#80
The space of barely one pyeong was like the home where the man currently lived. In a container set up in one corner of a construction site where construction had been halted long ago and only sand dust swirled, almost no one came to visit. Except for that person who came to give him jobs.
“You still haven’t killed the Nameless hunter.”
The mysterious person who had given him the commission was neatly dressed in a suit. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and expressed his dissatisfaction to the man.
“I’m just being cautious. The previous two incidents have already drawn the world’s attention, so I want to be a bit more careful.”
“Yeah. Well, it doesn’t matter. Whenever you kill them, what we want is the noisy chaos in this society, so you just need to do that.”
The man nodded. The light illuminating the inside of the container was still flickering, burning through its remaining lifespan.
“How are you planning to kill them this time?”
“I need to avoid public places like the second incident, so first I’m thinking of quietly attacking from behind like the first time.”
“And then?”
“I’m planning to display the corpse. On a street with heavy foot traffic.”
At the man’s words, the suited man thought about something deeply, then nodded.
“That would certainly be effective. That way, there won’t be a chance to immediately catch the tail like during the second incident.”
“Right. Instead, it should shock the public once more. Everyone will focus on this case, just as you want.”
The suited man smiled with satisfaction and clapped his hands.
“Entrusting the job to you seems to have been a really good choice. By the way, I’m newly amazed at how you can kill people so mercilessly.”
“It’s not because they’re people.”
The inside of the container was so cold that not a trace of warmth could be found.
“It’s because they’re hunters. Because they’re hunters living in this great hunter era, I can kill them without hesitation.”
The man wearing a hat pulled low slowly raised his head. From within, eyes that were already dead began to shine fiercely.
“Yes. That’s why you accepted our proposal. So when are you planning to do the job? We need to know roughly on this side too.”
“I’m planning to complete the job soon. I’ve roughly finished analyzing the target’s routine and behavior patterns.”
The man slowly stood up and approached the desk placed next to the makeshift bed. Being generous to call it a desk, it was just a piece of junk made of rusted iron. He opened the first drawer attached to the desk. The sound of rusted iron clashing against each other rang out ominously.
The man slowly drew out a long sword from there. The long, sharp blade showed off its form under the light.
“Then I’ll look forward to it, hunter killer. I hope you won’t have to use that necklace this time.”
With that, the mysterious man quietly left, taking his suit jacket. The man holding the sword looked down at the necklace the other had pointed to. The necklace modeled after a hawk’s wing was faded in color and had rust spots here and there.
For a moment, the man felt a kinship with that necklace and stood there looking at it for a long time.
* * *
“Wow, how do duty days come around so quickly?”
Park Jeong-hyeon, the team leader of Team 7 at Nameless Guild, was guarding the office while barely keeping his heavy eyelids open.
Usually, duty shifts were taken in turns among Nameless teams as a rule. One team would take duty once or twice a week at most, but Team 7 was the latest formed team in Nameless, so they usually took duty twice a week. One team would take duty until 3 AM and then switch with another team – it was a contingency measure for situations where gates might suddenly appear nearby, and the Management Bureau regularly recommended that top guilds maintain a duty system.
“That’s right. Still, boring like this is better. It’s better than emergency gates breaking out.”
“Hey hey, quickly spit out those words. Don’t you know words can come true?”
Park Jeong-hyeon burst into laughter hearing what his team members were saying. In the still peaceful atmosphere, he looked around the office but couldn’t see one person.
“But where’s our youngest?”
“Huh? That’s right.”
Just then, the office door opened and Lee Seung-woo walked in carrying instant coffee.
“Sunbaes! Please have some coffee. I got it from the break room.”
Speak of the devil – Lee Seung-woo distributed coffee to each team member with a bright face. Though the team members said he didn’t need to do such things and should focus on duty work, their faces were full of expressions showing they cherished and adored their youngest who had brought coffee.
“By the way, our Seung-woo. What are you going to do about the duty schedule this weekend too? You were supposed to go home this week.”
Park Jeong-hyeon asked Seung-woo while bringing the steaming instant coffee to his lips.
“Yes. But well, it can’t be helped. My mother is already used to it, so she won’t say much.”
“Where are there parents who get used to not seeing their child’s face? Man. On days you have duty, she knows like a ghost and doesn’t sleep until you get home, right? She calls every time to talk.”
“Yes. That’s right. She calls without missing a single time.”
Then Park Jeong-hyeon gave advice disguised as nagging, telling him to call first and even make video calls if possible.
After that, peaceful time passed. As the team members had said, fortunately during the duty shift, no urgent matters arose and it passed quietly and peacefully.
“Then everyone get good sleep and see you tomorrow.”
“Get home safely!”
Late dawn. The Team 7 members could finally go home. Lee Seung-woo could leave the office only after seeing off all team members and finishing cleaning up the office. As he came out, he opened an app to call a taxi. Honestly, normally he would never even look at a taxi because of the cost, but at this late hour, that was the only available transportation. Plus, since the guild covered all transportation costs, he could ride without worry.
That’s when it happened. Just as Lee Seung-woo was about to press the call button, a shadow fell from behind and tapped his shoulder.
“…Huh?”
Lee Seung-woo’s face instantly hardened as he turned around.
* * *
Exactly twice a week. Tuesday and Thursday. Those were the only days the target came home in the late dawn. Black shirt and blazer. And a brown square crossbody bag that young people wouldn’t usually carry.
The target always entered through that narrow alley. He knew the reason. It was also the fastest alley to enter that studio apartment building. The man quietly hid his body at the corner before the alley turned.
And when the target came home late, he always walked while talking on the phone with someone. And shortly after, a murmuring human voice could be heard and a familiar silhouette entered the alley. With few streetlights and being an old studio apartment area, it was hard to confirm the face, but it was certain. The same clothing and same bag as always.
“Yeah. Mom.”
And the same conversation partner with the same words and voice. The man quietly gripped the scabbard fastened in his robe.
“Yeah. I didn’t get hurt today either. Really, how long are you going to keep asking?”
As expected, conversations not much different from usual seemed to be taking place today too. Then the call would end soon.
“I understand. I love you too.”
The words signaling the end of the call finished and he could see the target putting his phone in his pocket. Now it was time for the real beginning. The man drew his long sword and quietly approached from behind without making a single sound. He planned to avoid unnecessary combat as much as possible. He thought that entering combat might leave evidence or traces without him knowing.
So he planned to cut off the breath from behind in one strike.
“…”
One step. Another step. Thanks to erasing his presence to the extreme, the target still seemed unaware of the approaching shadow. Getting closer like that, the man finally gripped his long sword tightly and raised it high.
‘It’s over.’
Swish-
The sound of the blade fiercely cutting through the air was heard. Drawing a clean trajectory, the sword swept past the target’s back. Now blood would surely gush like a fountain and the target’s voice filled with confused pain would be heard.
“…”
That should have been certain. The man opened his eyes wide at the unbelievable sight. The long, sharp sword had broken in half and fallen to the ground. Moreover, the target’s back was perfectly fine. He had definitely cut flesh, but why did the sword break with a heavy feeling as if he had cut solid wood?
“Oh my, what a waste of a good sword.”
That’s when it happened. The atmosphere in the alley changed instantly and an unfamiliar voice reached the man’s ears.
“That’s what I told you. I said you’d be punished for doing bad things.”
The man swallowed his saliva. He had definitely thought it was the target. The same voice and same atmosphere. The same clothing. It couldn’t be wrong. But from the opponent now in front of him, he felt a completely different presence. The man strained his eyes trying to see the opponent’s face.
“Now, put down that sword. It’s time to really be punished, you murderer bastard.”
The man felt goosebumps rise all over his body for a moment. The hand holding the sword began to tremble slowly.
In Do Ha-seong’s gaze looking at the criminal, there was no emotion whatsoever. He was just slightly raising the corners of his mouth in a smirk.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
