Chapter 305
He rubbed his chin, looking Uijae up and down.
"You hid yourself well. Even Director Ham wouldn’t have guessed that the former Rank 1 Hunter, presumed dead, was supporting an old lady in some rundown restaurant."
Uijae replied sourly.
"…Keep it a secret. I have no intention of showing my face."
Nam Woo-jin scoffed.
"Hah, like I have anyone to tell. But still… I was wondering why Lee Sa-young brought a civilian here."
He examined Uijae with clear interest.
"Did that bastard know who you were? Is that why he kept you around?"
"No… I don’t think he knew when I first came here."
Back then, Lee Sa-young had been particularly unbearable. Threatening people, scheming ways to use them. Looking back, it was almost laughable. Because now, rather than trying to use him, Lee Sa-young seemed desperate to do anything for him…
Damn it. Uijae bit the inside of his cheek.
Meanwhile, Nam Woo-jin frowned and asked, "So he didn’t know, but he still went out of his way to bring you here? That guy, with his temper?"
"…We made a deal."
"A deal? Didn’t know that guy was even capable of negotiations. That’s new information."
Nam Woo-jin grumbled and turned away. Uijae opened his palm. A faint golden chain shimmered over the long scar on his hand. It had been more of a threat than a contract. And he'd nearly died from poison while making that contract.
But now… he had no regrets.
Who would've thought I’d end up using this to confirm he’s still alive…
Lee Sa-young was alive. As long as the mark of their contract remained, that much was certain. That alone was a small relief.
Uijae smoothed down his hair, still charged with static. "What about Minggijeok? Is he okay?"
"That’s the first thing you ask? Well… yeah, he’s alive. Hasn’t woken up yet, though. He’s gonna need some time to recover. He’ll have some scars too."
Ah, thank god. Uijae let out a quiet sigh of relief. Scars didn’t matter, as long as he survived. As long as he didn’t die. He brushed his fingers over his forehead, but there was no trace of any injury. Nam Woo-jin clicked his tongue.
"Heard you blocked an attack with your head? Where’d you get the confidence, seriously."
"……."
"Hey, don’t give me that look like ‘at least I survived’! And don’t you dare make that ‘one hit is no big deal’ face either! A normal Hunter’s head would’ve been smashed to pieces! This is why guys with sturdy bodies are a problem. They don’t value their own damn lives!"
Nam Woo-jin jabbed a finger at him and yelled.
Uijae, who had unconsciously been pouting slightly, quickly fixed his expression and sat up straight. His body still remembered the lectures he had endured in the Memorial Dungeon.
Nam Woo-jin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he adjusted his glasses. His face looked healthier than before, but his hands were still frighteningly thin, the bones protruding beneath the skin—just like they had in the glimpses of the future.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
"Damn it, all of you… I’m already up to my neck in work, could you at least try not to get yourselves killed?"
"…Yes, sir."
"And what’s the point of answering so obediently if you’re just gonna get your head bashed in again?"
Nam Woo-jin rolled up his lab coat sleeves and pressed his hand against Uijae’s forehead. A faint glow spread over his skin.
"Any pain? Dizziness? Nausea? Seeing double?"
"Before I passed out, yeah… but now I’m fine."
"Oh, so you were fighting in that condition? Without a care in the world for your own body?"
"……."
Uijae kind of missed the days when they still spoke formally to each other. When they maintained a respectful distance. After Nam Woo-jin’s Memorial Dungeon special lecture on J, he had gradually dropped all honorifics.
But could he really complain? He’d spent years shamelessly using his seniority as a weapon to act like an old-school know-it-all.
This was just karma.
After a while, Nam Woo-jin pulled his hand away. The assistant behind him began writing something in the medical chart. Uijae rubbed his forehead.
"Who brought me here?"
"Blue-backed fish. Found you sprawled out on the ground. Wouldn’t shut up about how you hit your head too hard, how maybe your brain got damaged."
Ha. Uijae let out a weak laugh. He’d have to thank him later. If not for him, he probably would’ve woken up face-first on the cold floor.
"And the seafood market? Is it okay?"
"Haven’t heard anything, so it must be fine. These days, no news is good news."
Finally, the tension left his shoulders. Uijae exhaled and ran a hand down his face. It was done. The whiteout spreading through the seafood market and Big Mackerel’s mutation—he had stopped them. Even if Minggijeok got injured in the process…
"Where’s my mask?"
"Took it off for treatment. It’s on the desk, go grab it. Did you even realize your mask and face were soaked in blood? Looked like something straight out of a horror movie."
So that’s why it felt damp. Uijae barely held back a sarcastic remark. He could tell that if he said anything right now, the scolding would triple. Instead, he gave a polite nod.
"Thanks for treating me."
"If you’re really grateful, stop being reckless."
"Yes, sir."
"And don’t just say ‘yes’—"
Just as Nam Woo-jin was about to launch into another long-winded lecture, his assistant cut in at just the right moment.
"Master, it’s time for the experimental drug test."
"…Already? Alright. Hey, walking disaster. Your mask is on the desk in the room you were waiting in last time. If anything feels off, come find me."
With a lazy wave, Nam Woo-jin left.
The assistant handed Uijae a keycard and a disposable mask.
"Here, your temporary access pass and a mask. The room will be locked, but you can use this to enter."
"Ah, thanks."
"You shouldn’t run into anyone on the way. Then, if you’ll excuse me…"
"Wait, where’s Minggijeok?"
"He’s in the emergency recovery ward. Only medical staff are allowed inside. If he recovers enough for visitors, we’ll let you know."
The assistant gave a polite nod before following after Nam Woo-jin.
Uijae rolled his stiff neck.
That room… it must be where the notebook was.
Might as well check it while I’m here.
Maybe there would be something new written in it.
Uijae quickened his pace.
***
A distant sound of sobbing reached their ears.
Dressed in black, Honeybee stared blankly out the window. Outside, people were gathered in a circle, and at the center, a towering pile of wood burned. Yoon Gaeul sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve over and over again, until the skin around them turned red and swollen.
Sa-young twirled a pen between his fingers and muttered,
"…You shouldn’t get too caught up in the remnants of memory."
"I know."
"Your face says otherwise."
"……."
Honeybee fell silent, lips pressed together. Sa-young didn’t push further. There was no point in making things worse, not for her, not for himself. And comforting someone? That wasn’t something Sa-young was particularly good at.
Between sniffles, Gaeul asked,
"…Do you think he’s doing well in his world? That he’s healthy…?"
"……."
No one answered.
Jeong Bin was dead.
After his death, Seowon Guild rapidly lost its energy. People began to speak of annihilation more easily. More often, they saw people slumped in exhaustion, weighed down by despair. The aftermath was even worse than when J had died.
It made sense.
J had already faded from the forefront due to his illness, but Jeong Bin had been the true leader of the survivors. A group without a leader would inevitably fall apart.
Honeybee gazed through the window at the massive figure standing still beyond the flames.
Matthew stood there, staring at the burning pyre with an expressionless face. He would be the next leader.
But not for long.
Honeybee murmured,
"Matthew dies too, doesn’t he?"
"Yeah."
"And there’s no way to stop it."
"It’s just self-satisfaction. Even if you try to change it, nothing will actually change."
"…So we just have to watch? Stupidly, until this memory ends?"
"Yeah."
She leaned her head against the window, exhaustion etched into her face.
"…Feels like being trapped in a prison."
This world was rushing toward its predetermined end.
All they could do was wait for it.
Even if it meant the destruction of an entire world.
Leaving the two behind, Sa-young quietly stepped out of the room.
He made his way to Nam Woo-jin’s study. The desk lamp was still on, casting a glow over the open notebook.
[Jeong Bin is dead.]
How dedicated to record-keeping, he thought dryly.
Flipping through the pages, he skimmed past countless blanks until he reached the very last page.
His indifferent gaze froze.
His lips parted slightly.
Violet eyes took in the unfamiliar writing.
[I miss you.]
It wasn’t Nam Woo-jin’s handwriting. It wasn’t his own either.
The pencil strokes had the careful precision of someone trying to write neatly, though near the end, the lines grew more hurried, more natural.
Sa-young ran a blackened thumb over the words.
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
"What an idiot…"
He would never say it out loud. But writing it in words? That, somehow, was easier.
Sa-young pressed his lips lightly against the inked letters.
After a long moment, he pulled away and reached for a nearby pen.
The pen’s tip traced dark ink across the page.
[Jeong Bin, killed while stopping a mutated team member. Check if there are any signs of mutation among those close to him.]
Sa-young tapped the end of the pen against his chin before adding another note.
[Take care.]
[Don’t overdo it.]
And without hesitation, the final sentence appeared on the page.
[I miss you too.]