FTE 012

“It looks like you’re in the middle of something.”

“In the middle of something? What do you mean?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘in the middle of something?’ I’m always working. Come take a look.”

“Ah, no. It might have adverse effects if I approach or there could be problems due to excessive reactions. It is better not to go near until after the refining process.”

“Really? Too bad. The process is amazing. I’m making it as a bracelet, and the shape is very pretty. What religion are you?”

“Me?” Relieved that the sleeve of my jacket hid all the amulet bracelets, I mumbled an incoherent response. “Well… I believe in gods who help me, whenever needed.”

“How wise. Considering how far we’ve come together, should I carve either a cross or Buddha for you? They will look beautiful.”

Honestly, I really coveted it. Recovery-type artifacts were truly valuable. It would be good for me to use or sell. However, there would be many eyes watching if I receive this gift, including those from people of the Hunter Association and regular soldiers who had accompanied us on this mission. Swallowing my disappointment, I smiled brightly.

“I appreciate your thoughts, but no thanks.”

The Hunter Association truly has no decency… Honestly, from an average citizen’s point of view, it’s a pretty decent organization, but from my standpoint, it’s a different story.

Long ago, laws were passed to gather all potential awakened beings under the jurisdiction of the Hunter Association. Ability Users with capabilities capable of causing significant damage or harm must first register.

Afterwards, a few hunters with security clearance worked as bodyguards for high-ranking politicians and others, while unregistered hunters either hid their identity at great risk or joined small guilds that could be considered village defense forces, managing minor dungeons where the Hunter Association wouldn’t intervene. It was estimated that less than 10 percent of awakened beings fell into this category, meaning over 90 percent were under the control of the Hunter Association.

Thanks to this, there were no fights between hunters causing civilian casualties, excessive economic pursuits… I remember studying it, but I can’t recall more details now. Anyway, even this isn’t allowed? It is too strict.

“I’ll give you one.”

Just then, a dejected voice interrupted.

“Huh?” I almost spoke to him informally. With his head bowed so low I could see his crown, Chae Won-u unclasped his necklace and tried to pull my hand up. In that instant, even without looking, I could feel everyone’s attention on us. It was a blatant, almost embarrassing kind of attention. 

Hey, hey, this… This looks weird, you know? Especially these kinds of things, the ones with recovery properties, they’re often used as proposal gifts, before or after refinement…

“No, it’s okay.”

But his grip was like iron, and I couldn’t break free. To make matters worse, he pressed down on my hand, forcing my fingers open as I tried to keep them curled into a fist.  He was ridiculously strong.

“Haha, it’s really fine…” I muttered through gritted teeth, my hand already drained of color. Even through my gloves, it must’ve been obvious.

“Oh my… The student seems to like you very much, young man.”

No, damn it, that’s not it. That’s not it at all. 

I was about to burst into tears. Chae Won-u placed the necklace in my palm and released my wrist. It tingled. I saw Chae Won-u beaming with pride, after he had even made me clench my other hand into a fist.

“Hyung, I’m sorry about earlier this morning.”

“…..”

“You told me not to… but I was being selfish… Afterward, when I calmed down and thought about it, I realized I was in the wrong. I shouldn’t have done that without your consent.”

“Oh my…” Behind me, the lady softly clapped her hands.

“I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help myself…”

I could see the others exchanging glances and turning away. I even saw them mouthing, ‘Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that.’ Yeah, I saw that. Don’t even try to deny it.

“Stop it.”

“From now on, ask for permission first—”

“What permission? Just stop it right now. Do you understand?” 

My head is pounding. What if I’m the Hunter, and he’s the Guide?  But if a Guide is the one causing the Hunter pain, shouldn’t his license be revoked or something? 

“Stop it… Let’s just pretend yesterday never happened…”

“Does that mean you accept my apology?”

“That wasn’t an apology…”

“I learned online yesterday that… you should state what you did wrong, apologize, and explain how you’ll proceed going forward.”

“Next time, why don’t you… look up how to have a conversation, too?”

“What else should I look up?”

“And don’t talk to me anymore…”

“What?”

If I actually told him not to talk to me, I had a feeling he might write it on a huge banner and hang it in the lobby—with one of his infamously misleading explanations, no less. So, I just mumbled and shook my head, saying it was nothing. 

“I can’t accept this.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too valuable. Look at the size of these stones. They’re like…”

“10 billion won.”

“Yes, they’re worth 10 billion won.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

R-Right? It must be a joke. How could something as small as a fingernail be worth…

“I was just saying that. Actually, it’s even more precious than that. It’s hard to obtain, and nobody sells them even if found. Who would sell one? People barely part with them even when on the brink of death.”

“So, it can save someone’s life?”

“Not exactly, but it does prolong their lifespan. But where did you get this from? Spill the beans, kid. According to regulations, gems of this caliber should be ground into recovery potions.”

“I extracted it, so it’s mine.”

I couldn’t hear Chae Won-u and the artisan’s conversation anymore as they chatted casually like old friends. I did want to accept it… but it felt burdensome yet desirable at the same time… Still, I had to resist. If I took anything from him, even a crumb, it might overwhelm me.

“Just take it. Think of it as an apology.”

“Yeah, go ahead, son. It’s from your boyfriend.”

“No, he’s not my boyfriend,” I replied, growing weary of explaining amidst the headache. With a sigh, I hung the necklace around my neck. “Alright, I’ll accept it for now. Please let me know if you need it back anytime. Just consider it entrusted to me temporarily.”

Chae Won-u’s expression brightened significantly. He was truly an easy-going person. Engaging with someone so persistent while trying to maintain distance felt exhausting, akin to two people on opposite ends of a taut rope, neither tightening nor loosening their grip, just maintaining an awkward tension.

“We’ll observe for another thirty minutes and then leave!” yelled the team leader ahead of us.

The team leader was a regular military officer. Their reactions toward hunters could generally be divided into two categories: The older generation considered Chae Won-u and other hunters potential targets to eliminate, while the younger ones had mixed feelings about them or simply saw them as colleagues doing similar work.

Would they consider hunters as team members? Not likely. But before that, did they even view hunters as human beings?

What criteria define humanity? Assuming it includes bipedalism, forming social communities, rational thinking, and communication, hunters clearly fit within those parameters. However, what about entities possessing enough power to destroy these very communities at any moment?

In fact, I didn’t intend to think about it. It wasn’t a question with an answer. First, I looked at Chae Won-u who unexpectedly gave me a necklace that couldn’t be valued easily. He was a mysterious being, walking upright within society yet unable to communicate effectively.

“Hyung.”

“Yes?”

“Your eye color is beautiful. Did you know? I thought they were brown, but they’re sunset-colored.”

“I know. It’s a side effect of awakening.”

The side effects of awakening varied among individuals, but everyone exhibited some trace of change. Most commonly, their eye colors altered, while others experienced changes in hair color. The extent of these transformations depended on the magnitude of their awakenings. It was said that the greater the awakening, the more pronounced the change—either becoming lighter or darker—but I wasn’t sure how true this was. Just how much had Chae Won-u changed?

“You aren’t wearing lenses?”

“Nope. This is my real eye color. Do you want to touch it?” He suddenly leaned forward, offering me his eyeball. I stepped back. Chae Won-u’s eyes were ordinary dark brown, perhaps the most common colour among Koreans.

“Did it hurt a lot when you awakened?”

For some reason, I asked a question that I had never posed before. Chae Won-u tilted his head, recalling the moment. Then he promptly replied:

“I don’t really remember. How about you, hyung?”

“I do remember.”

It was the transformation of the body. In fact, many people didn’t remember due to fainting or blackouts. However, I remembered vividly, unfortunately so.

“It was terribly painful.”

It was terribly cold, and despite being in Korea, White Night continued. The ground turned over, people collapsed beside me and never moved again. Fortunately, they were unconscious—and would remain so—while I remained conscious. Despite my awareness, I couldn’t move.

“Does it hurt just by thinking about it?”

Sometimes, but not now. Was it thanks to the necklace? I shook my head.

“It’s all past, isn’t it? There is too much work to be done while dwelling on such memories.”

“I used to think the same until I had a dream for the first time. It was also a dream of the past.”

“Really?”

In fact, I wasn’t very curious. Somehow, I thought we might end up discussing such topics. However, the content of Chae Won-u’s dream was entirely unexpected.

“I dreamed of shaking hands with you. At that time, I knew just by holding your hand. That you should be my partner.”

“Ah, that. Originally, light contact was used for guidance.” I quickly added. Due to the dream filter, he shouldn’t think of that day as some sort of moment of destiny…

“I thought it was fate.”

I knew this would happen. Leaving Chae Won-u mumbling vaguely behind me, I strode forward.

People were gathering around the military Humvee, which was terribly uncomfortable and barely escaped being classified as trash. Fortunately, Euljiro 1 seemed to end like this. Still, nobody complained. A dungeon break was like groundwater; it was difficult to predict where it would flow or burst from.