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Upon entering the cafe, what caught my eye was the extravagant interior.

If such a place existed during the heyday of communism, I could just imagine a furious declaration, “We must pierce the bellies of these pig-like bourgeois with the guns of the proletariat!” The sheer opulence was on another level.

Authentic antiques and paintings that seemed genuine.

Decorative items that looked expensive at first glance.

Even the furniture, crafted from unusually colored wood, seemed extraordinary.

I thought to myself, “Is this what luxury really looks like?”

Yet, in stark contrast to its appearance, astonishingly, the cafe was almost empty.

Aside from a few individuals who seemed to work on Wall Street, it was desolate.

Was it because the prices were high?

But it was hard to comprehend that such a landmark-worthy cafe had no customers at all.

Could it really be that they wouldn’t price a cup of coffee at the equivalent weight of gold and still have such emptiness?

Rise found it strange that not a single customer was present in this eye-catching cafe.

“Deity, is there… something wrong here?”

“No. ‘This place has no problem.’”

Jinseong replied cryptically to Rise’s inquiry.

“Although the prices are steep, if viewed as a light form of luxury, it’s manageable. With its unique style and upscale decor, it’s suitable for attracting tourists. The location is good, and it hasn’t ever gained a bad reputation. So this place itself has no issues.”

Jinseong settled in, gazing out the distant window.

The view outside showcased buildings shimmering bright like lanterns.

Vehicles passing on the road sent lights gliding across the specially made windows, breaking and scattering, creating an effect as though stars were twinkling, eliciting a sensation that might just suck you in if you simply stared.

But instead of appreciating that beauty, Jinseong glanced over the lovely scenery only once before turning his gaze away.

“It’s better not to look outside.”

“Eh? But it’s so pretty…?”

“Jewels distract with their beauty, but they can also conceal unpleasant truths. If one is entranced by the gleam of jewels, they might end up shocked by the nasty truths lurking beneath.”

Having spoken up to that point, Jinseong pulled something from his belongings.

A stiffly folded map.

It was a travel map of America.

The travel map listed major cities in America and their famous attractions.

“I’ll just be a moment in the bathroom. Meanwhile, I hope you’ve thought about where you’d like to go next.”

“Okay? Yes!”

Rise blinked in response to Jinseong’s words before breaking into a bright smile and nodding.

He handed over the map, indicating that he wished for her to contemplate where to visit next.

That was surely a hint that the journey wasn’t over yet.

She would be able to travel alongside Jinseong for much longer!

And it was a trip across America, no less!

Rise beamed at the thought and looked at the map.

She poured over it with the same focus she had for her center exams.

She scanned the names of the cities and attractions neatly written in katakana, and even the brief descriptions densely packed at the bottom and back of the map.

Jinseong watched her with a knowing smile as he rose from his seat, heading toward the counter.

He pointed to the table where Rise was sitting and ordered a simple coffee and dessert, paying in advance before seeking the bathroom.

Clunk.

As Jinseong stepped into the bathroom, he quickly glanced around before heading toward the stall with the door firmly shut.

Click.

As he stood in front of the stall, the lock clicked, and the door swung open, revealing a man who looked strikingly like him emerging from within.

To his surprise, not only did they share physical similarities, but they were even wearing the same clothes.

The clothing was common, yet it was as if every crease and line had been replicated down to the last detail.

The same outfit with identical creases.

Similar looks.

Even their heights were comparable.

If someone had seen them, they might have assumed they were twin brothers or perhaps stumbled upon a legendary doppelgänger.

And knowing that assumption wasn’t entirely off would leave anyone dumbfounded.

“There’s a reason for the resemblance.”

“Even if one grows up in a different environment, it’s natural to take on similar shapes. Thus, if both share a common root, it’s only expected they’d resemble each other.”

The two faced each other, uttering an invocation.

“Similar things can intertwine and deceive the senses.”

“The eyes of the heavens and the flames of the night can become ways to evade existence.”

And just as that invocation concluded, their faces swapped.

The one inside took on the face of the one outside.

The one outside now wore the face of the one inside.

Their faces had switched.

Not only that.

Their heights shifted as well.

What was once a subtle difference in height changed as one grew taller and the other shorter, as if someone had instantaneously switched their positions through teleportation.

They had completely exchanged places.

This was possible as the two remained separate but originated from the same source, one being a real person and the other a body crafted from insects.

Indeed.

Right now, at this very moment, Jinseong and the pseudo-Yunghyun he had created had swapped positions.

The real Park Jinseong took the place of the puppet acting as the Deity.

The puppet made from insects that just gained a new role took Jinseong’s former position.

Thus, they had exchanged places.

At a cafe on Wall Street.

In a location so trivial that the power holders could scarcely imagine it.

And so, they had swapped, moving to perform their respective roles.

“Were you waiting?”

“No, I was just contemplating where to pick for the next destination… huh?”

The first to approach was Jinseong, arriving at Rise with the demeanor of someone who just returned from the bathroom, settling into his seat with a somewhat carefree expression, smiling at her instantly.

Seeing him take his seat, Rise noticed something was off, her eyes widening slightly in realization.

“Deity, is it possible…?”

“Indeed.”

With a hint of apprehension, Rise gently asked him, to which Jinseong nodded affirmatively, as if confirming her suspicion. He then moved a bit of Divine Power from the items created from her tail to his hand, gently grasping her hand.

“Ah…”

As Jinseong held her hand, Rise gasped slightly in surprise.

The warmth.

She felt warmth.

It wasn’t the artificial warmth or pulse of a mere creation but a feeling emanating only from a human. Moreover, there was an added softness to the Divine Power contained within the insect-crafted body that felt cozy and gentle.

The simple act of holding a hand.

Just that action alone made Rise realize.

The Jinseong before her was the real Park Jinseong.

Understanding that truth sparked a swell of anticipation in Rise’s heart.

“Deity, does that mean the journey…?”

“Indeed.”

His soft reply to her hopeful question.

‘Not a fake body but a real one for the travel…?!’

This wasn’t a body made from insects.

It was a real person.

A real person, just the two of them.

Traveling together across America.

This was like something straight out of a drama.

While such scenarios have become less common today, Rise used to be quite fond of dramas.

And she loved chatting with friends about them or hanging out while choosing topics related to dramas.

Now, this situation mirrored the very romantic rendezvous she often fantasized about during those chats.

“Ah. Aah…”

When she used to chatter with friends about wanting to experience such romance, wishing for a date like this…

Now, it had come true.

Realizing this, Rise was overwhelmed with joy, unsure of how to contain it.

“Deity.”

She gazed at Jinseong, uttering his name, feeling her cheeks warm.

So, she averted her eyes slightly, choosing to simplify her swirling, fragmenting thoughts into one clear statement—

“I’m looking forward to the trip.”

As simple as it was, those words carried her anticipation.

* * *

The true form is the shell.

The real one, the shell.

They swapped places.

One would tread upon the land in place of its former shell.

So, where does the other go?

“Hmmm.”

The fabricated shell posing as the real one exited the cafe.

It glanced toward a distant building with penetrating eyes through the darkness.

That building had shone bright through the windows of the cafe earlier.

It remained just as brightly lit from within, and if one peered closer, they’d see people bustling about inside.

One floor.

Another floor.

Individuals were busy working on each level.

Busily tending to their tasks.

Sometimes yawning, sometimes dozing off.

Occasionally simply staring blankly at their spots.

They settled within that matchbox-like building.

Yet among those layers, there were some who gathered merely to converse.

With serious faces and expressions of disdain, they were engaged in conversation.

Without magical spells, one wouldn’t be able to understand their discussion…

But Jinseong could discern the matter they were addressing.

The topic they were chatting about.

The very thing that caused them such grave expressions.

It was something occurring outside the building, not within.

‘Another one has died.’

Behind that building’s backdoor.

There lay a person, collapsed.

Limbs broken, skull cracked, bleeding and oozing brain matter, reeking of booze and blood.

A man sprawled on the ground, utterly shattered.

In the desolate twilight of a nearly deserted alley, he lay abandoned.

With the indifference of passersby, he remained until someone finally arrived to collect the corpse.

Lying cold against the street, he lingered there.

Such a scene was a commonplace sight on Wall Street—

‘Who would want to witness a place where people frequently jump to their doom?’

At the same time, it was one of the incidents that halted tourist visits to Wall Street.

‘Just when I thought no major events would happen, one more has jumped. This neighborhood truly is saturated with death.’

Knowing that many took their own lives on Wall Street would surely cause Jinseong to grimace, and one could only imagine how tourists might react.

‘As for the hotel, I chose one facing Broadway—turning its back on Wall Street, so it should be just fine.’

Thinking thus, Jinseong continued on his way.

To the spot where his real body had been just a moment ago.

Towards Lucas’s building.

 

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