Chapter 148

"Then what about Han Tae-un... Guk!"

Pueok!

Kwang!

Tae-un's kick swept the person in front of him. The opponent was pushed back far and hit the wall.

"Try to lay a hand on me. Come, and I'll kill you."

Blue veins stood out on Tae-un's temples, jaw, and the back of his hands tied behind him. He looked extremely angry.

"Kuuh, ah, what, did you really use a magic stone? It fucking hur... Aak!"

Kwang!

Tae-un kicked the chair hard. The chair flew, striking the shins of those approaching. Even with his ability sealed, his raw strength from his size and long legs were enough to threaten the opponents.

Wow... They should have scouted Han Tae-un for something at the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters even if he hadn't awakened.

"Soram-ah."

"Huh?"

"We can hold out. So absolutely don't use the magic stone."

"...I said I got it."

He'd have to keep it a secret that he had tried to scratch it slightly but couldn't do it alone.

After two of them were knocked down, the kidnappers only kept their guard up and didn't try to approach. They probably thought there was no need to subdue them by force since they were like rats in a trap anyway.

"...Um, but didn't they say we wouldn't be killing them directly...? Just the torso, they said. It's just a threat, right?"

The man in the cap looked at the person who said that as if he were ridiculous.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Were you expecting them to return alive on their own after we hand them over?"

"You mean it's real?"

"You think they gave us those expensive magic stones just to send these guys on a free overseas trip? Those red ones you're carrying cost hundreds of millions each."

"No, ha, no, no matter what, directly killing them doesn't make sense...!"

The staff member ruffled his hair vigorously. An uneasy gaze flicked towards Soram and Tae-un.

"Everyone, let's talk about this. This doesn't seem right. Whether this goes well or not, we're all fucked!"

"That... now that it's been mentioned, I don't care if they die after we hand them over, but us cutting their throats here is a bit..."

Taking advantage of this moment, Tae-un moved closer to Soram. He tugged at the rope binding Soram and the chair together, but it wouldn't come loose with just that.

"Just pull out the magic stone."

"I think it'll cause a wound."

"Isn't it better to use it once rather than not?"

"No. Absolutely not. I'll find a way to buy more time somehow."

His attitude towards the magic stone was adamant.

"You promised, Soram-ah."

"..."

The coaxing voice lowered his raised shoulders. Han Tae-un's presence beside him, even in this situation, gave him reassurance and made him believe that somehow a solution would come. Alright... Soram grumbled sulkily.

And across from them, the voices grew louder and louder.

"I absolutely can't do that!"

"Those bastards have seen all our faces. Are we just going to let them go?"

"Kill them, just kill them! We've come this far!"

"Aoh, is that bastard really a reject? Just wait a bit!"

"Ha, I shouldn't have gotten involved when they said it was related to hunters...! Ah, wait a moment."

Among them, only two people were strongly advocating the opinion to "kill Jin Soram and Han Tae-un." The mastermind of this operation, and the soldier who was frustrated at not being able to subdue Han Tae-un.

"Come to think of it... you who brought the magic stones from the client or whatever, and you who reported that the hunters had gone to the military and got sent here. Right now, you two are the only ones who've openly done anything."

"...That's right. When you think about it, we haven't done anything, have we? In a way, we've been scammed too."

"Uh, uhh..."

"I'm washing my hands of this and leaving. I'm not getting on a sinking ship. Do what you want with the rest."

"M-me too..."

"Since it seems to be a sinking ship, shall we make a run for it?"

Tung!!

At that moment, the man in the cap kicked the floor hard.

"This is a mess. Fuck, no loyalty at all."

"What loyalty? If you had just told us properly from the beginning,"

"Is there a way back that you're all making this fuss? Then let's hold hands and only look forward now."

He put his hand inside his jacket.

Soram was looking in the direction of the kidnappers, but he didn't see the moment the hand came back out.

"Shit, wh-what is that!"

Click.

Simultaneously with the kidnapper's shout and the mysterious mechanical sound, Tae-un instantly blocked the front. The two people's eyes met, wide open. Soram saw the cowardly relief that rose in Tae-un's gaze.

Tang!!!

The shadow cast over their heads shook.

"...Huh?"

Tae-un's two feet lost balance and groped the floor precariously. The moment Soram belatedly recognized the smell of gunpowder.

Tang!!!

Another shot was fired. The large body shook again. Soram, having lost the dynamic vision of a 1st-grade, didn't see the moment Tae-un was shot. However, the shirt dyed red was vividly imprinted in his eyes.

"Well, well. Hunters are different indeed."

Tae-un didn't make a single groan, just like before. However, his body that had been standing unsteadily now crumbled slowly.

Tae-un's last strength was used to take one step towards Soram and collapse on top of him. His shoulders were wrapped in arms, and the weight of his upper body fell on Soram. Han Tae-un shielded Soram with his body until the end. His head, drained of all color, leaned against Soram's heart and exhaled intermittent breaths.

"Did you really kill him? Han Tae-un?! Hey, you crazy bastard!"

The woman in staff attire shouted, backing away. Like her, other kidnappers also yelled, "Why do you have a gun!" and ran towards the exit.

Bang! Bang!

"Aak!"

"Uwaak!"

Two shots were fired towards the door. The man grinned, waving the hot gun barrel.

"Where are you going? Now you have nowhere to go but my ship!"

"Y-you're crazy. Crazy!"

"We're fucked anyway. We can't live in Korea anymore. Isn't it better to at least grab some money and leave?"

"No, calm down. Lower that gun and let's talk..."

"What are you going to do? Even if we let Jin Soram go now, do you think they'll just leave the people who killed Han Tae-un alone? And do you think the ones who gave me this job will sit still if we run away without finishing it properly?!"

Loud voices were exchanged among the kidnappers. However, those sounds scattered before reaching Soram's side.

"..."

Soram still couldn't comprehend the situation of Tae-un collapsed on top of him.

Tae-un wasn't saying anything. His body wasn't moving. Blood dripping from his fallen body soaked Soram's clothes.

Han Tae-un.

Ha, Han Tae-un.

Tae-un-ah.

Only after his lips moved silently for a long time did words finally turn into sound.

"Hey, Han Tae-un."

Soram murmured blankly. Tae-un, with his eyelids only half-open, didn't give an answer. Even the breath barely audible at his ear gradually faded.

However, his large shoulders were still in front of Soram. If Soram lowered his head just a little, it was a position where he could protect his head completely.

"Han Tae-un..."

It felt like being in a collapsing sand castle, with nothing felt beneath his feet.

After grasping the situation, the first thing that came was a sense of futility. The one scene that had repeated in every life, the one thing he desperately wanted to avoid in this life, appeared before his eyes once again.

"You broke the promise... in less than an hour?"

"There's no time! Come on, pull Han Tae-un away and grab Jin Soram!"

"Aak! Sh-shit, put the gun away! I said okay, I'm going..."

Why on earth did this happen?

His creaking mind couldn't come to any conclusion.

That the same situation occurred in the end despite his desperate refusal.

That once again, a righteous and dutiful person had fallen not on a battlefield against mutants, but by the hands of humans he had saved.

"Han Tae-un. Tae-un-ah."

He couldn't understand the reason at all.

"Why, why aren't you answering."

His bound body began to tremble. Tae-un's face leaning on him shook along with it.

"I told you, not to do it. So many times. This time, last time, I kept telling you not to do it."

Don't stand in front of me. Don't save me. Why again...!

The words trying to burst out were too big, but with no one to hear them, they stopped in his throat. A dry heave came from his tightly blocked insides.

The kidnappers approached behind Tae-un's back. Soram pulled at the ropes until they dug into his skin, but it was no use. Meanwhile, Tae-un's breathing grew fainter and fainter.

No, Han Tae-un. No.

After harboring the desire to live with Han Tae-un, Soram had begun to bury the memories of his past lives one by one. It was difficult because they were too bulky and sharp-edged, but he diligently created empty pits in his mind to hide them. He covered the bumpy, uneven ground with new memories of being together.

No!

The nightmare hadn't disappeared but was coiled just beneath the thin surface.

The approaching hands removed Tae-un from on top of Soram. The hot warmth suddenly disappeared from his body. Soram ended up seeing Tae-un's face, head dropped, straight on.

"...!"

At this moment, the ground in his mind was instantly overturned again.

The first to surge up was the memory of his first life.

Han Tae-un, who embraced him as he stubbornly resisted in the 3rd Great Rift, covered in lava all over his body.

'Chief Jin...'

Ah, ah...!

Then the Han Tae-un of his second life pushed him away and was surrounded by mutants. The Han Tae-un of his third life coughed up blood with his stomach pierced.

No, no! Please!

He bit the inside of his mouth hard to drive away the fantasies in his head. And when he opened his eyes, the Han Tae-un of reality was dying, shot. More vividly than any nightmare.

"Aaaaargh!"

Ah, aaaah! A pale scream burst out from inside.

"What's wrong with this bastard?"

"Let go, you sons of bitches! Don't touch him! I'll kill you all! Han Tae-un!"

The chair rattled violently, and the rope dug into his wrists tied behind his back.

"Stay still, you bastard! The order to kill you and send you back is because you've become famous from all the fuss and trouble you've caused!"

"He's probably got no regrets after living however he pleased, feeling so full of himself all this time."

"While eating up salary paid with our taxes."

Three people grabbed Soram, trying to rationalize it somehow. His shoulders were pressed hard against the chair, and someone choked his neck with their arm.

"Kuh, hup...!"

One who approached, feeling uneasy, even pressed the magic stone hard against his face. Soram's gaze, though bloodshot, was still directed at Tae-un.

Tae-un was thrown down not far away. The two arms he wanted to be embraced by and comforted when this terrifying situation ended were sprawled helplessly on the floor.

"Han Tae-un."

Answer me.

"Ha Tae-u, kek, Ha, Tae-u..."

With his airway blocked, the muffled pronunciation called out the other's name. Without receiving an answer, his vision gradually blurred.

Han Tae-un, this is your fault.

I waited because I didn't want to fight with you again, because I wanted to hear you say I had been patient. Believing your words that it would be okay.

You're the one who broke the promise.

So you can't be angry at me for this.

His brown eyes turned diagonally downward. Fallen Tae-un, the humans who came to sell out hunters, and the hell built in a place thought to have good scenery were all blocked from his view. All that remained in his eyes was the red touching his cheek.

"Now, what, should I, urk...?!"

Puuk.

Soram dropped his head hard towards the edge of the magic stone. His cheek was torn long, and the magic stone was embedded inside.

"Sh-shit, what! What's he doing!"

Dark red blood flowed from the torn flesh. Half of his face was covered in blood. The person whose hands were drenched in blood backed away in shock.

"Doing self-harm and making a fuss... Uh, what's this."

Ssssk―

"...Water?"

Blue waves began to rise from the floor in the space where there had been nothing. It enveloped Han Tae-un lying on the floor and slowly filled the surroundings.

More precisely, it was blue mist pouring out enough to look like waves. The mist instantly covered the entire floor of the guard post.

"This is Jin Soram's ability! This blue thing!"

"Where's the magic stone! Grab that bastard right now! Knock him out!"

The man who came running, shaking the floor, raised a knife high to strike down at Soram. However, before the knife could come down, the rope binding Soram's body came loose. The arm holding the knife was helplessly caught in Soram's hand. With a cracking sound, a scream burst from the opponent's mouth.

"Kyaaaah!!!"

"Hiiiek...!"

People who quickly grasped the situation ran towards the door. And the moment they tried to grab the doorknob.

"Aak! Hu, huaak...!"

A suddenly appearing airplane deeply tore the back of their hands. And it stood blocking the front of the door as if guarding it. Now the situation had completely reversed.