Love-Hate (1)
The Hunter Association raid incident. Dozens dead, hundreds injured. The only reason the death toll wasn’t higher was because the Association hunters prioritized protecting and rescuing civilians. If they hadn’t stepped up, the casualties would have skyrocketed. The one silver lining was that it finally made the public understand just how dangerous the Demon Sect truly was.
After killing Han Jaehyuk, both Lee Jun and I ended up in the hospital. The true identities of Han Jaehyuk and Han Yuri were, by mutual agreement of everyone present, temporarily buried. And now I faced yet another problem.
Is it really that serious?
“Yeah. You could say your soul is half-dead… It’ll start affecting your body soon. So absolute rest for the time being! Understood?!”
“It doesn’t feel that bad though…”
“Ugh. Your mind’s already crumbling… Never mind. Maybe we should look for a soul healer instead.”
“There’s no such thing.”
If something that convenient existed, I would’ve gone looking for it long ago.
“Wait a second…”
There was something similar. B-rank. Phantom’s Valley. I remembered hearing there was a skill stone related to the soul there. The way to obtain it was so bizarre that everyone had given up on it, but…
“How am I supposed to go there in this condition?”
Even if I tried taking the bus, it would be difficult to operate with Han Yuri anymore.
While I was lost in thought, a cheerful voice broke through.
“Seonghyun, say ah~.”
“Hey, my stomach’s about to burst. Stop feeding me.”
“Aww, but you’re a patient. Come on, ah~.”
Our ever-optimistic Choi Ahyeon was taking care of me with a bright smile. The Academy had announced a short break due to the aftermath of the Association raid. Thanks to that, Shin Suyeon and Choi Ahyeon took turns being my nurses every other day.
“You must be having the time of your life.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Choi Ahyeon tilted her head as if she genuinely didn’t understand. While Lee Seol and Irena were losing their minds over the fact that Han Yuri was a Witch, this girl remained completely carefree.
“Did you call Yuri? Her father passed away… Shouldn’t we at least pay our respects…?”
“……”
Pay our respects, huh…
The entire world was in an uproar over Han Jaehyuk’s death. The public now saw the Demon Sect as powerful enough to kill someone like him. As we exchanged such meaningless words, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock knock knock.
“Come in.”
“Hello, Seonghyun.”
“Unnie! Hiii!”
They hugged each other in greeting, then Choi Ahyeon winked at me and slipped out of the room.
“I’ll go grab some drinks. You two talk comfortably~.”
Thud. The moment the door closed, Shin Suyeon took my hand.
“Your complexion looks much better. That’s a relief.”
“I’m alive, at least.”
“Hey! Don’t say things like that.”
Shin Suyeon gently scolded me, then softly stroked the back of my hand.
“I heard Yuri’s father passed away. Aren’t you going to visit?”
“…I have to.”
Yes. I would have to go eventually. To check on the state of Han Yuri’s seed.
But for some reason, I couldn’t find the courage. Even though tomorrow was the last day of the funeral, I still couldn’t make up my mind.
While I was chatting with Shin Suyeon about this and that, she suddenly stood up.
“I should get going now.”
“Already? Don’t you have more time?”
“There’s a more important guest coming today.”
A more important guest? As I tilted my head in confusion, Shin Suyeon smiled softly and opened the door.
And there stood—
“……”
“Professor?”
Irena was pressing her ear against the door, eavesdropping on our conversation.
The hospital room fell into heavy silence.
Irena, who had come all this way, couldn’t utter a single word. Then suddenly, she dropped to her knees and bowed her head deeply.
“P-Professor…?”
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect Seongyul… I couldn’t protect your sister…”
“No, you don’t have to go this far…”
Anyone who saw this would get the wrong idea. I quickly glanced at the door.
“Ah……”
Choi Ahyeon, who had been secretly peeking through the crack, quietly closed the door.
That damn girl…
I’d have to clear up the misunderstanding later.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, so please stand up. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“But still…”
“If you don’t get up in three seconds, I’m taking a picture and spreading it around. Got it?”
She immediately brushed the dust off her skirt and stood up.
“It’s all in the past now. Besides, I even killed the enemy. My sister wouldn’t want you to keep tormenting yourself like this.”
“……”
Irena gave a small nod and took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress her negative emotions. Soon, she returned to her usual cold expression and asked me,
“By the way… you lied to me, didn’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“After the Ogre’s Forest incident at the hospital, and again during the disciple appointment ceremony. Twice in total. You never once mentioned Seongyul’s family name…”
“Ahem. That’s because there were circumstances…”
Once the atmosphere had somewhat returned to normal, she carefully asked another question.
“And what exactly did Han Jaehyuk mean when he called you a sacrifice? I remember seeing a message about it once. ‘The sacrifice has awakened.’”
A painful question. But I couldn’t avoid answering it. She was involved now too.
I summarized the whole story for her. That I was the sacrifice, that Han Yuri was a Witch, and that my sister had died trying to save me.
She let out a long, complicated sigh.
“I had no idea there was something like that behind it all… I understand now.”
Her expression was one of firm resolve. For some reason, it made me feel uneasy. Was it just my imagination?
“What exactly do you understand…?”
“It means all I have to do is protect you from the Demon Sect, right?”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“I am both your teacher and Seongyul’s. Inheriting her will is my natural duty as her mentor.”
Why is that your duty? Seriously.
Whether I looked dumbfounded or not, Irena simply said she would come again and left the room. The way she hurried out made me afraid she was about to do something reckless.
The next day. Korean Hunter Association.
The half-destroyed building had been perfectly restored. Following the secretary’s guidance, I entered to find Lee Jun and Lee Seol sorting through documents.
“Oh. Seonghyun, you’re here?”
“Hello, sir. How’s your body feeling?”
“As I get older, my recovery speed really slows down. It’s embarrassing, but I’m still aching all over.”
Just as Lee Jun said, his entire body was wrapped in bandages. Even though he was in that much pain, he still had to work. Being the Association President really seemed like a thankless job.
“Seol? Seonghyun’s here. Aren’t you going to greet him?”
“Y-yes… H-hello, Seonghyun?”
“……Yeah. Hi.”
What was wrong with her? She kept avoiding my gaze, fidgeting awkwardly. It was completely unlike her usual maxed-out sociability.
My distracted thoughts were interrupted when Lee Jun brought over some tea.
“So, how’s your body holding up?”
“It’s still creaky, but I’m managing.”
“To use that much power and still be fine… You really are something else.”
That last sentence carried a lot of weight. It felt like he had something he wanted to say but was holding back. He probably already knew about the sacrifice and the altar through his own investigation. So the topic he was hesitating over must be—
“Did you… go to Jaehyuk’s funeral?”
“No. Is something wrong?”
“Well… it’s just that…”
Lee Jun hesitated, then let out a deep sigh.
“Yuri has practically become a shell of herself.”
“……”
The father she had looked up to was the leader of the Demon Sect. She herself was a Witch. And that same father had tortured my sister, then died without even giving her a chance to hear an explanation. It would be stranger if her mind hadn’t collapsed.
“It was supposed to be a small funeral with only guild members and close acquaintances, but with the chief mourner in that state, the whole atmosphere is just…”
“A house of mourning.”
I had expected it. From the moment I decided to kill Han Jaehyuk, I knew this was how Han Yuri would end up. Even so, I was still hesitating. About going to see her.
“And about announcing that Jaehyuk was part of the Demon Sect… Are you really okay with keeping it secret?”
“Yes.”
If it became known that the leader of the Portan Guild was part of the Demon Sect, the public would be thrown into chaos. The Demon Sect would definitely take advantage of that opening to strike.
One more time.
There was still one more attack from them before she arrived. For now, we needed to delay things as much as possible to buy time to prepare.
“By the way, Seol…?”
“Y-yes?!”
She even let out an awkward squeak in her panic.
“Seonghyun is here. Why don’t you stop working and come have some tea with us?”
“I-I’m fine. My throat isn’t dry right now…”
A terrible excuse. Lee Jun seemed to find it strange too, glancing back and forth between me and Lee Seol. Then he gave me a sly grin, nudged my side, and whispered,
“Did something happen between you two?”
“No.”
“Then why is Seol acting like that?”
“Beats me.”
Just to be safe, I activated Pantoma’s Olfactory Sense.
Witch of Purity — Status: Sprout — Growth: 1%
What the fuck? What the fuck is this?
Why did it suddenly change to a sprout? I didn’t do anything!
My brain short-circuited. The moment my face went blank, Lee Jun chuckled and whispered softly,
“Well, when people spend time together, they fight sometimes. Don’t take it too hard.”
“Ah… Yes…”
After that, I left the building without even realizing how the time had passed. My mind was a complete mess as I walked down the street.
Why?
Lee Seol, who was suddenly avoiding eye contact with me. And her seed that had changed into a sprout. I couldn’t make sense of it.
Then, out of nowhere, Eve’s voice rang in my head.
Tsk tsk. There’s a limit to how dense you can be. You’re overthinking something so obvious.
Self-pleasure Queen, why don’t you go jerk off somewhere?
……
Sorry. I’m sorry. So what is it?
She struck a dramatic pose in my mind before speaking in a very serious tone.
Lee Seol has fallen in love with you!
What the hell is this crazy bitch saying?
At the time, Lee Jun was practically half-dead. If he had taken even one more hit, he probably would’ve left this world. And then you appeared.
You’re saying she fell in love with me just because I saved her family?
Let’s say Choi Ahyeon had saved your sister instead. What would you do?
I’d have to serve her for the rest of my life.
Hmm… Well, even if not to that extent, your favorability toward her would definitely increase.
This forever-single woman was actually making a good point for once.
Someone who’s never dated before sure reads other people’s hearts amazingly well.
Hey! That’s disrespectful!
Disrespect my ass.
I ignored Eve’s indignant squawking and fell back into thought.
Could it really be that?
The Witch of Purity. There was no way someone like her would fall in love with me for such a simple reason.
No matter how much I think about it, I don’t get it.
Even in the first round, I never understood why Lee Seol had fallen for me. One day I just noticed she was following me around.
For now, I’ll just keep an eye on the situation a little longer.
Having reached that conclusion, I headed to the funeral hall late that night.
The funeral hall next to the hospital. I entered the largest mourning room on the first floor.
Silence. Even considering it was past midnight, there were far too few visitors. Almost none, in fact.
A single woman sat in front of the portrait. She was quietly keeping watch over the deceased all by herself.
“……”
Her unfocused pupils and slightly parted lips that wouldn’t close. Just as Lee Jun had said, she had become a shell of herself.
My feet wouldn’t move. What could I even say to her? Would she be blinded by rage and hurl a Meteor at me? Or would she scream at me to never appear before her again?
While I was hesitating, Han Yuri moved.
Slowly. She turned her head.
“Ah…”
Our eyes met. Her pupils trembled violently. Tears welled up in an instant. She bit down hard on her lip until it looked like it might tear, then slowly approached me.
Step by step. Unsteadily, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Finally—
“Why… did you come?”
She grabbed my collar.
“Why the hell did you come here?!”
Her anguished cry echoed through the room.