Chapter 6
Doyoon assessed whether he could save Hajin from Baek Jaan and escape. It seemed impossible. The civilian who couldn’t distinguish heaven from earth would die the moment he took his eyes off Baek Jaan.
Fortunately, the situation Doyoon worried about didn’t occur. Hajin placed his hand on Doyoon’s exposed forearm beneath his short sleeve.
“I’m fine, so you should get some rest.”
Doyoon couldn’t remember what he’d answered. No, had he even answered at all?
From the point of contact, a sense of fulfillment spread throughout his body, and like the two men before him, Doyoon fell asleep as if passing out, unable to continue his thoughts.
Due to his long-term unstable wavelength and excessive use of his abilities while dealing with Baek Jaan, his tired body couldn’t resist the Guiding that spread through him.
“Now it’s just you left.”
Baek Jaan, who had been so intent on targeting Hajin earlier, now couldn’t even extend a finger toward him despite Hajin being right in front of him.
He looked like he was lucky to be alive. His face was a mess from the nosebleed caused by going berserk, and his entire body was covered in wounds.
“Uurgh, kuk…!”
“…I’m sorry.”
Approaching him, Hajin apologized and performed Guiding on Baek Jaan.
That apology was partly for not stepping forward until things had gotten this bad for the sake of his own safety, and partly for his determination to cling to his current life despite everything.
Since Baek Jaan had gone berserk, Hajin had to infuse stronger Guiding than he had with the other three.
Thanks to Hajin’s Guiding, Baek Jaan not only gradually regained his senses but also started to get some color back in his face.
At the precarious boundary between reason and instinct, Baek Jaan took in the sight of the person who had seized his lifeline. It was almost like the imprinting effect where a newborn bird follows the first thing it sees.
“Lee… Hajin…”
I want to have him. There was no need for any cumbersome expression beyond that. Good. That one word was enough. He felt so good that he wanted to possess Lee Hajin.
Baek Jaan reached out his hand to touch Hajin, but completely exhausted, he collapsed even faster than the three before him.
Even then, the fingertips still extended toward Hajin’s direction, trying to make contact even slightly, revealing his obsession.
“Phew, it’s over.”
Hajin looked over each of the four sleeping men. Since they had defeated the boss monster, there should be nothing threatening them. Even if there were remaining monsters, they wouldn’t be able to harm these men.
Now it was time to return to his own life.
Hajin took off Doyoon’s uniform and covered the sleeping man with it before turning away without hesitation.
He took out a mask that he had kept in his inner pocket and put it on. Those inside the dungeon had seen his face, but at least he should hide from those he would encounter outside.
The area around where the dungeon had formed would certainly be surrounded by people from the Association.
Hajin dusted off the dirt on his suit and walked through the familiar subway station. As he exited the station, Association staff hurriedly approached him, as expected.
Hajin inwardly clicked his tongue. It seemed unlikely he could sneak away unnoticed. They could be a little negligent at times like this. The staff member who first spotted Hajin called out to the others.
“Someone’s come out! Everyone get ready!”
Since they had killed the dungeon’s master, the dungeon would disappear soon. So they needed to prepare for the aftermath.
“Are you all right?”
Checking the badge of the staff member who had given the order, Hajin confirmed it bore the Association’s emblem. The man offered Hajin a blanket and water. Hajin, who happened to be thirsty, politely declined the blanket but accepted the water.
Though his throat was parched from all the unexpected running, he couldn’t drink it right away as he needed to keep his face hidden.
“By the way… may I ask why you came out alone? The Espers…”
It was time to present the excuse he had quickly thought up.
The sleeping Espers might look for him when they woke up, but it wouldn’t be easy to find someone who had vanished without a trace.
‘Maybe they’ll give up.’
Hajin didn’t know what Guides meant to Espers. He had only lived hiding his abilities following his father’s dying wish and knew nothing about Espers’ obsession with Guides. That’s why he could think so simply.
Hajin spoke to the staff member who kept glancing at the exit.
“Actually, one of the Espers went berserk.”
“What?! Berserk?”
At the startled cry of the staff member, everyone around became busy. Berserk?
That meant when the dungeon disappeared, a berserk Esper would suddenly drop here. The Association staff began to move hurriedly.
The staff member in front of Hajin was equally alarmed. However, he couldn’t just leave a person who had escaped from the dungeon.
Moreover…
“Damn it, berserk? Are you all right? Don’t tell me you got like this because…”
In truth, Hajin was a complete mess. Covered in sweat and dirt, he could hardly be called “all right.”
But he was too unharmed for someone who had directly faced a berserk Esper. The staff member wondered if perhaps a civilian seeing abilities for the first time had mistaken an S-rank Esper’s powerful abilities for a berserk state.
“Are you certain it was a berserk state?”
“Yes. That’s what the other Espers called it. Fortunately, it happened after defeating the boss monster, so I was able to escape first while they were holding him back.”
To be precise, he had put them to sleep and escaped while they were holding back the berserk Esper. Just one step missing—it wasn’t a lie. They had told him to go first, after all.
“Ah…”
The staff member felt like crying. While it was fortunate there were no civilian casualties, the damage caused by an S-rank Esper going berserk would undoubtedly be enormous.
‘No, this isn’t the time!’
This was no time to stand around. If the berserk state was real, there was no telling when the dungeon would disappear.
Moreover, if news broke that a civilian had been caught up in an Esper’s berserk episode, anti-Esper groups (KEs) or anti-government organizations would certainly be delighted.
“W-well then, did you suffer any other injuries inside?”
He still needed to check the important things before moving on. If he just sent Hajin away in a hurry and later Hajin tried to claim compensation for injuries received elsewhere by saying they were from the dungeon, it would be a big problem.
Fortunately, Hajin also wanted to put this incident behind him quietly.
“No. My clothes got dirty while avoiding monsters, but I escaped through an exit as soon as the Esper went berserk, so I’m not injured.”
The staff member inwardly shed tears of gratitude that Hajin was an honest citizen. Compared to those who caused trouble as if they were determined to make things difficult, Hajin was an angel.
“Oh, thank goodness. Then, would it be all right if we discuss compensation later? Normally, we would handle all the follow-up procedures, but given the emergency situation…”
Hajin accepted the business card the staff member handed him.
“Please call me when you visit any branch office, and I’ll guide you personally.”
Hajin pretended to read the card for about two seconds before putting it away.
“I will do that.”
Hajin would never follow up on this. Although the compensation would certainly be a substantial amount, it was better not to receive it at all than to risk catching the Espers’ attention by going to claim it.
With that, Hajin made his way through the busy crowd. Just leaving the crowd of people made the surroundings seem so quiet, as if he’d entered a different world.
No, that’s not right. They really were people from another world. Hajin reminded himself of this premise that he should never forget and moved further away from that place.
“Haah, that was tough.”
After walking with tired steps and eventually taking a taxi, Hajin sighed. However, the taxi driver, not realizing Hajin’s condition, showed his displeasure at the suddenly dirtied seat.
“Ahem, where have you been rolling around, young man, to look like that?”
Too much had happened for Hajin to have the energy to argue with him, so he planned to resolve the situation with money. He was too tired to think anymore.
“I’m sorry. I’ll cover the car wash expenses separately.”
“Hmph, well, if that’s the case…”
With those final words, Hajin, having used his last bit of energy, closed his eyes for a moment. Getting off at a station near his home as a precaution, Hajin realized he had taken the taxi for nothing as it took him another ten minutes of walking to reach home.
“Ah, I’m dying…”
It had been a spectacular adventure. For an ordinary person, it would have been a story to tell over drinks for years to come, but for Hajin, it was something he never wanted to experience again. Hajin’s life was a slice-of-life story, not an action thriller.
“Haah, I need to shower, but my body won’t move.”
Unable to even take off his shoes, Hajin collapsed in front of his entryway and, unable to fight off the overwhelming drowsiness, fell asleep.
* * *
It was only after being sick for a full day that Hajin was able to go to work the next day.
Originally, he had planned to act as if nothing had happened to hide the fact that he had been caught up in a dungeon incident, but the muscle pain that hit his entire body as soon as he opened his eyes forced him to take sick leave.
‘I couldn’t hide it anyway since I didn’t complete my business trip.’
If he had to choose between being someone who suddenly played hooky during a business trip or being a pitiful person caught up in a dungeon incident who had to take sick leave…
Even though Hajin needed to hide his identity as a Guide, he had no choice but to choose the latter.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Lee Hajin has nerves of steel