Moon's Labyrinths

“Are you feeling better, Mr . Sungyoon?”

Jimin quickly walked toward Sungyoon .

“Yes . I’m still a bit tired, but I don’t feel any pain . ”

“That’s a relief . ”

The words flushed some of the worries in Jimin’s heart . The doctor already told her that he couldn’t find anything wrong with Sungyoon, yet she still had been worried .

“What happened after I lost consciousness?”

“That’s . . . ”

Jimin stopped talking for a brief moment, as the doctor had entered the room .

She stepped back . It seemed she prioritized his health over-explaining what had happened .

But she didn’t need to wait long . The doctor left after asking a couple of questions .

The doctor said he’d do a couple more tests at a later time, but most of the medical examination had already been done .

The hospital staff were merely monitoring the status of their patient, and they would only intervene if his health took a turn for the worse .

As soon as the doctor left, Jimin restarted her explanation .

“After the Behemoth was confirmed to be dead, Ms . Grace brought Mr . Sungyoon to this hospital . ”

“So this is indeed a hospital? The room is quite nice for a hospital . ”

The room was large, and its interior design was clean . It looked nothing like the typical hospital room .

“This is the best hospital room in the largest hospital in London . You are the hero who saved London . Of course, they’ll give you the VIP treatment . ”

“What happened to London?”

Jimin shook her head from side to side . This gesture was enough to tell Sungyoon that London wasn’t in a good state .

“A lot of people died, and many were injured . Too many buildings were destroyed . It’ll take a lot of money, effort, and time to fix everything . ”

“That’s too bad . ”

Sungyoon had tried his best, but his opponent was too strong . He couldn’t stop the damage occurring to London . However, he didn’t feel excessively guilty about it . Stopping the destruction had been beyond his abilities .

“How’s Ms . Grace?”

“She is safe . Mr . Tim and Ms . Emily arrived the next day, and she is with them . They are guarding the entrance to the cave, which you all were commissioned to investigate . ”

“As expected, the monster appeared from that cave?”

“I believe so . ”

“A monster appeared on Earth . . . ”

“That’s why all the countries are in a state of panic . It happened to London, and it could happen to them too . ”

A monster had appeared on Earth . What if there was a second time? Moreover, there was no guarantee that monsters would only show up in London . So, of course, the other countries had to make preparations now .

“In some ways, England was on the lucky side . Two powerful Connectors were prepared and on stand-by with their Devices and Gems in possession . ”

If Sungyoon and Grace hadn’t been present, London would have been completely destroyed .

“How are they preparing for the monsters?”

“I do not know what they’ll do . I don’t think anyone has a clear plan right now . This occurred not too long ago, so it is too short of a time to set up any countermeasures . The only thing they could do right now is to recall the high-rank Connectors from the Moon . ”

If monsters appeared in their country, the government would dispatch the recalled Connectors . Sungyoon thought about it, but he could only come up with the same plan for the near future . He couldn’t come up with a different coherent plan that would work .

“All the news shows are talking about this event . It’s a good way to see what other countries are planning . ”

Jimin handed the remote controller over to him . Sungyoon was a bit tense as he turned on the TV .

However, the screen showed something totally unexpected .

They were showing a large blown-up picture of himself .

- ... He is from Korea, and his name is Woo Sungyoon . Currently, he is in a party with Ms . Grace Taylor, the granddaughter of the current queen . They raid the labyrinths together . They were in London to investigate a cave where magical energy was discovered . Their heroic actions saved London . The Parliament wants these two knighted as Knight Grand Cross and Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) . The request will be sent to the Queen, and it is assumed that she will agree . . .

Sungyoon had turned on the news to get up-to-date information on what was going on in the world . Instead he saw a large picture of his face on the screen . It was almost embarrassing as the reporter was busy praising Sungyoon .

Sungyoon quickly changed the channel . Since the appearance of the monster on earth was a big event, he assumed the other news channel would be talking about it .

However, every news channel was showing an enlarged photo of his face from the fight .

In the end, Sungyoon turned off the TV .

“What’s wrong? I thought it was a good picture of you . ”

“... Is the mood of the country all like this right now?”

“Of course . The two of you are heroes who stopped the downfall of London . Moreover, the process of saving the city was very dramatic . A silver knight stopped the monster with the princess adored by the people of Britain . They think of you like one of the Knights of the Round Table . It is as if the legend of King Arthur has come to life . It is a story straight out of the fairy tales . ”

Jimin glanced at the TV, which had been shut off .

“Well, it is also true that the government needs a hero in order to reign in the panic and chaos . ”

“What is GBE? I know it’s some kind of an award for merit . ”

“GBE . Knight Grand Cross . It is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a person . The Order has five separate ranks, and Mr . Sungyoon will receive the highest rank called GBE . The ‘Sir’ is automatically added to the name of anyone with the rank of GBE and the second rank of KBE . England’s most famous Connector Charlie Russell received the same honors . By receiving the GBE, Charlie Russell became Sir Russell . ”

“So, the title will be added to my name as a knight?”

“Why? Do you like the sound of it?”

Jimin was a bit playful as she asked the question .

However, she was unable to bait him into changing his expression .

“I was just curious . ”

“... I should’ve expected this reaction from you . If I’m to answer your question, the ‘Sir’ is automatically added to the name for a GBE, but one has to be a British citizen . As a non-Brit, you will be eligible for honorary knighthood . That is why the moniker of ‘Dame’ will be added to Ms . Grace’s name, but the moniker of ‘Sir’ won’t be added to Mr . Sungyoon’s name . In the first place, the moniker signifies one is a subject of the Queen, so of course, foreigners aren’t allowed to add it to their name . This means foreigners don’t count towards the limit of knights . If the maximum number of Knights and Dames Grand Cross is reached, one cannot be added into the knighthood even if one has the merits . ”

“So Grace will receive the honors?”

“Thankfully, the slots are open right now . ”

This ended his question about the GBE .

Even if he wouldn’t receive the moniker of ‘Sir’, he would receive an honorary knighthood . It was enough of an honor for him . Moreover, Sungyoon wasn’t interested in the title at all .

He then started to move his various body parts . Thankfully, he didn’t experience any pain, and his body was the picture of health .

“I’ll be discharged after tomorrow’s checkup?”

Sungyoon remembered the words spoken to him by the doctor earlier .

“Yes . He wants to do the examination just in case . I don’t know if I should say this, but it is merely a formality . ”

“That’s good to hear . The others won’t have to wait too long for me . ”

After he spoke those words, he started looking around his surroundings .

“Where are my Devices and Gems?”

“The Royal Family is keeping it safe through Ms . Grace since those are expensive items . ”

“I see . I’ll just ask for it after I am discharged . ”

“... I’m sorry, but what are you trying to do so soon?”

Was it just his feeling? Jimin’s face had stiffened .

“I’ll have to investigate the cave where the Behemoth appeared . ”

Sungyoon spoke to her as if it were a given . It was as if he was saying the Earth rotated on its axis .

He had put his life on the line to fight just a couple days ago, yet he was voluntarily going to step back into danger once again . The man was doing it it through his own volition .

“... Are you doing it because of the contract?”

Jimin was well aware of the fact that Sungyoon was almost obsessed with keeping his contracts and promises . She was the very first one to exploit this part of his personality for her own benefit .

“Yes . ”

“You are going to raid the Great Labyrinth because of the contract with me . Am I correct?”

“... You are?”

When she kept asking odd questions, Sungyoon looked at Jimin with a puzzled look .

Jimin was silent for a brief moment . A serious expression apeared on her face, and it looked as if she was in constant anguish over her thoughts . Sungyoon didn’t talk to her as he allowed her to contemplate the matter .

“Mr . Sungyoon . I . . . ”

She was about to say something, but she shut her mouth again . It seemed she felt very conflicted about what she was about to say . However, her face became resolute .

“Should we rethink our plan of raiding the Great Labyrinth?”

“... What do you mean?”

Sungyoon was truly surprised . Jimin had been solely focused on finding traces of her father in the Great Labyrinth . She had ignored all objections thrown her way and poured a massive amount of money into this endeavor .

Yet, she was suddenly talking about rethinking their plans of raiding the Great Labyrinth . It almost made him wonder if she was feeling ok .

“E . . . everyone around me told me it isn’t a good idea, and I am well aware of the problems of continuing my goals . This will be good for you, Mr . Sungyoon . In the end, it’ll be safer for you if you don’t have to enter the Great Labyrinth . ”

Sungyoon didn’t respond at all as he looked at Jimin . It appeared as though he was trying to see through to her true intentions .

Jimin continued to speak .

“I’ll convey it to the others . If I explain it to them, I believe they’ll be understanding . In truth, the others want to go to the Great Labyrinth through their own will . And unlike them, Mr . Sungyoon is going because someone else wants you to go . I am willing to call off my contract with you . ”

In the beginning, it sounded like she was giving a recommendation . However, near the end, she was almost speaking in a pleading voice .

“Were you shocked when you saw my battle?”

Jimin flinched . Sungyoon had guessed the correct answer .

‘If that wasn’t the case, there’s no way she would suddenly change her mind like this . ’

Jimin always felt guilt for pushing Connectors into a life and death situation . Her guilt was much more severe when it came to Sungyoon . And now, she had seen a true battle between a monster and a Connector, and it had been beyond her imagination .

She hadn’t looked away for a single moment as she had watched Sungyoon’s battle on the screen . Of course, she had watched Sungyoon get battered too .

Thankfully, it ended with Sungyoon winning, but the battle had caused great shock within Jimin’s heart .

Normally, she felt guilt, worry, and good feelings toward Sungyoon . And then, there were her feelings toward Shinhae . All these emotions swirled within her with abandon .

“You have Shinhae too . If you enter and die within the Great Labyrinth, she’ll be sad . I don’t want Shinhae to experience what I went through . ”

“Do you see your younger self within Shinhae?”

“Yes . In some ways, I saw the reflection of my father in you . You probably had this thought before . My father would have never wanted me to look for him . ”

Sungyoon stood up from the bed . He stood up and stared straight into Jimin’s face .

Jimin lowered her head . It seemed she was feeling very confused right now .

She had been blurting out the emotions that she normally buried deep inside her .

But Sungyoon’s battle with the Behemoth ruthlessly unearthed these emotions . There was no order to her emotions . They were mixed in a haphazard manner .

“... I’m saying this as a father of a child . I’m sure your father Hahn Jungbum wouldn’t want you to suffer in order to find his whereabouts . Let me reverse the roles . If Shinhae tried the same thing as you, I would be very worried and sad . ”

Jimin didn’t say anything . As expected, he had those thoughts . He was like all the others who looked negatively on her endeavors . However, this allowed Jimin to take control of her emotions .

She already knew all of this . Moreover, she would have an easier time convincing Sungyoon if he thought that way too . She kept telling herself that this was good news . However, Sungyoon wasn’t done speaking .

“I’m still speaking as a father of a child . I would feel proud of having such a daughter like you . It would be proof that my daughter loved me very much . It would be proof that my daughter viewed me as an excellent, wonderful, and loving father . I would know she loved me . ”

Jimin raised her head . Her eyes had been slightly wet, and they turned round at Sungyoon’s words .

“If I’m being honest, I’m envious of Mr . Hahn Jungbum for having a daughter like you . ”

Sungyoon was telling her what he truly felt .

“I don’t care if you rip up my contract or not . I will attempt to raid the Great Labyrinth . It isn’t just about my contract to you, President . I made a promise to my party members . ”

After saying those words, Sungyoon got back into the bed to lie down . He closed his eyes as he tried to sleep . He wanted to get rid of his remaining exhaustion .

Jimin didn’t move . Soon, she silently looked down at Sungyoon, who was quietly asleep .

***

The hospital stay of a couple of days came to an end . Even if he was hospitalized, he wasn’t injured, so his stay in the hospital was quite boring . Moreover, reporters and members of Parliament kept trying to meet him . It was quite a headache .

Since Grace had come along with them, he tried his best to deal with them, but it was really annoying . Therefore, he felt much happier at the prospect of being discharged from the hospital .

Despite going through such events, Sungyoon was underestimating his own popularity . No, he didn’t care about it .

In order to go through the discharge procedure, he stood in front of the reception desk with someone dispatched from the British government . It happened at that moment .

“Excuse me... . ”

After he was fully discharged, he was about to head to the cave where Grace and the Ross siblings were waiting for him when someone called out to him .

It was the nearby nurse . She hesitated for a brief moment before handing him a pen and paper .

“M . . . Mr . Woo Sungyoon? May I have your autograph?”

Her face was slightly red . She looked like a fan meeting her idol . Sungyoon was taken aback by the sudden request .

“... You want me to sign it?”

“YES!”

Sungyoon was taken aback by the nurse’s forceful answer . He signed the blank paper with the signature that he used to sign contracts during his business days .

Of course, it wasn’t fancy . It was a crude and quite uneven signature . Yet the nurse was ecstatic as she let out a bright smile . She then hugged the autograph as she left .