RG 90

“Is something wrong?”

“…No.” Cha Seohu, who had been staring at Kwon Taehyeok with a hint of suspicion, finally spoke, “I don’t think there’s anyone left inside. We should go outside and check the surrounding area.”

“The outside…” Kwon Taehyeok hesitated to agree to Cha Seohu’s suggestion. 

To be honest, he wanted Cha Seohu to give up searching for Kwak Seunggyu and leave the area. They had come all this way to capture Kwak Seunggyu as planned, but with the sudden rift eruption and monsters spilling out, it seemed wiser to retreat to safety now.

“Hunter Cha Seohu.”

Kwon Taehyeok knew Cha Seohu would never accept his suggestion to evacuate now after insisting on going alone to find Kwak Seunggyu. But he couldn’t just let things continue like this. After a moment of deliberation, Kwon Taehyeok spoke again, “How about we search a little longer, then join up with the support team when they arrive?”

“Join up?”

“As you know, waves of monsters pour out with each rift surge. Even if it’s fine now, this place will soon become incredibly dangerous due to the incoming hordes.”

Based on Kwon Taehyeok’s instincts, the newly emerged rift was at least an A-class. Its aura was overwhelmingly strong, and there was no doubt the monsters’ numbers and strength were out of the ordinary.

“By then, it’ll be impossible to find Kwak Seunggyu. So… forget Kwak Seunggyu and join the support team to get out of Gwanghwamun.”

“Hmm…”

“Of course, if this proposal also makes you uncomfortable, then I understand, but for your own safety—”

“Alright.”

Kwon Taehyeok, who had been preparing to forcibly drag Cha Seohu out if he refused, stopped mid-sentence, startled by the unexpected response.

When he saw Cha Seohu nodding calmly, he couldn’t hide his surprise. Cha Seohu chuckled lightly at his reaction. “I’m not so stubborn as to cause unnecessary trouble. I really was just planning to check the area around Geunjeongjeon quickly. Though, if you say that’s a nuisance too, I wouldn’t argue.”

“It’s not that.”

At Kwon Taehyeok’s firm reply, Cha Seohu softened his gaze, meeting his eyes. “The reason I wanted to risk it and find Kwak Seunggyu… is because the timing of this rift appearing feels too suspicious.”

“The timing of the rift?”

“It formed too suddenly, and the entrance opened at such an unusual speed. We’ve never seen this happen before. I think Kwak Seunggyu might be connected to the cause.”

The idea that Kwak Seunggyu, affiliated with a lab conducting human experiments, might be linked to the rift intrigued Kwon Taehyeok. He sensed Cha Seohu knew more than he was letting on.

“So Kwak Seunggyu did something. And you witnessed it.”

Since he wasn’t trying to hide anything, and knowing he would need Kwon Taehyeok’s help to uncover what Kwak Seunggyu had done, Cha Seohu nodded without hesitation. “I’ll explain in detail later. Let’s get moving first.”

“Understood.”

Kwon Taehyeok knew they didn’t have time to waste. Still, he felt relieved at Cha Seohu’s softened demeanor compared to earlier. It seemed his mood had improved a little, which was a relief.

Just as he was about to suggest sticking close together, wary of possible monsters outside—

A wave of bone-chilling cold suddenly swept over them.

Instinctively gasping for breath, Kwon Taehyeok whipped his head around, and his gaze locked onto a figure standing tall in the pitch-black darkness. A crushing fear enveloped him as he faced the figure. For the first time in his life, his entire body froze with an icy dread.

Piercing green eyes shone vividly in the shadows, exuding a murderous aura sharp enough to pierce his skin. Even a moment of distraction would mean having his throat torn out. He couldn’t even blink.

“Huh?”

At that moment, a voice, higher-pitched than usual, interrupted. Cha Seohu, who had also noticed the figure near the door, stared in astonishment.

“Kid?”

With an air of confusion, Cha Seohu called out and shone his phone’s light toward the figure. 

What appeared under the light was a child with a calm expression, looking back at Cha Seohu. Only then did Kwon Taehyeok break free from the overwhelming fear that had gripped him.

‘What… was that just now?’

He couldn’t tell if what he’d just experienced was reality or some kind of fleeting nightmare.

Kwon Taehyeok blinked several times before realizing that his fists were clenched tightly. When he finally forced his hands to relax, his palms were damp with sweat.

“Cha Sahyeon!”

Leaving the shocked Kwon Taehyeok behind, Cha Seohu rushed toward the child.

“Brother…”

The boy, clearly worried about being scolded, glanced nervously at Cha Seohu before spreading his arms and throwing himself into his brother’s embrace. His drawn-out tone and hesitant movements were unmistakably those of a child seeking comfort.

As Cha Seohu knelt to hug his brother, Kwon Taehyeok steadied his breathing.

‘What I saw earlier…’

What was that?

It was a fear unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It felt like being a mouse cornered by a snake, powerless and frozen in terror.

Kwon Taehyeok swallowed dryly, studying the boy in Cha Seohu’s arms. The child clung to him with small hands and teary eyes that shimmered faintly.

Out of caution, Kwon Taehyeok checked the boy’s aura. As expected, it matched the B-class level from before. There was nothing about him that should have caused an S-class like Kwon Taehyeok to feel such intense fear.

‘Was it just my imagination?’

Had he really been daydreaming on his feet? But then who was the owner of those piercing green eyes? The figure radiating such immense power? More importantly, how had this child entered undetected by someone of Kwon Taehyeok’s caliber?

Amid the swirling questions, Kwon Taehyeok was sure of one thing.

That child… is dangerous.

***

“Cha Sahyeon!”

I didn’t even know what I was thinking as I ran toward the child. His face crumpled in distress as he stretched out his arms toward me. Without hesitation, I pulled him into a tight embrace. The warmth of his small body spread through me, and only then did my senses begin to return. As relief faded, frustration and disbelief surged to take its place.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

Maybe he knew he was in the wrong because he clung to me tighter, his small hands gripping my shoulders. I pushed him back to meet his gaze, but the moment I did, his green eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“I… I wanted to see you, brother…”

“I told you to stay home and behave! I explained how dangerous today would be and why I couldn’t bring you. So why did you follow me?”

My voice dropped as I tried to suppress my anger, but I couldn’t stop my breaths from coming out ragged. Cha Sahyeon pressed his lips into a thin line, his pale face flushed as his eyes began to well up.

“I was scared…”

“What?”

“I was scared. When I saw the rift open where you were… I got so scared…”

“…”

Hearing him stumble over his words, holding back tears, left me speechless. The heat rising in my chest cooled instantly, replaced by a wave of nausea.

“I was afraid you’d get hurt again…”

“Alright, stop. That’s enough.”

I sighed heavily, pulling him close once more. There was no need to mention my past injuries here, not with Kwon Taehyeok around. And while the thought that he had come because he was worried about me might have been touching any other time, the current situation was far too dangerous for sentimentality.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Patting his back to calm him, I glanced at the status screen hovering in the corner of my vision.

[Main Quest: Locate the lab associate hiding somewhere in the event hall]

Capture lab associate Kwak Seunggyu and uncover the lab’s secrets.

• Current location of Kwak Seunggyu: Beside Sujeongjeon Hall.

• Warning! If the distance from Kwak Seunggyu exceeds a certain limit, the quest will automatically fail.

Kwak Seunggyu had already left Geunjeongjeon and moved to Sujeongjeon Hall.

That’s why I had agreed to Kwon Taehyeok’s suggestion to stop searching and evacuate to safety. Pretending to retreat would give me the perfect cover to continue tracking Kwak Seunggyu on my own.

But I never imagined Cha Sahyeon would follow me. The thought of him crossing paths with Kwak Seunggyu sent a chill down my spine. If Kwak Seunggyu had seen Cha Sahyeon… No, I couldn’t let myself think about that.

“Hunter Cha Seohu.”

Lost in my growing unease, I bit my lip until a quiet voice behind me snapped me back to reality. Kwon Taehyeok had approached us, his tone careful, his expression measured.

“If we stay here any longer, it’ll only get more dangerous. You should take your brother and leave now.”

When I looked up, Kwon Taehyeok’s face was colder than usual, his sharp gaze fixed not on me but on Cha Sahyeon.

So, he’d noticed something, too. Maybe he didn’t know the full story, but he could probably tell that Cha Sahyeon had followed me here without permission.

“I’ll escort you both to a safe location.”

“…Alright.”

I didn’t know how much he had figured out, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down around him yet. Trusting him fully wasn’t an option, and his scrutiny only made the situation more complicated.

This was exactly why I hadn’t brought Cha Sahyeon along. I could only hope Kwon Taehyeok would turn a blind eye and not press further.

[Main Quest: Locate the lab associate hiding somewhere in the event hall (Time remaining: 8 hours 55 minutes]