Si-Hun narrowed his eyes.
He then crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it in the bin, which landed perfectly.
"Who is this damn guy!?" Si-Hun said in frustration.
Si-Hun got up and went near his balcony.
He leaned over the grill and looked here and there.
It was his way of sensing someone's presence who wasn't daring to reveal himself.
But he didn't sense anything.
No one was there right now, except for one person.
It was on the balcony next to his.
He could hear soft sobs coming from someone.
"…Su-Yeon?" he whispered so under his breath that even he couldn't hear it.
He went a little further, trying not to disturb her privacy.
She was curled up on her chair near the sliding door.
She sat hugging her knees while her face was buried in her embrace as if she was trying to find comfort within herself.
She looked…fragile.
Too innocent for his world.
His eyes relaxed from the tension he was holding earlier.
He clenched his fist at his side, and his chest tightened in a way it had never been before.
What was this burn?
He couldn't know…not yet.
"Why…is she crying? Should I ask her?...No…it would be weird if I appeared out of nowhere and startled her. But…I want to ask. No?"
He didn't ask anything, didn't disturb her space.
Si-Hun restrained himself.
Just watched her frame, which was so small, just watched how her long, dark brown hair fell over her shoulders and hid her face to an extent.
Her sobs were muffled as if careful not to reach anyone's ears.
He had always seen her in joy that the thought of seeing her like this was…out of thought.
"I wish I could…read her mind and know what's in her heart…"
Si-Hun stepped backwards and left from there.
His hands were still clenched, and his chest was still a little heavy.
He went to bed right after, but it was hard falling asleep knowing he could still feel her presence near him in that state.
His eyes did grow heavy later, and he fell asleep.
[Police station]
"I asked a few residents who lived near the site; all of them were normal…except for one," Minjun said.
"Who?" Baek-Hyeon replied.
"That guy. He looked and acted too…calmly, as if he wasn't bothered by the whole thing. But that calmness made me question his morals."
"That guy who was wearing a black leather jacket, right? He was too confident when I saw him talking to you."
"Yeah! That guy…He doesn't give me the right reasons to feel off."
"Keep an eye on him."
"Surely. Anyway, our investigation team will go to the sites tomorrow for a detailed inspection to see if we're missing anything. We have to go there with them, so be ready."
"Ahh, more work!"
"Yeah, yeah. The name of work tires you, I know, but you'll have to move your ass and work!"
"Why are you reminding me of that and ruining my day!?"
"It's nighttime. The day is already over."
"I'm aware!"
"Hmphh."
Si-Hun was catching the eye of the two masterminds.
This wasn't good news…
[Si-Hun's house]
Morning came with the same tasks: the same routine.
Going to raids and killing bastards.
He had two shifts, one at night and one in the day.
The day's shift was with his old group, in which Jae-Un was.
The second shift was with a new team, the one in which Yu-Jun was.
It was night shift.
He was standing near the portal, his mind still thinking about last night.
"I would check on her."
Yu-Jun came and stood next to him.
'Hey, Si-Hun!"
'Uh…hey."
"How're you doing?"
"We just met yesterday. I'm alive right in front of you."
"Oh yeah. Why would I ask such stupid questions!"
Something was about his slips and this demeanor that felt too hard to be "human."
He had to survive his raid with a nuisance around.
[In the portal]
"Si-Hun, could you help me take this monster down, please?"
Si-Hun stared blankly at his face and killed the monster with his dagger.
"Ohh, thank you so much!"
"This wasn't a goblin. It should've been hard for him to kill…but it wasn't. That's not a surprise."
In the boss fight, Yu-Jun forcefully dragged Si-Hun into the fight when he wasn't supposed to enter because he was only there for the small monsters.
"Stab the dagger in his chest!"
"I'm not supposed to involve-
"Please, he is strong, I need assistance!"
"UGH FINE."
Yu-Jun looked down and smirked.
Si-Hun slid his dagger across the boss's neck and made a cut, but didn't kill him fully.
The monster growled and stumbled a little.
"Not killing the monster whole, but even a little cut made the monster weak…His weapons are not ordinary."
His doubt was right…Si-Hun did help him weaken the monster a little and made it easier to eliminate him later.
Nahh…this wasn't normal.
Not for the Si-Hun, he left still having trouble killing little goblins and was afraid of bosses.
Something had changed…
After the fight, Si-Hun was packing his bag outside the site when Yu-Jun came to him again.
"Ughhhh. Not this guy again!" He thought.
"Umm…Si-Hun.''
"Yeah?"
"Since you've helped me so much during these raids…Can we be…friends?"
"What?"
"I'm extending a hand of friendship towards you. Will you?" Yu-Jun said, extending his hand.
Si-Hun looked at his hand, then at him.
"He's not gonna leave me until I accept."
"Okay," Si-Hun said, shaking Yu-Jun's hand.
'Why are his hands so cold and lifeless?"