Under Creature – Chapter 2.5

Author: nicotine

Yigeom groaned, swallowing a moan, and forced himself to sit up.

The first time is hard, the second time is easy. If the second time is easy, the third time will be easier, and then even easier, and even easier after that… easier.

He let out a short sigh.

He had a feeling today’s five minutes would feel longer than anyone else’s.

🦅࿐

Dohyun, with a refreshed face, searched for a steakhouse on his car’s navigation system.

“We just had a quick meal, want to stop by a restaurant nearby?”

“I’m tired. I want to go home.”

“Gyeom-ah, you’re tired from fighting for just five minutes?”

Yigeom’s eyes widened.

Five minutes? It may have been five minutes in real-time, but he barely managed to kill the creature, only to have it reset because the carcass damage was too high. Another time, he kicked the jaw too hard, and the centipede bit its own tongue. Reset, because the tongue needles were important weapons. The next time, he was careful of the tongue and shattered the segments. Reset, because the skin makes good armor.

…Reset. Reset, and reset again.

In the end, he finally managed to get a passing grade after using nine of Seo Dohyun’s ten daily simulations.

While previously, the priority was adapting to hunting creatures, now that he was relatively accustomed to it, they adhered to a hunting method that minimized carcass damage as well as killing the creature, which took a long time despite the creature being a mid-grade one.

Physically, he may have only been fighting for five minutes, but mentally, he was completely drained.

While Dohyun waited for the association’s retrieval truck, Yigeom sat in the passenger seat to rest, but it wasn’t restful. He grumbled constantly, wanting to go home and lie down comfortably.

“We’re here.”

Meanwhile, the steakhouse was closer than he thought, and Dohyun had already parked the car.

“Are we really eating? I’m tired…”

“Yes. Want a drink too?”

“I have low alcohol tolerance. And you’re driving.”

Yigeom initially refused, but Dohyun wouldn’t back down.

“I won’t drink. I’m asking if you want to. When was the last time you had a drink?”

“About four months ago.”

“So you haven’t had one since you Awakened.”

“I don’t really like it.”

Yigeom gave sporadic answers to his questions and put on Dohyun’s jacket, which he had taken off.

“I’m borrowing your jacket.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Seo Dohyun’s jacket was made by tech specialists using byproducts from creatures, so it had special functions. Among them, the heat retention function was Yigeom’s favorite.

‘When I get paid, I wonder if I can buy a blanket made of this material.’

Since their destination was right in front of them, Dohyun entered the restaurant in his light clothing, without his jacket. Considering how Yigeom usually flinched and pulled away at the slightest touch, his current willingness to wear his jacket was incredibly pleasing.

Unaware of Dohyun’s thoughts, Yigeom dragged his tired body into the restaurant. He quietly ate the meat that Dohyun grilled for him. There was no reason to refuse when he offered to grill it.

The alcohol, which he took a sip of at Dohyun’s suggestion, was still bitter. It tasted like lab alcohol. However, unlike before, when he would get tipsy after only half a bottle, he now felt like he could easily handle a whole bottle.

As he continued to drink the alcohol Dohyun poured for him, he unknowingly finished more than two bottles. Even so, he was only slightly dazed; he wasn’t going to throw up or forget what happened the previous night when he woke up.

“Want to take a walk?”

“No.”

“Let’s walk for a bit.”

After finishing their meal, Yigeom was about to head home when Dohyun stopped him again. Despite his refusal, he ended up being led by Dohyun, getting warm drinks to-go from a nearby coffee shop and strolling around a nearby park.

Yigeom wondered why he was going along with it, yet he dutifully followed behind Dohyun. Was it his imagination, or did Seo Dohyun seem more cheerful than usual today?

“Hey, you seem to be in a good mood.”

Yigeom blurted out. Feeling warm from the alcohol, his untied scarf fluttered in the wind.

Dohyun, who was walking ahead, turned around. A bright smile graced his face.

“Yeah, I am.”

His hand touched the corner of Yigeom’s eye. More precisely, it touched the small scratch he’d gotten from the earlier fight.

“You’re hurt. Should I have reset it?”

“Turn back time to heal this tiny scratch?”

That would mean fighting the Chupez again. Yigeom brushed Dohyun’s hand away from his face and complained softly.

Dohyun burst out laughing again, amused by something. He was laughing a lot today.

“Are you drunk?”

“Only you were drinking.”

“Exactly. But you seem drunk. It’s weird. Did you drink secretly?”

“Haha. Really? I feel really good. Like I’m drunk.”

What’s with him? Has he finally lost it? Yigeom gave a short reply and plopped down on a nearby park bench. Dohyun sat down next to him. His handsome face still held a lingering smile.

Dohyun opened his lips.

“I think I’ll be able to sleep soundly tonight.”

“Do whatever you want.”

He sipped his warm drink and stared intently at Yigeom, who answered halfheartedly.

Even though he acts like he doesn’t want to, he never runs away. He could just ignore me if he doesn’t want to answer, but he always gives a curt reply. Even with the fight earlier, he kept saying he didn’t want to do it, but in the end, he saw it through.

To be honest, at first, he wasn’t entirely free of aversion towards Yoon Yigeom’s existence. A world like a mirror that never changes unless I act differently. A virtual world. A world to be forgotten. The only foreign substance within it, with an unpredictable trajectory.

It was unsettling. Very much so.

He brought Yigeom into Latter thinking that if he trained him well and they worked together in combat, they could both grow stronger, but he was also hesitant.

However, in urgent situations, Yoon Yigeom’s reactions were quick, wise, clever, and sharp.

A world only I know. Because only I know it, because I know more than others, I could give orders without hesitation. And… someone like me. Someone I don’t need to give orders to.

Although Yoon Yigeom didn’t seem to think so, Dohyun found fighting alongside him fun. Enjoyable and exciting.

Yoon Yigeom. The only foreign substance in his world, and therefore, his only ally. Someone he could share the situation with during combat. His first true comrade.

“I sincerely welcome you.”

He suddenly spoke to himself. His voice sounded slightly elevated, as if filled with exhilaration. Yigeom asked back with a sour expression.

“What, to Latter?”

To my world.

🦅࿐

After class ended, Yigeom packed his bag and tried to quickly leave the classroom, but his shoulder was grabbed.

“Yoon Yigeom! Where are you sneaking off to after class these days?”

“Yeah, let’s grab dinner and drinks together, just us guys, it’s been a while.”

“…I drank yesterday.”

“What? With who!?”

Yigeom’s friends expressed their indignation at being excluded from his drinking plans.

“You guys go ahead. And you know I don’t like alcohol.”

“But who did you drink with yesterday!?”

“Who else….”

Yigeom trailed off, pulling down the black hat he was wearing.

“You wouldn’t know them even if I told you.”

“Who is it? High school friends?”

“No.”

He dragged his clinging friends out of the building.

“Then where do you go every day after class?”

“Just… job hunting?”

Earning money, it’s similar, so….

“What!? You’re job hunting? Where! Which company!?”

“So you’re an intern now?”

“It’s not like that.”

I’m the vice president, you idiot. Even if it’s just a title. Yigeom ignored his friends’ playful pestering and walked resolutely towards the Latter office.

He wondered if he was becoming like Cha Jewoo, heading to the office simply because he would be alone in his apartment anyway. He could have hung out with his friends, but that felt like a chore. He was most comfortable, both physically and mentally, lying on the office bed.

“Then what about next week? Are you free next week?”

“Hey, none of us are free next week. We have to study for exams.”

“Ah, right.”

His friends chattered amongst themselves, following closely behind him, and came to their own conclusions. Just then, an expensive foreign car honked loudly—BEEP—in front of them. It was an inconsiderate act, disrupting the peace on a road with no other cars, no pedestrians crossing against the light, no danger whatsoever.

Yigeom and his friends looked towards the foreign car. The heavily tinted window rolled down—whirr—revealing Seo Dohyun’s handsome face.

“Yoon Yigeom.”

Yigeom’s expression soured instantly as he saw Dohyun greet him by name with a smile. He’d thought the car looked familiar. So it was you.

“Sorry, I have to go.”

Yigeom left his friends and approached Dohyun’s car. Dohyun unlocked the passenger door, gesturing for him to get in.

“Why are you here?”

“To pick you up. Get in. Are those your friends behind you?”

Dohyun nodded towards Yigeom’s friends, who were standing awkwardly behind him.

“Hello.”

“Uh… hello.”

Yigeom’s friend, Jooseungtae, poked him in the back.

‘Who is that?’

His actions seemed to ask the question. A coworker…technically true, but if he introduced him like that, they would never believe him.

“Just… a friend from work. Sorry, I have to go. See you later.”

Yigeom quickly got into the passenger seat and waved to his friends outside the window.

“Oh, oh yeah. See you later. Definitely see you.”

As the car started moving, leaving his bewildered friends behind, Yigeom rolled up the window.

“Why did you come?”

“I told you. To pick you up.”

“Why pick me up without even calling?”

“Sometimes these kinds of things are nice. It creates a good mood.”

Dohyun smiled sweetly.

Yigeom glared at him suspiciously, then closed his eyes, enjoying the warm air from the heater. It was definitely more comfortable being picked up by car than taking the bus every time.

“Where are we going?”

Yigeom asked, realizing from the scenery outside that they weren’t heading towards the office.

“It’s time for Doa and Jewoo to finish school, so I’m picking them up too.”

Dohyun, unexpectedly, had taken on the role of chauffeur. He parked right in front of the school gates and waited for the students to leave.

After a short wait, the noisy sounds of students leaving school filled the air, and Doa, bidding farewell to her friends, came into view. Dressed in her school uniform, she got into the back seat.

“Where’s Jewoo?”

“He said if he rides with me, his friends will tease him, so he’s waiting at the bus stop nearby.”

Dohyun obediently turned the car around.

“Which way is the bus stop?”

“Go straight and turn left.”

Yigeom looked puzzled. He thought Seo Dohyun would just tell Jewoo to take the bus, so it was surprising that he was going out of his way to pick him up.

Finally, Jewoo was picked up. Yigeom immediately nagged him as he got into the back.

“You could have just ridden with Doa. Why bother making him come all the way here?”

“But my friends will tease me!”

“Is Seo Dohyun your servant?”

Jewoo pouted, looking dejected. Dohyun intervened, telling Yigeom it was fine.

“What’s the big deal? We’re not strangers.”

Yigeom looked at him in surprise. Not strangers?

‘From now on, Latter is family.’

Is he still thinking that?

Sighing, Yigeom decided to play along with this “family” game. It wasn’t difficult, and…well, it was kind of like playing house.

🦅࿐

“Hyung, I heard you caught a Chupez by yourself yesterday? I heard it from Seo Doa.”

“Yeah, I almost died.”

He briefly wondered who Seo Doa had heard it from, but it was obvious that the source was her older brother, Seo Dohyun.

‘The door is open.’

While Dohyun parked the car, Yigeom entered the office with Jewoo and Doa and found a stranger sitting on the sofa.

He didn’t ask, “Who are you?” A thought flashed through his mind, and he took a step back. Subconsciously, he positioned Jewoo and Doa behind him, wary of the stranger.

“Sanha oppa?”

He looked at Doa at her clear voice.

Sanha? If it’s Namgoong Sanha… wasn’t he in the military?

The man, who had been sitting with his back to them, stood up. He looked to be at least 190cm tall, with his hair closely cropped like a potato, and a burly build. He hesitated as he raised his arm, then showed his palm and said,

“Oh, hi!”

A timid greeting, his voice cracking slightly at the end from nervousness. Is that person really Namgoong Sanha?

“When did you get here? You can’t be discharged yet, are you on leave?”

“Uh… yeah. I came secretly to surprise you, but no one was at the office.”

He glanced at Yigeom and Jewoo, whom he was practically meeting for the first time, and reached out to take their bags.

“They must be heavy. I’ll carry them. You’re Yigeom, right? And you’re Jewoo!”

“Hello. I’m Yoon Yigeom. Nice to meet you.”

“Hi, Sanha hyung! I’m Cha Jewoo!”

“Hi!”

Namgoong Sanha greeted them more energetically than before. Then, after putting down the bags, he grabbed Yigeom’s shoulders and shook him back and forth, examining him.

“I heard the association was attacked! I heard you were there, are you hurt? Are you okay? Are you alright? Where’s Dohyun? Where is Dohyun?”

“He’s parking the car…”

“Hyung?”

As if on cue, Seo Dohyun entered the office. “Dohyun-ah!” Namgoong Sanha ran towards him like a puppy greeting its owner after years apart, grabbing his shoulders just as he had done with Yigeom and checking for injuries.

“You can’t be discharged yet, are you on leave?”

“Yeah. I came secretly to surprise you, but no one was here…”

Seo Dohyun didn’t seem particularly surprised by his sudden visit, simply asking him the same question. It was strange that the question was exactly the same as Seo Doa’s. The power of genetics, perhaps.

Yigeom took advantage of Namgoong Sanha’s distraction and quietly slipped over to the sofa, sitting next to Jewoo. After greeting Sanha, Dohyun sat on the opposite sofa and formally introduced Yigeom and Jewoo.

“This is Yoon Yigeom, he’s the same age as me, and this is Cha Jewoo, he’s Doa’s age.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Namgoong Sanha, and I’m 28!”

“Nice to meet you too.”

After that, they shared how Yigeom and Jewoo had joined Latter and revealed their abilities. Namgoong Sanha’s eyes sparkled as he heard about Yigeom’s ability to replace water with his field of vision and Jewoo’s ability to make flowers bloom.

“It’s a good thing you have diverse abilities even though you’re small in number…!”

What good is diversity if they’re not effective?

He seemed genuinely to hope for Latter’s growth. Jewoo had joined because he admired Seo Dohyun’s fighting, Yigeom had joined because of Seo Dohyun’s ability, Doa had naturally joined because of her brother. Then how did Namgoong Sanha end up joining?

“Sanha hyung, how did you end up joining Latter?”

As if anticipating Yigeom’s curiosity, Jewoo spoke first. Namgoong Sanha scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, and answered.

“I was being attacked by a creature, but Dohyun and Doa saved me.”

“They saved you?”

Yigeom’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Seo Doa was one thing, but Seo Dohyun wasn’t the type to do that. He glared resentfully at Dohyun, wondering why he was treated so differently from Namgoong Sanha – Dohyun saved Sanha, but tried to kill him.

“Sanha-hyung passed out before he could even say anything.”

“I should’ve fainted too.”

Yigeom muttered at Dohyun’s explanation. Namgoong Sanha’s gaze followed suit.

“How did you get in here?”

Perhaps due to his timid personality, which didn’t match his burly physique, he was keenly observant of others’ reactions. His broad back was always hunched, and his shoulders slumped. When Yigeom didn’t answer, as he was trying to gauge Namgoong Sanha’s personality, he cautiously asked, rolling his eyes slightly.

“…Is it a sensitive question?”

“No. It’s nothing special. Seo Dohyun invited me, that’s all.”

“Oh, I, I see. Sorry if it was awkward. I won’t ask that kind of question again.”

“No, it’s totally fine.”

Despite Yigeom’s reassurance, Sanha still seemed apologetic.

“I think he was intimidated by Gyeom-oppa’s sharp features.”

“That’s not it…! Doa, you shouldn’t judge people by their faces. I’m just… being cautious since we just met….”

“Isn’t Seo Dohyun’s face more annoying than mine?”

Yigeom’s words turned to Dohyun, who had been sitting quietly.

“No way! Dohyun is so nice! Dohyun saved me, he’s a good guy.”

“…He is?”

Yigeom blinked stupidly at Namgoong Sanha’s strong denial.

“Of course! Oh, uh, well, everyone has different values, so if you think that way, Yigeom…”

Even though Yigeom hadn’t really thought anything of it, Namgoong Sanha continued to explain himself incessantly. It made it hard to say anything.

While both he and Jewoo had met them at the same time, Jewoo, being almost 10 years younger, was treated like a baby and wasn’t being treated with the same caution. Yigeom felt a little sad that he was the only one being treated this way.

“It’s okay. Like you said, everyone has different values. Jewoo, can I get some water?”

Thinking the conversation was going nowhere, Yigeom changed the subject, passing the baton to Jewoo.

“Sure, hyung.”

Jewoo, who was standing by the shelves as usual, preparing cocoa or instant coffee for everyone, grabbed a water bottle next to him and threw it without hesitation at the back of Yigeom’s head. Sanha’s face went white as he saw it.

Yigeom, somewhat used to this training, skillfully caught the water bottle.

“J-Jewoo! Even so, how could you throw a water bottle at your hyung…!”

“It’s okay, Sanha-oppa. That’s training. If you ever get annoyed with Gyeom-oppa, just throw something at him. Oh, but only water bottles.”

So it really was violence disguised as training.

It was awkward to know whether to thank Doa or scold her for so kindly confirming his suspicions.

“Oh, by the way, Sanha-hyung, do you know about this?”

“Huh? About what?”

“Gyeom-hyung has another ability.”

“Really? A revenge ability?”

It was incredibly rare for someone to have two supernatural abilities. Namgoong Sanha looked at Yigeom with respect.

‘That’s not it.’

Just as Yigeom opened his mouth to explain, Jewoo spoke.

“He remembers Dohyun-hyung’s simulations, too.”

Jewoo shrugged, as if proud of him.

Yigeom didn’t really care. Everyone except Namgoong Sanha already knew, and there was no need to hide it. Jewoo, even more excited, proceeded to explain Yigeom’s ability in detail, in a tone that implied, “See? Isn’t my brother awesome?”

“What!?!?”

Namgoong Sanha, who had been listening to Jewoo with a vacant expression, suddenly stood up. Then, like a character in a comic book, he grabbed Yigeom’s hand.

“…What’s wrong?”

“He… doesn’t lose his memories?”

“Yeah, well, for now….”

“Then…! Then!”

Sanha’s eyes trembled slightly, and a flicker of joy could be seen in them. Yigeom looked at Dohyun for help.

‘What’s gotten into him?’ his eyes seemed to ask. But Dohyun just shook his head and smiled prettily.

Namgoong Sanha tightened his grip on Yigeom’s hand and added,

“Then! Then can you find out!?”

“…Find out what?”

“Other places!!”

Other places? What other places? As Yigeom’s face hardened at the incomprehensible request, Namgoong Sanha, unlike his previously timid self, groaned as if wondering why he didn’t understand. Then, he shouted “Eureka!”

He pulled Dohyun and Yigeom towards him, repeatedly muttering in amazement that this was impossible. He almost looked like he was in a trance. In a trembling voice, he called out to Yigeom.

“Y-Yigeom…”

“Yes. Please speak.”

A little more comprehensibly, please.

“When Dohyun activates his ability… how far does it reach?”

“…Excuse me?”

“If it resets every 5 minutes, does it only affect a few kilometers around Dohyun, or does it reset the entire Earth, or even the whole universe?”

Oh, that? Well, it seems to work even far away. Yigeom blinked slowly.

Sanha’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed to the two,

“Let’s, let’s try it!”

“…Try what? Sanha-hyung. I understand you’re excited, but I don’t understand unless you explain it properly.”

“Oh! Did it show that I was excited? S-Sorry.”

At Yigeom’s words, Sanha coughed awkwardly and sat down properly. Even then, his hands twitched restlessly.

“And even though I don’t know the exact radius, the simulation works even if we’re far apart.”

Yigeom added.

“Gasps, Roughly how many kilometers? What about airplanes? Does it work when you’re in another country?”

Namgoong Sanha exploded with questions.

“I don’t really…”

Yigeom glanced at Dohyun. His look said, “Why is he acting like this? Stop him.” Dohyun just looked at him with a calm expression, as if this was all very familiar.

“Sanha-hyung tried this out of curiosity before.”

“Tried it?”

“Yeah. It failed because no one but me remembered.”

It was an experiment that Dohyun, the person with the ability, couldn’t conduct himself. If the world around him resets when he activates his ability, then wherever he goes during that time, the ability will still be in effect.

Then what about others? A person who can see places Dohyun can’t, a person who can confirm the state of the world far away from him?

Seo Dohyun’s ability was fascinating, special, an unknown world. Even Dohyun himself only knew the situation around him in the vast universe.

Sanha had always been curious, even before Yigeom appeared.

He’d joined Latter partly because Dohyun and Doa had saved his life, but also because he felt a certain connection to them, and above all, because he was curious.

“Yigeom, will you help me with my experiment for a moment?”

And let me know.

Sanha’s eyes shone like those of a curious scientist.

This is scary. Yigeom hurriedly tried to escape. It was Namgoong Sanha who was curious about the unknown world surrounding Dohyun, not him. He wasn’t particularly curious.

Nothing would change whether he knew or not. Then he didn’t want to know. It was a cruel world where he would be forgotten anyway.

Sensing his refusal, Sanha became desperate.

“Y-Yigeom!”

“…Yes.”

“Meat! Should I buy you some meat?”

“Seo Dohyun buys it for me often.”

He bought some yesterday, too.

“Oh, really? Then how about something else? Is there anything else you want?”

“Not really? Even if there is, I can handle most things on my own.”

Namgoong Sanha groaned and pondered, then suddenly smiled brightly.

“A weapon! I’ll make you a weapon! When I’m discharged from the military, I’ll make you a good one!”

Yigeom stared at Namgoong Sanha, who spoke with a confident face. Come to think of it, Namgoong Sanha said he was a technician.

He would need weapons for future battles, and he’d heard that selling creature corpses and buying expensive weapons left you with nothing. That’s why he’d said he brought technicians into his guild to be self-sufficient….

After doing the math, it was clearly a profitable deal.

Having finished his calculations, Yigeom looked at Dohyun, asking for his opinion. Dohyun shrugged, seemingly indifferent.

Yigeom sighed and asked, “But hyung, why are you so curious about that?”

“It’s fascinating! That there’s another world that can’t be scientifically explained!”

“To begin with, the appearance of creatures and our abilities can’t be scientifically explained….”

Is the world Dohyun sees a parallel universe? Or is it some kind of well-implemented system of 0s and 1s? What does that world look like?

Oblivious to Yigeom’s words, Sanha mumbled like a mad scientist, lamenting that he couldn’t experience Dohyun’s world himself.

He was timid, yet bold in his requests regarding this, and his mumbling was a bit creepy… his personality was impossible to grasp. Yigeom, looking at him with a slightly weary expression, finally nodded.

“Alright. But you have to make me a weapon in return.”

“Yes! I’m getting discharged soon, right? I’ll definitely make one for you no matter what!! Promise! I promise! Oh, evidence is important, right? Let’s draw up a contract right now!”

“No, a contract is a bit much….”

“Things like this need to be clear, especially between close friends! Most of the time, people just pretend they didn’t say anything after turning their backs!”

Namgoong Sanha continued to list reasons why humans were problematic, expressing his distrust in them.

🦅࿐

How did things end up like this?

They’d paused their training and suddenly felt like they’d become a science experiment team.

“I’ll set the timer.”

“Okay!”

Sanha gave a thumbs-up from the driver’s seat at Dohyun’s words as he set the alarm. Yigeom sat with a blank expression, holding his seatbelt.

Since Yigeom didn’t have a license, Sanha took the wheel himself. The process involved getting as far away from Dohyun as possible in 5 minutes.

Yigeom had tried to persuade him several times that this experiment was useless, that whatever the radius was, they wouldn’t be able to escape it by driving for just 5 minutes, but it fell on deaf ears.

Namgoong Sanha had firmly refused, saying that experiments are built step by step from the basics.

“I’ll drive, so you focus on the surrounding scenery!”

“…Okay.”

Sanha spoke with a solemn expression, as if he were saying, “I’ll cut the rice cakes, so you write the story.”

“Be careful, both of you!”

As the car started moving, Yigeom waved back at Doa and Jewoo, who were waving from behind Dohyun.

Yigeom focused on the scenery outside the window while Sanha aimed to get as far away from Dohyun as possible.

Yigeom saw a person in a gray hoodie and white padding receiving coffee at a takeout coffee shop a short distance from the Latter office, and as they drove further, a person walking a white dog, and people flicking cigarette ashes onto the ground.

The first experiment was to test how the surroundings changed the further they got from Dohyun.

Yigeom imprinted everything clearly in his mind.

“Sorry. I get a little out of control when I see something fascinating. Thanks for going along with my stubbornness. Was it too much to ask of you, considering we just met?”

“It’s okay.”

“Oh. Are you really okay? You’re not just pretending to be okay, are you?”

Yigeom looked away from the window for a moment and looked at Sanha, who was driving. This guy had no faith in humanity. He seemed like the type who would later go around shouting that humans were the most harmful to Earth and the first species that should go extinct.

How could someone like this protect the ferocious Seo Dohyun? Was he watching over him with a parental heart?

“I’m really okay.”

“I hope so.”

“…Did you by any chance go to a science high school?”

“Gasp! How did you know?”

“Just a guess. I have a friend who went there, and he’s a bit like you.”

When they see something that piques their curiosity, they either investigate it, or if it’s an object, disassemble and reassemble it. They wouldn’t let go of anything until they were satisfied.

“Haha. I see.”

Sanha glanced at Yigeom and then spoke.

“Actually, Hunters don’t have to join the military.”

“Really?”

A hint of joy appeared in Yigeom’s eyes.

“Yeah. I’m also a bit timid…. I tried to change my personality by building muscle through exercise, but it wasn’t easy. I enlisted hoping that maybe the military would change me…. But it’s innate, so it doesn’t change easily.”

“You’re fine as you are. Why do you need to change?”

Yigeom spoke sincerely, remembering how proactive Sanha was when his curiosity was piqued.

Latter was full of assertive people, and while he certainly had his quirks, especially when it came to science, Yigeom thought someone like Namgoong Sanha played an essential balancing role.

Just then, the alarm they had set for 5 minutes went off.

Jewoo, who had come out to see them off with Doa, said, “Be careful, both of you!”

As the car moved, Yigeom looked at Seo Dohyun in front of him and waved to Doa and Jewoo.

Nothing was different from the situation just now.

The scenery outside the window was also the same, unchanged. Did this mean they couldn’t escape Seo Dohyun’s radius within 5 minutes? Or did his ability extend to the entire universe?

“Sorry. I get a little out of control when I see something fascinating. Thanks for going along with my stubbornness. Was it too much to ask of you, considering we just met?”

“…”

He didn’t respond to the apology. Namgoong Sanha didn’t seem like the type to end the test with just this one try, and he wouldn’t remember that he hadn’t answered anyway. The unexpected happened next.

“Ah! This isn’t the first time, is it?”

“…It’s the second time. How did you know?”

“Dohyun makes that mistake sometimes too.”

“Mistake?”

“The mistake of thinking that it doesn’t matter what I do since no one remembers.”

At his words, Yigeom fidgeted with his hands and made an excuse.

“I didn’t think that far ahead.”

And was that a mistake? It was true that they didn’t remember. A very impure and immoral thought suddenly crossed Yigeom’s mind: since everyone will forget this time anyway, it doesn’t matter what I do.

It was a strange feeling. Since they would forget anyway. The word “invincible,” though not quite right, gnawed at his moral compass. The more he dwelled on it, the higher his immoral threshold rose.

Even if I ignore others, hurt others… even if I kill someone.

And if Seo Dohyun were to… me.

It was chilling. Yigeom hurriedly called out to Sanha. His call sounded like a distress signal.

“…Hyung, do you… dislike it?”

“Huh? Not remembering? I’m disappointed that I can’t experience that world myself, but I wouldn’t say I dislike it.”

“No, me not answering you.”

Silence fell in the car. After a while, Namgoong Sanha opened his mouth.

“Can I even presume to like or dislike it?”

“…”

“It’s a fact that I don’t remember, and that burden, whatever it is, falls on you, not anyone else. Other people’s responses don’t matter.”

Yigeom’s gaze, which had been fixed on his fingers, shifted to Sanha. He smiled sadly and murmured to himself.

“I just hope you aren’t too lonely in those memories.”

Suddenly, Yigeom felt a surge of an indescribable emotion, difficult to define, welling up from Sanha’s simple sentence. He might have felt comforted, or even consoled.

One thing was certain: he felt relieved.

“You said you were 28, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

Yigeom felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

“You’re still a hyung, after all.”

“…Huh? Didn’t I seem like a hyung until now? Was I acting too childish?”

“You did make a sudden strange request and were pretty forceful.”

Namgoong Sanha’s face flushed red.

“I-I was a bit like that, wasn’t I!? Sorry! But why do I seem like a hyung now…. Uh, did I say something cheesy?”

“Why is the conversation going in that direction?”

“Uh…. Ugh! Sorry! H-How many minutes! Oh, 1 minute left! Thank goodness! You have to pretend you don’t know anything after 1 minute!”

He checked the time, seemingly intending to be embarrassed for only one more minute.