Maybe I Want to Go Back to the Old Days (2)
“Something suspicious?”
Out of nowhere, asking about the porter’s suspicious points. The flow didn’t make sense.
‘Is he trying to drive a wedge between us?’
Kang Hae-il knew that much—Yu Jihun had taken a beating from Moon Junil before. Maybe this was just him venting?
“Isn’t he way too competent for an F-rank?”
“That’s just…”
“Ranks are just numbers?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine. Want one? Nicotine might clear your head a bit.”
Yu Jihun pulled out a cigarette and offered it. Kang Hae-il took it and lit it with his finger.
Chiiik.
“……”
Yu Jihun stared enviously.
‘That’s badass.’
As someone who lived and died by style, it was a power he coveted.
“Why? Want me to light yours too?”
When he kept staring, Kang Hae-il assumed he didn’t have a lighter.
“I’m good.”
Ding~
Yu Jihun lit his own with his beloved lighter.
“So, what exactly is suspicious about him?”
Hoo.
Kang Hae-il exhaled smoke as he asked.
“I figured you’d notice something off too. You’re just too close to that guy to see it clearly.”
Yu Jihun had fiery passion, but his mind was ice-cold. He could step back from his emotions and observe. And when he did, the contradictions in that man became obvious.
“I personally can’t stand the guy, but I owe him my life. After that, I stopped looking down on F-ranks. I’ll repay that debt someday. But……”
Hoo.
He blew out a thick cloud of smoke.
“Objectively speaking, there’s too little known about him. It’s like he’s the only F-rank in the world. That ‘holy water’ he uses… I couldn’t find a single scrap of information on it.”
Kang Hae-il’s Constellations rejoiced, thinking they’d finally planted a seed of doubt about Moon Junil’s identity. But Hae-il’s reaction was strongly negative.
“What the hell… He even settled 4.3 million won with me today. Money doesn’t lie, you know?”
It was confusing. Junil’s goal wasn’t money. It wasn’t fame either. It was something these two could never understand. That’s why this suspicion was so hard to pin down.
Tap.
Yu Jihun flicked off the ash and nodded.
“Yeah, 4.3 million is fair. But he only gave me 300,000 won. Look.”
Yu Jihun showed him the messages.
[Moon Junil: Calculating contribution……]
[Moon Junil: Yu Jihun-nim’s contribution is ^0^.]
[Moon Junil: Still, as a service I’ll give you a base pay of 300,000 won.]
“……What does that even mean?”
Kang Hae-il asked with his mouth open in an “O” shape. He was mimicking the ^0^ expression, but it wasn’t actually an expression.
“……It’s not an emoticon. It means zero. Contribution: zero.”
“Ah.”
Even so, Kang Hae-il defended the porter.
“At Gangnam Station Gate, you didn’t really do much, right?”
“……”
Yu Jihun nodded even at that.
“Fine. I’ll admit it. I admit everything. But there’s one reality waiting for you.”
“What.”
“Didn’t you say that guy’s level is 18?”
Everything before had just been buildup. This was the main point.
The porter’s level.
“18? That’s an experience efficiency that makes you swear, isn’t it? Kang Hae-il. Face reality. If you keep dragging him along, you’ll go down with him. And if you fall, we’re all in danger.”
F-ranks don’t level up easily. That was an undeniable fact.
“E-ranks grind production all night if they have to. F-ranks can’t even manage that.”
Kang Hae-il couldn’t refute this part and grew slightly irritated.
“Why does that matter right now?”
The atmosphere grew heavy. But Yu Jihun smiled bitterly and gave his prepared answer.
“I’m thinking of forming a guild. To save the world.”
“A guild……?”
“That’s the bigger picture. The two of us could save this world. Think about it—will there even be a spot for Moon Junil in the Hall of Heroes?”
Clutching her trembling hands, Suyeon thought:
‘Hyung was a hero. But……’
To her, Moon Junil was a hero. Yet apparently, it meant nothing to him.
“I don’t feel proud of it at all.”
He didn’t feel proud. In fact, he might even regret it.
“So don’t bring it up anymore.”
Her chest ached. To Suyeon, the Line 4 incident had been a life-changing turning point. She had been given a second chance at life.
‘Why……’
She had become an Awakened and joined a party hunting monsters—something that didn’t suit her at all—because of that incident. She had witnessed how a human being overcame the greatest despair.
Strange monsters pouring out of a sealed space, the chaos of people pushing and trampling each other, the absolute end where death seemed inevitable. Someone had made a decision and saved every single person in that one car. It had been a miraculous scene to her. One she would never forget.
Yet—
“Why… why do you talk like you regret it?”
The question slipped out in a damp, hoarse voice. Why would he regret it? Suyeon couldn’t understand. She probably never would. She couldn’t. Because it involved interests she knew nothing about.
‘Because Kang Hae-il can’t find out……’
Junil could never let this get out. He couldn’t explain it either. All he could do was desperately construct a logic for why she should just drop it.
So Suyeon reached this strange conclusion.
“Did Hyung gaslight you?”
“What?”
“Did he destroy your self-esteem? Does he keep saying ‘You’re an F-rank, you’re useless’?”
“No. Don’t you know that famous line of his? Ranks are……”
“Just numbers? That’s just him showing off!”
Wham!
Suyeon shouted in frustration.
Moon Junil had only done group projects with Lee Suyeon a few times. They’d never had a deep conversation. So he only realized it now.
‘She’s hard to deal with.’
Lee Suyeon was extremely intelligent and sharp. She wasn’t someone you could brush off like Kang Hae-il. If there was something she didn’t understand, she would keep asking.
“He really did gaslight you, didn’t he? That evil, devilish bastard.”
“Haa. Hey, what gaslighting……”
Junil himself grew frustrated and stepped closer.
“That hyung is just overflowing with conviction to the point of being an idiot. He can’t even take care of himself, yet he only thinks about others—an absolute moron!”
“Oh my.”
Suyeon covered her mouth.
“He must’ve really been gaslit. Where would you find someone like that in modern society?”
‘Shit? That’s true.’
Junil thought the same. He couldn’t imagine how someone like that survived in this society.
“But what can I do when he exists!?”
Suyeon’s eyes darkened. Something was very, very wrong.
“Why are you getting worked up?”
“……What? I’m not worked up at you. Don’t misunderstand.”
“No. Why are you overreacting!?”
Junil had stayed calm even during the chaos of Line 4. But now, on this topic, he was extremely agitated. His face was flushed, his breathing quick.
‘Why?’
Even if many people died because of that incident, was this level of reaction necessary? This was the same person who had coldly ordered them to abandon the other cars. He had even said to kick back anyone trying to re-enter. So why was he suddenly acting like this over the deaths?
This had to be gaslighting. He was being crushed under the shadow of an S-rank.
“Just stick with me.”
She had to separate him from that guy.
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not.”
“You’re B+. We’re not comparable. B+ isn’t even a grade on my transcript.”
“……”
After saying that, Junil avoided Suyeon’s gaze.
‘Sorry.’
He had no choice. If she stayed with him, Suyeon would be in danger. It wouldn’t be good for either of them.
Vroooooom!
Hae-il sped down the open road on his motorcycle. Junil, riding behind him, kept giving directions to the next gate.
“Right turn at the next corner.”
“Yeah.”
Hae-il followed the instructions, but Yu Jihun’s earlier words wouldn’t leave his mind.
「Form a guild with me. That’s the path that’s better for this world.」
A guild……
It was something far larger than a party. Parties were temporary, but guilds were fixed organizations—like companies or unions.
「Think about it. Will there be a place for Moon Junil in the Hall of Heroes?」
Of course, Junil was excluded from that plan.
“Hyung. Are you listening? Left turn. You already passed it.”
Junil’s voice suddenly cut in.
“Ah…… Yeah. Sorry. I’ll make a U-turn.”
Hae-il snapped back to attention and checked the navigation.
Junil and Hae-il rode around on the motorcycle, smashing every gate they could find.
Kwaang!
Kwang!
Unlike Junil, who grew sleepy after using even a little strength, Kang Hae-il’s stamina seemed endless.
“What level?”
“19.”
“……”
Junil said 19 again.
Kwaaang!
Kang Hae-il didn’t give up and smashed several more gates.
“Haa…… What level?”
“20.”
“Oh! Finally!”
“What about you, hyung?”
“Me…… Level 36.”
It was natural that higher levels were harder to gain. But—
S-ranks had such good experience bonuses that they didn’t even feel the difference.
‘I won’t hit 29 today.’
Junil’s experience bar was stuck near the end of level 28.
Why?
‘Only super weak monsters are coming out.’
The gate difficulty had suddenly become far too easy. Ram had changed her strategy. She had given up on feeding Kang Hae-il and decided not to let Junil level up at all. This way, Kang Hae-il—with his massive experience bonus—would keep leveling, while Junil would just waste time.
“Did you hit 20?!”
“Still 19.”
“……How is this possible? It’s already midnight.”
“F-ranks are just numbers~ Who said that again~?”
“……”
“How’s the taste of numbers? Huh?”
“……”
Kang Hae-il fell silent and looked down. Yu Jihun’s words from earlier floated through his mind, while the wall of an F-rank he now faced tormented him.
Slosh—
[Belzerack’s Tears are filling up.]
‘……That much?’
Junil was slightly taken aback.
‘Just how much does she want to raise me?’
From Kang Hae-il’s perspective, Junil was indeed his lifesaver. But it was just one elixir poured out. What was the big deal? He should just go his own way. Junil hadn’t expected him to go this far.
“Um…… Hyung-nim.”
Junil’s voice had changed slightly. He seemed about to say something. But Kang Hae-il didn’t respond.
“I’m just a porter, right?”
When Junil spoke again—
“Don’t say weird things.”
“……”
Kang Hae-il turned back toward the bike as if he’d heard enough.
“Ya, ta.”
“……”
“What are you staring at? A bit more and you’ll hit 20. Keep going and you’ll reach 25. We can even get to 30.”
Junil shook his head violently, unable to hold back anymore.
“No, fuck! That’s not it! Just listen to me for a second!”
“?”
Kang Hae-il blinked. Looking straight into those eyes, Junil finally told him the truth(?).