< Calm Down (1) >
“I will go as well.”
[Yes. I will go escort you.]
I ended the call to Kim Sunghan and immediately prepared to go out. When I left the house, the inside of my head was dizzy the whole time.
‘Not even one week has pa.s.sed, though.’
Could he have possibly not ended the attack normally, and had come out in the middle? If it was a situation where he had to use a gate stone, it was hard to think that he came out safely.
“Anyways, this brother b.a.s.t.a.r.d, really!”
Being like this, while you were nagging about this or that being dangerous or whatever to me? Do better yourself!
I went out and got into the car that was waiting. It took 30 minutes or more to get to the S-Rank dungeon Yoohyun had gone into even if the traffic wasn’t heavy.
“Was there no other news?”
At my words, Kim Sunghan took his gaze off his cell phone.
“The security camera in the gate room cannot verify immediately for security reasons. And if the dungeon’s rank versus the attack team’s combat power is similar to the minimum attack criteria, or does not reach it, you cannot approach nearby the gate. Especially the higher rank the Hunter is, right after the attack, or right after exiting, the harder it is to properly distinguish between friend and foe, so there are many cases where they attack, so hasty approach is completely forbidden.”
I also knew that. If unfamiliar guys, and Hunters who could be a threat at that, approached right after a fierce battle risking your life while you were incredibly sensitive, it was quite common for people to start off with swinging knives.
On top of that, this time it was an S-Rank Hunter and he had come out faster than the expected attack time period, so n.o.body would be able to think of approaching hastily.
“Still, don’t you have to check his status?”
Even while knowing the rule, I couldn’t help but let out sullen words. If Yoon Yoon was here, I would’ve been able to ask them to drop by.
“Whether it is an attack or an exit, once it is confirmed that a gate is activated, there should not be a big problem. And there are high rank potions prepared for any case in the gate room. Also, I personally think that the attack was successful. The headcount was low, but rather because of that, there would not have been anything hindering the way, and there was also a kiseungsu, was there not?”
…Then again, I did hear before that if there is a kiseungsu, the dungeon attack time could decrease up to half. The original expectation was ten days or more, so if it really was shortened to half, there was enough possibility that that they came out after finishing the attack.
Then it would be a relief. No, was that right? That meant they even caught the boss monster, so wouldn’t the probability of having suffered a serious injury be higher than exiting midway?
Seriously crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d. f.u.c.k, going around without taking care of his own body, in case people wouldn’t know it was the same b.a.s.t.a.r.d 5 years later or now.
We arrived at the dungeon building without any other news in particular. Suiting an S-Rank dungeon, the building was much bigger than the A-Rank dungeon last time. The surroundings were deserted, too. There were barely any signs of people on the road and I also saw stores that were out of business.
Unlike with mid to low rank dungeons, which rarely burst open and would quickly get handled even if a problem occurred, the house prices near high rank, especially S-Rank, dungeons shot down. There were no customers, so shops closed, and houses were used only as places to sleep because they were cheap.
Unlike the road, the front of the gate building was teeming with people. Going around, I saw Haeyeon Hunters who were on standby, and also people from the a.s.sociation’s side.
When I went toward the entrance as soon as I got out of the car, several blocked me.
“It is dangerous!”
“Please wait until there is contact from inside first.”
What do you meant wait longer? To squat down here and spend the night? I already stayed up the night about halfway.
Still, I did understand them blocking my way.
“Kim Sunghan-ssi, will you take the lead?”
“Yes. Please do not stand in front of me at any time.”
When the S-Rank defense Hunter said he would accompany me, there were no more people blocking. Though it could be that they couldn’t block.
The closed door was opened and we went inside. Like how the building was big, the hallway was long, too. It wasn’t that there were more facilities compared to a mid to low rank dungeon. It was layers of walls.
Maybe because of that, the air was really stifling, but while walking, my insides became more tightened. My mouth kept on opening and closing unconsciously, saying ‘wasn’t this being too cautious’.
Finally, the last door was opened, and the smell of blood rushed over. Han Yoohyun was standing in front of the blue tinted gate that had reached stabilization from the attack ending. Because of the backlight, his expression wasn’t very visible, but first of all, he was standing on both legs, so it seemed like there was no big injury.
I saw Peace too, next to him. He was in his adolescent size and when he met my eyes, he wagged his tail.
Really, these d.a.m.n guys.
“Han Yoohyun, you!”
“Hi, hyung. Did you come to meet me?”
“What coming to meet you! Because you weren’t thinking of crawling out-!”
And thinking of, why didn’t this punk come out, I briefly thought. Yoohyun’s face was properly visible. There was a long wound from the corner of his right eye to his ear. It was a precarious location that would’ve hurt even his eye if it had been a little closer to the inner side.
My hand unconsciously went toward the injury.
“Blood will get on your clothes like that.”
“Where did you sell off your potions to, so that you’re like this?”
“It’s not that big of a wound, and there’s also Peace so I saved them. There’s only one inventory, so just in case.”
“So why do such a reckless thing! Wait, a potion-.”
It was after I took out a potion and treated the wound, that I remembered that there was a healer on standby outside. Well, I wasn’t in any circ.u.mstances to save up potions now.
-Kkeueung, kking
Just then, Peace softly whined. When I looked down, Peace, who had turned into his juvenile size when I wasn’t looking, lifted up one front paw and showed it. On the back of the small front paw, there was a long wound.
This, s.h.i.t.
“Peace! I’m sorry my brother is a crazy guy. Innocent you suffered.”
I quickly held Peace and treated his front paw’s injury. Look how dirty his fur got. Clumps of blood were also tangled in here and there. On top of that, he was completely unenergetic, burrowing his head into my embrace.
“What is it, Peace?”
-Kkeuang
“Are you tired?”
“Rather than being tired, he’s probably sleepy.”
“Did you not properly slee, no, of course you couldn’t sleep. Since it was just the two of you.”
They couldn’t communicate with each other, so they had to keep a night watch and couldn’t sleep. I was clicking my tongue, when that Yoohyun’s voice spoke with a little bit of crankiness mixed in.
“I’m sleepy, too.”
“So why- no, let’s go out first. You look terrible, and it would be good to go and wash and sleep. There’s no other places you’re hurt?”
“Yeah, there aren’t.”
When I turned around soothing Peace, I saw Kim Sunghan with an ambiguous expression. He should’ve come inside, so when did he go back out?
“Guild Leader, so you are unharmed!”
“Did you finish the attack? Or-.”
As soon as we left the building, people gathered around… or well they didn’t, but tossed out questions from a distance. You would’ve thought a ferocious beast was dragged out of a cage. Our kid doesn’t bite. I was thinking it was fine, when one or two approached.
Haeyeon Guild members talked about being relieved and thankful, but the a.s.sociation side was different. At Kim Sunghan’s answer that it was indeed an attack, they stuck close, enthusiastically. It was as much as cutting down half the expected attack time for an S-Rank dungeon, so it was enough to lose control.
“Will you go over to the Hunter a.s.sociation right away? The higher ups are hoping to settle the affair as soon as possible and announce it.”
“If it becomes known that the management of S-Rank dungeons can be stabilized much more than previously, the people will be able to be even more relieved. Please, let us go, along with the kiseungsu as well.”
That was right, it was good news. But what more were you telling someone who couldn’t have slept for several days and suffered, to do? On top of that, they were going to drag along even Peace who was halfway asleep – were they crazy? If it was just one day late, would S-Rank dungeons burst open in a row?
“He cannot go right away, so please contact again tomorrow.”
Frustration mixed into my voice on its own. The a.s.sociation side’s man was taken aback.
“Excuse me? I mean, I was speaking to the Haeyeon Guild Leader. If you answer…”
“Do you not know that that kind of suggestion itself is disrespectful? Do you not understand the current situation? Or did someone with the t.i.tle of a Hunter, a Hunter a.s.sociation person, stay glued to a desk only looking at pieces of paper, without having gone into a dungeon once? Ah, you must have gone once for the novice training. If the a.s.sociation affiliated Hunter license around your neck is not one that you have won at a gambling place.”
Did they not know what it meant that just the two of them quickly cleared an S-Rank dungeon, really? Did they not have brains? The more I thought about it, the more I was angry, so my voice became higher and in my arms, Peace opened his eyes.
-Kkiang
“No, it’s nothing. You don’t have to worry.”
“We would not take up that much of your time-.”
-Keureureu
When the man came a little closer, Peace immediately bared his teeth. When he did, the man was startled and stepped back.
It seemed like he was really tired. He became sensitive. As I soothed Peace, I turned to look at Yoohyun, just in case.
“Were you thinking of going?”
“No, not at all.”
That’s right, of course he didn’t want to go. When even Yoohyun shook his head, the a.s.sociation people couldn’t stick to us any longer. Still, in case they would act annoying again, we quickly got into a car and left.
***
[-following, the shortening of Haeyeon Guild’s S-Rank dungeon attack this time is expected to give a positive affect to the phenomenon of avoiding the surroundings of high rank dungeons.]
Along with the calm voice of the 9 o’clock news anchor, the data screen that the Hunter a.s.sociation’s side sent filled the TV. The person directly involved in the attack had refused to cooperate, but it seemed like they had investigated in their own way and quickly announced it.
Han Yoohyun moderately listened to the news while sitting in an armchair. It was a story that wasn’t new or important. Then he suddenly took out from his inventory one of the items he got as attack rewards.
It was a long red oval egg that was about the size of three fingers. It faintly shone in the living room that was dark with the lights out.
[Red Egg – SSS-Rank]
Without any explanation, it was just that name and rank. The rank was high so it shouldn’t be a trivial item, but you couldn’t tell where to use it nor what method to use.
He briefly stared at the egg before putting it back in his inventory. Then he turned his gaze toward the long sofa.
On the sofa, his hyung was sleeping. The fur of the Horned Flame Lion who was in Han Yoojin’s arms was glossy. After washing Peace, he had sat down on the sofa with a tired face and bemoaned that he couldn’t sleep properly because of the newly arrived baby dragon, and after saying he would shut his eyes for a bit, pa.s.sed out.
He had asked to be woken up at 8 because he had to go back before Blue went to sleep, but it was already past 9. It wasn’t that he forgot. In the first place, he wasn’t planning on waking him up.
‘Even though it’d be fine if he was moderate about it.’
He went past putting in his sincerity to things he would only be looking after while they were babies anyways, to even holding it like that after finishing raising it. On top of that, if you looked at the difference in strength, it was like a cat licking a full grown tiger, saying it’s cute. It was something that Han Yoohyun couldn’t understand but at the same time, did.
His hyung was originally like that.
“Hyung is the weird one.”
He mumbled quietly, in a low voice. It was like that since they were young.
The brothers’ parents had quickly noticed that their second child was different from them. Of course, it wasn’t that they felt something clear. Discomfort, foreboding, or fear. It was a type of neurosis-like feeling like he wasn’t their own child even though he was.
If he was a complete stranger, then it would have ended with it being a little uncomfortable to face him. But at the truth that he was flesh and blood that they had to care for, he came like a horrifying nightmare to the parents who also felt guilt that they had such feelings toward their own child.
If there wasn’t anything else, they might have abandoned their second child. Even if they didn’t, they would have closed their eyes and blocked their ears, considering him as if he didn’t exist, as much as possible.
But the first child treated his younger brother like it was nothing. He took care of his younger brother instead of the parents who had fallen into chaos. At that sight, the parents also looked away from the first child. It was because they couldn’t handle that truth, which implied that it was they themselves, who were the parents, who had a problem. But if they considered both of them to be strange, then they could be at ease.
After deciding that, the parents actually became more comfortable. The couple was sharing the same feelings, the same sin, and became much closer to each other so that they lived happily like when they were newlyweds.
Han Yoohyun had astutely noticed that whole process. On the other hand, Han Yoojin didn’t pay much mind even though he thought they were a little unusual compared to other families. Parents who got along well, and a good younger brother who listened well. It was because he was satisfied with that.
If Han Yoojin had normally rejected his younger brother. If he had, then it wouldn’t have been a happy couple, but a happy family of three. He also might not have lost his parents in an accident. Since they wouldn’t have left their loving only son, who was at the height of having to focus on studying, for frequent trips.
If he grew up normally, went to college normally, and safely pa.s.sed the dungeon shock, he wouldn’t have had cause to look for an Awakening broker, and would’ve stayed as a normal student. He would’ve been just a little surprised after hearing of Han Yoohyun’s Awakening, and would’ve pa.s.sed over it like it was other people’s business.
Even while knowing that, he was holding on.
Han Yoohyun bitterly quirked his lips, while feeling a slight stinging guilt. There wasn’t anybody, not just him, who wouldn’t have found the purely given affection and care, pleasant. On top of that, if that was the sole source, you couldn’t help but clutch it even more.
“…So I have to hold back.”
He grumbled with a sigh mixed in.
He naturally didn’t like sharing what was his with others. It was a similar feeling to when parents suddenly said, ‘you have a sibling now, get along well’, and wholly presented everything to somebody else. On top of that, they were slowly increasing.
It was a frustrating situation. Still, he knew that he was the top priority, and that those hanger-ons were a help to Han Yoojin’s safety, so he was able to turn a blind eye to it somehow or the other.
Since it was better than when he couldn’t help but let go.
‘And it seems like there wasn’t much that happened while I was gone.’
He needed Peace for a quick attack, but he had purposely left Kim Sunghan here. Haeyeon’s other high rank Hunters were left as they were, and the unfortunately unskilled Bak Yerim. And Sung Hyunjae. With his nature, there was no reason he wouldn’t protect Han Yoojin, who he had judged to definitely be useful. Even if he had other motives, he would guarantee immediate safety.
Just then, the cell phone he had placed on the table rang softly. Han Yoohyun lifted his cell phone and checked the message. It was three photos without any other contents. The first photo was a hospital room.
“……This place is.”
A VIP room with cracks in the walls and the door broken. The smoothly curved eyebrows wrinkled in an instant. Continuing, the next photo was Han Yoojin. On the photo, the finger marks on his neck were clear. The last photo was also his hyung. With his clothes torn and bloodied like his chest was attacked by something.
Kwajik!
The cell phone in his grasp crumpled in an instant.