FLIA 148

“The footage is clear! We can definitely use this as evidence, right?”

As Yohan said that and casually turned toward Lee Hyunmook, he was startled. Lee Hyunmook was staring at the monitor blankly with dark eyes and no expression. When he glanced back, the team members had the same unpleasant looks. They were probably reminded of the day Go Jaewon betrayed them and they fell into the Abyss, so Yohan deliberately changed the subject.

“Shall we stop watching this and try another video?”

“…Yes, shall we?”

Only then did Lee Hyunmook give a faint smile and turn off the video. As they checked the other files, Yohan’s expression also change. Seo Yakrin clicked her tongue.

“These bastards haven’t been at this for just a day or two.”

They had originally roamed rifts like scavengers, but when they encountered survivors, they held them hostage and extorted huge sums of money from families. They toyed with survivors without connections until bored, then they threw them to monsters and left the evidence to be discovered, a vile practice.

Later they seemed to have taken money and started contract killings. They had grown addicted to playing with people, so they roamed rifts zones even at risk. Since they had decent skill, they carried out hit-and-run attacks with uncanny precision.

Feeling nauseous, Yohan turned his face away and sat further back. How Park Seungmin came to know such people was obvious. People gathered with their own kind. At that moment Ju Hoyoung, who was listening with a disgusted face while fast-forwarding through the videos, tilted his head.

“I think I just heard the name Hwang Yeongcheol?”

Seo Yakrin, who had been coaxing Yohan and offering him plum tea, snapped her eyes open. Hwang Yeongcheol, Minister of the All-Rift National Security. He was the one who bribed Go Jaewon into betraying the Sunrise Team, and he was the target of their vengeance. Yohan, who still held his tea, returned to the laptop.

–Hwang Yeongcheol, that guy’s really hilarious.

It was Kim Hyunwoo, who always said “really hilarious,” chatting with the mercenaries during a meal.

–That old guy can barely get it up anymore, but even at that age he still chases women like crazy. Last time we drank together, he was dead drunk, but his hands continued slithering around like a snake….

From that conversation, a brief remark had been mentioned, and Ju Hoyoung had caught it. Seo Yakrin grinned

“Maybe that bastard had dealings with these guys too?”

There had to be another clue somewhere. But there were dozens of videos confiscated from the mercenaries, and each video contained several days’ worth, so it would take ages to check them. While they clicked their tongues at that, Ju Hoyoung spoke.

“I’ll handle this. I’m the only one who can fast-forward and still catch everything properly.”

So it was decided that Lee Chanha would track the traces of the Flood, and Ju Hoyoung would pursue the lead on Hwang Yeongcheol.

“These days, every day is so fun~.”

Since their revenge was progressing without issue, Seo Yakrin hummed cheerfully and filled Yohan’s empty cup with plum tea.

***

‘Is revenge supposed to feel enjoyable?’

When Yohan returned home from work, he stared down at his hand . The feeling of hitting Kim Hyunwoo was still vivid. That was… completely different from hunting monsters. It felt foul and unsettling, not joyful. But he didn’t regret it either. Thinking that he had erased Kim Hyunwoo made him feel like something that was weighing on his heart had been lifted.

‘He really was an awful human being.’

Even as he thought that, Yohan still felt dazed. It was the shock of going through such a thing for the first time. When Lee Hyunmook opened the refrigerator to check dinner, he glanced at Yohan’s face and suggested.

“Yohan-ah, shall we go out to eat tonight for a change of pace?”

Yohan, who had been sitting on the sofa and replaying the day’s events, lifted his head in an instant.

“Ah, yes!”

The malice he had seen in the body cam footage had weighed on him all day, but now his dark look brightened. A date! While he rummaged through the closet thinking about what to wear, an alarm suddenly went off. Beep–beep–beep–beep! Startled, Yohan ran out.

That sound was the alarm that ringed from the phones of registered awakeners nearby whenever a monster appeared in the area. He had heard it a few times at the Taeyang Guild, but this was the first time he heard it from Lee Hyunmook’s phone.

“What rank monster is it?”

Lee Hyunmook checked his phone and, without much surprise, answered.

“An eighth-rank showed up at Yeouido Broadcasting Station.”

Yohan gasped, eighth-rank meant a danger level that even multiple mid-levels couldn’t easily subdue. Especially with Jeong Siyoung away suppressing the monster horde in Busan, the government had no choice but to summon Lee Hyunmook. The choice made sense because of Yeouido’s geography.

Ten years ago. During the Great Rift Disaster that struck worldwide, the rift that descended north of Seoul stopped at the Han River. At that time most of the bridges had been cut, but even so, monsters sometimes crossed the Han. Yeouido was especially prone to monster appearances.

But the area had many vital facilities, and it was also the southern front line of Seoul’s fissure, so it couldn’t be abandoned. The military and Special Suppression Unit were heavily stationed there instead. And now an eighth-rank had appeared there, so they had urgently called for Lee Hyunmook.

“Then you’ll have to go right away.”

Yohan didn’t even notice the disappointment of the canceled date. He worried instead about the damage Yeouido might suffer. But Lee Hyunmook looked at him with hesitant eyes. He was wondering whether to take him along or not. Since Yohan couldn’t openly use his purification ability, he might only become a burden in a fight. So Yohan quickly spoke.

“You can leave me here! I’ll stay quiet!”

Then Lee Hyunmook smiled gently and said.

“What are you saying, Yohan-ah. Except for the day of the press conference, I have never once left you alone.”

“What?”

“Mm, I should take you with me after all.”

“What? You’ve never once left me alone?”

What was this? How many times had he been alone until now…?! While Yohan blankly searched his memory, Lee Hyunmook picked up the guild uniform jacket he had taken off and dressed him again as he spoke.

“At Hyunsan Hospital there were many eyes watching, and there were awakeners staying there at all times, so I could leave you there for a bit. But I can’t in a residential area like this. Right now Chanha and Seungryong are together tracking traces, Hoyoung is checking footage, and Yakrin is handling guild work, so… there’s no one to leave you with right now.”

“There were times I was alone though…?”

Lee Hyunmook looked at bewildered Yohan with gentle eyes and straightened his clothes. In that time the loud alarm rang again. After he sent a reply with his phone, he spoke.

“Shall we go?”

With dozens of question marks hanging over his head, Yohan followed after Lee Hyunmook. How many times had he gone to the convenience store alone? He had even gone to the hair salon. He had met a college friend and eaten dinner together. He had even watched the house alone when Hyunmook-hyung had business at the Rift Management Bureau.

“Awakener Lee Hyunmook. We’ve been waiting for you.”

As they exited the building, a vehicle sent from the Rift Management Bureau and two Special Suppression Unit members were waiting at the front gate. When they opened the door respectfully and saw Yohan getting in first, they were startled.

“…Awakener Yang Yohan is coming too?”

He was a low-level dealer. An eighth-rank monster needed to be taken on, and not a mid-level but a low-level dealer was coming along? After seating Yohan first, Lee Hyunmook smiled as he answered.

“I feel uneasy leaving him alone, so I’ll be taking him with me. Let’s go.”

“Then during the raid the Special Suppression Unit will protect him.”

The smile vanished from Lee Hyunmook’s face. He only stared silently, and the two members swallowed. At that point Yohan also felt an ominous undertone from the suggestion. It wasn’t genuine protection from worry, but because he was a weak figure who was close with the Taeyang Team.

“Mm…, it seems this isn’t very urgent. I don’t mind heading out at a relaxed pace.”

When Lee Hyunmook spoke again with a smiling face, the two control members said no more and departed. It was rush hour, but since the side roads had already been secured, they sped straight to the nearby helipad without delay. At the loud roar of the helicopter, Yohan’s eyes widened. It was his first time boarding one.

‘Wow, this is pretty rough….’

To the sensitive hearing of an awakener, the helicopter’s roar was unbearable noise pollution. Only after putting on a noise-canceling headset did it become tolerable. Yohan flinched at the sensation of the helicopter lifting off, but soon calmed down.

‘Riding on Yakrin-noona while she flew was way scarier.’

Flying on a half-mad giant bird with no safety equipment was far worse than flying in a helicopter. Having already experienced extreme hardcore mode, the overall difficulty of life felt lowered.

–I will give a briefing. A monster presumed to be eighth-rank has taken over the broadcasting station. The appearance of the monster is as follows.

The suppression member showed them an image on an electronic pad. It was a bit blurry, but the shape was clear enough. A monster like a thin dog made of tangled wire was crawling into the entrance of the station. Yohan stared at the image intently.

–The monster is covered with a metallic shell and has strong magnetic abilities. Because of this, transmissions are dead inside the station, and all attacks using metal are nullified. Please kill and remove the monster as quickly as possible.

The briefing was extremely short. Yohan waited, but there was no further detail. In the end he couldn’t resist and asked.

–What about civilian rescue?

The suppression unit member, wearing a mask and goggles so his expression couldn’t be seen, stared at Yohan silently before answering.

–According to government orders, that is not the top priority.

In short, it meant it didn’t matter if they rescued them or not. Yohan felt repulsed but he didn’t pursue the matter and closed his mouth.