"Are they gone?"

My voice was so small it was almost like ASMR. Even considering the ventriloquism, it was weak. It was something I could do because I believed in the hearing of the S-rank guy next to me. Sa-young, who was sitting next to me with her legs crossed, replied so much that only I could hear it.

"Yes, well. What can you say, I was trying to save someone."

"That's great."

"Well, I'll pay some fines."

"Are there fines?"

"Yes, because hunters have to be punished to listen."

Well, he is right. Powerful and capable hunters are controlled by powerful restraints, laws. Ostensibly, since Lee Sa-young was at the center of this disturbance, he would be punished. I made a deliberate grunt, a sound of pain.

"So much for hiding the fact of registration."

The best plan was to move on quietly without even getting caught in the registration, but thanks to being caught in a suddenly appearing rift, the plan and everything went up in smoke. I muttered.

"Is Min-ki really able to change the note?"

"Well, if he can't... There's no point in taking money."

Sa-young's answer made me remember Min-ki's last appearance.

Before the rift had dissipated, Min-ki had paced nervously and then plunged into the shadow of the ashes. Before I could ask what he was doing, another head emerged from the shadows and explained.

"I'm in a dungeon in Jongno 3-ga with the deputy leader. It's a big deal if I catch people's eyes. It's going to be very hard for me. Wouldn't swearing add 20 years to your life span?"
(TL/N: 욕으로 수명이 20년쯤 늘지 않을까요? I need help with this :'))

"Hey, I'm not supposed to be here either, right?"

"It's okay, sir. You just woke up, so you can pretend to be here for a while and we'll be fine. By the way, how did you get your rating?"

"I'm screwed."

"I knew it, and I'm sure the computer got caught up in it, which makes it easier for you."

"Are you using the last option?"

"Exactly."

Min-ki's head bobbed up and down.

"The computer is broken, so everything is okay, well, not really. The records remain online. As soon as it's measured, it goes to the data center of the Awakening Management Bureau. No one would have thought to read it because the rift burst in time, so it's just a matter of quick manipulation."

"Are you sure that the manipulation is really no big deal?"

"Don't worry too much. I'll take the responsibility of turning you into a D-rank awakener. Then I'll leave now!"

With that, he gave a thumbs up and slowly disappeared into the shadows. Like a scene from the movie Terminator.... I smiled as I remembered this last scene.

There are only idiots in the Pado Guild....'.

It's possible because Lee Sa-young, the leader of the guild right next to him, is a weird guy. Anyway, I didn't know how long I had to lie there. I was about to get up when Jung-bin and Yang Hye-jin disappeared, but the person's appearance only increased, as the incident might have become bigger than I thought. More ambulances were arriving and the sirens were getting louder.

Some people approached me, but when they checked who was next to me, they couldn't get closer than a certain distance. I found out that Lee Sa-young had also written ZONE.

"Hey."

"Lee Sa-young."

I can't believe you said your name out of the blue instead of answering me. Do you want me to say your name or what? I opened my eyes and looked at him from an angle, but I couldn't see his expression because he was wearing a gas mask.

"Yes, Lee Sa-young."

"Yes."

Sa-young replied half-heartedly. When I heard the sound of tapping on the screen, he must have been fiddling with his cell phone. I froze, my eyes still closed.

Jung-bin still won't leave?

Saeyoung replied with a long, drawn-out "Mm-hmm.

"He'll be here until dawn today... It's a bigger deal than I thought."

It was the worst news. Damn it. I muttered a low curse. A cold skin touched my neck where the others couldn't see it. I flinched harder than I thought I would, but rationalized that it was because all my senses were heightened after the battle.

"Does it hurt?"

"What?"

The gloved finger felt at the back of my neck and pushed through my hair. The unfamiliar sensation sent shivers down my spine. If I shook my head, I would immediately attract the attention of Jung-bin and Yang Hye-jin. I clenched my teeth and mumbled.

"What are you doing?"

"Because you were sweating cold."

"Leave it. I'll be fine soon."

"......."

Something clicked in my head. Lee Sa-young seemed to tilt his head. His fingers were still gently running through my hair. Is he caressing me? I was confused. What's wrong with him all of a sudden?

I couldn't put my finger on his behavior. Isn't he acting like a child again, touching people gently and then pulling away quickly?

"You know, you're really crazy."

I don't know. No complications, this guy is just a total bastard. I slowly opened his eyes. I didn't want to hear that shameful sound from a lunatic.

"Are you going to argue?"

"You're so good at lying."

"That's what service jobs are for, you lie for a living."

"How did you come up with that excuse?"

"Don't try to dig it up. You'll get hurt if you do."

Sa-young laughed softly. The fingers that had been running through my back hair moved more gently. Was it because I was so nervous? It's been a long time since I had chaos.

"You're really suspicious."

"What are you going to do if I'm suspicious... You've already signed me."

"I know. Why would I sign with someone so suspicious..."

Fingers brushed the back of my neck and I tried to close my eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of Sa-young...

This crazy.

It reminded me of a Haejang-guk house.

My mind snapped back to reality. My body stiffened and I straightened my back. Sa-young must have noticed the change because he stopped running his hands through my hair. I muttered seriously.

"Lee Sa-young."

"Huh? What?"

Where the two of them are now is in the back of an ambulance. The paramedics are busy taking care of the other survivors, and they don't approach this ambulance because of Lee Sa-young.

"Do you know how to drive?"

"What did you say?"

"I don't have my license because I've been busy. Do you have a license?"

I gestured to the steering wheel, and after blinking for a moment, Sa-young smiled in disbelief.

"See, you're the crazy one."

From then on, everything was fine. Actually, it was a bit of an eventful trip, but we managed to get to the Haejang-guk house on time, so it was a success by our standards.

Unfortunately, Lee Sa-young did not have a driver's license either, and it was quite a distance to walk from the Gwangjin-gu office to Haejang-guk House. Taking a taxi wouldn't be much help anyway, as the roads in the area were completely paralyzed. I seriously wondered if I should hijack the ambulance and go there.

Lee Sa-young watched me curiously as I struggled until just now and somehow planned to go to Haejang-guk House.

"Do we have to go?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"This is compulsion."

"Cut the crap and think about it."

"What...? It's not like there's no way."

Sa-young, looking at me with his chin, took something out of the inventory and gave it to me. It was a crumpled A4 sheet of some kind.

"Trash?"

"What do you mean trash? It's Hong Ye-sung's masterpiece, but you're talking too much. Read the description first."

[Artisan's Emergency Escape Button Prototype (S-)
Tear it off and you can go anywhere you want. However, it cannot be used inside rifts and dungeons and is disposable.
Producer: Hong Ye-sung]

...Crazy. There is such an item. But why is it called a button if it's shaped like an A4 sheet of paper? When I asked Sa-young, he shrugged his shoulders.

"I heard he made it look like trash because he was afraid Jung-bin would take it away if he found out."

The question in my head grew stronger, but the existence of the article was still great news. Grabbing Sa-young's arm with my right hand and the escape button with my left, I immediately put the paper in my mouth and tore it in half.

There was a feeling of being swept away somewhere, and the sounds of the commotion faded into the distance.

After a while, before I could open my eyes, a familiar smell lingered at the tip of my nose, causing me to blink. Hong Ye-sung hadn't lied when he said it was his masterpiece.

"Oh my God, there is such a thing in the world."

"It's not trash."

"Oh, the broth!"

I quickly dismissed my gratitude for the paper button that had sent me to Haejang-guk House in a matter of seconds and rushed to the kitchen.