"Give all the information you have on Protheus and Lee Sa-young."
Silence fell. In the chilly dawn air, only the sound of crickets chirping filled the stillness. Jung Bin stared blankly at the black mask.
There were so many things he wanted to say to J. So many things he wanted to ask. How did he escape from the West Sea Rift? When did he get out? Was he okay? If he had been alive, why hadn't he contacted him sooner?
He sifted through the words buried in those eight years. He agonized over what to say, what to ask, and what to swallow. Despite spending the whole way here pondering what kind of conversation they would have, it was all for nothing. Because at his request, Jung Bin's mind went completely blank. Instead, a strange sentence popped into his head.
'How should you deal with a supposedly dead forr colleague (a.k.a. hero) who shows up after 8 years and demands classified information?'
Jung Bin ca up with a title that would make any anonymous online board explode with comnts— sothing he had never thought of in his life. He felt like an AI tasked with answering questions. Unconsciously, he looked up at the dark sky. The guilt and relief that had rushed upon seeing the mask had long since vanished like scattered ashes. Instead, anxiety filled every corner of his mind.
Jung Bin thought to himself,
'Didn't you say it wasn't a big deal?'
Not a big deal? No, it was indeed a big deal. A very big one.
The fact that J, who was thought to be dead, had returned safely. It was truly sothing to be thankful for. He seed to be in good health, with all his limbs intact. That was a relief. However, the amount of information buried within his brief sentence was overwhelming.
'Information about Protheus and Lee Sa-young.'
J was a top-ranked hunter, and his skill at pinpointing classified information was no joke. How did he know about Protheus? And what connection did he have with Lee Sa-young to request information about him?
'Could he have possibly made contact with Protheus?'
No. Jung Bin imdiately rebutted his own thoughts. Protheus was being hunted by multiple factions. They wouldn't have had the ti or reason to contact J. It's more likely that...
'It's more likely that Lee Sa-young got involved...'
He rembered the ominous words Gyu-Gyu had thrown out in the dark interrogation room.
"Look into Lee Sa-young."
"I dug hard and shortlisted a few J candidates... But all information gets cut off at Lee Sa-young and the Pado Guild. That guy, he gives out misleading information and it's really annoying."
Gyu-Gyu definitely suspected Lee Sa-young. He claid that guy had cut off all paths leading to J. And the day J reappeared in the rankings, when Jung Bin t Lee Sa-young in front of the West Sea Rift morial... Yes, that was strange.
Not even trying to hide the suffocatingly ominous energy and sinister aura, he said,
"Everything that cos out of the rift..."
He clearly stated...
"Is mine."
He was smiling.
"So get lost."
So eerily, so brightly.
At that ti, he was absurdly asserting his ownership over J, who had escaped from the rift. But Lee Sa-young awakened as a hunter long after J had entered the rift. There shouldn't be any connection between them. Yet, why...
"Hmm, is this really that difficult? Do you really have to agonize over it this much?"
The distorted voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts. Jung Bin quickly lifted his head. J, with his hands thrust into the pockets of his black jacket, was standing crookedly, tilting his head. He innocently asked,
"Isn't it strange? Back in our day, there were no secrets, were there?"
Well, that's because you had the highest security clearance and could see everything. Jung Bin swallowed the words that almost escaped his mouth. True, J's high clearance only allowed him access to information about monsters, dungeons, and rifts. J muttered to himself,
"Hunter Song might have kept out of the loop a bit... but anyway."
He shrugged.
"It would be nice if you could give it to in a report... but if you're worried about leaks, just tell . I can morize it. And you're really busy, right? I saw you recently shot a comrcial about earthquake safety."
His tone was light, as if he were doing a favor. When had he seen that earthquake safety comrcial? Jung Bin rubbed his face with both hands, trying to shake off the stress. He was skilled at hiding his expressions while extracting information, but maintaining composure in this situation was impossible.
After a mont, Jung Bin lifted his head. His face was visibly exhausted, but his mouth moved chanically.
"I recomnd searching online for information about Lee Sa-young, J. It's very well docunted on the internet wiki."
J replied in a disinterested tone,
"Who asked about his personal details? I'm asking about sothing else, that's why I called you all the way here. You know everything; why are you acting like this?"
"It's a violation of personal information protection laws."
"I'm not asking for his ID and password."
"What's forbidden is forbidden, J."
"Lee Sa-young aside, Protheus wouldn't fall under that law, would they?"
"Protheus is top-secret classified. J. I need the director's approval to tell you about it."
Jung Bin could feel the sharp gaze behind the black mask. But his stance remained firm. He didn't know why J was asking, but both were matters he couldn't easily talk about. And...
'There must have been a reason you hadn't shown yourself until now.'
The rift from which countless hunters had entered and never returned. The only person who ca out alive. The forr strongest and the current strongest. The mont J officially reappeared, all attention would inevitably be on him. Whether that attention was good or malicious.
Jung Bin didn't want to expose him to that unprotected.
"..."
It might be self-satisfaction, maybe even selfishness. Perhaps he was doing now what he couldn't do before. But Jung Bin wanted to protect him. He wasn't powerless like before. This was his way of caring.
But,
A long sigh escaped. J was now bowing his head deeply. Resting his forehead on his palm, he murmured gloomily.
"I didn't want to do this..."
"What?"
"...But I guess I have no choice."
It was a foreboding warning. Soon after, thud, his slippers touched the green floor. His stance and aura were anything but ordinary. Jung Bin looked at J with anxious eyes. J, standing crookedly like a thug with one leg bent, shouted,
"How can you not tell the hero who saved the country!"
It was a trap!
Jung Bin's jaw dropped. It was a shocking statent, one that made him doubt his ears. Wasn't this the sa person who used to wave off the idea of being a hero? And now, he was fully wielding his authority. Although it had been long enough for rivers and mountains to change, Jung Bin hadn't anticipated this kind of situation. He stamred,
"What, what did you say?"
"How many monsters I've caught, how many rifts I've closed!"
"Wait a minute, J!"
"How many dungeons I've cleared, I say!"
"Please calm down!"
"I'm not asking for anything unreasonable! I'm not even asking you to summarize the past 8 years! I'm just asking about two things, reasonably! And an old colleague can't even tell that!"
"I'm sorry, please calm down!"
Thankfully, J's rampage ended with a rant about how, in his day, he had no ti to rest, going from dungeon to rift and back to dungeon, using monster carcasses as pillows...
After enduring it for a long while, Jung Bin staggered to the bench and collapsed into it. J, too, slumped down, his head lowered near the exit of the slide. Silence fell again. This ti, even the crickets were quiet. Eight years was enough ti to turn a young man into an old grump, Jung Bin thought.
After a war with nothing but defeat.
"..."
"..."
For a long ti, neither of them spoke. It would be more accurate to say that neither dared to break the silence. Glancing sideways, Jung Bin saw that J was twisting his body restlessly.
After a while, Jung Bin, hunched over with his face in his hands, muttered weakly.
"...I will tell you."
"..."
"But before that... May I say sothing?"
"...Yes."
A similarly weak response ca back. Jung Bin brushed his lips, then sighed.
"J, when you officially start your activities, all eyes will inevitably be on you. To be honest, I... hope you don't reveal yourself. I'm saying this as Jung Bin, not as the team leader of the Awakened Managent Bureau."
"..."
"People can be cruel at tis. Back then..."
What had he thought while watching J's exhausted figure wandering through the Bureau, drenched in blood he didn't even bother to wipe off? People pretended not to know his weary figure, and they ignored the youthful appearance that even the mask couldn't hide. Because that's how they could survive. Jung Bin muttered,
"Haven't you experienced enough of that?"
"Oh man, what are you even talking about..."
Jung Bin quickly looked up. J was resting his chin on his hand, staring at Jung Bin. After a long silence, J responded with unwavering certainty,
"I already finished worrying about that a long ti ago. I've made my decision."
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