TGIC Ch 130

Chapter 130

“I need to step out for a while… Will you be able to return home alone tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t stray elsewhere—go straight home.”

“Understood.”

When Gidam nodded obediently, Vasily’s lips curved, satisfied. As Vasily rose, Gidam asked,

“You’re leaving right away?”

“Why? Do you want to come with me?”

“That’s not it.”

He shook his head instantly. Vasily continued,

“Then I’ll go. I need to hurry if I want to come back quickly.”

“You don’t have to rush.”

“What a mischievous thing to say. I’ll be back by tomorrow at midnight.”

Leaving the dimly lit private room, Vasily departed, leaving Gidam alone.

Gidam lowered his gaze toward the dull throb in his thigh. Lifting the blanket revealed white bandages beneath the patient gown.

He murmured quietly,

“At least this buys me some time…”

The injury hadn’t been an accident. His body might be weaker, but after six years of entering Gates, there was no way he would be hurt in an E-rank dungeon by mistake.

He only planned to secure about a week of rest under the pretext of treatment—yet unexpectedly, Vasily now had no intention of entering Gates for a while. If this were before regression, he would not have had even a single day to rest. But here, because this time period was when he and Vasily had only just met, such a thing was possible.

Splat.

Gidam lay back, limbs stretched, staring at the IV drip.

He had nearly died in a Gate, only to find himself in the past. Worse—not even his own past, but a parallel world.

A world where he and Vasily were lovers.

An absolute nightmare.

At first, he refused to accept it, but every article plastered online and Vasily’s relentless closeness left him no choice. The longer he faced Vasily acting like a lover each day, the harder it became to deny.

Even stranger, the Vasily of this world was nothing like the Vasily he knew. He spoke formally, hadn’t received Guiding for a long time… and though his original personality flickered through when angered, his everyday demeanor was unrecognizably different.

“Damn it… I’m glad I didn’t die, but…”

Of all possibilities, why land in a world like this?

He wanted to run from Vasily immediately—but this world was not the one he knew. Just as Vasily had inexplicably become his partner, who knew what else differed? Until he fully grasped the rules here, it was best to pretend to have lost his memory.

Hopefully nothing else happens until then…

He stared uneasily at the door Vasily had exited, then turned away and shut his eyes.

Click.

A door opened. Gidam woke instinctively.

Back already? That was fast.

He considered pretending to sleep again, but Vasily always seemed to know. He sighed inwardly and sat up—only to meet not Vasily’s suited figure, but his physician in a white coat.

“Good morning, Guide-nim.”

Their eyes met. Gidam nodded, glancing at the clock. It was early—earlier than the doctor’s usual hours.

“I’ll remove your needle.”

The IV bag was nearly empty. He could have sent someone else, yet had come personally.

As he removed the needle, the physician asked,

“How is your condition?”

“Only the wound aches a little. Everything else is fine.”

“This is your antidote. Take it three times daily after meals. If dizziness or pain worsens, come to the Association clinic immediately.”

He accepted the medication. The instructions were familiar—he had heard them dozens of times in his original world—so he simply nodded while half-listening.

“You’re going home now?”

“Yes.”

Vasily had instructed him to return home immediately, and he had nowhere else to stop.

As he pressed cotton to the puncture site and rose, he abruptly realized he was still in a patient gown. He looked around—his original clothing was nowhere.

He hurriedly stopped the departing physician.

“Excuse me—did you see my clothes?”

“Oh, they should still be at the hospital where you first received treatment. I’ll have someone bring them.”

“Thank you.”

Soon after, an Association employee arrived with his clothing sealed in plastic. He changed into his suit and left the building.

He then realized—aside from the suits Vasily bought him, he had no clothes at home. Even no sleepwear. Better buy some while recovering.

Heading past the Guide Association entrance to hail a taxi, a voice called out,

“Gidam-ssi!”

He turned. The face was vaguely familiar. Someone he didn’t know—yet recognized?

Ah—he’d seen him the day he first woke in this world, in the hospital corridor.

“It really is you! Have you been well? How is Vasily-nim these days?”

Others approached, greeting him warmly.

Guides or staff, likely. All seemed to know him—but he none of them.

Perhaps he could gather information. He stayed instead of leaving and spoke carefully:

“Apologies, but… I recently had an accident and lost my memory.”

“…What?”

“A rampage incident injured the back of my neck—I lost all memories after awakening as a Guide.”

Silence fell.

“So you don’t remember working as a temporary Guide?”

“…Temporary Guide?”

He blinked.

I… was a temporary Guide?

That made no sense. He had believed he awakened and immediately became Vasily’s Guide.

But talking longer, he learned:

• he awakened and first worked as a temporary Guide 
• only recently became Vasily’s official Guide 
• he had been declared C-rank 

Questions rose one after another. Why hide his rank? Why work quietly as a temp Guide?

And why hadn’t Vasily told him any of this—even when he had bumped into someone who recognized him?

Meaning Vasily had been hiding things. His suspicion hardened into certainty.

Pretending ignorance of regression had been the correct choice.

“So you don’t remember Vasily-nim either?”

“…Not really.”

“He must be worried sick. The two of you were so close…”

…

So their relationship really was true here.

Bringing flowers to the office? Visiting daily?

The person—Joo Woyeon—pulled him toward the temporary Guide department. He showed Gidam a now-empty desk.

“This was your seat.”

Of course, nothing returned. He hadn’t forgotten—he had crossed into another world.

“You hurt your leg?”

Gidam rose, limping. Woyeon asked.

“Yes. I was injured in a Gate yesterday.”

“…Gate? You went inside a Gate?”

His eyes widened. Gidam nodded—causing almost as much uproar as when he mentioned amnesia. Apparently it wasn’t widely known he entered Gates. No wonder Association staff always reacted as if seeing the impossible.

“You already saw a doctor?”

“I did. I was heading home.”

“You should rest—I shouldn’t keep you.”

“You helped. Thank you.”

Gidam genuinely meant it. Woyeon looked moved.

“Uh—then… if you ever need help or have questions… may I contact you?”

“Yes. Please.”

He asked for Woyeon’s number; Woyeon insisted it must already be saved, but Gidam explained his phone had been replaced.

Indeed—it was one Vasily purchased. Only family and Vasily’s numbers were stored.

All of original Gidam’s belongings had been discarded. Until now, there had been no way to trace his past here.

But this meeting—this person—may be his first real clue.