By Zephyria Short
Around the time the crimson sunset was fading and a bluish night sky was approaching.
J, perched crookedly on the outdoor staircase of the Awakened Management Bureau headquarters, was unusually looking at the ranking list provided by the System. Each time he swept his hand upwards through the air, the names on the ranking list updated rapidly.
“He might not recover his vocal cords. Hmm, or he might have forgotten how to write.”
‘…She’s right.’
Ga-young’s opinion was valid. In truth, the boy’s injuries were not the kind that could be easily healed. It was miraculous enough that he had survived this long after detoxifying the Poison.
Even with treatment, it was entirely possible he might never speak again for the rest of his life, or even lose his sight. The best scenario would be for the boy to tell his name himself, but…
Most of what J wished for had never come true until now.
‘I should at least roughly decide on some name candidates.’
Things like phone books or graduation albums had long since been swept away and lost on the Day of the Rift, the number of names he could remember was extremely small, and the barely restored internet was incomparably slower than before. But was the System’s ranking list any help?
J rested his chin crookedly on his hand and scanned the newly updated list.
Baekdusanhorangi
Yeonggwangbulpae
Beoseokeo
Yeongungbonsaek
‘Nothing helpful…’
Why did these Hunters love their Hunter names so much? It was utterly incomprehensible. Wouldn’t it be better to use their real names, like Jung-bin or Auntie? J, a leading figure and vanguard of Hunter names, lamented. Just then, the sound of regular footsteps approached.
“So this is where you were, J-nim.”
“You’re here?”
Jung-bin was wearing black combat clothes similar to J’s. It seemed he had been off catching an Awakened somewhere again. Jung-bin bowed his head with an apologetic expression.
“I’m the one who asked to meet, and yet I’m late… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Looks like you caught another bad guy; what was it this time?”
“Ah, I apprehended a mental-type Awakened who was threatening civilians.”
After J shuffled over and stuck himself to the wall, he tapped the spot beside him. Jung-bin hesitated for a moment before taking a seat next to him. With two adult men sitting side-by-side, it felt somewhat cramped. J closed the System window and interlaced his fingers.
“So, why did you say you wanted to see me? Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Ahem. Jung-bin cleared his throat and spoke.
“You may have already received the report… Are you aware that a Rift has appeared off the West Coast?”
“I saw it on the Rift list. It seemed like the Incheon branch could handle it themselves… It’s not a Grade 5, is it?”
“Correct. However…”
Jung-bin rubbed his chin as he answered.
“Because the Rift appeared over the sea, they deliberately sent in highly skilled Hunters, but they still haven’t heard anything back.”
“How long ago did they enter?”
“Eighteen days have passed since entry.”
“……”
The motion of rubbing his fingers stopped. A Grade 5 Rift. With a sufficient team, it’s a difficulty level that can usually be cleared within a week. Even if some accident occurred, it was extremely rare for it to take more than a week. But it hadn’t been a week; it had been eighteen days.
Rubbing his chin, Jung-bin continued.
“They deployed additional personnel after 14 days had passed…, but I’m told they’ve also lost contact.”
Something had clearly happened. J leaned his upper body forward and rested his interlaced hands near the mouth of his mask. Tension seeped into his modulated voice.
“…And Auntie?”
“Hunter Park Hye-kyung hasn’t entered yet. She is, after all, one of the people managing the Incheon branch.”
“……”
“But if things continue like this, not only Hunter Park Hye-kyung but…”
Jung-bin trailed off. They both knew well what words would follow next. The weight of those words, too. Knowing Jung-bin, he would feel guilty even uttering them.
J cut him off.
“That’s enough.”
“…Yes.”
Jung-bin hung his head deeply. Silence flowed. J watched the streetlights turning on one by one, then stood up from his seat with an deliberately exaggerated motion. He put his hands behind his neck and turned his head.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“……”
“Well, at least I can prepare.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?… Don’t just dig holes for no reason. If you have time, think of a name instead.”
“A name?”
“Hmm, a boy’s name.”
Jung-bin’s head shot up. His face, which had been filled with guilt just moments before, was now colored with astonishment.
“…Are you perhaps planning to have a child? No, aren’t you still too young for that?”
J also looked at Jung-bin with a shocked face. Of course, it wasn’t visible because of the mask. Jung-bin flusteredly continued his sentence.
“No wonder I heard rumors recently that J-nim has been visiting somewhere consistently… W-well, if both parties are willing, I can’t really stop you, but…”
“Ah, what the hell is this nonsense?”
“Have you told Hunter Park Hye-kyung about this…!”
Whack! A crisp impact sound rang out. That day, J hit an S-rank for the first time in his life.
He was sturdy.
As always, good days are short. Misfortune is long.
J stood in front of the Director’s office with measured steps. Knock, knock. After two raps, he opened the door to reveal a spacious room.
Behind a heavy brown desk sat a middle-aged woman with neatly cut short hair that didn’t cover her neck, and an impression like a fierce bird of prey. A black nameplate shone under the fluorescent light.
‘Awakened Management Bureau Director Ham Seok-jeong.’
Ham Seok-jeong gestured.
“You’re here. Sit down.”
Ham Seok-jeong slightly pushed up her glasses and pressed firmly between her eyebrows. Her face was full of unerasable fatigue. J sat on the sofa and scanned the documents placed on the table. They were papers containing the personal details of Hunters affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau, or unaffiliated Hunters.
J gathered the documents and flipped through them one by one, checking their faces. Soon, his hand stopped. He had found Park Hye-kyung’s face among the ones he’d seen a few times.
“……”
Park Hye-kyung, 45 years old, A-rank Hunter affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau Incheon Branch. Above her confident smile was stamped a red mark.
‘Missing in Action.’
The edges of the document crumpled. Ham Seok-jeong, who had risen from her seat with a sigh, asked.
“Shall I get you something to drink? I have green tea and coffee.”
“So Auntie went in after all.”
“……”
Although the tone was sarcastic, Ham Seok-jeong stared at J with a puzzled face. She silently moved only her lips, sounding out the words. Missing in Action. No matter how many times she repeated it, nothing felt real. It felt like being robbed of a sense of reality. Like wandering in a dream…
J dropped the documents as if throwing them down. Uselessly gathered, the papers scattered haphazardly across the table.
“Well… it’s a Rift that appeared near the Incheon branch, so of course she would have gone in.”
“…Yes.”
“The headquarters sent additional personnel too.”
“They did.”
“But no one has been able to return.”
“…That’s right.”
“Are you okay?”
“Are you testing me?”
“Yes.”
She let out a long sigh. Ham Seok-jeong, sitting on the sofa opposite J, took off her glasses and covered her face with both hands. A heavy silence descended. Neither Ham Seok-jeong nor J spoke first.
How much time passed like that? J sees another familiar face among the scattered documents. It’s a rookie Hunter he’s encountered a few times in Rifts. J chewed on his lip.
‘Missing in Action.’
He crossed his legs and leaned back against the sofa.
“What’s wrong, Director-nim.”
“……”
Missing in Action.
“You just have to give the order.”
Missing in Action.
“You’re the only one I can trust, you’re our last bastion.”
Missing in Action.
“So, tell me to enter the Rift.”
Missing in Action.
“To go die in there—”
Ham Seok-jeong raised her head like a bolt of lightning. Her eyes were wide open as if she’d seen a ghost. Only then did J see that the area around her eyes was a mess, swollen and red. Ah. J let out a short sigh.
He regrets it belatedly. I should have looked at her face first. If only we’d had a light conversation like usual. The back of his neck feels cold. Ever since he saw the ‘Missing in Action’ stamp on Auntie’s photo,
‘From where…’
J clenched his fist. He gulped down saliva.
‘Did it go wrong?’
Words once spoken cannot be taken back.
After fleeing the Director’s office, when he came to his senses a bit, he was in front of a familiar hospital room door. He didn’t know how he got here. J thumped his forehead against the cold door.
Should I tell that kid that I’m entering a Rift?
J erased the question that suddenly popped into his head. No. Entering Rifts is as routine as eating meals; there’s no need to make a big deal about it now. It probably won’t take that long to come out either.
It’s a simple matter of rescuing people and killing the Master of the Rift. Just like it’s always been. Of course, it’s a bit different this time because the rescue targets are Hunters.
It’s a bit different because I have to save Auntie.
Missing in Action.
‘……’
He clenched his fist tightly. He was seized by an impulse to smash something. A feeling like his insides were burning.
Missing in Action.
‘If I’m going to die…’
Missing in Action.
‘Rather, in the Rift…’
Just then, a rustling sound caught his ear. A sound coming from inside the hospital room. J instinctively yanked the door open. And his eyes widened.
The boy swathed in bandages was moving his body as if trying to get up from the bed. With weak arms, he was detaching the lines connected to his body, struggling to move himself into a sitting position.
Ghk, ghk… But it seemed it was still too much for him, as a rough coughing sound burst forth. The boy hurriedly covered his mouth, then curled his body into a round ball, his shoulders shaking. It smelled of blood. Dark red blood showed between the fingers covering his mouth. J rushed over and wrapped his arms around the boy’s shoulders.
“Hey, why are you trying to get up!”
“……”
“Why…!”
J, who was about to shout loudly, froze on the spot. A blood-stained hand desperately clutched the hem of J’s clothes. Soon, the rough bandages touching his nape, and the warmth felt beyond them…
Human warmth.
J gritted his teeth. He didn’t know how to refuse this warmth. So he could only helplessly hold on.