FLIA 42

“Gasp. Mr. Ju Hoyoung?”

As soon as another Sunrise Team member was mentioned, Yohan clenched his fists in excitement. Ju Hoyoung was the youngest member of the team and the only support, meaning he and Yohan likely shared a lot of common ground. Yoon Seungryong rubbed his chin.

“But I wonder if Hoyoung is still alive. He’s a support, so his endurance is weak.”

“He’s quick on his feet. He was alive at least ten… no, eleven months ago. He’s not the type to die so easily.”

“Oh, then he’s probably still alive.”

Yohan felt a strange sense of dissonance and mild sadness as the two casually spoke of whether their teammate might be dead or alive. Still, instead of commenting on it, he forced himself to sound cheerful.

“I’d love to go meet Mr. Ju Hoyoung. Oh! And I won’t be the youngest anymore either.”

“…Oh. Right. Not the youngest anymore… that’s nice.”

Seungryong’s response was oddly delayed, like he was trying to hold back a laugh, but Yohan just tilted his head and let it go.

“Hoyoung is, what, four years younger than you?”

“Huh? No, just two years.”

“Ah, right. He was twenty-one.”

Seungryong nodded like he was trying to recall a distant memory. Given how long he’d been lost in the Abyss and how much he’d been corrupted, it made sense his memory was a bit hazy. Yohan let that go too.

“Anyway, Hoyoung’s ability is really practical. In a worst-case scenario, you could carry him out, or he could restrain someone if they lost control. That’s why he’d be a solid addition to the team.”

So that’s the reason they wanted to bring him back… Yohan felt slightly awkward, especially after having attacked Hyunmook himself during a hallucination. Hyunmook rubbed his chin slowly, clearly still debating, unlike when he quickly agreed to bring Seungryong. With his arms crossed, Seungryong pressed further.

“What is it? Something bothering you?”

“Hoyoung’s fast.”

Yohan nodded reflexively. As a support, Ju Hoyoung had always been known for his speed, his frail build made it necessary. At Hyunmook’s reply, Seungryong shrugged like it was no big deal.

“He’s fast, sure, but he’s not faster than you.”

“I tried to catch him last time… and failed.”

“…Wait, seriously? You really failed?”

Only then did a troubled look appear on Seungryong’s face. Yohan also understood now why Hyunmook had seemed hesitant. No matter how powerful their attacks were, they meant nothing if the target didn’t get hit. After some more thought, Hyunmook finally made his decision.

“Alright. Let’s go to the Japan zone.”

***

After about a week of traveling, they finally made it out of the dreadful jungle. The only upside to the jungle had been the abundance of giant bananas, incredibly sweet pineapples, papayas, and dragonfruit. Seungryong, who had crammed as many of the longer-lasting fruits as he could into his pocket, looked regretful.

“We have to find Hoyoung before these fruits spoil so we can freeze them.”

He was basically treating Ju Hoyoung like a refrigerator, or maybe a convenient trap. Still, Seungryong wasn’t wrong. Hoyoung’s ice-type ability was incredibly versatile.

“I can see the city!”

Yohan shouted in excitement. Once they cleared the jungle, the silhouette of a city shimmered in the distance. After traversing swamps and jungles, he could now fully appreciate how convenient modern buildings were, and how easy it was to scavenge food there. Even if the place was contaminated, concrete floors and walls remained useful.

And ever since the Rift Disaster began, it had become standard to store emergency rations in every home. So just a little searching would surely yield plenty of canned goods. That’s why Yohan felt such a wave of relief at the sight of the city. The thought of finally meeting Ju Hoyoung made him excited, though also a bit anxious.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

At Yohan’s question, both men turned to look at him. Meeting their endlessly kind and good-natured gazes, Yohan hesitated, then asked,

“If Mr. Ju Hoyoung is here… I was wondering what happened to the other two team members. …If it’s a rude question, you don’t have to answer.”

He was growing increasingly curious about the others, especially with everyone slowly reuniting. Though he added the comment just in case, neither man seemed upset, or even saddened.

“It’s not rude at all! That old hag – no, Yakrin, she’s probably doing fine somewhere off in that direction. As for Chanha-hyung…”

Yohan perked up even more at the mention of Lee Chanha, the Sunrise Team’s deputy team leader.

“He’s dead.”

Hyunmook answered bluntly, and Seungryong raised his eyebrows like he hadn’t heard the news before.

“He’s dead?”

“Yeah.”

After a long, strange silence, Seungryong quietly studied Hyunmook, then shrugged.

“Ah… I see. He’s dead!”

His cheerful tone carried not the slightest hint of sadness for a fallen teammate, even though Chanha hadn’t been just any member, but the deputy leader. It seemed that whatever had happened in the Abyss had been intense enough to dull grief, or perhaps the corruption had numbed their emotions altogether.

Yohan regretted asking the moment he saw that the two didn’t seem the least bit affected. He decided then not to bring up the other team members again.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been wondering too, Yohan-ah, what’s Go Jaewon up to?”

At Yoon Seungryong’s question, Yohan hesitated. The man was smiling as usual, but it didn’t look like a real smile.

Go Jaewon was the only member of the Sunrise Team who hadn’t gone missing in the Abyss, and was several years older than Seungryong. He had a good relationship with the team, and in the documentary, Seungryong used to follow him around, calling him Jaewon-hyung. But now, there was something bitter in his tone.

…Did Go Jaewon betray the team? Yohan remembered how, after the team’s disappearance, suspicions had been raised against Jaewon for a time. He swallowed dryly and answered as calmly as he could.

“I heard he… formed a new Sunrise Team and is still active.”

“Oh, is that so? A new Sunrise Team. That’s great. Good for him!”

Seungryong gave a sharp, eerie grin. Yohan awkwardly returned the smile, once again deeply regretting having brought up a former team member. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of solidarity. These people, too, had been cast into hell after being betrayed by someone they trusted.

With that heavy feeling lingering, they continued their journey for another half-day before finally entering the Japan zone. It was still a city, but somehow, maybe because it was a different country, it felt unfamiliar. To Yohan, it looked like it had been abandoned two or three decades longer than the ruined cities they’d seen before.

“Oh, it’s Japanese.”

Yohan peered curiously at a shop sign in a foreign language. Even without understanding the words, he felt an ominous, bad vibe from it. The sign must’ve been corrupted and warped by the Flood, carrying some ill-meaning phrase in Japanese.

“The jungle was so bad the text wasn’t even legible, but things are still preserved here. Feels like the city’s been left untouched for thirty years.”

Yohan peered through the window of a restaurant at some old food replicas. Once, they would have looked appetizing, but now they were dull and gray. Even the lucky cat figurine had turned ashen. It wasn’t just the color, something about the shapes and atmosphere felt off and hostile. Staring at them gave the eerie sensation of exploring a city long after the end of civilization.

Had people once fallen into the Abyss from here too?

“If you’re not an awakener, there’s no way a normal person could survive in a place like this, right?”

“Pretty much. If it weren’t for the Team Leader, the rest of us would’ve been dead a long time ago.”

Seungryong chuckled and walked through a door. He easily dispatched a monster clinging to the ceiling and returned with armfuls of sauce containers and canned food.

After a couple of hours of scavenging, they chose a small building to settle in. It was near a road and had rooftop access for escape, making it a suitable location. While Seungryong went in to clear any monsters, Yohan and Hyunmook waited outside. Yohan glanced at Hyunmook and cautiously spoke up.

“Um… back in the jungle…”

He took a deep breath and continued.

“I’m sorry for kissing you without permission. I just thought of it like CPR or something, there was really no ulterior motive…”

“I see.”

Hyunmook replied with a calm voice that betrayed no hint of emotion. Yohan felt an odd pang of disappointment, but then Hyunmook added,

“But I wouldn’t have minded if there was.”

Yohan’s cheeks flushed bright red. Instead of looking at Hyunmook, he muttered while staring at the building where Seungryong was loudly bashing monsters.

“…You saying it like that makes it sound really weird.”

“Weird how?”

When those endlessly gentle eyes locked on him, Yohan swallowed hard. Then, gathering all his courage, he blurted out,

“Like it’s okay for me to have feelings for you.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Yohan shrank down and rushed to cover them up.

“But, um, I mean… that wouldn’t be right, would it? I’m your purifier, and you might feel obligated not to reject me. And even if I say I have feelings, it’s more like, uh, being a fan! It’s not like I expect anything! I just… I was worried maybe that kiss made you uncomfortable, that’s all!”

“Yohan-ah.”

“Y-yes!”

He responded in a high-pitched, overly formal tone, and Hyunmook chuckled. As Yohan got lost in how handsome his smiling face looked, Hyunmook spoke again.

“‘Feelings like a fan,’ huh? That’s kind of disappointing.”

“…Huh?”