Chapter 87
A lot had changed over the past two years. For one, all contact with Cha Hyerin and Cha Suhyun had been completely cut off—blocked by Han Jaemin. Cha Suhyun, who had once shared a common goal with me, no longer wanted to see me. It was only natural. After all, I was the one who had stabbed him in the back.
Kim Guhyeon, who had been serving as the acting Chief Security Officer of the Combat Division, was demoted to a support department, and I hadn’t heard from him since. Occasionally, he would reach out, but I ignored him. I was curious about what he might want to say, but not enough to ask.
After the charity event, I ended up not going to Go Hankyul’s place and instead got back into Han Jaemin’s car. Han Jaemin sneered at me.
“Can’t you control your temper at all?”
“I’ve toned it down a lot already. Why?”
“You were born with it, I guess.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Han Jaemin leaned back comfortably in his seat and casually dropped a bomb.
“Yu Hyunjae’s coming back soon, isn’t he?”
“What?”
I was about to put my earbuds back in when I shouted in shock. Secretary Moon, who was driving, flinched at the sudden outburst.
“You scared me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just found out yesterday.”
“Don’t lie. You don’t just ‘find out’ something like that.”
“I’m serious.”
“He’s been gone for three years. Why is he coming back so soon…?”
“Ask him yourself when he gets here. Why don’t you ask why he’s returning early?”
I fell silent. I couldn’t just run up to Yu Hyunjae and ask why he was back so soon—not after sending him away and then losing my parents right after he left, not while I was stuck playing Han Jaemin’s puppet for Hansung. I didn’t have the face to do it.
“What, don’t want to see him? You love him to death, so why don’t you want to see him?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“You don’t like it when I talk about your great love?”
“I told you to shut up.”
“If your love is so great, why didn’t Yu Hyunjae contact you for two years?”
“…….”
“Even if he hates you, I’d at least send an email. Or maybe life in England suited him so well that he forgot all about you.”
I ignored Han Jaemin and stared out the window. It was both true and false that we hadn’t been in contact for two years. I scrolled through my call log, filled with unknown numbers. Among the dozens of unanswered calls, the most recent one was from a month ago.
The first time I received a call from an unknown number, I immediately knew it was Yu Hyunjae. He called me but didn’t say a word. The silence was so complete that sometimes it felt like I wasn’t even on a call.
—…….
“…….”
A few minutes passed. I heard Yu Hyunjae take a small breath on the other end. It was faint, but unmistakably his. I bit my lip to stifle the sob threatening to escape. Did he hear it? Maybe. But Yu Hyunjae gave no reaction, so I couldn’t tell if he had heard me or not. I struggled to steady my ragged breathing and kept the phone pressed to my ear. The call lasted about ten minutes before quietly disconnecting. That was the beginning.
Not too infrequently, but not too often either, Yu Hyunjae would call me. We would just breathe into the phone, confirming each other’s existence. If he had just said something, I might have forced out a reply, but for two years, Yu Hyunjae never spoke a single word to me.
If that could even be called contact, then perhaps Yu Hyunjae and I had been in touch all along.
“You’ll see him soon enough anyway.”
“What?”
“I’m just telling you not to be so anxious. Be grateful.”
“What are you even saying? Did you do something to Yu Hyunjae again?”
“What did I do? You talk like I exist just to torment you every chance I get.”
I didn’t respond further and stared anxiously out the car window. The thought of reuniting with Yu Hyunjae made me tremble with a mix of anticipation and dread.
***
The A-rank Gate that opened near Itaewon was a disaster large enough to require the evacuation of all civilians within a 500-meter radius. A hunter team composed of rankers above Grade 2 took the lead, while shields erected maximum protective barriers to minimize spatial damage. As always, reporters gathered just beyond the barriers. Despite being only twenty years old, the promising first-grade hunter Yu Chanhee stood at the forefront, taking command.
“Hunter Yu Chanhee! This is your third deployment to an A-rank Gate. How do you feel?”
“The area is densely populated, so our goal is to minimize secondary damage.”
“What’s your estimate for the Gate’s effective duration?”
“Well, since it’s an A-rank, I’d predict at least three days.”
I recited the briefing Secretary Moon had given me just before the deployment. My face was probably being livestreamed to various video platforms through those cameras.
“Beyond this point is a civilian-controlled zone. Please do not approach.”
After putting enough distance between myself and the crowd of reporters, I slipped away alone. I couldn’t actually enter the Gate anyway. It would have been a lie to say I didn’t feel pathetic, but the truth was, even if I did enter, there was nothing I could do.
—Chanhee.
“Ah, Secretary Moon. I’m behind the building at 4th Street.”
—Understood. A car will pick you up about 30 minutes after the Gate disappears, so please wait a little longer.
“Got it.”
After ending the call, I sat down in a café on the first floor of the building and lay back. The CCTV… Han Jaemin would take care of it, I supposed. Soon, the energy emanating from the Gate began to subside. The Gate was closing. I watched the alley where the Gate had been and blinked before turning on my phone.
“This is ridiculous…”
On the portal site, my face was plastered across the front page. I considered reading the article titled “Multiple first-grade hunters deployed to A-rank Gate near Itaewon 1-dong… including Yu Chanhee” but turned off my phone screen and tossed it onto the table.
“Ugh…”
The reason I always became an issue among the many first-grade hunters was probably because I was the unfortunate kid backed by Hansung, who lost his parents overnight. I wondered how much longer this secret could be kept.
About thirty minutes later, I heard the soft sound of a car approaching outside. I got up to greet the arriving vehicle.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“What hard work? You know that’s a joke, right?”
“……Well, lying takes more energy than you’d think.”
“I’ll give you that.”
I quickly slipped into the back seat of the heavily tinted car. The vehicle smoothly exited the alley and merged onto the road. Now, I’d be under house arrest for a while, unable to move freely.
“Put in a gaming console.”
“You won’t have time to play games.”
“Why? Are those people coming again?”
“Yes. They said there will be a new drug injection this time.”
“They’re gonna kill me, seriously.”
I stared out the window with a detached expression. The so-called “experiment” to suppress my mana and make it adapt perfectly to my body had been going on for two years now. I had already lived twice as long as the one-year deadline I’d been given, but I still wasn’t convinced this was leading to success.
“The researchers will arrive around 6 p.m., so you can rest until then.”
“What’s Han Jaemin doing?”
“The Director is on a trip to the countryside.”
“The countryside?”
“Yes. He’s expected to return by the end of the day.”
“I see. Tell him not to contact me while I’m locked up, if possible.”
I went straight home and locked the door. For anywhere from a day to a week, I was a person who wasn’t supposed to exist here. While I was putting on a show in Itaewon, someone must have cleaned the house—the kitchen was much cleaner than when I left. The fridge was stocked with food, but I knew I’d just throw up anything I ate before the injection, so I decided to eat later. My phone, which I’d left in the living room, lit up with a notification.
[Go Hankyul: Chanhee.]
[Go Hankyul: Just saw you at the Gate.]
[Go Hankyul: I’ll give you a signed Eden South CD when you get back.]
[Go Hankyul: Take care.]
How the hell did he get a signed Eden South CD? I checked the preview of the message and put my phone down again. I lay on the sofa for a while. Then, someone rang the doorbell. I didn’t react. Soon, someone entered the officetel using the passcode. It was a few researchers in lab coats, carrying various equipment. I remained lying down as they entered.
