Five new recruits had arrived with Park Gyu-ho.
The area around the Gate had been bustling since early morning. It seemed the new recruits had already crossed over.
‘But why the hell is Park Gyu-ho among them?!’
Dohyeon could not understand why Park Gyu-ho had been transferred to the 17th Squad.
The 3rd Squad, where he had previously served, was led by Squad Leader Chae Na-in, a renowned powerhouse even within the 9th MSU.
Chae Na-in possessed A Grade Talent, a rarity within the MSU, and every member of his 3rd Squad was Awakened.
That was why the 3rd Squad had always fought on the front line.
Their performance in yesterday’s battle had also been dazzling.
Had the 3rd Squad not fought so fiercely, as much as seventy percent of the MSU might have died.
The 3rd Squad’s combat power was, for all practical purposes, the greatest in the MSU.
And yet Park Gyu-ho, who had belonged to such a squad, had been transferred to the 17th Squad.
It was a personnel decision that made no sense whatsoever.
“What’s going on? Why did the Sword Ghost from the 3rd Squad come to our squad?”
Yun Du-sik appeared equally surprised.
Kang Uk, Song Ha-jun, and Bae Man-deuk also seemed puzzled by Park Gyu-ho’s transfer.
“Why don’t you acknowledge their report so Sergeant Park doesn’t have to keep standing there awkwardly?”
The NCO who had brought Park Gyu-ho and the five recruits subtly prompted Dohyeon.
“I think there’s been some kind of mistake.”
“There is no mistake. Sergeant Park voluntarily requested a squad transfer.”
“Sergeant Park requested it himself?”
Come to think of it, why was he Sergeant Park?
Park Gyu-ho was clearly Awakened, so ordinarily he should not have possessed a military rank.
When Dohyeon tilted his head in confusion, the NCO approached and whispered in his ear.
“He was demoted for the incident he caused at the guard post yesterday. Still, he avoided a court-martial because he saved the battalion commander during yesterday’s battle.”
“Ah.......”
Only then did Dohyeon understand.
Every member of the 3rd Squad was Awakened, and none of them wore rank insignia.
But Park Gyu-ho had caused an incident at the guard post, making his demotion to sergeant unavoidable.
He could no longer remain in the 3rd Squad under those circumstances, leaving him no choice but to transfer elsewhere.
Park Gyu-ho had selected the 17th Squad as his destination.
He had probably decided that the 17th Squad would be the most comfortable option since Dohyeon had saved his life.
The situation gave Dohyeon a headache. Still, it meant gaining a squad member with excellent swordsmanship, so he chose to accept it cheerfully as fate.
“Welcome to the squad, Sergeant Park. Let’s work well together from now on.”
Dohyeon never used polite speech with his squad members.
It was not because he was ill-mannered or disrespectful.
When commanding a squad, there was no room to maintain formalities with polite language.
Effective control required him to spew profanity freely and hammer orders into them through informal speech.
Park Gyu-ho understood that, so he accepted Dohyeon’s casual speech without complaint.
“I look forward to serving under you, Squad Leader.”
Maintaining a degree of formality, Park Gyu-ho saluted Dohyeon.
The NCO then handed Dohyeon a written order.
“The battalion commander was greatly impressed by the performance Squad Leader Kim Dohyeon displayed yesterday. This is a reward from the higher-ups in recognition of your achievement, so make sure you enjoy it before returning.”
With those words, the NCO left the barracks.
Wondering what kind of reward it was, Dohyeon unfolded the order.
“Huh? It’s reward leave!”
Bae Man-deuk had somehow pressed close behind Dohyeon and read the order over his shoulder. He shouted in surprise.
“What? Reward leave?”
“Huh? Is that for real?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at the mention of reward leave.
As Bae Man-deuk had said, the order granted them reward leave.
Nine people in total had been granted leave.
That included all eight surviving members of the 17th Squad from yesterday’s battle, as well as Park Gyu-ho, who had transferred in today.
“What the hell? Why is Sword Ghost included? What did he do to deserve it?”
After spotting Park Gyu-ho’s name on the list, Yun Du-sik looked him up and down.
“It doesn’t seem like you did much either, Brother Yun.”
Bae Man-deuk casually interjected.
“You little shit! What do you mean I didn’t do anything? I went toe-to-toe with the Dark Elves yesterday, damn it! I did everything!”
“You were surrounded by Dark Elves and merely swung your spear for dear life.”
Apparently, Bae Man-deuk had kept an eye on Yun Du-sik even amid that desperate situation.
“Follow me, you bastard. You won’t come to your senses until I beat you badly enough to make you wail before we go on leave, huh?!”
Yun Du-sik grabbed Bae Man-deuk by the ear, stretched it out, and dragged him from the barracks.
Dohyeon paid them no attention.
He had another concern giving him a headache.
“Is something troubling you?”
Park Gyu-ho read Dohyeon’s expression and asked.
“It’s nothing serious. I was just wondering what’ll happen to the new recruits if all the old hands and I go on leave.......”
“Ah, there is no need to worry about that. I will remain here, so leave them to me and enjoy your time away.”
“Do you...... really mean that?”
When Dohyeon narrowed his eyes and asked, Park Gyu-ho laughed good-naturedly.
“Ha ha! Have you spent your entire life being deceived? I may frequently do foolish things, but I am not the sort of man who habitually lies.”
“Hmm. Then I’ll trust you, Brother Park.”
Dohyeon knew that, contrary to his appearance, Park Gyu-ho was a remarkably decent man.
During the repeated day, Dohyeon had saved him countless times and received his advice on swordsmanship just as often.
Park Gyu-ho only remembered meeting Dohyeon briefly. To Dohyeon, however, Park Gyu-ho had become someone quite familiar and close.
In any case, it was fortunate that someone would be there to look after the new recruits.
Dohyeon immediately prepared for his leave.
It was a full five-day, four-night leave.
Dohyeon intended to return home and spend meaningful time with his younger sister.
He ironed his dress uniform until every crease was razor-sharp and put it on.
After safely storing all his weapons in his personal locker inside the barracks, he packed only a backpack containing some clothes and headed to the battalion commander’s quarters.
There, he reported for leave with the other squad members, then immediately passed through the Gate and returned to Earth.
As soon as he parted ways with his squad near the Gate, he turned on his phone in front of a nearby subway station.
Then he called his younger sister’s number.
Riiiing. Riiiing.
The call went through, but she did not answer.
After trying two or three more times without receiving an answer, he decided to head straight home.
Then Dohyeon noticed Song Ha-jun wandering aimlessly along the roadside, unable to go anywhere.
‘What’s wrong with him now? It’s not as though he doesn’t have money for transportation.’
Dohyeon considered ignoring him and leaving, but something bothered him. In the end, he turned toward Song Ha-jun.
Dohyeon had learned several Elven phrases from him but had never properly thanked him.
He intended to repay that favor now.
“Did you forget how to get home?”
“Ah! You startled me. Why haven’t you gone home yet, Squad Leader?”
Song Ha-jun flinched when Dohyeon appeared.
“Why are you so surprised? You were pacing around like a dog desperate to take a shit, so I was wondering what was wrong.”
“I took a shit before leaving the base, all right? Stop worrying about me and go wherever you were going.”
“Pfft. Fuck, you’re pretty funny today.”
For some reason, it was hilarious to hear someone handsome enough to put celebrities to shame announce that he had taken a shit.
“Anyway, enough of that. If you’ve forgotten how to get home, tell me your address. I can at least find you a way to get there.”
There were occasionally squad members like this.
Was it called PTSD?
After spending all their time fighting monsters for their lives, some momentarily had no idea what to do when they finally emerged into the peaceful world.
Dohyeon wondered whether Song Ha-jun might be suffering from that kind of aftereffect.
“I don’t know my address.”
“That’s why I’m asking you for your...... What? Why don’t you know your address? Is something wrong with your memory?”
They had eaten from the same pot for nearly six years, yet Dohyeon had never known that Song Ha-jun suffered from such a serious mental problem.
“I grew up an orphan. I don’t have a home.”
“......You’re an orphan?”
Dohyeon had not known.
Because members of the MSU changed so frequently, they neither asked about nor discussed one another’s family circumstances.
The squad only knew that Dohyeon had a younger sister because they had learned it by chance. He had never told them himself.
“Being an orphan doesn’t change anything.”
“Then where did you go during your previous leaves?”
“I just...... went wherever my feet took me.”
“Then you truly have nowhere to go?”
“Of course I do. I was just deciding where.”
After admitting with his own mouth that he had no home to return to, Song Ha-jun seemed embarrassed and quickly changed his story.
Dohyeon suspected that he was an Elf, but hearing his circumstances made Dohyeon want to look after him.
“Can you cook rice?”
“Do you honestly think I reached this age without learning how to cook rice?”
“Not rice. I mean cooking. Can you cook?”
“It’s essentially the same. I prepared most of my meals myself.”
“Then cook for me.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Why should I cook for you?”
Song Ha-jun grimaced as if he had seen something filthy and stepped backward.
“I don’t think my sister is home. But I don’t feel like ordering delivery food either. I want a home-cooked meal for the first time in ages, but I have absolutely no talent for cooking.”
“I doubt cooking is the only thing you have no talent for.”
“......What did you say, you bastard?”
Song Ha-jun had struck Dohyeon directly where it hurt.
“Why the hell are you swearing at me? Just leave. Fry your rice, stir-fry it, or do whatever you want.”
“You bastard. Why are you getting worked up over something so trivial? Anyway, follow me. My house isn’t far from here, so we’ll arrive soon.”
Without waiting for an answer, Dohyeon ambled toward the subway station.
“No, Squad Leader! Food won’t magically appear just because we go to your house. We need to buy ingredients or something—”
“There should be plenty of ingredients at home. My sister hates delivery food, so she always cooks for herself.”
“Then you can wait for your sister.”
“Now that I think about it, she won’t be coming home today. She said she was going somewhere far away.”
“You forget something like that?”
“Well...... it feels like it’s been a long time since I spoke to her.”
Dohyeon smiled awkwardly.
He was not lying.
Chronologically, he had last spoken with his sister on the phone the evening before yesterday.
For everyone else, only a day and a half had passed. For Dohyeon, however, it had been an astonishing 699 days.
Throughout that long period, Dohyeon had been forced to survive and put himself through bone-grinding effort to stay alive.
As a result, even the conversation he had shared with his sister over the phone had grown hazy.
Only now did the memory return.
His sister had said she would cross over to the Croat Continent that morning with the members of her Guild team and explore a Dungeon.
That meant she would be away from home for at least two or three days.
“If she went somewhere far away, there probably won’t be any ingredients either.”
“Probably not. She would’ve emptied the refrigerator before leaving.”
“Good grief. Fine. Let’s find a supermarket nearby.”
“A supermarket...... Oh, right. There is a large supermarket near my house.”
Song Ha-jun frowned as Dohyeon searched his memories.
“Are you sick? Did you suffer brain damage?”
“I didn’t, so stop worrying and follow me.”
Dohyeon responded curtly and strode away.
Song Ha-jun, who had been pretending he would not go, quickly hurried after him.
***
“This house is freaking huge.”
Song Ha-jun was visibly surprised.
He had assumed Dohyeon’s home would be a modest apartment of roughly sixty-six square meters at most. Instead, it was an imposing three-story house.
There was even a bunker-style garage underground, while a separate training area as large as a tennis court had been built behind the first floor.
“It’s not my house. It belongs to my sister.”
“What does your sister do to live in a house this nice?”
“Just something...... that pays well.”
Dohyeon still did not reveal that his sister was an Awakened with S Grade Talent.
“If your sister is this well-off, I don’t think you need to keep serving in the MSU.......”
“I told you it isn’t my house. Do you expect me to live off my sister and become unemployed too?”
“Who told you to become unemployed? You could find a more comfortable and safer job.”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Just make me something to eat. I’m hungry.”
Dohyeon immediately ended the conversation because he did not want to answer every question.
Then he gazed around the house with deep emotion. From his perspective, it had been nearly two years since he last returned.
‘Why am I so happy to see this place......?’
It was an emotion he had never experienced before.
The moment his sister’s S Grade Talent was revealed, the government had handed over this house in her name without imposing a single condition.
Dohyeon had been able to live in luxury thanks to her, but the knowledge that he was benefiting from the sister he was supposed to care for had always made him uncomfortable.
Yet now, he did not feel the slightest discomfort.
It felt like their cozy home, filled with his sister’s warmth.
‘It must be because yesterday lasted far too long.’
Dohyeon looked at the clock in the living room, which directly adjoined the kitchen.
[10:28]
Shopping on the way home had delayed them considerably.
The funny part was that when they arrived, they found the refrigerator packed with ingredients.
The fact that his sister had gone to the Dungeon without emptying the refrigerator meant her schedule would not be very long.
‘She’ll be back tomorrow.’
The knowledge that he would soon see his sister lifted Dohyeon’s mood for no particular reason.
“Why are you standing there grinning to yourself?”
“None of your business.”
“You dragged a busy man here and made him cook for you. What kind of attitude is that?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was distracted and didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
Feeling slightly guilty, Dohyeon immediately deployed the ‘I didn’t hear you, so what?’ tactic.
“Sigh...... Forget it. Just forget it.”
Song Ha-jun returned his attention to cooking.
Wearing an apron as he worked, Song Ha-jun seemed to enjoy cooking quite a bit.
Where had someone who claimed to be a homeless orphan developed such culinary skill?
He would not have had that kind of leisure at an orphanage, nor did he seem like someone who had worked as a servant in another person’s home.
‘Talent?’
That was certainly possible.
Cooking required talent if one wanted food to excel in both taste and appearance.
Yet there was an inexplicable familiarity in the way Song Ha-jun cooked.
It was as though he were performing something he did every day out of habit.
‘What was he before this, a chef?’
Song Ha-jun was twenty-three years old.
He was the same age as Dohyeon.
The possibility that he had previously worked as a chef at such a young age was effectively zero.
The more Dohyeon observed Song Ha-jun, the more mysterious he seemed.
‘Could he truly be an Elf?’
If Song Ha-jun was an Elf, everything made sense.
Elves lived at least five times longer than humans.
Humans died before reaching even a hundred years, but Elves lived for nearly five hundred.
Therefore, if Song Ha-jun truly was an Elf, he might only look twenty-three while actually being a wily old serpent who had lived for centuries.
‘Even if he is an Elf, I hope he isn’t an evil one.’
That was Dohyeon’s hope.
If Song Ha-jun was an Elf with malicious intentions, the two of them would inevitably clash one day.
While Dohyeon was lost in thought, Song Ha-jun finished cooking.
It had taken roughly an hour.
Yet no fewer than six different dishes had been laid across the dining table.
“Did you work as a hotel chef or something? You’re an excellent cook.”
“I learned to cook so I could look after the younger children at the orphanage. I never expected to be dragged to your house and forced to show off my skills.”
“The younger kids at the orphanage? I see. Well, that makes sense. Anyway, thanks for the food.”
Dohyeon muttered to himself, then took his first spoonful.
His eyes widened.
“Why is this so delicious?”
“Did you expect it to taste bad?”
“I’m saying it isn’t just good. It’s incredible!”
As Dohyeon loudly praised the food, the faintest smile blossomed across Song Ha-jun’s cold face.