Mok Tae-oh saw people gathered in a circle outside the window. They were all dressed in white, kneeling, and muttering unintelligible words. Was that a newly composed prayer? Ivan approached from behind him.
"E-everyone has gathered around. It'll be over soon, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah, um, but… the drug development… since Ga-young isn't here, it's still on hold."
"It was just bait, is there really a need to continue developing it? It seems like we've already attracted as many people as possible."
"Y-yes. Then, that's a relief."
Cold gazes swept across those people. Everyone prayed desperately. For their mutated family, for the end of the apocalypse. Once, he too, prayed earnestly. But that prayer was completely useless.
Ivan stood side by side with Mok Tae-oh.
"Now for real… H-hehe. The end of the world is coming…"
"…"
"The world is ending… This miserable world…!"
Ivan nervously played with his hands. His glittering eyes were filled with madness. Mok Tae-oh studied his reflection in the mirror. Did his face look like that too? He didn't know. Where did he go wrong? He couldn't even put his finger on it.
There were plenty of opportunities to stop.
If he had just paid the price for his sins as he deserved, would he not have come this far?
Questions that couldn't be answered soon disappeared from his thoughts. Mok Tae-oh closed his eyes and moved away from his reflection in the window. The sound of a softly whispered prayer rang in his ears like a curse.
***
It had always been a question. Could someone so powerful, one of the top few in the world, be forced into drug addiction? Most of those addicted to drugs are hunters up to B-grade, and looking at Song Jo-heon, he injected the drugs to himself at his own will. But she didn't think much of it. Was it because she wanted Matthew to be safe? No.
Because she didn't want to face the worst possible scenario.
Ga-young sighed as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Haa… Stopping the apocalypse with human power… That sounds great. But how can we possibly stop an apocalypse that even the greatest heroes couldn't prevent?"
"…"
"But seriously, people seem to like stories like that. It's just because everyone watches so many cartoons and movies~"
She couldn't take it anymore. Honeybee grabbed the bars and pulled them apart. With a crack, the bars crumbled like mud. She stepped in and grabbed Ga-young by the collar.
"Hey, stop talking nonsense… Then why did you do the experiment?"
Ga-young's lips curled into a wide grin. Honeybee raised her voice.
"If you knew you couldn't stop the apocalypse, why did you do the experiment?!"
The entire room echoed with the shrill sound. Ga-young turned her head quickly. It was no longer a human face. It was a monster, completely devoid of humanity.
"For revenge."
"What?"
"I wish all those who awakened would just die."
The strength drained slightly from the hand gripping the collar. Ga-young muttered softly.
"You may feel unfairly treated… you may say, 'What nonsense are you talking about when we have tried so hard to save your life?' But I lost my only family member."
Honeybee let go of the collar she had been holding. Ga-young giggled in disarray.
"Yes… because of you. Because of those arrogant awakeners! That's why we've gathered. It all started with people who held grudges against the awakened and came together, then it grew to this size."
"…Is that all?"
A cold voice cut through the conversation. A heavy pressure poured down on her. Her bright brown eyes glinted menacingly. Honeybee gripped the back of the chair where Ga-young was sitting.
"You kidnap people and experiment on them, then brainwash them and threaten those who are desperate, for the sake of such a trivial reason?"
"…"
"Fine, you might hate the awakened. In that case, you could have just done that to them… why are you bothering the civilians?"
"Ah…"
Ga-young let out a small exclamation as if bored.
"Originally, my goal was to completely replace you all. With the awakened I created. But it didn't work out. Even the most promising ones fail, huh."
"What…?"
"So I changed direction a bit. Let's render the awakened useless. Let's destroy their trust. And…"
Ga-young, who had been giggling with her head lowered, raised her eyes. Her pupils glinted.
"If we can't eliminate the awakened, and if we can't replace them… we might as well face the end of the world head-on!"
"…"
"Ahahahaha! You're too late again! It's all over! You, and me!"
Clang, clang, the chains that bound her body shook violently. Sharp laughter pierced her ears.
"Let this wretched world go to hell!"
Crack! Honeybee gritted her teeth. The figure sitting in the chair was no longer human. It was a monster filled with hatred. The monster opened its mouth wide and laughed. Honeybee clenched her fists. Then, she screamed.
Whoosh— the sound of a fist slashing through the air. However, there was no sound of impact.
"What?!"
That was because someone put an arm around Honeybee's shoulders and pulled her back. Honeybee turned around with a murderous look on her face. A black mask that reflected nothing. It was J. Honeybee let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha… why would someone who was just lying in a hospital room come all the way here?"
"Someone told me to."
A black head suddenly appeared from the corner J was pointing at. A sleek face with sunglasses bowed in greeting. Damn, he was taking so long she thought he'd gone somewhere to throw up. Just then, Jung Bin approached from behind.
"You managed to obtain a confession on behalf of our bureau. Thank you, Honeybee-nim."
Jung Bin swiftly grabbed her fist that was aimed at his face and smiled softly. It was a silent pressure. Let's get our stories straight, and I'll let the attempted assault slide, his face seemed to suggest. Honeybee hesitated for a long moment before finally lowering her arm. The smile, as if offering a compliment, was returned. Jung Bin stood in front of Ga-young with his hands behind his back.
"It was very troublesome because you didn't want to talk for a long time, but… now we can finally communicate, right?"
Before anyone knew it, the smile had vanished from Ga-young's face. It was completely expressionless. Jung Bin turned to Honeybee and J with a soft expression.
"I'll take care of her from now on. Honeybee-nim, can you please take J-nim to the hospital room?"
"…Alright."
As she nodded, the arm pressing down on her upper body released. Honeybee rolled her stiff shoulders and stepped out through the bars. J followed a step behind.
No one spoke as they walked down the long corridor. Only the sound of footsteps following her indicated J's presence. When they reached the stairs, Honeybee asked first.
"When did you start listening?"
"…From the part where Matthew-ssi hates the awakened."
"Ha, so you heard it from the beginning. And you kept quiet?"
"…"
"Ah, I see."
The black mask nodded slowly. Honeybee frowned. The mask was really bothering her today. She turned and approached J.
She knew. That it was just her venting her anger.
However, she was curious about the expression behind the mask. When she reached out to it, J took a step back. Honeybee crossed her arms.
"Hey, J. How do you think I look now?"
"…"
"It's the worst, isn't it?"
The mask hesitantly nodded again. How unnecessarily honest he was. Honeybee rubbed the corners of her eyes roughly. Her vision, clouded by tears, finally cleared. She tucked her hair behind her ear and snapped her fingers.
"I bet you'd look just as bad."
The sound of breathing she had heard when J was holding her back. J had been just as worked up as she was. With rage.
"It's not fair if I'm the only one showing this face. You should show it too."
She was sure he wouldn't take off his mask. He certainly wouldn't listen to such unreasonable demands. She was just being mean. However…
After a moment of hesitation, his hand reached for the mask.
And…
Click,
He removed the mask.
"…"
"…"
The young man's face was revealed. Honeybee widened her eyes. It was a very familiar face. He had a calm and composed demeanor. The part-timer at the hangover soup restaurant. However, the indifferent expression he always wore was completely absent.
"You…"
Standing there wasn't Hero J or the part-timer of the hangover soup restaurant, but a man utterly exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips dry, dripping with blood from biting so hard. His face was deathly pale, like a corpse. He was holding back something. Perhaps the same feelings as Honeybee.
Honeybee carefully tugged the arm holding the mask.
"…We've held on well, both you and I."
A faint smile appeared on the young man's face. Honeybee held back the tears that welled up in her eyes. The young man opened his mouth, but unable to say a word, he lowered his head. Honeybee patted his arm. It was a comfort only those who had experienced loss could offer.
How much time had passed? When the tears that had welled up in Honeybee's eyes had completely dried,
Beeeeeep—
Loud alarms sounded throughout the building. Then, a boy's emotionless voice echoed.
―Hunters in the guild, please gather at the Guild Hall immediately…
Their eyes met. The young man's exhausted face was hidden behind a black mask once again. The two of them began running up the stairs.