episode_0295

Swish.

It’s a rainy day.

When looking up at the gloomy sky with pouring rain, some people say that they will have bad luck today.

If I look up quietly, the sky seems to be shedding tears, which makes me feel depressed for no reason.

‘I don’t want to work on rainy days…’

A mountain valley that isn’t even on the map.

So did the woman whose face was covered by a black mask.

“Captain. Isn’t it so creepy here? There are only old people in the village.”

“Quiet. What are we here for?”

“Detective Do Jong-ha has been kidnapped.”

“How many times did I tell you to be quiet?”

“Wow, that bastard is yapping again because it’s raining.”

“Shut up, sisters.”

Five hunters with their faces covered climbed the muddy mountain and entered the open space.

A large open space where the remains of an orphanage are located.

Now it is surrounded by a translucent ‘curtain’.

This must be the ‘secret room’ that Do Jong-ha created.

“The old monkeys of the Elder Council gave us a mission to go to the Dark Dragon Corps. The target was Detective Do Jong-ha and his party. They tried to persuade them at first. If that didn’t work, they kidnapped them. If that didn’t work, they killed them and buried them in the mountains. ”

“Are you talking about a crazy, A-class hunter?”

“By the way, I told you not to let your guard down because another member of the group seems to be an A-class hunter.”

Five hunters are deployed to a mountain village that isn’t even on the map.

Discontented footsteps splash muddy water.

“… Now I understand why you asked me to write a will when you left. I will run away, so please take care of the remaining four.”

“Yeah. If you show me the back of your head now, I’ll eat your ass.”

“No, Captain ShiX. How can five B-class fight with two A-class? If Detective Do Jong-ha runs over and pokes our temples with his tongue, we’ll be defeated, right?”

“Don’t worry too much. Detective Do Jong-ha was promoted to A-class because of his skills. He’s better than real A-class monsters.”

“Haa… [Blue Dragon Guild] doesn’t have enough manpower.”

“Shut up, sisters.”

There is a lot to say.

They fight amongst themselves as they go through the puddle.

If it weren’t for the black masks covering their faces, no one would have guessed that they were a secret operation unit of the [Blue Dragon Guild].

Their main job is to gather information and poach talent.

And he’s a specialist in sowing discord, hiding in the shadows as if he’s there, running away with information he’s worked hard to gather, saying things like, “You fool. You’re being fooled by those guys right now.”

Five chatty ‘Dark Dragons’ members arrived at the tent.

Thud. Thud.

At that moment, an old man approached from the village holding an umbrella.

The old man who gave an apple to Do Jong-ha, who was conducting an investigation earlier.

Welcoming the disgruntled members of the Dark Dragon Corps with a smiling face.

“It’s good to be young. I need to get younger quickly, too.”

“… … .”

“Are you the only ones who got called? I asked them to send me to the closest ones, in case Do Jong-ha found out something… The dregs of the Dark Dragons came. Have you ever killed a person?”

“Kim Yu-hee, the leader of the Dark Dragon. Are you a monkey of the Elders’ Council?”

The old man approached without hesitation and held out his hand.

Wrinkled hands.

Kim Yu-hee, who had been staring blankly at the hand through a black mask, pretends not to know anything.

The old man’s smile deepens.

“She’s a very useful girl. She’ll be able to figure out the secret of the death of Master Kang Yo-hwan, who passed away recently. Her reputation as a detective is also useful.”

“Didn’t you just get crushed by the Blue Dragon statue?”

“… … I’m trying to figure out the process.”

A moment of silence.

The old man just smiled.

The corners of the lips are thinly turned up and resemble sharp blades.

“In the direction of persuading Do Jong-ha as much as possible… However, if Do Jong-ha discovers the ‘basement’ and goes inside, kill him by any means necessary.”

“What’s so special about that orphanage?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that the chairman sponsored it a little while ago. There were many other sponsors. I’m sure you’ll understand if I just say this much.”

Don’t dig too deep.

The old man seemed to be saying something like that.

Phew.

The wrinkled old man left.

The pouring rain flows down the pitch-black mask.

“… … Huhㅡ.”

Soon, Kim Yu-hee, the leader of the Dark Dragon Corps, spat on the floor and started walking with her men.

The target is A-class hunter Do Jong-ha and one of his party members who are presumed to be A-class hunters.

“Ah. It’s really like a dog. It seems like life would be happy if it was just raining, getting dusty, and being a dojongha. Did I come to [the Blue Dragon Guild] to wipe old people’s poop?”

“Isn’t the tissue they give you to wipe it with a check? Isn’t this the dirty money that appears in dramas?”

“Tsk. I feel sick. Going to work.”

Gulp~.

So, the leader of the Dark Dragon Corps, Kim Yu-hee, and the members of the Dark Dragon Corps,

We followed Do Jong-ha, who was digging up the past, and arrived in front of the ‘curtain’ surrounding the orphanage.

“No.1.”

“Huh?”

Kim Yu-hee, standing in front of the curtain, called out to one of the members.

“Input.”

Fight!

Immediately after, he pushes the approaching agent away with a curtain.

“This bastard…”

Gulpㅡ.

Unit 1, pushed aside without any strength.

She enters the ‘secret room’ made of [Artifact] as if passing through a soap film.

A moment of silence.

1 second…

2 seconds…

“… … Kkiyaa!”

“Kkiya? Scream cute.”

Soon, Team Leader 1, who had gone inside, came out intact.

Safety secured.

Kim Yu-hee, the leader of the Dark Dragons, entered the ‘secret room’ after being kicked in the butt by her subordinate who returned alive.

… … .

… … .

“Hey. I don’t know who you are, but do you want to get behind? Come quickly and sit down.”

The first floor of the orphanage we found.

What awaited the Dark Dragons there was,

‘Red mannequins’ sitting around a long table,

‘Mouse’ and Dojongha sitting together with them,

Purrr~.

And then, lying down on the table, was a baby pumpkin bee rolling around with [the black book].

“Huh?”

Captain Kim Yu-hee of the Dark Dragon Army immediately realized that the scene before his eyes was not normal.

A strange sight.

Soon, a bumblebee came into view, poking around the corner of the [Black Book] with its small mouth…

“Eat lots.”

I can hear it right behind my back,

I heard a voice boiling with phlegm.

The voice of an eerie old woman.

A pair of thin arms grab Kim Yu-hee’s shoulders.

“Just sit down.”

“Okay.”

dump.

And finally,

Kim Yu-hee followed Do Jong-ha’s gesture and pushed the ‘red mannequin’ away and sat down on the chair.

I don’t know.

If you have trouble understanding the situation, you should listen carefully to what others say.

Mission or whatever, I have to survive first. What else is important?

“Captain! Have you surrendered to the enemy’s orders?”

“Why are you sitting?”

“No matter what happens, I will follow you, Captain.”

“Shut up, sisters.”

“Hey, be quiet.”

It’s dinner time.

… … .

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

– Do you think that if we live together, it’s okay to show everything?

– The closer you are to someone, the more things you have to keep in mind, and we call this etiquette.

– The more we wear the mask of etiquette, the less we will spit at each other.

1. Don’t run.

– You’ve probably heard it often. Maybe you heard it at school.

– We always tried to move quickly, but the first step of courtesy was usually calmness.

– Do not run in the hallways or on the stairs.

– You might fall.

2. Focus on the food while eating.

– Small talk is possible.

– Don’t get up from your seat before you finish your meal.

– Do not hold anything other than utensils with your hands.

– If you hear a strange noise or someone calls you,

– Don’t take your eyes off the table.

3. Don’t make noise at night.

– They say that mice can hear what’s said at night.

– There’s always one person who sleeps lightly.

– As long as you don’t make too much noise, you can wander around at night without any problem.

4. ■◇◇■■ ●□■

– □■●■□

– ◇■◇■◇◇■

5. Be sure to separate paragraphs.

– A space where we live together. If even a thief breaks in, everyone can suffer.

– Check all doors and windows carefully.

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

Purrr~.

Late dinner time.

‘Fly’ sat down at the table and opened [the black book].

An untitled book that spreads the pungent smell of blood.

He rolls around on the table and shows the [Guide to Community Living] to the people sitting in the chairs.

A pumpkin bee rolling around on the table with its plump body. Do Jong-ha, the ‘mouse’, and the people of Amryongdae watched the bee rolling around on the table with a proud gesture with complicated smiles.

“Thank you…”

Purrr!

Kim Yu-hee, the leader of the Dark Dragons, bowed her head so low that her nose touched the table.

Unable to keep up with the situation, she had to hide her trembling fingers under the table.

As soon as I entered the secret room, what the heck happened?

“… … .”

I quietly glanced around.

Be careful not to take your eyes off the table.

Dalgrak. Dalgrak.

‘Red mannequins’ in the shape of children sit around a table and eat.

The menu was meat stew.

The meat was cut into bite-size pieces and it was impossible to tell what animal it came from.

Only the girl Banharin, who has exceptionally good eyesight, frowns and pushes away the stew, only eating the salad.

The other children were bowing their heads so low that their noses were touching the stew.

Kim Yu-hee realized that her actions were to follow rule number 2 of the ‘rulebook’.

‘I came here to try to do something about Dojongha… But what is this? Can I lose it?’

Squeak…

The sound of footsteps on the floor coming from behind.

Kim Yu-hee bowed her head urgently.

“Eat lots.”

There is something.

Not a person.

Because the voice came from the ceiling.

Footsteps are heard on the floor, but voices are heard from the ceiling.

“If you eat a lot, you will grow taller.”

‘Something’ that slowly walks around the long table, checking on each person eating.

Swish-.

A long, emaciated arm that looked to be two meters long, with nothing but bones remaining,

He reaches out from over her shoulder and caresses Kim Yu-hee’s cheek.

Hurry up.

It reached.

A being that exists only in the past.

He touches Kim Yu-hee, breaking away from the ways of the world.

Ddududduk.

The sound of an old tree moving.

From above Kim Yu-hee, who had lowered her head, the face of ‘that thing’ slowly descended and stared intently at the side of her face.

『… … .』

“… … .”

On the other side, Do Jong-ha and the ‘mouse’ are ‘pretending’ to eat meat stew.

Looking at it, it seems that the ‘thing’ behind him is not something created by Do Jong-ha’s [Secret Room Reflection] skill.

Then what does it mean?

I don’t know even more.

“… … Aren’t those arms really long? Is that a human baby?”

“I’m good at basketball.”

Meanwhile, ‘Mouse’ and Do Jong-ha joke around.

Her face is no different from Kim Yu-hee’s, filled with fear, but this fear seems familiar.

Especially, although this was the first time he had experienced this kind of fear, he was flustered because it was not so unfamiliar.

It feels like forgotten memories are coming back to me in a hazy way.

It didn’t feel so good.

‘Forgotten memories… I can’t. No matter how much I try to think about them, all I can think of are cows and watermelons.’

Are you hungry?

Do Jong-ha shook his head.

That sight makes Kim Yu-hee tremble even more.

If an A-class hunter shakes his head, does that mean there’s no more hope?

‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have answered the phone, old people…’

Dalgrak. Dalgrak.

My hands are shaking. Regrets are building up.

A fear of death, of a kind I’ve never felt before, like being grabbed by a giant predator and having the back of your neck licked…

I wanted to jump up from my seat and run away from this place.

Purrr!

And, what brought Kim Yu-hee out of fear was,

It was a little pumpkin girl rolling around on the table.

Hot and sour.

The past created by Do Jong-ha’s ‘skill’.

The writing on the paper is invisible, and the only rules are doodles the children have scribbled with their fingernails in the bedroom on the second floor.

If ‘Fly’ and [Black Book] weren’t here, everyone would have left this world without even knowing what the ‘rules’ of this place were.

I lived without knowing much.

Kim Yu-hee bowed her head to the pumpkin bee lying on the table.

“I survived thanks to you. What does your mom do? I’ll repay you later. ”

Hot! Hot!

Was I that happy that my mom’s story came up?

‘Fly’ jumps up from the table and moves his small hands diligently to inflate his body.

How did it end up looking like a steamed bun?

If you take a bite of the ball, it tastes like sweet red bean paste.

– Sanghoon?

Knock knock.

At that time, when Kim Yu-hee was putting her finger on the pumpkin bee’s soft cheek.

A gentle voice was heard from the entrance of the orphanage.

– Sanghoon.

A mother’s voice calling her child.

Then one of the children who was eating the meat stew flinched.

– … Mom? Mom?

– I came because I wanted to see our Sanghoon.

A child with his head bowed.

The child’s gaze turns to the side.

Is she really my mother? Or not.

Can I look away from the table?

– Oh… Mom!

Rattling!

Unfortunately, it is,

It was a harsh agony for a young child who was terrified.

Kkudangtang!

The child put down the spoon forcefully. He kicked the chair.

I turned my head away from the table and ran to the front door where I could hear my mother’s voice.

– Mom!

– Sanghoon. I came to pick you up.

In the voice of my mother who passed away in an accident at an early age,

I opened the front door forcefully.

– “Eat lots.”

Click-.

The door closes.

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

– If you hear a strange noise or someone calls you,

– Don’t take your eyes off the table.

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

And silence.

The mother’s voice, and the voice of the child running away,

I didn’t hear anything.

Knock knock knock…

All that can be heard is the children left behind screaming in fear.

So, only empty seats were left at the table.

– … … Okay. Let’s build up resentment.

Only the director watched the child leave without stopping him.

He just said that with a smile on his face as he looked around at the children who were trembling in fear.

The child who left left behind only a ‘name tag’ on the table.

“… That bastard, the director, must have been defeated by now?”

“I’ll look into it when I get back.”

“If you’re still alive, can you tell me?”

This place used to be an orphanage.

Dojong glared at the director with eyes full of hostility.

The ‘mouse’ sitting next to me threw the fork on the table at the director,

The ‘Red Mannequin’ created with skill has its head blown off by a flying fork, but then returns to its original state.

– … … From, Sister Eunbangul. How is your daughter?

– Yes, Director. She’s as cute as a rabbit… She’s probably about the same age as Harin. I’ll bring her over sometime.

– Okay. I’m sure Byul-nim will be happy too.

Peaceful conversation.

Tsk, the tongue-licking ‘mouse’ glanced at the Dark Dragon members across from him.

“But what are you guys? How did you get here?”

At that, the five hunters wearing pitch-black masks and gasping for air flinched and shook their shoulders.

Then, everyone’s eyes are focused on the leader, Kim Yu-hee.

Could this be an unspoken pressure to speak on behalf of others?

“Did the orphanage director send you to silence us?”

“… … Ahem.”

“Ahem, this is going to be a disaster.”

“We are called the Dark Dragons. [Blue Dragon Guild] The Elder Council called to kidnap Do Jong-ha.”

Kim Yu-hee, who must have thought she was suspicious, took off her black mask and honestly revealed the reason why they came to see her.

Snap!

Take off the mask and hood, and you’ll see sharp orange cat ears sticking out.

Kim Yu-hee, who brushes back her curly orange hair, greets the ‘mouse’ with half-open eyes.

The ‘mouse’ quietly raised his middle finger.

“If possible, bring them to our side, and if they go into the ‘basement’, we will stab them to death without fail.”

“Are you capable of that?”

“If someone gets stabbed in the stomach, they won’t be able to do anything because it will hurt. If they can move normally, they aren’t human.”

Eunha’s smiling face suddenly comes to mind when Kim Yu-hee speaks.

The ‘mouse’ soon nodded.

Surprisingly, Amryongdae was friendly to Dojongha.

Perhaps because he had come back from the dead, he was busy bowing down to Do Jong-ha while showing off his unwillingness to fight.

“Basement… Why are you telling us this?”

“I saved your life. You can tell at a glance that this guy is the good guy. I don’t want to lose to an A-class guy.”

“Are you saying you will cooperate?”

“Similar.”

Sumda… Sumda…

Do Jong-ha and Kim Yu-hee look at each other.

Orange cat ears that stand up straight.

“… … Have you ever thought about working at a detective agency? I work alone and I’m short on manpower. ”

And said.

A situation where Amryongdae, who came to persuade Dojongha, is being persuaded in return.

Kim Yu-hee, the leader of the Dark Dragons, suddenly frowns.

“…! Are you telling us to betray the organization? Who do you think I am a puppy for now…”

“500 million per person. Salary separate.”

“Woof woof.”

And then it barked.

Is this the wealth of a famous A-class hunter?

In that way, Kim Yu-hee, with her orange cat ears perked up, became Do Jong-ha’s dog.

… … .

“[Blue Dragon Guild] seems to have sponsored this orphanage. They stationed one of the elders in the village right next door to act as a watchdog.”

“Is that so… Are the only people involved the Dark Dragons?”

“We had to stop it before they found out, we were the closest so we came. If we stalled, more could come.”

The breathtaking dinner is over.

Sister Eunbangul started cleaning up and washing the dishes, and the children greeted her and quietly went up to the second floor.

‘Mouse’ and Do Jong-ha sitting side by side at the table,

Four members of the Dark Dragon Corps on the opposite side.

“… It tickles.”

Kim Yu-hee sat quietly under the chair, leaning her face against Do Jong-ha’s thigh like a cat.

You can tell at a glance that it’s not normal.

Hot!

This time, ‘Fly’, riding on the shoulders of ‘Mouse’, is wearing the black mask he received from Kim Yu-hee.

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to risk your life and look into it further?”

A brief meeting.

The ‘mouse’ who was scratching the pumpkin bee’s plump butt asks Do Jong-ha.

A situation where it is recognized that a monster is wandering around here.

If you report only what you’ve discovered so far to the association, they’ll come rushing in and destroy you like priests who discovered a devil worshipping group.

But Dojong frowned, as if there was something suspicious about him.

“[Blue Dragon Guild] said they were sponsors. There must be something else. Reporting them to the association right away might not be a good choice.”

“So?”

“I’ll find the basement.”

Orphanage investigation, the last one.

Exploring the basement.

The story of going to meet the ‘Star’ who is underground.

“How are you going to find the basement? It’s clearly hidden, so it’ll take a long time to find. In the meantime, the Blue Dragon will send additional troops.”

“… … … If it’s hard to find, how about asking a little kid with good observation skills?”

And then,

The ‘mouse’ that was wagging its long tail,

I looked up at the second floor bedroom where the kids were.

“… … ?”

“There’s this kid with really good eyes.”

An orphanage that reminisces about the past.

So, the ending of this story is,

It should be something that a past being should do.

“Ah…! But how can I ask you something? You can only see it, but we can’t communicate with each other.”

“… … Over there, Amryongdae. How are you?”

“If your body is good, your head won’t suffer.”

Tick-tock-.

It’s night.