Chapter 40
The next morning, I greeted my mother with a face still slightly swollen. Fortunately, she seemed oblivious to my nighttime escapades. Since the only issue was my torn stomach, the discharge process went smoothly. As we left the hospital, my mother kept talking, perhaps worried by my silence.
“Oh, right. Chanhee.”
“Yes?”
“Suhyun is joining the Hanseong Guild.”
I nodded indifferently, already aware of the news. Outside the car window, unfamiliar streets flashed by. Suddenly, everything that had happened the night before—the fried chicken, the dream—felt surreal, like a lie.
“Mom.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is Hyunjae at home?”
“That’s unusual. You asking about that. He’s probably there.”
I nodded and turned on my phone. The dream from last night wasn’t bad, but for some reason, it left me uneasy as time passed. I opened the messenger app, and sure enough, there was a message from Han Jaemin.
[Han Jaemin: Our Chanhee]
[Han Jaemin: Discharged?]
[Don’t we have things to talk about?]
[Han Jaemin: ㅋㅋ Why so scary?]
[No excuses]
[Meet me right now]
His playful tone annoyed me, but I had no choice. I rolled down the car window to suppress my rising frustration. The wind roared against my face, scattering my thoughts.
***
“Chanhee’s here?”
Han Jaemin was lounging with his feet on the table, sipping an iced Americano from a disposable cup. I let out a hollow laugh as I entered the room after being guided by his secretary.
“Can you even drink coffee like that?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to talk long, so just tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot.”
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, as if that were a reasonable excuse.
“Are you still doubting me?”
“You’re misunderstanding something, Chanhee.”
Han Jaemin sucked up the last of his coffee through the straw and tossed the cup into the trash can beside him. The ice cubes clinked against each other, not yet melted.
“I just don’t trust people.”
“Whether you trust people or not isn’t my concern, but this is something you should have at least discussed with me.”
“In the end, it turned out fine, didn’t it?”
“Fine?”
“It was obvious there was nothing inside the Gate anyway.”
“…….”
“And we confirmed that Yu Hyunjae awakened his abilities. Total win-win.”
It seemed he had even confirmed Yu Hyunjae’s awakening. As expected, Han Jaemin must have had someone among the hunters working for him.
“A guy who was already terrifying without mana, and now he’s awakened it.”
“…….”
“So? What do you think?”
“Why are you asking me that? Would I be happy about it?”
Han Jaemin laughed heartily.
“For someone who acts like that, you two seemed pretty affectionate when you met outside the Gate.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions.”
I was cautious. I didn’t know how much Han Jaemin was observing my every move, but if he found out I was getting close to Yu Hyunjae again, it was obvious how he would react. Regardless of my feelings, I needed to meet Yu Dohyun. The dead him would surely know the truth about this mysterious world I was reborn into and the countless deaths I had experienced. And to do that, I still needed Han Jaemin.
“Chanhee, do you like Yu Hyunjae?”
Han Jaemin couldn’t hide his smirk, as if he found his own question amusing. My fist clenched before I could control it. I forced a smile and answered in a mocking tone.
“Are you trying to mess with me?”
“Ah, sorry. Maybe it’s been too long since I graduated from puberty. I just can’t understand the hearts of teenagers.”
“Just answer my question.”
“I did. I just don’t trust anyone.”
“So you’re saying you won’t work with me in the future?”
“How does that follow? You’re still too young, Chanhee.”
Han Jaemin took his feet off the table and stood up. He slowly walked toward me, still wearing that infuriatingly relaxed smile.
“Deals aren’t about trusting each other.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. Even though he wasn’t applying any pressure, it felt unbearably heavy.
“They’re about trusting the results that come from the deal.”
Every word he whispered in my ear felt alien, like something I wanted to shake off. I barely managed to suppress the urge and spat out a reply.
“I understand.”
“As expected. You’re the smartest among the kids.”
Want some coffee? I couldn’t answer Han Jaemin’s offer.
***
Han Jaemin talked about his theories on deals, but I believed there was definitely another motive behind his words. As soon as I got home, I found my father sitting on the living room sofa. Seeing his face reminded me that there was another problem I needed to resolve.
“Instead of coming straight home after being discharged, where did you go?”
“I met a friend for a bit.”
My father folded the newspaper he was reading, took off his glasses, and placed them on the table.
“Can you continue training with Director Kim?”
“Yes. No problem.”
“There isn’t much time left.”
Now that I had graduated, the selection tournament that took place simultaneously with enrollment was just around the corner. I nodded.
“I know.”
“It’s the path you chose.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t tolerate your rank dropping just because you changed positions.”
“That won’t happen.”
I continued to give my father the answers he wanted. He stared at me for a moment, then put his glasses back on and picked up the newspaper. That was his way of saying the lecture was over. Before I lost the chance, I quickly called out to him again.
“Father.”
He glanced at me.
“I have something I want to ask.”
He remained silent, which I took as a yes. I swallowed hard and slowly asked the question I wanted to.
“How did you become so close to Director Kim?”
My father stared at the newspaper and didn’t answer for a few seconds. Just as I was starting to get impatient, a low voice came from his tightly closed lips.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“I’ve just been thinking about it. I was curious why he’s close enough to give me private lessons.”
My father still didn’t answer. The page of the newspaper slowly turned to the next.
“What… did Director Kim originally do?”
“I don’t know.”
It was the answer I expected. This time, I decided to ask a bolder question.
“Was there ever someone named Team Leader Kim in the company?”
My father’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again. I focused all my senses to catch every detail of his reaction.
“Do you know how long I’ve been in the Combat Division, and you’re asking me that?”
“Of course, it’s been a long time. What I’m asking is…”
“I don’t recall anyone in particular.”
“Father, then…”
“What exactly do you want to know?”
I closed my mouth. I didn’t have the courage to directly ask if he knew about the Team Leader Kim that Kim Guhyeon killed. More than anything, I wasn’t even sure if the memory the system showed me was entirely true.
“Do you want to believe in strange rumors circulating on the internet?”
My father didn’t look at me anymore. That meant he didn’t want to talk about it. I had no choice but to leave the living room and go upstairs, unable to find out anything more.
If Kim Guhyeon had killed someone on my father’s orders, what could I do if that turned out to be true? I didn’t know. I had seen firsthand what a person was like right after committing murder, what emotions they felt. In contrast, the Kim Guhyeon I saw in the Gate showed no remorse. Was that what it meant to be a hunter? If so, would Yu Hyunjae eventually become indifferent to killing, unlike the time he went mad after his first kill?
As I was lost in those thoughts, I ran into Yu Hyunjae coming out of my room. He smiled slightly at my startled expression.
“Congratulations on your discharge.”
“It’s just a day. What’s there to congratulate?”
Yu Hyunjae held out something in his hand. It was a graduation certificate with gold foil on a blue background. I took it without checking the contents and tucked it under my arm.
“Thanks.”
After hesitating a few times, I added:
“Just in case, but your awakening…”
“Yeah?”
“It might be better to keep it a secret for a while.”
“Why?”
I pulled out the easiest excuse I could think of.
“If my father finds out… it might get complicated.”
Yu Hyunjae listened quietly and nodded.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said something like that.”
“It’s okay.”
Yu Hyunjae gave me a mature smile. For a moment, I recalled the face from my dream last night. He was still smaller, thinner, and less confident than that version, but somehow, I felt like he would look exactly like that in the not-so-distant future. I suddenly felt a little embarrassed that I had dreamed such a thing.
“Are you still growing taller?”
Yu Hyunjae tilted his head at my sudden question.
“I… don’t know.”
I bowed my head, realizing I had asked something pointless.
“I just wondered.”
“Just?”
“Yeah. Just.”
Yu Hyunjae smiled prettily, his eyes crinkling.
“That’s nice. The word ‘just.’”
“What’s nice about it?”
“I’d like it if we kept talking just like this.”
Like we used to. I arbitrarily added the unsaid words in my mind and smiled back at him.
