Chapter 52
“Hyung…”
Dohyun’s exhausted face flickered with panic. Chanhee stumbled back, blinking rapidly, convinced he must be seeing things. Fortunately, the strange blue window vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Dohyun composed himself and turned to Chanhee.
“What’s wrong? You should be asleep. Why are you out here?”
“I was bringing this to you…”
Chanhee held out the pen he’d been clutching. Dohyun bent down to take it, his expression rigid, unreadable. Chanhee wanted to ask about the blue window, but his body felt suddenly weightless, his voice trapped in his throat.
“You little brat, wandering around like this.”
“Put me down!”
“No.”
Dohyun scooped Chanhee up and carried him back to the room before disappearing. Chanhee slipped under the covers beside Hyunjae, who was already lying down.
“Chanhee, what are you thinking about?”
“You know…”
Do really strong Rankers see things like ghosts? Chanhee swallowed the question and shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“Did your brother scold you?”
“No. No, he didn’t.”
Chanhee closed his eyes. His brother was strong—whether that blue window was a ghost or a monster, he’d defeat it. The thought comforted him.
***
The Japanese government had expected Dohyun’s success and arranged a full itinerary for his family. The two five-year-olds were captivated by the endless stream of rare and fascinating sights. While the boys enjoyed VIP treatment, Dohyun was nowhere to be found. They occasionally wondered where he was, but their mother only said he was resting. In reality, Dohyun sometimes appeared at breakfast in the hotel restaurant, his face disheveled, while Chanhee and Hyunjae ate.
On the last day, they visited a temple halfway up a mountain. The steep path was accessible by car, fortunately, but the bumpy ride left Chanhee carsick. He lay on a bench after they arrived, unwilling to move. Hyunjae hovered nearby, unsure what to do. Should they just go back? But the tourism bureau had gone to great lengths to arrange this visit. It was hard to just leave.
While their mother went to buy cold water, Chanhee watched passersby from the bench. Most looked like tourists, but it was a weekday in the off-season, so the place was quiet.
Then someone caught his eye—a tall, lanky young man with glasses and short hair, almost like a high school student. Their eyes met. The man stared at Chanhee for a moment before turning away and disappearing into the distance.
“Chanhee, drink some water.”
Chanhee sat up slowly and gulped down the bottled water his mother handed him. His stomach still churned, but he felt a little better. He lowered his legs from the bench and sat up.
“Chanhee, are you okay?”
“No.”
His sulky reply made Hyunjae’s expression droop.
“I want to go in there.”
Chanhee pointed at the old wooden building across the courtyard. After his mother’s worried nagging, the boys finally got up and started toward the temple. The path was a long, steep stone staircase—not ideal for young children. The two quickly began panting as they climbed.
“It’s too high!”
Chanhee whined. Hyunjae, also out of breath, hesitated before speaking with determination.
“Chanhee.”
“What?”
“I’ll carry you.”
Their mother, following behind, looked incredulous before bursting into laughter.
“Hyunjae, you’re going to carry Chanhee up here?”
“Yes. Chanhee’s not feeling well.”
“You idiot. How are you going to carry me?”
“I can.”
Hyunjae’s voice was firm, so firm that even the staff around them smiled. Only Hyunjae and Chanhee were serious.
“What if you fall?”
“I won’t.”
“How do you know?!”
“I carried you up two flights of stairs once as a punishment.”
Their mother’s eyes instantly sharpened into triangles. Had they really done something so dangerous? Hyunjae realized his slip and glanced at her nervously.
“Still, no.”
Chanhee started climbing again. When they reached the top, there were more people than expected near the entrance. Chanhee’s face lit up, and he started running.
“Chanhee! You’ll get hurt!”
“I’m fine!”
Hyunjae’s voice followed, but Chanhee was already in a playful mood. He hid behind a pillar in a narrow alley beside the building, waiting. But Hyunjae didn’t come. Had he not followed? Just as Chanhee was about to peek out, a voice came from behind him.
“Yu Chanhee?”
“Yes?”
“Are you Chanhee?”
It was the bespectacled man from earlier. Chanhee nodded cautiously, his face full of suspicion. The man stared into his eyes.
“…You don’t look like him at all.”
The man mumbled, reaching out to touch Chanhee’s face. Chanhee twisted away, disliking the contact.
“Do you like your brother?”
The man ignored Chanhee’s hostile gaze and asked vaguely. Chanhee didn’t answer.
“Is your brother a good person?”
“……My brother is a good person.”
“How do you know?”
“My brother always fights for the country.”
“For the country?”
The man laughed as if it were amusing. Even young Chanhee could tell it wasn’t a kind laugh.
“Don’t badmouth my brother.”
“Chanhee.”
The man crouched down to meet Chanhee’s gaze. Chanhee’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“Your brother is a bad person.”
“No, he’s not.”
“A really bad guy.”
“No, he’s not!”
“No?”
The man let out a hollow laugh and roughly grabbed Chanhee’s face. Chanhee’s body went limp in his grip.
“Kids like you don’t know, but—”
“Let go of me!”
Chanhee’s words were muffled. The man shoved him to the ground and stood up.
“If a kid like you gets stabbed to death on the street, it’ll be all because of that bastard Yu Dohyun.”
“……”
“Still think he’s not bad?”
“The world doesn’t have bad people.”
“……”
“Only people who fight.”
“You’re definitely Yu Dohyun’s little brother.”
The man laughed as if it were absurd. He seemed about to say more, but the sound of running footsteps and the sudden appearance of their mother and the guide interrupted them.
“Chanhee!”
“Mom!”
Chanhee ran to his mother and buried himself in her arms. The tears he’d been holding back burst out. His mother wrapped her arms around him, patting his back and face.
“It’s okay, it’s okay……”
“Mom……”
“But…”
Her voice trembled.
“Who did this to you?”
Chanhee blinked, still clinging to her. A teardrop clung to his long lashes before falling. He turned around, but the man was gone. There was no one where he had been standing.
“There really was someone.”
“Who?”
“They said no one went that way.”
“It was a man with glasses! He said our brother was a bad person.”
The security guards looked around but found no one suspicious. Chanhee looked at his mother and muttered,
“It’s true, I swear……”
“Given that he mentioned Dohyun, he might have been a Ranker with related abilities.”
“Why would a Ranker do something like this to our Chanhee…”
Before she could finish, someone started running toward them from the entrance. Even from a distance, the tall, muscular figure and fierce expression were unmistakably Yu Dohyun’s.
“Dohyun! Why are you here…”
Their mother approached him, bewildered. Chanhee was convinced his brother had flown here like Superman the moment he sensed trouble. Dohyun’s eyes darted around, searching for someone.
“Where is he?”
His voice was strangely furious—or desperate.
“Who…”
“Hyunjae.”
The name that came out of Dohyun’s mouth was unexpected. Only then did their mother start looking around. The small boy with black hair, about the same height as Chanhee, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Hyunjae?”
“Your brother just—”
“Where is Yu Hyunjae?!”
Dohyun shouted. Everyone froze, staring at his face. Their mother’s expression darkened. Then, someone began to crawl out from behind the pillar on the veranda.
“Hyung……”
Hyunjae looked at Dohyun with a terrified face. Chanhee watched helplessly as Dohyun rushed toward him.
