The Hero Returns

"Let's go." Su-hyeun, who told the doctor that he would be careful, flinched from his lack of care. He pushed Lee Ju-ho's back. He could hear a nagging of the doctor behind them, but he pretended not to hear and moved in a hurry.

The two men headed to a nearby cafe. Since Su-hyeun bandaged his arm and body, it attracted others' attention. So they found a place to sit away from prying eyes.

"How is your arm?" Lee Ju-ho, who ordered a cup of coffee, asked Su-hyeun.

"It is okay. I'm fine, really," Su-hyeun nodded and answered.

"I saw your face crumpled when you were swinging your arms earlier..." Lee Ju-ho said as his voice trailed off.

"Well, it is moving. That is good enough. Besides, injuring this much is not a big deal when we pass the trials, right?" Su-hyeun answered confidently as if he asked an obvious thing.

Lee Ju-ho didn't know what to say anymore. Since the injured one himself said he was fine, there was nothing he could do.

"Well, moving around a day after a trial like this means his injury must not be too bad," he thought, "This is pretty normal."

After the trial, seven or eight of the ten people usually injured themselves and devoted time to healing and recovering. Lee Ju-ho had been injured many times before as he ascended in the Tower of Trials. But Su-hyeun had not been injured much so far, except for some small wounds. This was the first time he was wounded badly. He was just a special case that he hadn't been injured much so far. The degree of injury he had now was not something serious compared to others.

"The problem was that it was the first time he was truly hurt, " Lee Ju-ho thought.

But if Su-hyeun thought this wound was not something special, there would be nothing to worry about. So, Lee Ju-ho decided to not worry about Su-hyeun anymore.

"It's nothing, but I called you to answer the question you asked the last time and ask you how you through the 20th floor so quickly."

"That... I used some ignorant way..." Su-hyeun faltered the end because he was not sure how to explain this.

Then, he thought it would be better if he didn't talk about it, so he closed his mouth. Lee Ju-ho did not ask again as if it was not a big deal. In the end, there was one reason they met.

"By the way, what happened to the thing I asked you? What did the director say?"

"Umm, that...," Lee Ju-ho sighed and replied, "It is failed."

***

When Lee Ju-ho finished talking, there was only a devastating silence in the director's office. The air felt heavy, it was hard to breathe in there. Kim Do-ui, who followed Ju-ho with a light heart, felt cautious even to swallow. The situation continued like that for a while.

"...That is bullsh*t." The director opened his mouth in a low voice.

"S-sir?" Kim Do-ui was surprised and called the director.

The word came out because he was embarrassed. He did not open his mouth to say anything. The director gazed at Kim Do-ui. When he got the attention of the director, he was startled. He lowered his head and stepped back.

"Why do you think so?" he asked.

"There's no basis, is there?" the director asked.

It was obvious. Even Lee Ju-ho thought he had not enough evidence. But that didn't mean he would step back simply.

"But what if my words are true..."

"Then, bring me that evidence." The director got up from his seat as if he did not want to listen to him anymore.

"In a month, a dungeon will appear in the sky of Anyang City, Gyeonggi Province? And what's inside the dungeon will cause an outbreak immediately? So, we have to dispose of awakeners and evacuate the citizens?"

The director listed the things that Lee Ju-ho had asked so far and laughed ridiculously.

"Are you out of your mind?" The director sneered.

"Sir."

"Do you know how many people live in Anyang City? It's nearly 600,000 people. Are you saying we have to evacuate all those people? Because of you?"

"Yes. It is the matter with that 600,000 people."

"If we evacuate 600,000 people, 60 million people in this country will be in fear. Because of your poorly-founded word."

"…"

"Where did you get that information anyway? If you tell me the source, I will investigate," the director said.

The source of information, was Su-hyeun, of course. But even Lee Ju-ho did not hear the exact basis of this information from Su-hyeun.

"Just... I heard he got this information from the Tower of Trials."

"So, it is not you. You just heard from someone."

"Yes."

"Then, tell me, who this man is."

At the end of the director's remarks, Lee Ju-ho thought a while, "Should I tell him this? If I tell him I know who Kim Su-hyeun is, how with the director react? Should I hide it? But, what if it's true. Then, hundreds of thousands will die."

Lee Ju-ho shut his eyes and said, "I heard it from Kim Su-hyeun."

"Kim Su-hyeun?"

As if that was an unexpected name, the director's eyes shook for the first time, and so did Kim Do-ui, who was standing next to him.

"Is Kim Su-hyeun... Possibly that...?"

"Yes. He is that Kim Su-hyeun."

"Did you have an acquaintance with him?"

"I accidentally got in touch and he asked to tell you about this. I don't know him."

"Why are you sure that he is Kim Su-hyeun?" the director asked.

"I am not sure. But just... he said he is Kim Su-hyeun."

Lee Ju-ho hid Su-hyeun's identity and found a compromise point to persuade the director.

Kim Su-hyeun was a name that no one could ignore among the awakener of recent years. The name had a special meaning as well as a mystery. He was the world's only 10-level trial challenger. It would be understandable, that he got this information in some special way, during his trial. At least, it would be better than Lee Ju-ho to make up a lie. Whether it worked or not, the director seemed to be thinking for a moment.

And soon, the director opened his mouth. "No."

"Sir!" Lee Ju-ho's voice rose for the first time.

Even he mentioned Su-hyeun, the director still denied it. Even after Lee Ju-ho's response, the director shook his head as he reconfirmed his decision.

"It is hard to believe what you just said. Even if the source of information is Kim Su-hyeun, we don't know if we can trust him. The information may be wrong."

"But still! You should not play a gamble with the lives of so many people!"

"I am the one who listened to you and made decisions. I'm responsible for that decision. So, if your information is wrong, I'm responsible for it too. Can you take responsibility for that?"

Lee Ju-ho gritted his teeth at the director's words. In the end, it meant that he would not act because he was afraid of responsibility. For the director, even if Lee Ju-ho 's words were true, there was no problem. Citizens would die, but it would be an unexpected and difficult situation to cope with, like natural disasters. He wouldn't have to take responsibility.

But what if he evacuated citizens as Lee Ju Ho's requested, but then what would happen if the dungeon didn't appear? The responsibility of putting the people into fear with false facts would follow. And that would be the responsibility of the director, not Lee Ju-ho. Lee Ju-ho was not in a position to take such a responsibility.

"So... Are you going to gamble with the lives of the citizens?" Lee Ju-ho asked.

"What do you mean gambling?"

"You left the safety of the people behind to avoid the responsibility now. If... If what I said happens, will you pretend you never heard this?"

"That is not what I meant. Do you have to think awry like that?"

"That is what it is!"

Thump, thump—

Slam—!

Lee Ju-ho approached the director and hit the desk with his fist. The desk was cracked and the documents on it fell. The director frowned at his anger.

"You are so upset now. I will pretend I didn't hear that."

The director glanced at Kim Do-ui next to him. His glance meant to let Lee Ju-ho go quickly. Kim do-ui sighed and took Lee Ju-ho out of the room. He regretted following the director's orders.

***

"That is what happened." Lee Ju-ho looked very angry as he was finishing the story.

His red face looked like it would almost explode soon. The director's decision showed nothing but negligence and disregard for the safety of citizens to avoid responsibility. However, Su-hyeun, who asked him to talk with the director, didn't seem very upset.

"Yeah, he is that kind of man. Whew..." Su-hyeun sighed deeply.

He looked resigned rather than upset. Lee Ju-ho looked at Su-hyeun curiously.

"Do you know the director?" he asked.

"Yes."

"The way you said that sounds like you know him very well..."

Of course, Su-hyeun knew what the director of the Awakeners Accreditation Authority was like. Perhaps not many people knew him as well as Su-hyeun.

"I had lots of bad experiences," he thought.

The director was always just like this. He was full of fear of his responsibility, and he was indifferent to the safety and security of others. As a position to be responsible for the safety of many people, Su-hyeun thought he was the worst person. So, he didn't expect much. But there would be a chance. That was why he asked Lee Ju-ho to talk with him. But the result was as he expected. Since he expected the result of this, he was not upset.

"Are you okay?" Lee Ju-ho asked.

"What do you mean?"

"That I mentioned you."

"Well, that is—"

Su-hyeun didn't think it was a big problem. Lee Ju-ho had tried to persuade the director in his way. Rather than getting angry, it was something to be thankful for.

"—okay. Anyway, getting help from the Authority won't be an option anymore."

"What will you do now? It will be hard to get other awakeners' help that day. Many people will be gathered in Ansan to attack the dungeon in there."

It was unfortunate. If there were more awakeners, even the damage would be great, but hundreds of thousands of people would not die. At that time, so many people had died. It was one of the worst disasters that Su-hyeun remembered. And...

"I was there," he thought.

This disaster happened when Su-hyeun just started as an awakener. He was not mobilized in the green dungeon that day. Instead, he mobilized in that disaster. And he had to see with his own eyes that many people dying on the spot. And he had no power to stop that.

"It is different...this time."

Unlike the time when he had just started to awaken, he had power now. It would be different. Remembering the future and being empowered made that difference.

"If the Authority won't help," Su-hyeun said in a low voice, as he had planned anyway, "I guess I will do it by myself somehow."

Lee Ju-ho thought Su-hyeun said nonsense. He felt embarrassed, so he asked him, "...What? By yourself?"

"Yes," Su-hyeun who thought he might not hear well, replied clearly, "By myself."