Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Can't Act Your Age?
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"Kim Seungbin Counselor, for this incident, I will apologize directly on behalf of all Korean hunters."
"Ah, no need, Branch Chief! Nothing really happened anyway, so what are you talking about."
"No! You were undergoing counseling treatment... and right in the middle of treating my granddaughter at my estate, you got kidnapped... and then on top of that, you ended up in an unwanted union with Narae...!"
After the 'Bobim Incident,' where we'd nearly wiped out the entire North Bear Clan, Hunter Jeon Suji had fallen into mine and Narae's hands.
Her crimes included kidnapping a counselor, illegal male confinement, threats, attempted rape, and even attempted adultery by trying to extract classified info from an A-Rank or higher hunter... In the end, she was headed straight for the hunter detention center.
And now, I was in the top floor of the Hunter Association, the usual spot where I'd meet with Branch Chief Yoo Geumhui.
Even with her petite, loli-like frame, the woman who represented Korea's hunters was bowing deeply before me.
I waved it off, thinking it was overkill, while subtly correcting the more distorted parts along the way.
"And Branch Chief... you said it was an unwanted union with Narae, but we didn't go that far, you know?"
"Th-that can't be... Narae must be in heat right now..."
"Yes, so I 'properly' treated her, training her thoroughly so she wouldn't do anything like that. Be happy as her guardian. You will, right?"
A beastkin who couldn't control her lust and pounced on a man?
Even during heat, failing to control it turned it from mere illness into a social crime—a threat to public safety.
Narae choosing reason over instinct and suppressing her desires deserved praise.
I smiled once more, asking the branch chief to join in the blessing.
But what was with that pouty, elementary school kid expression?
"Boring..."
What was boring?!
Heat cycles practically guaranteed pregnancy, so did she want to turn her daughter into a mom that badly?
Or maybe raise a baby wolf pup separately?
Either way, as a doctor, I had zero intention of becoming a patient's baby daddy, so I brushed off her sulky attitude and got to the main point.
"Anyway, who could it be? The one who leaked Narae's current status and location to Hunter Jeon Suji."
"Hm... I've already sent hunters who can peek into minds to investigate Jeon Suji, but honestly, there's been no harvest."
How did Hunter Jeon Suji get that info, and from where?
Right on cue, Narae had just been assigned her one and only counselor—me, freshly transferred and unknown even by face.
I hadn't had time to mingle with fellow hunter counselor seniors, and I'd only just earned the branch chief's approval to take on her granddaughter.
Plus, true to her status as a heavyweight in Korea's hunter world, Branch Chief Yoo Geumhui kept multiple residences under her name across the country—and even overseas—to fend off potential threats.
She worked in this branch chief's office with all outsiders completely barred for the same reason: to protect herself and the association.
As the real power holding Korea Branch in order, her granddaughter's location was an absolute secret.
Yet Jeon Suji had zeroed in on the exact estate where Narae was hiding—and on the very night I was doing nude walk therapy.
Where the hell did the leak come from?
"Well... no matter how much we dig through Jeon Suji's head, the leaker's appearance was completely 'blinded.'"
"Blinded...? Like the mosaics on TV broadcasts?"
"Exactly. The intel hunters said not just the face, but the voice was totally erased. As if no one had been there from the start—naturally enough that even she wouldn't suspect a thing."
Perfectly masking a scene in someone's memory, even erasing the voice.
Hunter Jeon Suji, now caught, clearly didn't want to sink deeper into hell, so she'd tried to confess the culprit's identity.
But at that moment—like that part alone had been carved out—the scene was completely empty.
As if she'd lost her memory, no matter how much she rummaged through her head, that one fragment from that day was pitch black.
Other hunters had read her mind directly, but the result was the same. Precisely 'that moment' had been cleanly wiped.
"So... there's no way to find out?"
If another threat like this could hit anytime with not even a clue... just thinking about it drew a sigh.
"A way... there is one."
"Oh, really? Then we can use that to catch the culprit!"
"Yes... but that method is a bit..."
Relieved to hear there was a way to reconnect the severed clue, I soon noticed the branch chief's eyes clouding over oddly.
She trailed off, avoiding my gaze with a troubled look.
As I tilted my head in confusion.
Ring ring ring.
"Ah, sorry. It's about time for my scheduled patient session."
Of all days, today was the rescheduled 'infantile regression role-play therapy' for Yunhwa.
Normally, I'd have gone to the top-floor counseling room first to prep, but the branch chief's summons had kept me here.
No matter the superior, prioritizing patients was doctor basics.
So as I stood to bow and postpone the rest.
"Cheok Yunhwa, Cheok Yunhwa..."
"Branch Chief?"
Again, that same troubled expression.
And moments later, a smile like an elementary kid forcing it, thumbs up.
"Yeah, I guess... adults shouldn't meddle in kids' fights."
"...?"
"Anyway, good luck! I'll call you again later, Counselor Kim Seungbin."
What the hell was that last expression from the branch chief?
I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
Plus, midway through our talk, she mentioned something about 'kids' fights'—no clue what that meant.
To me, it was just a passing remark, but somehow it felt like something I didn't know was lurking there, itching at the corner of my mind.
Anyway, after leaving the branch chief's office where Yoo Geumhui was, I headed down via elevator to the top-floor counseling room where Yunhwa should be waiting.
"Miss Yoo Narae. Thanks to you, not only the other A-Rank hunters but my personal privacy stayed safe. I'm truly grateful in every way."
"Huh? Oh, no... hehe. If anything, I'm honored to greet someone like a 'big sister' in person, so what do you mean."
The association's top floor.
One of the ultra-exclusive spots in Korea's hunter buildings, accessible to only a handful.
Yet in that special space, an unexpected sight unfolded before my eyes.
Two people standing face-to-face, beaming smiles as they shook hands.
And astonishingly, both were patients under my care.
Yunhwa smiling and holding hands with Narae right in front of the counseling room door.
People who could smile like that at a beastkin were rare in this world.
Plus, as a wolf beastkin, Narae had a keen nose—she could read heartbeats, breaths, sweat scents, even tiny pheromone shifts. Fake smiles wouldn't fool her.
So it was even more certain.
Yunhwa's expression wasn't superficial; it held pro hunter pride and genuine thanks.
And this was... what? A mix of pride and satisfaction.
Just days ago, these two patients couldn't even fill 'one person's worth,' yet here they stood side by side, laughing merrily.
As their doctor, I felt both gratified and proud.
A 'daddy smile' crept onto my lips unbidden.
After this session, I'd have to cuddle Yunhwa extra today.
As I approached with a grin, lost in my thoughts.
"...! Ah, Papa!"
"Master!!"
Whoosh!
Yunhwa, who'd been waving happily as today's patient, paused for a split second, but Narae dove into my arms like a delighted pet dog.
I instinctively petted her head as her tail wagged.
"...M-Master?"
"Ah, Yunhwa. Come to think of it, you were chatting with my bitch... I mean, Narae, right? Narae, this is Cheok Yunhwa. A patient I cared for before you."
"...B-Bitch?"
"Master's... previous patient?"
Both were still immature in social interactions.
In psychiatry, we pair such patients with 'Social Skills Training' or 'Group Interaction Therapy.'
This gathers patients whose symptoms have eased somewhat, helping them practice relationship skills and form emotional bonds based on shared experiences.
I made the clinical call to naturally connect these two, who might cross paths more in the future.
They'd been friendly just moments ago, so as mediator, I kept a bright smile while introducing them.
But... for some reason, the air shifted subtly right after the intros.
The laughter-filled spot went dead silent in an instant.
"...Yunhwa?"
"Yunhwa."
"...Yes?"
"Papa, this is my time now, right? So why are you leaving baby Yunhwa out? Hm?"
"P-Pa...?"
This was outside the counseling room, and Narae was right there too.
Maybe Narae calling me 'Master' earlier had quietly gotten to her?
...No way.
No matter the infantile regression therapy, a thirty-year-old like Yunhwa wouldn't get jealous over that.
Yet she burrowed into my arms, clinging with "Papa, hold Yunhwa~."
In that moment, a low, chilling wolf growl swept from Narae's side.
The warm vibe from before slowly freezing... must be my imagination.
"A grown woman calling him Master..."
"Even for a beastkin, calling Papa 'Master'..."
Tsk!
"Don't you know shame?!"
"Don't you know shame?!"