By Zephyria “…So.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s summarize what I’ve heard so far.”
“Okay.”
“Ga-eul entered the Invasion Dungeon to find a Fragment, and Hong Ye-seong, who suddenly disappeared, entered with Ga-eul for some reason.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“For reasons unknown, the Dungeon restructured, and in the process, I ran into you, and when I was protecting you from the Dungeon’s Master and fainted, J suddenly appeared and took care of the Golem in one shot?”
Crunch, crunch.
“That’s exactly it.”
“J came back… and told you to tell me? J himself?”
“Good comprehension. Wow, J is really strong. As expected of Ranker number 1. He pierced that huge Golem in one shot, wow.”
“Cluck-cluck.”
“…Am I supposed to believe that?”
“What can I do if it’s true? I’ll be sad if you don’t believe me even when I tell the truth.”
“Hoo….”
A deep sigh, as if the ground was sinking, escaped. The sigh came from Jung-bin, who was sitting on the hospital bed wrapped in bandages.
Around the bed were fruit baskets, flower baskets, and boxes of health drinks. A pink ribbon with a message wishing for a speedy recovery fluttered in the breeze coming through the open window.
He rubbed his forehead with his relatively intact left hand and muttered.
“How did the story of me collapsing spread?”
“Hmm, Ranker Chat? But the story only circulated in channel 1. It was sent by HB Guild, Wave Guild, Samra Guild, all these big names.”
“……”
“Where are secrets in the information powerhouse that is South Korea, civil servant?”
On the bed next to Jung-bin, who was staring blankly at the white ceiling, Hong Ye-seong, dressed in a patient gown, was munching on a red apple. Cluck was curled up in a ball at the head of his bed. He looked much cleaner than Jung-bin.
One seriously ill patient, one slightly ill patient, and a chicken were lying in the Seowon Guild’s infirmary. It was a cozy and secretive space that only those authorized by Guild Master Nam Woo-jin could enter, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. After all, Nam Woo-jin would be coming to hear the details soon.
The problem was that Jung-bin knew nothing about the current situation. The last sensation left in his head was a huge fist flying towards him and a terrible pain that felt like his body was breaking, and when he opened his eyes, he could only see the white ceiling of the Seowon Guild.
Just as he was blinking his stiff eyelids, having barely regained consciousness, he turned his head towards the presence of someone, and Hong Ye-seong, the very person who made him want to run away, was sitting right there.
Before Jung-bin could say anything, Hong Ye-seong shamelessly and kindly pressed the call bell. And immediately, Marionette arrived and dragged Jung-bin’s bed to the examination room.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Jung-bin thought as he was connected to all sorts of machines and IV drips. He grabbed Hong Ye-seong, who had barely escaped the endless tests, and grilled him about everything. He needed even a little more information.
But he wasn’t very helpful, and the many words that Hong Ye-seong and Cluck babbled could be summarized in one sentence.
‘But then J appeared, huh….’
Is this some kind of master key treatment? Do they think everything will be solved if they just bring up J? Of course, that was mostly the case before the West Sea Rift, but not anymore.
He was tired. Hong Ye-seong was draining his mental strength just by existing. Jung-bin, even with a dizzy head, displayed his civil servant spirit.
“First of all… please don’t touch the gifts that came for me, I have to return them. You can eat the ones from the Awakened Management Bureau.”
“Huh, are there still price limits on gifts?”
“Yes, it’s against the law. It’s never good to be indebted to Guilds or Hunters… it’s best not to receive them at all.”
“That’s so lame.”
“Yes, don’t become a civil servant. It’s an extreme job where you have to clean up after Hong Ye-seong with a tattered body.”
Jung-bin, who answered gently, started typing something quickly on his phone with his left hand. It was a message to the security team, who were still on emergency duty. Hong Ye-seong, who wiped his hands with a wet tissue, grumbled.
“Did you just insult me?”
“Your senses have gotten sharper. That’s right.”
It was the moment Hong Ye-seong pouted his lips to start complaining in earnest.
Knock, knock. A regular knocking sound rang out. The white sliding door opened smoothly, and a man in a white gown walked in silently.
“You seem to be doing well, chattering away. That’s a relief. I was surprised when a corpse was carried in.”
It was Nam Woo-jin. He pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms. Jung-bin groaned softly and sat up straight.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Stay lying down. The treatment is over, but you should rest more. If it weren’t for the Chain, even my ability would have had a hard time restoring you.”
His stark white eyes turned to the right arm in a cast. Jung-bin smiled bitterly.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Okay….”
Nam Woo-jin rubbed the back of his neck and sighed softly.
“I can’t help but hear the story. I received a formal report from Lee Sa-young. A sudden Dungeon Restructuring occurred in the Invasion Dungeon, and the Dungeon’s grade was raised to S+ class. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You don’t know the cause of the Restructuring?”
“Not yet.”
“It was because of J, though.”
“…What?”
“Huh?”
Jung-bin and Nam Woo-jin stared at Hong Ye-seong with wide eyes. But the person who dropped the bombshell was busy peeling an orange.
“J said so. He said the Dungeon Restructuring seemed to have happened because of him, but he doesn’t know the reason yet. Until he finds out the reason, he’ll only appear when absolutely necessary without any external activities. Like this Dungeon.”
“……”
His voice was calmer than expected, so it didn’t seem like a joke. And the J that Jung-bin knew was someone who would say something like that. Nam Woo-jin muttered.
“J actually appeared. Not some System error, but he actually survived and escaped from the West Sea Rift.”
Jung-bin glanced at Nam Woo-jin, who was lost in thought. A strange heat flickered in his stark white eyes as he stroked his lips and stared into space. Even though he had already lost the light in his eyes and head, his thirst for knowledge was endless. At this rate, it seemed like he wouldn’t be satisfied even if he burned himself completely.
Jung-bin deliberately coughed roughly. Cough, cough, his shoulders shook, and white eyes turned to him. Fortunately, the strange heat that had been present for a moment quickly subsided, and concern for the patient took its place.
“What’s wrong, is the room temperature a bit low?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s perfect.”
“Okay…. I’ll contact Ham Seok-jeong. Don’t even think about going out until your right arm is fully healed.”
Nam Woo-jin, who had laid down the law, fluttered his gown and left the room. Jung-bin rubbed his mouth and quietly caught his breath. The weather outside the window was surprisingly clear. Jung-bin, who was staring blankly at the warm sunlight and the leaves shining in a light green color, opened his mouth.
“Hong Ye-seong.”
“Yeah?”
“How was he? J.”
Hong Ye-seong’s eyes widened. Jung-bin muttered.
“Did he look okay? Was he hurt anywhere?”
What was J like in Jung-bin’s memory? Too much time had accumulated since their last meeting, so it wasn’t clear.
Back then, everyone was on edge. Just surviving was a struggle. They would just exchange glances when they happened to pass each other.
No, there was also a day when he gave him a cigarette. There was also a day when he seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe. J was also a person.
Hong Ye-seong silently peeled a clean orange in half and held it out. Jung-bin stared at the fruit with wide eyes.
Only when he held it out a few times as if telling him to take it quickly did he finally accept it, and Hong Ye-seong grinned.
“He looked okay.”
“……”
“He was smiling after breaking the Golem, like. I was a little scared.”
“…Is that so.”
Only then did Jung-bin give a faint smile. He clumsily tore off a piece of orange with one hand and put it in his mouth. His soft face twisted subtly.
“…Hmm, it’s sour.”
“I gave it to you because it’s sour.”
“……”
Cluck. Cluck let out a long cry. It sounded like a laugh, or maybe a sneer.
One day before Jung-bin and Hong Ye-seong were hospitalized, the entrance to the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon.
Thud, hiking boots trembling uncontrollably left the Dungeon entrance and stepped onto the ground. The hiking boots were covered in dirt, white ash, and bloodstains, all mixed up messily. The owner of the hiking boots broke the quiet dawn air and spat out in a voice trembling like a goat.
“It’s… heavy.”
Hong Ye-seong, who was holding Jung-bin like a princess, made a crying face. His arm was broken, so he couldn’t carry him on his back, and he couldn’t wrap the person who had collapsed while protecting them in a mat, so the only thing left to do was to hold him. Lee Sa-young quickly passed by Hong Ye-seong, who was trembling like a newborn calf.
“Endure it.”
“Lee Sa-young, can’t you hold him?”
Sa-young, who turned around, twisted his lips.
“Well… if you want to see Jung-bin die, go ahead.”
“You son of a bitch.”
Hong Ye-seong made a crying face. Eui-jae, who was standing next to Sa-young, muttered with a troubled face.
“Should I hold him….”
“No.”
Lee Sa-young slightly moved his steps to block Eui-jae’s view.
“Hyung, don’t even think about meeting Nam Woo-jin.”
“Stop it, you crazy bastard.”
Eui-jae pushed Sa-young’s head away. The two people’s bickering seemed natural, as if they had been doing it for a long time. Ga-eul, who was watching the scene, carefully called out to Eui-jae.
“But… J.”
Eui-jae tilted his head and said, “Huh?” At the same time, Sa-young’s sharp gaze was also fixed on her. Ga-eul, who suddenly felt goosebumps, pretended to shake off the dirt on her pants and muttered with her head down.
“Well, it’s good to announce that J has returned… but what are you going to do about the Hanover Soup Restaurant?”
“Huh? Why the Hanover Soup Restaurant?”
“Well… if you’re going to work as J now, you can’t work at the Hanover Soup Restaurant anymore, right?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Eui-jae, who confidently put his hands behind his back, grinned.
“Hero J and Hanover Soup Restaurant part-timer Cha Eui-jae are different people. Right?”
The Great Hunter Era. Hunters who moonlight as models, actors, and even Dungeon ASMR YouTubers are everywhere these days.
Ranker number 1 also boldly declared a two-job career in line with the times. As a Hunter and a Hanover Soup Restaurant part-timer.