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The things that disappeared along with the system were rifts, dungeons, superpowers, magic stones, dungeon byproducts, items, and…
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In the lobby of the Awakened Management Bureau’s main office, Jung Bin glanced around, searching for the figure of a gray-haired man. He looked rushed, sweat running down his temples from exhaustion and hunger. But he didn’t stop—not while the chaos caused by hunters still lingered.
He was looking for J. But he wasn’t there.
The hero who had returned after successfully erasing the system and everything connected to it. Since coming back, he had never rested. He kept asking Jung Bin for work, over and over, even when his body was trembling. Even when anyone could see it just by looking into the gray-maned hunter’s eyes—the exhaustion, the pain he couldn’t hide.
The Awakened Management Bureau, short on personnel, reluctantly accepted J back despite their guilt. They were putting someone who had already fought for so long back to work. But they couldn’t do anything else—not when they saw the look in the hero’s eyes. Even the doctor couldn’t stop him.
Jung Bin took out his phone and pressed the number saved as J. No answer. He had already called more than ten times.
Sometimes it was like this—though not this often before. J would disappear without a trace. Without anyone knowing.
Jung Bin dialed another number labeled Director Ham.
—Have you found him?
“Not yet. He’s not here. Seo Mingi and I will check somewhere else.”
—…He’s not at his old house either. Look at the places he used to stay before.
“…Understood.”
Letting out a breath, Jung Bin pulled out his car keys and headed straight to the parking lot, driving toward Pado Guild’s office.
There he met Bae Wonwoo, who was struggling just as much with J’s absence as temporary leader.
Bae Wonwoo greeted Jung Bin with a stiff expression. His face had grown thinner. The foolish, innocent smile that usually rested there was gone, replaced by eyes heavy with days of sleeplessness.
“How’s the situation here?” Jung Bin asked, getting straight to the point.
“Still a mess. And I checked the Guild Leader’s office and his penthouse. He’s not there.”
“Seo Mingi?”
“He checked other places J used to stay. Nothing.”
Another sigh left Jung Bin’s mouth. He pushed his hair back, the crease between his brows deepening.
If it was like this, there was only one place left to check.
His mouth tasted bitter. He was afraid of seeing that man still unable to let go of the past. Two years younger than him, yet still bound to someone—bound so tightly he couldn’t stop himself from going back.
They couldn’t bear to see their hero fall.
Jung Bin gave Bae Wonwoo a look, and the large man understood immediately.
They got into the car and drove somewhere, hoping J was there—yet also hoping he wasn’t.
The sea wind blew harshly.
At a grave near Incheon’s beach, a man stood before a tombstone that still looked new.
J—Cha Euijae was there. Without a mask. Without his black face covering.
His eyes were red, tear stains still clear on his pale face. His lips were dry and torn, slightly bleeding from being bitten too much. Bandages wrapped around his arms and chest up to his neck. He looked like a mess.
He raised his hand. His fingers were rough, his nails damaged, faint traces of blood still there.
In his vision, a hand with blackened fingertips gently held his. Pouring potion and medicine over his wounds, wrapping fresh bandages around his broken fingers. Just an illusion.
No one was doing that for him now.
Cha Euijae curled up, hugging his knees with his head lowered. Tears dripped again from the corners of his eyes. Tears that should have dried long ago kept falling endlessly.
It hurts. His chest felt tight.
Hurts.
Hurts…
…
A faint whimper.
He heard a car approaching from afar but had no intention of moving even an inch.
…
From a distance, Jung Bin approached with Bae Wonwoo behind him. They saw J sitting in front of the grave—again. Jung Bin’s heart sank. He bit his tongue before stepping closer and speaking softly.
“…J-nim, let’s go back.”
“…”
“……”
He clenched his hand so tightly his nails left marks on his palm.
Bae Wonwoo didn’t dare step any closer. His expression was complicated—he had no intention of returning to this grave over and over again in such a short time.
Gently, without force, Jung Bin grasped Cha Euijae’s arm, hoping he would stand. The man didn’t resist.
He let himself be guided naturally into the passenger seat of the car. The engine started, and they drove back toward Seoul.
Ah. Where is he now?
J looked around. The lobby of the Awakened Management Bureau, as usual filled with people rushing back and forth, answering urgent calls from every corner of South Korea.
Last time… what was he doing?
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?
He didn’t remember.
Whatever.
He didn’t bother trying to recall what he had been doing before. J checked his vibrating phone—many messages from Jung Bin.
: An A-rank hunter is holding civilians hostage near the Han River.
: Please head to the scene immediately.
A mission call. Right, he had to work. Save innocent people from criminals.
He had to distract himself. He had to divert his thoughts.
…Not now.
There were still many people who needed saving. The world wasn’t safe yet.
His arm dropped.
Clack.
“Ah.”
His phone fell too.
J bent down, picked it up, and slipped it back into his pocket. He turned and walked out of the building toward the place Jung Bin had mentioned. He had to keep working. Keep going until his mind couldn’t think about anything else. Let his body be exhausted, so tired it had no strength left to think.
So he could turn his face away from reality, even if only for a moment.
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His vision showed an omelette that was almost burnt. Shit. Euijae quickly lifted it and placed it on a plate over white rice. There were two omelettes.
Euijae carried the two plates to the dining table, placing them across from each other.
Um… who’s the other one for?
Thump.
“Hyung.”
For Sayoung… then where is he now?
Euijae’s eyes wandered around the apartment. Everything looked the same as before the system disappeared.
…
Euijae sat down and began eating the omelette that was too salty and slightly bitter. His eyes were blank, staring at the plate across from him. Sayoung couldn’t taste anything anyway—but he would’ve definitely complained about the burnt egg.
He finished the omelette on his own plate. Then he pulled the other plate in front of him and began eating the still-warm omelette. His cheeks were wet.
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Euijae lay down on the long sofa in the living room, staring at the dark ceiling. Only faint light slipped in through gaps in the curtains.
Usually, Sayoung would lie on top of him, pretending to be sleepy so they could cuddle like that on the sofa. In front of the TV. When night fell, Euijae would shower, and the younger one would whine, asking to shower together.
…Did he shower after eating?
His hair was still damp. He must have.
Now that he thought about it, the apartment was big. He had never felt that before. Maybe because there used to be someone else here? Even though it was spacious, he never felt lonely.
The sarcastic remarks. The rude way he spoke. The way he called his name so easily. The way he looked at him with soft eyes. Those long, beautiful lashes. Thick lips with the mole on the lower right side. Black fingers brushing his face. A big, warm body wrapping around him. The faint sweet scent lingering in the air.
…
Tears fell again. Slowly at first, then heavier.
He bit his already injured lip harder, reopening the wound. His hands clenched so tightly his nails dug into his skin, leaving red marks.
His eyes were red from crying too much.
This room was too big. Too quiet. Dark. Too cold.
Cold…
It hurt. His throat felt choked. He wanted to cry properly, scream at the top of his lungs. Tear out the suffocating weight lodged in his chest. But all that came out was a small, voiceless whimper.
It hurts. His chest hurts so damn much.
Cha Euijae was someone who endured pain well. But… what if the pain wasn’t physical? What if it came from inside? From his heart?
It hurts…
Where did that promise of living together go?
It hurts.
This hurts so much.
It hurts.
Where did you go?
It hurts.
Did you leave me?
It hurts.
…
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
Snap—
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J couldn’t be reached again.
Ham Seokjeong still hadn’t stepped down from her position as director. She wanted to, but postponed it because she was worried about the young man Park Hyekyung had cherished. The last time she saw him, the black mask was gone, and those eyes were filled with tangled negative emotions.
Grief, anger, resentment, exhaustion—and the emotion she knew all too well, the one that had eaten at her since the death of the A-class hunter—
Loss.
This time, Romantic Opener Choi Goyo went directly to the grave in Incheon, but J wasn’t there. She called Jung Bin and asked to be taken to Pado Guild’s building.
Honeybee, who was with Jung Bin negotiating to meet Matthew, overheard and insisted on coming along.
The three of them arrived at Pado Guild and were greeted by Seo Mingi, who was still handling guild matters before it was dissolved. Bae Wonwoo came down from the elevator and led them to the top floor, where their Guild Leader used to live.
As vice Guild Leader, Bae Wonwoo knew the passcode to Lee Sayoung’s apartment—he was the one who installed it. It hadn’t changed.
1024.
Lee Sayoung had chosen it himself.
…Isn’t that the birthday of the hangover soup restaurant part-timer? Hm.. Maybe just a coincidence.
The door opened.
Inside was pitch dark. Not a single light was on even though evening had fallen. It made the apartment feel abandoned.
Bae Wonwoo found the switch and turned on the lights.
Ham Seokjeong, Jung Bin, Honeybee, and Seo Mingi entered one by one.
When the lights came on, traces of life became visible. Traces of two lives occupying one spacious apartment.
Two pairs of house slippers. Two towels. Two toothbrushes. Two plates and utensils still on the dining table. A pan and dirty bowl left untouched in the sink. The sofa still faintly warm, as if someone had just been sitting there for a long time.
If someone who didn’t know better saw it, they would think two people lived here.
But they knew—they knew very well that only one person lived here now.
Only one.
Honeybee bit her lip slightly, frowning as she clenched her fists. …What the hell did that bastard mean to J? To the hero she respected?
How could he break someone like that?
The blonde woman looked at J—Cha Euijae—
Completely shattered.
The five hunters sensed someone’s presence in another room. Inside the bedroom the Guild Leader used to occupy.
Jung Bin gave Bae Wonwoo a small nod and walked to the only bedroom door.
Click.
It opened easily.
Inside, a young man sat on the bed hugging his knees. His face turned toward the slightly open window, watching rain slowly streak down the glass.
His hands gripped the robe covering most of his body.
They recognized it.
It was the long robe Lee Sayoung used to wear.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping from his chin, soaking the fabric little by little.
Ham Seokjeong frowned.
She stepped closer to the bed with the help of her cane.
“…J.”
“…”
“Cha Euijae.”
The one being called slowly turned his head.
That face was even more ruined. The light in his eyes had completely disappeared.
Ham Seokjeong sat down at the edge of the bed beside him.
She wasn’t sure if she should do this, but… if it were Park Hyekyung, she probably would.
She lifted the hand not holding the cane and awkwardly, stiffly, gently patted the gray hair. Saying nothing for a while.
Bae Wonwoo, Jung Bin, Honeybee, Seo Mingi, they all stood still in the doorway, not daring to step inside until they were given permission.
Cha Euijae looked at Ham Seokjeong through slowly falling tears. His face was wet, his body damp with sweat despite the cold rain outside.
His mouth opened and closed, hesitant. He wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
“…He.”
Cha Euijae's voice, hoarse from crying so much, came out. It was so dry, as if his throat was sore from not being given anything to drink for so long.
His grip on the robe tightened.
“Sayoung-ah…”
The moment the name left his lips, the room grew heavy.
Euijae turned his face away, staring blankly ahead. But there was still warmth when he said that name.
“He… was the kid I saved.”
He forced the words out.
“I promised I’d come back to him. When I was in the West Sea Rift… when my aunt and all the other hunters died in there…”
…
“That promise. That promise kept me alive.”
His head drooped.
“It was my anchor when I was lost.”
Drip.
“When I came back, he’d grown up. Taller than me. The kid who used to be wrapped in bandages from head to toe.”
Drip.
“The kid who could only move his fingers back then. When I came back, he was healthy.”
Drip.
“He was alive.”
Drip.
“He was alive, waiting for me… waiting while everyone said I was dead. For eight whole years he waited… just to fulfill my selfish promise.”
Drip.
“I had already given up on miracles. But that kid… he brought miracles back into my life.”
Drip.
“…Director.”
Drip.
“He made me fall in love with him.”
Drip.
“I fell for him again and again. I poured all my love into him.”
Drip.
“Until there was nothing left.”
Drip.
“Every moment with him felt so sweet…”
Drip.
“Until it hurts.”
Drip.
“What am I supposed to do…”
No one in the room dared to speak first. None of them had imagined even a fraction of the relationship between the number one and number two ranked hunters.
They thought J and Lee Sayoung were close because of rank.
They thought J was devastated from losing a precious comrade right before his eyes.
They thought… No. They didn’t know anything.
It wasn't until Euijae opened his mouth that everything that had happened between J and Lee Sayoung—which they had seen—made sense.
Lee Sayoung’s actions since awakening had always pointed in one direction. J crashed out every single time something happened to him.
…
When he returned, J rampaged and destroyed a road and a building. Jung Bin, who hadn’t even had time to rest, had to speed to Incheon where J was seen.
When he came back to his senses, J didn’t remember the rampage.
The things that disappeared along with the system were rifts, dungeons, superpowers, magic stones, dungeon byproducts, items, and…
Lee Sayoung.
J lost his sanity again, forcing Jung Bin to keep him under strict watch. Nam Woojin injected him with sedatives again and again.
And so it went on for several days...
Until the funeral was held without a body. Without ashes.
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Several years after most hunter powers disappeared.
In the Incheon cemetery.
Beside the old gravestone, there was now a new one.
Like someone once said—whether it’s live together or die together. Even if not at exactly the same time… choose one.
May the two of them find the happiness they deserve in their next life.
