“……”“Are you really going to ask them to change your guard?”There was a reason Sawon had no choice but to be Ji Hayeon’s guard. Even if a request for reassignment went in, it wouldn’t be easy to replace him right away. But he didn’t want to use that to plant himself above Ji Hayeon. More than that, he just wanted to soothe him.“You’re really going to have me replaced? Really? I’m getting fired like this?”“……I don’t know.”Ji Hayeon pushed his cheek away and dropped his head. Instead of picking his gaze back up, Sawon gently took his wrist.“Let’s hurry up and get you checked, treated, and get your meds so we can go back up to the dorm. You said you didn’t want to be admitted because you hate being in the ward, right?”“……”Ji Hayeon gave a small nod. Like calming a child, Sawon gave his shoulder a light pat and went out to call the medic. There was no way he could know what warmth or light was carried in the gaze Ji Hayeon fixed on his back.***After treatment and tests, the two of them returned to the dorm room in the living quarters together. Sawon thought about drawing the partial partition blind back down, then left it alone. Even after treatment, Metena overload could have residual side effects show up within a week. He had to be ready just in case.He laid Ji Hayeon down on the bed and went out onto the balcony. Staring at the crescent moon in the night sky, he thought about Ji Hayeon. He went over his condition and attitude, then organized what had happened with him in his head. Including the data he had glimpsed for a second on the 43rd floor.S9 DistrictInitial Personnel: Team 3 (Total 136)Team Leader: CODE 16 (Chief Hunter Gu Sawon)If it was the S9 District incident, that should fall under the Central Hunter Bureau’s jurisdiction, not the Institute. Was it because of the memory recovery experiments? Is that why they were storing it on the 43rd floor? Or was it simply part of the materials they had on hand?There was a need to check. Sawon planned to steal a look at the contents while Ji Hayeon slept.The otherworldization incident in S9 District, called Nine’s Miracle. Five years had already passed since that day. Sawon still didn’t remember the past. The only S9 memory left to him was of himself standing at the boundary wall.It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to get his memories back. Whenever the researchers summoned him, he went and willingly stepped into the experiment chamber, complying with their instructions. If there was any way to find his memories, he actively pursued it. But that was all. Every time he underwent experiments and tests that dug into his memories, he lost consciousness, and when he opened his eyes, he was always staring up at the recovery room ceiling. He’d already been changed into a hospital gown.‘Why am I here.’‘You don’t remember anything……?’‘I remember going into the data analyzer unit.’‘Ah… I see. You lost consciousness partway through, and we moved you here. It would be best if you rested for a while.’‘What about leads on my memory. Did anything turn up?’‘You lost consciousness, so… we couldn’t proceed. We’ll try again next time.’But in the second, third, and fourth experiments, every time, he woke up looking at the hospital ceiling. After that, there were no more calls summoning Sawon to the lab. Even the requests he initiated himself were rejected. On top of that, he was barred from accessing any materials related to S9 District. If he had no memories and it was impossible to restore them, he was no different from a third party, so for security reasons they wouldn’t grant access—so they said. He tried sneaking into every archive he could enter, but in the records he managed to steal, there was nothing substantial.“Maybe that one has something different in it….”The data Ji Hayeon had transferred in the central lab. Sawon’s own name was stamped on it in three characters. He had more than enough reason to open it. He crushed out his cigarette. While he had been sorting his thoughts, the lingering smell of smoke had been washed away by the wind.Entering cautiously, the first place he went was Ji Hayeon’s bed. His soft breathing came in steady rhythm. Sawon slowly bent down to check he was really asleep. Smooth lines of face and red lips. Even in the dark, every curve stood out clearly under his eyes. The feel of their lips brushing in the elevator rose up. The kiss where the smell of blood and the lab’s particular scent mixed together—yet the moment he parted Ji’s lips, the faint musk that seeped in made him almost lose his purpose without realizing it.What useless thoughts are you having.Sawon gave a small shake of his head and slowly lowered his hand to Ji’s neck. Because of the low V-neck T-shirt, the smooth skin and ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) protruding Adam’s apple were plainly visible. With that soft, deer-like face, Ji Hayeon had a neck where the Adam’s apple stood out more than his. Past the firm line of his throat down to his chest, a metal device no bigger than his thumbnail came into view. Ji Hayeon’s complaints came back to him.‘Why is security so flimsy here?’The Central Hunter Bureau had decent facilities in its own right, but it was still mostly a place where physical hunters stayed. Because of that, the security systems weren’t as robust as those in the lab. So Ji Hayeon had chosen to carry the external device containing the data on his own body. That secret necklace would only be in his possession tonight. By tomorrow, it would vanish into a bolstered security facility. This was the only time Sawon had to steal it.I’ll just look for a moment and put it back.Sawon broke the touch-numbing capsule he’d prepared over Ji Hayeon’s neck and chest. Then he carefully unfastened the necklace.“Mm….”When Ji frowned in his sleep and shifted, he soothed him in a calm voice.“It’s okay. Sleep deep. Good boy, our Hayeon.”Drowsy with sleep, Ji Hayeon relaxed again at Sawon’s gentle voice. In that time, the necklace slipped into Sawon’s grasp.He plugged the external device straight into his tablet PC. Because the password required a biometric fingerprint, he carefully borrowed Ji Hayeon’s fingers and wrist once more. Around the time thirty minutes had passed since he’d put the plan into motion, Sawon found what he’d been looking for.〈S9 District Report〉Got it.He was about to click the report.“Kkii.”Nine, who had been hovering at his side, tugged at his clothes. Sawon made a hush gesture and tried to calm him.“Nine, stay still.”But Nine clung to his arm like he was trying to stop him. Sawon always found Nine cute, but just this once, he couldn’t indulge him. If Ji Hayeon woke up, he wouldn’t be able to see this information, and a chance encounter like this never came twice. Sawon shot Nine a firm look.“Nine. If you keep this up, I’m really going to hate you.”At that, Nine seemed to understand his words and drooped miserably. Slowly, he climbed down Sawon’s body and ended up hanging from his pant leg. Afraid Ji Hayeon would wake, Sawon quickly wrapped a Metena barrier around the area. Only then could he open the report. He pinned Nine under his arm so he couldn’t flail.〈S9 District Report〉Operation Progress7/3 12:34 S9 District University Hospital Heukgu manifestation12:49 Initial rescue Team 3 deployed13:04 Foreator appearanceAt the word “Foreator,” Sawon’s hand stopped. The spore-type Deater called a Foreator was the core cause of otherworldization around a black sphere. And as he read what came next, his mood sank heavily.Operation Result– Civilian damage: All S9 District residents presumed dead– Hunter damage: All members of Team 3 presumed deadIt was a result Sawon already knew well. Not as something left in his memory, but as a conclusion branded into him by countless articles and documents.That was all that was on the page. As he flipped through the file list, his hand stopped in one place.〈CODE16 Data Recovery Experiment Report〉There it is…!This was what he had wanted to see so badly. Data recovery. The process of getting his memories back written out in stiff words. He opened the file.〈CODE16. (Scrapper.)〉Real name: Gu Sawon.Age: 29Height: 180District of origin: S9 DistrictAwakening date: July 3, age 18Central Hunter Bureau registration date: July 4, age 19Same-origin personnel: Chief Researcher Ji Hayeon (middle and high school classmate)Note: Lived at the same address as Chief Ji from age 16 to 19 (4 years).His hand froze again at the three characters of that familiar name.Same-origin personnel. In the field referring to those from the same S9 District as him, Ji Hayeon’s name was written.Chief Ji is from the same district as me?Slowly, Sawon turned back. The sleeping back rose and fell in a slow rhythm.“…We were neighbors?”The guy sleeping in the bed right next to his was supposedly a friend. A neighbor he’d known for four years.‘They say there’s someone from S9 working at the Institute.’Seo Hansu’s words surfaced. Right after, Ji Hayeon’s reaction followed.‘Do I have some obligation to tell you things like that?’‘You don’t know. You’re not telling me because you don’t know.’His attitude of not even pretending to know him.“You knew me and pretended you didn’t?”…Why?Questions he couldn’t shake clung to him all over like grime. Sawon glared at the screen. But there was still more to scroll. He was just starting to carefully swipe his index finger up the display when—“…Gu Sawon.”At the low call, he turned around. Pale eyes met his. Ji Hayeon looked at Sawon and then at the tablet PC in front of him, then groped at his own chest. Realizing the necklace was gone, he shot up in bed. Sawon released the Metena barrier in time so Ji wouldn’t run into it as he stumbled closer. A thin hand snatched the tablet away.“…What do you think you’re doing!”Seeing what he’d been looking at, Ji Hayeon reacted sharply.“Chief. This says we were neighbors. Is that true?”“You do realize this is basically stealing.”“It says we knew each other. Is that right or not.”Ji Hayeon hastily yanked out the connected external device. His red lips were pressed together in sheer stubbornness.“You… without permission, you just….”Every move Ji made was steeped in shock and tension. Sawon grabbed his busy wrist.“I asked if it’s true.”

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