As the deep red sunset faded and the bluish night sky began to settle in, J found himself leaning casually against the outdoor stairs of the Awakener Managent Bureau's headquarters. It was rare for him, but he was scrolling through the rankings provided by the system. Each ti he swiped upward, the nas on the leaderboard refreshed quickly.
“His vocal cords might not heal, and… well, he might have forgotten how to write.”
‘...She’s right.’
Ga-young’s opinion was valid. The boy’s injuries were not sothing that could easily be healed. The fact that they had detoxified him and that he was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
Even with treatnt, there was a good chance he might never speak again or see anything. The best-case scenario would be for the boy to one day tell J his own na, but…
Most of J’s wishes hadn’t co true so far.
‘Might as well start thinking of so na options.’
Things like phone books or graduation albums had long since disappeared on the Day of the Rift. The nas he could recall were few, and the internet, though partially restored, was a far cry from its forr speed. As for the system rankings—were they of any help?
J rested his chin in his hand and glanced at the newly updated list.
- Baekdusan Tiger
- Unbeaten Glory
- Berserker
- Heroic Legacy
‘None of this is useful…’
Why do Hunters love these kinds of nas so much? It’s impossible to understand. Wouldn’t it be better to just use their real nas, like Jung Bin or my aunt? As the first to adopt a Hunter na, J sighed in disappointnt. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
“There you are, J.”
“You’re here?”
Jung Bin was dressed in a black combat uniform similar to J’s, likely having just captured another Awakener. He gave J an apologetic bow.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I said we’d et, but I’m the one who’s late….”
“No worries. Looks like you caught a bad guy. What was it this ti?”
“Ah, I caught an Awakener with mind-control abilities who was threatening civilians.”
J leaned lazily against the wall and patted the space next to him. Jung Bin hesitated before taking the seat beside him. The space felt cramped with the two adult n sitting so close together. J turned off the system screen and clasped his hands together.
“So, why did you want to et? Is there sothing on your mind?”
“Yes, there is,” Jung Bin cleared his throat before continuing.
“You may have heard, but did you know there’s a rift near the west coast?”
“I saw it on the list. It seed like the Incheon branch could handle it. Isn’t it a Level 5 rift?”
“It is, but….”
Jung Bin rubbed his chin as he replied.
“It appeared over the sea. We sent so of our best Hunters in, but we’ve had no contact from them.”
“When did they go in?”
“It’s been 18 days since they entered.”
“……”
J’s fingers, which had been absentmindedly rubbing together, froze. A Level 5 rift. Normally, with enough manpower, such rifts could be cleared in under a week. Even in the rare case of an accident, it usually didn’t take longer than that. But 18 days had passed?
Jung Bin continued, still rubbing his chin.
“After 14 days, we sent in a second team for reinforcent… but we lost contact with them as well.”
Sothing had definitely gone wrong. J leaned forward, resting his clasped hands near his mask, his voice tinged with tension.
“…What about my aunt?”
“Hunter Park Hye-kyung hasn’t entered the rift yet. She’s one of the Incheon branch’s top Hunters, so she’s still managing things there.”
“……”
“But if things keep going like this, not just her, but….”
Jung Bin trailed off. Both of them knew exactly what was left unsaid and the weight of those words. J spoke up, cutting the tension.
“That’s enough.”
“…Understood.”
Jung Bin lowered his head. Silence hung heavily between them. J watched the streetlights flicker on one by one, then rose with exaggerated movents, placing a hand on the back of his neck as he stretched.
“Thanks for telling .”
“……”
“Well, at least now I can prepare.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No need for apologies… Just don’t overthink it. Instead, if you’ve got ti, why don’t you co up with a na?”
“A na?”
“For a boy.”
Jung Bin’s head snapped up, his face transforming from guilt-ridden to shocked.
“…Are you planning to have a child? You’re still too young for that, aren’t you?”
J stared at him, equally shocked, though his expression was hidden behind his mask. Jung Bin quickly tried to backtrack.
“I an, I’d heard that you’ve been visiting soone regularly recently… Not that I’d interfere if it’s sothing mutual, but….”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Should I inform Park Hye-kyung—?”
*Thwack!* A sharp sound echoed. That day, for the first ti in his life, J struck an S-rank Hunter.
He was sturdy.
As always, good monts are fleeting. Misfortune, however, lasts.
J, with composed steps, found himself standing in front of the director’s office. After two knocks, he opened the door to reveal a spacious room.
Behind a heavy brown desk sat a middle-aged woman with short hair neatly cut just above her neck, giving her the sharp look of a bird of prey. The black naplate glowed under the fluorescent light.
**Awakener Managent Bureau Director Ham Seok-jeong.**
Ham Seok-jeong gestured for him to enter.
“You’re here. Have a seat.”
She adjusted her glasses and pressed her fingers to her furrowed brow. Her face showed visible signs of fatigue. J sat down on the sofa and glanced at the docunts laid out on the table. They were personnel files of Hunters affiliated with the Bureau, as well as freelance Hunters.
As J flipped through the files, scanning the faces, he froze when he ca across one he recognized. It was Park Hye-kyung.
“……”
Park Hye-kyung, 45, A-rank Hunter, Awakener Managent Bureau, Incheon Branch. Her confident smile was marked with a red stamp.
**Status: Missing.**
The corner of the file crumpled slightly in his hand. Ham Seok-jeong rose with a sigh and asked,
“Would you like sothing to drink? I have green tea and coffee.”
“So, in the end, my aunt entered the rift, didn’t she?”
“……”
Though J’s tone was sarcastic, Ham Seok-jeong stared back at him impassively. She mouthed the word silently, ‘Missing.’ No matter how many tis she repeated it, the reality didn’t seem to sink in. It was as if she were wandering through a dream.
J threw the docunts down on the table. The files scattered in disarray.
“Well… Since the rift is close to the Incheon branch, of course, she’d go in.”
“…Yes.”
“Even the headquarters sent reinforcents.”
“They did.”
“But no one ca back.”
“…That’s right.”
“Are you okay?”
“Are you testing ?”
“Yes.”
Ham Seok-jeong let out a long sigh. She removed her glasses and buried her face in her hands. Heavy silence fell once again. Neither J nor Ham Seok-jeong spoke.
After a while, J spotted another familiar face among the scattered files. A rookie Hunter he had encountered in a few rifts. He bit his lip.
**Status: Missing.**
He crossed his legs and leaned back against the sofa.
“What’s wrong, Director?”
“……”
**Missing.**
“You can just give the order.”
**Missing.**
“You have no one else to trust but , right? I’m the last line of defense.”
**Missing.**
“So just tell to go into the rift.”
**Missing.**
“Tell to die there—”
Ham Seok-jeong’s head snapped up, her eyes wide as if she had just seen a ghost. Only then did J notice her eyes were swollen and red. He let out a short sigh.
He regretted it instantly. He should have looked at her face first. If only he’d made so light conversation, things might have been different. A cold chill crept down his neck. From the mont he’d seen that “Missing” stamp on his aunt’s photo…
‘Where did it go wrong?’
J clenched his fist. He swallowed hard.
‘When did it all start going wrong?’
Once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back.
---
After leaving the director’s office in what felt like an escape, J found himself standing in front of the familiar hospital room door. He wasn’t sure how he had even made it here. He rested his forehead against the cold door.
Should I tell the boy that I’m going into a rift?
The question flashed through his mind, but he dismissed it. No. He went into rifts like it was routine—there was no need to ntion it now. It wouldn’t take long to co back.
All he had to do was rescue the people, kill the rift’s boss, and it would be over. Just like always. The only difference this ti was that the people he needed to rescue were Hunters.
And this ti, the person he had to rescue was his aunt.
**Missing.**
‘……’
J clenched his fist tightly. A desire to destroy sothing surged through
him. His insides churned with frustration.
**Missing.**
‘It might be better if…’
**Missing.**
‘If I died in the rift….’
At that mont, a rustling sound caught J’s attention. It ca from inside the hospital room. Instinctively, he threw the door open. His eyes widened at the sight before him.
The boy, still wrapped in bandages, was struggling to sit up in bed. Weakly, he pulled at the tubes connected to his body and made an effort to move into a sitting position.
*Cough, cough...* But the effort was too much. Harsh coughing echoed through the room. The boy quickly covered his mouth, curling up and shaking as his shoulders heaved. The sll of blood filled the air. Dark red blood stained the fingers he used to cover his mouth. J rushed to the boy’s side, wrapping his arms around his trembling shoulders.
“Hey, why are you trying to get up?”
“……”
“Why…!”
J’s voice faltered as he saw the boy’s blood-stained hand gripping his clothes tightly. The rough bandages brushed against J’s neck, and beyond them, he could feel the warmth of a person’s touch.
Human warmth.
J clenched his teeth. He didn’t know how to reject that warmth, so he could only hold the boy close.
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