LRAB Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Chapter 127
The Approaching Darkness (3)
A leisurely weekend lunch.
Jo Min-hyun sat in front of a carefully prepared meal.
“Mom, aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry. Honey, I’ll be going out for a bit.”
“Okay. Take care.”
It was clearly an ordinary day, no different from usual.
But Jo Min-hyun couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling.
“Where are you going?”
“I have an appointment nearby.”
“I see...”
After his mother went out, only the sound of chewing remained in the living room.
“Chew, chew.”
His father was eating as usual.
For some reason, Jo Min-hyun couldn’t swallow his food.
“Is something wrong?”
“No...”
He felt anxious.
It felt like an inexplicable sense of discomfort was creeping up from his toes.
“You’re at a growing age, you should eat well.”
“Yes...”
Jo Min-hyun picked up his spoon, then put it back down on the table.
Taking a deep breath, Jo Min-hyun looked at his father.
“Dad, don’t you think Mom’s been acting a bit strange lately?”
“What do you mean? Your mom being strange.”
“Just...”
In fact, it was his father who had first started acting strangely.
Jo Min-hyun had even had a serious conversation with his mother about his father in secret.
But at some point, his mother’s attitude suddenly changed.
At first glance, she seemed as kind as ever, but sometimes she looked like an emotionless doll.
“Sigh... It’s nothing.”
In the end, Jo Min-hyun couldn’t say anything.
“Looks like you have something on your mind.”
His father smiled at Jo Min-hyun.
“It’s not like that.”
“Let me help you.”
“What?”
Suddenly, his father stood up abruptly.
“No, it’s okay. You don’t need to...”
At that moment, something strange flowed out from his father’s body.
“Ahhh! What is this?!”
Jo Min-hyun screamed in terror at the sight.
“It’s okay. I’ll help you.”
Jo Min-hyun tried to run away, but his father’s strong hand grabbed him by the nape of his neck.
“Ahhh! I’m sorry! Please spare me!”
Jo Min-hyun struggled frantically.
But resistance was futile.
“It’ll be over soon. You’ll feel at ease.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Who are you people?”
“I’m Kang Hyeon from the Badass Guild.”
“Kang Hyeon!?”
A middle-aged man, thoroughly drunk.
Kang Hyeon handed his business card to the man.
“Oh, you were a famous person, I’ve committed a grave sin by not recognizing you~”
The middle-aged man laughed weakly and slammed his head on the table.
“Mr. Kim Bae-soon. Is that right?”
“Yes. I am indeed Kim Bae-soon.”
The middle-aged man, Kim Bae-soon, rubbed his hands together and sneered like a beggar from a historical drama.
Seeing this, a vein popped on Kang Hyeon’s forehead.
“Sigh, this guy really...”
“Mr. Kang Hyeon. Please be patient.”
Kang Hyeon was in the process of meeting nearby guild leaders based on the information provided by Shin Tae-gil.
“Mister. Try to sober up a bit. I have some questions to ask.”
“Yes, yes. Ask away.”
Most of them were not in good shape.
In a way, it was understandable, given that their once-thriving guilds had collapsed overnight.
The moment a dungeon break occurs, the life of that guild is over.
No matter how well they handled the situation afterward or how cleanly they wrapped things up, that fact doesn’t change.
As a result, most guild leaders had gone mad.
“Mister. Do you remember the day the dungeon broke?”
Kang Hyeon asked, looking straight into Kim Bae-soon’s eyes.
“The dungeon broke...?”
“Yes. The dungeon break.”
Suddenly, anger flashed in Kim Bae-soon’s unfocused eyes.
“That... That bastard!”
Kim Bae-soon suddenly shouted and slammed the table.
“Lee Man-seok! It’s all that son of a bitch’s fault! I’m innocent!”
Perhaps because he was once a guild leader, the table shattered with one punch.
“Sigh... he’s starting again.”
A woman’s sigh could be heard from inside.
“Lee Man-seok? Who’s that?”
In response to Kang Hyeon’s question, Kim Bae-soon unleashed a torrent of words.
“That pimp-like bastard! I shouldn’t have let him into the guild from the start. He should’ve just done his hunting well. Why did he suddenly break the main core without being told to! Making me like this!?”
“This Lee Man-seok broke the main core? Suddenly?”
“Yes! I need to beat that son of a bitch right now!”
Now that Kim Bae-soon seemed to have regained his senses, Kang Hyeon needed to extract as much information as possible.
He continued his questions without pause.
“This Lee Man-seok. Where is he now?”
“Don’t know.”
Suddenly, Kim Bae-soon slumped down in his chair.
“You don’t know?”
“He suddenly disappeared. That bastard...”
Frustrated, Kang Hyeon grabbed the man and asked.
“Where did he go?”
“I said I don’t know! Honey! Bring more alcohol!”
***
“It’s an honor to meet someone I’ve only seen on TV.”
“No, I’m more grateful that you came out so readily.”
In person, Jo Yu-sik was a man in his early 40s who exuded a calm and gentle impression.
“I dislike beating around the bush, so I’ll ask directly. The day the dungeon break occurred. Do you remember it?”
“Yes. I remember.”
“Could you tell me about it in detail?”
At Kang Hyeon’s request, Jo Yu-sik continued his explanation for a while.
“Hmm... So you’re saying it was an accident?”
“Yes. Fortunately, all the guild members were local residents, and thanks to sticking together even after the incident, we were able to keep the guild from falling apart.”
“What about the guild member who caused the accident?”
“They’re still part of the guild. They’re hunting all day long, trying to make up for their mistake somehow, but we’re extremely worried.”
Kang Hyeon was taken aback by Jo Yu-sik’s words.
“The guild member who caused the accident is alive?”
“Yes. For us, the dungeon break really occurred due to a ‘mistake.’ Didn’t I mention that the spell cast by that friend went astray and destroyed the main core? That’s why they’re still hunting hard, trying to revive the guild somehow.”
“It wasn’t going berserk, but a mistake?”
“It was a mistake.”
Jo Yu-sik emphasized once again in response to Kang Hyeon’s question.
“Even now, all the guild members are united like a family, tackling the dungeon.”
Kang Hyeon nodded with a somewhat dubious expression at Jo Yu-sik’s seemingly confident words.
“Yes... Thank you. Here’s compensation for your time.”
“No, no! We just had a brief conversation. I’m not in such a difficult situation... Rather, I had a rare experience meeting a famous person. Haha!”
Jo Yu-sik adamantly refused the money Kang Hyeon was offering.
After Jo Yu-sik, who had been responding to the conversation with such a friendly attitude, left, the group remaining at the cafe all fell into thought.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?”
Kang Hyeon asked, and
“You felt it too, brother? It is strange.”
An Yu-seong replied.
“Kang Hyeon. It’s definitely strange.”
Shin Seong-a chimed in.
Yoon Na-rae was confused by the sudden exchange between the three.
“What are you suddenly talking about? Strange? He seemed like a completely nice guy.”
In response to Yoon Na-rae’s question, everyone opened their mouths with serious expressions.
“He refused the money. That’s strange.”
“I just feel bad about it.”
“I’m somewhat good at reading faces, and that’s a typical con artist face.”
“Huh...”
Yoon Na-rae looked at the three with a bewildered face.
‘What kind of weirdos are these?’
***
Ippotranslation
***
-Ding dong, ding dong
Hearing the doorbell, Jo Yu-sik opened the front door.
“Who is...”
Before the door could fully open, someone abruptly stuck their head in.
“Mr. Jo Moon-seok. Sorry for coming suddenly.”
“It’s Jo Yu-sik, but...”
“Yes. Mr. Jo Yu-sik. If it’s alright, may I come in for a moment?”
Jo Yu-sik’s brow furrowed at Kang Hyeon’s unexpected request.
“This is sudden and inconvenient. My family is resting at home, so let’s talk outside.”
“Is that so? Let’s see.”
Despite being told to talk outside, Kang Hyeon forcibly pulled on the door.
Jo Yu-sik tried to stop him but was no match in terms of physical strength.
“Hey, what are you doing!?”
“Hmm...”
As Kang Hyeon poked his head inside the door, he saw a mother and son looking at him from the living room.
“Your wife is beautiful. And your son is handsome too! You must be very happy!”
“What are you doing! If you keep this up, I’ll call the police. No, should I post online that Kang Hyeon is going around breaking into people’s homes!?”
Jo Yu-sik looked genuinely angry.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. I thought Mr. Jo Yu-sik’s impression was so good today that we could have dinner together, but if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”
“If you understand, please leave now.”
“Let me ask just one thing before I go. Mr. Jo Yu-sik. How old is that son over there? He looks quite young.”
“He’s in second year of middle school. Satisfied?”
At Jo Yu-sik’s words, Kang Hyeon grinned.
“Ah! Second year of middle school! 15 years old! It’s a great age. I was quite something at that age. When did time pass like this.”
“Stop talking nonsense and leave! If you keep this up, I won’t be able to hold back!”
At Jo Yu-sik’s shout, Kang Hyeon retreated while chuckling.
“Alright, alright. I’m going. I’m leaving. Have a good night.”
Finally, as the door closed and Kang Hyeon’s face disappeared, Jo Yu-sik immediately locked the door with a chain.
“What kind of crazy bastard...”
At that moment,
-Crash!
With a thunderous sound, the door was shattered.
Hit by the flying door, Jo Yu-sik was thrown into the living room and crashed into the dining table.
“Ugh... What is this...?”
Looking towards the front door, he saw Kang Hyeon standing casually with his hands in his pockets.
“What are you doing! Do you really want to die!?”
Finally unable to hold back, Jo Yu-sik shouted.
“Hey, Jo Yu-sik. I was about to go home quietly, but suddenly something curious came to mind, so I came back.”
“You crazy bastard! This is crossing the line! You know that!?”
Jo Yu-sik yelled, but Kang Hyeon calmly picked his ear.
“Let me ask one thing.”
Kang Hyeon looked at Jo Yu-sik while picking his ear.
“Is your son perhaps an ability user?”
“What nonsense is that!?”
“How could a 15-year-old have magical power? And quite a strong scent at that.”
Suddenly, Jo Yu-sik’s face was tinged with bewilderment.
“Wh-what are you...”
“And with all this commotion, those two are too calm? Must have nerves of steel, huh?”
It was as Kang Hyeon said.
The living room, which should have been filled with screams, was eerily quiet.
Jo Yu-sik’s wife and son were both staring at Kang Hyeon with expressionless faces, without saying a word.
No, they even seemed a bit angry.
“Jo Yu-sik. What have you done?”
Suddenly, Jo Yu-sik’s face contorted like an evil spirit.
“You son of a bitch! Kill him!”
At Jo Yu-sik’s words, his wife and son grabbed kitchen knives and rushed forward.
Watching the knife tips approaching in real-time, Kang Hyeon smiled contentedly.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you came out like this from the start?”