Chapter 35

Han-Na - 1

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The Raonjena headquarters.

The 50-story skyscraper housed countless offices, and the lower floors were filled with facilities for Hunters, such as mana training rooms, specialized training rooms, and high-end restaurants.

These facilities were provided free of charge to all Raonjena members, and their vast scale and luxurious amenities were a source of pride for the guild.

And from the top-floor office, a weary sigh escaped.

It was Guildmaster Han Baek-ho.

“Hmm…”

He had already watched it countless times, but a strange sense of familiarity compelled him to watch the video again, for the twentieth time.

It was the duel footage of Han Tae-jin and Choi Do-han.

“Strange, why does he remind me of him?”

He wasn’t paying attention to Choi Do-han at all.

His gaze was fixed on Han Tae-jin’s movements.

And it kept reminding him of someone.

An old friend who had once led Raonjena alongside him.

After his wife's death, his friend had disappeared without a trace. He had no idea if he was even alive.

A promising Hunter, once hailed as Korea’s best archer.

But strangely…

…he saw glimpses of his friend in Han Tae-jin’s dueling style.

If he hadn’t gone to the arena in person, he would have dismissed it.

But having trained and shared mana with his friend for so long, he recognized a familiar feeling.

‘Yes, it was strange. I hadn’t felt that kind of mana signature since him.’

Everyone who wielded mana had a unique “signature.”

Beginners often mimicked their masters’ signatures, but as they grew stronger, they developed their own distinct style.

That’s what was strange.

His friend’s mana signature was unique and difficult to replicate.

A somewhat dark, damp, yet mystical signature, like a river flowing deep beneath the ocean.

He dismissed it as a wild guess.

Even he, a close friend, had never heard about his friend having a child with his wife.

‘Well… I didn’t know much about his personal life.’

Like his own shadowy mana signature, his friend was a reserved man, rarely revealing his true feelings, only answering questions directly.

So, perhaps…

…perhaps he *did* have a hidden child.

He also found it suspicious that Han Tae-jin’s background was so clean.

As if he had appeared out of thin air.

‘…I’ll find out eventually.’

Han Baek-ho dismissed the thought and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned off the video.

Raonjena was already considering recruiting Han Tae-jin, and that was enough for now.

The duel had proven that his rapid growth wasn’t a fluke.

Just then, a knock echoed.

[Dad, it’s me.]

It was Han-na.

Han Baek-ho rose from his chair and walked towards the sofa.

“Come in.”

[Okay.]

Han-na entered.

But his gaze towards his daughter was far from warm.

“You called for me.”

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Slightly intimidated by her father’s cold tone, Han-na sat obediently across from him.

Having always strived for her parents’ approval, she knew what this summons meant.

“Your grades have been slipping lately. Is something wrong?”

As expected.

It was about her declining grades.

“N-no. Nothing’s wrong…”

“Your complexion looks pale. Are you having health problems?”

“No, I’m fine…”

“Hmm, so your grades are dropping for no reason… that’s even more concerning.”

Han-na lowered her head.

She was the only daughter of Korea’s top guild.

She had always lived in the spotlight, always striving to meet expectations.

In terms of growth, beauty, and skill.

She had never slacked off in her training, always aiming to be the pride and joy of her S-rank Hunter father and A-rank Hunter mother.

But…

Since Han Tae-jin’s transformation, her mind had been filled with distracting thoughts, making it difficult to focus on training.

If only…

If only he had just stopped stalking her, she wouldn’t be so bothered.

She would have been disappointed by the loss of an obsessive admirer, but at least her mind wouldn’t be so cluttered.

But after he stopped stalking her, he began to grow stronger at an incredible rate, quickly becoming the Academy’s hot topic.

The attention that had been focused on Choi Do-han and herself was gradually shifting towards Han Tae-jin.

The praise and admiration directed at her were now being shared with him.

That’s what bothered her.

If he had just quietly disappeared after stopping the stalking, she wouldn’t have cared.

She was already feeling a void from the lack of obsessive attention, and now, even the admiring gazes were being stolen by Han Tae-jin. She was frustrated, annoyed, and envious.

A mix of curiosity, jealousy, resentment, and admiration swirled within her, creating a chaotic mess in her mind.

She didn’t understand it herself. She tried to clear her mind by focusing on training, but…

…Han Tae-jin always lingered at the back of her thoughts.

It frustrated her.

So, she tried to use the stalking as an excuse to work with him on the group project, hoping to understand these complex emotions.

But she was rejected.

Her first ever request, made with her pride swallowed, was flatly denied.

That day…

…she locked herself in her room and cried.

She was so frustrated and embarrassed.

The only daughter of Raonjena, reduced to pathetically begging a mere cadet, only to be rejected… it was so humiliating that it brought tears to her eyes.

-You jerk! How could you reject me?!

Frustration surged within her, threatening to explode.

In the end, she decided to try “stalking” him, just like he had stalked her, hoping to understand the root of these emotions.

What did he feel when he stalked her? Why did he do it? She felt like she needed to understand his motives to understand him, and ultimately, herself.

And more than anything, she was curious.

About the source, the reason, and the background of his transformation.

She was also curious about his maid, Renia.

So, she followed him.

But she found nothing unusual.

Except for the fact that he occasionally disappeared and reappeared at the Academy.

‘Where does he go?’

She wanted to follow him, but Renia always blocked her path.

She grew impatient.

She followed him for days, but she still couldn’t find the answers she sought.

The reason for the stalking, the reason for his transformation, his hidden background…

She couldn't uncover anything, and a stubborn determination began to grow within her.

A foolish, obsessive determination.

She had to uncover his secrets.

The reason he suddenly stopped stalking her, the reason he rejected her… everything.

But he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠became the personal disciple of Park Na-yeon, a prominent Hunter, creating a greater distance between them, and then…

-Han Tae-jin… wins!

…he defeated Choi Do-han, widening the gap even further.

He felt increasingly out of reach.

Meanwhile, Mi-jin and Soo-ah, her former rivals for Choi Do-han’s affection, were getting closer to Han Tae-jin.

She was frustrated.

Envy gnawed at her.

As the saying went, the grass is always greener on the other side, and a fierce possessiveness ignited within her.

She had always gotten what she wanted and discarded what she didn't.

And now…

…Choi Do-han was slowly becoming something she no longer desired.

When her father expressed his interest in Choi Do-han, a strong possessiveness had taken root within her.

She wanted to claim him as her own, to earn her father’s approval.

She wanted to hear his praise.

So, she approached Do-han and successfully gained an advantage over Mi-jin and Soo-ah.

But they had withdrawn from the competition early on and latched onto a more appealing target.

At first, she denied it.

-Hmph, Han Tae-jin? He’ll fall soon enough. They’ll regret leaving Do-han when that happens.

She rationalized and denied her feelings.

But as time passed, she was the one filled with regret.

A series of incomprehensible events.

And those events kept unfolding.

“If your grades continue to decline, I’ll be very disappointed. Do you understand?”

“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”

“Good. By the way, how’s your relationship with Cadet Han Tae-jin?”

“W-what?”

Her father had finally brought up Han Tae-jin’s name.

The memory of her failed attempt to use the stalking as leverage flashed before her eyes.

Her heart sank.

“T-Tae-jin?”

“Yes. I saw the duel myself. And there have been numerous reports sent to the guild. The rumors… are true.”

“What… rumors?”

“The emergence of a powerful cadet. Han Tae-jin is definitely promising. Despite having no record of duels, he defeated Choi Do-han, who has extensive dueling experience. That shows exceptional skill and intuition.”

Han-na’s eyes wavered.

Her relationship with Tae-jin was… not good.

He had been hostile towards her.

She bit her lip nervously, and her father continued, “We’re reconsidering recruiting Choi Do-han. It depends on how he recovers from this defeat… but I heard he skipped class today.”

“Yes… he must be in shock.”

“Skipping class is a grave sin for us, whose motto is faith and trust. That’s why Cadet Han Tae-jin is now our top recruitment priority.”

“I… see…”

“Get along with Han Tae-jin. Find out if he has any preferred guilds. And if he has any specific conditions.”

While Raonjena was the top guild, there were other large guilds like Black Flag and White Wolf, so they couldn't be complacent.

Offering excessive benefits to a single cadet could raise concerns about fairness and lead to other Hunters leaving.

So, Han Baek-ho wanted to leverage his daughter’s connection as a classmate.

Han-na’s already pale face turned even whiter.

“O-of course… Tae-jin and I are close.”

“Haha, good. That’s my girl. You can go now. Don’t neglect your training.”

“Yes, Dad.”

Han-na left her father’s office.

And headed straight to the Academy.

She had something important to discuss with Han Tae-jin.

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'What do you want to talk about?'

Tae-jin stood with Han-na in front of a small flower bed next to the cafeteria.

Unwilling to waste his precious lunch break, he asked directly. Han-na hesitated.

“I… I want to apologize.”

“Apologize? You? Why?”

Tae-jin had long forgotten about the stalking incident.

It was clearly wrong of the original Han Tae-jin to stalk her.

And since he didn’t find Han-na’s attempt to use it as leverage particularly despicable, he had simply forgotten about it.

“About that incident… during the group project… when I asked you to be in the same group.”

“Oh, that? Um… you don’t have to apologize.”

Back then, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had avoided her mainly to prevent Choi Do-han’s harem from shifting.

He hadn’t anticipated how drastically things would change.

So, he didn’t need her apology and refused, but his rejection sent a wave of panic through Han-na.

-I don’t need your apology. I don’t want to hear it.

That’s what she heard.

She became anxious and desperate.

She didn’t want to disappoint her father.

Han-na took a step closer and pleaded, “N-no, please listen. I want to apologize. Sincerely, I really, really mean it.”

“…Why are you acting like this?”

Tae-jin took a step back.

It wasn’t difficult to accept an apology.

It didn’t mean he condoned the stalking.

But knowing Han-na’s dual nature…

…he was curious about her motives.

She wasn't the type to apologize easily.

So, he activated his special skill, [Telepathy].

Making eye contact with her pale blue eyes.

[Special Skill Telepathy activated.]

[Reading the thoughts of target ‘Han-na’.]

Fortunately, thanks to his stat boost, the skill worked on Han-na, and a moment later…

…he was stunned by the words that appeared above her head.

An endless stream of apologies filled her thought bubble.

Forget sincerity, if he didn't accept her apology, she looked like she was about to spiral into a tragic melodrama.