#205
The sudden change startled them both, instinctively raising their guard. As a result, they moved apart as if they had attacked each other.
Regaining his composure, Heo Sang-yeon urgently approached Dan Joo-hyuk again.
“…”
Despite the sudden movement, Dan Joo-hyuk couldn’t feel his usual discomfort.
What stood before him was merely “Heo Sang-yeon.”
“Wait, does the safe zone have this kind of effect?”
“I’m… not sure.”
Bewildered, Dan Joo-hyuk covered his mouth. He had passed through this safety zone numerous times, but had never felt this effect. Naturally, this phenomenon hadn’t occurred in safe zones inside gates.
In a way, it was understandable. He had never entered a real-world safe zone with another S-rank hunter, who would be most likely to notice such changes.
The two fell into contemplation at this unexpected situation. Heo Sang-yeon, in particular, seemed to brighten slightly.
Realizing the reason, Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly felt jealous.
Since they’re both S-rank, this phenomenon would definitely benefit them.
“No, this, Heo…”
A petty emotion surged up, but he quickly suppressed it. Afterward, he deliberately tried to calmly assess the current situation.
This was not simply a matter of aversion disappearing.
“…”
It meant that the S-rank syndrome was related to the energy of [■■■ fragments].
Otherwise, these symptoms wouldn’t disappear so cleanly within the safe zone.
“How is the pressure that other people feel from us in here?”
“…I’m not sure.”
There were few instances when he had come here with civilians or other hunters. Even then, he had recently gotten into the habit of suppressing his own waves out of consideration for Yoon Pa-ran, so he couldn’t know for certain.
Finding this somewhat strange, Heo Sang-yeon gave him a puzzled look.
“Anyway, will this also affect our aversion toward other people?”
“Not just between S-ranks, but toward other humans?”
“Yes.”
Dan Joo-hyuk understood his intention. From the moment that thought crossed his mind, his heart began to beat wildly.
With a certain expectation.
“Those two would be on different tracks.”
However, Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately suppressed that expectation. Hadn’t he just recently harbored unnecessary hopes only to be plunged into a swamp of frustration?
The Heo Sang-yeon before him knew better than anyone how much Dan Joo-hyuk had struggled with this fact. In his younger days, believing this aversion could be resolved, he had often sought his advice.
“Well, I’m not so sure.”
From the beginning, the two operated differently. The aversion that other humans felt toward him, disguised as pressure, could be controlled by suppressing his own waves.
However, the aversion he intermittently felt toward other humans couldn’t be controlled regardless of the presence or absence of waves.
Between S-ranks, any attempt was futile. That was precisely why Kim Min-ji had been frustrated. Every time she saw Heo Sang-yeon, a sensation that could be neither controlled nor ignored would continue to grate on her nerves.
That was also why Dan Joo-hyuk had been frustrated. Unfortunately, he had to feel that irresistible aversion toward too many people.
And soon Yoon Pa-ran would also be caught up in these emotions that he couldn’t resist.
“Have you never thought about it, Hunter Dan?”
Just then, Heo Sang-yeon began speaking in a subdued voice.
Dan Joo-hyuk, lost in thought, slowly raised his gaze to meet his.
“The thought that the essence of the two is ultimately the same.”
“…”
His mind momentarily went blank.
In a corner of his consciousness, an old frustration that had lost its shape from being embraced for so long was coiled up.
“I couldn’t tell you when you were younger because I was afraid you’d be too heartbroken. But in my opinion, the two are ultimately the same kind of aversion.”
“…”
If the two were ultimately the same, then the cause would converge into one: the very existence of S-rank hunters.
That’s probably why Heo Sang-yeon had withheld his words in the past.
“How should I put it… It’s as if we S-ranks ultimately want to be rejected by this world.”
Dan Joo-hyuk unwittingly agreed with Heo Sang-yeon’s expression.
Everywhere was filled with people who either harbored aversion toward him or toward whom he harbored aversion. Each time, Dan Joo-hyuk would think:
It felt as if the world was pushing him away.
“I hated that, so I always hid even the parts I could control.”
Heo Sang-yeon shrugged and slowly walked toward the center of the safe zone. There stood the statue that had created this phenomenon.
After gazing at the statue with an inscrutable expression for a while, Heo Sang-yeon soon smiled broadly.
Not the forced cheerful face he had been wearing, but a genuine smile.
“Now that I see you clearly, Hunter Dan, you’re quite handsome.”
“…”
“Well, whatever the case, this is good, isn’t it? If we can solve even a little bit of this.”
Thinking about it, Yoon Pa-ran had mentioned this phenomenon before. He said that while he could still feel the waves from other S-ranks, for some reason, he felt nothing from Dan Joo-hyuk.
Until now, Dan Joo-hyuk had thought it was due to his own skill. But what if it was because of Yoon Pa-ran’s power?
His heart leaped again with expectation. Too powerfully to suppress anymore. Eventually, vain hope sprouted again from Heo Sang-yeon’s words.
If this chain of aversion was all the same phenomenon, and thus had the same solution.
“We should experiment just in case.”
Could he soon escape this detestable divine punishment?
❖ ❖ ❖
Around the same time, Yoon Pa-ran was blankly watching TV in his rented room.
“…”
—Next, we have news from around the world. Animals living in the African savanna have been showing unusual behavior recently, haven’t they?
—Yes, that’s right. Last week, an African elephant even attacked a person…
Thanks to starting early in the morning, he had been able to return earlier than expected. After adequately dealing with the siblings who rushed to him as soon as they saw him, he returned to his rented room for the first time in a while.
Today, he especially needed some quiet time alone to think.
—African elephants are naturally more aggressive compared to Asian elephant species, and accidents have happened from time to time. But this incident was somewhat unusual.
—How was it different from usual?
—Normally, tourists who get too close to elephants are primarily harmed. But this time, an elephant invaded a tribal village first.
—A tribal village? It’s strange for a wild animal to approach human residential areas first.
Thinking alone only seemed to make his head more complicated. So he had turned on any channel, but only uninteresting content kept coming up.
—Surprisingly, such incidents have been increasing recently. In the ocean, orcas have attacked divers, causing great shock to the academic community.
—While orcas are known to be fierce species, I thought they generally didn’t attack humans.
—Following this incident, the region has urged divers to exercise special caution. Next…
Except for the TV sound, everything was extremely quiet. Even for a home, it was unusually silent.
This was entirely because there were no tenants left in this building.
“…”
Apparently, Dan Joo-hyuk had bought this entire building for Yoon Pa-ran’s safety. And while Yoon Pa-ran had been busy going back and forth to the orphanage, the building had become completely empty.
Dan Joo-hyuk had said he would give this building to Yoon Pa-ran if needed, but Yoon Pa-ran had just ignored it. He thought it was just his usual joking.
Originally, with the orphanage nearby, this place was more like a rental to safely store items. Now that he also had Dan Joo-hyuk’s house, if this silence was uncomfortable, it would be better to go to his house…
“…Ah.”
No, wait. Get a grip.
Yoon Pa-ran, who had habitually thought of relying on Dan Joo-hyuk, suddenly snapped back to reality. Thinking of Dan Joo-hyuk made his heart race again, continuing the uncomfortable sensation.
Normally, he would have dismissed it as a useless thought, but today he couldn’t.
“I like you.”
That single phrase was like a skill, meaning that from now on, Yoon Pa-ran had to diligently work through his backlog of thoughts.
“…”
But why “backlog” of thoughts?
“Ah.”
Just then, a sharp phone ring echoed through the room. Yoon Pa-ran, who had been lost in thought, was startled and looked down at his phone.
There, the name of someone who hadn’t contacted him in a very long time appeared.
“Hello? Noona.”
It was Kim Hee-jin, one of the older sisters he had grown up with at the orphanage. Along with Park Min-soo, a brother who worked as a civil servant, she was someone Yoon Pa-ran felt most comfortable with.
—Paran. Are you doing well? I’ve been seeing you a lot on the news lately.
“Ahem, I’m doing fine.”
She was also the person Yoon Pa-ran feared most after the orphanage director.
—That thing you’re doing, it’s not dangerous, is it? The director is worried.
“It’s not.”
—Good. I’ll be coming to the orphanage soon. Let’s see each other.
Kim Hee-jin, who worked at an accounting firm, was extremely busy and often worked overtime. Though they hadn’t seen each other for quite some time, the fact that she was coming soon suggested she thought the recent events were serious.
“Uh…”
Yoon Pa-ran, who had answered tensely, soon hung up. Judging from the many voices calling for Kim Hee-jin over the receiver, she seemed busy indeed.
Just as he was rubbing the back of his neck, feeling like he had caused unnecessary worry, his phone rang again.
Thinking it might be Kim Hee-jin again, Yoon Pa-ran picked up the phone with a light heart. However, the name displayed was none other than Minister Byeon.
He had seen him earlier when opening the safe zone, so he wondered what business he had now.
“Hello?”
—Hunter Yoon Pa-ran. Try not to be shocked when you hear this.
The voice that flowed as soon as he answered sounded ominous. Besides, people usually became more shocked when they heard such warnings.
“What’s the matter?”
Yoon Pa-ran stood up abruptly from his seat. His mind, which had relaxed after talking with Kim Hee-jin after a long time, instantly tensed up again.
—Hunter Kim Sang-deok’s body has been discovered.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
