#164
For a moment, Dan Joo-hyuk, who had forgotten to even manage his expression, urgently asked Yoon Pa-ran:
“What happened?”
“I-I’m not sure.”
Yoon Pa-ran’s voice trembled slightly. Dan Joo-hyuk’s expression hardened seriously at that voice, which seemed very flustered.
“Where are you now, Yoon Pa-ran? Were you attacked?”
“No, that’s not it… Just come to the orphanage first.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s steps were urgent as he headed outside the building without hesitation.
So much so that he didn’t even notice Kim Sin-cheol’s peculiar gaze following behind him.
❖ ❖ ❖
Dan Joo-hyuk rushed to the orphanage. Despite not being a long distance, his throat was parched with tension throughout the journey, to an unusual degree.
Perhaps because of Dan Joo-hyuk’s serious demeanor, Kim Sin-cheol also followed him, leaving the cleanup to other hunters. The orphanage they arrived at was in quite a chaotic atmosphere.
Instead of entering a place with many children, Dan Joo-hyuk called Yoon Pa-ran on the phone. Yoon Pa-ran quickly came out of the main gate, but strangely, seeing his pale face only intensified the tension.
“What happened?”
“Dan Joo-hyuk.”
Looking at the approaching Yoon Pa-ran, he seemed more composed than earlier. However, he still had a troubled expression as he looked toward his chattering siblings.
Just then, Director Yoon Seul, holding an infant in her arms, peeked her face out from the main gate. Seeing her, Dan Joo-hyuk reflexively suppressed his energy and bowed his head.
Yoon Seul nodded back and then returned behind the wall, seemingly not wanting to interfere. Only then did Dan Joo-hyuk urge Yoon Pa-ran again.
“What’s wrong?”
Despite the repeated questions, Yoon Pa-ran just clouded his face, seemingly perplexed.
Wondering why he was reacting this way, Yoon Pa-ran suddenly approached and grabbed Dan Joo-hyuk’s forearm.
“……”
Whether Dan Joo-hyuk was startled by the sudden contact or not, Yoon Pa-ran forcefully pulled him close to the wall. While doing so, he glanced sideways at Kim Sin-cheol, who had been standing behind Dan Joo-hyuk all this time.
Only then did Dan Joo-hyuk recognize Kim Sin-cheol’s presence. They might need to talk about Yoon Pa-ran’s power, and he had made such a stupid mistake.
“I met Lee Ha-min’s brother and received some information, and it seems something strange is happening around here. No, I’m certain of it.”
Yoon Pa-ran’s whispered words were quite unexpected. Dan Joo-hyuk narrowed his eyes at the mention of meeting Lee Ha-min and his brother, which wasn’t part of the plan.
Lee Ha-min’s existence had been bothersome for a while. Hearing that Yoon Pa-ran had met him triggered a faint unpleasantness within.
But soon, the white hand still holding his forearm entered Dan Joo-hyuk’s field of vision.
“……”
Following the warmth transmitted from the palm, Dan Joo-hyuk’s thoughts gradually calmed.
The white face he had been observing all along came into better focus. Up close, Yoon Pa-ran hadn’t become more composed than when he had called; rather, his face had turned completely pale.
As soon as he realized this, Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately asked in a more calm tone:
“Strange things?”
“Well……”
“Whatever it is, we can solve it, so tell me slowly.”
As he said this, Dan Joo-hyuk carefully caressed Yoon Pa-ran’s shoulder with his remaining hand and pulled him slightly closer. Following that touch, Yoon Pa-ran’s eyes, which had drawn closer, trembled slightly before he let out a faint sigh.
“I received this data from Lee Ha-min’s brother earlier.”
“You did?”
Seeming to have calmed down a bit, Yoon Pa-ran started talking while holding out a photo on his phone.
Though his words were somewhat disorganized, Dan Joo-hyuk patiently focused on them. The circumstances of meeting Lee Ha-min’s brother were bothersome, but he let it pass for now. He already knew what kind of business that family was in, but since they didn’t seem likely to harm Yoon Pa-ran, he had left them alone.
However, he couldn’t ignore the secret information provided by someone at the forefront of gate manufacturing. Eventually, when Yoon Pa-ran mentioned the ominous feeling he had been experiencing at the orphanage recently, Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood grew heavier.
Gates showing bizarre patterns had been occurring near the orphanage recently.
“…I know this sounds absurd, but it strangely felt like the gates were approaching our orphanage.”
Finally, Yoon Pa-ran hesitated before adding.
As he said, it was an irrational thought. However, as soon as Dan Joo-hyuk heard Yoon Pa-ran’s voice filled with anxiety, he felt the sense of crisis hovering at his feet becoming concrete.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s gaze turned back toward the orphanage.
“……”
Security staff stood at the orphanage’s main gate with tense expressions. Even from Yoon Seul’s face, who had peeked out again, the tension she couldn’t completely hide was clearly felt.
In contrast, the sound of children chattering could be heard from inside the wall. The children seemed incredibly excited, as if going on a picnic, their refreshing mood at odds with this ominous atmosphere. Perhaps they had been told a cover story.
For a moment, as the sound of children’s laughter faded, Noh Won-min’s confession came to Dan Joo-hyuk’s mind.
‘I buried it there.’
What had he buried where?
Why?
There was no technology or item that could cause gates to appear in desired locations. Even if there were, those bastards would have used it when attacking him by now.
Even as he thought this, Dan Joo-hyuk sent a sinking gaze toward the orphanage wall. Apart from anything else, there must have been a reason for the strange sensation Yoon Pa-ran had been feeling at the orphanage for days.
Come to think of it, Kim Tae-jun had been eyeing this land all along.
He had only thought they were targeting the orphanage and the children, but what if “this land” where the orphanage stood was also their objective?
“Yoon Pa-ran.”
“Yes.”
A red alertness finally dawned on him. The sense of crisis that suddenly began to spread explosively was so intense that to Dan Joo-hyuk’s eyes, all the orphanage grounds seemed to be dyed red.
Why had he only noticed this now?
“Take all the children and evacuate temporarily.”
“Yeah, I thought we should do that, so I was planning to go to that bunker from before…”
It seemed Yoon Pa-ran had also brought all the children out intending to evacuate immediately. But it seemed there had been a problem when trying to move with the children.
Dan Joo-hyuk, who roughly grasped the situation, made a call somewhere. The call was brief, but he quickly got what he wanted.
“A bus will be here soon.”
“Huh?”
“Take all the children to the bunker.”
At Dan Joo-hyuk’s words, Yoon Pa-ran’s expression subtly brightened as if relieved. Dan Joo-hyuk stared down at that white face, which seemed to be glowing.
However, Yoon Pa-ran, who had been nodding obediently, soon furrowed his brow. Following that change in expression, Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood also rose and fell like meeting a tsunami.
“I’ll stay here. My power will be needed.”
“……”
Yoon Pa-ran spoke with a firm gaze, just like Dan Joo-hyuk himself.
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been about to tell him to evacuate immediately, was momentarily speechless. As if helplessly pushed back by that resolute demeanor.
Damn it, if those bastards were manipulating with the energy of that [■■■ fragment], Yoon Pa-ran was right. There was certainly a limit to what he could do with the abilities he had absorbed.
In the end, Dan Joo-hyuk had no choice but to suppress his anxious feelings.
“…Alright.”
“I’ll go tell the director first.”
Yoon Pa-ran hurried toward the orphanage’s main gate.
Yoon Seul, who had been anxiously observing from earlier, approached a few steps with the security company staff.
“Director, a bus will be here soon. Let’s take that with the children and stay in the bunker.”
Yoon Pa-ran tried to hide his anxious feelings in front of Yoon Seul.
Just as he had been relieved to have secured a bus that could transport multiple children, strangely, his mood worsened progressively. As if being swept away by a massive wave without any safety measures.
“No, Pa-ran. What’s suddenly happening?”
“I’ll explain to you soon. For now, we need to move quickly.”
Due to his impatience, he had brought the children out without sufficient explanation to Yoon Seul. Strangely, the sense of urgency that they needed to leave this orphanage immediately grew stronger.
The orphanage he had always wanted to protect, why was this happening?
Anyway, it was fortunate that Dan Joo-hyuk had come at the right time. Although Yoon Seul was anxious about his behavior, she nodded her head for now.
“…Okay.”
Her trust in his words was evident. Looking at Yoon Seul like that, Yoon Pa-ran tried to strengthen his resolve.
As Dan Joo-hyuk said, they could solve whatever happened.
“Would you like us to go with you?”
At that moment, the security company staff who had accompanied Yoon Seul carefully asked. There were two of them: a middle-aged man and an employee around Yoon Pa-ran’s age.
They also looked bewildered by the sudden situation. Anyway, if they helped look after the children, it would be good, so Yoon Pa-ran answered with a bright face.
“That would be great.”
“Yoon Pa-ran.”
Just as he responded, Dan Joo-hyuk abruptly interrupted. Until a moment ago, he had seemed to deliberately maintain distance from the children, so what was this about?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
