The media outlets went wild.
-Korea and Japan join hands to form a joint team to eradicate the monsters that turned Jeju Island into a barren wasteland!
What story could spark the public's curiosity more than this? TV stations broadcast related programs every single day, and the front pages of newspapers were always filled with news about the Korea-Japan joint team. But the only place buzzing with excitement was Korea. Even though the number of Japanese Hunters participating in the operation was more than three times that of Korean Hunters, no one noticed the strange fact that the Japanese media remained strangely quiet. Even the comments from Japanese readers on the few articles that were posted were entirely negative in tone.
└What are we supposed to do about Korea being too weak to close the Gate?w └Why should we have to clean up Korea's mess? └They're only saying this after compensating us for the damage from the ants, right? └The incompetent Hunter's Association and those irresponsible Korean Hunters. I wish they'd all just drop dead together on Jeju.
Same dream, different worlds. While they each harbored different thoughts about the same situation, only time silently flowed toward the day of the operation. And. For Jin-Woo, those few days were the happiest stretch of time he'd had from the moment his mother was admitted to the hospital until now. Many things had changed. First, he brought his mother home after she was discharged. Click. When he opened the door, he could see the inside of the apartment that Jin-Ah had turned into a complete disaster while she'd been living alone while Jin-Woo was away at Demon's Castle.
"..."
His mother had to laughingly stop Jin-Woo from pulling Jin-Ah's cheeks with all his might. For the first thing his mother did upon returning home after regaining consciousness for the first time in four years to be cleaning... Jin-Woo tried repeatedly to dissuade her, but he ultimately couldn't break his mother's stubbornness, and the whole family rolled up their sleeves. As the house grew cleaner, the faces of all three grew brighter. The house, which had felt so empty ever since his mother was admitted to the hospital, finally felt full again. For the first time in a very long while, Jin-Woo was able to stretch out and sleep without a single worry on his mind. And when he opened his eyes the next morning and came out to the living room, seeing breakfast laid out on the dining table was what finally made it real that his mother had returned. Park Kyung-Hye, who was trimming green onions, turned to Jin-Woo and asked.
"Did you sleep well, son?"
Jin-Woo answered with a sleepy smile.
"...Yes."
***
The expert on TV said.
"The speed of evolution that the ant monsters have shown is truly astounding."
The guest beside the expert made an exaggerated face and asked.
"Evolution? Weren't the ants found in Japan just a mutated species?"
"That's right. And when the number of mutated individuals increases until they take over the entire colony — that is what we call evolution."
A prepared video clip then played. It showed footage of the ant monsters filmed during the first and second extermination campaigns. When they first appeared, they crawled across the ground like ordinary ants. At first glance, they were nothing more than enormously large ants. But not long after.
"This is footage of the ants from the third extermination campaign."
The ant monsters were walking upright on two legs like humans. Their once-massive heads had become much smaller, they could move more nimbly, and they were able to use their four limbs like hands. They looked like a half-and-half mix of ant and human. In just two years, the very characteristics of the species had changed.
"And this is the most recent footage of the ant monsters that caused massive casualties in Japan."
Whaaa — The studio audience expressed their astonishment in unison. Amazingly, the ants had become even more human-like, and they even had large wings on their backs. The comedian who appeared as a guest raised his voice in shock.
"Things like that fly through the sky?"
"Indeed. That was also the decisive catalyst for forming this Korea-Japan joint team."
The Korea-Japan joint team. The moment those words came up, Jin-Woo quietly turned off the TV. Jin-Woo didn't want to sit this operation out either. When Chairman Ko Gun-Hee had invited him to participate, his heart had pounded at the thought of gaining experience points. But. The excitement quickly faded. That allowed him to see the situation more objectively and coolly.
'It hasn't even been a full day since Mother woke up.'
She still didn't even know that her son had become a Hunter. And he remembered how his mother, back in the past, had stayed awake through countless sleepless nights for months after hearing that his father had gone missing in a Gate. With a mother who carried such memories, he couldn't bring himself to say he was going to Jeju Island. The words wouldn't leave his lips. At the very least, he wanted to be with his family for a few more days. He didn't want to push aside the moment he had been desperately waiting for because of something else.
"I..."
Jin-Woo, having finally made up his mind, spoke with difficulty.
"...I'll sit this one out."
Something more precious than experience points. That was the reason Jin-Woo had gritted his teeth and trained this hard all along. He had no regrets about that choice. Only.
└So why is Sung Jin-Woo missing from the Korean roster? └Just because he became S-rank doesn't change his nature. Once an E-rank, always an E-rank. He probably ran away while pissing himself lol └Japan is sending all 21 S-rank Hunters + Korea is even bringing back retired Hunters... but where's Sung Jin-Woo? └Even after becoming S-rank, that's what he wants to do? So embarrassing;;
All he could do was try not to care about the fingers pointed at him by the unknowing masses. More precisely, his sister's stress from it.
'I don't care what people say about me, and Mother doesn't use the internet, so that's fine.'
But Jin-Ah seemed to quietly look this stuff up. Tsk. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue and set his phone down. It was just an unfortunate coincidence in timing. His mother had gone to bed early, and it was still a ways off before his sister would be home. He was thinking about going out for some fresh air to clear his head when, as if by some uncanny coincidence, his phone rang. Jin-Woo grinned when he saw the caller. Tick.
-Hyung-nim! It's me, Yoo Jin-Ho!
"Oh. Jin-Ho."
Come to think of it, was Jin-Ho still at the motel?
"The room? Still at the motel?"
-No, Hyung-nim. I recently got a new room. Fortunately, your mother reached out to me...
Hearing that goofy laugh after so long was, in its own way, reassuring. After briefly updating Jin-Woo on his situation, Yoo Jin-Ho quickly changed the subject, as if remembering something he'd been meaning to bring up.
-Oh, Hyung-nim. I've been scoping out an office. Could you come take a look?
What office was he talking about?
"Office?"
When Jin-Woo repeated the word in a puzzled tone, Yoo Jin-Ho answered confidently.
-I'm talking about our Guild office! You need an office if you're going to start a Guild, Hyung-nim.
Yoo Jin-Ho, that guy... He seemed to harbor the ambitious aspiration of growing the Guild where he'd become vice president into something impressive, like Hunters or Baek Ho. Jin-Woo scratched his chin.
'If he knew that the Guild's raid members would consist solely of just me for the foreseeable future, he'd probably lose his mind...'
He'd half-heartedly called Jin-Ho over, but now that the moment had come to explain the Guild he had in mind, Jin-Woo found himself at a loss.
***
"What do you think, Hyung-nim?"
Jin-Woo could see why Yoo Jin-Ho had spoken with such confidence. Jin-Woo nodded as he looked around the interior of the office. The location was good, too.
"I picked the best place that isn't too far from your home, Hyung-nim."
It was clean.
"I deliberately got a first-lease office. You know what they say — new wine in new wineskins, right, Hyung-nim?"
And crucially, it was absurdly spacious.
'...'
"I'll make this into a Guild that surpasses the top five, Hyung-nim!"
Yoo Jin-Ho was burning with ambition.
'Him burning with passion is fine, but I'd like to opt out of the heat...'
Jin-Woo seriously contemplated his options. Should he tell Jin-Ho to go back to Yoojin Guild right now? Not that the chairman, who had even frozen his son's bank account, would take him back. Seeing Jin-Woo lost in thought, Yoo Jin-Ho made a startled face.
"Hyung-nim... you don't like it?"
"...No, it's fine."
"Then can we sign the lease here, Hyung-nim?"
"...Sure."
Judging by the size, the monthly rent would be steep, but compared to Guild income, it would be pocket change.
'Let him dream a little for the time being, I guess.'
Jin-Woo couldn't bring himself to say that the two of them would be the only ones using this spacious office from now on.
"Oh."
Yoo Jin-Ho slapped his palm.
"Also, who do you want to fill the last spot with, Hyung-nim?"
"The last spot?"
Had there been some promise to create a spot for someone? When Jin-Woo, who rarely forgot about any kind of promise, gave him a puzzled look, Yoo Jin-Ho excitedly continued his explanation.
"When you first form a Guild, you need at least three Hunters, Hyung-nim."
President, vice president, employee — three people was the minimum requirement for founding members? It seemed connected to the fact that the minimum number of members needed to clear the lowest-ranked E-rank Gate was three.
'Not that any Guild would actually try to clear an E-rank Gate...'
Founding members, huh. A number of faces flashed through Jin-Woo's mind as he considered who to bring in as the final member. They had to be a Hunter. And preferably someone with absolutely no intention of being active, who would simply fill a roster spot.
'Why do I keep seeing only women's faces...'
The face of the high school student who had given up on becoming a Hunter, and the face of the healer who had returned to Busan, briefly flickered into his mind and vanished. Just then.
"Oh right."
Yoo Jin-Ho spoke up. Jin-Woo asked.
"Did you think of anyone suitable?"
"No, Hyung-nim. It's not that. There was someone who was looking for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, Hyung-nim."
Jin-Woo's interest was piqued. The fact that they had tried to reach him indirectly through Yoo Jin-Ho rather than contacting him directly suggested they had done their research on him.
'Jin-Ho and I still don't have any public connection.'
At best, they were merely a raid leader and a raid member. And yet, this person was looking for him through Yoo Jin-Ho? Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who is it?"
"I don't know either, Hyung-nim. It was a foreigner who spoke English. Hold on."
Yoo Jin-Ho rummaged through his pockets and pulled a memo from his wallet.
"They said they'll be in Korea until the 17th and would really appreciate it if you could get in touch, Hyung-nim."
The memo he took contained exactly two things: a phone number and a hotel room number. He flipped it over, but nothing was written on the back.
'The 17th... that's three days from now...'
A foreigner who spoke English — who could it be? No one immediately came to mind. But suddenly.
"I should head home."
Jin-Woo's expression hardened.
"What? You're leaving already, Hyung-nim?"
Yoo Jin-Ho, who had been looking forward to having drinks with Jin-Woo for the first time in a while, looked like he'd just lost his country. But heartlessly, Jin-Woo didn't spare a thought for the younger man's feelings.
"I'm heading out first."
Yoo Jin-Ho quickly masked his disappointment and bowed respectfully, as always.
"Take care, Hyung...nim?"
By the time he raised his head, Jin-Woo had already disappeared.
***
It was the hour when deep darkness had settled into every alley and backstreet. The heart of university student Eun Ji-Min, who was heading home, was pounding like mad.
'This can't be...'
A man following behind her. He was surely just going the same way, which was why the sound of his footsteps kept following her.
'I've read about this on forums.'
In situations like this, it wasn't just women — even men found it extremely awkward. The man's stride was faster or about the same, but if he passed her, she'd get scared, and if he kept following, he'd draw suspicion. Besides, past this corner was a gloomy alley with a broken streetlight, which would make things awkward for both of them. Eun Ji-Min glanced behind her. A man wearing a cap with his head pulled low was quietly walking along. He was suspicious-looking, but wearing a cap wasn't a crime. If this uncomfortable company was going to keep up, she'd rather just— Eun Ji-Min stopped as if to tie her shoelace, and the man walked right past her.
"Phew—"
Seeing the man disappear, Eun Ji-Min let out a sigh of relief. Then she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, as if in prayer.
'I'm sorry for being suspicious of you, mysterious mister.'
Eun Ji-Min looked around, straightened her collar, and set off again with a smile and renewed vigor. She had a mountain of overdue assignments! Even if she ran, she wouldn't have enough time to prepare for the final exams.
'What was the exam coverage again?'
As she rounded the corner with her shoulders drooping at the thought of pulling an all-nighter, Eun Ji-Min's eyes went wide.
"Scream and you die."
The man who had just passed her was standing right around the corner, brandishing a kitchen knife with wild eyes.
"You know how many people have been killed here... right?"
"Ah..."
Eun Ji-Min couldn't even scream, frozen with her face turned blue. The man pulled down his white mask and grinned.
"Follow me."
Tick, tick. There wasn't a soul around, only the broken streetlight flickering away.