“No, that’s not it… If the guerrilla gate had been cleared, then Mom would have come out, and my brother wouldn’t have gone missing.”

However, I soon shook my head, dismissing the thought as nonsensical.

If the guerrilla gate had been cleared, everyone inside should have come out.

But Mom was still missing, and my brother disappeared after Chae Dong-hwa appeared.

“Actually, when I first saw that senior, I heard a voice.”

As I was shrugging off my deep contemplation, he revealed something new.

“It told me to survive by any means. As soon as I heard that, I felt I had to cling to that senior.”

His voice trembled slightly. It seemed like a painful and tormenting memory for Chae Dong-hwa.

“So, I followed him since then. I thought maybe if I heard that voice again, my memories might return.”

So, he didn’t follow my brother just because he was a fan, nor out of gratitude, but moved instinctively to regain his memory.

“I often wonder if things would have been different if I hadn’t kept my concerns to myself and shared about the strange voice I heard.”

“Why so?”

“Because I might be related to the guerrilla gate. If we had identified even a bit about the gate’s nature, perhaps my senior wouldn’t have suffered that fate.”

He seemed to have made the same speculation as I did. His expression was somber.

People often blame themselves when tragic events befall those close to them.

What if I had done this, what if I hadn’t done that?

I, too, had blamed myself for not telling my brother to come back since I was waiting for him outside.

“That’s probably not the case.”

Understanding his feelings, I believed the truth was clear.

“This is just an unfortunate accident, not anyone’s fault.”

His solemn face turned slightly towards me. A faint light flickered in his calm eyes.

“There’s no confirmation that you’re related to the Blue Starlight Valley guerrilla gate, and you still don’t remember anything. Even if my senior had known about the gate, getting sucked into it wouldn’t have changed.”

I wished he wouldn’t blame himself unnecessarily.

“If he’s as good a person as you say, he would understand your reasons for not speaking up.”

It’s risky to voice suspicions that might lead to further scrutiny.

His decision to remain silent was to protect himself, and I didn’t think my brother would have resented that.

As I pondered, his gaze deepened. His intense black eyes, unblinking, had an imposing presence.

‘Did I cross a line with my words?’

Just as I was about to apologize in case I had offended him, he spoke.

“Did I say that the senior was sucked into the Blue Starlight Valley guerrilla gate?”

At that moment, I realized my slip-up. In my immersion, I inadvertently revealed that I knew who the senior was.

“Ha ha. Isn’t the senior Hunter Yu Tae-rim? I guessed as much from seeing you two together online…”

“Yes, it’s Yu Tae-rim senior.”

Luckily, my brother’s disappearance was a well-known incident, and his close relationship with Chae Dong-hwa was a widely circulated fact.

He resumed eating his fish cake as if the serious conversation hadn’t happened, looking relaxed.

“So now I’m trying to regain my memory in a different way.”

“A different way?”

Was there another method to regain his memory?
“Watching people similar to those related to the senior… well, people who are similar to those related to him.”

People related to my brother, and those similar to them? Who could that be? Why is this so complicated?

Is he being intentionally vague, or am I just lacking in understanding?

“Does that help?”

“There’s someone who gives me a feeling similar to when I was with the senior.”

Maybe he’s talking about a friend of a friend of my brother? If they are all close, the atmosphere could be similar. Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.

“Uh… I hope you regain your memories.”

That was all I could say. If he’s beating around the bush like this, it seems like he doesn’t intend to tell me.

Even if he did, I probably wouldn’t understand. I barely know my brother’s friends, let alone friends of his friends.

“Yes, I will try.”

He suddenly passed me the last skewer left. As I took a light bite, the well-seasoned fish cake was soft and chewy.

Time to go to bed.

He naturally offered me the tent, intending to sleep outside himself.

After repeatedly convincing him that it’s okay since we’re both in our sleeping bags, we ended up sharing the tent…

“Hunter, did you sleep here?”

In the morning, as I emerged from the tent, Chae Dong-hwa was leaning against the cave wall with his eyes closed.

He was definitely lying in the sleeping bag next to me before I fell asleep. When did he leave?

“…No, I just woke up early.”

That sounded like a lie.

His eyes, which were fluttering open, now fixedly gazed at me.

“Was it very uncomfortable to share a space with me?”

“No, it’s not that…”

He hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

“What if I accidentally offended you…”

“I trust that you wouldn’t—”

“What if I attack or use a skill in my sleep…”