#140
Knock knock-.
Before the knocking sound had even finished, the door opened hastily. Choi Hanseo, who had been staring at a photo of him kissing Eunseok, looked at Secretary Lee Eunju with displeased eyes.
“Guild Master.”
Secretary Lee’s face showed intense anxiety and urgency as she called out to Hanseo.
“What’s the matter?”
“Guide Lee Eunseok has taken a vacation.”
“If he wants to rest, let him…”
“He left the building and took a taxi. After that, he called Secretary Kim to inform that he’s taking a vacation for travel.”
Her urgent voice was very fast. Hanseo stood up abruptly before Secretary Lee had finished speaking.
“Gone? Where did he go?”
“Well… We tried calling him back right away, but his phone is turned off. He didn’t say where he was going.”
“How could you just let him go? Is Guide Lee Eunseok just an ordinary person? He’s an S-rank guide. You’re saying you let such a person go without even asking his destination?”
“He had already left and taken a taxi before we received the notification, so there wasn’t time to do so.”
“…”
Hanseo barely swallowed the harsh words that were about to escape his lips. According to Secretary Lee, neither she nor Secretary Kim could have done anything in that situation. But he couldn’t help feeling angry.
“What should we do, Guild Master?”
Secretary Lee asked with a somewhat calmer face.
“Is there a way to track his location? Inquire about the taxi he took, or…”
Hanseo stopped speaking and tightly gripped the phone in his hand. Eunseok wasn’t kidnapped; he had clearly notified that he was taking a vacation and left on his own accord. It would be ridiculous to make a big fuss about his whereabouts.
“I believe we had previously implanted a tracking chip in Guide Lee.”
Hanseo raised an eyebrow slightly at Secretary Lee’s words.
“Only you, Guild Master, had the tracking app that could trace the chip.”
Without even taking the time to dismiss Secretary Lee, Hanseo searched through his phone. He opened and closed several unfamiliar apps that had been bulk downloaded previously, until he found what appeared to be the tracking app.
A map appeared, and a red dot was slowly moving. This was probably Eunseok’s location.
Eunseok was currently moving south, having left Seoul. He was likely using a taxi or public transportation.
“Shall I prepare a car?”
Secretary Lee asked. Hanseo felt the urge to chase after Eunseok and catch him right away. But… on what grounds could he drag back someone who had left on vacation?
“…How long of a vacation did he take?”
“He said ten days for now.”
If he had informed of the duration before leaving, it was right to wait until then. Hanseo slowly sat back in his chair and rubbed his face.
“Let’s leave him be for now. We’ll wait for ten days.”
“Understood.”
“It would be dangerous if it became known outside that an S-rank guide is wandering alone, so make sure everyone who knows about this keeps their mouths shut.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
Secretary Lee slightly bowed her head and left the office. Hanseo stared at the red dot slowly moving south for a long time before heaving a heavy sigh. It seemed that things would only be resolved if his damn memories returned quickly, but even for an S-rank hunter, the human brain doesn’t work according to will.
Sigh…
Hanseo, after letting out a long, heavy sigh, rubbed his forehead. He had only lost about two years of memories, his abilities and the guild were still solid. Yet because of just that, it felt like everything had fallen apart.
If his memories don’t return… how would Eunseok react? Would Eunseok return to Hanseo if his memories don’t come back?
Hanseo recalled Eunseok’s eyes as he struck the emergency bell. Even though he had just lost his memories and couldn’t remember their relationship, Eunseok had glared at him as if he was some great betrayer. Remembering that look made him feel suffocatingly frustrated.
“Eunseok…”
Hanseo tried to search through his memories while repeating Eunseok’s name. But the place where his lost memories should be remained empty.
Ten days.
For now, just endure for ten days…
If it really doesn’t work, I’ll have to bring him back by force if necessary.
Hanseo resolved inwardly, clutching his chest that felt like it might burst from frustration.
Although he had made up his mind, he couldn’t take his hands and eyes off the phone. Hanseo sat in his chair all day, staring intently at the tracking app. The red dot diligently continued moving south. And after several hours, the red dot finally stopped momentarily. He had probably gotten off the bus.
The place Eunseok had chosen for his vacation was neither the sea nor a quiet city, but Mount Jiri.
Inwol Jirisan Public Terminal.
Looking at the red dot floating in a place with no significant cities nearby, Hanseo recalled information about Eunseok.
Special Mission Unit of the Republic of Korea Army Intelligence Command.
Although he didn’t know much about the military, if Eunseok was from the Special Mission Unit, he probably had received considerable survival training in the mountains. It seemed Eunseok was planning to crawl into Mount Jiri instead of taking a relaxing vacation. Or… he might be trying to disappear into the mountains entirely.
Eunseok probably already knows that he has a tracking chip implanted in him.
So now there were two possibilities to consider.
One was that he was simply trying to clear his head with a vacation in the mountains.
Two was that he would enter the mountains, remove the tracking chip, and then disappear somewhere.
If it was the first case, they just needed to wait for him to clear his head and return… But if it was the second case…
Hanseo rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.
Eunseok is an S-rank guide. If he wanted, there were countless places that would take him. He could go anywhere in the world and receive tremendous treatment and welcome. With just one phone call, there would be numerous countries willing to use all sorts of illegal routes to bring him to their country.
As long as he stayed within Korea, they could find him and bring him back anytime. But the moment he left for another country, the chances of recovering Eunseok would be nearly impossible. After all, no country would willingly give up an S-rank guide once they got their hands on one.
Once that thought crossed his mind, he could no longer sit still. The resolve to wait for ten days that he had made just moments ago had vanished without a trace. Hanseo immediately called Secretary Lee.
– Yes, Guild Master.
“Have a car ready.”
– Where are you going?
“Mount Jiri.”
Hanseo hung up and briefly checked Eunseok’s location on his phone. He was in the process of entering deep into Mount Jiri. Hanseo ran his hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. Even if he chased after him now, what words could he use to persuade him?
He didn’t even know if he was going to retrieve an S-rank guide or to bring back a lover. It wasn’t an opponent he could persuade with such ambivalent thoughts and feelings.
His phone rang. It was Secretary Lee.
“Speak.”
– The car is ready, Guild Master.
Hanseo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“For now… cancel the car. I’ll let you know if I need it again.”
– Understood.
After hanging up, Hanseo leaned back deeply in his chair. First… it seemed he needed to sort out his feelings for Eunseok. Judging by how deep he was going into Mount Jiri and allowing himself to be tracked, it was clear he had no intention of leaving Korea immediately. Both Eunseok and Hanseo needed time to think right now. If his memories returned during that time, great, and if they never came back, then…
Having thought that far, Hanseo rubbed his mouth. A sense of helplessness and powerlessness surged, as if he had been thrown naked into the vast ocean.
Eunseok doesn’t come back.
Just the thought of it made his head spin.
He couldn’t tell if this emotion was towards an S-rank guide or towards Eunseok as an individual. What was certain was that he had no right to ask Eunseok to return until he could accurately distinguish between the two.
Suppressing the intense desire to chase after Eunseok, Hanseo stared persistently at the tracking app. Eunseok was moving slowly but steadily deeper into Mount Jiri. He was completely isolating himself from society and people. While he should be worried about Eunseok wandering alone in the mountains, somehow it felt more like a relief. The more isolated Eunseok became, the significantly lower the chances of losing him to somewhere, or someone else.
Pulling up all his patience and leaning deeply into the chair, Hanseo soon exclaimed, “Damn it,” and abruptly stood up. Then he paced back and forth like a beast trapped in a small cage.
Whether his memories return or not, he absolutely cannot lose Eunseok. This wasn’t a thought that arose from the realm of rational judgment. A deep instinct from within his body and mind was screaming so.
Hanseo rubbed his face and breathed fiercely.
How can he not lose Eunseok?
Judging from Eunseok’s reactions and actions so far, it was clear that he had no intention of staying by Hanseo’s side, who had lost the memories of their time together. So ultimately, regaining his memories was the priority.
Memories. Memories…
If he could revive those damn memories by frying his brain, he would do it right now. But is that something that happens according to one’s will?
With an anxious face, Hanseo rubbed his face dry and alternately looked at the tracking app and the photos posted on the fan cafe. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a photo.
The couple piercing he had removed after waking up with memory loss.
If perhaps that…
Having thought that far, Hanseo rushed out of the office with hurried steps.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
