episode_0205

I had a nightmare.

Hair all over your body stands up,

It’s a bad nightmare.

A sinking heart.

Sensations of darkness.

(……Mr. Banharin.)

And as expected,

The first thing that comes to mind in a nightmare is

It was Eunha’s face.

… … .

“Ha……”

Boom, boom…

The eerie sound of the radio stops.

The frozen car starts, and the frost on the rear-view mirror disappears in the summer air.

I looked at the backseat with a trembling heart.

The body of ‘Owl’, whose temple was pierced with a cross… disappeared without a trace.

Was it a dream?

How great would it be if it were a hallucination?

But the cross stuck on my thigh and the numbing smell of blood were still there.

The backseat where ‘Owl’ was lying is covered in blood.

The smell of blood that I thought I was already familiar with.

Ban Harin had to swallow the rising nausea.

‘… … Did I survive? Or did he die and become a ghost?’

I don’t know.

I just want to step on the accelerator like this and crash into the telephone pole in front of me.

If I pass out, I will feel at least at ease.

Ttuduk!

​

Ban Harin pulled out the cross from his thigh without letting go of his nerves.

She frowned at the dizzying pain and took out the potion she had kept in the passenger seat drawer.

When I spray the light red potion on my thighs and left eye, the wounds close and the bleeding stops at an amazing speed.

One day, the ‘potion’ I received from Eunha had a great effect.

‘… ‘What on earth are those just now?’

Hands shaking uncontrollably.

I grabbed the empty potion bottle tightly to hide my fear.

Since awakening my ‘skill’, have I ever been so truly afraid of something?

I bit my lip while ‘observing’ my trembling fingers.

​

(『Don’t touch my child’s things without permission, beast』)

(『Recognition is the continuation of fate.』)

The word ‘that’.

It doesn’t disappear from my ears.

Something similar to the devil’s whisper, hiding an unknown sweetness in fear.

At least it won’t be from this world.

Devil, or ghost.

Something that can easily crush someone’s life.

​

‘Eunha… Where on earth did you pick this up?’

I opened the suitcase out of curiosity and found a button for the end of the world hidden there.

Ban Harin looked down at the [Black Book] in his suitcase and let out a confused sigh.

… … .

… … .

… … .

“Mr. Banharin.”

and,

Once the distortion occurs, it continues uncontrollably.

“… … Eunha.”

A time when the deep blue sky turns yellow like a maple tree.

Ban Harin got out of the car limping with a leg pierced by a wooden cross… He straightened his expressionless face when he heard Eunha’s voice coming from next to him.

“I was drinking coffee with Bangul, and when I noticed the suitcase was gone… I was looking for it.”

“… … .”

Eunha leaves the cafe.

Unable to hide her embarrassment, she looks at the wounded Ban Harin.

Ban Harin probably has a similar expression.

It’s a natural thing.

Wasn’t the plan to just briefly check the carrier and return it before Eunha noticed?

However, ‘that’ appeared, and time was delayed as first aid was given to the wound.

Eventually, Eunha realized that her suitcase was gone and left the cafe in a hurry.

Trap… plod…

The sound of weak footsteps today.

Eunha takes a step forward and approaches Ban Harin, who is as frozen as ice.

Truly…

closely.

She came so close that her large breasts gently brushed against Banharin’s chest.

I stare blankly at the car filled with the smell of blood.

bloody backseat,

Passenger seat with a black suitcase.

“… I knew I couldn’t hide it forever… but it’s a little sudden.”

Soon after, Eunha showed an expression that she understood what had happened.

Is this a familiar sight?

… … Prison…

A fist that holds many things,

Hits Banharin in the stomach.

“I don’t know how to be angry.”

“… … .”

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

Ban Harin inadvertently turned his head.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Rather, I’m sorry… You know why I told you not to touch the carrier, right?”

Boom…

After a while,

Eunha returned to the cafe again and told Bang Bang that she would leave work immediately.

The two people drove to Euncheon-gu in a car filled with the smell of blood.

“Isn’t it dangerous to drive with one eye?”

“It’s safer than Eunha driving.”

Ban Harin took the wheel.

Eunha was lying helplessly in the passenger seat.

Eunha, who placed a black suitcase on her lap, repeated the words ‘Positively… positively…’

Ban Harin, whose shoulders are weighed down by the heavy atmosphere, focuses on driving.

Rattling… rattling…

Even though Eunha is in the passenger seat, the car’s center of gravity is shifted backwards.

‘Something’ in the trunk writhes around.

Rattling… rattling! Rattling rattling!

Something of the same type as a monster with the appearance of an ‘owl’, something that deviates from the laws of the world.

Didn’t everything disappear?

Ban Harin, who was nervous at the sound coming from the trunk, was worried about Eunha.

Rattling… rattling…! Less lol…

“Oh please! I’m thinking, so stay still! If the trunk is uncomfortable, get out.”

“… … .”

『… … .』

“It’s really noisy inside.”

At that time, Eunha, who was on edge today, screamed at the trunk.

『… … .』

Then, as if in a lie, the rattling of the trunk quieted down,

Ban Harin, who was prepared to die due to the rising tension, twitched the corner of his mouth.

what.

Does Angtal work?

Dalkak-.

Soon after, Eunha took out the [Black Book] from the carrier.

She opened a page, took off her shoes, and threw them into the backseat.

“I can’t find it, Owl. Come out wearing this.”

Eunha said, pointing to the shoes that hit the backseat.

It resembled a strange witchcraft ritual.

There seemed to be a strict procedure, and you could feel the caution of walking on thin ice.

Incomprehensible behavior.

But the effect was clear.

The trunk’s presence disappeared.

Did they kick you out?

That scary monster?

“Phew…… Mr. Banharin, let me ask you a few questions.”

Soon after, Eunha, who was deeply troubled, began to ask questions.

Put the [Black Book] back into the carrier,

Brighten the mood with a smiling face.

“… … . I will answer anything.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw the contents of the carrier and ‘something’ that was not human.”

“Who else?”

“I am alone.”

Short questions, limiting the outgoing information as much as possible.

Eunha breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Ban Harin’s answer.

In her opinion, the current situation is not the ‘worst’.

“Phew…… Mr. Ban Harin. From now on, you can never tell anyone. What I said and what I saw today, everything.”

“Okay.”

An attitude of reluctance to spread information.

Judging from what I experienced today, are these ‘monsters’ visible only to those who are aware of their existence?

That’s why I didn’t notice even though my teammates disappeared.

Perhaps the team members lost their lives after encountering ‘those’ while monitoring the galaxy.

Did you steal a suitcase like she did?

So Eunha desperately tried to hide it.

I realize it again.

‘That carrier is what Eunha always carries around… Then, Eunha carries those monsters every day…’

Only alone.

Sometimes I hide the scars on my body, I hide the reason why I feel tired every day,

I can’t tell anyone,

The stress was growing day by day, so I cut my wrist with a box cutter.

I’m only now noticing it.

The secret of the galaxy learned through one’s own incompetence.

Because it was very painful and lonely,

Ban Harin had to correct his increasingly distorted expression.

“… … Other than that, do you have any other questions?”

A thirsty Banharin asked a question.

Ask questions as if you are making atonement.

“From now on, I will tell you anything… really anything.”

There is something I want to say.

Why did you take the suitcase, and is there anything you are hiding?

There are things I have hidden after hesitation.

Then, Eunha patted the carrier containing the [Black Book] and pursed her lips.

“I have a lot of questions. Of course I want to ask… but that’s not what’s important right now.”

Prison! Prison!

Eunha continued speaking while hitting Ban Harin’s side.

“If this continues, Ban Harin will definitely die. The ‘things’ I encountered today will keep coming, and wherever I go, there will be all kinds of strange things. And there is only one book.”

“Book?… Then what should I do…”

“I have a way.”

As if relieving the fear that had built up in loneliness,

Finally, I can tell others,

Eunha said.

“The person next door will help you.”

“… … .”

“Really! I also saved the cat manager with this, right? If it weren’t for me, he would have collapsed on the street from stress right now, right?”

I wonder how someone who has had their mouth taped shut for months feels like this.

Ban Harin ‘saw’ immeasurable emotions in Eunha’s voice.

I couldn’t tell anyone,

There were layers of resentment there.

“… … .”

“I’ll tell you how… After just one night, you can completely forget about it and be safe.”

How hard must it have been for you to look so happy just by talking to other people?

How long have you lived alone holding on to those monsters?

“You can forget it. It’s better than dying.”

Nevertheless, Eunha says:

Forget it.

I will continue to suffer alone in the future.

It was for Banharin’s safety,

It also means that the team leader of [Rare Hunter Protection-Killing Department] was being protected by the person he was protecting.

Ban Harin once again realized his incompetence.

“… … Are you telling me to forget it?”

Until just now, you were talking so happily.

Are you telling me to forget it?

Squeak…

A car that was wandering aimlessly around Euncheon-gu stops.

The parking lot under the bridge, commonly referred to as Gosuji.

Eunha told me to go to a quiet place, so I came here.

“Eunha.”

Time for the sunset.

Ban Harin, who parked his car at the high water site,

I looked straight at Eunha, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

A few strands of black hair mixed with sunset light are dyed in the twilight.

“Is there any other way?”

“Yes? What method?”

“My mission is to protect Eunha, even if it means sacrificing my life.”

Sigh…

Ban Harin takes something out of the inside pocket of his suit.

A pure white business card.

Cool design without any decoration.

What is written there.

[Rare Hunter Protection-Kill Department] Team 1, team leader.

A-class hunter Banharin.

A low-level office worker… gives her a business card with her real job written on it.

Each other’s secrets become mixed.

… … .

Rattling… rattling…

Have you gone yet?

A noise was heard from the trunk again.

And at that moment,

Ban Harin took off his shoes without hesitation and threw them toward the backseat.

“I can’t find it, Owl. Come out wearing those.”

“… … .”

“Is this correct?”

I am confident in what I see.

The more you use ‘mana’, the more you see.

It’s still lacking, and practice is needed, but

It would be possible to see the ‘future danger’ and avoid it.

“I take care of my body myself. Aren’t friends helping each other?”

Even though there was already a hole in my thigh and my left eye was ruptured,

Nevertheless, Ban Harin held Eunha’s hand with the intention of not letting go any longer.

… … .

… … .

​

​

… … that day,

The face of ‘you’ after a long time,

​

Without even trying to hide my embarrassed expression, I made a gesture to examine ‘my’ cold expression while bathing in the sunset light coming through the windshield of the car.

​

​

It’s like a butterfly folding its beautiful wings to rest in the pouring rain…

​

​

“So, please allow me to help Eunha rather than just cleaning things up one step too late.”

​

​

He looked very pitiful and lonely.

​

​

… … .

​

​

… … .

The sunset is setting.

End of the day.

As dusk falls, a cold night will come, but the morning will still be bright.

“… … … I understand.”

A deserted area under a bridge.

Eunha, who was lost in thought for a while after hearing Ban Harin’s words… struggles to speak.

In her hand is Ban Harin’s ‘real business card’.

“People like me survive just fine, but if you are Mr. Ban Harin, there will be no danger… There is also a proverb that says it is better to face a blank slate. It might not be as bad as you think.”

“Then…”

“But,”

The next words.

Eunha, with her usual languid smile, caresses the carrier.

“This is my first time doing something like this… I’ll consult with you for a while.”

“… … ?”

“It is better to ask the person in charge about these matters before making a decision.”

Dalkak-.

The carrier opens.

Eunha rummaged through her suitcase with calloused hands.

“So, Mr. Ban Harin. Can you help me?”

“I’m not sure, but please tell me anything. We will handle it without any problem.”

“Wow… I think it’s very reliable, considering it comes from an A-class hunter. I also want to raise my grade quickly.”

Crash-.

The hand that was rummaging through the suitcase comes out.

While holding a black ‘Derringer pistol’.

“… … Eunha?”

“There was still a lot to discuss. They tell you to follow the rules, but often the rules appear right before the monster appears, so you don’t have time to read them. Books are heavy…”

This is for Mr. Banharin.

An unknown ominous feeling caressed her neck.

“I can’t go to the apartment, and I can’t leave Mr. Banharin alone… There’s only one bullet, so if it misses, it’s a big problem.”

“… … .”

“You don’t have to worry. I will make a clear deal and come back.”

she is,

With your usual smiling face.

“Hey, Mr. Banharin… Are you good at shooting guns?”

A ‘Derringer pistol’ was placed in Ban Harin’s hand.