The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 599: Missing (1)

Along the long corridor, A–class Hunters stood spaced out in a line. Heavy tension hung in the air, and the crisp sound of heels echoed. The hem of a white one–piece dress patterned as if splattered with ink swayed with each step like it was dancing.

“So I didn’t exactly come off as refined and mature after all. That must be why he didn’t come see me even after getting my letter.”

“Refined… anyway, it’s true the Sesung Guildmaster doesn’t like kids. He was annoyed even when that scandal with Hunter Kang Soyeong blew up. But Song Taewon, Moon Hyunah, and Evelyn didn’t react at all. Supposedly they even found it amusing.”

According to Sesung’s intel network. Park Hayul continued.

“And you’re the one who said among them, the one he’s liked the longest is Chief Song Taewon, so we should go with him, Mari.”

“I don’t like that name. It’s too common and plain.”

Mari grumbled.

“They said I had to be named after my mother, but still, what kind of name is Mari?”

Her bright green eyes briefly scrunched up, then her face smoothed back into a smile. Mari pressed her fingertips lightly to the corners of her eyes and her forehead.

“It’s our first time meeting face–to–face; I can’t be frowning. First impressions are important, you know.”

“Feels like you already tanked the first impression just by trying to kidnap him.”

At Park Hayul’s mutter, Mari shot him a sulky glare. Then she stretched out her hand and created something like a large mirror. She neatened the section of her hair that was braided and checked her outfit, then waved her hand to dispel the mirror.

“Even if we’re destined partners, I still have to be polite.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Park Hayul stopped walking, as if he wanted no further part in this. Mari, on the other hand, kept going.

“I wanted to take things step by step too, if I could. But he turned down my polite request to be partners. Even though the only way to save the world is for us to get married!”

So there was no helping it. Turning neatly around the corner and following the corridor, the tip of Mari’s heel came to a stop in front of a door. She lifted her hand and gave a light knock–knock.

“Hello, my future husband.”

Her destiny, as told by the moon. Mari opened the door. Moonlight poured down through the round glass ceiling above. The circular patterns and unknown letters on the floor caught the moonlight and glowed faintly. A man stood in the middle of it. His faded hair shone silver under the moon, and the white coat clinging with dark, drying blood trailed long from his broad shoulders.

Mari stared at the sight, entranced for a moment, then quietly stepped inside and closed the door. For some reason, she felt a little intimidated.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad.”

Looking up at the moon beyond the glass, Seong Hyunjae answered. A faint smile curved his lips.

“I’ll keep on living from here on out as well.”

Even if it piled up hundreds, thousands more times, faded and buried again. As long as he could, even for a fleeting moment, face that something that flowed into his heart. His golden eyes curved slightly.

“I really do like people, after all.”

And the world where people set foot. Some said he only cared about the special ones. The ones he took interest in and approached first were certainly like that, but in truth he held everyone within his fence. Because you never knew when or where possibility would catch the light.

He might look like a tyrant who did whatever he pleased, but in reality he didn’t take others’ lives lightly. He was rather kind to ordinary people, and even the vermin who harmed those ordinary folks were spared if they met certain conditions. He willingly lent a hand in following rules and maintaining society.

He wasn’t some benevolent being who loved everything in the world. But it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he loved all the possibilities in it.

A generous affection, rooted in self–love, for his own enjoyment and the sensation of being alive.

“So I’ll refuse your offer. Whatever it is.”

Without turning around, Seong Hyunjae spoke. His gaze still lingered on the screen that had already vanished. On the life of one human. And, much to his regret, on the hand that he hadn’t been able to see directly as it severed the neck of a Transcendent falling toward the floor.

Seong Hyunjae pressed his fingertips lightly against his own chest. A jumble of emotions was still staining his whole body dark. They flashed in a variety of colors like Christmas lights, making his long–stagnant heart pound.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t something you get to choose.”

Mari spoke with utmost politeness.

“It’s already been decided.”

“What an unbearably tedious thing to say.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her voice oozed confidence. Seong Hyunjae still didn’t look at her. The mana flowing beneath his feet crawled up over his body like iron chains. His brows briefly furrowed, but he didn’t try to avoid it. It wasn’t the kind of mana he could dodge in the first place. Those chains had been binding him since long ago.

To top it off—

“This is about it, huh.”

He’d hit his limit. One arm wouldn’t move at all, heavy like a lifeless block of wood. The recoil from forcibly dragging out an old skill had thrown the mana inside his body into complete disarray. Seong Hyunjae turned. Mari blinked when his gaze finally met hers, then straightened her posture.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m─”

“Tell my partner congratulations for me.”

“…What?”

“And─”

He didn’t finish. Like the moon setting, his eyes closed and Seong Hyunjae’s body collapsed. Mari hurriedly threw out both arms to catch him.

“I haven’t done anything yet, though?”

Out of everything she had prepared, all she had used was a formation to pin his feet in place. And even that had only barely started to activate. Mari sat down on the floor and peered into Seong Hyunjae’s face.

“Seong Hyunjae–nim? Are you seriously asleep?”

Only the faint sound of his slightly uneven breathing answered. Flustered, Mari darted her eyes around.

“Wait, this is backwards. It’s supposed to be the prince kissing the sleeping princess. I know it’s different these days, but still!”

They said there were a lot more proactive princesses now than in the old stories. Mari groaned and scrunched her brow.

“So does that mean I’m the one who has to do the kissing here?”

Her green eyes blinked as she stared at the unconscious Seong Hyunjae. Her gaze fixed especially on his lightly closed lips. Mari’s pupils spun in little circles. What to do.

“We’re going to get married anyway.”

So it should be fine, right? She had to wake him up first if they were going to have a wedding at all. After some deliberation, Mari lowered her head. But before she could get close to Seong Hyunjae’s face, she jerked her head back up.

“Still, I want my first kiss to be at the wedding! Maybe it’s supposed to be that way.”

If the ceremony itself had meaning, the kiss probably did too. Hugging her future groom with one arm, Mari waved her hand. Thud! A gust of wind roared out, flinging the closed door wide open, and the long corridor went whoooom–.

The Hunters who had been waiting rushed over, and Park Hayul stuck his head out between them.

“Huh? You’re already done?”

“He just collapsed.”

“Why? Does he hate the idea of marrying you that– ack!”

Smacked by an invisible force, Park Hayul clutched the back of his head and groaned. Mari pouted and said,

“We’ve secured the Sesung Guildmaster, so now kill Song Taewon. You said he was the most dangerous one. And if possible, Han Yujin too─”

“Hyung Yujin is off–limits!”

At Mari’s words, Park Hayul practically jumped.

“If it weren’t for the S–class Hunters in the first place, he would’ve lived a normal life! Probably! I’m sure he would’ve! This is all because of Han Yuhyun and the rest of those S–classes.”

“He’ll obviously get in the way.”

“What power does Hyung even have? Take away his items and he’s normal.”

Mari looked back and forth between Seong Hyunjae and Park Hayul. She remembered Han Yujin’s life as shown in Chatterbox’s broadcast to some extent. He definitely wasn’t strong. But the fact remained that a weak F–class had survived up to now. He had even managed to kill Chatterbox with his own hands.

“Fine. For now.”

“Thanks!”

“You’re welcome. You’re practically my brother, after all.”

Mari smiled gently. Either way, there was no need for her to lay hands on Han Yujin personally. Other S–class Hunters, or at least the high–ranked Hunters, would also have retained some of their memories.

‘There’s no way the prophets’ side will just sit still.’

A demon who had killed Chatterbox, their savior. They could finish preparing the wedding while they tore into each other.

Snow was falling. It fluttered like flower petals between white branches that cut messily across the sky.

Han Yuhyun opened his eyes. The scene felt strangely real for a dream, but he quickly forgot the quiet snowy field. More importantly—

“Hyung!”

Han Yujin came first. Jumping up from the bed, Han Yuhyun checked the back of his own hand. No trace of a wound, no bloodstain. A small sigh of relief slipped out. Chatterbox’s stream had cut off the moment Han Yujin drew in the power of the fog.

Hyung had to be safe. Even as he thought that, Han Yuhyun hurriedly climbed out of bed.

– Grrr!

Peace materialized and padded over to his side. A familiar sight. It was the hotel room they had been staying in for the past few days. Since Peace was here too, it seemed everyone had been moved back to their respective rooms. Han Yuhyun went straight to the door and stepped out. A Hunter standing in the hallway tried to speak to him, but he didn’t spare them a glance as he kept walking.

He headed toward the elevators, but when he saw people crowding around there, he immediately changed direction. The other floors were probably in a similar state. Stopping at every floor would obviously take forever to get to his brother’s room. Han Yuhyun reflexively reached to draw the Ruler’s Sword, then flinched.

‘Hyung has it.’

Han Yujin had his sword. Instead, Han Yuhyun pulled out a different blade and sliced through the hotel wall. Han Yujin’s room was higher up. Blue Willow Leaves scattered and Han Yuhyun’s body leaped out into the open air.

‘…My Hyung.’

Memories of Han Yujin flashed before Han Yuhyun’s eyes. Most people had had their memories stolen by the fog, but a good portion remained for Han Yuhyun. Even how Han Yujin had lived before the regression. Han Yuhyun let out a short breath. His heart was pounding.

It hurt, it was sad, and he felt sorry. His heart felt like it was shattering under the guilt. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but be happy. There was no way he couldn’t be.

His brother truly had never, not even once, given up on him.

Crash–!

The glass wall of Han Yujin’s room shattered. As he jumped into the room, Han Yuhyun shouted,

“Hyung!”

From beginning to end. Even while believing that Han Yuhyun had abandoned him, his brother had stayed the same. That was why, even as he watched Hyung’s suffering and suffered along with him, Han Yuhyun was happy.

“Where are you, Hyung!”

Anxiousness colored Han Yuhyun’s face. He already sensed there was no one in the spacious room. Even so, he opened the bedroom door, the bathroom door, one by one.

– Whine…

Peace, who had followed him in, sniffed around near the bed. Han Yujin’s scent was still there, but he was nowhere to be seen. Han Yuhyun turned toward the door. Maybe Hyung had gone out looking for him. Before his hand could touch the doorknob—

“Mister!”

The door burst open. It was Park Yerim. Song Taewon and Moon Hyunah were with her.

“Mister’s not here? He’s not, huh!”

Seeing Han Yuhyun, Park Yerim said that. Han Yujin wasn’t by his side.

“He wasn’t on the way here either!”

“No one could’ve gotten here first. Soyeong and Liette are holding the elevators.”

Moon Hyunah explained that they had stopped all the elevators except the one they’d ridden, in case Hyung–nim tried to go somewhere else or some other Hunter tried to come after him.

“He’s not outside either! It doesn’t look like any Hunters have left the hotel yet.”

Noah flew in through the shattered glass wall and shouted. At those words, Han Yuhyun’s face darkened.

“…There’s a good chance Hyung never came back here in the first place.”

“That Chatter– whatever, what was it?”

Park Yerim tilted her head. When Moon Hyunah supplied, “Chatterbox,” she finally went, “Oh,” and nodded.

“I think my memories of Chatterbox are getting a little fuzzy too. Then, uh, Rookie! Wouldn’t it be fastest to go to a nearby dungeon and ask Rookie? Mister’s okay, right? Han Yuhyun, let me see your hand!”

Han Yuhyun obediently held up the back of his hand, and Moon Hyunah pulled out her phone.

“I’ll call the New York Hunter Association and rent a dungeon. Chief Song, that okay?”

“Yes. And Hunter Seong Hyunjae has disappeared.”

“Huh? Now that you mention it, Mister Seong is awfully quiet. I figured either Han Yuhyun or Mister Seong would already be here.”

He wasn’t. A brief silence fell, and Han Yuhyun’s brows knit.

“Don’t tell me he took Hyung…”

“If it’s Seong Hyunjae, he totally would, but there’s no way Hyung–nim would just let himself get dragged off. He’d at least blow up a room or two.”

“There’s also the possibility he was transported to the same place as Han Yujin–ssi.”

“That’s a bit of a relief, though. It’s better than Mister being alone. Oh, Gyeol’s gone too! Is he with Mister?”

“They say there’s a dungeon nearby, let’s go!”

Still on the phone with the New York Hunter Association, Moon Hyunah took the lead. Han Yuhyun also called Haeyeon to ask Do Hamin to track Han Yujin’s location. Just before he left the room, Song Taewon looked down at the floor littered with glass. A faint, instinctive sense of dread brushed across his chest.