Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 122

“I’m so tired I could die.” 

 

With those words, Ko Youngwoo sprawled out on the floor where he had been sitting. Presently, he turned his head to look at a newly forming Blue Gate.

 

It had been roughly five hours since the dome formed and the members of Unit 1 went inside. The number of gates that had appeared during that time exceeded thirty in Seoul alone. At this pace, just one day passing would easily surpass the total number of gates that had appeared all of last year. 

 

“Are we all gonna die at this rate?” 

 

“…Even if you’re joking, do you ha—ve to make that kind of joke?” 

 

At Ko Youngwoo’s grumbling, Sun Sihan delivered a light kick to his shoulder, but he caught her foot with ease as if he had expected it. His large, calloused hand was more than enough to grasp her sole in one palm.

 

“Does it feel like a joke?” 

 

Ko Youngwoo gestured with his chin.

 

Even after seeing that?

 

What he pointed to was the scene directly below where they stood. There were more than just a few people collapsed with bandages wrapped around their heads, and among them were those who had sustained injuries severe enough to be life-threatening.

 

“That’s why!”

 

“…”

 

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you not to spout that kind of crap.”

 

With those final words, Sun Sihan slumped down into a seat and clamped her mouth shut, desperately wishing this reality were merely a dream.

 

The situation had entered a temporary lull.

 

Ko Youngwoo, Chanyoung, and Sun Sihan weren’t the only ones on the rooftop of the building where they were on standby. After hopping lightly down from the rooftop room, Ko Youngwoo scanned his collapsed colleagues.

 

“Ugh—.” 

 

“Just bear with it for a bit, you guys. They say they’ll make you better.” 

 

“My arm, my arm feels like clay!”

 

“Hey, Bongpal-ah, wouldn’t it be better if you did it just a little more gently?” 

 

At those words, Yoon Bongpal of the GH6 Unit, who was dangling a cigarette from his mouth, scowled deeply as if he didn’t want to hear another word. Tying back his disheveled, shaggy hair tightly, he replied.

 

“….In this situation?”

 

The GH6 Unit was a squad of manipulation-type Heroes specializing in restoration and healing. Usually, they only operated in fixed locations like the infirmary within the Association building, but this time was an exception. The number of patients was increasing exponentially, making it impossible to sit back and wait.

 

Whenever they were deployed to the field, they had to wear white gowns, which was so that those in need of treatment could quickly find Unit 6. Perhaps for that reason, most of the Unit 6 members wearing white gowns were also called by the cliché nickname ‘Angels in White,’ but Yoon Bongpal alone was an exception. 

 

Yoon Bongpal’s colleague spoke as he cast a healing spell on the arm of another Hero who was moaning in pain.

 

“Right. They’re injured kids. Let’s speak nicely to them.” 

 

“Kids, my foot, they’re grown-up b*stards crying their eyes out. Next—!” 

 

What was the use of kind words here?

 

What use would empty, sweet consolations like an empty cart be, 

 

And the only thing that could become a means to overcome this situation was to treat even one more person efficiently and as quickly as possible. 

 

He was already exhausted to death because he had to use his abilities in a rush after not using them for so long. Because of that, every single one of his fingertips had become sensitive; even brushing against wounded flesh sent chills down his spine that made him feel like he was going crazy.

 

Yoon Bongpal slapped the waist of the Hero he had just treated and looked for the next patient.

 

“What the—why are you here?”

 

Yoon Bongpal’s eyes, which had deep dark circles under them, instantly widened. It meant the identity of the next patient was just that unexpected. The man removed his glasses while wearing a strange, embarrassed expression. 

 

“….No, don’t make that face and just explain the situation.”

 

“What face?”

 

“You just blushed, you lunatic.”

 

“I never—. Forget it, just treat me.”

 

“Hah. To think I’d see the grand Ha Cheongwon’s ‘royal countenance’ without his glasses. It’s the first time since we joined as colleagues.”

 

The person who had surprised Yoon Bongpal was none other than his colleague, Ha Cheongwon.

 

Why was the very person who foresaw this situation and acted as the control tower out in the field?

 

Moreover, he had sustained a laceration to his eye, leaving a long scar stretching from his eyelid to his cheek.

 

The condition of the injured eye was serious. It was so badly damaged that it was questionable whether the scar could be completely removed even if the flesh were stitched back together. When Bongpal pressed down hard on the wound with his gloved fingers, blood flowed down Cheongwon’s cheek and dripped from his chin.

 

Yoon Bongpal’s expression turned grave as he muttered.

 

“Why did you come all the way here? You’re supposed to be at the Association.”

 

He tore a piece of flesh from the uninjured side of the eye and grafted it onto the other side, to which Ha Cheongwon replied with a flinch of one shoulder.

 

“When devising a strategy, it’s only natural for the strategist to visit the site.”

 

“You must have watched Romance of the Three Kingdoms too much and gone mad. You bastard, that’s something you can say when you aren’t injured.”

 

Thud. 

 

As if the treatment were finished, Yoon Bongpal tossed his latex gloves into a blue plastic bag. The bottom of the bag, which contained gloves caked in blood, was already filled with a puddle of gore. He circled his finger in the air and pointed it at Ha Cheongwon’s wound.

 

“I managed to stop the bleeding, but I can’t fix the vision itself. It’s blindness. Blindness. For that kind of treatment, go get a diagnosis from some other guy over there.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

Understood. Ha Cheongwon stood up obediently, straightened his collar, and scanned the surroundings.

 

Rather than just scanning the area, it was actually an act of searching for someone. At that suspicious behavior, Yoon Bongpal, who had been crouching, also stood up and met Ha Cheongwon’s eyes.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Are these all the Heroes present?”

 

“…? Of course not. There are guys being treated in that building over there, too. Since there are also open Blue Gates, the SH3 and GH Units capable of responding have moved over there. Why? Are you looking for someone?”

 

Ha Cheongwon was someone who had always extremely loathed useless actions.

 

Their colleagues had even joked that his MBTI must be JJJJ. There was no way such a guy would be aimlessly looking for just anyone here.

 

“No.”

 

“Then?”

 

“….I received a revelation.”

 

Wow. What is wrong with this guy?

 

“Hey, if you’re sick, go to a hospital. Don’t stay here like this.”

 

He had heard nonsensical rumors that people sometimes go crazy if they overuse their abilities and that such people have no way of being saved, but he had never actually met the subject of such a rumor.

 

To think his own friend would be the first victim of the rumors.

 

“To be precise, I heard a voice.”

 

“….Right. You were the most normal among our colleagues. What a pity.”

 

Unfortunate, truly unfortunate. 

 

Yoon Bongpal crushed his cigarette into a portable ashtray he kept in his coat and made a motion of rubbing his hands together. Then, he turned his back coldly. He had far too much to do at this moment to listen to his colleague’s idle and bizarre jokes.

 

Just then, Ha Cheongwon’s final question reached his ears from behind.

 

“Is San Ihyeong-ssi here?”

 

“…..What?”

 

“….I asked if San Ihyeong-ssi is here.”

 

Because the voice asking was trembling slightly, Yoon Bongpal realized that Ha Cheongwon’s question was not a joke.

 

Yoon Bongpal, facing Ha Cheongwon again, rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and gave a small shake of his head.

 

And since that answer was not the one Ha Cheongwon had hoped for,

 

Ha Cheongwon’s face crumbled in sorrow.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, inside the Hell, a situation slightly different from what the people outside imagined was unfolding.

 

Chirr-ring.

 

The sound of daggers clashing against each other was heard. 

 

The dancers gathered in one corner were choosing swords for the next stage from among a pile of blades stacked on a worn-out table.

 

“Everyone remembers. ‘Nimura’ is one of the sword dances where the harmony between the long sword and the dagger is most important. So, unlike ordinary sword dances, you mustn’t choose only daggers.”

 

As the curly-haired woman who appeared to be the leader of the dancer group held a long sword high, the remaining dancers nodded their heads. 

 

She gripped the hilt and thrust the sharp point forward.

 

The blade reflected a handful of the ceiling lights. With a satisfied face, she slid the blade back into its scabbard and spoke to the remaining junior dancers.

 

“You girls have daggers. You won’t have any reason to draw the blade, so choose ones with ornate scabbards.”

 

“Yes, sister.” 

 

While the brilliantly dressed dancers were choosing their swords, a sophisticated banquet was happening on the opposite side.

 

“Guys, look at this. It’s moving. I’ve lived for over 200 years, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.”

 

“Jaeha Hyung, I think this Hyung is finally drunk. What does he mean, living for over 200 years?”

 

A sophisticated….

 

“Whoa, that’s so gross. Does anyone want to try this? Jaeha, open your mouth.”

 

Let’s just call it sophisticated.

 

The food Hwashin called gross was certainly unpleasant in form to anyone’s eyes. It was black and slimy, and its appearance was such that one couldn’t tell if it was seafood, meat, or a vegetable; even the smell was masked by seasoning, making it impossible to gauge properly. Furthermore, it had four eyeballs, which, perhaps because they were still alive, were blinking and squelching out of sync.

 

“No.”

 

“Now, now. If you’re a leader, act like one!”

 

As Yoo Hwashin shouted while picking up the unidentified food with a fork, Yoo Jian, who was chewing on a chicken leg in her hand beside him, chimed in.

 

“Yeah, if you’re a leader, act like one!”

 

“….L-Like one!”

 

Lee Suho also added his opinion, swept up in the atmosphere. Jeong Mueum subtly pulled his back away, fearing he might get dragged in as well.

 

“Hyung, fighting.”

 

“You damn punks.”

 

“Pardon me while you are enjoying yourselves, but.”

 

Patter, patter, patter. 

 

When a dancer walked up to the messy long table, the eyes of the 1st Unit all turned toward her. Without even blinking at the pressure, she subtly lifted the wide hem of her pants and bowed her waist in the same posture used by nobility.

 

“Preparations for the following stage are complete. …..Please enjoy.”

 

Jingle.

 

Having finished her piece, she headed for the center of the hall.

 

They hadn’t started a war, yet the atmosphere within the venue sank in an instant. It was probably because they were intoxicated by their beauty. 

 

However, the stories heard were as vulgar as expected of nobles.

 

“Are those dancers wanderers? If it’s alright, I’d like to bring one to my room tonight.”

 

“I heard that is the case. Since we are of similar minds, I must ask which child caught your eye….”

 

Why are these guys like this everywhere?

 

Lee Suho tapped the shoulder of Hwashin, who was chewing on something that looked like a squid leg. Suho, who had slipped out of his seat at some point, hid behind the chair and whispered secretly to him.

 

“Hyung. There’s something I… want to tell you.”

 

Hwashin’s eyebrows went up and down once, signaling him to speak, and Lee Suho leaned even closer to his ear.

 

“I already told Jian Noona and Mueum. My… shadow has been picking up and eating the banquet food as it pleases.”

 

“And?”

 

“I didn’t know… but I r-realized I can hear the conversations happening where the shadow is.”

 

This meant that even if he wasn’t in that spot, he could eavesdrop on the stories of others where the shadow existed.

 

“So the thing is.”

 

Then Lee Suho bit his tongue slightly and stopped speaking. He looked as if he were choosing his words, wondering if it was really okay to say this. So Hwashin waited.

 

‘This is the first time Suho has stepped forward to say something.’

 

After a short while, as if he had organized his thoughts, Suho raised his head slightly. He even covered his mouth with his small hands, fearing he might be caught by others at the banquet.

 

“Those dancers.”

 

Gulp. The sound of him swallowing was loud in Hwashin’s ears. Lee Suho was that nervous. Yoo Jian and Jeong Mueum were still playing around, pretending to know nothing, but they were likely already preparing for the next situation.

 

What Lee Suho said was something that left them with no other choice.

 

“….I think they’re planning to kill the King.”