CH 35

After eating—even though I didn’t really need to eat—we went to the hospital, which was quieter than I thought. Baek Seon-woo, Baek Tae-beom’s younger brother, was lying down as if asleep. He surprisingly had no resemblance to Baek Tae-beom. With light brown hair, slender lines, a sickly look, and a pale appearance.

If it wasn’t for the oxygen respirator he was wearing or the machine that notified us at regular intervals that he was still breathing, I would have thought he was already dead. 

It was the first time I was seeing him in person like this, so I wasn’t able to speak. Baek Tae-beom smiled as if he was okay with me.

“Why do you look like that? Hyung.”

I wasn’t sure what kind of expression I was making. But it was clear that it wasn’t an ordinary expression. I sat down on a chair. Then, I looked up at Baek Tae-beom.

And asked.

It was a question that might seem presumptuous, but it was the thing I wanted to ask the most.

“Why do you like me?”

Baek Tae-beom was taken aback by the sudden question.

“Yes?”

I thought about our relationship step by step.

But there was nothing to think about. It was a one-sided relationship. No beginning, no end. That was the relationship I had formed. Baek Tae-beom expressed his affection for me and continued the relationship that should have simply ended with my death.

“You don’t act like this to others. Do you?

“…….”

“I know because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You’re sensitive about what happened to me, right? But we’ve only spent a few months together.”

Baek Tae-beom looked down at me with sunken eyes.

“It was enough time to become affectionate with me. But it wasn’t enough time for you to wait for me for two years. What I receive from you is so undeserved….”

“Hyung.”

Baek Tae-beom said slowly.

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

“Me?”

“I am the one who’s received too much.”

He bent down slowly.

“Why did Hyung treat me so well?”

“That–”

“Because you’re my constellation? Because I am your contractor? Is it really just that?”

As I turned my eyes away to avoid the familiar face that was getting closer, his words caught me.

“I don’t think so. And I think we’re just going back and forth. It’s not like I’m being nice to Hyung without much to it.”

“Tae-beom-ah.”

“Hyung doesn’t know. How dirty I really am.”

TL/N: ‘Dirty’ could also be seen as ‘dishonest’ or ‘guileful.’

Baek Tae-beom, who said that, seemed to be suppressing something.

“You said you have no idea why I like you?”

“…….”

“Hyung is a good person.”

And I couldn’t understand anymore.

Because I was never the type of person anyone would like. I couldn’t understand Baek Tae-beom.

The car ride on the way back was filled with silence, so I ended up only fiddling with my phone.

[<Breaking News> World’s first unmeasurable hunter appears]

[…The authorities will soon announce that the world’s first unmeasurable hunter has appeared. Reporter Chu Hye-yeon [email protected]]

<Comments>

[Unklio: What’s so special about an unmeasurable rating? Lol everyone is going crazy about all sorts of things.]

[Anonymous3365: If you see people shaking, it’s obvious that they’re below C-class LOL]

[Blue Moon: Still, wouldn’t it be more helpful for the development of our country’s economy? Let’s think positively.]

[Anonymous99042: If you see him hanging out with a criminal, you’d know what he is. I think he’s human garbage.]

I laughed at the comments under the article.

<Comments>

[Anonymous44905: It’s obvious what the life of the people writing these comments is like.]

I hit the upvote button on that comment and looked at the article and other stuff. The most striking thing was the article that Baek Tae-beom had finally joined the Hansung Guild. It was all written as if it were a scoop and only one picture of Baek Tae-beom was posted.

<Comments>

[Anonymous54289: Wasn’t he originally from Hansung guild? I guess I was wrong;;;]

[Cotis: I just don’t understand. I thought he was going to be in a one-person guild all his life, but why did he suddenly join?]

[Anonymous1290: I think there will be a lot of applicants for Hansung this time ^^ It’s my dream job]

[Anonymous9531: I’m so fed up. Why don’t you people just write down what Baek Tae-beom ate, how he breathed, and worked out? LOL]

[fewioj: Doesn’t this mean the number of S-classes in the Hansung guild increases by one more???]

Some of the comments had no choice but to feel strange about it.

<Comments>

[Anonymous391: He was hanging out with Hunter Choi Ga-hyun. Don’t you think he joined because of Choi Ga-hyun? I think there’s something going on between the two]

What do you mean ‘there’s something going on’? What’s going on is the relationship between a constellation and a contractor.

<Comments>

[Anonymous 90564: Anonymous 391-nim^^ I think Hunter Baek Tae-beom may have been caught with a weakness?]

I have a weakness. Not Baek Tae-beom, me.

<Comments>

[Anonymous 7899: Choi Ga-hyun is the problem; I think we should be careful, isn’t Choi Ga-hyun threatening because he’s so strong?]

I’m not the threat, I’m the one being protected.

<Comments>

[Anonymous 69332: Beom bastard is garbage, and he can go into the trash can by himself]

Who the hell is the bastard?

For some reason, there were no comments that fit us, so I disliked all of them. How come two years later, these guys can only write comments like this? Instead of rising intellect, didn’t basic knowledge just go down? It was terribly offensive.

I wrote a comment.

<Comment>

[Anonymous12393: Let’s not leave malicious comments~^^]

And as I looked at the signs of insensitive apathy, I felt sorry for this society.

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead : What are you doing.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Seeks To Avoid The Fall : Being disappointed at the reality of this country.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun : This guy enjoys doing useless things when you’re away….]

[CH.Personal/One Who Seeks To Avoid The Fall : Can’t you sympathize as an honorary Korean?]

Talking ridiculously to Apollo, I almost got thrown forward when the car suddenly stopped. If Baek Tae-beom didn’t block me with his hands.

“Are you okay, Hyung? I told you to fasten your seat belt.”

“You almost just killed me right now, you know?”

“Seat belts are life belts, Hyung.”

Baek Tae-beom said politely and turned the steering wheel. I couldn’t hide my confusion when I watched the car make a U-turn.

“Where are we going?”

“We?”

“Mm, we.”

Baek Tae-beom tapped the steering wheel with his finger and asked carefully.

“Can you say that again?”

“Huh?”

“What you just said.”

“Where are we going?”

“Ah.”

Baek Tae-beom licked his lips and raised the corners of his mouth.

“I got a call from Lee Myung-won-ssi. It overlaps with Hyung’s problem now.”

“My problem?”

“The association is trying to covet Hyung.”

I couldn’t help but be taken aback by those words.

“Me?”

“Yes. The problem is that the unfunny people are trying to do so, but… Lee Myung-won seemed to have tried to deal with it on his own, and just in time, a dungeon crack occurred.”

Baek Tae-beom glanced at me through the rearview mirror and said.

“It is presumed to be a Grade-A dungeon, and it seems like ordinary people will get caught up in it. The hunters belonging to the association will be going there, and they’re insisting on you going with them.

“Why?”

“They want to verify Hyung’s abilities, there… Ah.”

Baek Tae-beom, who was reading the messages on his cell phone, frowned.

“A difficult jerk is going to come too.”

“They’re a bunch of fussy guys.”

“I mean, I’m a bit tired right now. Where is it found?”

“In Sanggye-dong.”

Sanggye-dong?

Something flashed through my head, and I grabbed Baek Tae-beom’s forearm. I asked urgently, not paying attention to the man’s face, which was stained with embarrassment.

“Is there something unusual in that place? No?”

“Oh, wait a minute. Now the message….”

“You got anything?”

“The flames in the crack—”

Baek Tae-beom opened his mouth.

“The fires spread, and public access has been banned altogether.”

I couldn’t help but be sure of it.

Kang Si-hoo.

Kang Si-hoo was there.

***

As soon as I raised my head, what I saw was a large entrance. A literally huge entrance. The dungeon that devoured an entire housing complex was a disaster in itself with its soaring flames. Dungeons of Grade-A or higher often tended to look like this.

If left as it is, either this fire will eat everything, or the monsters inside will come out and devour the people, either one will happen.

“You’re here.”

It was Lee Myung-won and the first-generation hunters who were there. There was also a group of people who were dressed as civil servants and apparently from the association.

‘Information.’

[Summary of Individual’s Information.]

[Jeon Pil-su in Waiting]

[Title: Waiting

Class: C

Status: Unable to Verify

Contracted Constellation: None

Coins Possessed: Unable to verify.

Skills Possessed: [Cunning] [Nimble]

An Awakened with no contracted constellation.]

[Summary of Individual’s Information.]

[Kim Ki-won in Waiting]

[Title: Waiting

Class: B

Status: Unable to Verify

Contracted Constellation: None

Coins possessed: Unable to Verify.

Skills possessed: [Iron Wall] [Tenacious]

An Awakened with no contracted constellation.]

It was a skinny man with thin eyes and a sturdy man with wide shoulders. And behind them stood a man wearing a certain mask.

[Summary of Individual’s Information.]

[Dark Rain ???]

[Titles: Dark Rain, Rooted Wings, Embracing Despair…

Class: Class has been hidden.

Status: Unable to Verify

Contracted Constellation: Contracted constellation has been hidden.

Coins Possessed: Unable to Verify

Skills Possessed: Skills have been hidden.

This individual is in a state in which it is not possible to verify the correct information due to the cover of a mask.]

At best, he was similar in height to Baek Tae-beom, and had reddish-brown hair down the back of his neck. He was dressed the same as the other two men, but he seemed to be a bit unusual.

However, it was on my mind that he was crouching a bit and seemed restless as if he were looking around.

“Let me introduce you, Choi Ga-hyun-ssi.”

Lee Myung-won said with a bit of significance to my name.

“They’re from the association. They came to see Choi Ga-hyun, and I’m here for this dungeon exploration.”

I straightened my back and looked at them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Ga-hyun.”

“Ah… I’ve only heard rumors. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

Kim Ki-won said politely and held out his hand.

“My name is Kim Ki-won, and this is Jeon Pil-su.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you so soon.”

After shaking hands with me, they went on.

“I want to greet you with more hospitality, but we are in a severe shortage of manpower… It’s sad that only the three of us could come. To greet Hunter Choi Ga-hyun, something more glamorous would have been needed, right? Like an S-class hunter.”

He spoke sarcastically. With my eyes widened slightly, I thought about those words for a moment, and my thoughts soon became about Oh Kwon-hyuk. It was strange that he did it in the Hansung guild lobby and not anywhere else, and it was also strange that rumors weren’t going around about it.

Baek Tae-beom was looking at them with a cold face, so I had to speak calmly because I thought he would plant their heads in the ground immediately if I showed any signs of discomfort.

“It doesn’t really matter. By the way….”

I looked at the man curled up behind them.

“Who is that?”

The man looked around wildly and pointed to himself in amazement. The action was overly exaggerated.

“You mean m-m-me?!”

“Yes, you.”

“I… I Uh, I uh, that….”

The man who had a tearful voice over the mask could not finish his words and hid behind Kim Ki-won. It wasn’t suitable for his great size.

I used my skill towards such a man.

[Skill: Eye of the Dead]

[By borrowing the power of the dead, you can properly see through the state of others. The strength of its ability depends on the constellation’s ability.]

[Skill: Eye of the Dead]

[You used a skill. Skill: Eye of the Dead]

[Activating Eye of the Dead. The blessing of the constellation is transmitted.]

[Some of the facts that were covered by the mask are revealed.]

“I….”

Just as the man behind Kim Ki-won was about to speak, Jeon Pil-su next to him took the lead.

“You don’t have to worry about this guy.”

[Kang Si-hoo of the Dark Rain]

[Titles: Dark Rain, Rooted Wings, Embracing Despair…

Class: Class has been hidden.

Status: Unable to Verify

Contracted Constellation: Contracted constellation is hidden.

Coins possessed: Unable to verify.

Skills possessed: [Unable to verify other than [Obscure Mask]

This individual is in a state in which it is not possible to verify the correct information due to the cover of a mask.]

“It’s just that he’s nothing special.”

Listening to Kim Ki-won’s words through one ear, I couldn’t keep my mouth closed.

What are you doing here?