Chapter 143

He turned his back completely to the other person and aimlessly flipped through the portal site.

Entertainment, sports, interior design, cooking, stories he wasn't interested in scrolled by, and his expressions changed as diversely as the chaotic screen. Mostly his eyebrows twitching, his nose exhaling sharply, or his lips pouting in various directions.

The news section he landed on while flipping through was a tab Soram would normally skip without interest. But he couldn't help but stop when he saw the dungeon they had cleared yesterday as the top news.

In the end, the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters hid the fact that lava mutants had appeared and announced that they were simply flame-type mutants. An additional explanation was attached that it reflected the employees' fear due to the fire that occurred in the computer room several months ago.

The company belatedly announced that it would take measures to stabilize employees who had been shocked at the time. They also overlooked the fact that one floor of the building had been destroyed. There must have been a deal between the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters and the company's upper management. The company would want to hide the fact that lava mutants had appeared in the building too.

As he was about to move on, thinking it was an expected outcome, a related article title below caught his eye.

<Pseudo-religions 'Stirring' Across the Country... "Urging Not to Be Deceived by Attempts to Exploit Anxious Hearts">

Pseudo-religions?

The content of the article was exactly as the title suggested. In the middle of the article, a photo of a person holding a large picket sign was also attached.

<Rifts are evidence of judgment and destruction. They shall not harm those with faith>

Hmm. It was a huge misunderstanding. Mutants would pounce first on people standing still holding such conspicuous picket signs.

<The Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters is a group that hides the truth about rifts and deceives the people!>

This was absurd. If they knew the truth, they would have quietly eliminated everything long ago and lived peacefully.

Somehow, in this life, the movements of pseudo-religions seemed to be more frequent than usual. He had heard that there were religions that revered hunters as messengers of God, but he didn't know why only forces hostile to hunters caught his eye.

'On top of that, it seems their influence has grown since I last checked... I wonder if they've found a new source of funding...'

And when it came to pseudo-religions, there was one incident that stood out prominently. It was when Tae-un had been stabbed with a knife.

'Han Tae-un, there are many other strange people besides that person from before. Be careful in the future.'

He would have said something like that normally. But now, even before he could open his mouth, his darkly knotted heart pressed down, blocking his throat.

Soram slumped down again. Even though he had tossed and turned the night before, sleep didn't come. As time passed, all that remained was the rumination of emotions.

'How can you not speak to me all day and ignore me like this.'

'I've been sending signals that I'm this angry and irritated, why don't you say anything.'

He couldn't remember the last time he had waited so desperately for quitting time. Although he disliked this atmosphere, useless pride prevented him from speaking first. Indeed, Han Tae-un was much better suited to be a prosecutor. Cutting things off cleanly and pushing his own assertions suited him perfectly.

If he's going to disobey the chief and do as he pleases, he might as well just be a prosecutor. His sulky thoughts branched out in all directions.

"..."

At that moment, his slumped shoulders were heavily enveloped. He thought it might be an illusion, but then they even shook his shoulders weakly. There was no one else here who would do this to Soram besides Han Tae-un. The palm surface area and body temperature he belatedly felt also told him so.

What's this all of a sudden?

His sullen heart began to pound. It was slightly different from the usual flutter. While it would be a lie to say there was no gladness, there was also tension about what if they ended up fighting again. Soram raised his head with the most indifferent face he could muster.

"What."

"Get up. It's lunchtime."

"Mind your own business."

"I know you're not in the mood to eat face to face. Go eat with Ayoung. I'll be at the training ground in the afternoon."

Tae-un removed his hand from Soram's shoulder as soon as he finished speaking. The hand that withdrew without lingering made his pounding heart sink. Staying apart until quitting time, and then not coming over pretending there was no open door between their rooms. That's how they were going to spend today too. Now.

"Hey."

Tae-un, who was picking up his outer clothes, turned to look at Soram.

"You, you don't even want to make up with me?"

"Why wouldn't I? I don't like fighting with you either."

"But from yesterday until now...!"

Something surged up but scattered like dust again upon seeing his hardened face. Usually, he found that blank expression amusing. But facing it in this situation was nothing but irritating.

"You hardly seem to dislike it."

Especially since the image of himself reflected in Han Tae-un's eyes would be the opposite.

"Fine, go. Get lost."

However, Tae-un didn't leave and stood in that spot. Even after Soram buried his head in his arms again.

...Why. What.

His empty stomach churned. He had barely eaten dinner the night before, skipped breakfast, and now it was lunchtime. However, this felt more like a black whirlpool than hunger.

Thump. The sound of a single footstep was heard. The direction was towards Soram.

"Why wouldn't I have something to say to you."

A voice that seemed to be suppressing something was heard.

"You think I like this? I'd much rather be laughing with you and want to resolve this anger too. ...But I absolutely can't give back the magic stones. You wouldn't feel better receiving just empty apologies either, right?"

"...So, you're saying you won't say anything."

"Look at this."

Tae-un's palm approached Soram's slightly raised eyes. Below the lifeline crossing the middle, there was a long horizontal wound.

"I tried experimenting. Like you said."

"...What did you do? You scratched your hand with the magic stone?"

"Far from being amplified, when it was embedded and then removed, my ability didn't come out for a while even after taking off the magic stone."

"Damn it, what kind of idiot does human experiments like that?"

"You're not one to talk."

"..."

"And... I think this would be much worse for you."

"Based on what evidence?"

"...I'm sure it would be."

"..."

It was an uncharacteristically weak argument for Tae-un. Soram pressed his forehead firmly.

"Far from being bad, it temporarily increases attack power, stamina, and defense, I'm telling you."

"Including all that. It's dangerous."

"I won't use it. I said I won't use it anymore. How many times do I have to say that I'll only take it out again in a big crisis where my life is in danger?"

To anyone listening, Soram's argument was more reasonable this time. Moreover, it was essentially a declaration of surrender, almost completely accepting Tae-un's demands. But.

"...No. That's not okay either. I absolutely can't give them back. And you can never go near magic stones again."

"..."

Those words meant that even if Soram obtained magic stones through other routes later, he would risk the same situation as yesterday. He suddenly felt foolish for wondering when they would make up.

"You say you don't want to fight while coming at me like this? Hey, where's the reconciliation in your words? It's just coercion."

"..."

Even Soram, who thought of Tae-un as someone more special than anyone else in the world, had his pride. No, it was because he liked him so much that he couldn't bow down meekly in front of him.

Fine, let's say he never uses magic stones again, giving him a hundred concessions. But it was impossible for a person who had all his magic stones forcibly taken away to just give in with a grin, saying it didn't matter at all.

In this situation, Tae-un should be the one to approach first, and he probably knew that fact too. But in the end, he didn't say anything.

"Then don't even bother about whether I eat or not. You're the one making it so we can't even ask about such things."

"..."

He could be certain. This hurt Tae-un.

Right after a very slight sense of satisfaction, regret followed immediately. Soram abruptly stood up from his seat. The hurried steps kicking off the floor would look just like running away. Still, there was no choice but to open the door and leave the same space.

***

The next day.

"..."

"..."

"...Why is it the same situation again?"

Leaving those words behind, Ayoung left for school.

If only the pager had rung, this silence would have been broken, but Soram and Tae-un's dispatch was completely blocked. This was because Director Park Jae-seon had argued, 'Are you trying to make kids who still had burn scars on their bodies a month ago work again after seeing the exact same scene?'

This kind affectionate consideration was poison just this once. It really was a great poison...

Soram flipped through the materials he had deliberately brought in abundance, learning from yesterday. They were materials researching the 4th Great Rift, but he closed them after turning just a few pages.

Damn it, let this life go to ruin or whatever.

The overflowing motivation was now completely empty.

Come to think of it, being alone in the office in this stiff atmosphere was how it had been in all lives except this one. How did he spend time then...

Ah, he was holed up in the team leader's office with the door closed.

The team leader's office that no one used was now dark. If he went in there, this uncomfortable energy might be split... but he didn't want to enter the isolated team leader's office.

Can't be helped.

Soram entered the messenger where the seven team leaders of each team gathered, as a last resort.

[Headquarters Field Operations Bureau Team Leader Level]

Team 7 Chief Jin Soram: [An opportunity that doesn't come every day, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime tremendous chance]

Team 7 Chief Jin Soram: [Anyone want to pass work to me?]

Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok: [Hacking?]

(Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok has left the room.)

(Team 7 Chief Jin Soram has invited Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok.)

Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok: [Why. am I back in?]

Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok: [Is it really. hacking?]

Team 5 Chief Ko Hwa-ok: [Everyone be careful..]

Team 7 Chief Jin Soram: [It's not hacking.]

Team 7 Chief Jin Soram: [It's me.]

Team 3 Chief Shin Chan: [Did that Soram guy not even set a proper lock? What if you drop your phone somewhere]

Team 3 Chief Shin Chan: [Hello. Please return the phone to the nearest government office^^ The Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters will reward you.]

Team 3 Chief Shin Chan: [We warn you that viewing confidential information may make you a subject of memory erasure experiments at the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters research lab.]

Team 2 Chief Yoo Tae-kyung: [If you're going to impersonate someone, at least do some basic research..]

Team 1 Chief Kim Ga-eul: [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

After the laughing message, a private message came from Ga-eul.

Kim Ga-eul: [Hey, want to go instead of me coming to Team 1?]

Jin Soram: [Yeah. Give it to me. I'll go]

Kim Ga-eul: [You're not even asking what it is]

Kim Ga-eul: [Make up quickly you brat Ayoung is uncomfortable]

Since Ayoung had taken refuge in Team 1, Ga-eul was the only chief who knew the reason for the sloth's reformation.

Jin Soram: [What kind of work is it? If it's a dungeon, the Director might not send me...]

Kim Ga-eul: [Not a dungeon, going to observe military training]

Kim Ga-eul: [They need people from the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters to casually say a few words and take pictures together because it's training for responding to dungeon outbreak situations]

Kim Ga-eul: [Seems like you just need to watch, say something if there's anything to say, and come back]

Jin Soram: [Sounds good. I really want to go.]

Kim Ga-eul: [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋtsk tsk Alright, escape from the office]

Kim Ga-eul: [Oh but be careful. The atmosphere might not be very good.]

Jin Soram: [Atmosphere? Why?]

Kim Ga-eul: [After the 3rd Great Rift ended, the Ministry of National Defense got a lot of criticism. People said if only hunters are going to protect the country, why buy expensive weapons and do training]

Kim Ga-eul: [I heard this training is because of that]

Jin Soram: [The story jumped to that?]

Kim Ga-eul: [Yeah]

Kim Ga-eul: [We don't actually think anything of it, but the bigwigs are jumping up and down, making the relationship subtle]

Jin Soram: [That's how the world works, I guess]

Kim Ga-eul: [It's annoying]

This was another unexpected turn of events. Anyway, it was indeed a time when they might be angry at hunters after being unfairly slapped in Jongno.

Soram came to a conclusion without thinking too long. Beyond the issue of escaping the awkward office, it would be better for him to go rather than sending Ga-eul, who cared a lot about people's gazes. They wouldn't treat the chief observer dispatched from the headquarters carelessly, but Ga-eul wasn't good at handling subtle atmospheres.

Jin Soram: [Alright. I'll talk to the Director.]

Kim Ga-eul: [Okay good]