Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Visit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nova, who was touching the gloves, asked dubiously.
“Darling. You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”
“Doing what?”
“...Never mind. I’ll put the gloves to good use.”
“Okay. They look good on you.”
Oblivious to what the three were thinking, Haon smiled with satisfaction.
After Nova left, Haon hurried up to the 4th-floor lab and checked the monitor.
“Blue. Did you find Juyeol’s location?”
[The three current estimated locations are displayed on the monitor. If we overlay the CCTV review results—.]
Beep, beep. Beep, beep.
A blue dot blinked on the map on the monitor. It was where Juyeol was.
She had run the tracking program before making Nova’s gloves.
*I didn’t want to go this far without his consent, but…*
Even with Nova by her side, she was plagued by nightmares. All that was left was Juyeol.
Even if that weren't the case, she was worried about him.
What on earth was he doing that neither Chacha, Bani, nor Nova had heard any news about Ghost?
There was no talk of anyone attacking the rehabilitation center, either.
*...Nothing bad happened to him, right?*
Haon just couldn't turn her back on Juyeol.
The last time she saw his face, it had been a mess of dark emotions.
She wanted to at least confirm that he was safe.
With that in mind, she made her way to the Old City’s District 5.
* * *
A child serving food was a common sight in the diners of the old city.
“What are you going to do about this? You splashed soup on my expensive clothes.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
And it wasn't uncommon for such a child to be bowing repeatedly to an obnoxious customer.
“This is why we can’t just leave District 5 as it is. How can you not even serve properly, even if you’re just a brat?”
But it *was* rare for gangsters from District 4 to come all the way to a diner in District 5 to cause a scene.
Sitting in a corner seat, Juyeol chewed and swallowed his stir-fried mushrooms, glancing sideways at the villains.
With a cap on and his hood pulled up, no one knew who he was.
*So the rumor about the District 4 boss wanting a piece of District 5 was true.*
This wasn't even the border where the two districts met, and just a few streets over was a club run by the District 5 gang.
This was a clear act of provocation against the District 5 gang.
“Hey, kid. Go tell your dad that you’re paying for this table.”
“What? M-Me?”
“Yeah. You should at least show that much sincerity.”
“And go out and buy a bottle of booze! What kind of diner doesn't have alcohol?”
As the gangsters continued their harassment, the other customers, who had been chattering loudly, grew quiet.
Juyeol hesitated for a moment but soon looked away from them.
*I’m not a Hero anymore. This isn’t my problem.*
Just then, one of the men poked the child’s small, round forehead with his finger.
“You’re not going? Why are you so slow?”
“Th-That’s…”
As the terrified child stammered, the diner owner, finally grasping the situation, rushed out from the kitchen.
“S-Sir. I’m sorry, but we don’t sell alcohol here.”
“What? These idiots don’t seem to understand.”
“That’s why I told you to go out and buy a bottle!”
The moment a gangster raised his hand and the child squeezed their eyes shut, Juyeol slammed his chopsticks down with a crack.
“Fucking hell. It’s too damn loud.”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
“Who the hell is this guy?”
One of the villains stood up, a look of disbelief on his face.
“Let’s see your face. Are you one of the District 5 guys?”
Even as the man strode toward him, Juyeol just drank his water. Enraged by this, the villain threw a punch without warning.
“Who do you think you are, acting tough all by yourself!”
Letting out a small sigh, Juyeol stood up and ruthlessly threw his empty water cup at the man’s face.
*Thwack!*
“Agh…!”
As the man staggered, clutching his nose, Juyeol kicked him hard.
The man fell to the floor and slid all the way to the counter. The other villains shot to their feet, their chairs clattering noisily as they toppled over.
“Is he crazy?”
“Who is that bastard? Is he really from District 5?”
Two of them rushed at Juyeol simultaneously.
Juyeol gracefully dodged one man’s kick and threw a punch at the other. The fist, aimed for the chin, cut through empty air.
“Tsk.”
The guy was quicker than he thought.
He swiftly pulled back to avoid an incoming fist.
*Thud—.*
But the punch he thought he’d dodged caught him in the face.
He deflected another punch coming from a different direction, spun around, and kicked at the man’s head.
He missed again.
Stumbling, Juyeol quickly regained his balance and created some distance.
*What is this?*
Puzzled by the consecutive missed attacks, he sharpened his senses.
The men snickered, exchanging glances.
“Did you really think you could take us on?”
“You’ll be crawling out of here on all fours.”
Something was strange. It felt as if their movements were momentarily becoming incredibly fast.
Almost as if they had some kind of ‘ability.’
*That can’t be right.*
Having been a Hero for years, Juyeol knew the faces of all the Awakened villains.
The men in front of him were all non-Awakened.
*Forced Awakening?*
Even as he muttered it to himself, he thought it was ridiculous.
Two guys in the same gang, both Awakening without any issues? The probability was next to impossible.
Still, he needed to check.
Juyeol watched their movements carefully, then closed the distance at an unexpected moment.
As one of them flinched, he landed a punch. The man’s jaw twisted, and he lost consciousness, falling backward.
As his punch landed squarely this time, Juyeol furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
*Was I mistaken?*
The remaining man’s bravado had vanished, replaced by a look of sheer panic.
“Why, why so soon?”
The instant the man hastily pulled a gun from his waistband, Juyeol twisted his wrist to snatch it away and struck him in the face with the handle.
The villain, hit squarely on the cheekbone, staggered back, clutching his face.
“So I was mistaken after all.”
Juyeol muttered indifferently, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him up effortlessly.
“You can’t do this in here!”
Suddenly, a frightened shout came from the side.
He paused and looked over to see the diner owner hugging the child, both trembling.
“Th-Thank you so much for helping, but… that is…”
“...”
Juyeol understood what the owner was thinking and let the gangster go.
If this continued, the District 4 gang might swarm this place, seeking revenge on him.
The owner wouldn't want his diner to become a battleground for the District 4 and 5 gangs.
He glanced around and saw the other customers pressed against the wall, trying to stay out of it.
Even with his face covered, people still shunned and feared him. It was always the same.
*Like I give a damn.*
Juyeol scoffed, but then he suddenly remembered someone who hadn't been afraid of him. Someone who had met his gaze with shining eyes and a bright smile.
A wave of nausea washed over him. He shook his head and pressed the payment for his meal into the hand of the child in the owner's arms.
“That was a good meal.”
He left the diner, walked through a dark alley, and entered one of the safe houses he had prepared in advance.
He slumped onto the sofa, took off his cap, and stared blankly at the ceiling as time ticked by.
His hands, slowly clenching into fists, began to tremble. He then slammed his cap onto the floor in frustration.
“Fuck.”
He scrubbed his face roughly and sighed.
Even though he’d said he was quitting being a Hero, Hunter kept returning his surrendered equipment. It was all useless to him now.
He had certainly thought so, yet here he was, jumping into troublesome situations on his own accord, as if some pitiful sense of heroism remained… He, who had always thought that no job suited him less than being a Hero.
*What the hell am I doing?*
He leaned his head back against the sofa and covered his eyes with his arm. Just then, he sensed a presence outside.
*Who is it?*
He slowly lowered his arm, his dark eyes flaring with alertness.
“Blue. Here… Juyeol…”
“...?”
He flinched, catching a fragment of a familiar voice.
* * *
*Doesn’t Hero Headquarters provide him with a place to live? Why did he turn down my offer to live together while staying in a place like this?*
Haon stood in front of a building that looked like a garage.
The paving stones and concrete road were cracked and warped, creating an uneven surface.
It looked like a very inconvenient place to get to by bike.
“Blue. Are you sure Juyeol is here?”
[Yes, Haon. I’m certain.]
*Knock, knock.* She tried knocking, but there was no response.
She called out, “Juyeol?” but it was the same.
She double-checked the location on her phone, and it confirmed Juyeol was here. The scan clearly detected a bio-signature.
For a moment, Haon’s heart began to pound with anxiety.
*He didn’t collapse, did he? Did something happen?*
Once it took root, the anxiety grew uncontrollably.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Haon disengaged the lock and threw the door open.
What she saw was Juyeol, sitting on a sofa, leaning back as if he were lying down.
“...Juyeol.”
Seeing his empty, listless appearance, she felt a lump form in her throat.
“If you think someone is picking your lock, you should hide or point a gun at them. What are you going to do just sitting there like that?”
At Haon’s words, Juyeol tilted his head.
“Take one more step.”
Happy to hear his low voice for the first time in a while, Haon readily stepped inside.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, her vision flipped, and she found herself hanging upside down from the ceiling. Her hat and crossbody bag fell to the floor with a thud.