IRNH C42

42

The reaction to the reawakening was so intense it felt like it might explode. Even Sihyeon, usually indifferent to such matters, could feel the stormy atmosphere around him.
But with Yeon Taewoon right there in front of him demanding his attention, Sihyeon had no energy left to focus on anything else.
‘Ha, what should I do?’
Knock knock.
“Master, you should eat.”
“Uh…”
At that moment, as Sihyeon crouched, lost in thoughts of what to do next, he heard a faint knock on the door and Taewoon’s voice from beyond it.
Sihyeon replied listlessly, suppressing the anxiety boiling up deep inside him.
“Are you not coming out? Should I break the door?”
Damn it.
Startled by Taewoon’s words that shattered his thoughts in an instant, Sihyeon sprang up and flung the door wide open.
There stood a pure white, beautiful face, hands politely clasped, smiling sweetly.
The dense eyelashes fluttered gently, and perfectly sculpted lips glowed red, drawing a graceful curve.
Sihyeon frowned and looked up at him.
Though Taewoon’s behavior was irritating and the situation lamentable, strangely Sihyeon could not bring himself to dislike the boy.
‘If only he would stop clinging so much… damn this rebellious student.’
Just then, Sihyeon’s phone shattered the heavy silence with a loud ring.
“Hello?”

• “Hyung! Yujun woke up!”
  Sihyeon’s eyes widened briefly, then he listened carefully as the caller gave the hospital room number and location, nodding repeatedly. Ending the call, he immediately opened a map app and started searching for the location.
  “Taewoon, Yujun’s awake. Let’s go.”
  “Ah.”
  But Taewoon’s short, reluctant response sounded like a strangled groan, making Sihyeon lift his head sharply.
  Taewoon lowered his lips gradually, staring directly at Sihyeon. Slightly taken aback, Sihyeon hastily spoke.
  “Let’s just check his condition and come back right away, okay?”
  “Um… alright.”
  “Good…”
  A sigh almost escaped involuntarily. Taewoon shyly grabbed Sihyeon’s hand again and smiled sweetly with a gentle eye-smile.
  He’s pretty cute, sigh.
  Sihyeon finally grabbed his forehead and sighed deeply. 

After a brief commotion, two large men quietly stepped down a deserted hospital corridor.
Despite the already hushed space, there was not a single sound of footsteps, and the hospital remained eerily still as if empty.
“Ah, hyung! Taewoon-nim! You’re here quickly!”
At that moment, Kyu-min opened the hospital room door, spotted Sihyeon, and stood there waving his hands energetically.
“Hyung…?”
“Yeah, Yujun. You alright?”
Sihyeon bowed his head slightly toward Kyu-min and entered the hospital room at once.
Yujun looked better than expected. His cheeks were lightly flushed, making him appear healthier than usual.
“Hyung! I became A-rank! I can’t believe it… what do I do?”
“Congratulations.”
Yujun’s voice was excited, but a trace of timidity still lingered.
Besides, his phone kept vibrating relentlessly even during that short time—apparently, everyone was looking for him because of the reawakening.
“But I’m a bit worried… Grandma and Grandpa can’t even go outside…”
“Hmm… that will get better with time. Don’t worry. I’ll help if it doesn’t.”
Scaring him a little would probably make him run away.
Sihyeon reached out to gently pat Yujun’s sulking head but stopped, seeing Taewoon watching his hand intently just ahead. Trying an awkward smile toward Taewoon, he changed the subject to break the tension.
“So how exactly did you awaken? I didn’t see it, so I don’t know.”
But apparently it wasn’t a good topic, because expressions turned sour on all three faces except Sihyeon’s.
“Seeing you collapsed, I felt so depressed and sad. So…”
Yujun had never seen such wounds in person before. The memory of the scene was faint but present enough to linger.
Yet he kept secret his claim that feeling a murderous intent had triggered his reawakening.
‘Well, it’s good you didn’t die.’
Feeling somewhat like a scapegoat, Sihyeon silently averted his eyes. The pressure from the three pairs of gazes was overwhelming.
“So… are you satisfied?”
“Ah! Yes, and my class changed too. I was originally just a Soldier, but now I’m a Hidden Shooter.”
Sihyeon smoothly brushed aside the stares around him and shifted the topic again.
This time, it was the right choice as Yujun’s expression relaxed somewhat, allowing Sihyeon a brief respite.
‘So that’s what Hidden Shooter means.’
Glancing at Yujun’s status window as soon as he had come in, Sihyeon caught sight of the concealed part.
Seo Yujun – □□□□ (A)
Title – Divided into Two
Though unsure of its meaning, Sihyeon nodded and spoke, since his own title was also a string of strange words he didn’t understand.
“By the way, reawakening… Yujun, you said you were a Dream Walker, right?”
“Yes… so I think that’s why I reawakened.”
“Hm?”
Yujun hesitated briefly and then began to talk about the dream he had.
“At first, I was playing a game. But suddenly, I opened my eyes and found myself somewhere strange.”
Sihyeon narrowed his eyes slightly. The sequence Yujun described sounded eerily similar to his own experience.
“And as soon as I opened my eyes, I had to do whatever the aliens around me said… My body felt weird too.”
“You must have had a tough time…”
“…Yes, actually I was really scared. They kept making me aim at humans and shoot them… How could I do that? So, I kept hiding…”
So, in a highly advanced futuristic setting, dressed like a soldier, and suddenly handed a gun, the 15-year-old boy just hid in his dormitory like he was running away.
Sihyeon was fascinated hearing about another person’s dream for the first time. He realized the quest manipulating him didn’t appear in every dream.
Then what was that quest’s true existence? He felt it was closest to what he sensed in the Divine Mine, but not exactly the same, making his thoughts cloudy.
“So I think this happened because I didn’t follow what I was told to do there… Anyway, at least I awakened now. I should be able to help that hyung, right?”
Sihyeon frowned slightly at Yujun’s next words.
“What help? The kids just mess around.”
“Well… still…”
Yujun pouted a little and argued, making Sihyeon smile as if he were watching Taewoon when he was young.
Little Taewoon tried so hard to avoid Sihyeon’s help that he’d come running clutching a blanket at night because he was scared, but during the day he was busy trying to do something and stay near him.
Those adorable moments came to mind and made Sihyeon smile gently, eyes drifting away.
‘…’
Yet watching those intense red eyes staring through him now, the memories felt slightly twisted.
That cute, naive boy… how did he become like this?
“Anyway, I’ll be sitting outside, so finish preparing for discharge and figure out what to do with that phone.”
Sihyeon shook his head, eyeing the phone still intermittently vibrating, and gently stroked Yujun’s head before stepping out of the room.
“By any chance, can Kyu-min’s guild take Yujun with them?”
When Yujun left for his final checkup, Sihyeon remembered the anxious boy and spoke up.
Though brief, the Glory Guild members they had been with were quite decent and upright.
Especially Captain Kim Seongbin was talented enough that even Sihyeon thought he’d want to join if choosing a guild. He expected Yujun would adapt easily as well.
“Well… the final decision is up to the company. I want to bring Yujun too, but I have to submit a request and check it first.”
“I see…”
However, Kyu-min couldn’t readily agree.
Though it was true approval from the company was necessary, more pressing was the suspicion growing inside him.
Though he was certain it wasn’t true at the time, why had facts been hidden from him? Why was he warned not to enter the gate? Why send small parties in despite knowing people kept dying? The suspicions gnawed relentlessly.
After the older brother’s initial failed attempt, he thought there must have been a clear reason for sending a small team again.
Besides, he was before awakening, so it was hard for him to add anything.
‘Hyung… why?’
If not for Sihyeon and Taewoon, he and the guild members would have died. No matter how skilled, it would’ve been impossible to fight a weary group several times their number, some even revived.
Still, Kyu-min suppressed the spiraling thoughts to smile brightly.
“I’ll personally check on things, so don’t worry! I’ve gotten close to Yujun, so I do care a lot.”
“That’s a relief.”
For now, it was only suspicion.

Once Yujun’s discharge paperwork was complete, the four of them chatted quietly as they left the hospital.
Cha-cha-cha-cha!
As the automatic doors opened, shutters slammed, and camera flashes exploded, Sihyeon furrowed his brow deeply, cursing silently.
The floor they were on was only for hunters, and since they entered from the roof, he had no idea what was happening below—it was only a crowd of patients, he assumed, not realizing those were all reporters.
“Seo Yujun!!! Will you reveal the secret behind your reawakening?!”
“I’m from SBC! Was there a specific trigger for your reawakening?!”
“Do you intend to take the official test again after reawakening?!”
Questions about Yujun’s reawakening filled the air from all directions.
Sihyeon spotted Yujun trembling sharply and spoke to scatter the journalists.
“Hyung, let’s just go. Those people are just hunter reporters. They’re not scary. We’ll be quicker if we avoid them.”
Still, Sihyeon sighed deeply at Kyu-min’s next words, shielding Yujun and following behind him toward the rear of the building.
Startled.
But before they had taken several steps, sensing danger ahead, Sihyeon grabbed the back of Kyu-min’s neck and pulled him back, locking eyes on a silent man standing still.

Footnotes:

1. “Hyung” (형) is a Korean term a male uses to address an older brother or close older male friend, here translated as “hyung” to preserve cultural nuance.