The 'thing' in the sky was active for exactly 31 minutes and 44 seconds. No, even the term 'active' wasn't quite right. According to J, 'it' simply opened its eye and observed. However, the damage it caused during that brief period was immeasurable.
As 'it' opened its eye, pure white monsters emerged from all directions, people mutated, the eroded dungeons quickly became active once again, and the rate of whitening around the other dungeons increased rapidly as well.
Ham Seok-jeong propped her chin on her hand as she stared at the graph on the screen. The graph showed the death toll and mutants skyrocketing in real time. The numbers were hard to believe, considering they were the result of events that had occurred in just 30 minutes.
Now that it had opened its eye once, it will open again. How much time was left until then? How long would it keep opening its eye next time? If, after opening them, it didn't close them…
The world would end in a blink.
Jung Bin, who was standing next to her, lowered his head and whispered something in her ear. Ham Seok-jeong frowned and turned to Jung Bin.
"What? Matthew is missing?"
"Yes, and…."
Jung Bin continued speaking with an uneasy expression.
"Prometheus has sent an official letter. They stated that, from now on, they will end cooperation with incompetent countries and various government agencies."
"Did they specifically name us as an incompetent country?"
"Yes. There's also an unofficial demand. They're asking for the release of researcher Ga-young, who is currently detained."
Tsk, Ham Seok-jeong clicked her tongue and propped her chin on her hand again. Tapping the table with her index finger, she asked.
"Where's J? Where is he now?"
***
"This way."
Honeybee strode down the long hallway, holding Cha Eui-jae's wrist. Even as he was being dragged, Cha Eui-jae kept looking back.
"Honeybee! J! Wait!"
It was because Team Leader Han was chasing after them, panting. It was impossible for ordinary people to catch up with the hunters. However, Team Leader Han persistently pursued them. Despite that, Honeybee ignored Team Leader Han.
"Isn't it fine if we listen to what the team leader has to say first?"
"No need. It's obvious he's just going to lie again. You saw it just now, right? He keeps dodging questions and not giving a single proper answer!"
Soon, a door marked 'Guild Leader's Office' appeared. Honeybee kicked it open without hesitation. The door panel came loose and fell into the office with a thud. Honeybee stepped on the door, which had a deep footprint-shaped hole in it, and stepped inside. Cha Eui-jae flinched. He had blown through doors many times before, but seeing someone else do it made him feel a little guilty.
'This is the HB Guild, after all.'
Shortly after Matthew went missing, Cha Eui-jae contacted Honeybee and relayed Matthew's story. The story began when, shortly after his awakening, he lost control of his abilities and ended up burning his sister and family to death.
However, after hearing the story, Honeybee responded nervously.
"That doesn't make sense? It's completely different from the story I know."
"What story do you know?"
"Matthew's family died in a gas leak. Matthew awakened while trying to save them. I'm telling you, that's the story I heard directly from the man!"
Whose words were true? As soon as the White Hole turned into Black Hole, Honeybee grabbed Cha Eui-jae and headed straight to the HB Guild.
"I need to check."
Deep down, however, Cha Eui-jae could tell that the story he heard was definitely true.
Team Leader Han, who had made it to the Guild Leader's office, heaved heavily as he gripped the door frame.
"Chae-hyun… first… huff… let's calm down. There's… huff… a lot of work to do right now."
"And what's the job? Cleaning up the mess surrounding Matthew's disappearance? Sending out a press release stating he won't be able to come in for a while due to an injury? I know you have connections from your days as a reporter!"
Honeybee snapped sharply. Cha Eui-jae bowed to Team Leader Han, who was catching his breath, and followed her to the Guild Leader's office. A spacious desk and chair were placed near a floor-to-ceiling window. Cabinets lined the walls. The atmosphere felt completely different from Lee Sa-young's Guild Leader's office. Instead of a Guild Leader's office, this place looked more like a regular office.
The place was so neatly organized that it felt overwhelming. Not a single piece of paper or pen lay scattered about.
"That damn fucker!"
Honeybee kicked the chair. Bang! The chair flew with a loud noise. Team Leader Han was shocked.
"No, vandalism—"
"Shut up! Is vandalism a big deal in a situation like this?!"
Honeybee roughly opened the drawers under the desk. Instead of joining the search, Cha Eui-jae stayed by her side. After all, Honeybee would know better than he would after just a brief glance.
Just then, clunk, something got stuck. The back drawer was locked. Undaunted, Honeybee exerted force and pulled the drawer out with a loud creak.
"Why did he even bother locking it? This thing can be opened easily."
'No, it's only because it's you.'
Honeybee grumbled as she set the drawer she'd pulled out on the floor. Cha Eui-jae craned his neck to look inside. A palm-sized picture frame lay alone there. The only odd thing was that the frame was placed upside down, its picture out of sight. Honeybee flipped the frame over.
"This is…"
A photo with charred edges sat tucked inside the frame. In the blackened image stood a young couple holding a child. They smiled happily. Though only the corners of their mouths were faintly visible through the soot, it was possible. A pen mark near their bodies caught his attention.
[Never Forgive]
"…"
In the boy's shyly smiling face, he saw the similar face of Matthew. It felt strange. Cha Eui-jae could understand. The feeling that, as if keeping it locked away in a drawer wasn't enough, had turned the picture frame upside down to be unseen. Cha Eui-jae himself didn't dare look for his aunt's photo.
Honeybee approached Team Leader Han, holding the picture frame. Then, thrusting it directly into his face, she asked,
"What the hell is this?"
"…"
"This is Matthew's handwriting, isn't it?"
At the time of signing the contract, Honeybee— Yoo Chae-hyun— hesitated for a long time before the contract was presented to her. This was because she couldn't let go of her faint hope. She had lived her life focused solely on fencing. She wanted to win tournaments, become a national representative for the Olympics, win gold medals, and reach the top.
Yoo Chae-hyun bit her lip. Was it right to abandon everything she had done and become a hunter? Above all…
'Can I really trust this person right in front of me?'
Perhaps sensing her suspicious gaze, Matthew suddenly opened his mouth.
"You don't trust me?"
The question hit the mark. Yoo Chae-hyun pouted and averted her gaze. Matthew blinked.
"Then, let me tell you a secret. This is my greatest weakness. It doesn't matter whether you keep it to yourself or leak it to the media."
Honeybee asked in a low voice.
"Team Leader Han, do you know about this too?"
"Yes."
"…"
"An awakener burned their entire family to death… In a peaceful era, that would have been quite good news. But at that time, a new hero was needed. That was the assessment of the higher-ups."
Team Leader Han's voice was calm.
"A past like killing an entire family doesn't befit a hero, does it? So, we covered up the truth a bit. We disguised it as a gas leak."
Before becoming the HR Team Leader at HB Guild, Team Leader Han was a political reporter renowned for his extensive network and influence. He was close enough to form sibling-like relationships with several important figures. Honeybee also benefited greatly from Team Leader Han's connections, including numerous advertising deals, image-making opportunities, and favorable articles.
"Ah… So that's why the brilliant Reporter Han quit his job as a reporter and joined the HB Guild. Why didn't I know that?"
"Because it was a secret between me and the Guild Leader."
Cha Eui-jae looked at Team Leader Han. He used to always have a friendly smile whenever he came to the hangover soup restaurant. But now, his expression was barely visible. Everything he knew up until now, everything he believed to be true, had been shattered.
Cha Eui-jae asked.
"Did Matthew-ssi accept that?"
"Let's just say he had no choice but to accept it… Because by the time he regained consciousness, the manipulation of the scene and the shaping of public opinion were already complete. The Guild Leader awakened while trying to save his burning family."
"…"
"That's the truth."
Honeybee chuckled, hollowly. Her bright brown eyes glinted a deep blue.
"You really have the nerve to say it like that… don't you have any conscience?"
Team Leader Han pushed up his glasses. He looked very much like Matthew.
"That's precisely why I'm here. To take responsibility."
"Responsibility? What responsibility?"
She pursed her lips.
"You could've just said it outright. You joined the guild to keep an eye on him, didn't you? Because if Mok Tae-oh told the truth, you'd all be finished! The person who made up the story, the person who wrote the fake article, and the higher-ups involved!"
No answer came. In a situation like this, silence was tantamount to acquiescence. Honeybee covered her face with both hands.
"This is the worst, everything…"
Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes. Matthew, who couldn't forgive himself. But really, it wasn't that he couldn't forgive. He had simply lost the opportunity to be forgiven and repent.
"…"
That was when the phone in his pocket rang. It was a message from Jung Bin.
[The Director wants to see you.]