Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 63
Siwoo's blue eyes quickly scanned the interior of the hospital room.
Beyond Yijun's shoulder, he saw Eunha sleeping soundly under a white blanket.
Siwoo shifted his gaze back to Yijun.
Though Yijun's face was expressionless, there were things he couldn't hide.
Disheveled hair.
A rising and falling chest.
Unsettled breathing.
He looked just as anxious and urgent as Siwoo, who had just rushed in.
'Did he run here?'
Was he worried about Sunbae?
Why would he be?
Feeling inexplicably displeased, Siwoo narrowed his eyes at Yijun more sharply than necessary.
"Why are you here?"
Yijun didn't respond to Siwoo's question.
He merely glanced towards the sleeping Eunha.
Having taken a sleep aid, Eunha was deeply asleep and, unlike usual, didn't easily wake even at the sound of conversation.
"I asked why you are here."
"..."
"Sunbae being hospitalized, and even her being in this hospital."
"How did you know?"
Siwoo shot at him sharply, as if interrogating.
However, what came back from Yijun wasn't an answer to his question.
"...She doesn't seem to have any particular external injuries."
"Did you hear anything?"
Siwoo's eyebrows twitched significantly.
Judging by Yijun's attitude, he seemed to have no intention of answering Siwoo's previous question.
In that case, Siwoo too had no intention whatsoever of answering his question.
"I have no information to give you."
Of course, since Siwoo had also just arrived at the hospital, he hadn't received any information about Eunha's condition either.
However, even if he had information, he had no intention or need to tell him.
Siwoo strode forward and positioned himself between Yijun and Eunha.
Thwack!
As if to block any further approach, Siwoo extended his arm between them.
His hair, slightly visible beneath his hood, was gradually turning white.
"Sunbae is someone I am protecting."
"Therefore, I cannot give any related information to you, whose allegiance I don't even know."
"Protecting?"
Yijun, who had been listening quietly, let out a short, humorless laugh, "Ha."
Between his twisted lips, he uttered strange words.
"You're protecting Eunha?"
Eunha?
At the unfamiliar name, Siwoo's gaze changed momentarily.
Oblivious to Siwoo's change, Yijun slightly loosened his neatly tied necktie.
"Then you're doing it wrong."
"If you were protecting her properly, she wouldn't be lying here in a hospital gown."
Rustle...
The scent of perfume.
Siwoo instinctively covered his nose.
It was such a faint scent that a normal person might not have noticed, but Siwoo, being highly sensitive to smells, recognized it instantly.
This wasn't the smell of perfume.
Nor was it the smell of blood.
'Pheromone scent.'
One could perhaps call it body odor.
Siwoo, hand over his nose, frowned and said.
"Don't you think you have no right to say such things?"
Siwoo remembered clearly.
Eunha's face when she first uttered Yijun's name.
Eunha's gaze as she stared at Yijun from afar during the burst gate search.
Eunha's voice as she recounted her past experiences with Yijun.
Though he couldn't articulate it skillfully, everything was slightly different from usual.
It was a very subtle difference, but Siwoo had no difficulty recognizing it.
"Sunbae wanted to meet you."
A faint displeasure flickered in his blue eyes.
Siwoo furrowed his brow slightly, as if displeased.
Clenching his fist vaguely, he asked again.
"But you?"
"..."
For an instant, a strange light flickered across Yijun's face.
Though it was only for a moment, Siwoo clearly noticed that fleeting change.
The strong scent that had filled the hospital room had vanished like smoke.
Was he agitated?
He didn't know.
Siwoo delivered another blow.
"Are you planning to act like a comrade now?"
"If so, that's rather amusing. Don't you think? Maestro."
Eunha and Yijun were said to have been comrades who shared joys and sorrows for a not-so-short period during the era of upheaval.
However, Yijun's attitude towards Eunha could hardly be called that of an affectionate comrade.
From what he heard, wasn't it his influence that led to Sunbae's activity suspension this time?
What kind of ungrateful behavior was that towards someone who saved his life and was trapped in a gate in his stead?
'No, more than that.'
What he disliked most was his attitude when he had suddenly shown up and demanded the termination of her contract.
Even after digging into his background, the hunter known as Maestro was so shrouded in mystery, and his nationality was different, so the information obtainable was limited.
The conclusion was this: Shin Siwoo did not trust Baek Yijun.
Even if he was Korea's first S-Class hunter and a first-generation hunter like Eunha.
"..."
"..."
Silence flowed.
Within the quiet hospital room, the only white noise was Eunha's faint breathing as she slept.
Yijun didn't back down, and neither did Siwoo.
Amidst the uncomfortable air, a knock was heard.
"Excuse me—"
Soon after, the person who entered was a doctor from the hospital.
The doctor, about to enter the room, stopped abruptly at the sight of two burly men facing off menacingly.
"Young Master? And this gentleman is..."
"I'll be leaving for today."
At the doctor's appearance, Yijun, who seemed like he would never back down, relented surprisingly easily.
As Yijun strode towards the doorknob, Siwoo asked.
"Are you planning to report this to the Association?"
Yijun knew Eunha was hospitalized.
And before Siwoo did.
That meant there was a high possibility Yijun also knew Eunha had ignored her activity suspension and entered the Busan Unknown Gate.
If Yijun, currently affiliated with the Association, knew that, then the disadvantages Eunha might face had to be calculated.
Yijun, holding the doorknob, glanced back.
His suddenly meeting grey eyes curved into a faint smile.
"Perhaps."
Click.
Leaving only that ambiguous answer, Yijun disappeared.
"Excuse me, President. It's Park Jehwi."
"Come in."
At Siwoo's permission, Jehwi cautiously opened the hospital room door.
It was Room 810, right next to Eunha's room.
"I heard you'll be staying at the hospital with Ms. Hunter for a while, so I brought some things you might need."
"Just put them there."
Siwoo gestured with his chin towards the table beside the sofa.
He seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason.
Jehwi, cautiously watching Siwoo's expression, carefully placed the luggage on the table.
"Uhm... Young Master."
Without leaving the room immediately, Jehwi hesitantly spoke.
"Ms. Hunter is... how is she?"
"..."
Glance.
Blue eyes turned towards Jehwi.
As if thorns were embedded there, Jehwi flinched, his shoulders tensing.
Siwoo, staring blankly at the dejected Jehwi, soon averted his gaze and spoke dryly.
"Considering she went through two major battles, she's surprisingly fine, they say."
"I-is that really true?"
"Her wounds all over her body healed completely without any scars, they said."
At Siwoo's words, Jehwi let out a long sigh, as if relieved.
It was truly... truly a relief.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming sense of relief, Siwoo casually asked Jehwi, who was rubbing his reddened eyes.
"Your sister?"
"...Pardon?"
Siwoo, sitting with his legs crossed, rested his chin on his hand and looked at Jehwi askance.
"How's your sister?"
"Ah."
Jehwi blinked slowly.
His sister... he was probably asking about Jerim.
"She's perfectly fine, without a single injury."
"She's currently looking for a part-time job to prepare for her full-fledged life in Seoul."
"Really?"
Siwoo turned his gaze away sharply again, as if uninterested.
Jehwi, staring blankly at Siwoo's profile, slowly opened his mouth.
"Young Master... will you be alright?"
"With what."
"Staying here, I mean."
"If it's inconvenient, I can stay here in your stead, President."
Gwihoon was on a long-term admission at S Hospital.
Though their wards were different, of course.
Jehwi couldn't quite understand why Siwoo, who detested Gwihoon, had decided to stay here himself.
If it was a decision made out of concern for Eunha, he could look after her here in the President's place.
"If that's the case, why did you submit your resignation?"
Siwoo coldly threw out the words.
"..."
Rendered speechless, Jehwi lowered his gaze with a complicated expression.
"It hasn't been long since I got to know Sunbae, but I've learned one thing."
Siwoo, who had been tapping his foot, suddenly spoke.
"Sunbae is someone who knows how to return what she receives. Whether it's bad or good."
"..."
"She must have received something from you."
"She probably wanted to return it."
"Even while ditching the recording, even while jumping into the gate."
"So, this time, it's your turn again."
Having said that, Siwoo lifted his head.
"And yet, you intend to end it with a resignation?"
Silence fell.
Siwoo said nothing more.
He merely kept his blue gaze fixed on Jehwi, waiting for his answer.
"I..."
Finally, Jehwi slowly clenched his fist.
His shoulders were trembling faintly.
"I wish to continue serving Ms. Hunter. From now on, continuously..."
Somewhere, a faint, deflated chuckle was heard.
Glancing up again, he saw Siwoo, his expression finally a little more relaxed.
"Do as you please."
"...President."
Choke. The moment Jehwi's eyes reddened and his lips moved, Siwoo added firmly.
"But while she's in the hospital, I'll stay by Sunbae's side."
"It's not for long, just about a week, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"And—"
Trailing off his words for a moment, Siwoo lifted his resting chin.
"My father being here is precisely why it's better for me to be here."
Besides, he didn't know what might happen while Sunbae was hospitalized.
For example, an unwelcome guest like Maestro might visit again.
"...Yes, President."
Jehwi didn't argue with Siwoo's words.
"Then you can leave now."
"Ah."
"Why? Is there still more you want to say?"
Jehwi scratched the back of his neck and hesitated, avoiding eye contact.
Wondering if he should even tell the President this, yet grasping at straws, he finally stammered out.
"Actually, during the battle with the Monkey King, Ms. Hunter's bracelet broke."
"Bracelet?"
Siwoo tilted his head slightly.
"Yes. The bracelet Ms. Hunter always wore on her left wrist."
"I don't know the details, but she seemed to cherish it greatly."
Eunha's changed demeanor the moment the bracelet broke was still vivid in his mind.
And her gaze, staring at the broken bracelet all the way back to Seoul in the car.
"I want to get her an identical one, but I've searched accessory stores and online shopping malls, and it's really not easy."
"S-so... I was wondering if perhaps the President might know a place where I could find such a bracelet."
"I don't know. I'm not interested in things like that."
"Y-yes, of course. I apologize. I shouldn't have said that."
Jehwi smiled awkwardly.
Right, there was no way Siwoo would know a place that sold bracelets.
It would be faster to ask his sister instead.
"But do you really need to buy it?"
Siwoo, who seemed to be thinking about something, muttered.
"O-of course, even if I find an identical one, it can't be exactly the same as the cherished bracelet... but still..."
"No."
Siwoo lifted his head and looked at Jehwi.
"Wouldn't it be faster to just make one?"
