Reunion in the Shadows
“Aaaargh!”
The tattooed man clutched his forearm and thrashed on the floor. The pain of his body freezing was no different from being burned. On top of that, the ice had spread from his forearm to the palm of his perfectly fine hand. He could only choke and gasp, unable to even scream properly through the extreme agony.
“Ah. Oops.”
Lim Dojun lightly extended his hand and dispersed the cold air.
“Still not used to this.”
Dragon-style magic was still unfamiliar to him. The man had picked a fight so suddenly that the spell had shot out almost instinctively. Before he could consciously stop it, the man’s body had already frozen over.
“My apologies. Are you all right?”
Dojun asked as he looked down at the fallen man. Judging by the man’s sloppy appearance, tone, and gaze, he had clearly been looking for trouble. In the past, Dojun would have subdued someone like this first and asked questions later. It seemed that old habit was still lingering.
The fact that the thought had even crossed his mind meant the magic had activated on its own.
I need to practice this.
It was a mistake born of inexperience, but now that he recognized it, it would be fine from now on.
“I-I’m… f-fine… I’m fine…”
The tattooed man rubbed his now-normal arm, trembling. The limb looked untouched except for a slight redness, as if it had never been encased in ice. Yet the pain still felt like his skin was being flayed, and the fear of Dojun was far greater. The condescending look in his eyes from moments ago had vanished completely.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m really sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’m the one who made the mistake.”
“Still… I’m sorry…”
“More importantly, is Happy Service in this building?”
Dojun changed the subject and glanced at the building. The tattooed man’s face turned awkward.
“Uh… Do you know our boss? I work there…”
“Oh, perfect. Could you show me the way?”
Dojun smiled faintly.
* * *
Park Daecheol had been running Happy Service for five years now. Running your own business was never easy, especially in these back alleys where truly dirty things happened all the time. He had gone through all sorts of hardships, and only recently had things started to settle down.
Ah. Another lucid dream.
When he saw the blood-soaked room, Park Daecheol assumed he was dreaming again. He had had the same dream several times already. Whenever he was exhausted enough to pass out, this scene always appeared.
It was from his days as the lowest-ranking member of the Viper Gang, Seoul’s largest criminal organization formed by a mix of gangsters, returned criminals, and naturally awakened criminals. Looking around, he saw the lavishly decorated hotel lobby. Today was the day the hotel was reopening.
They’ll be here soon.
Park Daecheol stared at the hotel entrance.
—Crash!
The door shattered as armed soldiers stormed in.
—Get down!
—Surrender immediately! Resist and you will be shot on sight!
They looked like special forces, but the Viper Gang members only sneered. If they had been ordinary gangsters, it might have been different, but these were a mix of returnees and awakened. Armed soldiers were nothing to them.
But then, soldiers bearing tiger marks on their shoulders appeared. They were armed not with guns, but with various artifacts—the Special Counter-Abnormal Team. Only when the awakened appeared did the Viper Gang members flinch, yet the smirks on their faces remained.
—Hah. You think a naturally awakened can take on a returnee? The difference in power—
Thud!
The head of one of the sneering executives flew off.
Whoa. That’s still terrifying no matter how many times I see it.
Park Daecheol shook his head. One of the soldiers had moved in an instant. It was Lim Dojun, the team leader of the Special Counter-Abnormal Team at the time, who had executed the lead gangster.
Now he knew it had been the result of pushing artifacts to their limits, but back then he hadn’t even understood what had happened.
I’d heard the rumors, but I never knew he was this overwhelming.
Special Counter-Abnormal Team 2. Even as naturally awakened, they wielded multiple artifacts with complete mastery and possessed power that surpassed even returnees. Lim Dojun began to rampage, and his teammates followed, sweeping through the Viper Gang.
Watching the brothers he had thought untouchable being subdued in an instant was shocking. Park Daecheol moved desperately to survive.
—I only joined a week ago! Please, just spare me once! Don’t kill me! Please save me!!
If he stayed still, he would end up like the executives, so he dropped to his knees, crawled forward, and screamed at the top of his lungs with his head bowed.
And it worked.
The monstrous man at the front stopped his hand for the first time.
—What’s your name?
—P-Park Daecheol.
—Park Daecheol.
“…cheol.”
—Y-Yes. Park Daecheol. Please, just once… spare me just once.
Watching himself grovel like that felt strange. It was as if someone was actually speaking in front of him.
“Park Daecheol.”
“???”
Park Daecheol jolted awake. His eyes flew open.
“D… Dojun hyung-nim?”
Lim Dojun stood right in front of him.
* * *
“H-Hyung-nim!”
“It’s been a while.”
Dojun looked at Park Daecheol. Seven years ago, during the Viper Gang annihilation operation, this was the man he had spared. He had only subdued him because the man claimed he had joined just a week earlier. The Viper Gang had committed many crimes, but those were the deeds of the higher-ups. The lowest-ranking member who had just joined might have been innocent.
Afterward, Dojun had investigated thoroughly. If the man had lied or been involved in serious crimes, he would have been punished. But Park Daecheol was clean. He had joined out of admiration for the organization but had only run minor errands. So he was released on probation, and that incident created a connection between him and Dojun.
“No…! Where have you been all this time? I couldn’t even reach you…”
Park Daecheol spoke with a hint of resentment. Dojun’s residence had been classified information. The Special Counter-Abnormal Team had eliminated many criminals, which meant they had accumulated grudges with criminal organizations. Since it was public knowledge that he had been severely injured in the battle against the Crystal Dragon, revenge seekers might come if his address became known. That was why he had hidden himself completely and lived in complete secrecy.
“I was injured, so I’ve been recovering.”
“I heard rumors your injuries were serious, but I guess they were just rumors. You look perfectly fine.”
Park Daecheol examined Dojun’s condition. There were no traces of injury. Moreover, just looking at him brought an inexplicable sense of pressure. It felt as if his very soul was being overwhelmed.
Even when we first met, it wasn’t this intense… What is this?
Park Daecheol swallowed hard.
“Haha. Well, I’m just glad you’ve recovered. It’s good to see you again, hyung-nim.”
“How long are you going to keep calling me that? I’m discharged now, not military personnel anymore, and I’m younger than you.”
“Once a hyung-nim, always a hyung-nim. Age doesn’t matter!”
Seeing Park Daecheol’s smiling face brought back old memories.
—Thank you for saving me! I’ll serve you as my hyung-nim from now on!
—No need. Just live a clean life from now on.
—How could I ever forget the debt of saving my life! I won’t commit any more crimes from now on!
And Park Daecheol had kept his word. He worked hard doing manual labor and deliveries, saved up money, and started his own business.
—Hehe. Hyung-nim, even though you’re in the military, there are times when you’ll need a private organization, right? Come find me when that happens.
He had given Dojun a business card back then. But right after that, Dojun was deployed on a mission, suffered his disability, and was discharged. He never contacted him afterward.
“By the way, didn’t you say you wouldn’t commit any more crimes?”
Dojun looked around. The office was located in a back alley of Jongno. The name was “Happy Service.” It looked like it handled illegal work at a glance.
“Whoa, you misunderstand. We operate strictly within the bounds of the law!”
Park Daecheol waved both hands in protest.
“…Though we do cross the line sometimes, we never commit actual crimes.”
He added the last part while slightly averting his gaze. Then his eyes narrowed when he spotted the tattooed man standing behind Dojun.
“Did that guy make a mistake with you, hyung-nim?”
The Happy Service employee was standing with both hands clasped respectfully. It was strange. No matter how much they trained him, that guy could never shake off his thug habits. There was no way he would act this polite on his own. It was obvious he had been thoroughly put in his place by Dojun.
“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to intimidate customers who come here?”
“No, that’s not…”
“Shut up! Do you even know who hyung-nim is? You’re lucky your neck isn’t broken!”
“…I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, go stand over there and bow your head.”
“Yes, sir!”
The tattooed man scurried away.
“Hyung-nim, I’m sorry. Please forgive him just this once. He’s not a bad kid, despite how he looks.”
“It’s fine. He didn’t really do anything. If anything, I’m the one who made a mistake.”
Dojun shrugged. The man’s expression and behavior had been unpleasant, but he hadn’t actually started a fight. Not wanting to dig into details, Dojun changed the subject.
“More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Anything. Just say the word.”
“The Crystal Dragon that injured me. I want you to find out why it suddenly appeared in Korea.”
Right now, Park Daecheol was the best person to obtain this kind of information. Kim Eunju had warned him not to trust the military.
“The Crystal Dragon…? …Now that you mention it, it is strange. I never thought about it before, but why would a disaster like that suddenly appear in Korea? I never even heard about a gate opening.”
Park Daecheol pondered for a moment before continuing.
“Understood. I’ll look into it.”
Happy Service handled all sorts of jobs, including information gathering.
“Please wait a little, hyung-nim. I’ll find out as quickly as possible and contact you.”
“Yes. I appreciate it.”
* * *
The newly learned Barkmong-style mana control method was definitely different. The rate at which his body stiffened had noticeably decreased.
At this rate, if left alone, it would take about ten years before my limbs stiffen again.
He had bought himself a lot of time. Of course, he couldn’t afford to let it drag on that long. He needed to completely heal his body within five years. If not, he would have to learn an even better mana control technique to buy more time. All of that could only be done in the other world, so after meeting Park Daecheol, Dojun returned home and connected to the capsule.
Still no word from Master.
He opened his eyes in the training room and stepped outside, but there was no note waiting for him. It seemed the test or mission from the Discipline Elder would take some time. That worked out well. He had something to do before then.
—Dojun-ssi. What if there are already returnees who have visited that other world? Since it’s an existing world, even if accessed through the capsule…
It was something Kim Eunju had said right before they parted. She was right. There were many returnees on Earth, and they supposedly went to various worlds. It was possible that someone had already fallen into the world Dojun was currently visiting.
That was why Kim Eunju had made the suggestion.
—If you tell me the characteristics, I’ll try to find out where it is.
Dojun didn’t know much. He only knew that the first city he arrived in was called Bellangs and that the Blue Magic Tower had a branch there. He could have learned more if he had tried, but he had spent most of his time holed up in the training room, so that was all he had. Surprisingly, Kim Eunju had managed to find something with just that information.
[Kim Eunju, Center Director: Take a look at this. (link)]
Kim Eunju had sent a link. It was one of the internet community minor galleries—the “Returnee Minor Gallery.”
Bellangs?
Dojun was surprised. Of course, it could be a city from a different world, but it was worth checking out at least once.