episode_0163

While teaching Jeonghee how to ski for a day, I realized one thing.

“I was wondering who Yujeong looked like… .”

The fact that the source of Shin Yu-jeong’s amazing athletic ability was none other than Jeong-hee.

At first, it seemed like it was a struggle, but as soon as I got the hang of it, I was doing well.

As the sun was setting, I rode the intermediate course instead of the beginner course.

“Shall we go in now?”

“Ho Ho… , OK. “I’m a little tired now.”

“… … .”

After skiing non-stop for half a day, I’m a little tired now.

Just how physically strong was she when she was young?

Jeonghee asked on the way back after returning the equipment.

“Do you know where Yoo-jeong went? “I haven’t been able to see you since before.”

“I’ll make a phone call.”

I called the guy I hadn’t seen since the afternoon.

-The customer doesn’t answer the phone… .

I don’t receive it.

“I’m not accepting it.”

“Are you still busy skiing?” ?”

He said he wasn’t answering the phone because he was skiing until this hour… ?

That’s kind of weird.

When I saw it in the morning, I didn’t enjoy the ride that much.

“He might be resting in his room, so let’s check first.”

“Okay, then.”

I arrive at the dorm at a slightly faster pace and knock on Yujeong’s door.

Knock knock!

“Yoojeong! “Are you inside?”

No answer is heard.

Judging by the fact that I didn’t hear any noise beyond the door I was listening to, I guess it wasn’t in the room… .

Are you really still skiing?

“Where did he go… ?”

As she starts to worry, I lightly hug her shoulder and call Yujeong again.

-The customer doesn’t answer the phone… .

… He’s not the kind of kid who won’t answer the phone unless he’s asleep.

“For now, Jeonghee, go inside and get some rest.”

“Dojin, you… ?”

“I’m going to go out for a moment and look for Yoo Jeong.”

“Then the lady too… .”

“Ah, why would you two need to go looking for a grown girl? Wash it first, okay?”

“… OK got it. “If you need help, you must contact me?”

“all right.”

After barely letting her into the room, I press the elevator button to go back down.

Ding!

Just as I was about to board the elevator that arrived.

Rattling!

“Do, Dojin!”

Jeonghee suddenly opened the door and came out, stopping me with an urgent expression and voice.

“Hey, look at this!”

The direction she is pointing with her finger is the room.

I walked quickly and entered her room.

“What happen?”

“Uh, over there… !”

The point where her fingertip is pointing is a wall of glass instead of a wall.

What is visible beyond the transparent glass is the barrier.

The culmination of national technology designed to prevent escape from the inside to the outside.

“Isn’t this a barrier…?” ?”

I nod absently in response to her trembling question.

“that’s right. But why is this… .”

It is not unusual for a barrier to be installed here.

It has long been mandatory to install barriers in preparation for emergencies at recreational facilities with hundreds of people, such as ski resorts or water parks.

The strange thing is why the barrier, which was supposed to be activated with an alarm when there were signs of crack formation, was deployed arbitrarily.

“The concentration of magical power is normal… .”

The visible concentration of magical energy around me was nothing short of ordinary.

So, the current barrier is not automatically activated in an emergency… .

There is only one person here who has the authority to manually activate the barrier.

The manager, the manager of this hotel.

Only he has the authority to manually activate the barrier in case of emergency.

However, this is only a formal authority, and permission from the government would be required to activate it… ?

“What on earth happened…? .”

A strong sense of discomfort rises to the top of my head.

Shin Yu-jeong suddenly disappears, and the barrier surrounding the hotel.

By the time I became convinced that the two problems originated from the same root.

[Whoo-whoo-]

A disturbing voice came from the speaker installed on the ceiling of the hallway.

[I would like to inform everyone at the hotel.]

[Currently, the hotel you are staying in is isolated by the barrier we activated.]

[Also, there is a bomb installed that is powerful enough to blow up the entire hotel.]

No sooner has the man finished speaking than the sound of a door opening is heard from outside.

“What does this mean?”

“A bomb… !”

“Now, this isn’t a joke, right?”

“If it was a joke, the barrier wouldn’t have been activated outside the hotel!”

All roads to the outside are blocked, and there is a bomb inside… .

The combination of excitement begins to cause a stir.

[Ah, is it too early to worry about dying?]

[We are not terrorists who randomly explode.]

There must be a separate purpose they want to achieve by taking the lives of the hotel guests hostage.

[To be considerate of those on higher floors, we will give you just 5 minutes.]

[All hotel guests must gather in the lobby within 5 minutes.]

[Every time you are one minute late, we will blow up the upper floors one by one.]

[then… , start.]

The noise coming from outside grew louder.

“Get down quickly!”

“If it doesn’t come down within 5 minutes, it’s going to blow up!”

“Is now the time to press the elevator?!”

The sound of urgent, disorderly footsteps echoes loudly like thunder.

Jeonghee grabs my arm with a trembling hand.

“Do, Dojin. What is all this about… !”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

He hugs her for a moment, pats her back, and helps her calm down.

By the time everyone had gone downstairs and the commotion had died down.

I hold her hand and leave the room.

I was going to go straight downstairs, but to prepare for an emergency, I stopped by my room and gathered a few things, then quickly walked down the stairs and reached the lobby.

In one corner of the spacious lobby, frightened people are sitting close together, and across from them are men wearing masks that resemble evil spirits and are armed with cold weapons.

The number is approximately ten people.

Judging by the visible flow of magical power, eight of them are C-class, and the man and woman who appear to be the leaders are B-class.

“This is a bit tough… .”

It might be an ordinary fight, but it would be impossible to deal with all of them in a situation where hostages are taken.

To be precise, it is impossible to suppress it without causing damage.

Not only would I get hurt, but the hostages would have no lives left.

They closely observe their armed status, location, etc. and hide among people.

First, stay as low as possible and then look for an opportunity to attack.

When I was patting Jeonghee’s shoulder to calmly wait for the right moment.

“Among those gathered, Mr. Kim Do-jin, please come forward.”

“… … ?”

One of the leaders, a guy, suddenly calls my name.

Why does my name suddenly appear there? ?

I was so shocked that I suddenly got up from my seat.

Then the man motioned to me and continued talking.

“Please come forward.”

“… … .”

The distance from him is only 30m.

I walk at a slow pace and squeeze out my thoughts.

They know my name and face exactly.

That means… , It means that the purpose of all this is none other than me.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Do-jin.”

The man politely greets me.

“I am the inspector who has come to test you.”

“… … .”

what.

I think I’ve heard this somewhere before.

“There are hundreds of hostages being held here.”

I’ve definitely heard this line.

therefore… , the line that comes after this is clear.

“Whether to save them or kill them is entirely… .”

“I was going to say it’s up to me, right?”

“… … .”

Okay, now I get it.

Who are these guys who suddenly appeared and devastated the hotel?

“You guys are HS (Hero Slayers).”

HS

It stands for Hero Slayers.

A group of grade A villains who appear in front of the hunter whom people call a hero, test him arbitrarily, and sentence him to death if he does not meet the standard.

The number of hunters who died at the hands of these guys was over a hundred.

And that’s a number filled entirely with small-time hunters.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

The embarrassed man quickly bursts into laughter.

“If you know us, it will be easier to talk.”

They test the so-called hero Hunter as they please.

What kind of test is this?

Simple.

Forcing a choice in a dilemmatic situation where it is difficult to choose either side.

In the past, when you were Son Si-woo, was it when you were at the height of your popularity?

A man came to me and forced me to make a choice.

Among the hundreds of elderly people who are close to death and dozens of children who have a bright future ahead of them.

Which one will you save?

“There are two options before you.”

Unlike that time when I was extremely confused, this time I think I know what options I have.

“The first is the hundreds of civilians trembling in fear behind you. And second… .”

When the man stops talking and gestures to the back, a woman who looks like a boss, just like him, comes out from under the desk, dragging something.

The moment I saw the golden hair being dragged out helplessly, as if he had lost consciousness, with both hands handcuffed exclusively for awakened people, I heard a voice that pierced me deeply from behind.

“Yu, Yujeong!”

… As expected, the second option they prepared was Shin Yu-jeong.

He stretches out his arm and blocks Jeonghee, who rushes forward.

“Ma’am, calm down.”

“How can you calm down! My daughter, my daughter is being held over there. How can I…? !”

The seething motherly love wreaks havoc on her entire body.

I hate moments like this so much.

It’s not the guys who set out to test me on their own, but rather this damn situation that makes me feel guilty for being the victim.

He stops her with a somewhat cold tone.

“If she steps forward now, everyone will die. “Yujeong and the people behind him.”

“B-but… !”

“Trust me.”

“… … .”

She bites her lower lip hard with a crying expression.

As I saw the blood drops flowing, I suddenly became curious.

How is she feeling now?

Am I blaming myself for all of this?

Her hand, trembling mercilessly, slowly comes up and caresses my cheek.

“Don’t make that face.”

“… … .”

“This is not your fault Dojin. know?”

ah.

What is the end of this woman’s kindness?

“… “I will trust you, Dojin.”

She smiles, trying hard to hold back tears.

“Just like back then.”

The time she was talking about was… , I guess you’re talking about when you encounter an orc that escaped through a crack.

When I give her a small smile, she takes a difficult step back.

After calming down, I turned to the self-proclaimed supervisor who was standing there awkwardly.

“Are you finished talking?”

There is a subtle anger in his soft tone.

He doesn’t seem to like that my words are cut off so cruelly.

“So, in the end, you have to choose between one precious person and the lives of hundreds of people.”

“… Only one side can be saved. “If you do something foolish.”

The man stretches out his arm and points to the hand of the woman who dragged Shin Yu-jeong away.

In her hand is a controller the size of her palm.

It must be a switch that explodes a bomb installed somewhere here.

“The bomb planted in the hotel will explode. then… “Everyone will die.”

“Then you will all die too.”

“It doesn’t matter. “I’m not the type of person who survives miserably.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

… Why is this guy being so sincere and fucking useless?

“I’m curious. “Which one will you, whom people call a hero, save?”

His tone of voice exudes deep interest and ridicule.

It’s almost like I’m laughing at the absurd situation.

When the water above is clear, the water below is also clear. Since the boss is a crazy person, all the people below are also crazy people.

Why on earth are they doing something like this and forcing me to make a choice?

“Now, which one would you choose?”

He puts pressure on me in a subtle tone.

But what should I do?

“I already made my choice.”

It’s been a while since I chose one side and saved it.

The guy’s body is shaking.

“What is that… ?”

When both the man and the woman were taken aback by my completely unexpected answer.

Taking advantage of that moment, Shin Yoo-jeong, who was lying helplessly behind, shakily stands up.

Eyes sparkle between the flowing golden hair.

The force is so ferocious that just looking at it makes my stomach tingle.

“… … !”

The woman, who noticed the presence late, hurriedly turned around and looked back, but it was already too late.

“Bite your molars, you bitch.”

The straight punch of his entire body, filled with anger, exploded onto the mask of the woman who just happened to turn around.