Chapter 64

Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 64

The next day.

Waking up early in the morning, Eunha was led by a nurse for various check-ups and only returned to her hospital room around noon.

Click.

Closing the door, Eunha sat down in front of the laptop provided in the hospital room.

'U-um, Ms. Hunter. Could I possibly ask for your autograph?'

On her way back to the hospital room after finishing her check-ups, a nurse suddenly approached Eunha, handing her a piece of paper and a pen.

'Ah, could I ask for one too?'
'W-well then, me too...'

Her fellow nurses nearby, as well as the doctor who had been in charge of Eunha's check-ups, and even other patients waiting outside, began to approach Eunha one by one.
Some requested photos or asked for handshakes.

Not all gazes were friendly.
Among them, some were whispering about Eunha.

'...Why all of a sudden?'

Eunha couldn't hide her bewilderment.

It was an absurd feeling, as if she had woken up one day to find herself a celebrity overnight.

And she soon found out the reason.

'Noona, is it true you dueled with the Monkey King? Wow! You're so strong!'

While passing through the hospital corridor, a small child passing by spotted Eunha, his eyes shining.
The woman who appeared to be the child's guardian quickly covered his mouth, but it was already too late.

People passing by began to glance at Eunha one by one.

'With the Monkey King? Who?'
'Eh, no way.'

Murmur, murmur.

Eunha hurriedly left the area.

Turning on the laptop, Eunha rested her chin on her hand with a somewhat serious expression while waiting for it to boot up.
It was true that she had dueled with the Monkey King, but it was strange that people knew about it.

'Were there witnesses?'

At that time, only Jehwi, his sister Jerim, and the Immortal guild members should have been there.
Besides them, at most—.

'No way.'

Eunha's gaze changed.

Could it be the police officers nearby? Did they spread the rumor?

"..."

Click, clack.

Not long after typing, Eunha found an internet article posted on the main page of a portal site.

[Korean Hunter Association, Busan Jagalchi Market Unknown Gate? Unfounded]
[Busan Jagalchi Market, Who is the Real 'Subjugator'?]
[Immortal Monkey King Refuses Press Conference. Growing Suspicions.]
['Saw a Hunter in a Black Dress' - Successive Eyewitness Testimonies. What is Her Identity?]
[Immortal Side Announces Strong Response to 'Groundless Rumors'.]

Eunha, who had been scrolling down with the mouse wheel, stopped abruptly.

Knock, knock.

A knocking sound.
Followed by Jehwi's voice, "Ms. Hunter, it's me."

"Ms. Hunter, are you alright to be up already?"

"Yes. I just got back from my morning check-up."

Eunha replied, slowly closing the laptop.

"The results... how were they, are you okay?"

"Yes. I think so. More importantly, how is your sister, Manager-nim?"

"Ah, thanks to you, there are no problems. She's decided to live with me in Seoul for the time being. She even found a new part-time job in Seoul starting last week."

"That's a relief."

Eunha replied bluntly.

Jehwi, on the other hand, looked around uncomfortably, like someone ill at ease.
Fumbling in his pocket, he finally seemed to make a decision and cautiously spoke.

"Uhm, Ms. Hunter. Actually..."

This. He held something out.
Eunha's dark gaze slowly lowered.

On his white palm lay a clumsily finished object—Eunha's wish bracelet.

No, looking closely, it wasn't.
It was a new one, in the exact same design as Eunha's wish bracelet.

"I wanted to gift you an identical bracelet, but even after searching all over Seoul, I just couldn't find one with the same design."

"..."

"S-so, I asked the Young Master for advice, and he suggested trying to make one myself. Fortunately, the Young Master remembered the color and pattern of your bracelet exactly."

Eunha stared silently at the wish bracelet for a long time.

Countless emotions flickered faintly in her pitch-black eyes.

"...A-as expected, the craftsmanship is much poorer compared to the original, isn't it?"

As Jehwi tried to withdraw the wish bracelet, Eunha snatched it away.

"No."

The clumsy wish bracelet, now in her hand.

A faint smile touched Eunha's lips as she gently clasped it.

"...Thank you."

"Ah."

Jehwi let out a low groan.

She smiled.

It vanished quickly like smoke, but Jehwi was certain.
He had just seen it.
Her 'real' smiling face.

"Manager-nim."

"Yes, yes?"

"Could you please call Shin Siwoo?"

"Th-the President?"

"Yes."

Eunha nodded.

A gaze that seemed to hold some resolve.
Eunha, lightly clasping the wish bracelet, slowly lifted her head.

"I have something to say."

Seoul S Hospital, Special Ward Penthouse.

Above the small table attached to the bed, the hand trimming the orchid stopped abruptly.

"What brings you here? Visiting a sick person isn't exactly a pleasant affair."

Gwihoon, the master of Wolf and once called Korea's strongest hunter, looked towards the door with eyes that seemed no different from a dead man's.

"Just dropped by. Had some business here."

The massive shadow leaning against the door surface was slowly illuminated by the moonlight.

Baek Yijun.
Korea's first S-Class hunter and currently active in the United States as Maestro.

[Who is 'Baekya', the Second S-Class Hunter Produced by Korea?]
[Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province A-Class Gate, Subjugated in Just 5 Hours Under Baekya's Command. Achieves East Asia's Best Record.]
[S-Class Hunter Baekya Founds Wolf Guild. Wolf Will Be Korea's Finest Sword and Shield.]

Yijun, having left for the United States across the sea, first learned of Gwihoon, or rather Baekya's existence, thanks to articles buzzing about him.

And the two actually met quite some time later, in the autumn of 2009, at an S-Class gate that appeared in Taiwan.

'Are you Maestro? I'm Baekya, Shin Gwihoon.'
'...If it becomes known that Korea's lauded Baekya offered a handshake to a traitor, you won't hear good things.'
'That's irrelevant. You and I are Korea's first S-Class hunters to survive the dawn of the cataclysm. I've always wanted to meet you.'
'S-Class hunters who survived the dawn of the cataclysm?'
'Why are you laughing?'
'It sounds as if we survived because we were S-Class. Isn't that a bit different?'
'...'
'We were merely able to become S-Class because we survived, us.'

Even after that, at festivals held to commemorate World Hunter Day or at Korea-US national events, though not many times, Yijun and Gwihoon had encountered each other a few times.

They couldn't be called friends.
Their ideologies, beliefs, nothing was the same.

They couldn't be called comrades either.
Just contemporaries who lived in the same era.

Though their relationship was just that, they had an undeniable commonality.

Korea's S-Class hunters forged by the first generation.
Heroes of the dawn.
Both were called that.

"How's your body?"

Yijun strode over and slumped into the chair beside the bed.
His grey eyes gazed steadily at Gwihoon.

A dry greeting, even for those meeting after over a decade.
Gwihoon replied with a wry smile.

"What does it matter if I'm well or not? There are only two things for me to do now."
"Wait quietly for death, and..."

Gwihoon resumed trimming the orchid with a slow movement of his hand.

"Protect Wolf until the end."

Suddenly, a framed picture on the wall shone serenely in the moonlight.
It was an oil painting of a wolf howling at the edge of a cliff.

"Still the same. It can't be easy, harping on about the guild like that when you might die tomorrow."

"Because I believe protecting Wolf is protecting Korea."

If the Association revised the Korean Hunter Law and established the system, then it was Wolf's contribution that greatly elevated the status of Korean hunters.

Indeed, Wolf used its power and wealth to invest heavily in hunter training and education-related businesses, and even built specialized hunter hospitals like this S Hospital.

All of these were great achievements led by Wolf.

Even Yijun, who had been living in the United States all along, knew this fact well.

"But Baekrang seemed to think a little differently?"

The moment the alias 'Baekrang' left Yijun's lips, Gwihoon stopped abruptly.

How could Yijun know about Baekrang, who had never once revealed himself to the public?

No, he could find out somehow.
Maestro, if it was him.

"...Whether that child wants it or not, that's not important."
"Creating a better future. Only that should be considered."
"Because that is the responsibility that child and I, that Wolf, must bear."

"That responsibility seems a bit too burdensome for your son to bear alone."

Towards Yijun, who shrugged, Gwihoon let out a dry chuckle.

"No way."

Gwihoon, leisurely trimming the orchid, placed a handkerchief on the table.

"That child's talent surpasses mine."
"Perhaps he might even surpass you."

At that, the smile that had constantly lingered on Yijun's lips vanished for a moment.

Gwihoon's face was filled with conviction.
It wasn't merely the face of a father boasting about his son.

"He just hasn't blossomed yet."
"That child possesses the power to conquer not just Wolf, but all of Korea."

"...Really? Saying it like that makes me curious."

Yijun leaned back in his chair.
Stroking his chin slowly, he smiled faintly, as if a good idea had struck him.

"Shall we check it out once? Just how capable Baekrang's vessel, which hasn't blossomed yet, really is."
"I happen to know some quite useful hunters."

Gwihoon's gaze silently turned towards Yijun.

"There must be conditions."

"You catch on quick."

Yijun, resting his chin on his hand at an angle, curved his eyes into crescent moons.
And in a lowered tone, he spoke softly, as if whispering.

"The F-Class concept hunter recently contracted by Baekrang. I'll take her."

Gwihoon's gaze changed instantly.

The F-Class concept hunter Yijun mentioned.
Though he didn't mention her alias or real name, Gwihoon knew who he was talking about.

"You know a lot, don't you."

"I'm very interested."

Their gazes clashed head-on.

It was impossible to tell how much was truth and how much was falsehood.
Their relationship had always been like that.

Gwihoon's blue gaze lingered on Yijun, as if scrutinizing him.

Moonlight poured through the blinds.
Yijun, his light beige hair swaying, wore a neat smile.

"Ah. Of course, not about your son, but about that contract hunter of his."

Click.

Exiting Room 810, Siwoo headed straight for Room 811 next door, Eunha's hospital room.
However, the moment he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open simultaneously.

"Ah."

Siwoo, his hand awkwardly suspended in mid-air, blinked.

"Sunbae, I heard you called for me."

"Yeah. Come in."

Eunha gestured with her eyes towards the hospital room.

Entering the room, Siwoo noticed the wish bracelet placed on the table.
That Jehwi fellow, he must have stayed up all night making it, and finally finished.

Perhaps noticing Siwoo staring at the wish bracelet, Eunha spoke first.

"I received it from Manager Park."

"Is that so."

"I also heard you drew the design."

"..."

Siwoo closed his mouth.
He looked slightly uncomfortable.

There was no need to mention such useless details.
That Jehwi fellow, he really lacked sense in that regard.

Letting out a small cough, Siwoo began to look around the hospital room, as if feigning nonchalance.
Eunha, watching him blankly, slowly parted her lips.

"I saw the internet. Seems there are quite a few witnesses."

Siwoo's gaze stopped abruptly.
Darting his eyes around, Siwoo looked at Eunha.

"...The internet itself is always like that, isn't it?"
"There's no need to pay attention to every little thing."

"Will the Association think so too?"

Eunha added again.

"If it's revealed that I ignored the penalty imposed by the Association and entered the gate without permission, my license might be revoked. You know that, right?"

"It's alright. I'll somehow—"

"No."

Eunha, cutting off Siwoo's words sharply, shook her head.

"It's not an easy matter that you can just 'somehow' handle."
"Even I, ignorant of modern society, can understand that much."

The internet is a sea of information.
Even if most of it is false, the sparks ignited there would be too large for one person to extinguish.

What if the Association, harboring doubts, begins to investigate Eunha's actions?
What if they start questioning the Monkey King?

Though he was keeping quiet for some reason now, there was no telling when Yoo Hwan might change his mind and speak up.

In that case, would there truly be no impact on Siwoo, or on his contract with Siwoo?

—She couldn't guarantee it.

"..."

"..."

An uncomfortable silence.
At its end, Siwoo spoke in a somewhat suppressed voice.

"So?"

Siwoo's blue eyes turned to Eunha.

"Sunbae, what is it that you want to say?"

This time, Eunha's dark eyes turned to Siwoo.
Their gazes met in mid-air.

"Our contract, how about we terminate it around this point?"

She had already steeled herself for this when she bought the train ticket to Busan.
Eunha definitely bore some responsibility for this incident.
It was Eunha's own choice to head to Busan, even ditching the recording.

She had received a lot of help from him.
The officetel, Manager Park...

Eunha, clasping the wish bracelet, continued softly.

"I don't want to cause any more damage."
"I have a conscience too."

Don't worry about the penalty fee. I'll compensate you somehow.

Having said that, Eunha glanced at Siwoo.
But then.

"..."

Siwoo sat on the chair, motionless.
Eunha's gaze, looking at him, held a faint question.

"Why are you making that face?"

Looking at him, who seemed to have turned to stone, Eunha tilted her head slightly.

Judging by his face alone, it was as if...

[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' clucks its tongue. Tsk tsk. Anyone would think he just got dumped.]

Siwoo slowly lowered his gaze and parted his lips.

"First..."

As if unsure what to say, Siwoo, who had been opening and closing his mouth several times, finally seemed to find his words and lifted his gaze again.

"First, I'll think about it some more."