IH Ch 31

Chapter 31

Hwang Jae-i was a child born from his father’s extramarital affair.

His father was already married, had a spouse, and children. Moreover, both his grandfather and father were S-rank, so there was considerable attention on whether the grandson might be S-rank as well.

The grandfather and father had always been asked the same questions wherever they went. A grandson who had never once appeared in public or shown his face in the media—was their son an awakened one too? Was he, like them, born an S-rank? Each time, they gave a rehearsed answer. The child was still young. At the very least, they wanted to raise him like an ordinary child until he was mature enough.

In hindsight, it was a laughable claim. If he were truly S-rank, ordinary parenting would be out of the question. His physical development would be overwhelmingly faster than his peers, and he would be emotionally more mature. If he had been born S-rank, as people hoped, then conventional childrearing simply wouldn’t be possible.

Nevertheless, Hwang Hajin dropped ambiguous statements that left room for speculation, allowing people to imagine whatever they wanted. As if his child really was an S-rank awakened one. However, the child born from his legal wife had not even awakened—on the contrary, he was plagued by frequent minor illnesses from a young age. To make matters worse, he was so frail that whenever his father approached, he would either burst into hysterical sobs or tremble violently and vomit.

Hwang Hajin and his wife had married for mutual benefit, and their relationship had been equal. But perhaps due to guilt over their weak child, his wife was always intimidated in front of Hwang Hajin. That balance of power reversed after Hwang Jae-i was born.

Hwang Jae-i became Hwang Hajin’s weakness.

Hwang Hajin, who had awakened as an S-rank following his father Hwang Yugeon, was a unique case on a global scale. Having lived a life of success under the world’s spotlight since childhood, Hwang Jae-i was one of the few dark clouds in his life. Unable to ignore her husband’s infidelity, his wife returned to her family with her son, and Hajin desperately tried to keep this fact from becoming public knowledge.

He hid the woman and the infant deep underground in a shelter nestled in the remote mountains of Gangwon-do. At first, he considered erasing the existence of his illegitimate child altogether, but he soon changed his mind. Because—there was always a chance.

There was nothing to be expected from the child born of his marriage. But what about the other infant? Test results showed a high possibility of awakening. Not yet, but eventually, and the projected rank was A or higher.

When he received the results, Hwang Hajin was torn. After all, his own path had been similar. Though he was an awakened one, his rank hadn’t been confirmed during early childhood. Around age eight, he was deemed A-rank, and as his abilities gradually grew, he became S-rank by age fourteen. He hadn’t been born S-rank per se, but the world liked to think otherwise.

Given that, it was highly likely that the illegitimate child would become S-rank too. If the lineage of S-ranks continued from father to son, it would be a monumental event. However, he could not escape the world’s condemnation. Unable to choose a side, the petty man blamed everyone but himself for his actions. Because of that woman. Because that child had been born. Unable to accept or reject them, he kept both under his surveillance.

But a long tail is bound to get caught, and rumors about the two began to spread. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. The time for a decision had come, and Hwang Hajin chose the worst possible option.

In the end, thanks to others who moved faster than he did, Hwang Jae-i survived. But having awakened directly as an S-rank at the time, whether that was truly fortunate remains uncertain.

It was a memory from more than a dozen years ago. So why was it suddenly resurfacing? It wasn’t even pleasant—he wanted nothing more than to erase it quickly. Perhaps that was why—he kept groaning, softly moaning, like a beast wounded deep within.

At that moment, an unfamiliar hand touched his head. A gentle hand patted him carefully, and Hwang Jae-i’s face twisted in displeasure. Who dared to touch his head so presumptuously? Move your hand away right now.

Contrary to his rising irritation, drowsiness overtook him. He drifted into deeper sleep and only regained consciousness due to the noise pounding in his ears. People were chattering everywhere. He frowned as though trying to crumple his face like paper.

Hwang Jae-i tried several times, with great effort, to lift his seemingly glued-shut eyelids. Meanwhile, the mixed voices continued on, until he mumbled, “So noisy…” and everything abruptly went silent.

“……”

What was that? The silence was more unsettling. He cautiously opened one eye. In front of him was a giant screen.

A large TV hanging in a familiar space. Why is that turned on?

He stared blankly as a child sitting in a wheelchair appeared on the screen. The child, clutching a stuffed bunny tightly as if nervous, took a deep breath and looked up. Looking straight into the camera, the child spoke his name.

[Hunter Hwang Jae-i came to see me. Because I asked to meet him.]

Even before those words finished, flashes exploded all around. Startled, the child tightly shut his eyes, and doctors and nurses appeared, telling the press to stop.

Still, a few more camera flashes went off, and the child, having timidly opened his eyes again, continued.

[Since I can’t leave the hospital, I asked Hunter Hwang Jae-i if he could come meet me. Actually, I sent a lot of postcards, but I never imagined he would really come.]

Though the child spoke maturely, the attention seemed burdensome. Blushing, his voice grew softer. But in the end, he added, saying he was truly happy to have met the Hunter.

A reporter immediately jumped in with a question.

[Are you saying Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i came all the way here just because of a postcard? This is the same man who won’t budge even when presidents or billionaires offer hundreds of billions for a single meeting. And yet, for a hospitalized child in the mountains?]

Pretending to be serious, the reporter’s words were laced with sarcasm. It was the worst possible way to speak to a child. The crowd murmured in disapproval—“What’s with him?” “Why is he like that?”

Regardless, the reporter pressed on.

[No, I mean, we all know Hwang Jae-i’s public image. It’s hard to believe someone like him would move just because of a postcard…….]

[What kind of person do you think Hunter Hwang Jae-i is, exactly?]

Only the child’s face was visible on screen. Small yet sitting upright in the wheelchair, the child now looked directly into the camera with clear eyes, different from before.

[Have you ever met Hunter Hwang Jae-i? Ever spoken with him? Even held his hand? Do you really know what kind of person he is, what kind of eyes he used when he looked at me? You’re saying all that without knowing any of that? Are you calling me a liar because you don’t believe what I’m saying?]

The child’s words, spoken so clearly and confidently, were almost bold. Perhaps startled by the child’s assertiveness, the reporter stammered, “No, that’s not what I meant…” But the child’s voice only grew firmer.

[What’s wrong with Hunter-nim clearing the gate? Because he didn’t wait until it fully opened? So what? Thanks to that, I’m alive right now. The other children in the hospital, the nurses, the doctors, the kitchen staff, the janitors, and my mom……]

The child faltered slightly when saying “mom,” rubbing his eyes roughly before lifting his head again.

[The college students who come to play with us every weekend, the gas station manager and staff who bring us delicious fruits every time—they all live here too, you know? Thanks to Hunter Hwang Jae-i exploring the gate early, we’re all still alive. Are you saying it would’ve been better if we all died and then he cleared the gate? Is that why you’re all swarming here, laughing, talking, smoking, spitting, sneaking into the hospital to take pictures?]

As the child’s voice grew louder, unable to hold back any longer, someone in the background muttered that it was time to end filming.

[We’re alive because of Hunter-nim! Don’t use our survival as your story bait! The only reason you’re even able to be here now is thanks to the Hunters! So why do you keep nitpicking and saying such horrible things? Don’t you have any shame? Cowards!!]

The child, overwhelmed with emotion, rocked back and forth in the wheelchair. Looking as if he might lunge at the reporters at any moment, the camera hurriedly shifted away, capturing instead the villagers standing at a distance.