#065
What’s wrong with the entrance portal? I turned my head to look at the portal.
‘What is that?’
As soon as I saw the portal, my mouth fell open in shock. It was moving like ripples, having grown enormously as if encroaching on the space.
I’ve been to dungeons a few times, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Everyone else seemed to feel the same, all wearing puzzled expressions.
“It seems to be sucking in the surroundings, doesn’t it?”
Shin Haejun said, staring at the moving portal. As he said, I could feel a force pulling towards the inside of the portal. And that force was growing stronger.
“Hold on to me!”
“I’m about to fly away myself!”
While the Espers seemed to be holding on, the powerless guides were being pulled towards the inside of the portal. Everywhere, people were shouting for others to grab them.
If it weren’t for Shin Haejun grabbing my wrist and holding me back, I would have flown towards the inside too.
“Jaeha, I think the verification is not the issue right now.”
Hyun Dowoon said with a serious face. The awakened were holding onto each other to stay in place, but the problem was that the glass shards scattered on the floor from when we broke the maze walls earlier were now flying towards us. Some people were getting injured as they frantically tried to dodge.
“But… regardless of stopping the verification, the exit portal isn’t appearing. We can’t find the dungeon core…”
As I was speaking incoherently in confusion, I suddenly opened my eyes wide and opened the map. A purple dot was floating nearby on the map.
“Oh no…”
“What’s wrong?”
When I muttered in shock, frozen in place, Shin Haejun gripped my arm tightly and asked. I bit my lip hard and glared at the portal, no, the boss monster in front of me.
‘I should have known when the boss was ???…’
The reason why the dungeon core didn’t appear was simple. We hadn’t killed the boss monster.
But the entrance portal becoming a monster was unheard of.
“That’s the boss-”
Just as I was about to explain what I had realized, suddenly Kim Sehyun let out a faint groan and flew towards the inside of the portal.
“Ha-Haejun! Save me!”
“No!”
As the pair guide flew towards the abnormal portal, a startled Shin Haejun leaped and caught Kim Sehyun’s body. It was almost an instinctive movement.
‘Huh?’
My eyes met Kim Sehyun’s as he was held by Shin Haejun. Kim Sehyun was… smiling.
Just as I thought, ‘Why is he smiling in such a serious situation?’, I realized something important as I was sucked into the portal.
Because Shin Haejun let go of my hand to catch Kim Sehyun, my body, which was closest to the portal, couldn’t resist the force.
As I reflexively turned my body, what I saw was Shin Haejun’s shocked gaze and someone’s hand reaching towards me. And then the entrance closing in an instant.
***
“Jaeha, open your eyes.”
Hyun Dowoon whispered, pulling Lee Jaeha’s body, which was breathing faintly in his arms, even closer. Although his physical responses were normal, Jaeha had fainted as soon as he entered the portal and hadn’t woken up.
He sighed and sat on the ground. Everything around was pitch black, and the parts touching his skin felt gelatinous. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could even call this a ground since he couldn’t distinguish up from down.
It was clear that what he held in his arms was Jaeha, but he couldn’t see his body or face. It felt like they were the only two left in a world of nothingness.
‘Earlier… I let go.’
Hyun Dowoon had been holding onto the guides around him to prevent them from flying away. But when Shin Haejun momentarily let go of his hand to save Kim Sehyun, he noticed Jaeha flying away. At that moment, he shook off the guides he was holding and rushed to grab Jaeha.
Fortunately, the portal closed the moment Jaeha was sucked in, otherwise many more people would have fallen in here. But just as Shin Haejun acted on instinct to protect his pair guide, Hyun Dowoon also had no choice but to act on instinct.
He thought he had to save Jaeha no matter what.
‘I…’
In a way, it was just an action of saving someone he liked. But for Hyun Dowoon, it felt much more significant.
Originally, if he had to choose between one precious person and a hundred unknown people, he would have chosen the latter. He had too much on his shoulders to act purely on emotions like an ordinary person.
Rational, efficient, fair, and responsible. People admired Hyun Dowoon for leading those around him and taking responsibility for the rights of the awakened at a relatively young age, but he didn’t think highly of himself.
Because not once had he acted that way because he wanted to.
‘If I hadn’t met you, I might not have known…’
Until he met Jaeha, he could act as the perfect Center Director. And he thought he had to.
It was because he had seen the misfortune of those who lost their honor.
‘Now our family’s honor depends on you.’
He remembered his father’s words as he gripped his shoulders.
‘You must… you must succeed no matter what. Can you do that for Mom?’
His mother, standing beside him, whispered as she looked sadly at Hyun Dowoon’s blonde hair.
His father had married his mother for love and lost much of his reputation as a congressman, and his mother could only watch as the man she loved ruined his career because she was a foreigner.
As dungeons burst and countries began to fend for themselves, there was a growing atmosphere of unconditionally prioritizing national interests worldwide. During this time, a congressman married to a blonde foreigner could not be welcomed.
The young congressman, who had been expected to bring fresh air to the National Assembly, ruined his career for love. Thanks to coming from a political family for generations, he continued to be re-elected, but he could never reach the position he originally dreamed of.
Then, when his twenty-year-old eldest son manifested as Korea’s first S-rank Esper with an L-rank constellation, the situation reversed. Hyun Dowoon became the Director of the Awakened Center with his manifested ability and family power. Each of Hyun Dowoon’s actions and policies were reported in the news, and his father was now in a position to be named as a candidate for the next presidential election.
So he had to be more righteous than anyone else and maintain his honor and dignity at all costs.
“I… I can’t go back to how I was before.”
But the moment he abandoned his responsibility as the Center Director, who had been holding onto others, to save the person he loved, Hyun Dowoon understood his father for the first time.
He too would never let go of Jaeha no matter what happened. That’s what love was. The kind of feeling where you want to save this one person even if the whole world dies.
The first time they met was at Kim Sehyun’s request, and the second time was because he kept thinking about him. After just two meetings, he thought he had to make this F-rank guide, who could never match him, his own guide.
It was his first love. He didn’t know how to treat the person he loved. He thought he could fairly manage both love and work, happiness and honor in both hands.
He didn’t know that when you love someone, you want to bind them and be bound by them. He should have listened to the voice in his heart that wanted to keep him by his side and protect him directly.
He realized too late that no matter what happens, he should prioritize his person, hold them in his arms, and never let go, which is why he lost him like this…
“Jaeha. Please tell me you’re okay.”
As he held Jaeha’s still unconscious body, he felt uncharacteristically scared. This place was too dark, and he couldn’t see an inch in front of him.
At the same time, he was glad that Jaeha didn’t come in here alone. Even though he could feel warmth in his arms, he felt like he was left alone in the world. He couldn’t imagine how distressed Jaeha would have been if he had come in alone.
“Ugh… mm…”
For some reason, he couldn’t use his skills, and there was nothing he could do, so he had been counting Jaeha’s breaths in and out when he suddenly heard a groan.
“Jaeha!”
Hyun Dowoon hurriedly shook Jaeha’s body gently. Then Jaeha stirred in his arms and muttered in a small voice, “…Shin Haejun?”
For a moment, Hyun Dowoon’s heart ached. After losing Jaeha for whatever reason, Shin Haejun had taken his place in Jaeha’s heart in that short time. It was a painful mistake. Seeing that he was calling for Shin Haejun even now, it seemed Jaeha’s feelings were deep, and his chest felt heavy with frustration.
“Ah… Center Director.”
Jaeha whispered softly. Hyun Dowoon looked towards where he estimated Jaeha’s lips were with a bright face.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“This is strange. I can’t see anything… but the Center Director’s eyes are sparkling.”
Unable to see himself, he didn’t know, but it seemed his jewel-like eyes were emitting light even in this situation.
Hyun Dowoon felt deeply relieved. If nothing could be seen, Jaeha might feel fear and loneliness, but he was glad that at least something was visible.
“Ah… why did you come in… You should have stayed there.”
Jaeha muttered softly. His voice was damp. Hyun Dowoon sighed deeply, pleased by Jaeha’s concern for him and saddened by that voice.
“Shin Haejun is someone who can’t be without his pair guide. So… it was just a split-second decision. It’s not that he meant to let go of you.”
Hyun Dowoon thought Jaeha’s seemingly upset voice was because of Shin Haejun. He didn’t want to defend Shin Haejun, but he didn’t want to see Jaeha sad because of him either. Jaeha should always be happy.
Knowing Shin Haejun’s circumstances, Hyun Dowoon could guess the situation where he had no choice but to grab Kim Sehyun. That was a big weakness in Jaeha and Shin Haejun’s relationship.
Normally, he would have exploited that part, but not here. He didn’t want to hurt Jaeha’s feelings when he was already upset. He didn’t care what happened to Shin Haejun, but Jaeha getting hurt was unacceptable.
“…Thank you.”
As if understanding Hyun Dowoon’s concern, Jaeha whispered softly. Then, as he tried to move his body away a bit, he seemed to feel scared and clung back, muttering.
“Is this inside the portal?”
“It seems so. You fainted as soon as you came in here, Jaeha.”
“Ah, I see… Hey, how do we break this?”
“Break the portal?”
Surprised by the unexpected words, Hyun Dowoon wondered, and Jaeha whispered.
“This is the boss monster.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
