Under Creature – Chapter 9.1

Author: nicotine

“Yoon Yigeom!”

Yigeom looked at the friend who approached him with a headlock.

“You’re heavy.”

“Where have you been and what have you been doing lately? We couldn’t reach you. Everyone was surprised, thinking you’d taken a leave of absence from school. To make matters worse, Kang Taeha wasn’t around either. Did you two go on a trip or something?”

“A trip? What are you talking about. I was just a bit busy.”

“How busy can a student be!”

Right. How busy can a student be. I’m jealous of that mindset.

“Gasp, I have a liberal arts class. I’m heading out first!”

Yigeom watched his friend’s retreating back for a moment before heading to the lecture hall.

“Gyeom-ah.”

“You…!”

Yigeom’s eyes widened as he identified the owner of the voice calling him.

“Why didn’t you contact me all this time? Where have you been? I heard you skipped class too?”

“Something came up for a bit. And you skipped class too. Why didn’t you answer my call yesterday?”

“…I couldn’t pick up.”

At Kang Taeha’s question, Yigeom avoided his gaze and made an excuse.

“You’re hiding a lot these days.”

“It’s nothing. I was just a bit busy. What about you, why couldn’t I reach you all this time?”

“I was busy too.”

He said straightforwardly with a gentle smile.

“Shall we call it even then?”

“……”

“Let’s hurry, we’ll be late for class.”

Yigeom followed Kang Taeha’s lead and placed his bag on a desk.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to class, and since Kang Taeha had also been absent, he was at a loss as to whom he should ask about the lecture material he had missed.

He looked around, quietly approached someone, and tapped them on the back.

“Excuse me…. Hello.”

“Ah! Hello.”

It was someone he vaguely knew through a friend.

“I missed last week’s class, I was wondering if I could find out what the lecture was about.”

“But I didn’t listen either….”

“Were you absent?”

“No, I just… spaced out. One moment.”

He scratched his head, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out a sheet of A4 paper.

“The professor handed this out last time. Would you like to take a picture of it, if that’s okay?”

“Ah, thank you.”

After carefully photographing the material, Yigeom returned to his seat and sent the picture to Kang Taeha.

“I texted you the photo, so check it later.”

Kang Taeha took out his phone, looked at the contents, and curled his lips into a smile.

“Did you talk to him just to ask for this? To that person?”

“I was absent, so I have to at least get a picture of this. It’ll probably be on the exam.”

“Why would someone who cares so much about the exam be absent in the first place.”

“…I couldn’t help it.”

As he muttered while taking out his textbook, the professor entered through the front door. Should he consider it a relief that their conversation was cut short?

Yigeom twirled his pen and focused on the lecture.

“What should we have for dinner?”

“Dinner?”

Yigeom, who was eating at the school cafeteria for lunch, paused before answering. He didn’t have a CA Area meeting today, nor did he have any plans to stop by the office.

“I don’t know. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“If not, we can just cook at my place. You’re coming over later, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s cook. Or order in.”

“You’re too lazy to go out, aren’t you.”

He hit the nail on the head. He had been through a lot lately, and more than anything, he wanted to rest peacefully in a quiet place, not a noisy, crowded one.

“Yeah. I want to rest a bit.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Even while eating his cafeteria meal, Yigeom pondered what he and Taeha should cook at home. Then, he remembered the yukgaejang he couldn’t eat at Bae Sangwoo’s funeral because it wouldn’t go down his throat.

“Wanna make yukgaejang?”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yeah. I suddenly feel like eating it.”

“That sounds good too.”

Just as all his lectures ended and he was about to head to Kang Taeha’s house, he got a call from Seo Dohyun.

— Where are you?

“At school.”

— It’s about time for you to be done, right?

Seo Dohyun asked casually, as if he had memorized Yigeom’s class schedule.

“You know well.”

— Cross the street and come over. I came to pick you up.

“What? But today I….”

Click. The call ended. When did he pick up this habit of hanging up after saying only what he needs to say? Or maybe he anticipated a refusal and deliberately hung up before that could happen.

“What’s wrong?”

“…An acquaintance is here.”

Kang Taeha’s eyebrows drooped as if he disapproved.

“Is it that friend again?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not like you had a prior engagement with him. Just turn him down.”

Despite that, Yigeom hesitated, only turning his phone’s power off and on. Seo Dohyun hadn’t been able to eat at the funeral either.

“Gyeom-ah.”

The thought that it might be better to eat yukgaejang with Seo Dohyun rather than Kang Taeha began to swell in his mind.

Soon, he shoved his phone into his pocket and apologized to Kang Taeha.

“Sorry. I think I have to eat dinner with him today.”

“You can eat with him next time. Does it have to be today? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“…There’s something I need to wrap up. Sorry, get home safe.”

In the end, he left Kang Taeha behind and walked out to the roadside.

As he approached Seo Dohyun’s car across the street, the window slid down smoothly.

“You’re here?”

Seo Dohyun’s complexion looked better than yesterday, as if his words about being fine by tomorrow were true.

“You should call before you show up. What do you think you’re doing when I had plans.”

“Plans? Did you cancel them?”

He even had a faint smile on his face.

“I’m here because I canceled them, obviously.”

Yigeom grumbled as he got in the car and fastened his seatbelt.

“This is strange.”

“What is?”

“You canceling your plans for me.”

“Well, would you expect me to ignore you and just leave when you came all this way?”

He tilted his head and replied.

“That’s what you used to do.”

“……”

For a moment, Yigeom wore a dumbfounded expression.

‘I have a prior engagement with Kang Taeha.’

‘Cancel it.’

‘Isn’t it a bit wrong to cancel a prior engagement? I’m going.’

The conversation they had in the past came to mind. So, right now, I’ve acted with double standards, haven’t I?

Yigeom quickly unbuckled the seatbelt he had just fastened.

“This won’t do. I have to get out.”

“Where are you going.”

“Because I don’t want to be a person who says one thing and does another.”

Seo Dohyun chuckled softly and held him back.

“It’s fine, just stay. I don’t care what you do.”

“…What are you talking about.”

“Fasten your seatbelt again. What should we go eat for dinner?”

“Yukgaejang.”

“Sounds good.”

As the car started moving, a familiar car passed by the window. It was Kang Taeha’s car.

‘Is he heading home?’

A sense of guilt bloomed. It felt like he and Kang Taeha had been growing distant lately, with all the incidents happening so frequently. He wished it was just his imagination, but maybe Yigeom knew it subconsciously as well.

Yigeom took out his phone and sent Kang Taeha a text saying he was truly sorry.

While secrets were piling up with Kang Taeha, with whom he had been close since childhood, he was finding more common ground with Seo Dohyun, whose first encounter with him began on bad terms, and they were having more conversations that they could only share with each other.

That subtle difference was continuing to widen, even now.

Yigeom swallowed down the uncomfortable feelings and asked Dohyun.

“What about Doa and Jewoo? Have they probably left school by now?”

“They said they’re going to hang out together before coming.”

“I see.”

Silence filled the car, and when they stopped at a red light, Yigeom spoke again.

“So, does Jewoo live alone? His parents….”

“His parents are in a rehabilitation center.”

“Ah.”

It was disheartening to think that while Jewoo had overcome his past over seven years and was diligently living a new life, his parents were still trapped in a rehab center, unable to overcome their addiction. On the other hand, he also felt a sense of relief that the people who were the cause of Jewoo’s suffering were in a facility.

What did Jewoo think about this? Was he waiting for his parents to get out, or was he hoping they would never come out?

When he heard Jewoo’s past, it sounded like he hated his parents. But then again, you never know what’s truly in a person’s heart.

Since it was a question he couldn’t easily ask, Yigeom brought up the next topic.

“Aren’t you going to tell Doa about what happened that day?”

“It’s a forgotten memory, there’s no need to remind her.”

“…That’s true, I guess.”

It would be ridiculous to spell it out for her, reciting the bad memory: You were once kidnapped and taken away by a Blood Hunter.

But he was worried that keeping it a secret from Doa, when the rest of them knew about Jewoo’s past, might unintentionally make her feel alienated. Although, whether to tell Doa or not depended most importantly on Jewoo’s wishes.

While Yigeom was silently coming to an agreement with himself, they arrived at the restaurant.

They went inside, ordered, and a few minutes later, the food came out. Dohyun burst out laughing looking at the bright red broth.

“What. Why. You couldn’t eat back then either.”

“That’s true.”

“Then hurry up and eat. I’m paying today.”

Yigeom picked up his spoon and chopsticks and steadfastly continued his meal. A wave of sadness suddenly washed over him, and he sniffled unconsciously, sniff.

“…It’s a bit spicy.”

Embarrassed by his clumsy excuse, he buried his head further into the bowl.

“Yeah, it is spicy.”

At the agreeing response, Yigeom put down his utensils and picked up a napkin. When he pressed it to his face, a tearstain appeared on it.

“Ah, crying while eating is the most pathetic thing.”

As Yigeom muttered like a lament, Seo Dohyun pulled out a few napkins and placed them in front of him.

“Why. You look nothing but pretty.”

“…What does. Sniff—.”

“It’s okay to cry more.”

At those words, Yigeom continued to eat while sniffling. A bite for every tear, another bite for every tear. The restaurant ahjumma, who couldn’t bear to watch any longer, even brought them a complimentary plate of dumplings, asking if the young man had been through something upsetting.

“Thank… you.”

Only after they had cleared out all the dumplings did they conclude their own private funeral.

🦅࿐

“So you’ve paid for one month of lessons, and, ah…! Would you like to rent workout clothes as well?”

“Workout clothes?”

“Yes, we rent out gloves as well. Or you can bring your own personal items.”

“I’ll buy those separately.”

Yigeom was currently at a gym. Considering the potential for future battles, it would be better to have some level of training.

Even if his physical abilities had increased dramatically after becoming a Hunter, the same was true for the enemy Blood Hunters. Moreover, they could also creature-ize and use their blood for hallucinatory attacks, whereas regular Hunters didn’t have many advantages over them.

I have to learn something like this to stand a chance. How long am I going to hide behind Seo Dohyun’s ability?

It was a boxing gym he had sought out with that resolve. It was a big decision for Yigeom, who usually found everything to be a bother.

The money was earned from creature hunting, and it was a sound investment in planning for the future, but his hand couldn’t help but tremble as he handed over the card. Having entered the Hunter world less than a year ago, it felt very awkward to be paying such a large sum so readily.

“Yes. You don’t have gloves today, but you can still do some light exercise. Do you have time? It’s fine to just look around instead of working out~. I can give you a tour of our gym.”

Didn’t I already get the preliminary explanation before I paid? It shouldn’t matter if I don’t look around, right?

Yigeom declined the staff member’s offer, saying he had something to do today. He said he would come back next week to start learning and left the gym, receiving a farewell from the employee.

It was his first time exercising since P.E. class in middle and high school, so he was both nervous and excited. The location was also close to the Latter office, and there was a simple shower room so he could wash up right after sweating. The facilities passed, too.

He headed to the office with a much lighter spring in his step.

“…What the.”

“How is it? Does it suit me?”

When he opened the office door, everyone else was gone, and Doa alone, having chopped off her long hair, greeted Yigeom.

“It’s not a matter of whether it suits you or not….”

Her face was more swollen than usual, as if she cried herself to sleep every night, and the bob that was cut bluntly to her jawline was particularly noticeable.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“The way it swished around during fights was getting in the way. In an emergency, there’s no time to leisurely tie it up, so I just cut it because it was a nuisance.”

Doa spoke cheerfully, but she was bitterly regretting her past mistakes.

She failed to make a quick judgment, causing Seo Dohyun to get hurt and making Yigeom stab Bae Sangwoo’s wrist. She also knew that Bae Sangwoo had taken the bullet that was flying towards Yigeom.

At the very least, she should have been the one to subdue the hallucinating Bae Sangwoo in the director’s office.

She was well aware that Bae Sangwoo’s death had left Yigeom struggling with an unbearable amount of guilt. That’s why she was even more sorry. Because she was the one who had added the burden of stabbing his wrist.

“I’m planning on starting to work out, too. I’m looking into places around here.”

Ah, me too. Yigeom pressed his lips together firmly. For some reason, he felt embarrassed to say that he had decided to start boxing next week.

“Wouldn’t a gym near your house be better?”

The implied meaning was, I’m going to one near the office, so you should go to one near your house so we don’t run into each other.

“I come and go from the office as often as I do my own house. This is like my second home. Work out, then come to work. Aren’t there any places with good facilities nearby? Any place you can recommend?”

“…I don’t know.”

Her thoughts were so creepily similar to his own that he slyly avoided answering.

Yigeom sat on the sofa and muttered while glancing sideways at Doa’s new bob.

“Don’t you feel like it was a waste?”

“What is?”

“Your hair.”

“I only grew it out in the first place because I was too lazy to go to the salon. It’s shorter, so it’s more convenient to wash my hair, I like it better. It’s not a waste at all.”

“That’s a relief then.”

This time, Doa asked.

“Oppa, are you still keeping the pin the ahjussi gave you?”

“Yeah.”

Yigeom took out the silver pin from his inner pocket. It was originally meant to be put in water or drinks to detect creature poison, but if he did that, he would have to wash it and it would wear out, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

It was a precious talisman Bae Sangwoo had given him.

Just as he showed it to Doa for a moment and was putting it back in his inner pocket, Dohyun and Jewoo entered.

“Oh, Gyeom hyung, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Jewoo went over to Yigeom’s side and chattered away, boasting about what had just happened.

“I just came from a creature hunt, and at that time, I….”

Come to think of it, Jewoo always went to the CA Area with Seo Dohyun and never with anyone else. Was it because it would be troublesome if a creature revealed during a fight that it held no hostility towards Jewoo?

But when Jewoo first joined Latter, he had invited Yigeom to go catch creatures with him, but it fell through because Yigeom refused.

What would he have done if I had said yes back then? Was he planning to back out at the last minute?

“Do you see this!?”

“Yeah. …Yeah!?”

Yigeom, who had been idly reminiscing about the past, thinking, that’s how it was back then, widened his eyes.

Before his eyes was something hard and black, like the hide of a creature. It was Jewoo’s creature-ization.

“This, this! I’m showing you because I don’t plan on hiding it anymore.”

“No…. It’s fine if you hide it. What if someone other than us sees you?”

“I don’t care. Even if they find out, what are they gonna do about it? I’ve completely quit creature blood and am living as a normal person now. I have nothing to feel guilty about! From now on, if anything happens, I’m going to fight with this. I just caught a creature with Dohyun-hyung in this state! How about it?”

Yigeom had signed up for boxing, Doa had chopped off her hair and was looking for a gym nearby, and Jewoo had declared that he would no longer hide his creature-ization.

He had a feeling that a new phase of change was coming to Latter.

“Don’t do it.”

“……”

Then, at Seo Dohyun’s cold words, Jewoo, who had been chattering energetically, fell silent. It was to the point that Yigeom was the one checking Jewoo’s reaction.

Jewoo quickly retracted his creature-ization and muttered dispiritedly.

“Ah, sorry. Is it really that disgusting? I’ll refrain from now on. Gyeom hyung, I’m sorry for showing you so suddenly too. You must have hated it.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Yigeom spoke quickly, but Jewoo’s crestfallen expression didn’t change. Just then, Doa suddenly shouted.

“No! What’s so gross about it! It’s not gross at all, you know? Why are you judging it on your own!?”

“S-sorry?”

Jewoo, startled by Seo Dohyun spewing out his anger, apologized.

“Why are you apologizing! I just… if you keep doing that, it’ll be hard for you to endure….”

“Hard to endure? What will be?”

As Doa’s voice gradually grew smaller and she mumbled, Yigeom asked again.

“If you keep creature-izing, the addiction symptoms get worse! You don’t even drink blood, so what’s so good about doing that all the time!”

What? Really? This was new information for Yigeom. When he looked at Jewoo, he was pouting and looking away.

“Cha Jewoo. You’re forbidden from doing that.”

“But I still….”

“That’s an order from the vice president.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that.”

Jewoo pulled his hood over his head and lay down sideways on the sofa.

Seeing this, Seo Dohyun said in a low voice.

“See. I told you it wouldn’t work.”

“But they were so close to giving permission—.”

“There’s no way Gyeom-ie would just stand by and watch. Right?”

Seo Dohyun asked, meeting Yigeom’s eyes.

…What’s this all about now.

Yigeom looked back and forth between him and Jewoo with a quizzical expression.

“Did you two plan this?”

“Well, that is….”

In the end, a hesitant Jewoo meekly confessed.

He had made a deal with Seo Dohyun on the way to the office that if all of Latter agreed to his use of creature-ization, he could use it as much as he wanted.

“No way! I don’t agree. If you’re in real danger, then it can’t be helped. But I’m unconditionally against it.”

Doa said firmly.

“Of course I’m against it too. I had no idea there was a side effect like that.”

Following Yigeom’s disapproval, Jewoo looked disappointed, but also seemed happy deep down. It appeared he liked the fact that they were worried about him.

He forcefully held back the corners of his mouth from turning up and buried his face in the sofa.

“Guys!!!”

At that moment, the glass door of the office burst open. Whoever it was, they were so strong that the door shook violently, as if it would break. Jewoo also shot up from the sofa to see who the visitor was.

“…Sanha oppa?”

And the person who appeared was none other than Namgoong Sanha. He had returned even bigger than before, as if he had bulked up even more in the army.

Everyone was bewildered, and even Seo Dohyun asked, surprised by his appearance.

“Hyung, what about the army?”

“The army? What about it! Dohyun-ie, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? How about Gyeom-ie! And Jewoo! Doa!”

He seemed to have packed his things at the military base and come straight here without even stopping by home, as he had a disheveled pile of luggage on his back and was meticulously checking on everyone.

“Ah! Even if you were hurt, you’d probably be all better by now.”

He trembled his fists.

“I’m sorry. You guys were going through all that, and I was just blissfully unaware in the army….”

Thinking they should at least tell Namgoong Sanha what had happened, Jewoo summarized the major incidents, explaining that he was a reformed Blood Hunter, what happened at Yiryeon, and Bae Sangwoo’s death.

“I should have been by your side during such a difficult time!”

…Setting that aside, why was Namgoong Sanha here?

Yigeom asked with a sour expression.

“Hyung, we’re really grateful you came, but the army….”

“Ah, the army?”

Namgoong Sanha smiled brightly and exclaimed.

“I deserted!!”

…Excuse me? What did you say? Everyone blinked in unison.

They say a quiet cat is the first to climb up on the warm stove ledge.

“What’s the use of the army! I have to be by your side when you’re having a hard time! My leave request was taking too long to process, so I just deserted!”

Namgoong Sanha was the perfect example of that.

“…Deserted?”

Jewoo asked with a trembling voice, his pupils shaking.

“Hy… Hyung! You’ll get caught if you do that! Even now, you should go back to the army…!”

“No! I feel like I’ve been thinking only about myself until now. When you guys were struggling, I… I! I won’t go to the army from now on!”

“No, that’s not something you can decide on your own, the country…. Ugh, uwaaah. What should I do? Should I report him? No, if I report him, he’ll get caught. But even if I don’t report him…! Uwaaaahhh what do we do about this?”

Jewoo grabbed Yigeom’s shoulders, shaking him back and forth as he babbled. Yigeom, also dazed, just swayed limply and stared blankly at Namgoong Sanha.

“Oppa, has it been a few days, maybe? You should go back now….”

“It’s okay, guys! Don’t worry too much, I’ve looked into everything!”

Does a person who has looked into everything desert?

Namgoong Sanha declared confidently.

“Among the Hunter principles issued by the Association, there’s a clause that says since Hunters fulfill their national duty by hunting creatures, they don’t necessarily have to go to the army!”

He had heard something like that, but it seemed Namgoong Sanha had thoroughly reviewed all the rules.

“And there’s no mention that if you do enlist, you have to complete your service faithfully.”

“They probably never imagined a deserter would appear.”

Isn’t it a principle that isn’t written down because completing your service faithfully is a given?

Namgoong Sanha put his hands on his hips and spoke bravely.

“So I haven’t committed a crime!”

“…Does it work like that?”

Jewoo muttered, bewildered. In a way, it seemed okay since it didn’t violate Hunter law, but from a common-sense perspective, it seemed wrong….

“I’ll contact the Association first.”

“Wait!”

As Doa hurriedly tried to call the Association, Namgoong Sanha stopped her.

“Why, why? We still have to ask! Oppa, you could get into real trouble!”

“Yeah. We have to ask. But can you wait just a moment?”

Namgoong Sanha suddenly took out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing something. Looking closely, he was writing a list of anticipated Q&A, preparing rebuttals for when the Association asked this, he would answer that.

“Done!”

A moment later, he put down the pen and called the Association. For some reason, Yigeom felt nervous himself.

“I’m just going to step outside to take this.”

“No, we should be the ones to…. You should be comfortable on the phone, hyung….”

“It’s okay, Gyeom-ah. There won’t be anything to worry about.”

Namgoong Sanha grabbed his phone and dashed out before anyone could stop him.

“…Will he be okay?”

At Yigeom’s worried tone, Seo Dohyun, who had been silently watching Namgoong Sanha’s actions, opened his mouth.

“He’ll be fine. Sanha hyung.”

The unexpectedly trusting words that came back were surprising. But thinking about it, it wasn’t that shocking. Namgoong Sanha had a slightly eccentric streak, but he was always someone who pulled his own weight.

Along with Jewoo and Doa, who were biting their nails nervously, they waited for Namgoong Sanha to finish his call and come back in.

And 10 minutes passed.

“I… don’t have to go to the army anymore! The Association said they’ll handle the desertion without any problems!”

Namgoong Sanha entered with his arms thrown wide open in a victory pose.

“Wow! That’s a relief! It sounds like it went well?”

Jewoo finally smiled brightly and ran to Namgoong Sanha, cheering.

“Yeah! I’ll stay by your side from now on!”

“Woah! Hyung, I was too flustered to say it earlier, but it’s great to have you back! Discharged? Umm…. Successful desertion? Anyway, congratulations!!”

“Yeah! But there’s a condition!”

“…A condition?”

Jewoo, who had been doing a celebratory dance, holding Namgoong Sanha’s hands and spinning in a circle, came to a sudden halt. Namgoong Sanha smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

“They told me to catch ten creatures. As free labor, of course.”

“…The Association?”

“That’s… yeah.”

“…And we don’t get any money for it?”

“It, it turned out that way…. The Association said they’ll designate the CA Area.”

“……”

A brief silence fell. A Hunter’s job is to hunt creatures, and that substitutes for national duty, so hunting creatures in place of deserting was somewhat understandable.

But… without any compensation? The Association will take all that money? You guys just work your bodies to the bone?

Yigeom slowly stood up and reached out to Namgoong Sanha.

“Hyung, give me your phone. I’ll call them back.”

“Well… arguing won’t do any good.”

“Why not?”

“I tried talking to them, but the conversation ended with them basically saying, ‘If you don’t like it, go to the stockade’….”

As Yigeom’s expression hardened, Namgoong Sanha cowered and shrank back.

“They didn’t, they didn’t say it exactly like that, they put it more politely, but that was the clear meaning of their words….”

I made a mistake. This wasn’t something to be inquired about by arguing about principles. We should have had him meet an unreasonable nuisance like Seo Dohyun first, and then I should have soothed the employee sweetly while making the inquiry.

That’s what we should have done.

“I’m, I’m sorry. I’ll somehow manage the creature hunting on my own….”

“What are you talking about, hyung! Of course we have to catch them together! You’re tech-type, so it’ll be even harder for you alone!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate this. Because of my mistake, you guys….”

“What? Why is that Sanha hyung’s fault!”

Jewoo, his fists trembling, comforted Namgoong Sanha, the hostage caught by the villainous group known as the Association under the pretext of desertion.

“That’s right, hyung. Why is that your fault. We just have to catch the creatures.”

Dohyun smiled coldly. Of course, Namgoong Sanha had created work for the Association by attempting to desert, but wasn’t ten creatures a bit much? And the Association even said they would select the CA Area.

This was no different from telling them to come running whenever a CA was determined.

“There was no mention of corpse damage, right?”

“Uh… yeah!”

“Then we’re set. Let’s catch them. Ten of them.”

Yigeom understood Dohyun’s words instantly. His mindset was that if they weren’t getting paid, they would heavily damage the creature corpses to make them commercially worthless, ensuring the Association wouldn’t profit either.

For once, he strongly agreed with Seo Dohyun’s idea. Ten creatures was a lot of money. And they were being told to catch them for free? Not a chance.

“That’s right, hyung. We can just catch them. What’s so hard about it.”

“S-still…. We have to manage our own CA Area, and we’ve had a lot of difficult things to deal with lately and must be busy, so I’m worried I just came and added more work. D-did I come for nothing?”

“What do you mean, for nothing. Don’t feel guilty like that. The kids are all happy you’re here.”

Yigeom nodded his head towards Doa and Jewoo, pointing them out to the depressed Sanha.

“Of course, oppa. We can catch ten of them in no time!”

“Yeah, I’ll help too!”

“Th-thank you. Thank you, guys. I really think I did the right thing joining Latter!”

Sanha’s face filled with emotion as he teared up.

🦅࿐

After Sanha’s desertion incident was more or less resolved, they headed to a nearby restaurant to grab a light dinner.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Doa held a moment of silence with the food in front of her. As soon as her moment of silence ended, as if he had been waiting, Jewoo asked with his mouth full of food.

“You don’t usually do that.”

“I just tried it, why. I was praying that he eats a lot of delicious food like me wherever he is.”

The subject was omitted, but it wasn’t hard to tell who the prayer was for. Just as the atmosphere was about to sink, Doa chattered cheerfully.

“Wow, this is delicious! Sanha oppa, do they serve food like this in the army?”

“No. It’s been a while since I’ve had it!”

“Really? Then eat a lot! Have some of this too.”

“Okay, I will! You guys eat a lot too.”

As the meal was winding down, Yigeom said he would go out first and wait, and stepped outside the restaurant.

Then he spotted a lollipop grabber machine set up in front of the restaurant.

‘…500 won.’

He rummaged through his pockets, but no coins came out.

“These things are old, they’re bad for you.”

Just then, Dohyun, who had followed Yigeom out, muttered as he put a coin into the machine for him.

“Lollipops have a long shelf life, so it’s fine.”

Yigeom replied nonchalantly and pressed the switch on the lit-up machine. Two lollipops, matching the number of people, clattered out into the retrieval slot.

When he handed one to Seo Dohyun, even he, who had been going on about how unhealthy they were, silently unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. With only the white stick peeking out, he looked just like he was holding a cigarette. Yigeom, too, unwrapped his and muttered forlornly.

“It would’ve been nice if the ahjussi had quit too.”

“That’s in the past. The living have to live on.”

It was good to vent emotions by mentioning it often, but Yigeom was overdoing it now. It was as if he couldn’t move on from that day.

“Are you…. Never mind.”

For a moment, he almost demanded to know if Dohyun was unaffected. But when he recalled the Seo Dohyun from back then, he couldn’t say those words recklessly.

The him who had excessively used his ability to the point of severe side effects, even though the outcome was certain to be the same. The him who finally accepted Bae Sangwoo’s death only after he himself had died.

The him who had comforted Yigeom when he was drowning in guilt, saying, I chose you, you did nothing wrong.

Thinking about that time, Yigeom also felt very sorry towards Seo Dohyun. It felt as if he had shifted all the responsibility onto him.

‘You tried to stop me, I just forced myself to pull the trigger. You did nothing wrong. It was all me.’

That day, too.

‘If you had died, I would have used my power over and over, tens of times. I, I chose you.’

And this day.

Seo Dohyun always says he did it. That it was him. That you did nothing wrong.

Yigeom silently rolled the lollipop in his mouth.

‘It’s sweet.’

Most things that are bad for you are sweet.

Seo Dohyun’s words were like that, too. They were sweet. Knowing he shouldn’t, he relied on him, feigned ignorance, and passed on the responsibility.

Did he forgive the Seo Dohyun from their first meeting? The one who killed him? He said he forgave him. He accepted his apology. But did he really?

The answer was ‘no’. It would probably remain as a grudge that would never be resolved in a corner of his heart.

So, did he hate Seo Dohyun? In the past, he would have said ‘yes’ without a moment’s hesitation, but now he would answer ‘no’.

He just lives with that grudge permanently tucked away in a corner.

That’s just the kind of relationship they had.

One where, even after receiving an indelible scar from him in the past, he had no choice but to be with him.

Because perhaps the one who could understand him best was Seo Dohyun, and the person who understood Seo Dohyun best was himself.

No matter how much they hurt each other, they could never be separated.

No matter what happened, in the end, they had no choice but to choose each other.

That’s just the kind of relationship they had.

🦅࿐

Yigeom and Dohyun were waiting for the transport truck in front of the creature they had just caught.

“When is it coming.”

Yigeom grumbled, checking the time anxiously.

Latter was currently rushing around the CA Areas designated by the Association for Namgoong Sanha’s sake.

There were two cases today, but unfortunately, due to the awkward timing, Yigeom and Dohyun hunted the creature here, while the remaining members split off to hunt a creature at another location.

Since their side had spawned earlier, it seemed the other team wasn’t finished yet. They needed to hurry and go help, but the corpse transport truck wasn’t coming.

Yigeom deliberately scratched the creature’s corpse, damaging its commercial value.

But he didn’t really need to. Seo Dohyun had already torn it to shreds beyond recognition.

“Gyeom-ah. Look at this.”

“What.”

Seo Dohyun took out a sharp knife and doodled on the hard creature hide.

Sanpaku eyes and a triangle mouth.

He asked with a playful smile.

“Who do you think it is?”

Yigeom realized the subject of the drawing was himself, but he pretended not to know.

“Your drawing is so shitty I can’t tell.”

“That’s strange. I thought it looked just like you.”

“Move.”