There were always many people around Cheon Sungheon.
He’s rumored to be a child of a chaebol family, and that everyone can recognize him just by hearing his name.
It’s also said that his popularity is extremely high yet he preserves a neat attitude and good manners.
Because of that, Cheon Sungheon was often invited to drinking parties even though he can’t handle alcohol that well.
Even so, the courteous Sungheon still attended those parties without losing control over his alcohol tolerance and without destroying the atmosphere of a drinking party.
But that one day…
I guess he was just unlucky.
— You’re back in school aren’t you? Then you’ll be just fine…
— Why do you forcing Sungheon to drink more? Are you trying to have a drinking battle with him?
— Am I not allowed to call him out?
— That jerk is still in his senses. I was just trying to pull that out of the way, but I was the one given a punishment.
That day was the discharge day of a senior soldier who went to the army late after serving as a section chief.
Perhaps because he was discharged from the military, the man seemed to have nothing to fear anymore.
On top of that, he didn’t seem to like the excessively good junior that is Cheon Sungheon.
Former Representative Jeon made Sungheon drink a lot of poor-quality cheap liquor and the other representatives noticed it.
It’s not easy to deal with the old man, even for the juniors.
I was the one who intercepted that day and crashed the drinking party.
I thought the situation was dealt with well, but a few days later, Cheon Sungheon came to visit me.
— I heard that you, Euishin sunbae, came to help me that day. Thank you very much.
On that day, the former representative was wearing an octagonal hat marked with a reserve army mark and of the Marine Corps.
He actually got so drunk that he became unconscious.
Embarrassed by that fact, he kept the truth from Sungheon.
— I’ll remember the Marine Corps senior. Just buy me a drink sometime.
It wasn’t really something for him to be thankful for, so I just brushed it off.
However, after that day, Sungheon began to follow me around and call me “Euishin hyung”.
“Sungheon is…”
Cheon Sungheon was a great junior who had no flaws.
On the other hand, I was a nobody who had nothing to offer him.
My only hobby was playing PMH, the famous Nation’s Failed Game.
Sungheon and I had very little in common.
Nevertheless, Sungheon stuck by my side.
With the ever-narrowing list of friends that a cancer patient like me has, Cheon Sungheon was the only person I had left.
“…just someone I know.”
He was so much to me.
But those are the only words that I can use to describe him in this situation.
I’m no longer his sunbae, and Cheon Sungheon doesn’t even exist in this world.
“Of course he’d be someone you knew. He’s the one you asked for just before you vomited blood.”
“…”
While using the skill, although the answer of the Transcendent Universe can’t be heard by anyone else, those who were around me could still hear the words that I speak.
I also considered that risk.
But I thought they won’t be concerned about anything else once I asked the question about the Blue Tiger and the Son of God.
“Looks like you don’t intend to answer.”
Hwang Jiho remained silent for a while as if waiting for me to answer still.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“…We will be meeting a guest in the other building this afternoon. Rest up until then.”
What kind of guest am I supposed to meet?
I tried to think of someone, but there’s no one that comes to mind.
Instead, I opted to request something to Jiho.
“Well then if it’s still later in the afternoon, I’d stop by my dorm room and just come…”
…Woof! Woof!
My request was intended to buy me some time to think on my own, but it looks like Olmu has something different in mind.
Olmu bit my sleeve and pulled it toward the pillow, signaling me to lie down.
I couldn’t afford to refuse Olmu’s request, so I laid down my half-sitting body and closed my eyes.
I don’t know if I was still fatigued or if it was because of Olmu’s authority, but I fell asleep not long after I closed my eyes.
* * *
At Eungwang Light Nursery’s vacant lot.
The normally empty place was filled these days with vehicles sent by the Hwangmyeong Foundation.
At first, the people in the nursery were amazed at all the air shuttles, but after seeing the same vehicle for a few days in a row, they’d gotten used to it.
The air shuttle, which was parked among the numerous vehicles, was heavily tinted.
The shuttle’s door opened quietly.
Weeeeing…
At first glance, the door seemed to be opening on its own.
However, after a few moments, a presence appeared in front of the door.
“Red Tiger.”
Fwaaa…
The Yellow Tiger was back to his 20-year-old form as he called the Red Tiger.
A red mist flowed out from somewhere and melted in the air.
Through the disappeared red fog, the Red Tiger appeared.
“Yellow Tiger, I am home.”
“The data?”
“I’ve removed all the original and backup copies.”
“What about the pieces of garbage?”
“Those who directly participated in blackmailing were all involved in an “accident”. It Looks like a part of their bodies were destroyed. The person who sent the threatening message permanently damaged his hearing.”
Beep.
The hologram opened by Red Tiger showed photographs of the scene that he disguised as an accident.
Next to the photo were the results of the background check and a report.
“We’ve also confirmed that those involved in the accident don’t have the money to undergo regenerative procedures.”
“There’s one piece of trash missing. Where is it?”
At the words of Yellow Tiger, Red Tiger displayed a hologram of a room from a police hospital along with some medical records.
“The police chief has been in the hospital since. I’ll take care of it myself once he gets discharged.”
“Good job.”
Upon the completion of the report, the two tigers turned silent.
The red tiger turned his head and stared at the nursery’s window.
It seemed like he was looking for an old friend, but unfortunately, he was still away.
They recently learned that Gong Cheonghwon and Hani were reincarnations of Blue Tiger and the Son of God.
They don’t doubt Jo Euishin’s words, but the Tiger Clan were sure that Hani and Gong Cheonghwon would be targeted if the truth was revealed to other beings.
Currently, only Yellow Tiger, Red Tiger, White Tiger, and Kim Shinrok knew about the two’s identities.
The Yellow Tiger spoke again.
“Did you meet Hani?”
“…I only watch her from afar.”
Red Tiger can’t take his eyes away from the nursery.
Hani was going to volunteer at the nursery today.
“How do you feel about watching over her?”
“I saw her eating with the other kids from Class Zero at the Jiik Hall yesterday. She still seems to be as short-mouthed as usual.”
“She really does like sweet foods.”
The Yellow Tiger smirked as he made the remark.
“You came up a few times in Hani’s stories. She said there’s another kid in her class who knows Taehokwon…”
Before he knew it, the holograms changed to Hani’s profile.
“But what you didn’t notice was that you’ll completely lose all of the Taehokwon matches against her.”
“Yeah. Among the students of the Tiger Clan taught by Blue Tiger, there’s none of them that can beat Hani. She’ll lose completely.”
Just in time, Hani, Lena, and Saeum were seen entering the nursery.
Hani still seemed reluctant to volunteer, while Lena and Saeum were enthusiastically holding Hani’s both arms.
Almost dragging her.
The two tigers saw Hani smile and say something to the two.
Lena and Saeum nodded their heads several times as they all laughed together.
The sight reminded the two tigers of the Blue Tiger who was always reluctant to hang out and be pranked by the others but always ended up hanging out and having fun anyway.
“…How can the Blue Tiger leave us without saying a word?”
“Maybe that was part of the price.”
“Price?”
“To cut us off.”
At the Yellow Tiger’s words, Red Tiger couldn’t hide his anguish.
When the Red Tiger was imprisoned for committing a great crime, Blue Tiger would sometimes visit him and talk about how Red Tiger’s son was his student.
Even after Blue Tiger’s disappearance, Red Tiger never doubted that she would come back one day.
The friendship that he thought would never change ended in such an unexpected way.
The Blue Tiger who forgot everything to become a human being, and the Red Tiger who’s now looking at Hani…
It was gleeful yet painful.
“I respect her choosing the Son of God over us. But even so, that doesn’t mean our friendship has been severed. Isn’t that right?”
The Yellow Tiger’s words opened Red Tiger’s eyes.
He answered in a bright voice.
“Yes…! You’re right. Whatever choice the Blue Tiger made, whatever the situation is now, our friendship would never change.”
While the two Tigers were talking, the scenery outside the nursery’s window changed a little.
When Hani entered the nursery with her Class Zero friends, Blue Tiger’s students, who appeared between the shadows of the building, all fell to the floor and began to cry.
They hid their presence well, but they couldn’t help but breakdown.
The Yellow Tiger immediately called his secretary and ordered to drag the Blue Tiger’s students away.
After that, he spoke to his secretary again.
“I want you to investigate something.”
“Go ahead.”
“There’s something that Jo Euishin said in front of the Cheondansu that I am concerned about.”
The Red Tiger recalled the image of Jo Euishin forcing himself to ask something while enduring the pressure from the overwhelming power that appeared in front of the Cheondansu.
He could guess what the Yellow Tiger wanted to say.
“Look for someone named ‘Sungheon’. I don’t have a clue who it is, but it’s an unusual name so I guess it won’t be that difficult to find him.”
* * *
The sun was setting when I woke up again.
I felt refreshed.
I really slept well.
Creaaak…
As soon as I opened my eyes, my door opened.
“Oh, Euishin oppa is awake!”
“Hello, Euishin hyung!”
Before I could open my mouth to say hello, the other descendants came in to greet me.
“We all wanted to visit you, but Yellow Tiger-nim and White Tiger-nim kept saying no… They stayed by your side to watch over you!”
“They waited for you to wake up. Oh, you’re going to sleep here tonight too, right? Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow!”
The descendants all smiled brightly.
Could Jiho have sent them on purpose?
I was going to return to my dorm after meeting the unknown guest, but it’s difficult to do that now.
“Ah, Yellow Tiger-nim told us that you have to meet a guest along with White Tiger-nim!”
“Let’s walk together!”
The first-born, Eun Seoho gestured toward the White Tiger who was leaning against the wall.
Next to him was Olmu with his eyes wide open and his small tail wagging.
Looks like both of them were by my side the whole time.
I couldn’t make them wait any longer, so I got up.
“…Who is the guest?”
The second-born, Eun Iho answered this time.
“I heard it was the head of the Deer Clan!”
(T/N: It’s now just been revealed that the Blue Tiger was actually a woman!)
