Safe Return and Unanswered Questions
As dawn broke after my safe return, my eyes opened on their own. I rose from bed and practiced the Harmony Heart Method, feeling my body noticeably lighter than the day before. After a quick shower and simple preparations for work, I headed to the Northern Uijeongbu Branch.
The moment I opened the office door, the air already felt charged despite the early hour. Maps spread across desks, hands checking equipment, static crackling from radios—everyone moved with urgent purpose, as if preparing to deploy at any moment.
I greeted them as usual. “Good morning. Is something going on? Why is everyone so busy?”
Before I could finish, Jaehoon hyung spun around, eyes wide. “Huh…? Jihoon? Wait, what—hold on. What the—how did you get out?!”
“Yes. I… made it back alive.”
The single sentence froze the entire office. Team Leader Yoo Mira stopped mid-motion with a document in her hand, staring at me. “Jihoon… is that… really you standing there?”
Doyun hyung looked up a beat later, his eyes widening in shock. “Yah… Jihoon… seriously? You… you actually… made it back here alive?! Damn… I thought I was losing my mind…”
His voice trembled with emotion. Homin hyung said nothing and simply strode over, pulling me into a rough hug and pounding my back. “As long as you came back alive, that’s all that matters. You really went through hell.”
Sorin stood with her arms crossed, but her eyes were already turning red. “Oppa… do you have any idea how worried we were…? Everyone stayed up all night preparing… I thought we’d never see you again…”
Then someone approached with quick, careful steps. It was Dayoon. Her face filled with worry as she looked me over. “Jihoon… are you hurt anywhere? If you’re in pain, tell me. Just—let me check. Are you really okay?”
When her hand reached toward my arm, I smiled lightly and stopped her. “I’m fine, Dayoon. Really. Not a single scratch. Thanks for worrying.”
Only then did the tension in her expression ease. “…Phew. Thank goodness. If you hadn’t come out… I thought something terrible had happened.”
I scratched the back of my neck with an awkward smile. “I just got lucky. Managed to slip away somehow.”
Before I could say more, Team Leader Yoo Mira quietly walked up and pulled me into a silent embrace. The moment her warmth touched me, my body went rigid. Time seemed to stop in that position.
“Ah… Team Leader…!”
Too startled to react, I just stood there. “You… must have been really worried, huh…?”
Only then did she realize what she had done. Her face flushed as she quickly released me and stepped back. “As long as you’re safe… that’s enough. Right now, that’s all that matters.”
She averted her gaze and quietly returned to her seat. The lingering warmth of the brief hug remained on my body, and the office fell into silence. Everyone seemed speechless at the unexpected action, an awkward mix of relief and embarrassment hanging in the air.
Jaehoon hyung cleared his throat to break the tension. “Alright, good. We’ve confirmed you’re alive, so now explain what happened.”
All eyes turned to me. I organized my thoughts and spoke calmly. “When I got out of the car and approached the canyon entrance, I saw a horde of orcs about to pour out. I threw mana-stone bombs at both cliffs to collapse the canyon and block their path. But before it fully collapsed, about twenty orcs broke through and charged straight at me. I had no choice but to climb toward the mountain peak beside the canyon to find cover. Even after that, the orcs kept patrolling the area, so I couldn’t move. I just stayed hidden like that. After about a day, hunters arrived, cleared the orcs, and went inside. When I got closer, I saw they were wearing unfamiliar uniforms and masks over their faces—I couldn’t tell who they were. Something felt off, so I stayed hidden and watched. After they finished with the orcs, they went deeper into the canyon, came back out after a while, got in their vehicles, and left. I followed their tracks from a distance… and eventually reached the path leading to the gate. That’s how I made it back.”
The office fell silent again—not because anyone was at a loss for words, but because relief washed over everyone once more. Jaehoon hyung lightly clapped my shoulder. “You always manage to give people heart attacks. Still, you did well holding out.”
I lowered my head with a smile. “Now that I’m back, it’s finally sinking in.”
Before I could finish, Team Leader Yoo Mira was on a long call from the far side of the office. Her expression gradually hardened. After a moment, she walked over to us. “I just got a call from headquarters. They said the gate you were in has closed.”
The air in the office shifted subtly. Everyone exchanged surprised glances before naturally turning to me. Jaehoon hyung looked thoughtful as he surveyed the room, then spoke quietly. “Then… those masked hunters Jihoon saw from the peak. What they were doing inside… that’s what’s bothering me the most.”
Homin hyung crossed his arms and tilted his head. “They showed up at the perfect timing and slipped away just as fast? Looks like they were up to something.”
Sorin added in a small voice, “Could they have taken the dungeon core? It almost seems like they moved before we could get inside…”
A chill ran down my spine as I listened. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. The scene replayed in my mind, and a quiet regret began to spread. It had all been a hastily made-up story, yet everyone was taking it seriously, dissecting every detail. Standing in that atmosphere made it feel as if the events I’d fabricated were solidifying into reality. The thought made my breath catch for a moment.
But I couldn’t tell them I had absorbed the core. Speaking further would only make things worse. In the end, I quietly muttered to myself, ‘…It’ll work out somehow. There are plenty of illegal hunters these days, so it’ll naturally be attributed to them.’
I tried to console myself and let the matter pass. Dayoon spoke up with a worried look. “…Not knowing exactly what they did makes it even more unsettling.”
The office atmosphere had naturally shifted from concern for me to questions about the masked figures. Team Leader Yoo Mira let out a small sigh. “…I’ll compile everything Jihoon saw and send it to headquarters. This doesn’t seem like a simple reconnaissance mission.”
Her words settled quietly, and the office grew still once more. No one could easily draw a conclusion, and an indescribable unease slowly sank to the floor.
After a moment, Doyun hyung spoke first. “Team Leader, let’s stop here. Jihoon just came back alive—how long are we going to keep the mood this heavy? The gate’s closed, and that’s that… We should celebrate his safe return first.”
The tense air loosened slightly. Homin hyung grinned brightly. “Yeah! Jihoon, what do you want to eat? We should go get something good today.”
Right then, Jaehoon hyung raised his hand. “Sounds good. Team Leader, let’s have a team dinner tonight. Everyone worked hard… and Jihoon made it back alive.”
Sorin raised her hand cheerfully. “I agree, Team Leader! Let’s celebrate Oppa’s safe return with dinner tonight!”
Dayoon quietly nodded as well. “…I’m in favor too. Everyone needs to unwind today.”
All eyes turned to Team Leader Yoo Mira. She looked at us for a moment before slowly nodding. “…Alright. Let’s take it easy today. We’ll have dinner together.”
The heavy atmosphere gradually lifted. Everyone returned to their seats and began organizing their tasks. Team Leader Yoo Mira compiled a formal report on my return and the current situation, sending it to headquarters and the Hyeonmu Guild. Meanwhile, I wrote up a report detailing the events in the canyon and handled some additional paperwork that had been requested.
By the time I finished, the sun was already setting. Once all work was done, Jaehoon hyung gathered everyone. “Alright, we’re really finished now. Let’s head out and go to that dinner we promised.”
As evening air seeped in, we left the office and made our way to a nearby restaurant. Over light food and drinks, we naturally exchanged words confirming everyone’s safety, and congratulations on my return were repeated several times. Laughter flowed freely, and the long day gradually relaxed in that loosened atmosphere. We stayed until quite late, sharing food and light jokes.
After the dinner ended, we said our goodbyes and headed home. I dragged my exhausted body back, collapsed onto my bed the moment I arrived, and fell asleep the instant my eyes closed. I vaguely remembered summoning Arin and Elly out of habit—
When I opened my eyes in the morning, chicken boxes and beer cans were scattered messily across the living room floor. “……Ha.”
These damn spirits. If they ate, they could at least clean up. Grumbling, I turned my head and heard snoring. Arin was sprawled on the sofa, Elly on the floor. A sigh and a chuckle escaped me at the same time.
Without a word, I walked over and pinched both spirits’ noses at once. “Mmph—!” “Ack—!”
“Next time, clean up before you sleep.”
After that light remark, I got ready for work. The moment I entered the office, an official summons from the Investigation Bureau was waiting for me.
I finished my preparations and headed straight to headquarters. After passing through the entrance and going up to the Director’s office, I found everyone already seated and waiting. Director Han Seoyeon sat at the front, Audit Division Chief Choi Junhyuk beside her, and Investigator Park Eunchae watching me with documents spread out. My report from the previous day lay on the table.
“Investigator Byun Jihoon. Have a seat.”
I sat down. The Director slowly flipped through the report and spoke. “Then… explain what happened in the dungeon, just as it’s written in the report.”
I recounted everything exactly as I had told my teammates the day before—the canyon collapse, the detour, waiting at the mountain peak, hiding to avoid the unidentified hunters, and discovering the path leading to the gate. I spoke calmly, making sure not to leave anything out.
When I finished, a brief silence settled over the Director’s office. While the three of them exchanged glances, an air of having already reached some conclusion thinly permeated the room.
Then Audit Division Chief Choi Junhyuk spoke. “Investigator Byun, there’s one thing I’d like to confirm.”
He pointed to a line in the report. “The part about the unidentified hunter group entering the canyon… this sentence here.”
“Yes. I clearly saw them move that way.”
The words came out naturally, but a strange unease lingered in my chest. Still, I couldn’t change my story now. If I wavered here, things would only get bigger.
Choi Junhyuk continued in a firm tone, his head slightly lowered. “The problem is—we have no way to directly confirm whether they ‘actually entered.’”
He closed the report. “Since the gate has already closed, an internal investigation is impossible. So we conducted a thorough examination of the gate’s former location and the surrounding terrain.”
At that moment, Investigator Park Eunchae slid a single sheet of paper forward.