Chapter 35
The graduation ceremony started early in the morning, the auditorium filled with lukewarm air. I sat there, staring blankly at the stage as a song about the bittersweetness of graduation played. I couldn’t relate to it at all. A few classmates approached me, exchanging awkward pleasantries. Their parents stood in the back, watching. If just one of them had come up to me and sincerely suggested we keep in touch, it might have felt real.
I glanced at the tall figure standing in front of me. He, too, was motionless, staring straight ahead.
“Chanhee, you’re going to S University, right?”
One of the guys lingering beside me asked. I flinched for no reason and tore my gaze away from Yu Hyunjae’s back.
“Yeah.”
“As expected, you’re going somewhere good.”
“I just got lucky.”
An announcement came over the speakers, instructing us to move to our classrooms. I turned and began walking slowly toward the exit. Yu Hyunjae’s presence behind me, like the rough edge of a fingertip, kept nagging at me. My phone vibrated repeatedly in my coat pocket. I checked the caller ID and immediately frowned. I couldn’t ignore it, so I slid my finger to answer.
—Did our Chanhee finish his graduation ceremony well?
“Why are you calling?”
—That hurts my feelings.
“Because you’re not someone who would just call for no reason.”
—You’re so prickly. I was going to buy you some jjajangmyeon later.
“I don’t need that.”
—Did you study more?
I let out a breathless laugh.
“Are you my teacher now?”
—I wish I were your teacher~ Then I could at least scold you for not listening.
“I did. I studied, so don’t worry.”
—Really?
Han Jaemin sounded satisfied as he laughed and gave me the usual formal congratulations on finishing graduation. Before I could even ask if that was all, the call ended. Just as I was feeling a mix of bewilderment and annoyance, a deafening roar erupted from the entrance of the auditorium. It was so unnaturally loud that I thought I must have misheard. People began to murmur. Almost unbelievably, the space seemed to tear apart, and a black hole began to form, growing larger. It was a Gate. A Gate had appeared at the entrance of the school auditorium.
Someone shouted for everyone to evacuate, and people started running. Those trapped inside the auditorium were pushed further in.
“Stay still.”
Yu Hyunjae, now standing behind me, spoke quietly. Even then, I pulled away from him. The Gate swelled in size and began to vibrate slowly. Did Gates usually vibrate? I’d never actually seen one, so I didn’t know. But according to what I knew, Gates didn’t cause earthquakes. And they certainly didn’t appear without warning in front of civilians. Normally, a Gate’s presence was detected days in advance by disturbances in the area.
“Don’t move, no matter what.”
Yu Hyunjae’s words irritated me. Just yesterday, I had clearly drawn a line and warned him not to cross it, yet here he was, casually talking to me again as if nothing had happened. It was as if he was ignoring my words.
“Don’t give me orders.”
“It’s not an order—”
I turned around. Yu Hyunjae’s face looked desperate.
“It’s a request.”
“I thought I made my feelings clear yesterday.”
“I know. I understand.”
“Then why—”
“Can’t I just ask you for this?”
I closed my mouth. Even as I did, the chaos grew louder.
“Please maintain order and evacuate! Hunters will arrive soon, so just stay safe until then!”
Despite the loud announcement, the confusion only intensified. The floor of the auditorium began to shake slightly. Screams rang out. Cracks were forming in the walls. People moved away from the fissures. The Gate’s opening was now large enough for a person to fit through. Anyone who got too close risked being sucked in.
“Are there any parents here who are Rank 2 or higher Hunters or Shielders?!”
No one answered the loud question; they just murmured among themselves.
“No one?!”
With that, a thud echoed as something fell to the floor. People were now in a complete panic, their minds blank with fear. Those around me shoved past without hesitation. The Gate had fully opened its maw, staring right at us. I took a step back to put more distance between us, and chunks of the ceiling began to crumble and fall.
If my father had been here, would things have calmed down faster? I thought to myself. If a high-ranking official from the Combat Division was in danger, the response would have been quicker than anyone else’s. I stopped running with the crowd.
Yu Hyunjae, who should have been fleeing with me, stood frozen, clutching his chest.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
Yu Hyunjae glanced at me before slowly starting to move again. But then his body crumpled once more. Kneeling, he groaned and trembled. I ended up running back toward him.
“Student! Don’t go that way!”
Someone shouted at me. Yu Hyunjae, panting heavily, looked up at me.
“Why are you doing this?”
“My heart…”
“Does it hurt? Is it hurting?”
“A little…”
“Can I carry you?”
I tried to lift Yu Hyunjae, but the floor began vibrating again, making it impossible to move freely. The falling concrete chunks were getting bigger. At this rate, the entire auditorium might collapse. Was I going to die? If I died here, then fine. I’d just wake up again in my room, so it wouldn’t matter. But the fear of death was like torture I could never get used to, no matter how many times I experienced it. Pain might become familiar, but the fear of it never disappeared. I gritted my teeth and forced strength into my trembling arms, pulling Yu Hyunjae up.
“Just go.”
“What?”
“At least you should go.”
I silently tightened my grip on his hand. There was no way I could leave him behind. As my body leaned, the chairs where the parents had been sitting started rolling toward us. Getting hit by a few of them was more painful than I expected. Yu Hyunjae finally got up and followed me. I picked up a chair and used it as a shield, blocking the debris as we moved. A rumbling sound echoed, and the stage on the diagonal above us collapsed. I barely dodged it, but my hands shook even harder. Yu Hyunjae mumbled something, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I didn’t have the energy to ask again.
A chair from a blind spot struck my stomach. The sharp edge of the broken chair tore through my uniform shirt and grazed my skin. It happened in an instant. When I pressed my hand to the wound, blood immediately seeped out. My pupils dilated instantly. Yu Hyunjae looked at me.
I tried to use mana to do something, anything, but it was useless. I had trained continuously with weapons like guns and knives, which were designed for killing, but I had never practiced infusing mana into everyday objects. I was helpless against the falling debris.
Yu Hyunjae exhaled and finally stood up. He grabbed my shoulder. His face was determined, different from before.
“I’m sorry.”
I shook my head at his sudden apology. Yu Hyunjae took the chair from me and blocked everything flying toward us. Led by his hand, I entered the nearby broadcasting room. Fortunately, the inside of the broadcasting room was equipped with soundproof booths, so it was relatively undamaged compared to the outside.
“Are you okay?”
As soon as Yu Hyunjae entered the broadcasting room, he checked the wound on my stomach. It wasn’t fatal, but it was deep enough. His face twisted in distress.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“It’s because of me—”
I stared blankly at Yu Hyunjae’s flustered face.
“I told you not to worry about me.”
“Yeah.”
“I told you I didn’t need you.”
“Yeah.”
“And I’ve been awful to you.”
“Yeah.”
Our eyes met.
“Then why are you like this?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Why do you always say you don’t know?”
I sighed.
“Then why are you like this?”
This time, Yu Hyunjae asked me. I blinked a few times but didn’t answer. He pressed me again.
“You told me not to worry about you.”
“…Yeah.”
“You told me you didn’t need me.”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve been awful to me.”
I raised my uninjured hand and rubbed my dry face. I tried to think of what to say, but no suitable answer came to mind.
“Then… why do you always confuse me?”
“Hyunjae.”
I called his name, unusually gentle, pressing my dry eyelids.
“I think I’m really stupid.”
Yeah, I am. I know the answer, yet every day, I let my feelings for you sweep me away, and I choose the wrong one. Even after facing death so terrifying I couldn’t breathe, I still resist the system.
“I just… can’t ignore it.”
Yu Hyunjae quietly listened to me.
“It’s too hard. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I’m sorry.”
You always say you’re sorry, even though you don’t understand anything.
Just then, a shrill scream echoed from outside. Yu Hyunjae and I locked eyes and opened the broadcasting room door at the same time. Strange creatures, each the size of an adult man, were crawling out of the Gate. They looked similar to the practice monsters I’d seen in the Combat Division’s underground training facility. A few parents who were Hunters stepped forward to fight them, but their numbers were pitifully few compared to the endless stream of monsters.
“I’m the only Rank 1 in our grade.”
Yu Hyunjae looked at me with uneasy eyes.
“But if I just stand here… that doesn’t feel right.”
“Hyunjae.”
“We’re all going to die. Like this.”
I picked up a chair leg lying around and tried to apply the techniques Kim Guhyeon had taught me as best as I could. Infusing mana into a solid object was the same principle as with guns or knives. The problem was that the principle was the only thing that was the same. Combat weapons and ordinary objects were worlds apart in terms of efficiency. I swung the metal chair leg at a monster, and a loud noise echoed as it made some impact. I should have learned hand-to-hand combat. The injured monster turned toward me. Its grotesque skin rippled, splitting open to reveal sharp teeth. I tensed my body again.
That’s when it happened. A strike, on a completely different level from before, sent the monster flying far away. It was clearly a blow infused with mana. I widened my eyes and looked beside me. Yu Hyunjae was staring at his own hand in shock.
