The morning dawned. Hazy sunlight streamed down the exterior walls of high-rise buildings. The skies of this country have long been consumed by fine dust. The bright blue sky and floating clouds have become relics of a bygone era that can only be seen in photos and videos.
Due to Outbreak, many existing cars and factories were destroyed. However, new factories were created accordingly. A factory that processes by-products of mutant species into new materials, and a factory that manufactures special weapons and protective gear. The small area was so packed with buildings and facilities that there was no space to walk. With humanity facing extinction, there was no time to worry about environmental protection. Land that became uninhabitable was abandoned and became a jungle, and land where people lived became an asphalt forest.
The man raised his steaming cup of coffee while looking at the starkly contrasting landscape between gray and green, bordering the outskirts of the city. He was sitting lazily on a sofa made of premium leather with his legs crossed.
The sunlight that came through the floor-to-ceiling window illuminated his profile in a dazzling way. A stylishly dressed man enjoying coffee in a penthouse in the middle of the city. It was like a carefully photographed men's magazine fashion pictorial.
The door behind me burst open. The peaceful atmosphere was broken.
"Woo Shinje!"
The man, Shinje, sat in a diagonal position, tilted his head and looked behind him. Gray, almost gray hair was disheveled on the back of the sofa. He was not surprised by the appearance of an uninvited guest and responded calmly.
"good morning."
"What is good morning? "It's a shitty morning."
A tall man strode in through the open door. Short-cut hair and tanned skin. His grimly distorted face was absolutely brutal.
"What are you? "What happened there?"
Shinje waved off his questions and gestured gracefully toward the espresso machine.
"what? Chana. "Morning coffee?"
"Don't drink! "I wonder what happened to the guy who was dying before we left because he couldn't receive guidance, and came back healthy?"
"I don't really know what you're talking about."
"This bastard."
Chan's blood pressure rose and he looked like he was about to die. Among the S-class members, he was very emotional and outspoken in his expressions. He gets angry easily, gets excited easily and laughs easily. He thought it was more humane.
"You said you were going to find Almuten, but you only received guidance? From whom? "None of you have ever had a conformity rate higher than 2%."
"Well, that's… … ."
Shinje clasped his hands, leaned back, sank into the sofa, and rested in a leisurely manner. Slowly blinking my eyelashes that had turned white in the sunlight, so peacefully. Chan waited, feeling a thousand dollars burning inside him. Finally, the priest opened his mouth.
"secret."
"Even if I die tomorrow, I will kill you and kill you."
"I noticed a rag smell coming from somewhere earlier. "So it was your mouth?"
"How did I end up working for this guy?"
Chan gritted his teeth. He had blood on his forehead. Even though I always make up my mind not to be swayed by that bastard Malbon bird again, I can't stop my face from crumpling when I actually face Shinje.
I first met that bastard when I was a teenager, so the time I spent like that has already passed 10 years and is approaching 20 years. We have come too far to simply be called bad friends. Now the other person just seemed like a hateful, vicious boss and enemy.
"Don't get too excited. Then a blood vessel in the brain bursts."
"what?"
"Hunter Yunchan, get your blood pressure and brain checked soon. The cost will be supported from the budget. "The guide won't even change your mind."
"Take it yourself, you crazy!"
Shinje completely ignored him and picked up his coffee cup again and took a sip. While Chan was fuming and unable to continue speaking, another person came in through the open door.
"I came to see. To see Chan get robbed. He asked Tae-in to come with him, but he refused, saying he didn't want to see that kind of thing."
A man who must have just turned twenty, and who is better described as a boy rather than a young man, confessed innocently. Chan covered his forehead in frustration.
"All of the kids' personalities have been ruined."
"Captain. Can't you bring me here? "The guide."
"Hey, Kwon Hee-su."
Shinje, who was actually involved, didn't react much, but Chan got angry and came forward. Hee-su immediately accepted it with a bright face.
"You have to share delicious food with your family. "It's unfair for the leader to have it all to himself."
"no. How do we know if that guide is a good match for us?"
"I don't know, so let's bring him in first. Even if it doesn't suit us, isn't it good because we can still receive guidance from the leader?"
"I said let's buy a rental guide or borrow someone else's, but I didn't say let's hire it exclusively."
"What car is it?"
"I don't know how great the guide is. In this position alone, there are two S-class and two A-class. All without a partner. "I can't stand it because he's trying to manipulate us as if he owns something."
This happened often because the number of guides was small and there were many people who needed guidance. The type who treat the obsession and desperation of awakened people towards them as trophies and feel superior by using skinship as a weapon. Because of one person like that, the entire group collapsed.
This is especially true if you are in charge of a top-level awakened person, such as S-class or A-class. I was disillusioned when I saw him bragging as if he was S-rank, even though he was lucky enough to be compatible with an S-rank person and became a partner. Well, I don't know what the guides would think, but from Chan's perspective as a hunter, it was like that.
Unlike the Awakened, the Guides did not have a separate rank. This is because the guiding compatibility value, called 'suitability rate', varies greatly depending on the opponent. Even if you guide two awakened people of the same level, you could have a 0% compatibility rate with some people and 100% compatibility with others. A guide who was not compatible with Grade F could have been a perfect match with Grade A. Of course, this is the most extreme example in theory, and in reality, there are statistics showing that rank and compliance rate are generally inversely proportional.
"What if the guide is not interested in that aspect? "If you really just came here to work."
"Fuck, then it's even more of a problem. Would a person like that walk in on his own and think he was crazy? Even if it comes, will you be able to survive with your sanity? "Don't you remember that last guide went crazy and left after a month?"
"She lost her sweetness too quickly. Even if you play with it for just a few hours a day, you can't come to your senses. "I used it as cleanly and sparingly as possible out of consideration for the people behind me."
Hee-su sat down on the empty sofa and grinned like a boy. The gap between his youthful face and his words was enormous.
Unlike other awakened people who were born and lived as ordinary people and whose abilities manifested themselves as early as childhood or as late as adolescence, Hee-su was an awakened person from birth. His mother and the obstetrician who received him were the first victims of his powers.
A person with rare mental abilities, also Class A. Even before the ego was formed, it was labeled as a threat. Everyone was busy holding up and being afraid of the baby who couldn't even speak. Things like morality, conscience, and law were of little significance to him. You can kill a person with just one finger, like squeezing an insect to death. As he grew up, he learned that there were awakened people stronger than him, and he joined the Hunting Order and became socialized to the extent that he is now.
Whenever Chan sees Hee-su, he sometimes thinks of Shin-je from his childhood. Although their personalities were very different, they were similar in some ways. The fact that she had excessively strong abilities from birth. So, while not understanding 'ordinary' humans at all, at the same time being curious about them.
"This is Erewhon." There was a line of people asking to be hired as a low-level, or even day laborer. But parachute a guide whose qualifications have not been verified? If that's the case, why do we have a system? "Why did you create the regulations?"
"Who decides that system?"
Shinje, who was just listening to the conversation with a habitual smile on his face, responded. The air suddenly became cold.
"I really need him. system? Rule? "If that becomes an obstacle, I will bring it back even if it means repairing it."
"The others… … ."
"If anyone resists, bring them in. "I wonder if you can say the same thing in front of me."
"Let's put it that way. How are you going to get that guide? Be honest? There are about four crazy people here who can't get guidance, and I have to suffer until I die by giving them my body? "I would really like it."
"… … ."
Just like the smile on his face, he frowned slightly. It was a signal to act. Chan inadvertently shut her mouth. That guy looked innocent and noble, but inside he was more insidious than anyone else in the room. Even if Chan hurled harsh words at him, the only way he ignored it was because they had known each other since childhood, and the moment he crossed the line, even he couldn't guarantee his safety.
"I will bring it soon. You can't let something like that roll around anywhere. "As long as you get what you want from him, I won't care whether you share it or not, so do it yourself."
"So how?"
"I have to go propose. "Decorate it as pretty as possible."
Then, he makes a calyx with his hand under his chin, tilts his head slightly, and smiles. It was morning, and her hair, which had not been set yet, was flowing naturally. It was an overly cute gesture for a man who looked better in a three-piece suit than a t-shirt, and jewelry and velvet rather than a firearm. However, his facial features were literally flower-like, so he didn't look comical or unsightly.
"how is it?"
"I fucking hate it."
Chan immediately raised his middle finger. Either way, Shinje closed his eyes, leaned back on the sofa, and muttered happily.
"Should I prepare flowers and a ring? Ah, I'm excited."
* * *
Yoo Geon opened his eyes. He got up without even thinking about where he was. The thin blanket over him rustled. A throbbing pain clung to his entire body. This was not a dreary street lined with abandoned factories. A quiet interior lit with fluorescent lights. The walls and floor were a plain ivory color. And across from him.
"brother… … ."
I muttered like a moan. She stretched out her arm, not realizing that the sap cord in her hand was being pulled. Someone stopped Yoo Geon from behind.
"Stay still."
However, Yoo Geon was not even aware of the presence of other people and just tried to get up. Heesung was lying on the bed just a few meters in front of him. Although he had bandages wrapped all over his body and needles for intravenous fluids, he was in dire straits, unlike Yoo Geon, who was relatively fine. He was covered in bandages and gauze from head to toe, so I couldn't even see his face. Numerous wires from medical equipment were connected to his body. The pulse was occasionally drawn as a thin line on the monitor. That was the only way to guess Hee-seong's survival.
"I am that person's guide. "I will treat you now."
"It's not possible. "Please step aside."
"Isn't your brother in pain? Brother, without me... … . Please let go. "Let me go!"
Yoo-geon's voice, who rarely lost his composure, cracked horribly at the end. His last memory was of himself losing consciousness next to his brother, who had run away and was dying. There was no way he could maintain his senses.
"Baek Hee-seong's condition is really bad right now. Even if you guide, holding hands or hugging over clothes doesn't seem to be meaningful."
"It's meaningless?"
Yoo Geon was blank with unfocused eyes for a while. He then reached out and fumbled with the buttons on the patient uniform he was wearing. His hands were shaking pitifully.
"I will. I'll do something else. What should I do with my brother... … ."
"Patient! "If you do this."
The nurse who was watching Yoo Geon tried to catch him. Someone else was quicker than him to open his mouth.
"Baek Yu-geon Guide."
The voice was too dry and stiff for dealing with a patient who had just woken up from a coma. A stranger was standing by the window of the hospital room. Dressed in a dark red uniform without any flaws.
"I am a C-class esper, Major Jeong Chang-hyuk."
He introduced himself in a businesslike tone. Yoo-geon's mesmerized gaze landed on the badge on his chest. Both hands gathered together and holding the air, a flame burning in the middle of them. It was the symbol of the Awakened Management Headquarters.
He was young for a major. Maybe it's natural. There is no meaning in examining the correlation between rank and seniority at the Awakened Management Headquarters. If the rank is low, even if you have served for decades, you are at the bottom, and if the rank is high, you will be called a commander even if you are a minor.
"F-class hunter Baek Hee-seong. "Is this your real brother?"
"you're right."
"Are you sure that you participated in yesterday's gate attack as the guide in charge of Hunter Baek Hee-seong?"
"… … yes."
"Hunter Baek Hee-seong has been identified as a suspect in this case and is being investigated. He would like to cooperate with the investigation as a witness. Please be aware that depending on the situation, Guide Baek Yu-geon, you may also end up on the suspect line."
It was a story that seemed like a lightning strike, without any sense of reality.
"What is that... … ."
My eyes immediately went to Heesung. A faint fog appeared and disappeared repeatedly inside the respiratory tract, which covered more than half of his face. If he was a victim, he was a victim, but it was difficult to see him as a suspect.
"Hunter Baek Hee-seong and twenty-three other hunters, including you, set out to attack the gate created in the closed industrial complex in the Seonram-dong area around 11 PM yesterday. And there are about five survivors identified so far. "At least they also have parts of their bodies cut off or are unconscious."
A terrible memory came back. People running away, crying in fear, blood and flesh splattering everywhere. Even though I was in a heated hospital room, I felt a slight chill.
"The gate in question was classified as small to medium sized during the preliminary investigation. Most of the participants were F or E level, but since there were so many, it was manageable. Even if we were unlucky, there would have been no more than a few injuries. "But it turned into such a big accident."
"What do you want to say?"
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk got to the point with a calm, unfazed expression.
"Our Awakened Management Headquarters is suspicious that Hunter Baek Hee-seong may have intentionally caused the rampage."
My body moved before my head could accept it. Shake! My shin hit the edge of the metal bed. Yoo Geon jumped up without noticing that the IV needle stuck in the back of his hand had come out.
"There are rare cases of awakened people intentionally going out of their way to commit suicide terrorist attacks out of spite towards society or people around them."
"You're not the type of person to do something like that!"
"Hunter Baek Hee-seong was psychologically unstable and was being ignored or ostracized by the hunters around him. There is also testimony that he made several statements to the point, 'I will kill all the people who harassed him.'"
Heesung clearly said something like that. But it was just words. He always was like that. He got irritated and poured sharp words at Yoo Geon, but it wasn't long before he offered an apology. It must have been the same last night. It was probably nothing more or less than something I said in a moment of anger at being looked down upon by others while I was exhausted from a series of missions.
Heesung was not bold enough to put his words into action. He was just as scared of others getting hurt as he was of getting hurt himself. Even though he had been a Hunter for over 10 years, it was clear that he was still reluctant to kill mutants. Such a weak-hearted person carried out a suicide attack?
"Symptoms of runaway usually occur when the mind and body are pushed to their limits due to lack of guidance for a long period of time. However, Hunter Baek Hee-seong caused a runaway even though he had a dedicated guide by his side at all times."
"… … ."
"Didn't you also sympathize with Hunter Baek Hee-seong and deliberately let him run away without guiding him?"
"I let my brother die on purpose for that reason? "My only family?"
Yugeon's lower lip trembled slightly as he asked in disbelief.
"Is there any other explanation that makes sense?"
"A mutant species that has never been seen before has appeared at the gate. A large mutant species so powerful that just looking at it can cause insanity. That influenced my brother."
"Espers searched the scene all night long. "There were no traces of any other mutants other than the lower insectoid mutant commonly called 'Mantis.'"
"It appeared for a very short time and then disappeared. But it is so big that it completely covers the air, so I'm sure there are people who have seen it."
"None of the survivors made such a statement. Everyone testified consistently. "It had been a while since the gate had been opened, but there was no sign, so I thought it was strange, but Hunter Baek Hee-seong made a loud noise. I wondered if all the mutants had flocked there, and when I went there, I saw that he had suddenly gone wild and rushed at me."
"No, that can't be possible. There's no way I've ever seen someone that big and strong... … . Ah, there was. In reality, there were other witnesses besides me and my brother."
"Who are you talking about?"
"… … ."
At that time, there was an S-class awakened person at the scene. A beautiful yet creepy man who seemed to smell like fresh flowers and rotten blood at the same time. He appeared in the middle of the ruins like a meteor crossing the night sky and suddenly left, leaving behind only meaningless words and a violent kiss. Yoo Geon didn't even know the man's name. He almost wondered if his encounter with him was a dream he had while he was unconscious. He didn't even think the other person would believe him if he told him about it.
"Guide Baek Yu-geon. I understand the desire to protect Hunter Baek Hee-seong. But stop making baseless misrepresentations. "The more this happens, the more confident I become in the hypothesis that you too are an accomplice."
Yoo Geon said no more and lowered his shaking gaze to the floor. Colorful, unstable breathing leaked out. He gritted his teeth and nervously brushed his disheveled black hair.
At first glance, my eyes fell on the thin scar drawn above the eye. Drops of blood rose from the spot where the IV needle was roughly pulled out and flowed down his wrist.
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk silently looked at him. The young man in front of me was beyond young. On paper and in reality. According to what I reviewed before coming here, Baek Hee-seong's current resident registration age is 29, and Baek Yu-geon is 23. If Outbreak hadn't happened or I hadn't awakened as a Guide, I would have been living a normal college life by now.
Baek Yoo-geon, whom I saw in person, was tall and rather thin, but quite solid. But as her man, she still didn't feel completely satisfied. She has cold eyes and a hard expression, dulled by countless battles, but if you look closely, she still has boyish marks in various places. She looked even more pitiful because of the baggy hospital gown draped over her scarred body.
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk sighed inwardly. He may cry and be angry, or he may lose his temper and rush at you. The people he had met while investigating crimes related to the Awakened, especially young boys around Yoo Geon's age, often reacted violently to shocking news.
"Baek Yu-geon Guide."
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk called him again. He just called the same name, but unlike before, his tone was more subdued. Like coaxing a tantrum from a child. Yoo Geon is still looking down in confusion.
"They say you and Hunter Baek Hee-seong are the only survivors of the Hwangan Bridge disaster 13 years ago. Is that correct?"
Yu-gun's shoulders flinched for a brief moment. Major Jeong Chang-hyuk had a hunch beneath his expressionless face. I guess you got it right.
"It became a big issue because so many people died and no clues were found. Do you still have hallucinations because of the trauma from that time? "I see a monster that others can't see, and I feel like I'm going crazy because of that monster."
"… … ."
"That could be true. I understand. "You must have hated the world that made you so unhappy, and wanted revenge somehow."
After hearing that, Yoo Geon quietly lowered his head. His shoulders shook slightly. Major Jeong Chang-hyuk watched him. Will he huff and puff and get angry, or will he burst into tears?
Soon, Yoo Geon raised his head and made eye contact. He was smiling. With cool open eyes. The impression of a wild wolf with sharp teeth quickly changed into a gentle large dog.
"It's all planned out."
However, the words that came out of his mouth were not gentle, but extremely bitter.
"It looks like you already drew up the sketch before you came here. Isn't it? "Major."
"… … ."
"Not to make false statements? So what do you think is the truth? "Are you willing to listen to whatever I say?"
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk laughed to himself without realizing it. It was very different from Yoo Geon's impression, which was based solely on statements he heard from people around him. Everyone who knew Yoo Geon said in unison. Although he has a somewhat blunt and dull personality, he is always sincere, cares for his older brother to the point of foolishness, and perhaps because he is still young, has a slightly naive side. But this is completely.
Major Jeong Chang-hyuk left, saying only that he would decide on their disposition as the investigation progressed. The moment the hospital room door opened, he looked through the gap. People in dark red uniforms were guarding the outside.
Yoo Geon realized. This was a hospital room, but it was not a hospital room. It was a temporary prison used only until the suspect, no, the criminal, recovered to some extent.
* * *
Yoo-geon was soon separated from Hee-seong and quarantined alone in another hospital room. The nominal reason given was that Hee-seong was in bad condition, but the real reason lay elsewhere. This was because Yoo Gun's status was upgraded from an investigation reference or preliminary suspect to a strong accomplice. He must have been concerned that Yoo Geon and Hee Seong might do something wrong if they were locked in one place.
As time passed, the situation got worse. Still, Yoo Gun's testimony could not be completely ignored, so the Espers who went to the scene to find the 'unknown mutant' did not get any clues.
It was easier for them to conclude with Hee-seong and Yoo-gun's joint crime rather than clinging to unrealistic hypotheses. Brothers who lost their parents in a terrible accident when they were young and grew up in poverty while being treated poorly by those around them, the hatred sprouting in their hearts, and a suicide attack using the symptoms of an awakened person's runaway. What a neat picture this is. I can already think of dozens of phrases to use during the press conference.
Restraints were placed on the hands and feet of Hee-seong, who could not regain consciousness and survived by relying on a breathing machine. This was because they did not know when a runaway could occur again. Even though he was in a coma and a level F, he was still an awakened person, so he could not let down his guard.
It was the same with Yoo Geon. He had to live with one hand handcuffed to the edge of the bed. The chains on his handcuffs were long, allowing him to move around the room and go to the bathroom, but he could not go out the door. Even if he goes out, he will immediately encounter the Espers guarding the hospital room.
It was dark inside the hospital room without the lights on. I couldn't tell whether it was day or night. Yoo Geon was crouched on the bed with his handcuffed hands hanging down. He raised his knees and buried his head. A clanking sound came from his long chain.
I thought about it and thought about it for a while. What will happen to myself and Hee-seong now? Will Hee-seong ever regain consciousness? Even if he regains consciousness, will he be able to live like a human being?
I never dreamed that something like this would happen to the brothers who were making a living on the outskirts of a shabby city. He had no idea how to clear the ridiculous accusation against them.
Then I think I fell asleep without realizing it. In a shallow sleep, I wandered through a reality-like nightmare, a nightmare-like reality. The first thing Yoo Geon saw when he woke up was the figure of a man sitting on a chair in a corner of a dark hospital room and looking at him in the dark.
Goosebumps ran down my spine. Her whole body became stiff and not even a sound came out. Since when have you been here? She didn't notice at all. But there was a more fundamental question than that. Espers from the Awakened Management Headquarters must be guarding the door of this hospital in shifts 24 hours a day. How on earth did they get in?
"Did you sleep well?"
Shinje watched Yoo Geon with his legs crossed and his chin tilted, and then smiled. And then I muttered to myself.
"that's interesting. I wanted to comfort you when you were struggling underneath me and bleeding... … . "Seeing you sleeping so well makes me want to destroy you."
His silhouette was visible in the blurry darkness. It was noticeably different from when I encountered it on a street lined with abandoned factories. His hair was neatly combed and his suit was dressed without an inch of dishevelment. His coat was held in one arm. Black sleeve garters tighten the forearms wrapped in a well-ironed light gray shirt.
The bruises that had colored her white skin were gone. Memories of violent guiding, as if the opponent was eating my bones, flashed through my mind. Something hot rose up inside Yugeun. And immediately it coolly sank. There were so many things I wanted to ask. But only one question came out of my mouth.
"Who are you?"
"Have you already forgotten? "We had a good time, back then."
Yoo Geon remained silent with a stern expression. He had an expression that made him wonder why on earth he was like this.
"You rolled around very passionately in an open area. "I couldn't forget that, so I came all the way here."
"Just answer the questions."
I made a joke that wasn't a joke to lighten the mood, but Yoo Geon became even more angry. Acting cute. Shinje suppressed laughter inwardly.
"How did you get in here?"
"How did you get in? "I walked on my own feet."
"What about the Espers outside?"
"No one was there?"
"That can't be possible. "You must have been ordered to guard the door 24 hours a day."
"is it so? Espers' attitude towards service is a mess. It's a big deal... … ."
The new emperor sneered without even blinking. It was a sight that would make anyone who knew the truth shudder with disgust.
"Do you like the gift?"
He gestured. When he turned his head, he noticed a large bouquet of flowers placed next to his pillow. The colorful flowers blooming beautifully were half-submerged in the darkness. It's not a flower basket or a vase, it's a bouquet of flowers. For a hospital visit gift, it was truly ambiguous.
I couldn't help but picture in my mind the sight of the man in front of me breaking through the tight security, entering the hospital room without any sign, leaning over the sleeping Yoo-gun and laying down a bouquet of flowers. If he had made up his mind to do so, Yoo Geon would have died instantly without even knowing he was dying. It was creepy.
"I didn't know what flowers you liked, so I bought a little of each type."
"… … ."
"Do you not like flowers?"
"I told you to tell me who it is first."
"Do you know how cold it was earlier?"
The priest sighed and took out something. Yoo Geon was shocked. He wondered if it was a weapon. But she soon changed her mind. There is no reason for an S-class to carry guns or knives.
He took out a business card from a rectangular case and handed it over. It was such a common and common sense behavior that it was rather strange. As much as a murderer who presents his ID and introduces himself before committing murder. Yoo Geon suddenly accepted the business card. The letters were vaguely visible in the moonlight seeping through the window.
"Erewhon?"
Yoo Geon muttered with an expressionless face. The priest quietly watched him. I didn't expect him to know what the name meant.
"Woo Shinje… … . leader."
"Baek Yu-geon Guide."
He just repeated the name written on the business card, but Shinje also called Yu Geon as if he were matching the rhythm. Even though he had been called countless times in his life, the sound of his own name in his soft voice struck me as unfamiliar.
I no longer wondered how he knew his name. He is a person who enters alone into a hospital room located deep inside a hospital exclusively for awakened people, a place full of espers, so why does a name matter?
"I told you. "We will meet again soon."
"… … ."
"Is that guy from last time still alive? "The rope is tougher than I thought."
Yoo Geon glared at him and bit his lower lip. He pledged not to get caught up in the opponent's pace. Although it was sitting elegantly and smiling, the contents inside that pretty shell were cruel and vicious. If he gets upset, he will mercilessly bust Yu-geon's head. Like the corpse of a mutant being crushed every time he took a step.
"… … "What do you want?"
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out why that man was interested in me. An S-class awakened person who would have lived with the world at his feet. You could get anything with just a flick of your hand, so what's so disappointing about a person like that? So I decided to ask more directly.
"I have never had a fit rate higher than 2 percent with any guide. Do you understand what this means?"
Instead of answering the question, Shinje told a somewhat unexpected story.
"In order to achieve 100 percent guiding efficiency, you have to do it with one person at least 50 times in a row. "You can take 50 people and line them up."
"… … ."
"The low-level awakened people are going crazy because they can't find a guide. Advanced awakened people go crazy for this reason."
It was my first time hearing this story. F-class hunters who did not have the opportunity to meet advanced awakened people envied them based on their clumsy imagination. Since I have a lot of money, I can have a lot of luxury, and it would be nice to be able to buy a guide whenever I want.
"Some people like it at first. You can hang out with a lot of people using the excuse of guiding. But even those people soon realize this. There is no end to this pain. "We have to struggle with thirst all our lives and die trying to fill what cannot be filled."
Reactions after enlightenment vary. There are people who have completely given up on receiving guidance and humbly wait for death, there are people who insist on coming to try living without guidance, and there are also people who vent misdirected anger by abusing guides.
"What do you think, Guide Baek Yugeon? "Will there ever come a time when I will escape this hell?"
After finishing speaking, Shinje looked at Yoo Geon with an expressionless expression. It was an unfamiliar sight rarely seen in a man who always had a habit of smiling.
A ritual in a ruined alley came to mind. Eyes filled with a mixture of madness and blind longing glowed eerily in the darkness. Were those eyes also a trace of a struggle to fill something that could not be filled?
A precarious silence continued as they faced each other across the dark space. Shinje smiled again as if he had never done that before.
"So, the conclusion is. It seems like you are the first to break that 2 percent barrier. "I didn't stick my dick in the hole, I just sucked my lips and tongue."
He casually said explicit words in a voice that sounded like he was reading a love poem.
"I don't know whether to congratulate or thank you, but… … . "Let's do both for now."
"What does that mean... … ."