Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 58
Seoul S Hospital. PM 8:05
"Will you say nothing?"
In the heavy silence, Gwihoon spoke.
On the chair opposite the bed sat his only son, the young and capable Wolf, Siwoo, slouched.
"Because I have nothing to say."
Siwoo, whose gaze had been fixed on his phone, spoke indifferently.
For a father and son reunited after several months, the hospital room felt surprisingly sterile.
Gwihoon gazed at his son, then sighed deeply and turned his head towards the window.
"Even before your dying father, you intend to just fiddle with your phone all night."
"..."
"Or, perhaps, are you waiting for a call?"
"..."
"From Lee Yura, that concept hunter, perhaps."
Finally, a reaction from Siwoo, who had maintained a stoic expression.
His chillingly blue eyes momentarily flicked this way.
Having captured the most definite proof, Gwihoon raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
"It seems I'm correct."
"What are you scheming?"
"I merely received a report that you've been keeping a hunter around lately. And—"
Smiling faintly, Gwihoon rested his chin on his hand.
"Weren't you the one hiding the scheme?"
In the unnervingly heavy silence, the ticking of the clock hands sounded particularly sharp.
Though he didn't want to admit it, their eyes were similar.
Transparent blue irises, sharp eyes.
That's why Siwoo disliked making eye contact with his father, Gwihoon.
Because he couldn't help but recognize that he had those same eyes, that he was his son.
"It's been ages since you finished the tutorial, yet you still have no intention of resuming hunter activities. Is that also related to that woman?"
"It has nothing to do with Sunbae."
Sunbae, he says. Gwihoon's eyes narrowed.
Siwoo shoved his phone into his pocket and added lightly.
"It was simply troublesome."
Troublesome? Another short silence flowed.
Naturally, Gwihoon didn't believe his son's words.
"You know well that I don't have much time left."
At Gwihoon's words, Siwoo let out a smirk.
So? Their meeting eyes seemed to ask.
When did it become like this?
Perhaps the two were cause and effect.
Gwihoon as the cause produced the result that was Siwoo.
Therefore, they were the most different, yet most similar.
"It doesn't matter if you hate me, but don't hate Wolf."
"..."
"Wolf needs you."
Not that woman. The moment Gwihoon added that belatedly, Siwoo's gaze changed.
Indeed, his father had investigated Sunbae.
Then he would likely also anticipate Siwoo's intentions in nurturing the 'Princess of Dark Flare'.
But they were father and son.
Just as Gwihoon knew Siwoo well, so did Siwoo.
Getting worked up here would be counterproductive.
Siwoo crossed his legs and leaned back loosely in his chair.
"Are you planning to dispose of her?"
He asked directly.
Gwihoon didn't answer.
Siwoo laughed out loud, as if amused.
But his eyes weren't smiling.
"Indeed, you are the father once called the strongest hunter."
"Even lying in a hospital bed, lopping off people's heads is nothing to you."
"..."
"Go ahead and do so this time as well."
"It doesn't matter if I just find another one."
"Let's see who wins. For a year."
"Siwoo, you."
"Ah, was it 7 months left? Time flies."
"Then until then, it would be advisable for me to plan what comes after."
"...What plan are you talking about."
"Well. Do you need to know?"
Siwoo stood up, as if he had nothing more to say.
Blue eyes of a similar hue met silently.
"Just focus on your health, Father."
I don't want to be involved with you anymore.
As if saying that, Siwoo left without a backward glance.
Siwoo immediately checked the phone he had put in his pocket.
New messages: 0.
Missed calls: 0.
"Hah."
Tossing off the hood he was wearing, Siwoo, without even thinking of tidying his disheveled hair, descended via the emergency stairs.
Then he called someone.
"Yeah, it's me. What happened?"
「Well... I checked, and it seems that's not the case.」
"...Right."
Siwoo closed his mouth, his face looking deflated.
While having his subordinates search the entirety of Seoul as if with a fine-toothed comb, a sighting of the Princess of Dark Flare near Jongno M Shopping Mall had been reported.
However, upon verification, Eunha wasn't there.
Could it be Gwihoon's doing? He suspected so at first.
But judging by Gwihoon's reaction just now, it seemed he hadn't laid a hand on Eunha 'yet'.
'Where on earth is she.'
Siwoo lightly bit his lower lip, looking frustrated.
「There was a sighting near the shopping center in Itaewon, but this might also be false information...」
A cautious voice came through the receiver.
"I'll check it myself."
「What?」
"You guys keep looking into the Gyeonggi area."
「But Young Master, there's no need for you to go yourself... Even if you find her now, today's recording is already a lost cause, isn't it?」
"Don't make me say it twice."
Click.
Hanging up, Siwoo stood before his car.
Current time: 8:30 PM.
As he said, even if Eunha returned now, today's schedule was ruined.
But the recording wasn't what was important right now.
Maestro, and Trickster too.
Lately, prominent figures were gathering around Sunbae.
This couldn't be mere coincidence.
Something unseen was slowly, yet surely, moving.
Siwoo hadn't yet figured out what it was.
Even so.
'Wolf needs you. Not that woman.'
"..."
Getting into the car, Siwoo started the engine a bit roughly.
Gwihoon knew of Eunha's existence.
He had pretended to be unfazed in front of Gwihoon, but truthfully, he was anxious.
'Lift your head. You don't need to bow your head. Not to me, not to the public.'
'I'm grateful to you for many things.'
'It would have been really difficult without you.'
...Sunbae.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened.
To Siwoo, she was the key.
The key that would free him from this wretched prison.
But was that all?
Siwoo realized his gaze in the rearview mirror was subtly wavering.
And then, pretending not to have seen anything, he lowered his eyes.
For now, he just thought that.
That just as she was faithfully fulfilling her contract with him, protecting her was his minimum duty and responsibility.
That it was his role to deal with those who threatened her safety or interfered with their contract.
Whether the opponent was his father, another S-Class hunter, or even the leaders of the nation.
Blinding headlights cut through the darkened underground parking lot.
Siwoo turned the steering wheel without hesitation.
He had to find her quickly.
'Find her and...'
Hold her accountable for ditching the recording?
No, ask why she suddenly disappeared?
No, that comes later.
For now, just whether she was safe.
Only that was what he wondered.
Whether that too was part of the contract or not, he had no time to think about it now.
"That's about all I have to relay."
The eyes hidden beneath long-lashed eyelids were revealed.
Purple irises, shining moistly as if deeply infused with wine.
Always breathtakingly beautiful to behold.
"Are you listening? Yoo Hwan."
"Ah, ah."
Yoo Hwan, the master of Immortal and Korea's third S-Class hunter, pretended to check his watch, subtly looking away.
"Alright. You're saying I need to retrieve the item dropped by the Unknown Gate boss?"
"Yes. They drop rare items at a higher rate compared to regular gates."
"It's essential for research, so make sure to get it."
"Consider it done."
Yoo Hwan nodded vigorously, as if to say not to worry.
"..."
"..."
A short silence followed.
"Not leaving?"
"Huh?"
"Shouldn't you be going now? The kids are waiting."
"...Hmm."
Downing the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp, Yoo Hwan still hesitated, reluctant to leave.
Glancing sideways, Yoo Hwan looked at the woman sitting opposite him.
Doctor Plant Keum Roje.
Her youthful appearance belied the fact that she was approaching fifty.
At most, she looked to be in her early to mid-thirties.
"Why?"
"Ah, no."
Hastily averting his gaze, Yoo Hwan fanned himself with his hand.
Finding his easily readable reaction amusing, she let out a light, ticklish laugh.
As if drawn by that laughter, Yoo Hwan secretly glanced at her again.
Purple hair elegantly swept up.
Whenever she blinked her violet eyes with a slightly languid air, he even felt the illusion of a rich wine aroma emanating from her gaze.
However, Yoo Hwan's admiration for Roje wasn't solely due to her stunning appearance.
A gentle monarch who united healing hunters, long relegated to non-combat roles, under the name 'Rose'.
The very person who elevated the human rights and value of healers in modern Korea was her, Keum Roje.
'It's no exaggeration to say that all healing hunters active in Korea are her beneficiaries.'
That wasn't all.
Unlike other guilds busy looking out for their own interests, 'Rose', led by Roje, regularly engaged in volunteer work, rescuing gate victims.
Then, a few years ago, she began preparing for impending disasters as an Unknown Gate researcher.
How could one not admire her?
Her insight and benevolence were on a different level, even when compared to other S-Class hunters.
'That's probably why even Shin Gwihoon of Wolf is wary of her.'
In that case, there was only one thing Yoo Hwan had to do.
Protect and assist her.
"You said twenty of your guild members, including your third-in-command, were dispatched, yet they've been struggling for three days."
"They're not usually like that. The training intensity must have been weak recently."
As Yoo Hwan muttered seriously, Roje shook her head, looking exasperated.
"No way. It's training an ordinary person wouldn't last a day in. It makes one worry just watching."
"No need to worry. There are no 'ordinary people' in our Immortal."
Having said that, Yoo Hwan slowly rose from his seat.
One wouldn't know when he was sitting, but standing up, it became apparent that he was a tall man, over 190cm.
Yoo Hwan retied the bandages he had unwrapped on the table thickly around his wrists and the back of his hands.
Instead of wrist guards.
"Here, let me."
Roje, being primarily a healing hunter, skillfully wrapped the bandages.
Yoo Hwan's ears were red as he kept glancing down at her.
Worried someone might notice, Yoo Hwan coughed unnecessarily and changed the subject.
"...Hmm. Normally, there'd be no need for me to step in. Is the Unknown Gate really that formidable?"
"Yes. It is."
Roje answered firmly, as if no thought was needed.
Yoo Hwan looked at her, speechless.
Skillfully wrapping the bandage, she continued.
"An Unknown Gate is on a different level entirely from other regular gates. You, not having experienced it yet, wouldn't know."
There, done. Roje tied the bandage knot and lightly tapped the back of his hand.
"Listen carefully, Yoo Hwan. No matter how strong you are, you must absolutely not let your guard down."
"..."
"It would be best to discard your existing common sense. At least for this mission."
The brief silence that lingered was soon swept away by Yoo Hwan's hearty laughter.
"That sounds exciting."
Yoo Hwan was confident.
It was by no means unfounded confidence.
'Monkey King' Yoo Hwan.
Unparalleled mastery of martial arts and a body trained to the extreme.
He was the strongest among combat-type hunters specializing in physical enhancement.
In a bare-handed fight, he had the confidence and strength to defeat anyone.
'What could possibly happen?'
Even if something did, he could just smash through it with his bare fists.
Nothing could stand in his way.
—However, her words held some truth.
That day, in Busan, Yoo Hwan would experience something he had never encountered before.
And that, outside the Unknown Gate.
