Foes, Woes, Heroes

Hojosa was a part of a team working under a company, a company whose name had never truly mattered. It had been nothing more than a small corporation before it merged with one of Korea's strongest hunter clans. He had been training for this for 4 years, a very limited amount of time to learn everything that a man of his rank needed to know. Did the corporates care? No.

The members of the clan did though, surprisingly. He could always find allies in that clan, for they were hunters. They weren't random people wearing pretty suits and sitting behind desks, or at least they hadn't always been. They were warriors, like him.

That is why he sought help in that dark part of his life, help in the form of two hunters who had once served as his mentors. Unfortunately, lady luck wasn't going to give him his chance that day.

"What do you mean they are in a dungeon!? THEY RETIRED TEN YEARS AGO!"

He shouldn't have screamed at the poor secretary who looked positively scared out of her mind. A normal person couldn't withstand the aura of a high-ranking hunter for long after all, and his aura was mixed with actual fire. He could see the little droplets of sweat on her skin. He didn't care though, he couldn't bring himself to. Only his suffering mattered at the moment.

"I-I'm sorry Mister Hojosa, sir! They received a call r-regarding a dungeon in Gangbuk. It's apparently an arena-type dungeon, and the boss is a dragon!" She told him, hoping that this would calm him down, and it did. Fire mages like himself were regularly compared to those mythical creatures, so he had naturally learned about them. Of course, his mentors would put their old gears back on if that was for a dragon. He had never fought or even seen one in his life, but his childhood was filled with stories about those majestic and terrifying creatures.

They were bigger than cities, some said. They were stronger than anything, others added. Truly Dragons were the object of a collective ideal that lived in the mind of nearly all humans. It was saddening that none could be photographed. However, the only way for it to happen was for one to escape a dungeon and no one with half a brain would wish for that.

Hojosa's mind went down the path of a certain event that hunters knew all too well, and he tried as much as he could to push it at the back of his mind.

'No need to think about the scaled army now.....I should stop bringing my own mood down.'

He thanked the secretary who quickly saw him out, not even wasting a second. He felt bad, scaring a harmless little secretary wasn't something to be proud of. But no one would even be remotely surprised about him doing that. He was the big bad, brash and explosive mage in the mind of his coworkers. If those paper signing, glasses-wearing, heartless fools could be called his coworkers, to begin with.

Since he couldn't find the help he sought, he could only go forth and face reality without any support. What had he done to deserve such spite from the gods? The words of his giant of a boss replayed in his mind, like a broken record, and his mood went down an infinite spiral. Each step he took towards the taxi that would lead him to his demise made him want to throw up.

With what he was about to do, what he was about to say, he felt like just burning himself alive. He felt like that as he entered the taxi. He felt that way during the entire ride.

He handed the taxi fair with shaky hands and left the car. The doors closed behind him and made him flinch. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. Here was an A rank hunter, scared to the point of wanting nothing more than to turn around and run for dear life. And because of what? Because he had to deliver horrible news.

Why couldn't his dear teammates do it themselves!? He wished to think like that, but he knew they were taking the events far worse than he was. They were a masked bunch, his team, and so was he. All so tall and mighty, trying to imitate their idols, for even with their ranks they were all still kids dreaming big. And yet, at their first loss, they stumble like toddlers and cry their hearts out. Well at least his leader hadn't actually cried, and neither did he, not nearly as much as he should have at least. But perhaps keeping those feelings bottled up didn't help in the slightest.

He didn't even freaking know anymore! Everything was so hazy to him. Hell the entire world was spinning around him. He shouldn't have been drinking to bury his heart. It hadn't worked and he was in bad shape now.

'Heh.....She's going to hate me even more.'

He looked at the small house in front of him, it was in an even worse shape than himself.

"Damn, Sung...It wasn't just a small debt you fucking liar...." He snarled through his teeth. He had known, he was sure of it. Yet, he had never bothered to check. And now that the man was dead, Hojosa would need to right the wrongs, be it his wrongs or those of the man he called a brother.

He heard a yell from inside the house, the walls were thin he remarked. However, he recognized the voice when he received a call. He saw the name and looked at the house, horror painted on his face. Now the heavens were just being outright cruel. He wasn't even given the time to gather his bearing.

He answered, but didn't speak, his voice had died in his throat.

"What? You're not going to apologize or something? I didn't except much from you anyway, shitty lighter. But why the hell didn't my bro come!? I waited three hours for him!" The teenager on the other end screamed.

Had anyone spoken to him like that, Hojosa would've fired back with insults. This was someone he couldn't get angry at. And now.....Now he would never have the chance to.

'You and Jimin's parents....I won't ever treat you guys badly...I fucking swear.' He told himself, trying to make amends for what he saw as his own failure. The boss didn't matter, neither did the porter. He was the only one to blame, and he was certain of it. Almost as certain as he was of the fact that entering that house would sign the end of his life.

"So you're not even going to talk? Where the hell are you two? I swear if you are in a bar or something...."

"I'm in front of your house...."

He didn't know what madness pushed him to speak, but he did. He regretted it, he regretted it so dearly. She hung up immediately after hearing that, and the front door opened with a kick, courtesy of an angry little ball of cuteness.

He saw so much of his 'brother' in her. Her black hair was as messy as his, albeit a bit longer, they never had the time or the motivation to style them in any way. She was big, especially for her age, but she lacked the savageness of her older brother. Oh, she tried to mimic it, the little minx was always the number one fan of her brother. In fact, she was the first fan of the team, but not of the fiery mage.

He had always been a negative influence to her, and he had to agree now. Two died because he allowed his terrified teammates to run, he should've stayed. He should've at least died in their stead. Now here he was, standing on the sidewalk, facing that teenager who had yet to discover the world. She wouldn't get to discover anything with her family anymore, there wasn't anyone left.

He walked towards her, tuning her out. She continued to yell at him, unable to read his expression. After all, she was just a little girl, a fighter yes but still, someone with no experience when it came to other people. Ah, who was he to admonish anyone on their social skills.

He stood before her, towering over her due to his tall stature. Perhaps she thought he was angry at her for screaming like that, perhaps that was why she pushed him away and screamed right in his face. She wasn't one to get scared by anyone, even when they were literal gods compared to her.

He couldn't take it anymore, just seeing her so full of life and imagining what she would turn like, once she heard what had happened. She looked at his defeated expression and recoiled, finally she sensed something was amiss.

Once again, something pushed him to speak. He hoped it wasn't the alcohol, or else he would have to stop his loving relationship with the stuff. He couldn't quite quit the only thing that would give him happiness after this day that was definitely, and without the smallest shadow of a doubt, the worst in his entire life.

"Ah-Jin....Your bro couldn't make it for your match...But I'll be there for the next, and for every single of them....I promise I'll be there, to make up for failing." He hugged her. It was weird.

'.....So that's what it feels like, huh? The warmth of a hug.'

She trembled, perhaps in disgust or anger, he didn't know, he didn't want to know.

"W-What are you talking about, you dumb lighter!? What.....What failure?"

He tightened his hold on her. She couldn't leave, not like her brother. He didn't know if that was possible, but he still held her like death was about to claim her at any second.

"Fuck...It's the first time, but....Sorry, Ah-Jin....Really."

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