Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Mother-Daughter Reunion
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As I entered the control room, the team leader approached me.
"How was your schedule today, Counselor?"
The team leader asked.
Instead of answering, I gave him a thumbs-up.
And replied with a satisfied smile.
"Pretty good."
"That's a relief."
The team leader nodded with a satisfied smile of his own.
I got straight to the point with him.
"Team leader."
"Yes, Counselor."
"Please contact the Azure Heaven Alliance Leader... I mean, Hunter Yi Seo-ryeong."
"Pardon? Oh, yes, of course. What message should I relay?"
There was a hint of tension in the team leader's voice.
He must have remembered the tense exchange I'd had with her last time.
Afterward, he'd come to me and politely apologized, saying he'd overstepped without realizing it.
I looked into his eyes and spoke calmly.
"Tell her that a visit with Seol Yu-wol is possible tomorrow."
Now, it was time for the mother-daughter reunion.
In truth, the reason I'd turned down the association staff's dinner invitation that evening wasn't anything special.
I already had plans with someone else.
That someone was Jin Sea.
"Aren't I seeing way less of you lately?" she'd called me directly last weekend to say.
When I told her I was a bit busy, she said she knew and offered to buy me a meal to cheer me up.
Coincidentally, my evening was free, so there was no reason to refuse.
I waited for Jin Sea in front of the upscale restaurant she'd reserved.
As a celebrity, she always chose places where prying eyes were blocked out.
The prices were... pretty steep, to say the least.
Time to enjoy the expensive stuff since she's paying. Jin Sea's loaded, after all.
Right then, a system window popped up in front of me.
We recommend having dinner together and heading home tonight!
⁴(ᶜʸ„òᴗóﾘ³
Huh?
Why all of a sudden?
Given Jin Sea's personality, after dinner we'd probably hit a café.
And soon after, she'd complain it was stuffy and suggest a walk by the Han River.
I'd already factored that in.
There's an important consultation tomorrow...
Of course it was important.
But that wasn't something to worry about.
I'd studied all weekend for it.
I was prepared.
Seol Yu-wol's progress was better than expected.
No major issues anticipated.
The system window vanished without further resistance.
I tilted my head at the empty air.
Right then.
- Vroooom...
An engine roar came from down the road.
Every onlooker's gaze snapped to the same spot, as if on cue.
A sports car slid to a stop right in front of me.
The driver's door swung upward like a wing.
Jin Sea stepped out.
The valet rushed over and took her keys.
Gasps of recognition rippled through the crowd around us.
Jin Sea bounced over to me with her usual lively stride.
"Huh?"
She stopped short in front of me with a sharp exclamation.
"What's up?"
Jin Sea eyed my outfit up and down, which was different from usual.
"What're you wearing? Is it a special occasion or something?"
"Oh."
I looked down at my clothes.
Normally, my white coat hid whatever I wore underneath, so I never bothered much.
I always went for the simplest, most comfortable stuff.
Since I wasn't in my usual getup, she was surprised.
Back when she knew me as a hunter, I wore functional combat gear almost every day.
This was probably one of the first times she'd seen me like this.
I gave an awkward smile and glanced around.
The restaurant entrance was already drawing a crowd thanks to her arrival.
"Let's head inside first. Too many people out here."
"Always running around in that..."
I cut her off and lightly nudged her back.
Ignoring the curious stares, we headed to the reserved private room.
The moment we sat down, Jin Sea's questions resumed.
"Black tees and pants every day. What's the sudden change? Seon-woo... Got a girlfriend or something?"
Jin Sea asked with a grin she couldn't hide, her curiosity plain on her face.
I chuckled lightly and told the truth.
"Nah. One of my coats went missing suddenly, so I had to go out like this today."
"Your coat...?"
The playful smile faded from Jin Sea's face at my answer.
She seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"You still haven't given it back...?"
"Huh? Given what back?"
"...N-no, nothing! Anyway, keep dressing like this~"
She flashed a bright smile again as if nothing happened, changing the subject.
But I shook my head.
"Too much hassle."
Pass.
The food arrived soon after.
We ate and caught up on recent events.
Cleanly, without revealing any client info.
Jin Sea sliced her steak with a knife and held a forkful to my mouth, looking relieved.
"Still, it's the first Otherworlder case, and it's going well. That's good."
I absentmindedly took the bite and nodded.
"Yeah."
"So, once that's wrapped up, what's next on your schedule?"
"Probably..."
Assuming no more Otherworlders showed up or unexpected variables arose.
Union Guild clients would switch to visiting my office personally, and I'd resume house calls to other guilds.
"House calls to the next guild?"
Back to normal life.
Jin Sea licked the sauce off her fork with her red tongue, smooth as silk.
Then asked as if it were obvious.
"Haetae?"
"Yeah."
Probably.
I thought back to the last mishap and grinned teasingly.
"You submitted the request properly this time, right?"
Jin Sea's lips curved up.
Her golden eyes crescented into half-moons.
"Yep."
She added with utter certainty.
"This time, for sure."
The next morning, I dragged my tired body outside.
In the end, Jin Sea and I had gone to the café and taken a night walk—everything.
It was midnight by the time I got home.
Should've paced myself.
But I was weak to Jin Sea.
She rarely showed her true feelings.
Always trying to appear bright and strong.
But I knew.
Jin Sea was more fragile than she seemed... not as tough as she acted.
Sometimes I worried if old troubles had resurfaced.
So I stuck around like this occasionally to hear her real thoughts.
When I first arrived here.
Jin Sea back then was...
Tough times.
She'd changed so much for the better now.
In personality and skill.
Hard to believe it was the same person.
Feeling the fatigue, I headed to the association building.
Fortunately, I was wearing my coat today.
I went straight to the control room for Seol Yu-wol's isolation facility.
I'd told the team leader yesterday to approve Yi Seo-ryeong's visit, so she should be here by now.
The moment I opened the door, the scene inside unfolded.
And sure enough, Yi Seo-ryeong was already there.
Hearing me enter, she slowly turned her head.
The instant our eyes met.
"Ah...!"
Gratitude bloomed across her face.
Yi Seo-ryeong rushed over to me.
She grabbed both my hands tightly.
"Thank you... Physician. Truly, thank you..."
Yi Seo-ryeong bowed repeatedly, expressing her thanks.
I calmly reassured her, then gently corrected her misconception.
"I didn't do much. It was Seol Yu-wol's own hope."
"Yu-wol did..."
She nodded even more deeply moved.
I briefly explained the visit duration and precautions.
And the most important part.
"I'll be present during this visit."
As her counselor, I'd be with her by default.
Normally unnecessary, but this was an exception.
Even if Seol Yu-wol had improved greatly, no one knew how she'd react now.
"I won't participate in the conversation. I'll just watch from behind to ensure you two can talk safely."
Yi Seo-ryeong nodded, as if she'd expected this.
"Let's go."
We left the control room.
And stood before Seol Yu-wol's door.
- Knock knock.
I knocked softly.
"Seol Yu-wol, visiting hours."
And then.
- Creeeak...
The door slowly opened.
Beyond it stood Seol Yu-wol in a light dress.
...As expected.
I'd thought she'd improved a lot.
And she had.
But her lips were pressed tight.
Her legs trembled faintly.
Seol Yu-wol had mustered great courage too.
Her gaze passed me and fixed on her mother behind me.
Yi Seo-ryeong simply looked at her daughter without a word.
How much time passed?
Yi Seo-ryeong moved first.
She slowly approached Seol Yu-wol.
And very carefully pulled her daughter into an embrace.
"My baby..."
A small, trembling voice slipped from Yi Seo-ryeong's lips.
From my view, unmistakable surprise lit Seol Yu-wol's face.
It couldn't be helped.
I'd heard it from both.
They were mother and daughter, but their bond was upheld not by affection or warmth, but by cold commands and duty.
This kind of warmth had never existed between them.
"I'm sorry..."
At those words, Seol Yu-wol froze like stone.
I was shocked too.
I'd never expected her to apologize like that.
That one act hit Seol Yu-wol harder than anything.
Her stone-still shoulders began to tremble.
- Sniff.
Seol Yu-wol sniffled softly.
Starting then, a hot tear rolled down from under her eyelid.
"Hic... sob..."
Once it burst out, the crying wouldn't stop.
She wailed like a child, face buried in her mother's chest, pouring out all the sorrow she'd never voiced before.
Yi Seo-ryeong just stroked her small back.
Her own eyes reddened and welled up.
I watched the whole scene quietly.
The long, harsh winter between mother and daughter was finally ending.
With the touching reunion over.
We couldn't just stand at the door forever, so we moved to the living room.
I quietly stepped back to let them face each other fully.
They sat side by side on the sofa and began the real conversation they'd never had before.
The mother-daughter talk would be long.
I opened the fridge and pulled out flour, yeast, butter, and such.
In this brief respite, I bake bread.
Who knows.
Sometimes it feels like that's my calling.
Honestly, today...
Me standing in the kitchen baking was the ideal scenario.
Direct intervention meant things were messy.
Their conversation stretched on for hours.
I baked while listening in.
Tales of Seol Yu-wol's stalled martial arts progress.
Shivering in loneliness during secluded training.
Never becoming Azure Heaven Alliance Leader.
Yi Seo-ryeong never interrupted once.
She just listened with a heartbroken, apologetic expression.
"I see... So that's what happened..."
A savory bread aroma wafted from the oven.
Perfect timing—their talk was wrapping up.
I placed the fresh, hot loaves on a wooden board and approached them.
"Salt bread."
I smiled softly at their reddened eyes.
"You've cried a lot, so time to replenish those electrolytes."
Faint smiles touched their lips.
I sliced pieces and set them before each.
Then asked the question.
"So, what do you plan to do now?"
A question for both.
For Yi Seo-ryeong: how she'd treat her daughter going forward.
For Seol Yu-wol: what life she wanted now.
They gazed at each other wordlessly.
Yi Seo-ryeong nodded slowly, eyes meeting, urging her daughter to speak first.
That was Yi Seo-ryeong's answer too.
She'd respect her daughter's wishes.
Seol Yu-wol moistened her dry lips with her tongue.
She took a deep breath.
"I've... thought about it a lot..."
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Since I was little... for a very long time, I've held this in a corner of my heart."
"Walking that street holding your hand yesterday, Physician... it brought back that forgotten dream."
Seol Yu-wol revealed her small, humble dream hidden deep within.
"I... want a warm, harmonious family."
An unexpected answer.
But it didn't matter.
I met her wavering blue eyes.
"I see."
[Seol Yu-wol]
[Main Stance]
"I want to build a harmonious family. A dream I've hoped for since childhood... a very, very old one."
[Satisfaction Fit: 90%]
[You'll surely achieve it.]
[Satisfaction Fit: ???%]
[Build a harmonious family together, just as she wants.]
[Satisfaction Fit: ?????%]
[Become Yi Seo-ryeong's husband and give Seol Yu-wol the harmonious family...]
I frowned and mentally erased the second and third options.
The answer was clear.
I wholeheartedly acknowledged and supported her small dream.
"You'll surely achieve it."
At my response, a faint blush colored Seol Yu-wol's cheeks.
Yi Seo-ryeong, who'd been listening quietly, softly repeated her daughter's dream.
"A harmonious... family..."
I turned to her and asked.
"Do you support it?"
Yi Seo-ryeong looked back and forth between her daughter's face and mine for a long time.
And finally... nodded.
"...Yes. Physician."
She added in a tiny voice.
"I... like that too."
I said nothing.
I just slowly nodded with a smiling face.