Chapter 19

The next day, an article related to the Princess of Dark Flare brought about a huge issue. Eunha sipped the coffee Jehwi had brought and checked it.

[Comments] 6,206

└>□□: a level 29 monster in a c class gate? hahaha it's been a while since i've seen a gate error

└>□□: wow, that's crazy. are those flames? i think it looks kinda like cream ;;;

└>□□: hey, shouldn't she be an s class? isn't she an a class at the very least???

└>□□: that can't be real hahahaha

└>□□: as expected, the wolf guild is famous for being difficult to join, so you have to prove that you entered wolf first o-o

└>□□: wow, look at the udyr level of change.

└>□□: fly up, suzaku~

e/n: udyr = a champion from league of legends. suzaku = one of the four lords from final fantasy XIV.

└>□□: i was watching king god's broadcast, and she was so rude. she spoke informally to the senior hunters and ignored them, that's no joke ;

└>□□: even if you're strong, you don't have to be rude. guys like that king god you guys are into will show their true personalities once they turn off the broadcast.

└>□□: to be honest, there are only a few hunters who are actually kind, most of them are just doing it for the money and popularity

└>□□: aren't you all idiots here? the other hunters did everything, she just went in for the last hit. how can an f class hunter kill such a high-level monster in a single shot? It doesn't make sense.

└>□□: ?? didn't the measuring machine malfunction? that's what I heard???

└>□□: wow… i don't think she's an f class

"It's amazing, hunter."

Jehwi applauded and looked at Eunha. She was an F-Class, but she got incredible results that he couldn't believe. She was a person the CEO entrusted to him directly.

"The CEO was very pleased."

"Really?"

"Yes. As proof of that, he prepared you a present."

Blink.

Eunha blinked slowly as she was biting her straw.

"… A gift?"

"Yes."

Jehwi smiled meaningfully.

He knew what present Siwoo had prepared because he only paid for it. It was Jehwi himself who had actually prepared it.

"You will definitely like it."

***

Bright headlights casted light over a long stretch of road.

'I have a present I want to give you. Let's pack our luggage first.'

It was just as Jehwi had said. Siwoo, who suddenly visited Eunha, had said those words. But she had barely any luggage at all. An old military uniform, an old backpack, and a laptop were all she had.

The night streets of Seoul were dark. Without headlights, it would be impossible to tell whether this was Seoul or a rural area.

Building signs that flashed past midnight would've been quickly extinguished by 10 pm if they were from thirty years ago. The commercial buildings they passed by were rolling down their shutters like iron bars, as if they were all following a promise.

More than thirty years had passed since the appearance of gates. It was true that the lives of modern people became peaceful as the supply and demand of hunters evened out and their average combat power soared, but they could not return to the world before the advent of gates.

It had been proven that the probability of a gate appearing was higher at night than during the day.

As Eunha stared at the moonlight-dyed asphalt through the window, the car came to a stop as it reached its destination.

"We're here."

Siwoo opened the passenger door, and Eunha slowly got out of the car.

It was a place not far from Siwoo's mansion. Eunha craned her neck and raised her gaze. If she hadn't, the top of the building would be out of sight.

"… It's here."

"This is where Sunbae will live for the next year."

Eunha turned her head towards Siwoo. She looked very surprised.

Just by seeing the outside of the building, she could guess that it was comparable to a hotel.

The contract clearly included the provision of food, clothing, and shelter, but she didn't know that such a luxurious officetel would be prepared.

"Come on, let's go in."

Siwoo gestured. But Eunha just stood there and stared at him.

"What's wrong with you?"

Fwip. 

Suddenly, Eunha opened her pale palm. A handshake? Siwoo, who harbored a small misunderstanding, extended his right hand.

Slap.

Eunha lightly slapped Siwoo on the back of his hand and opened her mouth indifferently.

"The key."

"What?"

"You have to give me the key so we can get in."

For a moment, Siwoo, who was as hard as a stone, slowly blinked his eyes.

Ah… 

She was someone from thirty years ago. Even the obvious fact that they could enter a house without a key had to be taught individually.

"… I will take the lead."

The two took the elevator to the 17th floor.

Beep, beep, beep.

When Siwoo pressed the number pad, the door opened automatically without a key. It wasn't a commercial building or a department store, so it was surprising that the entrance to a house was like this.

Room 1702.

The two people who checked in entered the room.

Eunha slowly looked around the neatly organized interior. From furniture to daily necessities to comfortable pajamas, everything was carefully prepared.

She found a pink post-it note in the spot her eyes had moved to.

After walking on the cold floor, Eunha grabbed it.

▪︎ Round button at the top → All lights on

▪︎ Button 1 → Living Room

▪︎ Button 2 → Bedroom

▪︎ Button 3 → Bathroom

▪︎ Button 4 → Balcony and laundry room

▪︎ Bottom triangle button → All lights off

▪︎ If the remote control doesn't work, charge it with the charger at the entrance for at least 10 minutes. ☆Don't ever break it☆

Eunha paid attention to the crooked asterisk at the bottom of the post-it notes. The crumpled star looked exactly like Siwoo's handwriting, which she saw at the time of writing the contract.

She thought it was a little funny when she pictured him grabbing a small post-it and writing the note down with a pen.

"I was afraid you might've gotten confused."

Siwoo, who came closer behind her back, scratched his cheek. When did he come here to write this?

"… You're meticulous."

"It's a basic consideration."

Wshhh—

As Eunha walked through the white curtains, she saw a balcony of suitable size. The night view of Seoul sleeping peacefully under the full moon caught her eye.

"If you're here, you'll be able to see where your mother is. Can you see the hill behind that blue sign?"

The moonlit face of Eunha was reflected on the cold balcony's glass surface. As Siwoo said, her mother's tombstone was clearly visible from here.

However, rather than being moved by his consideration…

'Strange.'

The royal flooring and the view of the Han River over the balcony. There were at least four empty rooms and a wide bathtub in an open living room. The sofa, table, and even the carpet on the floor looked quite expensive.

Her pitch black eyes, which slowly swept through the room, returned to Siwoo.

"Money, you have a lot of it?"

Eunha wondered if Siwoo would harden for a moment at her sudden remark, but he raised the corner of his mouth slyly.

"Did you not know?"

"I don't know."

― Nothing.

Eunha didn't know much about him, just as he didn't know much about her.

"I don't know specifically how much the position and status of the hunters have risen compared to before, nor how important the Wolf Guild is."

As always, Eunha opened her mouth with an expressionless face.

Tap, tap.

Skinny fingers tapped the glass surface of a table.

"But I know that contracts like this are not common."

A thin horn sounded from somewhere not too far away. A white curtain that embraced the still night air puffed up.

"I told you. It's because Sunbae is…"

"Don't say it's because I'm a first-generation hunter."

Eunha cut off his words.

Where the white curtain gently swept past, unshaking black eyes appeared.

"I thought I had the right to know the real reason."

Eunha looked up at Siwoo at an angle. Her black hair shone under the moonlight.

Siwoo had accepted Eunha's condition of not revealing that she was a first-generation hunter. He created the alias of Lee Yura for her and didn't reveal her identity to the guild members or even the cleaners of the mansion.

But was his reason for doing that just because she was a 'first-generation hunter'? The benefits that Eunha received from him were so unconventional to the extent that they alone could not be explained. Even Eunha, unknowing of modern prices, felt that way.

Siwoo spoke in a low voice.

"Are you thinking of breaking the contract after hearing the reason?"

"I don't care about the reason. I just want to understand."

There was a long silence that made it feel like even the second hand of the clock was moving slowly.

The only thing that illuminated the room was moonlight. Inside, the eyes of the two were quietly intertwined.

'I thought it was a success, but it turned out to be a failure.'

'Young master, don't disappoint the master.'

You're the only one.

Only you can do it.

If only you were good.

Only you.

Just you.

Only if you're good.

You have to do it.

Just you alone.

You're the only one.

"…"

"…"

At the end of the long silence, Siwoo slowly blinked his eyes. Eunha was still staring at him with her jaw clenched.

It was better because it was dark here. Siwoo didn't have to worry about even showing his face to her.

Siwoo, who turned his back in the moonlight, raised the corners of his lips faintly. The falling moonlight thankfully hid his slight shaking.

"It's scary."

… He was scared? Eunha's dark eyes were fixed on him.

Siwoo leaned loosely against the glass door and crossed his arms. His half-shadowed face was facing away from Eunha.

"The monsters are scary and the smell of blood is unbearable. So, I'm going to quit being a hunter."

Blinking, he laughed.

"I'm running away."

The largest guild in Korea—Wolf.

It was himself who was always mentioned as the son and the next guild leader. It was as if he was always shackled by the foot.

And two years ago, after being measured by the association, he became Korea's sixth S-Class hunter. That fact put shackles on Siwoo's other foot.

Responsibility. Duty. It didn't matter. Siwoo wanted to throw off those shackles. Even if it meant hiding in the shadow of a hunter stronger than himself.

'If you want to laugh at me, laugh.'

It was far better to live a life full of scorn than a life he didn't want.

"…"

Eunha's black pupils were torn, as if observing him. After a long silence, she licked her lips.

"Okay."

As soon as the clear and concise answer came back, Siwoo's eyes widened. The words he had prepared in response to whatever she would say scattered like dust.

Eunha, standing in front of a curtain that repeatedly rose and fell, said nothing more. Eunha, who closed the glass door that was slightly open, glanced at Siwoo again.

"Why?"

Seeing her asking if he had anything more to say, Siwoo licked his trembling lips.

"… Is that all?"

"Yes. You can go now."

In the silence where even the smallest noise from the outside was completely blocked, the sound of her sleeves passing by was exceptionally loud.

Siwoo stared blankly at her side. The side of her face was gently coloured, as if it were painted by the night view past the balcony.

"Aren't you going?"

"Ah."

Siwoo, who came to his senses, slowly walked to the front door as if being pushed away.

"… Then, rest comfortably."

Siwoo finally looked at Eunha. She still wasn't looking his way.

'Why aren't you saying anything?'

Why do you want to run away when you're the son of Wolf's leader? Why do you think you're so weak when you say you're an S-Class? He thought she would say something like that since she was a first-generation hunter.

However, she ended the conversation so plainly that he had lost his breath.

Did she dismiss it as a joke? No, Eunha's expression wasn't joking.

'Why?'

Click.

Until the moment the door closed, he couldn't get the answer he desired.

***

New York, USA. 11:46 PM

A room with thick black curtains that blocked not only the flashy neon signs but also the loud sound of traffic.

Water droplets fell from blonde hair that wasn't completely dry. They dripped onto a white sheet and gradually spread, leaving light marks.

Plop.

Another droplet fell onto the marks that had spread like petals.

<'Roar' Guild Encounters High-Level Monsters in a C-Class Gate.>

"…"

His gracefully outstretched fingers moved slowly and touched the phone screen.

They swiped the screen back to the top. Below the article headline, a photo of a woman in a black dress was visible.

He carefully swept over the screen that displayed the long hair that was dark like ebony and hung down to her waist, as if he was touching a glass doll.

"She's a hunter who has recently become an issue in Korea."

A manager, who was organizing luggage, suddenly approached him. She lifted her glasses and fixed her gaze on the screen of his cell phone.

"It was said that she's someone who signed a hunter contract with a famous guild in Korea. Thanks to the value of the guild's name, it became a topic of discussion at the time of measurement, and although she seemed strong, the result was said to be F-Class."

"… F-Class?"

"Yes. It's a problem with Korean hunters these days. Only their appearances are eye catching, but there's nothing substantial—"

The manager, who had spoken up to that point, closed her mouth in an instant because she noticed the grey eyes staring at her.

"Watch what you say."

Her body stopped as if tied to an invisible thread. She couldn't move, like an insect caught in a spider web.

It was an unexpected reaction.

It'd already been ten years since she had started working with him. It was strange that he, who hated even talking about Korea, had reacted differently than usual. However, Catherine gently bowed her head.

"… It was a slip of the tongue. I'm sorry."

He was Korean. To be precise, he was half Korean.

After thirty years of living in the United States, he had no regrets about his homeland, but it may have been unpleasant for others to talk about his home country.

Thud.

The feeling of being bound that had been tying her whole body disappeared, and she collapsed on the floor, dazed from the sudden release.

Fortunately, he didn't reproach her any more. All she could do was turn her gaze back to the phone, as if led by him.

He often looked for articles or videos related to Korea, but it was unfamiliar for him to stare at them with such concentration.

"Then, rest comfortably. I'll come see you tomorrow morning at eleven."

It was the moment she was about to leave the room after finishing her business.

"Book a flight. To Korea."

He said. Looking at the man who still had his eyes fixed on the screen, she glanced blankly at his mouth.

"… What?"

"As soon as possible."

At his sudden remark, her glasses slid down her nose. Did he suddenly get homesick? No, it couldn't be, because he was the person who had avoided even talking about Korea.

Unable to ask for the reason, she calmly chose to answer according to the set rules.

"Um, first… How about contacting the guild first? What's more, the Korean people may think…"

But then.

The grey eyes which had been fixed on the screen this whole time glanced towards her. At the same time that her hands and feet felt as if they were bound again, his lips drew a faint arc.

"Am I still in a position where I need to read peoples' minds?"

It was a gentle smile as usual. But she knew after seeing him every day.

The eyes facing her didn't contain a single smile.