Mok Tae-oh looked through the glass window at the people gathered in a circle. They were all dressed in white, kneeling, muttering incomprehensible words. Was it a newly written prayer? Behind him, Ivan approached.
"They… they're all gathering. Not much time left now, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah, b-but… the development of the cure… since Ga-young is gone. It's still halted."
"It was a bait. Is there any need to keep developing it? I think we've lured in as many people as we can."
"R-right. If that's the case, then… that's good."
His cold gaze swept across the people. They prayed desperately, for their mutated families, for the end of the apocalypse. Once, he too had prayed fervently. But prayer had proven useless.
Ivan stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Now really… ha, hahaha… the end will come…"
"…"
"The world is going to end… this damned world!"
Ivan fidgeted with his hands, his glittering eyes drenched in madness. Tae-oh studied his own reflection in the glass. Did his face look like that too? He couldn't tell. Where had he first gone wrong? He didn't even know that.
There had been countless chances to stop.
If only he had paid the price for his sins when he should have… would it have come to this?
The unanswerable questions quickly sank. Mok Tae-oh closed his eyes, turning away from the reflection in the glass. The droning prayers pressed against his ears like a curse.
***
It had always been a mystery. Could someone among the few strongest really be forcibly addicted to drugs? Usually, only Hunters ranked B and below became addicts. Even Song Jo-heon had injected himself willingly.
But she had never thought too deeply about it. Because she hoped Matthew was safe? No.
Because she didn't want to face the possibility.
Ga-young exhaled, staring at the ceiling.
"Ha… stopping the apocalypse with human power… what a pretty phrase. But if the great heroes couldn't stop it, how could we?"
"…"
"But really, people love that kind of talk. Probably because they read too many comics and watched too many movies~"
Honeybee could stand it no longer. She grabbed the iron bars of the cage and yanked them apart. With a loud crunch, the bars crumpled like clay. Striding forward, she seized Ga-young by the collar.
"Hey. Cut the crap… Why did you do the experiments, then?"
Ga-young's lips curved in a wide grin. Honeybee's voice rose.
"If you knew we couldn't stop the apocalypse, then why do the experiments at all?!"
Her sharp voice shook the room. Ga-young tilted her head. Her face was no longer human, stripped of all traces of humanity.
"For revenge."
"What?"
"I want all the Awakened to die."
Honeybee's grip loosened slightly. Ga-young drawled slowly.
"You might think it's unfair… that after protecting lives, I'm spouting nonsense. But I lost the only family I had."
Honeybee released her grip. Ga-young chuckled, disheveled.
"Yes… because of you. Because of those oh-so-great Awakened! That's why we gathered. Those who hold grudges against them came together, and it grew this big."
"…That's all?"
The cold voice cut her off. A suffocating pressure filled the room. Honeybee's light-brown eyes blazed. She seized the backrest of Ga-young's chair.
"For something that petty, you abducted people, ran experiments, brainwashed and threatened desperate souls?"
"…"
"Sure, maybe you hated the Awakened. Then take it out on them. Why drag innocent people into it?"
"Ah…"
Ga-young sighed, bored.
"The original goal was to perfectly replace you. With the Awakened I created. But it didn't work. Even the most promising one failed."
"What…"
"So I shifted the direction. Make the Awakened useless. Destroy the trust in them. And then…"
Ga-young, giggling with her head down, suddenly snapped her gaze upward. Her eyes gleamed wildly.
"If I can't kill the Awakened, if I can't replace them… then let's all go down with the apocalypse!"
"…"
"Ahahaha! Too late this time! It's over! You, me, everyone!"
Chains rattled as her body convulsed. Her shrill laughter pierced Honeybee's ears.
"To hell with this rotten world!"
Grinding her teeth, Honeybee stared. What sat in the chair was no longer human. Just a monster full of malice. The monster opened its mouth in a wide laugh. Honeybee clenched her fist… and struck.
Whoosh
Her fist cut through the air. But no impact followed.
"What?!"
Someone had grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. Whirling with a murderous glare, she saw the featureless black mask. J. Honeybee gave a hollow laugh.
"Ha… someone who was bedridden made it all the way down here?"
"Someone told me."
J jerked his chin toward the corner. A head with black hair popped up, sunglasses perched on a mischievous face. He bowed politely. That damned slacker. She thought he'd gone off somewhere to puke.
Then Jung Bin stepped forward.
"You've kindly drawn out the confession for us. Thank you, Honeybee-ssi."
Jung Bin grasped Honeybee's raised fist and smiled gently. A silent warning. He'd overlook the attempted assault if she played along. After hesitation, Honeybee lowered her hand. His smile widened approvingly.
He clasped his hands behind his back and stood before Ga-young.
"It was troublesome when you kept your mouth shut… but now at last, we can speak. Isn't that so?"
Ga-young's smile had vanished. Her face was utterly blank. Jung Bin turned back toward Honeybee and J with a serene expression.
"I'll take it from here. Honeybee-ssi, could you escort J-nim back to the infirmary?"
"…Fine."
The arm pressing on her relaxed. Honeybee rolled her aching shoulder and stepped out of the cell. J followed silently.
They walked a long corridor in silence, the sound of his footsteps the only proof of his presence. At the stairs, Honeybee finally spoke.
"How much did you hear?"
"…From the part where she said she hated Awakened."
"Ha, so you heard it all. And you stayed quiet?"
"…"
"Figures."
The black mask dipped in a small nod. Honeybee scowled. Today, that mask irritated her more than usual. She turned toward him.
She knew it was just misdirected anger.
But she wanted to see the face behind it. Reaching for the mask, J stepped back. Honeybee crossed her arms.
"Hey, J. How do I look right now?"
"…"
"The absolute worst, right?"
The mask hesitated, then nodded. Too honest. Honeybee rubbed her eyes roughly, clearing her tear-blurred vision. She swept her hair back and muttered.
"Your face can't be much better."
She remembered the heavy breaths when he had held her back. He was just as shaken. Just as furious.
"It's unfair, isn't it? Me showing you my face like this, but you hiding yours. Show me too."
Of course, she knew he wouldn't. Knew he wouldn't indulge such a demand. She was just being petulant. But then
After a long pause, his hand reached for the mask.
Click.
He removed it.
"…"
"…"
A young man's face was revealed. Honeybee's eyes widened. Too familiar. Sharp, handsome features. The part-timer from the hangover soup shop. But the indifferent expression he always wore was gone.
"You…"
Before her stood neither the hero J nor the restaurant part-timer. Just a man, utterly exhausted. His reddened eyes, lips cracked from being chewed, pallid skin. He was holding something back, the same thing she was.
Honeybee gently tugged the arm that still held the mask.
"…We both held out well, didn't we?"
A faint smile flickered across his worn face. Honeybee blinked back tears. His lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. He bowed his head instead. Honeybee patted his arm. It was the only comfort those who knew loss could share.
Time slipped by. By the time her eyes had dried,
BEEEEEEP—
A blaring alarm resounded through the entire building. A flat, emotionless boy's voice echoed after it.
—Hunters within the guild, please assemble in the guild hall immediately…
Their eyes met. The weary young man hid behind his black mask once more. Together, they dashed up the stairs.