#86
The air in Cheorwon was harsh and heavy. Baek Seong-hyeon reported that he had arrived in Cheorwon County first. Normally, they would be connected to the jurisdictional military department, but the military forces in the region had long since disappeared. They had no choice but to be greeted by general administrative staff. It was truly an ironic situation for a special forces unit.
The staff who came out to guide them also showed reluctant faces as they informed them of their temporary lodging and mission location. The unit then pushed through the cold air toward the innermost village.
“But is it really true that public safety is poor here?”
“Well, there was a murder case here not long ago that caused quite a stir. I think they still haven’t caught the culprit. But anyway, that’s probably separate from the government’s scheme to make us give up.”
Lee Myeong-cheol, Kim Hyeong-jin, and the other members unpacked their luggage after arriving at the office. Cheorwon was one of the nation’s major military regions, so military facilities were quite well-established. However, human warmth had long disappeared from this place. The positions once occupied by military units were now taken over by hunters, leaving these military facilities abandoned.
“Wow, Cheorwon definitely has good facilities, doesn’t it?”
Baek Seong-hyeon said as he dropped his heavy bag with a thud.
“Captain, you’re really optimistic. Didn’t you hear the staff saying earlier that demolition work will begin here soon?”
Kim Hyeong-jin shook his head at Baek Seong-hyeon as if to say he was hopeless. But he just laughed heartily, saying what did it matter.
“Well then, let’s do what we need to do.”
Baek Seong-hyeon smiled as he headed out with his team members. To stay in the village temporarily, they first needed to get acquainted with the local residents. Moreover, since their mission was to maintain public safety here, greetings were all the more essential.
“I expected hunters to come.”
But nothing was easy from the start. The village chief who saw Baek Seong-hyeon and the other Sparrowhawk members who came to greet at the village hall sighed and said this first.
“Haha, we’re as strong as any hunter.”
When he said this, the village chief and other elderly village residents looked them over with somewhat disapproving, half-suspicious expressions.
“Well, you must have had a hard time getting here, but welcome. Our village atmosphere has been quite ominous lately. There were scary incidents a few days ago that even made the news, and the culprit still hasn’t been caught. Because of that, tourist foot traffic has completely stopped. Strangely, petty thieves have been running rampant for the past few days too.”
“Don’t worry.”
Baek Seong-hyeon smiled with maximum trustworthiness and made bold promises to properly change the village’s ominous atmosphere before leaving the village hall.
“When did we fall to the level of catching petty thieves?”
As soon as they left the hall, Vice-captain Kim Hyeong-jin let out a deep sigh. Although they had come here with determination, they couldn’t remain entirely positive about the reality that had struck them.
“Hyeong-jin.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Well, if we endure, won’t things work out somehow?”
Then Kim Hyeong-jin also chuckled following Baek Seong-hyeon. The wind was still cold and harsh enough to sting their skin, but the fire lit in their hearts showed no signs of being extinguished.
* * *
Quite some time had passed since arriving at this new place. The Sparrowhawk members began settling in this place amid a somewhat precarious and reluctant atmosphere, but they were adapting quite quickly, faster than expected.
“Boys, take this.”
“Why did you bring something like this again?”
Baek Seong-hyeon greeted an elderly woman who had come to the base carrying various items.
“Still, you’re working for our village, so I should at least do this much. I made some side dishes, so don’t skip meals.”
Leaving those words, the grandmother coolly made her exit.
The attitude of residents who had initially been wary and distrustful of the team members with uncertain faces also began to change gradually. By not only maintaining the village’s public safety but also consistently helping the daily lives of elderly residents, their wariness and suspicion slowly melted away. Most importantly, catching the culprit of the murder case that had shocked the village a few days ago became a major turning point.
After that incident, the village residents began to completely trust Sparrowhawk. Especially Baek Seong-hyeon emerged as an indispensable presence in the village. He readily became hands and feet for those with physical difficulties, and thanks to this, the grandmothers would say until their mouths were worn out that they wanted to make him a match for their granddaughters whenever they saw him.
“Captain.”
Kim Hyeong-jin approached Baek Seong-hyeon, who was organizing the side dishes the grandmother had brought. Seeing his expression that said they needed to talk, the two entered a room inside the base.
“I submitted a work report, and for the first time, we received a reply from the government.”
Since arriving here, Baek Seong-hyeon had consistently ordered Kim Hyeong-jin to submit work reports. When the vice-captain said what was the point of doing such things when they wouldn’t even look at them or give any replies, Baek Seong-hyeon persuaded him that as long as protocols and principles still existed, they should be maintained.
But as Kim Hyeong-jin had predicted, the government had consistently ignored their numerous work reports. However, today was the first time they received an answer.
“What did it say?”
Baek Seong-hyeon swallowed nervously. He couldn’t help but feel tense, wondering if they had now issued a ‘command’ to disband rather than a ‘recommendation.’
“They said they received the report about solving the murder case well… and to continue working hard so there are no disruptions in carrying out the mission… That’s what came.”
“…Is that really it?”
An unexpectedly positive reply. Baek Seong-hyeon couldn’t help but be surprised. Kim Hyeong-jin, who was delivering the report, also had a face that showed he couldn’t believe it himself.
“Yes.”
“Nothing particular about disbandment?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
It was the first time. The first time an official document from the state contained no mention of disbandment. While still suspicious, he couldn’t help but think of a positive future.
“Captain, I heard that recently there are also voices in the government hoping for coexistence between hunters and soldiers.”
Kim Hyeong-jin’s eyes were colored with hope. It had been truly a long time. Seeing those eyes shine like that. Just like when they had safely rescued children in past operations, when they had saved the lives of citizens who were in danger from natural disasters and had lost their homes, his subordinate’s eyes were sparkling with the same overwhelming pride and the feeling that they could overcome numerous trials and difficulties ahead and accomplish anything.
“You never know. If we endure a little longer…”
“Right. You never know.”
Baek Seong-hyeon silently patted Kim Hyeong-jin’s shoulder. Hope unconsciously scattered seeds in their hearts and began to sprout. Perhaps, just perhaps, these sprouts could grow into trees bearing magnificent fruit. Baek Seong-hyeon unknowingly clenched his fists tightly. At the end of a long, long wait, he believed without doubt that if they endured just a little longer, they could hold that fruit in their hands.
But before becoming a tree, sprouts are infinitely weak and fragile. Baek Seong-hyeon, who was touched by the fact that seeds had sprouted, had overlooked this thought.
It was one night. In the always quiet and peaceful dawn, an announcement suddenly blared loudly throughout the village.
<Attention. Gate appearance in nearby mountain. Residents please evacuate quickly. Attention once more…>
The content that spread through the village in an old, worn voice that seemed about to cut out was truly shocking. The first to react to that announcement were naturally the Sparrowhawk members.
“Captain, this is…”
“Everyone prepare for deployment!”
At Baek Seong-hyeon’s words, the members quickly armed themselves and came outside. Some residents who had grasped the situation early through the broadcast were quickly heading to shelters. However, the age demographic of this village’s residents was entirely high. This meant there were plenty of residents who still didn’t understand the meaning of the broadcast and weren’t even thinking of evacuating, or who wanted to evacuate but whose bodies couldn’t keep up quickly.
“Myeong-cheol and the rest will help residents evacuate. Hyeong-jin, you and I will move to where the gate opened.”
“But Captain, gates are…”
“Hunters will be dispatched soon. Until then, we need to prevent damage somehow.”
With the weapons they had, they couldn’t enter the dungeon to kill monsters and close the gate. But if time was delayed and monsters from inside the dungeon escaped, it would be a disaster.
Just as the two were about to step forward to head to the mountain where the gate had reportedly opened.
Thump-
Ground tremors starting from somewhere were slowly creating fierce waves.
“C-Captain…”
Kim Hyeong-jin raised his finger to point behind Baek Sa-jin.
“…”
The worst possible scenario had already occurred. A giant monster that had escaped from inside the dungeon was coming down from the mountain toward the village. The village instantly became chaos. People who saw the monster were shocked and fell into panic, and the same was true for the Sparrowhawk members.
For members who had dealt almost exclusively with humans as soldiers, monsters were beings beyond common sense. An overwhelming presence that couldn’t possibly be considered of this world. Even Baek Seong-hyeon felt his body trembling in front of them.
Only then did Baek Seong-hyeon realize. That even if you scatter seeds and sprout them, if those sprouts are too fragile, they can be easily pulled out. That no matter how much effort you put in and tenaciously endure to bear fruit, those sprouts can die at any time due to surrounding circumstances.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
