The cleanup didn’t take long. The blood spilled on the floor disappeared after a few wipes with a wet mop, and the broken and scratched walls were covered with white cloth. The gathered S-grade Hunters were dragged to the infirmary, though only Jung Bin received treatnt, because of the dark bruise that ford where Cha Eui-jae had grabbed the back of his neck. Cha Eui-jae muttered awkwardly.
"...Sorry. That bruise might last a while."
"Haha, it’s fine. Better a bruise than getting punched in the face or bitten."
Though Jung Bin tried to keep it light, no one laughed. It wasn’t funny at all. Cha Eui-jae, who had accidentally struck Jung Bin’s face, lowered his head. As Honeybee sprayed pain relief onto her wrist, she casually asked,
"You didn’t say that to make us laugh, right?"
"Eh? Why do you ask?"
"If it was a joke, I’d have laughed along."
"Ah... no, you don’t need to worry about it. I’m fine."
A heavy silence fell. Even the S-grades, who usually acted without regard for others’ feelings, had no choice but to be cautious now. After all, they had just watched a teammate turn into a monster and die before their eyes. Jung Bin touched the back of his neck and smiled gently.
"I really am okay."
His warm gaze turned toward Cha Eui-jae. Feeling guiltier by the second, Cha Eui-jae tilted his head to avoid his eyes.
"Thank you for coming. From what I heard... Honeybee said she’d take responsibility for bringing you here."
"Mm? Oh, yeah. I figured bringing him along would be more reliable than coming alone."
Honeybee tucked her hair behind her ear and watched Jung Bin warily.
"...Is there a problem?"
"Haha... no, I was planning to let J-nim go after writing a report anyway. I’ll handle it appropriately, so don’t worry. All three of you may return."
Jung Bin picked up his crumpled suit jacket and stood up. Honeybee widened her eyes in disbelief.
"What? You’re not going to rest? Jumping back into work right away?"
"There’s no ti to rest. There’s still much to clean up. Well then... I’ll be going first."
He bowed and left the infirmary. Gyu-Gyu muttered with his chin resting on his hand,
"Trying to act tough~ When he’s clearly not okay."
Honeybee stretched and replied,
"I get it, though. Better to stay busy than sit and think."
"You know that’s a form of self-harm, right~?"
"Shut up, you useless fraud."
She slamd the door on her way out.
That left just the two of them. Cha Eui-jae and Gyu-Gyu. The sharp scent of nthol from the pain relief filled the room. Gyu-Gyu stared unabashedly at Cha Eui-jae’s mask. Cha Eui-jae ignored the prickling gaze against his cheek.
’This guy really makes uncomfortable...’
He’d been on the receiving end of many kinds of looks, but never one so openly observant and probing. He just wanted to leave. Cha Eui-jae stood and headed for the door. Gyu-Gyu’s sly voice followed him.
"By the way, about your hair~..."
"..."
"You should probably dye it soon. Or am I wrong?"
Cha Eui-jae didn’t respond or slow down as he left the infirmary. His steps halted in front of a window. His disheveled gray hair, at a glance, looked almost completely white. Cha Eui-jae rolled up his sleeve. Thankfully, no scales, fur, or monster-like skin had appeared.
Not yet.
’...Did he notice sothing?’
Or maybe he was just fishing for a reaction. Cha Eui-jae dragged his feet toward the ergency stairwell. For so reason, he felt suffocated. He wanted to go higher. Thud, thud, he climbed the stairs.
He had to hide that he was mutating. Why? If he confessed, he might be able to get treated.
"..."
He was afraid of the way people would look at him. Afraid of those fearful stares.
News of J mutating would plunge everyone into despair.
He didn’t want to change.
His feet stopped. The rooftop door was slightly ajar. Maybe soone had used a helicopter. Cha Eui-jae grabbed the doorknob and cautiously opened it. A cloudy gray sky lood above. White ash floated in the air around the now-bleached White Hole. And the bitter scent of cigarette smoke wafted over.
"..."
Jung Bin stood at the railing, his jacket draped over his arm. Cha Eui-jae slowly walked over to him. Between dirt-smudged fingers, a cigarette smoldered. Jung Bin exhaled a cloud of smoke before speaking.
"Hmm, were you looking for ?"
"No."
"Is sothing wrong?"
"It’s not that, either."
"Then... what brings you here?"
"I felt suffocated."
"...Is that so."
Jung Bin placed the cigarette between his lips and casually opened the cigarette pack, offering it to Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae didn’t refuse and took one. With a muffled voice around his cigarette, Jung Bin asked,
"Need a light?"
"No, I’m trying to quit. Just borrowing it."
"Haha, quitting’s good."
Jung Bin chuckled softly. Cha Eui-jae leaned against the railing. He scraped the white ash from the rooftop with his foot. It didn’t help much. Jung Bin stared down at the city below and murmured,
"Do you rember? There was a ti before... when we t like this. It’s been quite a while, though."
"The ergency stairs?"
"Yes. The ergency stairs. You rember, then."
"Of course I do."
Cha Eui-jae twirled the cigarette between his fingers like a pen.
"Then and now... we’re going to the sa place. Do you still avoid the break room?"
"If the team leader shows up in the break room, it’s a state of ergency. How can anyone relax?"
When Cha Eui-jae let out a small laugh, Jung Bin followed suit. But soon, the smile vanished from his face. The gentle smile he always wore disappeared without a trace, replaced by a blank expression. Cha Eui-jae wasn’t surprised. Keeping the sa expression all the ti was exhausting. That’s why Cha Eui-jae hid his face behind a mask and a poker face skill.
"The teammate we lost this ti... had been with for a long ti. Joined after the West Sea rift, so you wouldn’t know them, J-nim."
Hazy cigarette smoke drifted in the air. Cha Eui-jae didn’t respond, waiting for Jung Bin to continue.
"Low pay, constant overti... but they stuck around. People say governnt jobs are iron rice bowls, but that’s just an old saying now."
"..."
"They were diligent and reliable. I really cared about them."
A breeze blew past. His light brown hair beca a tangled ss, and his sunken eyes disappeared behind it. His voice turned lonely.
"If only there had been so warning signs..."
Cha Eui-jae didn’t need to guess what Jung Bin was thinking. He was probably turning over every possible "what if" in his mind. What if he had done this, or that? Cha Eui-jae had learned through Lee Sa-young that dwelling on what’s already happened changes nothing.
"Don’t think too deeply about it."
"..."
"It’s better to spend that ti thinking about what you’ll do next."
"Is that from experience?"
"Yeah."
Cha Eui-jae’s eyes lingered on the dark bruise still visible on Jung Bin’s neck. If Cha Eui-jae and Honeybee hadn’t gone, or if they hadn’t left Gyu-Gyu by his side, Jung Bin would’ve died, whether while subduing soone, evacuating others, or trying to talk with the monster. Whatever the case, he would’ve died trying to protect soone.
’Being too kind can be a problem.’
Cha Eui-jae turned his body and leaned his arms on the railing. With one hand, he lightly patted Jung Bin’s shoulder. Jung Bin blinked, surprised, then exhaled a deflated chuckle.
"Was that... you comforting ?"
"Yeah."
"...Thank you."
Jung Bin closed his eyes and bowed his head. A quiet sound of him trying to steady his breathing followed. Cha Eui-jae pretended not to notice and looked away. Comforting soone still felt foreign.
’It’d be better if there was never a need to comfort anyone at all.’
And truthfully, he didn’t want to get used to it. Because every ti soone needed comfort, it ant soone else had to suffer.
So ti passed. Jung Bin’s uneven breaths gradually steadied. After one deep inhale, he pulled out a portable ashtray from his inventory and snubbed out his cigarette. As he tidied his hair, he spoke again.
"J-nim."
"Yes."
"Have you thought about what you’re going to do next?"
"..."
"I imagine you must’ve felt the sa as . Especially right after coming out of the morial Dungeon."
...How did he know?
Cha Eui-jae gave Jung Bin a reluctant stare, caught off guard by how accurately he’d hit the mark. Jung Bin chuckled behind a loosely covered mouth.
"Anyone who saw your deanor could tell. Are you planning to go back in?"
"...Yes."
Jung Bin rubbed his chin, then smiled softly.
"Then this might be useful."
He handed over a stiff, laminated card. Sothing about the texture and appearance felt familiar... like a ticket to the Artisan Exhibition...
Wait. A ticket?
Cha Eui-jae snapped his head up.
"Yoon Ga-eul is currently in a space created by Hong Ye-seong-nim. It’s to block access from Protheus."
Jung Bin winked subtly.
"She wants to see you, J-nim."
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