CHAPTER THRITY-SEVEN!
────for what's to come.

❝IF THIS IS SOME KIND OF JOKE...❞

SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA A figure watches from a distance as a lavish mansion is set on fire.

a man clicks his tongue in annoyance. he feels the pulses of magical energy coming from the burning building, not finding the one he was looking for.

'she's not here either, i thought
she would stay by with the fragments to hide.'

"idiots, but i guess the plan is working." the man mutters as he walks towards the building, annoyed.

he steps into the rays of bright moonlight and his face revealed, his features brightening

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INTRODUCING...

ATLUS, ???

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the man named "atlus" looks up to the sky with a frown, shoving his pale hands into his pockets.

his glowing ruby eyes were trained on the moon, it's light feeling like home as the well as the sparkling stars that decorated they night sky.

"MY DEAR... JUST WHERE ARE YOU?"

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"WOW, THERE'S A lot of people!" [y/n] exclaims, glancing out the window of the sleek black car.

jin-woo and her were being escorted to the airport from japan to go back home to korea.

"of course. they all gathered here today because they wanted to see you two." says the association employee that was driving them. "we don't have an exact number, but we estimate there are over 100,000 people."

the female player cuddles up to her lover as she continues to look out the window.

"never in my life i would ever think i would be this famous, it's surreal..." she mumbles, laying her head on jin-woo's chest.

"goes to show you'll never know what
might happen in the future."

"that's true."

he wraps an arm around her shoulder and leaves a lingering kiss on her forehead. he then suddenly feels himself to be a bit sleepy as she delicately plays with the fingers in his free hand.

jin-woo sighs in content. 'cuddling with her is so dangerous, she could make me fall asleep in an instant. her mere presence is so intoxicating...' he thinks as he plays with a strand of her soft [h/t] hair.

"my liege, your people are paying respect to you. perhaps you and my queen should raise your hands at them in acknowledgement..." beru suggests from the depths of his shadow.

"you got it all wrong beru..." jin-woo mutters with a deadpan.

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"I WONDER WHAT'S the chance of coincidentally sitting near someone you know on a plane..." jin-woo mutters as he vague familiar figure sits at the next row of the plane.

"hello mister adam!" [y/n] greets excitedly with a wave from her seat beside her lover.

adam softly smiles at her warm demeanor. "hello miss [l/n], it is an honour to see you and mister sung again."

"we've only met once and yet you two still remember me." he adds with a sheepish grin.

"of course!" the female hunter replies with a laugh.

the male hunter could only sweat drop as it was different circumstance for him. 'well, beru was the one who told me his name.'

"my king! his name is adam! adam white! you must not get the name wrong this time! it will worsen your reputation as the king!" he reminded him through their mental link.

"wasn't the deal called off?" jin-woo asks, curious as to why the agent was here in the first place. 

"i am aware i am stepping out of bounds by coming to see you two without prior notice but i have an urgent matter to discuss." adam explains.

[y/n] furrows her eyebrows. "don't tell me the u.s. failed to stop the s-rank gate..." she mumbles, her voice soft hoping that they wouldn't have to face with so many casualties like in japan.

"oh, no! that has been taken care of without any problems." he quickly assures.

she lets out a sigh of relief and smiles at him. "that's great to hear!"

"please take a look at this."

it was then adam opened up a laptop, passing it to [y/n] so that she and jin-woo could use it. a video clip came up on the screen.

jin-woo plays the video clip and it begin. it was video of firefighters struggling to put out a fire that only got stronger by the second. it was obvious that the flames contain magical energy.

"we can't put it out!"

"this is no ordinary fire!"

"hey, stay back! you'll get burned to a crisp from just an ember!" 

"jesus christ! where's our backup?!"

"when's our backup arriving?!" 

jin-woo looks to his left and asks adam, "what is this video?"

"here... if you watch the end..." he replies pointing back at the laptop.

the person taking video venture deeper into the inferno until the footage could capture the origin of the fire. 

IT WAS NONE OTHER THAN ONE OF THE NATIONAL RANKED HUNTERS, CHRISTOPHER REED.

he laid dead in the rubble, his body burnt, deep cuts across his abdomen and five gaping holes in his chest.

peculiarly, the biggest hole looked vaguely like a crescent moon.

"the man who started the fire was christopher reed, one of the national authority hunters. 1,800 firefighters and 14 mage-type hunters were mobilized to put out his flame." adam explained to the two hunters.

"for the fire to be this intense, there must've been a fight. does that mean christopher is..." [y/n] trails with a frown.

the agent only nodded. "we couldn't believe it either, but he was already dead when we found him." 

"AND THIS..."

adam white reached into his coat pocket to pull something out to show the couple. it was picture of man, a very familiar man.

"...IS THE PHOTO OF THE MAN WHO THE HUNTER BUREAU SUSPECTS WAS RESPONSIBLE."

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THE AIR TURNS deathly cold.

adam was suddenly lifted from his seat and into the air. his eyes snap open in surprise.

a death like aura surrounded jin-woo as he used ruler's authority to crush the laptop in anger. he looks at adam with a glare, his eyes glowing a violent purple.

"IF THIS IS SOME KIND OF JOKE... YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE ALIVE."

[y/n] could only watch the scene unfold. she elegantly crossed her legs as she lets him do what he wants. she was in no position to speak on the matter that pertain to his father.

jin-woo held the agent by the neck almost choking him. he tried to argue with the hunter but couldn't.

she sighs, realizing she needed to step in or things could get ugly.

so, she lays a hand on his, bringing it up to her soft lips and kisses the back of it gently. then [y/n] gives her lover the smile that he's ever so weak for, the kind that made his knees buckle.

she uses her ruler's authority to release adam from his hold and simply lift him in the air while jin-woo's attention is on her.

"the man in the picture came out of a dungeon. it may not be the person you think it is." adam states through heavy breaths as he mentally thanked the female hunter for practically saving him.

"dungeon?" jin-woo questions him, though his eyes were on his lover. 

"the magic energy he emitted matched that of a monster's, and he attacked our s-rank hunters without warning," adam explains, still in the air.

"do you remember the explosion incident at the hunter bureau's h.q. a few months ago? the one that was on the news globally?" he continued as the two hunters nod.

jin-woo's gaze lowered as he sighs. "are you saying that my father is behind this?"

adam nods his head, answering him. then, [y/n] taps her finger against the arm rest of her seat, lowering the agent to the ground.

immediately after, a few agents came from other seats on the plane. they quickly approach their boss wondering if he was alright.

"after he beat down our hunters, he disappeared. after which, the hunter bureau searched for him in secret... but there was not a trace to be found, as if he vanished into thin air." the two wordlessly continued to listen to adam's explanation. "i understand how you feel. but, his profile fits best for this particular crime." 

"and why exactly did you show me this photo?" jin-woo argues back, holding up the photo of his father.

"THE INTERNATIONAL GUILD CONFERENCE."

this catches the two hunters by surprise.

"in this year's conference, the american hunter bureau intends to issue a red notice for this man. in other words, this investigation will no longer be kept a secret." he says quickly, hoping that the s-rank hunter wouldn't be angered.

[y/n] feels her fingers being interlocked with jin-woo's, he squeezes her hand in search of comfort. she squeezes his hand back in reassurance.

she sighs and looks to adam with a sad smile. "so, i'm assuming you came to us to inform jin-woo before the public announcement?"

"that's correct." he responds. 

the [h/c] haired player looks back to her lover who only stared at the photo of his father, his eyes glowing purple.

with her free hand, she reaches to cup his face. once their skin comes into contact, he flutters his eyes close. leaning into her warm touch, instantly becoming relaxed.

adam could barely stand back up. he staggered onto his feet, needing assistance from the agents that accompanied him.

"are you alright, sir?"

"yeah, i'm just drained,"

sweat rolled down the side of his face as he recalled their actions.

THE TWO MOVED HIM WITHOUT EVEN SO MUCH AS MOVING A MUSCLE

the agent had realized that they were able to use telekinesis. but the telekinesis they used was on a completely different level to high-ranked magic hunters who can move objects. 

adam white was under the impression that only national authority rank hunters were capable of telekineses on that kind of level. 

UNTIL NOW THAT WAS.

with a trembling hand, he grazed his neck where jin-woo had pick him up by.

'I THINK I JUST DISCOVERED THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH NATIONAL RANKED HUNTERS...'

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE INTERNATIONAL GUILD conference.

it was an important event where guilds representing each country are invited to discuss current events and future prospects of the hunter world.

a few days ago, the american hunter bureau announced the list of invited guilds.

AHJIN GUILD OF KOREA.

their participation became a hot topic worldwide.

the only top ranked hunters registered to the ahjin guild were just sung jin-woo, the guildmaster and [y/n] [l/n], the only member.

however, the american hunter bureau recognized the fact that these two individuals alone possessed enough strength...

...TO RIVAL A GREAT NUMBER OF GUILDS WITH MANY TOPPED RANKED HUNTERS.

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"THERE HAS BEEN a lot of discussion surrounding the issue of ahjin guild being invited to this year's conference instead of the hunters guild." a reporter mentions.

back in korea, hunter choi jong-in was doing an interview on the matter that ahjin as been chosen to represent korea.

"what're your thoughts on this matter, guild-master of the hunters guild, hunter choi jong-in?"

"i believe that the american hunter bureau made the obviously correct decision." the s-rank hunter replied.

"obviously correct, you say? not understandable?" the reporter questions back.

the man gives the reporter a closed eyeed smile and a slight nod. "yes, i definitely believe that is the case."

"however, wouldn't you agree it isn't an over-exaggeration to say the ahjin guild is essentially just a one-man show?" the reporter fires back, not mentioning the other s-rank hunter that is part of the guild.

the prejudice against [y/n] [l/n] was great, for she was foreigner and not a native resident. while some have accepted her into korean hunter community, others have not.

"a two-man show, you mean." jong-in corrects. "hunter [y/n] [l/n] is apart of korea no matter where she originated."

the reporter flinches in surprise and coughs to regain his composure.

"and yes, but they are hunter [y/n] [l/n] and sung jin-woo," he added. "if you define guild members as those who are combat-capable, i believe those two possess thousands of guild members. if they were on their own, they'd possess hundreds of guild members."

"why is that so?"

"as someone who has seen their performance in the jeju island gate incident and the recent event..." he pauses for a moment. "i would say that the ahjin guild would not lose to any guild, from any country."

"however, for the hunters guild which has represented korea in the international guild conference every year, i cannot imagine you are too happy to hear of this news." the reporter continues, noting the change.

jong-in smiles as he responds with a shrug, "yes, it is a little pitiful that we couldn't go this year. i even had my passport renewed. but more importantly, i feel proud. we now not only have one but two hunters who we can rely on if a monster we couldn't imagine to fend off were to ever appear."

he sighs a little as he adjusts his glasses. "truthfully, my guild members and i could only make it back alive thanks to hunter [l/n] and hunter sung."

then, jong-in looks at the camera with sincere expression as he says.

"I GENUINELY FEEL PROUD THAT THEY WERE CHOSEN AS KOREA'S REPRESENTATIVE."

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE HUNTER'S ASSOCIATION...

"there has been a request for hunter sung jin-woo and hunter [y/n] [l/n]'s data from china." jin-chul informs gun-hee.

the old man looks up from the papers he's working on with a raised eyebrow. "their personal information?"

"no, sir. they requested for their raid records and any related official reports." the young chief replies

"of course... not even china would expect to get personal information on top-ranked hunters." gun-hee mutters under his breath.

he pauses, now a bit confused. "but why the sudden interest in hunter sung jin-woo and hunter [y/n] [l/n]? they should know very well that they do not entertain any negotiations from any country."

"the request did not come from the chinese government, sir," jin-chul states. "it's from an individual."

"an individual?" gun-hee repeated with raised eyebrows.

"IT SEEMS CHINA'S SEVEN STAR RANKRD HUNTER, LIU ZHIGANG HAS TAKEN AN INTEREST IN HUNTER SUNG JIN-WOO AND HUNTER [Y/N] [L/N]."

china did not adopt the international standard for ranking hunters, and instead used their own. the highest rank was a five star rank. however...

ONE PERSON WAS GIVEN THE SEVEN STAR RANK AND THAT PERSON WAS LUI ZHIGANG.

it came to a surprise to gun-hee that a man like lui zhigang was interested in korea's top hunters.

"that liu zhigang is interested in them?" gun-hee asks again, not believing it.

jin-chul only nodded. "he did fight the giant-type monster. perhaps that is why he has taken an interest in hunter sung jin-woo and hunter [y/n] [l/n] who have taken out all the giants."

'the strong recognizes the strong, huh...?' gun-hee thinks as he grinned cheekily.

"REJECT THAT REQUEST OR SEND HOM RUDIMENTARY DATA."

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IN AMERICA...

"hunter sung jin-woo and hunter [y/n] [l/n] are expected to arrive in the u.s. tomorrow," laura stated as she bowed to her boss.

thomas who was looking the giant glass pane window of his office only chuckled. "it's already the day before, huh?"

the door to office opens as someone enters. "did you call for me, sir?"

the tall man looks over his shoulder with a smirk. "oh, perfect timing!" he exclaims as he fully turns around.

"there's something i need to tell you."

"yes?"

"i'll get straight to the point," thomas said and walked towards man. he leans down a bit, his glowing eyes glinting through his sunglasses.

"DO NOT MESS WITH SUNG JIN-WOO... MISTER HWANG."

the man named, hwang dong-su, had his eyes wide as pie plates when he heard the familiar name. the expression on his face seemed to say 'how did you know?'

"i know what happened between your brother and hunter sung jin-woo." thomas points out . "i'm sure you have your suspicions and want to know exactly what happened."

"but..."

before dong-su could properly refute something, thomas raised his finger at his face. but he let out presence that had the s-rank hunter almost whimpering like a scared puppy.

"i don't recall giving you permission to speak, mister hwang."

the threat was obvious, even to laura, who only stood on the sidelines and watched.

"don't ever lay your hands on sung jin-woo nor, on [y/n] [l/n]. things will get messy if you do." thomas continues, laying a hand on dong-su's shoulder as he stayed silent.

"go take a break in one of the villas owned by the guild during the conference period." he suggests in a relaxed manner.

thomas pauses, looking at dong-su for a moment. "well? will you accept my plead?"

"..."

"mister hwang?"

"...alright."

thomas grinned at his reply. "good, you may leave."

laura and thomas watched as dong-su left the room. "is it taken care of, now?" laura quickly questions her boss, worry lacing her tone. she knows how obsessive the s-rank hunter gets with his targets.

"nah," thomas states nonchalantly. "no way he's over it just from that."

sensing the signs of ill-intent and revenge from dong-su's expression at that moment. he gives his lovely secretary an order. "laura, keep mister hwang under strict surveillance until sung jin-woo and [y/n] [l/n] leave the united states."

"will he accept this?"

thomas scratches his chin before making a sarcastic reply.

"WELL... BEING A LITTLE FRUSTRATED IS BETTER THAN BEING DEAD, I'M SURE."

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DONG-SU'S BREATHING WAS erratic.

the man he so desperately wanted to kill was within his grasp but knowing the consequences of what would happen if he ever approached him, he'd rather not even go near him.

he stormed through the halls of the scavenger building, trying to think of a way he could get an answer for a question he's been impatiently waiting for.

"HEY! YOU DUMBASS YOU THERE!?"

a familiar voice took dong-su out of his thoughts as he was stopped by someone else. he shakes his head as his eyes meet azure blue ones that reflected like gemstones.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

INTRODUCING...

KIM MIN-HYUK, A VILE MAN

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

"judging by how pissed off you looked about a second ago, i'm guessing, you talked with the boss didn't you?" min-hyuk teased with a cheeky smile.

dong-su could only roll his eyes, "he told me to stay in one of the villas for the time being..."

the thought of sung jin-woo being on american soil angered him again. his face grew back to being full of revenge, min-hyuk noticed immediately and grinned.

he lays a hand on his friend's shoulder to make him look at him. "but you're not letting that stop you, right?"

"of course not shit head."

"good!"

then, min-hyuk's eyes glow a dark red, similar to the color of spider lilies.

"as your wonderful junior, i have a lovely proposition for you." he mentions catching his attention.

"that would be...?" dong-su trails, his eyebrow raised.

"you see... you know of sung jin-woo's eye
candy he keeps around?"

the mention of the beautiful woman confused the s-rank hunter for a moment. why was she mentioned all of the sudden?

dong-su nods, signaling his junior that he knew who she was causing him to grin, almost maniacally.

"I HAVE A LITTLE HISTORY WITH HER. SO IF I HELP YOU, YOU'LL HELP ME, RIGHT?"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

ITS BEEN FOUR days since sung jin-woo and [l/n] [y/n] returned to korea from japan.

despite having a track record of continuously clearing gates, they've been awfully quiet as of late.

WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD
THEY BE DOING?

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

THE SUNG FAMILY apartment...

"what the fuck [n/n]?! how the
fuck did you get in front of me?"

"BAHAHAHAHAH!"

jin-woo and [y/n] sat on the couch in the living room, in their more casual and comfortable clothing.

the two were playing a friendly game of mario kart on the gaming system that the family shares.

"here's a bomb! i'll tell you how later! hehehe!" the [h/c] haired player teases, clicking a button

the dark haired player gasps in shock as he was now even more behind.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

jin-ah, who sat in between them, laughed with her big sister as she sent a bomb towards her brother's character, slowing him down and letting her take the lead.

the minute they landed in korea, the couple decided it would be best to relax for a couple of days and spend time with their family. it was their personal reward for clearing the s-rank gate in tokyo.

from the kitchen, kyung-hye's eyebrow twitched at the frequent cursing from her son but it soon faded away as she watches her children laugh and smile together.

"dinners ready!" she calls with a small smile on her face, walking back into the kitchen.

quick shuffling is heard as the three get themselves situated at the dinner table as their mother sat down last. the four give their thanks and begin eating.

the sung family household has never been so full of warmth and laughter as it was before. kyung-hye enjoyed these moments the most, where her home felt happy and lively.

the older woman watches as the kids tease each other endlessly, the bright smiles on their faces and the sound of their laughter.

THIS WAS ALL SHE ASKED FOR.

CHAPTER THRITY-SEVEN! END!
────for what's to come.