[This is an exciting moment. The research team has decided to dive into the unexplored deep sea for their research. A journey to the deep sea is infinitely dangerous. The research team slowly and carefully—]

I've been watching documentaries for eight hours straight.

At first, I thought, "I can't stand this," but enjoyed it anyway. Now even this has become boring.

The subject matter itself is interesting enough that I'm hanging in there. Otherwise, I would've just fallen asleep with the TV on.

Thanks to these documentaries, I've learned about the secrets of ancient Mayan ruins, the identities of Egyptian mummies, hidden temples beneath the desert, Cambrian and Ordovician creatures, and more...

I've heard plenty of stories that are completely useless in everyday life.

Listening to them for eight hours straight was a bit torturous, though.

[The research team has finally reached the area at a depth of 2,000 meters, also called the Midnight Zone. Since no sunlight can reach there, organisms have light-emitting organs, which we call bioluminescence—]

*Wow... Do they really look like that?*

While I'm absentmindedly watching deep-sea fish as if I'm at an aquarium, the door to the hospital room slides open.

There's only one person who would come at this hour.

"I'm here."

Sure enough, it was Choi Hyun who opened the door and came in.

He must have had a lot of work today; he looked tired as he sighed deeply and plopped down in the chair.

"Wow, it's a goblin shark."

"What?"

I pointed at the TV as Hyun blinked at me in confusion.

When Hyun looked at the TV and saw the goblin shark showing its face, he frowned deeply.

I giggled at his expression, and Hyun let out an "Ah" of exasperation.

"That thing looks like you."

I knew something weird was coming, but I couldn't contain my curiosity.

On the TV, a dumbo octopus that looked somewhat like an egg was swimming.

"With something attached to its head, yellow, and tiny as a mouse dropping—just like you."

"I'll kill you, seriously."

Even as he said that, he was chuckling. Then, quietly laughing, Hyun sighed imperceptibly and leaned against the wall.

To others, it might just look like he was leaning against the wall, but I could tell.

If he had openly sighed deeply while leaning, I would have thought he was tired and let it go.

But the fact that he was trying to hide his sigh meant he was conscious of not wanting me to worry.

The conclusion was that there was something bothering him again.

I inwardly sighed as I watched Hyun staring blankly at the TV, then turned my eyes back to the screen.

*Even if I ask, he probably won't tell me...*

After pondering briefly, I decided to just ask directly.

"Did something happen?"

"Huh?"

Sure enough, whatever he was lost in thought about, Hyun made a dumbfounded sound and looked my way.

Yeah, I was wondering why it was so quiet.

As I looked at him with half-closed eyes, Hyun scratched his head and answered.

"No, I'm just a bit tired."

I thought I might have been mistaken, but after hearing that answer, I was certain.

For someone who has nothing but stamina to say he's tired? Then just how big of an issue must it be for those words to come out of that Energizer Bunny's mouth?

"Something definitely happened."

When I spoke with certainty, Hyun smiled bitterly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Hero stuff, right? Hero stuff."

"...You mean you can't tell me?"

"I mean I can't tell civilians."

"I see."

I was curious about what was going on, but if it was something he couldn't tell civilians, not just me specifically, then there was nothing I could do.

Besides, he already had enough on his mind making him tired, and I didn't want to add unnecessary burdens.

Oh, but I should tell him about that.

"Oh, right. Hey, Hyun."

"Yeah?"

"I got my depression test results."

"Really? What did they say?"

"Severe depression, apparently."

I said it as if it was no big deal, but as soon as I mentioned it, Hyun's intense gaze fixed on me.

It was obvious he had misunderstood, so I raised my hands in a calming gesture.

"What are you talking about? Severe depression? Since when?"

"Hey, hey, calm down. I had a consultation about it today."

"What did the doctor say?"

"That I'm fine? After about an hour of consultation, the doctor said it doesn't seem like depression. And that we should test again and monitor the progress."

Hyun finally seemed a bit relieved as he sighed deeply and nodded.

He looked better than before, but still had a complicated expression, so I wanted to cheer him up a bit.

"Oh, and I'm going to start rehabilitation therapy too."

"Rehabilitation therapy?"

"Yeah. I can't just use my feet forever. I said my feet might cramp up after using the remote control."

When I lifted my leg and pushed my foot toward Hyun, he recoiled in horror and smacked my foot.

"Get that pig's trotter away from me!"

"Hahaha!"

I laughed first at the joke, and Hyun also smiled slightly.

Seeing his expression much improved from before, I thought, "That's better," and lowered my foot.

"If something's wrong, tell me. Don't just keep your mouth shut like that."

"I don't think you're the one who should be telling me that."

"Why does this bastard always have to act up even when I'm being nice?"

"That's not something you should be saying either."

"Ah, yes. Here's a fuck you."

I showed him my middle finger, and when Hyun showed his middle finger back, I raised both hands with middle fingers extended and then lowered them.

My hands are bigger, so I win.

After that, Hyun and I fell silent, watching the documentary on TV.

We were both quiet, just watching TV, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

The cursing and hitting each other?

That's just our normal.

Maybe it's because we've known each other for so long, but it felt like watching TV with family.

Maybe Hyun visits me every day because of this comfort too.

As we spent time watching TV without saying anything, the sun had set before we knew it.

Looking out the window and checking the time, Hyun sighed and stretched as he got up from his seat.

"Uuuugh!! Phew! I should get going now."

Relieved to see his expression and mood much better than before, I leaned back against the bed's headrest.

"Home?"

"Of course, I have to go to work tomorrow too."

"Heroes have it tough, huh."

"You have to struggle to be a hero."

Hyun said something cool and laughed refreshingly.

...I don't mean he's attractive as a romantic interest, just that his professional dedication is admirable.

—*You really like Hyun—*

Noona, please leave.

I pushed away the voice that popped into my head and got out of bed.

"Let's go, I'll walk you to the first floor."

"I came by car, so I'm going to B1, you know?"

He could have just said "okay," but I shook my head at the tactless Hyun.

"I need to go get a remote control anyway."

"Why do you need a remote?"

"I tried to hold it with my hands and ended up breaking it."

"I see. You should control your strength better."

"I'm sure it'll be fine after rehabilitation therapy."

I shrugged and got into the elevator.

I got off at the first floor, and Hyun went down to B1.

"I'm off. Do well in your rehab."

"Yeah, I'll handle it fine, so go on."

"You're really unlikable till the end."

We said goodbye with one last joke, and that's how we parted.

"Now I need to go get that remote control."

I'm sick of documentaries now.

* * *

[1]

[B1]

Ding—

"..."

Having descended to the basement, I sighed deeply as I got out of the elevator.

The problems I could momentarily forget while with Sia began to resurface as soon as we parted.

When I was with Sia, I could be the human Choi Hyun, but without Sia, I had to be the S-Class Hero Choi Hyun.

With a bitter taste in my mouth, I leaned back in my car seat and put a cigarette between my lips.

*It can't be bipolar disorder.*

The test results said severe depression, but the consultation showed nothing abnormal.

They say it's better to be safe than sorry, but this wasn't a normal result.

I already had a lot to think about, and now thinking about Sia's situation made my head even more complicated.

As I was about to light up as usual, I remembered Sia sitting in the hospital room and broke the cigarette in half.

"Haah..."

I tilted my head back and sighed.

After a moment, just as I was about to start the car and leave—

—♪

My phone, attached to the mount, started ringing.

After starting the engine, I answered the call and heard Noona's voice.

[Sorry for calling so late, are you available to talk now?]

"Yes, it's fine."

[It's about the clown mark we saw during that train incident.]

The topic that had been giving me headaches for the past few days came from Noona's lips.

Thinking "here it comes" while feeling my chest tighten, I reached for the canned coffee in the cup holder.

The strong smell of cigarettes wafted up as I opened it, so I closed it again.

*I forgot I hadn't thrown this out yet.*

[Are you listening?]

Hearing Noona's voice through the phone, I put down the coffee and answered.

"Yes, I'm listening."

[Just as you said, when we checked the scene, we found the clown mark on the fragments. It's definitely him.]

"I thought he died in that incident back then..."

[Those guys are pretty persistent. Sigh... Anyway, we're tracking his movements as much as possible, but the last trace we found was a photo taken in Beijing three weeks ago.]

So that's where he went—overseas.

That means he was hiding abroad and has just started moving again.

*Wait a minute...*

The timeframe of three weeks suddenly struck me.

After the major incident, a Harmageddon executive who was thought to be dead has started moving again.

"Three weeks ago..."

I trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud, but the puzzle pieces naturally fit together in my mind.

Three weeks ago was when we raided the abandoned hospital used by Harmageddon executives. And that day was also...

[Their target is Sia.]

The day we rescued Sia from Harmageddon's research facility.