The Bus
"Bus" is an industry term for a higher-ranked Awakener escorting a lower-ranked one into a gate and clearing the dungeon for them.
"So that's what it comes down to," Choi Yoo-ra said, as if she'd expected nothing less. "All you want is for me to carry you on a bus."
"What else would I ask of you? That's the only thing you can do for me."
"Are you looking down on me right now?"
"I'm not looking down on you. I'm just saying that's all there is to ask."
"Well... I guess that's true."
"Carry me until I get into the Special Operations Division. After that, I'll handle the rest myself."
"And if I do carry you?"
"I'll tell you who killed Lee Shin."
Choi Yoo-ra's body trembled as if she'd been struck by lightning.
"You... What are you saying? You know who that person is?"
"Of course. Isn't he the guy in the photo on your wall? Tattoo artist by trade. Loved riding motorcycles. Your ex-boyfriend."
"How do you...?"
How could I not know? Before my regression, Choi Yoo-ra had come to me. She poured out her story and begged for my help—help taking down the Godfather. At the time, I was an SSS-rank supporter who had reached the top of the rankings, the kind of hunter she could reasonably ask for assistance. Even if I couldn't help directly in combat.
Still, I refused her. I was tied to a fixed raid party and couldn't spare the time. Out of some shred of conscience, I tried asking my party members for permission, but none of them agreed. Damn it. I should have looked into it back then—should have realized they were treating me like a tool. But I was drunk on my sense of duty as a hunter and my patriotism, convinced that personal favors had to be sacrificed for the greater good. I even foolishly believed my party members were my true comrades.
So I turned my back on the person who had saved my life. A few months later, Choi Yoo-ra was found hanging from Incheon Bridge.
It was one of the most shameful things I had ever done.
I didn't want to repeat that idiotic mistake. Choi Yoo-ra's death had become a heavy stone in my heart. When I later lost my mother because those bastards turned their backs on me, I remembered how I had ignored her. Maybe that was my punishment for abandoning Choi Yoo-ra back then.
If there was one thing I learned from that incident, it was that living with guilt was worse than biting my tongue and dying. I didn't want to live that way. Never again.
"You asked how I know."
"Yeah."
"There was a guy in my circle who knew Lee Shin through a couple of connections. A motorcycle rider who only exchanged greetings with him now and then."
Of course, that was a lie.
"Who?"
"Would you recognize the name? I already told you it was just someone whose face I knew."
"So?"
"One day he told me a pretty scary story. Said there was this guy named Lee Shin who joined a lower organization under the Incheon Alliance and was working as a wrecker."
"......"
"Am I wrong?"
"No. You're right."
Choi Yoo-ra squeezed her eyes shut, as if she couldn't bear to have her lover's shameful past exposed.
Lee Shin, Choi Yoo-ra's ex, had been a tattoo artist and motorcycle rider—and a criminal who worked as a wrecker. The fact that he wasn't even an Awakener yet still became a wrecker was largely because he'd already been hanging around with gangsters. Tattoo artists who specialized in irezumi ink had plenty of shady clients, so associating with them came naturally. Once he became a wrecker, Lee Shin turned into a hyena of the concrete jungle and committed all sorts of crimes.
"He... tried to quit. Said he couldn't do it anymore. That it wasn't right. He was shaking, saying no human being should have to do that kind of work, that even criminals had limits."
"And then?"
"He died. They found him dead in his shop the day after he decided to turn himself in."
I could picture it clearly. At first, he probably stuck to relatively minor crimes—robbing people in areas where spatial transfers had occurred, looting stores, that sort of thing. Then at some point he crossed the line. It was likely he got involved in serious felonies like murder or rape and had a change of heart. Not that I cared about some punk's change of heart. Whether he felt guilty or was just scared, a criminal was still a criminal. Honestly, his death was karma—cause and effect, plain and simple.
What mattered was that Choi Yoo-ra wanted revenge for that idiot.
"Why go through the trouble of getting revenge?"
Revenge was easy to talk about, but actually carrying it out was far harder than people imagined. Suppose someone lost a loved one to another person. How many actually went through with revenge? Revenge was both payback against an enemy and an act of self-destruction and self-abuse. Only someone willing to destroy even themselves could pull it off. Just like I had in my previous life.
That was why I couldn't understand why Choi Yoo-ra was so determined to avenge some lowlife thug.
"I know he wasn't a good guy. Looking back, he was basically a reckless punk. He had his cool moments, though."
"And even knowing that, you're still going after the Godfather?"
"Because he was my everything."
"That kind of thug?"
"I think it was my first year of high school. My stepfather tried to rape me. I realized I was actually going to get assaulted, so I ran away from home without thinking. But once I was out, I had nowhere to go. I wandered around aimlessly and ended up crouching in some alley in Hongdae, crying. It was right in front of his shop."
"Ah."
"He fed me, let me stay the night, even helped me get my high school equivalency diploma. And he never laid a finger on me. So the moment I turned twenty, I made the first move. Heh."
"I see."
After hearing the story I had never gotten to hear in my previous life, I finally understood why Choi Yoo-ra had chosen revenge. People who had nothing left to lose weren't afraid of destroying themselves. Just as she said, Choi Yoo-ra had lost everything. That was why she could pursue revenge without the slightest hesitation.
"All right, I get it. Train me."
"A mere one-star?"
"Ever heard of buying low? Right now I'm just a one-star newbie, but who knows? I might end up being useful for your revenge."
"Hmm."
"I know more than you think. And if you carry me a few times, I'll tell you who killed Lee Shin. Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it?"
"Fine."
Choi Yoo-ra nodded.
"I'll treat it as a gamble and raise this chick once. Just this once."
"You won't regret it."
"You'd better make sure I don't."
Choi Yoo-ra's eyes gleamed sharply. The warning was clear: if I tried anything shady, she wouldn't let it slide.
"Ease up on the glare. I already know without the intimidation."
"Sorry."
At my remark, Choi Yoo-ra apologized.
"I'll contact you in a couple of days. Don't do anything stupid and just stay put. I'm heading out."
"Go."
The moment I returned to the Nest, I briefly considered what to do next. Should I look around the plaza or check the auction house? The Hunter Link offered various spaces beyond just the Nest. There was the plaza where Awakeners could interact and communicate, a labor market for recruitment, and even a kind of black market for finding traders. Of course, caution was always necessary. Every space in the Hunter Link could maintain complete anonymity if desired, making it nearly impossible to figure out who the other person was or what their intentions might be.
Whatever. I'll just sleep.
I felt mentally exhausted after everything that had happened today, so I logged out.
The next afternoon, my family finished packing and prepared to leave the refugee camp for the Hyperion penthouse in Seocho-gu.
"I'm so jealous."
"This is why raising kids well matters, huh."
The refugees couldn't hide their envy toward my family. Some didn't even bother concealing their jealousy and resentment.
"Tch."
"Must be rough being a non-Awakener."
Everyone had become refugees together, yet only my family was rising in status and leaving. It must have been infuriating to watch. I understood. My family and the other refugees had once lived in the same apartment building with similar standards of living.
"We've stocked the place with appliances and furniture for now. I hope it meets your expectations."
Major Im showed us photos of the interior. His sunken eyes made it obvious he'd pulled an all-nighter preparing the apartment for our move.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Do you like it?"
"Of course. When would I have ever lived in a place like this? Haha."
That was a lie. Even as a supporter, an apartment of this level had felt ordinary to me when I was a ranker. It's all meaningless anyway. This was an era where wealth and fame concentrated among Awakeners. Once you became a high-ranking hunter, material things eventually lost their appeal. You only understood once you'd experienced it—nice houses and nice cars were pleasant to have, but their absence was merely a minor inconvenience, not something that actually hindered your life.
Knowing that, the reason I'd demanded a good house, a good car, and plenty of money from the Defense Strategy Department was entirely for my family's sake, not my own.
"This way, please."
Major Im guided my family toward the helicopter.
"There's no need for all this."
"Cha Eun-seong is the world's only... You know this already."
Major Im glanced around cautiously, as if worried about security, and chose his words carefully.
"This is simply the treatment you deserve. There's no need to feel burdened."
"Hahaha..."
"We'll escort you this way."
Perhaps sensing my discomfort, my father spoke up.
"Major Im has had a hard time because of our good-for-nothing son."
"Not at all. I consider this part of my duty and am carrying out my mission accordingly. Ah, and it's an honor to meet you in person. Loyalty!"
"Loyalty."
Major Im's face was filled with respect. My father was regarded as a legendary figure in special operations, someone active-duty soldiers truly looked up to.
"By the way, I'll be going separately. I have someone to meet."
"Pardon?"
"Well then, I'll be off."
I left Major Im behind and started the engine of the vehicle parked in the clearing. It was a pickup truck from KG Mobility—cheaper than imported models yet solid in performance, a vehicle I'd frequently used in my previous life as well. In the back was an off-road hybrid motorcycle, so I'd have mobility whenever I needed it.
"Cha Eun-seong! Cha Eun-seong!"
Ignoring Major Im's calls, I started the engine and drove out of the clearing. Then I called Choi Yoo-ra.
"Hello."
"Yeah."
"You got time right now?"
"I do."
"Help me clear a gate."
"Sure, why not."
Thanks to our prior coordination, Choi Yoo-ra picked up on the cue and played along naturally.
"Where should we meet?"
"Sindorim."
"Ah, there."
As expected of a 4-star hunter, Choi Yoo-ra understood immediately.
"Got it. I'll get ready and head over right away."
"Confirmed."
I drove straight toward Sindorim. But there was a problem.
Thududududu!
Well, well. Three helicopters were chasing after me.