chapter EIGHT

A van veered into a large building. At the top of the imposing gray concrete building was a green cross, representing a hospital, and the symbol of the Awakening Management Headquarters engraved together. After they parked the car in the parking lot, the passenger got off and opened the trunk. The rear seats were all folded up to either side, and quite a bit of space was left in the middle. A big cargo was loaded in place. It was a portable stretcher, the kind that could be seen in an ambulance.

"Ready?"

"Ah, yes! Senior!"

"Let's just hurry up and finish what needs to be done and go back."

"Yes."

A heavily tinted black car with no visibility from the outside, rough-looking people in black shirts and leather gloves. By all accounts, they were not hospital staff. Instead, they looked more like thugs who came to threaten the medical staff. They quickly headed towards the elevator. The person walking in front let out an exasperated sigh.

"What's with the big guys from above making us do these odd jobs lately? I just want to kill the mutants until I'm sick of it."

"The difficulty level of gates has gone up a lot these days, so things are not really working well for people with low ranks like us. I'm just glad we are still getting a full basic salary regularly."

"I'm just saying. Except for the tough raid schedules, our Order is tons better than the other places. Full salaries for people on break, and a generous supply of weapons and equipment."

"More than anything, the Leader is handsome."

"....."

The senior, who was waiting for the elevator, looked back with dumbfounded eyes. The Hunter, who received the gaze, smiled bashfully.

"Isn't that the biggest benefit? This is all I need."

It was disingenuous, but undeniable. A Hunter just needs to be strong, even though he grumbled a lot about how a handsome face is pretty much useless in front of a mutant, his heart became full of admiration and filled with pride for no reason whenever he watched Shinje's interviews or press conference videos. He could effortlessly brag out loud to the Hunters of the other Orders, ‘You don't have anyone like this in your house, no, right?’ Aside from that, Shinje's abilities were easily unrivaled.

"How handsome is the guide that the Leader is into? The guide is a guy, right? I heard he's a twenty-something-year-old boy."

"Ah? Senior. Haven't you seen him yet?"

"I just came back from a long-term mission. And I wasn't assigned missions recently, so I was basically stuck in the training room most of the time."

Just in time, the elevator arrived with a ding sound. He pressed the button for the floor with the VIP rooms, and continued.

"Guide Baek Yugeon is quite infamous, I'm sure everyone has heard of him. But I've only seen him at a glance from afar."

"How was he?"

"Yes, he is handsome. Tall and good-looking, but nothing like the rumors."

"What do you mean?"

"Scheming, flirting, and you know, stuff. Well... to be honest, he looks like someone who's more popular with women than men."

"Right. I heard he's not satisfied with the Leader, and that he's also trying to seduce the others from Team 1."

"Ah! Don't say things like that carelessly. We'll be in big trouble if someone hears us."

She looked around hurriedly. They were in a closed elevator, so she knew no one could listen in, but it was a habit.

"And when I saw him, he didn't seem like that kind of person.."

"You said you only saw him from afar. How would you know?"

"It's just a feeling at first glance. And I have a colleague in Team 8..... Do you know Kang Hyeonji? A C-class sonar. Anyway, she told me. She said not to believe all those groundless rumors about Guide Baek Yugeon, and that they are all bad mouthing."

"I hope so."

The senior murmured to himself.

"I mean, we are going through all this trouble to bring his older brother to him. I hope he's a good guy at least, so this task won't feel like a waste of my time."

"....."

"This is just a family member of the guide the Leader values. I don't know what a great guy he is, but whereas he could just visit his big brother, all this elaborate spy operation was arranged just to get him out of the hospital."

The elevator arrived at its destination with good timing. The doors slid open smoothly. The two Hunters moved out without much thought, and were startled. They thought there was no one, but an Esper in uniform was in their way. It was a man standing straight with a stiff expression typical of soldiers. Perhaps it was his original constitution, but he was pale in the face and didn't look like a living person at first glance.

"Fucking shit. You scared me."

Swear words splattered out in reflex. Unlike strictly disciplined Espers, Hunters had no qualms about such things. In a good way, they were honest and straightforward, but rude if looked from the other way. The Hunters came back to their senses, and awkwardly greeted the Esper.

"Hello. I'm Son Jihee from Erewhon."

"I'm Lim Seungyeon."

Even after being formally greeted, the man didn't answer them. He just looked at them empty-eyed. Espers were needlessly inflexible and nosy, so they gathered the guy in front of them would be full of questions about their identity and purpose of visit as soon as he saw them.

"Um... Jeong Changhyeok-ssi?"

The name Jeong Changhyeok was visible on the nametag on the chest of his dark red uniform. There was also a rank insignia, but she didn't know what rank it was, so she just called out roughly. The junior Hunter and Seungyeon tilted their heads to the hallway.

"We're here to see a patient. That side should have been contacted in advance. His name is Baek Heeseong, and he's a patient on this floor."

"....."

The man never opened his mouth. After staring at them dead-eyed for a few seconds, he suddenly turned around and walked towards the emergency exit stairs. A strange fishy smell was left in the air. It wasn't raining outside, and there couldn't be rotten seafood inside the hospital that strictly managed hygiene. Come to think of it, the man's uniform seemed to have been wet with an unidentified liquid.

"That."

The Hunter, staring blankly at the Esper until he disappeared, suddenly exclaimed.

"That person, I've heard his name recently. Jeong Changhyeok..... Major, right! He was a major!"

"Where did you hear that?"

"In the news..... they said, he was killed..... in the line of duty....."

Her face gradually turned pale as she continued to speak. She looked as if she had been hit hard on the back of her head. They rushed to the emergency exit. But there was no one on the stairs. Only the white walls, floors and stairways extended up and down. They couldn't even sense a single sign of a person who just went this way. Unless it was someone with the ability to teleport, one wouldn't be able to disappear so quickly.

There was only one hospital room from the direction Major Jeong Changhyeok came from. The room where Guide Baek Yugeon's brother was hospitalized. Other than that, it was just a dead end wall.

"Go to the patient's room right now!"

The senior Hunter quickly instructed. It seemed like a long time ago that they had been exchanging lame jokes between them. The two ran down the hallway and opened the door to Heeseong's hospital room.

"....."

The bed was empty. They heard that he was in a coma and couldn't move on his own. He had no blood relatives or acquaintances except for Guide Baek Yugeon, so no one would have come to see him except Erewhon members who took turns guarding him. The Hunter sharply gnashed his teeth.

"We've been tricked. That son of a bitch."

"That guy earlier..."

"I don't know. Just call the headquarters."

"Yes."

The sound of footsteps and phone calls rang dizzyingly in the once quiet hallway, and soon disappeared. Even after all the noises faded away, an unidentified unpleasant fishy smell lingered in the air for a long while.

If you force yourself to sleep on sleepless nights, you will always have nightmares. Twenty years have passed, but it was still a dream of that day that always came to mind vividly.

He wasn't feeling well that day since the morning. Unlike usual, when he woke up well without an alarm, he overslept a little. He took a shower and dazedly put on his school uniform without properly drying his still wet body. He kept shivering and his mind hazy as if the fever was rising. Not only that, but his whole body hurt as if he had been beaten up. All the joints in his body seemed to have been disassembled and then reassembled carelessly.

Growing pains? He had never worked out, but he had grown taller and recently exceeded 180 centimeters, and his arms and legs often ached. Was it the same again? He didn't think so. Growing pains did not come with headaches and fever. Then it must be the flu. The pain itself was not severe and it was tolerable, but he was a little worried that it would interfere with his studies as his head was constantly pounding. He went to the living room thinking if he should stop by the hospital after school later that day.

"Son. Did you sleep well?"

His mother was busy walking around the living room with a suit jacket on one arm, and greeted him without even looking this way.

"Good morning."

"Morning. Have you seen mom's wallet?"

"You always keep it in your jacket pocket."

"Ah, really. Right. I have no idea what I was thinking. I guess it's not wrong when they say people start to do this once in a while when they get older. Driving me crazy."

The mother's eyes were still busy going back and forth between wallets, handbags, and cell phones. The son who stood tall in the middle of the living room looked used to it.

"Mom is working overtime today. I don't think I'll be able to come home before midnight. You know Taejeong has a checkup today, right? After school, stop by the kindergarten right away and take her to the center. Pay the taxi fare with mom's card."

His sister was a guide. It was one of the rare cases where the ability awakened even before entering elementary school. Like other guides and Awakened, his younger sister was also registered with the Awakening Management Headquarters. Although she was still too young to formally enter the center or work as a guide, she had to undergo regular check-ups for unexpected traits.

On the day when the small child who only came up to his waist was labeled as a guide, his mother emptied the glass alone and shed tears. She said it was because she felt sorry for his younger sister, who would have to lead a life far from normal in the future. Although he didn't understand all her words, he sat in silence across from his mother all night long.

Ever since that day, his younger sister became his mother's sore finger. And he understood why. So he never had a teenage rebellion growing up, after hearing many times that he had to take good care of his younger sister and that he should be more mature since she didn't have a father to take care of her.

"Mom made kimchi stew and put it in the refrigerator. Warm it up for dinner and add tuna that Taejeong likes. But don't let her be picky and eat only tuna again."

"Yes."

"For the rice... I checked the rice cooker and there's nothing left. You have to cook a new one on your own. You can do it, right?"

"Obviously. You don't have to worry."

He followed her up to the front door, grabbed the car keys from the shoe rack and handed them over. His mother, who was putting her shoes on, raised her head and smiled for the first time.

"Yeah, Taein-ah. Take care of your sister. Mom will have to ask you a favor today too."

Thud. The door closed before he had time to respond. There was no word at all about Taein's complexion, which was white enough to make anyone who saw him feel strange, and his forehead wet with cold sweat. After standing in front of the tightly closed front door for a few seconds, Taein slowly turned around. All he could see was the messy living room left behind by his mother.

There was no time to clean up. He busied himself setting up the breakfast table, waking up and preparing his younger sister to send her off to kindergarten, and going to school on time.

"....."

He pressed his chest gently over his white school uniform shirt. Perhaps because of his mood, the heat spreading from his heart had gotten a little worse.

The day went by without much difference except for his worsening condition.

A teacher who could no longer bear to see Taein who was taking classes straight with a pale face recommended that he leave early, but he refused. It would be finals soon. Since he wasn't taking private classes, the school classes were his only way to survive. As a compromise, he visited the school infirmary and received cold meds, but it didn't seem to get much better.

He dragged himself up on the bus carrying a bag full of textbooks. It was a bus heading towards his sister's kindergarten. The card his mother gave him was only to pay for the taxi fares when he went to the center with his younger sister. He couldn't just use it for him alone.

It was a weekday afternoon, and the bus was quiet with few people except for some chatting students heading home. As soon as he sat down on an empty seat, his body drooped down. His eyes kept getting blurry.

"....."

Taein hugged his backpack tightly and shook his head. His younger sister must be waiting for her brother to come and pick her up. He had to pull himself together.

It should be well past evening when he brought his sister from kindergarten to the center. He wouldn't be able to go to the hospital today. The words of the health teacher from the school infirmary who told him to go to the hospital as soon as the school was over because it might be a serious sickness ran through his head, but he tried to ignore it.

He got off the bus and walked down the familiar path. Soon a cutely decorated kindergarten building appeared. It was a place where he came and went every day, and now he could visit even with his eyes closed.

"Oppa!"

As soon as the door opened, Taejeong came running. She was carrying a yellow bag with the name of the kindergarten on her back. The bag was big compared to her body, so she looked like a baby turtle with a yellow back shell.

"Taejeong-ie has been sitting in front of the door for a long time before her oppa came. When we didn't let her do that, she kept crying, and she's usually very nice and quiet....."

The teacher standing behind Taejeong smiled awkwardly. Taein smiled softly and bowed his head.

"Thank you for taking good care of my sister."

"Yes. Be careful on your way home. Taejeong-ah, see you tomorrow."

"Joo Taejeong. You have to say goodbye to the teachers."

"Teacher! Bye Bye!"

"‘Good-bye’."

Taein's voice was so strict, not even a needle would have gone through the cracks. Taejeong pouted her lips. Eventually, she put her small hands together and bowed 90 degrees.

"Goodbye."

The door closed behind the brother and sister on their way back. He then heard a small whisper.

"But is he really her brother? He must have made a mistake and got a child out of it. I've never seen her parents come and pick her up."

"Oh my! Teacher, be careful what you say. That kid is still in middle school!"

"Really? I didn't know. He looked very tall and mature..."

He didn't feel particular emotion about the absurd gossip. It was not the first time he had heard of it anyway. But a woman raising two children alone at a young age, a precocious boy, and a much younger child. It was the perfect family composition to be the subject of gossip everywhere they went.

Holding Taejeong's hand and walking in silent steady steps, he suddenly turned around, surprised at the conversation he happened to overheard. The kindergarten building was already far away. Even the door was firmly closed. They were at a distance where it should be hard to hear even if someone from the other side shouted at them as hard as they could.

But how did he hear that?

The siblings took a taxi to the center. Most of the buildings in the Awakening Management Headquarters were military facilities and couldn't be entered freely, but some, including inspection stations and training centers, were open to civilians. It was a place where Awakened people determine their ranks or people with unstable traits visit for thorough examinations. It was also a place where those who want to work as a government-affiliated Esper take entrance tests.

Anyway, these were things that had nothing to do with Taein. The whole country was always buzzing every other day with the gossip of famous Awakened people, and whenever he turned on the news, the bereaved families of the victims of the mutant attacks would appear, but the upcoming entrance examination was far more important for him.

Sitting on a chair in the waiting room, he waited endlessly for his sister's check-up to be finished. Occasionally, people would pass by the empty achromatic hallway. Among them, there might be Awakened who could kill hundreds of people with a single gesture, and guides like his sister. However, he couldn't really tell one apart from the other because they were not that different from the general public on the outside.

"....."

Taein bowed his head. Cold sweat dripped down his wet forehead. The flu was getting worse and worse. No, it might not be the flu. Usually, when he got the flu, did his heart even burn and ache like this?

"Excuse me, student. Are you okay?"

Someone touched the back of his hand. For a moment, static electricity splashed across the skin that came into contact with it. A scorching heat spread from the spot as if he had touched a metal heated by fire.

"Gasp."

Taein raised his head, and gathered his hand back reflexively. A stranger was looking at him. There was no sign of surprise on the worried, innocent young face. It seemed that Taein was the only one who felt the static electricity.

"You didn't look well a moment ago."

"What are you doing? Hurry! It's our turn to test the fit rate."

"Huh? Uh, yeah. I'll be right there."

A shout was heard from the other side of the hallway. The person who was speaking to Taein glanced back and said quickly.

"Anyway, you really should go to the hospital."

A wretched thought struck him then. What's the point of having to hear concerns from strangers? While his family didn't even say a word, and didn't even realize what condition he was in.

It was 8:30 in the evening. His sister's check-up was finally over. The sun had already set and it was dark outside. It was a rather harsh schedule for a five-year-old. Taejeong whined all the way back home.

"No. I don't like it. I don't want to! My legs hurt."

"I know. So let's go home quickly."

"I want to see mom. Momm...... euaang!"

Taejeong threw off her bag she was carrying, sat down on the road, and started to cry. No matter how much Taein coaxed and urged, she kept being stubborn. His head was already spinning because of the sudden onset of dizziness. It felt as if the pavement blocks on the road were all rushing towards him. What he had been holding back so far bursted out at once.

"Joo Taejeong. Stop it! Are you the only one who is tired and sick? What about me? What am I, a person who's just here to look after you? You are seriously driving me crazy......"

He came to his senses too late. His little sister had stopped crying, and was looking up at him with tears in her big eyes, but she looked frightened. It wasn't something to say to a child who didn't know anything. However, Taein was also still at an age in need of someone's care. Taein swallowed a sigh.

"Oppa is sorry."

"Hiing, heug....."

"Let's go now. I have tuna kimchi stew at home. I'll bake you eggs, too."

He held his quietly sobbing sister in his arms and grabbed the bag. The tragedy happened shortly thereafter.

Kwaang! The world shook with a dull sound. Taein rolled on the ground hugging his younger sister. It was the best he could do without loosening his hold on her even though his body was swept all over the sidewalk block. It felt like his body was being crushed into pieces by the impact.

"Euaaag!"

"Sa– save the people!"

Noise and screams were heard from all sides. The middle of the road where vehicles were running until a little while ago had cracked open like a volcanic crater. Asphalt debris splattered and the cars overturned. A gigantic figure sprang up from the gap. A whale...... to be exact, it was a monster that could have been mistaken for a whale if you only saw its shape from a distance. Normal living whales wouldn't have a rotting stench from their flesh, or their innards and bones seen through, or have strange thorns protruding all over their body.

As a disastrous pit was made in the middle, water began to seep to the side of the road. Perhaps one of the water pipes passing through the underground passage burst. A monster whale soaring out of the sea of buildings and asphalt. It was an awfully bizarre sight.

The monster roared with a ghastly sound and swung its fins. Cars and people were swept away with ridiculous ease. People flew through the air, crashed into streetlights, trees, and the walls of the buildings, and then fell back down. Crimson blood splattered all over.

"Eugh....."

Taein barely managed to get up, ignoring the pain spreading all over his body. The school uniform was torn in places and covered in blood. The younger sister in his arms was frozen stiff, too frightened to even cry or scream.

He had undergone too many school safety education to already be sick and tired of it. How to respond when encountering a mutant species.

Never run away to a wide open place without people. It's perfect to become the only target of mutants, so you must stick to crowded places. The more people there were, the higher the probability that there would be Awakened among them.

Never engage in any behavior that would attract the attention of mutants, no screaming or struggling loudly. Lower your body and move as carefully as possible. Be careful not to be crushed by falling debris. There might be suspicious objects such as mutant secretions, eggs, and body parts in the vicinity. Never touch any of it, or even get close.

However, the body didn't move as easily as expected unlike the brain crammed with safety training. He had only rolled on the ground for a split second at best, but his limbs were throbbing as if they had been shattered.

"Kkyaaag!"

The younger sister must have seen something over Taein's shoulder and screamed. Taein turned his head to the place where his sister's gaze was directed. And then he saw it. A huge tail flying towards them. It was already too late to dodge. Taein hugged his younger sister tightly and crouched down.

"Heueug!"

Terrible pain grazed his forearm. His arms loosened regardless of his own will. His younger sister fell out of Taein's arm and tumbled down the ground helplessly. Half the flesh of his forearm that had brushed against the mutant's thorns was clawed away, revealing the bones. Smoke rose from the mangled, red, exposed flesh. There was poison in the thorns.

The situation was still too unreal for a middle school student who only knew about studying, housework, and taking care of his younger sister. Even the games he played at PC bangs dragged by his friends once in a while did not feature brutality such as this. [1]

"Eug..... aheug."

It hurts. It hurts so, so much. Taein dropped to the ground and convulsed without even being able to think of stopping the bleeding on his arm. All he could think about was pain. It was as if all the nerves in his brain had been set on fire entirely.

"Oppaa, oppa....... euaaaang!"

Taejeong burst into tears at the sight of her brother, and she too was covered in dust and blood. Taein also had a long cut on her shoulder from the mutant's thorn. However, her school bag and Taein's arms on her back must have minimized the damage. Thanks to that, she was in good condition compared to Taein.

Within a few minutes of the sudden appearance of the mutant, hundreds of meters in radius were devastated. There was no one around who was in good shape. Most of them were killed off instantly, and the few who survived the initial strike were left with fatal injuries. The only difference was either it had already become a corpse, or was about to become a corpse. Taein's vision was getting alarmingly blurry. The sound of this younger sister's teary cries asking for him had also faded away. It was the moment he wondered if he was going to die like this.

"Keuheog!"

The boiling heat spread from the heart. Did the mutant's venom already enter his heart? No. It was the heat that had been bothering him all day.

There were things that Taein did not know, even though he was familiar with how to respond when encountered with mutant species. Unlike guides whose traits would abruptly change one day, when it came to Awakened, it was impossible to know the precursor when or how they would change into one. The symptoms would take a week at the longest, and two or three days the shortest. Although the symptoms varied from person to person, the most common were burning high fever and general muscle aches. Only after several days of suffering to the point of exhaustion, they would gain their abilities.

But there were also exceptions. If one was caught up in an life-threatening extreme situation or was fatally wounded, in this case, the earlier symptoms might suddenly progress rapidly, or even people who had never had any abnormalities until now might show symptoms of rampage and altogether awakened their abilities in an instant. Simply, the body sensing the threat to life and instinctively drawing out its potential.

"Ugh..."

The brain, no longer able to handle excessive stimulations, entered the emergency system. Reason snapped as if it had been switched off. In its place, only instinct remained.

Taein let go of his hand clutching the injured forearm. The blood-soaked fabric melted black and clung to the palm of his hand, and then fell off. It wasn't the mutant's poison. It was instead the poison from his hand, to be exact. The ability that burst out together with the rampage corroded everything within reach.

He lifted his head and looked straight forward. The gigantic mutant was still running rampant on the spot. There were loud sirens and helicopters everywhere. It seemed the Awakening Management Headquarters was finally dispatched. But there was still no sign of the mutant dying just yet.

His eyes turned red at that. The raw urge to kill he felt for the very first time in his life spurred him on. Kill that hateful monster over there. Rip it into pieces so that not even a corpse was left behind. But at his moment, the injuries were eating away his life. I have to recover my wounds first. I need some warmth. I need life.

"Oppa! Oppa, I'm scared. Don't do that..... heueu, aaag!"

.....I need a guide.

He woke up in a hospital room filled with silence. Since all the interior lights were off, it was normal that it was dark everywhere, but for some reason, he could see the entirety of the room very clearly. He could even read the small letters on the patient's bed card – his name, gender, date of birth, and the alphabet A. What the hell does that A mean? His blood type is not A.

His head was just blank. He wasn't even wondering why he was here. It was as if his brain was completely paralyzed. Taein slowly sat up like a doll on strings, and looked down at his own body. His hands visible under the loose sleeves of the patient's gown were tightly bandaged.

He must have been injured somewhere, looking at how he was bandaged, but instead of pain, his hands were itching. A feeling of discomfort he couldn't recognize came flooding in. He untangled the bandages mechanically. His bare hands were found unscathed. There were only a few marks left by the bandage, but there were no wounds. Still, everything was so bizarre. An indescribable sense of alienation gripped his entire body.

"Taein-ah."

A cracked voice came from his side. In the dark corner of the hospital room, his mother was sitting on the chair reserved for the patient's guardian. His mother had let her hair loose on her bare face without any makeup. Sitting hunched over her seat, she looked like she might crumble at any moment and fall from the chair. She was too different from her usual self, always with neatly trimmed hair and dressed in stylish suits. She looked decades older than Taein remembered.

"Taein-ah....."

His mother muttered again. She looked like she had lost her soul. She hadn't even thought of turning on the lights in the room. Taein bit his lips. The dry tip of his tongue prickled. He forced a sound out of his throat, which seemingly felt like it had been drilled.

"What about Taejeong?"

Even after hearing the question, his mother just stared at him blankly for a while. At some point, the light returned to her empty eyes that reminded him that of dead fish. No. It wasn't light at all. It was resentment and hatred. Directed at him. It was instinctively radiated without going through reason, forgetting that the person in front of her was her own son.

Why? A chill surged up and engulfed his body even while covered in a duvet with the hospital logo on it. It occurred to him that he was missing something important, something very important.

"....."

The cold gleam disappeared from his mother's eyes. Again, her face reverted to that of an old woman on the verge of death. She then curled up, scratching her face with her hands, howling, ripping her hair out.

"Heug, kkeueu....... kkog. Heuag, aaag!'

Never in his short life had he heard such a terrible and horrifying sound. She didn't sound human. It was the cry of a mother beast who had lost her young. Just hearing it tore his heart to pieces. Only then he noticed it. Her clothes were all black above and below. As if she had to put it on for a funeral.

"M, mom..."

He reached out weakly. He tried to sit upright and get closer to his mother. But before he could even get out of bed, his exhausted body gave out. Taein stumbled and hurriedly grabbed the frame of the hospital bed. Chiig! There came a pungent smell together with smoke from under the palm of his hand. The frame made of hard metal had melted too easily.

"Ah."

His muddled dimmed mind came to senses. The sense of incongruity he was feeling before finally materialized. Where he was before he lost consciousness, and what actually happened before he did. All the information, memories, and sensations rushed in like a tidal wave, beyond the brain's ability to process. When he grabbed his younger sister's arms with his poisoned hands...... How that tiny child screamed as her flesh burned and rotted, and fell off her small body.

His mind came to a halt. Taein looked down at his hand. There was not a single scratch on both of his trembling hands.

"Ah..... ah, ahah. Ah....."

He raised his hand with difficulty and gripped his own neck. And scraped down as much as his fingertips could reach. His neck, collarbones, and chest covered by the patient's clothes. All the blood and flesh gathered under his nails, he could care less of them. The IV needle stuck in his forearm was starting to bother him. He pulled it out angrily. Blood oozed out of the spot where the needle was inserted, but it was ignored.

The half-melted bed frame was grasped in one of his hands swinging haphazardly. When he grabbed it with force, it was cut off in the middle. He lifted up the blackened shrunken piece of metal. This terrible hand. He wanted to cut off this sickening hideous hand that killed his little sister.

Kwag! Kwajig! Blood splattered everywhere. There was, however, no change at all in Taein's expressions. Stabbing the back of his hand with the remaining pieces of the bed frame, Taein was too calm. In the middle of his blood-stained face, only his mad eyes gleamed. His still unstable ability that had just awakened went out of control. Not only the metal piece he had in his hand, but also his own flesh began to burn.

"Patient! Calm down."

The door swung open and the medical staff rushed in. They were then startled at the sight of the blood-splattered hospital room. Several sturdy male nurses wearing protective gear approached and held Taein from both sides.

"Handle it carefully. It's A-class!"

Someone shouted from behind. A doctor, to be exact, a medical Esper in a white gown on top of his dark red uniform. With both his arms held by the nurses, Taein licked his pale parched lips. So the alphabet A on the bed card meant this.

Soon after, a guide from the Awakening Management Headquarters was contacted and arrived at the hospital room. If it was the usual, a guide would never be specially called in to calm down the rampages caused by low ranked Awakened, regardless of whether their lives were in danger or not. It was a privilege given to Taein because he awakened as a high rank.

The guide approached him cautiously and placed his hand on Taein's wrist. A warm current flowed from the place where their bare skin came into contact. It was the same sensation he felt when a stranger touched him while he was sitting on a bench in the waiting area of the examination room back in the center, and when he grabbed his sister's arms. It was ecstatic. At the same time, he hated himself for feeling ecstatic.

Taein's hand recovered slightly thanks to the guiding and then repeatedly broke down. All the flesh ulcerated and melted, and pus, blood, and ooze mixed and trickled down to the elbows. Dreadful stench swamped the room. Was this what would happen if you grilled rotten meat on fire?

"Ew."

The guide eventually frowned as if he couldn't stand it and pulled his hand off. He mumbled something and rubbed his hands against his clothes with disgust. It was truly indescribably disgusting. Who? That guide? Or himself? A scorching heat spread from the back of his eyes. His heart boiled over with intense self-loathing. I want to die. I just...... wanted to die so bad.

"....."

He woke up with a splitting headache. Taein sat upright. Before he knew it, his forehead and back were soaked with cold sweat. The desktop digital clock glowed pale in the dark. It was 3:30 in the morning. It was a little past 2 AM when he forced his eyes to close, so he had been lying in bed for just over an hour.

The sound of rain could be heard over the windows even with the blackout curtains firmly closed. The heavy rain pitter-pattered on his windows. Through the thick curtains, he could feel the moisture and cold. It was still too early for the rainy season. Was it a sudden shower at dawn?

He frowned like a habit and pressed down on his temples. If he had known that his dreams would be this wild, he would have rather not slept at all. His stomach churned as if it were natural. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten anything all day as he was buried under the paper works yesterday.

It was really an ambiguous time. He decided to take a shower for now, whether he went back to sleep or got up and started the day early. A long shower just so that this filthy body could be cleaned even a little bit more. And since he still had some time before work, he thought he could do some light exercise. There was nothing more useful than exercise to get rid of miscellaneous thoughts.

Taein got out of bed. The silhouette of the tall man was revealed in the quiet darkness. He headed to the bathroom sweeping up his cold wet hair, tensed.

It'd already been more than half a month since he last met Shinje. The starting point was the day he was dragged to Mazzaroth and was barely rescued and returned.

From that day on, Shinje began to have more frequent external schedules. Once he went out, he was away for a few days. Taein, Chan, and Heesu took turns accompanying him. Some other times, he would leave with other Erewhon Hunters Yugeon did not recognize.

Even Yugeon, who was locked up in the Headquarters building and couldn't take a single step outside without Shinje's permission, caught on that the situation was changing rapidly. But not exactly how things were escalating, however. The news he could browse on his phone only had vaguely written articles like ‘The Awakening Management Headquarters and the deepening conflict with the Hunter Industry’, and it didn't help that Shinje and other team members never had a thought to give him proper explanation.

Rather it was a good thing. Because Yugeon wanted to avoid seeing him even if that person didn't. He even thought that it was fortunate that Shinje became busy.

He would recall that certain day regardless of his own will even while going through his daily life. The sky high glass windows, fine gossamer silk fluttering down on Shinje's head and shoulders, the gentle madness he whispered, and the words he impulsively uttered. It was all full of things he couldn't understand. It was a feeling that would have been better not to know, forever too if he could, and even if he did, it was something that would do no good. If only he could turn back to a time when he wasn't aware of it. He wished he could cut out all the parts in his brain and heart where Shinje had unfortunately taken root.

Lately, the longer he was left all on his own, the more anxious he became. He knew that Almuten had even reached out to his brother once before, and he couldn't help but worry. He had heard in passing that Erewhon was sending people to the hospital to take turns guarding his brother. There was also a word that they would soon be bringing his brother to the Erewhon headquarters to avoid the eyes of the Awakening Management Headquarters. But that was all he knew. He felt suffocated trapped here, with no way to know how his brother was doing, or whether his life had already been devoured by Almuten.

"Heug, haa......"

Yugeon sprang to his feet, breathing heavily. He got sleep paralysis again. Brigadier General Woo Sungyeon's corpse, speaking to him, forcibly moving his broken jaw, and the sickening stench of rotting flesh lingering in the maze inside Mazzaroth flickering behind his eyes. He'd had enough of it.

Nightmares began to accompany him day after day, night after night. In the terrible dreams, Yugeon, sometimes, Heeseong, and sometimes both would be brutally murdered. He would witness his parents sinking down the icy river over and over again. At this point, it became confusing whether what Yugeon was seeing were nightmares or illusions Almuten instilled into his mind.

Shinje was telling him the truth after all, anyone who once stood in Almuten's eyes would suffer for the rest of their life. Although Almuten never showed his true form and never directly attacked Yugeon, he was still gnawing away at him day after day.

The torrential rain pounded on the windows. The dark night sky brightened once. And seconds later..... Uleuleung, kwang! Thunder shook the dawning sky.

"Gasp!"

Yugeon shuddered in surprise more than necessary. He rolled up the covers and curled up on the bed. He felt like his head was about to explode with confusing emotions and messy thoughts. He then sprinted out of the covers. Sitting in the corner of his room and pickling in his thoughts would do no good for him at all. He had to move his body somehow.

He headed to the training room attached to the headquarters building. The place was terrifyingly silent all around. A white lamp was the only source illuminating the room. He was used to the place being empty of people whenever he came here at dawn. He opened the glass doors and entered with familiarity. On the other side of the space lined with various exercise equipment, someone was sitting on a long bench. It was only past 4 and going to 5 AM in the early morning. He didn't expect to see someone here earlier than him.

The man sitting on the bench turned around, putting down the dumbbell in his hand. It was Taein. Whether it was a uniform or not, it was his first time seeing Taein in something other than a dress shirt, so it took Yugeon a while to recognize him. It was unfamiliar to see his hair fall naturally on his forehead without any grooming and styling.

He was wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and weight gloves on his hand. He was taller than average and well-built, but he didn't feel rough or rugged, perhaps because of his neat features. He gave an impression of a professional white-collar thorough in self-management.

"....."

"....."

They gawked at each other, stunned. Why are you here at this hour? Both looked like they wanted to ask that for a moment, but neither said it out loud. Neither Taein nor Yugeon were the kind of person to greet others cheerfully. Besides it was someone whom they had a different relationship with. However, it would hurt his pride to turn around and go back to his room as if he'd seen something he shouldn't see. What did Yugeon ever do wrong to back off like a guilty thief?

After a moment of silence, Yugeon just bowed his head, greeting him instead of saying hello. Taein also returned a small quiet bow and turned his gaze to the front again. That was the end of the exchange. Yugeon moved to the opposite end of the spacious training room. Both ignored each other, focusing only on their own tasks. Taein started bench-pressing, and Yugeon climbed onto the treadmill and ran looking at the night view of the city amidst pouring rain.

Both of them were second to none at staying silent, so they hardly made any sound except for the footsteps and exercise equipment being put down. In that sense, Yugeon and Taein were quite well-matched at being sports partners. As Yugeon focused only on his task in silence, the other person's existence gradually faded from their mind. At this rate, he would just have to leave after wrapping up the workout. However, there came an unexpected situation.

Crash! Thud! A heavy noise rang out. Taein took out the wireless earphones he was wearing to block out his hearing and turned his head around. The now-empty treadmill was running by itself. Next to it was Yugeon, who seemed to have collapsed. He didn't look like someone who was clumsy enough to fall on his own when he was running fine previously. Something was strange. Taein put the barbell back in place and came close.

"Guide Baek Yugeon?"

"Ah..... eug."

For now, Taein turned off the power to the treadmill that was still running. Yugeon put his hands to the cold floor and tried to pull himself up. However, his trembling arms gave in and fell down again immediately. Throughout Erewhon's history, no guide had ever exercised here. It might have been dangerous for him if the specifications of the exercise equipment were set based on the physical capabilities of the Awakened. Taein breathed out a soft sigh and held out his hand.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fi.... heug, ah. I'm fine."

Yugeon took in a rugged breath and grabbed Taein's hand. The guide was lighter than expected. Taein only pulled him with little strength, but his whole body came up. He noticed it only after he thoughtlessly reached out and raised Yugeon up to his feet. Taein was wearing a weight glove that covered only the back of his hand and palm, revealing his fingers. Warmth still poured out from that slight touch.

The guide also grasped his hand without hesitation. Even though he knew what Taein's abilities were, and when he had already been hit once by the hand he swung reflexively at their first meeting.

"Did you get injured somewhere? It might later become a bone or muscle injury even if it's only a bruise now. You better go see a doctor."

Yugeon still hadn't raised his head even after he managed to pick himself up to his feet. Due to the height difference, when he bowed his head, Taein could only see the round crown of his head. Did it hurt a lot? Or was it because he got embarrassed since he fell in front of someone he was uncomfortable with? If not.....

"Guide Baek Yugeon?"

Taein stepped closer and narrowed the distance. He pushed his hand under his slender chin and raised his head.

Yugeon's eyes were bloodshot. Unfocused eyes wandered to the sides, trying not to meet his gaze. There were even dark circles under his eyes. Anyone could see it was someone suffering from sleep deprivation and fatigue.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"....."

"Or, did you stay up all night and come here?"

Yugeon didn't answer. If it was normal, he would have stood up straight and pushed his hand away, but he only stared up at Taein meekly even with his chin gripped. He didn't even seem to notice the red and purple bruises slowly forming on the side of the arm he knocked hard onto the floor when he fell down. Taein changed the question.

"When was the last time you slept for a long time?"

"Yesterday..... the day before yesterday. It was the day before."

"....."

"No, actually, I don't know. I can't remember....."

He felt it again. That he and Yugeon were too different. The guide was too weak compared to him, even skipping a few meals or not sleeping for a few days might be life-threatening. Just like how his little sister was shocked to death just by grabbing her arms.

That's right. Didn't he warm him before? That he wouldn't even last a year, and now he looked like he might really lose his mind if this went on. Taein sighed and let go of Yugeon's chin. In any case, he had an obligation to keep Yugeon in good condition. At the very least, he shouldn't look like he was dying. Like that time when he had to hold Yugeon down in his arms who was refusing to eat and stick down a syringe filled with milk in his throat.

"I don't know what's wrong with me..... I haven't even done anything, but I'm always tired, and I feel like I'm going to faint, but I can't fall asleep. I just can't sleep no matter how hard I try..... I thought it would be better if I came here and worked out."

He was rambling, but Taein had no problem understanding. He knew better than anyone. It wasn't just Yugeon who was suffering from terrible insomnia after all.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

The sound of rain outside the window finally reached his ears without earphones. Taein asked bluntly, taking off his sweat-drenched weight gloves.

"Can you drink?"

The door opened. After a bit of hesitation, Yugeon stepped into the room. He just absentmindedly nodded at Taein words, but he didn't know how he got here. Except for Shinje's Presidential Suite, which was basically a public meeting room and office, Yugeon had never been to anyone else's rooms. Since Taein, Chan and Heesu would only ever come to visit Yugeon themselves whenever they had a business or wanted to.

Taein's room was not too different from Yugeon's. It was even a little narrower. When he became the Deputy Chief of Erewhon, he could have had luxurious private rooms as many as he wanted, but perhaps he didn't want them? The stark difference was a stack of papers and electronic devices neatly laid out on the desk. Shinje received no reports except electronically, while several government institutions, including the Awakening Management Headquarters, still preferred paperwork. It was Taein's job to coordinate between digital and analog.

The bed showed no signs of being frequently used and there was only work all over the place. There wasn't even one of those common decorative items. It was truly a space without a sense of life. If Shinje's room looked like a model house in an interior magazine, it could be said that this was just an office with a bed.

"Sit down."

Taein said as he walked towards the refrigerator without even sparing a glance at Yugeon. Yugeon sat down quietly at the table. Soon Taein returned. He had a bottle of wine in one hand and a tray with simple snacks such as cheese and crackers in the other.

He never had any side dishes when he drank alone. The reason why he drank was that he simply just needed alcohol, not taste or atmosphere. He never felt the need to serve with other foods. The snacks in his hands were, however, prepared by Heesu, who once came to his room to play, was surprised at the miserable sight of the empty refrigerator, and arranged it in a variety of ways. He thought he'd have to throw it all away at this rate since the snacks got barely eaten anyway, but he didn't know it would come to be used like this.

"If you drink alcohol with an empty stomach, you will get sick."

"Since when did the Deputy Chief care about my stomach health?"

Yugeon rebutted, rubbing his pale face with one hand. So his sharp tongue was still working fine.

"If you want me to drill a hole in your throat, run a hose through it and pour down the medicine for your stomach ache."

"....."

"Shouldn't you have already learned a lesson after you got burned once? The more the guide cares less about his health, all the more work I have to do."

"Did the Leader give you orders? To take care of my health."

Taein, who was pouring alcohol into two glasses standing, looked up at him. What kind of answer does the guide want to hear? How would Yugeon react if he said he wanted to open his mouth and fill it up again and again even without Shinje's orders?

Instead of answering, Taein pushed a glass filled with golden alcohol in front of Yugeon. Then he took his own glass and poured white powder into it. It was done mechanically and skillfully like a bartender preparing cocktails according to recipes.

"That's....."

"I didn't put it in your glass, so don't worry."

"What is it?"

"It's a drug for people like me to get drunk."

Taein responded indifferently, shaking the glass until all the power dissolved and disappeared. There was nothing to explain further. It was the same kind of drugs that went into cigarettes that Taein and Shinje used to smoke in their spare time. He had to resort to this since he wouldn't get drunk even after pouring the strongest liquor into his guts undiluted.

The two quietly raised their glasses and sipped. There was no toasting or clinking glasses. The atmosphere was too distant as if two strangers were having a drink together.

It reminded him of the first time he brought Yugeon to Erewhon. At that time, Yugeon reacted violently just after a sip of the cigarette that Shinje had passed on to him. Like a wild animal that was captured and forcibly dragged inside, he was extremely wary of everything and everyone around him, and even entirely stopped taking food and drinks.

But what about now? He obediently followed all the way to Taein's room and was currently drinking the alcohol he gave him. Was it because Yugeon adapted to this environment, was it because he was broken? He could bet it was not at all the former.

"....."

After taking a sip of the liquor, Yugeon's brows furrowed slightly. To think that a person who ate and drank well no matter what was given would react like that.....

Taein stood up from his seat. He then opened the refrigerator door again and brought out a jar of tangerine jam. The jam was also made by Heesu himself, and it might relieve the bitterness to some extent if eaten with crackers. He had risen to a respectable position at this age, and yet now he was sitting here, holding a drinking party for a much younger guide. What kind of twisted fate was that?

Even though crackers and sweet jam were placed in front of him, Yugeon hesitated a little. It was quite a bit awkward to crunch snacks in front of the man who was only sipping alcohol and staring at him like a wooden statue, no matter how blunt he was. However, after receiving Taein's stinging silent gaze, he reluctantly opened the lid of the jam.

"I, this."

With the jam lid in one hand and a plain cracker in the other, Yugeon hesitated again.

"What should I use?"

"....."

Taein sighed like a habit, picked up a silver butter knife and put a lot of jam on the crackers. Baek Yugeon always acted as if he had been through all sorts of hardships in life, but at times like this, he looked like a child. That might be why Taein couldn't stop taking care of him even though he knew it was all delusions.

After that, there was only silence for a long time. While sipping liquor with crackers coated with sweet and sour tangerine jam, Yugeon suddenly opened his mouth.

"Why are you doing all this, Deputy Chief?"

It was a random question. Seeing that his tired voice was completely drained of venom, he didn't think he was picking a fight.

"You don't like me that much, but you always take care of me, and you hate using your abilities, but fight the mutants..... Is there a reason why you are doing all that?"

"Because I want to die."

If it was a normal day, he wouldn't bother answering such a frivolous question and would have ignored it, but perhaps for today, a corner of Taein's heart was also doused with the early morning rain falling outside.

"I want to kill as many enemies as possible, pay for my sins as much as possible, and die as soon as possible."

A younger sister who died at his hands, a mother who committed suicide in the shock of losing her young daughter, that is, a mother who was as good as he had killed. Despite the death of two people in his hands, he received no punishment. Legally, he was completely innocent.

The laws of this country had always been biased in favor of the Awakened. The higher the rank, the more. The Awakening Management Headquarters consoled him, saying, ‘it was not uncommon for a high ranked Awakened to rampage due to sudden awakening, so don't be heartbroken.’ It was tens of thousands of times more cruel than being branded and condemned as a criminal.

So he lived for death day after day since his awakening. Whenever mutants stopped breathing under his hands, whenever he purposely forgot to eat and drink, and pushed himself to limit, he could feel the long-awaited death he wished for approached him little by little. Of course, no matter how many mutants he killed, his sins would never go away..... but that way, wouldn't he at least have a little face when he reunited with them in the underworld?

Taein worked as an independent Hunter and applied only for dangerous missions. He would jump inside the gates, ignoring all the screams around him, asking him, ‘do you want to die?’ A-class toxin talents were welcomed wherever they went. There was no shortage of work.

Then one day, an S-class Hunter appeared in front of him. Although he was only in his early twenties, he was a celebrity who appeared often in media as well as within the Hunter networks. He wondered why such a person personally came to find him.

A man with an angelic face offered a deal with a silky voice like that of the devil. Take my hand, and I'll let you die in the most splendid and the most miserable way. Taein then became Erewhon's Deputy Chief.

It wasn't just Taein. Shinje. Chan and Heesu. Always embracing madness and facing death. Their loved ones were either never there from the beginning or never to be seen. Hunters around them died day after day, horrific side effects following them chronically, and all the missions they took were life-or-death. It would be strange to stay sane.

Yugeon, whose goal was to live a quiet life with his brother in a small house after he recovered his health, would never be able to understand them. For that reason, he shouldn't give his heart away. To a guide who knew nothing, who just hated him and feared him anyway.

"I need money for the hospital so that I can save my brother. That's why I came here, and I'm holding out for that."

But Yugeon looked too much like him. To the point where he couldn't even look away.

"But..... it sounds stupid to say this."

He stammered on, wrapping the empty glass in his hands. His cheeks were red enough to be seen under the orange light. Was the guide the type to pour out the words kept inside his heart when drunk?

"I feel like my burden is too heavy. No, I'm not saying that hyung feels like a burden, that's. Burden is not the right word.... I don't know what to say....."

"I know. Speak comfortably."

"Sometimes, just sometimes..... it's too hard, so I'd rather hyung..... that's only why...."

He refilled his glass. Before he could stop him, Yugeon raised the glass and gulped it down. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and lowered his gaze.

"I'd rather hyung died."

Ending the sentence with great difficulty, Yugeon rubbed his face dry in a muddled manner. His skin felt burning hot. The sensation of his palms rubbing his face felt far away.

"But again, I hate myself for thinking like this. If hyung finds out, he'll be very disappointed with me, right? We only have each other, and yet I'm having thoughts like this. I'm sure he will be sulking for a long time. But I need to take these feelings out somewhere, but I'm not good at talking and I have no sense, so what should I do....."

With his head lowered, muttering incessantly, Yugeon's body leaned to one side. His glass tilted and spilled onto his T-shirt.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Taein reached out, gently holding his chin, and propped him back onto his seat. Thanks to that, he barely managed to avoid falling down from the chair. He briefly came to his senses at the sensation of the ice cold liquid seeping through the fabric.

"Ah... I'm sorry."

Yugeon swept his hair back roughly. His eyes were half-open. Taein frowned and nudged the tissue box forward.

"Are you drunk?"

"No, I'm not drunk..... I'm not....."

Yugeon tried to answer with a full sentence, but his tongue kept getting twisted. Soon after, when he realized that the harder he tried, the more he would only be confirming Taein's words, he confessed obediently.

"...I think I'm drunk."

Taein folded his arms and watched as Yugeon tried to wipe off the spilled liquor with a tissue. Since he was drunk, he kept making mistakes, and far from wiping off the spill, it was instead getting everywhere. If he had known that Yugeon was weak to alcohol, he wouldn't have given him a strong one. He only wanted him to drink just enough to make him feel a little drowsy and put him to sleep, but somehow, it was starting to look like he had to clean up after a drunkard. Anyway, there really was no place he couldn't look away for a few seconds. A slight irritation rose.

Taein, who could no longer stand to see the mess created, held out his hand. Just give me the tissue, I'll wipe it for you. Yugeon, his eyes glassy and unfocused with red cheeks, also moved slowly according to his movements. And then...... placed his hand on Taein's bigger palm.

"What are you....."

What is this about? Taein's frown deepened even more.

"....."

How he interpreted his silence, Yugeon slowly blinked his eyes and also put his other hand. Taein looked down at the two hands neatly placed on his palm. Then took a look at Yugeon's face once. Yugeon was staring up at him, unreasonably drunk. With a face like a puppy, who had faithfully carried out the command, ‘hand!’

"Haa..."

This shouldn't be this complicated. He now had a headache in his hands that couldn't be subsided with alcohol or drugs. If he had known that the guide's drinking habits would be this bad, he would have just stayed in his room in the first place. He clasped the hands on his palm. Both of Yugeon's hands could be wrapped together in one hand. He pulled him gently. His hands, bruised thin wrists, shoulders and face came to him one after another.

Taein exhaled a short breath that he had been holding back until now, turned his head..... and kissed Yugeon.

His lips tasted of liquor and felt cold. However, when he slipped his tongue between his weakly open lips, there was a moist, hot tongue inside. The heat paralyzed his sense of reality. It didn't seem to matter where he was, who he was, and what he was doing right now.

"Heog, heueb."

Yugeon sounded like he was short of breath. Quivering like a young beast on the verge of death. Was the posture uncomfortable? Did he not like the angle? Or did he find the kisses he shared with him repulsive......

"Heug, heub..... heueu."

He noticed it a little late. Yugeon couldn't breathe this whole time. With his cheeks red and body trembling, he could only gasp with his throat blocked by Taein's tongue.

What was he doing now? With a child who was drunk with only one or two glasses of whiskey and had even forgotten how to breathe properly. He felt pathetic and smiled self-deprecatingly. He didn't know where to start. He pulled his lips away. Yugeon let out a choked breath. Letting out pained tiny whimpers, Yugeon rubbed his cheek against Taein's palm.

"Have you been like this in front of other people?"

He asked even though he knew the other person was out of his mind. Again, no answer came back. Taein wrapped one arm around Yugeon's shoulder and knocked him down on the bed behind him. His large silhouette covered Yugeon's body, from the top of his head to his toes.

Yugeon was lying on the bed that Taein would have laid down every night. There was a calm scent surrounding him that resembled him. It felt cool compared to his feverish body. It felt strangely perverted to know that he was lying on top of it, messing up the covers that were arranged without a single wrinkle to be seen.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

"....."

There was no reason left in Yugeon's eyes staring up at him blankly. Taein, on the other hand, calmed down a little. The fact that there was no turning back if he did more here was floating in his head like a warning message.

The original purpose was to make the guide who was whining and complaining of insomnia to drink moderately and let him sleep. He had no intention of doing any more than that. If Yugeon hadn't put his hands on his palm right away, he wouldn't have acted like someone who had a hobby of raping a person who was mindlessly drunk, unable to control himself. He should call it a day.

"Are you going to sleep now?"

He lifted Yugeon's head and propped him up with a pillow. He hated seeing other people roll around in his bed, but he couldn't help it because of the situation. He wasn't going to sleep any more today anyway, so he thought he'd give him the bed for a few hours and then have someone change the bedding later.

".....er."

Yugeon murmured something. Under the orange lights, his wet lips, which stood out in particular, looked sweet.

"....."

Taein's hands suddenly stopped moving. Yugeon lifted his wrist and covered his eyes.

"Leader, haa..... stop."

This time he heard it clearly. He was calling that man, not the person who was in front of him. Any shred of guise mixed with complex desires and restraint immediately faded away from Taein's face.

He knew. He didn't deserve anything, including the guide in front of him. It was natural, since he had committed a sin that could never be washed away with his dirty hands. So what was this feeling that was rapidly rising up even though he knew it? Yes, this too might be an extension of the ugly sin and the product of madness. No matter how much he self-harm and self-discipline, it would never be erased. The moment he reached that conclusion, the impulse took over all his reason.

Taein relaxed his arm that was placed next to Yugeon's head. Falling over him, he pressed their lips together again. When the heavy weight fell onto him, Yugeon opened his mouth with a gasp. It was definitely a rougher kiss compared to before. He didn't even let Yugeon go, when it was clear he was out of breath. He hugged his neck and turned his head to the side. On the pillow, their hair spread messily, and the well-ironed sheets already crumpled. Only rugged breaths could be heard in the quiet room.

"Are you mistaking me for that person, or... do you want to believe that?"

Their lips entangled with obscene noises barely fell apart.

"I can't, breathe, not anymore...."

"Did you share a drink with him too? Did you sleep with him whenever you couldn't sleep?"

"Ah! Wait."

"He must have ordered you to find a substitute when you're left alone."

"I don't want to take off my clothes..."

"Hm?"

"The blanket, it's too cold."

"Is that so?"

Taein half-heartedly replied to Yugeon's drunken babbles and gently played with his fingers. While saying he didn't want to take it off, when he lifted up the hem of his T-shirt, Yugeon obediently raised his arm and cooperated. He didn't even have a lot of clothes on him in the first place. Loose short-sleeved T-shirt, sweatpants, and underwear. He was already naked in a flash.

"Spread your legs open."

Taein ordered, and raised his upper body, taking his shirt off. Whether he heard his words or not, Yugeon didn't react. He only stared at the sturdy body exposed in front of him with his eyes half-closed. There were several cuts near his firm neck and across his beautifully open chest. Deep scratches dragged through the flesh with fingernails. The half-healed wounds were red and rugged, making it look even more terrible.

This was often the case when having nightmares from the past, or when the side effects were too severe. Trapped in dreams, he would strangle himself and rip off his skin, to hurt himself. He didn't want him to show this hideous sight. He was carried away by the desires, forgetting about it.

"....."

Taein sighed and grabbed Yugeon's right ankle and lifted it up. The crotch was spread open loosely. His cock, scrotum, and perineum, which were all slightly slowly turning red were revealed in front of him. Yugeon bit his lower lip. Even with a muddled mind, he must have felt a bit ashamed of his lower body, exposed without a single thread on him. He pressed his thighs together and covered his genitals with his hands.

"Don't cover yourself."

"....."

"I told you to spread open."

Yugeon just shook his head and didn't move. The guide had the audacity to be stubborn after calling another man in front of him without fear. How many times did he have to discipline him? Taein's lips stiffened. Smack! A stinging heat spread across his buttocks.

"Aheug!"

He hit him with his hands relaxed, so it wouldn't hurt much except for the loud noise. However, it must have surprised him, seeing him finally relax his thighs and slowly putting his hands away. The resentful gaze under his tiny trembling eyelashes headed toward Taein. That gaze only made him more impatient. He tucked his waist between his open legs and pressed his fingers on Yugeon's lips. Long, straight fingers slipped in and tore through the soft mucous membranes without mercy.

"Heueub, cough, heu..."

Even if Taein lost a little self-control, his ability would be activated and corrode all of Yugeon's airway. Ever since he cleaned up the spilled milk on his gloves poking Yugeon's mouth, no, actually, he'd been wanting to do this since before.

As if walking on a tightrope, he felt around the wet soft skin. All of his senses were focused on his fingertips. Occasionally, Yugeon's Adam's apple would twitch with difficulty swallowing down the saliva pooled over his tongue. The joints of his fingers would be tightened again and again. Would it feel dizzying like this if he pressed his dick inside too?

After caressing the roof of his mouth, and turning his fingers around, he pulled his fingers back out. His whole fingers were soaking wet and shiny. He slightly spread open the index and middle fingers to check that the transparent thread was drooping, and then immediately slipped the fingers into his hole.

"Ah!"

The narrow insides clamped down on his fingers. Yugeon pressed his thighs together again, startled. Taein grabbed his hips and fixed him in place, spreading his ass apart. His stuffed entrance finally came into sight. There was no particular technique in Taein's movements. He would pull out his fingers all the way out until his fingernails were slightly visible, and then tuck back in until the bulky joints on the back of his hand were pressed against the hole. With repeated movements, veins popped out on his forearms and muscles stiff and bulged.

"Stay still."

Yugeon's toes curled up at the inescapable pressure from underneath. Taein's hands were, of course, big, fitting his build. The fingers alone were overwhelming.

"Heueu, eu, ah! eueung."

"Are you still mistaking me for Woo Shinje?"

The name that came out of his mouth without any honorifics was unfamiliar. The tone was indifferent, but he could sense the indisputable hostility. Yugeon shook his head desperately.

"No, no....."

"No? So you just spread your legs easily to others even if they are not Woo Shinje?"

Ugly jealousy was blatantly exposed. Yugeon was drunk and out of his mind now, but if he remembered this after sobering up, he would surely despise him.

"G, ui, ding."

Yugeon stutterd and reached out his hands to touch the wounds on his chest.

"Guiding, I have to do it. That way only.... I can be useful."

However, Yugeon's hands couldn't reach him. Taein grabbed both of his wrists in one hand and pressed them back down onto the bed. Taein leaned down, his face finally shadowed, hiding his unreadable face. Taein gritted his teeth and muttered.

"...I shouldn't have brought you here."

He sat up without giving Yugeon time to think about the meaning of his words. The position was reversed, and Yugeon was placed on top of Taein, who was lying on his back on the bed. A stiff, heavy erected cock below pressed against his buttocks.

He grabbed Yugeon's waist and slightly raised him up, so that his cock stood up vertically. He blindly pressed his erection against the hole and shoved it in. Yugeon choked on his breath and clenched down tight as the heavy glans slowly squeezed into his entrance.

"Put it in and try to move yourself."

"Heug.... eueung....."

"It's guiding, do I also have to help you with that? What have you learned after doing it so many times?"

Yugeon slowly sank down with his legs wide open with both his hands in Taein's grip, making him unable to move away. Because of the weight on it, the dick slipped in little by little without doing anything. He tried to lift up his hips and thighs, but it was useless. His hole, red and puckering, instead of pushing out the dick, rather sucked it in happily.

"Eug! Heu, ah."

Yugeon shook his head in fits and starts. Sweat dripped down his damp black hair and soaked Taein's lower abdomen. His dick, gently snuggling into Yugeon's soft insides, got stuck when the inner walls suddenly narrowed.

"Ah, ahah! That, stop, it won't go in anymore..."

Taein took a breath. The soft sticky flesh was clamping down on his dick. It felt like he had puckered his lips and sucking him up. He bucked his hips buried on the bed, pulling his dick out slightly and then rammed it up back in. HIs heavy cock pierced through the narrowed spot and went all the way in.

"Argh!"

A bone-deep shudder disguised as pain spread his whole body. Yugeon lifted his ass in an attempt to ease the pressure in his lower abdomen, pulling out half of what his insides were clamping down on like vice. The muscles on the insides of his thighs contracted and trembled. However, he couldn't maintain the awkward posture, neither sitting nor standing, forever. After a while, the upper strength in his body weakened and naturally fell back down, the engorged dick splitting him open again.

".......heueug, heu, eu."

When Yugeon showed no signs of moving for a long time with his cock pressed inside, Taein raised his hand again. Slap, a blunt sound came from the sweat soaked skin, and Yugeon's insides tightened as if startled. Yugeon's buttocks hit by a big hand quickly reddened. Yugeon swallowed a pained moan and began to move his body, half with his own will. As he slowly fucked himself on Taein's dick, he felt as if all the places that noone had ever touched were grazed and prodded. His hole, swallowing and spitting out the cock, felt numb and burning, but his body never stopped moving, no, he couldn't stop moving.

Taein began thrusting up from below, adjusting to his pace. Yugeon hurriedly swallowed a particularly loud moan from nearly bursting out of his lips. He staggered, with Taein's sudden movements messing his pace, the dick pounding his insides went askew, fucking him in places he couldn't have imagined.

"Pl, ease, wait, heug, ah!"

His gut was full, and he felt bloated. Yugeon gasped as if out of breath, his body moving up and down, adjusting to Taein's brutal pace. His wrists tightly gripped in Taein's hand rubbed against each other, and red handprints were left around his tender skin, but neither of them seemed to be aware of it.

"Ah, ah, ahah! Heug, ha eung...."

Yugeon clenched his teeth and bowed his head. His jawline and slender neck visible under his disheveled hair looked strained. Hot wet inner walls frantically narrowed down on the throbbing dick fucking him relentlessly. And immediately afterwards, semen gushed out of his dick.

Taein wiped off the sticky liquid splattered on his stomach and chest with his hand. Thick mucus trickled down his fingers. It should have been a filthy sight for him, but a fire broke out behind his eyes in an instant. Pleasure that no drug, no alcohol could satisfy heightened and swept him away.

It dawned on him. Something like this was guiding. No wonder why Woo Shinje, no, not just him, but also countless Awakened in the world hang onto guides. In fact, he didn't want to know. He once thought it would have been better to die than clinging to someone who hated him, begging for warmth.

He let go of the hand that was holding Yugeon's wrists and firmly grabbed his waist. Holding him tightly, so as not to be pushed by the rough movement, puck! He slammed him down with all his strength, burying himself deep to the hilt. The climax burst out like an explosion, pressing deep against the burning walls fluttering around his cock.

"....."

Yugeon was trembling pitifully in his arms with his mouth gaped, overwhelmed with excessive stimulation. He came eventually, spilling everything inside Yugeon's wet heat. It spewed up deep inside of the inner walls spasming and contracting around him, and flowed back down, wetting the still heavy glans. Yugeon must have felt it, too, his thighs trembling intermittently, and his whines sharp to his ears.

Even after the climax was done, Yugeon just sat on top of him for a while, his hole still clamped down on his dick tight, whimpering along with every little tremble. Then, slumped down on Taein's chest like a puppet with broken strings.

"Huu, eug..."

Taein wrapped his hands around him, gently stroking his slender waist, nibbling and sucking on his blushing nape, ears and cheeks. His release was leaking down underneath. Yugeon kept making tiny moans into his neck, but couldn't seem to be able to come to his senses.

After thrusting a few more times against the damp inner wall, burning desires dwindled down completely. The guide was already unconscious. How was this different from fucking a corpse? He felt like a beast with eyes turned while in a rut. Disgust rose up. He exhaled a long breath and slowly pulled out his dick. He ignored the fact that he was still rock hard even after a climax.

He glanced down at Yugeon, who was lying on his chest. It was a pitiful face with all his guards torn down. When he swept back his sweat-drenched hair and listened carefully, he could hear him taking even breaths. It was no surprise he fell asleep right away, especially after an intense drunken sex.

Yugeon was broken. It went without saying that it was the whole team who broke him. At the same time, however, Team 1 was also breaking apart. Either way, they couldn't go back to when Yugeon wasn't in their life. This relationship was futile. Not just futile, it was also terribly deadly. They had to quit before all of them were completely destroyed. That would be the best and final favor he could give to Yugeon. But when and how?

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

"....."

"That business card you received....."

He got the words out, but then quit. It would be useless to talk to a person who was sleeping deeply without a care for the world. Now was not the time. Taein sat up, his lips pursed. He had to clean up the messy table, take a shower again, and start the day's work. And the guide sleeping on his bed.

High-definition video filled the screen. It was a scene of the international airport, about an hour or two by car from the middle of Seoul.

Originally, the airport was operating as it was, although it was a little empty because some part of the site had been closed down. Facilities were well-managed, and usually only a few staff and tourists came and went. Espers were deployed here and there in case of possible mutant attacks.

However, the scenery on the screen was completely different. Hangars, airplanes, cargo containers, and parked vehicles everywhere. Unidentifiable large pieces were the same. The wide road they were currently seeing on the right was probably a runway. However, damp darkness seemed to cover the entire airport. Everything was rotten back and entangled in something unknown, either they were tentacles or vines from what they could guess. Even though it was clearly day time, the place was somehow as dark as night. Just by looking at it, anyone would feel a sense of alienation and discomfort for no reason. If they had to describe it, it was like meeting the gaze of a decomposed corpse who died with their eyes wide open.

The camera continued to move slowly, showing the other side. Among the ruins was a particularly large hangar. Thick chains were wrapped around the hangar as if there were any top secrets inside. But now all that defense seemed to be in vain. Since they could see a large hole in the hangar door. From there, tentacles, fungi, and moss, and many more unidentifiable things were stretching out, contaminating everything in the vicinity. Something in the hangar seemed to have grown out of control.

Chig. Chijig. Sudden noise came up on the screen showing the collapsed hangar. There was nothing wrong up until now. The noise got progressively worse and everything became indistinguishable.

"That's all for the video. The drone failed for some reason, and we could no longer shoot."

The person standing next to the screen added a short explanation and pressed the remote's power button. Soon the video was turned off and the screen went black. A strange silence fell upon the party. Clap! Someone clapped once, breaking the silence. Everyone's attention turned to them.

"That is Mazzaroth. The ugliest secret that the Awakening Management Headquarters has been hiding."

A soft and calm low tone. The tone was neither high nor loud, but it strangely pierced their ears. The man, leaning on the backrest with his hands clasped in front, tilted his head slightly.

"Any questions?"

As soon as the words were finished, the Hunter sitting opposite from him immediately asked a question.

"Did you film the inside of the gate? Electronics have never worked inside the pit."

A counterargument came straight from another.

"That said, doesn't the scenery look exactly like the airport? I heard that the inside of Mazzaroth was like an ancient temple. There can't be airplanes or cars."

"The internal structure of the gate is subject to change. Even little kids know that....."

A heated debate somehow sprang up over the video they just watched. Shinje, who was watching the bicker with no expression, eventually intervened.

"First of all, that's the airport we used to know."

"But..."

"The Director of the Awakening Management Headquarters spoke with his own mouth. Mazzaroth is getting bigger and bigger, and as you can see, it has now crossed the gate and invaded ‘this side’."

It wasn't enough that the gate was getting bigger and bigger, it had also started to affect reality. It was something no one could have ever imagined. If it was true, then everything that used to be common sense would be overturned. All the strategies and defenses that mankind had built up with blood and countless lives for nearly a century would all be in vain.

But, they couldn't just fall into despair and plunge into misery. Everyone in this room were people who were considered to be the strongest in the Korean Hunter industry. They were all somewhat used to vicious situations that drove humans to the limit. As they were always at the forefront of the battle, they were among the first to catch onto the cause of the recently widely-discussed ‘gate anomaly’.

"Hunter Woo Shinje."

Erewhon and the Awakening Management Headquarters should be finding a solution instead of arguing why they hadn't revealed this to the public until now, or who was at fault, and who did it right.

"What do you think will happen in the future? Do you have a strategy?"

Shinje nodded at Dohae's question. That person also looked more nervous than usual. If it had been normal, he would have turned people upside down, throwing ludicrous words around like, ‘it has nothing to do with me whether the world is destroyed or not.’

"You need a host to carry the disease."

The opening was quite absurd.

"It means, even Almuten can't stretch his feet out indefinitely without any medium on this side."

"Then the host....."

"There have been several reports of people who went into Mazzaroth and went missing or killed were recently found outside the gate. Coincidentally, a considerable number of people have gone missing. That guy is good at impersonating and manipulating. It's a piece of cake for him to infect the brain and use it as a host, whether it's alive or dead. I'm sure you all know what it means by this."

Almuten was no longer satisfied with hiding his body deep in Mazzaroth and using only his psychic body and illusions to invade the outside world. He must have been longing for madness and slaughter that he could carry out in person. Just in time, the Awakening Management Headquarters sent out a rather unreasonable raid party under the operation name of ‘Crocodile Bird Hunt’. It must have been like the Pit was offered a bunch of sacrificial lambs right onto their lap after being tightly sealed for over a decade, without anyone coming and going. It was a far smaller number than the humans who rushed in groups without knowing anything when Mazzaroth was first discovered, but it must have been a satisfactory meal for Almuten who had been starving for more than a decade.

Major Jeong Changhyeok and Hunter Baek Heeseong. One person was seen walking around even though he was killed in action inside Mazzaroth, and the other had disappeared without a trace even though he was a critically ill coma patient. When they checked all the CCTV footage of the hospital, which was the site of the last sighting, nothing was captured. Neither of them were high ranking Awakened, and their abilities were not related to electromagnetic wave manipulation, so they shouldn't have been able to avoid the CCTVs.

"A lot will change in the near future. Mazzaroth will continue to expand its domain. Until all this land falls into Almuten's grasp. There will soon be battles on a scale larger than anyone could ever imagine, and countless people will soon be swept away."

Everyone had their eyes fixed on Shinje without even a blink. A living experiment created only to catch Almuten, born and raised in the Awakening Management Headquarters. No one in this room knew more about Almuten than him. Shinje met their gaze head on and looked around. District, vigilance, curiosity, determination. Various emotions fluctuated in dozens of pairs of eyes.

"Well, then. Allow me to make a proposal for all the Hunters present here."

Thud. Shinje lightly hit the conference room table with his palm. A proposal made by a person like Woo Shinje, offered to all the strongest members of the National Hunter Union. It must be no ordinary matter. With pin-drop silence, everyone waited for him to continue.

"If anyone here catches Almuten before me..."

Shinje tossed out the proposal, as if choosing a lunch menu for today, in a light and refreshing tone.

"I'll give you Erewhon."

Everyone stiffened at the expected announcement. The response came back only a moment later.

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Giving Erewhon."

"Are you saying you're handing over the management rights?

"You can take it as you please. Either you take over the shares, or take over the authority from me, or just take whatever you need and throw the leftovers away."

"No... then what is Hunter Woo Shinje expecting to gain from the aftermath of this?"

"Nothing. Just a little motivation for you people in case you want to back out. I understand not everyone wants to lose everything, especially their lives. Of course, I will be the one to cut his throat."

Shinje added jokingly. In the corner of his mind, the image of Yugeon making a foolish promise that he would never let him die as long as he was his guide flickered.

"This is not a battle, it's already a war. You'll have to be desperate. You have to go hunting with the determination to die. Otherwise, everyone here, no, the whole world, will be devoured by him."

"....."

"....."

"How do you like it? Will you accept my offer?"

Greed and uncertainty appeared on the faces of all the Hunters gathered in the room. But so far, no one came up and willingly offered to do so. Woo Shinje's proposal was indeed something to be covetous. The prize was too good to be true, but it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Erewhon was famous for being a den where Hunters who were simply purely combat-crazy gathered together, with no interest in advancing into politics or connecting with chaebol. If they fight well, they receive generous support, and if they fight well, they don't care at all whether you abuse the guides or not. As such, it was the ideal place for the strongest.

In addition, there was a diabolical system in place called promotion battles in Erewhon. It sounded nice in theory, but in reality, it was basically mutiny allowed by the superiors. Anyone could overturn a team that was assigned in order of ability at any time. Heesu's attempt at mutiny in his early days joining Team 1, saying he didn't want to obey other people's orders, but was nearly beaten to death by the other members, was quite famous in the Hunter community.

As long as they had the skills, they would be obeyed without question. Conversely, those who failed to prove their ability would not be recognized, no matter how great they claimed to be. That was also a reason why Yugeon was rejected even though he was the exclusive guide hired by the Leader himself. What if, even if Almuten was defeated by someone other than Shinje, and Erewhon was taken over, and what if the members of Erewhon did not recognize the new leader? This guy really was a piece of shit, his proposal was basically a red herring.

Munyeong, who was sitting across Shinje, grinned. That crafty guy knew all that and yet brought up this kind of proposal. Nevertheless, the fact that the offer was too tempting to refuse was undeniable.

"Leader Woo. Aren't you too overconfident? What if I gamble away all of Erewhon?"

"I don't know. We'll see about that in the future."

Shinje smoothly passed over her question. A competitive smile was already hanging on her lips, which had been sour throughout the discussion.

"All right. I'll gladly accept the offer. From this moment on, Bari will cooperate with the raid on Mazzaroth by any means."

A great deal of attention was drawn to her. It would not even be enough to go back to their headquarters and reach a conclusion through a meeting with their fellows, but she made the decision too easily. Munyeong just shrugged.

"Yeah, well... I also like competition."

That was the starting point. The other Hunters rushed to express their consent.

"It won't hurt to have fun once in a while."

Muttering to herself, Dohae also raised her hand to announce Yehan's participation.

It was the moment when the boundaries of ‘this world’ and ‘that world’, divided inside and outside of the gates, collapsed and the war against Almuten was declared.

[1] PC bang - PC방 

translator note: sorry the chapter that to be split into two. i had to use up all my stacked chapters last month.