Chapter 21 - Oppa, I’m So Glad You’re Safe

After subduing the villains and clearing the gate, I handed their bodies over to the hunter police who specialized in villains and returned. Catching them and turning them over was all well and good, but what came next was the problem.

I didn't know exactly how strong the three villains were, but they were clearly far stronger than ordinary D-rank hunters. It would look suspicious for D-rank hunters, outmatched both in strength and numbers, to have defeated them completely. The police would probably grill us about that when they questioned us as witnesses. Well, that was their job. There was no getting around it.

Once we'd finished all the paperwork, Junhwi and I left the police station.

“Hyung, things went smoothly today, but what should we say when they question us as witnesses?”

“About what?”

“From their point of view, it doesn't make sense. A mere D-rank hunter killed three villains estimated to be between B- and C-rank.”

The police might even suspect we were hiding our strength. Then they might question whether both of us had deliberately obtained ranks below our actual abilities. I was aware of that too, so ever since leaving the gate, I'd tried to produce that mysterious aurora-colored sword energy again, but failed every time. At least I had footage of everything that had happened.

“For now, we'll just have to explain it as best we can. Or... let's say an accident inside the gate badly injured the villains, which gave us a chance to deal with them.”

Unexpected accidents did happen inside gates now and then, so it would make a decent excuse. What lay inside the gates was still unknown territory to humanity.

“Then we'll need to get our stories straight.”

“Right. Let's think it over and talk about it later. And Junhwi.”

“Yes, hyung?”

“There's only a year between us. Calling me hyung like that feels a bit much.”

I was only in my midtwenties. I was too young for that. ... The way he talked sometimes made me wonder if he'd been in a gang.

“Ah, sorry. That's what I call the older guys in my biological sister's guild. I've gotten so used to saying it that it's hard to break the habit.”

As if he'd heard it plenty of times before, Junhwi scratched his head sheepishly.

“Still, it's a bit much for me. Please, just call me hyung without making such a big thing of it.”

“I'll try, hyung.”

Oh, come on. At first I hadn't minded too much, but now it was starting to make me cringe.

“And, hyung.”

“What?”

I was about to tell him again to just call me hyung, but the serious look in his eyes made me swallow my words.

“I've said it before, but... thank you so much for today. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, please tell me.”

“Oh, that's what this is about.”

“I could thank you a hundred times and it still wouldn't be enough. You saved my life.”

I wished he'd stop. It was embarrassing as hell. I hadn't realized when we first met, but Junhwi could be surprisingly intense.

“Just buy me a meal.”

“I'll buy you as many as you want! Do you like omakase, hyung?”

“Will you quit making such a production of calling me hyung?”

* * *

It was dinnertime anyway, so I ate with Junhwi before heading home. After everything that had happened today, I was completely wiped out. I wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and go straight to sleep. But I ought to call Sia before turning in.

“... Call her?”

Was calling her the right thing to do after a day like today? It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to Sia. I just didn't want to worry her.

I'd told her this morning I was going to a gate, so it would probably come up naturally during our call. Then I'd have no choice but to tell her about the villains. I couldn't lie and say nothing had happened, either. Sia would see through me even if I tried to hide it, and besides, my wearable camera would have captured everything that happened today.

If she found out...

'It'll weigh on her.'

She might worry that it could happen again, or lose her composure over the fact that someone had tried to kill me. Knowing Sia, she probably wouldn't sleep well tonight.

Even so.

'I should call.'

I hadn't done anything wrong. There was no reason to hide it, and she'd find out one way or another soon enough. I called her right away.

As if she'd been waiting for my call, Sia answered in less than a second.

“Hello?”

[“Oppaaa! I missed you so, so much!”]

It was a video call, of course. Sia waved at me enthusiastically, delighted to see me. A year ago, we hadn't made video calls often, but since she'd come back, we'd usually chosen them over regular calls to check in on each other.

“Me too. I can't wait to see you.”

[“Why is time passing so slowly?”]

Her adorable complaint brought an involuntary smile to my face.

[“Oppa, how was your day? Did everything go okay at the gate?”]

Sia watched me with bright eyes, as though she was already eager to hear all about it.

But then...

[“... Oppa? Did something happen? You don't look happy.”]

Had she caught some tiny change in my expression? She asked with concern in her voice. For just a moment, I'd hesitated over how to tell her.

“You really can read me, Sia. Yeah, something did happen.”

[“What? What happened? Tell me, Oppa. You can tell me anything.”]

A moment ago, she'd been smiling brightly. But then...

[“Wait. Some bitch didn't try to get your number again, did she?”]

As soon as I said something had happened, her demeanor changed abruptly.

[“I knew it. This is why I can never relax. Who was she, Oppa? Was it some bitch who went into the gate with you? Or—”]

... She seemed to have mistaken this for another incident involving a woman, like the time we'd gone to the tteokbokki place together.

But the icy look on her face didn't last. Anxiety seemed to overtake her, and she started to bite her nails. Before she could jump to an even worse conclusion, I decided to explain.

“It's definitely not that.”

[“It's not? Thank goodness. I was worried it had happened again.”]

Relieved by my answer, Sia returned to her usual self.

But did she know? What I'd been through was much more serious. It hurt to have to tell her... but I would have to eventually.

“Sia.”

[“Yes?”]

I spoke as seriously as I could. At first she was smiling warmly, but when she sensed how unusually solemn I was, her eyes began to waver.

“...”

As the silence stretched on, anxiety spread across her face.

[“What is it? What's wrong, Oppa? Hm?”]

“Something... pretty serious happened.”

I let out a deep sigh, then told her what had happened in the gate today: how the villains had tried to kill me, how I'd suddenly become able to wield aurora-colored sword energy, and how I'd used that power to kill them. Of course, I left out the insults they'd hurled at Sia and me at the end.

“... And that's what happened.”

After telling her the long, grim story, I studied her reaction carefully. Sure enough, she didn't look well. She seemed to have plenty to say and even more to ask, but was trying hard to calm herself. Her eyes, especially, held emotions too tangled to describe. She managed to hold them back at first, but then, as though everything she'd bottled up had burst free, her expression began changing from moment to moment. Perhaps she didn't want me to see it, because she turned off her camera.

“Sia...?”

[“... I'm so glad you're safe, Oppa.”]

She sounded calm, but I could hear how hard she was forcing her feelings down.

[“I'm glad you made it back unharmed.”]

“Thank you. And in a way, I owe it to you. If it hadn't been for the sword you gave me, that miracle probably wouldn't have happened.”

[“No. You're the one who made that miracle happen. Thank you so much for coming back alive.”]

She tried to sound cheerful and act as though she was fine, but I could tell she was still holding back her emotions. For her sake, I pretended not to notice.

“Anyway, Sia, I made it back without a scratch, so don't worry. Okay?”

[“... Okay.”]

She was still trying to sound bright, but the faint tremble in her voice made my heart ache. Continuing the call any longer didn't seem good for either of us.

“Ah, I'm tired. Sorry, but let's leave it here for tonight and talk properly tomorrow. Is that okay?”

[“Yeah. Of course. Sleep well, Oppa.”]

I ended the call and stared blankly into space. Hearing how hard Sia had tried to sound cheerful left me feeling awful. Neither of us would sleep well tonight. If only I could be beside her, singing her a lullaby before we drifted off feeling each other's warmth. Tonight felt especially lonely.

* * *

As soon as the call ended, Sia could no longer contain the feelings boiling up from deep within her. After overcoming so many obstacles to be reunited with her precious lover, she had nearly lost him in an instant over something so senseless. And despite what he'd been through, gentle Minjun had worried more about her. Sorrow and guilt began to rise within her. Soon those feelings turned to fierce rage at the scum who had dared try to kill him, and that rage gave way to an ache so deep it tightened her chest: while Minjun had risked his life to survive that ordeal, she hadn't been able to help him at all.

'Thank goodness Oppa managed to draw out that power.'

What if he hadn't? Something she couldn't bear to imagine would have happened. When her thoughts reached that point, she unconsciously crushed the drink bottle in her hand. Though it was plastic, her overwhelming grip didn't merely crumple it. The bottle shattered into tiny pieces like glass.

'What can I do for Oppa?'

Sia could do anything for Minjun. Literally anything. Yet right now, all she could do for him was listen and offer comfort. The bastards who deserved to be torn apart were already dead. Despite being such a powerful dragon, she could do nothing for him. That helplessness was enough to make her rage blaze.

BANG!

She slammed her fist into the floor with all her fury at the villains and herself. The marble was solid, but a single blow from her fist sent cracks racing through it.

'I have to do something.'

Not just for Minjun, but for herself. If she did nothing and simply sat still, she felt as though she'd go mad. As she searched for something she could do, an idea flashed through her mind.

'Just because they're dead doesn't mean I can't take revenge, does it?'

An ordinary person might not have been able to, but as a dragon, she certainly could. Having experienced reincarnation, she'd naturally become interested in the studies of necromancers while she was still a hatchling. That interest grew into a desire to learn, and she taught herself their arts. As a result, she was also highly skilled at using necromancy to summon the souls of the dead.

'That's it.'

If the people she wanted revenge on were already dead, she could summon their souls and take her revenge anyway. They were probably all in hell by now, but...

“I'll show you there's a place worse than hell.”

A murderous light began to fill her eyes.