I Awakened With My Dark History - Chapter 04

========== CHAPTER 4 ==========

The vines and flowers that had been protecting them began to wither all at once.

Soon, the situation outside the vines finally came into view.

The Hunter was nowhere to be seen, but Moray Eel Monsters and Fishmen were visible.

“H-Hunter…! They’re gone!”

“What do you mean?!”

“Did the Hunter get taken out?!”

The people gasped in shock and stumbled backward.

But soon, they realized that the Moray Eels and Fishmen were all looking in one direction.

There was someone standing on water that was floating in mid-air.

Kyaaaaak!

The Moray Eel Monsters all lunged toward him.

Then, he lightly tapped the water with his toe.

The water at his feet rippled and turned into thin streams that swept across the area.

Seogeok. Seogeok. Seogeok.

The thin streams sliced through the Moray Eel Monsters all at once with immense pressure.

Having killed all the Moray Eel Monsters, he landed lightly on the ground.

A student who hadn’t been seen before was in his arms.

Someone among the people recognized the student’s face.

“Cho-eun-ah!”

As the couple ran over, the other person set the student down on the floor.

“She is safe. Please do not worry.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you!”

The couple bowed their heads frantically, greeting him. The other person smiled gently.

“It is my job.”

Only then did the couple look directly at the person’s face.

It was someone who didn’t look much older than Ha Cho-eun.

The only unique feature was their eyes.

A bright yellow light, like lightning striking, kept flashing over jet-black pupils.

It was a fascinating pair of eyes, but there was no time to keep admiring them.

Ttadak! Ttakttakttak!

A Fishman raised its trident and lunged toward them.

The couple reflexively hugged their daughter tightly.

The Hunter waved his hand dismissively toward his back.

Then, the ground rose up, turning into stone spikes that pierced the Fishmen.

The Hunter stood up and gestured to the couple.

“You can take her out of the dungeon now.”

“Out of the dungeon? But the path…”

The Hunter held up a finger and pointed somewhere.

There was a vortex there that hadn’t been there before.

The glowing vortex was clearly a dungeon gate.

“There are some dungeons where a gate appears once you clear the monsters. This must have been one of those cases. You can go through there.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

The people cheered at the suddenly appeared gate and ran out.

The couple stood up, carrying their unconscious daughter on their backs.

Choi Arin approached them.

“Ma’am, Sir! Is Cho-eun okay?”

“Yes, yes. She’s fine. You should hurry and get out too.”

The couple pushed Choi Arin’s back.

Choi Arin’s parents were gesturing from in front of the gate, urging their daughter to hurry.

They left the Hunter behind and stepped forward.

Just then, the Hunter suddenly called them back.

“Wait a moment.”

The three people turned to look at the Hunter simultaneously.

The Hunter was fixing his gaze on Choi Arin.

Choi Arin tilted her head in confusion.

“That notebook in your hand.”

Choi Arin pulled her friend’s Dark History, which she had carried all the way here so preciously, into her arms.

She could read it and tease her friend, but she had no intention of showing it to anyone else.

“This is just something we accidentally brought in from outside the dungeon, right? It’s not an item or anything.”

“I know.”

The Hunter looked straight at Choi Arin’s face.

“You will keep it a secret, won’t you?”

“Uh, yes… I suppose.”

She was past the age of teasing her friend by doing things she hated.

It was only natural.

As she nodded, the Hunter added one more thing.

“Even from her.”

“Pardon? From her? Why?”

Choi Arin asked reflexively. The other person couldn’t hide a strangely embarrassed expression.

“Because she would be too embarrassed.”

Choi Arin understood the meaning behind those words and her jaw dropped.

Hiding the notebook tightly in her arms was a reflexive action.

“We’ve been carrying this the whole time, though? How did you…?”

The Hunter shook his head without a word. Then, a gust of wind from somewhere pushed the four of them.

In the view thrown outside the gate, the dungeon was no longer visible.

Now, only very realistic noises remained around them.

Crying, sirens, announcement voices, etc.

Choi Arin turned her head to look at her friend.

“Is this the patient?”

A paramedic approached the friend who was fast asleep.

The realization that everything was finally over returned.

The bed felt strangely hard, unlike usual. And it was too noisy around here.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

“Cho-eun-ah! Are you awake? Honey! Cho-eun is awake!”

“She’s awake?!”

Then, familiar faces appeared from the unfamiliar ceiling.

“Mom? Dad?”

“Yes. You’re okay. Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”

Mom hugged me tightly.

Only then could I see my surroundings properly.

This place, filled with pure white tiles, was clearly a hospital.

“Right, the dungeon! I fell into a dungeon!”

I was even attacked by a monster. I lowered my hand.

Thump.

My hand rested naturally on my leg.

The memory I had momentarily forgotten because it was so natural came rushing back.

“My leg!”

“Your leg…?”

“It got ripped off!”

“It got ripped off?”

I couldn’t even hear my parents’ voices chiming in from the side.

My leg was perfectly fine and in its place.

I wondered if it had all been a dream.

“We fell into a dungeon, right? Who saved us?”

As I sat up and asked, Mom nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. Hunters rushed over and saved us. There are some who couldn’t make it out, but we and Arin’s family all got out.”

Those yellow eyes.

It seemed it wasn’t a dream that the yellow-eyed Hunter had saved me.

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes, it is.”

Tap-tap-tap.

The sounds of medical staff still running around busily were loud.

Someone ran to my bed as well.

“Ha Cho-eun! You’re awake?!”

Not a medical staff member, but Choi Arin.

“Hey! You’re safe!”

I couldn’t help but smile brightly, overcome with joy.

Choi Arin looked at me with a strangely twisted face.

It looked like she was smiling, but also like she found it funny.

Choi Arin handed me something, her lips trembling.

“Hey… I’m not the only one who’s safe. This is safe too.”

“Aaaack! It’s the cursed notebook!”

It’s not like it’s a cockroach, why does it keep coming back from the dead!

As I screamed and snatched the notebook, a startled nurse ran to the bed.

“What’s going on!?”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I was just startled…”

Choi Arin and I both bowed our heads.

The nurse looked at us with a stern gaze once and then left.

I barely managed to compose my embarrassed self and tucked the notebook into my arms.

As my heart settled, the person I had momentarily forgotten came to mind again.

“Did that yellow-eyed Hunter save us? And treat me too?”

“Uh…?”

Choi Arin blinked, looking confused.

“I remember that Hunter saving us, but I don’t remember anything else. What happened after we hid in that path?”

The longer my question went on, the wider Choi Arin’s mouth opened.

In the end, the words that came out of her mouth were these.

“Ah! I really should have filmed it with my phone!”

“What are you talking about?”

Choi Arin screamed like someone who was deeply frustrated, then finally composed herself.

“Right. That person saved us. It was someone else who treated you, but that person left quickly, so you didn’t see them.”

“Ah, I see.”

The fact that I was the only one who didn’t see the Hunter was strangely disappointing.

But considering the people who didn’t return from the dungeon, this disappointment was a luxury.

I fiddled with the notebook and leaned toward Mom and Dad.

“It’s really a relief that we’re all safe.”

“Indeed.”

My parents quietly hugged me tight.

We wiped away tears and shared the joy of survival. And in this touching moment, Choi Arin quietly ruined the mood.

“But what are you going to do with that notebook?”

“Incinerate it.”

“Hey, we survived the dungeon together, have some loyalty. Keep it.”

Choi Arin said something strangely nonsensical.

I smiled and opened my mouth.

“I’d incinerate it even if you gave me 1 billion won.”

“Do you know how hard I worked to protect that?”

“I’d incinerate it even if you gave me 10 billion won.”

“…You disloyal Chloris. Is that what the flower garden taught you?”

Where did the frying pan go?

If you can’t have a pheasant, a chicken will do. I grabbed the pillow instead, since it was the next best thing.

Choi Arin, using her quick wits, scurried away.

“Hey, still, think about keeping it! A notebook that survived a dungeon, that’s rare.”

Even so, the fact that she insisted on adding one more word was strangely pathetic.

‘Did she open it while I was unconscious?’

My eyes narrowed automatically with reasonable suspicion.

As that suspicion arose, my will to incinerate the notebook naturally grew even stronger.

The groans and crying sounds around me were no longer audible.

Now, I can return to daily life.

Only that fact hit me hard.

And like flowing water, 8 years passed.

Fortunately, our family regained our daily lives.

The accident 8 years ago, which felt like a scene from a novel, had now become one of my old memories.

The threat of dungeons is still present, dungeon disaster alerts exist, and designated danger zones are increasing.

Nevertheless, people commute to work or school, and when they return home, they can laugh out loud.

Our family became like that too.

Although our house changed, it didn’t remain as a scar.

Because our home will still warmly welcome me at any time.

“Wow, can you believe that happened 8 years ago? I was so surprised when I saw the date.”

—Time flies so fast. Since we moved to a suburban house for free because of that incident, it was actually better for us. I’m glad we included the dungeon special clause in our home insurance.

“You have it for the current house too, right?”

—Of course. How about you? Is your studio apartment okay?

Mom asked worriedly over the phone.

Even though I’ve been living on my own for 3 years, Mom’s worrying never ceased.

“Yes. Everything is fine. I’m eating chicken after getting off work today.”

—You should eat a proper meal. You shouldn’t replace a meal with things like that.

“I ate rice for breakfast and lunch.”

A suspicious silence returned from over the phone at the excuse I quickly added.

I responded with silence as well and picked up a beer can.

In the end, it was Mom who gave up the suspicion first. Since there was no way to verify it, it seemed she didn’t have the energy to continue doubting.

—Make sure to eat breakfast well. Should I send you some side dishes?

“It’s okay. I still have kimchi left. I’ll eat that first.”

—That’s still left? You should eat it up quickly.

“You sent too much! I’m eating kimchi fried rice with kimchi stew and kimchi as a side dish right now.”

—You’re eating well.

“Ah, Mom!”

I heard Mom laughing over the phone.

I also chuckled and sipped my beer.

Whenever I brought up the story from 8 years ago, the Hunter who saved me always came to mind.

That Hunter, of whom I could barely remember anything but the eyes.

Out of curiosity, I searched for news related to our apartment to find that Hunter, but I could never see them again.

‘Are they still active? They aren’t gone, are they?’

Ding—

“Hm?”

Did I get a text?

I took the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen.

But there were no new notifications on the screen.

As I tilted my head in confusion, a square box came into my view.

As if the box knew I had discovered it, it flickered and displayed the following content.

“Aaaack!!”

The prairie dog reappeared after 8 years. Mom, who was on the other end of the phone, was startled and raised her voice.

—Why, why, why are you doing that?! Why, what’s wrong?!

I screamed reflexively, but I absolutely couldn’t tell her the truth.

“The department head called! Crazy bastard! On a Friday night, what the! What a pain in the ass!”

As I answered, gathering all the wit I had—and didn’t have—in front of my Dark History, Mom sighed as if she were dumbfounded.

—You scared me. Why are you screaming over something like that?

Fortunately, it was common for the department head to contact me late at night, so Mom didn’t notice anything and let it slide.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll call you back later. Bye-bye.”

—Okay. Bye-bye.

The call ended, and now only my Dark History remained in front of me.

Sadly.