Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 297. River and Moonlight
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Of course, it's obvious, but people feel pain when stabbed in the stomach with an awl.
I'm no different.
"Ugh..."
Swallowing the groan that escaped involuntarily, I dropped to my knees, and the others stared at me like I was crazy before rushing over.
"You, you mad bastard...!"
Song Arin tore at her hair as she ran toward me.
"Tell us first, say something!"
"I did say it..."
"And give us time to react! What the— no, I'm just too dumbfounded—"
"Get out of the way!"
Then, shoving her aside, people came in and laid me down.
Soon, a man wearing glasses hurried over, checked my wound, and looked at Song Arin.
Even through the pain, I narrowed my eyes to see his translucent window, and soon it appeared.
[Name: Lee Joo-hyung]
[Age: 38]
[Talent: Recovery]
[Talents: None]
[Background: He's tired of being called a human healing potion, but he still can't leave when someone's hurt.]
[Weakness: He's an ordinary human. Attack his vital spots, and he'll die.]
He looked at me and spoke.
"I'm Lee Joo-hyung from the Gangnam Branch Containment Team. Without affiliation, team, and code phrase, treatment is impossible."
"Song Arin from the Gangseo Branch HR Team. Code phrase...?"
Song Arin's mouth closed as she tried to say the code phrase, and the man narrowed his eyes.
Code phrase? I've never heard of such a thing.
Forcing my furrowed brow to relax amid the pain, I opened my mouth to smooth things over.
"Wait a minute, we—"
"Gangseo Branch Response Team Leader Ailin. The code phrase is 'Dew forms, greeting the morning.'"
Ailin cut in and spoke while looking at the others.
"There's no need to suspect them anyway. They're the team that handled the Gangdong Branch's wedge operation for them and resolved the underground incidents too, so word's gotten around."
"...This is that team?"
"Yeah."
"So these are the people the Gangseo Branch Chief calls his private squad."
He muttered as he looked at me.
"So, why did you suddenly come here and stab an awl into your solar plexus?"
"...Before treatment..."
I kept breathing in and out steadily as I spoke.
"If you pull this out, something might come out, and we have to kill it."
"...Something's coming out?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, and the others who'd heard me looked at us with heightened wariness.
This feels bad. Are we about to get kicked out?
Of course, that's possible.
People might not want anyone interfering if they think it's dangerous.
They'd probably want to run from the danger instead.
I need to speak quickly.
"If we all cooperate, we can resolve it easily— Agh!"
Before I could finish, the man yanked out the awl and pressed his hand to the gushing wound.
At the same time,
-Aaaah...!
A low wail rang in my ears.
Something small crawled out of my wound.
Small?
I looked up,
-Shrrk...
Blade-like hands and a pale, monstrous form.
It glared at me, and I glared back.
What, did it not expect me to be the crazy bastard who'd stab his own stomach?
If so, it was mistaken.
I can do this much to win.
I twisted the corner of my mouth up at it, and it stared blankly at me.
Now that it had awakened human emotions, I knew what feeling this would provoke.
And it would act irrationally because of that emotion.
The choice to kill me rather than flee.
At the same time, it began ripping into my stomach,
"Aaack...!"
I screamed in pain for a moment, and the man grabbed it and yanked it out.
"Ughhh!"
Overcome by rising nausea, I hunched over and started vomiting, while the man pressed his hand to my wound and shouted.
"What are you doing! Contain it!"
At the same time, countless people rushed toward us.
"Wait, not us—"
"Move!"
"Urk!"
As Song Arin hurriedly spread her arms, the man grabbed my body and rolled across the floor, and all I could manage was a short scream from the pain in my gut.
At the same time, the lynching by countless Management Bureau employees began.
Not on me, but on the butterfly's mother that had crawled out of my wound.
"Stomp it!"
"Grab it!"
"Kill it!"
Hell unfolded.
People swung batons at the monster, someone fired a gun, another hurled fire.
Anyway, everyone was single-mindedly focused on capturing the monster without suspecting us.
"...Hah... Hah..."
"It won't hurt anymore now."
The man's voice reached my ears.
"...Hah..."
As I listened and pressed my hand to the wound.
It was just bare skin.
"...You trusted us?"
Though the wound was gone, the sharp pain lingering inside twisted my face as I looked at the man, who gazed back with an expression like what kind of question is that.
"Isn't that obvious? People have to trust people. What else can we do?"
"..."
Did I think too badly of them?
I looked at the man smiling kindly at me, then raised my head at the sound of friction on the floor coming from afar.
"Kiiiim Jaaaeheeeon!"
At the same time, a man rolled in, igniting flames on the floor.
It was An Sanghyeon.
"I heard you were in danger! Are you okay?"
"If you heard, come sooner."
"Sorry. I was rolling and saw some things I wanted to smash, so I got sidetracked without realizing."
Yeah. Let's not expect to handle An Sanghyeon properly.
"We got it!"
A woman hurriedly approached us holding something like a glass case.
"Here, take this!"
"Huh? Oh, uh..."
She handed the case to Yoo Daon, who took it reflexively and looked at me.
"W-What do we do with this?"
"What do you mean? Take it!"
The woman spoke as if it was obvious, looking at us.
"Didn't you catch it?"
"Right?"
"Then you have to take it, don't you?"
"Yeah... right?"
People nodded.
"Is that it then?"
"We're done, but..."
"Let's clock out!"
With cheers, people started leaving in groups of twos and threes.
No questions about what happened or why.
Just like office workers whose shift had ended, they gathered and headed to wherever they needed to go.
"You're all healed, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"Good. Seeing you capture a containment object even while burning your own body... As expected of the people the Gangseo Branch Chief trusts with the job."
He patted my shoulder with a smile and stood up.
"Then I'll be off. My team members are waiting to head home."
I looked up and saw a few people waiting for him.
More impatience about delayed quitting time than suspicion or doubt.
"Take care."
He walked away, and soon only the five of us remained.
"What about An Sanghyeon?"
"He clocked out earlier?"
"..."
"..."
"Let's go."
At Jang Chaeyeon's words, we all trudged homeward.
Exhausted and worn out.
"Ugh..."
As soon as we reached the bridge, fresh air greeted us, and we all took deep breaths while looking around.
"Tired, so tired..."
Song Arin muttered with her brow furrowed tight, while Jang Chaeyeon and Ailin leaned silently against the railing, looking drained.
"I'm fine!"
Yoo Daon, as always, was full of energy.
"...That stamina really doesn't seem human."
Song Arin muttered while glancing at Yoo Daon, then at me.
"...See you tomorrow. I'm going."
"No. Take tomorrow off."
After all this, a day off is in order.
"And the day after, let's go to the housewarming."
"You're really going?"
"Thinking about it, Ye-eun became full-time and we didn't get her a gift."
You should at least get a gift for becoming full-time.
"Hmm..."
Song Arin pondered, then nodded.
"Yeah. Then I'm off."
"Me too."
"I'll go too."
Jang Chaeyeon and Ailin nodded and left.
Soon, only Yoo Daon and I remained.
"Ah, then I'll head out too—"
"Daon."
Yoo Daon turned at my words and looked at me.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"..."
Yoo Daon blinked at my question.
"Which part?"
"..."
"..."
For a moment, Yoo Daon and I exchanged glances, then she looked away.
"I'm okay as long as Jaeheon acknowledges me."
"I've never not acknowledged you."
"..."
Yoo Daon smiled faintly at my words.
"Thank you."
The background I saw on her stuck in my mind for some reason.
"Come on, Jaeheon!"
Yoo Daon shouted cheerfully, breaking the mood.
"We should hurry too! Or are you planning to crash at my place again like last time?"
"I truly regret that time."
"No need to apologize! I really liked it!"
"I didn't like it— precisely, I felt too sorry."
"No need at all!"
Yoo Daon walked ahead, and following her, I turned my gaze to the river.
Moonlight reflected on the water, and for a moment, something seemed to writhe.
We definitely eliminated the butterfly's mother.
"Jaeheon!"
"Coming."
Anyway, we'd dealt a severe blow without a doubt. To the riverbank and to the Butterfly's Dream.
I sorted my thoughts while following Yoo Daon.
For now, we won.
*
"Ugh, what kind of housewarming is this..."
Park Ye-eun grumbled as she bustled around the dorm.
It was called a dorm, but it was no different from a house with two rooms.
And as a vigorous teenager, she hadn't cleaned much.
"Let's see. Clear this, clear that."
She diligently cleared trash and clothes, tidying the place,
"Hah... Hah..."
Drenched in sweat, she finally collapsed on the sofa.
"I'll never... do a housewarming again..."
-Ding dong.
The bell rang just as she finished speaking.
"Coming!"
She rushed to open the door, and there stood a familiar face waving.
"Oh, you're here."
" Oppa...?"
Park Ye-eun's voice trailed off as her gaze went to the boxes behind him.
"What's this?"
"Housewarming gift. Just a TV felt too impersonal, so I got surround sound speakers too."
"H-How much did all this..."
"Not much."
He answered casually and gestured, and people moved the boxes in.
"Set it up later. Or when others arrive, we can watch a movie together."
"O-Oppa..."
Did I call this oppa 'mister'? Cancel that forever. Oppa for life.
While Park Ye-eun gazed at him with teary eyes, he spoke again.
"Oh, right. Refrigerator, washer, AC, etc., will arrive soon too, so keep an eye out."
"Yes...?"
"You didn't think I'd be the only one getting you gifts?"
At his words, Park Ye-eun fell deep into thought.
Housewarming— should I do it every day?