Chapter 37: Survivor 3
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Sarang realized that what she had experienced was not a dream and, at first, she felt astounded, but that soon turned to fear. She did not know when they would summon her again to the Dimensional Battlefield, so she wanted to look for Junhyuk. However, she only knew his face and not anything else about him, so it was difficult to find him.
Then, a week passed by without her being taken to the Dimensional Battlefield, and that included a Friday. She felt relieved, but another Friday was approaching, and she got really scared again.
Then, on that Thursday, she saw Junhyuk on TV. The TV subtitles said he was an employee of ST Capsule, and she jumped with joy. After school, she went straight to the ST Capsule's HQ and she saw the huge poster with Junhyuk's photo. She was appreciating the photo when Junhyuk came out and she became overjoyed upon seeing him.
Junhyuk, on the other hand, looked really surprised. Sarang hopped to him and looked up at him. On the Dimensional Battlefield, she really had to look up, but, in the real world, he didn't seem so tall.
Still, his beaming eyes were the same as before. He just looked really surprised.
Junhyuk was surprised by Sarang's entrance. His coworkers were walking behind him, and their eyes widened ever so slight while looking at them, especially Somin. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him, and it was enough to drill a hole on Junhyuk's back.
Junhyuk awkwardly smiled and turned. Mr. Jang smiled and said:
"I thought you weren't feeling well, right?!"
Junhyuk faked a cough and introduced Sarang.
"She is my cousin."
Everyone had suspected that and looked at Sarang. She turned away from their gazes and looked at Junhyuk. Junhyuk winked at her, and Sarang smiled brightly and bowed.
"Hello. I am Sarang Kim."
Sarang had big eyes and a good disposition. She was wearing her school uniform, which made the male coworkers choke. They really liked her. The female coworkers felt uncomfortable with the male coworkers.
Mr. Jang grinned and said:
"A cousin?"
"Yes, I haven't seen him for a long time. Could I borrow him for the day?"
Mr. Jang thought she was cute, and she spoke well. He laughed and said:
"He isn't feeling well. Ms. Sarang, you should take good care of him."
"Yes, I will."
Sarang took Junhyuk's arm and said:
"Then, we will be going."
Junhyuk smiled awkwardly, bowed and left. Looking at him, Mr. Jang shrugged and said:
"Don't think anything immoral and let's go to dinner. Junhyuk wouldn't engage in any immoral behavior. He isn't a sugar daddy. Relationships aren't based on money."
He wasn't too distant from them and heard everything being said. Junhyuk looked at Sarang and sighed.
He had already guessed why she came to see him, but why did it have to be that day? He would be summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield soon. He wanted to lie down in his house, and that left him with just one hour.
"I only have about thirty minutes."
"Is your house close by?"
"No."
"Then, let's go together."
Junhyuk looked at her straight, and Sarang smiled and said:
"On the way, I could ask you questions on what I'm curious about."
"OK, let's go."
Sarang and Junhyuk got on the subway and were among a crowd. It was busy, and the hellish subway was not a good place to talk. Junhyuk was able to make a path and placed Sarang against a pole by the door.
He had three times the strength of an ordinary person, so he stood with force and made space.
"Who is pushing?"
Someone yelled from the opposite side, but Junhyuk ignored it and talked to Sarang:
"We should whisper."
"OK."
"What were you curious about?"
Sarang looked around and said:
"It wasn't a dream, right?!"
Junhyuk nodded heavily. Sarang swallowed her saliva and asked:
"Will they summon me again?"
Junhyuk worried for a moment and answered:
"I'm not sure."
"Why?"
"You are a minion."
Sarang tilted her head.
"What does that mean?"
Junhyuk sighed and replied:
"They summoned me because I was a novice. They think they can use my power. Heroes can summon me based on their contract."
Sarang's big eyes widened, and Junhyuk continued calmly:
"Of course, no minions had survived the first battlefield I went to. So, I'm not sure if they will summon you again or not."
"Then, maybe I don't have to go back?"
"Right."
"Hmm."
Sarang worried and asked:
"If they summon me, what do I have to do?"
Junhyuk looked her in the eyes and said:
"Do as I taught you."
Sarang saw Junhyuk's beaming eyes and felt as though she had already been summoned to battlefield. His aura was strong, and it wasn't only affecting her. Other people were stepping away from him.
He continued calmly:
"Focus on staying alive."
Sarang sighed.
"How can I survive without you?"
Junhyuk worried a little. In fact, Sarang's survival had had a lot to do with Vera's care. If a hero didn't look after a minion, that minion would end up dead.
That was because heroes were ruthless.
He caressed her head.
"Practice."
"What?"
"Practice what you've learned from Vera," he continued calmly. "I practiced what Artlan had taught me ceaselessly to catch up to my soul's growth, but, because of it, the battlefield became a little safer.
She nodded.
"In any case, I have been practicing hard."
It was fun making an energy orb. It required a high level of concentration. Her focus level went up and so did her grades at school.
She spent the same amount of time studying, but her concentration level decided her grades, and her memory skills also improved. She didn't know why.
"Hard work does not betray you, so practice harder."
"I will."
Junhyuk wondered and looked at her and asked:
"By the way, did you tell your parents where you were going today?"
"I did not."
"What if they summon you to the Dimensional Battlefield?"
Sarang smiled awkwardly. The first time, they had thought she had been sleeping, but what would happen if it happened again? Even if she returned from the battlefield, it would still pose a problem.
She thought of something new and, with a bright smile, looked at him.
"Big bro, can I come over today?"
He felt other people looking at him. He lifted his head and tapped her hard on the forehead, almost shouting an excuse:
"You don't need an reason to visit a cousin's house!"
People around him were suspicious of that, but their attention died down. Sarang put out her tongue and smiled:
"He-he!"
Junhyuk smiled bitterly.
"It wasn't a bad idea, but next time don't wear your school uniform."
She put her hand on her hips and said:
"Why? Don't I look pretty?"
"You also have to think about me!"
Sarang realized the situation she had put him in and smiled.
"I wore it so you wouldn't refuse to see me."
He shook his head and said:
"Let's talk more about it later at my house."
"OK."
It looked like she would give up easily, but she didn't. She followed Junhyuk, asking many questions about many things, and he had to answer all her questions on the way home.
They arrived at his house, and he looked back quickly. She looked around in wonder, and he looked at her, sighed and opened the door to his house.
It was his character to clean his house at all times, but having a girl over, especially a high school student, was something he did not expect.
He opened the door and asked her to come in:
"Come in."
Sarang was smiling while she looked around the place. Junhyuk took out a cold drink from the refrigerator, gave it to her and said:
"I will go shower. Wait here!"
"What? You are leaving me here to shower?"
"Don't joke around."
They had been to the battlefield field together, and it had been hell. Because of that, she felt more like a friend than a woman, and he could joke with her.
Junhyuk went to the bathroom, and Sarang sat on his bed tapping her feet. A moment later, he had cleaned up. He gave her some workout clothes, took a can of beer out of the refrigerator and sat on a chair drinking his beer.
"Go change."
"Go where?"
Sarang put the pants on underneath her skirt and also changed her jacket right there. She zipped her jacket and sat in front of Junhyuk, lifting her hand up. She made an energy orb with her hands.
"I do it well, no?"
Junhyuk didn't know how a magician minion would evolve. So, he didn't have any advice.
"Practice what Vera taught you. You will get better."
"By the way, does this work here?"
"Did you not check?"
"If I break something with this, it will be a problem."
Junhyuk placed his beer can on the desk and said:
"Shoot."
Sarang aimed her hands at the beer can, and the energy orb became an energy bolt and shot off.
Bang!
There was a hole in the can, and Junhyuk checked his wall. The wall did not have a hole, but it was damaged rather deeply.
He looked at her and said:
"You shouldn't use it on people."
"I shouldn't."
On the Dimensional Battlefield, she had used it on enemy minions without a second thought, but, in reality, its destructiveness was greater than she had imagined. Still, it could smash an enemy minion's head with just one shot.
"But don't hesitate on the battlefield."
"Of course!"
Sarang knew what she had to do. She tapped her feet and said:
"Big brother, is this your third time?"
"Yes."
She looked at him.
"What happens if you go alone?"
Junhyuk answered with his arms folded.
"If I fall asleep, just go home."
"What if I fall asleep as well?"
"Then, we will meet on the battlefield."
Sarang folded her arms.
"If they don't summon me this time, does that mean I don't ever have to go back?"
"I will ask them about it."
"Hmm."
Impressed, Sarang got up.
"When you fall asleep, I will wait right here."
"There is no need. I might never wake up."
"That's all the more reason I should stay here."
Junhyuk looked at her straight. He laughed at what she said and wrote down a phone number.
"Here. My parents' phone number. If I don't wake up, call them up."
Sarang got worried and gave him a phone number. He looked at it and looked at her.
"What's this?"
"I might not wake up either. You should call my house."
Junhyuk looked at her and, all of a sudden, threw the notes in the garbage can. Sarang was surprised and shouted:
"Big brother!"
He looked at her.
"We go together and come back together."
"But..."
No one knew what would happen on that cold battlefield. It wasn't easy to come back alive and together.
Junhyuk looked at his watch and lay down. It was almost eight o'clock.
"You should lie down," he told to her.
"OK."
She lay on the bed and put her hands on her pounding heart. Thinking about the Dimensional Battlefield scared her, so she thought of what Junhyuk had told her and felt relieved.
They would go together and would return together.
Sarang thought of Junhyuk and closed her eyes. The clock struck eight.