Chapter 105. A Father Judging His Son
Chapter 105. A Father Judging His Son
Jang Yun-jae's attempted murder, and the sudden intrusion of the Unknown Hunter.
"...Even in a situation like this, we must see it through to the end."
The commentator's voice trembled.
Even amid the chaos, he struggled to keep his voice steady and continued the broadcast.
"An emergency drug test is scheduled to be conducted immediately after the match concludes. Until a formal verdict is reached, no one should jump to premature conclusions."
The audience buzzed with noise, and every media outlet was churning out provocative headlines.
[ Son of Heukpae Guild Master, Involved in Illegal Drug Scandal? ]
[ Unknown Hunter Intervenes, Will He Be Punished Too? ]
[ The Same Technique as Hunter Lee Chae-hyun, Was She Also Using Drugs? ]
Yet the commentator never wavered, and his final remarks carried a heartbreaking poignancy.
"This match is a final that will remain in the memory of many. For now, we will see you shortly at the awards ceremony."
There was a considerable interval before the awards ceremony.
The unconscious Jang Yun-jae was carried away on a stretcher, and in his wake followed me, Laila, Jang Ho-jin and Jang Yoon-seo, along with several judges and officials.
"..."
The unconscious Jang Yun-jae was placed into a portable advanced scan capsule, urgently dispatched by a neutral agency.
Inside, the capsule was equipped with dozens of mana detection devices, blood analyzers, neural response scanners, and similar instruments.
Jang Yun-jae was undergoing a battery of tests inside the device.
"The Heukpae Guild is... truly not involved in this."
Jang Ho-jin opened his mouth to speak.
His voice was as calm as ever, but his eyes alone were icy and resolute.
"If my son is indeed guilty of this, I will expel him from the guild and personally discipline him severely."
He bowed his head deeply.
It was a situation no one had anticipated, and even Jang Yoon-seo, standing beside him, could not hide her bewilderment.
"Please let me know when the results are out..."
After speaking briefly, Laila and I quietly left the room.
The place we headed to was the treatment room.
There, Lee Chae-hyun lay quietly upon a bed.
"There are no serious injuries. She has bruising, lacerations, and has collapsed from accumulated fatigue. She'll recover after a few days' rest."
The doctor gave his opinion and left us alone.
"Laila, please."
Laila slowly extended her hand.
As her mana spread outward, the wounds—bruises and cuts alike—began to heal smoothly.
"Ung..."
"Chae-hyun, you're awake?"
"Big Sis, the results... what happened?"
"You lost the match itself. But..."
I told her everything that had transpired.
At this, a peaceful smile spread across her face.
"...?"
"If he used drugs... then I didn't lose because of a pure difference in skill."
"..."
Just as she and Laila, both wearing relaxed smiles, were about to talk among themselves, someone knocked on the door from outside.
"The results are out."
"What is it?"
"...I think it's best if you see for yourselves."
---
On one side of the examination room, the analysis results appeared on a monitor.
The biometric data of Jang Yun-jae, lying inside the capsule, was updating in real-time.
[Mana Amplification Coefficient: Abnormal Levels Detected]
[Injected Substance in Body: Detected]
[Nervous System Stimulus Response: Excessive Reaction Due to External Intervention Confirmed]
"..."
"..."
"..."
The results were conclusive.
Jang Yun-jae had used illegal drugs.
And, having apparently reported the results to the higher-ups immediately, people—including the Association President—were already gathering.
"Hunter Jang Yun-jae... has been confirmed through formal investigation to have used illegal drugs."
The Association President's voice was cold and resolute.
"Accordingly, his hunter license will be revoked immediately, and he will face severe punishment under the relevant laws."
The officials reacted as if they had expected this, and Jang Ho-jin simply closed his eyes.
Jang Yoon-seo, too, looked at her own flesh and blood lying in the capsule with an expression of disgust.
"Wh-where..."
Just then, Jang Yun-jae, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes inside the capsule.
Through his blurry, unfocused vision, everyone was staring at him.
"..."
In that brief moment, Jang Yun-jae knew instinctively.
His life was over.
And then...
"Heh-heh... it's over."
The corners of his mouth lifted, and he laughed.
─ Click-clack...
In the heavy silence, the sound of solid dress shoes clicked closer, step by step.
"...Why on earth did you do it?"
It was the Heukpae Guild Master, Jang Ho-jin.
A cold gaze directed at his own flesh and blood for committing such an act.
The fury that the guild he had spent his life building had nearly crumbled in an instant.
"Keh-heh-heh... I thought you'd actually be pleased if I won, Father?"
A statement that could easily cause a serious misunderstanding.
At those words, Jang Ho-jin's forehead twitched, and his lips began to tremble.
"What?"
His right hand shot out like lightning.
─ Smack!!!
Jang Yun-jae's jaw twisted to one side, and spit flew from his mouth.
"Keugh... heh-heh..."
"You find this situation funny?"
─ Kwang!!
This time, Jang Ho-jin's fist drove into his abdomen.
And then, struck by the knee that followed, he was sent flying into the wall, crashing through the equipment in his path.
"Keuk... I was going to kill that bitch who toyed with me... and destroy the Heukpae Guild you built..."
"You, you ungrateful wretch, worse than a beast...! After all I did to raise you, to feed you...!"
"Keh, keh-hah-hah-hah...!"
His entire body shaking with rage, he rained down punches in rapid succession.
The expensive medical equipment shattered, flying everywhere, and the high-end panels on the floor were torn apart.
The association staff nearby flinched and tried to stop him, but no one could easily intervene.
Because they knew why he was so enraged right now.
"Because of you, the Heukpae that I've built...!"
"The son of the Heukpae Guild Master kills someone during a match, and it turns out he used drugs on the Master's orders? Isn't that a pretty good scenario?"
Laughing like that, he pulled a piece of paper from inside his jacket and tossed it.
"Did you think if you just cut me off, this would be over?"
The documents scattered.
A few were formatted as 'internal approval documents.'
One was a 'Drug Administration Approval.'
Another was a 'Trial Operation Plan for a Temporary Enhancement Program During the Tournament Period.'
And the final paper was...
A 'suicide note' containing a statement claiming he acted under the coercion of his father, the Heukpae Guild Master.
But what seized everyone's attention more than anything else was the unmistakably stamped red seal of the Heukpae Guild Master.
"What is this..."
Jang Yun-jae lifted his bloodied face and answered with a strangely relaxed smile.
"Didn't you stamp it yourself, Father? Or else... maybe someone inside did it for you."
What this implied was one thing.
There were people who, blinded by money, had latched onto Jang Yun-jae.
'...'
Even in that short moment, Jang Ho-jin was already calculating what was to come.
'I had to deal with everything here...! Anyway, there were plenty of others besides this bastard to take over the Heukpae.'
He took a deep breath.
He could condemn the boy in his fury, but now he had to show everyone.
The Association President was here, government officials were here, and most importantly, the Unknown Hunter was watching.
"As of today, this man is expelled from the Heukpae Guild. Whatever punishment he receives, we will not intervene."
He drew a firm line against his own son.
Because the security of the kingdom that was the Heukpae mattered more than a child who had nearly destroyed the guild.
He slowly moved his hand behind his belt.
─ Click.
The leather case opened, and from inside he drew a single sharp silver dagger.
"What are you trying to do?"
Ignoring the Association President's question, he stopped in front of Jang Yun-jae, the man who had trampled on the name of the Heukpae.
"Keh-heh-heh... now you're even thinking of killing your own flesh and blood?"
─ Stab! Stab!
Without any hesitation, he severed the tendons behind his knees.
"...From now on, you are no longer a hunter. And you are no longer my son. You were simply a disgrace to the Heukpae."
"Keuk... heh... when did you ever think of me as your son, anyway?"
The Association President stepped between them.
His voice was clinical, neutral, and cold.
"Hunter Jang Yun-jae, under Hunter Law, you are under arrest for illegal drug use, attempted murder, and evidence tampering."
Two special agents stepped forward and mercilessly restrained Jang Yun-jae, who screamed out in pain.
He was dragged away roughly, but no one felt any pity.
The Association President raised his head to look at Jang Ho-jin.
"This incident cannot be dismissed as a mere individual's deviation. This drug is a substance whose distribution is prohibited in Korea. It was an item that had disappeared. How it has resurfaced is something we must certainly uncover."
"...I am innocent. If you wish, I will cooperate with an internal audit as well."
"I highly commend your responsible attitude as a Guild Master. And... it is likely that Hunter Jang Yun-jae will not escape the death penalty."
As if it were of no concern to him at all, Jang Ho-jin turned and walked out.
And Jang Yoon-seo, too, as if thinking it served him right, smirked and followed behind Jang Ho-jin.
---
"What about the work?"
"Yes, it's been delivered as you instructed, Master."
Having finished his report, the subordinate still had more to say and lingered in front of Jang Ho-jin.
"I beg your pardon... that person was meant to lead the Heukpae in the future..."
"Enough. Rather than needlessly giving the Unknown something to use against us... we had to handle this cleanly."
"And the additional instruction about catching the insiders, that too..."
As if annoyed, he waved his hand dismissively.
There was no point in asking about it.
Faced with violence, they had all confessed everything, anyway.
"Handle the cleanup on your own."
He showed no mercy in his methods.
They were bastards who, blinded by mere pocket change, had betrayed him and latched onto Jang Yun-jae, after all.
And he wasn't curious where the drug Jang Yun-jae had taken came from, either.
'Drugs? Whether that stuff spreads or not, it's none of my business.'
And that night, Jang Yun-jae, who had been detained in the county jail, killed himself.
Leaving behind a suicide note expressing his guilt over the crimes he had committed.