Pain.

Cale felt as if every inch of his skin was being electrocuted, each of his cells are burning hot. His head was pounding, and he never wanted to faint as much as he does now. But he couldn't. His senses heightened and his consciousness stayed. He was forced to endure this.

'That damn son of a bitch of a god!'

It hurts so badly. He just wanted to get this over with, for the seemingly neverending pain to stop.

Once it did, he was overcome with numbness. His legs instantly felt wobbly, and his vision blurred.

Cale started to fall forward, until a cold pair of arms caught his limp figure.

'Huh?'

The red haired young man slowly lifted his head and his half-lidded eyes met a pair of light blue orbs — a warm gaze, the opposite of the stranger's cold temperature.

For some reason, in his head, he instantly knew.

This person... He's not alive.

Cale opened his mouth to speak, and the first thing that came out of his mouth is, "Are you dead?"

The fawn haired boy who seems to be in his teens, wearing a butler uniform (oddly reminds him of Hans), shot him a wide grin. "I guess you can say that."

'...Holy shit, he's a ghost?'

At this point, Cale shouldn't even be surprised. God of Death's helper being ghosts is to be expected. After all, ghosts are wandering souls. They're people who were long dead. Thankfully, his stoic expression didn't waver. Instead, he tried to collect himself again before finally standing up on his own.

The boy looked over him with concern, observing Cale from head to toe and nodded to himself. "You seem alright now. I'm deeply sorry about that. It may feel a little bit painful at first, but you'll definitely get accustomed to the teleportation process soon!" He said, fully indicating that this won't be the last time the redhead will experience it.

He doesn't want to get used to it at all.

Brushing the rest of his thoughts away, Cale decided to look around, calmly noting his surroundings. "Where are we?"

He was standing in the middle of a large garden and he could see a big white mansion. It looks a bit old and has a vintage feel to it, moreover it looks really grand.

'...Feels a bit creepy.'

"Ah, right, of course! Let me introduce myself first!" The boy said cheerfully and did a quick 90°degree bow. "Welcome, Young Master Cale. This mansion will be the place you're staying in. We're currently in Seoul, South Korea. My name is Eliezer, I'm your butler and guide who's assigned to properly serve you and fulfill your needs," The young butler, Eliezer, began to explain.

Cale felt a bit iffy, but at least the God of Death kept his word. He had a feeling that he'll receive a lot of money.

"There are also others inside the mansion who are going to help you. We're all here to make your stay as comfortable as possible!"

He didn't need to ask to know that everyone here is a ghost.

Cale almost couldn't hold back his shudder.

'That fucking God of Death can't even give me normal helpers. Ghosts? Seriously? They're literally vicious creatures. How am I supposed to live comfortably if I'm surrounded by them all the time?! Aigoo, I'm gonna get a headache.'

"...Then, I'll be in your care, Eliezer," He said with a polite nod, and the butler seemed to respond with an energetic expression.

Cale was led into the mansion. If the outer appearance was grand, it was nothing compared to the interior design. "It's like the Victorian Era from England or something..." He mumbled to himself, gently caressing a fancy looking grandfather clock near the entrance.

Eliezer who seemed to have heard his quiet voice responded, "You're not wrong. The one who built this unique mansion in Korea was a noble from The United Kingdom back in the 50s after the Korean War broke out." He started explaining the story of this place, and if Cale was surprised at how similar this world's history to his previous home back on Earth 1 as Kim Rok Soo, he didn't show it.

They continued walking through the hall and only stopped once they reached a giant door. Eliezer swiftly opened it.

Inside, it was a spacious room with nothing around aside from a few paintings. It seems to be used as a ballroom for parties. There were butlers, maids, chefs, and other staffs. All of them turned towards him once they noticed his presence and began bowing.

"They're the others that I told you about, young master-nim. Worry not, all of us work diligently and efficiently. If you have any complaints, you may come to me and I'll take care of it."

Cale's face was pale.

Ghosts. All of them were ghosts.

He's not usually scared of spiritual beings. Heck, he even lives with creatures from myth such as dragons, talking animals, assassins, people with monstrous strength, etc. But at least they are alive.

"Welcome, young master-nim," the staffs chorused, polite smiles on their faces.

"...I'm in your care."

He's definitely going to go to his room and drop dead for the whole day.

The redhead was soon led to the bedroom where he immediately plop himself down, face buried in his pillow.

He had asked Eliezer about today's date and instantly knew that the apocalypse will happen in two weeks.

Two weeks!

He's supposed to be prepared in that short amount of time?! What was that god bastard even thinking?!

Well, at least he didn't have to work or do anything aside from waiting. He just has to survive and experience a slacker life even if it's only temporary.

Cale does remember God of Death mentioning something with the line 'increasing his soul's merit' ... which the god replied and told him to do what he usually does once he asked what he's supposed to do.

'Slacking off can increase the merit of a soul?'

He was confused but decided to not dwell on it.

Cale turned his head to look at the table beside the bed, eyeing the bowl of grapes placed on top — courtesy of Eliezer. He reached his hand out but realized it was too far.

"Raon—" He called out and immediately pursed his lips.

Right... Raon wasn't here. None of them are.

Suddenly, he felt very annoyed.

At this hour, Ron would usually deliver another glass of lemon tea, Choi Han would be standing near the door to guard it, the three children would lie on his bed with him, and he would hear the other wolf children training outside. But now...

It's quiet.

He didn't like it at all.

This might be even worse than hearing the loud cries of monsters.

The redhead sighed, and for once, decided to take the initiative. "Super Rock?" He tried calling out to one of his ancient powers.

Oddly enough, he didn't receive a response.

Cale sat up in alert, his back slowly growing cold.

"Cheapskate? Glutton?" He tried again, tightly gripping onto the sheets.

Again, no response.

"Crazy kid? Thief? Crybaby?"

His efforts were in vain.

No matter how many times he said their names, he was met with silence.

Something was tugged in his chest, and he hated the uncomfortable ache. The feeling threw him back to a certain test (he doesn't even want to think about it) and when he was alone before he was rescued by Lee Soo Hyuk, trapped under fallen debris with no way out, and the rain was the only thing that allowed him to survive for days.

Cale held out his hand, and a small whirl of wind appeared on top of his palm.

He's able to use his ancient powers just fine, but it was weak, similar to when he was trapped in the Sealed God test.

His eyes saw a glass of water, and with a wave of his hand, the water moved according to his will. Droplets floated in the air, swirling and stopped when they formed the shape of a rabbit.

The small rabbit then hopped towards him through the air, landing safely on his left shoulder.

"Hm, you don't even have traces of her will," Cale hummed. He thought he would at least feel the Crazy Kid in this rabbit, but all he could sense was his power.

Perhaps what he desired was something that could keep him company, so his power tried to fulfill it.

"Haaa..." He sighed deeply, "Let's go to the marketplace. It's been a while since I've seen a normal bustling city," Cale said, and the water-like transparent rabbit's ear twitched in response. He took it as an agreement.

The young man got up and searched for a casual outfit in his closet. A simple white t-shirt, loose black pants, and a burgundy coat.

After wearing them, he stared at his outfit, and his face twisted into a strange expression. He didn't know whether to be pleased by the outcome or not, because unfortunately, his appearance was one of Cale Henituse, not Kim Rok Soo. Therefore, in Korea, he's considered to be a foreigner.

And foreigners will always — always catch people's attention.

It doesn't help that Cale's face is extremely attractive.

His bodybuild was considered thin, but his shoulders are still quite broad. Adding his delicate features that consisted of flawless pale skin, beautifully shaped jawline and defined nose, and lastly sharp foxy brown-reddish eyes.

People will probably assume he came straight out of a fairytale or a fantasy world, which wouldn't be wrong at all.

Actually, his face was not the main problem, he knew there are a lot of attractive people in the world. The issue was his hair.

Yes, his bright natural blood-colored hair.

'Dragons and mages aren't here, so there's no way I can disguise myself using magic,' He thought in frustration.

Cale rummaged through his closet again and fortunately found a red beanie. "I think this will suffice, don't you agree?" He asked the bunny that had silently hopped into the large pocket of his coat.

The rabbit popped its head out and nodded, causing Cale to smile as he began hiding his soft red locks under it. Even if some hair strands slip out, it wouldn't be obvious because of the similar color.

He left a small note for Eliezer and placed it on the table before opening the window. After making sure the water rabbit is comfortable in his pocket, he spoke, "Let's go."

Then he jumped out, landing softly using Sound of the Wind.

• • •

The walk to the city didn't take that long to him. It was pretty far since the mansion is secluded, but he used his wind to make his steps lighter and faster, thus he arrived in no time.

Cale looked around, observing the tall buildings and numerous people walking throught the streets. They could be seen in restaurants talking to each other, calling on their phones, sitting on the bench and enjoying the view...

It's not weird to say that he missed this sight, when the apocalypse has yet to begin.

He could feel a warm touch on his finger and looked down. The rabbit was patting him with its ears, as if it was trying to comfort him.

How odd. It seemed to know what he was feeling, then Cale remembered that this bunny is a manifestation of his desire and will, so he stoically caressed its head. It didn't feel like liquid, in fact, it felt quite solid.

He was able to calm the twinge in his chest as he continued to walk.

Cale ignored people's gazes as he passed by. He's an expert when it comes to pretending something doesn't exist, so he didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. The attention was annoying, but at least he didn't have people shoving their faces at him to ask for autographs or yell "Hero-nim!" and "Young Master Silver Shield!" whenever he glanced at them.

That's why he didn't hear the whispers around him.

"Holy shit, is that a celebrity?"

"Oh my god, he looks ethereal... like a prince!"

"Should we ask for a picture?"

"No! What if he's gonna be weirded out?"

"He looked this way! My goodness, I've never seen someone so attractive before..."

"Is this what they call love at first sight?"

And many more things that mentioned his out-of-world beauty, in which Cale would surely faint if he paid attention to any of them.

Eventually, he arrived at a supermarket. His eyes lit up at the familiar sight of the food and drink section. Grabbing a shopping basket, he hurriedly picked all sorts of snacks he would eat in his room.

Honestly, he thought of sending someone from the mansion to fetch some snacks he hadn't tried in years, but then almost smacked himself once he realized they're all... ghosts, meaning none of these people will be able to see them.

His hand reached for a familiar item. It was honey butter chips. "Ah, I can't remember the last time I tasted this..." He muttered quietly, putting it in the basket and continued searching for other snacks, starting from pocky, chocolate bars, biscuits, roasted seaweed, and many more — also definitely not forgetting about the drinks.

Then his eyes caught the sight of corn chips at the top shelf. He tried taking it, and noticed his current height wasn't enough for him to reach that far. His eyebrow twitched in irritation, feeling that snack is currently mocking him.

Damn it, if he was Kim Rok Soo, he'd definitely be able to easily snatch it. Unfortunately, Cale's body is smaller.

When he was about to use the wind to push the snack forward, a hand suddenly reached for the snack, and he froze. Cale didn't notice that a stranger was behind him, probably watched him struggling for a bit.

The person stepped away, and Cale turned around, only to see a korean slightly-older man with delicate features. Although it was different compared to him, he thought it was still very pretty. A bit skinny figure, thin face, pale skin, messy black hair, long eyelashes with dark circles underneath his eyes. Someone who's attractive in his own ways, hidden underneath the disheveled appearance.

Though he has to admit, the man looked a bit... pitiful.

But those thoughts washed away once he noticed that the stranger was the same height as him.

Ah, right, Cale was probably too lazy to tiptoe and the man seemed frustrated after watching him trying to grab something with minimal effort.

"Here you go," the stranger handed him the corn chips while avoiding his eyes, and Cale took it gratefully, elegance could be seen through his movements.

"Thank you, Ahjussi." He bowed politely, placing the chips in the basket.

The other male only nodded and they both silently part ways, no more words exchanged between them.

Cale quickly went to the cashier, watching the worker count the cost of his snacks. "T-That'll be 28000 won," She said nervously, trying hard to not gawk at the customer.

He nodded and pulled out a black card.

Wait.

Pulled out a what card?!

The cashier's jaw dropped at the sight, unable to move as she stared at the item in his hand. When Cale raised an eyebrow, she finally snapped out of her trance and immediately prepared the payment terminal.

He swapped his black card with ease, pushed the pins, and received the receipt.

A satisfied smirk graced his beautiful face. The black card was found in his desk, alongside a letter from the God of Death. His bank account, identification card, everything was there. At least that god kept his word about giving him lots of money.

'Spending money really is the best,' He thought, completely oblivious to the blushing cashier who bid him farewell.

Cale used his ancient power to lessen the weight of his baggage as he strolled down the busy streets, once again not noticing the whispers of admiration.

Then he stopped upon smelling something, head whipping towards a food stall. His eyes sparkled as he casually walked closer, inspecting the well-known food.

'Wow... It really is tteokbokki...' He held back a gasp, and decided to quickly order one bowl.

Cale calmly sat down, waiting for his food with a pocky in hand. Then he felt his pocket shuffling, as if it wanted something. Somehow, he knew, and he stealthily slid a pocky stick into his pocket. He wasn't sure whether the rabbit will actually eat it, since it's... made out of water, but he decided to not care.

The food soon arrived, and he happily ate his tteokbokki. It's been at least ten years since he last ate it! At this point, he considered eating jjajangmyeon and kimchi-jjigae too...

'Well, I have a lot of money. I'll just buy them tomorrow.'

He paid for his meal (with cash, obviously). The money was a lot more than the cost, but Cale told the man to take it and consider it as a tip. Everybody in the food stall assumed he's a generous man who's extremely rich.

"Please come again soon!" The owner said joyfully, and Cale finally left and went home.

But you see... fate has a funny way to mess with Cale, because the next day, in front of him was a familiar man — the same one who helped him get his corn chips. He could easily tell, since his record allowed him to remember faces easily.

Meanwhile, for the other guy, a face like Cale Henituse won't be easily forgotten.

Their eyes suddenly met when they were in the waiting line to order kimchi-jjigae, standing side by side.

"You..." The stranger spoke, before shutting his mouth and awkwardly looking away.

Cale tilted his head, confused by the reaction but greeted him anyway, "It's you again."

For some odd reason, he couldn't help but feel like he had to say something. That blank look on the man's face, accompanied with lifeless eyes wasn't a foreign sight for Cale. As both Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse, he had seen it many times, and it never ceased to make him feel uncomfortable and obliged to talk.

This man doesn't seem to be an expert at socializing, neither does Cale, but he can make some effort if the situation calls for it.

The redhead observed the other, noting that they were wearing an employee's outfit and decided to ask, "Are you on a lunch break from work?"

"Hm? Ah, yes. It's been a while since I decided to have lunch outside."

Cale tilted his head. "Then do you work around here?"

The man slowly nodded with a tight-lipped smile. "You can say that."

'Though I'm about to get fired,' He continued internally.

"Ahem. Uh, how about you? I've never seen your face around before," The man attempted to keep the conversation going. It surprisingly wasn't that much of a struggle.

Although the redhead's (hidden by a cap) face was stoic, the occasional glances made by his rust-colored eyes indicate that he's listening. His overall behavior was radiating with grace, but to him, it wasn't intimidating at all. Rather, it was reassuring in very odd ways.

"I only arrived here yesterday," Cale replied as they both stepped forward when the waiting line got shorter.

"Oh. Then... welcome to Seoul. I hope the first impression has been great so far," The man offered him a genuine smile, which he gladly returned.

Cale didn't bother to tell him that it's not the first time he stayed in Korea.

"It's pretty," He commented.

They both finally ordered their respective food together and made way for the others after they were done.

"Would you like to eat together?" The black haired man asked, and the second that question slipped out, he regretted it. "Ah, for a stranger to offer something like that must be weird. Sorry–"

Cale shook his head. "No, it's fine. It would be nice to eat with someone. I have no one I know around here," He admitted, scanning for an empty table before pointing at it. "There, for two people. Come on, Ahjussi."

Without waiting for a response, he immediately dragged the other man towards the table and they sat down, drowning in silence.

It was supposed to be weird. None of them were that much of a talker, but they were content with the quietness between them. The man, especially, felt like the company was enjoyable as his gaze occasionally flickered to Cale who looked around with a flat expression that almost seemed bored.

Soon enough, their food arrived. As they ate, both of them decided to make small conversations. And unbeknownst to them, time quickly passed. It goes by faster when you're having fun, it seems.

"Where are you from?" The man asked, putting the noodles in his mouth with a pair of chopsticks.

"Europe." A lie, but the response was too natural.

He couldn't possibly say that he came from The Roan Kingdom in the Western Continent, can he? That place doesn't exist in this world, so he answered with a place that came close to it.

Europe. It immediately popped into his mind when the room designs back in his homeland followed closely to that continent.

"I visited because... something unfortunate happened. I have stuff to do here before I can go back," Cale elaborated nonchalantly, almost finishing his bowl.

A small frown was formed on the man's face, but the other didn't notice. "I see..."

"Ah, right. Ahjussi, where do you work?"

"Me? I work at Mino Soft. You probably know. It has a big sign on it," He answered before his phone vibrated in his pocket.

However, Cale froze as a trigger blared in his head.

'Mino Soft? Isn't that the game company Kim Dokja works at? What a big coincidence.'

Cale was about to part his lips to ask, but the man had beat him to it. "I think I have to go now. Lunch break is over," He said, giving him an apologetic smile as he rose up from his seat. "It's nice meeting you, I hope we can see each other again soon."

The redhaired young man nodded, and they both waved at each other before the stranger disappeared out the door.

———

12 days until the apocalypse...

Today, Cale decided that he wants to drink. He heard from Eliezer that there's a bar not too far from the city. He can also eat steak as dinner while he's at it.

Throughout the afternoon, he didn't see that man at all even though he expected to bump into him one way or another. Then he concluded that meeting him twice was probably a coincidence.

He turned around the corner before hearing a loud 'Bang!' and halted his steps.

'Was that... the sound of a trash can?'

"F*cking pricks, get lost!"

He heard the voice of a teenage boy, cussing loudly. Then there were many footsteps running away, and the surrounding goes silent.

Cale considered to just bolt out of there and run before he gets caught up in a troublesome situation, but he's already far from the mansion and the bar is only a few miles away. He didn't want to waste energy just to come back empty handed.

Using his wind, an ancient power that he found extremely beneficial these days— he lighten his steps to approach and peeked his head to observe.

A sigh escaped a white-haired teen as he walked towards the whimpering dog that had fallen limp to the ground. "Ugh, f*cking hell, you could've used your damn teeth to bite them off, why did you just stay still?! All bark but no bite, geez," He scolded it, as if he thought the dog could understand him.

The teen kneeled down, observing the dog's wounds. "Sh*t, I got no bandages on me today. Now you're probably gonna die. This is why the world isn't a place for weak creatures like you," He harshly said and suddenly shut his mouth, as if thinking about something. "Whatever, I'll just leave."

But he didn't. He only stared at the dog who's breathing heavily on the ground.

Then the boy clicked his tongue. "Damn it all," he cursed and attempted to rip his school uniform.

Before he could done so, a handkerchief suddenly appeared beside him, and the teen almost jolted in surprise. He whipped his head around, only to find a beautiful young man ('a foreigner,' he thought.) wearing a hat and a hoodie along with jeans and white shoes, but he could only focus on the other's face.

"Who are you?" The teen asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

"Does it matter? Just take this. You can cover the wound with it," He urged for the teen to take it, and he reluctantly did.

The dog's wound was cleaned with a bottle of water and a handkerchief was neatly tied around it. A fried chicken, probably the boy's meal, was placed beside it.

"There. Troublesome dog," the white-haired boy grumbled, standing up to look at Cale.

This man, who's a stranger in the boy's eyes, was smiling— and that smile made him feel iffy.

"What?" The high school student asked rudely.

"Despite your tough exterior, you're pretty soft to animals," Cale remarked. His voice was monotonous, but the boy couldn't help but feel like he's being teased.

This teenage boy... reminds him of Rasheel and Archie. Rough around the edges, but have their own moments.

"What the– I–" The student became a blushing mess, either from embarrassment or anger, and stammering on his words. It was cute. "You– Darn, just forget about this, okay?! Act like I don't exist!" He huffed and turned on his heel.

"Would you like to eat something?"

Then he stopped.

"I'll feed you."

He turned back around. "What the hell? Why?"

Cale shrugged, not minding his brash attitude. "It's late. You're probably hungry. Or do you want to reject free food?"

"... Are you going to kidnap me?"

The redhead blinked. "No." He paused, "But if you happen to find me intolerable, feel free to strangle me. I'm a very weak person, you see."

And just like that, Cale began to walk, giving him the choice to follow him or leave.

The teen seemed conflicted, but decided to chase after him anyway.

• • •

"The bar, really?" The teen raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm underage."

It's not like he cares much about that, it's just weird how a young adult who's supposedly responsible brought him here.

"So? I want to drink. Come on."

Well, Cale seems very casual about this, so he followed suit. They both took their seats.

"A red wine, two barbeque beef steaks, and..." He glanced at the younger male, "apple juice."

The teen looked at him like he was offended.

"Don't look at me like that. Didn't you say you're underage?" He smirked, and the waiter noted their orders down before leaving.

The whitehead clicked his tongue. "Whatever..." Then he observed his surroundings. Fortunately enough, the place wasn't crowded. It was neat, and seemed like somewhere people with money would come to. "Ahjussi, are you rich?"

Instead of answering, Cale asked back, "Do I look old?"

"Huh?"

"You called me Ahjussi. Do I look that old to you?"

"..." The teen went silent, his face screaming 'what the fuck are you talking about?', but upon seeing Cale's stoic face, he backed down. "...Hyung?"

Silence.

Until Cale opened his mouth, "Go back to Ahjussi."

"Okay, Ahjussi." The teen easily nodded and asked again, "But are you rich?"

"I am."

"Wow, cool..."

Cale doesn't seem fazed by the gasp and compliment. "You're a high school student, right?"

The teen nodded, and his eyes seemed to sparkle when their orders finally arrived.

The redhead watched him munch down on his food, pleased to see that he's enjoying it. After all, the first step when it comes to approaching people is to feed them. Besides, it's late at night, the kid is still wearing his school uniform, and he simply assumed he has yet to eat dinner considering he gave away his previous meal to the injured dog.

He discreetly gazed at the nameplate on the boy's uniform.

Kim Namwoon.

When Cale first saw him, he knew that the teen was interesting. The appearance matches the description of a character in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Adding the fact that there are only very few people with white hair, although dyed.

He instantly knew, this guy was him.

Believe it or not, this teenage boy easily became Cale's favorite character in the novel. Even before the development, he was drawn to his personality and view of the world. He admired how the boy could easily adapt in a situation, even after death. Kim Namwoon didn't even hold a grudge against Kim Dokja despite dying because of the latter.

But what he likes the most is the fact that Kim Namwoon isn't a hero. If anything, he despised them. Because someone who wants to play a hero isn't needed in a ruined world. People have to do what they need to do in order to survive.

He remembered what Namwoon said in the novel.

No, it's not "A new world requires new laws."

Though he agreed, it wasn't that.

Rather, it was...

[ "Lumps, you aren't dead like me. Those who are alive can change the future, yet you’re already giving up? They say that gods are greater than humans and have enormous mental strength? F*cking bullsh*t! Whining after losing a few times…!" ]

Yes, he cursed the gods. The boy also believed that as long as someone is alive, they are able to change something. Cale adores Kim Namwoon quite a bit.

'I'm sorry, Kim Namwoon. I might have to steal you from the Underworld for a bit. I need you so I can live a peaceful life.'

Yes, Kim Namwoon is essential to the plot. He needs to die so the story can proceed like normal. Taking him out and allowing him to live is a dangerous decision. It could change the whole flow of the story. But...

Didn't God of Death say to do whatever he wanted?

Cale doesn't care about this world anyway. Kim Dokja can manage without Kim Namwoon, since he decided to kill the guy off.

'They'll work it out, they have plot armor on their side. I need to do what I can to survive. Plus, I don't plan on getting involved with any of the major characters.'

Although Kim Namwoon's morals are questionable, his loyalty isn't, considering he followed Yoo Joonghyuk like a puppy.

None of his strong companions are here, and since the teen was basically discarded by the main group, he'll be easy to pick up and dragged from the main story. He needs someone strong to protect him.

This boy in front of him is the only right choice.

As Cale watched Kim Namwoon eat, he decided.

'F*ck the plot. Let's do whatever I want.'

———

a/n: *cracks knuckles as i prepare to change the entirety of orv*

also, look at cale acting like he wants namwoon to live only because the guy is useful lmao