Chapter Text
The skyline of Seoul wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar sight, even destroyed as it was.
“Are you Jeong Sang-U?”
The voice asking the question spoke Korean, but it had an accent he wasn’t familiar with. He turned, peering in the direction it had come from.
“Are you here to fight me?”
An impeccably dressed man with blonde hair stepped out of the shadows of the abandoned rooftop. “No, of course not. I’m here to help you.”
“Then no, I’m not Jeong Sang-U.”
The man paused as Sang-U turned away. “And if I said yes?”
“The answer is still no.” He picked at invisible dirt under his nails.
He walked closer, standing nearby but not taking a seat. He didn’t seem bothered by the smoky ashes floating around them. “I’m your successor. Lieber’s new ‘champion’.”
“Sounds fun.” He hunched over, bored. Even the apocalypse could become dull after a while.
The blonde man turned to him, extending a hand. “My name is George Lucas—though you might know me as Jumper.”
Sang-U didn’t even spare him a glance. “Never heard the name.”
He paused.
Never heard the name?
He could feel this “Jumper”’s irritation rising—though he didn’t show it on his face—when he turned to regard him. His face was pristine, as were his clothes. Not a drop of blood could be seen anywhere on him.
He glanced back at the horizon. The city was still just as desolate, and he could still see people moving through the debris, completely unbothered—or perhaps unaware—of the carnage littering their bodies.
“Huh…”
Sang-U failed to fight back a grin as he snatched the hand Jumper was pulling back. “I don’t have a title, but I don’t mind the name ‘Hermit’. It’s what most people call me nowadays anyway.”
Jumper shook his hand hesitantly, his latent mana calming under the sudden change in mood. “You don’t find that insulting?”
“Why would I? It’s not like it’s inaccurate. And besides, it’s just proof that I’m doing exactly what I always wanted.”
He waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn’t, he probed further. “Which is…?”
Sang-U leaned back, closing his eyes contentedly. “Lazing around and sleeping all day. Duh.”
“Can that.. really be considered a goal?” he asked as he took a seat beside him.
Sang-U shrugged. “It is to me.”
“...Right.”
He turned to Jumper, tilting his head. “So, what is it that you think you can help me with, ‘Jumper’?”
“I’m… not quite sure anymore.”
“Oh? That’s boring, don’t ya think?” He grinned.
“…I want to recruit you.”
Sang-U’s expression soured. “I’m not interested. Like I said, I just want to laze around all day. If you want ‘my’ help, go ask one of my clones. I’m sure one of them is roaming around here somewhere.”
Jumper’s mouth set into a hard line. “We’ll need more power than that if we are to stop the Day of Harvest. You know that just as well as I do.”
“My clones aren’t that much weaker than me, y’know.” He waved a hand dismissively. “They’ll do just fine.”
“Then why did you quit? Lieber said—”
“That I suddenly abandoned him and disappeared off the face of the Earth?” Sang-U sat up straighter. “That I went insane and cussed him out? Or that I lost motivation and just need someone to get me off my lazy butt?” He smirked. “They’re all true, in a way. Just depends on who you ask.” He shrugged and turned away again, intentionally casual. “Lieber doesn’t even remember all the shit I spouted at him. Not that he didn’t deserve all of it.”
Jumper remained silent for a long while, then he opened his mouth to speak.
“I—”
“—Wait just a sec, Georgie—can I call you that?—I want to know what you have to say. You must be decently strong yourself for Lieber to pick you. Whatever you’re thinking right now interests me a lot more than whatever he’s telling you to say.”
The taller man regarded him for a moment, his eyes narrowed.
“…I want your Deadly Sins.” He grimaced as he said it, probably listening to Lieber’s protests in his head.
Sang-U raised a brow. “What happened to recruiting me?”
“I’m not stupid enough to think I’m strong enough to force you into my plans. If you plan to stay idle while the System wipes us off the face of the Earth, then the Sins would be better off in my hands.”
It was impossible for Sang-U to keep the smile off his face and the snickers out of his breath. It was so… refreshingly absurd, to see something new for once. The wind picked up in the time it took for him to finally respond, and he drew his cloak a little closer to himself as his laughter died out.
“No can do, Georgie,” he said cheerfully.
Jumper blinked, the only measure of surprise visible on his face. “Why not? It’s not like you’re using them anyway.”
“Doesn’t matter if you can’t use them without going crazy, and I don’t feel like cleaning up after whatever mess you make.”
“You won’t have to. Sage and I have been… collaborating, thus far. He can pull me back even if the Sins take over my mind.”
Sang-U froze. Had Junyeong really gotten so much stronger while he wasn’t looking? Without his help or interference?
He made sure to school his expression back into place. “You’re underestimating Deadly if you think you can handle five of them at once for even a minute.” He pointedly stole a glance at Jumper’s right leg. “Especially if you’ve only had a taste of one.”
“I won’t know until I try,” he said resolutely.
The wind blew again in the silence as Sang-U stared blankly at him, his gaze uncharacteristically solemn. Then he shrugged, and the stifling atmosphere vanished. “My clones are the ones with the Sins. Do whatever you want, but you won’t get any help from me.”
Jumper paused for a moment, then said, “Thank you, Sang-… Hermit.”
Sang-U tilted his head. “Did you not hear me? I said I’m not gonna help.”
“You’re giving me a chance; that’s all I need for now.” He smiled. Sang-U decided it was a pleasant sight. “But don’t worry, I’ll come back for you eventually. Just you wait.”
He drew closer until he was standing beside Sang-U on the edge of the roof. “And before I go,” he turned so that his back was facing the open air, “it’s ‘Jordy’, not ‘Georgie’. No one calls me that.”
Jumper stepped off the edge, but just as he was about to plummet, he vanished in an instant, leaving Sang-U alone on the rooftop. The hermit let out a short laugh and turned back to the city.
Surveying the geometric roads below, he saw a salaryman walk straight through a fire without a care in the world. He came out unharmed, his head low, typing something with one hand on his phone. He didn’t notice the destruction around him, as if it was completely intangible.
Sang-U sighed, his good mood ruined. He grabbed his phone from his subspace, and the moment he powered it on he was bombarded with notifications.
『 3 Missed Calls from ‘blue hair freak’ 』
『 9 Missed Calls from ‘Enemy’ 』
『 47 Messages from ‘Enemy’ 』
『 4 Missed Calls from ‘Hayeoni’ 』
『 16 Messages from ‘Hayeoni’ 』
『 1 Message from ‘posion’ 』
『 7 Messages from ‘kgd’ 』
『 8 Missed Calls from ‘eomma’ 』
『 3 Missed Calls from ‘appa’ 』
『 See More 』
He grimaced, swiping past them to open his contacts. He selected ‘Cult Leader’ without a glance and pressed the call button.
As usual, he didn’t wait for the person on the other end to speak before stating his business plainly.
“I need you to stall this guy for me.”
He relayed the name and a brief physical description of Jumper, who was probably out tracking down his clones at this very moment—he might’ve even found one by now, what with the teleportation Skill he displayed and his alleged connection to Junyeong—then he hung up without waiting for a response.
He glanced over the long list of people trying to reach him. In the past, he might’ve been surprised that some of them bothered at all.
With a heavy sigh, he powered his phone off again and tossed it back into his subspace before standing up and jumping off the side of the building.