Chapter 234: End
"Revenge is sweeter when you know why you're doing it, don't you think?" 4
His tone was calm, as if asking about sothing trivial. Completely unbothered. A small question suddenly bubbled up inside Cha Eui-jae. Was he serious? Cha Eui-jae carefully observed Lee Sa-young's face. There wasn't a trace of a smile in his narrowed, pale eyes. Besides…
"I'm only left with resentnt. Even though I don't rember it."
Even without the mories, the lingering bitterness ant that the pain and emotions were deeply imprinted on his body. That rage-filled emotion.
'There's no way he's okay.'
A past you can't rember becos a heavy lump in your chest. There's no way to resolve it. Because it's already in the past. All you can do is carry that weight with you as you move forward. Lee Sa-young couldn't possibly be okay. Cha Eui-jae had told himself countless tis that he was fine, but he hadn't been fine at all. 9
Thud. His chest felt like it was being crushed. Talking. Yes, they needed to talk. Cha Eui-jae reached out and grabbed Lee Sa-young's arm.
"You…"
But Lee Sa-young had already pulled out his phone with the sa hand that had been covering his mouth. Instead of looking at Cha Eui-jae, he smiled sweetly at Ivan, who was nervously biting his nails.
"I can make the call, right? To the director. J's phone is busted, you see…"
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
With his black finger, he firmly pressed the call button. 2
***
A mont ago, in the Awakened Managent Bureau.
"Yes, yes… Understood. Yes. We'll add that to the report. Yes."
Click. A firm hand set down the receiver. Ham Seok-jeong furrowed her brow slightly and covered her eyes with her hand. The hunter beside her, who had been holding a phone, blocked the receiver with his hand and spoke worriedly.
"How about taking a break, Director…?"
"…"
Ham Seok-jeong slowly nodded and, using her cane, stood up from her seat. Her knees ached more than usual today. She limped her way down the hall, avoiding people rushing by, and arrived at the director's office, a place where few people passed by. She leaned her temple against the cold concrete wall and let out a short sigh.
As soon as the frequency of mysterious monster appearances decreased, and the crisis was sowhat under control with the cooperation of Mackerel and private guilds, calls flooded in from various places. Most of them were from higher-ups. As expected, she handled them adeptly. Except for one person.
A slick voice echoed in her ears.
—Let's leave out the word "apocalypse" in the announcent, okay? Just say sothing like… the gate ran wild? Or maybe that it's similar to the West Sea rift incident. You get , right?
Nonsense.
—…Haa, Director Ham, Director Ham.
A voice clicking its tongue in disapproval.
—The more people know about it, the faster it accelerates. That so-called apocalypse or whatever. For now, it's better to control the information, right? Anyway, Director Ham has enough on her plate already. Leave the dia to us. Everyone should focus on what they're good at, that's all I'm saying. I'm just trying to help, you know.
Bullshit.
—If you stir up anxiety prematurely, the damage will only be worse. You need to know when to cover up the information appropriately.
"So, what will you announce?"
—Haha, why even ask? Just say the gate ran wild, but thankfully we managed to contain it! And say that J saved the day again! Tell people not to worry. What other na carries that kind of weight?
"…"
Ah…
These stupid, ignorant fools!
The sound of her fingers digging into the wall echoed. Ham Seok-jeong tried to catch her breath, but her breathing remained labored. Listening to these know-nothings speak like they were lecturing her made her blood boil.
They've never even set foot on the field, and they're not even Awakeners! What do they know? These people couldn't even win against their own fingers but dare to flap their mouths. And J? Do they think J is so kind of universal key that solves everything? Her eyes gradually widened in fury. At the sa ti, her inner thoughts grew more extre.
'Maybe it's ti to clean house…'
"…Director?"
"…"
Ham Seok-jeong slowly turned her head. Jung Bin had appeared without her noticing and was looking at her with a slightly uneasy expression. He was just three steps away. Ham Seok-jeong rolled her eyes upward, then let out a deep breath and released her grip from the wall. Bits of crumbled concrete fell to the floor. Jung Bin handed her a handkerchief. She acknowledged him with a glance and wiped her hands clean. Then, elegantly sweeping her hair back, she asked,
"When did you get here?"
"I just arrived. Hong Ye-seong-ssi kept complaining that the conference room was boring, so… I brought him to the office. On the way, it seed like the monsters were mostly under control…"
"Yeah. For so reason, the number of creatures suddenly decreased. We're in the cleanup phase now. Good timing."
"If you're okay with it, I could take over the command from here…" 1
Seeing dirt clinging to his usually pristine black suit, it was clear his journey hadn't been easy. Plus, he had to deal with that troubleso jerk. Ham Seok-jeong patted Jung Bin on the shoulder.
"I'm fine. For now."
"…"
"Actually… no, I'd appreciate it if you could take command for a bit. I need to go argue with the higher-ups for a while."
"Of course, anyti."
Their attitude had been too unpleasant to just let it slide. This isn't the end of the apocalypse. It would be better to knock them down a peg now, to prevent them from interfering later. 6
"Well then…"
At that mont, her phone rang. Probably another call from one of the higher-ups. Annoyed, Ham Seok-jeong answered without even checking the caller ID.
"Yes… This is Director Ham Seok-jeong of the Awakened Managent Bureau."
—Why so formal all of a sudden?
Ham Seok-jeong narrowed her eyes. A lazy voice with a casual, disrespectful tone. It was unmistakably Lee Sa-young.
"Did passing out make you even ruder? What do you want?"
—Oh, it's nothing serious.
Another voice, soone else's, faintly echoed in the background. Eventually, a modulated voice ca through clearly.
—Director, this is J. I'm at Protheus' headquarters right now. 1
"…What? Wait, what did you say?"
Ham Seok-jeong hurriedly adjusted her grip on the phone. Protheus' headquarters. They had been searching for it all this ti but had only failed. Jung Bin, having overheard, looked shocked. The modulated voice continued. 1
—There's a guy here nad Ivan. He says since our goal is the sa, to stop the apocalypse, it might be worth it for Protheus and the Awakened Managent Bureau to collaborate. He asked to relay the ssage to you.
"…"
—Well, I'm just the ssenger. Feel free to reject it if you want.
The sound of knuckles cracking ca through the phone. A clear threat that, if needed, they could destroy the base. Ham Seok-jeong quickly began to weigh her options.
Now that the apocalypse had beco a reality, the Awakened Managent Bureau's top priority was dealing with it. They needed to save as many people as possible.
This ant, regrettably, that there was no ti or manpower to focus on individual Awakeners disappearing anymore.
Images of the guild leaders she'd seen in the conference room flashed through her mind. And the faces of the missing hunters she'd only known through paperwork. Who knew how many of them were still alive? They could all be dead by now.
The first duty of an Awakener is to protect civilians. But who, then, protects the Awakeners? When Awakeners went missing, the widespread assumption was that they'd died sowhere in a dungeon. Even if they were kidnapped or enslaved, people shrugged it off as their own weakness and even mocked them for it. At least those in guilds had people looking for them… 2
Perhaps it was better to cooperate with them and find out the whereabouts of the missing hunters. Ham Seok-jeong lifted her head. Jung Bin looked at her with a worried expression.
"J."
—Yes, Director.
"If I were to agree to work with them…"
Jung Bin's face darkened. Ham Seok-jeong closed her eyes.
"…Would you be disappointed?"
—No.
"…"
—I trust you, Director.
Ham Seok-jeong let out a short sigh.
"Whether we cooperate or not, we need to et with them first. Since they seem willing to connect with us, let's arrange a eting as soon as possible."
—Understood.
Click. The call ended without further words. Ham Seok-jeong handed her phone to Jung Bin.
"Track the location of that call."
"Yes."
Jung Bin replied briefly, but he didn't move. He stood still, his face showing concern. He fiddled with the phone for a mont before carefully asking,
"…Are you really going to join forces with them, Director?"
"I don't know yet. We'll have to et them and see."
"The guild leaders you t earlier will be fiercely opposed."
"That… is sothing I'll have to bear." 1
Ham Seok-jeong glanced at the wall, where her fingers had dug into it. She muttered to herself,
"If I have to shake hands with my enemy to save more lives… then I will."
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