Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Ghost
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“Juyeol, I'll help you look.”
Haon couldn't bear to see the pained look on her childhood friend's face.
“If we search this entire lab, something's bound to turn up.”
And if he was anything like the 'Juyeol' she knew, he wouldn't turn down her help.
Juyeol was reflected, whole and clear, in Haon's tear-filled brown eyes.
Filled with trust and goodwill.
He flinched and shook off her hand.
“You... don't tell me.”
With a look of disbelief, he studied this Eun Haon, who was so different from usual.
“You're really a different…”
*Beep— Beep—.*
Just then, a band on Juyeol's wrist began to beep. He glanced at it hastily, clicked his tongue, and stood up.
“Juyeol. Are you leaving?”
“…”
He scanned Haon, his eyes weighing how to handle the situation.
“In that case, the Mana Core… no, can't you leave the Awakening Sphere?”
But hearing her next words, his expression instantly turned sullen.
“…Hah. That's more like you.”
“It would help me help you faster.”
The look he gave Haon was once again filled with irritation. He spun around and walked straight out of the lab.
“Huh? Juyeol!”
Haon scrambled after him and grabbed his arm.
“Don't cling to me. Get lost.”
He yanked his arm away in annoyance and stepped into the elevator. The muzzle of his gun was pointed at Haon. His eyes warned that he would shoot if she tried to follow.
Anxious, Haon quickly called out just as the elevator doors were closing.
“Juyeol! Make sure you come back tomorrow! I'll search the lab! Okay? Let's have lunch together! And bring the Awakening Sphere!”
He didn't answer.
As she trudged back into the lab, the sharp roar of a motorcycle soon filled the air.
First, Haon closed the wide-open glass window. The lab fell silent, not even the sound of the wind remaining.
“…”
Suddenly, an indescribable sense of loss washed over her. It was a different kind of fear from what she'd felt facing the gun.
“B-Blue.”
She wanted to hear even a broken voice, but Blue didn't answer. She checked her phone and saw the battery was dead.
Haon stood alone and forlorn in a strange dimension.
After standing still for a long while, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and lifted her head.
*'Still, I can't just do nothing. I have to move.'*
The wavering in her frightened eyes slowly disappeared.
*'It's okay. I'm okay!'*
Haon decided to first find a place where she could wash up and treat her wound.
Looking around, she realized the entire building belonged to 'Eun Haon', and a magnificent penthouse was built on the top floor.
“Whoa.”
Haon's eyes widened when she went up to the penthouse.
As if to deter intruders, the entrance to the opera house-like home was armed with several mechanical arms equipped with laser guns.
A look around revealed cameras and motion sensors installed everywhere, just as she'd expected.
*'Huh?'*
But something was wrong. The cameras were all smashed, and the motion sensors were off.
For a moment, an ominous feeling filled the air.
Swallowing dryly, she slowly inspected the exterior of the house and discovered that the lock on the distribution box had been completely broken off.
With a trembling hand, she nudged it open to find that all the wires had been cut.
A sudden surge of tension made her breath catch.
'Eun Haon', murdered by someone. An anti-intrusion system, destroyed by someone. And herself, with the same name and face as 'Eun Haon'.
She felt the fine hairs on her body stand on end.
*'…Why was 'Eun Haon' killed?'*
Haon pressed a hand against her pounding heart and gently pulled on the front door.
The lock must have been broken too, as it swung open easily.
*'If the goal was just to rob the place, there would have been no need to go down to the lab and kill the owner.'*
But the culprit had to kill 'Eun Haon' and take something from this house.
Something important enough to be kept in a house protected by an anti-intrusion system, not in the lab.
Circumstantially, it seemed the goal was to cover up something 'Eun Haon' knew.
At this moment, the only thing Haon could think of was the person who killed Juyeol's sibling.
Even if that wasn't it, the gravity of the problem was the same.
*'Does that mean they'll try to kill me too when they see me?'*
Haon clutched her throbbing side, her face twisting into a grimace.
She wanted to wash up and treat her wound before it got infected, but she was afraid to go inside.
Not knowing who the culprit was, spending the night outside was even more terrifying.
After taking a few deep breaths, she cautiously poked just her head inside and looked around.
*'It's quiet. No one's still here, right?'*
Soon, she stepped through the door, and the lights in the living room flickered on.
At the same time, Haon's eyes shot wide open. She nearly fainted.
Whether it was fortunate or not, the distribution box inside the house seemed to be fine.
The house was still quiet. Haon, who had frozen stiff, let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did she notice the gently swaying curtains.
Looking closely, she saw that the living room's veranda window was open and a flowerpot was knocked over outside.
*'…If they heard the gunshot from the lab, they would've thought someone was coming. They must have already left.'*
She didn't know what was stolen, but she sincerely hoped they had taken it successfully. That way, they wouldn't come back.
The house was breathtakingly luxurious. She was dying to look around, but now was not the time.
She immediately went to the bathroom, washed off the dirt and blood, found a sewing kit, and began stitching up her side.
“Sss.”
Tears welled in Haon's eyes each time the needle passed through her flesh.
Having gone through a war for two long years, she had learned to do all sorts of things.
Still, she hated and feared the pain.
“Phew. All done.”
She felt relieved after placing a piece of gauze over her stitched side.
She opened the closet to find clean clothes, and her jaw dropped. It was filled with nothing but revealing outfits or clothes that clung to the body's every curve.
In the end, she closed the closet and only found a large, short-sleeved T-shirt in the third drawer she rummaged through.
The sleeves came down to her elbows and the hem covered half her thighs; it seemed to be a man's shirt.
*'Perfect for pajamas.'*
She felt refreshed after washing with warm water and putting on clean clothes.
*'I need to catch up on sleep before I can do anything.'*
Haon crawled into bed and flopped down.
Her body felt as heavy as lead, yet the lace pattern of the red canopy caught her eye. It was incredibly ornate.
The bed was large enough for three people with room to spare.
A wide, soft bed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had one, and tried to fall asleep.
*'…The war finally ended and I thought I could rest, but now I'm in another dimension. I wonder if they're having a party back there right now?'*
Haon tossed and turned.
*''Juyeol' will be looking for me. No, he might even think I'm dead.'*
The sound of quiet sobs could be heard.
*'But the war is over, so everyone is safe now. 'Juyeol' will be fine too.'*
Her small hand fumbled for the bedding before pulling an empty pillow into her arms.
*'It might take a long time, but I have to go back and let them know. That I was alive.'*
Haon, who had been rubbing her cheek against the bedding, sat up with a serious expression.
*'This is bad. I can't sleep.'*
She thought she would pass out the moment she lay down, but her mind was wide awake.
***
The explosion had occurred at an insurance company building on a main street.
Flames engulfed the upper floors, starting from the rooftop, and firefighters were struggling to contain the blaze.
*Crash!*
A large man burst out, shattering a second-floor window.
He landed with a thud on the sidewalk, a fainted man slung over his shoulder.
“This one's the arsonist, but I think he has an accomplice.”
He handed the culprit over to the police and ran off to search the area.
Despite his incredible physical abilities, neither the police nor the citizens were surprised.
From across the street, behind the police line, a tall woman shouted.
“I can see an injured person deep within the wreckage! We'll have to clear it from the top!”
She was pointing to a spot inside the building's debris that no one else could see.
Again, no one was surprised.
In this world, there are people who, on rare occasions, awaken special powers around the age of ten.
Most of them become either Heroes or Villains.
“The smoke is hot, so be careful!”
“Is there anyone left inside the building?”
These people, bustling about the accident scene to help others, were the Awakened who protected the city in cooperation with the police—also known as Heroes.
On their clothes, each with a different design, was the symbol of a Hero: a goblin emblem.
Since they usually mobilize for incidents involving Awakened Villains or in disaster situations, Heroes place great importance on cooperating with the police. However, not all of them did.
A man scrambled breathlessly into a dark alley.
He was clutching a bag filled with insurance papers and cash.
The way he scanned his surroundings even as he paused to catch his breath suggested he knew he was being followed.
There was no sign of anyone nearby, as if they had all flocked to watch the Heroes.
“Phew.”
Just as the man heaved a sigh of relief, a sturdy arm emerged from the shadows on the wall.
A hand in a black glove mercilessly struck the back of the man's neck with the butt of a pistol.
*Thwack!*
“Guh!”
The man collapsed without even knowing what had happened. Juyeol stepped silently out of the shadows.
He was an Awakened who could completely erase his presence in the shadows, a power that had earned him the moniker Ghost.
*'I'm late.'*
Juyeol clicked his tongue as he looked at the building, where the fire had yet to be fully extinguished.
He should have come as soon as he heard the explosion, but he was delayed because Dr. Eun Haon had been acting so strangely today.
He dragged the unconscious criminal over and tossed him at the feet of a police officer.
“Here's one.”
At his appearance, the people began to murmur, exchanging wary glances.