* * *
“What’s going on?”
“Inho’s been taken!”
Seo Inho’s father, unaware of what had happened inside, clung to Cha Rui as soon as he arrived.
His face was a bloody mess, his eyes so swollen he could barely open them—but his grip was desperate and strong.
“Please! I’m begging you! Please save my son!”
The air in the guild tensed.
But Cha Rui, without shaking him off, gently pulled the old man to his feet—and even comforted him.
The staff watching from afar were stunned.
Just not being shoved aside was unexpected enough—but this?
This tenderness?
It was hard to believe this was the same guild master known for his cold, abrasive behavior.
Still, Cha Rui didn’t seem to care about anyone’s gaze.
He calmly helped the staggering old man to the elevator.
The composed way he handled the situation even helped soothe Seo Inho’s father, who’d been utterly panicked just moments ago.
“Now, tell me everything.”
“O-Okay, here’s what happened…”
Inside the guild master’s office, with a warm cup of tea in hand, he began explaining with a trembling voice.
Cha Rui’s expression changed the moment he mentioned the collar—but the man was too busy wiping away tears to notice.
“You’re sure he wasn’t a foreigner?”
“He sounded… North Korean.”
“North Korea?”
Cha Rui’s eyebrow twitched at the unexpected name that came up.
If this really was North Korea’s doing, things had just gotten exponentially more complicated.
For them to kidnap an S-class Korean hunter—especially a one-of-a-kind supporter—was practically a declaration of war.
This had to be kept completely secret, not only from the government but the media as well.
The goal was to extract Seo Inho as quietly as possible.
And to do that, the first step was locating him.
They wouldn’t kill him—his skill was too valuable—but Cha Rui couldn’t help the growing worry gnawing at him.
“Go home and wait.”
“H-Hunter…”
Seo Inho’s father trembled, wondering if the mention of North Korea had changed Cha Rui’s mind.
But Cha Rui, who had already turned toward the door, glanced back as if to reassure him.
“I’ll bring him back.”
With that, his destination was clear: Arion Guild, where Woo Jaehyun was.
It was the first time since the Gate Outbreak that another S-class hunter had come to visit—and of course, he hadn’t given any notice.
It was nearly midnight.
His abrupt appearance was like a bolt from the blue.
The late-night Arion staff couldn’t dare stop him, instead trailing behind him nervously, sweating bullets.
“C-Cha Rui Hunter, please! You can’t just—!”
Ignoring the desperate protests, Cha Rui pushed into the guild leader’s office, striding straight toward Woo Jaehyun, who was sprawled out on a couch.
With his presence alone, it wasn’t hard to find him.
And the same went for Woo Jaehyun.
“What brings you here?”
“Activate the tracker.”
Already on edge lately, Woo Jaehyun exhaled slowly before replying.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. It got broken, remember? Thanks to someone.”
At that, Cha Rui lashed his arm angrily, and with a loud crash, a wall sliced diagonally and crumbled.
The staff, who had kept their distance, turned pale at the gaping hole, frozen in panic.
“I already know everything, so cut the crap.”
Even in this chaos, Woo Jaehyun stayed laid back on the couch, sighing deeply.
But the way he covered his eyes with his arm made it clear—he was at his limit.
Cha Rui, completely unbothered, swept the nearby desk aside with a loud crash.
His aggression stemmed from one thing: impatience.
With the Numen Stone suppressing his powers, he had no idea what could be happening to Seo Inho right now.
And it wasn’t like he came here empty-handed.
The robot-type tracker—an experimental product from the same company that invented the first implanted translator.
And the man who owned 80% of its shares?
Woo Jaehyun.
Cha Rui had only recently discovered a hidden function in that device.
The moment it entered the body, it split into two separate units.
Even if one was destroyed, the other would remain intact, only powered off.
Once activated, the backup would function for exactly 24 hours before shutting off automatically.
Though it was marketed as a pet tracker, Cha Rui, well aware of Woo Jaehyun’s shady intentions, had never bought that lie.
But right now, it was the only way to find Seo Inho.
“And why should I do that?”
“Seo Inho’s been kidnapped.”
At those words, even the indifferent Woo Jaehyun had to sit up.
Kidnappings had happened before, so he wasn’t entirely shocked—but for Cha Rui to come to him, something was clearly off.
He’d been putting off activating the backup tracker to avoid tipping anyone off, but it looked like trouble struck during that small window.
There was no room for delay now.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Woo Jaehyun pulled out his phone and started working.
As the backup tracker activated and he walked out, a chilling voice came from behind.
“You’re not planning to go to North Korea alone, are you?”
“North Korea?”
Just then, the tracker pinged—a location deep within North Korea.
Woo Jaehyun’s lips twisted with disbelief.
Of all things, they had the nerve to go after what was his.
But so what?
Be it North Korea or anywhere else, he’d just kill them all and bring Seo Inho back.
“They’re just A-class at best. You think I can’t handle that?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“…”
“I’m saying, Seo Inho might prefer staying there than seeing you.”
Crack.
A chilling sound escaped Woo Jaehyun’s clenched jaw.
He wanted to rip out those emotionless grey eyes on the spot—but he couldn’t deny the truth in those words.
Seo Inho’s last cold stare was still vivid in his memory.
And hearing that from the bastard who’d caused it all only twisted the knife deeper.
“Like you’re any better.”
“Well,” Cha Rui said, lifting his head casually, “I at least had dinner with him at home.”
It was a calculated jab, and the subtle twitch of Woo Jaehyun’s expression was almost satisfying.
In the end, the two agreed—begrudgingly—to work together until they found Seo Inho.
Whether they liked it or not, Woo Jaehyun’s approval rating with Seo Inho was practically in the negative.
Going alone could make things worse.
It made more sense to rebuild trust over time.
But what neither expected was a third party suddenly getting involved.
“Where is Seo Inho right now?”
“…”
Just before dawn, as they moved quietly to board a private jet, Do Soohyuk stood blocking their way.
The night before, he’d seen the video posted on “HuntTube” and immediately rushed to Seo Inho’s father’s shop.
Just like in the footage, the store was still open well past closing.
The floor was stained with dried blood, and pieces of a smashed phone lay scattered.
Even the hardened food spoke to how much time had passed.
Do Soohyuk sensed something was wrong right away—and immediately thought of the man with beige hair.
He’d always known about Woo Jaehyun’s obsession with Seo Inho, but this kind of violence wasn’t his usual method.
If anything, he leaned more toward manipulative than brute force.
Still, if it was him, he probably knew where Seo Inho was.
And this quiet escape?
It only confirmed his suspicions.
“My brother sure is popular. How annoying.”
While Woo Jaehyun irritably ran a hand through his hair, Cha Rui—arriving late—cursed under his breath at the sight of them facing off.
All three S-classes now stood in a tight line in the narrow VIP corridor.
A rare sight that reporters would salivate over—but with the hour being what it was, not a soul was around.
“Didn’t realize you cared so much.”
Taking off his sunglasses with clear disdain, Woo Jaehyun sneered.
Do Soohyuk, unfazed, tilted his head calmly.
Two S-classes meeting in secret at the airport right after Seo Inho vanished—whatever this was, it clearly wasn’t something they could make public.
“This something the media shouldn’t know about?”
It was a threat — explain properly, or I’ll call the press.
Coming from Do Soohyuk, a man who practically had the media in his pocket, it was no idle comment.
The other two’s expressions hardened instantly.
In the end, it was Cha Rui who had to swallow another curse and step up to explain.
They couldn’t afford to let the internet explode with their names in the headlines within the next few minutes.
Strangely, though, once he heard the details, Do Soohyuk got involved — actively.
Saying that their known private jet might draw attention, he even offered up his second one.
It wasn’t a bad idea, so they boarded without argument — but both men couldn’t help but be suspicious.
This was the same guy who used to grimace at the mere mention of Seo Inho’s name.
And now, suddenly, he was taking an interest?
It wasn’t just pulling Inho out of the dungeon injured — he had even handed over an S-Class antidote.
There was no way they didn’t know about that.
And from their perspective, that change wasn’t exactly welcome.
* * *
