Ten years. It’s a time that feels short if it’s short and long if it’s long.
Kwon Hyuk-bong had never forgotten his comrades during that time.
But as the years passed, their faces became fainter.
“If I had known, I would have taken some pictures.”
He regretted it.
And until a few years ago, he had also resented his comrades. Wondering why they hadn’t come even once in ten years.
“You, you guys….”
But now, they finally came.
His comrades found him after ten years.
If I had known, I would have brought Maesang-i Guk Tteokguk earlier!
Kwon Hyuk-bong blinked his eyes like a dazed person.
Then Ma Dong-seok, glaring, spoke.
– Kwon Hyuk-bong! You reckless guy. You knew I loved Maesang-i Guk Tteokguk, and you make me eat this after ten years?
“Dong-seok? Is it Ma Dong-seok?”
– “Look at this. Isn’t it Ma Dong-seok?” You don’t recognize your friend’s face after ten years!
“How could that be! How could you guys not come even once in all this time! I’ve dreamed all sorts of dreams, but how could only you guys….”
– I had my reasons. Anyway, it’s been a long time, Kwon Hyuk-bong.
At Ma Dong-seok’s words, the comrades standing beside him burst into laughter. Kwon Hyuk-bong scrutinized each of their faces.
He had so much to say, but for some reason, his words were stuck. Then his comrades threw questions at him. They seemed to have a lot they wanted to say too.
– Hyuk-bong, thanks for taking care of my younger brother. I was wondering how to marry him off, but thanks to you, it’s a bit easier. You!
– Hey, I’m grateful too. I’ve seen you taking care of our parents. Even when alive, I couldn’t be as filial. You saved one unfilial son.
– These guys. Are they the only ones talking? Don’t they know who’s grateful? I’m the most grateful here. Kwon Hyuk-bong, seeing you again is really something.
Most of them expressed gratitude for taking care of their families. Hearing those words, Kwon Hyuk-bong’s feelings turned sour, tainted with bitterness.
“It was something I should have done.”
At the same time, he felt guilt.
It should have been them who survived, not him. Kwon Hyuk-bong finally opened his tightly sealed lips.
“So, after ten years, that’s what you have to say? The ones you should be thankful for are… hmph. It’s me who should be grateful! Thanks to you guys, I’m the only one who survived!”
– Haha. Kwon Hyuk-bong is upset again.
– Is this guy blaming us?
“Yeah. I’m blaming you! Is that not allowed? So why did you save me then? Huh? I clearly said back then. Let’s just go, ignore it! Why did you all insist on going, knowing it was a path to death!”
Meanwhile, Ma Dong-seok finished the Maesang-i Guk Tteokguk in one shot.
Looking at Kwon Hyuk-bong yelling, he said.
– So, should we just stand by while people die? Even if I could go back, I’d make the same choice. I’d save people again and save you. I’ve never regretted my choice back then.
“This guy till the end!”
– So stop blaming yourself. Don’t you know how hard it was for us to see you like that all this time?
– Dong-seok is right. We have no regrets. We were concerned about our remaining families, but in the end, you took care of everything. We still think saving you back then was the right thing to do.
– Exactly. And look, Kwon Hyuk-bong, this guy, even got the President badge. We probably couldn’t have done it like you did.
Through their words, Kwon Hyuk-bong could suddenly understand.
“Wait. Have you been watching us all this time? Me becoming president, Jun-seok getting his brother married, Young-seok taking care of his parents, Maesang-i not eating the Guk Tteokguk?”
– You’re still a step behind. You’re only realizing this now?
– Yeah. This guy. We’ve been watching you all along. Is that all? We’ve been watching how you protect the country, how much you care for the people!
They had been by his side all along.
Kwon Hyuk-bong found solace in his heart.
“You guys….”
And then, at that moment, one of his comrades spoke urgently.
– Hey, it’s time to catch the sunrise. We have to go now.
“But I haven’t even said half of what I wanted to say! Where are we going?”
– I’ll come back again.
“Don’t bullshit me. Coming back in another ten years? I can’t let you go like this.”
– Thanks to him, we can occasionally come visit, so don’t worry about that.
“Him?”
– Yeah. Eat well and take care of the country until we come back again.
– Dong-seok is right. Hyuk-bong, you’ll be busier from now on. It’ll get tougher. But you can do it, Hyuk-bong. We’ll always be watching over you, so stay strong.
“You guys keep talking and leaving. Who the hell is he? When is he coming back?”
His comrades waved with sunny smiles. Kwon Hyuk-bong desperately reached out his hand. It felt like he could almost touch them.
And then.
There was something in his grasp.
“Come here, where are you going!”
“Mr. President? Mr. President! What are you doing?”
“I’ve been waiting for this day for so long….”
It was his secretary’s lapel.
“What? What’s going on…?”
Was it a knocking sound on the window?
The secretary frowned.
Just for a moment.
He quickly shook the fallen president to wake him up.
“Mr. President, are you okay?”
“Cough!”
Regaining his senses, Kwon Hyuk-bong quickly looked around. His comrades were nowhere to be found. Only the empty pot and utensils were neatly placed on the ground.
***
When a predator approaches, the pufferfish inflates its body with water or air as a defensive instinct to protect itself.
The pufferfish is not the only one. Animals each have their innate survival instincts.
And Park Won, who became a minion of the demons, was also preparing to confront his enemies. His enemy was none other than Dok Jong-sik.
After finishing his personal workout, Park Won left the training ground. His secretary handed him a towel as if waiting for him.
“Thank you.”
Naturally receiving the towel, Park Won wiped away the sweat.
The secretary, who had been waiting, cautiously spoke up.
“Congratulations, Director.”
“Congratulations? What do I have to be congratulated for?”
Park Won’s exercise was a simulated combat training. The machine installed in the training room was programmed with combat scenarios similar to real battles.
Park Won never skipped this training, not even for a day. The training usually took about 50 minutes.
But today.
“The training time was shortened by 20 minutes, so I wanted to inform you.”
Park Won finished all the training in just 30 minutes. It was a record that could only be seen as an improvement in skill. That’s why the secretary congratulated him.
“Oh, what am I being praised for again?”
However, despite receiving congratulations, Park Won seemed oddly indifferent. He was not satisfied with his own strength.
“Should I apply for a promotion?”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Chairman would surely be pleased if he knew.”
“No need for that. Why repeat what has already been said?”
Kim, the secretary, felt a chill running down his spine. He quickly lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry.”
As a result, he did not see Park Won’s eyes briefly turning red. Park Won struggled to suppress his rising impulse and reached out his hand.
“Give me the car keys.”
“I’ll drive you personally.”
“I told you not to make me repeat myself.”
The suppressed rage surged again. But now was the time to control himself. So Park Won grabbed the secretary by the collar. He wouldn’t kill him.
“Argh! D-Director!”
“Sometimes, humans need to be taught a lesson.”
But he felt like he needed a light touch.
The secretary writhed in pain as Park Won grabbed him.
“Argh!”
Park Won didn’t care and threw the secretary aside.
Thunk!
A dull thud followed.
The secretary hit the wall and flailed his body like a freshly caught mackerel. Blood from his banged head stained the floor.
“Ugh, ugh.”
The secretary groaned, and Park Won walked towards him. Then, kicking the fallen secretary lightly, he said,
“Car keys.”
“H-Here they are.”
The secretary, now understanding his words immediately, was like that because people need to be taught a lesson.
A moment later.
Park Won arrived at a neighborhood that had been reduced to ruins due to redevelopment. He checked the Telegram message.
[Delivery completed at 123-1 Black Door House, Basement]
He hummed a tune as he strolled down the shabby alley. Not long after, he found the house mentioned in the message.
Clang!
In the basement, they were gathered. It was quite a satisfactory amount. Park Won swallowed his saliva.
Then it happened.
A few prey beings regained consciousness in the light pouring through the open door.
“P-Please, spare us…”
“Aren’t you Park Won, the hunter from the Iron Blood Guild?”
One of them recognized Park Won. He was someone Park Won had never met before. Park Won, as the successor of the Iron Blood Guild, often appeared in the media. Perhaps that’s why they recognized him.
“Park Won, the hunter?”
“Did you come here to save us?”
Hope flickered in their faces.
Park Won chuckled as he looked at them.
How shameless could they be?
Begging for their lives from someone who wasn’t even involved.
“Hehehehehehe!”
Mad laughter echoed in the basement.
Finally, people began to sense something amiss.
Meanwhile, Park Won, who had stopped laughing, raised his head to meet the gaze of the prey.
“Scream!”
Someone let out a sharp scream. Park Won’s eyes met theirs, now tinged with red.
***
The sea before the storm is calm.
The same could be said for Sangwon-dong, where the Dok family lived.
Jong-pal was busy preparing breakfast, while Jong-sik and the rest of the family engaged in casual conversation.
“Yeon-ah, how’s school these days?”
“It’s good.”
“Really?”
“Don’t worry. I’m getting along well with my friends, and I like the new teachers! Oh, and next week, I’m going to play at Minji’s house. Hehe.”
Yeon-ah smiled brightly. Jong-sik sighed in relief. It wasn’t a lie.
“That’s good.”
Jong-sik smiled and patted Yeon-ah’s back. The conversation continued.
He also asked Tligo about the progress of the blacksmith’s site, made silly promises with Haeli, and mentioned taking a family trip someday.
Jong-sik felt truly peaceful and content in this moment.
However, peace was shattered by someone’s visit. Since it was before opening hours, the door was locked…
“Boss, boss!”
Someone banged on the locked shop door, looking for Jong-pal.
“Goodness, everyone has no sense of time! Hyungnim (older brother). Let me speak so you can understand.”
With a stern expression, Trigo intervened. Jong-sik stopped Trigo from getting up and said,
“No, I’ll go. Stay seated.”
The urgent tone and expression of the person knocking on the door didn’t seem like a regular customer coming for a meal. So Jong-sik decided to go and find out what was going on.
After a moment, the closed shop door opened.
“B-Boss. Boss, um…”
The middle-aged woman, visibly agitated, struggled to speak. Her face was pale.
“Calm down and speak slowly.”
Jong-sik looked into the woman’s eyes and spoke. She felt a comforting warmth in that moment, and her racing heart began to settle.
Finally, she explained the reason for her visit to the restaurant.
