42

Jeong Gi-Hoon had been able to observe Hwan at a close distance for the longest time, but he was still amazed by the man. Who exactly was Lee Hwan?

As they were heading to Ga-On High School before, he had said that the intervention of supreme beings was dreadful. Gi-Hoon totally agreed with that sentiment. He could also probably define Lee Hwan as a voluntary outsider.

He stepped back and observed how the world was flowing around him.

But even this supreme being breathed, ate, and met people like others did. He was the freest man in the world; he didn’t have to look after anything.

If someone regretted their actions and expressed guilt, he forgave them. The surgical specialist from Sam-Jeong Hospital was a prime example of this. In contrast, if someone attacked the people close to him, he would punish them harshly. Park Jeong-Nam and Park Soo-Ho had faced the same death.

That was already enough for Gi-Hoon to know what Hwan was going to do.

He was going to kill the man, that was for sure.

And this was the reason behind Gi-Hoon’s unusual behavior. He wanted to get Lee Hwan out of the building, but the man easily saw through his lies. As he killed Myeon-Seong, what Gi-Hoon felt was worry.

Staying with Lee Hwan made his life interesting, but it was also about to make it chaotic. He had to do this first.

With this, Gi-Hoon walked toward Hwan.

“…How are you going to clean this mess?”

Lee Hwan turned his head, still smiling as usual.

“I just killed an insect. What else do you expect?”

“………”

“It’s a shame that this is not Valhalla. I would have fed his dead body to the dogs.”

Those were scary words. Gi-Hoon knew that the staff members would announce an emergency situation right about now. Also…

“They have reported what happened to the Master.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes… I think he’ll come soon.”

Lee Hwan thought of this as just a trivial event. Meanwhile, Gi-Hoon asked him.

“Did you know that the Ko-gu-Rea guild is clearing an S-rated gate right now? They need ROKHA there to deal with the situation.”

Hwan shrugged. “I didn’t know about that, but do I have to go?”

“You are the supervisor of ROKHA. I was going to suggest you do so, but…”

He trailed off. Hwan had just done something very serious. The Hunter chuckled and asked him a question.

“Come to think of it, I do have a job. What if I get fired?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“That’s sad to hear. Aren’t we more than colleagues?”

“…How about we go to an instant food shop? I can introduce you to a good fried chicken shop.”

Lee Hwan thought that Gi-Hoon was much funnier than he had thought. Even in this situation, he was able to joke around.

“Go do the mission. I’ll stay here and wait for my brother.”

“Roger that.”

With that said, Jeong Gi-Hoon opened the door to leave, then froze in his tracks. There was a man standing right in front of him.

It was Lee Ho.

Ho was observing Hwan from the doorway.

“So, you’re here already.”

“…I am.”

“Would you like some coffee?”

Lee Ho didn’t answer that. He continued to stare at Hwan instead.

***

After Ho had dealt with the case from Jeju Island, there were two pieces of urgent news waiting for him.

One was that China was requesting some help from the Cheon-Myeong guild. What they had communicated was simple, they needed help from him to clear an S-rated gate.

The other piece of news was that his father had fallen from their building and died. That information came from Cheon-Myeong’s staff. They also added, as a footnote, that Lee Hwan had more than likely killed him.

The request from China was quite bothersome, but when he heard that Lee Hwan was the one who had killed their father, he only had one thought in his mind.

He had to see his brother.

He used his teleport ability to get home faster. As he was opening the door to his office, it suddenly burst open, and a surprised Gi-hoon greeted him.

Lee Ho stepped inside the room as Lee Hwan, who was sitting on the sofa, asked him.

“What’s with that face?”

“……….”

“I heard you found a unique skill holder in Jeju Island. What happened?”

“He died.”

Lee Hwan thought for a bit. Ho’s voice seemed weird.

“Did you kill him?”

“Correct.”

With that, Hwan didn’t ask any further; he trusted his brother. There must have been a good reason behind his actions. Ho was thinking the same thing as he sat next to Hwan.

“To be honest, I was lonely.”

“Were you?”

“You saw my computer. What did you feel when you read my guidelines?”

Lee Hwan thought for a bit. When he had opened Ho’s files, he could see how his brother had felt.

“Hatred and Responsibility—I could see that from your reports.”

Lee Ho tried to look for a cigarette as a force of habit before remembering that he had thrown them all away. He put his hand down and sighed.

“Nine years ago, after mom passed away…”

“Go on.”

“I was dating someone.”

Lee Hwan quietly leaned back on the sofa. He knew that a serious story was about to be revealed.

“She was my first love, and we dated for three years. I was even thinking of marrying her. I really loved her.”

“What happened?”

“She died.”

There was a different meaning to his tone. Lee Hwan knew that Ho didn’t kill her, and his thoughts were confirmed.

“The gate took her. I was the one who found her dead body… It was terrible.”

With that, Lee Ho closed his eyes.

“I heard that you went inside the gate.”

“I did. I was expecting a mythical creature to appear, but it was an orc.”

Jeong Gi-Hoon had told Hwan that most monsters in the gates have mythical backgrounds. Technically, all sorts of myths, from Egyptian to an orc’s myth, are similar, but the important thing here is the orc’s characteristics.

“Orcs can breed. Like humans, they perform intercourse. Do you know why orcs are considered dangerous?”

“No idea.”

“They kidnap humans for breeding. They rape humans.”

Ho was speaking with an eerily calm voice. He was like someone who had no emotions, but Hwan couldn’t say anything. He could sense the fear inside his brother’s voice.

It was a compact and restrained fear.

“Six of them were raping her. Even after she had died, they were insulting her dead body. That was when I dreamed of a world without gates. Hate is not a good enough word to describe how I feel about them. I loathe the gates.”

“………”

“I wanted to kill all of them, so I did. I continued to kill and volunteered myself when more gates appeared. As I grew up, I developed a dream. I don’t want to let others experience the same pain I did. I hope the children in the future see the gates or the dungeons… as a fairy tale or fiction.”

“And that’s your dream now.”

“Yes.”

“And that was when Myeon-Seong appeared.”

Lee Ho nodded.

“I thought I was the only one left in our family. That was when he appeared.”

With this, Lee Ho sighed. Lee Hwan then asked him.

“Do you hate me now?”

“Who? You?”

“Yes.”

Lee Ho shook his head and smiled.

“How can I? I value you the most, brother.”

“That’s good to hear, but are you sure? I killed the person who gave me life.”

“That’s because he deserves it.”

This was different from Jae-Hyeon’s case. Lee Hwan and Jae-Hyeon were totally different, not only with regards to the magnitude of their power but also the purpose of using it as well.

That kid at Jeju Island had used his power for his own greed. Hwan had never killed anyone for his own good. He knew when to use his power and kept himself in check. The world needed a person like him, a man who knew his power and is disciplined enough to stand back if needed. When a disaster occurs, he knows that that is the time when he can go ahead and use his power.

He was different from Jae-Hyeon. Jae-Hyeon was just a kid who used his abilities to cross the line and do what he wants.

“You and mom hid the reason why they divorced.”

That was true. Lee Hwan had almost been killed by his father. Lee Ho was just two years old back then. Even as Ho grew up, Hwan and his mother never told him about it. Eventually, he figured out what happened. He searched the records from the hospital and found out what his father had done to his brother.

“I thought you were the only one who had the right reason to kill that old man. In fact, I’m quite disappointed that you even asked me if I hate you.”

Lee Hwan couldn’t help but awkwardly.

“I haven’t done enough for you, brother.”

“What are you saying? You got me a job and bought me some new electronic devices.”

Ho chuckled. “The watch was from the Hunter authority, and you are wearing my old clothes. I haven’t done enough for you, brother. In fact, let me tell you something.”

“Go on.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me.”

“……….”

“You don’t have to. If it weren’t for you, I would not be the man I am now. Besides…”

“Besides?”

“I don’t want that man to bother your life. He was just a fool who fell out of a window.”

He meant to say that this was just nothing to him, that he could joke about it. Hwan couldn’t contain his smile.

“Is that so?”

“I’m not holding a funeral for him. We can throw his dead body to the gate or burn it to ashes.”

Hwan and Ho had gone through a lot of suffering. They experienced things that others would never in their lifetimes. They were not totally alike, but as time passed, they had similar experiences. That made them look alike, and that why they acted alike now.

“I received a request from China. They want our help.”

“But isn’t the base of an anti-Hunter organization located there?”

“That’s correct. I think it’s a trap.”

Lee Hwan knew that Ho had been waiting for this. He was waiting for the organization’s retaliation so that he could deal with them. They had just moved their chess piece, and it was now his turn to make the next move.

“Are you going?”

“I should. I haven’t told you this yet, but there had been a lot of spies in this country. I killed hundreds of them, and some of them were even from political parties. I’m going to go there and finish them all.”

Ho was still calm. Lee Hwan stood up and headed to the back of the sofa, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“That painting… Do you still have it?”

The day after Ho had finally confirmed Hwan’s true identity, Hwan had asked for a portrait of himself. It wasn’t just a regular painting; Ho had used his ability as a Manifester to make the drawing.

That was what Hwan meant.

“It’s in my inventory. You told me to bring it with me at all times.”

Lee Hwan chuckled.

“Then I’m not worried.”

It was a kind of confidence that some might call arrogance, but Ho smiled. To him, his brother was a hero. How could he not trust that?

“I’ll take care of this. You should go do your job. Don’t get fired. What will you do if that happens?”

“Gi-Hoon told me that he was going to introduce me to some fried chicken shops. I guess I can find another job there.”

“So, is that your plan?”

Hwan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Not sure about that, but don’t hesitate to call me when you need any help.”

Ho told him that he was going to take care of it. Hwan could sense that Ho wanted to do everything by himself. He also knew that his brother was working hard for him.

He certainly grew up to be a fine man. Hwan smiled.

“Take care.”

“You, too.”