For Her
For her.
It was heavy.
His body. His heart. Both of them — as though lead weights had been hung from every limb, dragging him down into something bottomless.
Innocent lives snuffed out because of his complacency.
No one blamed him for it. Not Gwon-sun. Not Glass. Not even Are. Even Na Jiseon, who had taken the hardest blow of anyone, only offered words of comfort — insisting it wasn't his fault. Not a single person held him accountable.
And yet the guilt crushing his chest refused to lift.
If I had been there… could I have stopped it? The thought still circled through his mind a full week later, relentless and uninvited. He knew perfectly well that dwelling on it now was pointless. But even he — a man who prided himself on facing every situation with cold, rational clarity — found himself unable to claw free of this one.
Still… I can't stay like this forever.
The anguish lodged deep in his chest still hurt. But surrounding him now were people who worried for him — people he was responsible for. For their sake… for the sake of the comrades he had now, not the ones he'd lost… he could not afford to lose anyone else. Somehow, he had to pull himself together and stand back up.
That was when he heard it.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound at his door. He rose slowly from the bed, and there she was — Are, standing before him with a bowl of porridge cradled in her hands.
"Pardon the intrusion."
She set the bowl down in front of him. A gentle fragrance rose from the porridge and reached his nose, and then she spoke in that calm, measured voice of hers.
"It's pine nut porridge. You haven't been eating properly for a week. I was worried, so I came."
"…Thank you."
Honestly, she was right — he hadn't managed a proper meal in days, and he still had no appetite whatsoever. But that was beside the point. He couldn't bring himself to refuse her kindness. Looking at her like this, he found himself automatically reminded of his sister.
Was it eight years ago? When I was bedridden and she cooked porridge for me just like this…
Back then, he'd genuinely been too sick to eat — a different situation from now. And yet, somehow, he felt that same warmth from Are again. Gentle. Soft. The kind of warmth that lightened a crushing burden, if only a little.
He carefully lifted the spoon and brought a mouthful of the porridge she'd made to his lips. Warmth spread through his mouth. She'd gone light on the seasoning, so it was a touch bland — but under the circumstances, that mildness was almost a relief. It asked nothing of him.
When the meal was finished — the first real meal he'd had in what felt like ages — he felt his fogged mind slowly settling back into place. Are watched him, concern still coloring her voice.
"Um… how was it? Did it suit your taste?"
"Yes. It was delicious. Thank you, truly, Are."
"…I'm glad to hear that."
A quiet smile touched her lips. Watching it, he felt the gloom that had blanketed him for days begin, at last, to ease.
"I'll clear the bowl, then. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to—"
"Wait… just a moment."
"…Yes?"
He'd spoken before he even realized it — watching her start to rise from her seat, the words leaving his mouth on pure reflex. It wasn't something he'd planned. Just an impulse. A pure, unfiltered response to what he was feeling. Even as a flicker of confusion and embarrassment washed over him at his own behavior, he pressed on with what he wanted to say.
"I mean… that is… if it wouldn't be an imposition… could you… stay with me? Just for a little while?"
Even saying it made him feel self-conscious. But in that moment, he genuinely wanted her to remain at his side. The weight that had been circling him just minutes before had lightened the instant she arrived — he could feel it.
Are listened to his request, and that same gentle smile returned to her face as she answered, calm and unhesitating.
"Of course. As long as you'd like."
She settled into a seat beside him. And for a while, the two of them simply sat there in silence — saying nothing, just holding the quiet together.
She was so beautiful. So warm. Just having her there was comfort enough.
Looking at her, he spoke in a low voice, every word sincere.
"Thank you, Are. For always looking after me like this."
"Not at all. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize. When you're struggling, this is all I can do for you — and that feels terribly inadequate."
"…Please don't say that. Just having you here is more than enough comfort for me."
"…Jinhyun."
It might have sounded a little embarrassing, but it was the truth. When a person was in pain, enduring it alone was genuinely hard. But if someone sat beside you through it — and if that someone was a person you cared for, someone you wanted to see no matter where or when — then even without grand words of consolation, their presence alone could be a powerful medicine for the soul.
Feeling a deep, genuine gratitude that she had stayed, he made a quiet resolution once more.
That's right… I can't keep wavering like this forever. There are still things I have to do. People I have to protect.
The comrades at Dreamouth who trusted him enough to take on contracts at his word. Glass and Gwon-sun… and the thirty-odd B-class and C-class hunters beyond them. And the person who had stayed by his side through all of this — who, even in a moment like this, brought peace and solace to his heart.
For her. For the woman named Lee Are.
He steadied himself once more, and resolved to give everything he had to ensure a situation like this would never happen again.
The atmosphere in the room was taut with tension.
Gathered in one place were high-ranking military officers — the kind who wore stars on their shoulders — and a considerable number of S-class hunters. Busy people, the sort you almost never saw assembled together even in wartime. But right now, they had no choice. There was one matter they needed to pin down with absolute clarity.
"So then… what is your assessment of the cause of this defeat?"
"Sir! To restate my position: the cause of this incident rests entirely — and without question — with Guild Master Lee Sena of the 28th Hunter Guild, who recklessly incited our forces into battle and drove them into a death trap!"
"Very well. I thank you for your clear and direct statement."
The Korean military had suffered a catastrophic defeat against the Abysses. Failed missions and losses in small-scale guild skirmishes were, unfortunately, common enough. But a large-scale operation in which multiple guilds were annihilated at once — producing casualties so severe that a full retreat became necessary — was rare enough to count on one hand.
The military's upper ranks had duly decided to convene a hearing and establish where responsibility lay. Several hunters who had participated in the operation were called as witnesses, and one after another, they began recounting what they had seen. And from every single mouth came the same conclusion: this defeat had been caused by one person's reckless arrogance.
The target, of course, was Lee Sena — Guild Master of the 28th Hunter Guild, the one who had forced the battle through despite the desperate objections of everyone around her.
Under the concentrated fire of the assembled witnesses, the woman at the center of it all sat with a shadow growing steadily darker across her face.
And then, a short while later—
"In that case, the individual whom all parties identify as the cause of this defeat — Guild Master Lee Sena — step forward."
The moment her name was called, she rose and began walking slowly toward the center of the hearing chamber.