Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The moment they stepped off the helicopter.

"Hyung! Let's go get some pork belly and soju!"

"Shall we~?"

Kim Duhyeon and Oh Taegwon mimed tossing back shots of soju.

"You're not coming, hyung?"

"Next time."

"Aw, come on, join us."

"You guys go ahead this time. I'm a bit tired."

Eunseong smiled.

"Then you definitely have to join us next time. Ha ha."

"That's a shame, but if you're tired, can't be helped. We'll head out first, then."

Kim Duhyeon and Oh Taegwon made their way to a nearby pork belly restaurant.

"I'm off."

Choi Yura, apparently not interested either, climbed into the Lamborghini.

VROOOOM--!

The Lamborghini roared away and vanished.

Eunseong headed for the spa facility at the community center.

"Eek!"

The front desk attendant flinched at the sight of him.

He'd changed his clothes, sure, but Eunseong still looked like a wreck.

Soaked head to toe in blood with only his face hastily wiped down with a wet tissue--anyone would have a fit.

Even an ordinary public bathhouse would've turned him away looking like this, let alone the spa of one of the most prestigious apartment complexes in the country.......

"I'm truly sorry. I just don't want my family to see me like this...... I know it's an imposition, but is there any way?"

Eunseong put on a pleading expression.

"I'll just take a quick shower and leave right away."

With his back to the CCTV, Eunseong slid a gold bar across the counter.

"......!"

The front desk attendant's eyes went wide.

She quietly pushed the gold bar back.

"There's really no need for that."

"......Pardon?"

"Thank you for everything you do."

"Oh...... thank you."

"No one's inside at the moment, actually. I'll block it off for about an hour for facility maintenance. Make yourself at home."

Eunseong smiled and gave her a deep bow of thanks before heading to the showers to wash the blood off first.

WHOOSH--!

At Eunseong's feet.

The rinsed blood flowed down into the drain.

The faint smell of iron was oddly unpleasant.

After showering, he soaked in the hot bath, then cooled off in the cold plunge, then sweated it out in the cypress sauna.

Only after one final cool-down in the cold plunge did Eunseong leave the spa.

He didn't forget to give a silent bow of thanks to the front desk attendant who'd accommodated him.

"I'm ho-- Hm?"

When he opened the front door, the whole family was watching TV together.

"Son!"

"You're back."

"Eunseong's home?"

His mother, father, and younger sister all welcomed him.

"Welcome back."

Ra Sihyeon, wedged in among the family members, greeted him too.

What.

Why hasn't she gone home yet?

"Your mother said I could stay here for a while."

"Whatever. Do as you please."

When Ra Sihyeon offered an explanation, Eunseong shrugged it off.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I ate before I came."

"Go take a shower first."

His father approached and whispered.

"You smell like blood."

"......!"

"We'll talk separately later."

"Ahahahaha......"

An awkward laugh escaped Eunseong.

***

The next day.

The chaos Eunseong had caused turned South Korea upside down under the name [Golden Sun Gate].

It was a massive scandal.

Golden Sun Gate was a case in which a criminal organization made up of Hunters and gangsters had committed every manner of violent crime, including human trafficking.

On top of that, with ruling and opposition assemblymen, conglomerate heads, and prominent figures from every sector of society arrested in the act, sweeping it under the rug was simply not an option.

It was bad enough that even the President--who rarely made public statements about Transference Crises--stepped forward to deliver an address to the nation.

"My fellow citizens. I stand before you today with a heavy heart. This grotesque incident that has taken place in Bucheon.........."

The President directed the Minister of Defense Strategy to hold all those implicated accountable and mete out punishment.

"......As your president, I pledge to take responsibility for the reconstruction and recovery of the Bucheon region, which has been neglected for far too long. Furthermore, I hereby declare that every effort will be made to normalize the deteriorated public safety."

Whether the President's promises would be kept remained to be seen, but at the very least, the fact that an abandoned city was receiving attention again was meaningful in itself.

In front of the TV.

"How can there be such horrible people?"

"I know, right? They should all get the death penalty."

Eunha echoed her mother Park Yeongyeong's words with indignation.

"I'm not even surprised."

Ra Sihyeon shook her head as if she'd had enough.

"What do you mean, Sihyeon?"

"That area's always been like this."

Ra Sihyeon answered Park Yeongyeong's question.

"Our pretty young lady knows about that?"

"I grew up in Incheon."

"Oh......"

"It used to be decent enough, but after the Incheon Union formed, it got like that. At school, you'd hear stories about someone disappearing all the time. Nobody cared, though......"

"I-I see."

Park Yeongyeong shuddered as if the mere thought was horrifying.

"Were you okay, Unnie?"

"Yeah, I was fine."

"Phew."

Eunha placed a hand over her heart in relief.

"You're so pretty, Unnie, you must've had all kinds of trouble. I'm really glad nothing bad happened to you."

"Th-thanks."

Ra Sihyeon's face flushed.

She wasn't used to receiving genuine, unguarded compliments.

Where she'd come from, praise usually came disguised as sarcasm or malicious jealousy.......

"Hah."

Eunseong's father, Cha Geunwoo, watched the TV with a rigid expression, then downed his whiskey in a single gulp.

Fury was clearly burning inside him, held back only because he was in front of the family.

Having devoted his entire life to the nation and its people as a Special Warfare Officer, the heinous crimes committed by the Nine-Tail Crew left him no choice but to seethe.

"Everyone's here, I see."

Just then, Eunseong emerged into the living room, toweling off his wet hair.

"Son."

"Yes?"

"Let's talk for a minute."

"Now? Understood."

Eunseong took one look at Cha Geunwoo's expression and promptly agreed.

After moving to the garden.

"Well done."

"Pardon?"

"I got a call from the Minister."

"Oh."

"He praised me for raising such a fine son."

"Ugh."

Eunseong's face twisted.

That wasn't praise.

It was sarcasm.

"He obviously didn't go into details, so don't worry."

"Ahahaha......"

"I'm taking it that you played at least a small role in this incident."

Pride and satisfaction surfaced on Cha Geunwoo's face.

"Uh, mm. Yes, that's right. I played a small part."

"Well done. I'm proud of you, son."

Cha Geunwoo patted Eunseong firmly on the back.

"But don't worry your mother too much. She looks tough on the outside, but she's got a tender heart."

"Yes, sir."

"Would it kill you to take a few days off and spend some time with us?"

"Of course."

Eunseong answered with a warm smile.

That had been his plan all along.

From Jebudo to Bucheon.

He'd seen far too much blood over the past few days.

His short-term plan was to rest up for several days, regroup, then tackle the Bucheon Station Gate.

"You busy today? It's the weekend. If not, let's all go out for dinner."

"Sounds good."

Eunseong loved spending time with his family.

***

That afternoon.

After a light lunch, Eunseong's family all went out together.

Their first destination was the Shinsegae Department Store at Express Bus Terminal Station.

"Unnie, come look at clothes with me."

"Oh...... sure."

Eunha and Ra Sihyeon, a second-year and third-year high schooler respectively, got along surprisingly well given how close in age they were.

But, you.

Why aren't you going home......?

Eunseong could only look on in disbelief as Ra Sihyeon mingled with his family.

The person he'd killed with his own hands in a past life was now befriending his younger sister and going shopping together.

"Honey, let's look at some bedding."

"Sure."

Park Yeongyeong and Cha Geunwoo linked arms and headed for the household goods floor.

"......What."

Left alone, a bewildered mutter escaped Eunseong's lips.

As they say, the newcomer ousts the old--Eunha had chosen Ra Sihyeon over him, and he'd ended up by himself.

Normally, his mother and sister would pair off, and Eunseong would stick with his father.

'Well, this isn't bad either.'

Eunseong chuckled and headed for a cafe.

There wasn't anything in the department store worth buying anyway.

Unless it was the various illegal equipment sold at Yongpal Trading Company.

It being the weekend, the department store was crowded.

Sitting alone in the cafe with a coffee, a thought crossed his mind.

'One place is hell and another's heaven.'

Eunseong thought of Bucheon.

Drug addicts overflowing the streets, rampant crime destabilizing public safety, even basic infrastructure in ruins.

In contrast, this place was clean.

People were smiling.

A young couple picking out baby clothes, lovers strolling with shopping bags in hand, luxury--

'......They're just a few dozen kilometers apart and it can be this different.'

He took a sip of coffee.

A bittersweet taste lingered on his tongue.

Eunseong didn't bother distinguishing whether it was the coffee that was bitter or his heart.

He chose to ignore it.

He knew that thoughts like these were of little help in surviving this era.

What was certain, though, was that this kind of peaceful everyday life was exactly what Eunseong wanted.

In a world where shopping at a department store had become an unimaginable luxury for many, perhaps he was wishing for too much.

Eunseong clenched his fist without realizing it.

He had to protect it.

No matter what.

Even if it meant living as a monster himself.......

BUZZ.

A call came in from Eunha.

- Come to the second floor.

"Why?"

- Carry our bags.

"Carry your bags?"

- You said to buy whatever we wanted. We did, and now there's too many ba--

Click.

Eunseong hung up on her and growled.

"This girl. My own little sister has the nerve to use her big brother as a pack mule."

Eunseong quietly rose from his seat.

***

The second floor was lined with boutiques from every luxury brand imaginable.

One might wonder what business luxury goods had in a world like this, but it was precisely because of times like these that people's desire for indulgence had only intensified.

It was no longer an era where just anyone could afford luxury goods.......

And the trend among luxury fashion houses was none other than "Transference."

Ceramics, garments, and accessories brought from inside Gates were being sold at steep prices.

Monster hides, fangs, and bones were also popular as key materials.

A chief designer from a certain fashion house who claimed to have drawn inspiration from the Transference Crisis had made a name for himself as a trendsetting pioneer.

"Humanity really should just disa-- what's that?"

Something caught Eunseong's eye.

A large bronze censer.

And embedded in that censer was a sphere roughly the size of a tennis ball.

"That's......"

Confusion flickered across Eunseong's face.

An orange sphere embedded in a bronze censer.

That was.......

'The Dragon King's Wish-Fulfilling Pearl???'

It resembled the item needed to make a wish to the Dragon Lord.