IH Ch 18

Chapter 18

‘What are you doing? Still not finished?’

It was just a casual frown as he asked, but everyone present tensed up. Perhaps that’s why someone had quickly said it was all done—that the person was unawakened.

Hwang Jae-i’s reaction wasn’t all that different from the others. A civilian, really?—his eyes seemed to ask. Then he suddenly grabbed Dohwa’s wrist and pulled him away. Those around them protested, saying he shouldn’t do that, but Jae-i didn’t listen. At that moment, a Hunter appeared and blocked his path.

“Guild Master, please don’t do this. If you could just go up to the Association Director’s office—”

“I don’t want to go there. That place is full of people who just annoy me.”

“Annoy you? But the people there are all Guild Masters.”

“Exactly. That’s why I don’t want to be with them.”

The Hunter gave up and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Dohwa was dragged along by Hwang Jae-i to a rest area, where he was handed a bottle of strawberry milk. It hadn’t been an act of kindness. A vending machine had caught Jae-i’s eye, and after giving it a casual kick, the bottle had rolled out by sheer luck—he had just passed it along.

Though being in an unfamiliar place was uncomfortable, the strawberry milk was genuinely delicious, so Dohwa drank it little by little, trying to savor it. During that time, Hwang Jae-i sat across from him, just like he did now. He didn’t ask anything about Dohwa, simply slouched in his chair or occasionally lay down on the table.

He radiated clear irritation and reluctance to be here, yet every now and then he’d glance over. His red eyes, seen up close, were incredibly intense. The longer Dohwa looked at them, the more it felt like they were piercing right through him.

Peering at Jae-i through the small holes of his mask, Dohwa slowly lowered his head. He wanted to finish drinking the strawberry milk—he had really wanted to finish it, and yet…

“I don’t know either.”

“……”

At his brief reply, Hwang Jae-i’s gaze turned sharp. Perhaps thinking he was being mocked, his face twisted with anger, and he slammed the table with a loud bang.

Dohwa flinched a little at the loud noise but wasn’t particularly flustered. Jae-i had always asserted his presence during their time together—like deliberately walking with heavy footsteps, for example.

“Do I look like I’m playing games with you?”

“……”

“If you don’t want to be thrown out of this house, answer me properly. Do you really think I can’t throw you out?”

Considering his personality, he probably could.

Dohwa thought of the view from the window in the storage room. Though he could see the sky, everything below and around was blurred and indistinct. Likely some kind of privacy protection setup around the building. That way, no one could spy from outside.

Still, it seemed like a pretty high floor. If he got thrown out, it would definitely hurt.

Meeting Hwang Jae-i’s piercing gaze without avoiding it, Dohwa calmly spoke.

“I really don’t know. I’ve lived there since I was a child.”

“……”

“I only started wearing the iron mask after I got older…”

When exactly had that been? He tried to recall but gave up—it wasn’t a pleasant memory anyway. Still, he felt like he should answer if Jae-i kept pressing him.

Dohwa glanced forward. For some reason, Jae-i didn’t look well. His expression was stiff, almost scary, but there was something about it that seemed… pained. Just like when he came to find Dohwa in the middle of the night. Unconsciously, Dohwa stood up and reached a hand toward him.

“Are you hurting again?”

“……”

Jae-i simply stared at the pale, small hand coming toward him. Then, the moment it touched his forehead, he jerked like he’d been electrocuted, shot to his feet, and stumbled backward.

The chair fell over with a loud clatter. Dohwa flinched at the sound and lowered his hand, murmuring while shifting his eyes around.

“I didn’t mean to hit you.”

“…What?”

Finally reacting to Dohwa’s words, Jae-i’s face stiffened in disbelief.

Just as he was about to say, Do you think I dodged because I thought you’d hit me?, he abruptly buried his face in his hands. He took a deep breath, shoulders expanding with effort. He didn’t look well.

At that, Dohwa touched his own face. People often reacted oddly when they saw his face—maybe Jae-i was the same. But he’d been fine up until now. Maybe it just varied depending on the situation. Dohwa reached up and touched the back of his head.

The hair Jae-i had playfully tied the day before was now a messy, flattened tangle. He tugged some of it forward to hide part of his face. Just then, a sunken voice spoke.

“What are you doing?”

Dohwa froze, then looked up with only his eyes. Jae-i had lifted his face from his hands and was frowning at him. He looked a little better than before.

Pulling his hair further to cover his face, Dohwa mumbled.

“I thought maybe seeing my face made you feel worse.”

“……”

Jae-i’s expression shifted strangely. It looked as if he were agreeing with what had been said, and Dohwa, feeling confirmed in his assumption, started to lower his head again. Jae-i let out a deep sigh and tilted his head back.

Closing his eyes tightly, Hwang Jae-i suddenly took a large step forward. His long legs moved in confident strides, creating an intimidating approach. Dohwa backed away awkwardly in surprise, but Jae-i stood right next to him and spoke with a serious expression.

“That’s not it, so don’t do that.”

“……”

“When you cover your face with your hair like that, it looks like you’ve got a beard. It’s really weird.”

At that, Dohwa looked at the hair he had pulled over his nose and mouth.

It looks like a beard? Really? He looked up at Jae-i—his clean-cut face was twisted in genuine dislike. Seeing that, Dohwa pushed the hair back.

“So it’s okay not to cover my face?”

“Yeah. From now on, don’t ever cover it with your hair again.”

“……”

The way he said it, with such strong aversion, made it seem real. If that was the case…

“Then why were you upset earlier? Was it because everything I said sounded like a lie?”

He hadn’t told the whole truth, but he hadn’t only lied either.

He really had lived there since childhood, and it was only after he’d grown that he was forced to wear that thing on his face. If Jae-i pressed for more details, Dohwa wondered how much he’d have to explain.

But suddenly, he realized Jae-i was staring at him too intently. Dohwa wasn’t used to someone looking at him so closely, and as he averted his eyes, he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Why…”

He was about to ask why are you looking at me like that? when—Ding-dong, a clear chime echoed through the air. Dohwa flinched and lifted his head, and Jae-i had his eyes tightly shut. His face twisted in displeasure and anger. As Dohwa quietly waited, the doorbell rang again—Ding-dong.

“Wipe that scowl off your face. You’re the one who mixed up the date.”

“……”

“And pull your lips back in, will you? I’m happy to see my nephew after so long—but I guess my dear nephew doesn’t feel the same?”

Speaking playfully as she tucked her sharply-cut bob behind her ear, Hwang Suhyeon smiled brightly.

Hwang Suhyeon. She had just turned fifty this year, but she still looked like she was in her thirties. She was Jae-i’s aunt. She had acted as his legal guardian since he was a teenager and still treated him like a child, even now that he was a Guild Master tearing through Gates and performing all sorts of feats.

She’d assumed he was skipping meals again, so she’d come with a load of food—and several boxes of his favorite desserts. Though it was all stuff he liked, Jae-i didn’t look pleased. More precisely, he looked uncomfortable.

Just because they were related by blood didn’t mean they had to meet often. But Hwang Suhyeon visited his home at least once a month. Claiming she was checking in on how he was doing, she’d pat his back, feed him, dress him, and offer various bits of advice.

Fortunately, because it was Suhyeon, Jae-i could at least take it as advice. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have tolerated it. Thinking that, he slouched in the far corner of the couch, legs crossed, clearly trying to appear uninterested. His discomfort was obvious in every gesture, which only made Suhyeon smile.

Jae-i had been closed-off since he was young, hardly letting anyone near. Letting her into his home was already a big concession—Suhyeon knew that. She looked around.

“Every time I come here, I’m reminded how spacious and empty this place is. So this time, I ordered a few plants. What do you think about putting them over there?”

“…Don’t.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. Just two, okay? One would be lonely. Is that alright?”

She gazed quietly at Jae-i’s profile, which still refused to look her way. Perhaps sensing the stare, Jae-i let out a short sigh. Taking it as permission, Suhyeon smiled again.

“Thanks for accepting the gift. They’re just outside the entrance—would you mind bringing them in?”

“……”

Only then did Jae-i turn his head toward her. His expression said, You already had everything ready before even asking me? Suhyeon explained,

“I redid the interior design at home and got some new pots—they were so pretty. I thought of you and couldn’t resist ordering a set for you, too. Sorry for not telling you earlier. But could you still accept them?”

With her hands clasped apologetically in front of her face, she tilted her head slightly.

An A-rank Hunter herself, Hwang Suhyeon was known everywhere as the Ice Witch. She rarely smiled, her expression perpetually cool and unreadable—as though wearing a mask. She also handled dozens of legal cases on Jae-i’s behalf.

Jae-i knew this side of her—affectionate, teasing—was something she only showed to him. He stood slowly, radiating reluctance with every step. Behind him, Suhyeon clapped her hands and thanked him.