#115
‘Hah…’
Only after hurriedly climbing the mountain slope did Dan Joo-hyuk consider the possibility that Yoon Pa-ran might not be here. Yet his body instinctively didn’t mind wandering through the forest.
When he discovered the long trail of blood, he felt truly strange.
The red color dotting the fallen leaves seemed to stick to his retina.
‘……’
Fortunately, the owner of the blood trail wasn’t Yoon Pa-ran. Just as Dan Joo-hyuk decided he needed to mobilize more manpower to search the mountain, he discovered Park Jung-hoon.
The guy was stealthily crawling up the slope as if chasing something. His gaze remained fixed on somewhere in the mountain.
All the while exuding an energy similar to the [■■■ Fragment].
‘……’
Upon discovering this bizarre scene, Dan Joo-hyuk realized calmly, like ice-covered valley water.
Now wasn’t the time to be wary of the likes of Park Jung-hoon. Connecting the suspicious stone, the Tsar, and Kim Tae-jun, he could smell the stench of a massive conspiracy.
Of all Kim Tae-jun’s machinations so far, this was the one that caught Dan Joo-hyuk most off guard.
Even when he heard that the guy’s aide had come, he should have definitely informed Yoon Pa-ran about it.
Then Yoon Pa-ran would have been more cautious.
‘Where’s Yoon Pa-ran?’
‘……’
As soon as Dan Joo-hyuk revealed his presence, Park Jung-hoon abruptly stopped moving.
His head turned towards Dan Joo-hyuk with an unnatural, jerky movement. For some reason, his face wore a shitty expression.
Unlike Park Jung-hoon, Dan Joo-hyuk turned his gaze in the direction the guy had been persistently looking at.
As soon as he gave the slightest opening, the guy immediately withdrew. Seeing how he acted as if he hadn’t just been persistently climbing the slope, it was obvious he had no intention of confronting Dan Joo-hyuk now.
Regardless of the guy’s intentions, Dan Joo-hyuk pondered. Should he capture him now?
Park Jung-hoon gradually widened the distance, stepping backward. He was limping, as if he had been properly dealt with by Yoon Pa-ran.
Seeing that wound, a strange feeling arose again.
At the fact that the owner of the blood trail wasn’t Yoon Pa-ran.
Anyway, even though he should be fleeing immediately, Park Jung-hoon suddenly stopped walking. Then he smoothly turned his head to look at the mountain peak.
Probably towards where Yoon Pa-ran was.
‘……’
After that, he walked with his back completely turned to Dan Joo-hyuk. As if certain that Dan Joo-hyuk would go towards Yoon Pa-ran.
Damn it, that prediction was correct. If there were any more of Kim Tae-jun’s machinations up there, time was of the essence.
Strangely, he couldn’t afford even a moment’s leisure.
‘…Dan Joo-hyuk.’
At the place he rushed up to, there was the current Yoon Pa-ran in a ragged state.
His speculation about whether Yoon Pa-ran might have intended to meet Kim Tae-jun had been a misunderstanding.
‘Yeah. As you said, I might sometimes move even knowing it’s dangerous. Because I have something to protect.’
However, Yoon Pa-ran candidly stated the possibility that he might plunge into danger again in the future.
Upon clearly understanding his intentions, an uncontrollable anxiety arose.
Unable to overcome the rising emotion, Dan Joo-hyuk hastily reached out towards Yoon Pa-ran before him.
“Then I’ll be heading home now… Ugh.”
As soon as he found Yoon Pa-ran, he had already confirmed there were no major injuries. That damn blood trail had been Park Jung-hoon’s, so if anything, Yoon Pa-ran had landed a good hit on his opponent.
Yet Dan Joo-hyuk grabbed Yoon Pa-ran’s arms and slowly ran his hands down them, as if checking again.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
Every time Yoon Pa-ran frowned uncomfortably, Dan Joo-hyuk carefully examined again to see if there were any bone injuries. Seeing him flinch severely when he slowly felt around the ribs, it seemed there were some bruises.
There were no sword wounds from Park Jung-hoon. So the remaining injuries wouldn’t be significant for a high-ranking hunter like Yoon Pa-ran.
The same went for his pale complexion. Considering Park Jung-hoon’s strange state, it was probably due to an energy similar to the [■■■ Fragment]. Yoon Pa-ran, with his [Sacred Energy] skill, would recover quickly.
This was the rational judgment he had made since discovering Yoon Pa-ran. Yet Dan Joo-hyuk was not satisfied with this situation.
Strangely, even though he had Yoon Pa-ran in his grasp, his anxiety didn’t subside.
His gaze kept landing on Yoon Pa-ran’s white face that had turned pale.
“Stop… Ugh?”
Finally, unable to overcome his parched feeling, Dan Joo-hyuk abruptly lifted Yoon Pa-ran’s body.
“We’re going to the hospital first, so stay still.”
He slung Yoon Pa-ran’s light body over his shoulder. Perhaps surprised by the sudden situation, Yoon Pa-ran fidgeted in that position.
Although those kicks were clearly felt in his stomach, Dan Joo-hyuk ignored them and moved on. Every time the damn fallen leaves caught his feet, the urge to just push the mountain away intensified.
After struggling a few times, Yoon Pa-ran soon spoke in a deflated voice.
“It’s fine. I’ll get better if I rest a bit.”
“……”
Ignoring those words, Dan Joo-hyuk continued walking. He didn’t let go of Yoon Pa-ran on his shoulder.
He had clearly made a similar judgment. But when Yoon Pa-ran actually said it, his brow furrowed more and more.
Even so, he had just been attacked by another A-rank hunter. Shouldn’t he at least seek a hospital or potion?
Yoon Pa-ran’s statement about plunging into danger even knowing it’s dangerous flashed through his mind again. From the beginning, Yoon Pa-ran was the type to do anything and more to protect that orphanage.
Come to think of it, it was the same during the first anomaly gate incident. He recalled that when he took the unconscious Yoon Pa-ran to the orphanage, he didn’t even have a decent potion on him.
Why does he use his body so recklessly?
As the successive thoughts grew heavier, Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood gradually sank.
Perhaps because of these layered thoughts, a corner of his chest felt stuffy, as if blocked.
“Put me down.”
Caught on his firm shoulder, Yoon Pa-ran spoke weakly.
He kept struggling to get down, but couldn’t escape. His view was constantly blocked by Dan Joo-hyuk’s massive back.
Why was Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly acting like this? It was burdensome, especially in a situation where his energy was already draining away.
Straining to use his waist muscles, he lifted his upper body. Then he could barely see the back of Dan Joo-hyuk’s head.
“For now, just listen to me.”
At that moment, Dan Joo-hyuk’s low voice threateningly scolded him.
“……”
For some reason, that stuck in Yoon Pa-ran’s ear.
Having confirmed that he was alive, Dan Joo-hyuk should have achieved his goal. He probably dealt with Park Jung-hoon who was nearby as well.
So it should have been enough to just drop him off near the city. His behavior of personally taking him to the hospital like this was clearly excessive kindness.
The sense of discomfort that had been nagging at him for a while now vaguely spread through Yoon Pa-ran’s mind, dulled by fatigue.
Wasn’t the scope of protecting him through the contract becoming too broad?
“Ugh…”
Finally, Yoon Pa-ran’s body, having used up all its strength, went limp.
“It’s no use keeping this up…”
Interpreting that somehow, Dan Joo-hyuk again spoke in a threatening voice.
Before those words could even finish, Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously let out a groan.
“My stomach hurts…”
Perhaps because his insides had been completely turned over, this position was extremely uncomfortable. His head, hanging upside down, was also very dizzy.
Dan Joo-hyuk was suddenly silent. Just as Yoon Pa-ran was about to resign himself, thinking he was going to be ignored…
“Ugh.”
His vision gently flipped.
With the feeling of blood rushing, his brow throbbed and his eyes closed. When he slowly opened them, he could clearly see what state he was in.
Before he knew it, he was clinging to Dan Joo-hyuk’s chest like a koala.
“…Hey.”
He meant to ask to be put down, not to be held in such an unsightly manner.
“Should I hold you in front like a child instead?”
However, Dan Joo-hyuk calmly started talking. Until just now he had seemed quite angry, but now he seemed to have regained his usual composure.
As expected, he couldn’t guess the unpredictable inner thoughts of this man.
“Sigh…”
He had long since thrown away any energy to argue in the mountains.
Letting out a big sigh, Yoon Pa-ran slowly let go of the mental rope he had been tenaciously holding onto.
“…Your body is cold.”
“……”
While walking, Dan Joo-hyuk took off the outer coat he was wearing.
Soon, a large, warm cloth wrapped around Yoon Pa-ran’s shoulders. With that soft touch, his mind rapidly became hazy.
“Just sleep. Don’t worry about anything else.”
As if that was some kind of spell, the strength gradually left Yoon Pa-ran’s head. Trapped in Dan Joo-hyuk’s clothes and arms, every breath he took filled his lungs with the man’s scent.
Before long, Yoon Pa-ran’s head suddenly went limp.
“……”
And so, until they arrived at the hospital, Yoon Pa-ran never woke up once.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
