Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Summer Beach Has No Romance (4)
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Ten years of living alone. I wouldn't deny that incredibly long stretch of time. Sure, it was packed with miserable memories that weighed me down, but even so, I grew through it.
The absence of my parents was an enormous misfortune. The fact that my pillar of support vanished when I was still immature, not even an adult yet, brought more anxiety than anything else.
The adults around me turned away. Friends gradually drifted apart, and even the teachers lost interest in me. It was a chaotic time, so I tried to convince myself it was understandable.
The neighbors were too busy with their own changed lives to care about each other. There were no kids playing in the streets or parks anymore. Except for me.
The relatives I had somewhat trusted? They just ignored me. Even though I was the child of their own sibling, they treated me like an orphan without a family and kept their distance.
The only thing that had changed was my parents' absence. And the fact that I had no idea where my brother had gone.
So I just endured. With the support payments until I became an adult. I scrimped and saved, surviving day to day on instant ramen.
Upon reaching adulthood, I was lucky enough to awaken. Considering how abysmally low the hunter awakening rate still was back then, my family must have been blessed with some kind of curse. All four of us had awakened, after all.
The Hunter Association had just been newly established amid the chaos. That's when I joined.
The team leader at the time, my benefactor, took me in. She pitied my young self and said she'd lost her own children to a gate.
My life as the association's youngest was still happy, all things considered. I could bask in everyone's affection and help.
I thought the bonds I'd lost were finally seeping back into my life.
The team leader died. Again, a gate.
The team members who cared for me all died. Again, again... another gate.
This damned gate was definitely a curse. A curse from the gods, stealing away everything precious to me.
I kept my distance from the new team members. They'd disappear anyway. No need to form more bonds.
I didn't let anyone get close. That way, I wouldn't lose them. Only official conversations. No emotions.
I never even tried dating, something everyone else does. I ignored every guy who approached and turned down every blind date.
Only when I started thriving at the association did the calls start coming back. How disgusting. Repulsive. Utterly pointless and tiresome.
And so I lived those ten years standing alone. The loneliness had become familiar, crushing me, but I told myself it was fine, ignoring reality as I went on.
My brother came back.
The ten years I'd spent rejecting all bonds crumbled. Just seeing that hated face made tears flow, shattering the walls I'd built in an instant.
The photo he pulled out as proof stirred longing in me. I'd already burned every memory and trace I had.
Because clinging to vain hopes wouldn't let me survive that life.
Yet the sight of my brother right before my eyes left me endlessly weak.
Half a year living together like this. This short time has piled up into the most precious memories for me.
Because he'd filled the center of my life in just half a year, I sometimes got swept up in anxiety if he was out of sight. But that's okay.
The brother who hadn't even shown his face came back safe and sound, always smiling.
He teases me constantly, loves games. He enjoys bizarre diets unlike before and savors time with me.
He acts quirky often but still charms people with his handsome looks.
He lives carefree days with a bright smile, as if he has no worries.
But even so, I could see it.
That bitter glint in his eyes in fleeting moments, the traces of hardship hidden behind his smile.
Did he really think I, who'd eaten cold stares for ten years, wouldn't notice?
My brother had clearly lived a grueling life too.
Even after half a year together, I still don't know much about him. He hasn't opened up his heart yet. He barely shows anything beyond hands and feet.
It hurt, but there was nothing I could do.
Still, I just stay by his side. I don't ask anything.
Should I wait for him to tell me himself? Or ask when something definite comes up?
So today, too, I wait for the truth. For his real feelings.
"Oppa, when vacation ends and we go back, wanna work at the association a bit?"
"No, not that. Hate it, no way."
Words I never imagined coming from Sihyun's mouth poured out like terrifying curses.
"Why? You charged at the tidal wave without a second thought earlier. Perfect for association work~ You jumped right in to save people? If you wanna save people that bad, I'll make sure you do it every day."
It was just an unconscious habit, yet this unbreakable leash was strangling me in the end.
"No, the tidal wave didn't look that dangerous... And I'm fast on my feet...?"
"Oppa, even hunters die if they're swept away by a tidal wave. They die if monsters stab them. Maybe it looked fine to you, but I was worried. Even if you hadn't saved him, guild hunters would've. No need for you to risk it."
"Yes, ma'am..."
"You saved the guy safely, and you're fine too... So it's good, but still, I worry. What if something went wrong?"
What was she projecting onto me? Our late parents, maybe? Her genuinely worried expression, unlike usual, made me back down.
"I'm sorry..."
I sheepishly raised both hands and stared at the wall like a punished kid. If it was sincere reflection mode, Sihyun would understand.
"Haa... Fine, if we're splitting hairs, it's just me being overprotective. Ah, should've never watched that gate break, seriously!"
Sihyun smacked my back hard and continued.
"It's late, so let's just buy ingredients and eat dinner at the hotel."
I was still getting scolded right there at the scene. People were cleaning up and gawking again, so it was pretty embarrassing.
"Sure~ Let's get clams and make steamed ones with booze. Some sashimi too."
"Yeah, yeah, let's head back quick."
Following Sihyun, who led the way, I glanced back at the gate. Monsters were now sparsely emerging, meeting their ends at the hunters' hands.
That frog. Just like the ones I saw in Pretoria. Common trash from swamps or coasts. Why were they coming through gates?
I shook out the complicated thoughts in my head, smoothed them over, and smiled faintly as I followed Sihyun. Gates crossed dimensions anyway. Whether coincidence or inevitability, time would tell.
Travel is ultimately completed through twists in plans. Our itinerary—beach as base, local eateries, tourist spots—had one immovable error stuck in place.
"Oppa. What is this?"
Yeah, what? Woke up to this mess.
Every place we wanted was shut. Peak season had just started, but aside from the beach, everywhere was closed due to one problem.
Gates popping up everywhere.
Those gates were real trouble. High rank or low, fatal to civilians, so most places shut down.
Never saw this coming.
The local guild was desperate, posting recruitment for outside hunters. Too many gates for one guild to handle, apparently.
"Oppa, wanna take a job...? They'll reopen after gate clears. I'll watch over you good."
She'd been so worried yesterday. How bad did she want this? Her eyes were all teary as she pleaded.
"Yeah... Earn some cash too..."
I hated my soft heart for not refusing those puppy eyes.
Hunter ID confirmed. Entry permitted!
We handed over our hunter IDs at that.
A-Rank Hunter An Sihyun, D-Rank Hunter Ansiu. Confirmed! Please enter with the others shortly!
"Got it."
In front of the gate, we blankly waited for the others' entry permits. Coming on vacation only to work again left us both dazed.
"Sihyun, wanna just chill at the hotel more?"
"Nah... Just clear it quick and do our planned stuff. Only the must-eats and must-dos, you know? Sigh. What the hell is this."
We sighed and waited. Until the others got approved.
Hunters, please enter! One supervisor hunter from our Supreme Guild will accompany you—understood!
"Pfft! Sihyun, guild name's Supreme? Hahaha...! Ack!"
"Oppa...! Don't laugh so loud... Everyone'll hear."
Whoever the guild master was, killer naming sense.
I burst out laughing and followed Sihyun into the gate.