guess i'm continuing this then
(honestly idk if this fits b/c pre-regression seems darker in comparison but perhaps this is HYJ at the beginning, before things get too bleak i need to reread/finish the novel at some point instead of just absorbing spoilers thru osmosis)
so this being pre-regression HYJ he's prolly broke as heck and injured as heck (doesn't even have to be from previous dungeon forays could be just from the kidnapping itself, those bastards) but LUCKILY for him Jupiter has state-of-the-art medical facilities to look after him and keep him all nice and healthy
by the way as i write this i realize sooooo many names in this fic are gonna end up English because America
(but this magically fixes the Hyunjae vs. Hyunje debate so im not complaining)
anyways HYJ is stuck in a bed recovering at the health resort/spa/whatever and genuinely frantic to leave b/c 1) he doesn't know if these guys are in league with the kidnappers 2) he's going to lose his part-time job at this rate if he keeps missing days 3) his brother? ?? who supposedly doesn't care about him and will be fine but oh my god what if the kidnappers go after him too [he thinks less ransom and more targeting HYH himself b/c to HYJ HYH will always be baby bro even if he's in his unhealthy rebellious angry teenager phase])
meanwhile on the Jupiter side of things this is like touching the edge of an international incident b/c sure trafficking happens everyday but trafficking hunters is a little higher on the alarm list (even if said hunter is F-rank) and then with a little digging it turns out said F-rank is the older brother to the Haeyeon Guild leader (there were attempts to downplay that in the media but yeah, good luck doing that with Jupiter sticking its nose in to sniff)
it prolly doesn't take much effort to deal with the kidnappers who kidnapped HYJ in the first place and even inform HYH of what's happened and return his brother to him but then again, should they? (this is SHJ's POV not his employees)
after all HYH's been so eager to get rid of his older brother and now he really is out of his hair and even if part of that eagerness is feigned how much more interesting it would be to watch what he does while knowing the person he wants is safe and sound and on mandatory vacation? in the meantime what will the kidnappers do once they found out they've lost their motherload? what will they do after they realize who it's with instead?
all of this is so amusing that SHJ decides to do nothing about it! except make sure HYJ gets well, because he's quite plucky for a F-rank and it'd be no fun if he died from malnutrition within the first 48 hours
"hey," HYJ calls out one day when he sees SHJ strolling by in the halls (he definitely did it on purpose) "hey, you."
(i forgot how much pre-regression HYJ even follows hunters beyond his bro but he should know at least Jupiter guild exists. maybe he knows the name of its guild leader, after all SHJ's been on ads. but would he have been paying attention? i don't think he'd know about Peter though because none of us did until the author's notes at the end)
SHJ looks at HYJ in his bandages and IV and pure something-rare-dungeon-S-class-quality silk pajamas and the darkest circles known to man under his eyes and smiles like the sun to say, "yes, can I help you?"
"give me your phone," HYJ says and it's not even an ask, it's a demand because not one of the staff has allowed him online since he was checked in against his will and hell if SHJ isn't asking for it strolling down the hall scrolling through his social media feed like nothing's wrong in the world, like he doesn't have HYJ more-or-less illegally held captive while the world moves on without him (but has it ever needed him in the first place? a part of him thinks, except he can't think that now he needs to do something to be noticed, or at least check in on how HYH's doing, or at least message his boss—)
"oh, but im in the middle of something," SHJ says with an innocent blink (yeah sure he's browsing news of HYH burning through things and buildings and maybe some people and STW gearing up to stop him as korea falls into chaos because one little F-rank hunter went suspiciously missing in the last two weeks). "besides, the doctor says you should avoid extra stimulation for your mental health."
HYJ thinks, screw doctors, he can't even afford one (does he even have health insurance??) and if this is another way Blond Bastard is gonna make him pay for his (so-far-all-free) stay here he has another thing coming. "it won't take long. i just need to make a call."
"i don't have signal here."
"can't phones do web calling these days? just connect to the wifi."
"you have to pay for it."
do you lack the money for that? HYJ thinks but snarls, "fine, then i'll pay for the wifi."
"they only have 30-day passes for $10."
"then i'll pay for 30 days!"
a lot of other things happen most of it involving SHJ stringing HYJ along and even having him sign up for a (free) membership at the resort spa in order to access the discounted wifi pass (but actually it's just a Big Brain Move to register HYJ as a member of Jupiter Guild by a technicality because there's nothing nicer than seeing something you find interesting and claiming it for yourself somehow—ahem anyways)
at the very end SHJ hands him the phone, conveniently moved to the dialpad screen, and reminds him helpfully:
"it's 3:19AM in korea right now."
after all, alaska is 17 hours behind seoul.
HYJ is undaunted and types in the number (+ country code) by heart, determined to send a text message when—
—he realizes it's not his phone. will his brother even answer? maybe it's safer to text someone else but—
he...doesn't really have anyone else to text, does he? calling the police might work better, but he'd have to look that up—and maybe he's better off calling alaskan authorities instead, but it's not like he's a fluent english speaker.
besides, what kind of kidnapping (?) victim pays their kidnapper (??) to borrow their phone and call for help anyways?
and if it IS a text from jupiter guild, what if HYH does something rash? he wants to catch up to his little brother sure and be closer to him, but not at the expense of causing him trouble at his side. why are there suddenly so many details to consider after getting a damned phone at last?
"you have 719 hours and 36 minutes of wifi left," SHJ reminds him helpfully again.
HYJ decides to browse the web instead, at least check out news of what's going on in korea. he doubts he'll make the headlines, but his brother should at least be up to something—
the lights flicker and then go dark. so does the wifi signal on the phone, sputtering to an emergency (!) symbol for loss of connection.
"it appears we've lost power," SHJ adds helpfully for the third time that day.
"so what, the wifi's out too? you don't have any generators? i thought this was a S-ranked resort."
"S-rank can apply to many things."
"such as the people who use it. also to the quality of blackouts we experience ever so often."
"that's just an excuse, isn't it? i get it, you're S-ranked for shitty spa—" HYJ throws the phone back at him in disgust. SHJ is delighted by the violence as he catches it.
(it was also, SHJ mused, useful being able to control electricity whenever he wanted.)
