The Hero Returns

* * *

Step, step.

Bak Yun-gyu, wearing his military boots, was walking slower than usual at the Awakener Authority's corridors.

His meeting with the Authority's director had come to an end. He only came to see the old man to report the results of today's event.

It would have been fine for other awakeners, even those of lower ranks, to brief the director. However, Bak Yun-gyu was requested to personally confirm the situation.

'How strange…'

Bak Yun-gyu was the head of all Authority-affiliated awakeners. They also turned to him for advice and emotional support.

Bak Yun-gyu might not be as important as Kim Su-hyeun, but he had a good reputation. The soldiers who chose to become awakeners looked up to him. Bak Yun-gyu was a role model to them.

And that was why Bak Yun-gyu often found himself at odds with the director's opinions on various matters, even the smallest ones.

'This event, it—things are actually going well, according to plan.'

A strange sense of discord filled his head.

The association seemed to have missed a blue dungeon, and a raid had not been done yet. The Awakener Authority accidentally discovered this dungeon, and to prepare for the eventual outbreak, they mobilized the awakeners under their control and evacuated the civilians.

At first glance, nothing seemed wrong. Bak Yun-gyu tried to shake off his misgivings. He should feel proud as the awakener affiliated with the Authority.

However, the events progressed perfectly without any hiccups. As a matter of fact, it went on so well that it came off as...unnatural.

First, Lee Ju-ho just became the new association chairman. During his appointment, the organization's internal system missed the raid order at the same time. Second, the awakeners affiliated with the Authority were gathered in one place as if they had been preparing for such an eventuality.

However, Bak Yun-gyu just couldn't get rid of his suspicion that this whole thing had been planned from the beginning.

"Hmm..."

He contemplated for a while before taking out his phone. He browsed through his list of contacts before making a call.

"Hello. It has been a while. I'd like to speak to you if that's okay…"

***

Inside a small café located in Yeoui Island...

Three people had come together for an important meeting in this cozy café.

Su-hyeun was first to break the ice. "You didn't have to personally come this far, you know?"

"No, it's fitting for me to come here," Bak Yun-gyu insisted. "How can I possibly ask you to come and go as I please?"

"What do you mean 'how'? Just call me and say come here or go there."

"Your humor lately is off the charts! Besides, I didn't expect you to come with the association chairman, Lee Ju-ho."

"How can a string not follow where the needle is going?" Lee Ju-ho chimed in as he scanned the menu.

"Enough with your silly words. They're cringey, bro."

As they waited for their drinks, Su-hyeun, Bak Yun-gyu, and Lee Ju-ho updated each other of their recent adventures and misfortunes.

Lee Ju-ho carried the conversation. He was a good talker after all. He mediated between the old-fashioned Bak Yun-gyu and the modern, sometimes weird, Su-hyeun.

And about 30 minutes later...

"By the way, what brings you this far? It must be really important. Knowing you, Chief Bak Yun-gyu, you wouldn't have come this far without a good reason."

"Ah...well… That..."

Bak Yun-gyu hesitated at first. He debated on his mind whether to tell Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho or not. He was silent for a while, and then he bit his lower lip and began to speak, "It concerns the previous matter."

Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho frowned. They had no idea what Bak Yun-gyu was talking about.

"The previous matter?"

"Do you mean the dungeon in Cheonan?"

"Yes, that one," Bak Yun-gyu confirmed. "I'm suspicious of some events involving that dungeon. They were...unconvincing." Bak Yun-gyu was careful with his words.

"When you say 'unconvincing', you mean..."

"The raid went smoothly, wasn't it? Hardly any fights and losses on our part. It was as if someone predicted that an event of this nature would happen very soon."

Lee Ju-ho's eyes widened at Bak Yun-gyu's speculations. He then nodded his head, signaling Bak Yun-gyu to continue.

"It's not impossible that the association's system missed the dungeon in Cheonan. After all, there are no absolutes in this world. Something similar may happen to the Authority's system in the future."

"That's true. But..."

"But then, the Authority made a move as soon as such an event occurred. It was as if they had finished the preparation for raiding a dungeon and were waiting for exactly that sort of an event."

"And you find that strange?"

"Yes, I honestly do find it strange...very strange. Even within the Authority, it's uncommon to see so many B-ranking and superior awakeners with so much time in their hands. If I say the timing was way too convenient…does it mean I'm being judgmental towards the Authority?"

"No, you are not being judgmental towards the Authority, but its director."

"I won't deny that," Bak Yun-gyu admitted and smiled. He then grabbed his cup of coffee and sipped.

After listening to what Bak Yun-gyu had to say, Lee Ju-ho laid out the implications of his statement. "If it is as you say, Mister Bak, then this is how the situation probably looks like," Lee Ju-ho began. "The Authority did something underhanded which caused the dungeon in Cheonan to be left out in the association's assault order. And to minimize the damage from such a dungeon, the Authority mobilized its affiliated awakeners. Is that what you think has happened, Mister Bak?"

"Yes. I don't have any proof, but I believe it's possible," Bak Yun-gyu said with conviction. "If it turns out to be true, then the current director must not be forgiven."

"As you say, you don't have any proof. Be careful. If you can, keep yourself from making unfounded and hasty judgments."

"If I have said something I shouldn't have and if what I did just now was perverting the Authority's pure intentions, then I shall resign from my position immediately," Bak Yun-gyu stated decisively. "And without expecting any reward in return, I will spend the rest of my life serving the public."

Of serving the public, Bak Yun-gyu was already doing that remarkably.

Bak Yun-gyu was the kind of soldier one would only read in books or see in the movies. He was an ideal soldier who fulfilled his sworn duty to protect the country and its people.

However, the first part of his statement carried a different weight from the rest, at least that's what Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho had noticed.

Resigning from his position… He was saying that he would let go of all of the glorious accomplishments he achieved, and rightfully deserved, as a soldier and as an Authority-affiliated awakener.

There was no need to even mention how important the rank and honor were to a soldier. Right now, he was willing to risk half of what he had worked hard for all his life over his suspicion.

Of course...

"There's no need to go that far," Lee Ju-ho commented. "Even if you were wrong, we would never betray you." He smiled at Bak Yun-gyu reassuringly. Lee Ju-ho's words eased the tension that Bak Yun-gyu was feeling.

"No, even if that's true..."

"At least, we now know one thing from this meeting…," Su-hyeun interrupted.

Clack.

He put down his cup of coffee. He took a sugar cube and dropped it in the still steaming coffee. Then he gently mixed it with a teaspoon. "Mister Bak Yun-gyu, it seems that you're not involved in this matter. I already suspected it as much, though."

Su-hyeun lifted his cup and sipped some coffee. He was more laid-back than his usual self.

As this matter required utmost caution, Bak Yun-gyu had been really careful. He was even talking softly, so soft that it was almost a whisper, thinking that someone might hear what they were talking about. Thus, after seeing Su-hyeun act this way, Bak Yun-gyu managed to relax and care less. He raised this topic, willing to risk his own life, yet his two listeners didn't show much of a concern at all.

'Is this why he wanted to see me in a regular café?' Bak Yun-gyu speculated.

Bak Yun-gyu suggested that they should meet in a restaurant or a bar with a private room so that they could converse quietly, but it was Su-hyeun who insisted on having the meeting in a café he knew well if it was to take place in Yeoui Island.

Although he wasn't convinced with Su-hyeun's suggestion, Bak Yun-gyu still went there. After all, it wouldn't be that hard to block any information from leaking.

He then asked, "Could it be that the association isn't really concerned about this event?"

Bak Yun-gyu believed that such a thing could not be true. Although they were not really close, he felt Su-hyeun was an easy person to read.

The 'Su-hyeun' he knew was a righteous person. If the Authority indeed came with a scheme that could have hurt innocent civilians, then, without a doubt, he would not let this matter slide quietly.

"I don't think that they are not concerned. Perhaps they just don't find it alarming...yet," Su-hyeun answered. Bak Yun-gyu was surprised with Su-hyeun's response. He was obviously expecting the latter to react otherwise. "Even if they are trying to start a fight, their weight class is too low for a fair battle, you know?"

Of course, that wasn't really Su-hyeun's intentions, but still.

It wasn't just Bak Yun-gyu who was surprised with Su-hyeun's still relaxed demeanor.

Even Lee Ju-ho, sitting next to him, was surprised by that declaration. He stared at Su-hyeun and asked him mockingly, "Since when did you learn to say stuff like that?"

What Su-hyeun said just now was unusual. His words were full of confidence.

Of course, Su-hyeun had all the reasons to be confident. He was not being arrogant, especially when the world's best awakener was backed up by his impressive skillset.

"I just feel right about it. That's all."

And now Su-hyeun had accepted that fact as well.

Even if Lee Ju-ho found this manner unusual with Su-hyeun, he agreed with a smirk, "Well, yeah, you're right about that."

He nodded before sipping his coffee. His eyes narrowed, inattentive to what his companions were talking about. He was lost to his own thoughts.

'Su-hyeun...has he finally grown conscious of his status now?' Lee Ju-ho wondered. 'Or maybe, he has been thinking of using his status...'

Lee Ju-ho was fond of Su-hyeun, even more so than his own family. He liked Su-hyeun's courage and guts. He was gentle yet tough.

If he could find one flaw from Su-hyeun's character, if one could even call it a flaw, it would be Su-hyeun's concern about others. He thought about them too much, neglecting himself at times.

Simply put, he wasn't assertive enough.

For instance, Su-hyeun would often give in and do as told when he could have voiced his opinion first and push for a discussion.

Then again, what if Su-hyeun was thinking of utilizing his status and abilities to their fullest?

'It seems like the Authority provoked the wrong person this time.'

The Awakener Authority had no idea on what kind of a man Su-hyeun was.

He had been shying away from the world while focusing solely on getting stronger. Perhaps that was why the Awakener Authority seemed to have developed this habit of underestimating him.

...Thinking that no matter how strong a person was, one wouldn't be able to ignore the right kind of justification.

...Thinking that by doing this, they should be able to manipulate the association and Su-hyeun as much as they pleased because of his personality, knowing what was right from wrong and always making sure that the former was imposed.

Lee Ju-ho agreed with the second part, and maybe that was the reason why he was so concerned until now. He didn't know whether or not Su-hyeun was capable of firmly ignoring the Authority's pretext and doing what he wanted.

But now...

'It's going to be alright…,' Lee Ju-ho assured himself.

There didn't seem to be a need to be worried anymore.

The reason for that was simple enough.

Su-hyeun wasn't worried at all.

***

Su-hyeun didn't do anything.

He literally didn't do anything and was on the lookout for what the Awakener Authority would do next.

Actually, he had already figured out what they would do and simply waited for them to act.

He was waiting patiently.

"Hello? Yeah."

Currently, he was in a dinner with Lee Ju-ho.

Hak-joon and Thomas both were still in the tower and couldn't join them this time. Lee Ju-ho urgently answered a phone call. He looked at Su-hyeun as if he was relaying information to him.

"Alright. Got it," Su-hyeun remarked and nodded.

Beep.

The call was rather brief.

Su-hyeun took a piece of sashimi and put it in his mouth. "What was that about?" he inquired.

"I asked someone to call me as soon as they hear something, you see."

"You mean, the Authority?"

"Right. They have begun manipulating the media by getting in contact with reporters, feeding them some rubbish about how the media is now waiting for the Awakener Authority to announce their stance on that matter. As for the contents of those 'articles', I'm sure the Authority probably came up with that one," Lee Ju-ho remarked, fixated on his phone. "Look at this. Here."

He then showed the phone's screen to Su-hyeun.

The content of the article was rather provocative.

『Was the Authority aware of the dungeon missed by the association's system? The Authority responds ahead of time…』

"Well, it's finally online."

It was an article that could prove to be damaging from the association's perspective. Despite that, the reactions of both Su-hyeun and Lee Ju-ho were lukewarm at best.

No, actually…

"In that case, let's make our moves as well."

They were all smiling, relieved.