Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Who Are You?
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“N-Nova! Calm down and put that down!”
Firefighters and police officers blocked the staff, slowly backing away.
Once she confirmed they were a safe distance away, Haon nodded wearily.
“This should be far enough.”
Then she turned to the building, which was warping and returning to normal, and cut off the flow of mana.
Rumble—.
The Hero Headquarters, a landmark of the central district, collapsed as if it had been waiting for the signal.
Haon rubbed her temples, looking relieved.
“Ah, I'm starving...”
But that wasn't the end of it.
BOOM!
The bombs in the server room detonated all at once, the roar deafening them as the ground shook violently.
“Ugh...!”
As Haon stumbled, strong hands caught her from both sides.
[Haon! Debris from the building is flying this way!]
“...!”
Realizing the explosion was much more powerful than expected, Haon quickly analyzed the composition of the ground beneath her and gave a command.
“Blue!”
Rumble—.
Beyond the dust-filled view, the sound of large and small rocks colliding could be heard.
As the noise subsided and the thick dust settled, people's eyes widened in disbelief.
The ground had risen like a fortress wall, blocking their path.
Haon, calming her startled heart, returned the wall to the ground beneath their feet.
As it did, the tragic sight of the ruined Hero Headquarters was revealed.
“Th-The headquarters...!”
“My god...”
The people stared blankly at the ruins.
The Hero Headquarters was more than just a building.
It was their workplace, a symbol of their duty, a focal point that united the heroes who protected the city, and a landmark whose mere existence reassured the citizens.
It wasn't just the heroes who worked to protect the city.
The workshops where engineers built all sorts of equipment and the countless records accumulated by the intelligence team were gone in an instant.
The people, who had been looking at the empty space where the headquarters once stood, turned their gazes one by one to Nova.
More precisely, to the bazooka he was holding.
“He blew a hole in the headquarters' wall with that bazooka. And Nova was the one holding the unconscious Hunter.”
“He must have aimed for the moment the heroes were away in the old district.”
People's voices grew sharp, veins popping on their necks.
“Did you think you could just blow up the Hero Headquarters and get away with it?”
“Destroying the headquarters doesn't mean the heroes will disappear!”
As Nova, who had been watching them blankly, smiled brightly and raised the bazooka, Haon quickly stepped in front of him.
“Nova didn't do it.”
“Darling...”
Nova feigned exaggerated emotion, and Juyeol muttered under his breath, ‘Why do you keep defending him?’
“Then did Dr. Eun do it? She seemed to be using some strange technology.”
“Wasn't she trying to experiment on the headquarters?”
“Dr. Eun Haon wasn't responsible for this.”
Cutting through the staff's murmurs was Hunter.
It seemed she had finally regained consciousness after collapsing from the impact with the concrete debris.
Hunter frowned, rubbing the back of her head as she spoke to a headquarters staff member.
“Bae Anjae, a psychological counselor from the Gwonyoung Rehabilitation Center. Put out a warrant for his arrest immediately.”
“What? Didn't he die?”
“Yes, he's dead. To be precise, put out a warrant for a man with Bae Anjae's face. Say he's a twin or something.”
The staff member, though puzzled, went to the police to explain the situation.
“Those of you who are unharmed, check on the other staff members first, then look around for any suspicious activity.”
Everyone, confused about what was happening, followed Hunter's orders for the time being.
Once only Haon, Juyeol, Nova, and Hunter were left, Hunter spoke again.
“Dr. Eun Haon. I'd like to have a word. About what happened at the headquarters.”
“I'd like that too, but... I'm really... at my limit...”
But, as if she couldn't hold on any longer, Haon's body slumped forward as she mumbled her reply.
“Hey, Eun Haon!”
“Darling. You can't just sleep anywhere.”
This time, Nova was faster.
Haon, limp and asleep in his arms, looked utterly exhausted.
As Nova prepared to leave, Juyeol shot him a cold look.
“No funny business. Go straight to the lab. Or to District 1.”
“You're quite interested in my darling.”
The two exchanged their usual strange, sharp glances before turning away with a flick of their heads.
Juyeol's eyes met Hunter's, who was staring at him.
Hunter seemed uninterested in whether the mad villain couple left the scene or not.
“Ghost. You—”
“I have something to say, too.”
Before Hunter could finish, Juyeol pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
“What is this?”
* * *
When she forced her heavy eyes open, she was met with snow-white hair and brilliant golden eyes.
“...Pretty.”
“Pretty enough to fall in love?”
Haon, who had been mumbling in a groggy voice, was jolted awake by Nova's playful words.
“...!”
“Darling. Sleep well?”
Only then did she realize she was touching the end of Nova's braided hair. And that she was lying with her head in his lap.
Startled, Haon shot up.
“This is the District 1 office...?”
She looked around, bewildered, and spotted Chacha and Bani sitting on the sofa opposite where she had been lying.
Blinking blankly, Haon suddenly asked Nova.
“Where's Juyeol?”
“...Why are you so vexing?”
Nova pinched Haon's cheek, pulling it gently, and then smiled brightly.
“Now, can you tell those two, who can't read the room and have no sense, to go home?”
“Hwuh?”
At that, Bani, half-hidden behind Chacha's shoulder, shouted bravely.
“We're not leaving! Who knows what you'll do to her!”
“What do you think I'll do?”
At Nova's suggestive tone, Chacha kicked the table with a loud bang.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting in front of a kid!”
Haon watched the three bicker in a daze before plugging her phone into the charger.
Then, thinking she must be covered in dust and needed to wash up, she looked down at her clothes and gasped.
‘Wh-what is this! Why are my clothes different?’
Someone had washed her and even changed her clothes.
‘Don't tell me Nova...?’
She looked at Nova, aghast, and he gave her a meaningful smile.
“...!”
Just as Haon froze, her face pale, Chacha propped her feet on the table with a thud and yelled.
“I did it! I gave her a quick wash and changed her. She was in no state to be laid down anywhere.”
“Chacha!”
Relieved, Haon turned to her with a look of touched surprise.
It was astounding that Chacha, who had gone out for drinks even when 'Eun Haon' died, had personally taken care of her when she collapsed.
But Chacha's expression was a little strange.
Considering her usual self, she should have been lording it over Haon, demanding gratitude or expecting a reward, but she wouldn't even meet her eyes.
Her face was dark, as if something was weighing on her mind.
“Chacha. What's wrong?”
“...”
Chacha, her expression thoughtful, stared at the wall as she spoke.
“Who are you?”
“...?”
As Haon just blinked, bewildered, Nova, who had been staring at Chacha, stood up.
“Well now. I won't interrupt this interesting conversation. I'll go check on District 1, so you all have a good time.”
Then he gave Haon a bright smile and left the office.
Haon, still clueless, looked back and forth between Chacha and Bani. Bani also looked utterly confused.
“I thought something was strange all this time.”
Chacha muttered softly, as if to herself, and met Haon's eyes.
“Even if a person goes crazy, they can't change this much.”
“...Huh?”
Seeing the look in her eyes, Haon realized. Chacha knew she wasn't 'Eun Haon'.
“Who are you, really? Where is the real Eun Haon?”
“H-how did you know?”
“Chacha? Haon? What are you two talking about?”
Bani asked in confusion, and Chacha pointed to Haon's side.
“Bani. What does Eun Haon have on her waist?”
“Her waist? You mean the tattoo that covers her old scar?”
“...!”
With a startled expression, Haon placed a hand on her waist where she had stitched herself up. It was where a bomb fragment had lodged itself inside the dimension gate.
“Yeah, there. When I was cleaning you up, I saw there was no tattoo, just a scar. A scar that wasn't very old, either.”
“This scar was the same?”
As Haon mumbled in a daze, Bani grabbed Chacha's arm.
“Chacha! What are you talking about? Are you saying Haon... isn't Haon?”
“Bani. Haven't you ever thought it was strange? That Eun Haon seemed too unfamiliar after she lost her memory.”
“Well... But...”
“Th-that's right.”
Haon cut off the bewildered Bani's hesitation.
“I'm not the 'Eun Haon' you knew. I'm sorry for deceiving you. I didn't think you'd believe me if I told you the truth...”
“Wh-what.”
As Bani gaped in shock, Chacha slowly looked Haon up and down.
“So the real Eun Haon did die that day, just like I saw?”
“That's right, but I'm real too!”
Haon shot to her feet, indignant.
“There's no fake. I just came from a different place...”
But she trailed off under their gazes and sat back down. They were both looking at her with incomprehension.
Haon was caught off guard by an unexpected feeling of sadness.
‘Ah... I've grown attached to them.’