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Episode 27
“…Yeah…”
Saebyeok answered awkwardly, watching Woo-jun rub the back of his neck.
“Don’t tell me—you’re the one who did that lizard herd hunt?!”
“…Yeah…”
“Wow! I knew something was off! The pile of lizard corpses didn’t match Hwang Tae-san’s combat style, so I thought something was strange. But… wow!”
He ran his hand roughly through his hair, wearing a betrayed expression.
“And here I was, thinking you cared about me and feeling all touched for nothing?!”
“Sorry.”
“Wow… this is a real betrayal!”
“Are you sulking?”
“Don’t I look like I’m sulking?!”
From beside them, Han Sae-jin gasped loudly while grilling meat.
“Wait—so that night you suddenly ran out, it was to go to Seoul Station?!”
Both of them finally understood the situation and laughed helplessly.
Saebyeok glanced at the two, then casually wrapped another bite and fed it to Sihoo.
She also placed a piece of pork belly into Kang Su-ho’s bowl—
he had barely eaten, tension written all over his face.
Especially after hearing about Seoul Station, he seemed visibly uncomfortable, perhaps wary of the others’ reactions.
“Eat comfortably. They’re always like this. Loud for no reason.”
Saebyeok tried to reassure him.
“If you had been honest from the start, I wouldn’t be like this!”
“It’s your fault, sis!”
Woo-jun and Sae-jin shouted in unison, making her quickly cover Sihoo’s ears and play innocent.
“Forget it! Just go register tomorrow!”
Woo-jun waved his chopsticks as if that was final.
Saebyeok nodded easily—she had planned to do so anyway—
but then Woo-jun’s phone rang. The caller was one of his squad members.
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“Captain! Get over here, quick! Kim I-han and Lee Pado are fighting!”
“Again? Where’s the Association President?”
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“The President got called by the President of the country! As soon as he left, Lee Pado grabbed Kim I-han by the collar!”
“Hah, that hothead…”
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“Captain, hurry! They’re about to wreck what little of the building is left!”
“Got it. Stall them if you can. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Woo-jun hung up, grabbed his coat, and stood.
“Han Saebyeok, this is all your fault.”
“That’s just a show. Lee Pado may be hotheaded, but he’s not stupid. He won’t actually throw a punch. Just… smash up the building a little.”
She knew he was only putting on a threatening act to get information about her, not actually fighting.
“And why do you think he’s putting on that show? To figure out who you are!”
“He’s an odd one. You’d think he could just repay the favor later, instead of being so desperate to settle things now.”
“Han Saebyeok. Forget tomorrow. Come with me now.”
Woo-jun reached out to pull her up, but she slipped away.
“Nope. I’m enjoying my last night as an ordinary person.”
“Hey, can’t you see the situation? If Donghae and Gloria fight for real—!”
“Gloria acting up against other S-rank guilds is nothing new.”
Saebyeok stayed calm.
“It’s all for the cameras. They’re just stirring attention because the press is there.”
Woo-jun could only groan in frustration.
“Ugh! I’m the one suffering here!”
“Then tell Kim I-han to tone it down—say you know me. And if Lee Pado really wants to meet, tell him to come tomorrow when I go for my measurement.”
“Why not just go now and fix it?! Ugh, I swear, I want to just haul you there myself!”
He spread his arms as if ready to lift her bodily—
and Kang Su-ho reacted on instinct, tensing to spring forward.
He quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened—
but Hunter Woo-jun didn’t miss it.
“By the way…”
Woo-jun’s face hardened.
“Who exactly is this man?”
His voice was sharp, edged with suspicion.
Later That Night
Saebyeok explained the same way she had to Han Sae-jin—
that Kang Su-ho was the man who would help her establish a guild.
Woo-jun accepted it at first, thinking an S-rank could handle it alone—
but when he learned Su-ho wasn’t awakened, he reacted the same as Sae-jin.
They didn’t have long to discuss further—
the squad called Woo-jun back, reporting that Lee Pado had started destroying property in earnest.
Woo-jun left, grumbling about never finishing a meal in peace.
Later, with Sihoo asleep and Sae-jin passed out drunk,
Saebyeok and Su-ho found themselves alone at the table again.
“Sorry, that must have been a shock.”
She cracked open another beer, offering an apologetic smile.
“I didn’t expect him to show up like that. I thought he’d stay busy with the Scavenger cleanup.”
Su-ho hesitated, then asked,
“Are you close?”
“Our families have known each other since we were kids. We went through kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school together.”
“Your families…”
“Our parents met at the maternity ward, actually.”
Su-ho nodded, though his expression remained complicated.
A brief silence followed, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“One year older than me. You can speak comfortably, then.”
“No. This is fine.”
Saebyeok almost laughed.
In their previous life, he had spoken to her harshly from the start.
But this was a new life—and maybe it was better this way.
When she stayed quiet, he tilted his head.
“That’s all you wanted to ask?”
“Hmm… Sihoo’s age, too?”
“Six.”
“Oh, almost old enough for elementary school.”
Su-ho’s expression darkened.
“He isn’t registered… no birth certificate.”
Saebyeok almost spat out her beer, staring at him wide-eyed.
This was something she had never heard—not even in her past life.
“You said you live day to day… is that why?”
She asked cautiously, though she doubted he would answer.
But to her surprise…
“My mother… ended her life shortly after giving birth to Sihoo.”
Saebyeok’s eyes widened.
Kang Su-ho’s Confession
He didn’t understand why he was saying all this.
“My father… took out his grief on us.”
So deeply personal.
So raw.
“I was used to it—I grew up watching my mother suffer the same.”
And yet the words kept coming.
“Then one day, he disappeared. Never came back. The house was repossessed, and we were thrown out.”
“With Sihoo, that must’ve been rough.”
“Honestly… I just felt relieved. Like I had escaped a prison.”
The dam had broken.
“At first, I thought of putting Sihoo in a care center. But every single one demanded I contact my father for registration.”
“Didn’t you think of going to the police? Reporting the abuse?”
Maybe it was her warmth, her willingness to listen—
but he couldn’t stop.
“My father… is a Hunter. An A-rank, of all things.”
And with that, he laid bare a truth he had never told anyone.
