69 – Damcheon (5)
The author opened her eyes and immediately began to examine herself.
She remembers that she was attacked by an assailant and pierced through her chest.
Jieun tilted her head as she checked her body.
She seemed to feel a sense of incongruity with her smooth body without a single scar.
She felt like she didn’t bother to mention it, but she sure noticed her nearby.
Her mother made sure the author was awake, so she called the doctor and then called her father.
I was looking at it from a little distance.
“Line, ship….”
“Why?”
“Come a little closer. Why so… I’m far away….”
“….”
I don’t know about you, but you’re in danger of dying because of me.
But do I deserve to stand near you?
Your parents don’t know anything yet, but if they did, how would they react?
The distance between me and the author was the responsibility and guilt I felt.
“That… It smells a bit because I didn’t wash it.”
So I tried to make such a lame excuse.
The author only frowned as if she knew that my words were an excuse.
“Later… I’ll come back.”
So she backed off.
“Good….”
I could see the author reaching out her hand towards me, but she couldn’t hold it.
I left the hospital room.
After leaving the hospital, the depressingly hot heat and moisture seeped into my body.
I walked between them and headed home.
Citizens who would usually recognize me and talk to me were strangely quiet.
No, it’s different.
It was a situation where there was an unknown shadow on people’s expressions.
Is the incident at the institute eroding people’s minds?
After I got home and washed myself, I gathered information about the incident at the lab.
There was a news article saying that 13 missing people were eventually found dead.
It was a victim that occurred because I gave up the chase in favor of the author.
ㅡ This is not your fault, Brave. You made a choice
“Yes, I did. I prioritized my acquaintances over strangers.”
ㅡ ….
A hero like a friendly neighbor?
This is a funny story.
There were signs that this would happen.
She told me that the man who had declared war would one day wreak havoc on society.
I was pointed out as the target.
So I had to anticipate this situation at any time.
But I was satisfied with being a hero, and I was intoxicated with myself.
At first, I longed for First and wanted to become a hero.
But, like First, I started to get attention by saving someone, so I thought that this wasn’t the case somewhere.
I was happy that someone was praising me and praising me, but it was also somewhat unfamiliar.
The moment I realized that, I realized the identity of the hero activity I wanted to do.
I just wanted to help other neighbors in a small way.
That’s why I’ve been doing heroic activities to help people who don’t stand out too much.
Things that even non-heroes can do.
Still, I was satisfied.
Because even people who would reject me and doubt me if I wasn’t a hero didn’t reject me.
At some point, I was using the hero business card like that.
A society where heroes have become jobs.
Someone brought up the idea that he was too snobbish to be a hero, so he needed a different name.
And there were not a few people who responded that way.
I saw people like that call me a hero in the true sense of the word, even though I’m still a rookie.
They said that this is how they act with their own convictions and not pursue profit.
But I… Wasn’t a hero
He was more like an ordinary person who just wanted to get away with it in a reasonable way.
I wasn’t the one who saved the author.
A monster that would normally intimidate and terrorize people has been saved.
I couldn’t do anything.
Even though Grid said that the safety of the author was secured, I couldn’t get out of there.
The result was 13 deaths.
I had the power to track them down.
Nevertheless, I made the choice to prioritize the author over them.
I….
***
A funeral was held for the 13 victims.
The funeral was carried out swiftly but with no shortage.
I watched the director in a daze.
At the time, I got a text message asking if I would attend the director’s meeting, probably because of my credit for stopping the monster at the scene.
The death of these people is my fault.
With that in mind, I had no choice but to not attend the director’s meeting.
To-do-duduk.
Rain started pouring from the sky that was supposed to be gloomy.
In early August, the rainy season began.
But people couldn’t pay attention to the rain falling from the sky.
Because people’s eyes were fixed on the scene in front of them.
“Jung Yoo! aaa!”
Three strong men were barely blocking the person who seemed to be just an ordinary middle-aged woman.
Such scenes were happening everywhere.
It was different from the stern director you see on TV.
The bereaved families who attended the funeral were not yet able to accept the death of their family members.
The bereaved family clings to the coffin, shaking off the hands of the three men, crying.
A howl that could not be covered by the sound of summer monsoon rain penetrated my ears.
The cry of a person who lost a loved one was not a human cry.
No one could move from the spot even after hearing the desperate cries.
No matter how hard the rain fell, the cries could not be erased.
I couldn’t help but watch the scene.
***
News broke out that Hero Flash had fallen from a high-rise building and fell into a coma.
It seems that the authorities are investigating, but it was said that the possibility of suicide is high, considering that a will written by Flash’s hand was found.
I went to the hospital where Flash was hospitalized.
From noble mtl dot com
And there, I was able to find people who seemed to be Flash’s family shedding tears.
Flash is wandering between life and death.
It must be a situation where even family visits are extremely limited.
I couldn’t help but stare blankly at it.
A monster invaded the underground shelter laboratory.
Perhaps the monster was attached to Flash’s body and broke into the laboratory.
It seems that Flash realized that and made such an extreme choice out of his guilt.
“Ah, Mr. Jinwoo.”
“Eunseong….”
Since they belong to the same office, it seems that Eunseong also visited the hospital where Flash was hospitalized.
Eunseong had a very haggard expression, probably because he hadn’t slept properly.
Eunseong glanced at his bereaved family and held out an object to me.
“This?”
“This is the equipment Flash was going to use. Flash… They handed me this before making this choice. He told me to give this equipment to Jinwoo. He said that it was an unqualified equipment for him…. There was something strange about it….”
I held the equipment that Eunseong gave me.
ㅡ Brave.
I told Eunseong, whose face was distorted in guilt at Grid’s quiet call, that it wasn’t your fault and headed to the bathroom.
Then he carefully took out the nucleus and used psychometry.
Then the scene around him became blurry and the video began to play.
ㅡ Eh, why?! Wasn’t the bracelet you gave me a bracelet that gives you supernatural powers!
As Flash shouted, the man who was sitting leisurely looked at Flash and sneered.
ㅡ Is there such a convenient thing in the world? Jangbin couldn’t even make black technology….
ㅡ Why the hell!
ㅡ That expression.
ㅡ What?
ㅡ I wanted to see that expression. That expression when you, who trusted me, collapsed. Ha ha ha!
ㅡ From the beginning… Was this what you were thinking?
ㅡ There are only 13 victims. Fortunately, the three people who own Black Technology are not included in this number.
ㅡ Call it a horse now!
Flash swung his fist, but it was too easily caught by his man.
ㅡ You seem to be misunderstanding something.
ㅡ What?
ㅡ You killed 13 people, Flash. You killed
ㅡ That, why is that my fault….
ㅡ You killed it, Flash.
ㅡ What, what… ?
ㅡ You are just a human with the ability to save people from a fire. It must have been fun to be supported by people with the power that I accidentally acquired.
ㅡ But you are just a coward and a coward.
ㅡ Even though he was a hero, he didn’t help the hero who was risking his life to fight, just hiding and watching.
ㅡ That’s what you are, Flash.
ㅡ Ah, no. That!
ㅡ What’s wrong?
ㅡ Did you stand by for an unexpected situation?
ㅡ Then why! There, hiding, watching, were you there?
ㅡ Wasn’t there a better location to prepare for an unexpected situation?
ㅡ I should have attracted the monster’s attention from a position where the monster’s attacks couldn’t reach. Isn’t it?
ㅡ Ugh….
ㅡ You were just an idiot drunk on the lust for honor. A person who didn’t even know what he was doing, drunk on an experience that wasn’t the same.
ㅡ There are many people with acceleration ability besides you.
ㅡ Are they all getting swear words like you?
ㅡ No, that’s not it.
ㅡ Aren’t you the only one getting cursed at?
ㅡ ….
Flash collapsed on the spot.
Then, looking down at the flash, the man laughed.
ㅡ As soon as you got a new superpower, did you have fun as if anything happened?
ㅡ See the results, Flash.
ㅡ Wow! 13 Dead!
ㅡ Those are non-ordinary people.
ㅡ People who said there was no way they would die even if nuclear weapons fell on the Korean Peninsula are dead!
ㅡ Can you imagine what will happen now?
ㅡ That, stop… !
ㅡ The security the heroes have been protecting will slowly begin to collapse.
ㅡ I’m not going to miss that opportunity.
ㅡ Come on, Flash.
ㅡ When the citizens find out that you have become a trigger… What will happen?
ㅡ Your story is covered in the press.
ㅡ Can you imagine, Flash?
ㅡ Ugh, aaagh!
ㅡ I hope only you are attacked.
ㅡ Isn’t it so sad when the media bites even your family?
ㅡ Guilt by association in these days… I think it’s too barbaric.
ㅡ aaa!
The man put her hand on the screaming Flash’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
ㅡ You can give this message to Brave and die.
ㅡ Then public opinion won’t bite you and your family.
ㅡ No, public opinion criticizing you may disappear.
ㅡ The people who criticized and harassed you would rather turn into nasty trash that drove people to their limbs, how about that?
ㅡ Khehehehe, keueuk, keuhhahahaha!
That was the end.
I came out quietly with the equipment in my hand.
“Jinwoo, are you okay?”
“It’s okay.”
“No… that, no Mr. Jinwoo. Rest well.”
“….”
I glanced at the intensive care unit where Flash was lying and left the hospital.
It was still raining outside due to the rainy season.
The raindrops pouring down like a hole in the sky drenched my whole body.
I trudged along in the rain without an umbrella.
The place I arrived at was the National Cemetery where the funeral service was held not long ago.