Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Campfire Confessions
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His cheeks trembled faintly.
If this had been anywhere else, he might have lost it right there and shown a different reaction. Pierre's report had shaken Kim Il-su that much.
Si-woo and Ye-ryeong.
The two had finally revealed themselves to the world.
And their purpose was singular.
-There was a woman hidden inside our guild.
It was the rescue of Hyo-min.
"...They took her?"
-Yes.
A wave of dizziness blurred his vision. He pressed his palm to his face and bowed his head.
He had anticipated it. That they would eventually make a move like this. And if they did, they would target a moment when he was away.
But he had thought it wouldn't matter.
Blue House was impregnable, and Hyo-min was hidden away securely. Even if they managed to free her, escaping Blue House itself would be impossible.
'Was it because of the demons? Is that why things went so wrong?'
No, even then, finding Hyo-min's location shouldn't have been easy.
All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind, but it was too late for regrets. Right now, sorting out what came next took priority over questioning the past.
"Got it. And Pierre, don't go blabbing about this anywhere."
-Wait, Guild Master...
Click.
Pierre seemed like he had more to say, but Kim Il-su ended the call abruptly. Even if asked, he had no intention of answering anything about this.
Kim Il-su's face was serene after hanging up.
Jin Do-ha, who had been listening nearby, noticed blood trickling from his clenched fist.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine."
Kim Il-su nodded, his expression no different from usual.
A faint smile and a relaxed demeanor. Everything about his vibe.
He had locked all his emotions away in that fist, clenched so tight his nails dug into his skin.
"For now, I'm fine."
Even after the invitation to join them, Unhyang slipped away.
"Don't make me out to be the clueless one. But next time, you have to call me. Promise!"
Though her heart was in it, Unhyang stubbornly refused. Truth be told, as she said, today was for the three of them.
Crackle, pop.
Soo-hyuk built a campfire. He arranged branches, stacked plenty of firewood nearby, and set out chairs.
Ye-ryeong had brought the booze.
The drinks she brought were strong stuff. Among their group, she was the biggest drinker who loved it the most.
Night had deepened.
Under a sky lit by moon and stars, they lit the campfire, felt the cool breeze, and sipped warmly heated liquor.
The three sat in their chairs, catching up on all the lost time.
"A dumpster?"
"Yeah. I was like, what the hell is this?"
"So you have zero memories for twenty whole years?"
"None at all. One blink, and bam—dumpster."
"What'd you do with the kid then?"
"Thought I'd just leave him be since he was little, but he crossed the line in the end."
"Crossed the line? How?"
The stories showed no sign of ending.
From the moment they first awoke—what had happened. How they knew the other two were alive. How they'd survived all that time.
There was just too much to say.
"Why'd you start streaming? To find us?"
"Figured you might see it. But that wasn't the reason."
"Then?"
"Points."
"...You really Soo-hyuk?"
"Wasn't a money-grubber gimmick?"
"Nah. Hey, speaking of—you guys got any points saved up?"
"You think?"
They answered in unison, and Soo-hyuk sighed.
He had no intention of asking for points, but the massive amount he'd need going forward suddenly flashed in his mind.
"Why? You in debt or something?"
"Skills."
"Skills?"
Soo-hyuk explained the skills he'd acquired.
Skills that devoured enormous points. Ye-ryeong and Si-woo nodded at first, but gaped when they heard the points needed for the next level.
"Wh-what's so expensive?"
"Worth that much?"
Soo-hyuk nodded at Si-woo's question.
"Yeah. At least so far."
"More points needed means bigger effects?"
"Exactly."
"Next level must be insane."
Si-woo's words nailed Soo-hyuk's expectations perfectly.
The higher the level, the stronger Selfish Sacrifice became. The points required scaled up, and so did the skill's power in proportion.
"Knew something was off."
"Off how?"
"From your streams, I could smell you. But no way you'd ever stream."
"No other way to earn points. And it's what I'm best at."
"Oho? Feeling that streamer talent, huh?"
Ye-ryeong, her face flushed from the booze, teased him.
"Not that. Lee Soo-hyuk cosplay streams were trending. So just turn on the camera and be myself."
"Did you now, Mr. Lee Soo-hyuk Streamer?"
"Yes, my lord. Thanks for the donation."
"Kuhuhu."
"...Stop laughing!"
Ye-ryeong's face crumpled. She'd donated thousands of points without realizing it was really him—and she'd regret it forever.
This would be teasing material for years.
After ribbing Ye-ryeong for a while, Soo-hyuk grinned and asked,
"What about you two? How'd you get by?"
"Us?"
Ye-ryeong and Si-woo exchanged glances.
Soo-hyuk, expecting a flood of chatter, looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"...Not much to tell?"
"Not much?"
"Fought each other, hunted, took trials. That's it."
Soo-hyuk was speechless at Si-woo's reply.
Time hadn't frozen just for him. Those twenty years had been lost to them all—not just the dead Soo-hyuk.
"Couldn't be helped. If we didn't fake our deaths, Hyo-min would've gotten hurt."
Ye-ryeong scratched her head sheepishly as she said it.
Soo-hyuk stared into the campfire for a moment, downed his drink in one go, and spoke.
"Sorry."
The liquor carried the bitterness of his sigh.
"...Because of me."
"What're you sorry for?"
"Yeah. It wasn't you—it was Hyo-min who got caught..."
"In the end, it all happened because I pushed for it."
Soo-hyuk's words were firm.
Si-woo raised a hand to stop Ye-ryeong as she opened her mouth. She glared, but he shut his eyes and shook his head firmly.
'What? Why?'
'Just let it be.'
'Why!'
'Let him talk.'
'...Ugh, seriously.'
They exchanged a brief silent conversation with glances. Normally, Soo-hyuk would've picked up on it, but not now.
"It was my fault."
Soo-hyuk's gaze was fixed on the campfire.
In the roaring flames, a scene from the past flickered.
Convincing his teammates to raid the Hydra. And in the end, their dying bodies.
Watching them die, Soo-hyuk had screamed. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd contributed to their deaths.
It wasn't about blame. That incident had ultimately stemmed from Kim Il-su's betrayal.
But Soo-hyuk had been the one to set the wheel of fate in motion.
After reincarnating, Soo-hyuk had thought:
Why bother reincarnating? He should've atoned in death instead of getting this second chance.
"I... deserved punishment."
"Why's it your fault? How were you supposed to know Kim Il-su would betray us?"
Soo-hyuk gave a wry smile at Ye-ryeong's rebuttal.
"Not knowing I'd die doesn't excuse shoving us off a cliff."
"That's not the same as..."
Then Si-woo's hand clamped over Ye-ryeong's mouth.
"You get it."
"Mmph!"
Ye-ryeong muffled a shout.
Si-woo pressed on regardless.
"Right. That raid was your call. We trusted you."
"...Yeah."
"We wondered too. What if we'd chosen differently that day?"
"..."
This time, even Ye-ryeong fell silent.
They'd never discussed it, but she'd thought about it: What if they'd scrapped the Hydra raid?
It wasn't resentment—something else entirely.
"We'll never know about what-ifs. Maybe the same outcome just delayed. Maybe we all lived. Or all died."
Could everyone have survived if they'd done it differently?
Thousands, tens of thousands of times he'd mulled it over.
But no answers came from hypotheticals.
"One thing's certain. Su-hun, Min-jae, Ji-young. And now Gyu-seong too. They're not with us anymore."
"..."
"You're right. So atone."
Soo-hyuk bowed his head, eyes closed. Ye-ryeong fidgeted, glancing between them.
That moment.
"Not to us—to the dead ones."
Si-woo's cold words twisted into a mischievous grin.
"With the half-face Kim Il-su's got left."
Soo-hyuk's eyes wavered briefly. The teammates' images in the flames vanished.
"...Thanks."
Gulp, gulp—he drained the rest of his drink, his flushed face breaking into a bright smile.
"That's what I needed to hear."
"..."
Ye-ryeong swatted away Si-woo's hand. But unlike before, she said nothing.
Some wounds don't heal with "it's okay." They must burst open and hurt before mending.
Soo-hyuk's was like that.
One difference.
'This wound heals only when revenge ends.'
Too deep and festering for mere forgiveness.
Now, it had merely reset to the start.
"Knew it."
Si-woo snorted, sinking into his chair and shaking his head.
"Said that earlier 'cause you seemed to need it. Now for the real talk?"
And he flipped his words.
"Thanks."
"...?"
"You saved us four back then. You... died."
He's here now, but Soo-hyuk had died that day.
He could've escaped alone. Instead, he chose to save them and die.
"The guilt wasn't just yours. Us too."
"But that was because I..."
"Would you say the same if roles reversed?"
"..."
Soo-hyuk had no reply.
For the first time, he imagined it:
Si-woo sacrificing himself to save him, living on borrowed time for over twenty years.
Horrifying.
Why had he never considered this simple truth before?
Seeing Soo-hyuk speechless, Si-woo said it like see?
"Get it now? No one's blaming anyone."
Smack.
Si-woo clapped Soo-hyuk's back. The sharp impact and sound snapped him back.
"Enough emo talk. Cheers already. You've been solo-drinking."
Si-woo raised his bottle. Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong set down empties and grabbed fresh ones.
Si-woo stood, grinning as he thrust his bottle forward.
"Welcome back."
"We're back!"
Clink!
The bottles rang clear.
In front of the roaring campfire, Soo-hyuk downed his, face glowing red happily.
Now it felt real.
He was truly back.