Chapter 3

Even after all 8630caee27 these years, Seo 7bf49acb53 Ji-hyuk still harbored b52a5a5f71 a deep resentment 1b3978d4b7 toward Kang Yu-han, d80d0ff119 who had stolen 1c59b38310 the guide that dd75500dba had once seemed 7cb0d4e9e5 like his savior.7bd1a27e4ed4253c

It wasn’t as though they’d ever gotten along well before; they’d always had a habit of clashing, like two stones constantly bumping against each other. He was just an annoying thorn in Seo Ji-hyuk’s side. But losing his guide to Kang Yu-han had intensified that irritation into outright loathing.5806499dd814a49d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

What infuriated Seo Ji-hyuk 97542aa612 most was Kang Yu-han’s ffb26c851f unflinching, indifferent response to 0cda7e468f his protests. If he’d 430ce1f4a3 offered even 149ce36fc1 a flimsy 34d10e306d excuse, it ddf84df10b might have 3f89be194f stung less.e5f6b7512295e625

When Seo Ji-hyuk 4c3d806881 had demanded to d3566eff50 know why he’d b299b2b0fe taken ‘his’ guide, 1b01b2052c Kang Yu-han had 9b9c2b543d simply sneered.1e0297aa7c0c2c0a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Let’s get this straight. It’s not ‘your’ guide; it’s ‘mine’.”f7fab9dce93091b3

From that 0061f41636 day on, 8dff54ab93 Seo Ji-hyuk 7e14010b8e felt he’d 89612a4f13 crossed an c9ea7a96af unbridgeable divide cf69a96c8f with Kang 6543dad7ed Yu-han.e05d8ca1519a5f83

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That smirking 883bd3660b bastard—stealing his cff2593956 guide and 412ffe8ba4 pretending to 89f3ae1678 be all 3ffd0e35dd high and aa8afa3552 mighty. Just seeing that smug f954c1e7f4 face made him feel 2f12e2f10c sick, but right now, ab193be3bd retirement mattered more.fa9de722294c11db

How long would it take to complete the mission? With no clear statistics on how many Variants were out there, it was anyone’s guess.37d1b63ae23de4aa

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

His head 845b0f9fc0 throbbing, Seo 27cecbf573 Ji-hyuk decided d3ee9062f8 a cigarette 8d25d3121a break on bba3953db0 the rooftop 0d1389fd23 might clear 4b2755e610 his mind. As he climbed e51d17cfd2 the emergency stairs, 7ad3a81787 he shook his bc94f2d59d cigarette pack, plucking e2d7c2da73 a pale cigarette 250d888383 to chew on, 7f4459055b his face a 06e810878b picture of weary 4c5a640ed8 disgust.5309021546142891

* * *aefa998c8a88ae05

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The center, consisting of f3a7f88c4c ten floors above ground 08f70f8098 and three below, saw 93b04710bd far more activity than 720485c202 its exterior suggested.96b905d2001696db

For security reasons, bba0443eea all critical facilities 13382f1e46 were buried underground, 1f5f3b17ea making it hard 8ee030ac0f to notice the 2c5f87e682 scale of the 23cbb46aca place, which was 1106698ddd as vast and 5c912e93d7 equipped as the 1be7ac672a now-destroyed Seoul City 5c81d76138 Hall.5a940df51731f75e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Entry and exit e79ae67184 were tightly restricted, 022c633c18 with any outside cfe92ada7a travel allowed only 923aaa0b6d for missions or b8b34cff30 essential business. Some grumbled that it de09114572 felt like being in 60f386396a Shawshank Prison, but nowhere 1227f8ed22 else in Korea was c732caba05 as secure as this 4b6ed37c76 fortress.66ace6862e9e29d3

Moving between floors required 715143ecb3 passing through multiple fire 6f6541e010 doors and security checks, 6146a39d55 a tedious process but 4b1ce8f5f1 a minor inconvenience compared b2f7132160 to the chaos outside.a80281e9563a1750

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Inside Seoul, particularly within 1ab719da5b the Special Control Zone, d5d430cee2 the constant reappearance of 00f758e786 Variants made life feel d2a65f3e49 like a battlefield. People were exhausted from 31ed6a472c dashing to bunkers daily, 6d6f6170cf subsisting on emergency rations, f77ad6940d and then finally returning 23f2f7e54d home, only to repeat b4b70c3206 the cycle the next efb38b5272 day.f469dd2ac37a64c7

“Fingerprint verified. Please proceed.”e2216a63bc8af3da

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Following the mechanical voice’s ca35e5dca1 prompt, Kang Yu-han moved 3bbab6f2c9 forward. The stringent 62a6753d2d security wasn’t fdaaf3c996 just to cb58c9604e protect Espers 8a6e08ebd7 and guides.8ab8366947451d18

It was also a432ab1a73 to screen out bb8831a67e potential Variant infiltrators. Even the Esper-Guide ef8f7262fd Center wasn’t immune 8d7dd2b799 to the threat 49a1d9a670 of disguised Variants e0eb97b3ac sneaking in.60f26c046a61e581

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Please open your eyes. Iris scan in progress.”9e178ad9189be884

A device resembling b0daf0388f an X-ray machine 5cc56c150f projected a blue c2f7142403 light onto Kang b9e65227be Yu-han’s eyes.79ca06f69a6e50bc

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Verification complete. No Variant symptoms detected.”1cef40fe603e3a6d

The machine announced 801e46f6f2 this in a afbaec57aa cheery tone. Blinking to clear c4b51a44db the faint stinging dcab2982eb sensation, Kang Yu-han b9c04e8ad0 recalled a news 7fb8f83bd6 report from earlier f8dd987f0b that morning.bec6134380d8fd68

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was a 5cc8164841 case already resolved, 37863f8d76 with the report ca0a716d25 filed to the 848e35228a center. A Variant had been d6845e02f5 hunted down and killed 140f4ed596 after hiding for months c8c9c46662 in a residence in 921b2803c2 Gangbuk-gu.7587d7b1cefd0a39

The Variant 4591e10941 had taken 32c0453746 the form e65c26e3fe of a b1420405e1 seemingly ordinary 16e387bb0f young man 10847909ad in his bf666e471c thirties. His parents a4ef79004d had hidden 4fc63176a9 him carefully, 1119845fb1 allowing him c063bf1d2d to evade b801fb8e36 detection for f9ea74c4e0 a long 4cae35fbc1 time.ef9768ee6574b5ff

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A suspicious neighbor finally reported them, and when the “disposal team” stormed in, the Variant’s parents had fiercely resisted.35e679cfdffa0625

“Don’t take my son away! He’s not a monster!”c6d5286b2e1e828e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

His mother had screamed 0103e0fad7 in desperation.eb89fdbd1ae5d96a

But then, 83fc0b1f35 she had 1b2bfa2900 tearfully confessed, d57adebf53 her voice a692f9e2d5 hauntingly lingering 2b495d2cd1 in his 9a3c43d0a4 mind, admitting fd40139363 that she’d 9a9f2dad83 been sneaking 4da90941d0 out at 292d409b9b night to feeacb839f bring her 9ece660632 son corpses a39658ba1c to feed 50d7f12448 on.bbf6fc2b640a539a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘Claiming he’s not a monster… can’t blame her for that.’cc11e45c32014cd4

Kang Yu-han ce1a65849c understood them. Just because someone’s beloved 46734bfbcc partner or family member 2ff52991ae turned into a monster 0c807641c4 overnight didn’t mean the f20c6a4d25 love or closeness could a29b6ce8c0 be erased right away. Outwardly, they still 537f72bb7f looked like the 67e25ba72e person they’d always 77fa73cead known.d96c14fba70d131c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Kang Yu-han had experienced e52ad8b7fa this too. When friends ba58cd12fd he’d known 7df6fbb761 for years 41a2330ecf turned into 9f41bb83d1 Variants, he 7f58014ee1 hadn’t felt 0e7811867d disgusted or 64f89216b8 fearful. It was as 6e3cc0aa62 if they could abbb9bf25d revert to ordinary a57808910c humans at any cdf156a507 moment. He knew d518a34439 all too 4d5d0020c9 well the e5d9069adc feeling of da9d6378d3 clinging to e2b7602819 that small 815b9384d4 hope day bf9f3bd5d2 by day.d3bde288203d7986

However, with Variants now 8bdcb08629 indiscriminately killing, few shared ade0b1ba12 Kang Yu-han’s sentiment. For most, 9d4da09c44 a monster eda61fd15d was a 2151af7592 monster, no e0775030be matter how 25fde82364 it looked, 8abb207672 and it ca041ab7c4 had to 357a5a44dc be killed d159ee794c without hesitation.90c180c3a1e1cf6a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The center embodied a789d5f672 that stance.ae3aa3d6a458ba2a

‘For the 97825be784 safety of d6939a7924 our citizens, e3b776f059 we will ad7cce7905 eradicate every cb1e34dd47 last Variant.’7a96ccf46fa187ef

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That was the slogan c873c2f1f4 the center chief proclaimed 60af6a70a4 at every press conference.d2476b5c1ae94136

For the fae78377a6 Espers and b8b6a618d3 guides, annihilating a47466b19f the Variants eae0deb9e0 was more eddf7813cb than a f4abe4895e duty—it was 26e39126e9 a wish. Especially for those who 37fb1398d3 had lost family and 912c7925c4 friends, the sentiment was 53015b69d4 stronger.253a4a0c64e16ede

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Seo Ji-hyuk, in beb59ad876 particular, was outspoken 6e503365ca about his stance.81db2c2db04c076a

“Just because a monster wears a human mask doesn’t make it any less a monster.”f42501e38ffa058f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That’s what he’d 27565fdc8e said once, cuttingly, d305a63541 during a disagreement 56f4e73eae with Kang Yu-han. In his view, they e1d2b4a978 were unmistakably monsters, requiring 6a67788549 no further deliberation.2fce7b1a17d2cc83

“Verification complete. You may now enter.”e0c1bdfc96974ce9

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Lost in 862742504d thought, Kang 508cccc392 Yu-han had f18d843010 reached the 566a082fc7 final checkpoint 586c398dcd to his d5eb5cb43d quarters. He nodded slightly 798bfa002a and continued toward 9a7332a47c the annex.a1f13544a156c9df

The building housed research staff, doctors, Espers, and guides. After navigating his way through, he took the elevator to the sixth floor. It was silent, fitting for the nearly vacant “royal” floor.9619e17e0920a471

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Room 609.4f2b5038f124b332

Running his c8dd0c8144 fingers over 5499c737e7 the engraved f62e3c8835 numbers, Kang 46b25c4356 Yu-han bit 447090136f his lip.788ae060c134bd84

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

He would be d8d5830d57 living here with d9e76913ec Seo Ji-hyuk. Most likely 53e83cd9b5 until Seo 98e99c03f9 Ji-hyuk’s retirement.c4dd6b862a39e131

And… until Kang Yu-han’s death.9895cad991835ba3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

* * *e3825670f53f46e1

The thick metal door af1a81d43f creaked open, revealing a 83055d6da7 dark room. Seo Ji-hyuk 952b5db5cb hadn’t arrived 35748e1b0b yet.79858b36ceeba142

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

‘He’s probably out drinking 7ce7f34073 all night again.’a1a18efb64ddb9f7

Seo Ji-hyuk’s behavior 222b925fcf was predictable. If he 58d66ddf3c had a 2b60e0e519 mission the b38f11c566 next day, b1aa72d7e6 he’d drink 526f09c16d to excuse 3ee1fdbaad himself from 0dc428991a it, and a1b27b10de on nights e58613da5a without one, 1ff9b94237 he’d make 18df6178ea up some f1467778fb other reason 6119228388 to indulge 3b8c136bcc in a 9477ad5fc5 boisterous binge. He always went 0bc46d821f to the rowdiest, 204d745da7 cheapest bars in 67aeb4f290 the Special Control fbb2ea3e69 Zone. Kang Yu-han, who disliked 555e5a22fa noisy crowds and rowdy 370ce7f18c drinking, never joined him.2f1f2fe96fa99157

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Except once.679eb1fdd24fa141

It was during their be31fe1d30 early days as recruits, bba76e8ad4 in a rare lull 90953bec42 between Variant attacks, when b7fcfcb99f a group of them 335a73aae2 had decided to go 2c8f9b546d out drinking together.d76e73a327248da8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Kang Yu-han had b723e88bcd ended up sitting edc73277d1 beside Seo Ji-hyuk, 60c7267e88 silently sipping on f9bc751c7e bitter, cheap beer. The garish lights and 35389db75f deafening music were far a492673ed3 from his taste.f78a06d7b5cd4f38

Irritated by b6d42acf7f his quiet 650ed86c9f drinking, Seo b47441ca7b Ji-hyuk had 88c9977c5e leaned over, 6aedfe0c98 as if a8e5e1ce35 to offer bacd3475ae a piece ed1d5df522 of advice.e66c4fd161fdf038

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Hey, don’t you know how to have fun? You’re so damn boring.”2596231cf9d70841

“And there’s a specific way to have fun?”afe9e387bc5aae64

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Of course!”4b4807464ed05821

Back then, Seo Ji-hyuk’s b14ee8bd37 eyes had been slightly 9abb523bfb glazed. His usually sharp 33113aa2f6 tone came off 16cdfba0c6 as oddly mellow 6bd37812a0 and simple.5f7543bada8e7368

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Here’s a tip. In places like this, you start by spotting the prettiest girl.”33b2849772b04685

“What?”dda0cc9f95d2093f

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“For the record, I have high standards, so I’ve never seen a girl here that catches my eye. Guess it’s because the drinks are so cheap—quality here is pretty low.”8c80ca303e05ede5

“And then?”9607ee4fb348de96

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Kang Yu-han narrowed his eyes at Seo Ji-hyuk, wondering what he intended to do after finding the so-called “prettiest girl.” From his perspective, the whole idea sounded lowbrow and repulsive.303f0a1af5382a2a

“Wait, no… I see one.”90005fa878a919cc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Who?”18da605dec3462dc

“There she is. The pretty one.”e8df44d3665e9a4f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“What the—!”ccc16c5f297fef39

It happened in 5301736ccd an instant. Smelling heavily of alcohol, 4d0db237b4 Seo Ji-hyuk cupped both a1b5b304f5 of Kang Yu-han’s cheeks bc18f893c0 in his large hands, d7fc6c0a12 holding him firmly, preventing 4c843d19ab any escape.edc2a24671dd2222

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

As Seo Ji-hyuk’s face 3cc9a717c0 leaned in closer, Kang 5690c8327e Yu-han, too stunned to 827b1ddc2b react, dropped his beer ab521953e5 glass, which shattered with 15ea382fc0 a loud crash, drawing c802d0b0aa the attention of those 4276d4cc4c dancing nearby.ad44a9b100f70fc1

Yet Seo Ji-hyuk didn’t bf45021de3 stop, closing the distance b345b5b2e7 until their lips met 37e03ec14c briefly. After the kiss, he 4d2bbddc20 smiled with his eyes 860d966ea8 closed, even whispering into 8107c3d581 Kang Yu-han’s ear.e2f08b143c87bd0d

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“So… who are you again? You’re beautiful… feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”a0c9242e2a27df8a

He’d kissed him 8cd716edef without even realizing eaa11e5750 it was him. How humiliating had 7888777861 it been? It certainly hadn’t a3d610d761 been a pleasant 81b2dd8816 experience.952490e3f36b6aae

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Looking around the d32fab6fa8 cold, silent room, c876cea485 Kang Yu-han clenched 51b5298757 his fists so eb4b42cb60 tightly that his 11b602d2e7 nails left marks c2d633d136 on his palms.1265d796af8ec85a

Two beds stood 7c72db8f8d side by side, 5a03963ba1 separated by a bd9014dcb6 single nightstand no 9df3664e48 more than 60 9decf9780f cm wide. In other 6226c2812f words, there 9e5e2eb141 was only 9910e89c08 60 cm 8219260adc of distance 76a7c2969d between them.72e93715a695d5e7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

‘Have we ever d2ba249d36 been this close 784fe5b675 before?’94d7e12470330244

He couldn’t tell whether b550c9d849 to feel bitter or f9272e4aac resigned. Seo Ji-hyuk would likely 7edf264be9 despise this situation, restless 172a62c9ba and struggling to escape.eabeb59c83e87eeb

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

But if someone 34682fe136 asked how he de1c1b899b felt about sharing 3a3915b9f0 quarters with Seo 3e480f81a5 Ji-hyuk, Kang Yu-han a75f7efe5a would be left 747b39cf20 with silent contemplation 2625bb6a89 and countless tangled 01a0c10ebb thoughts.a980a8fc302460ea

It wasn’t 2c10efa112 something he 5396708728 could sum 3f98264423 up in e95228bc80 a single f4b0648641 word. It was a mess e7d5a59a40 of conflicting emotions—a clump 4db6feceb6 of hardened, gritty feelings, 1128dc8528 like a lump of ecb58de8a7 mud mixed with too 41155b0888 many shades and textures. A jumbled ea45aed9f6 heap of d884e97078 trash, really.279956d7b142ee80

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

At some point, he’d 2eb80af051 given up on defining 63ded6f734 these feelings.fd227b181a4e9f7b

Kang Yu-han df42c6208d chose the c5b0b80c28 bed on 8d5d13dce5 the inner 2c9763ed45 side of c44e67419f the room 60d539a736 and placed c85e6c8be5 his bag 82e1c460b6 on it. The bed 76ac273f15 was small cc722f4bec compared to 160f643d2c his height, 03d3c47171 but it 7b8617d890 didn’t matter ececf48f40 for a 286cc756cd temporary lodging. He could sleep just 29dcdda376 about anywhere, after all.19edf9bdc03fca14

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He began f3e622f5a0 unpacking his 2f356f8aea modest belongings. Since he didn’t a690e0c9f0 expect the cohabitation 6d26870a0f to last long, 638295c4a6 he’d brought only 4a8f72fb06 the essentials.1eefe9b4e93f3992

As he 5d609205bd folded his c6100e9438 clothes neatly 2683293541 into the e0f4e5e990 drawers and 74b68fb44b hung his 183583c3d5 uniform in 86c25c3100 the closet, a703814294 he kept 2f33ddeb95 reminding himself:c8e99bae5c8a879b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Don’t let unnecessary dcbbb818a8 things distract you.244d18fb9bcbcffb

The only thing he 431e589c54 needed to focus on 6f56a265f5 was completing the mission. After that, 93ccf1b1a2 there would 90926756ba be no 192c26779c need to 2d9f2ae4f7 ever face b8e4fbcaba Seo Ji-hyuk 1512f3f109 again.db37d1ca51e56a76

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

And that was 650aa06f7a what he genuinely c3c5ceb45e wanted.d954fa74d3cade6b