IH Ch 42

Chapter 42

“……”

Pressing his cheek once more with the back of his hand, Dohwa lifted his head in response to the gaze he felt on his face. Apparently finished with his call, Jae-i was looking in his direction. Without blinking once, Jae-i walked briskly over to him. Standing firmly in front of Dohwa, he lowered his gaze and said coldly,

“I need to go to the guild.”

The call Hwang Jae-i had received was a report of a gate appearing in the area managed by the Jae-i Guild.

For gates up to B-rank, it was typical for only a report to be submitted to Hwang Jae-i while guild-affiliated hunters were mobilized to handle it. This time was no different. An Yuna had begun to inform him of the gate’s appearance and the hunters scheduled to participate, when Hwang Jae-i abruptly cut her off and said he would join as well.

Puzzled, An Yuna had paused for a moment before asking, “Why?” But rather than explain that things on his end had gotten complicated and that he was tired of waiting around—conveniently, a gate had appeared—Hwang Jae-i had simply said, “I’ll be participating too. Just know that,” and ended the call.

With that decided, Hwang Jae-i was set to return to the guild. Using the gate as an excuse, even the Association President wouldn’t be able to stop him. The problem was Dohwa. Could he bring him along?

At that moment, Dohwa hesitantly asked,

“Can’t I come with you?”

“……”

Then, closing his mouth, Dohwa looked up at Jae-i with his eyes drooping at the corners.

“Sorry to keep you waiting… Huh, they’re gone?”

Returning to the Association President’s office with a smile, Kim Wi froze in place. No matter how he looked, the spacious office was empty. One might not see someone small, but it certainly wasn’t the case with Hwang Jae-i—he was the kind of person who stood out from a kilometer away.

Sitting at his desk, Kim Wi placed a call to the first-floor lobby.

[Yes, President.]

“Has Guild Masters Hwang Jae-i left?”

[Yes, he departed 25 minutes ago.]

“……”

The tone suggested no awareness of any problem in what he had said. Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t actually asked anyone to notify him if Hwang Jae-i tried to leave.

Until now, including Hwang Jae-i, all the Guild Masterss came and went as they pleased. If it became known that the Association monitored their every move, that in itself would cause trouble.

[…Should I have stopped Guild Masters Hwang Jae-i?]

“It’s fine. You wouldn’t have been able to anyway. Get back to work.”

Ending the call, Kim Wi leaned the back of his head against the chair.

If both of them were gone, then that meant Hwang Jae-i had taken that person with him as well.

“…Have they gotten closer?”

There was no other explanation for the situation.

For today, it was clear the researcher had caused a major incident. The Association needed to apologize to the victim and provide proper compensation. Kim Wi had planned to handle that after settling things—but then Hwang Jae-i had spirited the victim away. Strange. He wasn’t the kind of guy to take care of others like this.

When Hwang Jae-i first took the Iron Mask away, Kim Wi had assumed it was out of dissatisfaction with him. They had agreed that in exchange for cooperating with the Lee Myunghwan case, he would deal with the Pungjin matter—but even after everything was wrapped up, there had been no follow-up, which probably annoyed Jae-i. It had seemed like he had taken the boy as a kind of hostage until the Association upheld its end of the bargain.

Honestly, Kim Wi hadn’t cared whether Jae-i took him or not. Knowing Hwang Jae-i’s temperament, he figured the boy would be tossed back after a few days—or worse, that Jae-i’s temper would flare and he’d do something drastic. In any case, Kim Wi had no attachment to someone tainted by a cult.

“Hmm—”

The Association President tried to recall the man’s details. Dohwa. Twenty-three years old. Non-Awakener. Beyond that, nothing was known. These days, being without any family ties wasn’t unheard of, but it still felt like more was being concealed.

Kim Wi took out his personal phone and made a call somewhere. After a fairly long ring, the other party answered begrudgingly.

[What is it.]

Even the voice itself carried a chilly edge. Stifling a laugh, Kim Wi greeted her cheerfully.

“It’s been a while, noona. Don’t you think you’re being a little cold?”

[…If this isn’t a work-related call, I’ll be hanging up now, President.]

The other party was Hwang Suhyeon—Hwang Jae-i’s aunt and an old acquaintance of Kim Wi. She cared deeply for her nephew but didn’t have much affection for Kim Wi. Knowing that even a slight delay or deflection would cause her to hang up, Kim Wi quickly got to the point.

“Come on now, don’t be like that. This isn’t about my work.”

[Did Jae-i visit the Association today? Was it because of the cohabitant he’s been living with?]

“So you already knew.”

No matter where or what Hwang Jae-i was doing, Hwang Suhyeon knew everything. At this point, it seemed unnecessary, but stalking her nephew had become a daily routine for her over the past decade. Perhaps it was guilt turned into responsibility.

In any case, it wasn’t surprising that she knew Jae-i had come to the Association. But how about this?

“How much have you looked into that person—Dohwa?”

[…]

“Don’t suddenly go silent. I may not be as invested as you are, but I’m worried about Jae-i too. On the surface, he seems harmless, but you never know with people.”

Both he and Suhyeon had dealt with enough people who looked polished outside but were rotten within. Perhaps reminded of something unpleasant by Kim Wi’s words, she muttered a soft curse and told him to wait.

It seemed she had already dug something up. As he waited, Kim Wi casually changed the subject.

“So, how’s your health these days? Maybe it’s time we had dinner or something.”

[Why would I do that with you? Don’t waste your time—keep a closer watch on that man. Looked like he was about to enter the country a few days ago.]

“Ah, right. When I asked what business he had here, he immediately changed course and flew to China. Still such a soft-shelled turtle.”

[Soft-shelled turtle my ass. He’s disgusting.]

“That’s harsh. I am your brother, you know.”

[…]

The subject of their conversation was Hwang Hajin—Hwang Jae-i’s father, Hwang Suhyeon’s older brother, and Kim Wi’s direct superior in the past. A man once known for marrying into a chaebol family, a devoted husband, a doting father, a commercial king, and a walking billboard. Before his depravity was exposed, he had fled.

Others had stepped up to deal with the mess he left behind, including Suhyeon and Kim Wi. It had been the action of one piece of trash, but if left unaddressed, the entire family would’ve suffered. More precisely, it would’ve harmed Hwang Jae-i.

The only reason Hwang Hajin hadn’t had his disgusting face exposed and could wander the world as a free hunter was because of his son. The adults had covered up Hajin’s sins to protect Jae-i. And yet now that he was grown, Jae-i seemed intent on digging everything up.

“Guild Masters Hwang Jae-i is planning to upend Pungjin.”

There was no way Suhyeon, who knew everything about her nephew, hadn’t known that. Even so, Kim Wi brought it up—to make sure everything was in order before Jae-i acted. And after a brief silence, Suhyeon replied.

[That’s why he helped with the Lee Myunghwan case. If that’s what’s pushing him, then the promise must be kept.]

“It’s going to get messy.”

[If that’s what Jae-i wants, then that’s how it should be.]

“…Sometimes I wonder if you’re the one who gave birth to Hwang Jae-i.”

Suhyeon scoffed but didn’t deny it.

At times, her dedication seemed excessive, but perhaps thanks to her, Hwang Jae-i was still functioning as a Guild Masters. Otherwise, he would’ve thrown it all away long ago.

If he changed his mindset, he could live far more comfortably. Just like how he smiled in front of others the other day. Even that fake smile had the crowd gushing. Just that much would’ve been enough. But was the world, were people, so uncomfortable that he didn’t even want to do that?

Just then, a knock was followed by the secretary’s voice.

“Guild Masters, a document from Representative Hwang Suhyeon has arrived.”

“Come in.”

The secretary entered, handed over a black envelope, and left immediately.

Still on the phone with Suhyeon, the Association President opened the sealed envelope and pulled out a few documents.

These days, sending physical documents like this was inefficient. But they were still used to avoid leaving any trace. Reviewing the contents and then destroying the papers—burning them and disposing of them elsewhere—was the cleanest method.

As he read, Kim Wi found himself unable to turn past the first page.

A photo was attached. It was of a once-briefly famous rookie actress. Pale, clear skin, a small face with finely arranged features. A fragile figure that invoked protective instincts. Long, soft hair. A pleasant voice and a neat demeanor.

She had gained explosive popularity upon her debut. In a world where S-rank hunters were treated like superstars, ordinary entertainers had little footing. Yet this one actress had stirred the hearts of boys her age. Kim Wi was no exception. He thought he had fallen for her at first sight when he was around fifteen.

At the time, many of those around Kim Wi were high-ranking hunters with post-human specs and appearances. To be honest, in terms of looks alone, the hunters were more attractive and striking. Yet she had captivated people with her subtle charm. There had even been rumors that she had some kind of enchanting ability. But a test conducted on a program with experts had proven she was an ordinary person. Regardless, she had enjoyed considerable popularity. What made her even more famous, however, was her disappearance.