Moon's Labyrinths

“So how do you feel, Mr Woo Sungyoon?”

“I’m good . In fact, I’ve never felt better . ”

Previously, as he was aging, his body had started to creak and ache . Now his body was beyond fine . He didn’t feel tired when he woke up, and he had no trouble moving his body .

“I can tell just by looking at you . You’ve become much younger in the past couple days . ”

Leemin looked at Sungyoon with envy in his eyes . Leemin was over 50 years old, and he was approaching his 60s . He was starting to put his life in order as he was approaching the latter stages of his life . Sungyoon had regained his youth, and Leemin desperately wanted it too . He probably would give up all his accomplishments to be young again .

He wanted it, but it was impossible for him to acquire it . Leemin put aside his jealousy and got back to work .

“How much do you know about the Connectors?”

Leemin organized the chart on the computer monitor as he asked the question .

“The Moon’s Labyrinth is filled with magical energy, and this magical energy is supplied to the heart . Connectors are people capable of receiving and using magical energy . ”

“You are well informed . Most people would just tell me that Connectors are those that make a lot of money by going into the Moon’s Labyrinth . ”

“My previous business had some dealings with that sector . That is why I have a bit of knowledge about it . ”

Sungyoon’s expression hardened a little bit . When he spoke about his business, he always thought about his once-trusted friend and his bitch of a wife .

“I see . ”

Leemin nodded as he discreetly observed Sungyoon . Normally, Sungyoon kept his emotions tightly bottled up . However, his emotions had clearly turned for the worse .

‘Did I step on a mine?’

It made sense . If his business was doing good, he wouldn’t be sweating over the hospital bill .

“I don’t know how much detail you know, but I’ll try to give you a full run down . This is in regards to your body, so Mr Sungyoon should know about it . Are you fine with that?”

“Yes, I don’t mind . ”

In fact, Sungyoon welcomed it .

“Good . First, Mr Sungyoon’s heart has gone through a complete change, and it is now unlike a normal heart . A normal heart looks like this . ”

Leemin directed Sungyoon’s gaze towards the monitor on Leemin’s desk . The monitor screen held the image of a red heart . It was totally gross, but a familiar image . Anyone that had gone through the regular school curriculum in Korea knew what a heart looked like .

“However, for Mr Sungyoon and the other Connectors, the heart looks like this . ”

Leemin tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard, and the image on the screen changed . An object that clearly did not look like a heart was shown on the screen . It wasn’t organic at all .

It was a pink shaped object, and at a glance, one might mistake it for a heart . However, compared to a normal heart, different materials had been used in the making of this object . It was reflecting light from its surroundings and sparkling . Instead of an organic matter, it looked to be some kind of an ore . It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it looked like a gem .

Leemin pointed at the image on the monitor as he spoke .

“This is the state of your heart right now . This is the heart of a Connector . ”

Sungyoon stared at the monitor .

“A lot is still unknown in regard to the heart of a Connector . It can perform the basic function of a regular heart like pumping blood . However, its most important function is its ability to gather the Moon’s magical energy . It acts as a form of ‘door’ . That is why the Connector’s heart is called a Gate . Those that possess this type of heart are called ‘Connectors’ . All their hearts are connected to the Moon . ”

Moon’s magical energy .

The Labyrinth was located on the moon, and it was full of magical energy . It was a form of energy that humanity had never dealt with before . It was a completely foreign power . It was unknown as to whether this power was a blessing or a curse, but only the Connectors could harness this power .

“You can talk to the experts on a later date . It’ll be more beneficial for you to learn from them on how to use that power . I do not have that information . However, I can explain what kind of changes were brought on by the effects of the ‘Moon’s magical energy’ . ”

Leemin looked at Sungyoon, who had been listening closely .

“First, Mr Sungyoon no longer needs to eat food in order to acquire energy . You don’t need to breathe either . ”

His words were surprising . Food and breathing were essential to human life . If one told someone to stop eating and breathing, it was basically telling someone to die .

“I don’t need to breathe?”

Sungyoon could not hide his surprise .

“You can try holding your breath right now . You are breathing right now out of habit . It isn’t necessary . ”

Sungyoon did as Leemin had suggested . He held his breath . A couple of seconds passed then a minute passed . In the past, he would feel the need to breathe at this point . However, he was comfortable right now . He didn’t show any signs of needing to breathe .

“In the first place, humans only eat three meals a day, because they need energy . They breathe and they do annoying daily upkeep for one’s body to be able to live . However, Connectors do not need to do any of that . ”

Leemin placed his hand on his own chest .

“An overwhelming amount of energy is provided from this place . ”

Sungyoon mimicked Leemin’s gesture and discreetly placed his hand over his heart .

“Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can completely stop eating food . The only thing provided by your heart is energy . You have to continue ingesting nutrients to maintain your body . This also is true for water . But at the very least, you don’t need food to generate energy that’ll maintain basic functions of your body . I’m not saying you should refrain from eating . You can eat whenever and whatever you want . It doesn’t matter . Aside from that . . . ”

Leemin looked at Sungyoon’s handsome face .

“You can feel it already, right?”

He was probably talking about the rejuvenation process . Sungyoon already knew about this phenomena, so he nodded his head .

“The ‘Moon’s magical energy’ of a Connector maintains the body at its peak performance . That is why you were given your youth back . Aside from injuries, you don’t have to worry about diseases . ”

“I knew about it, but it is something else entirely to experience it . It is truly surprising . ”

“That is understandable . I’ve seen this a couple of times before, but it is still surprising each time I witness it . Moreover, your physical abilities should have increased significantly too . If someone picks a fight with you, you have to be careful while using your fists . You might kill your opponent . ”

After he reached this point in his explanation, Leemin adjusted his posture a little bit .

“Do you have any more questions?”

“No . I have a good idea about my body now . ”

When he awakened as a Connector, Sungyoon had gained many things . However, Sungyoon’s dreary voice hadn’t changed . Although his outer appearance had changed, his low self esteem hadn’t improved . He still had a pessimistic personality .

“We’ve run most of the tests . You can leave the hospital today if you want . It won’t be long before someone from the government contacts you . You can learn how to use the Moon’s magical energy from that person . You can learn about your future from him . ”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done . ”

Sungyoon stood up then he bowed towards Leemin . Then he left the hospital .

* * *

After he came out of the hospital, he wondered what he should do . He had acquired youth and an amazing body . He was clearly in a better place than before . However, his overall situation hadn’t changed . He had failed in his business, and his debts still existed . He could try to use his abilities as a Connector to do something, but he had no idea what to do . It wasn’t as if he’ll get bonus points for putting down his status as a Connector on his resume .

The only thing he could do was to wait for the government to contact him . In the meantime, he once again started doing construction work .

Fortunately, his physical abilities had increased, so unlike before, he was able to do well in construction . In the past, he had been afraid of his pay being deducted because of his poor work . Now he received more on top of his daily salary .

Not many people recognized Sungyoon . He had a really dark personality, so he had refrained from making any friends . Of course, there were a couple people that recognized Sungyoon . They asked what had happened, but Sugyoon brushed them off and just ignored their questions . The people, who had asked the question, grumbled or they swore before leaving Sungyoon alone .

Several days passed like that when a single call arrived on his home phone . It was the call he had been waiting for . Someone from the government had contacted him .

The next day Sungyoon got on an express bus . It felt like forever as he experienced the bumpy ride of the bus . Sungyoon finally arrived at Sejon city .

After a brief walk, Sungyoon arrived in front of a building . His final destination was a government owned building .

It was quite a large building, and there were large words written on the wall . It said, ‘Office of Business and Administration for the Moon’s Labyrinth’ .

‘This place is...’

In the early days, they had been part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy . However, they had broken off into their own branch of the government . They managed most of the business dealings with the Moon’s Labyrinth . As a Connector, it was a branch of the government Sungyoon would have to get acquainted with .

Sungyoon entered the building . There were a lot of people inside . There were other Connectors like him, and there were people that did business in regards to the Moon’s Labyrinth . These people might become Sungyoon’s ‘partners’ in the future, but he didn’t show any interest in them .

Sungyoon went to the front desk . He took a ticket, and he waited for his number .

After a brief moment, Sungyoon could hear his number being called .

“What brings you here?”

The receptionist queried Sungyoon .

“I came here after being contacted . I was told that Connectors have to register here . ”

“What is your name?”

“My name is Woo Sungyoon . ”

As part of her profession, the receptionist had seen a lot of Connectors . This was why she didn’t bat an eye when Sungyoon said he was a Connector . She clicked on her keyboard several times .

“Uh?”

Her face showed a little bit of surprise .

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no . It’s nothing . ”

The receptionist wiped the surprise off her face . After she put on her professional face, she spoke to Sungyoon .

“Yes, Mr Woo Sungyoon . I’ve confirmed your identity . Please go to ‘Support’ on the 3rd floor . Please remain in the waiting room, and your case worker will come to you . ”

“Thank you . ”

Sungyoon gave a curt and unfriendly bow then he left the receptionist’s desk .

He immediately found the staircase to the upper floors . He didn’t feel tired after climbing 3 floors of stairs thanks to his increased physical abilities . It didn’t tax him at all .

He was able to find the ‘Support Department’ immediately . The entire third floor was basically the Support Department . Sungyoon searched for the waiting room . In the corner, there was a room separated from the rest of the floor with glass walls . The entrance leading into the room had a placard indicating that it was the waiting room . Sungyoon entered the room and he quietly sat in a chair .

There weren’t many people inside the waiting room . There was one impatient person bouncing his leg, and another person had his legs crossed with an arrogant expression on his face . Then, there were the others without much expression on their face as they waited for their name to be called . All kinds of people were gathered there .

Sungyoon quietly sat among them . He still didn’t think of himself as their peer, so he didn’t feel the need to talk to them .

They had nothing to do with him .

How much time had passed? Many people left the waiting room as their names were called . Sungyoon continued to wait .

Then...

“Mr Woo Sungyoon . ”

His name was called .