Download App
90.47% LV. 99 The Princess of Dark Flare / Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Chapter 38

"Um…"

Tick, ​​tock.

The sound of the clock ticking in the silence was particularly loud. Jehwi made a stressed noise and opened his mouth with difficulty.

"President, this is Catherine from the United States…"

Siwoo disregarded Jehwi and turned his gaze to Catherine.

"What are you doing so far from America?"

It was not Catherine who was rather embarrassed by the blunt question, but Jehwi, whose presence had already disappeared. Jehwi made a short "Ah…" and looked at Catherine.

"I've come because there is an important matter here. I hope you understand."

Siwoo sat down on the sofa and fixed his messy bangs.

Catherine smiled calmly and put down her teacup.

"I'm sorry if the sudden visit was very rude, Hunter Shin Siwoo. I'm Catherine Hudson from Clamp Management, a subsidiary of the Chaser Guild."

Catherine handed out her business card to Siwoo as she did with Jehwi.

Siwoo stared at Catherine's business card with narrowed eyes.

Chaser. It was really Chaser.

What the hell did an American Hunter Guild have to do with Wolf and the Princess of Dark Flare?

First, be vigilant and wary. That was also the old policy of Wolf. Like a dog's traits.

Siwoo took his eyes off her business card and looked at her carefully this time.

Beyond her transparent glasses, emerald green eyes curved into crescent moons. It was a smile that showed her proficiency rather than beauty. In other words, it was the type that Siwoo hated.

"The reason I came today is because I have a proposal for the Princess of Dark Flare, who has a contract with Wolf."

"…But why did you come to me?"

Catherine grinned at Siwoo's feigned ignorance.

"It's because it wasn't Wolf that she contracted with, Hunter Shin Siwoo. It was you."

"…"

"Wasn't it?"

Siwoo didn't answer, but looked at her deeply as if he was trying to figure her out.

How did Catherine Hudson, no, Chaser know that?

And when did they find out?

Siwoo glanced at Jehwi and glared. Jehwi flitted like a pigeon and shook his head violently. 'It wasn't me!' He seemed to insist.

"This."

Catherine picked up the suitcase she had next to her and put it on the desk. She opened the case with a deft hand.

"…!"

Jehwi's eyes widened when he saw its contents. The briefcase was filled with a huge amount of dollar bills, with not even a single gap between them.

'How much is all of that worth?'

Gulp. His throat moved reflexively.

However, Siwoo had an unmoved expression with his arms crossed, his gaze still fixed on Catherine and not the money. So was it this kind of business? They wouldn't have come if that was the case.

Even in front of the cold Siwoo, Catherine's dazzling smile remained.

It was as if she had a long-standing immunity to such things.

"My boss has an interest in the Princess of Dark Flare. It will be in the form of terminating the contract before its designated end, but if you agree to my proposal, we will naturally pay the full amount in the above data…"

"I refuse."

Siwoo stood up, as if he didn't need to hear any more.

"I don't need any money. Go back and tell that to your boss."

His blue eyes darkened terribly in an instant.

"And get rid of your interest."

As if she had expected this to happen, Catherine opened her mouth with a relaxed face.

"Excuse me. It seems like I said that too bluntly. In addition to the payment, my boss has added that he will send an A-Class hunter specially trained by Chaser for five years for a three-year contract. Without any cost, of course."

"Even if you send an S-Class hunter instead of an A-Class, my answer will remain the same."

The air surrounding them chilled. Even though the room had no windows, it felt like an outside breeze had blown in from somewhere.

"Is that so?"

Catherine pushed up her glasses and closed the briefcase. Was this development also expected? She didn't look disappointed at all.

Jehwi looked between Catherine and Siwoo with an anxious face.

'No, why is the president so angry?'

Could it be that they'd hurt his pride by offering too small of a sum to the unrivalled Wolf?

It could've been. For Jehwi, it was an eye-widening amount, but for Siwoo, the young master of Wolf, it may have not been so.

But was that something to be so upset about? As always, it seemed difficult to understand him.

"I understand. I'll leave and deliver the message."

"Wait a moment."

Just before Catherine left the room, Siwoo stepped in front of her.

"Your boss. You have to tell me who they are."

Why was it that an American guild from overseas, not the Hunter Association or another large-scale guild in Korea, wanted the Princess of Dark Flare?

'They even dug up information and willingly offered that sum of money.'

Whatever the reason was, Siwoo had no intention of breaking the contract with Eunha. But, he needed to know who wanted Eunha, where they were, and what they did.

Catherine met Siwoo's blue eyes and looked at him quietly. If she had not been resistant to that type of gaze, his cold eyes would've been enough to make her legs go weak.

But she was someone who had similar experiences dozens of times. There was no way she would be intimidated.

"He will introduce himself, not me."

Click. As she turned the doorknob, she spoke softly.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Hunter Shin Siwoo."

* * *

The next morning.

Eunha had given Minjoo the bedroom and woke up on the sofa. She slowly raised her upper body and opened the curtains. As the window faced south, the dazzling morning sun broke out like waves onto the marble tiles.

Eunha yawned a little and put on her slippers, heading to the bedroom where the boy was.

It would be a good idea to eat breakfast before heading down to the police station. Seeing that there were no noises, the boy must've still been soundly sleeping.

"…"

No.

Eunha stood still and listened quietly. The room was quiet. To the point where it was unnaturally so.

Tak, tak.

She knocked on the bedroom door.

There was no answer back.

After a few more knocks, Eunha slowly opened the door. Sure enough, no one was there.

"…Where did he go?"

Eunha murmured as she stood in place.

Wrinkle-free bed sheets.

Tightly closed windows.

Tidied slippers.

It was like putting the boy to sleep yesterday had been a dream. The bedroom was neat to that extent.

Suddenly, a sticky note on the bed sheet caught her eye. Eunha walked to it and checked it.

<Thank you, Dark Flare Noona~!!!>

It was written in a rounded font.

It seemed like the boy had left it behind.

Below that, one more sentence continued.

<P.S. I think we'll be good friends, hehe. See you again '◡`>

Eunha took her eyes off the post-it note.

Black eyes once again scanned the empty bedroom. It was a very clean bedroom, like no one had been there all night.

But there was something even weirder than that.

'….When?'

Her gaze passed through and out of the bedroom, as if she was drawing a line with her eyes to the front door.

She was a light sleeper. After making a contract with the cat, she had become even more sensitive.

And even last night with the boy, she had slept more lightly than usual. Because it would be necessary to defend the boy and get out of the house in case the green cloaked people were still after him.

'However.'

She didn't realise.

Up until when the boy had already tidied up the room, opened and closed the door, and exited the front door.

It meant that Eunha had been asleep and didn't notice it.

It was a nonsensical concept.

"…"

Eunha stared at the front door before turning her head again to look at the sticky note. Eunha's eyes narrowed as they stared at the bubbly handwriting.

Suddenly, a small murmur resonated in the silent room.

"I didn't need to walk him home."

* * *

Seoul, Korea. 9:36 a.m.

There was a large door located in the corner of the top floor of the Hunter Association. It was a drawing room that only President Go Daeyoon and his guests could use.

"Is that really true?"

Daeyoon asked with a strangely hardened face. The middle-aged man in a dark grey hat nodded his head.

"Yes. I tried asking the teaching assistants who worked in the training centre at the time after being called by the association, but…"

The man trailed off for a moment before carefully opening his mouth.

"No one remembered a trainee named Lee Yura."

Daeyoon gently rubbed his chin.

He had expected it to some extent, but it was still surprising.

In October 2029, the Pocheon Hunter Training Centre was closed due to an unknown gate. The man sitting in front of him now was the head of the city's training centre at the time.

"Of course, the number of trainees under each leader is not small, so they may not remember the names and faces of every trainee."

"Yes, I suppose so."

Daeyoon nodded lightly and stared intently at the papers on his desk. It was the personal information of Lee Yura that he had found so far.

Of course, there was nothing much about her personal information. As Daeyoon's subordinate, Gwanghyun, had said, she was shrouded in mystery.

'But she couldn't have fallen from the sky.'

Daeyoon sighed and lifted his head.

"That'll be all for now. More importantly, today is—"

The door to the drawing room swung open without warning.

"A-association President!"

"Ugh. This damn guy…"

Daeyoon, who was having a conversation with the training director, stood up and frowned.

"What kind of urgent matter is there for you to open the door without knocking?"

"S-sorry."

Gwanghyun had an unusually dishevelled appearance and was breathing heavily.

"Your tie is lopsided. And elevators aren't just for show."

At Daeyoon's mention, Gwanghyun hurriedly corrected his crooked tie. Daeyoon clicked his tongue, then opened his mouth to scold him.

"What happened this morning? Did a burst gate appear?"

"N-no."

"Then, did you get any information about Hunter Lee Yura? If so, then I understand."

"No, no."

Gwanghyun scratched his cheek shyly.

"Hunter Lee Yura… We are still investigating the Princess of Dark Flare."

As expected, it seemed that they weren't able to find anything either. It seemed to take longer than expected.

"Is that so?"

Daeyoon looked away from Gwanghyun and turned to the training camp director he was talking to.

"I'm sorry. He's usually a competent subordinate. This is just an extreme case."

"No, don't worry about it."

"Um, Association President."

Gwanghyun suddenly butted in again.

"It's not about Hunter Lee Yura, but there's something just as… No, there is something more important than that."

"What is it?"

Daeyoon answered offhandedly and shuffled through the materials on the table.

"Maestro is coming to visit Korea."

Freeze.

The hand that was flipping through the papers stiffened in the air. The eyes under his greyish brown eyelashes began to tremble. The former training camp commander who sat quietly next to him had the same reaction.

"What did you just say…"

Did he hear it wrong? Yes, he must have misheard it. That's right, it couldn't be true. He must've said the wrong person.

But the composure he had struggled to maintain was of no avail. It wasn't an illusion, as Gwanghyun placed both hands on Daeyoon's desk and confirmed his previous statement.

"Maestro, I said Maestro. The first Korean, no, the first S-Class hunter of Korea."

His anxious voice trembled faintly.

"It's Hunter Baek Yijun."


next chapter

Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Incheon International Airport. 3:11 a.m.

Catherine, with her neat hair and angular glasses, looked around.

This was a special security gate reserved for private plane holders or those who were entering the country in secret. Reporters and ordinary passengers were not allowed to set foot here.

Catherine glanced at her wristwatch after making sure that there was no one around her.

'It'll be time for him to arrive soon?'

As soon as she had thought so, the door she had been waiting for opened. The sound of the automatic door opening resounded unusually loudly in the cold, silent lobby.

"You're here."

A clean black shoe tip came closer with the sound of a step.

He answered while rolling his shoulders lightly, as they had been stiff from the long flight.

"The world has gotten much better. It only took 10 hours to get from New York to Incheon."

"I'm glad it was comfortable."

Catherine smiled and lifted her head.

His hair was blonde, but it was a shade that neared beige. His neat haircut gave an urban and sophisticated impression. However, his eyes, which looked both silver and grey, seemed a little tired and subdued.

"It was fine. It was a little hot."

He took off his black suit jacket, revealing a white shirt fitted to the shape of his toned body. Beside him, Catherine skillfully grabbed the jacket he had taken off.

Loosely tugging at his black tie, he glanced around.

"The Incheon Airport has changed a lot."

"Yes… It's been a long time."

"That's true."

He turned his head after blandly expressing his agreement. His eyes met the window, as if they were involuntarily drawn to it. Perhaps it wasn't just the landscape that had changed.

The two walked through the empty lobby.

When they stepped onto an empty escalator, it moved with a rattling noise.

Through the window that spanned across a wide wall, he could see the bustling airport at a glance. Until he reached the bottom of the escalator, his grey eyes remained fixed on one place.

<Gate 21>

"…"

Meanwhile, Catherine, who had been looking straight ahead, suddenly turned her head. Catherine looked in his direction and smiled.

"How is it to visit Korea after such a long time? Are you glad to see it?"

"Glad to see it?"

He let out a low laugh.

"No way."

In front of him, Catherine closed her mouth. She noticed it immediately. The emotion that dwelled in his darkened grey eyes was by no means happy or yearning.

Catherine thought about it. It was clear that his sudden trip to Korea was also closely related to the Princess of Dark Flare.

Although she hadn't heard it directly from him, she was completely sure of it. Otherwise, she had no idea why he would suddenly decide to go to Korea, since he hadn't stepped foot in Korea for 30 years.

"As for Wolf? How was it?"

He asked, putting on the leather gloves he had in his pocket.

The time had come.

Catherine pushed up her glasses that had slid down and opened her mouth heavily.

"I'm sorry. I failed."

"Really?"

He lightly clenched his fist before unfurling it. The wrinkles on his black leather gloves gently smoothed out.

She couldn't read any emotion from his side view or brief reply. He didn't seem happy, but he didn't show any signs of disappointment either. She was just glad that he didn't blame her.

After receiving an order from him, Catherine had entered Korea first. Then, she found all the information she could on the 'Princess of Dark Flare'.

As a result, Catherine determined that the Princess of Dark Flare was not just an F-Class concept hunter.

As a matter of fact, many people watched the Princess of Dark Flare appear on a broadcast and assumed that it was edited.

But Catherine didn't think so.

The fact that she was being protected by Wolf and that her own boss cared about her was proof that she wasn't normal.

Actually, it would've been quickest to ask her boss directly about this. Behind her clear glasses, her slightly troubled eyes turned to look at him.

"What?"

"…It's nothing."

Catherine closed her mouth. Because he wouldn't give her a proper answer anyway.

After that, there was no more conversation between the two.

There were some glancing eyes while they left the airport, but thanks to the security officers who were informed of the situation in advance, they were able to get to the car without any problems. 

The stylish black car had windows tinted dark enough that they completely blocked the outside view.

"This is a nice car."

"It was prepared in advance."

"Competent, as expected."

"Thank you."

Catherine loaded the luggage into the trunk and got into the driver's seat.

"Shall we go right away?"

Catherine grabbed the steering wheel and looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Perhaps he hadn't heard her, as he was staring out of the window, seemingly deep in thought. Catherine skillfully turned on the ignition and ran the navigation on her phone.

"What would you like to do? At this time, it will take less than an hour to reach Gangnam-gu."

He was the one who had been in a hurry to go to Korea. It was late, but he must have wanted to knock on Wolf's door right now.

But he muttered an unexpected reply with his chin on his hand.

"No, let's go to the hotel today. It's not polite to visit a guild's headquarters before dawn anyway."

"Is that really alright?"

"Yes. I'm tired."

He leaned deeply into the soft seat. The voice was unusually low, so it rang softly in the silent car.

"Then… I will drive straight to the hotel."

Catherine stepped on the accelerator without any further ado. Shining headlights beamed onto the street where deep darkness laid.

The car body vibrated lowly and the scenery outside the window slowly began to move. Then, when he turned his head casually, he noticed a brightly lit signboard.

<Incheon International Airport>

<Welcome to Korea!>

Until it disappeared completely from his field of view, Yijun did not take his eyes off of it, as if they had been nailed to it.

"…"

The streetlights that shone through the windows quickly flickered light onto his face before disappearing.

The next day.

The whole country was buzzing on the internet, newspapers, and TVs.

Maestro had come to visit Korea.

He had returned after 30 years.

* * *

「As much as I trusted you, I trusted my friend too…!」

tl/n: fun fact this song is Wrongful Meaning by Kim Gun-mo 

The large wall mounted TV screen shone. Eunha thought as she listened to the familiar song coming through the speaker.

'It's still a good song to listen to now.'

She thought that the point of this song was that the melody was exciting while the lyrics were full of despair and betrayal. Even thirty years later, the song was still famous, and the masterpiece was still a masterpiece.

However, the singer was different from how Eunha remembered them. Was it because time had passed? It was very disappointing.

Eunha checked her reflection in the veranda window. Nothing had changed. Except that her hair was a little longer.

'Would you like to groom my dog later? He's a Bichon Frise; his name is William.'

Why?

That guy suddenly came to mind. By now, he must be as old as the singer on TV. She probably wouldn't be able to recognize him at a glance.

He was a person who had a shy smile and looked as lovely as a balsam flower. When she had said that to him, he used to jolt and shake his head in denial.

However, the face that remained the most vivid in her mind was the one she saw last.

'Eunha! Cha Eunha!'

Baek Yijun had reached out to her with a face that seemed like he had lost the world. It was Eunha that had been trapped in the gate, but she remembered his face looking like he was the one who was trapped.

She wondered what he could've been doing right now. He hated fighting in battles and was a soft-hearted boy. In the now peaceful world, he might have stopped working as a hunter and started living out his life peacefully.

She thought about how he would look if she were to meet him. He might burst out crying in surprise. Ah, but he was over fifty now, so maybe he wouldn't cry.

Either way, he would still be shocked. Since he must've lived thinking Eunha was dead.

Smile.

When she remembered that face, a dry smile leaked out. Then, a yellow message window popped up before her.

Ding.

[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' asks what you're thinking about. Golden eyes grow round with curiosity.]

"It's just… old memories. There was a boy who was with me before I was locked in the gate, and I wonder how he's doing now."

A yellow message window came up again.

[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' asks if he was a close friend. It seems to be sulking a little.]

"A friend…?"

Eunha muttered softly as she lifted a can of cold beer from the table. Cold water droplets on the surface of the can dripped down after meeting her fingers.

'T-T-That's why, when you leave the gate, tomorrow… At… At my house… D-D-D-Do you want to come over?'

Her lips drew into a thin line as she brought the can to her mouth.

If you could call a person who you readily sacrificed yourself for, even in the face of a monster the size of a house, a friend; 

If you could call a person who you smiled with while looking forward to tomorrow, even when your life could end the next day, a friend; 

If you could call a person you wished a good life for, regardless of wherever they were and whatever they did, a friend, then—

"Yes."

A rare smile bloomed on Eunha's lips as she took a cool sip of beer.

"I think so."

The smile that bloomed slowly and faintly like dye on a white cloth faded, and Eunha suddenly turned her head toward the balcony.

Through the transparent glass window, the now familiar scenery of Seoul came into view.

If he was out there somewhere, she just wanted to tell him. That she was alive, and she was doing well in her own way.

So,

I hope that you are, too.

* * *

[Breaking News: The American Maestro Arrived at Incheon International Airport Early in the Morning on the 10th Yesterday]

[Netizens Are Paying Attention to Maestro's Visit to Korea. What is the Purpose of His Visit?]

[Well-Known BJ King God Says on SNS That 'Maestro, you're my old idol.']

[Title] maestro came to korea?

[Author] ㅁㅁ (125.107) | 2031.8.10 2:01 PM | [Views] 42,979 | [Recommended] 1,431

[Content] i thought that he wasn't going to come back to korea anytime soon, so why all of a sudden???? did he get kicked out of the us ;;

[Comments] 788

└> □□: are you an idiot haha, chaser has a place in the us so why would he be kicked out

└> □□: he didn't just come to take a break?

└> □□: it's been 30 years and he came back to go sightseeing?? lmaoo what is he thinking to come back for a tour, he's just gonna get sweared at BAHAAHHAH his head must be really empty

└> □□: the rumours have been circulating for a while but is he coming back to work in korea now??

└> □□: that traitor old man has crawled back to korea, fking disgusting hahaha how shocking ;;;;

└> □□: the comment above is so ignorant. in the 2000s when times were toughest, he did everything they wanted to do for three years

└> □□: i agree tbh cuz at that time, the country forced people into gates with only their bare body and didnt give them proper compensation so being in korea must've exhausted him

└> □□: the people defending him are traitors

└> □□: think about it idiot lololol if you're in korea, you get paid basically nothing for the forced conscription but tbh, what's so bad about it? would you rather live in the stubron us or hell joseon?

└> □□: stubron (x) stubborn (o)

└> □□: i heard that american hunters get paid thousands of dollars a month for dignity maintenance, position support, and other expenses if they're above a-class haha, he's even an s-class. how could a crazy person come to korea after kicking it all away?

└> □□: wow that's amazing hahaha but if he's really coming back to korea, which guild would he enter???? is it wolf as expected??

└> □□: the monkey king will be obsessed with trying to recruit him into immortal

└> □□: nono at his level, he can just create his own guild lmao

Knock, knock. 

Siwoo had been looking at the screen but raised his head at the sound of a knock on the door.

Jehwi opened the door and entered.

"So they're here."

Siwoo turned the computer screen off and stood up from his seat. It seemed that the person he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.

"Shall I take you there?"

When Siwoo nodded, Jehwi hurriedly disappeared.

Siwoo was the first to sit down at the long table in the centre of the room. He tapped his hand on the glass table while holding his chin with the other.

"…"

His hardened blue eyes glanced at the phone next to him. He grabbed the phone with the hand he used to tap the table and checked the messenger.

[You] [7:20 AM] Sunbae

[You] [7:20 AM] That kid from yesterday, you better keep away from him

[You] [7:20 AM] He's Trickster, and he's a pretty famous hunter in Korea

[You] [7:20 AM] Of course, that isn't a good thing

They were messages he had sent the day after eating with Eunha at the rice soup restaurant.

However, to this day, the 1 by the side of the messages had not disappeared.

Was something wrong? Seeing that she hadn't replied after days had passed made him a little worried.

However, in order for Siwoo to visit Eunha's house, he needed an excuse because they weren't close enough for him to go in and out of the house for no reason.

Actually, he could've made an excuse if he had wanted to. There was a limited edition DVD of a well-known film that had been airlifted from overseas a while ago, and he could have also used a meeting for her next mission as an excuse.

But today, there was something more important than that.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of the knocks, Siwoo put his phone in his pocket and opened his mouth.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a bewildered Jehwi came in. After that, a familiar woman nodded her head.

"Hello, Hunter Shin Siwoo. We meet again."

It was Catherine. The woman who belonged to Clamp Management, a subsidiary of Chaser.

Siwoo's blue eyes widened.

To be precise, it was because of the large silhouette that stood behind her.


Load failed, please RETRY

Weekly Power Status

Batch unlock chapters

Table of Contents

Display Options

Background

Font

Size

Chapter comments

Write a review Reading Status: C38
Fail to post. Please try again
  • Writing Quality
  • Stability of Updates
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • World Background

The total score 0.0

Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
Vote with Power Stone
Rank 200+ Power Ranking
Stone 2 Power Stone
Report inappropriate content
error Tip

Report abuse

Paragraph comments

Login

tip Paragraph comment

Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

GOT IT