Moon’s Labyrinths

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The moon was in the sky . A dark curtain had come down over the night sky, and the moon silently looked down at the surface . It was the day when the moon could fully show off its shape . It was the day of the full moon . Even though the light pollution from the city made it hard for the stars to make their presence known, the moon was still able to cast its bright light . No obstacles could erase its presence, and the moon expressed itself with confidence .

Sungyoon was sitting on a park bench, and he blankly looked up at the sky . To be precise, he was looking up at the moon .

‘If I accept his offer, I have to go there . ’

He never thought a day would come when he would need to go to the moon . It troubled his heart .

The moonstones were gathered within the Moon’s Labyrinth, and they were a source of energy . It provided 30% of the world’s current energy . He was qualified to gather the moonstones now . He could regain his wealth and live as a family with his daughter . It was a powerful opportunity for him, but the risks associated with the job worried him .

“There you are . ”

Sungyoon’s thoughts were in turmoil as he watched the moon . He was disturbed when someone spoke to him .

“I’m sorry . I made you wait too long . Some unexpected problems cropped up one after another . ”

It was Insoo . He wiped his forehead with his handkerchief then he profusely apologized to Sungyoon . By the expression on his face, he looked really apologetic .

“It is fine . ”

He had no work to do here in the first place . Sungyoon gave a curt reply as he stood up from the bench .

Insoo fished out his cell phone from his pocket . The screen lit up, and several notifications popped up . However, Insoo only needed it to tell the time .

“It is probably a good time for this . Are you a drinker?”

“Not really, but I can hold my weight . ”

The drinking culture in Korean society was showing signs of slowly coming under control, but drinking in business was still non-negotiable . This had especially been true when Sungyoon was a president of his own company . Basically, if needed, Sungyoon could drink like a fish .

“That’s good . Let’s go . ”

Insoo started walking with Sungyoon in tow .

Sungyoon thought Insoo would take him to a nearby restaurant or a bar . However, Insoo didn't go to the main street . He headed towards a high rise building with most of their lights off .

“…this place?”

Sungyoon hadn’t shown any signs of discontent until now . However, he couldn’t help letting out that question .

“Ha ha . Most people are surprised when they come here . ”

Insoo pressed the elevator button .

“I can take you to any of the good bars nearby, but most Connectors prefer this place . If you want, I’ll take you to a good pub later . ”

The two of them entered the elevator, and Insoo pressed the button to the top most floor .

“Is this a government building too?”

“No . This is a civilian owned building . I asked for permission from its owner, so I can use it sometimes . ”

Insoo got off the elevator then he took the emergency staircase to climb one more floor . Sungyoon saw a firmly shut steel door . It was the door to the rooftop, and it had been placed there as a security measure . Insoo took out a key, and he opened the door .

The view of the rooftop unfolded in front of Sungyoon’s eyes .

The slightly strong wind was tickling the nape of his neck . He didn’t know when someone had prepared all of this, but there was a large table and two chairs placed on the rooftop . There were various food and alcoholic drinks prepared on top of the table . There was a low light illuminating the background . It looked like something out of a dream . It gave him goosebumps .

Insoo walked towards the railing of the roof . He pointed down towards the city below .

“Isn’t it a beautiful sight? When my thoughts are in a mess, I sometimes come here . This is the tallest building in this city . You can see the entire city from up here .

Sungyoon stood next to Insoo, and he looked down at the city . The city was lit up by bright lights . When he was down there, he thought the city was full of useless lights that masked the light of the stars in the night sky . Now he was watching the lights from a little ways off, and the light of the city was spread across the surface like the Milky Way .

“Did you bring me here to show me this?”

“No . This is an awesome sight, but I have another reason for bringing you here, Mr Sungyoon . ”

Insoo pointed towards the brightly lit moon .

“This is the tallest building in this city . It means we are closest to the moon here . Fortunately, we have a clear sky today, so we can see the full moon . ”

Sungyoon looked up at the sky and saw the moon showing its splendor . It didn’t matter if one was on the surface or the building . When one considered the Lunar distance, the difference between the surface and the top of a high rise building seemed miniscule . It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the difference was negligent . However, it might just be a feeling, but the moon looked a little bigger here .

“Please sit . ”

Sungyoon sat in the chair at Insoo’s insistence . The weather was still a bit chilly, so the cold permeated into his jacket .

Insoo took up a bottle of alcohol . The soju cup had already been set up . Sungyoon raised his cup, and the clear soju filled the small cup .

“Let’s have a shot before we talk . ”

The two men lightly clicked their glasses then they downed the alcohol . The unique alcohol flavor of distilled soju filled their palate .

“Please don’t hold back . This was all prepared in order to welcome you . ”

Sungyoon didn’t hold back . It had been awhile since he had eaten a feast like this . The hospital food was enough to fulfill his stomach, but if he was being honest, it didn’t taste that great . The table was filled with simple delivery food, but it was food that Sungyoon hadn’t been able to eat for a while . He didn’t have the money to purchase them .

The two took turns pouring the alcohol . They didn’t stop drinking and eating . It seemed Insoo was famished too as he kept stuffing food into his stomach .

It didn’t take them too long to empty most of the dishes . Three bottles of soju had also been emptied, and a fourth bottle was half empty .

Insoo was quite drunk right now . Compared to before, his voice was oddly higher in pitch , and he became more animated . Sungyooon was a little bit drunk too . However, he wasn’t that drunk compared to what he had imbibed . In the past, his head would already be fuzzy by now .

‘This must be thanks to the heart of the moon . ’

His body had gone through a change, and he assumed this was one of his new abilities .

“Connectors have a hard time getting drunk, and they metabolize the alcohol quickly . They don’t have a hangover . However, if they drink a lot of alcohol, they are capable of getting drunk . ”

Insoo had accurately assessed Sunngyoon’s current state . He quickly poured soju into Sungyoon’s cup, and Sungyoon drained the shot .

“You said you are on the fence about going to the moon, right?”

Insoo filled his own cup as he asked the question .

‘He is finally going to talk about it now . ’

Sungyoon was a bit miffed .

This topic was very important to Sungyoon . He didn’t think it was right to give such an explanation while drinking alcohol .

However, Insoo was a pro . He wasn’t having this important discussion here without a reason .

“You are probably asking why I am explaining such an important topic while we are drinking . I have a reason for doing this . Usually, newly awakened Connectors had a hard time feeling it . That is why I’m letting you drink alcohol . It dampens the conscious mind a little bit . Some other managers use other methods, but I use this method . Alternatively, we can just wait until you are able to sense it . ”

“…what am I supposed to feel?”

Insoo had accurately assessed Sungyoon’s disgruntled state . Sungyoon sounded a bit sheepish as he asked the question .

“Do you know what percentage of the Connectors go to the moon?”

“I’m not sure . ”

“It is over 99% . ”

Sungyoon was very surprised . Even if one could make significant amounts of money gathering moonstones, it was still dangerous work . They were paid so much only because the risk was significant . Despite this fact, Insoo was saying that most Connectors went to the Moon’s Labyrinth . After drinking another shot, Insoo continued to speak .

“I’m saying 99%, because I do not know all the Connectors in the world . That is why I deducted 1% from the figure . But as for the connectors I do know, hundred percent of them travel to the Moon . ”

“There must be some factor . . . ”

The awakening of 1st Gen Connectors was completely random . Of course, there must be some that were rich prior to becoming a Connector . He didn’t even need to bring up the 1st Gen Connectors as an example . The 2nd and 3rd Gen Connectors either had one or both parents who were Connectors . They weren’t short on money .

There must be a reason why they were all drawn to the moon .

“Yes, there is . In truth, one could make a lot of money gathering moonstones . However, it is troublesome work . You have to constantly risk your life, and it is nearly impossible to meet friends or acquaintances when on the moon . It doesn’t end there . If you are clueless on how the market works in the Lunar city, you might cause significant disruption to the market . It might even affect the Connectors that earn well . It causes the Connectors to eat and play after earning their hard earned money . There is no merit to continue going back to that place at a certain point . However, Connectors continue to head back to the moon . It looks foolish from the outside, yet they go back, even after amassing hundreds of millions of dollars . ”

It was hard, dangerous, and dirty work . Still, they headed back towards the moon .

“Where do you want to go right now, Mr Sungyoon?”

It really was a question that came out of nowhere . Sungyoon thought hard on it, but it didn’t take him long to come up with an answer .

“I want to go where my daughter is right now . ”

After he was admitted and released from the hospital, he had wanted to go see Shinhae . However, he didn’t do it . He had made a promise to himself . If he went to see Shinhae every time he wanted to see her, Sungyoon would probably visit her every day . It was in his nature . That was why he couldn't go . He had to work to pay down his debt . He had to work for his life and the future of Shinhae . That was why he only visited Shinhae on scheduled days . It was why he had focused on his health and work after he was let out from the hospital .

Of course, he missed his daughter . He almost had a near death experience, so his desire to see his daughter had become bigger than ever .

“I see . ”

However, Insoo didn’t sound satisfied by the answer . It seemed that wasn’t the answer he was looking for .

“As expected, it must be very weak . You are drunk, and you are at a location that is closest to the moon . ”

“What do you want to hear from me? I really just want to go be with my daughter . ”

Sungyoon unconsciously furrowed his brow . It sounded as if Insoo was trivializing his love for his daughter .

After Insoo refilled his own cup, he took a shot .

“I’m not trying to downplay your feelings for your daughter . However, you are a Connector . You should be filled with desire to travel to your roots . ”

Insoo brought down his shot glass hard enough to make the table ring a little bit . He looked at Sungyoon with fierce eyes .

“I don’t care about your emotions or logic . I want you to let go of your memories and your desires . I want you to feel where your non-beating heart is pointing towards . Where is it?”

Insoo spoke in a forceful manner . Sungyoon stared at Insoo, then he mirrored Insoo’s gesture . He placed his hand over his heart .

Sungyoon unconsciously raised his head up high . His black eyes took in the light of the round moon in the sky .

He looked as if he was mesmerized by a ghost . Sungyoon spoke one word with a heavy voice .

“…moon . ”

His heart still refused to beat .