Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Everyone gathered around him both unknowns and knowns and they all watched him with passionate eyes as he drank as he was made to drink a lot of water, administered by Min-Ho who for some reason seemed more mature, he was even growing a mustache.

Raith looked at him suspiciously, by his facial and physical appearance he could tell that this is the Min-Ho but his calm behavior even when he expressed his joy as Raith woke up was somewhat unsettling.

It made Raith question what happened.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Three months.” Mok Jae-Hwa responded as if waiting to be asked.

“Three months?” Raith’s eyes widened.

How in the world could he be asleep for three months? He knew that sleep was required due to the reconstruction and for a lot of internal and mental reprocessing to be complete and he was completely exhausted, a long rest was inevitable. But this long was not expected at all.

Raith covered his mouth in shock as he tried to make sense of this situation. He looked at the people in his bedroom and could see some familiar faces who should not be here, someone like Amber Rose who was looking at him with sorrowful eyes, a few other people, a guy with white and black hair and pointed ears.

“Okay, I must ask, what is going on here? What have I missed?”

“A lot…” Mok Jae-Hwa turned to the others, “Please I’d like to have the room with Hunter Raven.” He said.

Mumblings permeated the little crowd as they all turned back and went outside, they were all disappointed to be sent out–they wish they could have a longer look at their hero.

Now it was remaining Mok Jae-Hwa, Min-Ho, and Raith.

“Hyuuuunnnngggggniiimmmmm!!” Min-Ho shouted leaping on Raith and rubbing his cheek on his leg while sobbing and gasping with only the word ‘hyuuunngggnim’

Raith finally understood that the reason why Min-Ho was so composed was because of the people around him and perhaps because he was the doctor. Still, he was curious about what happened.

He turned to Mok Jae-Hwa with one brow raised.

“Don’t look at me like that, I will explain everything.”

“Alright?”

Mok Jae-Hwa began a lengthy explanation of all that had happened while Raith was unconscious.

And when he was done, Raith sighed.

“So, let me get this straight. After the people came to South Korea, you all sheltered them on my land, used goir resources to feed them for three months, and protected them from the government and other countries at the cost of your welfare, relationships, and for the Chairman, his position as the chairman of the Korean Hunters Association.”

“Yes.” Mok Jae-Hwa nodded.

“And you thought you did it for me?” Raith asked pointing his finger at his chest with an unbelieving expression.

“Yes of course, why else will we go through such lengths if not to protect what is yours?”

“Bro you must be high… because clearly you don’t know me. See when I brought those people I had no plan in mind, I didn’t care if they get scattered to different countries and all. I just needed somewhere for them to be. They aren’t kids, whether it is their world or this world, there is little to no difference. These people were supposed to fend for themselves man, why would you go through such lengths and at the expense of so much sacrifice.”

Mok Jae-Hwa paused, he was shocked, now that Raith was saying this his words were almost making sense, but he couldn’t help but feel that Raith’s voice was hinged on some kind of frustration and anger.

Mok Jae-Hwa narrowed his eyes, “Raven Raith what are you saying? These people were broken when they first came here. I got the details from them and Hunter Kaiser, they lost an entire world. They lost their powers, they lost the ones they revered as gods. They lost everything.”

“And you think I didn’t lose everything when I first came here too?” 𝚘𝚟𝚕．ｔ

“And you had Min-Ho to take care of you.”

Raith kept quiet with a frown, looking down as if he didn’t have any more to say.

“I know where this is coming from…” Mok Jae-Hwa said lifting his chin. “…isn’t Therut your world. The world that did not accept you. You are angry that we accepted them and sacrificed so much for the people that neglected you and cast you away.”

“Yes! Yes!! I am angry Jae-Hwa! I am angry because every time, everyone wants to save them, even my soldiers damnitt!! I want to leave them to rot! All of them, I want to watch them suffer and ask them ‘Did you regret casting me away? Thinking less of me?’ I want to ruin their lives!!!!” Raith shouted at the top of his voice, the cords on his neck and temple becoming rigid.

.

Mok Jae-Hwa’s eyes widened, for the first time since meeting Raith, he had never seen him express so much agony. Did the feeling of being left out and neglected by others hurt so much? Mok Jae-Hwa couldn’t relate because he had never been in that situation.

He grew up as the only son of a happy family, even when his mother died, he didn’t miss it too much because he had his father around. So it’d be a lie if he said he could empathize with Raith’s pain.

But for the first time, he saw Raith act human and that was enough to remind him that this guy right here is not perfect, he has never been.

Mok Jae-Hwa smiled and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were going through so much.”

Raith frowned his face, Mok Jae-Hwa’s sudden submission was offsetting, he didn’t exactly know how to react to that and he couldn’t continue to vex after he apologized, he turned his face away.

“I will accept any decision you make but I know that you too are capable of forgiveness.” Mok Jae-Hwa said.

Raith closed his eyes and sighed. “There’s no need. You all have sacrificed so much for them, I can’t let them be on their own. We have to find a shelter for them, somewhere they will be able to make their own.” Raith stated to Mok Jae-Hwa and stood up.

“And make no mistake, I am not doing this for them. I am doing this because you guys lost way too much. Especially Chairman Mok Jun-Seo.”

“Yea yea, sure sure.” Mok Jae-Hwa responded and smiled.

“Whew! Can I come out now?”

They both turned their eyes to Min-Ho who was hiding behind the bed, the pressure was so heavy a moment ago, there was nothing he could have done but just stay silently like he wasn’t in the room.

“Still what happened to this guy though,” Raith asked shaking his head.

“Being responsible for the lives and welfare of so many people must have grown him. He even grew a mustache in three months.” Mok Jae-Hwa commented, chuckling.