I opened the already-torn envelope and slowly withdrew the letter. As I unfolded it, inside was—
“...It’s in English.”
“Of course it is.”
It’s from the United States, and despite everything, English is the global language.
“I do know so English, I an. This says Sesung, Guild Master. Um, we are, sothing sothing. Hunter... skill... use...”
...It’s been nearly ten years since I last spoke it. I recognize dungeon, item, inventory—hunter terms—but I can’t make sense of most of it. Maybe I should study English again. Or team up with Yerim to make Korean the world language.
“Don’t just stare at it. You promised to give it in a legible form, rember? There should be a translation service included.”
“Didn’t you read it yourself?”
“Huh? I understood nothing, though?”
“Sesung Guild, Hunter, my na—all things you read directly.”
“But that was only a tiny part of it!”
Still, I’d gleaned sothing, however small. He should have said “so you understand everything clearly.” I narrowed my eyes at Hyeonje.
“Fine, whatever. Nowadays you can do image translation on your phone, right?”
“Good.”
“If the OCR is ssy, you can look up words in a dictionary. English vocab isn’t hard to look up.”
My English grades weren’t terrible—though not top in the nation like Yuhyun, they were decent. I laid the letter on the table and began translating sentence by sentence. As expected, it started with a greeting—not “Hi” or “Hello,” but a more formal salutation. Then an apology for not sending a birthday gift. Apparently foreigners also know you leave a grudge if you forget soone’s birthday. Many foreign hunters have visited, after all. And... this translation seems odd.
“...Just translate it for , please?”
“You’ve already rendered your side of the wager. If I help you more, the contract will break.”
True enough. I couldn’t hand it off to a translator. And I shouldn’t show it to anyone else. This phrasing is odd—better check my dictionary... Going back and forth is tedious. I even pulled out a notepad and pen. I’d be up all night at this rate.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“We’re indoors. It’s still autumn, too.”
“But if you stay wet, you’ll catch a cold.”
“I will change—ugh, why does this word have so many anings? ‘Brass’? Why is ‘brass’ coming up? An item term?”
“It’s an idiom.”
“Huh? Oh, the shifting aning.”
I wanted to quit. And the style felt circumlocutory, much like Hyeonje’s own phrasing.
“...You didn’t accept the wager thinking I couldn’t translate it, did you?”
“Of course not. And—”
Hyeonje broke off, fidgeting. Surely he didn’t think I was incapable.
“Well, if you’d been bad to for ten years of studying, maybe I wouldn’t know!”
“Each person’s ability differs. Don’t worry about it.”
True enough, but coming from Hyeonje it sounded irritating. I grumbled and continued translating—when, in an instant, the letter vanished from the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) table. Hyeonje had pocketed it.
“What the—”
“Only those allowed to read this letter may see it.”
Bang! The door slamd open with a crash.
“Hyung!”
“It’s only you, Han Yujin.”
So Yuhyun arrived. Fast. Before I could turn, he rushed forward and threw his arms around .
“You’ll get wet—don’t worry about .”
“...Hyung.”
“Yeah, Yuhyun?”
“I sll smoke.”
My brother’s voice turned icy. Damn, I’d forgotten.
“No, it’s not that.”
“From the look on your face, you did smoke.”
Damn—should’ve said it was Hyeonje and I just caught the scent. Yuhyun stepped back, studying from head to toe.
“Why are you wet? And your shoes?”
“I fell in water, not Hyeonje’s doing—it was inside the drawer. I lost my shoes then. Dress shoes slip off easily.”
Yuhyun held out his hand.
“Give them here.”
“...Huh?”
“The cigarettes.”
“Oh, those—I smoked them all.”
“There were over ten in the case. You used every one?”
He rembered. My hesitation made his eyes harder. Hyeonje made no move to intervene.
“...They’re just a vice. I’m thirty, after all.”
“Hyung—”
“I hardly plan to smoke more. They’re an ergency tool. I have Poison Resistance, so you never know. I might need them. And soon they’ll be on general sale.”
They’d spread easily once people wanted them. At my words, Yuhyun frowned but withdrew his hand.
“If you smoke again for no urgent reason—”
“I told you I won’t.”
“I’ll smoke too.”
“Hey!”
I reflexively shouted.
“They’re bad for you!”
“I’m S-Rank. Compared to you, it’ll barely scratch .”
“You’re still young! Why smoking already!”
“Then you just don’t smoke.”
My brother refused to yield. True, he could simply abstain—but still. I’d have to be genuinely careful from now on. I lifted my arm to my nose—no strong scent remained.
“Do they sll a lot?”
“Completely different from usual.”
“Really? Hyeonje, don’t you have any cologne?”
Hyeonje held out empty hands. I thought he would at least carry one. I wondered how Noah and Yerim would notice—but then Yuhyun, staring at petals on the floor, said:
“Try Grace. At S-Rank level.”
In an instant, the Sovereign’s Blade in my hand shifted to a slender form and swept petals into a swirling circle. Whoosh—blossoms soared into the air and burst afla. Tiny embers rained over my head and shoulders.
“The smoke masks the sll.”
Ash from the burned petals clung to my body. I looked like a damp carcass rolling in cinders.
“If you wander the hotel like that, they’ll complain.”
I need to wash and change. At that mont, the half-hanging door was shattered as a golden griffin burst in.
“Uncle!”
“Dad!”
“Kyaa!”
Yerim and Gyeol were searching for alongside Blue. Or maybe they headed straight for the Gyeonggi breeding grounds, afraid I’d ride Blue out of Korea again. Yuhyun, arriving first, must have been scanning nearby; Myeongwoo and Noah likely went toward Incheon Airport.
“I’m fine—no injuries, so don’t worry.”
“I’m not exactly fine.”
Yerim leapt down from Blue. Gyeol flew over to .
“Dad!”
“You’re dirty.”
“That’s what happened! Right?”
Gyeol’s golden eyes narrowed—I glared back. His were slightly darker.
“No, this ti Hyeonje’s not at fault... exactly, but no one kidnapped or held .”
I frad it honestly but left them worried scurrying around. ...I half-wished I could smack him across the back.
—Grrrk—
“Blue, you’re not supposed to co in here. Didn’t you break anything?”
At my words, Blue flapped its wings and Yerim averted her gaze. Of course they didn’t enter through the front—they must’ve broken a front window.
Soon after, Myeongwoo and Noah arrived with Director Song. As soon as Myeongwoo caught my eye, I blurted an excuse.
“This really was a misunderstanding! The Sesung Guild Leader just mistook it!”
“I only spoke the truth.”
“Do I look like soone who’d celebrate feeling aggrieved? We were playing tag and I hid too well, so he said I’d disappeared!”
“Okay, okay. I’m not going to eat you.”
Myeongwoo waved down.
“Why are your clothes wet?”
“I fell in water. It’s a bit long to explain—I’ll tell you later.”
I need to show Myeongwoo the drawer and ask for help. It should resemble his forge.
“By the way, did you accompany Director Song?”
“We went to escort her. Traffic’s bad around here.”
“Noah said it.” Indeed, if Director Song ca alone, it’d take ages—no flight skill, no substitute like Yuhyun. Streets full of pedestrians made running risky, and even vaulting between buildings sotis led to damage and compensation claims. Other S-Ranks have legal teams and deep pockets—but not Director Song. She must be cautious.
“I planned to use the subway.”
She must have sensed my sympathy, because she explained:
“I also take the subway for transit through uncongested but uncontrolled areas.”
Not a helicopter like Hyeonje—or a bike like Soyeong, but sothing small and round like a scooter first ca to mind. A sleek black motorcycle would suit her.
“Helicopter—”
“No.”
“Motorcycle—”
“No.”
“For the public’s safety, shouldn’t we use fast transport?”
“In ergencies, we deploy helicopters.”
Of course the consulates have helicopters; they’re just not for everyday use. Fuel costs... Still, a motorcycle would be ideal. A big black one.
“You’re not treating this as a simple false report, are you?”
Director Song looked between Hyeonje and .
“No. Please process this as ‘we’ve moved on.’ Do not reveal details—make it sound suspicious.”
S-Ranks suddenly bursting out, so big event, then quietly suppressed—it looks very suspicious.
“Are you planning to deceive Chloe Hunter?”
Yuhyun’s question, answered by my nod.
“More precisely, her sister. Chloe saw being suspicious of Hyeonje. Then you made a fuss—I expect her to sense sothing’s up.”
I don’t know the sister’s intel reach, but if she’s involved in China, she’s probably not entirely unaware of our situation.
“Especially between the Sesung Guild Leader and . She might know I t with Hyeonje.”
No other guests were here, but hotel staff remained. They arranged the table, flowers, and refreshnts. So our movent could’ve leaked.
“I don’t have a detailed plan—it was a sudden thought—but feigning problems on our side can’t hurt. At least it’ll make them less careless.”
Saying this, I looked to Hyeonje.
“Will you cooperate?”
“If I refuse here—”
Hyeonje slowly surveyed us with a leisurely gaze.
“I think things will get quite interesting.”
“Don’t spout nonsense.”
“Which side will Director Song take?”
Song frowned slightly.
“I will arbitrate. Please refrain from rash actions.”
“So I have no allies. How lonely.”
“I’m not trying to start a fight.”
At my words, Hyeonje’s eyes narrowed into a smile.
“Are you planning to let go willingly, Cinderella?”
Right, I’m a ss. Instead of answering, I pressed my lips shut. Letting him go willingly? Impossible. As the tension shifted, Yuhyun pressed close by my side. Yerim, too, signaled Blue to depart and moved to my side.
Hyeonje, who’d been quietly smiling, exhaled softly.
“Han Yujin, you and I still have business to finish.”
“Yes, of course.”
I still have to translate that letter. Only once I know its contents can I decide what to do next.
“First, wash up—and since our tea ti is ruined, allow to invite you to dinner anew. I can spare ti until midnight.”
He’s giving ti to persuade him—or perhaps to help review the letter.
“Very well. But I’d prefer to go now.”
I brushed ash and petals from my sleeve.
“Let’s act as if the day isn’t over. I’ll be considered unable to return to the breeding grounds.”
No sooner had I said that than Gyeol began to grumble.
—“You’re going alone again, Dad? That’s not fair!”—
“Gyeol, please bear with it. You can’t see this either, okay?”
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