Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

The countermeasure suggested by Ha Cheongwon was simple.

 

Basically, it was impossible to attack a gate once monsters started coming out from it. To be precise, it was not that you couldn’t attack it; rather, it wouldn’t work even if you did.

 

Normally, this wouldn’t matter much, but the mermaids could sweep their surroundings with waves of water the moment they appeared.

 

“As far as I know, Mr. Cha Jaehwan has the ability to produce fire waves.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Use that to confront the water. That way, there will be less damage to nearby buildings and vehicles. Mr. Hwashin, please assist Mr. Cha Jaehwan in using his ability. Once the surrounding damage is contained, Mr. Cha Jaehwan can attack the mermaids hiding behind the waves. Is that okay?”

 

That question wasn’t really asking if it was okay and it wasn’t his true intention either. Like when office workers asked ‘Is that okay?’, it implied ‘Can you do it?’.

 

“…Let’s try it.”

 

Cha Jaeha turned around abruptly after hearing the explanation. Ha Cheongwon also stopped explaining, seeming to understand. Though the two were an odd pair, that brief exchange sufficed.

 

In the first place, their relationship was more business-oriented than friendly. It was entertaining to see them getting entangled.

 

‘Still, I wonder if it’s really okay.’

 

In the original story, Cha Jaehwan hadn’t yet created waves of such magnitude. So he must be worried about his fire burning everything around him.

 

The Purgatory on the rooftop was a very confined space, but they didn’t know how big the tsunami the monsters would bring. Ha Cheongwon’s foresight ability only roughly estimated it to be about half the height of the surrounding buildings.

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

Hwashin stood beside Cha Jaehwan, who was putting on his gloves again.

 

“Why would I be?”

 

“Just thought you might be.”

 

“Worry about yourself. Afraid you’ll cough up blood again?”

 

“Oh, Jaeha, are you concerned about me?”

 

“I’d feel a bit guilty leaving a sick person behind.”

 

“Haha, yeah that would be kinda harsh.”

 

20 minutes passed—a short yet long time. An overwhelmingly large gate slowly began forming before their eyes. Though they had faced S-rank monsters before, this was their first time properly seeing such a gate.

 

Yoo Hwashin furrowed his brow slightly. It was a frown of surprise.

 

“Shouldn’t you step back now?”

 

Cha Jaeha, now wearing his gloves, blurted out. The question also suggested he was wondering why Yoo Hwashin, who was supposed to be in a support role, was standing beside him today.

 

“No, I need to stay by your side today.”

 

So that he could help more efficiently.

 

“I told you before. That I can help you.”

 

“…Is there a reason you’re repeating that now?”

 

A strong wind blew from the gate. While ordinary people would have been swept away, awakened individuals of at least B-rank could withstand it to some extent.

 

“I’ll help ensure everything doesn’t burn down.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I’ve always been able to. Just never needed to until now.”

 

If the story had followed the original, he would have let Cha Jaeha grow alone. But wasn’t it okay to help out once in a while? Especially since it was necessary right now. This wasn’t a novel to leave alone to follow its course anyway.

 

Sorry, original author.

 

“It’s coming.”

 

A mermaid-shaped monster appeared before their eyes. Though called a mermaid, it was still a monster, and its size was truly overwhelming. The tsunami surging forward behind it with a whooshing sound also seemed unstoppable.

 

But Yoo Hwashin was still smiling. With that same expression, he turned his gaze forward.

 

“It’s better to have something to rely on than nothing at all, right?”

 

Cha Jaeha had lived without trusting anything. Not trusting himself meant he couldn’t trust others.

 

The story of such a person gaining friends in SH1 Unit and learning to trust someone—that was the overall plot of <YHH>.

 

So maybe he could be the one Cha Jaeha relied on too.

 

‘Even if it’s just a small amount of trust.’

 

As someone who admired Unit 1, it was a pretty cool position.

 

The tsunami was about 20 stories high. Its sheer size drew an involuntary gasp of amazement.

 

Without replying, Cha Jaeha leaped up. With a short word, an enormous fire rose up from below him, large enough to counter the tsunami.

 

The water and fire collided with a hissing sound. Steam erupted violently enough to blow everything away. Ha Cheongwon, standing behind them, barely managed to stay grounded as he watched them.

 

His neat suit was disheveled and his carefully styled hair had long since become a mess. Though his messy bangs half-obscured his vision, Ha Cheongwon couldn’t take his eyes off the two in front of him.

 

One man who splendidly changed the future as he predicted, and—

 

It was unbelievable, but it was true. A man restoring everything to its original state as they were blown away.

 

“Hahaha…”

 

So this was SH1 Unit.

 

With these people, they really might be able to do it. They might not let that future come to pass.

 

‘Yoojin, it’s going to be okay.’

 

Ha Cheongwon thought as he clenched his fist tightly.

 

***

 

“Yes, no. So, even though the gate alarm didn’t go off, we have a foresight ability user on our side—”

 

“Yes, I received the call. From the Management Department—”

 

“We need to pre-install and transfer the patients to other wards. Yes, yes. Even critical patients are no exception. We’ve already informed the Association’s hospital, so please contact them—”

 

The next afternoon, the Management Department was insanely busy. The reason was obvious.

 

Naturally, it was because of the emergence of a new S-rank hero. Additionally, the unprecedented S-rank foresight hero had made a prediction that a high-risk S-rank gate would soon be formed at the Association’s hospital.

 

And the people who vouched for this prediction were:

 

– Yes, I immediately wrote and submitted a report. He personally confirmed his S-rank awakening, and actually predicted the gate on site.

 

– I’m telling you, I just knew. So I brought him to the scene right away. You know I can manipulate mana, right? It felt like the flow suddenly changed, you know?

 

Cha Jaeha of Unit 1, and ‘that’ S-rank hero Yoo Hwashin.

 

With both notable figures backing his abilities, how could anyone ignore it? If they disregarded it and a fatal incident occurred, it would undoubtedly become a huge issue.

 

The Management Department was in chaos, but the cause of the chaos, Ha Cheongwon, was not present. He had to move his hospitalized sibling from the hospital as a family member.

 

“In Yoojin’s case, due to her mana adaptation issues, transferring her to another hospital is difficult. All rooms with functioning isolation devices in other hospitals are full.”

 

“Can’t she share a room with another patient?”

 

“No. When maladapted patients meet, their conditions could worsen, so it’s difficult. We’re in a tough spot too. We’ll keep looking. Most of the medical staff will probably be gone tomorrow, so it’s really hectic.”

 

“…Please, I’m counting on you.”

 

Ha Cheongwon bowed his head deeply and headed back to the hospital room. The clueless child was lying on the bed, playing with a new rabbit doll.

 

“Ha Yoo—”

 

“Ta-da!”

 

Just as he was about to enter the room calling her name, a man holding milk in both hands was smiling brightly beside him.

 

“Mr. Yoo Hwashin?”

 

“I’m here. I dropped by the Management Department and heard you were here. Plus,”

 

Hwashin glanced through the window in the door.

 

“I also overheard that you’re worried because there’s no room for your sister to go to.”

 

“…Is eavesdropping your hobby?”

 

“She’s a maladapted patient, right?”

 

Yoo Hwashin neatly ignored Ha Cheongwon’s comment. Ha Cheongwon gave up and answered his question.

 

“Yes.”

 

Mana maladaptation.

 

When the gates opened, the existence of awakened individuals emerged in response.

 

The birth of the awakened.

 

Awakened individuals were believed to be people who quickly adapted to the societal mana influx caused by the sudden gate occurrences, a theory known as ‘origin theory’.

 

Naturally, there were some people who couldn’t adapt to this mana.

 

Indeed, after the gates opened, some people suddenly collapsed during daily life or died while convulsing.

 

Fear of death began to spread gradually.

 

So following national policy, people underwent awakening tests, and maladapted individuals could be identified among them.

 

Being maladapted didn’t mean they couldn’t live their lives. Before long, world-leading pharmaceutical companies developed new drugs, and as long as they could take those drugs, they could live normal lives. However, a very small number of people didn’t get the effect of the drugs even after taking them, and Ha Yoojin was one such case.

 

The Association hospital protected such individuals and equipped the hospital with the latest devices for them.

 

However, the equipment was so expensive that each hospital had limited quantities.

 

“It’s useless knowing the future. There’s basically no hospital for Yoojin to go to.”

 

“If she wasn’t maladapted, she could leave, right?”

 

“…Of course. What are you—”

 

“Then it’s settled. Shall we go in?”

 

With a curved eye smile, Hwashin flung open the door. He still didn’t like children much, but he was confident in his smile at least. Today, Pii was with him too. Yoojin seemed to like Pii more than him anyway.

 

“Oppa!”

 

As soon as she saw Cheongwon, Yoojin jumped off the bed and hugged him.

 

“Have you been waiting?”

 

“Yeah! But where’s everyone going? Even Minsu went to another hospital today. He said scary things about this hospital collapsing!”

 

“He’s right.”

 

“Mr. Hwashin—!”

 

“This place could collapse.”

 

“Pi!”

 

See? Even Pii agrees.

Pii climbed up Hwashin’s hand and nestled into Yoojin’s arms.

 

“Really? Is that true, oppa?”

 

The startled child sniffled and started to cry. Cheongwon sat her back on the bed, his face looked like she’d heard something she shouldn’t have.

 

It was something the child needed to know anyway.

 

Where should he start? But he still didn’t know where to move Yoojin.

 

Kneeling, Ha Cheongwon held his sister’s hands and spoke.

 

“Yoojin, listen carefully. Don’t cry. …It’s not that serious. It’s just that there’s a possibility a gate will open here, so the patients and your friends here are going to other hospitals in advance because it would be hard to evacuate everyone right away. You can come back soon once everything’s over, so don’t worry too much, Yoojin.”

 

“…Really?”

 

Her tearful eyes flickered and shone.

 

Since the gates opened, this place had been Yoojin’s entire daily life. The nurse sisters, brothers, hospital friends.

 

Will it all disappear? What about me? What should I do?

 

“Piiii…”

 

Pii, nestled in Yoojin’s arms, rubbed its head against her as if understanding her feelings.

 

‘It’s acting like that even though it doesn’t understand.’

 

Hwashin chuckled and tapped Cheongwon’s shoulder, whispering.

 

‘Hey, Cheongwon. Should I heal your sister? Or cure her?’

 

‘Wha… What?’

 

Responding instinctively, Cheongwon widened his eyes behind his glasses.

 

Cure her? This disease?

 

‘It’s not possible in all cases. But there’s a reason for your sister.’

 

Kneeling beside him, Hwashin continued.

 

‘If she’s cured, you can move her out of the hospital. How about it, deal? Deal-deal?’

 

Despite his light tone, Cheongwon grabbed his hand tightly.

 

He didn’t want to leave his sister in the terrible future he had seen. He shouldn’t. He didn’t want to experience that again.

 

His sister’s expressionless face, pale and colorless.

 

He hated his future self who abandoned that small, fragile body on the cold floor. He thought he’d take even the devil’s hand if he could change that future.

 

But what he actually grasped was not the devil’s hand, but the hand of a man he’d only recently met.

 

“Is it really possible?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“…Ah, well. In that case.”

 

With dark circles under his eyes, he swallowed his words for a while. Then, as if resolved, he blurted out:

 

“…Please help me.”

 

Ha Cheongwon bowed his head deeply. Hwashin lightly slapped the back of his neck, lightening the heavy atmosphere.

 

“Come on. Don’t cry.”

 

Hwashin stretched out his legs and swung one arm around. Seeing this, Pii chirped happily. Yoojin blinked, looking back and forth between her brother and Hwashin.

 

“Now, Yoojin.”

 

“…”

 

“This grandpa will make you feel better soon.”