By Zephyria When the world was this chaotic, Yohan was anything but. He was peaceful. After purifying the Special Suppression Unit members, he was happily admiring the autograph he received from Jeong Si-young, displayed in a private trophy room specially prepared by Lee Hyun-muk.
“Heh heh.”
He had taken a picture of the autograph and shown it off to his family and Team Sun, but something felt missing. Was it because there was only one item displayed so far…? A moment later, Yohan realized the reason and ran to Lee Hyun-muk.
“Hyun-mook Hyung!”
“Why, Yohan-ah?”
Lee Hyun-muk, who was cleaning his weapons, replied kindly and gently, as always. A pair of gleaming spears were neatly placed on a rack. Each belonged to Lee Hyun-muk and Yohan. Now, Yohan could also carry his weapon with pride.
“Um… could you sign this for me?”
Yohan asked cautiously, his eyes sparkling.
“Hm? My autograph?”
Yohan smiled shyly. Even though he had Jeong Si-young’s autograph, the absence of Lee Hyun-muk’s felt profoundly empty. Chuckling, Lee Hyun-muk carefully signed the paper Yohan handed him. Below it, he wrote:
‘To my Lamb. I hope you are always happy.’
Yohan was deeply moved. He could never have imagined being in such a relationship with Lee Hyun-muk in the past. Yohan quickly hung Lee Hyun-muk’s signed copy in the most visible spot in the trophy room. Then, he returned to Lee Hyun-muk and gently snuggled into his embrace.
“I feel so good.”
“If you feel good, then I feel good too.”
Lee Hyun-muk replied warmly, pulling his lover into his arms. Yohan climbed a little higher, resting his head on Lee Hyun-muk’s neck, and raised his hand to count.
“Park Seung-min’s revenge is mostly done, Hwang Young-chul won’t be able to scheme anymore, Captain Jeong Si-young has been purified, the people at the Treatment and Custody Center have returned home, and from now on, I can purify without worrying….”
To Lee Hyun-muk, these were wonderfully innocent and happy reasons. He stroked Yohan’s smooth forehead as he chattered away. Lee Hyun-muk felt just as good as his lovely and cherished lover.
With the bothersome and annoying things dealt with to some extent, it would be peaceful for a while…
Even as he thought this, he felt a murmuring sound somewhere in his heart. But he ignored it. If things could continue like this, if they could keep living like this… Lee Hyun-muk didn’t care about anything else. Yohan, having finished counting, extended one finger again.
“Now, we just need to clean up the traces of the Flood, right?”
The sewer exploration was postponed for a while. Recently, the government, facing significant trouble due to the testimonies of Hwang Young-chul, Park Seung-min, and the inmates of the isolation facility, was fixated on the Gwacheon Cult incident. They were mobilizing all available personnel to scour every single sewer. Since it was related to the Flood, Yohan asked with concern,
“Shouldn’t I go and help, just in case?”
“They have Purifiers now, why would you need to?”
Lee Hyun-muk stated flatly. Like other Awakened of different classes, Purifiers, both intermediate and low-grade, were appearing one after another. Purifiers were even starting to emerge from foreign countries, bringing relief to many.
“More importantly, the government doesn’t want our intervention. Why should we go and help? Besides, it’s still in the search phase.”
Is that so? As Yohan hesitated, unable to reply, Lee Hyun-muk spoke gently.
“If they truly need help, they’ll ask us first. They’re not asking because they can handle it.”
Since Lee Hyun-muk said so, Yohan merely nodded. His trust in Lee Hyun-muk was immense; he would believe him even if he said soybeans were fermented into meju. Nevertheless, Yohan was still inwardly concerned, so Lee Hyun-muk naturally changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, the government has submitted a request to visit the Corrupted isolation facility. It’s possible starting next week.”
“Wow, really? That’s great!”
Yohan, who had been worried about the Severely Corrupted individuals confined in the government facility, was delighted. The government had not particularly wanted to ask the Sun Guild for help. They would have preferred to resolve it with other Purifiers. However, with public outcry and a barrage of complaints, they had no choice.
Since the Gwacheon incident, Yohan had received countless offers for contracts and purification requests, with substantial compensation. The government was among them. They had tried to persuade him to contribute to society as a High-rank Purifier, but naturally, Yohan had no intention of signing a contract with the government. He intended to stay with the Sun Guild until he died.
“Now that you mention it, the Guild has something to deliver to you.”
“For me?”
Lee Hyun-muk returned after leaving for a moment, holding a box in his hand. Yohan opened it with great curiosity and his eyes widened. Inside, it was filled with letters and all sorts of sheep-shaped items. Yohan asked, bewildered,
“What is all this?”
“These are from the people you purified.”
Yohan, surprised, peered into the box for a long time before carefully rustling through it and unfolding a letter. After reading a few letters, he was so moved that tears welled up. The sheep-shaped items were adorable, and the letters were simply touching.
While Yohan was engrossed in the letters, Lee Hyun-muk handled Guild matters. Ever since he revealed that his lover was a High-rank Purifier, how much they had bothered him from all sides…
But it was certainly worth throwing Park Seung-min out as the first scapegoat. It satisfied Yohan’s revenge and simultaneously created a good point of comparison.
With Park Seung-min as a precedent, they established the Treatment and Custody Center, purified the Severely Corrupted, and proved that contracting with the Sun Guild was better than with the government for High-rank Purifiers. Thanks to Park Seung-min’s excellent performance driven by his selfish nature, Yohan was able to reveal his identity with great public support and favor.
The Guild’s Public Relations team had already reported that a fan cafe for Yohan had been created. Lee Hyun-mook had checked it himself and found no major issues, but he decided to properly manage it before informing Yohan. It was then.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“My mood? I’m always fine, why?”
Lee Hyun-muk asked, puzzled by the unexpected question. Yohan hesitated and then said,
“You seemed to have been in a bad mood since the Yeouido broadcast incident last time.”
Actually, Yohan felt it had been longer than that, not just since then. Ever since emerging from the Abyss, Lee Hyun-muk’s madness hadn’t resurfaced, but Yohan would sometimes find himself on edge. Although his appearance and behavior seemed normal, he occasionally felt a dangerously intense aura. “Ah,” Lee Hyun-muk sighed softly and spoke honestly.
“It was because of people. Because of those who kept being greedy.”
Lee Hyun-muk smiled gently, but a flicker of disillusionment flashed in his eyes.
“Honestly, I don’t care about revenge. As long as you, and my people, are safe… I truly don’t care about that.”
Hearing this, Yohan felt immense pity for him and, at the same time, grew even more furious at Hwang Young-chul, who had driven this kind soul into hell. Especially since he had fled somewhere without paying his dues as soon as the arrest procedures began. Yohan embraced his lover with affection. Then, he patted his back somewhat awkwardly.
“Everything will be alright now.”
“…Yes, it will be alright. It has to be.”
Pat, pat. As he gently stroked Lee Hyun-muk’s white hair, Yohan, feeling a little uneasy because he was too quiet, cautiously asked,
“So, what are you thinking about right now?”
“I’m thinking that this is why one has a lover.”
As Yohan smiled brightly in the sweet atmosphere, the intercom rang. He went to answer it, and it was a call from the security office. Lee Hyun-muk asked, puzzled,
“What is it?”
― Hello, this is the security office. Yang Yohan-nim has a visitor. What should we do? The visitor is Awakened Park Seung-min.
Yohan blinked. Park Seung-min coming in person, but it wasn’t entirely surprising. As Lee Hyun-muk looked at him, asking what he would do, Yohan pondered for a moment and said,
“I’d like to meet him.”
* * *
The Sun Guild’s building was a mixed-use residential complex. It had ample parking underground, various convenience facilities on the first to fifth floors, and above that, residences provided for the Rift subjugation team. It was originally a building constructed by the Sunrise Guild as a welfare facility, but it was transferred entirely to the Sun Guild upon completion.
Park Seung-min was waiting in a private reception room on the first-floor lobby. As soon as Yohan entered, he lunged forward with a face full of rage. Startled, Yohan instinctively pushed him away, and Park Seung-min tumbled to the floor. Not expecting to be pushed away so easily, Park Seung-min looked up from the floor with a bewildered expression. Yohan was inwardly surprised but didn’t show it as he closed the door.
“You, you…!”
Yohan calmly looked down at Park Seung-min, who was trembling and pointing a finger, regardless of his words. He had lost weight from severe hardship and looked disheveled from head to toe. To the High-level Awakened Yohan, the Low-rank Awakened Park Seung-min posed no threat whatsoever. Realizing this, Park Seung-min, though choked with emotion, couldn’t charge at him again like before.