# Chapter 122
With Heesu’s help, Sano realized that his power was several dimensions stronger than he had initially thought. The more this was proven, the more frequently he dreamed of the friend he had left behind in the research facility. He would wake up at dawn drenched in cold sweat, check that there was no one in the empty space, and then just lie there until the sun rose.
When his body could no longer endure, he would fall into an extremely long sleep. There, he could go to school with Jeongyeon. They would talk and play every day, and when they became adults, they would become hunters together. They fought variants, went on missions, used superpowers—they did everything together.
And then, inevitably, only he would survive.
“You pulled me out.”
Eyes now completely turned green stared directly at the man whose color had become much lighter since they first met. His face, which hadn’t changed much since childhood, remained just as blank and bright as back then.
With Heesu’s support, he attended a superhuman school. Jeongyeon’s words had been a lie. School wasn’t fun at all. It was dull and tedious.
Then he heard news about the development of a terrain configuration function.
A system using materialization ability. The demonstration video that followed looked exactly like when Jeongyeon used his power. Life returned to Sano’s eyes. It was unmistakably Lee Jeongyeon. No one else had such an ability.
However, they said the developer of the terrain configuration function had disappeared right after creating it. Name, gender, age—everything had been disregarded. A child who hadn’t even reached adulthood had no way of finding out such information.
Still, it was okay. Jeongyeon was alive.
That was enough.
The first thing Sano did after becoming an adult was to search for the developer of the terrain configuration function. Additionally, he investigated the research facility where he had been kept.
He gathered information through every possible route, and the illegal research lab raids he conducted with Heesu were part of that. During that process, Sano learned about a researcher named Morpho. It was too easy to guess who it was. Jeongyeon’s uncle. The director of Laboratory No. 3 where they had been.
But they claimed he was the developer of the terrain configuration function.
It was unbelievable. The materialization ability used in the terrain configuration function was undoubtedly the one Sano knew, yet there were only traces of an illegal researcher who maintained a fucking mystique. The name of the child involved couldn’t be found anywhere.
There were no subsequent records either. It wasn’t even clear whether he was dead or alive. Everything Sano had believed was wrong information. One day Sano would imagine him alive, and the next day dead. It was like alternating between an ice bath and a hot bath every second.
He desperately fondled memories that had become worn from being recalled too often. Sano was the only one who remembered that boy. If he forgot, it would be over.
Nevertheless, the memories gradually became blurrier.
Later, he began to doubt himself. Some said such a person didn’t exist. Others said it didn’t matter whether he existed or not, just forget about him. If what they said was true.
Then why am I alive?
Sano was alive because of that boy. That boy had saved Sano. Without him, there was no reason to be alive.
Resignation slowly ate away at his entire body. Depression, which infected him like an epidemic, soon covered his entire brain. There was no will or desire to do anything. Not only hunter missions but even daily life lost its meaning.
During this time, it rained.
Even though he was soaked in the rain he so despised, he felt nothing. Walking aimlessly, Sano tripped on something and collapsed to the ground. He wished the rain would just dissolve his entire body. His chaotic mind soon became clouded with terrible fatigue. At some point, he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar place.
And there was the person he had been searching for all along.
At first, he naturally thought it was a dream. The countless imagined scenarios were newly irritating each time he experienced them. The terrible ending was always the same, and it was tiresome to know that, sooner or later, he had to return to the gloomy reality.
Sweet dreams only become emptier the longer they last. So he raised his hand to tear it apart.
But it was reality.
“You saved me.”
He was alive.
“So don’t leave me behind.”
The fucking nightmare was over. This was reality.
Before he knew it, Sano was gripping Iyeon’s arm. It was with desperate strength, as if Iyeon might disappear at any moment.
It was no coincidence that it reminded him of a recent memory.
“…Wasn’t it over?”
It was a pathetic question even as he asked it. Despite the stupid remark, Sano sincerely frowned.
“Who decided that?”
That tone was so, so much like the usual Je Sano that Iyeon suddenly came to his senses. He frowned and shook his head.
“You said… when you found Inbun… that you’d only stay with me until you found Inbun…”
The disorganized words that flowed out soon became jumbled at the end. From beyond his throat, something hot welled up with a surge.
Since the Sano he had seen was always confident and arrogant, he thought that after escaping, Sano would have certainly enjoyed his freedom and lived well. He never imagined Sano would search for him like that. He thought Sano would have forgotten someone like Iyeon long ago. After all, they had lost contact. It seemed natural that he wouldn’t remember Iyeon’s name or face.
The time Iyeon and Sano spent playing together amounted to less than 0.1% of their lives. Plus, Sano had only been abused there. So naturally, naturally…
“I’m sorry.”
A trembling voice flowed out weakly. Iyeon tightly closed his eyes. He should properly apologize, but it wasn’t going well as he wished. It felt like he had gone back to ten years ago. Tears flowed helplessly.
“I’m sorry…”
A warm hand brushed Iyeon’s cheek, wiping away the moisture. The man’s hand quickly became soaked.
“Don’t cry.”
Lee Jeongyeon was alive as Jung Iyeon. It was neither fiction nor delusion. The small boy who had been in the research facility with Sano actually existed. He was now by his side.
So Sano’s survival had not been in vain.
*
“So, your original power is materialization. The ability used in the terrain configuration function is yours.”
“Yes…”
After parting with Sano at the factory and returning directly to the office, Iyeon immediately sat on the sofa with both hands politely placed on his knees and confessed everything to Hyegang. In response to the answer given in a timid voice, Hyegang, who was staring at Iyeon from the opposite sofa in a solemn posture, asked again.
“So once you hid it from me, you honestly couldn’t tell me and continued to lie.”
“Yes…”
The subdued voice became even smaller. Hyegang frowned at the murmur that now barely left a trace.
“Are you a child?”
“…”
“Why make things difficult for yourself? If I had known earlier, I would have finished in a minute what took an hour!”
Why did we go through all that trouble? Hyegang’s scream-like nagging echoed through the office. The more he scolded, the more Iyeon’s head dug into the floor. I’m sorry… He repeated the apology once more, though he had already said it countless times.
“Look. Show me your power.”
At those words, Iyeon stared blankly at the table. White sand clumped together, forming a mini Jung Iyeon on his knees.
“Wow…”
Hyegang groaned with a face full of emptiness. Power type, creation speed, detail. From any perspective, it was at least Mugunghwa tier 5.
“Have you thought about taking the tier promotion exam?”
“Ah, I thought things might get a bit complicated if people knew the gi-ryeok wave pattern was the same as the one used in the terrain configuration function…”
Everyone’s been using that function well, and it would be a problem if it suddenly disappeared. There would be issues starting from the next Jeong-Yeon mission… Iyeon’s voice was still drained of energy, but that statement alone was clearly filled with determination.
“Well, that’s your choice. Who else knows about your ability?”
“You and Je Sano, and… Jeongheon-ssi and Young-ssi.”
“I’m the fourth? Even the number is ominous.”
Hyegang grumbled lightly and stood up with an “I understand.” Iyeon, suddenly frightened, quickly countered.
“I won’t accept your resignation.”
“Why would I suddenly quit? If this is forced resignation, I’m reporting it to the labor office.”
“No! I’d be happy if you stay… but are you okay with it?”
“I told you I had a rough idea. I just didn’t know it was this much of a scam…”
Hyegang looked at mini Jung Iyeon, who was still on his knees begging earnestly. He had always thought that everyone has a past, but the circumstances Iyeon revealed were a much bigger secret than he had anticipated. Morpho, illegal experiments, Jeongyeon, and Sano. Everything was intertwined. Only then did he vaguely understand the background of someone who had casually appeared one day with the number one ranked hunter trailing behind.
Strangely, the emotion that arose while listening to the story was not betrayal but pity. Throughout the telling, Iyeon kept his gaze downcast, unable to meet Hyegang’s eyes. It was as if he was prepared to accept deserved punishment.
Honestly, that was what upset him the most.
“This company doesn’t run without me anyway.”
“…That’s true.”
Only then did Iyeon slightly raise his head. When their eyes briefly met with Iyeon’s shrinking gaze, Hyegang deliberately spoke in a nonchalant tone.
“Why would I leave this great company? Flexible working hours, good working environment, and they pay well.”
Iyeon sometimes had a foolish side, pretending not to understand unless spoken to directly. He would deliberately assume the worst-case scenario and shut his eyes to it.
So it was better to make things absolutely clear.
“And the CEO will buy me drinks for a month since he messed up.”
“…Huh?”
“No?”
Hyegang sat at his fixed spot, his desk. As he leaned back against the chair, Iyeon nodded blankly. I’ll, I’ll buy them. I’ll buy delicious ones. His stumbling voice gradually filled with joy. This was indeed more pleasant to hear. Hyegang slightly concealed his smiling face behind the monitor.
