𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟖: 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐨-𝐡𝐰𝐚
Ji Yu-ri was hiding in the corner of the ward, hugging Sion close.
Her trembling legs refused to obey her, and her lips were chapped from biting them too hard.
The fear she felt was on a whole other level compared to the fear she had experienced while searching for the ghost in the abandoned ward.
She had seen countless hunter battles.
Following Sung Chang-won and Ha Jun-tae around, she had no choice but to witness such scenes.
Of course, she was also a hunter belonging to HSIU.
‘𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨. . .!’
However, even though she had raided crime scenes before, she had never been ambushed like this.
The feeling of falling from being a hunter to a prey was something one could not understand unless they experienced it.
On the other hand, Siwoo’s reaction seemed to suggest that he was used to such situations.
“Let’s fight. Together?”
Sion asked in her arms with sparkling eyes.
Just a few minutes ago, she was a girl who seemed scary because her identity was unknown, but now that she was in this situation, she seemed rather cute.
“I can’t fight because I have to protect you.”
“It’s okay. Go.”
“Ho, it’s scary to leave you alone.”
“I’m not scared.”
“. . . . . .”
“Go.”
When she looked again, she didn’t seem so cute.
Ji Yu-ri drew out her magical power from her dantian and prepared to fight at any moment.
She wasn’t good at fighting, but as a B+ grade hunter, she had to do her part.
‘𝙐𝙜𝙝. . . 𝘽𝙤𝙨𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮.’
As she was crouching restlessly, someone approached her through the darkness.
Ji Yu-ri strengthened her body with magical power and then turned around and kicked.
Paak!
The opponent, who had easily blocked her kick, slowly raised their hand towards Ji Yu-ri.
And then,
“Gyaak!”
Slap!
They hit Ji Yu-ri on the head with their palm.
“Are you trying to get hurt by hitting that?”
Siwoo looked at her with pitiful eyes.
“B-Boss! Have you defeated them all?!”
“Of course. Is Sion hurt?”
Sion came out from the corner when she heard Siwoo’s voice.
“It’s Oppa.”
“Yes, yes. Did sister protect you well?”
“Sister didn’t do anything.”
“No, no! Didn’t sister hugged you?!”
“Oppa is better at hugging.”
Sion ran towards Siwoo and hugged him tightly.
The only person who wasn’t afraid of her when he saw her.
The only person who had asked her to live with him.
Sion liked the warmth of Siwoo, who was gently digging into her.
“Excuse me. . . Is it over now? Can we go home?”
“It’s not over.”
“. . . Huh??”
Ji Yu-ri wondered if she had misheard.
“This is my home address. I have a younger brother, so please explain it to him and leave Sion to him.”
“T-Then it’s over?”
“You have to go back and write a report.”
“I-Is that really the end if I do that?”
“No. I called Jeong-gu and Chang-won to report the situation, and I’ll come back here with them to process the scene.”
Siwoo gave a few more specific instructions, such as bringing the magic investigation team or telling Baek Geon-ho, who would take care of it.
Ji Yu-ri’s expression darkened, but Siwoo couldn’t tell because it was already dark.
“. . . . . . If you leave all the work to me, what are you going to do, boss?”
“I have something to do.”
“When?”
“Right now.”
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
𝔞𝚠ė̇𝔟𝘴𝔱ᴏ𝙧𝚒𝕖𝙨.𝘤𝕠𝙢
A snowy field where snow was falling heavily.
A place filled with endless white space, where everything was buried in pure white snow.
A woman was moving precariously in the cold that seemed to freeze even the flames.
“Choi Dae-soo, you son of a b*tch.”
Kang Yeo-hwa walked aimlessly along the mountain path, her body covered from head to toe in monster leather.
Her steps did not falter even though the heavy snowfall blocked her view and the icy wind whipped around her.
She gritted her teeth and pulled the leather tighter as she did so.
The master had taught her the various uses of monsters.
The lessons she had learned about distinguishing between edible things and dealing with blood, intestines, leather, and cores in order to survive in the gate.
‘𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣.’
It was not easy for a girl in her late teens to dig out the eyeballs of a troll and mix them with herbs to make a potion.
She would whine, make a fuss, and lie down.
She would do everything she could to annoy her master and make him suffer.
Siwoo had never once frowned at her or gotten angry.
He just smiled brightly and said,
‘𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.’
He said that he could heal her even if she got hurt.
Kang Yeo-hwa smiled bitterly as she recalled her old memories.
He was someone she thought about every day, but it hurt every time she thought about him.
If she had known they would break up like that, she would have expressed her longing heart sooner.
Was that why?
Choi Dae-soo’s offer was so sweet that it made her throat burn, but she couldn’t refuse.
Even if there was only a 0.1% chance, she would have bet everything on it.
‘𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧?’
Kang Yeo-hwa chewed on her lips.
The cold winter wind that was blowing now felt like the reality she was facing.
Endless accusations and insults, coldness and ridicule from the surrounding hunters.
The most unbearable thing was being called ‘Choi Dae-soo’s dog.’
It was a nickname that was unimaginable considering the unpleasant relationship between Master and Choi Dae-soo, butㅡ
She endured it.
She would try to endure it.
‘𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝.’
She decided to willingly bear the burden, considering it as a shackle that she had filled herself.
In order to never forget this humiliation and revenge for the rest of her life.
“Choi Dae-soo. . . You’re not my real master.”
Kang Yeo-hwa unbuttoned her collar again.
The cold wind mercilessly swept across her face.
It was a wind so sharp that it felt like her ears were being torn off.
“Can I find this on my own?”