Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

“Who wants to go?”

 

“Me!”

 

“Hyung, you always want to be involved in these kinds of things.”

 

Mueum elbowed Hwashin in the ribs. Hwashin feigned pain, chuckling as he scratched the back of his neck.

 

“It’s not often you get to see a Freak in real life.”

 

He had decided when he entered Yoo Hwashin’s body. The most important thing was to prevent destruction, and after that, to enjoy this world to the fullest.

 

He had come into the world of a book he liked, why should he hold back? He had the power to enjoy it, and this body had built up hundreds of years of capability.

 

‘Besides, it would be good to observe Freak.’

 

Freak was an important group in the original work, but they had relatively little presence early on, so it was difficult to know exactly what they were about. All Yoo Hwashin knew was that they were a group that showed up wherever gates appeared, interfering with the heroes.

 

He couldn’t deny the possibility that these barely-introduced characters could be key to the apocalypse. Life was usually just two options: right or wrong.

 

“Then everyone wants to go except Mueum.”

 

“Does Jaeha want to go too?”

 

“He silently raised his hand earlier but was ignored, so he lowered it again.”

 

At those words, Hwashin burst into laughter, rolling on the floor and holding his stomach, while Cha Jaeha’s ears turned bright red. Cha Jaeha had been sitting there looking solemn with his arms crossed, yet he had also cutely raised his hand.

 

Hwashin wiped the tears from his eyes and composed himself.

 

When he thought about it, the members of Unit 1 were still in their twenties, with one teenager, so every action they took seemed amusing to Hwashin.

 

Cha Jaeha glanced at Hwashin and murmured,

 

“Stop laughing.”

 

He couldn’t help it. That made it even funnier. As Hwashin was chuckling behind his hand, his phone vibrated.

 

“Hello?”

 

Still full of laughter, he heard a familiar voice on the phone again.

 

– Mr. Hwashin, may I speak with you?

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

Why did Ha Cheongwon always call his phone when there was something to discuss? In the original work, Ha Cheongwon usually contacted the protagonist, Cha Jaeha. Well, it was actually more convenient for Hwashin that Cheongwon called his phone.

 

– The members who will attend the secret meeting have been decided. Can you come to the 4th floor of the association? I’ll provide more details there.

 

“The 4th floor? …Alright, I’ll see you there~”

 

It had been four days since Ha Cheongwon mentioned the secret meeting. During that time, Unit 1 handled cases as usual and occasionally discussed who would attend the Freak meeting, like today.

 

It seemed today was the day things were finalized on the management side as well.

 

“They want us on the 4th floor?”

 

Mueum uncrossed his legs and got up from his seat.

 

“That means, ah. That’s where General Team 6 is located.”

 

“What does General Team 6 do?”

 

Hwashin asked as he dusted off his bottom from sitting on the floor.

 

“They’re known as GH6 Division, it’s where the manipulation specialists gather. They’re probably planning to thoroughly conceal our identities.”

 

“Manipulation specialists?”

 

“A lot of B-rank manipulation specialists are assigned there. They have a lot of support abilities, so they don’t go out in the field. They collaborate a lot with field operations, but they’re on a different floor from the Management Department that handles a lot of office work.”

 

“It’s where the real mages are, so it’s super cool.”

 

“Really? That sounds a bit interesting.”

 

There were mages here, and he’d seen them often. But did this world have something called magic too? What they called ‘magic power’ didn’t quite give off that feeling.

 

‘The way they operate here is subtly different from the place I lived in.’

 

Right. The awakened ones here were more like the warriors of Elric’s era. They received special abilities by chance from the heavens and used those powers to save people.

 

Mages were different. Rather than being blessed with power, it was purely talent. Some might say talent was also given by the heavens, but unlike heroes, mages received it freely. Their proficiency in different abilities might vary, but with talent, they could learn all attributes.

 

Of course, Elric’s case was quite special.

 

“Then what magic do they do?”

 

“Well, they’re all different, so it’s hard to explain.”

 

Yoo Jian replied, tapping her temple with her index finger.

 

“There are so many. There’s a hero who makes living dolls out of clay, and another who makes disposable birds out of origami.”

 

“But the hero we’ll meet today is probably someone called a shapeshifter.”

 

Jeong Mueum added as he hopped onto the escalator connecting the center to the association.

 

“Their role is a perfect fit for this.”

 

“I find that person a bit difficult.”

 

“Me too.”

 

Hmm. Really?

Well, I’ll find out when I see them.

 

Hwashin also got on the escalator, and Cha Jaeha stood right next to him.

 

“Cha Jaeha.”

 

Yoo Jian and Jeong Mueum walked ahead, chattering loudly. Hwashin spoke quietly to Cha Jaeha, at a distance where only the two of them could hear.

 

What.

Cha Jaeha responded dryly, and Hwashin smiled slightly.

 

“About the ambulance, we couldn’t do anything about it.”

 

For the past few days, Cha Jaeha had been quiet. He wasn’t usually talkative, but he talked even less so now. There was only one reason Hwashin could think of for that.

 

He was probably brooding over the people he couldn’t save from Freak that day. Cha Jaeha often memorized the names of victims from news reports and reflected on them.

 

But this incident was truly beyond anyone’s control, and not even someone who read the novel could have predicted it.

 

“Besides, that level of casualties was normal. You saved many more lives.”

 

“…”

 

In response to Hwashin’s words, Cha Jaeha silently walked up following the other two who had gone ahead. Left behind, Hwashin scratched the back of his neck and looked up at the three people.

 

What, did I say something wrong?

 

***

 

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ha Cheongwon’s neatly polished shoes, perfectly tailored suit, and neatly slicked-back hair came into view.

 

Hwashin heard he had transferred to the SH2 unit, did they have less work there?

 

“This way, please.”

 

It seemed there was no time allotted for formal introductions. Ha Cheongwon started talking as he walked inside.

 

“We’ve already pinpointed the location. To prevent any potential leaks, the location will only be disclosed on the day of the operation. As with the previous incident, Cha Jaeha will handle field command, while I’ll be in charge at headquarters.”

 

Oh, as expected from an S-rank~

 

“You’re already familiar with Freak, right?”

 

Ha Cheongwon turned his head to check the expressions of the four members of SH1 Division. After confirming that they all knew everything, he turned back to continue speaking.

 

“We’ve captured some members of Freak. The day before the operation, we’ll spread the news across the country that two of them have escaped.”

 

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

 

As the door opened with a sound, inside was a room as white and orderly as the Association’s infirmary.

 

Hwashin, who had somehow ended up right behind Ha Cheongwon’s shoulder, looked at it and let out a whistle. With a room this white, it’d be impossible to find any dirt.

 

“And two of you will infiltrate there. Disguised as the two people who escaped. I’ve brought the Unit 1 members.”

 

The person Ha Cheongwon spoke to was a shaggy-haired man wearing a lab coat and nitrile gloves. His hair was in a worse state than Elric’s was when he was stuck in a cave, with strands sticking out all over the place.

 

“Okay. Sit them down one by one.”

 

The man glanced at the members of Unit 1, showing little interest as he flipped through a file on the desk.

 

“Let’s start with Mr. Cha Jaeha.”

 

After that, as soon as Cha Jaeha sat in the round chair with wheels, the man scooted over. He stopped at a distance close enough to touch Cha Jaeha’s nose. Then he grabbed Cha Jaeha’s cheeks and stretched them.

 

“His face is firm, and the skin is thick, making it hard to manipulate. Plus, his nose is so distinct that it’s hard to flatten it. His eyes are sharp, and his eyebrows are thick, so I could shape it well, but his impression is too different from the two escapees.”

 

The man kneaded Cha Jaeha’s face as if it were clay.

 

“What is he doing?”

 

“Pre-examination before using his ability. That guy’s ability is, how should I say it, the ability to change faces. He molds faces like clay.”

 

“But he talks in such an unpleasant way. That’s why I find him a bit uncomfortable.”

 

The man continued to speak loudly, seemingly oblivious to the murmurs of Unit 1.

 

“He’s handsome, but too handsome to fit in here. Hmm. Still, given the ability, we probably need someone physically strong to go along. I understand for now. You can go back.”

 

Next.

 

At those words, Hwashin naturally went to sit down. Even though Ha Cheongwon hadn’t called his turn. Ha Cheongwon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression before smiling resignedly, thinking, ‘Well… I guess it’s possible if it’s him.’

 

“You’ve got a nice smiling face.”

 

The man, who complimented Hwashin’s grinning face without a change in expression, began the examination as before.

 

“Let’s see. The face is soft, the skin layer is thin and stretches well, and the corners of the eyes are slightly upturned but droopy. Hmm, not bad to work with. Turn around. …Hmm, the hairline isn’t bad either. We can slightly extend the non-existent cheekbones. Hmm.”

 

‘Fascinating!’

 

Internally, Hwashin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

 

He never thought that such an ability existed in <YHH>.

 

The GH Unit existed even before the SH Unit. Although the name was different, they had always been around.

 

Unlike S-ranks who could finish gates alone, it was almost mandatory for A-rank and B-rank to form teams.

 

Teams were formed with people of abilities that matched well together, with lower numbers indicating combat divisions and higher numbers being farther from the field.

 

In other words, heroes in Unit 6, until the very end, were characters who didn’t often appear in combat. For example, heroes with restoration abilities belonged to Unit 6, indicating that they appeared only after all the fights were over.

 

“Alright, you’re a better fit than Mr. Cha Jaeha at least. Next, please.”

 

This meant they were entering the mission before combat.

 

Unlike Hwashin, who got up from his seat with an amused face, Yoo Jian sat down on the chair with a pained expression as it was her turn next. Trembling, she tightly closed her eyes as the man approached her closely again.

 

“Let’s see. Long eyelashes, a smooth line from the forehead to the chin. Though the bridge of the nose is high, it’s not as high as Cha Jaeha’s, so it should be easy to flatten. Hmm. May I see your ears for a moment? …Alright, then. Turn around too.”

 

Noticing Yoo Jian’s reaction, Hwashin whispered in Jeong Mueum’s ear.

 

“Why is Jian so uncomfortable with that person?”

 

“Ah. I’m not sure. She didn’t tell me the reason. Maybe they met at the center before? I just thought she didn’t like having her face examined like that.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

I didn’t know Jian would dislike it that much given her good personality. But well, having your face scrutinized could be uncomfortable. Even if it was for work.

 

Yoo Jian’s turn ended quickly, and with Jeong Mueum last, all diagnoses were completed. Mueum’s diagnosis ended particularly fast. There were many comments about his good looks, but in the end, the man said, ‘Hah, but still, his age’, and closed the file.

 

Tap. Tap. Tap. Fingers lightly drummed on the desk.

 

“What do you think?”

 

In response to Ha Cheongwon’s question, the man let out a groan.

Difficult, it’s difficult.

 

Hwashin waited in excitement. Finally, the man seemed to finish his calculation and stood before the five of them. He hadn’t realized how tall the man was when he was sitting. He was almost as big as Cha Jaeha. The nametag on his coat read ‘Yoon Bongpal’ in gold embroidery.

 

“Alright. The ones to attend the meeting will be—”

 

And so, the people who would attend Freak’s secret meeting were decided that day.