Save Me, Scrapper!

“…There isn’t. Anything like that.”
But the words that came out of Ji Hayeon’s mouth weren’t the answer he wanted.
“There really isn’t?”
“…There isn’t.”
“Mm…”
With a dissatisfied look, Sawon accepted his answer. He let his gaze drift into the air, rewinding through everything that had happened with Ji. That was when Ji suddenly shouted.
“What is with you!”
“Screee!”
A baby monkey’s shrill scream followed. The little monkey that appeared was clinging to the waistband of Ji’s pants.
“Nine!”
Startled, Sawon grabbed Nine and yanked him back. The ear-splitting shriek echoed through the room. Squinting, Sawon checked Nine’s target. Nine was clutching the puffball tied to the belt loop at Ji’s waist with both hands.
“It’s going to rip! Let go of that!”
“Ah, wait. I’ll calm him down. Nine, let it go. That belongs to your big brother.”
“Screee, screee!”
Nine’s screaming only got louder.
Seriously… what the hell is that thing that he wants it so badly.
With a tired face, Sawon pried off the tiny fingers one by one. The whole time, Ji glared at Nine and refused to let go of the puffball at his waist.
Sawon was convinced.
They’re alike. Those two are definitely alike.
***
It was a small mercy that the dorms were thoroughly soundproofed. Nine’s rampage had gone on for a full three hours. Like the stolen ornament was his own child, he tore across the room, raising hell. They tried soothing him, scolding him, even asking Ji for help, but Ji never let go of the puffball.
If it were me, I’d have handed it over just to stop the noise.
“Ha… I’m wiped out…”
Last night’s monkey noise still rang in his ears.
Sometimes Nine went into fits like that. He’d torment Sawon all night, leaving him completely drained, and every time that happened, Sawon made sure to eat a hamburger from the joint in front of the Central Bureau the next morning. It was like curing a hangover after drinking. Psychologically, for Sawon.
The conditions for Nine detox weren’t just “eat a hamburger.” Eating it early, under bright sunlight, completed the ritual. To that end, half-awake, he’d piggybacked Ji down the emergency stairs. Rubbing his eyes and stretching, he got a prim complaint from beside him.
“Why do I have to come with you. Go by yourself.”
“I’m your guard right now. We’re supposed to stick together.”
“Then you should be following me. Why am I the one following you?”
“Once you try the burgers here, those words’ll disappear.”

Hands in his pockets, Sawon stretched his back as he walked.
“Uuugh. My ears are still ringing.”
His hunter stamina was fine. His body wasn’t the kind that got tired from one sleepless night. But he still wasn’t immune to Nine’s screeching.
“Hamburgers in the morning… seriously…”
Ji muttered under his breath. Even so, he meekly followed.
The clock had passed 7:25 a.m. It was a blessing that the only burger place near the Central Bureau ran twenty-four hours. Ji pulled his hat low and walked staring at the ground. Whenever the sunlight slid across his cheek, he quietly slipped into Sawon’s shadow. While Sawon placed their order, Ji sat at the table, gnawing at his nails.
Receipt in hand, Sawon sat across from him. The tip of Ji’s index finger was bleeding. Normally he would’ve ignored it, but not today.
“Hey. No.”
He took Ji’s wrist and pulled his hand down, eyes narrowing into crescents.
“Why are you bullying such pretty hands.”
At the cheesy remark, Ji’s ears went bright red. He yanked his hand back and shoved it into his coat pocket. A snort slipped out of Sawon’s mouth again.
“Acting all cute li—”
Not you. Gu Sawon, you crazy bastard. What are you thinking.
Ji might be nice-looking, and his lashes might flutter softly every time he blinked, pulling the eye… but anyone could see he was an adult man. Cute? Calling a grown man cute? Sawon shook the thought out of his head. Just then, the food came out, and he hurried to grab the tray and sit down. At that moment, the comm device jammed in his pocket went off.
Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.
An alert that somewhere, a fissure had turned into a Heukgu. He listened to the urgent tone with leisurely calm as he spilled the fries onto the tray.
“What’s that? A call-out?”
“Nope.”
Suspicion flickered in Ji’s eyes. Squeezing ketchup, Sawon explained.
“The Institute folks don’t know this? This is like an emergency text saying a Heukgu popped nearby. The actual urgent call-outs are way louder. This one you can ignore.”
He pulled out the comm device and lazily tapped a button. Since it wasn’t in his ear, the contents projected into the air above the center of the table, visible to both of them.
D2-R4>
“D-rank, intensity 2… risk level 4, rookies could handle that by themselves.”
He checked the scale and immediately powered the device down.
“Eat.”
He tore open the wrapper himself and handed Ji the burger. Ji picked it up with a reluctant expression.
“…How many hamburgers are you even going to eat.”
He eyed the tray piled with burgers.
“It’s only five.”
“….”

It was common knowledge that hunters ate a lot. Still, five burgers for an early breakfast was a high wall for Ji. With a dissatisfied face, he took a tiny bite off the edge of the bun. Watching him nibble like a bird, Sawon took a drink of cola.
“Eat more. You peck at food like that, of course you’re weak and wobbly.”
He shoved a fry into Ji’s mouth. Chewing, Ji retorted,
“You eat more.”
“I already am eating more.”
At some point, the protector on Sawon’s left hand had vanished. In its place, a tiny [N O V E L I G H T] monkey hand popped up from under the table. The trembling hand inched cautiously toward the fries. Nine seemed to be trying his best to avoid human eyes. Sawon flicked his finger against Nine’s hand.
“Nine. Behave. We’re outside. People can see.”
With a little whine, the small hand retreated back into the guard. Casually, Sawon tossed three fries into his own mouth. Not even a minute later, the tiny thief reappeared, hand shaking as it reached out.
“Why do you want human food so badly. Get over here.”
At that, Nine, looking guilty, shrank his body down small. Resigned, Sawon tucked him into his jacket.
“Nine. If you want to eat, say please like a good boy.”
Nine stretched both hands out. The small, whining sounds he made were clearly a sign he wanted fries. A smooth smile curved across Sawon’s lips.
“You little troublemaker. You’re so cute I can’t not give you any.”
He was endlessly weak to small, fragile things. He dropped a bunch of fries into a paper bag and handed the whole thing to Nine. Nine’s black eyes gleamed, reflecting the light.
With soft, high-pitched squeaks of joy, he burrowed into Sawon’s chest. Then, like a baby in a parent’s arms, he sat on Sawon’s knees and started eating fries.
“He looks pretty young. Is it okay to give him human food?”
As Ji asked, someone walked past their table. Sawon pulled his jacket tighter, hiding Nine in his arms. His gaze toward Ji said, Why would you even ask that.
“He eats people. He crunches Deater heads like candy. You think fries are going to hurt him?”
Realizing what he’d just implied, Ji’s brows drew together and his gaze dropped. Staring at the meat patty for a long moment, he set the burger down.
“What. You only had two bites.”
“I don’t have an appetite.”
He sucked on his cola.
“You’re so damn picky…”
Clicking his tongue, Sawon crammed the rest of the burger into his mouth. As Ji glared at him, motes of dust drifted in front of him. Or more precisely, a single tiny speck. Ji waved a hand through the air, trying to shoo it away. But the speck that should have floated off came back in front of him.
“…A bug?”
It was so small it looked like a dot of black dust. As he stared closely at the speck,
“Ng.”
The little monkey pointed at the black dot with a fingertip. Nine’s pupils flashed blue. At the same time, Sawon’s heart slammed against his chest. A swift, sharp jolt tore through his whole body and vanished. He snapped his head up. Focusing all his senses on the speck, the world around him began moving like someone had slowed the playback speed.
His pupils magnified the black dust like a microscope. From that single point, several thin threads stretched out, forming the shape of a spider. The spider’s legs spread in all directions. Ji’s eyes grew wider and wider, and the fissure branching out from the black dot expanded in an instant. To Sawon, the entire process played out in slow motion. The crack rapidly began to turn into a Heukgu. He flung his burger aside.
“Get down!”
In the blink of an eye, the black dot grew to the size of a baseball, then a basketball. A pitch-black space opened above the table and—
Thump!
A heavy blast spread through the area. The shockwave shoved the surrounding tables and sofas back toward the wall.
Shrrrk!
A long tongue shot out from the Heukgu and wrapped around Ji’s wrist. Sss, the sound of burning flesh, and smoke rose from his skin. The smell of cooked meat spread. With his wrist caught by the tongue, Ji was yanked toward the Heukgu in an instant.