IH Ch 2

Chapter 2

Hwang Jae-i. Second-generation Guild Master of the Jae-i Guild.

Until then, abilities had manifested naturally. Just because one’s parents or siblings became Hunters didn’t mean their children would awaken as well. It was the Hwang family that broke that rule.

Hwang Jae-i’s grandfather, Hwang Yugeon, was a fire and psychokinesis ability user, and so was his father, Hwang Hajin. Hwang Jae-i, the third generation, was no different. If it had merely been the same ability, it wouldn’t have drawn much attention. The real issue was that all three generations were S-rank. It was an unprecedented case on a global scale. Thanks to them, an exceptional case was added to the books, proving that S-rank Hunters could emerge through bloodlines. Because of that, some countries began pursuing pointless initiatives like S-rank Hunter breeding programs, but none have produced any significant results thus far.

The fact that their abilities had been passed down through blood wasn’t the only astonishing thing. Becoming a guild master at seventeen was already impressive, but perhaps due to his powers, despite being 100% ethnically Korean, Hwang Jae-i had blond hair and red eyes. As if proving the theory that the higher the rank, the more extraordinary one becomes, he was a strikingly handsome man who could be spotted from a hundred meters away. All of this was widely known, but what people were most obsessed with was his personality.

When his father, Hwang Hajin, suddenly declared his retirement and stepped down, Hwang Jae-i succeeded his late grandfather and became guild master. His three years in the position had been filled with incident after incident. Even so, the reason he remained guild master was that he never once shirked his responsibilities.

Still, Hwang Jae-i was not particularly enthusiastic about participating in the Lee Myunghwan operation. He was tagging along only because there was something to gain, and he figured it was about time to have a conversation with the Association President about it. Yet in front of him now was not the President, but some guy in an iron mask, lovingly sipping a strawberry milk through a straw.

“…….”

It had been over ten minutes with him sitting diagonally in his chair, resting his chin in his hand, just watching.

With a drink that could be finished in three seconds, the guy in the iron mask still hadn’t taken the straw out of his mouth. Watching this, Hwang Jae-i finally reached out his hand. With a soft thud, the small white hand holding the strawberry milk like it was precious lost its grip, and the carton flew sideways. More remained in it than expected, as it rolled several times before toppling over. From the hole, pink liquid began to leak out steadily.

“…….”

The iron mask, still clutching the straw between his lips, tilted his head to the side. Looking at the overturned strawberry milk in the distance, he wiggled his fingers and let out a soft, “Oh.”

Hwang Jae-i turned indifferently to look behind him. While the official role of the Association’s Hunter there was to monitor the iron mask, in truth, his eyes had mostly been on Hwang Jae-i. Just from his reaction, it was easy to guess what he was thinking. No doubt he thought Hwang Jae-i was bullying the masked man.

Furrowing his brow slightly, Hwang Jae-i straightened up and sat properly, resting his chin in his hand again. At some point, the masked man had taken the straw out and was now holding it, fidgeting as if unsure what to do with it before quietly setting it on the table.

“Hey.”

The iron mask lifted his head. The large and heavy mask seemed burdensome for his small frame. After a cautious motion, Hwang Jae-i could feel the masked man’s gaze on him.

There were three holes in the iron mask—two for the eyes, and one near the mouth. The one by the lips was at least two centimeters wide, but the eye holes weren’t even one centimeter. So it was impossible to clearly see the face behind the mask.

“You spent ten minutes drinking that thing? I’ve been sitting here the whole time.”

“…….”

“What a frustrating guy.”

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense. How could someone take ten minutes to drink such a small milk and still not finish it? Was he drinking and spitting it out repeatedly?

Just then, the iron mask, whose hands had been fidgeting in place of the straw, muttered softly.

“…Sorry.”

“…….”

Hwang Jae-i’s brow creased at the sweet, whisper-like voice that tickled his ears. Scowling and glaring down at him, the iron mask slowly lowered his head. At the same time, Hwang Jae-i pushed his chair back hard with a screech and stepped up onto the table.

“G-Guild Master!”

Though the Hunter tried to stop him in a panic, Hwang Jae-i squatted in front of the masked man and looked down at him. Even with such a blatant display of intimidation, the iron mask remained quiet. Hwang Jae-i glared into the tiny holes, staring at the eyes visible within.

Thanks to his superior vision, even through such small gaps, he could see the eyes hidden behind the iron mask. He watched the dilated pupils that had shrunk in surprise and then lowered his head. Pressing his face right up to the mask, he tried everything to get a glimpse through the holes. But no matter the angle, he couldn’t see much. Hwang Jae-i bent his large frame awkwardly and leaned in so closely that it looked like he was about to press his face into the mask.

He was completely serious, but from a bystander’s perspective, it just looked strange. Let alone the onlookers—how must the person himself feel? The previously docile iron mask began slowly pulling his head back. It looked like he might topple over with the chair, so he hesitantly placed a hand on Hwang Jae-i’s instep and gave it a gentle pat. As if to say, Please stop.

“…….”

That made Hwang Jae-i freeze.

He slowly stepped back and lowered his gaze to the small, pale hand on his foot. The moment his eyes landed on it, the hand flinched and quickly disappeared under the table. The masked man, now sitting with his back flat against the chair, glanced around with his eyes from behind the mask and spoke in a timid voice.

“…Sorry.”

“For what.”

“…….”

“What are you sorry for.”

Settling himself comfortably atop the table, Hwang Jae-i reached out and pressed a hand down on the iron mask’s head.

“I asked what you’re sorry for.”

“…….”

“You’re just trying to smooth things over with words, aren’t you? Just throwing out a quick apology to get it over with.”

Hwang Jae-i continued pressing down firmly on the iron mask’s head.

“You know, I hate that more than anything. People who try to get out of situations with empty words. Do you even realize that?”

Even with just a fingertip, Hwang Jae-i was an S-rank Hunter. Every time he pressed, the iron mask’s posture collapsed further, sliding down the chair. Watching him retreat like a mole with each push amused Hwang Jae-i, so he pressed even harder. That’s when a brief voice stopped him.

“Guild Master Hwang Jae-i, you shouldn’t be threatening a civilian like that.”

“…….”

That obnoxiously familiar voice made Hwang Jae-i’s expression twist.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he slowly turned his head. Standing there was President Kim Wi of the Association.

Having just wrapped up a broadcast, he looked flawlessly groomed from head to toe. The already greasy guy now looked completely slicked up, making Hwang Jae-i scowl even more. But Kim Wi simply shrugged and said,

“There are already over ten lawsuits filed against you for threatening civilians. You’re not looking to add one more, are you?”

“…….”

“Let’s not do this here. Why don’t you come up to the President’s office for now?”

“Why should I.”

As expected, Hwang Jae-i’s tone was defiant. Kim Wi smiled as if he’d seen it coming.

“It’s time for the afterparty.”

“You’re not just trying to push cleanup duty for the ones who got away onto me?”

Outside, people were talking like they’d completely wiped out the cultists, including Lee Myunghwan, but there were still remnants. With the Association under public scrutiny, the dirty work would no doubt fall on the other guilds. Not wanting to be further involved with Association affairs, Hwang Jae-i stood up.

“The Jae-i Guild is pulling out of everything from now on. Don’t bother calling on us again.”

His words were as final as a guillotine. He jumped down from the table. Glancing to the side, he saw the masked man sluggishly stretching out from the chair. As he cautiously grabbed the table and sat upright, he gave Hwang Jae-i a sidelong glance. On impulse, driven by a sudden twist of emotion, Hwang Jae-i grabbed him.

“I’m taking this guy with me.”

“…….”

With that abrupt declaration, Hwang Jae-i turned to the President.

“There was something the Association promised to do for me once this mission ended, right? Until that’s done, he’s my hostage.”

President Kim Wi’s gaze shifted to the person whose head was now in Hwang Jae-i’s grasp. Seeing him tense with his shoulders hunched, the President looked troubled.

“Even if he’s not an awakened one, we can’t be sure of his identity. He might be dangerous. Besides, he might be useful for obtaining information on the remaining cultists…”

“That’s the Association’s problem to handle. Or what, you saying you’re so incompetent you can’t even deal with the stragglers?”

“…….”

That last remark hit where it hurt most. Kim Wi, who had been on the verge of sighing at Hwang Jae-i’s stubbornness, now hardened slightly. Seeing this, Hwang Jae-i smirked and yanked the iron mask’s arm. The frail body was light, like a paper doll, and lifted with ease. Even as the masked man was dragged away, the President said nothing.

Only after Hwang Jae-i and the masked, unidentified man had disappeared did the Hunter standing off to the side cautiously speak.

“Is it really okay to let them go like that?”

“We’ll see.”

The Association President replied like it was someone else’s problem and scratched his brow before letting out a deep sigh.

“Seriously, those born S-rank without any effort…”

It was a comment loaded with meaning.

There were only about a hundred S-ranks in the entire world. Just seven domestically. And of those, nearly half shared the same bloodline as Hwang Jae-i. Not all awakened ones were like that, of course, but those who started out at high ranks tended to have the worst tempers. If they awakened after some time in society, they’d at least be a bit more reasonable—but Hwang Jae-i…

“If Guild Master Hwang Jae-i ends up harmed—”

He must have been especially concerned about the masked man. But those words were so absurd that the President chuckled in disbelief.

“Who? Hwang Jae-i? Getting hurt? Come on.”

Shaking his head like he’d just heard nonsense, President Kim Wi stared in the direction the two had gone.

“That ridiculous guy in the iron mask might die, but he won’t even lay a finger on Hwang Jae-i.”

So far, they hadn’t discovered any abilities in the masked man, but who knew? Maybe the mask itself suppressed powers. Even if that were the case, Hwang Jae-i would be fine. The Hunter spoke again, carefully.

“Then should we just treat him as if he never existed?”

“…….”

All the people captured during this operation were supposed to be detained in a Hunter containment facility. The masked man, too, was supposed to be questioned further. But since Guild Master Hwang Jae-i had taken him, it might be cleaner to pretend he never existed.

After a moment of thought, Kim Wi said they’d discuss it again later, and headed toward the people waiting for him.