IH Ch 103

Chapter 103

With gentle, cautious motions, Dohwa’s hand smoothed over Jae-i’s tense face, and the sharp edge in his gaze began to ease. His eyes, which had been lowered, now held only the image of Dohwa standing before him.

“……”

As soon as Jae-i looked at him, Dohwa reached out with both hands and cupped his face, softly rubbing against it—as if trying to loosen the hardened muscles of his expression. Normally, Hwang Jae-i wouldn’t have cared how his face looked, whether stern or relaxed. But as those fingers carefully smoothed over his skin, pressing on his lips with a thumb before lifting away, he let his eyes close.

The icy turmoil in his mind cooled, and the razor-sharp intent to kill that had been about to lash out in all directions lost its course. In the past, keeping such urges in check had been difficult, but now, oddly enough, they subsided quickly. More than that, he felt an intense desire to bury his face in the crook of Dohwa’s neck, to breathe deeply of the sweet scent of his skin pressed close.

Wanting to relocate first, Jae-i thought—into the vehicle? But no, a hunter was driving that—Ahn Yuna, too, was with them. If he sent them off ahead…

Then, sensing someone’s presence, Jae-i quickly pulled Dohwa to his side and turned his head.

“Oh—”

A startled woman let out a sound before quickly raising her hand to cover her mouth. She pulled her child with her, stepping backward. It was Hwa-young and her mother. When they had seen each other at the hospital, she had looked pale and haggard from exhaustion—but now she seemed healthier. Even so, her face reddened rapidly, and she stiffly tried to cover Hwa-young’s gaze with her hand.

Jae-i, momentarily confused, soon realized it was because of what she had seen—him and Dohwa, simply standing close and facing each other. No more than that. Or maybe it was Dohwa’s hand brushing across his face?

At that moment, Hwa-young pushed away her mother’s hand, which kept trying to block her vision.

“Mom, why are you doing that—I need to talk to Hunter Hwang Jae-i.”

“We’ll talk later. Now’s not a good time, so…”

“Why not? He’s right there. Who knows if I’ll ever get to see him again?”

As Hwa-young whined, her mother grew more flustered.

They had approached to say a proper goodbye before the Guild Master left, but the timing seemed to have gone awry. Remembering the soft, longing way Jae-i had looked at Dohwa just a moment ago, the woman bowed awkwardly.

“The Guild Master is busy right now…”

“It’s fine.”

Before she could finish her excuse, Jae-i had already answered and positioned Dohwa behind him. Looking squarely at Hwa-young, his expression had returned to the cold, stern mask everyone knew so well. The moment she realized that, the mother quickly straightened her back, and Hwa-young used that opportunity to dart in front of Jae-i.

“Um, I mean—I should say Guild Master, not Hunter—”

“You can call me whatever you like.”

“Really? I think ‘Hunter’ sounds cooler than ‘Guild Master.’ No, wait—that’s not what I wanted to say.”

Catching herself, Hwa-young took a deep breath and looked up at Jae-i.

“Thank you for making me better. I heard it was all because of the magic stone with the gate’s core. They said it wasn’t ordinary—you usually wouldn’t even use that kind of thing on family. That it was super rare and valuable.”

“……”

“Thank you for using something so precious on me.”

Though she initially spoke confidently, as she trailed off, she fidgeted with her hands, unsure of where to place them. She clasped them together and, trembling, managed to finish her sentence as she looked up again.

Indeed, the stone he had used at the hospital was no ordinary object. Depending on the grade of the gate, a cleared dungeon could yield one to three core-infused stones. At S-Class gates, they had even drawn five. These belonged to the Hunter that destroyed the core, and ordinary people rarely ever saw them.

And Hwang Jae-i had used one of those on a complete stranger, a child he had no personal connection with. Anyone who understood the true value of that artifact would have been aghast—but Jae-i stood there emotionless, as if it meant nothing. Watching his steady expression, Hwa-young continued softly fidgeting.

“I’m really happy I got to see you again. I don’t know much ‘cause I’m still young, but I think when Grandpa says stuff, it’s only because he’s worried about me. But don’t mind him. Thanks to you, I’m strong now, and I won’t let anything get to me anymore—no matter what happens.”

“……”

“From now on, I’m going to protect my mom and Grandpa. I can do it.”

With that, Hwa-young beat her own chest with a tiny fist, hard enough to make a thump, her eyes brimming with confidence.

Behind her, her mother wiped away tears before quickly lowering her hand and bowing deeply. Her bow and gratitude toward Jae-i carried unmistakable sincerity. Just then, Hwa-young stepped aside and pointed toward the outer hallway.

“You must be busy—go on. I’m just glad I got to see you again today.”

Placing her hands over her heart, Hwa-young smiled joyfully.

Watching her bright, beaming face silently, Jae-i slowly extended his hand.

“…Huh?”

At first surprised, Hwa-young blinked at the outstretched hand, then quickly wiped her own on her clothes before carefully taking his hand in both of hers.

As Jae-i gently moved their clasped hands up and down, he said,

“Let’s meet again.”

“…Really?”

Without answering, he released her hand and turned to face Dohwa. As if waiting for the signal, Dohwa shuffled closer to stand behind him and waved with a cheerful “Bye.” Hwa-young returned the greeting with a bright “Hello!” then watched the two slowly walk away. Still in disbelief over his parting words, she bounced in place, calling “Mom!” then turned to run into the room shouting for her grandfather.

Seeing that, Dohwa lowered his gaze toward the warmth in his palm. Looking at the large hand tightly holding his, he softly folded his fingers inward. As he rubbed over the strong, defined knuckles, Jae-i, who’d first gripped and then released Dohwa’s hand, finally spoke.

“I’ve calmed down.”

“……”

Just a little while ago, he had been seconds away from going to find that man.

“I’m okay now.”

“It’s okay even if you’re not.”

“……”

Looking at Jae-i, Dohwa said gently,

“You have every right to be angry. But don’t let it cost you anything.”

“……”

“You can’t be the one taking the losses. You can’t be the one getting hurt.”

After quietly listening, Jae-i tilted his head slightly toward him.

“Then what do I need to do? So I don’t lose anything or get hurt?”

“That’s something you’ll have to think very hard about from now on.”

“……”

“I’m telling you clearly now. Don’t get hurt or take the fall for anything.”

This kind of somewhat playful word exchange wasn’t something Jae-i was used to. But for some reason, he found himself listening intently to Dohwa’s words.

That bastard had returned to the country. Slick-tongued conman that he was, it wouldn’t be surprising if he charmed some government officials. But the Hunter Association—that was another matter. That snake Kim Wi—so that’s what he’d been busy doing behind the scenes regarding the issue with Pungjin.

Narrowing his eyes, Jae-i muttered to himself just as a ding signaled the elevator’s arrival. Emerging from it was Ahn Yuna.

“Guild Master, did you finish your conversation?”

Glancing toward the room behind them, she quickly stepped aside so Jae-i and Dohwa could get into the elevator. As she followed them in and pressed the button, she informed him—

“He came in two days ago. Apparently, he’s been prepping his return through government connections for a while now. There were several government-backed international projects this year, and he came in as a representative.”

“……”

“As a French delegate, no less.”

The absurdity of that statement drew a short, bitter laugh from Ahn Yuna, until she caught the look in Jae-i’s eyes and shut her mouth.

“It’s one thing for the government, but the Association surprises me. What are they even thinking…”

“We can just ask them directly.”

“You’re going to go there?”

Jae-i said nothing. When the elevator reached the parking garage, and the doors opened, Ahn Yuna quickly exited and raised both hands.

“Hang on—this is exactly when we need to stay calm. If we act on impulse, we’re the ones who lose.”

“I only want to ask a question. About Ha-jin’s reentry—how the Association and the President view it. I need to hear it directly so I can make a quick decision.”

“…Are we talking about tearing down the whole Association?”

Jae-i frowned harshly and looked down at her with icy eyes, as if to ask if he really seemed like someone that reckless. And yet, Ahn Yuna didn’t back down.

Because to her, Hwang Jae-i was exactly that kind of person—someone who, when pushed too far, could upend things without a second thought. She’d seen it too many times before.

“We need to analyze the situation a bit more—”

“We’re already way too late.”

Everything had already happened. What more needed analyzing now?

At this rate, Hwang Ha-jin might start manipulating the media first. Jae-i had no interest in being blindsided.

Shouldering past her, he strode off.

“Hang on, Guild Master! Dohwa—help me stop him! If he goes like this, it’s dangerous…!”

While Ahn Yuna spoke in desperation, Dohwa, gently led by Jae-i’s hand, showed no concern. Calmly, he turned to her and offered a few comforting words.

“Don’t worry. It won’t be dangerous.”

It really had been dangerous before—but that had been taken care of. And he had already said what needed to be said. It should be fine—probably.

Strangely enough, those words instantly dissipated the tension in Ahn Yuna’s shoulders. There was no logic or evidence to believe that the Guild Master’s visit to the Association wouldn’t be dangerous—but somehow, she trusted it.

More precisely, she trusted that Dohwa would be able to stop Jae-i before he did anything reckless.

Even now, seeing how tightly Jae-i’s hand wrapped around Dohwa’s, Ahn Yuna muttered a beat too late,

“…Well. I guess that’s a relief, then.”