Chapter Text
Bak Yerim groaned as she got up from her slumber, eyes squinting as she slowly looked around her surroundings. "Where..?" Then she jumped. "Oh shit! Ahjussi?!"
Midst her screaming, another set of groans caught her attention and relieved when she saw her companions, the members of world edge, her noona, Myoengyoo-oppa and Sung Hyunjae (Yuck!) arose from their place in the ground. However, her Ahjussi was still missing?!
"You!" She point an finger at Han Yoohyun exasperatedly. "Where is Ahjussi, huh?!"
Han Yoohyun, having recovered from his immense headache, scowled at the girl. "What do you mean? Didn't I entrust his safety with you?" He looked around to find his hyung, only to panic when he couldn't find him anywhere he looked. "HYUNG?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Kim Sunghan tried to calm his leader, albeit as worried as him, though he doesn't want Han Yoohyun to wreck havoc within a foreign and unfamiliar room with his flames. Yoo Myoengyoo looked like he might pass out from intense anxiety he is feeling at the moment while Sung Hyunjae was the opposite of the shaking man. In fact, he was sitting on couch that magically appeared out of nowhere and seeping his tea with a serene, punchable face.
Moon Hyuna was cackling at the chaos happening while Noah Luire was silently retreating away from the said chaos.
Then, a giant digital screen popped up in front of them, stopping the people from what they are doing before and drifted their attention to the screen.
"Hello!" A robotic voice piped up. "Everyone is very lively, huh?" A powerful flame passed through the screen that only regenerated back to it's original form as if nothing happened. Peace growled menacingly at them yet they only cooed in return.
“How dare you!” Words came out instead of a snarl. Everyone gaped at that.
“Peace, you can talk?!” Bak Yerim screeched. Peace in return, only made a confused noise.
“Fufu.” The screen proudly exclaimed. “It is only because of my wonderful domain that anything is possible. So making a beast talk is a small thing!”
“Then killing you is also possible then!” Han Yoohyun summoned his flames, only for it to extinguish like it was nothing.
"I advise everyone to minimize violence within this domain, thank you!"
"Cut the crap!" Han Yoohyun snarled, his fist bursting with flames with how furious he was at the moment. "I don't care who you are. Where is my Hyung!?"
"Oh, Mr. Han Yoojin?" The screen made a thinking emoji as it pondered. "Don't worry about him! He is safe and sound!" That did not appease Han Yoohyun at all.
Ban Yerim frowned. "You think we trust you?! Just show us where you are keeping Ahjussi! And maybe we will reconsider any act of violence." She threatened her weapon manifested within her grasp, only for it to disappear in seconds. "Wha-!"
"I advise everyone to minimize violence within this domain, thank you!" They repeated. "That is strike one. If it reaches strike three, there will be consequences."
Sung Hyunjae looked amused. "Oh? You think you can take all of us, S-class, to a fight? I am very interested in how that would turn out."
The screen in question sweat dropped at the vicious man. Yup, this guy is dangerous...
"We-well you see..." The screen stuttered.
Sung Hyunjae's vicious smile did not falter at all.
"Ahem! Why don't we just get into business, shall we?" They tried to shift the subject.
"Now that you mentioned it, why are we here in the first place?" Moon Hyuna frowned. "Weren't we just about to enter an A ranked domain? Did the entrance lead us to a different location instead? And who is this guy?" She pointed at the silent man.
Noah Luire fidgeted. “I- I am Noah Luire, an S-class hunter… from France.”
“Oh!” Bak Yerim smiled. “So you’re a foreigner? But how did you end up here as well? Did you also enter a gate beforehand?”
Noah shook his head. “Not at all. I remembered being in our guild office but then a light engulfed me and basically woke up here.”
“So it’s not the gate then…” Han Yoohyun muttered as he looked at the remaining people who was not with them during the raid. Jupiter’s Kang Soyoung, Yoo Myoengyoo, Song Taewon, Miss Suk Hayan and her uncle, Mr.Suk Simyeong, the possible infamous dokkaebi based on their appearance and the S-class from France.
Kang Soyoung’s normally cheerful face was cautious this entire time. “By the looks of it… It seems like our teleportation has no connection at all…”
“There is!” The screen piped up. "Well, you see, we summoned you here to show you the life of our lovely Mr. Han Yoojin!" They cheered.
"HUH?!" Han Yoohyun growled. "You are going to broadcast to these people my Hyung's life? Throw away his privacy?!” Bak Yerim joined his fuming.
"Please calm down, Mr. Han Yoohyun." They signed. "As much as we hate to do it... It is necessary to save your world."
Everyone raised a brow at that. "Save? From whom or what?"
"Well, you see, in the next 5 years, a destructive force will come to your world and will wipe out everything to catastrophe.”
Suk Hayan looked concerned at that. "A destructive force that can wipe out everything..." She looked down at her clenched fist on her lap. "Something like that to happen in a few years... is there really something that strong that is capable of doing that?"
“Well, the gates that are connected to dangerous dimensions were impossible to think at first but look at it now.” Suk Simyeong said with a solemn voice. And everyone agreed to that. Just 3 years ago, they were just living a normal life away from dangers of monster attack that emerged from several dungeons.
"Not even the S class can prevent?"
"Hmmm..." The screen morphed into a pensive emoji. "Well, not individually, no."
"Individually?"
"Yes! In order to stop it, the S class must work together to save the world!"
"Work together, huh?" Moon Hyuna trailed off as she stared at the impassive face of Han Yoohyun. In turn, the latter scorned at her. She smirked. "Sorry to break your bubble but how would that be even possible with how eccentric S classes usually are."
'Aren't you also one?' Yoo Myoengyoo sweat dropped.
The screen perked up with pride at that. "Fortunately, there is one person!"
"And who would that be?" Moon Hyuna raised her brow, evidently interested.
"You will find that out through watching. Now, may I request everyone to settle down and get comfortable while you are at it. Also, my name is Droid!” They cheered.
Everyone reluctantly agreed and sat on the couches offered by the screen person.
"Now, let's get started then. “
One day....
A gate suddenly appeared on earth.
"A similar phenomenon has been observed form all over the world."
The scene shows a mysterious gates spawning randomly around different areas around the world.
"This phenomenon that has occurred here and there does not bring any harm to the body."
"Clear cause for it has not yet been found, and number of civilians who are complaining of their anxiety is increasing by the second."
"Honestly though," Moon Hyuna sighed. "Why did we even think it was harmless to begin with... Like even from the appearance itself it already screamed danger."
Everyone agreed at that.
Several researchers were examining those mysterious gates in close distance.
"On the other hand, academic personnel are investigating whether this phenomenon has any relations to the monsters that have been appearing in various places recently." The reporter informed as it trailed off to another scene.
.
.
.
.
"Alright! We've loaded up everything!"
"This is the last of the kitchen utensils." The woman uttered as she carried a box to the truck.
"Okay! We have a while left, so let's take our time." Her partner patted his hands.
"Hey, did you hear?" The woman piped her sweat with her face towel hanging on her shoulders.
"Yes, ma'am!" A young man answered as he carried the last batch of box.
“Ahjussi!!” Bak Yerim smiled as she finally saw him.
Han Yoohyun couldn’t help but smile as he saw his Hyung during his work. He had always admired him and his dedication on taking any jobs just to provide their daily neccessities after their parents died. He had once offered to quit school as well to help his Hyung but he was hit in the head with a newspaper. He was scolded and told to just relax and leave everything to his hyung.
He never understood why his Hyung was insistent on him entering university when it was very expensive to begin with. But he the other just laughed and patted him in the head. “So you can have better opportunities and live a more sustainable life than what we have right now.” Those were the words of his Hyung.
‘Hyung has always regarded my well-being in first before himself.’ He frowned.
"Han Yoojin, was it? Let's take a break before we leave!"
"I'll just take this last one up first."
"It's tiring, right?" The man asked as he tossed a bottle of water to Han Yoojin. "Have some water."
“Ahjussi is so hardworking.” Bak Yerim grinned while Yoo Myoengyoo nodded in agreement. They both are well aware of how hardworking Han Yoojin was with his job as a beast tamer but they knew he was also that way even before becoming a hunter since Han Yoojin had told them that he had started working several at a young age due to their parents’ passing.
"Oh. Thank you." Han Yoojin eagerly caught and opened the cap .
"Look at this young fellow doing the bast job he can! You're very quick with your hands." The woman grinned, making Han Yoojin chuckle sheepishly.
"How are you planning on using all the money that you earn? University fees?"
“Well that could certainly be the case. Most teenagers who wishes to enter universities tend to work on jobs for their tuition fees.” Suk Simyeong nodded in agreement.
"Ah, yes. My younger brother's school fees."
"You're paying for your sibling's fees? ”
“Awww…” Kang Soyoung cooed. “Han Yoojin-ssi works for your school fees, Sir Han Yoohyon? What about your parents?”
Han Yoohyun shook his head. “They aren’t around anymore. They died during an accident.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.” Kang Soyoung looked apologetic at that.
“Don’t be.” He scoffed. “They were barely around anyways.”
Everyone sensed that it was a mild sensitive information for the siblings so they left it at it and went back to the screen.
"Our parents passed away early on, so it's just my brother and I." Han Yoojin informed. "So I dropped out and started working."
"Oh my, such a young kid is going through so much!" The woman looked worried.
"It's nothing. Would you like to see? This is my younger brother." Han Yoojin excitedly took his phone and turned it on to show his wallpaper of him and his younger brother smiling on the picture .
Bak Yerim, Kang Soyoung and Suk Hayan cooed at the picture. Moon Hyuna on the other hand, grinned mischievously at Han Yoohyun. “That goody-two-shoes face suits you more than your grumpy face, Han Yoohyun. If you had kept it that way, many girls would have liked you.” She teased.
“Hah?” Han Yoohyun darkly snarled.
“No fighting!” Bak Yerim intervened before any chaos happens.
"Oh my, he's quite good looking! Pretty tall and attractive."
"Right?" Han Yoojin sounded proud. "He's taller than me. And he's also really kind and there's nothing he hasn't been able to so since he was younger."
The woman only stared back. "Hm?"
"I sometimes can't even believe how such a great younger brother. Really. If our Yoohyon hadn't been a good kid, then I wouldn't have dropped out of school to earn money by doing all this hard work, but he's such a good kid with absolutely nothing worrying with him, and he grew as a great and polite man. He also have never-" Han Yoojin continued with his gushing over his beloved younger brother that it made the couple sweat dropped.
"I- I see."
Many couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that. Even Sung Hyunjae looked amused.
“So you really are a Hyung’s boy! AHAHHAHAHAH!” Moon Hyuna cackled.
“Moon Hyuna, please…” Now, it was Suk Simyeong’s turn to reprimand since Bak Yerim was too busy laughing her lungs out.
“Is Hyung's boy even a thing?” Bak Yerim wheezed.
"This guy is always like this whenever we start talking about his younger brother." The man explained to his wife.
Noah, who was staring intently on Han Yoojin’s fond expression as he continued to ramble about is younger brother, felt an inch of jealousy towards Han Yoohyun. ‘I wished noona was like that as well…’ He blinked several times to get rid of his blurry vision.
"He said that he'd finish up with school early today, so I'm planning on going with him to eat some meat after I finish work!" Han Yoojin excitedly said.
"To be honest, it's a good thing that there's been more work these days."
They got into the vehicle. "It's not even moving season, yet this is basically the busiest it gets. ”
“I honestly would have done it too…” Kang Soyoung sighed.
"This must all be so that you two can be successful..." Han Yoojin suggested as he secured his seatbelt.
"You talk so nicely too~" The woman smiled.
"Well, it's whatever! It's all thanks to that I guess." The man said as he peered to the window of the truck to stare at the floating thing on the sky.
"That?"
"That thing over there." He pointed at it. "The number of people who have moved has increased because they say they don't have a good feeling about it. If only we could know what it really was. It feels rather ominous."
“And even now, we still have no idea where those came from and how they got there.” Suk Hayan pierced her lips in frustration. “Why is there even gates in the first place and whoever did it, what is their motive?”
“Sadly at the moment, we lack information nor have we not traced anything relevant at all.” Song Taewon said as he fixed his croaked tie.
"One also appeared on the route to my brother's school."
“That’s was also the greatest concerning part about the first attack of the gates. Many were stationed near schools and places where many are vulnerable, children and old people alike were less likely to escape than others…”
"What if it's a good thing?" The woman asked.
“If only it was that true.”
"Do we need to buy a house nearby?"
“ Haha! Where would we get that much money!" Was the answer.
"Well, we're just thankful that we have more work!"
Han Yoojin then noticed something strange. "Was that always that kind of color?"
"Huh?
I think it was more bl-" The car suddenly halted and shook like there was a massive force that impacted their vehicle. "???!!"
“Shit!” Han Yoohyun almost jumped from his seat. Even though he knew his hyung was safe from the monster attack, watching it unfold makes him anxious for his Hyung's well being.
“ I'll go out and see!" Han Yoojin said. "Maybe something happened to the b-"
“Don’t even try!!!!” Bak Yerim screetched, only to groan when Han Yoojin on the screen did otherwise.
Han Yoojin froze as an ominous giant bird looking thing was peering below them, teeth sharp and salivating like a predator finding it's prey. "Huh?"
The monster roared as it dived towards Han Yoojin's direction. He ducked to dodged the attack as it struck it's beak to the car and managed to jump away from the vehicle.
“Ahjussi!!!”
“Han Yoojin-ssi!”
“Hyung, get away from there!” Han Yoohyun clenched his flaming fist.
"W-what?! Boss!"
"Aghhh, Honey!!" Came a groan as they struggle away from the monster. "A monster?! What in the world is this???!"
Han Yoojin's terrified eyes shifted away from the car and into the surrounding area, where he saw more bird looking monsters emerged from the mysterious gate. "Just what the hell is this?!"
“It’s a monster attack. NOW, RUN AWAY!!!” Yoo Myoengyoo was shaking in his seat with how terrified he was for his friend’s safety.
A 'gate' that connects to another world called dungeon. Monsters poured out into the world through those gates.
The dungeons that hadn't been subdued had become supersaturated and exploded. It is a dungeon break, where the dungeons explode and evil entities pour out .
And in the situation where this happened all at once in a dungeon shock, there were millions of injured people... and several thousands of deaths.
“ Bosses?!" Han Yoojin lifted a stick to try and wack the monster away from attacking the truck. "You fucking lizard bastard! Get out out of there right now! Or take this and-!"
“Don’t attack it with a stick, it will do nothing you stupid Ahjussi!”
“Does your brother even have any survival instinct?!” Moon Hyuna vexed. “Heck, if he doesn’t then I question how he manage to live this far without losing a limb or two.”
As much as it frustrates Han Yoohyun, he can’t disagree with that. If only his hyung less suicidal to help others and prioritize himself at least once in his life.
He stopped. A strong, veiny arm was grabbing the mouth of the monster with incredible strength... that was his boss' wife. "Honey?!" The husband looked astonished.
"Are you alright, darling?! Quickly, get out of here while you can!" She grunted.
"Your arm! What happened!?"
"I don't know either! Power just suddenly...!"
People 'awakened' with the ability to fight againts monsters. Awakeners became 'hunters' who hunted monsters and attacked dungeons. And soon, huntjng became the most important job in the world.
“And the most dangerous at that…” Suk Hayan breathed out, having to relax a little from the terrifying scene they had witnessed. “Hunters has more deaths and injured people each month than any jobs at all. As much as it saddens me, society regards hunters as an uprising and the most amazing job that many are driven to lean into that profession, despite not even sufficent to the critirea of being a hunter. As a result, numbers of death continues increase even to this day.”
Everyone could not disagree with that statement at all.
And my younger brother, Han Yoohyun…
The passenger of the bus looked astonished as they stared at the flame in front of them. "What is that...?"
"Pitch.... black flames...."
Han Yoohyun, on his right arm where his sleeves were burned, were surrounded with black-purplish colored flames. He looked shocked as he raised his arms into eye level.
The younger brother I had cared so much for.
Awakened as one of the very few S-rank hunters in the world.
To be continued….
“WHAT?!” Bak Yerim protested. “That was it? How about Ahjussi?! Is he fine?!”
Droid appeared again. “Calm down, Bak Yerim. There are still several episodes ahead.”
“Then play it!”
“You sure? We can take a few bre-”
“NOW.” Han Yoohyun commanded, eyes dark and threatening.
“A-as you wish…” Droid sweatdropped.