Mom, I Want to Be a Hunter
My original plan had been to dismantle Axion and leave it at that.
But after I got hurt and the truth about Oh Jaehan being a far worse criminal than anyone had realized came to light, things changed.
The news media seized the opportunity, bringing Hunter-related crimes to the forefront and tearing into Hunters as a whole.
I had tried explaining the victim's perspective to the detective who visited me, but there was nothing a detective could do.
It was as if a trap had already been laid, and the Hunters were being systematically cornered.
This situation was incredibly frustrating for me, as it ran completely counter to my intentions.
Then, a faint memory of an event from the original story resurfaced in my mind.
It was the primary catalyst for Chaerin's descent into darkness.
"The day Chaerin killed a human for the first time."
Even though the target had been a criminal Hunter, the media had relentlessly torn her apart after his death.
It had been a coordinated, savage onslaught, almost as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.
The market value of Hunters was skyrocketing day by day.
While the threat of Dimensional Breaks played a part, it was largely driven by corporations competing fiercely to invest in Hunters.
As time passed, the industry average cost soared.
If the government wanted to hire Hunters, it would require astronomical sums of money.
Consequently, they decided they could no longer let things slide.
By highlighting the inherent dangers and crime rates associated with Hunters, they sought to drive down their market value.
Chaerin was an S-rank Hunter.
Targeting her would maximize the public impact.
So, the moment they caught wind of Chaerin killing a criminal, they had rushed to publish the news.
"Of course, there must have been government officials who opposed this."
But if the government prioritized taxes and money over the well-being of Hunters, it was a highly plausible scenario.
"They called her the youngest S-rank Hunter and put her on a pedestal."
Yet, they were willing to sacrifice that precious S-rank Hunter just to lower the market value of the profession.
It was the absolute worst kind of bureaucratic calculation.
"And I just happened to get caught in the crossfire this time."
Normally, this incident would have involved Chaerin.
Ironically, the arrow had been redirected at me.
If Chaerin had killed Oh Jaehan here, her name would have been plastered across the nation, causing an absolute uproar.
When my thoughts reached that point, I felt dizzy.
This was practically a predetermined event, an unstoppable tide.
By intervening, I had managed to twist it into the best possible outcome.
"Honestly, it's a relief it ended with me."
I had dismantled Axion and spared Chaerin from the trauma she was meant to suffer.
Even though my shoulder was injured, it was a small price to pay.
However, because of this, I now faced an unexpected crisis of my own.
"Yuna, I can't let you attend such a dangerous middle school anymore."
"Mom, it's really not like that."
My mom was determined to make me withdraw from Hunter Middle School.
She remained unyielding.
"Your father ended up like that. I can't stand by and watch something happen to you too."
My mom absolutely detested anything related to Hunters.
She had been against me attending Hunter Middle School from the very beginning.
But if I backed down now, I would be separated from Chaerin and the others.
Axion might even rise again.
I couldn't let that happen under any circumstances.
"I'll head to the school today, so be prepared."
It was a one-sided notification.
Parents have a duty to protect their children.
Even if it meant going against their child's wishes, a parent would do whatever it took to keep them safe.
I understood that all too well.
We had been arguing for an hour already.
Mom showed no signs of changing her mind.
Therefore...
"Mom."
I had to take a firm stand as well.
"Please don't just shut me out. Listen to me for a moment."
A child cannot remain a child forever.
Just as parents once independent from their own parents to become adults, their children must do the same.
"I want to keep attending Hunter Middle School. And I want to work as a Hunter, just like Dad."
When a child clashes with a parent, it isn't simply an act of rebellion.
It is a step toward growing up.
A child is not a carbon copy of their parent.
If you crush their opinions and only coddle them, they will grow up to be spoiled and incapable of thinking for themselves. A child is an individual with their own thoughts and judgments.
"Yuna, what are you saying?! Do you want to drive your mother crazy?!"
And the same applied to parents.
The countless experiences they accumulated throughout their lives—the failures and dangers—were things they should teach their children to guide them away from wrong choices.
But that shouldn't be an excuse to block a child's path to challenges.
If you only want someone who walks the exact same path as you, you should make a clone, not raise a child.
You shouldn't project everything onto your offspring.
Many parents don't realize this because it is their first time parenting.
My mom was just an ordinary parent, so she didn't grasp this immediately either.
But that was fine.
Parents are human, too. They learn as they go.
There are no perfect parents in this world. Any relationship requires communication and emotional compromise to find a balance.
"Mom, I don't think Dad is dead."
My dad was only missing.
There was no proof of his death.
Mom's face froze.
She seemed to recall the day Dad disappeared, leaving her alone with her young daughter.
Unlike her, who had chosen to move on for the sake of survival, her daughter had never given up on him.
That realization broke her heart.
Her resolve to pull me out of Hunter Middle School began to waver.
"Dad was a great Hunter who saved many lives. I want to become a Hunter to find him. I want to be a proud Hunter, just like him."
I stood up and wrapped my arms around my frozen mother.
Though I had always been small, my body had grown enough that I could now offer her a comforting embrace.
"You always told me how proud you were of Dad for being a Hunter. Was all of that a lie?"
Denying your spouse in front of your child is one of the worst things a parent can do.
To a child, their parents are their entire world. Denying one is like destroying half of that world.
My mom understood this well.
She couldn't deny it.
Regardless of her desire to protect me, her love for me and her love for Dad were genuine.
So, I waited for her response.
I knew how agonizing it was for a parent to watch their child walk toward danger.
Yet, I had to say it.
After a long silence, we looked at each other, and Mom finally spoke.
"...Of course not. Your father was the most amazing, honorable man in the world."
Tears welled in her eyes.
She had realized that the little girl she used to cradle was growing into an adult.
The tiny bird she thought would never fly on its own was finally ready to take to the sky.
"I want to make you proud, Mom, just like Dad did. Even if I don't become a famous Hunter, making you proud is enough for me."
"...What are you talking about? You've always made me proud, sweetheart."
Mom responded to my sincerity with her own.
Perhaps she had sensed this day would come ever since the bus accident.
She reached out and held me tight.
Her hands trembled with worry for her daughter.
In the face of that trembling, all I could do was apologize.
"I'm sorry. I'll try not to make you worry anymore."
"Even if you try, a mother never stops worrying about her child."
"That's okay. It just shows how much you love me."
I would never be a perfect daughter.
After all, I wasn't the original Ha Yuna, and I carried memories of a past life.
Even so, my love for my mother was second to none.
We looked at each other and smiled warmly.
Though I could sense a trace of lingering sadness at how quickly I was growing up, she tried her best to look at me with pride.
Slide—
"Excuse me."
The hospital room door opened.
Chaerin stood there, holding a fruit basket.
It seemed she had been waiting outside until our conversation finished.
With a trembling expression, she bowed deeply to my mother.
"I'm so sorry. It's my fault Yuna got hurt."
"Chaerin!"
I called out to her in surprise, but she kept speaking.
"That guy, Kang Yongchan, held a grudge against me. Since he couldn't do anything to me, he targeted Yuna instead. It's all my fault."
My face went pale.
I hadn't expected Chaerin to know the whole story.
She must have pressed the police contacts to get the details.
"If only... if only I had handled things properly..."
"Chaerin."
My mom's gentle voice cut through Chaerin's trembling.
I watched anxiously, but Mom walked over and placed a hand on Chaerin's shoulder.
"What are you saying? How could this be your fault?"
Chaerin's eyes widened.
"I have never once blamed you. You and Yuna are best friends, aren't you?"
So Mom had known the truth from the start as well.
As Chaerin began to sniffle, my mom gently patted her back.
"*Sniff*, I'm so sorry. I promise... I'll protect Yuna no matter what happens from now on."
"Alright. I'll hold you to that."
I wish you'd trust me a little too, Mom.
Still, knowing that the S-rank Chaerin was dedicated to protecting me must have brought her some peace of mind.
Relieved that I could safely remain at Hunter Middle School, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
A week later.
My shoulder had healed completely, and I returned to school.
To my surprise, the doctor and Hunter who had treated me were specialists from the Hwaseong Group.
"Yeonhwa, thank you."
Despite my gratitude, Yeonhwa's expression remained somber.
"...I'm sorry. It's my responsibility."
Perhaps because of Kang Yongchan, she couldn't bring herself to smile. After all, she had known him.
"Why is it your responsibility? It's not. I'm really fine."
"Still, I should have kept a closer eye on things."
We had only recently become friends, but this incident seemed to have created a distance between us again.
No matter how many times I told her it was fine, we kept running in circles. It felt like it would take a long time to bridge the gap again.
"You did something quite remarkable. It seems you didn't completely ignore my advice."
Meanwhile, Seo Harin reacted in an unexpected way.
"I was honestly surprised."
"Huh?"
Her eyes were shining brighter than ever before.
Did Seo Harin also think Axion was the problem?
"You made those complacent Hunters, who do nothing but leech off the state, realize that they are merely disposable pawns who can be discarded at any moment."
...Excuse me?
I stared at her, wondering what on earth she was talking about, but her eyes were entirely serious.
"This will change the perception of Hunters. They will realize that unless they take the initiative to dismantle this garbage state system themselves, incidents like this will keep happening."
Hey, hold on a second.
"Well done, Ha Yuna. You truly are a partner worthy of my recognition. Leave the rest to me."
What exactly was I supposed to leave to her?
A deep sense of unease washed over me.
But seeing her rare display of enthusiasm, I couldn't bring myself to crush it, so I just gave a weak, "Uh, okay."
Harin.
Please, don't cause any trouble.