Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Sayoung withdrew his hand from Uijae's prominent shoulder blades and back muscles, lightly tapping the arms wrapped around him. Uijae slowly loosened his embrace. Sayoung picked up the mask that had fallen on the floor and handed it over.

“Sorry for dropping it, hyung.”

“It’s fine. It was made by a madman, so I’m sure it’s sturdy.”

Uijae dusted off the mask. The face that had almost seemed on the verge of tears was now calm, regaining its usual cold expression. Maybe I should have looked longer. Sayoung ignored the surge of regret and watched as Uijae’s red-rimmed eyes disappeared beneath the black mask. He wanted to touch him a little more, but there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. Glancing briefly at the light spilling through the door, Sayoung spoke.

“Let’s go, hyung.”

“Aren’t you going to investigate further? This place seems pretty big.”

A voice, distorted by the mask, asked. Each syllable was deliberate. How much had he missed hearing this voice? Sayoung smiled, his eyes narrowing as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“Well... the investigation was finished a long time ago. Min-gi already took care of the materials.”

“And the remaining data?”

“That was left on purpose. For you to see.”

Sayoung reached out and touched Uijae’s fingers, as if urging him. But Uijae didn’t move. Sayoung quietly stared at the black mask. It seemed like Uijae had something to say. After a long silence, Uijae finally spoke.

“We’re not done talking yet.”

“...”

“What kind of experiments were done on you? How did you end up being dragged into this?”

“...”

“How did Prometheus get you out of the hospital and...?”

A grinding sound came from behind the mask. Despite expecting the question, there was no sense of satisfaction in getting it right. Only sadness. Cha Uijae was kind and upright. Too much so—almost to a fault.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘He doesn’t realize that kindness is eating away at him...’

After a long silence, Sayoung lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes flickering. His gloved fingers intertwined with Uijae’s. The solid hand flinched. Sayoung bowed his head and muttered.

“I don’t want to talk about it here. That’s...”

“...”

“Can’t we talk about it later? Hyung.”

Uijae didn’t answer. Instead, he gripped Sayoung’s hand firmly. The other hand wrapped around the back of Sayoung’s head, gently stroking his hair. In a softened, distorted voice, Uijae spoke with warmth.

“Okay. Tell me later. Let’s go.”

Sayoung closed his eyes, feeling the soothing touch on his head, and responded differently from what he had originally intended.

“Yeah.”

No.

“I will...”

This is a story you don’t need to know.

---

A week later. The hangover soup restaurant was bustling, just like any other evening.

Customers squeezed into the narrow space, and a line formed in front of the automatic self-serve station for kimchi and side dishes. The mana stone embedded in the self-serve bar shimmered, continuously dispensing kimchi into empty bowls. Hands shot up from all directions.

“Two hangover soups here!”

“Just a moment, please.”

“Can I grab a bottle of soju?”

“Take just one. I saw you drink a bottle earlier.”

“Our part-timer’s eyesight has improved since becoming a Hunter.”

The grumbling Hunter stood up and made his way toward the industrial refrigerator, intentionally taking a detour around the tables instead of the direct path. The reason was obvious.

“...”

A gas mask-wearing figure sat cross-legged at the nearby table.

Perhaps Lee Sayoung had developed a conscience. Unlike the past, when he would take the central table without hesitation, he now occupied a corner seat with a full view of the restaurant. The issue was that this had been going on for days. It wasn’t just a one-off occurrence—he was showing up daily.

The regulars were on edge. Wasn’t the number two-ranked Hunter in South Korea busy? Why wasn’t he at the Wave Guild and instead showing up at this hangover soup joint every day? Desperately, they looked at the part-timer. Please, do something and kick him out. After all, the part-timer was the supreme authority at this restaurant.

But today, unlike usual, the part-timer, Cha Uijae, didn’t react to the disruption. Not only did he refrain from confronting the situation with a ladle, but he also exchanged glances with the gas mask. Every time their eyes met, Sayoung would wave his hand with a casual smile.

*That* part-timer and *that* Lee Sayoung!

Who was Lee Sayoung, after all? The most unwanted guest of them all! And yet, here they were, sharing such a friendly exchange.

“Ah, crap, I can’t stand this anymore.”

Thunk! Chopsticks stabbed through a piece of radish kimchi. Three people were seated around a green table. Baewonwoo, who had already finished two bowls, Team Leader Han with his glasses fogged up from the steam, and Honeybee, who was taking out his frustrations on the poor radish kimchi.

Honeybee sighed briefly and glared at Baewonwoo with a sharp look.

“Shield Guy, be honest.”

“Ugh, don’t call me that. What is it?”

Honeybee hissed quietly.

“What the hell did your guild leader do?”

Baewonwoo, scooping rice into his soup, glanced around. There were too many things Sayoung had done, and none of them made sense. With a resigned look, Baewonwoo muttered darkly.

“He does something crazy every other day... Can you be more specific?”

“Don’t play dumb. We made an agreement behind the shop, remember?”

Team Leader Han adjusted his foggy glasses, chiming in.

“This is clearly a violation of the agreement. The fact that the Wave Guild leader is here every day, disrupting business, and Cha Uijae isn’t saying anything about it—there must be some deal behind the scenes, right?”

“What kind of deal?”

“A renovation for the soup restaurant, maybe?”

“Oh, come on. That’s a conspiracy theory.”

“What could possibly have happened between them for them to be like this...”

“I told you, I don’t know...”

While Team Leader Han continued pressing the issue, Honeybee sneaked a glance at Sayoung. Sayoung, not satisfied with just waving, had now placed both hands under his chin, watching Uijae’s every move with an adoring gaze.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

Just as Honeybee was pretending to gag, their eyes met. Sayoung folded one hand and raised his middle finger in a perfect execution of a silent insult while still keeping his hands under his chin.

Not to be outdone, Honeybee responded with both hands raised in a similar gesture. But it was brief; as soon as Uijae emerged from the kitchen, Sayoung’s hands returned to a flower-like position. Honeybee slouched in his seat, watching the interaction.

The part-timer with a tray tucked under his arm approached Sayoung. They began whispering to each other, their conversation mundane—‘Want a bowl of soup?’ ‘No, thanks.’ ‘When’s your shift over?’ But what was unusual was Uijae’s soft smile.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that...’

There was a small laugh. The atmosphere around the two of them seemed different. Honeybee frowned as he watched them. What could have possibly happened to make them so inseparable?

But then, his sharp senses, which had saved him many times before, kicked in. There was something hidden beneath the friendly surface. Don’t be fooled by the smiles.

Honeybee blinked. Underneath the smiling side profile... was tension.

---

11:53 p.m. Despite it being well past the end of the shift, and with the clock nearing midnight, the lights in the Awakener Management Bureau’s First Response Team office were still on. Almost no one had left. With the team leader still hunched over his desk, no one dared to move.

No one had even considered going home. A state of emergency had been declared across the entire bureau.

“A Hunter affiliated with the Awakener Management Bureau was replaced, leaving only an empty shell.”

This unprecedented incident had never occurred since the bureau’s founding. It was clearly the work of Prometheus, but when and how the replacement had been made was still unknown. With no clues to follow, the investigation was at a standstill. Sayoung had destroyed one research facility and sent over some data, but...

“Phew...”

There wasn’t much useful information. Just a mountain of experimental records to sift through.

Another long sigh escaped. The Hunters at their desks hunched their shoulders. Jung Bin, the First Response Team leader, had his hands clasped together as if in prayer, his forehead resting on them.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the usual gentle smile on his face was replaced with deep worry. A long scar remained on his right arm, recently freed from a cast.

At that moment, his phone buzzed. Without looking, Jung Bin groped for his phone and pressed the call button. His voice, tired and mechanical, spilled out.

“Yes, this is Jung Bin, First Response Team Leader at the Awakener Management Bureau. What’s your business?”

“Jung Bin.”

A voice, strangely distorted. It was a little different from the one he remembered, but the way it addressed him was unmistakable. A chill ran up his spine

.

“Can we talk for a moment? I’ve got something to say.”

The voice was polite, but with a hint of swagger. There was only one person he knew who spoke like that. As if to confirm, the voice followed up.

“Oh, by the way, it’s J. Just in case you were confused.”