Necromancer Survival

“Cough… Um, but why do you think he contacted you?” Unexpectedly, Choi Kyung-sik helped me by slicing through the silent tension with his words. He pushed up his round glasses and looked at me.

“W-Who knows…” I couldn’t give a proper answer–I couldn’t even begin to guess at the reason.

It’s been several years since I’ve lost contact with Han Kiseok; we hadn’t talked ever since we graduated from high school. Han Kiseok became a User even before high school graduation.

At that time, public perception of Users was far better than it is now. Han Kiseok hadn’t attended school since he became a User. When he appeared at the graduation ceremony, he was surrounded by many people that looked at him with envious eyes.

I remember looking at Han Kiseok from behind, trying to search for something within him, and returning home before we could make eye contact. Since then, I’ve heard about him several times from various high school classmates…According to rumors, he had entered some famous guild and his annual salary was worth several billion won.

Afterwards, when I came across Han Kiseok’s social media, it seemed that, surprisingly, the rumors weren’t exaggerated. I knew that his family was originally well-off, but I got the sense that he had succeeded in life as a User–the stench of wealth dripped from his photos. The view of the Han River 1 from his home; his foreign car… His guild, whose name he proudly displayed on his profile…

“He’s a member of [Trap],” Kim said.

…Just as Kim said–[Trap] was another well-known large-scale guild.

‘However…why are the servants so casually looking through my account on my phone?!’

It was annoying to see Seo Dawon scrolling through, as if my phone were his own, but I couldn’t even stop the others because I was still locked in the Mage’s arms. The other servants picked up my cell phone and began checking through Han Kiseok’s account.

“[Trap]…We weren’t at odds with that guild.”

“The top guilds all know each other anyway–we’ve all crossed the same bridge to get to the top.”

“Still, isn’t [Trap] clean?”

At the very least, Han Kiseok’s guild wasn’t one of our revenge targets. If he were part of [Virtuoso] or [Opera]… Han Kiseok might be swept up in the [Red Lotus] guild’s revenge.

Though I had no lingering regrets about Han Kiseok, I’d loathe to be a direct agent in his death. Though we had a twisted and dark past, I didn’t hate him enough to murder him…

‘Besides, I was too immature back then…’

I clung to Han Kiseok whenever I felt lonely.

I could understand how my actions may have been burdensome–his coldness and chilly attitude made some sense. We were the same age, but he always seemed more mature; I relied on him a lot…

Therefore, I was uncomfortable and nervous to see the servants look at Han Kiseok’s account with fire in their eyes. I was worried that they’d try to find any pretext to cause trouble for him; moreover, I had no idea what I would say if they pressed me further on our relationship.

At that moment, Jung Garam, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke, “You know, this guy looks a little like Dawon-hyung.”

“Don’t you have eyes?” Woo Ragi rebuked bluntly.

“No, I’m not saying that they look exactly the same~ That’s not it! It’s like…I can see a bit of Dawon-hyung in the shape of his eyes?”

“Try to refrain from making far-fetched statements.” Kim Olim said.

“”

“Hahhh?”

Even the resident Paladin joined in, with her cool-headed tone, to refute Jung Garam’s comparison.

Though it wasn’t worth comparing the two, I understood what Garam-ie was saying; I had also thought that Han Kiseok and Seo Dawon were somewhat similar… Of course, it wouldn’t be a good idea to step forth and confess that I thought Jung Garam was correct, so I kept my mouth firmly shut.

In the end, as the sole supporter of his claim, Garam-ie realized that his words wouldn’t get through his two fellow guild members and grumbled, “Olim-noona, Ragi-hyung…you two always pretended to attack Dawon-hyung…In reality, you guys are his fans, huh. You guys want to be the only ones to insult him?”

“I’m just correcting you because your eyesight seems to be lacking. If you actually meant what you said, I recommend you get glasses.”

“You’re the one who says ‘Hyung, hyung,’ all the time–don’t project. Let’s stick to facts. Besides, except for his face, there’s a lot to criticize. His personality is twisted, too.”

Choi Kyung-sik, who sat quietly to the side, looked at Han Kiseok’s selfie and glanced at Seo Dawon. “Is he saying that the structure and position of his eyes, nose, and mouth are similar…?” He mumbled.

Garam-ie expressed his dissatisfaction by placing Choi Kyung-sik–the easiest opponent–in a headlock.

Then, Seo Dawon, the object of this conversation’s praise and derision, smiled arrogantly at me as soon as our eyes met.

“What’s with your expression…” I grumbled.

“I just thought that Lee-kyung-ie really succeeded.”

“What?”

“They’re all saying I’m far better than your ex-boyfriend.”

“…A-Are you crazy?!” My blood pressure rose sharply. This was the man that stayed silent when it came to the topic of dating or romantic affection–how could he so shamelessly say that? I really wanted to hit him, but my arm was still tingling. It had yet to recover from my attempts to forcefully retrieve my phone. So, I could only spout curses at him, “You really need to be humbled! You’re so despicable!”

“Humbleness combined with the likes of my face? Life would be too exhausting.”

“Ugh….” I wanted to sneer at the Mage, but it seemed like nothing could break Seo Dawon’s armor of narcissism. He probably wouldn’t even be affected if I were to say Han Kiseok was more handsome. Rather, he’d probably be sarcastic and say I needed to wear glasses…

“Why did this bastard contact you though?” Woo Ragi re-directed our focus back onto the topic of Han Kiseok’s DM. I had been contemplating whether or not to pinch the Mage; that comment returned me to my senses. Seo Dawon’s arrogant self-love wasn’t the biggest issue.

As if she had been waiting for this change in topic, Kim Olim immediately replied, “There’s nothing that particularly stands out in his social media posts. There’s nothing strange in his message to Choi Lee-kyung either.”

“Choi Lee-kyung wouldn’t suit this insider-type guy anyway–they’re polar opposites.” Jung Garam sure was talented in infuriating others. Whose side was he on anyway? What was more upsetting was that unlike when they defended Seo Dawon’s appearance, no one stood up for me.

My cheeks flushed red. Trembling, I protested, “I just…don’t go on social media that often. I’m too lazy to post pictures…!”

“Then, you should just ask him why he contacted you.”

“Hmm, maybe it’s one of those typical greetings caused by an ex-boyfriend’s lingering emotion.”

“Isn’t it 2 am now?”

Of course, no one bought my excuses. As if my words became background noise, they began exchanging their own opinions; naturally, my temper rose.

I looked around to see if there was anything I could throw at them; my eyes met Seo Dawon’s interested eyes. “It’s your choice, Lee-kyung-ah.”

“What?”

“Whether to respond or not. I think he’s contacted you about something personal.” Seo Dawon said–it was the most logical course of action–and removed his arm that had been wrapped around my waist.

After being released from his embrace, I snatched my cell phone away from the Servants’ grasps. “From now on! Don’t! Look at my Social media! As you please! Got it?”

“……”

No one spoke–as if they had coordinated. Feeling furious once more, I retreated safely into my room. Lackey, who usually loathed to exit the room if all the servants were gathered, excitedly hung onto my back as soon as I entered.

[Clack Clack!]

–Click.

After locking the door, I took a deep breath and collapsed onto the bed, still holding my phone. As I lost my balance and fell back onto the sheets, Lackey was still attached to my back. The skeleton began to squirm, hitting my neck and my shoulders; it felt like a massage–what a filial child.

“I really only have you, Lackey…”

[Clack Clack?]

“Haah… Damn… Those punks all do as they please… Honestly, did their common sense die with them? Why go scroll through someone else’s account…”

[Clack clack clack…?]

I continued to mumble before I remembered that the servants’ ears were incredibly sensitive; I forced myself to clamp my lips shut. Then, I felt incredibly unfair–I couldn’t curse freely.

Lackey tapped me on my shoulder; I thought the skeleton was hitting me thoughtlessly, but suddenly my phone pinged me again.

[Han Kiseok: Ah, I didn’t message you for a particular reason…]

[Han Kiseok: I ran into your mother last week; I heard you also became a User.]

[Han Kiseok: I contacted you because I was curious. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.]

Unexpectedly, Han Kiseok’s messages revealed his motivations.