IH Ch 131

Chapter 131

“I’ll go into the room for a bit, then.”

“Yes, thank you. And sorry.”

Cradling the human-shaped beast carefully in his arms, Dohwa tiptoed away.

Surprisingly quiet until now, Jae-i spoke as Dohwa passed behind him.

“Don’t close the door all the way.”

“Mm.”

Dohwa slipped inside the room, closed the door fully, then cracked it open again—about three centimeters.

Even with that, the stiffness on Jae-i’s face didn’t ease.

Taking in the scene, Ahn Yuna let out a deep sigh and launched straight into her scolding.

“Tone it down. You’re acting like some clingy lover obsessed with your boyfriend. First relationship or not, this is way too much.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Only then did Jae-i finally look at her—his face caked with irritation.

At this rate, nothing she said would get through. Dragging out the conversation would only make his reactions worse. Better to hit the main points quickly.

Casting a glance toward the slightly open door, she lowered her voice.

“Why is that beast like that? I’ve seen all sorts of cases, but never a beast that managed such a perfect humanization.”

A beast that shifts freely between its original form and humanoid shape—this was the first time she’d seen anything like it. The United States had run experiments on beasts with consent from neighboring countries, and one had partially transformed, but only its upper body. And intelligence? Zero. No communication at all.

But this beast—whether as a black fluff ball or in human form—

its attachment to Dohwa was…

“…It really isn’t secretly your kid, right?”

“If you’re going to talk like that, leave.”

“Oh, so I can leave? You planning to stay here playing house with Dohwa and that beast?”

“Playing—what kind of—!”

He seemed about to lash out—at least about the beast, if not Dohwa—

so Yuna cut in before he could get worked up.

“You left that beast at your house because things were complicated back then. Even a fist-sized beast appearing wherever you go would’ve caused a scandal if found out.”

“……”

“That beast wasn’t like this originally, right? Something must’ve happened while it stayed with you. The moment it achieved this level of perfect humanization, you should’ve informed me. So we could prepare.”

If she’d been warned, she wouldn’t have nearly fainted the moment she saw the humanoid beast. Her first instinct had been:

“Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i’s secret child discovered—the guildmaster is only twenty!!”

And with the guild relocating on top of everything…

Just imagining it sent chills racing down her spine.

She stared at Jae-i again.

He no longer looked aggressive—just silent, eyes lowered.

Yuna spoke quietly.

“…Is it because of Dohwa?”

The moment she said Dohwa’s name, Jae-i arched one brow and glared sharply.

Even that fierce look didn’t make her flinch.

“Looks to me like Dohwa likes it. That’s why you can’t forcefully separate the beast.”

“That’s not—”

“How much do you like Dohwa, Guildmaster?”

“……”

Anyone with eyes could see their relationship within one minute.

The man who’d seemed destined to live alone forever now clung to Dohwa, dotes on him, follows him like a shadow—how could anyone not notice?

It wasn’t spoken aloud, but the entire guild already accepted:

They’re together.

Even so, being asked so bluntly must have startled him—Yuna saw his pupils tremble slightly.

“If you really care about Dohwa and want to stay with him, then you have to act more cautiously. Don’t create unknown variables like this beast situation again. I’m on your side, right? When something happens, I’ll be the one grabbing your hand until the very last moment.”

“……”

“If you and I stop matching our steps now, everything collapses.”

She wanted to lecture much more harshly about the beast situation—but Jae-i already looked overwhelmed, and pushing harder wouldn’t help.

Finally, he spoke.

“…Dohwa likes it.”

“……”

“And it… doesn’t bare its teeth at him.”

Ever since he was a minor, running through gates nonstop, Jae-i developed a perfect sense for hostility. Beast or human—it was the same.

And from the moment he saw the fluff ball, he dismissed it. It didn’t harbor even a speck of hostility toward him—honestly, it looked barely capable of protecting itself.

But eight-tenths of why he still kept it was because of Dohwa.

Even without saying anything, the way Dohwa looked at him seemed to ask:

“Are you really going to kill it?”

If word got out that the guildmaster who just caused an uproar by relocating his base was also harboring a beast, it would be chaos. He understood Yuna’s point.

But now—after everything that had happened—

killing it was…

“……”

His face hardened into a frightening intensity.

Yuna reached for the paper she’d set aside—Jaehyeon’s drawing. She had creased it earlier from shock, so she gently smoothed it out.

“I’m not trying to scold you. I’m saying we’re a team now that we’ve come this far.”

She handed the drawing to him.

He accepted it wordlessly.

His expression froze when he saw its contents.

Yuna spoke.

“You didn’t pick a fight with the Association and the government just because of Hwang Hajin. Not entirely. Right now, it looks like Dohwa accounts for more of your decisions.”

“……”

“Hwang Hajin is troublesome but not difficult. If you go unhinged like you did just now, even he will have to watch his step. Regardless of what he pulls, the one Korea needs right now is you.”

Even if destroying gates became possible someday, it wouldn’t be immediate. It would take years of research with no guarantee.

But if an S-rank gate opened tomorrow, then Korea needed Jae-i.

“But once Dohwa is involved, everything changes. No matter how they attack us, we become the ones disadvantaged.”

The moment Jae-i handed her that list, she’d realized what was going on:

The list was connected to Dohwa.

Even if the names written were “people who deserved death,” killing was still killing. And on top of that—

“There have always been rumors about illegal experiments around Lee Myunghwan. No proof, so it got buried, but if evidence comes out, other countries will get involved. And the Association won’t sit still.”

There had been a worldwide obsession years ago:

If two high-rank hunters have a child, will the child awaken as high-rank too?

It was nonsense—proven meaningless within a few years. Jae-i was simply an anomaly.

But that research had gone further.

Much further.

Not just human-to-human—

human-to-beast experiments.

A slap in the face to basic human ethics.

People dismissed it as absurd rumor because it was too grotesque to consider.

But Yuna—and Jae-i—thought differently.

If anyone would do that, it’s those lunatics.

“If Dohwa could draw that, he must’ve seen something. What’s done is done, so I won’t nag you to ‘be careful’—but you must be prepared.”

“……”

“You have to act like a proper guildmaster now. More decisively than before.”

Until now, Jae-i only showed up for gate work or unavoidable official duties. Everything else fell on Yuna and the other hunters.

If he only needed to worry about himself, that was fine.

But now—

Now he had someone he wanted to protect more than himself.

So his role had to change.

He had to finally become someone who could take responsibility for everything.

A true adult.