Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

“Come this way~”

 

A voice filled with laughter called them over with a beckoning gesture. Yoo Jian quickly assessed the situation and gave an okay sign. Mueum, who was standing near the door, blinked.

 

“Are we late?”

 

Hwashin, who grabbed Mueum’s shoulders, asked with a smile.

 

“….No. But your hair.”

 

“Oh, there was a complicated circumstance.”

 

Yoo Jian, who had given the OK sign, quickly stepped on the monsters’ heads and ran towards them. The members of Unit 1 gathered in one place. The dwarf-like creatures were still swarming towards them.

 

“It seems the gate won’t close unless we eliminate them all at once.”

 

“I feel like I’ve already taken out over a hundred.”

 

Yoo Jian said, massaging her shoulder.

 

“Right.”

 

Cha Jaeha briefly replied, looking at the monsters in front of him. Considering this size and height…

 

“Small Purgatory.”

 

As soon as he snapped his fingers, a circular boundary formed around the area where the monsters were. Then, fire filled the space within the boundary. The monsters, along with those emerging from the gate, all turned to ashes before the fire, having lost its fuel, gradually died out and disappeared.

 

The gap of the gate, having lost all its monsters, slowly vanished into thin air from the bottom up.

 

The march of the monsters that had troubled Mueum and Yoo Jian ended anticlimactically.

 

“Wow, that’s cheating. Really.”

 

Yoo Jian shrugged as if admitting defeat. Mueum, who had been staring blankly at the scene, was the first to snap out of it and tapped the earpiece he was wearing twice.

 

Just two taps. As soon as the two signal tones went out, the line connected to Ha Cheongwon with a click, as if he had been waiting.

 

– Is this Jeong Mueum? This line means it’s Jeong Mueum, right? What happened? We were so worried when the communication was cut off. Cha Jaeha and Yoo Hwashin said they were going there for support, did they arrive safely? We have no idea about the situation here from the outside—

 

“….Hey, take a breath.”

 

– …Oh, I’m sorry.

 

“You don’t have to apologize.”

 

Ha Cheongwon cleared his throat awkwardly a couple of times, possibly embarrassed by Mueum’s calm tone.

 

– Did you finish up on the fourth floor?

 

“Yes, it’s fine. The 3rd floor was similar to usual so it ended quickly, and I came to help Hero Yoo Jian on the 4th floor, but the 4th floor gate was a bit persistent. It was resolved as soon as support arrived. We’ve confirmed that the gate has disappeared, so we’re planning to check the remaining floors once and then report the incident’s closure.”

 

– Understood. If you report it, we will send a message of accomplishment to the Association.

 

The brief communication with Ha Cheongwon ended. Then, they immediately checked all the floors from the sixth to the first floor of the hospital and confirmed that the gates had closed.

 

“It’s over.”

 

In the 1st-floor lobby, Yoo Jian, who had taken a drink from the vending machine, slumped weakly into a chair. They did a lot of work, but somehow it felt like Cha Jaeha took all the good parts. Maybe she’d need to change her training method a bit once she got back after finishing work.

 

Mueum, who was fiddling with the headset on his shoulder in the seat next to her, was thinking the same thing.

 

‘I don’t think I’m using my abilities to their full potential yet.’

 

From the first time he used his ability, he was confident in his control. He thought it was perfect since he could adjust gravity as he wished, where he wanted, and how much he wanted.

 

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if the control was perfect because he hadn’t actually exerted 100% of his power? Just like how it was harder to control a ball thrown with full force. Maybe he was not using his ability to its full potential.

 

‘I should rest a bit and then go to the center.’

 

Hwashin, with a rather serious expression, was thinking about something quite serious too.

 

‘Which site should I check first?’

 

Just like the guild forums in his previous life, the internet forums in this world were full of things to read. Moreover, since they had solved the incident that could have caused massive casualties at the hospital, by now, there would be tons of praise for Unit 1 everywhere, right?

 

‘First, I should check the fan cafes…’

 

“Hey, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

 

At Yoo Jian’s question, Hwashin tilted his head slightly and smiled.

 

“Hm? ….Well, thinking about you, Jian?”

 

At this glib response, Yoo Jian’s expression crumpled into the ugliest face he’d ever seen.

 

“Ugh.”

 

“Haha, that hurts.”

 

“Want me to do it again?”

 

Mueum, who had been watching the two, shook his head, and Cha Jaeha lightly ignored them both and spoke.

 

“If we’re done, let’s go.”

 

Cha Jaeha, who ended the situation where the three of them were lost in different thoughts, was the first to open the hospital door. Outside, as if they had been waiting, a barrage of camera flashes greeted them.

 

“Heroes! You guys are real heroes!”

 

“You’re awesome!”

 

Cheers and supportive shouts from ordinary people, not just reporters, were mixed in. Yoo Jian, perhaps moved by such support for the first time in a while, sniffled slightly.

 

“Amazing.”

 

The popularity of our team is really something.

 

“Yoo Hwashin.”

 

“Yeah, say it.”

 

Cha Jaeha spoke to Hwashin with his mouth closed, as if ventriloquizing. He was still facing forward, but he was definitely addressing Hwashin beside him.

 

“I have something to talk about, so let’s meet separately later.”

 

“Gasp. A date request? I’m not mentally prepared yet.”

 

“…Haa.”

 

Please, stop barking.

 

***

 

“Did we really just solve our case?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then why does the atmosphere feel even more intense?”

 

Hwashin muttered from his seat on the plush sofa.

 

“And you immediately book the conference room.”

 

Cha Jaeha rented the whole place as soon as he finished his work, mainly used for meetings by SH units. Hwashin thought they might get some rest since it was after work hours.

 

But he could roughly guess the reason, and since it was an issue that needed to be resolved, Hwashin decided to quietly follow the protagonist’s lead.

 

Hwashin picked his favorite snack from the assortment on the table and unwrapped it. It was a small, round, black cookie that spread a sweet and bitter taste in his mouth, which suited his taste.

 

“There’s something I want to ask.”

 

“You can ask anything.”

 

Though honestly, Hwashin wished Cha Jaeha wouldn’t ask anything. Hwashin grabbed a handful of the cookies he liked and put them in his pocket.

 

After gathering the snacks, he comfortably leaned back against the chair.

 

Cha Jaeha seemed to pause for a moment, then spoke again.

 

“Do you remember what happened in the hallucination the monster showed us?”

 

“Yeah, mostly? I remember most of it.”

 

“Then, that made this quick. How did you know?”

 

Cha Jaeha’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably. he continued.

 

“That I didn’t kill my parents.”

 

Hwashin, who was about to brush it off playfully, straightened his posture.

 

The protagonist of his favorite book. This issue was the most crucial part for Cha Jaeha, so he couldn’t take it lightly.

 

Hwashin knew the answer Cha Jaeha wanted most.

 

“What do you mean? I don’t know anything.”

 

But he couldn’t give him that answer.

 

“….What?”

 

“As you said, how would I know all that? The years I’ve known you.”

 

Years. When did he meet Cha Jaeha?

 

How could anyone measure the time he spent reading the book in the cave, lying next to Dragon, when he wanted to cry, laugh, or feel human warmth?

 

Even if reading that book took only a few hours, it was undoubtedly true that he saw something of Cha Jaeha in all those repeated readings. In that sense, perhaps ‘years’ might be subjective.

 

“It wasn’t that long.”

 

Though, in reality, it was incredibly long.

 

The light in Cha Jaeha’s eyes that had briefly shone faded again with Hwashin’s few words.

 

“Yeah. So, it was all a lie in the end.”

 

“I don’t know about that. After all, the hallucination is created based on your memories.”

 

“…What?”

 

“There’s a hypothesis that was recently published. The abilities used by awakened ones are influenced by the user.”

 

Right now, he wanted to tell Cha Jaeha, ‘Actually, I saw it all in the book, and you didn’t kill your parents,’ but this was a fact that wasn’t revealed until the end of the novel.

 

In <YHH>, what was important wasn’t overcoming his trauma, but getting up despite it all.

 

According to the novel’s progression, Cha Jaeha might not need to know the truth. But as someone who had enjoyed, saddened, and cried over Cha Jaeha, he wanted to help him a little.

By giving him one clue that he might not have killed them.

 

“If that hypothesis is correct, Cha Jaeha. Did you want to kill your parents then?”

 

“…”

 

“You didn’t, right? You’re not that kind of person.”

 

Hwashin’s finger pointed to his heart.

 

“If you didn’t want to do it, there’s no way you could have killed them.”

 

The eyes that had lost hope regained their light. It was funny how Cha Jaeha’s face showed everything, even when he tried to hide it.

 

After keeping his mouth shut for a while, Cha Jaeha finally spoke.

 

“…One more thing.”

 

“?”

 

“Let me ask one more thing. You,”

 

He paused as if choosing his words. Hwashin waited for him to continue.

 

“…”

 

“Why do you believe I didn’t want to kill my parents? No, how can you speak with such certainty?”

 

Certainty, huh.

 

“I told you.”

 

Hwashin pulled the basket placed in the middle of the conference room and opened another snack bag this time. He popped a round cookie into his mouth, puffing out his cheeks like a chipmunk, and smiled.

 

“I’ve known you for years.”

 

“…You said those years weren’t long.”

 

“Yeah. But in that not-so-long time, I became certain.”

 

Hwashin pointed directly at Cha Jaeha again.

 

“You didn’t do it.”

 

“…”

 

“That’s all.”

 

At that playful smile and the answer Hwashin uttered, Cha Jaeha frowned as if he couldn’t understand, then let out a small laugh. Whether it was because it was absurd or because he gave up trying to understand, even Cha Jaeha himself didn’t know.

 

‘I killed my parents.’

 

Cha Jaeha couldn’t deny that. Even now, at this moment, he still wasn’t sure which was the truth.

 

– Use your ability to save more people. We’ll support you. The victims who died due to an awakened one’s ability—

 

– It’s okay, it’s not your fault. You’ve awakened as an S-rank, after all.

 

But even so.

 

Even so, why did he want to believe this man?

 

– You didn’t do it.

 

Because this was the first person to tell him it wasn’t his fault. This belief, ridiculous as it was, made him laugh.

 

“I can’t understand you.”

 

As Cha Jaeha rose up, Hwashin also got up from his seat.

 

“But do we have to write a report for this case? This gate was unusual, so if we write about it, it’ll be several pages—”

 

“We have to.”

 

“Ah… Haa.”

 

A short sigh of exasperation. Ignoring Hwashin’s sigh, Cha Jaeha turned off the conference room lights and left first. Left in the darkness, Hwashin called out, ‘Hey, you rascal!’ and quickly followed after him.

 

***

 

Heroes were granted a paid day off on the same day they resolved B-rank to S-rank gates. Considering the time and risk involved in dealing with a single gate, such rest was more than necessary.

 

The following day, they usually wrote a report on the previous day’s or recent incidents, and the SH Unit was no exception.

 

Yoo Jian also went to the association to write her report, but she quickly left due to the stifling atmosphere. She ended up at the training ground of the education center.

 

“Wow, the place where I fought with Cha Jaeha is still damaged.”

 

Didn’t the restoration team fix it? Well, they’d probably fix it later.

 

Yoo Jian found a good spot and lay down on her stomach, opening her laptop. Since all she had to do was write the report, and no one cared about her posture while writing, today Yoo Jian’s position was ‘lying face down’.

 

“…Report…Yoo..Jian……Date is….”

 

And so… 2 hours passed.

 

Finally, after filling up one page, Yoo Jian closed her laptop with a click. Mueum said he’d write his at the office and come later. Maybe she’d do some training with the remaining time.

 

Yoo Jian recalled yesterday’s events. Cha Jaeha, who took out all the swarming monsters in one go.

 

“…I want to do that too.”

 

As she pouted, a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

 

“What are you doing?”