Chapter Text
When Cha Eui-jae awoke in a dumpster, the only things he could recall were his name and a promise of return. The details of who he gave that promise to were lost, along with the rest of his memories, but it nagged at him. A painful reminder of a cherished person.
A groan left him as the stench of the trash surrounding him overwhelmed his senses, leaving him unable to ignore it for much longer. Despite the emptiness of his stomach, his body dry heaved as he maneuvered around in the trash. Looking for any sort of leverage to escape the dumpster, he carefully shifted around. Using the pile of trash, he shakily pushed himself over the side, collapsing on the ground.
Another groan rushed out of him as he lay on the cold concrete. Having escaped, he attempted to take stock of his limbs, searching for any injuries, but the deep ache in his stomach distracted him from any other injuries he may have had.
Staring up at the blue sky, only one thought ran through his head: I’m hungry… Another rumble of his stomach, and he pushed himself into a sitting position. A faint smell of meat broke through the stench of the dumpster. Glancing down the alley he found himself in, he saw a singular light on.
Shakily, he dragged his legs beneath him and stood, using the dumpster as a crutch as his legs wobbled dangerously. He stepped forward, his leg shaking like a newborn fawn. Another step followed and he ran out of dumpster to support him. Leaning carefully on the dirty wall, he allowed that to guide him down the alley, approaching the smell of meat to what appeared to be a shop. It had no sign indicating the type of shop, nor did it even seem to be open, but there was an old woman sitting inside, appearing to be preparing ingredients for the next shift.
He leaned against the cool glass of the door, relishing in the small break he could grant himself. His breath came out in pants and his heart beat like he had run a marathon. A spark of annoyance at his weakness flickered, but he doused it as he focused back on the potential of food.
”Food.. Can I.. please?” He muttered. The old woman turned to look at him, and despite his disgusting appearance and inability to form a proper sentence, she still opened the door.
“What are you doing standing there? Hurry and come in,” she motioned him inside. Carefully, he pushed off the glass and continued his weak hobble inside, allowing the warm environment to envelop him like a mother hugging her child. “What happened to you? Did you roll in some dirt? Did you come back from a dungeon or something?” Dungeon? What?
Cha Eui-jae felt as if his brain was trying desperately to run its cogs through a pile of thick sludge as he attempted to process the old woman’s questions. “Uh..” he let out, unable to explain that he had no idea what the woman was asking him.
Clicking her tongue and shaking her head slightly, the woman gestured for him to take a seat and went back to the kitchen. With no strength to his legs, he collapsed in the chair closest to him.
He stared blankly down at the table, unable to lift his head as he waited for the woman to reappear. Eventually, a bowl of white bone broth and a bowl of rice were placed in front of him. Mindlessly, he devoured the bowls in front of him, ignoring the woman who went back to preparing ingredients.
His appetite satiated, he glanced around, finally taking note of his surroundings. The wall was filled with worn posters, an old fan, and had a calendar. He glanced at the date displayed, and felt a sense of unease as he stared at the year. He wasn’t sure where the anxiety stemmed from, but he turned away and looked at the TV, just as a new broadcast began playing.
“Eight years ago today, a grade five rift occurred over the West Sea.” A rift?
Cha Eui-jae glanced at the old woman, who appeared unbothered by the words playing on the tv.
“When the rift suddenly upgraded to grade one, the government deployed S-grade Hunter J, along with 14 A-grade and 30-B grade hunters. The rift disappeared after a week. Unfortunately, the hunters dispatched did not return.” What was the TV talking about? Was this some sort of hero movie?
“J…?” He muttered, finding himself lost in the documentary, which appeared to be a remembrance for the so-called hero of the nation, J. “Who’s J?”
“Did you hit your head, boy?” The old woman questioned. Cha Eui-jae turned back to her, head tilted slightly.
“Ah, maybe?” He asked. He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened that caused him to appear in that dumpster, or why he had no memories, maybe he had hit his head? The woman narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head slightly.
”Then watch and learn, it’s something you’ll need to know.” He frowned and turned back to the tv, wondering what exactly the woman’s words meant. Was that J guy really that important? He watched as faces of each hunter proclaimed dead flashed on the screen, a brief pang of guilt flashed, followed immediately by confusion. What were hunters? What was the Awakened Management Bureau? Why did he feel such a heavy loss as he stared at those unfamiliar faces?
He continued watching the documentary, expression blank as he tried to take in the information that made no sense. He couldn’t recall anything about something that was apparently a life altering event in Korea’s history, and he had no clue who he was or how he woke up in a dumpster.
Clutching his head, a throbbing pain tore through him. A groan escaped before he could stop it. A chair scraped against the floor somewhere nearby, and a cool hand pressed gently against his forehead. “Are you hurt?” The woman’s voice was much softer than before. “You should rest, you must have been through a lot.”
“I don’t-“
”You don’t remember?” Cha Eui-jae shook his head, allowing the woman to guide him to another room where he could supposedly rest. “It’s ok, just rest and recover.” He hummed a small agreement and allowed himself to lay down on the small cot in the side room he was led to. He shut his eyes, ignoring the footsteps of the woman returning back to her preparation. He couldn’t help but think back to the pictures of those dead hunters. Had he known them before? They felt so familiar, yet he couldn’t say he had ever met them.
Exhaustion coursed through him and he allowed himself to fall into the recesses of sleep.
“I’ll be back soon. Promise.” A weak finger wrapped around his own. A blurry figure stood in front of him, silent, but trusting his word.
Chae Eui-jae opened his eyes, the memory of his dream already fading. Slowly, he sat up, eyes easily adjusting to the dark room. His headache had faded and the food provided had kept him full even after sleeping. His throat was dry, but fatigue no longer weighed him down. Pushing himself to his feet, he made his way back to the kitchen, wondering how long he had been asleep for.
In the kitchen, the woman stood alone, silently pouring a bowl of hangover soup. “Eat,” she demanded. He frowned as he stared at the steaming bowl being offered.
“I can’t-“ he tried to deny. He was already indebted to her with no way to pay her back.
“Payment isn’t necessary,” she refuted. “You should worry about yourself before others, boy.” Slowly, he sat down on the small stool and began sipping on the soup, all the while watching the woman to see if she would stop him.
“Do you remember your name?” Cha Eui-jae nodded. She raised an eyebrow at his continued silence.
“Ah, uh, it’s Cha Eui-jae ma’am.” She nodded.
“Do you remember anything else?” He shook his head.
“No ma’am.”
“Enough with the ma’am, just call me Granny.” He nodded in agreement.
“Ah, I have a question, Granny.” She motioned for him to continue. “What are Hunters?”
“Oh dear,” she sighed. “You have a lot to catch up on, don’t you?”