By Zephyria “Huk, huk….”
Among the fallen soldiers, the only one dimly regaining consciousness shivered. Yohan also held his breath at the same time. Something came to mind the moment Lee Hyun-muk swallowed the monster.
‘The Abyss, it feels like a phenomenon….’
Chilling, silent, and ominous. It was like looking at a time bomb about to explode. It felt as if Lee Hyun-muk had a formless, endlessly dark face.
Yohan, who had tried to shake off his uneasy feelings, approached his lover. Lee Hyun-muk, who had gathered the darkness spread across the performance hall floor, turned around. Contrary to his worries, his face was perfectly fine. It felt as if the ticking timer had stopped, and Yohan let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
“It’s a relief that it was handled so easily.”
“There’s no need to take unnecessary risks. But….”
Lee Hyun-mook’s gaze, as he looked back at the performance hall stage, glinted for a moment.
“It’s really bothersome.”
He muttered in a very low voice, but Yohan could hear it clearly. Not just the words, but also the deep disillusionment and hatred Lee Hyun-mook held for a certain target. His inorganic gaze fell upon the soldier lying on the floor….
Yohan, who had been feeling inexplicable chills since earlier, quickly stepped in front of Lee Hyun-mook’s line of sight. Then, in a seemingly calm voice, he suggested,
“Um, aren’t all these people victims of Parasitic Polluters? How about purifying one of them to find out what happened?”
“Hmm, that would be fine too.”
His eyes, which had been so ominous moments ago, were infinitely gentle and affectionate when he looked at Yohan. He strode closer and examined the soldier with unusually long limbs. After carefully assessing how dangerous the subject was, he nodded. Yohan quickly placed his hand on the soldier’s body. The light that emanated from beneath his palm was absorbed into the body without a single drop lost. Then, the long limbs melted away and shrunk. The harmful substances that had filled the spaces between cells were washed away as if they had never been there.
“Huk!”
As soon as the purification was complete, the soldier woke up with a start, like someone waking from a nightmare. He tried to sit up with a deathly pale face but was caught by Lee Hyun-mook’s hand and pushed back down. Yohan looked down at the very confused soldier with concern and asked,
“Um, are you alright? Do you know where you are?”
The soldier, who had been about to scream in fear, relaxed a little upon seeing Yohan. Compared to Lee Hyun-mook, Yohan’s appearance was undeniably gentle and non-threatening. This was partly due to his instinctive sensing of Yohan’s aura.
“Who… I am… Oh, L-Lee Hyun-muk…?”
The soldier, who had barely regained his senses, barely recognized Lee Hyun-muk. If one were to pick the most trustworthy Awakened in Korea, it would be him. He panted, wondering why he had felt so terrifyingly creepy moments ago and why he hadn’t recognized him immediately.
“What happened to you at the Rift Management Agency?”
The soldier flinched and hastily felt his own body. Confirming he was unharmed, he gritted his teeth and sobbed. It was a cry mixed with relief, anger, and despair. After a while, having calmed down, he recounted what had happened to him. And the content was quite shocking.
“The government, huck… is conducting human experiments…!”
This soldier was someone who had become severely contaminated while fighting monsters. As he was about to be discharged, his body and mind worn out, the government made him a new offer. They had discovered a new purification technique based on research into purification stones obtained by the Sun Guild, so how about participating in a clinical trial?
Thinking that things couldn’t possibly get worse, the soldier accepted the offer. However, what followed was horrific torture disguised as a clinical trial…. His contamination level worsened, and he was deployed to the broadcasting station in a near-delirious state. It was only now that he had finally regained his senses. After confessing everything, the soldier asked with extreme anxiety,
“What’s going to happen to me now? Do I have to… go back to the unit? Please… I never want to go back there again.”
“No. You will be in a safe place after you sleep for a while.”
Lee Hyun-mook said kindly and then reached out, knocking the soldier unconscious in an instant. Yohan couldn’t even tell how he did it. Lee Hyun-mook explained to Yohan, who was shocked and confused by the soldier’s story.
“The government conducted human experiments. I mentioned earlier that there were many Parasitic Polluters, right? They were probably civilians.”
“But, why? Why would they do such a thing….”
“It seems they deliberately handed them over to me to cause trouble. They even resorted to dirty tricks, hoping I’d get poisoned or caught in an explosion. But… it’s so cunningly done that there’s no evidence. Everything is merely circumstantial.”
Lee Hyun-mook was right. The smoke leaking from the Metal Gas Canisters, and these soldiers and civilians were all people who were not in their right minds to begin with and thus couldn’t testify. Yohan felt utterly indignant. Why were they doing this to someone who had worked so hard to protect people?
“People shouldn’t do this!”
“They shouldn’t. But it’s nothing new, Yohan. It was like this even before falling into the Abyss. Setting cunning traps, experimenting on contaminated people.”
While Yohan was speechless, a voice that was not just accustomed to such things but utterly weary of them muttered,
“They’ll probably keep doing this….”
Lee Hyun-muk tore off some suitable curtains and wrapped the soldiers to hide them from view. He couldn’t send them back to the government. It would be difficult to explain why they were perfectly purified, and if they returned to the government as they were, they would undoubtedly be disposed of under the pretext of destroying evidence. Therefore, he planned for them to stay at the Sun Guild’s Treatment and Custody Center for a while.
Lee Chan-ha’s illusion abilities were quite useful for this kind of cleanup. Lee Chan-ha, who had rushed over after receiving Lee Hyun-muk’s call, loaded the soldiers into the backseat of her car. As the car drove away immediately, Yohan asked with concern,
“But what do we tell the Rift Management Agency?”
In response to Yohan’s question, Lee Hyun-mook smiled faintly.
“That’s not difficult.”
A few minutes later, Lee Hyun-muk emerged from the broadcasting station and headed towards the Rift Management Agency officials and Special Unit members waiting for them. Yohan could faintly detect the anxious air of those who had plotted something in the gazes directed at him and Lee Hyun-muk. To the tense officials, Lee Hyun-muk replied nonchalantly,
“There were no monsters at the broadcasting station.”
The official dispatched from the Rift Management Agency glared. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said,
“No monsters? That’s impossible. I clearly saw them entering the building.”
“We searched from the rooftop to the basement, and found nothing but civilians who hadn’t evacuated. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourselves.”
The official, apparently of higher rank, gestured to the Special Unit members to confirm. They discovered a gaping hole in the basement of the broadcasting station. The hole connected to an underground tunnel, and the Special Unit member’s face turned ashen.
“It seems they dug their way out. There was no one at the broadcasting station.”
“Really… you’re saying ‘no one’ was there at all?”
“Yes.”
The Rift Management Agency official grumbled. He seemed to grow uneasy at the fact that not only the monsters but also the soldiers left behind had disappeared. Since things had turned out this way, there was no reason to detain Lee Hyun-muk at the broadcasting station any longer, so the official said reluctantly. Something seemed to be going wrong, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask further questions because he had a guilty conscience.
“You’ve worked hard, Awakened Lee Hyun-muk. You may return now.”
The two left Yeouido without looking back. The road on the way back was clear, even though it wasn’t rush hour. People had evacuated far away upon hearing the news of an 8th-grade monster appearing. In a little while, once the alert was lifted, traffic would build up.
On the way back, Lee Hyun-muk bought them a truly delicious dinner as promised. Yohan ate so much he felt like he was overeating for the first time in a long while.
After returning home, Lee Hyun-muk was unusually quiet. He sat out on the terrace, gazing somewhere, lost in deep thought. The terrace was a place he quite liked at home. Perhaps it was because it was a place where the distinction between day and night was clear.
Yohan, having finished showering, paced for a bit before going to the kitchen to make coffee. It was late at night, but he wanted to comfort him with his favorite drink. He also took out some snacks to have with the coffee, arranged them nicely on a plate, and placed them on a tray before heading to the terrace. As if Lee Hyun-muk had sensed Yohan approaching, he immediately reached out and opened the terrace door.
“Thank you. It smells good.”
Lee Hyun-mook said in a soft voice as he accepted the coffee cup. Yohan sat beside him. From the high floor, the city’s night view and the starlight from the night sky twinkled above and below, creating a magnificent scene. In the past, he would have considered it just a common everyday sight and never felt such appreciation.
FSA 151 – Title Without Number
“Are you feeling very upset because of what happened today?”
“Mm….”
Lee Hyun-muk, groaning softly, took a sip of coffee and was silent for a moment. He turned his gaze from the night view, looked back at Yohan, and said slowly, but firmly.
“It’s okay if you treat me or the team members like this. We’re already used to it. But when it comes to you, Yohan, it’s not allowed. Absolutely not…”
Yohan thought again about why Lee Hyun-muk had demanded he hide the fact that he was a Purifier. To be accustomed to such things, how much unfair treatment must he have endured? His heart aching, Yohan fiddled with the warm coffee cup and made a promise.
“No matter what happens from now on, I won’t go alone. I’ll always stick close to someone, and I’ll always act as safely as possible.”
“You’re already doing that sufficiently.”
Lee Hyun-muk said, gazing with shadowed eyes. Because his lover was such a kind and good person, Yohan’s eyes welled up a little. He couldn’t even imagine how hard everyone had been struggling even before falling into the Abyss. However, instead of hastily pitying the other person, he requested.
“I’m the type of person who can’t even go into haunted houses well, so today was a bit difficult. So, please hug me. I need comfort.”
Lee Hyun-muk, understanding Yohan’s intention, smiled. He opened his arms and pulled his precious Lamb into an embrace.
“It was just bothersome before anyway, and it was manageable enough to tolerate, so don’t worry too much about it.”
The kind man gently stroked his back with his hand. Yohan hugged Lee Hyun-muk with all his might. Wishing for the other’s empty void to be filled, and for his own light to be contained within it, he sent out his light. Light Particles scattered like a Milky Way across the exceptionally dark terrace shadow.
“Hoo…”
After some time passed like that, Lee Hyun-muk slowly took a breath. Like the tension releasing from a rubber band stretched to its breaking point, the unsettling shadow that had spread across the floor also faded. He said in a voice tinged with laughter.
“Right, this time you’re here too, so I can’t just stand by. My Lamb is weak and soft.”
I’m a High-level Awakened, you know… When he was with Lee Hyun-muk and the team members, who protected him so fiercely, Yohan always felt like he was a civilian or a Low-rank Awakened. But he knew well what he meant to them, so he didn’t feel frustrated. He simply did the best he could in his position.
“The contact I was waiting for has arrived, coincidentally.”
Lee Hyun-muk, who had received a vibration on his phone and checked it, smiled faintly. It was a message from Joo Ho-young.
“Why aren’t these bastards answering their phones…”
Park Seung-min muttered irritably, but the contact he was waiting for still hadn’t come.
Recently, Park Seung-min, who had been suffering from anxiety due to his abilities, noticed an interesting message. It was from Kim Hyun-woo, the mercenary team leader, who had heard the news of his becoming a High-rank Purifier. Upon seeing that message, Park Seung-min had a good idea and immediately called.
‘Hyun-woo hyung-nim, how are you? So many places have been contacting me lately that I didn’t even realize you had reached out?’
After starting with pleasantries, Park Seung-min subtly broached the subject.
‘Actually, I had something to tell you hyung-nims. Do you remember Yang Yohan? You saw him escape the Abyss too, right?’
Park Seung-min made Kim Hyun-woo anxious by suggesting Yang Yohan was preparing to report them. He was already wanting to deal with Yang Yohan but was worried about the Sun Guild, so he greatly incited the villain.
‘When I talked to him, he said he has no memory of before falling into the Abyss, but I’m sure he’s lying to make us feel at ease. He seems to have evidence too… The Sun Guild? Don’t worry. He’s just a Low-grade Dealer, how much of a concern can he be?’
Finally, Park Seung-min drove a wedge into Kim Hyun-woo’s conflict.
‘Anyway, that’s how it is. Oh, right… I’ll purify you hyung-nims once later for your ‘trouble’.’
The ambiguously phrased offer was no different from asking him to deal with Yang Yohan. Above all, Kim Hyun-woo readily agreed to the enticing reward. For him, the connections of a High-rank Purifier were extremely useful. Park Seung-min waited for good news.
But for some reason, instead of good news, there was complete silence. Frustrated, Park Seung-min tried to call, but no one answered. At this point, something felt strange. Very strange indeed. Yang Yohan was even entering and leaving the guild as if nothing had happened.
‘Why the hell are these guys going silent?’
He thought something might have gone wrong, but he tried to deny it. He reasoned that they were just having a bit of trouble dealing with the Sun Guild involved, and spent his time anxiously. That day too, Park Seung-min was no exception, waking up sleep-deprived after suffering from nightmares. He couldn’t bear to lose his abilities, and even trying to sleep was futile, leaving him in a very low mood.
“When is my purification power going to recover…”
Shouldn’t he have not purified Jeong Si-young? Was it possible that something like Corruption had transferred and caused side effects? With such anxieties, he had no appetite, so Park Seung-min picked at the breakfast his secretary had prepared and opened his phone. Then, he saw that all the news portals were covered with the same headline.
[Breaking News] Shocking Accusation: Minister Lee Seong-ho, Heinous Contract Killing… Prosecution Requests Arrest Warrant
“…Minister Lee Seong-ho?”
It was a familiar name. He was the Minister he had treated for mild Corruption last month. Intrigued, Park Seung-min clicked on it.
[This morning, a netizen with the nickname ‘Yuma44’ successively released shocking videos on various popular portals and communities. It is a video record of a Rift conquest where a mercenary team discusses the contract killing of Minister Lee Seong-ho. Minister Lee Seong-ho immediately and vehemently denied it as fabricated footage.
However, a netizen claiming to be the victim’s family has announced plans to release additional evidence videos, and the controversy is expected to escalate further. Meanwhile, Minister Lee Seong-ho was a former Director of the Rift Management Agency and has three prior convictions related to assault and altercations…]
Contract killing, Rift conquest video, mercenary team. A sense of déjà vu struck Park Seung-min, and he found and played the video. His eyes widened. He saw familiar faces in the video. It was Team Leader Kim Hyun-woo and his team members.
‘Fuck, no wonder they weren’t answering!’
There was a bigger problem. Park Seung-min read a few more news articles before nervously biting his lip.
“Could it be that there’s a video record of Yang Yohan too…?”
Why would these crazy bastards leave video records while committing such acts? Not realizing it was a means for contract killers to survive, Park Seung-min paced the room. He considered calling again but was too afraid of leaving any trace of communication, so he didn’t.
Park Seung-min stayed home that day, not going to the guild, and spent the entire day searching for news. This contract killing exposé gradually grew larger. That day, additional videos were immediately released, clearly showing the victim being murdered in a Rift. Kim Hyun-woo was immediately issued a nationwide warrant.
“Shit! I’m going crazy!”
Park Seung-min, suffering from extreme stress, hyperventilated and gasped for breath. He drank water, hid under his blanket, and was tormented by anxious delusions. What if the evidence videos owned by Kim Hyun-woo were confiscated the moment he was arrested? What if my video was among them… Park Seung-min muttered desperately.
“I-it’s okay. I’m a High-rank Purifier. Even if evidence videos surface, the government will… they’ll block it themselves…”
Besides, if you think about it, didn’t Yang Yohan himself say he had no memory? So, in any case, wasn’t it because he didn’t want to escalate things as much as possible? He tried his best to think positively. However, Park Seung-min’s misfortune did not end there.
[The True Face of a High-rank Purifier… ‘I Really Wanted to Die’ Victim Accuses of School Bullying]
Reading it, it was about a victim whose name he couldn’t even remember from middle school, claiming he was bullied by him. Park Seung-min became enraged like a madman at the article’s content.
“This bastard, if you had a problem, you should have confronted me then! Why are you making a fuss now!”
He had only borrowed some money and played a few pranks, but to call that school bullying felt incredibly unfair. As soon as the article broke, the Sunrise Guild contacted him immediately. Annoyed, he ignored them, but his secretary came to beg him to apologize.
“Public opinion is really not good, Awakened Park Seung-min. Please, I beg you. Contact the victim and apologize just once.”
“Why should I apologize to that guy! And aren’t you getting paid to handle this kind of thing! You incompetent bastard!”
His anger boiling over, Park Seung-min grabbed the secretary by the face, making it pale with humiliation, and berated him. After causing a scene for a long time, he finally posted a handwritten apology. He claimed he deeply regretted his childish actions and was willing to meet the victim and compensate him anytime… While apologizing, he made excuses and pleaded his innocence.
Then, this time, the victim refused compensation. He cursed, asking how much more money they wanted to extort. Why should a High-rank Purifier like himself be in such an unreasonable situation? When he was about to go find Go Jae-won, who was hiding and not showing himself at the Sunrise Guild, wondering why no one could properly resolve these issues, the government found him. Surprisingly, Minister Hwang Young-chul himself came.