The Twin Sister's Warning
I swallowed dryly as I stared at the mysterious woman who had casually extended her hand for a handshake. The air around us was thick with mana, like a heavy fog had rolled in. At least B-rank… no, this was an A-rank or higher. Why would someone this powerful come looking for me?
I was still gauging her strength and debating how to respond when she spoke again.
Her expression had gone completely flat. I didn’t sense any hostility from her, but the way she was deliberately radiating mana to overwhelm me felt incredibly rude.
“…Put that mana away first, then we’ll talk.”
When I answered with a wary look, she shrugged as if she had no choice and withdrew her power. In that instant—
The streetlamp that had gone dark flickered back to life, and the thick mana that had filled the air vanished without a trace.
…Her control over mana was no joke.
Even though I’d shown open wariness, she simply smiled sweetly and offered her hand again.
Gong…? Looking at her appearance and last name, she was clearly connected to Gong Haeseon.
I observed her for a moment before carefully dispersing the mana I’d been holding in my hand and lightly taking hers.
“…I’m Yu Jihwan.”
*
She said she wanted to talk and led me to a deserted park. The moment we arrived, her eyes widened and she hopped onto the swing.
Gong Yeji glanced at me with an oddly innocent expression and asked,
I silently crossed my arms in response. She didn’t seem to mind and began swinging gently, rocking her body back and forth.
Her movements were awkward, like a child who had never done it before. The swing creaked—creak, creak—and from it came the faint sound of metal. Even though the swing barely moved, the genuine smile on Gong Yeji’s face filled me with endless questions.
Just who the hell was she…?
If she hadn’t lied to me, she was definitely connected to Gong Haeseon. Their voices were even similar, so she was probably family or a relative. The real issue was the ability she had shown me. She looked around the same age as Haeseon, yet her power was on par with veteran hunters despite her young age.
Why had she approached me so aggressively, even flaunting her strength? Did she want something from me?
Eventually, I couldn’t hold back any longer and pressed her for her business. She slowly stopped the swing and spoke with a satisfied expression.
Our Haeseon…? As expected, she was connected to Gong Haeseon. But why come to me?
Her tone sounded like she was testing me.
…Ah.
No matter how I thought about it, she was talking about me. Gong Yeji had approached me on purpose and clearly knew about my relationship with Haeseon. It seemed best to just tell the truth.
“…I do.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me accusingly.
Of course. She had come knowing everything. Feeling a little guilty, I avoided her gaze and slowly nodded.
In that moment, Gong Yeji closed the distance in an instant and grabbed my collar.
“Ugh!”
Her face had turned ice-cold. It was so identical to what Gong Haeseon would look like if she got angry that it felt strangely dissonant. The moment I flinched at the eerie similarity, she growled in a low voice.
“…Huh?”
Confess? Me?
Her tone made it sound completely obvious that I liked Gong Haeseon. Startled by the sudden demand, I shoved her hand away.
“Wait, what are you suddenly—”
“…What?”
I was so flustered by her aggressive words that I couldn’t even speak. This time her tone suggested it was only natural that I would accept.
But I couldn’t accept Gong Haeseon’s feelings. In my eyes, she was still just a child. How could I possibly accept her heart?
When I stayed silent and kept my mouth shut, her eyes widened and she began radiating mana.
Thick mana instantly blanketed the entire park. The streetlamps flickered, and the mana covering the ground began crawling up my body.
Shit…!
I quickly raised my own mana, pushed hers away, and answered calmly.
“…We’ve only just gotten close. Confessing already feels way too soon. And no matter how close you are as family, I don’t understand why you’re interfering like this.”
It was essentially a refusal, but it wasn’t a lie. Whether it was a confession or a rejection, it was something between Gong Haeseon and me. No one else should interfere.
But Gong Yeji clearly thought differently.
…What?
It was far too extreme to simply call it familial love.
At that moment, the glare she fixed on me grew even darker as she poured out more mana, binding my body. It had climbed from my feet to my legs, past my lower body and up to my chest—when suddenly, the pressure wrapping around me snapped away.
“Ugh…”
After delivering that short, cold threat, she added,
Then she withdrew her mana and vanished in an instant.
The streetlamp that had gone dark lit up brightly again as if nothing had happened. Only the swing she had been on continued to sway gently back and forth.
I collapsed to the ground with a thud and slowly looked around. There was no trace of Gong Yeji anywhere. Her skill was truly remarkable.
“…I’m screwed.”
It looked like I had gotten myself tangled up in something pretty serious.
*
“Mmm…”
Back home, I sat staring at my phone, deep in thought. Should I talk to my wife about what happened today, or keep it to myself?
Since a woman was involved, there was more than enough reason to consult her. Back when Soyeon was still in kindergarten, I had been approached multiple times by a fellow female hunter. One of them had tried to harm herself, so I reluctantly went on a single date with her. It was nothing more than a meal, but…
On the day of the date, we happened to run into my wife while she was shopping, and that was the end of it. At the time, my wife had understood the situation, so I didn’t get in too much trouble. The hunter I had gone out with, however, ended up in the hospital for quite a while.
That night, my wife told me not to struggle alone with these kinds of things and held me warmly. From then on, whenever anything involving women came up, I always turned to her for help.
Just like always, it would probably be best to discuss this with her too, but…
“Hoo… this is tricky.”
The problem was Gong Haeseon’s family situation. Judging from Gong Yeji’s behavior, it was clearly not a normal household. There seemed to be something special going on. If there were problems with young children, the cause was almost always the parents.
I didn’t want to burden Gong Haeseon with any more pain if her parents were the issue. Of course, they could just be an ordinary family with slightly unusual sisters.
…I really hoped that was the case.
But the strange obsession Gong Yeji had shown was far from normal. What kind of family could produce a girl like her?
“…Sigh.”
Frustrated, I clutched my head, but eventually picked up the phone. It really did seem best to get my wife’s help. I’d leave out the part about Gong Yeji so she wouldn’t worry and just ask about Gong Haeseon. Since she was also a parent, she would understand how I felt.
…She definitely would.
[Tell her tomorrow.]
That’s what should have happened…
I was slightly flustered by my wife’s voice coming through the speaker.
“…Huh? T-tomorrow…?”
Was this her way of saying that no matter how young she looked, a woman was still a woman? Her tone carried a hint of that old sharpness from the past.
“…Y-yeah, but…”
This damn woman…
“…You know that’s not it, so please stop.”
She seemed to think for a moment before dropping a bombshell.
“…Huh? Seoul?”
I was genuinely shocked by her words. So suddenly?
My wife coming to Seoul was actually good news. It would be easier to meet than when she was in Gangwon Province, and she would have more time to spend with Soyeon. But her body still hadn’t fully recovered. Wasn’t it too soon for her to come back?
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest there a little longer? It’s much better than here…”
“…Yeonhee. You know that’s not true… I only have you.”
Apparently my expression of affection wasn’t enough, because she started acting stubborn again.
“Ah, I get it! Please stop!”
Even though I knew what she was doing, I still fell for it. I clutched my forehead and let out a short sigh.
“…So we’re moving in with Soyeon?”
“…Noona.”
She must have liked my reaction, because she burst into playful laughter. Then she said that since Soyeon had gotten used to living alone, suddenly moving in together might actually make her uncomfortable.
“…Is that so? Still, living together…”
She wasn’t wrong. It was a time when anything could set her off; there was no need to provoke her unnecessarily. But my daughter had loved her mother so much. Would she really be that uncomfortable?
Maybe it would be better to move in together after all…
Having Soyeon see me rolling around with her mother…?
Just imagining it gave me chills. In the end, I was convinced by her words and agreed to look for a new house. Since I couldn’t reveal my identity, I didn’t want to face that kind of awkward situation.
“…The day after tomorrow?”
She really was planning to come within this week. No, she should at least find a house before buying furniture…
“…Alright.”
Despite what I was thinking, the words came out obediently. After all, wouldn’t it be better if my wife lived close by?
After one video call with my wife, I was finally able to hang up. After dragging my exhausted body into the shower, I crawled under the blanket I had laid out earlier. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how I should bring this up with Gong Haeseon.