'Alright then...'
The air was filled with the tallic scent of rust and oil. The floor, which Cha Eui-jae's cheek rested on, was cold and trembled rhythmically. He listened closely. He could hear the hum of an engine and the exhaust. Was it a container truck? Given the state of the road, a truck would be necessary. As Cha Eui-jae took in his surroundings, he overheard Lee Mi-jin scolding soone.
"Hold on, I told you not to throw them so roughly. What if they end up getting hurt? Cleaning up the container would be a hassle..."
"..."
"Ugh, never mind. What's the point in talking to idiots? It's like talking to a wall..."
"Hyung-nim."
Another voice interrupted. It was the man who had shown Cha Eui-jae around earlier, introducing various parts of the camp.
"Where should we put this one?"
There were muffled sounds, as if Yoon Ga-eul was struggling, followed by a few thuds. Lee Mi-jin responded nonchalantly.
"Didn't you lock the container door?"
"We can always open it again. There's no space in the passenger seat."
"Check the body of the guy we threw in first. If he's dead, make room and put this one in the front. I don't want anyone losing their mind sitting next to a corpse."
"He seed like an Awakened, though. Even if his grade is low, he survived a hit from the club earlier."
"Oh, really? Then he's probably not dead... Such annoyingly sturdy people. Put him in the container, and don't throw him this ti!"
"Mmmph! Mmm!"
"Miss, if you keep being uncooperative, we'll have no choice but to respond with violence..."
"Mmm! Mmmph!"
"You seem like you have a lot to say. Go ahead and untie her mouth for a mont."
"W-Why are you doing this to ? Please, let go! I need to get ho..."
Yoon Ga-eul shouted defiantly, but Lee Mi-jin only responded with a mocking laugh.
"Do you really think we don't know you're an S-grade Awakened?"
Yoon Ga-eul fell silent. Cha Eui-jae strained to listen more closely. They knew about Yoon Ga-eul? How? Even among Hunters, very few people knew that Yoon Ga-eul was an S-grade Awakened. At most, they might know that there was a hidden S-grade who was a high school senior and had ntal-type abilities.
Lee Mi-jin's tone suddenly shifted, becoming almost pleading.
"We know all about your abilities, too. You rember the ruined world, don't you? Are you going to run away again? Without stopping it? While brainwashing yourself into thinking it's inevitable?"
"..."
"We also want to prevent the apocalypse. We're willing to try anything to stop it, wouldn't you?"
After a pause, Yoon Ga-eul asked.
"...What do you want from ?"
"Our leader wants to et you."
Lee Mi-jin's voice changed slightly when she ntioned "the leader." It had a fanatical quality, the voice of soone who believed deeply in sothing— almost like a madwoman.
"Our leader has rembered the apocalypse for a very long ti. He foresaw that it would co to this world soday and gathered us together."
"..."
"Though you are an Awakened, you possess a rare ability. We can cooperate. Talk to our leader, see if we might find a solution to this crisis."
"...Is that really all?"
"Of course. We'll just talk, and then we'll return you safely to where you ca from."
"How can I believe that? You kidnapped out of nowhere..."
"I apologize for the rough treatnt. I did tell them to bring you in safely... Seems like these idiots didn't understand. They can be slow on the uptake."
"..."
"Will you co with us?"
"If I say no, you'll just drag there anyway, right?"
"..."
"...Fine, just tell them to let go of . I'll walk on my own."
Footsteps approached. There was a clicking sound as the lock was undone. Cha Eui-jae quickly shut his eyes. A man entered the container before Yoon Ga-eul. He approached Cha Eui-jae, crouched down, and checked for a pulse at his neck. Grumbling, the man muttered.
"What the... Still alive, huh? Sturdy as hell."
"..."
"Alright, miss. Get in."
"..."
"Don't try anything funny. Let's keep things civil."
Light footsteps approached Cha Eui-jae. Yoon Ga-eul sat beside him, curling into a small ball. The door shut again, and the lock clicked into place. At that mont, Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes wide and quickly lifted his head. Yoon Ga-eul gasped, stifling a scream. In a small voice, Cha Eui-jae whispered.
"Why are you here, Ga-eul? Weren't you at school?"
"A-Are you okay? That was a pretty hard hit!"
"I was pretending. Didn't even tickle. But why are you here?"
"How could I be at school... with all this going on? After I woke up, I inford the director and was on my way to the Awakened Managent Bureau. But then..."
Yoon Ga-eul sniffled and adjusted her crooked glasses. The vehicle shifted heavily to one side as it started moving.
"So people in white clothes grabbed . They asked if I was Yoon Ga-eul. I denied it, but..."
She held up the student ID hanging from her neck, showing her na, Yoon Ga-eul, printed in large letters. Cha Eui-jae nodded in understanding. Yoon Ga-eul sniffled again.
"I didn't think about the ID... I was too out of it."
"..."
"And that's how I ended up here. What about you, J?"
"I was investigating these people. Thought I'd blend in with this look."
"Right."
"I said I was looking for my lost younger sister, and I used so of your information as cover. I figured you'd still be at school, so it made for a good excuse."
"..."
"Didn't expect to find you here though..."
What a cruel twist of fate. Yoon Ga-eul hung her head in despair.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault..."
"No, I got in here of my own will."
If he wanted to, Cha Eui-jae could escape anyti. He could rip the container door off and jump out. Sure, he'd roll on the road a bit, but that wouldn't even leave a scratch. Lying face down on the container floor, Cha Eui-jae began to think. This might actually be for the best. From what he'd heard, it sounded like they were about to et the person responsible for creating Protheus. He couldn't pass up such a great opportunity. Cha Eui-jae muttered.
"Ga-eul, I'm really sorry for saying this, but..."
"Yes?"
"I could take you with and escape, but I won't."
Yoon Ga-eul pushed up her glasses, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve, and nodded. Cha Eui-jae glanced sideways at her.
"You've noticed the apocalypse speeding up, haven't you?"
"Yes, those huge monsters... I rember them. They appear at the start of the end."
This world had already set itself on a path toward destruction. There was no escaping it. The apocalypse would chase them until the very end. The only way was to push forward. Cha Eui-jae muttered again.
"In our world, there's a massive wild card called Protheus. A variable we don't fully understand. Even if we want to stop the apocalypse, we can't make a plan without accounting for them."
"You're right."
"If we can't exclude them... we need to find out more about them."
"..."
"I'm planning to gather as much information as I can from this chance. What do you think?"
"...Do you think we can escape?"
Yoon Ga-eul looked at Cha Eui-jae with anxious eyes. Cha Eui-jae propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a confident grin.
"I'm J, rember?"
"..."
"Trust ."
The anxiety in Yoon Ga-eul's face faded, replaced by a faint smile. She nodded, reassured. Cha Eui-jae spoke solemnly, and Yoon Ga-eul seed to tense up as well.
"And we should get our story straight."
"O-Okay."
"How about we pretend we're siblings with different last nas? It's pretty common after the Day of the Rift, with non-blood relatives forming families."
Yoon Ga-eul's expression softened into exasperation. Cha Eui-jae suddenly checked his watch, his mind drifting briefly. He rembered how he had longed to be part of a family with Lee Sa-young. He knew his aunt would never return, so maybe that was why he had clung to Lee Sa-young so much. He wanted to bind them together as a family— because they were each other's only ones.
"Do you kiss your younger brother?"
A teasing voice echoed in his mind. At that mont, Cha Eui-jae slamd his head into the floor. Yoon Ga-eul let out a small squeal of surprise.
...He hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Cha Eui-jae rubbed his forehead against the tal floor. His once-scattered thoughts were now focused on one na.
Lee Sa-young.
Was he alright? Cha Eui-jae let out a short sigh.
***
Jung Bin said that he lted the entire research facility. He stood alone amidst the ruins, covered in poison.
...I don't rember it well.
Did my brain erase the mories to protect my body and mind? I can't be sure. Lee Sa-young's last mory is of a suffocating sensation, hot and overwhelming, like boiling lava. Even that was recalled with difficulty.
During the ti spent with Jung Bin and Bae Won-woo in the old house, they would ask him every night. What was the research facility like? Do you rember anything? Is there anyone you recall? It would be helpful if you could rember sothing. That way, we can track them down and punish them... But every ti, Lee Sa-young would shake his head. The only answer he could give was;
"I don't know."
It's strange. His mories of being in the hospital were so vivid, yet no matter how hard he tried, nothing about the facility would co back to him. Lee Sa-young rembered holding Ga-young's hand, and with difficulty, they left the hospital and got into a strange car. That's where the mory is cut off.
"It's probably a defense chanism."
A black shadow muttered. Lee Sa-young looked up. The shadow, which had suddenly risen from the ground, was staring at him silently. Then, it curled its lips into a smile.
"You ran away."
At the sa ti, Lee Sa-young glared at the shadow.
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