VSP 102
“What smell?! What the hell are you talking about?!”
Sejun pushed Choi Hangyeol away. He didn’t even push that hard, but Hangyeol ran a hand down his chest and went “Ow,” pretending to be hurt.
“Why are you so startled? It’s a joke.”
Hangyeol’s relaxed grin made Sejun genuinely confused whether this guy actually knew something.
A smell? Cha Dogyeong’s smell? What Cha Dogyeong smell? It’s been days since I slept with Cha Dogyeong…
No, no. Come to your senses, Seo Sejun. The other guy can read my mind whenever he wants. He’s a creepy bastard.
Sejun, who had locked his mind from even thinking about the lewd act he’d done with Cha Dogyeong n the car, grumbled and shut his mouth, his face flushed. He knew it looked suspicious, but he couldn’t help it.
When Sejun shut his mouth, Choi Hangyeol clung to Sejun’s shoulder and whined.
“I want coffee too. Buy me a cup.”
“Why me? There’s the one you are meeting, Lee Dohun. Ask him to buy it for you.”
“Why should I?”
Lee Dohun snorted as if he had no inten tion of doing so, but Choi Hangyeol paid no attention.
“You make good money, hyung.”
“You and he don’t make money?”
Sejun was so upset that he said something, but eventually he got tired of Choi Hangyeol clinging to his shoulder and whining, so he ended up buying him coffee.
It was some kind of mint-chocolate drink. And thanks to Hangyeol chirping, “Hangyeol wants cake too~,” Sejun also ended up buying a slice of mille crêpe cake.
It wasn tthat he didn’t have money, but Sejun’s expression darkened with the earnest question of why he was doing this. In contrast, Choi Hangyeol’s face was bright and cheerful, as if he was happy about something.
“Alright, let’s eat~.”
He sat right next to Sejun like it was natural, drinking his drink and eating the cake. Sejun automatically picked up his fork.
“…?”
Even so, Sejun had to make a bewildered face, wondering why he was doing this. Just a moment ago, he’d been arguing seriously with Lee Dohun. So why was he here?
Actually, Dohun had dragged him here, so he never even planned to sit down in this cafe. And Hangyeol joining them wasn’t in his plan at all.
He couldn’t understand why he was sitting in a cafe with those two, huddled together like friends, eating coffee and cake.
Dohun looked a bit annoyed that their conversation had been interrupted, but he didn’t seem to mind Sejun sitting between them. He didn’t even give him a look.
He accepted the situation naturally, just like Hangyeol did.
“Choi Hangyeol, you bastard, where’s my coffee?”
“Buy it yourself~.”
“Damn.”
Dohun took Hangyeol’s coffee and drank it himself. After tasting the mint flavor, he clicked his tongue. “Ugh, damn it.” He even grabbed one of the extra forks the staff had brought and took a bite of the cake.
Then he grumbled, “Three guys and only one piece of cake? What’s this supposed to be?”
“Then you buy one.”
Hangyeol and Dohun continued bickering. It was strange they even bothered making plans to meet if they were going to fight like that.
“…?….”
Sejun, who was watching all this right beside them, didn’t know how to describe how he felt. His expression mirrored his complicated thoughts.
It was weird, but not so uncomfortable that he wanted to immediately leave. He stared at the fork Hangyeol had shoved into his hand, then reached out and took a bite of the cake.
It was sweet enough, and it tasted good.
Dohun watched quietly, then pushed the plate closer to Sejun. Sejun glanced at him, but Dohun didn’t look back. He just spoke to Hangyeol instead.
But even Sejun could tell Dohun was deliberately avoiding his eyes. He was aware of Sejun’s presence and trying not to show it.
Sejun tilted his head, wondering if he’d imagined the apology Dohun had given him earlier. He had no intention of accepting it, but hearing it at all felt strange.
Was it an illusion? A dream? Did Lee Dohun actually apologize to him? His tone had been awful, but it was something Sejun never thought he’d hear. He was confused.
It was weird how Dohun was sneaking glances at him too.
Sejun absentmindedly sipped from his straw and poked at the cake. Then he picked up his phone.
For some reason, he wanted to tell Cha Dogyeong about this. Like telling a close friend, I had this weird day today, listen to me…
Ah, come to think of it, he said he was going into a dungeon raid with Na Yookyung today. It must be around that time now.
Sejun was fidgeting with his phone, hesitating on whether to contact Cha Dogyeong or not.
Bzzzz.
The phone vibrated loudly. But it wasn’t just Sejun’s phone. Every single phone in the cafe started ringing at once.
“Hm?”
“What’s that?”
Lee Dohun and Choi Hangyeol’s phones buzzed too, so all three checked their screens at the same time. From the familiar alert tone, they already knew it was a disaster warning before even opening the message.
The expressions on all three faces changed as they read it.
[Disaster and Safety Agency
At approximately 14:32 today, an unconfirmed dungeon has appeared at ‘Taeseong Department Store’ in Gangnam, Seoul.
Civilians nearby should evacuate immediately and avoid approaching the area.]
This was an ordinary disaster alert.
But the second message, sent only to the three of them, was the problem.
[As of 14:35, S-rank or higher dungeon activity detected in the basement area of ‘Taeseong Department Store.’
Ordinary suppression forces cannot be deployed. S-rank Hunters are to be assembled immediately.
Confirmed irregularities:
– High-level life forms detected inside the dungeon
– Mana leakage and structural collapse in progress
All S-rank Hunters in Seoul must gather within 15 minutes.]
A brief silence fell.
Moments later, without a word, all three stood up almost at the same time. It looked like they wouldn’t be enjoying their coffee and cake after all.
•••
People in this world had long grown used to the existence of dungeons. Awakened people, dungeons, monsters, dungeons overflow are things you had to get used to, or you wouldn’t survive.
Korea, as one of the most advanced countries in handling Awakened matters, had responded well from the early days of dungeon outbreaks. Not only had it survived, but it became a model case, known for its strong management systems.
All dungeons were detected before opening, allowing people to evacuate in advance and Hunters to be deployed. Since that applied to every rank, people no longer feared dungeons suddenly appearing. They trusted the Association to handle everything before it became a problem.
Because of that, people had grown dangerously complacent, but even that was kept under control, and no major incident had ever occurred.
Until now.
“I don’t care about your so-called right to know! You’re not getting in for coverage!”
On what should’ve been a normal, cheerful Friday afternoon, Son Wontae was completely overwhelmed.
A dungeon appearing at Taeseong Department Store wasn’t unheard of. But this one hadn’t been detected in advance.
That was a serious issue, but still manageable if civilians were evacuated and Hunters dispatched.
However, this dungeon was estimated to be S-rank. …That was a massive problem.
No, they were screwed.
An unmonitored dungeon was bad enough, but an S-rank one was a catastrophe. Facing that without preparation was an unthinkable disaster.
To make matters worse, the Association President was away on business in another province. The dungeon hadn’t just opened at the department store, the entire department store had become the dungeon. Thousands of civilians were trapped inside.
The most reliable EX-rank Hunter was currently in the middle of another raid and unreachable.
And now, reports were coming in that members of the Bacheon Guild were involved as well.
All responsibility had fallen onto one man in the president’s absence: the high-ranking but otherwise ordinary Association officer, Son Wontae.
Each new report made his vision blur and his mind go blank. But the cruel part was, he didn’t even have time to collapse.
He was busy, busier than he’d ever been since joining the Hunter Association.
– Even if I take the jet right now, it’ll take at least an hour. You’ll have to manage the situation until then.
Ryu Sehyun had canceled all his appointments the moment he was briefed and was flying back to Seoul, but the distance meant it would still take some time.
An hour. That was how long Son Wontae had to hold out. His face turned ashen when he heard it.
“Yes, sir…”
– Just keep things contained. Don’t let anyone else get dragged in.
“Yes, understood.”
The call ended. Son Wontae felt like crying.
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