AAGULT Ch 42

Chapter 42

With his gaze lowered halfway, all Jaeha could see was the lower half of Juwon’s face. His lips moved calmly, as though trying to respond, but even in that effort, an unmistakable trace of disappointment in himself showed through.

“……”

“……”

He must have resented the adult who refused to help.

And yet, at the same time, Juwon was…

“…Alright.”

He was probably already used to adults who didn’t help.

The speed of his resignation made Jaeha’s insides churn. He bit the inside of his cheek hard. Regardless of what he did, the child nodded calmly.

“……”

“Sorry for causing a scene. I’ll… head back now.”

Juwon responded politely, the corners of his mouth lifting faintly with resignation. His small hand, not yet fully grown, carefully held out the now-empty mug to him. Because the bar stool was high, there was even a thud when he jumped down from it. Soon after, he began walking toward the shop door. The moment he turned his back, unable to suppress the sorrow any longer, a sniffle escaped him.

“……”

Jaeha knew himself well.

He didn’t have an ounce of real capability, yet he had an annoyingly wide sense of obligation. And it’s not like stepping in ever led to good results. Even if he volunteered to search for the missing support guide now, it was obvious he’d end up captured by an enemy organization, dragging his boss down with him.

The outcome was clear without needing to be seen. There was no need to step into danger willingly.

But even so—

“Wait, just wait. Don’t go yet.”

“…Okay.”

He made the same choice he was now thoroughly sick of. Truthfully, he regretted it even as he called out.

The child stopped, holding the door open, and turned to look back. His face was slightly tearful.

“Are you going to report this to the Association?”

“……”

Their eyes met. As if trying to figure out Jaeha’s intentions, Juwon didn’t answer right away and instead stared at him silently.

[Is he trying to keep my mouth shut…?]

“…No. I thought it might be dangerous for you too. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“……”

He didn’t seem inclined to ask the Association for help either. After a brief pause, Jaeha made up his mind slowly and spoke.

“Go home. Just go home and wait.”

“Huh? Okay…”

“I’ll look for Guide Kim Jiwon.”

“…!”

He replied as if spitting the words out, letting out a heavy sigh. It was obvious how much effort it took to even voice the decision.

Since Juwon was still holding the door open, the chilly dawn wind of winter crept in, the kind that seeped into your bones. It made the situation feel all the more real, and Jaeha became acutely aware of how irrational his decision was.

“…Really?”

“I have a rough idea of where he might be… I’ll go check.”

He didn’t really have a clue, and even if he did, it wasn’t something he could say so lightly. Besides, Jaeha had once infiltrated an enemy group as a spy as soon as he turned twenty, only to get caught within a day and beaten nearly to death before being rescued. That memory was seared into his nerves as pure terror.

…But even if he was pathetic and useless as an adult, he still wanted to do whatever he could.

“Thank you.”

“……”

“Really. Thank you.”

Whether he believed it or not, or if he was just grateful someone was saying anything at all, Juwon replied with a voice that trembled slowly. It was too dark to see his eyes clearly, so Jaeha couldn’t read his thoughts.

It just was what it was.

“…Are you insane?”

“Please, just this once. Okay?”

“Absolutely not!”

He hadn’t expected it to be easy. As soon as he called him in the middle of the night and explained the situation, Eunyul, who had been reluctantly roused from sleep, panicked. In truth, Eunyul wasn’t exactly fond of him either. If he decided to report Jaeha’s actions to the boss right then, Jaeha wouldn’t have been able to complain.

Still, for some reason, he had this strange certainty that it would work. Though Eunyul was prickly and sensitive, deep down he was soft in odd places and still had childish sides.

“You were the one who said I should ‘kiss up’ more. One of the guides in my area got leaked. If I manage to retrieve him successfully, maybe the boss will… finally praise me. If that happens, maybe she’ll let me get guided again… okay?”

“……”

“You know how hard it is to go without guidance…”

Of course, it was mostly a made-up excuse, but given Jaeha’s current circumstances, it sounded oddly convincing. Eunyul had always subtly worried about the fact that Jaeha was the only one unable to receive guidance, even occasionally teasing him in a way that sounded like concern.

It was a pretty rotten thought, but he even considered drinking a bunch of suppressants and throwing up blood again in front of the boss, hoping she’d soften up and agree to help. But doing something like that to a fellow orphanage kid who’d just turned twenty felt way too cruel. So instead, he opted to appeal to his emotions.

“Shit… If we get caught, we’re both dead. You get that? We don’t even know where he’s been taken.”

“If the result’s good, that’s all that matters. I’m pretty sure it’s Black Dragon.”

After Juwon left, he racked his brain hard. Among the organizations currently hostile with theirs, Black Dragon and White Tiger stood out. But considering various clues, Black Dragon was the more likely suspect. White Tiger’s guiding facilities weren’t particularly good, and they didn’t make enticing offers that would lure a guide away. Black Dragon, on the other hand, had been furious lately thanks to the boss. It was even mentioned in a recent meeting he had stumbled into.

“You’re that confident? You haven’t even been training lately!”

“I got some training at the beginning. And… you don’t know, but I was the one who infiltrated Black Dragon the first time.”

“…Seriously?”

Of course, he had been caught within a day and beaten half to death. Thankfully, Eunyul was still new to the organization and didn’t know that.

“If I fail, I’ll never mention your name.”

“……”

No one would believe Jaeha acted alone anyway, but still, his habit of keeping his head down all the time was paying off. Eunyul bit his lip hard. His lip piercings rattled with the movement.

It was honestly unexpected. Jaeha thought he’d scoff in disbelief and storm off. But reading the possibility in his hesitation, Jaeha pushed harder, not giving him room to think it through. He did feel a bit guilty, but he was too desperate right now.

“You know the updated suspected locations of Black Dragon’s base.”

“I do, but… I’m not sure.”

“Then I’ll give up right now.”

“……”

His usual sharp demeanor had disappeared. By relentlessly begging and clinging without giving him time to think, the still-tenderhearted Eunyul eventually let out a deep sigh.

“Damn it…”

“Eunyul…”

“Three hours. It’s 3 AM now… I’ll drop you off, and if you’re not there by six, I’m leaving you behind. Got it?”

“Yeah. Really, thank you.”

Jaeha was going to give up if even this didn’t work. Even now, he kept wondering, “Is this really the right thing to do?” A vague anxiety clung to the back of his neck.

“Is this the right way to go?”

“Hold on!”

Jaeha said he’d quickly get ready and clumsily ran upstairs to his room.

He frantically searched his drawers and took out the guide-exclusive call device he’d gotten from Jiwon, along with a handgun and a couple of knives from a deeper spot. He also pulled out the harness he’d used during his first mission years ago. It was to carry weapons more easily. He packed the knives tightly, took out extra bullets and stuffed them in.

Handling the weapons still made his skin crawl and his hair stand on end. It was terrifying, but urgency made his movements swift. He double-checked that the gun was loaded properly, and with trembling hands, carefully put it away. Damn. Guns were always terrifying no matter how many times he touched them.

“……”

Then, suddenly, he found himself staring at a thick, dark green scarf tucked deep in the drawer. He thought about touching it. But a hand holding a gun didn’t go with that scarf at all. Afraid he might ruin it by touching it, he quietly closed the drawer without reaching out.

When he came back down, Eunyul was looking at him with an expression of deep distaste.

“…You really did go? To Black Dragon?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t look like you can even fire a gun.”

“Oh…”

For a second, he didn’t know what to say. Eunyul had only ever seen him messing around at the bar.

He didn’t respond, just let out an awkward laugh. He stuffed a silencer into his pocket, tightened the harness properly, checked to make sure nothing was out of place, and stood in front of him. Despite the years of gap, his hands were surprisingly skilled, and Eunyul noticed.

Still pouting, he leaned crookedly against the wall, then slowly tilted his head to the side.

“You good now? Ready?”

“Yeah. Really… thanks.”

“You’re volunteering to go die, what can I say.”

“Haha.”

Despite his words, Jaeha could see the hidden softness behind them. Grateful again for Eunyul’s oddly tender heart, he held out his hand. Eunyul grumbled but took it.

When Jaeha first joined the organization, they had worked him hard. He learned how to shoot, handle various weapons, infiltrate, fight in close quarters, and use the environment to his advantage… everything imaginable. And Jaeha had adapted pretty well.

If his heart hadn’t been so soft, and if his timing hadn’t been so unlucky, he might’ve been six years deep in Black Dragon by now. But because of that first failed step, he’d spent the rest of his time being pushed around, his self-esteem crushed.

Not that Jaeha realized any of that. He just saw himself as foolish, soft, and overly meddlesome—just like he’d been taught to believe.

This time was no different.

Unable to overcome that meddlesome streak once again, he blamed himself as he grasped Eunyul’s hand.

His hand glowed faintly. As he closed his eyes, the familiar nausea of spatial transfer began to kick in once more.

“……”

At the time, Jaeha didn’t yet realize this was a crossroads from which there would be no return—and so, he transported.