* * *
“Ah, thank you. But… who are you?”
“I heard you got injured because of Hunter Do Soohyuk. I was worried, so I came to check on you.”
“Are you from the Hunter Association, by any chance?”
The only ones I could think of who’d visit me in the hospital because I was injured were people from the Hunter Association.
Especially since no one besides VIP personnel could even come up to this floor due to security.
But no answer came, even after I waited a bit.
That basically meant yes.
Since I entered an S-Rank dungeon without consulting the Association, they probably sent someone to check.
“But I was hurt because of the monster.”
“That’s still because of Hunter Do Soohyuk. If he brought a supporter, it was his job to protect you with his life. I even heard your clothes were completely shredded.”
At least this person made sense.
Take notes, Soohyuk.
I nodded as if in agreement, and heard a soft chuckle.
“By the way… it seems you can’t see.”
The voice, which had been coming from around my forehead, suddenly sounded right in front of me, as if he had leaned in to look into my eyes.
Startled, I reflexively took a step back.
“Yeah… well, it’s a bit of side effect from using my skill.”
A short silence followed my words.
Was he still there?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t felt any presence when he first appeared either.
“You used your skill on Do Soohyuk, didn’t you.”
The calm voice sent an odd chill down my spine.
Who is this person?
He was certainly kind, but there was something subtly off about him that I couldn’t quite explain.
Tilting my head slightly, I asked,
“May I ask your name?”
“Inho?”
Just then, Dad’s voice called out from a distance.
He must have rushed over, as his voice soon came from right beside me.
“Why are you standing alone like that? You should’ve said something if you were thirsty.”
Alone?
I reached out, waving my hand toward where the man had just been, but—like a lie—there was no one there.
My body tensed, and I swallowed dryly.
“Father, wasn’t there someone here just now?”
“Hm? No, I didn’t see anyone.”
A ghost…?
Hospitals are known for being haunted…
Dad lightly patted my stiff back and headed into the hospital room.
“I’ll go pack your things. Stay here for a bit.”
For a brief moment, I thought about following him like a child, but at 28 years old, I couldn’t show such a pathetic side.
He must’ve been busy anyway — being a civil servant and all, his workload was endless.
Forcing myself to stay composed, I took several gulps from the cup of water.
A short while later, Dad came out carrying my belongings, and I leaned on him as we left the hospital.
I felt bad, as though I was troubling my aging father once again.
Luckily, catching a taxi and getting in went smoothly — contrary to my worries, no one approached us.
If it were any other S-Rank, reporters would’ve been swarming the hospital entrance.
But at times like this, my trashy reputation came in handy.
The taxi quickly brought us to a small studio apartment in Gwanak-gu.
“Watch your step… I wonder if you’ll be okay living in such a cramped place.”
Though Dad sounded apologetic as he helped me inside, I was more anxious about accidentally breaking something.
One wrong move and I’d feel like the worst son ever.
Phew…
Maintaining my full concentration, I managed to sit down on the floor cushion where Dad guided me.
Only then could I finally relax and stretch my legs.
Even without seeing, I could tell how small the place was.
I’d lived in tiny spaces for so long that I could feel it instinctively — maybe around 16 square meters?
After living eight years in an even smaller goshiwon, it was laughable that a short stay in a mansion made this feel cramped.
“You must be hungry since you skipped lunch. I’ll whip something up real quick.”
Without resting, Dad went straight to the small kitchen right beside us.
I almost said I was fine, but then I thought—maybe he’d been waiting for a moment like this.
Because whenever I’d come home before, something had always ended up broken.
Curious, I looked around.
Naturally, all I could see was darkness.
‘Seo Inho’ must’ve lived here with his father until he was twenty.
If only I could see… it was frustrating not being able to take it all in with my own eyes.
Bzzzt—
Just as the delicious smell began to fill the room, my phone vibrated.
Ever since I woke up at the hospital, my phone hadn’t stopped buzzing.
News must’ve spread that the S-Rank dungeon raid had concluded, and messages were pouring in from all over.
Of course, people had contacted me every day even before this, but never this intensely.
Since it was my first time entering an S-Rank dungeon, some people must have started to feel threatened.
‘Seo Inho’ had only dealt with A-Rank dungeons before, after all.
I had ignored my phone since I couldn’t see, but by now I was getting curious.
What kind of messages were they sending?
“Sori, read my messages.”
Beep.
Message from 010-93xx-xxxx:
Hello, Hunter Seo Inho! This is Kim Seongcheol from the ZEST Guild. I heard you were injured during the dungeon raid and wanted to check on you. The reason I’m contacting you is because there’s an A-Rank Gate that recently opened in Dobong-gu, and I was wondering if you cou—
“Block sender.”
Next, message from 010-74xx-xxxx:
Good day, Hunter Seo Inho. Did you receive the gift I sent previously? I wanted to show my sincerity, but I—
“Block sender.”
Next, message from 010-38xx-xxxx:
Oppa, it’s Suji. Why haven’t you been answering my calls latel—
“Block sender!”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I could feel Dad’s gaze, and my face grew even hotter.
The messages were no different from usual.
Just as I was about to sigh and turn off my phone completely—
Next, message from 010-77xx-xxxx:
Hello, Hunter Seo Inho. Since it seemed my previous number was blocked, I’m contacting you again. To be direct, the Association Chairman would like to meet regarding your first S-Rank dungeon incident. As soon as your health allows—
Hmm.
Normally, I would’ve blocked any messages from the Hunter Association immediately, but this time I listened carefully.
The message basically said: “Don’t even think about avoiding us — get over here now.”
Not only had I failed to kill Do Soohyuk, I’d ended up hospitalized — of course the Association Chairman was losing his mind.
Then… who was that person who visited me at the hospital earlier?
Thinking back, we hadn’t even had a proper conversation.
The man had simply checked on me and vanished like smoke.
The word “ghost” briefly flickered through my mind again, but I quickly shook it off.
In any case, it seemed like it was time to visit the Hunter Association and clearly state my position.
After sending a reply that I’d visit soon, I set my phone down.
Right then, Dad returned with a tray of food.
Judging by the familiar metallic clatter, it seemed to be a steel table.
“I figured you wouldn’t be able to eat anything heavy, so I made beef porridge. I hope it suits your taste.”
“It smells really good.”
No need to say it.
You could tell how good Dad’s cooking was just from a simple dish of tteokbokki.
I tried not to show it outwardly, but inside, I was feeling giddy as I fumbled my way across the table.
Then Dad gently placed a spoon in my hand and carefully guided me to the right spot, warning me that it was hot.
Every time, I’m reminded just how kind he is—so kind that even ‘Seo Inho’ would find it impossible to understand.
At the same time, guilt mixed with a pang of sadness pricked at me.
After all, the son sitting in front of him wasn’t his real son.
If I truly were ‘Seo Inho,’ this moment of sharing a meal with Dad would never have happened.
I scooped a big spoonful of the steaming porridge, rich with sesame oil, and put it in my mouth.
It was a mildly seasoned, beef-flavored porridge—simple, but delicious.
In my previous world, even when I was sick, I only ever ate instant porridge, so all of this felt like an entirely new experience.
“It’s delicious.”
Dad didn’t say anything in response, but I could clearly picture his smiling face.
Feeling once again the frustration of not being able to see, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘If I fully carry out the duties of a son in Seo Inho’s place, maybe I’ll feel a little less guilty.’
As I busily emptied my bowl, I silently wished it would be so.
Early morning.
Since last night, Dad and I had been arguing over the same issue.
I’d been pushing him toward the front door for ten minutes already.
“Dad, you’ve already taken two days off because of me. If you miss today too, that’ll be three days—you’ll lose all your customers.”
“I don’t care…”
“Well, I care. We even prepped the ingredients together yesterday, didn’t we? I thought we settled this.”
Dad didn’t reply, as if he had nothing more to say.
After lunch yesterday, I’d spent the whole day helping him prep ingredients.
I probably spent half the time trying to stop him from snatching the knife back, telling me to rest instead.
There was way more work than I expected, but it had been a chance to grow a bit closer to him.
“I just don’t feel right leaving you here alone…”
“I’m a grown man. I’ll stay home quietly.”
* * *
