episode_0342

( “I would advise against carelessly using our belongings, young lady.” )

She recalled the warning an elderly guard had once given her.

Items like the handsaw, flute, or leather choker—things forged from condensed, dark resentment.

At first, she thought the advice was about being cautious not to merge with the grotesque by using those “belongings.”

Ghk—

But the moment Ban Harin, who had used the [Bug Princess]’s flute, vomited blackened blood, Younha felt it was similar to radiation.

They were objects never meant for human use.

Just briefly playing the instrument had made her cough up blood.

Then why am I fine…? Ah! Maybe all this body fat absorbs the shock. Like an electric eel.

She reached a bizarre conclusion.

If that were the case, maybe even these unnecessarily large breasts could finally be useful.

…Who knows?

She just hoped they grew to a reasonable size.

“Ban Harin, are you okay?”

“My mouth tastes like iron, Café Latte. Could I get a glass of milk?”

“Disgusting way to say you’re fine.”

Was her brain acting up from pain?

But even that concern faded quickly when Younha realized it was just Ban Harin being her usual erratic self—and she pulled the staggering woman into her arms.

Her skin was cold, corpse-like.

Hurriedly, Younha opened the nearby suitcase and poured an emergency [Silver Steel Potion] into Ban Harin’s mouth.

Gulp.

The potion stopped the bleeding, but her complexion remained terrible.

“Guess I shouldn’t have lent you that flute. Thanks for your help.”

“Don’t mention it… Anyway, about the kidnapping…”

Ban Harin smiled as usual.

But perhaps because Younha’s uncertain gaze flickered over her pallid face,

Ban Harin stood up silently and, with her usual blank expression, tapped Younha’s chest.

Poke. Poke.

“Just now, the potion lab contacted me. They said to come to the [Facility] after sunset. Right now, we’re hiding near the [Goryongsan Rift Zone].”

“Right.”

“To avoid suspicion, we avoided checkpoints to make it look like a real kidnapping… But there are two problems.”

The hand tapping Younha suddenly gripped her gently.

Ah, so she was kindly explaining the situation.

Younha obediently listened.

“What’s the problem?”

“First, I’m not in the right condition to kidnap you myself. Just one ‘Mouse’ isn’t enough—I need someone else’s help.”

“Don’t trust me?”

“What’s the other problem?”

“Are you ignoring me?”

“The car we came in… It’s still parked in the [Rift Zone] lot.”

A car left in the parking lot.

But right now, hunters and reporters were swarming the [Goryongsan Rift Zone] due to the sudden commotion.

Nyaaang~

Naturally ignored, the ‘Mouse,’ looking sulky, hugged Younha from behind.

“Why not just send ‘Mouse’ to fetch the car from the lot?”

“You think they’d let her walk out after a bombing? Besides, neither ‘Mouse’ nor I can show our faces recklessly. We can’t afford unnecessary trouble.”

“……So if you and Chief Goydok didn’t go through checkpoints, getting caught at the lot would be bad… What now? Should I call my mom? Or hop on a blood drive bus or something?”

“You’d get us killed… Let’s think of another way.”

Clatter—!

Immediately, Ban Harin lowered the black golf bag slung over her shoulder.

Unzipping it and turning it upside down, her long, crescent blades—the weapons she wielded—clattered onto the ground with a chilling metallic sound.

So it was a weapon bag.

After shaking out even the dust, Ban Harin pointed inside the emptied golf bag.

“Get in. I’ll deliver you to someone who’ll help me kidnap you instead.”

Get in the bag… Feels nostalgic.

There was a time she had to crawl into one before.

No idea why, but it looks fun—might as well follow Ban Harin’s plan.

Younha smiled drowsily and squeezed herself into the golf bag.

“Wow, been a while.”

“A while? You’ve gotten into bags before?”

“Used to use them as toilets.”

“……?”

What?

Ban Harin shut her mouth.

Too scared to ask.

Creak—!

Hand on her forehead, maintaining her blank face,

Ban Harin zipped up the golf bag containing Younha.

The zipper didn’t close properly due to the enormous chest, but after forcefully pressing down on the bulging part, she somehow managed to seal it.

“Let me know if it’s uncomfortable.”

“It is.”

“I see.”

Zzzip—

Fully zipped.

Kidnap preparations—complete.

Judging by appearances alone, this might not just end as a fake kidnapping… Whatever.

Skrrrt—

Hideout near the Rift Zone.

Within moments, Ban Harin finished kidnapping preparations and carefully handed the golf bag (with Younha inside) to ‘Mouse.’

“‘Mouse.’ From now on, follow my instructions flawlessly.”

“What’s this about? You’re not coming?”

Skrrrt— Skrrrt—

The skittering of insect legs.

Expressionless, Ban Harin habitually brushed back her bangs and silently stared at ‘Mouse.’

Skrrrt— Skrt—

Skrrrrt—

Her left eye—

Pupils the size of millet grains darted rapidly, scanning their surroundings as eerie insect noises grew louder.

Skrrrt— Skrrrt—

‘Mouse’ saw it.

Insect forelegs emerging from Ban Harin’s back gripped her shoulders.

Skrt. Skrrrt—

Soon, the hideout was saturated with the cacophony of insect sounds.

Tap-taktak—

Ban Harin, mounted by her steed, patted the rear of a buzzing pumpkin wasp perched on her scalp.

“It seems I’ll have to hide at home for a while. Don’t want humans noticing and becoming aware of ‘us.’”

Skrrrt—

Delivering instructions in a strangely altered tone,

Ban Harin sent ‘Mouse’ off toward the [Goryongsan Rift Zone] parking lot—

Carrying the golf bag with Younha and accompanied by Goydok (whose presence was barely detectable).

……

……

“It’s Kim Hayang. Unidentified monster rank… Uh, what was it again?”

“Black Calamity, Guild Leader. You know, the pitch-black bug monster.”

“Right. It was black… Anyway, those things nested in [Goryongsan Rift Zone].”

Meanwhile—

At the Rift Zone checkpoint,

Kim Hayang, leader of the [Heaven-Slicing Swordsmen], recited a pre-rehearsed script in front of bug-swarming reporters.

A safety announcement about initiating “permanent closure procedures” for the Rift Zone.

She had already discussed it with Hunter Association Head Chief Go Yeong-in.

“Kim Hayang, you calling me out of the blue… We’re not close enough for private talks. What’s going on?”

“If you don’t seal [Goryongsan Rift Zone], I’ll kill you first.”

“Wha—?”

Just months ago, Chief Go Yeong-in had been lethargic, stamping papers at his desk.

Yet now, as if reborn, he cooperatively—no, urgently—kept asking if Hunter Younha safely escaped the mountain.

“Younha is my only friend. If she doesn’t return by today, I’m sending a search party—”

Calling a woman young enough to be his daughter a friend… Still as weird as ever.

Skrrrt—

The reporters’ clamoring hurt her ears.

Adjusting her rabbit-ear mufflers for hearing protection, Kim Hayang hastily wrapped up the interview and turned away.

“Guild Leader Kim Hayang! The reporters are still—!”

“Goryongsan will shut down. After closure, trespassers won’t be [Heaven-Slicing Swordsmen]’s responsibility.”

Skrrrt—

With that, she approached the Rift Zone.

Hunters stood guard at the entrance checkpoint with uneasy faces—

The passage into the Rift Zone was now blocked by an unidentified “shell.”

Skrrrt— Skrrrt—

A shell resembling a wasp nest.

Placing a hand on its thin surface, she felt countless insect legs scurrying beyond it.

As if they hastily built the shell first, now reinforcing its interior.

Frantic ‘bugs’ steadily thickened the membrane.

“The collapsed eastern and western walls are also sealed by this shell… I hope Younha’s safe.”

It was thin—for now.

But in days, the bugs would fill the interior until it became as solid as the original concrete barrier—a true ‘fortress.’

( “I shall now seal all exits to the outside. This should reassure my companion.” )

Kim Hayang withdrew her hand and stepped back.

[Goryongsan Rift Zone]—now fully isolated.

It resembled—

A jar trapping loneliness…

Or perhaps, something closer to a colossal ‘nest.’

( “Should any trespass upon this territory, I shall slaughter them all. The rest is up to you.” )

Who was that woman…?

Skrrrt—

Her ears ached.

Kim Hayang pressed her rabbit mufflers firmly.

“When my companion desires ‘us,’ the kingdom’s subjects shall swarm forth like locusts, blanketing this land.”

The woman’s voice—

Was it a memory, or was it speaking now?

Unclear.

“…Really. How odd.”

She adjusted the mufflers.

The long bunny ears perked up!

With strange tympanic pain lingering, Kim Hayang returned toward the parking lot.

“Sarang.”

“…Mom?”

At the parking lot, Kim Sarang sat slumped against their sedan, stroking her Shiba Inu, Jjong-i.

As if haunted by nightmares, her hollow eyes stared blankly while she combed Jjong-i’s gray fur with a sour expression.

Passing hunters glanced at the parking lot’s collapsed Kim Sarang with affectionate pity before leaving.

“What about Younha…?”

“Let’s wait a little longer. She’s strong—she’ll be fine.”

She genuinely worried.

Like family.

Still, seeing her daughter sitting crumpled on the ground troubled Kim Hayang.

She scooped up Sarang—Jjong-i included—and stuffed them into the backseat.

“Wait! I must see Younha firs—!”

Thud!

“Eeehk!”

Cradled like puppies by their mother,

Kim Sarang squirmed to escape the car but froze after bumping her head against the ceiling.

“Sorry. Mother’s not seeing straight.”

Her equilibrium was off—likely due to her injured ears.

Kim Hayang seated her unusually quiet daughter properly.

Did she doze off? The promotion exam must’ve worn her out.

“Rest. I’ll bring Younha back.”

“Ruff…”

Jjong-i’s pathetic whimper.

Smooch.

With that, Kim Hayang kissed her daughter’s forehead and shut the car door.

“…Hmm. Sarang’s skull feels… bulbous.”

Having slammed her head against the ceiling,

Kim Sarang’s bizarre cranial contours made Kim Hayang purse her lips.

SCREEEE—!!!

Then—

Just as she turned to head back to the Rift Zone…

Debating whether to storm in herself if Younha didn’t return by sunset—

Clink!

A sharp crescent blade shot from the nearby forest, grazing Kim Hayang’s cheek.

“…Hm.”

The blade flew like lightning.

But exhaling lightly, she flicked her right hand—

Szzzt!

Like striking a match, her fingers brushed the blade’s flat.

The resulting friction converted into kinetic energy, stopping the blade midair.

“……”

Using [Friction Conversion], Kim Hayang caught the now-lifeless blade and inspected it.

A note was tied near the hilt.

The whole ordeal happened so fast that nearby hunters didn’t notice.

A message just for her?

Unfolding it, her fingers traced raised dots—Braille.

[ Younha. Woods where I flew. ]

The note’s contents.

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded.

“…I see.”

At least she wouldn’t have to storm the Rift Zone searching for Younha.

Good. Then she’d play along.

Adjusting her rabbit mufflers, Kim Hayang strode toward where the blade came from.

……

……

Rustle… Rustle…

A forest lay ahead.

An uphill path connecting to Goryongsan’s ridgeline.

Upon entering the secluded woods, an unsettling silence enveloped Kim Hayang.

“…Three ahead—no, four presences.”

Three hiding.

Her hearing and touch compensating for lost sight,

Kim Hayang removed her mufflers to heighten her senses.

Skrrrt—

Insect legs.

Tick. Tick.

A ticking second hand.

…Crunch.

Something squirming.

“……”

Advancing toward the sensed presence,

She soon reached a small clearing—

Crunch… Crunch…

At its center sat a lone ‘golf bag.’

Squirm… Squirm…

The presence came from inside it.

An isolated clearing. A wriggling bag.

Like a crime scene or a horror movie frame.

“…Today’s just full of weirdness.”

Whoosh—

The October wind blew winter-cold.

Kim Hayang approached cautiously, hand ready to draw her sword.

Squirm… Squirm…

A bag barely large enough to fit a person.

If someone was inside, the chest area bulged as if ready to burst.

Didn’t seem like a person though. A monster?

Would it explode if she touched the zipper?

“…Hm?”

Tap. Tap.

Then—

Just as she realized a deep pit had been dug right where she stepped—

Had she taken one more stride, she would’ve fallen in. Only now noticing it.

A trap meant for her?

Yet without sight, her other senses compensated just fine.

Lightly hopping over the pit, Kim Hayang reached the golf bag.

“……”

She crouched.

Brief hesitation.

Then—after experimentally poking the bulging part—

She carefully tugged the zipper down.

Zzziiip—

“……”

“…Phew! I’m alive.”

A woman’s voice from inside.

Soft, milky-scented—beautiful.

“…Younha?”

“Hi. Feel like kidnapping me?”

Zzzip—

She zipped it back up.

Rubbing her throbbing forehead, Kim Hayang poked the bulging part again.

No idea.

Maybe she should just leave.

This felt like getting dragged into something bizarre.

……

……

“The potion lab and the [Facility]… So you planned to ‘get kidnapped’ into the [Facility].”

“Yep.”

After a while—

Kim Hayang heard the gist from Younha inside the bag.

The attempted kidnapping at [Goryongsan Rift Zone].

The potion lab causing chaos by breaching the Rift Zone walls.

And Younha wishing to be “kidnapped” to the [Facility]…

Squirm—

Unzipping just enough to reveal her face, Younha inhaled fresh air, grinning as usual.

“……”

Kim Hayang scanned the surroundings.

Four hidden presences.

Likely Younha’s allies. Maybe even the ‘woman’ from the Rift Zone.

‘A kidnapping… Not a bad plan for me either.’

Lost in thought, Kim Hayang rolled her stiff neck.

Surprisingly, the situation wasn’t bad.

Even now, she was interrogating two hunters Sarang arrested to uncover the terror attack’s mastermind.

Younha was safe. The potion lab was behind the bombing.

And now, Younha planned to raid their stronghold.

As [Heaven-Slicing Swordsmen]’s leader, helping was natural.

If anything, she should ask to tag along.

Kim Hayang decided to “kidnap” Younha in the culprits’ stead.

“…One question. Why call me here?”

Yet some things still baffled her.

Why lure her into these woods?

“I needed to confirm something. That’s why I summoned you here—where no one could see.”

Then—

Younha smiled and gestured beside her.

At what?

The pit Kim Hayang had just leaped over.

A dark, unfathomable… something.

“Guild Leader Kim Hayang… You’ve opened your eyes.”

The moment Kim Hayang cleared the pit, Younha knew.

She could now see the grotesque.

Couldn’t leave her alone.

“My eyes are open?”

“Figured I’d ask for kidnapping help and spend the day explaining things to you.”

“…Fine. I’ll help.”

“Yay…!”

“But in return, call me ‘mom.’”

“Huh?… Uh, sure. Mom Kim Hayang.”

“Good.”

Ban Harin, unwell, needed a replacement kidnapper.

[Heaven-Slicing Swordsmen]’s leader—Kim Hayang.

This’ll be fun.

What faces would the potion lab make when Guild Leader Kim Hayang delivered Younha (golf bag included) to the [Facility]?

‘Ah… I hope they’re shocked.’

With a mischievous grin befitting her pitch-black insect motif,

Younha—and an inexplicably intrigued Kim Hayang fiddling with sword hilts—began orchestrating their kidnapping farce.

……

……

Crunch…

“…M… Mom…?”

Then—

Having worriedly followed her mother into the woods,

The Sword Ghost—Kim Sarang.

“Hi, Kim Sarang. How’d your exam go?”

There, she witnessed it.

Younha stuffed inside a pitch-black golf bag—

And her mother, after hearing Younha’s full explanation,

Now fully immersed in her role with a villainous smirk.

“…Sarang. Step aside.”

“Wh-what is this…? Why is Younha—”

“You needn’t know.”

“Mooom…!”

Now completely lost,

Kim Sarang could only pray for sunset to come faster.

Younha, curled up inside the golf bag,

Waited with bated excitement for dusk—her kidnapping hour.

Finally—

Time to get kidnapped.