Chapter 289: Chapter 289

“Do you remember that? The cigarette?”

“You mean the one that got tossed into the oven?”

At Seo Seo-Нee’s words, Dan Haera tilted her head.

“That’s a surprise. Isn’t this the first time you’ve brought that up yourself?”

“I’ve just been tracing back some memories lately.”

“That doesn’t really count as a memory worth reminiscing about.”

“Then let’s just call it an old recollection.”

Around that moment, a man entered the room.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, Jeong Hae-Woon.”

Seo Seo-Нee called out to the middle-aged-looking man.

“The fuck, are you saying that because you think the gardens are a fucking mess lately? Huh? I told you to think at least thirty times before you talk.”

“I don’t know why this bastard starts cursing the moment he walks in.”

“Then you try being a gardener. Bastards with shitty tempers, they don’t listen to a single damn word. Anyway, what were you talking about?”

“...What? Were you day drinking?”

Jeong Hae-Woon stared at Seo Seo-Нee with an odd expression as he sat down.

“We get together to eat after so long and you’re killing the mood.”

“I’ve just been reminiscing about the past.”

“That’s how you end up screwing over the promises we made. If you’re not the one cleaning up the mess, just live forgetting it.”

“Maybe I’m getting sentimental because I’ve run into a forgotten connection.”

Jeong Hae-Woon leaned back in his chair and asked,

“He’s been getting those lunchboxes, right?”

Seo Seo-Нee nodded with a faint smile.

“Make sure you say that in front of your followers too.”

“They’re not followers, asshole. Clients. Don’t call our precious investors that.”

Jeong Hae-Woon raised his middle finger and looked at Dan Haera.

“She’s running late today.”

“Makes sense. This country’s in a pretty messed-up state lately.”

“Oh my, saying that in front of the Association President?”

“Give me a bit more capital and I could run things better.”

“Shall we continue this conversation in documents, then?”

“You’re all so heartless, my only hope is Eunhye.”

“Why do you talk like that?”

Jeong Hae-Woon raised both middle fingers.

“Just kill me instead.”

“Haewoon, when are you going to grow up?”

Clicking his tongue, Jeong Hae-Woon finally lowered his hands and crossed his arms.

“Not just you, but the fact that even Haera and Kang Eunseong seem fine with this Sergio guy... tells me he’s probably decent. Still, let’s be careful not to end up breaking our promise.”

“That’s part of why I’ve been retracing things.”

Jeong Hae-Woon looked at Seo Seo-Нee.

“...You’re not saying it’s really him?”

“I thought there was a possibility.”

“We built the system based on the memory of one person? Just one? Is that even possible?”

Long ago, they committed an act called the “Promise of Eternity.” They created Earth’s system. The cost of that promise was their humanity—they lost it and became immortal. It came with side effects, too.

That meant there had to be a central memory given as the price for that promise. But once forgotten, that memory could never be recalled. They’d tried to uncover the identity of that sacrificed memory before—only to fail.

“He was twenty-nine, wasn’t he?”

“And died... and came back.”

“Fuck’s sake, did you all have this whole conversation without me while I was out checking the gardens? You all did your little dance behind my back, huh?”

“We’re going to be staring at these same faces for a long time. Let’s try to make it less unbearable...”

Seo Seo-Нee looked exhausted.

“I thought you’d been informed.”

“It’s been so noisy lately, I haven’t even had time to receive reports.”

“Then listen with Eunhye later. Anyway, what I’m guessing is that Hunter Sergio is someone from right before or after the Catastrophe. And I heard he was our teacher.”

“Teacher? Fuck’s sake, don’t tell me that scammer just smooth-talked his way in again?”

Jeong Hae-Woon grimaced.

“I’ve never had a good teacher in my entire life. And now a teacher? Back when we were students? Teacher and student, adult and minor, guardian and dependent. Yeah, that’s all just perfect.”

He’d been someone they desperately needed at the time. Which only made Jeong Hae-Woon more suspicious. The world hadn’t been that kind to them.

“It’s too ideal. Too perfect—it’s bullshit.”

“Nothing I say here will convince you anyway. Live however you want.”

“Just setting yourself up to get betrayed again.”

“Honestly, if I’ve been fooled again this time, I think I’m fine with that.”

“...You’re fucking hopeless...”

Jeong Hae-Woon let out a deep sigh and raised his glass.

“Why’s no one else got a drink yet?”

“Eunhye’s not even here yet and you’re already drinking?”

“She can’t handle liquor anyway, her liver’s pathetic.”

“You’ve got such a charming way with words, asshole.”

“I swear, her alcohol tolerance gets worse every day.”

“Well, she is a C-rank hunter...”

Seo Seo-Нee shrugged as she snatched the bottle and filled the glasses for Jeong Hae-Woon and Dan Haera. They’d seen each other at their worst, but pouring your own drink still felt wrong.

“Anyway, the timing does line up.”

“And he’s also one of the Black Cloak’s apostles.”

Dan Haera nodded as if half-convinced.

“So don’t be too defensive, Haewoon.”

“You guys aren’t, so I have to be.”

“You know I’ve got too many holes in my memory. I’ve only started patching things together recently. Honestly, I can’t be your ‘standard’ anymore.”

“...Why the hell are you saying stuff like that...”

“That’s why I want you to get closer with Seohee.”

Dan Haera smiled and raised her glass.

The three lightly clinked their glasses.

“Eunhye’s going to feel left out.”

“She only drinks orange juice anyway.”

“No, she’s on kale juice lately for detox.”

“Fuck, what’s the difference. That’s hilarious.”

Jeong Hae-Woon shook his glass in irritation.

“But seriously, why bring up cigarettes on such a nice day, Seo Seo-Нee? This bastard really has no sense of atmosphere. Maybe if you live another fifty years, you’ll grow out of it?”

“No, I just... remembered it suddenly.”

“And what’s the point of thinking about those shitty bastards again?”

“They were shitty, yeah.”

Seo Seo-Нee chuckled.

“To open a working oven just to throw a cigarette in... Even now, that’s insane.”

“Thanks to them, the cookies you and Eunhye were baking turned to ash.”

“It really was a shame. You said those were for me.”

“You were going through a hard time back then.”

“You’re such a kind soul, Seohee.”

“Well, Eunhye’s the one who suggested we bake them.”

Seo Seo-Нee laughed helplessly.

“After the oven exploded, everything was chaos. When I came to, it was a sea of fire.”

“Yeah. It spread faster because it was the home ec room—there was oil, gas... You said escaping was tough too.”

“How did we even get out?”

“You remember the back door of the home ec room was locked.”

The school had two exits on the first floor: front and back. The back door, closest to the home ec room, was always locked and crammed with junk. They blocked it to stop students from sneaking out.

The front door was far, and the windows weren’t an option either. The old windows barely opened, and the cooking oil by them had already caught fire and spread.

“Haewoon, your leg was broken...”

“You carried me out.”

“I just thought we’d be too slow otherwise.”

Seo Seo-Нee shrugged.

“Don’t know if you remember, but we were completely out of it. The oven exploded in a chain reaction, Eunhye and I got seriously hurt, and those bastards shoved us aside trying to escape... We got stabbed by shards, the smoke was thick, and it hurt like hell.”

The school had been poorly maintained. If it had been repaired and inspected regularly, things might not have gone that far. At least the fire would’ve spread slower.

And back then, they weren’t mature enough to evacuate calmly under pressure.

“I wondered... if someone might’ve helped us.”

Jeong Hae-Woon tilted his head.

“Isn’t that a little ridiculous?”

“‘Might be,’ my ass...”

Jeong Hae-Woon’s face twisted.

“It was the first floor. Even if the front door was far, how far could it have been? Even if the fire spread fast, we could’ve run faster. Sure, we lost time yelling about the fire, but still...”

Muttering, Jeong Hae-Woon glanced at Dan Haera.

“...Where were you then?”

“How did you get out?”

“I think I walked out.”

“Did you say ‘think’?”

“Hmm, let me see... I was out of it too, back then.”

She’d never thought of it as something important. Then and now, the real issue for them was all the disasters they had to endure after escaping school. A dumb fire caused by some idiots didn’t matter.

Surviving alone had been overwhelming—they hadn’t been able to recall even the past they’d endured.

“...Right, I walked out. I remember you two greeting me at the front door.”

“...Not out the window, but through the front? Wait, was it?”

“That’s how I remember it.”

“You were in the music room on the top floor. How’d you walk out the front?”

“Now that you mention it...”

Dan Haera tilted her head.

“But I awakened that day. I figured it was thanks to that. My skills activated, and my body got stronger, so I thought # Nоvеlight # I just walked out of the fire.”

“Skills... Right, you said you used your skill then. That’s how you got out...”

Jeong Hae-Woon frowned as if something still felt off.

“...How did we even get close?”

“...I don’t really remember.”

“But even with that, it’s hard to prove a connection with Hunter Sergio.”

“True. Most ordinary friends can’t even recall when they first met.”

Jeong Hae-Woon sighed.

“...Hey, when’s Eunhye coming?”

“Oh my, going to ask her?”

“She’s the only one who might remember.”

“If she’s involved in the promise, maybe it’s better not to.”

“Yeah, no shit. I just said it. This whole thing is fucked.”

Their “promise” would be nullified the moment the price was returned. If Hunter Sergio was really tied to the Promise of Eternity, it was better not to remember.

And the price, once paid, didn’t disappear forever. If a trigger came, it could resurface. And the one acting as that “trigger” now... was one of their own: Cha Eun-Hye.

They carried a weight too heavy to act on whims.

“...Still, he’s a good person. The teacher.”

“...Since when do you call him teacher, fuck.”

“He’s not even human anymore, that thing’s a monster.”

“How can a gardener say something so ignorant?”

“Shit, he’s getting sharp-tongued. I’m scared now.”

Jeong Hae-Woon chuckled like he spat it out and downed his drink.

“Why is this booze so bland?”

“The bland part is your personality, Jeong Hae-Woon.”

Clicking his tongue, Jeong Hae-Woon set his glass down.

“...Yeah, let’s just live like we don’t know. I don’t know what his intention is, but it looks like he doesn’t want to talk either.”

That guy—“Hunter Sergio”—had made his name known some time ago. If he wanted to reveal the truth, he’d had plenty of chances. The fact that he hadn’t meant he was respecting the weight they bore.

“Cha Eun-Hye’s good at acting, but that bastard remembers everything alone. If it really is an important memory and Eunhye cracks under pressure... Earth could be fucked.”

“Eunhye’s not that inexperienced.”

“Even if she’s skilled, the pressure’s still there. We don’t remember a thing—lucky us. But if he was really that important? If he was genuinely good? That’s a cruel burden to put on her.”

A beat later, Jeong Hae-Woon added,

“...And on Hunter Sergio too.”

Besides, they said he had already died.

“This is grave desecration.”

“You’re talking out of your ass again.”

“Feels like I’m digging up a grave with a shovel. Fuck. It’s sickening.”

At this rate, Sergio had died, been forgotten, and become Earth’s compost—only to return as a ghost. Jeong Hae-Woon suddenly felt exhausted. His stomach churned like he might puke.

He hadn’t died human. He’d become a wraith, bound to the Origin.

It left a bitter taste.

“Every time you feel guilty, your face twists like that.”

“...Because I feel like shit. It’s proof my inside and outside match. So what.”

“That’s just self-defense, you petty bastard.”

“Fuck you, man. You think I’ve got the bandwidth to care about your drama?”

“I’m barely handling Korea, and now I’ve gotta deal with you too?”

“You... you should at least respect your gardener...”

Jeong Hae-Woon dragged a hand down his face.

“God, I hate this feeling.”

“You think any of us like it?”

“When do we finally get to train our successors?”

“You think it’s happening soon? Try another hundred years.”

Only when Earth stabilized could they begin living their own lives. Only then could they handle their guilt and grief toward those they’d forgotten. But not now. Definitely not now.

Just then, the door opened and someone entered.

“You already started drinking?”

It was Cha Eun-Hye, the so-called puppet president of Korea.

“What’s with the mood? Did someone die?”

“Alright, let me guess. Basil? Fluffy? Dory? Cyanide? Ragnarok the Third?”

“No, not the guild pets...”

“Then a cat? But all the Justitia owners are alive and well.”

“It was just someone who died years ago.”

“And the mood got just for that?”

Cha Eun-Hye sat down awkwardly.

“What’s with Haewoon’s face?”

Dan Haera called out to her.

“I’ve got a question.”

Dan Haera poured her a drink and asked,

“Do you know someone named Sergio?”

“Huh? Yeah... I know him.”

Cha Eun-Hye picked up her glass and shrugged.

“He’s a famous hunter.”

Looking at her hand, Dan Haera smiled.

“He seems like a good person.”

“I heard he brings Seohee meals. I’m jealous.”

“Should I not have asked?”

Cha Eun-Hye smiled as she replied.

It was a peaceful drinking party.