章 12: Proposal
Siwoo went to Eunha's room to look for her early in the morning. They had a lot to ask each other.
Eunha first asked how he was able to enter the Unknown Gate. According to Siwoo, it was a coincidence.
"It was in the B-Class gate that I entered. I clearly saw that the entrance was green."
"Really?"
In March 2001, the gate that Eunha had entered was a C-Class gate.
Could the Unknown Gate, where Eunha was locked, be the type that had its entrance disguised as an ordinary gate? That would be the most logical way to think about it.
"Then, how did you get out? Where did you get out from?"
"From the exit."
Looking at Siwoo, who answered nonchalantly, Eunha was immersed in thought.
At the time of the battle with him, Eunha had obtained all five items. There was a high probability that the exit opened then.
Eunha, who gently stroked her chin, raised her head.
"Why did you call me Princess of Dark Flare?"
"Hey, weren't you openly cosplaying?"
Cosplaying?
It was a fact Eunha had found out later. 'Princess of Dark Flare' was a story passed down like an urban legend amongst hunters.
'So… A myth.'
Standing next to Eunha, who stared at the black parasol with strange eyes, Siwoo slowly turned his head to look around.
A nearby glass table came into view. Above it, there was a breakfast that seemed almost untouched, and a list of hunters spread out beside it.
"The list seems to have been checked."
Eunha, who was immersed in thought, moved her gaze to the list.
"… They're all dead. Except for one."
A voice without emotion. Her expression was calm, like her unagitated voice. Sitting by Siwoo's side, she was deeply immersed in her thoughts.
"I'm sorry."
A brief silence passed. Siwoo, who was looking at Eunha's silent figure, carefully opened his mouth again.
"… If Sunbae wants, I'll look into it. That one person. I'll be able to find out his contact information and where he lives soon."
He wasn't just bluffing. In fact, for Siwoo and the Wolf Guild, it was easier than a piece of cake. Besides, if she met her colleague, he'd know her true identity.
"No."
Eunha shook her head.
"I know he's alive already, so it's fine."
If she met Yijun, he would probably be very happy. But, he would also be just as confused.
'30 years have passed, so Baek Yijun will be 54 years old… I guess.'
He was still a blonde young man in his twenties in Eunha's mind.
When Eunha would say something was just a scratch, he would come running with an emergency kit, make a warm expression when talking about the puppy he was raising, or talk about tomorrow even in a bloody gate.
A simple, kind, and gentle person.
Eunha remembered with a nostalgic face and gently brushed her hair. She thought that a reunion after 30 years wouldn't be very beautiful.
Baek Yijun was a delicate person.
At that time, that incident would have left some amount of trauma because he had a weak heart. Eunha didn't want to appear in front of his eyes and re-open his wounds. Especially if it was already 30 years ago.
"Then, is there anything else you want? We'll help you as much as we can."
"No. You've done enough already."
"Don't be like that; you can say anything. What do you need? Things you want to eat or people you want to meet, anything is fine."
It was a little uncomfortable for him to keep trying to provide something even though it was okay. It had been like that since before, but Eunha thought that nothing was free in the world.
"… Why?"
"Hm?"
Black pupils stared intently at Siwoo's face, to the point where the boundary between the pupils and irises were not clear.
"Why are you doing this?"
It was a natural question. Siwoo was treating her like a distinguished guest without any conditions, payment, or deadline.
However, the answer that came back was unexpectedly short and blunt.
"Because Sunbae is a first-generation hunter."
1st Generation Hunters.
Literally, it referred to the first hunters who experienced the beginnings of this turbulent era.
"… Why is that?"
Eunha asked with an incomprehensible face.
"Is it really that great of a title?"
"Of course."
Siwoo replied immediately.
"Most of the first-generation hunters either died, disappeared, or became beings in a vegetative state, only left with a consciousness. You deserve to be revered just by enduring such horrific and terrible times."
Eunha, who heard Siwoo's words, was overcome with a strange feeling. In her opinion, she wasn't as great of a person as he thought she was.
She had awakened by chance and was drafted at the age of 20. She then expressed her vengeance and wrath to monsters. It was crazy. And that was it.
"Modern hunters are really bad. Even I, who was measured as an S-Class hunter, was almost defeated by Sunbae. If Sunbae hadn't fainted, I would have been helpless."
"That's right."
Seeing Eunha nodding her head without even thinking deeply, Siwoo coughed slightly.
But, Eunha wasn't being arrogant.
She was confident she could beat him right now, even if she had to fight him again right away. If Eunha had been in good shape and had known that he could handle water as well as ice, it would have been a fight that she would never lose.
"A survivor of an Unknown Gate with skills that exceed those of a current S-Class hunter. If the existence of Sunbae is known to the media, it will probably become a big issue nationwide."
Gates and monsters.
Even with the power of human science, they could not find out the nature and cause of them.
Especially in the case of the Unknown Gate. As the name suggested, it was a place shrouded in mystery. Unlike other gates, laws or rules were not constant there, and the difficulty level or the spawn area was not set either.
The existence of Eunha, who had survived for 30 years in the Unknown Gate, would be very appealing to gate researchers.
"What do you plan to do next?"
"I don't know."
Eunha had now accepted reality, but it was still a reality that was less realistic than a dream. The world that Eunha knew, Seoul, did not exist anymore.
Siwoo looked at Eunha, who was sitting in her seat like an empty doll, and carefully opened his mouth.
"If it's okay with you, can I make a proposal?"
"… A proposal?"
"Yes. It's something I've been thinking about this whole time."
Siwoo stood up, looking at the exhausted Eunha.
"But before that, I think it would be better for you to take a little rest. Any length of time is fine. As for the proposal, you can let me know if you want to hear it later."
In Siwoo's mind, he wanted to stop her right now, but the first thing to do was to understand and empathize with her sudden appearance into the world 30 years later.
"You can always call someone if you need anything."
Click.
Eunha, who was left alone in her empty room, rubbed her left wrist like a habit. The feeling of her old wish bracelet would always magically reassure her.
It was said that rivers and mountains changed in 10 years, but in 30 years, rivers and mountains would've changed three times.
Eunha quietly closed her eyes. Her world had changed, and so had the environment around her. She felt as if she was living in a vivid dream.
There were no neighbourhoods that Eunha knew,
There were no people Eunha knew,
She didn't even remember the Eunha from before.
So, what could she do here in the present age of 2031?
For what purpose was she here for, what kind of life could she live, and what kind of dream should she live in?
There was a time where she had such worries.
It was probably in her sophomore year of high school. Before submitting her 'Career Hope Letter' she received from her homeroom teacher, Eunha showed it to her mother.
'Eunha, you… '
After confirming her dream career, her mother looked at Eunha with a surprised face.
'Mom, I don't want to go to college. I just want to earn money by getting a job in a suitable place.'
'You don't have to. Eunha. We're not in such a bad situation that you have to give up college.'
'Mom, still—.'
'Listen carefully. Mom wants Eunha to live her own life.'
Yes, that's what her mother had said. Eunha slowly dusted herself off and walked endlessly through the waves of memories that began to appear clearly.
'What is life?'
Eunha thought that's what she had asked.
And her mom, maybe she laughed. Without any answer, she just stroked her head, sat side by side with Eunha, grabbed a pen, and looked at the career sheet with her.
'It's getting to know your mom from now on.'
A lie.
Her mother, who had said so, suddenly left Eunha's side one day.
And to this day, Eunha had not been able to find the 'life' that her mother had said.
Even if it was a problem she hadn't thought of until now, she had an unwanted awakening and was forcibly drafted into the military, and the life that followed her hunter activities was not her life.
Eunha slowly opened her closed eyelids, rummaged through her arms and pulled out two crumpled bills.
She had a habit of carrying bills in her hands from a long time ago. It was because of the nature of her job as a hunter that she couldn't carry a wallet.
Most of them fell out somewhere during the battle inside the gate, so there were only two left.
She carefully spread the face of Toegye Yi Hwang, drawn on the bill, with the palm of her hand.
'Two thousand won is enough.'
Since it was in the same town, the basic fare should be sufficient. Eunha immediately got up from her bed and left the room.
Siwoo's house was so spacious that the word mansion would fit better. After a long attempt, Eunha was finally able to find the entrance hall.
The moment she was about to leave the front door, Eunha paused for a moment. The full-length mirror located in the shoe closet reflected her own image.
— Black. It's very…
Eunha looked around. Employees wandering around the mansion were seen.
'…Should I ask them to lend me some clothes?'
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. It was a nuisance to do that. This house had already given so much.
After pondering for a long time, Eunha finally grabbed the doorknob.
'Let's just take a taxi.'
That would be better. Eunha quietly left the mansion.
Outside, it was a quiet residential area. Unlike the place where Eunha used to live, it was a neatly arranged landscape, so she could tell that she was in a wealthy area at a glance.
Eunha crossed the street and came out to the main road. A familiar yet unfamiliar landscape welcomed her.
Siwoo's home was in Banghak-dong, Seoul.
It was where Eunha had lived until she was 19 years old. Elementary school, middle school, and high school, she had attended all of those here. The landscape had changed a lot, but Eunha could tell that the house she used to live in was close to where she was.
It was the house she had lived in with her mother for more than a decade after her parents had divorced.
In fact, it was within walking distance, but Eunha still decided to take a taxi. It should be the basic rate anyway, and she had enough money on hand.
After waving by the roadside, a taxi stopped shortly after.
"287-14."
Eunha, who got in the back seat, spoke briefly about her destination. Two thousand-won bills were crumpled in her hand.
"Lady, you're wearing some pretty clothes. Are you going to a festival somewhere?"
The taxi driver, who saw Eunha's outfit through the rearview mirror, smiled happily.
"… Oh, well…"
Eunha, who glossed over the answer, fixed her gaze out the window.
The scenery of Seoul, which was unfamiliar to Eunha, passed by like a flash of lightning.
As expected, it took less than five minutes to arrive at the destination. It was just about the basic fare. Upon confirming that the taxi was stopping in the car lane, Eunha handed the driver the two bills she was holding.
"Keep the change."
It was at that moment when she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the back door.
"Lady, are you kidding me?"
Huh?
Eunha was suddenly grabbed by the taxi driver
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