Chapter 48

December 4th, 2023

After standing still and watching, Sa-young broke into a moderate stride and stood directly behind J as the other hunter began to talk about their upcoming schedule. The overheated hunter, who had been waxing lyrical about the importance of medicines, gasped and took a step back.

“Lee, Lee Sa-young.”

“Oh, Sa-young, you’re here fast. How was Dongdaemun Gate?”

J looked back and pretended to know, but Sa-young only replied coldly to the hunter, who was standing in front of him..

“Send another asshole.”

“What? But…”

“Send another asshole.”

The hunter, who was going to say more, bowed out after failing to break through Sa-young’s ferocity. Sa-young bowed his head and whispered in J’s ear.

“I’m just listening to bullshit….”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Efficiency wise, I’m the one going.”

“Don’t talk bullshit to me, too.”

“I told you to speak nicely.”

Sa-young murmured more in an angry, pouty voice, but it was inaudible to me. His soft black hair was buried between J’s shoulders and the nape of his neck. J patted Sa-young head with another hand while looking at the documents. It looked very familiar.

Watching the unfamiliar scene, I crossed my arms with a tremble.

‘…Isn’t this a dog dream?’

True to Yoon Autumn’s words, the doomed world’s fairy tale was dizzying and confusing. J and Lee Sa-young in this fairy tale were both the same and different from the ones I knew. Like a distorted reflection in a warped mirror.

These were futile stories that made me wonder if I should keep watching them, but there was a reason why they could not be dismissed as nonsense. The space that appears in the comfort of Autumn… was very familiar.

Snowy white ash, familiar collapsed buildings covered in ash, everything in broken space. Monsters constantly pouring in from open gates everywhere.

Isn’t it so similar to the inside of the West Sea rift that I’ve been digging through for eight years?

‘…..’

I lowered my gaze and took my breath. With the sound of glass colliding, countless flutes swept past me at the speed of a reeling movie.

In one scene, Autumn was saving people with the Channel 1 hunters, and in the next, the hunters were in disarray; they were covered in cuts, scars, bandages, and missing limbs as they fought monsters.

The surviving hunters tried their best to save the people, kill the monsters, close the rift, but things showed no signs of getting better. There was an endless skirmish. The hunters, who had been holding out, also collapsed one by one. Despair began to show on people’s faces.

And then the time and space suddenly changed. At this time, Autumn was crouching in the rift of the collapsed building. White monsters filled the street, and it was not enough, and it continued to pour out of the rift that appeared in the air.

J, who sat next to her, bandaged his arm and held a spear.

“I’ll block this place, so run away first.”

“Wait! Even if it’s J, this much…”

“If I run away, all of them will flock to the base camp. Can you handle it?”

Yoon Autumn lost her words and closed her mouth tightly. A scarred hand patted Autumn’s head.

“It’s all right.”

“J!”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“…….”

“I’ll be right back after this. Trust me.”

His eyes squinted through his half-shattered mask. The monster’s roar and footsteps from beyond the building grew louder. The young man wiped the smile off his face. He rose to his feet, holding the bloody spear.

“On my signal, run and don’t look back.”

“Oh, that’s right. One more.”

J put his index finger to the corner of his mouth, just like the first one I’d seen.

“It’s a secret from Sa-young. Okay?”

The scene ended there. But I didn’t have to look behind it to know. J would never come back.

I am in an unfamiliar room before I knew it. Looking at textbooks, tablets, and school uniforms on the wall that were messed up on the desk, it seemed to be Autumn room. Autumn, who was lying in bed blankly, cried for a long time from the moment she opened her eyes.

Is that it? I looked up. At that time, there was a slightly different sound than before. The chilling sound of a broken piece of glass being trampled.

Self-awareness. An ominous sound continued, and a piece of glass similar to Autumn’s palm appeared in front of my eyes. A piece that was shiny with so many colors… It turned black. At the same time, I was submerged in pitch black.

In the darkness that was not seen an inch away, only the harsh sound of breathing like that of a beast was heard irregularly. At first glance, it seemed like a low sob.

Then, with a thud, something shattered. A small beam of light broke through the blackness. Another thud. With a snap, it sounded like wood breaking.

“You son of a bitch, how long are you going to stay down here!”

Crashing through the door was Honeybee, her face and body covered in wounds. Her once-vaunted golden hair was severed at the nape of her neck. She gestured into the darkness with a bandaged hand and shouted.

“Do you have any idea how much power we’re going to lose without you? They’re a bunch of idiots fighting for their lives, don’t you get it? You’re supposed to be alive!”

“…..”

“You’re the only one who’s sad? We’re all sad, shit! Don’t act like you’re the only one who’s lost the world!”

“Honeybee, calm down, you’re hurting yourself.”

Bae Won-woo, who followed, grabbed Honeybee by the shoulder. But she slapped his hand away and shouted.

“Son of a bitch, do you know that Jung-bin is dead? Today, Mok Tae-oh is dead, shit. Mok Tae-oh is…. that stupid bastard is dead!”

Honeybee giggled, but soon began to shed tears. Bae Won-woo watched Honeybee with a puzzled face, then looked into the darkness. He was wearing a brown overcoat, the left sleeve of which was empty.

“…Sa-young.”

“…..”

“I understand how you feel. But…”

Bae Won-woo’s face, full of scars, looked tired. He tried to say something, but eventually closed his mouth.

“…no. Let’s go, Honeybee.”

Bae Won-woo picked Honeybee up, almost carrying her, and carried her out of the room. The sound of crying faded into the distance. The room fell silent again.

“…J.”

A hollow voice echoed in the darkness. It sounded familiar. As if mesmerized, I took a step into the darkness. In that moment.

“Hyung.”

A purple flame flashed in the darkness.

Something swooped down from the darkness, and at the same time, a giant hand, glowing like a kaleidoscope, wrapped itself around my jacket. Autumn’s urgent voice pierced his ears.

“J! Wake up!”

“Heuck, uck…”

I sucked in a sharp breath and blinked. It was inside a familiar haejang-guk house. Autumn across the street was sweating profusely. When she checked that Ui-jae opened his eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes tightly.

“Thank goodness….”

“What did you just do….”

I asked hesitantly. Autumn held her trembling hands. Her right hand, which had been shining in countless colors, was… black. Autumn, wrapped around her right hand with her left hand, muttered nervously.

“I don’t know. That last one, I’ve never seen before.”

“What was it? I… It’s definitely connected to that world, but….”

“Wait, calm down.”

If anything, Autumn had lost her composure more than she needed to be soothed. Chewing on her lip, Autumn lowered her head.

“I’m sorry! It’s the first time I’ve shown this to anyone, so, uh, I didn’t expect this to happen. I’m really sorry. I never thought you’d be taken somewhere else…”

“Just take a breath, what do you mean you were taken somewhere else?”

“That’s…”

I gestured in rhythm to remind her to take a deep breath. Yoon Autumn followed his hand and slowly calmed her breathing. When she regained her composure, she spoke in a sleepy voice.

“I just made and led the way for the people J saw. I made a path to come back here from all memory, but it suddenly stopped… I took you to a place I didn’t know at all.”

“Did someone else intervene?”

“I don’t know that. It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this…”

“What about your hands?”

“What? Ah…”

Yoon Autumn’s right hand was constantly wavering black energy. Autumn muttered, hiding her hands inside her long-padded sleeves.

“It’s okay, probably. I’ll tell the bureau and they’ll treat it.”

“It’s because of the last… that scene, isn’t it?”

“I think so.”

“…..”

There was a short silence. Was it Lee Sa-young who was buried in the darkness of that last room, why did I flowed into that space, what drew me there. Why was Lee Sa-young so….

“J.”

I raised my head. Yoon Autumn muttered.

“I haven’t told anyone else that you’re J. There must be a reason why you’re hiding your identity, and I’ll continue to keep it a secret.”

“…..”

“Oh! Of course, the bureau did ask me if the J who appeared this time was the same J who entered the West Sea Rift… Oh, I did say yes, didn’t I? No, that’s right, I wanted to keep it a secret until the end, but it would be too awkward to talk to the director alone….”

“…..”

“…I’m sorry.”

Autumn bowed her head again. I held out my hand.

“No, no, I should thank you for not saying more….”

Come to think of it, the gap between J’s appearance in the dream and the me right now must be pretty big… Autumn came to me, convinced that the two were one and the same. She’d been nervous in front of the director, but she hadn’t realized it.

“I just felt like… you should know that there’s an end to this world.”

“Didn’t you tell this to the Bureau?”

“Of course I did.”

“Wouldn’t they be prepared?”

“…Yes, that’s why it’s a problem.”

At her answer, I looked at her curiously. What’s wrong with being prepared? I’m sure that’s what Autumn wants.

Autumn gulped down and said.

“The Bureau have considered many ways to prevent the end… J just happened to be in the rankings. They’re desperately looking for him to help them deal with the apocalypse. I’m sure they already have a search team in motion.”

“It’s a good thing you registered as a hunter, because the search team said they’re focusing on unregistered hunters and the general public, considering the possibility that J might have lost his memory due to the shock.”

I quietly listened to Autumn, suddenly raised my head.

“How did you know I registered as a hunter?”

I wish I had lost my memory, I thought bitterly. Anyway, if I was a little late, I might have been included in the search net. The contract with Lee Sa-young was quite useful.

Chapter 48December 4th, 2023After standing still and watching, Sa-young broke into a moderate stride and stood directly behind J as the other hunter began to talk about their upcoming schedule. The overheated hunter, who had been waxing lyrical about the importance of medicines, gasped and took a step back.Lee, Lee Sa-young.Oh, Sa-young, you're here fast. How was Dongdaemun Gate?J looked back and pretended to know, but Sa-young only replied coldly to the hunter, who was standing in front of him..Send another asshole.What? ButSend another asshole.The hunter, who was going to say more, bowed out after failing to break through Sa-young's ferocity. Sa-young bowed his head and whispered in J's ear.I'm just listening to bullshit.Don't be so hard on yourself. Efficiency wise, I'm the one going.Don't talk bullshit to me, too.I told you to speak nicely.Sa-young murmured more in an angry, pouty voice, but it was inaudible to me. His soft black hair was buried between J's shoulders and the nape of his neck. J patted Sa-young head with another hand while looking at the documents. It looked very familiar.Watching the unfamiliar scene, I crossed my arms with a tremble.Isn't this a dog dream?'True to Yoon Autumn's words, the doomed world's fairy tale was dizzying and confusing. J and Lee Sa-young in this fairy tale were both the same and different from the ones I knew. Like a distorted reflection in a warped mirror.These were futile stories that made me wonder if I should keep watching them, but there was a reason why they could not be dismissed as nonsense. The space that appears in the comfort of Autumn was very familiar.Snowy white ash, familiar collapsed buildings covered in ash, everything in broken space. Monsters constantly pouring in from open gates everywhere.Isn't it so similar to the inside of the West Sea rift that I've been digging through for eight years?..'I lowered my gaze and took my breath. With the sound of glass colliding, countless flutes swept past me at the speed of a reeling movie.In one scene, Autumn was saving people with the Channel 1 hunters, and in the next, the hunters were in disarray; they were covered in cuts, scars, bandages, and missing limbs as they fought monsters.The surviving hunters tried their best to save the people, kill the monsters, close the rift, but things showed no signs of getting better. There was an endless skirmish. The hunters, who had been holding out, also collapsed one by one. Despair began to show on people's faces.And then the time and space suddenly changed. At this time, Autumn was crouching in the rift of the collapsed building. White monsters filled the street, and it was not enough, and it continued to pour out of the rift that appeared in the air.J, who sat next to her, bandaged his arm and held a spear.I'll block this place, so run away first.Wait! Even if it's J, this muchIf I run away, all of them will flock to the base camp. Can you handle it?Yoon Autumn lost her words and closed her mouth tightly. A scarred hand patted Autumn's head.It's all right.J!Oh, I'm fine..I'll be right back after this. Trust me.His eyes squinted through his half-shattered mask. The monster's roar and footsteps from beyond the building grew louder. The young man wiped the smile off his face. He rose to his feet, holding the bloody spear.On my signal, run and don't look back.Oh, that's right. One more.J put his index finger to the corner of his mouth, just like the first one I'd seen.It's a secret from Sa-young. Okay?The scene ended there. But I didn't have to look behind it to know. J would never come back.I am in an unfamiliar room before I knew it. Looking at textbooks, tablets, and school uniforms on the wall that were messed up on the desk, it seemed to be Autumn room. Autumn, who was lying in bed blankly, cried for a long time from the moment she opened her eyes.Is that it? I looked up. At that time, there was a slightly different sound than before. The chilling sound of a broken piece of glass being trampled.Self-awareness. An ominous sound continued, and a piece of glass similar to Autumn's palm appeared in front of my eyes. A piece that was shiny with so many colors It turned black. At the same time, I was submerged in pitch black.In the darkness that was not seen an inch away, only the harsh sound of breathing like that of a beast was heard irregularly. At first glance, it seemed like a low sob.Then, with a thud, something shattered. A small beam of light broke through the blackness. Another thud. With a snap, it sounded like wood breaking.You son of a bitch, how long are you going to stay down here!Crashing through the door was Honeybee, her face and body covered in wounds. Her once-vaunted golden hair was severed at the nape of her neck. She gestured into the darkness with a bandaged hand and shouted.Do you have any idea how much power we're going to lose without you? They're a bunch of idiots fighting for their lives, don't you get it? You're supposed to be alive!..You're the only one who's sad? We're all sad, shit! Don't act like you're the only one who's lost the world!Honeybee, calm down, you're hurting yourself.Bae Won-woo, who followed, grabbed Honeybee by the shoulder. But she slapped his hand away and shouted.Son of a bitch, do you know that Jung-bin is dead? Today, Mok Tae-oh is dead, shit. Mok Tae-oh is. that stupid bastard is dead!Honeybee giggled, but soon began to shed tears. Bae Won-woo watched Honeybee with a puzzled face, then looked into the darkness. He was wearing a brown overcoat, the left sleeve of which was empty.Sa-young...I understand how you feel. ButBae Won-woo's face, full of scars, looked tired. He tried to say something, but eventually closed his mouth.no. Let's go, Honeybee.Bae Won-woo picked Honeybee up, almost carrying her, and carried her out of the room. The sound of crying faded into the distance. The room fell silent again.J.A hollow voice echoed in the darkness. It sounded familiar. As if mesmerized, I took a step into the darkness. In that moment.Hyung.A purple flame flashed in the darkness.Something swooped down from the darkness, and at the same time, a giant hand, glowing like a kaleidoscope, wrapped itself around my jacket. Autumn's urgent voice pierced his ears.J! Wake up!Heuck, uckI sucked in a sharp breath and blinked. It was inside a familiar haejang-guk house. Autumn across the street was sweating profusely. When she checked that Ui-jae opened his eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes tightly.Thank goodness.What did you just do.I asked hesitantly. Autumn held her trembling hands. Her right hand, which had been shining in countless colors, was black. Autumn, wrapped around her right hand with her left hand, muttered nervously.I don't know. That last one, I've never seen before.What was it? I It's definitely connected to that world, but.Wait, calm down.If anything, Autumn had lost her composure more than she needed to be soothed. Chewing on her lip, Autumn lowered her head.I'm sorry! It's the first time I've shown this to anyone, so, uh, I didn't expect this to happen. I'm really sorry. I never thought you'd be taken somewhere elseJust take a breath, what do you mean you were taken somewhere else?That'sI gestured in rhythm to remind her to take a deep breath. Yoon Autumn followed his hand and slowly calmed her breathing. When she regained her composure, she spoke in a sleepy voice.I just made and led the way for the people J saw. I made a path to come back here from all memory, but it suddenly stopped I took you to a place I didn't know at all.Did someone else intervene?I don't know that. It's the first time I've seen something like thisWhat about your hands?What? AhYoon Autumn's right hand was constantly wavering black energy. Autumn muttered, hiding her hands inside her long-padded sleeves.It's okay, probably. I'll tell the bureau and they'll treat it.It's because of the last that scene, isn't it?I think so...There was a short silence. Was it Lee Sa-young who was buried in the darkness of that last room, why did I flowed into that space, what drew me there. Why was Lee Sa-young so.J.I raised my head. Yoon Autumn muttered.I haven't told anyone else that you're J. There must be a reason why you're hiding your identity, and I'll continue to keep it a secret...Oh! Of course, the bureau did ask me if the J who appeared this time was the same J who entered the West Sea Rift Oh, I did say yes, didn't I? No, that's right, I wanted to keep it a secret until the end, but it would be too awkward to talk to the director alone...I'm sorry.Autumn bowed her head again. I held out my hand.No, no, I should thank you for not saying more.Come to think of it, the gap between J's appearance in the dream and the me right now must be pretty big Autumn came to me, convinced that the two were one and the same. She'd been nervous in front of the director, but she hadn't realized it.I just felt like you should know that there's an end to this world.Didn't you tell this to the Bureau?Of course I did.Wouldn't they be prepared?Yes, that's why it's a problem.At her answer, I looked at her curiously. What's wrong with being prepared? I'm sure that's what Autumn wants.Autumn gulped down and said.The Bureau have considered many ways to prevent the end J just happened to be in the rankings. They're desperately looking for him to help them deal with the apocalypse. I'm sure they already have a search team in motion.It's a good thing you registered as a hunter, because the search team said they're focusing on unregistered hunters and the general public, considering the possibility that J might have lost his memory due to the shock.I quietly listened to Autumn, suddenly raised my head.How did you know I registered as a hunter?I wish I had lost my memory, I thought bitterly. Anyway, if I was a little late, I might have been included in the search net. The contract with Lee Sa-young was quite useful.