Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 84

“…..This is unbelievable.”

 

Kang San, a reporter looking up at the TV in the press room, muttered.

 

On the emergency news broadcast, the members of the SH1 unit were sitting side by side in their formal uniforms.

 

Since it had been announced as a press conference for the SH1 unit, Kang San had naturally taken his seat and waited for that moment. Recently, the SH1 unit had been moving primarily through gates where civilian access was prohibited, so he hadn’t even had a chance to see them.

 

‘Reviews of the Korean Heroes’ Workshop.’

‘The Story of a Wise Red Gate, Starting from the Beginning.’

‘How Does a Hero’s Day Pass?’

 

And so on. They had collaborated frequently with the Association, but it had been difficult to see the hero he actually wanted to see most.

 

— Hero Yoo Hwashin passed away during this Red Gate incident.

 

The anticipated moment turned into unbelievable news in an instant. The reporters invited to the emergency press conference were veterans with many years of experience, like his seniors, and they immediately began pouring out questions.

 

— We cannot disclose specific details. This press conference is a place to announce the death of an S-rank hero, and also a place to… accept his death.

— The location of his death was inside a Red Gate, a place we call a dungeon. Hero Ha Cheongwon of the SH2 unit will continue regarding that matter.

— Hello, I am Ha Cheongwon….

 

Kang San slumped in his seat.

 

“Ha.”

 

Only a hollow laugh escaped him. That person is dead?

 

Kang San, who still had vivid memories of that day, could not believe this situation at all. He wanted to deny it.

 

An S-rank hero is often called the greatest asset a nation can possess. As such, they are widely known to the public, and until now, no death of an S-rank hero had ever been reported. 

 

On this day, the press conference brought a huge shock not only to Korea but to the entire world.

 

‘A gate where even an S-rank hero can die has appeared.’

‘The ones who closed the gate were the US and Korea.’

‘We must pay attention to the close link between the two nations.’

 

News poured out day after day. Even ordinary people, who initially weren’t very interested in Red Gates, gradually began to pay attention.

 

Articles that started with simple information provision began to take a turn.

 

‘Who was the deceased hero Yoo Hwashin? Did he truly have the qualifications of an S-rank hero?’

‘The national hero who rose from F-rank to S-rank, Yoo Hwashin, dies.’

‘As expected, are the limits of an F-rank clear even after becoming an S-Rank?’

 

The intention to disparage the deceased hero was clear.

 

They claimed there are levels even within S-rank heroes, and that he died because he was of a low rank among them.

 

Most articles were like this. After the press conference, Kang San’s thumb trembled with force as he scrolled through articles during every commute.

 

‘What do they even know?’ 

 

The ones who wrote these articles were people who hadn’t even seen the way Hwashin defeated monsters while vomiting blood that day.

 

— This stop is… OO Station. OO Station. Those transferring to OO Station…

 

“…..I have to get off.”

 

The subway doors closed, and the train departed the station again. Kang San couldn’t get off. Now was not the time to go to work. Leaving a brief text for his senior, Kang San got off at the next stop. He took a bus and headed in the complete opposite direction.

 

The place he was heading to was the Hero Association building.

 

***

 

After the conference, the SH1 unit sat around a table for the first time in a while.

 

“…..Good work, everyone.”

 

In the dark atmosphere, Jeong Mueum spoke first. Yoo Jian, who had been sitting with a dazed face, saw Mueum’s effort and gave a bitter smile.

 

“You worked hard too, Jeong Mueum.”

 

“…Noona, you even came out while on leave. How many days are you resting?”

 

“About a month. But I decided to come out if there’s an urgent matter. That’s how our job is. Besides.”

 

If she rested completely because it was hard, she wouldn’t be able to face that guy.

 

Two weeks had passed since Yoo Hwashin vanished from the world. One eventually comes to understand the reality that was difficult to accept. Because one cannot live on otherwise.

 

Accepting someone’s death must now become a habit. Even if it is someone close.

 

“Call me if you have a hard time. Cha Jaeha, you too….. take it easy.”

 

“I’m handling it.”

 

“Right, I’m sure you’ll handle it well. Mueum, I’ll call you later.”

 

Gesturing as if she were taking a call, Yoo Jian left the room. Only Jeong Mueum and Cha Jaeha remained in the conference room.

 

“You’re the one raising Ppii, right, Hyung?”

 

“That fellow followed me.”

 

Ppii, the weasel Hwashin had left behind, had passed to Cha Jaeha.

 

“I originally wanted to raise it, but it bit me. …Lee Suho is doing well.”

 

“Right. That’s good then.”

 

Cha Jaeha replied expressionlessly with his arms crossed. Seeing that, Jeong Mueum thought:

 

‘It feels like we’ve returned to the old days.’

 

After meeting Hwashin Hyung, it had at least been easy to joke around….With one noisy hyung gone, everything changed like this.

 

Jeong Mueum’s arms, which had been supporting Hwashin’s vanishing body, were still heavy. That weight had now moved up to his shoulders, pressing down on him.

 

“Lately, the gates have been quiet, so there hasn’t been much to see. You, Hyung, or Noona. …..I’ll head out first. I’m supposed to meet Yujin today. Come visit the Hero Training Center if you have time.”

 

Leaving the silent Cha Jaeha behind, Jeong Mueum also moved away.

 

Cha Jaeha stared blankly at the empty conference room, specifically at the empty seat across from him.

 

This was the place where he had first talked about the past with Yoo Hwashin.

 

He was the only guy who believed that he hadn’t killed them.

 

“….He’s gone now.”

 

Cha Jaeha clicked his tongue and stood up.

 

The atmosphere in the Association building was still no different from a house of mourning. Although it was for a short period, the existence of Yoo Hwashin had been a great source of strength for the Association. Walking through the hallways, he could still see grieving employees. There were even rumors that Ko Wooyoung, who had been beaten by him first, was wandering around saying it was impossible for a bastard like Yoo Hwashin to have died.

 

Rather, that might be easier on the mind.

 

For those who didn’t even see the disappearance.

 

Ppii, who had been hiding in his pocket, climbed onto Cha Jaeha’s shoulder. Ppiii. Jaeha walked down the hallway holding Ppii, who rubbed its soft face against him as if to comfort him, in his hand.

 

“Ppi?”

 

It was then.

 

Tap tap tap—

 

As if it had seen something, Ppii jumped down onto the hallway floor. Ppi! Ppi! Ppii began to cry out urgently.

 

“What is it?”

 

Ppii, who had been biting and pulling at the hem of Cha Jaeha’s pants, began to run somewhere. The place they arrived at following Ppii was the restroom at the innermost part of the Association building. The last stall. Ppii cried out Ppi ppi in front of it.

 

“….Why are you acting like this?”

 

Clatter. The last stall, which was almost abandoned because not many people used it. Upon opening it, a small gate was visible. The color of the gate, which seemed too small for even one person to fit through, was…

 

‘Red.’

 

He checked the watch on his wrist and the notifications on his work phone, but the gate warning alarm did not sound.

 

Even Cha Jaeha had never seen such a small gate before.

 

“Ppii! Ppiii!”

 

Ppii, who continued to cry out, slipped its foot straight into the gate. There was no time for Cha Jaeha to stop it.

 

“Hey—!”

 

In the end, Cha Jaeha followed Ppii inside.

 

When he opened his eyes, he was, as expected, inside a dungeon like before.

 

In the middle of a vast plain, a single castle made of gray bricks stood tall. Cha Jaeha looked up at the castle that exuded a desolate atmosphere. Nearby, several one-eyed monsters wearing chains growled at him.

 

“Ppiii.”

 

“Why did you come inside when you’re going to tremble like that?”

 

Letting out a sigh, Cha Jaeha placed the shivering weasel on his shoulder.

 

“Please, just stay still.”

 

Before long, a now-familiar window appeared in front of Cha Jaeha.

 

[ Don’t worry, little sister. Big sister will save you. With that resolve, Rosanne moved her steps toward the castle where a scary giant lives. The doorknob of the gray castle was carved in the shape of a lion. Tremble. Forcing herself to hold her shaking hand, she grabbed the doorknob first and knocked loudly. Bang bang bang—! ]

 

[ Before long, the door began to open inward. Gulp. Rosanne, swallowing hard, entered inside relying on a faint light. ]

.

.

.

 

[ Special Dungeon, ‘Treasure Castle’ has started! ]

 

….Treasure Castle.

 

Cha Jaeha slowly analyzed the situation.

 

The protagonist of the story called ‘Treasure Castle’ seemed to be Rosanne. Her younger sibling seemed to be captured by the giant living in that castle.

 

‘Since she calls her big sister, it’s a younger sister. If I just save that sister, is this dungeon cleared?’

 

Cha Jaeha looked at the window labeled Special Dungeon once again. Special Dungeon. The word ‘Special’ bothered him. There had never been such a term until now.

 

As Cha Jaeha was lost in thought, someone fell behind him with a thud.

 

“…..Who are you?”

 

“…..Wa… Waa, um. Hi, hello.”

 

A man with short-cropped hair and a body as thin as a chopstick bowed his head awkwardly.

 

“That, well, I happened to run into Hero Cha Jaeha while coming toward the Association building… and I ended up coming in. Ah, I’m not like a stalker or anything.”

 

He fumbled and pulled out an employee ID and an entry pass he had tucked in his field jacket pocket.

 

“I’m a reporter under exclusive contract with the Association. I-I’m Kang San. I, I also participated in Hero Yoo Hwashin’s press conference in the p-past. I followed you even into the restroom… but I suddenly got caught up in the light and ended up here.”

 

“Ppii?”

 

“Um, where exactly is this……”

 

“….Haa.”

 

A nuisance has tagged along. Cha Jaeha turned his cold gaze back to the castle and spoke.

 

“It’s inside a gate.”

 

“….?”

 

“Don’t you know about Red Gates?”

 

“….I-I-Inside a gate?”

 

W-Why am I here? Kang San, turning pale, looked at the castle. He had heard that there were unique locations inside Red Gates. That you could only return after resolving what happens there and bringing it to an end. He was told he couldn’t be given specific details because they were confidential.

 

…Wait a minute.

 

Kang San clutched the camera he had put in his bag. I’m the first reporter to enter a Red Gate, aren’t I?

 

He swallowed hard. Kang San’s eyes sparkled like a reporter’s. But at the same time, the thought that this was one of the Red Gates that caused Yoo Hwashin’s death brought a wave of fear, sadness, and terror back to him. Standing before Kang San, who was at a loss with mixed emotions, Cha Jaeha looked down at him.

 

“….Are you going to stay here?”

 

“….Pardon?”

 

“It’ll be safer if you travel with me.”

 

“…..Ah.”

 

Kang San stood up, taking Cha Jaeha’s extended hand.

 

That’s right.

 

Yeah. Come to think of it, this man before his eyes is…

 

“I’ll explain the details as we go…..Kang San-ssi?” 

 

“….Ah, yes!”

 

Beyond a doubt, one of South Korea’s top heroes.