Chapter 48: Darling, Last Night Was Great.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Darling, Last Night Was Great.
20
As Ha-chan lost consciousness, Si-ho rushed over and practically snatched him from Seo-ho’s arms.
How she planned to support him with her small frame was a mystery, but Si-ho cradled Ha-chan’s head, diligently wiping away the blood with the sleeve of the cardigan she’d worn.
“Ha Seo-ho, what about the labyrinth?”
“We have to get out.”
With that, Seo-ho raised his hand and pointed forward.
The wall that had been struck by the Brain Thunder Ha-chan had fired moments ago hadn’t just crumbled; it had melted.
Thanks to that, the outside scenery was clearly visible through the newly opened space.
“...Si-ho, what in the world is Ha-chan?”
An output that seemed to burn his very body.
Even to Seo-ho, an S-rank hunter, that absurd level of power made it impossible to consider him an ordinary person.
“He’s Si-ho’s prince.”
At her reply, Seo-ho let out a sigh.
His expression clearly said that wasn’t what he was asking, but she didn’t even spare him a glance.
Damn this sister of mine.
Crash!
Just then, Catherine came tumbling through a collapsing wall.
Blue lightning erupted from her entire body as she radiated hostility like a lightning dragon. In front of her stood Umbrella, his umbrella aimed forward.
He glanced toward Seo-ho and Si-ho, then noticed the hole blown through his labyrinth. Clicking his tongue, he retracted his umbrella.
“There’s no point in playing along any further.”
“Are you trying to run?”
“Of course. Our time is up, you see.”
The moment he finished speaking, he slammed his umbrella onto the floor, and the space around him began to be sucked inward.
“Catherine, if you’re thinking of joining the Association, I suggest you choose wisely.”
He tipped his fedora with a smile. Catherine clenched her fists and charged.
He simply offered a farewell, as if to say she was doing something foolish.
But in that moment, there was one thing he had forgotten.
The technique he was using—a spatial leap via his labyrinth—was a lower-tier version of true spatial movement.
Normally, no one would be able to stop his escape.
But in this very place stood a genius who surpassed even spatial-type returnees, even if she couldn’t generate much power herself.
By the time he belatedly realized that fact…
Snap!
Si-ho’s thumb and middle finger met with a sharp, precise sound.
“My manager went this far for us.”
A deep, murderous glint shone in her eyes.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Shatter!
In that instant, the spatial movement spreading from Umbrella distorted and shattered like glass.
Simultaneously, Seo-ho’s hand touched the floor, freezing the man’s legs solid.
His plan to leap into another labyrinth was instantly thwarted. Umbrella hurriedly tried to raise his weapon, but…
Catherine’s fist reached his face far faster.
Thwack!
A crisp impact echoed as a surge of electricity enveloped Umbrella, electrocuting him.
Acrid smoke poured from his mouth as his head snapped back and he crumpled to the floor. Catherine looked down at him and declared proudly.
“Victory belongs to those who never give up.”
It was the first taste of victory she’d had in a long time, following her utter defeat at the hands of Ha-chan and Baeksan.
Even so, she kept glancing over at Ha-chan, expressing her joy in a timid way.
It was then that a large, middle-aged man stepped through the wall Ha-chan had destroyed.
Catherine quickly shifted back into a combat stance, but he paid her no mind, walking barefoot into the room.
He wore a black martial arts uniform embroidered with a golden tiger. His hair was stark white, but his face, in stark contrast, looked to be in his mid-forties.
“Are you Geumgangho-nim?” Seo-ho asked, his expression one of surprise.
S-rank returnee Geumgangho.
Real name, Gye Du-sik.
A returnee hero known to every Korean had arrived.
He looked toward Ha-chan, who was cradled in Si-ho’s arms, and scratched his faded white hair.
‘I was thinking of stepping in earlier.’
But seeing the look in Ha-chan’s eyes as he drew upon even his true energy for that final attack had stopped him in his tracks.
People who could pour out their very everything were exceedingly rare, even in his long life.
Because of that, he had ended up respecting Ha-chan’s all-out effort more than Baek Seol-hyang’s request to intervene if a crisis arose.
“Let me see him. I’ll treat his internal injuries.”
When he spoke to Si-ho, she, too, seemed to have heard of Gye Du-sik. Her eyes widened as she presented Ha-chan to him.
He examined Ha-chan’s body as if checking his pulse, then nodded.
“At this rate, he should be back to normal with some treatment. You’re Snow Mountain Wolf, right? Good job on the first aid.”
“S-Snow Mountain Wolf… I-I’m Ha Seo-ho.”
“Hmm, I’m not good at remembering young folks’ names.”
As he said this, Gye Du-sik thought of Baek Seol-hyang.
‘Well, I’m going to get an earful for this.’
The groom our dear Chairwoman has her eye on ended up like this. She’s going to be furious, he thought.
21
An unfamiliar ceiling. Part two.
My eyes opened, and I stared blankly at the ceiling.
The last thing I remembered was Seo-ho extinguishing the heat I felt coursing through my body. I tried to lift my arm.
Huh, why won’t my arm move?
Don’t tell me it was amputated because of my internal injuries?!
Panicked, I shot up, only to freeze at the sight before me.
And for good reason. There was a person attached to each of my arms.
On my left was Ahyu, with her dark bobbed hair and mischievous face.
On my right was Si-ho, a petite high school girl with a ponytail, clinging to my arm with not just her arms but her legs as well.
What in the world was this situation?
Frozen by a scene I feared would appear in my nightmares, I couldn’t do a thing. Ahyu snuggled closer, resting her chin on my chest.
Then, with her eyes half-open, she flashed a wicked grin.
“Darling, last night was great.”
Has she lost her mind?
I immediately retaliated with a headbutt. Ahyu yelped, clutching her forehead.
Meanwhile, Si-ho only clung tighter to my arm. Flustered, I tried to wake the sleeping girl.
“Si-ho? Si-ho, wake up.”
“Mmm, five more minutes…”
“Hey, you’re awake. Get off him right now, will you?” Ahyu snapped, her expression sharp as Si-ho let out a small noise and buried her face in my shoulder.
Si-ho fidgeted once more before slowly sitting up.
“Manager-nim, good morning.”
With a languid smile, Si-ho looked like a new bride the morning after her wedding night.
“...Both of you, could you please call Ms. Baek Seol-hyang?”
I decided to just call for help.
22
After my call for help, Ms. Baek Seol-hyang arrived at the hospital room almost immediately.
She looked relieved to see me awake, but her expression soured the moment she saw Ahyu.
“So this is where you were hiding. Didn’t I tell you? Ha-chan needs his rest. I told you to leave him alone so he could recover.”
“Having someone as pretty as me nurse him is a form of rest, isn’t it?”
“You really are something else! You think I don’t want to—!”
Ms. Baek Seol-hyang started to scold Ahyu but stopped short, glancing at me before her ears turned red.
She then turned to Si-ho and chided her as well.
“And I’m sure I told you the same thing, Ha Si-ho.”
“Si-ho doesn’t understand difficult words.”
“Both of you, follow me. It seems you need a lesson in common sense.”
I wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.
Those two desperately needed someone to instill some common sense in them.
“And the same goes for you, Ha-chan.”
The problem was, Ms. Baek Seol-hyang’s sharp words weren’t just for them.
“I told you to run away with Ha Seo-ho, not to fight. Did you ever stop to think how I would feel, seeing you come back in such a mess after pushing yourself so hard?”
Ms. Baek Seol-hyang was glaring at me, her fists clenched tightly.
Her eyes were so full of worry that I couldn’t find any words to say.
“I know. I know it was a dangerous situation and that things would have been bad if you hadn’t pushed yourself. And that something terrible could have happened to Ha Seo-ho. But just as he can’t be allowed to get hurt, neither can you, Ha-chan.”
She said this, and her clenched fists slowly relaxed.
“So please, take better care of yourself. There are so many people who worry about you.”
At her words, I looked around and saw that Ahyu and Si-ho wore expressions of agreement.
As excessive as they were, they had stayed by my side the entire time I was unconscious because they were worried about me.
Since all their actions stemmed from concern for me, I felt guilty for causing them trouble and bowed my head.
“...I’m sorry. I’ll take better care of myself from now on.”
“It’s a promise.”
Ms. Baek Seol-hyang’s expression finally softened a little. She began asking me various questions, checking on my condition.
She seemed very concerned, but thanks to the timely treatment, my body felt perfectly fine.
“Fine, my ass! You’re going to be recovering for a week, you idiot! I taught you to use aura to protect your body, not to burn it all up! The thought that my entire regression was almost wasted because of you makes my insides churn so much I could just die!”
Baeksan was screaming next to me, beating his chest as if it would explode, but I was fine.
Really, I was.
“Your internal injuries will heal with time, and you certainly don’t seem to have any problems on the outside. That’s a relief.”
Ms. Baek Seol-hyang looked relieved as she spoke, pulling a chair over to sit beside me.
“Now, for the main topic. There’s a lot I want to talk about. But first.”
She chose her words carefully, then looked at me.
It must be about the results of the battle with Girasung and the aftermath.
As I waited for her to speak, she seemed to make a decision and finally opened her mouth.
“Ha-chan, your older sister appeared.”
An answer I had never expected came out.
My mind went blank for a moment as I stared at Ms. Baek Seol-hyang’s face.
There was no lie in her expression.
It was real.
“How, so suddenly…? Where is she!”
“...She disappeared before we could catch her.”
“Did she appear during the encounter with Girasung?”
Ms. Baek Seol-hyang nodded in response to my question.
Why would my sister show up there?
And why now, after staying hidden for so long?
There were so many things I wanted to ask, but my mind was too jumbled to think straight.
“I’m going to explain the situation now. Is that okay?”
As if to rouse me from my confusion, Ms. Baek Seol-hyang covered my hand with her own, reassuring me.
Her warmth gradually brought me back to my senses, and I slowly nodded.
And so, Ms. Baek Seol-hyang’s story began.