* * *
“Jehee!”
While I’d been away, a group had come targeting him.
By the time I realized what was happening and rushed back, it was already too late.
Chased to the edge, Jehee must have decided to escape—he used his ability.
Even though I called out to him desperately to let him know I was here now, my voice didn’t reach him.
Or maybe it did—he turned his head for a moment—but it was already too late.
He didn’t see me.
And then he jumped through the spatial gate he’d opened, the door sealing shut instantly.
Jehee was gone.
Right in front of my eyes—just beyond my reach.
And I had no idea where he’d gone.
‘Damn it!’
If I’d been just ten seconds faster, the outcome would have been different.
If I hadn’t wasted time wallowing in pointless self-pity after he rejected my second attempt at a kiss.
If I hadn’t been distracted hiding the fan letter he’d given me, and missed the suspicious movement closing in on him.
No—if I hadn’t been messing around with stupid nonsense and left his side in the first place, none of this would have happened!
I could have been the first to assess the situation and reassure him.
Instead, I let him run away in fear.
I was furious at myself.
“Haa…”
I caught my breath, staring at the spot where he’d vanished.
At least it didn’t seem like he was hurt despite the ambush.
His movements had been natural, and he hadn’t shown any signs of pain.
Given that he was S-class and these guys seemed to be unawakened, that was probably to be expected.
Maybe he’d even run to avoid hurting them.
One of them had ended up with a broken arm, after all.
I didn’t know where he’d gone, but he’d come back.
He must have moved with a plan in mind.
I knew roughly the limits of his ability—he couldn’t have gone that far.
And with an awakened body, it would be within walking distance to return.
He’d be back soon—whether by using his ability again, walking back on foot, or contacting me somehow.
Smart Jehee wouldn’t take long.
So I told myself to wait.
To cool my head that was boiling over with self-reproach and anger.
“What do we do? Do we go after him?”
“How the hell are we supposed to know where he went?”
“Well, he’s gotta be somewhere nearby, right?”
“Bullshit. Came all the way out to this countryside for nothing, damn it.”
“You knew he was an awakened, didn’t you?”
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have taken the job for that pocket change! You get involved with an awakened and your success rate drops through the floor!”
“Then we should charge more. We’ve got injuries here thanks to your missing intel…”
While waiting, there was something else I had to do.
Something Jehee couldn’t do—something I could.
Something I had to finish before he came back.
Take care of the bastards who made him run.
“What about this guy? He just popped up out of nowhere.”
“He looks kinda familiar…”
The ones turning to leave suddenly noticed me and their eyes focused on me.
I slipped off my gray coat and stowed it in my subspace pocket.
Part of me wanted to take out my weapon, but that would’ve been overkill.
I straightened my back, taking a deep breath.
“Wait… that guy—no way…!”
Rolling up my sleeves, I steadied my resolve.
I shouldn’t do anything Jehee wouldn’t want.
No killing.
I’d settle it just short of that.
I really did hold back.
I didn’t kill a single one of them.
Didn’t even cripple them.
I started by destroying their getaway car, then took them down one by one, shoving them into the car so I could hand them all over to the Management Bureau later.
I worried that Jehee might come back early and see the mess, but I didn’t sense his presence until I’d finished with every last one of them.
He didn’t even call.
I’d rushed to clean things up for his sake, but when even after I was done he still hadn’t returned, my irritation spiked.
—Thud!
I kicked the car holding them.
There were screams from inside, but it didn’t cool my rage.
These damn bastards.
They didn’t even know who Jehee really was—so why target him?
Why try to hurt him?
If it were me, fine—but Jehee wasn’t someone who deserved the malice of the world.
—Thud! Thud! Thunk!
He’d already suffered enough.
He deserved nothing but happiness now.
The dazzling years of his teens and early twenties would never come back.
He still had to bear the aftereffects of thirteen long years in the hospital, and now he’d be burdened with the limitless responsibility of being an S-class hunter.
And yet, scum like this still came for him.
What had he ever done wrong for the arrows of malice to point at him?
I couldn’t understand it—and I didn’t want to.
If I could just rip out the roots of everyone who might hurt him…
“Hey, you’re gonna kill someone like that!”
I’d been so deep in my own rage that I barely registered the strong arm yanking me back from behind.
It was an awakened person, but not Jehee.
Even now, I was still searching for his presence—but I hadn’t found it yet.
When I turned my head, an unexpected figure came into view.
It was Cha Taeyang.
‘What the hell is this bastard doing here?’
I had wanted to spend perfect, uninterrupted time alone with Jehee, so I’d only worn the “Gray Coat” watch.
The only person who knew we were here was my father, whom I’d just contacted.
There was no way my father would tell this guy my location, which meant…
My mind went cold. I instantly reached out and grabbed him by the collar.
“Were you the one who ordered the hit?”
“W–W–What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bastard?! Whatever it is, it’s not me!”
“How did you get here?”
“I was supposed to call Jehee, but he wasn’t picking up, so I came because I was worried!”
“How did you know his location?”
“I got it from Jehee! I’m his mentor, so of course I should know where he is! What if a gate or dungeon suddenly popped up nearby?”
“……”
“Hey, come on, let go. I’m telling you, I’m innocent!”
— Hunter Im Taehwan.
Just then, a voice rang from the watch Cha Taeyang was wearing.
This voice… was it the vice guild master?
When I joined the Taeyang Guild as “Gray Coat” to attack the Sanctuary of White Flame, he was the one I had to communicate with the most — the one handling nearly all the outside operations, practically the real guild master.
— Our guild leader really did just go to check on Hunter Jung Jehee’s safety. We thought something was up, so we reported it to the Management Bureau. They should be arriving soon.
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
— Please do. Even if we had done something, we wouldn’t be sloppy enough to send our leader alone against an S-rank hunter.
“……”
— As proof, we have the call records and messages exchanged between our leader and Hunter Jung Jehee. Please check them. Now, please let go.
“…Fine.”
Honestly, this explanation made more sense than the theory I’d formed the moment I saw Cha Taeyang.
And now that I thought about it — while I’d been focusing to sense Jehee’s presence earlier, I had heard a noise nearby.
If that sound had come from Jehee’s phone, it would make sense.
Jehee had my number memorized better than his own, so I figured he’d call me directly and ignored it.
I released him and headed toward the tent.
Our campsite now looked trampled, as if someone had vented their frustration here after failing to get Jehee — completely different from how it had been when I left.
‘Some bastard…’
The memory of Jehee’s pleased face when he set it up flashed through my mind, and imagining how he’d sulk seeing it ruined made another wave of murderous rage surge in me.
I forced it back down.
Right now, finding Jehee came first.
Inside the tent, I found Jehee’s phone.
Checking it wasn’t hard; the lock pattern was the same one we’d set together when I’d taught him how to use his phone.
A quick look proved Cha Taeyang had been telling the truth — there were missed calls and messages with his location attached.
‘I should’ve told him to keep his phone in his pocket… or at least made him wear the watch when we parted.’
I hadn’t wanted the Bureau to track his location and had carelessly decided it was fine since I’d be with him anyway.
Even though I believed he couldn’t have gone far, that he’d come back to me soon, the unease wouldn’t leave.
I wanted to confirm it right now — that he was safe, that he wasn’t scared.
I wanted to see his smile.
I wanted to pull that small body into my arms and breathe in his scent.
“See? I told you.”
“……”
“But isn’t that Jehee’s phone? You sure you can look through it without permission?”
“……”
“Come to think of it, where is Jehee? Is this related to those guys?”
“…It’s related.”
I slipped Jehee’s phone into my pocket and straightened up.
I wanted to handle this alone if possible, but this was about Jehee’s safety.
Securing his location quickly was the priority. I decided to explain the situation to Cha Taeyang and get his help.
* * *
