Under Creature – Chapter 12.2

Author: nicotine

“Shouldn’t we open the door and check?”

“No. Who knows what’s out there. Let’s wait for Gyeom.”

A moment of silence passed. In the meantime, the guard operated the device so that they could activate the approval system as soon as the other two colleagues arrived.

Once again, the sound of someone walking was heard, followed by drag-, thud, the same repertoire as before.

Afterward, the person beyond the door caught their breath and knocked on the wall.

“It’s me. Please open up now.”

Yigeom’s fingerprint wasn’t recognized, so he couldn’t open it by pressing the switch from the outside.

Namgoong Sanha signaled for the guard to open the door. The guard nodded and pressed the button.

The door slid open, revealing Yoon Yigeom standing tall, with three collapsed people below him.

Two dressed as guards and…

“Hey, isn’t that Kwon Sanghyuk?”

Jewoo quickly approached and asked as he carried the fallen people inside.

“That’s right. I found him earlier and caught him.”

“Heeh, did you just come from a fight?”

“Wait. Are you guys hurt? Hyung, are you okay?”

“Yeah, y-yeah… Of course I’m fine.”

As Yigeom stepped inside, the door slammed shut with a thump! Yigeom looked at Jin Geonwoo.

“Geonwoo hyung, are you safe?”

“Ah, yeah!”

Only then did Yigeom show a faint smile. Then he abruptly turned his gaze to face Jooseungtae.

“Uh… Yoon Yigeom, it’s been a while.”

Jooseungtae paused for a moment before offering an awkward greeting.

With his wrists bound by restraints, it was awkward to even wave. For a moment, he felt incredibly ashamed of this burden that was shackling him.

Yigeom, unconcerned, approached Jooseungtae and patted his shoulder.

“Long time no see. Did you go on a diet or something? You’ve lost so much weight. Is the food here bad?”

At the casual greeting, just like old times, Jooseungtae somehow felt relieved and let out a chuckle.

“Food? I had a hard time resisting blood.”

“Now that I see it, that creature blood must have been a real calorie bomb.”

Yigeom muttered nonchalantly as he laid the unconscious guards side by side and dragged Kwon Sanghyuk to a corner, tossing him there carelessly.

It seemed Kwon Sanghyuk had been the source of the dragging sound that had echoed in the hallway whenever he walked.

Then, with a satisfied smile, Yigeom called out to Jin Geonwoo.

“Geonwoo hyung. Can you treat these two?”

“Yeah, just a moment!”

Jin Geonwoo hurriedly healed the unconscious guards, while Yigeom took a deep breath and slumped into a chair in the server room.

He had ignored his scratchy eyes and continued to overuse his ability. It was because there was no other way to find the guards.

Some guards were still fighting with the inmates, making them difficult to bring, and he had gone through a lot of trouble to find and move the unconscious guards who were nearby.

Now, the figures in front of him were blurring into two or three, as if he were drunk.

‘Of all times, when I’ve seen a welcome face after several months.’

He closed his eyes and rested. All that was left was for the guards, who would wake up after Jin Geonwoo’s treatment, to take control of the restraints.

‘Then Jooseungtae will also…’

Be knocked out by the electric shock.

“Hey, are you sick or something?”

Jooseungtae’s voice came from beside him.

“Just… from using my ability too much.”

“I see.”

After that, the two were silent. They just sat quietly next to each other, and just as the three guards’ approval was about to be completed, Yigeom spoke up.

“Jooseungtae. Next time, for real. Let’s meet outside.”

“Yeah. I’ll be out soon, so have some tofu ready and wait for me.”

At those words, Yigeom broke into a disheveled smile.

“Done! Approval complete!”

With those words, Jooseungtae’s body trembled and he collapsed with a thud.

With this, the inmates’ riot was completely suppressed.

🦅࿐

Namgoong Sanha supported Yigeom, whose vision was poor, and gave him a warning.

“Gyeom-ah, watch your step. There’s a rock.”

“Yes, thank you.”

There were rocks everywhere. Especially at the site of a building explosion like this.

His vision wasn’t completely gone, just blurry, so walking wasn’t a major problem.

He was just embarrassed and grateful to Namgoong Sanha, Doa, Jewoo, and Jin Geonwoo, who were fussing over him.

“This won’t do. Do you want a piggyback ride after all?”

“…No. I don’t think so.”

He politely declined the excessive, over-the-top consideration.

“I wonder if Master is okay…”

Jewoo muttered with concern. It seemed the severe injuries he had when they rescued Yigeom and Dohyun from the pile of debris were weighing on his mind.

“He’s fine. That guy gets cursed out so much, he’s bound to live a long life.”

Doa said spiritedly. Yet, as if she was worried deep down, her pace quickened.

When they arrived at the front, the situation had been completely resolved, and the injured were being treated by healers.

Among them, several healers were intensively pouring their healing on one person, Seo Dohyun.

“…What is this.”

Doa’s fists trembled.

Seeing the unconscious Seo Dohyun, Jin Geonwoo rushed over and joined in the treatment.

His wounds were disappearing quickly, but traces of the harsh battle remained all over his body.

“What happened? Is my brother okay? What happened?”

Seeing Seo Doa grabbing the healers and interrogating them, Yigeom let out a quiet sigh.

When he had checked the situation at the front using his ability, the vigilantes had the upper hand. That’s why he had been relieved, but what on earth had happened in the brief moment he had looked away…

Yigeom looked around and approached a familiar person to talk.

“What happened here?”

Kim Hyungkyu, who was wrapping a bandage around his own forearm, paused upon seeing Yigeom.

“I’m sorry, but could you just tie the knot for me.”

“You should get treatment instead.”

“There are many others with more serious injuries than me.”

“Yes. About my question from before. Why is Seo Dohyun injured like that?”

Yigeom asked again as he tied the knot.

Kim Hyungkyu recalled what had just happened and explained.

Seo Dohyun, who had clashed with the creature-ized Choi Baekgil, stabbed Choi Baekgil’s eye in a brief instant, and the moment he flinched, plunged a dagger straight into his heart.

Because anyone would feel fear when a sharp blade approached their eyes.

Right after the burnt and blasted Seo Dohyun passed out and Choi Baekgil also collapsed on the spot, reinforcements from Adam arrived.

“Reinforcements?”

“Yes. We negotiated with them.”

Kim Hyungkyu gulped down some water and continued.

The vigilantes’ losses were great, and Adam’s reinforcements were full of vigor. So much so that if they continued to fight, victory could not be guaranteed.

That’s when Adam made an offer first. If they just handed over Choi Baekgil, they would retreat peacefully. Choi Baekgil was an important figure to Adam as well, so they needed to take him.

Choi Baekgil was already on the verge of death. Even if he received treatment from a healer, the chances of him opening his eyes were slim.

A had no choice but to accept the offer, and Adam quietly retreated with Choi Baekgil.

“You accepted the offer?”

“…Yes.”

Yigeom’s eyes sharpened fiercely. They held a keenness that could cut paper.

Look at Seo Dohyun’s state right now. He went through hell and back to half-kill Choi Baekgil, and they just let him go? What kind of…

Kim Hyungkyu hastily made an excuse.

“It was a difficult decision for us as well. But if we continued to fight, we couldn’t guarantee…”

“I guess killing Choi Baekgil wasn’t difficult, was it? That would be right. Since Seo Dohyun fought him. But to just hand him over… ha…”

They readily let Choi Baekgil go just to save their own skins? It was absurd. Not only was it like letting a captured mouse go, but what would that make of Seo Dohyun’s efforts?

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the vigilantes’ position, but even if they were to retreat, they should have finished off Choi Baekgil no matter what.

Yigeom asked Kim Hyungkyu sharply.

“Where is A?”

He was going to go and confront the vigilante leader directly. Kim Hyungkyu obediently told him A’s location.

He was extremely busy directing his subordinates.

“……”

Yigeom swallowed his anger and approached A step by step.

A, who was giving orders here and there, saw Yigeom and quickly spoke in sign language.

[Are you alright. You were swept up in the explosion and in the pile of debris…]

“Forget it. Why did you do it?”

He asked, grinding his molars.

[…….]

There was no reply. The more silent he was, the angrier Yigeom became.

A seemed to have already been treated, looking immaculate without a single wound. For some reason, the sight of him made Yigeom’s anger surge.

Seo Dohyun ended up in that state because he fought Choi Baekgil.

When he wakes up later, should he say that Adam’s reinforcements came, and after some negotiation with the vigilantes, they handed Choi Baekgil over to Adam? Oh, but don’t worry too much. With those injuries, he’ll have a hard time waking up anyway.

If he said that, would he say, ‘Alright, you did well’?

If I had been there with Seo Dohyun in that situation, I wouldn’t have handed over Choi Baekgil.

How was he supposed to explain this to Seo Dohyun?

“Hoo…”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. Whatever the case, Seo Dohyun’s well-being came first.

He had no desire to talk anymore. Just as he was about to return to Seo Dohyun, A suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“What is it?”

[…….]

He was frustratingly silent. Just holding his wrist still.

Yigeom felt a strange sensation.

As if his exhausted stamina was recovering, as if the throbbing pain in his eyes from overuse was fading, as if the injury on his ankle, which Seo Dohyun had bandaged, was easing.

In addition, his cluttered mind felt much clearer.

‘…Is this A’s ability?’

No, more importantly, what was A’s ability? The rain had stopped by now, but when he had changed his vision to watch the fight with Choi Baekgil earlier, A hadn’t used his own power at all.

Namgoong Sanha had guessed it might be an ability related to ‘time,’ similar to Seo Dohyun’s, but the refreshing energy entering his body now felt closer to a healing type.

‘Was A a healer?’

He even felt it was stronger than other healers. It was the first time he felt not only his wounds recovering but also his head clearing up.

“Um… thank you, for now.”

He was extremely annoyed that they had negotiated with Adam and let go of Choi Baekgil, whom Seo Dohyun had all but captured, but treating him was a separate matter, so he thanked him quietly.

A gave a small nod and let go of his wrist.

Yigeom glanced at the mask. It seemed the vigilantes didn’t know A’s ability either, so it wasn’t his place to go around talking about it.

Because he had treated him, Yigeom spoke in a much softer tone.

“You seem to have used your power… on me. I don’t know what it is, but I won’t go around blabbing about it.”

Not that he had forgiven him, though.

After firmly telling A that they would discuss this matter again later when Seo Dohyun woke up, he returned to the Latters.

“Seo Dohyun? Is he okay?”

“The treatment is done, but they say we have to wait a while for him to open his eyes.”

Doa answered with sad eyes.

“Alright. For now, let’s find some lodging nearby and rest.”

It was too much to return to Seoul in their exhausted state.

Yigeom started searching for a good place to stay nearby. All the while, he didn’t forget to check on Seo Dohyun’s complexion from time to time.

Fortunately, he seemed to be sleeping soundly, as if nothing hurt.

‘So clueless about how people feel.’

Feeling a sudden surge of spite, he crouched down beside him and pinched his nose.

“Why are you pinching a sick person’s nose!”

“No… it’s just. He looked so annoying for a moment… Sorry.”

In the end, he got an earful from Doa.

“You should apologize to oppa, not me!”

“Uh… right. I’m sorry, Seo Dohyun.”

At Doa’s sharp point, Yigeom clumsily patted Seo Dohyun’s chest and apologized. Though it was an apology the person in question knew nothing about.

“Kids! Get in!”

Namgoong Sanha and Jin Geonwoo brought the parked car over and called for Yigeom and Doa.

Yigeom helped Seo Dohyun up and looked around.

“Seo Doa, where’s Cha Jewoo?”

“There he is. Cha Jewoo! Hurry up!”

“Uh huh, coming now.”

Cha Jewoo, who had been helping to clean up the situation, answered promptly and ran over.

A line of large buses pulled in behind Namgoong Sanha’s car. People got off the buses and helped with the cleanup. They seemed to be support personnel from a nearby prison who had rushed over after hearing the news. Since the building had collapsed in the explosion, the inmates would have to be transferred somewhere else for the time being.

The guards of Cheonan Prison lifted the inmates, who were unconscious from the electric shocks, and loaded them onto the buses. Among them were some who had woken up early and were led by the hands of the guards to board the bus on their own feet.

Those who had sympathized with this riot would have their sentences extended.

As Yigeom got into the car Namgoong Sanha had brought, with Seo Dohyun, he resolved to act as Jooseungtae’s lawyer later when the investigation into the incident began.

Next, Doa, who was sitting in the back seat, slid open the window and called for Cha Jewoo.

“What are you doing? Get in. Everyone’s waiting. Let’s get some rest at a nearby place, at least until oppa wakes up.”

“……”

“Cha Jewoo?”

Despite Doa’s call, Cha Jewoo stared at the procession of inmates as if mesmerized.

“Jewoo-yah, what’s wrong?”

Jin Geonwoo craned his neck and called out to him.

Without answering, Cha Jewoo, who had been staring at the inmates, muttered blankly.

“…Mom?”

“……?”

Yigeom got out of the car and pulled Cha Jewoo’s arm.

“Cha Jewoo, get in the car…”

“Jewoo? You… are you Jewoo?”

Just then, a woman from among the inmates came running desperately.

‘…Did he say Mom?’

Before Yigeom could stop her, the inmate, who had run like an arrow, grabbed Cha Jewoo’s shoulders.

“You…! When did you get out?”

“Uh, Mom…? It’s been a while since I got out…”

“Then what are you doing here!!”

“Wh-what?”

Jewoo’s mother shouted. It was clear to see the startled Jewoo flinch.

“I asked what you are doing here!!”

She pushed Jewoo aggressively.

“You… you must carry on Delo’s will!! Are you just lazing around?”

“I’m…”

“He is waiting! His brothers are still suffering… You must set them free, what on earth are you doing!?!?”

A fanatic, through and through.

Yeon Huijeong. It was her name he had seen in the vigilante’s documents. He had read that she belonged to Delo, but he couldn’t find any records related to Cha Jewoo.

Cha Jewoo was living a peaceful life after escaping the Blood Hunters, and the data on him could only be accessed by a few high-ranking officials like A or Kim Hyungkyu.

Yigeom watched Yeon Huijeong, her eyes half-rolled back, as she berated Cha Jewoo.

‘This person is his mother? A person like this is Cha Jewoo’s parent?’

Yigeom felt a sudden surge of anger. …Isn’t she worse than a stranger? Why is Cha Jewoo listening to such crappy words as if they’re something good?

“Cha Jewoo. You are Delo’s…”

Thwack!

Yigeom immediately chopped the back of Yeon Huijeong’s neck, knocking her out. He caught her body as it was about to fall forward onto Jewoo and handed her over to a guard.

“……”

No one dared to speak. The Cha Jewoo he glimpsed seemed to be in a daze.

Yigeom spoke cautiously.

“…Are you okay?”

“……”

“Cha Jewoo.”

“Ah… Yes. I’m… I’m okay.”

For someone who said they were okay, his complexion was excessively pale.

“Let’s get in the car first.”

There was no point in staying here any longer. Yigeom took the utterly dejected Jewoo and got in the car.

No one could bring themselves to speak.

Those who knew Jewoo’s situation, and even Geonwoo who didn’t, kept their mouths firmly shut.

And so, only silence filled the car until they arrived at their lodging.

Yigeom was about to get out with the still-unconscious Seo Dohyun, but Seo Doa didn’t move.

“…Seo Doa?”

For some reason, something seemed off about her.

“Doa, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“Huh? Ah… It’s nothing.”

Namgoong Sanha, who had turned off the engine, asked, and only then did Doa, startled, snap back to her senses and answer.

Her face was covered in a cold sweat.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“It’s just… I’m worried about oppa.”

Yigeom muttered, but it seemed Doa had no intention of elaborating.

Seo Dohyun was unconscious, Cha Jewoo was out of it, and to top it all off, Seo Doa wasn’t doing well either. It was one problem after another.

‘Is something wrong… Ah.’

Come to think of it, when Seo Doa was kidnapped as a child, the organization involved with that was Delo, the very place Cha Jewoo’s parents were a part of.

And Seo Doa had erased that day’s events from her own memory.

“……”

Could it be that she remembered something after seeing Cha Jewoo’s mother just now?

Yigeom, feeling troubled, subtly frowned.

“For now, let’s just check in and rest.”

After checking in, they each headed to their assigned rooms.

Since they’d booked the lodging in a hurry, there were only four rooms available. They first gave separate keys to Cha Jewoo and Seo Doa, who both seemed to need some time alone. Yigeom roomed with Seo Dohyun, and Namgoong Sanha with Geonwoo.

Yigeom laid Seo Dohyun down on a bed, then lay down on the one next to it.

He then quietly closed his eyes to rest, replaying the day’s events in his mind.

They had come down to Cheonan and were all having fun together, then he and Seo Dohyun headed to the detention center to do their vigilante work. After that, the sudden explosion and the two of them being trapped underneath the rubble.

“……”

His breath caught in his throat. Yigeom quickly checked on Seo Dohyun. He was lying there with his eyes quietly closed, without a single scratch on him.

“Hoo.”

Thanks to the helping hands of many, they were safely rescued and treated. As soon as Seo Dohyun opened his eyes, he left to deal with Choi Baekgil, and the remaining Latters departed to suppress the inmate riot.

That’s where they met Kwon Sanghyuk… Kwon Sanghyuk?

Yigeom shot up from his lying position.

What happened to Kwon Sanghyuk? He had been keeping an eye on him, but at some point, he had completely forgotten.

‘What a mistake.’

How could he be so stupid and forget that? Still, even if he had woken up, he wouldn’t be able to move much since his Achilles tendon was cut.

The place he had left him was the computer room. He’d meant to just shove him in a corner and rest for a moment, but when everything was over, he’d been in such a rush to get to Seo Dohyun that he’d only remembered to grab the unconscious Jooseungtae, not Kwon Sanghyuk. The switch to open and close the computer room door had looked complicated, so he probably couldn’t have gotten out on his own.

Yigeom gnawed at his fingernails, then immediately called Lee Juyoung.

‘Is he still busy sorting things out?’

The phone rang, and thankfully, the call connected.

—Oh, did you guys get back safe?

“Hyung, I left Kwon Sanghyuk in the computer room.”

—Huh? The computer room?

“Yes, haa… He wasn’t even in restraints. I cut his ankle tendon and knocked him out, but he might have woken up. So be careful… You know he uses invisibility and illusions, right?”

Yigeom explained at length out of worry. Then, Lee Juyoung’s next words completely erased his anxiety.

—If you’re talking about that guy, we already found him and put him in restraints, so don’t worry.

“…Ah, really?”

—Yeah. Did you hit him hard on the back of the head or something? He’s still out cold.

“I see.”

Yigeom decided not to mention the fact that he’d thrown a few more punches after knocking Kwon Sanghyuk out.

—By the way, where are you now?

“Everyone’s exhausted, so we got a hotel nearby and are resting.”

—Right. You can just bill that to the vigilantes, so get a good rest. I’m busy, so I’m gonna hang up now.

“Okay, take care.”

After ending the call, Yigeom held his phone with a relieved expression for a moment before getting up from the bed.

He intended to leave so Seo Dohyun could rest. It was also a chance to go check on Cha Jewoo in the room next door.

When he stepped out of the room, he saw Namgoong Sanha pacing in front of Cha Jewoo’s door.

“…What are you doing here?”

“Well… I’m just worried about Jewoo.”

“Ah…”

Yigeom was silent for a moment before standing in front of the door.

“I’ll look after Jewoo, so could you go check on Doa, hyung?”

“Oh, uh-huh. I’ll do that.”

“What’s Geonwoo hyung up to?”

“I think this is his first time dealing with something like this, so he must be really tired. He passed out as soon as he lay down.”

Geonwoo was someone who had awakened as a healer and had never even caught a single creature. A scene with blood splattered everywhere and people dying must have been even more of a shock to him.

‘I was like that at first, too.’

And despite it being his first time, Geonwoo hadn’t panicked and had moved quickly and diligently. It would be strange if he wasn’t tired.

“Then let’s let Geonwoo hyung rest, and maybe the two of us can go buy something simple for dinner later.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s let everyone rest since they must be tired. For now, I’ll go check on Doa!”

“Okay, please do.”

Seo Doa was on the floor below, so Namgoong Sanha took the elevator down.

Yigeom pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong~

“Who is it.”

Cha Jewoo’s voice, consumed by depression, came from beyond the door.

“Yoon Yigeom.”

Click.

The door opened. Cha Jewoo’s eyes were red, as if he’d been crying his heart out.

“Come in.”

“Okay.”

Yigeom sat awkwardly on a chair and stole glances at Cha Jewoo. He had come over, but he was at a loss as to what to say to comfort him. After hesitating for a long time, he opened his mouth.

“…Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be. I never considered people like that my parents to begin with.”

“Right…”

Yigeom broke into a cold sweat, his eyes darting around. He wasn’t good with words, and it seemed like cheap platitudes wouldn’t work, so he figured he should just stay by his side quietly.

Then, mustering up some courage, he spoke again hesitantly.

“Um… Sanha hyung and I are going to get takeout for dinner, is there anything you want to eat?”

“I’m fine.”

“You still have to eat. Should I get meat? You like it.”

For a kid who was crazy about food to say he wouldn’t eat dinner, what happened earlier must have been quite a shock.

Yigeom silently fiddled with his own hands.

A few minutes later, Jewoo muttered with a pessimistic smile.

“My parents… if I refused to drink blood, they would starve me for days on end. Until I drank it.”

“……”

“They were pretty high-ranking, you see. In Delo. But, hyung…”

Finally, Jewoo asked as tears streamed down his face.

“They told me to carry on Delo’s will… I, I… Hhuk, did they even think of me as their son? I… I had such a hard time there… Did they, hic, even think of me as their son? Haa, and I’m supposed to call them my parents.”

Jewoo sniffled and wiped his tears away roughly.

Yigeom had been listening to him the whole time and offered quiet comfort. Though he wasn’t sure if these words would be a comfort.

“Still, what was I saying. If you need a family, come to us. We’ll be your mom, dad, and hyung.”

“…Pardon?”

“Never mind. If you didn’t hear it, then forget it.”

Of all things, why did the joke Seo Dohyun made when he gave him the Latter ring have to pop into his head at a time like this?

‘From now on, Latter is family.’

He had gotten lost in sentiment and said something cringey without realizing it. Yigeom hung his head low in embarrassment.

“Pfft, Gyeom hyung. What did you just say?”

“I said if you didn’t hear it, forget it.”

“…Sniffle. I heard it all.”

“Then why are you asking again!”

Jewoo sniffled once more and chuckled.

“Hehe. Because I like it.”

“…Haa.”

“Hyung, snfff. I’ve thought about it, and I think meat would be good for dinner.”

“Then don’t fill your stomach with snot.”

Yigeom pulled out a tissue and roughly wiped Jewoo’s face. Still, it seemed his words had been a comfort, as Cha Jewoo had regained some of his spirits.

“Hyung, can you give me a hug just once? As a form of comfort.”

“……”

That’s a bit much.

Yigeom awkwardly patted Cha Jewoo’s shoulder.

“Be satisfied with this.”

“Haha, you really hate cringey stuff, don’t you, hyung.”

“What.”

Jewoo smiled, looking relieved as if he had shaken something off. Seeing that, Yigeom also felt reassured and gave a faint smile.

Ding-dong~.

“Huh? I think someone’s here?”

“I’ll get it.”

When he stood at the door and asked who it was, Namgoong Sanha’s urgent voice came through.

“Doa, Doa’s disappeared!!”

“What!?”

Yigeom hurriedly opened the door.

“She’s not answering the doorbell, I called her but she didn’t pick up, and I went to the front desk and asked them to open the door, but no one was there!”

Jewoo, who had heard the conversation from a distance, also recognized the seriousness of the situation and approached to ask.

“Seo Doa disappeared? Where to?”

“I don’t know…”

“What about your room, hyung? Is she not with Geonwoo hyung?”

“Of course I checked my room. Only Geonwoo was there. I woke him up and asked, but he said he hadn’t seen Doa.”

Yigeom left the room and checked his own. He thought she might be with Seo Dohyun, but he was still asleep, and there was no trace of Seo Doa anywhere.

‘…Where on earth did she go.’

Is there anywhere Seo Doa would go in Cheonan, of all places, not even Seoul?

“I just called her, but she’s not picking up.”

Jewoo was texting Seo Doa asking where she was when a thought suddenly struck him. His hands trembled as he grabbed Yigeom.

“Gyeom hyung, could it be because of my mom…”

“Stop. Let’s find Seo Doa first.”

“…Okay.”

Whatever Cha Jewoo was thinking, it couldn’t be true. It had to be wrong. It had to be… but Seo Doa had started acting strange right after meeting Yeon Heejung, Cha Jewoo’s mother.

Anxiety kept welling up inside him.

The fear that she might have regained her memories of that day, and that something might happen because of it.

“Do you think… she went to find my mom?”

“Doa? Why would Doa go find your mom, Jewoo…”

Namgoong Sanha didn’t know about the kidnapping incident Seo Doa had experienced as a child. He only knew that Cha Jewoo had been forcibly made into a blood hunter by his parents.

But, being a quick-witted person, he figured there was something he didn’t know and kept his mouth firmly shut.

Yigeom contacted Lee Juyoung, wondering if Seo Doa might have headed towards the vigilantes’ location on her own.

“Cha Jewoo, you keep trying to contact Seo Doa and wait here. She might come back.”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the hotel lobby.”

“Sanha hyung, let’s go out and look for Seo Doa. We’ll start with the nearby area.”

“Okay! I’ll grab the car keys and be right there.”

If they drove around and used their abilities, they would find her somehow.

Perhaps it was because of A’s healing power or something, but his eyes, which had been stinging from overuse at the detention center, felt perfectly fine now.

—I told you I was busy, why do you keep calling?

Just then, Lee Juyoung answered the phone. Yigeom asked without taking a breath.

“Hyung, I’m sorry, but Seo Doa isn’t there by any chance, is she? Oh, and are you still at the detention center?”

—Yeah, we’re just wrapping up and heading back to Seoul. But Seo Doa? Who…

“Yes, she’s Seo Dohyun’s younger sister… The girl who looks exactly like him.”

—Ahh, I think I know who you mean. But I haven’t seen her? Why? Is something wrong?

“…It’s nothing. If you happen to see her, please let me know.”

—Uh-huh, sure.

Just as he was ending the call, Geonwoo appeared.

“What’s going on? Sanha looked really frantic just now… Did something happen?”

“Seo Doa has disappeared. She’s not answering her phone.”

After a quick explanation, Geonwoo said he would search inside the hotel.

So, leaving the hotel to Cha Jewoo and Geonwoo, Yigeom headed to the parking lot with Namgoong Sanha.

“Will Doa be okay? What if an escaped inmate…”

“That’s not likely.”

The vigilantes were already done and about to leave for Seoul. If there had been any problems before that, he would have surely been contacted. So it couldn’t be that… but where on earth.

Bzz.

Yigeom felt a vibration in his pocket and immediately pulled out his phone, hoping it was a call from Lee Juyoung, Cha Jewoo, or Geonwoo. But unexpectedly, the text was from the very person they were so desperately looking for, Seo Doa.

There’s something I need to check, so I’m going to head up to Seoul first. I’m sorry for acting without telling you.

“…Seoul?”

“Huh?”

“Seo Doa… says she’s going to Seoul first?”

Namgoong Sanha, who had been blinking for a moment, mulled over Yigeom’s words and then shouted loudly.

“…Whaat-!? By herself?”

🦅࿐

“Yoon Yigeom. Get in, quick.”

Lee Juyoung opened the van window and greeted Yigeom.

“I’m sorry to ask so suddenly. Something came up and I have to go to Seoul… Hello.”

Yigeom apologized as he got into the car, then noticed the other passenger, A, and bowed his head slightly. The memory of his earlier outburst made things awkward.

“It’s nothing, we’re heading that way anyway. Buckle your seatbelt so we can go.”

“Okay.”

While Lee Juyoung drove, Yigeom stared intently at his phone in silence.

According to the messages, Seo Dohyun still hadn’t woken up, and Seo Doa had only left a baffling text about going to Seoul first and had been out of contact since.

Yigeom decided to follow Seo Doa, who had gone to Seoul first, by getting a ride in the vigilantes’ car. He judged it would be best for him to be the one to meet Seo Doa, since Namgoong Sanha didn’t know about her past, and Cha Jewoo was directly connected to it.

Tap, tap. A tapped Yigeom’s forearm with a leather-gloved hand. He seemed to have something to say.

“Yes?”

[Are you hurt anywhere?]

“No, thanks to you.”

The conversation ended there. But A, as if he still had more to say, fumbled for a notepad, scribbled something, and handed it to Yigeom.

“Am I supposed to read this?”

Nod.

Yigeom’s brow furrowed naturally as he looked at the note. It was truly terrible handwriting.

‘Even if I wrote with my foot, it would look better than this.’

As if A, whose face, voice, and everything else was a secret, was determined to hide even his handwriting, the note scrawled like chicken scratch was almost impossible to read.

Nevertheless, he focused and read the note, which contained the reasons why he had no choice but to accept Adam’s proposal, and a separate apology to Latter regarding it.

Truthfully, he understood to some extent. From the vigilantes’ perspective, they had lost personnel in the rear from the detention center explosion, and half of their remaining forces had been sent to support the effort to suppress the inmate riot.

They were already exhausted from the prolonged fighting, and the dozens of additional enemies who arrived were at full strength. Their morale had been crushed, and they probably didn’t see any chance of winning if they fought them head-on.

Yigeom read the entire note A handed him, folded it into his pocket, and said nothing.

He understood, but he couldn’t help the anger that still simmered inside him.

A, too, seemed to have nothing more to say and turned his gaze out the window. Yigeom also turned his head to the scenery outside, and they drove on for several tens of minutes.

Then, he got a call from Seo Doa.

Yigeom immediately questioned her, almost accusingly.

“Where are you right now? Why did you go to Seoul first? What are you trying to confirm? Is it urgent?”

Seo Doa replied in a subdued voice.

—I’m in front of your house right now, oppa.

“…What?”

Yigeom paused for a moment before continuing.

“Wait there. I’m on my way now.”

—There’s something I need to check for a moment, can you tell me the passcode?

“……”

Was my house the place she went to check? What on earth could she be checking there?

It would take at least another 30 minutes to get there, and he couldn’t just leave Seo Doa waiting outside alone, so he told her the passcode.