Jin-Woo answered calmly.
"I came to my senses and found myself perfectly healed. I don't know how it happened."
Song Chi-Yeol nodded. Since Gates had first appeared over ten years ago, bizarre things had continued to happen in the world. Those called Hunters, the Awakened, were a prime example. There were stories that S-rank healing Hunters could restore a patient torn to shreds during a raid back to their original state, as long as they were still breathing. What if a high-rank healing Hunter had come and treated Jin-Woo's injuries while he was unconscious? So his leg being reattached wouldn't even register as an anomaly.
"A young man shouldn't have to live as a cripple. That's a relief, a real relief."
Song Chi-Yeol sighed in relief, as if it were his own matter. Then Jin-Woo's gaze shifted to Song Chi-Yeol's left arm. The end of his sleeve hung empty. Song Chi-Yeol chuckled, fiddling near his left shoulder.
"Don't you worry about this. When Hunters hunt, it's natural to get hurt sometimes. Not having had an accident before was just good luck."
Song Chi-Yeol spoke nonchalantly, but others' eyes were not so kind.
"Oh, look over there..." "How pitiful... He must have been attacked by a monster."
Passing aunties and students whispered among themselves when they saw Song Chi-Yeol's fluttering sleeve. There was even a middle-aged man staring openly, as if it were a spectacle. Jin-Woo spoke.
"Shall we move somewhere else?"
There were too many people passing by the butcher counter. Burdened by the stares, Song Chi-Yeol nodded. He still had more to say to Jin-Woo.
"That would be best."
The two moved to find a quieter spot. As they walked, Song Chi-Yeol felt a strange sense of dissonance.
'Mr. Sung's footsteps...'
Jin-Woo's steps were too light. Even though he was standing right beside him, it was hard to read his presence. Why was that? He even had the peculiar feeling that even if he fought Jin-Woo right here, he wouldn't be able to touch a single fingertip. Even though he was C-rank and Jin-Woo was E-rank.
'What am I thinking...'
Song Chi-Yeol shook his head. That wasn't the important thing. He had something to say to Mr. Sung. No, something he *needed* to say. Song Chi-Yeol stopped in a secluded area. Jin-Woo followed suit. Song Chi-Yeol turned to Jin-Woo and, before Jin-Woo could stop him, bowed his head respectfully.
"Mr. Sung, thank you so much."
With a man old enough to be his father bowing to him, Jin-Woo felt solemn. Even as Jin-Woo tried to stop him, Song Chi-Yeol kept his head down and continued.
"Eleven people died because of me, but thanks to you, six survived. Since I bear the greatest responsibility, I am offering this bow on behalf of all the Hunters who were there."
Sincerity was woven into every word of Song Chi-Yeol's. Jin-Woo could immediately feel it. The situation was a bit awkward, but his feelings weren't bad. It was a feeling of quiet pride, of fulfillment. But he couldn't let an older man stay in this posture forever.
"Uncle, please stand up now."
As Jin-Woo tried to help Song Chi-Yeol up, Song Chi-Yeol's phone rang. Song Chi-Yeol apologized to Jin-Woo and took the phone from his inner pocket.
"Yes."
Song Chi-Yeol's face hardened as he listened.
"I understand. I'll be there shortly."
After hanging up, Song Chi-Yeol spoke.
"I think I should be going now."
His tone suggested he had some personal business. But Jin-Woo had already heard the entire conversation. As his Sensory stat had increased, his hearing had become sharper too. The call had been a request from the Hunter's Association about a Gate that needed handling. Hoping Jin-Woo wouldn't volunteer, and that he wouldn't join a raid and get hurt again so soon after being discharged, Song Chi-Yeol had deliberately hidden the call's content. Jin-Woo asked directly.
"That was the Association?"
Song Chi-Yeol hesitated before answering.
"That is... did you hear everything?"
When the Association conducted a raid, they summoned all Association Hunters living nearby. The fact that Song Chi-Yeol had received a call meant Jin-Woo's home had been contacted as well. It was the mobilization order he had been waiting for. Jin-Woo answered briefly.
"I'm going too."
"You..."
A strange light flickered in Song Chi-Yeol's eyes as he looked at Jin-Woo.
***
They arrived at the assembly point. A Gate had appeared on a road bordering a residential area, so police were controlling the surroundings. However, there were almost no spectators. The Gates handled by the Association were usually discovered days ago and in a dangerous state, and there was nothing to see around a Gate anyway—you couldn't witness the Hunters fighting directly. Occasionally, only mischievous little kids would linger around before being chased off by police.
Thud. The taxi door closed. Jin-Woo and Song Chi-Yeol, who had gotten out of the taxi, walked toward where the Hunters were gathered, but were stopped by the police.
"Could I see your IDs, please?"
Song Chi-Yeol took out his wallet and showed his credentials.
"C-rank Hunter, Song Chi-Yeol. This is my colleague, Sung Jin-Woo."
The police, who had compared the photo on the ID to Song Chi-Yeol's face, returned the credentials and cleared the way.
"Excuse us, Hunter-nim." "You're all doing hard work."
Song Chi-Yeol gave the police a slight nod and continued walking. Jin-Woo followed behind him. An employee of the Association was waiting in front of the Gate. She was a young woman wearing round glasses. She approached them upon seeing them.
"Hunter Song Chi-Yeol! Oh? But how did Hunter Sung Jin-Woo end up here? You weren't answering your calls."
Song Chi-Yeol answered for him.
"We were together when we got the call." "Ah, is that so? I thought Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was dodging calls again."
The employee smiled and joked. He used to do that. After getting seriously hurt during a raid, he had even turned off his phone, too scared to enter Dungeons. He had to come back eventually, since three refusals of an Association request meant expulsion. Thinking of the past, Jin-Woo gave a bitter smile.
"By the way, some other Hunters are over there. Why don't you two go chat with them?"
Where the employee pointed, the Hunters who had arrived earlier were gathered. There were only two of them in total. After a major accident, the numbers had drastically decreased. On the way here, the uncle had told him that besides the Hunters who had sacrificed themselves back then, many others had decided to retire in the aftermath of the accident.
'Ju-Hee is one of them.'
Jin-Woo looked around but couldn't see Ju-Hee. As Jin-Woo and Song Chi-Yeol drew closer, the two Hunters averted their eyes awkwardly. Jin-Woo's gaze narrowed.
'Can't blame them.'
The people there were Kim Sang-Sik, who had run off alone to save himself, and the male Hunter who had abandoned Jin-Woo when he lost his leg. It was only natural they would feel uncomfortable facing him.
"Um, Mr. Sung..."
Kim Sang-Sik, belatedly trying to greet him, shrank back and turned his head away under Jin-Woo's chilly gaze.
"..."
Kim Sang-Sik pressed his lips shut, looked around cautiously, and then quietly slipped away. From a distance, he kept glancing over at Jin-Woo, tilting his head.
'Is that human really the Sung Jin-Woo I knew? His eyes are like a monster, a monster.'
Kim Sang-Sik's body shivered. Sure enough, goosebumps were already rising on his arms. Jin-Woo withdrew his murderous gaze. Fortunately, unlike Yoo Jin-Ho, Kim Sang-Sik was quick on the uptake. After one exchange of glances, he didn't come near. Jin-Woo hoped he would continue to stay that way.
"Mr. Sung."
Song Chi-Yeol, who was beside him, was smiling at something in the distance.
"He's coming over there."
Jin-Woo turned his head in the direction Song Chi-Yeol was looking. But before his head had even fully turned—
"Jin-Woo-ssi!"
Something soft suddenly hugged him.
"Ju-Hee?"
While Jin-Woo was still flustered, Ju-Hee tearfully examined his body all over.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere? Oh, your leg? What happened to your leg, Jin-Woo-ssi?"
Ju-Hee widened her big eyes, alternately looking at Jin-Woo's face and his leg. It wasn't different from Song Chi-Yeol's earlier reaction, save for the difference in warmth.
"Ah, that..."
Just as Jin-Woo was about to make something up—
"Whoa, hot, hot!"
Jin-Woo and Ju-Hee's eyes simultaneously turned toward the source of the sound. Some distance away, a man in a blue prison uniform was whistling at them.
'Does he think this is a movie set or something?'
While Jin-Woo tilted his head in confusion, a man in a suit stepped out from the front seat of a van. He warned the man in the prison uniform in a low voice.
"Shut up."
The prisoner looked away, pretending not to see. Then, in that brief moment when the man in the suit was checking inside the van, he quickly winked at Ju-Hee, as if he had been waiting for the chance. Jin-Woo's brow furrowed. Soon, two more men emerged from the van. They were all men. The strange thing was that all of them were wearing prison uniforms and were handcuffed. The man in the suit led the three uniformed men over to the Association employee. She greeted them warmly.
"You've arrived." "I'm sorry. The traffic was a bit bad on the way."
The man in the suit began signing the documents one by one that the Association employee held out. Meanwhile, the employee gathered the Hunters.
"These men are substitute prisoners who will be conducting today's raid with you Hunters."
The Hunters' expressions hardened. Kim Sang-Sik stepped forward.
"Substitute prisoners? Are you saying we have to raid with criminals?"
Hunters who had committed crimes were given a choice. Serve their full sentence in prison, or cooperate with the Association and have their sentence reduced. Most chose the reduction, and these prisoners were called 'substitute prisoners.' The employee bowed repeatedly to the Hunters.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Our district's number of Hunters has dropped too low. The Association says there's no other way for now. But a supervising Hunter will be with you, so there's no need to worry."
Kim Sang-Sik asked with skeptical eyes.
"A supervising Hunter too?"