Seo Jung-woo was assigned to guard Dr. Jeong Ki-hoon at the international academic seminar held at a hotel in Samseong-dong.

Though it was called security detail, there wasn’t much to do.

Jeong Ki-hoon’s daughter, Jessica, complained.

“I thought Mr. Seo would be a lot cooler when guarding someone.”

“Cooler?”

“Scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, immediately taking down any suspicious person you see.”

“There aren’t any suspicious people here.”

No one was approaching Jeong Ki-hoon with ill intent, nor was anyone making any unusual movements. Killing intent could be detected using his perception skill, and suspicious movements were easily caught thanks to the synergy between his perception and shooting skills.

Jessica pouted.

“Tch. I was really looking forward to seeing some real action.”

“The best-case scenario is for that not to happen.”

In the afternoon, Jeong Ki-hoon had a lecture scheduled to present a theory he had announced a few days earlier.

A hundred chairs were set up in front of the podium. Academics and industry professionals filled every seat, and there were still many people standing in the back due to the lack of space.

Jeong Ki-hoon began explaining a physics theory that even Seo Jung-woo was familiar with. Seeing this, Seo Jung-woo was slightly taken aback.

‘Huh? Why is Dr. Jeong only presenting this now?’

In the other world, Jeong Ki-hoon had completed this theory much earlier.

‘Ah, right. In the other world, Dr. Jeong received massive funding. Maybe that’s not the case here.’

In the other world, government and corporate research funds were heavily directed toward weapons development.

Jeong Ki-hoon from that world was an internationally renowned weapons developer, so he received ample research funding. He used that funding not only for weapons development but also for advancing theoretical physics.

‘Wait, this theory… it’s a bit different from what I heard before.’

He had heard the conclusion of this theory from Jeong Ki-hoon before, but since it was a long time ago, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different. However, he was certain there was a discrepancy.

The lecture went on for quite a while. As he continued listening, he realized the reason for the difference.

‘Ah, right. Dr. Jeong once said he had initially published this theory with errors.’

A month after the theory was published, a university research lab had identified the errors and presented a rebuttal. Only then did Jeong Ki-hoon realize the flaws in his theory and publicly apologize.

‘So this is the uncorrected version. That means the Jeong Ki-hoon here is going to end up embarrassed a month from now, just like in the other world. He’s going to have to apologize in both worlds.’

By the time Seo Jung-woo had heard about this theory, the errors had already been corrected. He couldn’t recall the exact equations, but he wasn’t too concerned.

In the other world, Jeong Ki-hoon had corrected the errors after his public apology and successfully completed the theory.

‘He’ll probably do the same here.’

That evening, 4cats walked onto the stage at the international academic seminar’s banquet hall.

Seo Sora spoke.

“I thought the boss was exaggerating when he said it was an international event, but it looks like it’s true. I took a peek, and there are a ton of foreigners in the audience.”

Yoon Nana’s voice trembled slightly.

“Sora, I’m nervous.”

“Why now?”

“It’s our first real event.”

“There will be fewer people than when we performed at the broadcast station. Just relax.”

As they stepped onto the stage, Park Ha-yeon suddenly pointed.

“Ah! Detective D is over there.”

Seo Sora turned her head.

“Why is oppa here? This isn’t even his precinct.”

“He’s right over there.”

The venue wasn’t a professional concert hall, so the stage lights didn’t completely obscure the audience.

Seo Sora spotted Seo Jung-woo as well.

“Oh my, you’re right! And he’s sitting at the front table? Wasn’t that supposed to be the VIP section?”

This time, Park Da-yeon spoke up.

“Detective D is with a woman!”

“As expected of D!”

“The irresistible D!”

Although Jeong Ki-hoon was Korean-American, his wife was a blonde American. Their daughter, Jessica, was a beauty who had inherited the best features of both East and West.

Yoon Nana grumbled in frustration.

“Not satisfied with being a top star, now he’s after foreign girls too?”

Seo Jung-woo was equally flustered.

‘Why are they here?’

He had already checked the list of performers for the event when he started his security duty in the morning. The documents he received listed a different girl group, not 4cats.

Still, he didn’t take the situation too seriously. It wasn’t like 4cats were terrorists.

‘But have they ever performed at an event before? Huh? Is this their first gig? Oh-ho. That means money is coming in. I should tell them to bring home some fried chicken later.’

The performance of 4cats began.

They started with “If We Could Meet Again”. The song was good, they sang well, and the choreography fit perfectly. Even the foreign guests who were hearing the song for the first time were enjoying it.

The second song was “Smash It”. Yoon Nana glared at Seo Jung-woo as she sang with fierce energy. She was the type to perform better when she felt competition, so today, her singing was more powerful than usual.

After a brief conversation between the emcee and 4cats, the third song, “Little Baby Kittens”, began. This time, the twins took center stage while Seo Sora and Yoon Nana stepped back to act as the counterparts to the baby kittens.

Jessica leaned in close to Seo Jung-woo and said,

“Such an adorable song.”

“Ah. Yeah.”

“Do you like songs like this?”

“Me?”

“You’re watching with a smile.”

“Ah. Well…”

4cats received lots of applause as they performed their three songs. After finishing “Little Baby Kittens”, they left the stage. As Yoon Nana walked off, she shot a glare at Jessica.

Event staff guided them from the stage.

“Your seats are prepared over there. This way, please.”

At the farthest table in the banquet hall, Oh Dong-cheol was waving at them.

After the stage performances ended, people stood up and began moving around.

Since Jeong Ki-hoon was one of the key figures of this seminar, many people were looking for him, and he also had many people to meet.

Seo Jung-woo followed him closely for security.

While he was walking, Yoon Nana sidled up to him and whispered,

“Oh my, today it’s a foreign beauty. Last time, it was an actress. Does your boss know you’re fooling around here?”

Seo Jung-woo replied,

“Of course. I’m working right now.”

Yoon Nana was startled. She had assumed he was just enjoying himself, not working. After all, his police station was in the northern part of Seoul, whereas Samseong-dong was south of the Han River.

“What? Y-You’re working? Here? This isn’t even your jurisdiction.”

Jessica, standing beside them, interjected.

“Mr. Seo is guarding my father today. But why are you saying such things to him?”

Yoon Nana’s face turned red.

“Ah. It’s not that…”

She had assumed that last time, he was with an actress, and today, he was with a foreign beauty. Realizing her misunderstanding, she felt too embarrassed to even lift her head.

“I-I’m going!”

After Yoon Nana ran off in a hurry, Jessica asked,

“Who was that? Someone you know?”

“A friend of my sister.”

“She doesn’t seem like just a friend of your sister.”

“She is.”

When Yoon Nana reached her group, Seo Sora asked,

“Why is oppa here?”

Still fanning her flushed face with her hands, Yoon Nana replied,

“He’s here to guard that guy over there.”

Park Ha-yeon was disappointed.

“I thought Detective D was supposed to be irresistible.”

Park Da-yeon stabbed a piece of meat with her fork and muttered,

“To think he’d settle for just one celebrity.”

Yoon Nana reached out and grabbed the plates in front of the twins.

“Our twins must be really full, huh?”

The moment their food was at risk, the twins immediately surrendered.

“We never said which celebrity!”

“Unnie, you’re a celebrity now too!”

Satisfied, Yoon Nana let go of their plates.

Meanwhile, Seo Jung-woo absentmindedly watched the people Jeong Ki-hoon was meeting.

Then, upon spotting someone new, he was slightly startled.

‘Wang Yuan?’

He knew Wang Yuan from the other world.

They had never met in person. What he knew about Wang Yuan came from documents. He had read an analysis report on Wang Yuan in the past.

‘In the other world, he’s the fifth-ranked combat commander of China’s Awakened Intelligence Unit.’

But that was Wang Yuan’s status in the other world.

Since the parallel dimension split in 2000, many people had lived vastly different lives.

Among the people around Seo Jung-woo, the only one with the same profession in both worlds was Lee Seon-hwa. Even then, in this world, she was a top-star actress, while in the other world, she had never even landed a lead role and remained a supporting actress.

‘Wang Yuan. What kind of job does he have here?’

Wang Yuan introduced himself to Jeong Ki-hoon as the chief researcher at a Chinese company's laboratory. He also mentioned having worked briefly with a physicist that Jeong Ki-hoon knew.

Seo Jung-woo casually observed Wang Yuan while analyzing the situation.

‘In this world, Wang Yuan could have ended up as a researcher instead of joining the intelligence division.’

In the other world, to become the fifth-ranked combatant in China’s Awakened Intelligence Unit, he would have needed to awaken powerful combat skills and accumulate extensive battle experience.

But in this world, combat skills didn’t exist, and China had no Awakened Intelligence Unit. The conditions between the two worlds were vastly different.

Seo Jung-woo focused his detection skill on Wang Yuan. Using the skill in active mode like this would put it on cooldown, preventing him from detecting killing intent for a while. It wasn’t a good idea to do this during a security mission.

Still, he had to check. Wang Yuan from the other world was a potentially dangerous individual.

No killing intent was detected from Wang Yuan in this world.

‘At least he’s not here to kill anyone.’

Seo Jung-woo’s assignment to guard Jeong Ki-hoon lasted from the daytime event until the evening banquet. The security detail wasn’t because Jeong Ki-hoon was in any danger but was provided by the government as a courtesy for his contributions to national defense science research.

So once the banquet ended, Seo Jung-woo’s duty was officially over.

Jeong Ki-hoon extended his hand for a handshake.

“Detective Seo Jung-woo, thank you for today.”

“I’m glad nothing happened.”

“Hahaha. What trouble could a mere scholar possibly get into? Regardless, I appreciate the Korean government’s hospitality.”

Jessica also smiled.

“I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t get to see Mr. Seo’s amazing combat skills. If you ever visit America, let me know. We should spar.”

Seo Jung-woo smirked.

‘Jessica really loves fighting, no matter which world she’s in.’

“You’ll get hurt.”

“You must not know me well. I’m seriously strong. With both fists and blades.”

“Ah. I see.”

After exchanging goodbyes, they parted ways. Jeong Ki-hoon and Jessica took the elevator upstairs.

Seo Jung-woo walked through the lobby, heading out of the hotel. Then, he suddenly stopped.

“Hmm.”

Something about Wang Yuan from the banquet was still on his mind.

‘So Wang Yuan is a researcher here.’

That was possible.

But skill awakenings were often influenced by a person’s abilities and talents. Jessica Jung, for example, had awakened a swordsmanship skill in the other world and was a black belt in kendo in this world.

“This feels off.”

Even though it bothered him, there was no clear way to verify Wang Yuan’s identity.

If he requested a background check on a foreigner named Wang Yuan through the police, someone would inevitably ask why. He couldn’t say it was because Wang Yuan was a high-ranking combatant in the Chinese Awakened Intelligence Unit in the other world. Even if he did manage to request a check, it wasn’t likely that the results would reach him by today. And there was no guarantee that the information would be genuine.

Seo Jung-woo recalled Jeong Ki-hoon’s schedule.

“Dr. Jeong is leaving for America tomorrow.”

He turned around and walked toward the hotel front desk.

“Might as well rest here for the night. It’s my first time staying in a hotel in this world.”

He planned to get a room on the same floor as Jeong Ki-hoon and his daughter.

After checking for available rooms, the staff informed him,

“It’ll be 520,000 won.”

“Uh…”

The price was higher than he expected. And that was for the cheapest room on that floor.

If 520,000 won disappeared from a patrol officer’s salary, the impact would be significant.

‘If something happened, I could claim security expenses, but I’d rather not wish for an incident.’

In the other world, Jeong Ki-hoon had contributed greatly to the war against the Gates by developing weapons capable of fighting monsters.

Even though the Jeong Ki-hoon in this world had nothing to do with him, Seo Jung-woo still felt uneasy leaving after shaking hands with him and seeing his face. It reminded him of the Jeong Ki-hoon from the other world.

‘I’ll have to dip into the 50 million won I took from that cultural artifact smuggler.’

Seo Jung-woo asked the staff,

“What’s the cheapest room in this hotel?”

“Excuse me?”

“Even a rooftop room is fine.”

“There are no rooftop rooms in this hotel…”

There were in the other world.