A Name That Should Have Been Forgotten (Part 1)

 A Name That Should Have Been Forgotten (Part 1)

The words lingered in the quiet bookstore.

"The ones who should have remained dead."

Neither man spoke.

The old wall clock continued its steady rhythm.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Outside, rain washed over the narrow streets, carrying the reflection of neon signs through the puddles lining the sidewalk.

Seo Yihan lowered his eyes.

For five years...

No one had spoken to him about the past.

Not directly.

People occasionally mentioned the Black Reaper whenever documentaries aired or anniversaries came around, but to them, he was nothing more than a legend—a hero who had sacrificed himself for humanity.

No one had ever looked him in the eye and spoken as though that legend were still standing before them.

Until tonight.

"...Explain."

His voice remained calm.

So calm, in fact, that another person might have believed he wasn't interested.

Kang Taeyoon, however, had lived long enough to recognize restraint when he saw it.

He knew exactly what kind of control it took to remain this composed.

"You haven't changed."

Yihan frowned slightly.

"I've changed enough."

"No."

Taeyoon's golden eyes rested on him.

"You've merely become quieter."

"..."

"You still carry every burden alone."

Yihan let out a small sigh.

"You've known me for exactly six minutes."

Taeyoon's lips curved upward.

"I've known of you for much longer."

Silence returned.

The cat suddenly jumped onto the counter with surprising confidence.

It stared directly at Taeyoon before sniffing the air.

For a moment...

Its fur stood on end.

Then...

To Yihan's complete surprise...

It walked straight toward Taeyoon.

"You've got to be kidding me."

The cat rubbed against the stranger's leg.

Taeyoon looked down.

"...It remembers."

Yihan folded his arms.

"You've met before?"

"Once."

"When?"

"Long before you adopted it."

"I didn't adopt him."

"He adopted you."

"..."

"I suppose that's true."

The cat purred loudly, completely ruining the tense atmosphere.

Taeyoon crouched and scratched behind its ears.

"You've grown fat."

The cat looked offended.

Yihan couldn't help it.

A quiet laugh escaped him.

It wasn't forced.

It wasn't polite.

It simply happened.

Taeyoon looked up.

"There it is."

"What?"

"That laugh."

Yihan cleared his throat.

"...Forget it."

"I don't think I will."

The kettle behind the counter suddenly began to whistle.

Yihan glanced toward it.

"...Tea?"

Taeyoon looked mildly surprised.

"You're offering tea to someone who broke into your bookstore?"

"I'm hoping you'll leave sooner if I keep you occupied."

"I doubt that strategy will work."

"It usually doesn't."

Yihan walked toward the counter and switched off the kettle.

Steam drifted into the warm air.

The familiar scent of roasted barley slowly filled the bookstore.

It was simple tea.

Nothing expensive.

Nothing rare.

Just something comforting.

He prepared two cups without asking whether Taeyoon wanted one.

For some reason...

He already knew the answer.

The two men sat across from one another at the small wooden table near the window.

Rainwater trickled down the glass beside them.

Outside...

The city remained restless.

Emergency vehicles sped through distant intersections.

News helicopters occasionally passed overhead.

Yet inside the bookstore...

It felt strangely peaceful.

Almost unreal.

Taeyoon wrapped his hands around the warm cup.

"I never imagined I'd find you living like this."

"I imagined it."

"You planned everything."

"For months."

"No."

"For years."

Yihan quietly stirred his tea.

"Long before the final battle."

Taeyoon remained silent.

"I knew..."

Yihan spoke while watching the ripples inside his cup.

"...that even if humanity survived..."

"...they would never allow me to stop."

No answer came.

Because both of them knew it was true.

People rarely let go of miracles.

Especially ones capable of saving them.

"They would've built another guild."

"They did."

"They would've offered me another title."

"They prepared several."

"They would've expected me to fight forever."

Taeyoon lowered his eyes.

"Yes."

A faint smile appeared on Yihan's face.

"So I disappeared before they could ask."

Minutes passed.

Neither rushed the conversation.

Eventually...

Taeyoon reached inside his coat.

Yihan's body reacted instantly.

Not visibly.

But every instinct sharpened.

Taeyoon noticed.

"You still think like a hunter."

"I think like someone who enjoys living."

"I suppose that's fair."

He slowly removed...

An old photograph.

Its edges had yellowed with age.

Several burn marks covered one corner.

Taeyoon carefully placed it on the table.

Yihan looked down.

His breathing stopped.

The photograph showed five people standing before a collapsed gate.

All smiling.

All covered in dust.

One of them...

Was him.

Not the Black Reaper.

Just Seo Yihan.

Before the title.

Before the legends.

Before the loneliness.

He looked younger.

Brighter.

Standing beside him were four hunters.

People who had once been his closest companions.

People who had all died.

"...Where did you get this?"

"My collection."

"You collect photographs?"

"I collect memories."

Yihan reached toward the picture.

His fingertips stopped just short of touching it.

"...I thought they were all destroyed."

"I kept one."

"For what reason?"

Taeyoon's answer came quietly.

"So someone would remember they smiled."

The bookstore became unbearably silent.

Yihan hadn't realized how much time had erased until that moment.

He remembered their names.

Their voices.

Their arguments.

Their terrible jokes.

But...

He had forgotten the sound of their laughter.

He closed his eyes.

Just for a second.

"...Thank you."

It was barely louder than a whisper.

Yet Taeyoon heard it clearly.

For the first time since entering the bookstore...

He saw the man behind the legend.

Not the strongest hunter.

Not humanity's hero.

Just...

Someone who had lost too much.

Far above Seoul...

The dimensional rift trembled once more.

Deep within the darkness beyond it...

Something smiled.

A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.

"They've met."

A second voice echoed through the void.

"Should we kill him now?"

"No."

The first voice laughed.

"Not yet."

"Hope..."

"...is much more enjoyable to destroy."

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