even have a passport.”
I looked at him, slumped like a wet rat, and laughed in pity.
“What’s this? You call me a mage, but now you’re being realistic?”
His eyes immediately lit up again.
“So… teleportation?”
“What other option is there?”
“I-I’ll go. I’ll do it. Teleportation. Please do it.”
He raised his hand eagerly, shoving the last egg tart into his mouth as he stood up.
At this point, it’s safe to say he’s a mage fanboy.
If I play my cards right, I can keep him close without much effort.
“But there’s a condition.”
“I’ll do anything.”
His eyes gleamed with determination, ready to dive into his fandom.
“You can’t tell anyone I’m a mage.”
He nodded so vigorously it looked like his head might fall off.
“Okay. I promise.”
“And I’ll put a tracker on you.”
“A tracker?”
“A location-tracking spell.”
His long nose twitched with excitement, his nostrils flaring.
“Okay.”
“I might monitor you 24/7.”
“Wow. Does that mean I’ll be your servant?”
More like a prisoner, but given the gleam in his eyes, it’s better to frame it as being a servant.
“Yeah. Something like that.”
“It’s an honor.”
His admiration for mages and his reverence for me were creating a chemical reaction, making things easier.
“Alright. Let’s go then.”
I stood up, pulled my hood over my head, and started walking.
He quickly followed and grabbed my arm.
“Mage-nim?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Then… Master?”
“It’s supposed to be a secret.”
He slapped his own mouth repeatedly and corrected himself.
“Then, Ichan-nim.”
Ichan-nim? That’s still weird.
But given how strange this guy is, it’s better not to push for more.
At least he’s not calling me “Master.”
Yeah, let’s just stick with “Ichan-nim” for now.
“What?”
“Aren’t we going over there? It’s quieter, with no people.”
He whispered, covering his mouth with his hand and sticking close.
“If we’re going to whoosh and fly away, we need to be somewhere quiet, right? Because it’s a se—cret.”
Is bringing this guy along really the right decision?
For a moment, I wasn’t sure.
But for now, this is the best option.
I used telekinesis to lift him about 50cm away from me as I scrolled through SNS to check the paparazzi’s latest location.
“First, I need to catch one guy.”
Yeah, let’s take care of business first.