One Day, a Villain Fell into My Wardrobe

20

“Wow, this is really driving me crazy.”

Morning, three days later.

Yeon Ji-ho, after getting up and taking a neat shower, looked at the backpack he had placed under the bed and trembled his legs. He had just resolved his breakfast with a simple sandwich he made a little while ago. And soon, at noon, they would set off.

Towards another world.

Yeon Ji-ho only hoped to return safely. He felt very little excitement about going to another world.

– Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock from outside, Yeon Ji-ho’s head snapped around. When he briefly told them to come in, the door opened, and Set appeared. Apophis was nowhere to be seen.

“Ji-ho.”

“Yeah? Are we leaving already?”

“No, that’s not it. I came to ask you one last time.”

Set strode over and knelt in front of the bed where Yeon Ji-ho was sitting. As he knelt, Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes widened in surprise.

But Set paid no mind. As their eye levels awkwardly aligned, Set quietly asked.

“You don’t have to go with us. Don’t push yourself.”

“…Isn’t it true that I’m essential for using this gate?”

“Don’t think about that. We can return somehow. Apophis is a wizard who ranks among the top three in Asterra.”

Yeon Ji-ho quietly gazed at Set’s odd-colored eyes. There was no hint of falsehood or hesitation in his words. If it were Set, he would probably accept without any resentment even if Yeon Ji-ho suddenly said he couldn’t leave now.

“Ha…”

And that was the problem. This man was unnecessarily too kind.

If Set had been the cold-hearted man described in the novel, Yeon Ji-ho wouldn’t have followed him. However, the Set Gorgon he had experienced so far was incredibly kind, and also…

“You have already done me a favor that I can never repay.”

He was giving so much for Yeon Ji-ho.

Since becoming a loner at school, Yeon Ji-ho had not had any friends his age. The reason he became close to the aunties and uncles at the market was partly because of that. The market he went to with his parents every weekend was his only playground.

But even Yeon Ji-ho, who was so clueless about people, could tell that Set treated him differently. Set’s voice was different when he spoke to Apophis compared to when he spoke to Yeon Ji-ho.

“Ji-ho.”

…Calling me so affectionately is really unfair.

“Ji-ho, that place… it could be dangerous. Unlike here, it’s a world where swords and magic exist.”

“I’m going with you.”

Yeon Ji-ho said firmly. He felt that if he didn’t, Set might make another choice.

At first, he thought of it as just his favorite character from a novel falling into his home. It was a trivial goodwill to want to let him rest, even for a moment.

But as he gradually got closer to him, the moment he accepted this man as a person rather than just a simple character from a novel, everything changed.

“You will protect me, right?”

He wanted to make this man happy. He wanted to see him return to his original world and become happy… he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Set, upon seeing Yeon Ji-ho’s trusting gaze, stopped what he was about to say and closed his mouth. Then, he nodded briefly and said.

“Okay.”

He had never failed to protect what was his, even at the cost of losing himself. He didn’t care if someone called him a cold-hearted demon. For Set Gorgon, honor was unimportant if it meant protecting his people.

He would protect Yeon Ji-ho by the dirtiest and most disgraceful means if necessary.

***

“…My bag is the bulkiest, huh?”

Finally, noon arrived, and the three of them gathered in Yeon Ji-ho’s room. The bags they were carrying were all borrowed from Yeon Ji-ho, but the contents inside were slightly different.

The bulkiest one was, of course, Yeon Ji-ho’s. The weight was enormous, but there was no helping it. Having never been on an overseas trip, Yeon Ji-ho packed everything he could out of unnecessary worry the night before.

“Most things can be solved with magic and money, so we don’t need a lot of luggage.”

“Money? Do we have a lot of money?”

“…”

At that question, Apophis tightly shut his mouth. In fact, they had none. The Gorgon family had been destroyed, and all they had left were their bodies and talents.

“I’ll activate the gate now.”

Apophis, with a brazen expression, delayed his answer and activated the gate. The gate drawn on the wardrobe wall shimmered briefly.

The first to move was Apophis. He thrust his foot into the gate and, in an instant, disappeared into the wardrobe wall as if half of him had been devoured. Yeon Ji-ho covered his mouth with his hand and muttered.

“Wow, it’s like Platform 9 and 3/4…?”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

With that, Apophis vanished into the wardrobe. The second turn was Yeon Ji-ho. He had decided it was the safest order, but he regretted going second. He should have just gone last.

Experiencing something he had only seen in movies was a completely different matter. Even after seeing Apophis enter safely, his legs trembled as he prepared to do it himself.

Set, who was watching from behind, called out to Yeon Ji-ho briefly.

“Ji-ho.”

“Yeah, yeah?”

Set suddenly reached out his hand toward him. As Yeon Ji-ho looked at the hand, which was covered in scars and calluses and almost resembled a weapon, he stared at Set in confusion.

“If you’re scared, hold on.”

“Ah.”

Yeon Ji-ho recalled the times when Set had first ridden a bicycle and a car. He had always told him to hold on. Set was probably mimicking that.

With an unexpectedly cute action for his size, Yeon Ji-ho chuckled. He didn’t refuse and grabbed Set’s hand tightly. Set’s shoulder flinched.

“Thank you. Then I’ll go.”

Holding onto Set’s hand firmly, Yeon Ji-ho lifted his leg and stepped in. His entrance was no different from Apophis’s. The strange thing was that even though he had put his foot somewhere, he didn’t feel like he was entering at all.

As soon as Yeon Ji-ho had almost fully entered, Set approached. Without any hesitation, he thrust his entire upper body into the gate. He didn’t let go of the hand he was holding with Yeon Ji-ho.

[……]

Once inside the gate, Yeon Ji-ho was first surprised by the darkness surrounding him. He had expected another world to unfold immediately, but it didn’t.

However, he didn’t feel anxious or scared. Because he was still holding onto Set’s rough hand.

Yeon Ji-ho began to move forward slowly in that completely dark place. Then, he paused briefly when he reached what he thought was a dead-end wall and cautiously pushed against it.

What he thought was a wall wasn’t a wall at all. It began to slide back, letting light seep in. And at that moment, Yeon Ji-ho was propelled out of the gate as if someone had pushed him.

“Gah!”

“Ji-ho!”

Only then did Yeon Ji-ho realize why Set and Apophis had burst out of the wardrobe. It seemed that when exiting the gate, it was as if someone was pushing from behind. Yeon Ji-ho couldn’t control his body, which had been thrown out, and stumbled forward.

Set caught him just in time. In an instant, Set wrapped his arms around Yeon Ji-ho’s waist and backpack, pulling him into his embrace. Thanks to that, Yeon Ji-ho avoided kissing the floor.

“Did I, did I just arrive?”

“Yeah.”

“Where is this…?”

Finally regaining his senses, Yeon Ji-ho quickly turned his head to take in the dazzling surroundings. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like an alley.

At the end of the alley, he saw people bustling about. Yeon Ji-ho walked toward them as if entranced. Then, a scene he had never seen before unfolded.

“Selene, let’s go together!”

“I heard there’s been another monster from the neighboring village.”

“We need to find a carriage for tonight.”

The clothing, architecture, and even the smells were all different. If the language they were speaking hadn’t been familiar Korean, he might have felt like he had stepped into medieval Europe.

Set and Apophis slowly approached behind Yeon Ji-ho. The two were engaged in conversation.

“It seems we’ve fallen into the capital, Asterra.”

“We need to leave this place by today. We must cross the Regium Mountains.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, they heard a crowd murmuring outside the alley. Set and Apophis also stopped their conversation and listened to the situation outside.

“The King is coming!”

“What?! What’s going on today?”

“You know, the empire has been in turmoil lately due to monsters. So he goes out hunting every day.”

Set’s face hardened at the voices of the passersby. At the same time, the sound of horses’ hooves marching in an orderly manner echoed from afar. The ground trembled slightly.

Swoosh.

Yeon Ji-ho, who was standing hidden in the alley, suddenly felt the wind brush against his cheek. And at that moment, at the end of the square.

Someone appeared. The one at the forefront was gently stroking a large horse, looking down at the crowd.

Hadad’s hair shone like the brightest gold, sparkling honey blonde. His two eyes contained the green glow of the fields.

He was always shining with the vitality of life, even when standing at the lowest point… the man’s face could easily be said to have been crafted by the gods themselves.

Yeon Ji-ho suddenly recalled a line he had read in a novel. A face shaped by the gods. Hadad was no different from the content of the novel.

“Ji-ho.”

Set was quietly watching Yeon Ji-ho from the side. A somewhat anxious voice called out his name, but instead of facing Set, Yeon Ji-ho stared blankly at Hadad in front of him and asked.

“Is that man Hadad?”