By Zephyria “Did he go over?”
It was a voice so small it was almost ASMR. Even considering ventriloquism, it was faint. It was something he could do because he trusted the hearing of the S-class guy right next to him. Sa-young, sitting cross-legged next to him, replied just loud enough for Eui-jae to hear.
“Yeah, well. He said he was saving someone, so what can I say?”
“Good for him.”
“Well, he’ll have to pay a fine, though.”
“…There’s a fine too?”
“Hunters only listen when there’s a penalty.”
Indeed, Sa-young was right. Controlling Hunters with power and ability required strong restraints, the law. Ostensibly, Lee Sa-young was at the center of this commotion, so he would be the one to face the consequences. Eui-jae deliberately groaned.
“Hiding the registration itself is out of the question now.”
The best plan was to quietly slip by without even being detected, but thanks to being caught up in the sudden Rift, the plan and everything else went up in smoke. Eui-jae muttered.
“Is Min-gi Seo really able to modify the grade?”
“Well, if he can’t do that… there’s no point in taking his money.”
At Sa-young’s reply, he recalled Min-gi’s last appearance.
Just before the Rift disappeared, Min-gi Seo paced anxiously before suddenly leaping into Eui-jae’s shadow. Before he could even ask what he was doing, the head popped back out of the shadow to explain.
“I’m currently supposed to be in a Jongno 3-ga Dungeon with the Vice Guild Leader. It’ll be a disaster if I’m seen. I’ll get mobbed. My lifespan might increase by 20 years from all the cursing, though?”
“Hey, I’m not supposed to be here either, you know?”
“It’s okay, customer. You can just say you just Awakened and came here for a bit. By the way, what grade did you get?”
“I’m screwed.”
“I figured. The computer probably got caught up in this too. Then it’ll be easier.”
“You’re going to use that last resort thing?”
“That’s right.”
Min-gi’s head moved up and down.
“It’s not just that the computer is broken, so everything’s okay. The records will still be online. As soon as it’s measured, it goes to the Awakened Management Bureau data center. Thanks to the Rift opening at the right time, no one will have thought to look at it, so if we manipulate that quickly, it’ll be resolved.”
“Are you sure that manipulating it is really no big deal?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll take responsibility and make you a D-grade Awakened. Well, I’m off then!”
He gave a thumbs up and slowly sank into the shadow with a confident guarantee. Like a scene from the movie TerXinator…. Eui-jae chuckled, recalling that last image.
‘Are there only crazy people in the Wave Guild….’
Starting with the Guild Leader Lee Sa-young right next to him, he was a strange guy, so it was plausible. Anyway, he had no idea how long he would have to lie here like this. He was going to get up slowly when Jung-bin and Yang Hye-jin disappeared, but the incident seemed to have grown bigger than he thought, and the number of people only increased. Additional ambulances arrived, and the siren grew louder.
Several people approached, but upon confirming who was next to him, they all failed to come closer than a certain distance. Eui-jae realized that the Lee Sa-young ZONE could be useful.
“Hey.”
“Lee Sa-young.”
To give his own name instead of answering when called. Was he asking to be called by his name? He opened his eyes and looked at him as much as the angle allowed, but he couldn’t see his expression because he was wearing a Gas mask.
“…Yeah, Lee Sa-young.”
“Yeah.”
Sa-young replied casually. He could hear the sound of tapping on the screen, so he seemed to be using his phone. Eui-jae muttered, still with his eyes closed.
“Jung-bin still doesn’t look like he’s leaving?”
Sa-young dragged out the end of his words, saying, “Uhm, he’ll be here until dawn today…. It’s a bigger problem than I thought.”
It was the worst news. Shit. It was when Eui-jae muttered a small curse. On the back of Eui-jae’s neck, where others couldn’t see, he felt the cold sensation of leather. He flinched more than he thought he would, rationalizing that it was because all his senses were heightened after the battle.
“Does it hurt?”
“What?”
A gloved finger groped his neck and delved into his hair. A strange sensation ran down his spine. If he shook his head and brushed it off, it would immediately attract the attention of Jung-bin and Yang Hye-jin. Eui-jae gritted his teeth and muttered.
“What are you doing.”
“You’re sweating.”
“Leave it. I’ll be fine soon.”
“……”
Something touched Eui-jae’s head. It seemed Lee Sa-young was leaning his head on him. The fingers were still gently ruffling through his hair. Was he stroking it? Eui-jae was confused. Why was this guy suddenly doing this?
He couldn’t figure out Lee Sa-young’s actions at all. He acted skillfully and shrewdly, then like a child, teasing people and then suddenly backing away….
“You know you’re really like a crazy bastard, Hyung.”
Scratch that, he knew. There was no need to think complicatedly, this guy was just a son of a bitch. Eui-jae slyly opened one eye. He didn’t want to hear such a dishonorable thing from a crazy bastard among crazy bastards.
“Are you picking a fight?”
“You’re also a damn good liar.”
“Service jobs live by lying.”
“How did you come up with this excuse?”
“Don’t try to dig it up. You’ll get hurt if you know.”
Sa-young chuckled softly. The fingers ruffling his hair moved even more gently. Perhaps it was because he was quite tense. For the first time in a long time, sleepiness washed over him.
“You’re really suspicious, Hyung.”
“What if I am suspicious…. You’ve already signed a contract with me.”
“That’s right. Why did I sign a contract with you? With such a suspicious person….”
The fingers tapped his neck. Eui-jae was about to close his eyes, smelling the sweet scent coming from Sa-young…
‘This crazy bastard.’
He thought of the Hanover Soup Restaurant.
His fading mind snapped back to attention. Eui-jae’s body stiffened and straightened up. Sa-young seemed to have noticed his change, stopping his hand from ruffling his hair. Eui-jae muttered seriously.
“Lee Sa-young.”
“Yeah? What is it.”
The two were currently in the back seat of an ambulance. The paramedics were busy taking care of other survivors, and no one approached this ambulance because of Lee Sa-young.
“Do you know how to drive?”
“…What?”
“I’ve been living a busy life, so I haven’t gotten a license. Do you have a license?”
Eui-jae gestured to the steering wheel, and Lee Sa-young, who had been blinking for a moment, laughed in disbelief.
“See, you’re a crazy bastard.”
After that, it was smooth sailing. Well, to say it was smooth sailing, there were quite a few incidents, but as a result, they succeeded in arriving at the Hanover Soup Restaurant on time, so it was smooth sailing according to Eui-jae’s standards.
Unfortunately, Lee Sa-young didn’t have a license either, and it was quite a distance to run from the Gwangjin-gu Office to the Hanover Soup Restaurant. The roads around here were all paralyzed, so catching a taxi wouldn’t be of much help anyway. Eui-jae seriously considered whether he should hijack the ambulance after all.
Lee Sa-young, who had been groaning until just before, was curiously watching Eui-jae, who was planning how to get to the Hanover Soup Restaurant no matter what.
“Do we have to go no matter what?”
“Yeah, no matter what.”
“That’s an obsession.”
“Don’t talk nonsense and think about it too.”
“Well…. It’s not like there’s no way.”
Sa-young, who had been propping up his chin and watching with interest, took something out of his Inventory and handed it to Eui-jae. It was a crumpled piece of A4 paper.
“…Trash?”
“Trash? That’s harsh, it’s Hong Ye-seong’s masterpiece. Read the description first.”
[The Artisan’s Emergency Escape Button Prototype (S-)
Tear this to move to the desired location. However, it cannot be used inside Rifts and Dungeons, and it is disposable.
Creator: Hong Ye-seong]
…Crazy. What kind of item is this? But why is it shaped like A4 paper when the name is Button? When Eui-jae asked, Sa-young shrugged.
“He said he made it look like trash so Jung-bin wouldn’t take it.”
What kind of reason is that to make an item like this? The questions in Eui-jae’s head only grew bigger, but anyway, its existence was great news. Eui-jae grabbed Sa-young’s arm with his right hand and held the escape button with his left. And he immediately bit the paper in his mouth and tore it in half.
Along with the sensation of being swept away somewhere, the noisy sounds faded away.
A moment later, before he even opened his eyes, Eui-jae’s eyes snapped open at the familiar smell lingering at the tip of his nose. The words that it was Hong Ye-seong’s masterpiece were not a lie.
“The world has everything.”
“I told you it’s not trash.”
“Ah, broth!”
Eui-jae quickly put aside his gratitude for the paper button that had sent him to the Hanover Soup Restaurant in a few seconds and ran straight to the kitchen.