“Han Raon.”Hearing that name for the first time in so long made Raon’s lips tremble. He clenched his teeth and forced a crooked smile.“Let go. You trying to die?”“Ha, you insolent little bastard.”The man spat a curse and roughly released Raon’s arm. As he brushed down his expensive suit with exaggerated care, Raon glared at him and exhaled.Han Raon—that had been his name before he transmigrated into the novel. Even back when he’d been a reader, he’d hated how the protagonist shared nearly the same name, differing only by surname.“When someone picks up a bastard like you and raises you, you should be grateful, you little shit.”Raon glanced sideways at Ra Yul’s face as he grumbled. The surroundings had changed completely in an instant.A dream? A hallucination?A moment ago, he’d been with Siwoo inside the Gate. Now he stood alone in a place that felt neither real nor unreal, his jaw set tight.I figured this might happen.Even before his rewind, there hadn’t been many monster attacks inside the stone structure. That was because the place specialized in mental-type assaults. It was why Raon had asked Minjae for a psychic-protection shield before entering.So there really is a gap between C-rank and S-rank.Last time, he’d been under the protection of Taegun, an S-rank mental Esper, so the illusions had never been this vivid. Besides, as an S-rank Guide, Raon had a fairly high resistance to psychic attacks.He’d thought a C-rank barrier would suffice. That assumption had clearly been wrong. His eyes flicked around the space.“Executive Min, I wasn’t expecting you today. It’s been such a long time.”“Haha, have you been well, President Kang?”The irritation on Ra Yul’s face disappeared in a blink as he turned and smiled broadly. Watching the switch in expression made Raon’s stomach churn.“And this is...?”“Ah.”The man called President Kang widened his eyes when he saw Raon standing behind Ra Yul. Raon’s features were too refined for a mere assistant; it was obvious at a glance that he wasn’t ordinary.“My younger brother.”“Your brother?”President Kang looked back and forth between them, clearly taken aback. They didn’t look related in the slightest.Of course we don’t.Strictly speaking, Raon and Ra Yul only shared half their blood. They had different mothers, and even then, Raon’s own mother had dated so many men that no one could be sure if Chairman Min Baehyeok of M&K Group was truly his father.Even so, the chairman had accepted Raon as his son without a proper DNA test—because Raon’s abilities were exceptional.He’d grown up not /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ even knowing who his father was. Then, right after entering a top university as valedictorian and winning a major competition, the call had come. The great Min Baehyeok, chairman of M&K, claiming to be his father.The man had the boldness fitting for the head of a massive conglomerate—but when it came to raising children, he was a failure. Maybe because he knew it himself, he’d become obsessively fixated on Raon, the clever one.Still, to shove me straight into headquarters right after graduation…While the other siblings had to “prove their competence” through slow promotions, Raon’s rise had been meteoric. His recent promotion to Division Director was the reason he’d been dragged to this party in the first place.Both older brothers—already branded by the media as the next possible chairman—had glared daggers at him out of jealousy. And now here he was, forced to endure their company under a thousand judging eyes. His head already throbbed.“Good evening. Han Raon, Division Director.”“Ah, so you’re the one who was just promoted. Congratulations.”President Kang clasped Raon’s hand and shook it up and down, his greasy gray eyes roaming across Raon’s figure.“Chairman Min is a lucky man. How is it that all his sons are so handsome and distinguished?”“You flatter me.”Raon’s tone was flat. The praise meant nothing; he just wanted the man to release his hand already.The rush of warmth and excitement he’d felt guiding Siwoo earlier turned to filth in an instant. He clenched his jaw against the nausea rising in his throat.This isn’t the time. I need to get out of this illusion.Growing restless as the scene dragged on, Raon yanked his hand away and put on a practiced smile.“By the way, have you heard the news?”“What news?”“We recently received a business proposal from—”Ra Yul and President Kang soon drifted into business talk only they understood. Seeing that their attention was elsewhere, Raon carefully stepped back.He waited until he was sure they no longer noticed him, then turned away.What was the method to break out of a psychic illusion again?He frowned, pacing through the ballroom. The grand hall glittered with chandeliers and chatter, filled with elegantly dressed people smiling at one another.If this is a reconstruction of a past memory… do I have to do something different from before?He tried to recall what had happened during this period, but the details were hazy.Back then, Raon’s resentment toward Chairman Min had driven him to flaunt male lovers at parties—not because he enjoyed scandal, but because he knew how much Min Baehyeok despised it.No wonder his memories were a blur. Usually, nights like this ended with him drinking himself sick and dragging some lover off to a hotel.Hm?Wandering the hall, Raon froze at a familiar silhouette.A tall man in a jet-black suit was walking toward the terrace. Without thinking, Raon followed.“Siwoo!”“…?”When he caught the man’s arm, the stranger turned in surprise. Confronted with a face that wasn’t Siwoo’s, Raon’s expression faltered.“I—sorry. My mistake.”“No harm done.”The man nodded politely and turned away. Raon stood rooted to the spot.He’d run after that back without thinking, driven by the resemblance. But of course, Siwoo couldn’t be here. This was a world without him.The realization hollowed him out, as if the ground beneath his feet had vanished. He shivered.“Ha... Siwoo.”Muttering softly, Raon gave a bitter smile and grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter’s tray.Forget finding a way out—he couldn’t stand this sober. Who knew? Maybe if he got drunk inside the illusion, he’d wake up. He snorted at the thought and lifted the glass to his lips.“…!”A firm hand clamped down on his shoulder. Raon scowled and turned his head.“Still planning to embarrass yourself by drinking again?”“Ha.”Of course it had to be Min Rahyeon, his eldest brother and M&K’s Executive Director. Raon’s expression twisted the moment he saw the face he’d least wanted to see.“What I do isn’t your business.”He brushed off Rahyeon’s arm and glared at that mechanical, emotionless face.Rahyeon never openly tormented him like Ra Yul did, but Raon found him infinitely more unpleasant.That cold, dissecting gaze made his skin crawl. It was as if Rahyeon looked right through him—mocking the illegitimacy of his existence.The only times Rahyeon ever spoke to him were moments like this: when Raon risked tarnishing M&K’s image by being drunk in public.“You’re not a common employee anymore. As Division Director, act like it.”“I already am. Don’t nag me.”Even searching his memories, Raon couldn’t recall ever causing a real scene. Rahyeon was just obsessively clean—he couldn’t stand even the smell of alcohol.“Han Raon.”The low voice made him pause. Despite how long ago it was, Raon already knew what was coming next.“My patience isn’t infinite. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate you.”Rahyeon had always looked at him like he was something crawling on the floor. Even now, that faint trace of contempt glimmered in his eyes. Raon hated it—hated it more than anything.“Fine. Then I’ll save you the trouble and disappear from your sight.”Biting down on his lip, Raon turned sharply away—only for dizziness to slam into him.What the—?He hadn’t even had a sip yet.Or maybe, in the original past, he had drunk before Rahyeon intervened.Either way, this was bad. He’d just sworn he was fine, and now this. The floor rushed up to meet him, and Raon squeezed his eyes shut.

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