As the bright red sunset receded and the bluish night sky took over, J, who was sitting crookedly on the outdoor stairs of the Awakened Managent Bureau headquarters, was rarely looking at the rankings provided by the system. With each upward swipe of the air, the nas on the ranking list updated quickly.
"His vocal cords might not recover. He might have forgotten how to write."
'...That's true.'
Ga-young's opinion was valid. In reality, the boy's injuries were not ones that could be easily healed. The fact that he was still alive after being poisoned was nothing short of a miracle.
Even with treatnt, he might never be able to speak again or see anything. It would be best if the boy could tell his own na, but...
Most of J's wishes had not co true so far.
'I should at least think of a na candidate.'
Phone books and graduation albums were swept away during the Day of the Rift, and the nas J could rember were few and far between. The barely recovered internet was incomparably slower than before. Would the system ranking list be of any help?
J propped his chin crookedly and glanced through the newly updated list.
[BaekdusanTiger]
[GloryUnbeaten]
[Berserker]
[HeroicSpirit]
'None of these are helpful...'
Why do hunters like hunter nas so much? J, a pioneer and leader in using a hunter na, lanted. At that mont, he heard approaching, regular footsteps.
"There you are, J."
"You're here?"
Jung Bin, wearing black combat gear similar to J's, seed to have captured another awakener sowhere. He bowed with an apologetic look.
"I said I'd be on ti but I'm late... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You caught a bad guy, right? Who was it this ti?"
"Oh, I caught a ntal-type awakener who was threatening civilians."
J, leaning against the wall, tapped the spot next to him. Jung Bin hesitated before taking a seat. With two grown n sitting side by side, it felt a bit cramped. J closed the system window and clasped his hands together.
"So, why did you want to see ? Do you have sothing to say?"
"Yes, I do."
Clearing his throat, Jung Bin spoke.
"You might have seen the report, but did you know there's a rift in the West Sea?"
"I saw it in the rift list. I thought the Incheon branch could handle it. Isn't it a grade 5?"
"That's right. But..."
Jung Bin rubbed his chin before continuing.
"Since it appeared in the sea, we sent in skilled hunters, but there's been no news from them."
"When did they go in?"
"It's been 18 days since they entered."
"..."
The movent of rubbing his fingers stopped. A level 5 rift, if enough personnel were sent in, could typically be resolved within a week. Even if an accident occurred, it rarely took more than a week. But now it has been 18 days.
Jung Bin continued, rubbing his chin.
"After 14 days, we sent in additional personnel... but there's been no word from them either."
Sothing had clearly happened. J leaned forward, clasped hands to his masked face. His voice, altered by the mask, carried tension.
"...What about Aunt?"
"Hunter Park Hye-kyung hasn't gone in yet. She's in charge of the Incheon branch, after all."
"..."
"But if this continues, not just Hunter Park Hye-kyung..."
Jung Bin trailed off. Both of them knew well what he was about to say next and the weight of those words. Knowing that Jung Bin would feel guilty even saying it, J cut him off.
"That's enough."
"...Yes."
Jung Bin lowered his head deeply. Silence ensued. Watching the streetlights turn on one by one, J got up with an exaggerated motion. He touched the back of his neck and turned his head.
"Thanks for telling ."
"..."
"Well, at least I can prepare."
"...I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize... Instead of just digging, why don't you think of a na if you have ti?"
"A na?"
"Yes, a boy's na."
Jung Bin's head shot up. The face that had been filled with guilt now showed astonishnt.
"Are you planning to have a child? But you're not at that age yet, are you?"
J, also astonished, looked at Jung Bin. Though it wasn't visible because of the mask. Jung Bin hurriedly continued.
"I heard you've been visiting sowhere recently... Well, if both of you are happy, I won't object, but..."
"What nonsense is this?"
"Should I tell Hunter Park Hye-kyung...!"
Whack! A crisp sound echoed. That day, J hit an S-grade for the first ti in his life.
He was sturdy.
***
As always, good days are short. Misery is long.
J walked with asured steps to the director's office. Knock, knock, he knocked twice before opening the door to a spacious room.
Behind a heavy brown desk sat a middle-aged woman with short, neat hair that didn't cover her neck and a stern, raptor-like face. The black naplate shone under the fluorescent light.
[Awakened Managent Bureau Director Ham Seok-jeong.]
Ham Seok-jeong gestured.
"Co in. Sit."
Ham Seok-jeong adjusted her glasses and pressed her fingers against her forehead. Her face was etched with unshakeable fatigue. J sat on the sofa and glanced at the docunts on the table. They were profiles of hunters affiliated with the Awakened Managent Bureau or unaffiliated hunters.
J flipped through the docunts, checking their faces. His hand soon stopped. Among the familiar faces was Park Hye-kyung.
"..."
Park Hye-kyung, 45 years old, A-grade hunter, Incheon branch of the Awakened Managent Bureau. Above her confident smile was a red stamp.
[Status: Unknown.]
The edge of the docunt crumpled. Ham Seok-jeong, who had gotten up with a sigh, asked,
"Would you like sothing to drink? We have green tea and coffee."
"So Aunt went inside after all."
"..."
Though his tone was sarcastic, Ham Seok-jeong only gazed at J with an inscrutable expression. He mouthed silently. 'Status: Unknown'. No matter how many tis he repeated it, it didn't feel real. It felt like he had lost his sense of reality, like wandering in a dream...
J threw down the docunt. The collected papers scattered randomly on the table.
"Well... it's a rift close to the Incheon branch, so of course she went in."
"...Yes."
"And the headquarters sent additional personnel too."
"They did."
"But no one ca back."
"...Right."
"Are you okay?"
"Are you testing ?"
"Yes."
She sighed deeply. Ham Seok-jeong, who sat opposite J on the sofa, took off her glasses and covered her face with both hands. Heavy silence fell. Neither Ham Seok-jeong nor J spoke first.
How much ti passed? J saw another familiar face among the scattered docunts. A new hunter he had encountered a few tis in the rift. J bit his lip.
[Status: Unknown.]
He crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa.
"What's wrong, Director?"
"..."
Status: Unknown.
"Just give the order."
Status: Unknown.
"Say I'm the only one you can trust, that I'm the last resort."
Status: Unknown.
"So order to go into the rift."
Status: Unknown.
"So order to die there—"
Ham Seok-jeong snapped her head up like lightning, her eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost. Only then did J see her eyes were swollen and red. Ah, J let out a small sigh.
He regretted it too late. He should have looked at her face first. He should have had a light conversation as usual. His neck felt cold. Since seeing the 'Status: Unknown' stamp on Aunt's photo,
'Where did it start...'
J clenched his fist. He swallowed hard.
'...to go wrong?'
Once spoken, words couldn't be taken back.
After fleeing the director's office, he ca to his senses in front of a familiar hospital room door. How he got there, he didn't know. J banged his forehead against the cold door. Should he tell the boy he was going into the rift?
J brushed away the sudden question. No. Entering rifts was as routine as eating. There was no need to say anything special. It wouldn't take long to co back.
He just needed to rescue the people and kill the rift's master. As always. This ti, the rescue targets were hunters, which was a bit different.
And it was a bit different because he had to rescue Aunt.
Status: Unknown.
'...'
He clenched his fist tightly. He was overwheld by the urge to smash sothing. It felt like his insides were burning.
Status: Unknown.
'Rather, if in the rift...'
Status: Unknown.
'If I die...'
At that mont, a rustling sound caught his ear. It ca from inside the hospital room. J instinctively flung the door open. He widened his eyes.
The boy, covered in bandages, was trying to get up from the bed. With weak arms, he was removing the wires connected to his body and struggling to sit up.
Cough, cough... But it seed too much for him, as harsh coughs burst out. The boy urgently covered his mouth, curled up, and his shoulders shook. The sll of blood filled the air. Between the boy's fingers, which covered his mouth, dark red blood seeped out. J hurriedly ran over and grabbed the boy's shoulder.
"Hey, why are you trying to get up?"
"..."
"Why...!"
Just as J was about to shout, he froze. The bloodied hand desperately gripped the hem of J's clothes. Soon, rough bandages touched his neck, and beyond that, the warmth of...
A person's warmth.
J clenched his teeth. He didn't know how to reject warmth. So, he could only hold him endlessly.
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