Chapter 9: A Premonition of Encounter

Jung Hanseol truly wanted to ask again. However, knowing Ryu Yishin disliked repeating himself even twice, Hanseol swallowed his question, certain Yishin would detest repeating it a third time. Instead, he simply nodded and quietly replied, “Yes.” After all, he hadn’t done anything, whatever Yishin was implying.

How could he possibly do anything audacious in front of Ryu Yishin? He was not a man with such a monumental audacity.

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Hanseol’s answer, Ryu Yishin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his lips curved into an enigmatic smile. Hanseol, momentarily captivated by the dazzling, extravagant face that could charm anyone, regardless of age or gender, couldn’t help but flinch when Yishin gripped his shoulder. He had roughly anticipated it when Yishin had effortlessly crushed a grotesque creature’s spine, but his grip truly was extraordinary.

“It’s done.”

Ryu Yishin declared, his tone one of relief, before turning and striding away, leaving Hanseol behind. He made no mention of a future meeting, nor did he explain why he had specifically come all the way to the 11th floor. Hanseol wasn’t sure what exactly was “done,” but it seemed Ryu Yishin had achieved his purpose for coming and was now leaving without a second thought.

‘If Ryu Yishin bothers you, tell your brother immediately. Got it?’

As Hanseol fixed his gaze on Ryu Yishin’s receding figure, Jo Jinwoo’s words naturally echoed vividly in his mind. How should he define what had just transpired? Could this even be categorized as ‘bothering’? As complex thoughts began to scatter across his previously blank mind, Hanseol found himself rooted to the spot.

‘Somehow, I don’t think I should tell Jinwoo hyung about today’s events.’

An ominous chill, its origin unknown, traced a path down Hanseol’s spine. He remained transfixed, fiddling with the coupon, until Ryu Yishin’s silhouette completely vanished from sight.

He was plagued by a bad feeling, a premonition that he would encounter Ryu Yishin far more frequently from now on.

****

Approximately sixty years ago, the first grotesque creatures were discovered in North America, reportedly resembling birds. They possessed small, sparrow-like heads and attractive wings covered in soft, white fur, yet their legs were entirely absent. Initially, there was much speculation as to whether they were an extinct species or a new animal previously unrecorded by academia.

What made them truly unusual was their propensity to attack humans. Unlike typical birds, which would flap their wings and fly away or avoid human proximity, these bizarre-looking avian creatures would peck and tear at flesh upon encountering a person. However, due to their sparse numbers and extremely rare instances of harm, people did not take the threat seriously. Scholars at the time firmly believed the creatures would soon become extinct.

Unfortunately, these beings did not vanish from the world. They spread from North America across the Atlantic to Africa, then further expanded their territories into Europe, undergoing continuous evolution.

Their appearance, once limited to avian forms, began to combine with various other types—mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians—resulting in even more grotesque manifestations. In the Amazon, gigantic grotesque creatures resembling already extinct dinosaurs were even discovered.

The grotesque creatures first appeared in Korea approximately ten years after their initial discovery in North America. Initially, they emerged in abandoned hills or disused mines with minimal human presence, but more recently, perhaps having expanded their territory, they began to occasionally appear in cities.

People were plunged into chaos, fearing for their lives. Self-defense knives became essential items, and petitions for universal gun ownership began to flood in.

Yet, amidst this turmoil, the world did not face utter destruction; instead, beings of salvation emerged. These were the Espers, a tiny fraction of the global population—less than one percent—who had long been suppressed due to their immense powers, which were deemed capable of harming many.

For Espers, who had lived no differently from ordinary humans due to their inability to fully awaken their innate abilities, it took merely five days from the moment they decisively began to exterminate the grotesque creatures to earn the title of heroes.

A single bullet, properly imbued with their powers, was capable of instantly severing the life force of most grotesque creatures.

“Everyone will gather tomorrow night at 8 PM for a quick check, then we’ll depart immediately.”

Team Leader Joo Youngmin, who had dedicated nearly two decades to eradicating grotesque creatures and maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, provided a brief explanation to his team before their first large-scale battle of the year. The team members, accepting the assembly time without complaint, focused their gazes entirely on him. He rubbed his brow with a troubled expression before cautiously speaking.

“And…”

“…”

“…This time, we’ve been assigned to the same location as Team 1.”

Upon seeing Team Leader Joo’s crestfallen face, every team member gasped and sighed, as if at a loss for words. Yoon Sehee, her brow deeply furrowed, let out a long sigh, swept her hair back, and then questioned the team leader.

“What was the decision method this time?”

“…Ladder game.”

“f*ck!”

Though Yoon Sehee had asked the question, the expletive burst from another direction. Jung Hanseol glanced at Jo Jinwoo, who was seated beside him, for the refreshing curse, then redirected his gaze to Team Leader Joo. The team leader was already bowing his head, hands pressed together, pleading for his team’s forgiveness.

“Still, aside from Team Leader Ryu, the others are fine, aren’t they? Huh? Kang Seungmin is kind, and An Heeseong and Seongbin are diligent…”

“The problem is that Ryu Yishin alone outweighs all those positives and then some.”

Jin Taeyoung, seated next to Yoon Sehee, adjusted his glasses and delivered a sharp retort. Seeing everyone silently nod in agreement, Team Leader Joo had no counter-argument and could only sigh. However, as he hadn’t yet conveyed all the announcements, he had no choice but to speak again. Team Leader Joo pointed to a map displayed on the meeting room’s wall screen.

“Our target this time is Inseo Mountain, northeast of HG Tower. The creatures there are vulnerable to darkness, so they primarily operate during the day and seem to sleep once sunset begins. That’s why we’ve decided to move at night.”

“Last time in the mine, I almost suffocated to death, so a mountain sounds a bit better.”

Lee Seokhyun, seated in the furthest corner, fiddled with a cube in his hand as he responded to Team Leader Joo’s words. Though no one spoke, they all subtly nodded, indicating their agreement with Lee Seokhyun’s sentiment.

In late November of last year, when Hanseol had first participated in a large-scale battle after joining the company, his team had been assigned to the same location as Team 2, clearing out a grotesque creature stronghold nearby. The target then had been an abandoned mine, long since ceased operations, and he still vividly remembered the hardship: the deeper they went into the tunnels, the harder it was to breathe, and the sweat poured off him even when standing still. The embarrassing memory of breaking down and crying to Jinwoo, unable to endure it any longer, caused Hanseol’s ears to flush crimson.

‘This time, no matter how scary or difficult it gets, I mustn’t cry. I’m a proper adult now.’ Hanseol, his ears still red, made a somewhat fleeting resolve.

“With Ryu Yishin there, it’ll probably end quickly. Maybe we can break the shortest record this time?”

Yoon Sehee’s voice held a mix of sarcasm and relief. Everyone else seemed to share her sentiment, agreeing with laughter, but Hanseol couldn’t. His vague unease about encountering Ryu Yishin more frequently seemed to be becoming a reality faster than he expected.

‘Was I always this intuitive?’ Hanseol felt a pang of concern about not having mentioned his previous encounter with Ryu Yishin at the company cafe and subtly glanced at Jo Jinwoo. Meanwhile, Team Leader Joo steadfastly continued his duties.

“This time, too, we’ll split into two teams. Min Yugeon, Jin Taeyoung, and Kim Hyelim will be with me. Yoon Sehee, Jo Jinwoo, Lee Seokhyun, and Jung Hanseol will be one team. Any objections?”

“None.”

Only after hearing Yoon Sehee’s reply on behalf of everyone did Team Leader Joo turn off the projector and tap the table a couple of times, concluding the brief meeting.

“Alright, then, everyone is dismissed. See you all tomorrow evening. Those living in the dorms, don’t be late. Especially Min Yugeon, Lee Seokhyun. You two.”

Team Leader Joo pointed at Yugeon and Seokhyun in turn, delivering his nagging remarks before finally exiting the meeting room. The two pouted and grumbled, but having no real counter-argument, they swallowed their complaints and moved to leave. Most of them seemed unfazed by the impending large-scale battle, having repeated this work for at least five years. However, Hanseol, with his ridiculously short experience, let out a long sigh of nervous tension as he was the last to exit the meeting room.

Hanseol was not unaware of the cause of this peculiar tension, so different from last time. His heart had been pounding, making its presence overly known, ever since Team Leader Joo had mentioned being assigned to the same location as Team 1.

‘If we’re assigned to the same location as Team 1, will I end up encountering Ryu Yishin often?’

He hadn’t encountered Ryu Yishin again since that day, but if they were assigned to the same location for a large-scale battle, a confrontation would inevitably arise. When he first joined a large-scale battle in late November of last year, he had been with Team 2, which led to him getting to know Yoon Seri and becoming friendly enough to greet the other Team 2 members warmly whenever they met. This implied he might see Ryu Yishin just as frequently.

For Hanseol, who already felt somewhat ‘marked’ by Ryu Yishin, this was not a welcome prospect.

“Jung Hanseol! Aren’t you coming for lunch?”

“Oh, yes! I’m coming!”

Hanseol, who had been engrossed in thoughts of Ryu Yishin for a moment, shouted back loudly towards Jo Jinwoo, who was waving his hand in the distance. He knew that Jinwoo would undoubtedly be by his side again, ensuring any potential contact with Ryu Yishin would vanish without a trace. Hanseol set aside his trivial thoughts and hurried towards Jinwoo.