By Zephyria 305
He rubbed his chin and scanned Eui-jae up and down.
“You hid it well. Director Ham probably never imagined that the number one Hunter, who she thought was dead, would be supporting his grandmother in some old restaurant.”
Eui-jae replied awkwardly.
“…Please keep it a secret. I have no intention of revealing my face.”
Nam Woo-jin snorted.
“Hmph, there’s no one to tell anyway. But still… I wondered why Lee Sa-young brought an ordinary person.”
He looked at Eui-jae with an interesting expression.
“Did that bastard know your identity? Is that why he kept you by his side?”
“No… I don’t think he knew when he came here.”
Back then, Lee Sa-young was especially rude. He was only thinking about threatening people and using them. Thinking about it now, it was a funny story. Now, Lee Sa-young wasn’t using him at all, but was eager to do anything for him…
Damn it. Eui-jae bit the inside of his cheek. Meanwhile, Nam Woo-jin asked back with a puzzled look.
“He brought you here and even asked me for a favor without knowing your identity? With that bastard’s temper?”
“…We had a deal.”
“That he knew how to make a deal, that’s new information.”
Nam Woo-jin grumbled and turned his body. Eui-jae spread out his palm. A faint chain shimmered in a subtle gold color over the long scar. It was a contract close to coercion, and he almost died from the Poison while contracting…
Thinking about it now, he felt it was the right thing to do.
‘I never thought I’d confirm he was alive with this…’
Lee Sa-young is alive. As long as the sign of the contract doesn’t disappear. That was some comfort. Eui-jae asked, tidying up his hair that was floating due to static electricity.
“How’s Min-gi Seo? Is he okay?”
“You ask about that first? Well… he’s alive. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet, though. He’ll have to recuperate for a while. It looks like he’ll have some scars too.”
Ah, that’s a relief. Eui-jae let out a small sigh of relief. Scars or whatever, as long as he’s alive. As long as he doesn’t die. He felt his forehead, and the wound had healed without a trace. Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue.
“I heard you blocked the attack with your head? What confidence is that, really.”
“……”
“Hey, don’t make that face like it’s okay as long as you’re alive! And don’t make that face like one hit is okay! If it were a normal Hunter, his head would have been crushed long ago. That’s the problem with those who are physically strong. They don’t know the value of their lives and run wild!”
Nam Woo-jin pointed his finger and shouted. Eui-jae put his pouting lips back in place and sat up straight. It was an unconscious action. The memory of being scolded in the Memorial Dungeon seemed to remain in his body.
He lifted his glasses and pressed his forehead. His face looked healthier than before, but his hands were so thin that his bones stood out. Like he saw in the Fragment.
“Anyway, this guy and that guy… I’m already busy to death, so be careful!”
“…Yes.”
“What’s the point of answering well! You’ll get hit in the head again.”
Nam Woo-jin rolled up the sleeves of his white gown and approached, placing his hand on Eui-jae’s forehead. A soft light enveloped his forehead.
“Do you have any pain? Are you dizzy, nauseous, or do you see things in double?”
“I did before I fainted… um, I’m okay now.”
“Oh, so you fought in that state. Not knowing the value of your body?”
“……”
He missed the days when he spoke politely to him. The days when they maintained a proper distance and respect for each other. Nam Woo-jin had been casually dropping honorifics ever since he attended J’s Memorial Dungeon special lecture. It was a little painful for Cha Eui-jae’s conscience to argue about why he suddenly dropped honorifics… since he had been wielding his age as a weapon and committing various old-fashioned behaviors.
In the end, he had to endure the feeling of being unilaterally scolded by a scary teacher. It was his karma.
After a while, Nam Woo-jin took his hand away. The boy standing behind him began to write something on the chart. Eui-jae rubbed his forehead.
“Who brought me here?”
“Mackerel Hyung brought you. He was making so much noise, saying you were lying on the floor and wondering if there was something wrong with your head because you got hit hard, it was so noisy.”
Haha. Eui-jae echoed with an awkward laugh. He should say thank you later. If it weren’t for him, he would have come to his senses on the ground.
“How’s the Seafood Market?”
“I haven’t heard anything special. It must be fine. In times like these, no news is good news.”
Only then did the tension ease. Eui-jae took a long sigh and wiped his face. Okay. First of all, he prevented the Seafood Market Whitening and Mackerel Hyung’s Mutation. Although Min-gi Seo was injured…
“Where’s my mask?”
“I took it off for treatment. It’s on the desk, so take it. Do you know that the inside of the mask and your face were all covered in blood? It’s not a horror movie.”
No wonder it was damp. Eui-jae managed not to say what he was thinking. He had a feeling that if he said this, the nagging would increase fivefold. Eui-jae bowed his head.
“Thank you for the treatment.”
“If you’re grateful, take care of your body.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t just answer―”
Just as Nam Woo-jin was about to start another long speech, the boy cleverly intervened.
“Master, it’s time for the new drug experiment.”
“…Is it already that time? I understand. You troublemaker over there. Take your mask. It’s on the desk in the room you were waiting for last time. Come back if you have any problems with your body.”
Nam Woo-jin waved his hand and left. The boy handed over a card key and a disposable mask.
“Here, a temporary pass and a mask. The door will be locked, but you can open it with this.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I think you can avoid people. Then…”
“Wait, where’s Min-gi Seo?”
“He’s in the emergency recovery room. Guests are not allowed in the area where only medical staff can enter. We will let you know when he recovers enough to be visited.”
The boy politely greeted and followed his Master. Eui-jae grabbed his stiff neck and turned his head around. That room… must be the room with the notebook.
‘I should check the notebook while I’m here.’
Maybe there’s something new. Eui-jae started walking as if running.
A sobbing sound was heard in the distance.
Honeybee, dressed in black, was staring blankly out the window. Outside the window, people were gathered in a circle, and a pile of firewood piled high in the middle was burning. Yoon Ga-eul sobbed and kept rubbing her eyes with her sleeves. She kept rubbing, so the area around her eyes was red and swollen.
Sa-young twirled a pen and muttered.
“…It’s better not to get too caught up in the remnants of memory.”
“I know.”
“It’s not a familiar face.”
“……”
Honeybee didn’t answer and closed her mouth. Sa-young didn’t push her any further and turned his head. There’s no point in getting on her bad side. Neither her nor himself. But to comfort her, Sa-young had no talent for comforting. Ga-eul, who was sobbing, asked.
“…In the original world, are they doing well? Healthy…”
“……”
No one answered.
Jung-bin died.
After his death, the Seowon Guild rapidly lost its vitality. People mentioned the word Doomsday more easily than before. People who had lost their vitality and were drooping could also be seen frequently. The aftermath was greater than when the hero J died. In a way, it was a natural thing. J’s presence had diminished due to his illness, and Jung-bin was the practical leader of the survivors. A group that has lost its leader tends to fall apart easily.
Honeybee stared at the tall, large figure standing beyond the window. Matthew was facing the burning flames with a blank face. He will be the next leader.
But that won’t last long either.
Honeybee muttered.
“You said Matthew would die too, right?”
“Yes.”
“There’s no way to stop it.”
“It’s self-satisfaction. Nothing changes even if you stop it.”
“…So we have to keep watching until this memory ends? Stupidly?”
“Yes.”
She leaned her temple against the window with a tired face.
“…It feels like being trapped in a prison.”
This world was running towards a predetermined end. They waited for the day when the end would come. Even if it meant the Doomsday of a world.
Sa-young left the room alone, leaving the two behind. He headed to Nam Woo-jin’s room. Under the desk lamp that had not been turned off, a notebook was open.
[Jung-bin died.]
Wow, you have a thorough record-keeping spirit. Sa-young picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages. Past the many blank pages, to the last page of the notebook. The face that had been examining the notebook with an indifferent look hardened. His thick lips parted slightly. Purple eyes contained unfamiliar sentences.
[I miss you.]
It was handwriting that was neither Nam Woo-jin’s nor his. The handwriting, which seemed to be written in pencil, showed that he had tried to write neatly. Of course, as he went on, his original scribbled handwriting came out. Sa-young rubbed the letters with his black thumb. A chuckle escaped.
“How foolish…”
He can never say it in words, but he conveys his heart well in sentences. Sa-young gently kissed the letters. After a long time, he took his lips off and grabbed a pen that was rolling around next to him.
The pen tip wrote down the black letters.
[Jung-bin, died after having his neck torn off while stopping a mutated team member. Check if there are any signs of Mutation around Jung-bin.]
Sa-young tapped his chin with the end of the pen and added.
[Take care of yourself.]
[Don’t overdo it.]
The pen tip completed the last sentence without hesitation.
[I miss you too.]