- Pooleuleung!
The white and black unicorns were chasing each other. While the field they were on was fairly wide, the speed and energy emanated from the unicorns made it seem otherwise. Like a flash, Whitie soared through the grass field, and...
THUMP!
It jumped lightly and kicked off the wall, leaped and continued running in the opposite direction as if it was flying. As long as it wanted to, the unicorn could easily vault over a fence that was over 2 meters tall with its vertical jumping capabilities. This feat was even achievable through pure physical strength, without the use of any skills.
‘Should I make something like a track here?’
If he made a path that surrounds the rearing facility, the beasts would be able to run to their heart’s content. Alternatively, Whitie and Blackie could be moved to a wider place.
[Park Yerim Hunter is scheduled to leave for Japan tomorrow.]
On the TV installed on the wall of the rearing center, a broadcast about Yerim was playing. Even before the matchup began, people could be seen holding placards and cheering with excitement on the TV screen.
“This is the school Yerim goes to.”
A large banner wishing for Park Yerim’s victory hangs above the main gate. A rowdy crowd of students were gathered in front of the camera, and all of them had bright, smiling faces. It almost felt as if their cheerful and high-pitched voices would reverberate and overflow through the TV.
Yoojin couldn’t help but smile. And just then, his phone rang. The person on the other end of the line was Do Hamin. Upon answering the call, Yoojin was told that the investigation he had requested was almost complete, and he was asked to pick up the information.
“...Oh, uh, after I get back from Japan.”
After saying that he’d collect it at that point in time, Yoojin hung up. In that moment, he felt like he had just been doused in cold water. Just the thought of meeting those people face-to-face made his blood run cold. Aside from the fear, the deeply stained emotions clawed at his heart.
Yoojin wondered if he had been too naïve. He used to think that it’d be fine even if he met up with the people he lost before. But on the contrary, even with Kim Sunghan and Suk Simyeong, with whom he used to get along with, it has become increasingly awkward for him.
He recalled the words of Sung Hyunjae, ‘A coat of paint.’ At his present condition, those words inflicted a greater pain. Admittedly, it’s true. It’s true. It’s a painfully true statement.
Various thoughts flooded Yoojin’s mind.
‘...It’s not a good idea to continue avoiding and obscuring the issue.’
‘But, what am I supposed to do now? I realized I made a mistake, but it wasn’t something I intended. If I could boldly step forward to make things right, then it’d be great. Everyone hopes for the same thing.’
However, not everyone can solve all their problems in a detached manner. In fact, there are more people who can’t achieve that than people that can. Those people may be afraid that if they acted on the situation instead of letting it resolve itself, things might get worse, or just become too big for them to handle in addition to the many other concerns and fears they have to endure.
In the past and even before that, Yoojin was a weak individual who couldn’t speak up.
‘It’s alright, Yoohyun.’
Yoojin said something like that as he held his younger brother. How old was he at the time?
Yoojin knew a rift had formed between their parents and his younger brother. It was impossible to pretend it didn’t exist. But in order to protect his brother, Yoojin needed to maintain that rift. Only then could they continue relying on their parents for protection and support at that age.
This was how their parents maintained a healthy relationship with each other and how he maintained a healthy relationship with Yoohyun, resulting in an ordinary and peaceful family dynamic. In order to inhibit abnormal issues within the household and achieve harmony, this had to be done.
‘I did everything by myself, and I’m doing well. There have been no problems.’
Everything may appear to be fine when he turns a blind eye to all the subtle faults and issues. But even so, the slightest slip-up could prove to be catastrophic. Had their parents chosen to completely abandon them, the situation would have become entirely out of his control.
This time was no different from then.
‘How am I supposed to deal with the issues that’s amassed? When am I supposed to do it? No one’s going to wait for me.’
To bring up the subject, analyze it and then carefully remedy it is not something that can be accomplished within just one or two years. Yoojin doubted that everything would simply go back to the way it was before.
Even so, he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Even if his actions were to merely coat a layer of paint over the issue, he’d still do it. If cracks formed on the paint, he’ll just fix it by coating another layer of paint. He’ll just carry on life and act oblivious while pretending that everything’s fine.
‘…If there was a better way, I’d like to know too. Honestly.’
- Bbiaeng.
“...Hmm?”
Sorok bit the hem of Yoojin’s clothes and tugged at it. And then, as Sorok spreads itself on the ground and stretched its neck, it pulled on the hem of his pants.
“What is it? You want me to sit down too? Alright, sure.”
The grass was lush and green. The scent of grass intensified as Yoojin sat closer to it. When Sorok rested its head on his legs, Yoojin petted its fluffy ears and the two round spots where its horns would one day grow from.
Sorok could really eat the dried fruits, but it should be given just enough to get it to exercise. There’s a limit to how much food it can consume, so it’s important not to overfeed it.
“I gave up on your training, but Hyuna-ssi said it was okay to take it slow. You should be thankful to your sister, Blue.”
Blue has been carrying out dungeon runs instead of Sorok. But of course, Blue seems to enjoy it better that way.
The pure white ears of the fawn trembled. The fawn was lying down comfortably with its eyes half-closed, seemingly unconcerned with worldly matters. Like a white cloud, it was floating, but at the same time not moving.
The sight made one feel relaxed.
“Even so, you will grow up splendidly, Sorok. The process of a calm and steady self-improvement usually leads to even greater strength. You will become a very cool deer. Unwavering, and always calm.”
A giant deer with magnificent and beautiful crown-like antlers seemingly appeared in Yoojin’s vision. Its black eyes, deep and gentle.
The wind blew softly, and the sound of galloping hooves could be heard. Yoojin could remain seated like this for a few more days, but he had things to do, and he needed to get up. And just then, his phone rang again. This time, it was from Haeyeon.
“Alright, I’ll take her along with me and go right away.”
Now that Blue is fully grown, it can no longer be kept in the garden of the rearing center. Hence, a new rearing facility was built near the training center for high-class hunters. Currently, only Blue’s house occupies the spacious field. In the future, other matured beasts will be relocated there as well unless they were small or had the ability to shrink themselves like Peace.
Yoojin had even suggested to the Association that the entirety of the nearby mountains to be used for strolling the beasts.
As Yoojin went outside and called out for Blue, Blue flew down to him energetically.
- Kkyaa.
Yoojin stroked Blue’s beak affectionately, just as he always did.
“Blue, you’ll be relocated soon. I hope you can understand.”
Yoojin wasn’t sure whether Blue would be fine with the arrangement since he couldn’t communicate with it, but the people who usually take care of Blue’s meal and clean its house will be moving with it too. Additionally, Visitors to the nearby high-class hunter training center could also go over to play with it.
The environment would be much better there. Blue could fly to his heart’s content without having to pay mind to possible obstructions.
Just then, upon reaching the parking lot with Blue, he saw Yoohyun waiting for him beside a container truck. As Blue was not affiliated with Haeyeon, Yoojin had only decided to borrow a car and a driver.
“What brings you here?” Yoojin asked.
“Since it’s a place where Haeyeon’s mounts would stay in the future. I’d like to take a look.”
While Whitie and Blackie could be relocated there when they’re fully grown, the facilities have yet to be completed, and it made Yoojin wonder why Haeyeon was already preoccupied with it. And the guild leader was the one going of all people.
Yesterday evening, Yoojin had asked Suk Simyeong, who had only recently started sticking close to him, to make a request to have the guild leader stay at the guild to clear some work. It’s barely been half a day, but Yoohyun is already back.
“Aren’t you busy with work?”
“All urgent matters have been dealt with. Now the attention is focused on Hunter Park Yerim, even the record-breaking achievement of conquering an S-rank dungeon was disregarded.”
Was the achievement really disregarded or did someone intentionally make it become overlooked? Either way, Yoohyun was still back from work.
As Yoojin entered the container with Blue, Yoohyun followed. Even without traffic, the journey would still take around two hours, so it might be an uncomfortable trip. However, that was mitigated as one side of the floor was padded and cushions were present too.
After the container door closed, the car started moving. Blue sat down quietly and let out a long yawn.
“Park Yerim was really excited about going to Japan. Although it’s for a match, it’s still a trip overseas. It is kind of like a family trip.” Yoojin said.
One time, Yerim invited Yoojin to come along with her and Hyuna to purchase a swimsuit. But when he refused to tag along, he got nagged at.
“It is our first time as well.”
Yoojin looked at his younger brother who was sitting next to him. They haven’t had a chance to go anywhere together. Their circumstances didn’t allow it. Other than the unexpected trip to Hong Kong, this would be the first time they travelled together.
“If things hadn’t changed, I thought we would go after you took the college entrance exam.”
These days, the world has changed and the demand for overseas travel has decreased a lot, but back then, there was no one who didn’t travel.
It was said that for this trip to Japan, for safety reasons, both a private jet and accommodation through reservation of an entire hotel will be provided. And of course, everything that’s part of the top-class accommodation would surely be luxurious.
If just the two of them had gone, they would have probably boarded an ordinary plane and stayed in an ordinary accommodation. It might’ve even been shabby. They would have tried to save as much as possible and just valued the fact that it was their first overseas trip. But even if that were the case, it would have still been really enjoyable.
“We can go anytime, hyung. I can take a few days off if it’s not too far. Hunter Kim Sunghan will soon become the vice guild leader, and since both him and Hunter Park Yerim will be there to look after the guild, there shouldn’t be an issue if I’m away for a few days. I can change my appearance and move about quietly.”
“Yerim would probably get angry.”
“I am your younger brother. She’ll just have to accept it.”
In a manner that seemed to imply his words were without a doubt, a small smile appeared on Yoojin’s face. That’s right, Yoohyun was his only brother. No one else but him. No one else... Only Yoohyun, his brother.
“Hyung.”
Yoohyun called him cautiously.
“It seems I have said something wrong.” Yoohyun said.
“Huh? What?”
“I was saying to not worry too much about me nor Hunter Park Yerim. Even though you possess a high-rank skill and receives help from that side, your actual stats are no different from an ordinary person’s. You probably subconsciously thought that you’d be fine since you had the fear resistance skill as well as a broad knowledge of dungeons and hunters.”
“But, I’m really fine.”
“No, you aren’t, hyung.”
That’s not it, in terms of experience, Yoojin knows that he has it more than Yoohyun.
Yoohyun continued speaking, ”And also, the skill may have potential side effects as well. There have been cases similar to yours, hyung.”
“...Cases similar to mine?”
“Yes. It’s more common among mid-rank hunters. When they awaken into a hunter, they may not be able to fully feel a sense of reality. Since the shift from everyday life to experiencing the change in the world was sudden, to them, the situation felt almost like a game or a dream. And because of that, they’ll casually go into dungeons and act like hunters, but one day a sense of reality would suddenly occur to them.”
Yoojin had heard of this case, he’s even personally came across it before.
“After a few months, the realization that this is reality suddenly hits, and all the experiences leading up to that moment can become overwhelming and lead some to retire out of fear. That’s why recently, guilds have been implementing special management for mid-rank hunters that are still rookies.”
The true aim of the so-called special management was actually to guide the mid-rank hunter rookies into developing a sense of reality during their first dungeon raids. And although the purpose was not explicitly stated, it’s the surest way to go about it.
“Perhaps the fear resistance skill made it impossible for you to feel a sense of reality, as it were in those cases. You seem to be more anxious recently, hyung. Considering the nature of the mental resistance skill, it’s highly possible that your anxiety might have been caused by it. If it’s okay with you, will you consider disabling that skill and receive counseling?”
“Counseling?”
“That’s right. There are counselors specialized for hunters. They are individuals who were already qualified and considerably experienced in counselling before, but after awakening to their abilities, and having 2 years’ worth of experience as hunters, they’ve became experts.”
Yoohyun mentioned that he looked into the matter on his own, he also stated that the confidentiality was guaranteed.
“...No thanks, I’m fine.”
Even if he went, he wouldn’t have said anything. He couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone about anything, not even to a counselor. He wouldn’t be able to do it even if he tried to feign insanity and spill everything.
“Let me know If you feel up for it. I will keep it a secret from everyone else.”
“I’m really fine. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
For a moment, Yoohyun looked at Yoojin quietly before speaking again.
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad to be by your side worrying about you... It might sound a bit strange to say that I’m glad, but it is what it is.”
“You’re... quite something.”
Yoojin didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, he recalled Myeongwoo’s words. He had said, ‘Just two words will do: Please and thank you’. He also recalled Yerim and Noah’s show of concern.
“Thanks.” Yoojin said.
Then, his younger brother smiled brightly. As Yoohyun smiled with his eyes closed, Yoojin’s heart was instantly filled with a sweet and warm feeling. Unable to resist the urge, he pulled Yoohyun into a hug and patted his head.
“How are you still so cute even when you’re 20?”
Yoojin relishes the sensation of hugging his younger brother in his arms. It was because he was able to embrace him like this that he felt reassured that everything would be okay. It’s just five years. He can endure it. Yoojin was used to enduring, avoiding and pretending to not know anything. He managed to survive on his own when he had nothing, so in one way or another, he should be able to endure for another five years.
‘It’ll be okay. You’re not alone, you just need to hold on a little longer.’ Yoojin told himself.
“I love you, my brother.” Yoojin said.
Just hold on a little longer.
***
The car came to a stop. As Yoojin got out of the container, an unfinished wall caught his eye. The new rearing facility was designed to be as spacious as possible so that even adult beasts could move around with ease. They also planned to draw water from nearby areas to create a large artificial lake, since they couldn’t be sure of the kind of monsters they would bring in in the future.
Blue’s house was the first to be constructed. Although the recreation field and other facilities were far from completion, it didn’t matter to Blue as it was capable of flight, and a fence would just be useless to him anyway.
“Blue, that’s your new house.”
Over at the end of the rearing facility, a high-reaching birdhouse similar to a building was built. Atop the long and sturdy pedestal-like structure, lays a pot-shaped bird’s nest-like house. There was also a broad platform for descending downwards towards the front of the nest.
“House, do you get it? It’s a house.”
- Kkyaaaoo.
Blue bobbed its beak up and down and then flew up. After landing in front of the nest, it stuck its head in to inspect the interior before quickly entering. The size was just right. It could accommodate a couple of golden griffins, so other griffins besides Blue could also be brought in. Since they live in groups, they should be happy with making new friends.
“Director Han! I see you brought your brother along.”
Just then, a familiar voice was heard along with the sound of a car approaching. It was Moon Hyuna. An open-roofed jeep pulled up next to them, and without even needing to open her car door, she hopped out of the vehicle.
“What are you doing here?” Yoohyun asked.
“Speak for yourself. I came to look around since I heard that Blue was coming today. But there isn’t much to see yet, it appears.”
She also came to personally check on the progress of Sorok’s house. When Blue peeked his head out of the nest, Moon Hyuna gazed at it with pleasure.
“I had heard from Yerim that Blue’s speed during flight was no joke.”
“I have not tested her out yet, but I’m sure her ability to reduce air resistance in addition to her flight skills are impressive.”
Its powerful wings and S-rank stats alone would already allow for travelling speeds of several hundred kilometers per hour. Since even an ordinary bird could achieve a horizontal flight speed of up to half a hundred kilometers, when skill effects are applied on top of that, the results would certainly be incredible.
Upon hearing Yoojin’s words, the corners of Moon Hyuna’s mouth lifted even more.
“Since the speed of a bird is usually faster when they are diving, then wouldn’t Blue be approaching the speed of sound at that point?” Moon Hyuna remarked.
Even so, it’s hard to imagine that a living creature could reach speeds like that, but one never knows. After all, there was even someone capable of blowing up a large cruise ship.
“Since you’re here, why don’t we take a look around too?”
Moon Hyuna said, offering them a ride as she opened the back seat door of her jeep. After nodding his head, Yoojin got into the car with Yoohyun.
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