The Goddess and the Broken Bond
The breaking news reported that the A-rank gate that appeared in Gwangalli, Busan, had been successfully cleared through a joint raid by Final Guild and Onhwa Guild.
An exclusive interview with S-rank hunter Lee Seonghun of Final Guild will be aired on our channel…
Onhwa Guild has decided to donate all rewards obtained from this dungeon to a children’s foundation…
The world we live in was completely turned upside down ten years ago when the Gates first appeared. Every law that once existed was soon rewritten to favor the strong, and the strong meant the hunters who could clear those Gates.
“Did you see that interview the Jeongryeong Guild gave the other day?”
“Hunter Lee Seonghun is so cool!”
“Come on, honestly, Ryu Jihwan from Jeongryeong is way better than Seonghun!”
It was only natural that hunters had taken the place once occupied by celebrities and sports stars. The stronger the hunter, the more their popularity pierced the heavens.
“Still, nobody can beat our goddess.”
“Yeah, I’ll give you that.”
And among them all, the person enjoying the absolute highest popularity was—
“Our Goddess Hyejeong!”
Yu Hyejeong.
“Just looking at her face… I feel like I’m going to lose it.”
“Those red lips… they’re so beautiful it doesn’t even occur to me to try anything.”
“If you did try something, your neck would probably end up in a very bad place.”
Her face had the sharp, cat-like features and glamorous eyes that perfectly matched her image. Those blood-red lips were practically her trademark.
“But honestly, it’s not just the face. Her body is insane, right?”
“Yeah, no argument there. It’s seriously crazy.”
Everything that should stand out did, and everything that should curve did. A truly blessed figure.
“Hey, you bastard! Who the hell do you think you are, rating our goddess’s face and body? Are you out of your mind?”
“Exactly. More than her looks or figure, it’s her personality that’s on another level!”
Perfect face, perfect body, and on top of that, a personality to match. A truly flawless woman.
“Did you see her throw that can of cider at the congressman last time?”
“Ugh, yes! She was absolutely wild!”
Arrogant and chic, yet she said whatever she wanted. That was Yu Hyejeong, the goddess of Korea.
And she was my girlfriend.
“Hey, Han Junho! Is this how you’re going to do your job?!”
Compared to such a perfect girlfriend, I was nothing but an ordinary E-rank hunter.
“Did I make you vice guild master just so you could handle things like this?!”
The only reason an ordinary E-rank hunter like me could stand as her boyfriend and as the vice guild master of Korea’s top guild, Onhwa Guild, was one single thing.
Binding.
It was my only skill, but it was truly overpowered. The stronger the bond of affection and trust between me and the target, the more powerfully it amplified the bound person’s strength.
‘I really like you, noona. I’ll make you the best…! So please, won’t you go out with me?’
Back when I was still a little younger, I had begged for her love like I was groveling. I even read her the full skill description, line by line.
The result was success. The D-rank hunter she had been shot straight up to S-rank thanks to my Binding skill. I can still clearly picture the way she hugged me and jumped around in joy the first time she realized how strong she had become. The way she smiled and kissed me afterward, saying she had so much more she could do now and that it was all thanks to me.
“Hey, Han Junho! Are you even paying attention, you idiot?!”
If someone asked how a woman like that ended up acting this way, well… I suppose it was probably because I was lacking and insufficient.
“I’m sorry, Master.”
In private I naturally called her Hyejeong, but this was not a private space. I had no idea what she was angry about this time, but I offered an apology first to calm her down, then picked up the newspaper that had been thrown at my face and read the headline.
My heart sank with a heavy thud. Had our relationship been exposed?
We had been in a strictly secret relationship from the beginning. I knew better than anyone that an E-rank hunter like me didn’t suit an S-rank goddess like her, so I had suggested it first. She had accepted without complaint. That was why revealing my existence right now would be bad. It would damage Hyejeong’s image…
Thankfully, the hunter mentioned alongside her wasn’t me. It was S-rank hunter Lee Seonghun.
“How did a photo like this get taken?”
“…Everyone, get out.”
I had simply asked for an explanation, but her face twisted with clear displeasure and she immediately ordered the guild members out.
“Pardon?”
“I said get out.”
“Ah, yes, right away.”
After the guild members hurriedly left at her command and the door closed—
“Hey, you’re really funny. Why are you talking like you’re blaming me?”
“Hyejeong, when did I ever blame you…”
“You’re the one who told me to get close to Lee Seonghun. We just had one meal together. Are you seriously blaming me for that?”
It was true that I had told her to build a good relationship with him. The romance between the two strongest hunters— I knew how much the public loved that kind of story, so I had suggested it. But had she ever willingly cooperated like this before? The answer was no. Her current image as Korea’s goddess had been built almost entirely by my careful management, with just a touch of her real personality mixed in.
“…If you had told me in advance, I could have leaked it to the reporters first and controlled the narrative…”
“Ugh, fuck. This is so damn frustrating. I cooperate when you tell me to and you still complain. I don’t cooperate and you still complain?”
The profanity was harsh enough to wound most people, but to me it was nothing. I could just smile and let it pass.
‘I’ll make you the best…!’
It was all fine. Because I loved her. And because I wanted the woman I loved to stand at the very top.
“…Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. Just calm down, Hyejeong. Okay? I’ll take care of it.”
“Do it properly for once.”
“Yes, I’ll do better…”
“I’m tired. Get out.”
I bit my lip hard and forced a smile.
“Should I come over to your place later?”
“I’m tired, so don’t come for a while.”
“Ah… okay. I understand.”
She was this cold at the guild, but at home she could still be somewhat affectionate. Sometimes she would even kiss me first. No— ahem! What was I thinking about in a sacred workplace?
“Vice Master, are you alright?”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stepped out of the master’s office. The guild members who had been kicked out earlier were still waiting outside instead of leaving.
“Hey, why are you all waiting? You could have gone ahead.”
“How could we? We knew the guild master was going to take it out on you again.”
“We’re really sorry we couldn’t help you.”
They really were good people. They could have just ignored it, but they waited and even comforted me.
“It’s fine. Our master has just been a little sensitive lately.”
“It’s not just lately and you know it.”
“Hey, shh. You know you can’t say things like that anywhere else, right?”
To protect her image, I had made all the guild members sign strict nondisclosure agreements. The penalty for breaking them was so enormous that not a single secret had ever leaked.
“Seriously, I just don’t understand why you bow and scrape to her like that, Vice Master.”
“Right? Someone of your ability could go anywhere and be treated like royalty!”
“Haha, thank you for the high praise. But I’m only an E-rank hunter. I wouldn’t even get scouted by another guild, let alone be offered a vice master position.”
“No way! You’re so capable…! Ugh, it’s so frustrating…!”
They all pounded their chests in exasperation, but I knew my place very well. In a world where rank decided everything, if I left this place… if I left her… would there even be a spot for me anywhere?
“Anyway, Vice Master, you really need to stop indulging the guild master’s tantrums so much!”
“Mm, yes. I’ll try.”
Yes. This was my everyday life. It had been like this from the beginning, and I thought it would stay this way forever. I was a little mistreated by my girlfriend, but I still liked this peaceful routine.
That’s what I had thought.
Until that incident happened.
“…What the hell is this?”
When I first saw the article plastered across the front page as breaking news, I didn’t believe it. There had to be some misunderstanding. They might have held a guild meeting at the hotel. But just the two of them? Knowing full well it would look suspicious, they still went to a hotel? Come to think of it, something had felt off ever since she said they had dinner together. When had Hyejeong ever cooperated like that before? Never. Had I actually known all along? Had I just been pretending not to notice?
Once the suspicion started, it exploded all at once, impossible to stop.
“Ah, that. It finally got caught on camera.”
“…What do you mean?”
“What else would a man and woman do going into a hotel together?”
She said it so casually, without even blinking, that my whole body began to tremble. My hands and feet went cold. No. It couldn’t be. I had repeated that to myself over and over, forcing my weakening legs to carry me all the way here.
“I… I told you to do it, didn’t I?”
I squeezed the words out of a throat that refused to work.
“Well, it started that way, but the more we met, the more real feelings developed. What was I supposed to do?”
“…Hyejeong, you… you’re my girlfriend.”
I barely managed to continue, my voice shaking, but all that came back was—
“…Sigh.”
A sigh full of utter contempt.
“The image… I told you to do image making! I never told you to actually date that guy and sleep with him!”
For the first time since I met her, my voice rose without me realizing it.
“It was just supposed to be for the image…!”
“Hey.”
“How could you… to me…”
Suddenly I felt pathetic. Was this what I had loved her for all this time? Had my love, my effort, meant absolutely nothing to her?
“Ugh, fuck. This is so goddamn ridiculous.”
“…What?”
“Did you really think I kept you around because I actually liked you? I just picked up some worthless trash, let you pretend to be my lover, and you thought you were something special?”
The rage that had been boiling inside me like molten iron cooled instantly at her words.
“At the beginning, yeah, I’ll admit you were a little helpful. So I put up with it. I played the lover with you even though it made me sick. I went along with everything. Fuck, it was disgusting.”
Playing the lover… it was disgusting…
“An E-rank hunter trash acting like he’s hot shit just because he’s next to an S-rank? Please. I want to meet someone on my own level for once. Got it?”
…Yes.
I had pretended not to know, but deep down I had always known. That she didn’t love me. Still, I had fooled myself into thinking that even if it wasn’t love, she at least felt some sense of responsibility toward our relationship. After all, I was her boyfriend.
But this secret relationship that no one knew about. A girlfriend who slept with another man and called me disgusting. Was there any reason left to continue? Could I even continue?
The moment I thought that, something inside me completely collapsed.
“If you understood, then get the hell out of my sight. I’m only letting you go nicely because of the years we spent together.”
The bond with Yu Hyejeong has fallen below 40%.
Bond Strength: 0%
The bond with Yu Hyejeong has been severed.
The connection I had desperately clung to alone for so many years broke apart this easily. This completely.