Chapter 2

An old military transport vehicle was driving on an unpaved road without a single streetlight. In Jeongju, Lee Jun, who had checked the sign outside the window, spoke with a voice tinged with anxiety.

“Yunha, have you ever been to Jeongju?”

“No.”

Yunha replied briefly. In her hand was an emergency ration that lacked both taste and nutrition.

Lee Jun scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. His hand, which still bore the wound from yesterday, had not yet healed. Yunha was diligently feeding herself, seemingly not even glancing at him.

Yunha and Lee Jun were training camp comrades.

However, Lee Jun still knew very little about Yunha. There were even more things he couldn’t understand.

For example, how she could chew and swallow food so calmly when they might die at any moment today, or how she couldn’t even remember the name of a comrade with whom she had shared hardships for several months.

Cha Yunha.

She was definitely different from ordinary people. Her personality was such that she would never have gotten close to anyone, but in fact, Lee Jun admired her.

She had been notably strong since the training camp days. Unlike himself, who possessed the rather insignificant unique ability of pheromones, she used powerful flames. It was an ability perfectly optimized for combat.

If she hadn’t been there, he would have probably died during the last deployment at the Pyeongtaek Gate.

‘Even if I had survived, I would have likely become a cripple.’

The three-headed wolf he faced then still made his legs tremble when he thought about it.

Before the aftereffects had even healed, they were already moving to the next gate in Jeongju.

Lee Jun glanced at Yunha, who was sitting next to him.

After watching her silently swallow her food for a while, he decided to try speaking to her again. He didn’t know when he would have another chance to talk to her.

“Something I’ve always wondered... Yunha, have you ever made a contract with a divine beast?”

“No.”

“Really? Why? I thought you would have already made a contract because you’re so strong.”

Yunha briefly met Lee Jun’s gaze before looking away. Yunha wasn’t particularly difficult to get along with, but she wasn’t particularly friendly either.

He couldn’t give up here. This was a rare opportunity to get closer to Yunha, the best elite among his comrades.

Lee Jun tried to keep the conversation going.

“I think you would suit the dragon among the 12 divine beasts. You’re the strongest.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“...”

“...”

And the conversation broke off again.

It was a failure. They still had two hours before they reached Jeongju, but unfortunately, the wall between them seemed thicker than he thought.

Just as Lee Jun was almost about to give up, Yunha suddenly spoke.

“...You said you’re from America, right?”

While putting the remaining food into a black bag, Yunha suddenly spoke.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. My father is American.”

“Really?”

Yunha began to stare at Lee Jun intently.

“Now that you mention it, you have blonde hair.”

“Yeah.”

How could she only notice that now? Lee Jun felt a bit disappointed but quickly swallowed the feeling.

“Have you heard of Queen’s College in America?”

“No, I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?”

“San Francisco.”

Yunha answered softly and added, almost to herself,

“It was the college I wanted to go to. I wanted to be a dog groomer.”

“Why didn’t you—”

Lee Jun closed his mouth with a look of realization.

She was a year younger than him. That meant the gate opened when she was 19.

“Seeing you made me think of it.”

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Just...”

Lee Jun’s eyes briefly glanced at Yunha, who had already turned her gaze away. Yunha was resting her chin on her hand, looking at the passing scenery outside indifferently.

A breeze from the slightly open window made Yunha’s long hair flutter. Her hair, like a black carpet, was so long that it tickled Lee Jun’s nose, who was sitting next to her.

As Lee Jun subtly moved his upper body back, Yunha looked at him.

“...”

Then, without a word, she tied her hair up high with a rubber band on her wrist. Lee Jun, who had expected her hair to be soaked in blood, was surprised to smell the same soap scent as his own.

Her calm face was hard to believe, considering she was the same person who had been slicing monsters with blood splattered all over her. Perhaps that was why.

“...Hey.”

Lee Jun found the courage to speak.

“Would you like to groom my dog later? It’s a Bichon Frise named William.”

“...”

“Ah, he’s really gentle.”

Lee Jun’s cheeks turned slightly red as he made the suggestion, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Yunha was looking at him with slightly widened eyes.

A short silence followed. Raindrops could be seen falling one by one outside the window.

Tap, tap—

As the sound of rain tapping on the bus window grew louder, a small laugh could be heard.

“...Sure, okay.”

The laugh was so soft and faint that it was almost drowned out by the rain, but Lee Jun felt it was a laugh he would never forget.

“By the way, my name is Lee Jun.”

＊＊＊

Lee Jun, who was reminiscing, glanced at the side. It had already been three years since they met.

Those tough years had made them grow into quite capable hunters. Even Lee Jun, who used to hold everyone back, had developed the skills to pull his own weight.

“Do you still remember that promise?”

Lee Jun approached Yunha, who was walking a few steps ahead.

“What promise?”

“To groom William.”

“Ah.”

Yunha nodded briefly.

“I remember.”

“This mission will be over soon, and my father will bring William to Korea.”

Yunha’s black eyes turned to him. As always, Lee Jun couldn’t meet her gaze, which seemed to pull him in, and looked down.

“S, so, when we get out of the gate, tomorrow... um, would you like to... come to my house... for a visit?”

Oh my. Why was he stuttering so much? He felt like biting his tongue, which wouldn’t move as he wished.

“Sure.”

The sudden and easy acceptance made Lee Jun’s eyes widen.

“Don’t you want to know?”

“Huh?”

“About William.”

“Oh. Yeah. He’s gentle.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

Yunha smiled slightly, her black hair fluttering as she walked away.

Lee Jun stood there for a while, feeling that Yunha smiled more often now than before. If it was even a little bit because of him, it would be the happiest thing.

When he came to his senses, Yunha was already standing in front of the gate entrance, far away.

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

She gestured with her hand.

Lee Jun couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his face. He hadn’t felt this excited about tomorrow in years.

“Did you bring your dog tags?”

“Of course, Sergeant.”

“Don’t joke around, check them.”

The gold dog tags were a symbol of hunters, serving as both a professional’s ‘certificate’ and a soldier’s ‘identification tag’.

After confirming that their dog tags were around each other’s necks, the two of them joined the group of hunters and entered the gate.

The color of this gate was white.

It was classified as a C-level gate, the lowest difficulty.

At the time, 11 hunters, including Yunha and Lee Jun, were deployed. With a squad of hunters, there was no need to be overly tense.

However, accidents always happen unexpectedly.

＊＊＊

“T, that... what is that...!”

When someone let out a frightened voice, they were already surrounded.

A black tiger, one, two... the number kept increasing until they realized they were surrounded.

The black tigers, which were about twice the size of an adult male, could crush a human head like a watermelon with a single swipe of their front paws.

“Aaaah!”

The tiger that chased the fleeing person relentlessly tore the body to pieces with its sharp claws.

Among the 11 hunters, only Lee Jun and Cha Yunha survived.

Lee Jun looked at Yunha with a frightened face and reached out with his trembling hand to grab the hem of her clothes.

“Y, Yunha, let’s run.”

“No, we can’t move rashly.”

Yunha warned in a low but clear voice.

“Look. As long as we don’t run or attack, they stay calm.”

Only then did Lee Jun start to understand the behavior pattern of the black tigers. As she said, they didn’t attack the two of them who stood still.

But they couldn’t stay there forever.

“We can definitely get out of here if we walk slowly without running.”

Yunha’s words were convincing. Lee Jun, who had spent three years with her, could vouch for it.

She had always been a role model for everyone, both in combat and strategy, from the training camp days to the present.

“But, Yunha, if there are still monsters inside, the exit... huh?”

It was strange.

Originally, the gate’s exit would close as soon as they entered and wouldn’t open until all the monsters inside were eliminated.

However, for some reason, the exit was open in the distance.

“Lee Jun, do you understand what I’m saying? Walk slowly, very slowly. Don’t provoke them.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

The two of them began to take careful steps, one after another.

That’s when it happened.

Grrr!

The tigers, which had been calm until then, took an attack stance. It was a warning that they would attack if they took one more step.

Lee Jun froze like a stone, but Yunha took another step without hesitation.

“See, it’s fine. Just walk slowly.”

Yunha gestured to the frozen Lee Jun. When he mustered the courage to take another step,

Grrr!

The tigers took an attack stance again.

Yunha glanced at the exit. It was still open, as if inviting them to leave at any time.

At this point, it was impossible not to notice.

“It seems they want one of us to be their playmate.”

“...What?”

A heavy silence followed, sending shivers down their spines.

The tigers densely packed inside the gate and the two people surrounded by them remained motionless.

Lee Jun glanced at Yunha.

A myriad of emotions crossed his mind in a short moment. It felt as if he was seeing the highlights of his life.

Their relationship had started in the training camp. Without her, he wouldn’t have made it this far, being physically and mentally weak and possessing a rather insignificant unique ability.

“Yunha, I—”

“William, I’ll see him next time.”

Yunha cut off Lee Jun’s words in her usual calm tone.

“Huh?”

“I’ll stay. It’s better if you survive.”

She seemed to have already made up her mind, as she began to straighten her disheveled clothes.

“Listen carefully. While I count to ten, you walk to the exit alone. If anything happens, don’t look back and run.”

“What are you saying, Yunha?”

Sensing the tremor in Lee Jun’s voice, Yunha looked at him with her black eyes.

“Before you leave, if there’s any water or emergency rations left, take them. You might survive for a few days, and if possible, try to make one of them your companion.”

“Yunha.”

“I don’t have anywhere to go even if I get out. But you do.”

Yunha looked at Lee Jun with unwavering eyes.

Taking a step closer to the silent Lee Jun, Yunha asked,

“What are you afraid of? Losing a friend?”

She laughed softly.

“Or feeling guilty for the rest of your life?”

Her words were all true.

Yunha pushed Lee Jun’s back, which was as stiff as a statue.

“Cha, Cha Yunha!”

He turned around in a hurry.

Grrr! A low, threatening growl echoed.

Yunha wasn’t looking at Lee Jun. She was just stroking her left wrist, her long, black eyelashes lowered.

To be precise, she was stroking the worn wish bracelet on her left wrist.

“Yunha, I—”

I can’t go. Just as he was about to say that,

“It’ll be hot for a moment.”

Yunha smiled.

Her white palm faced Lee Jun, and a small, bright flame began to bloom in the center of her palm.

Boom!

A small explosion occurred from her palm. The flame was small, but it was enough to push the slender Lee Jun away.

The explosion’s force pushed Lee Jun toward the exit, leaving him helpless.

Suddenly finding himself outside the gate, Lee Jun lifted his head in a panic.

The gate’s door was closing rapidly. The air vibrated, and the black cracks began to appear on her face, arms, and legs, visible through the gap in the door.

“Yunha! Cha Yunha!”

He reached out his hand in a hurry, but it was deflected by the strong sparks.

“You won’t have a scar.”

A slightly playful and teasing tone.

That was the last voice Lee Jun heard from Yunha.