Chapter 151 - Chapter 151 (1/2)

"Somewhere.... private??"

Embarrassment began dyeing Cha Hae-In's expression beet red as she took a look around where they were. Jin-Woo's own expression hardened as well.

'How come all the buildings around here are so....'

Indeed, they were now in a location where everything around them was ill-suited for a pair of young people to casually walk in.

Before this awkward situation could get any worse, Jin-Woo quickly came up with a solution.

"You need to get your car anyway, so why don't we go back to our Guild office?"

"Ah, yes."

Nod, nod.

He briefly thought that her nodding like that with a reddened face was rather adorable to look at. But still, he quickly turned around in the direction of the office.

"Shall we?"

"Okay."

Jin-Woo began retracing the path he and Cha Hae-In took and was reminded of the fact that she was indeed a rank S Hunter like him.

'Wow, we really did run far, didn't we?'

Although it felt like only a brief moment for him, they needed ten minutes of regular walking just get back to his office.

The Guild office was located on the third floor. Jin-Woo placed his thumb on the electronic lock, and the door clicked open to allow them inside.

He was about to head straight into the conference room, but then, he had to stop in his treks and take a look behind him, at Cha Hae-In still standing by the doorway.

".....?"

Jin-Woo stared at her with eyes asking "Aren't you coming in?" which prompted her to ask back at him, instead.

"Isn't it too dark inside?"

"....Ah."

Only then did Jin-Woo realise that the interior of the office was pitch-black.

His vision wasn't hindered by regular levels of darkness, so stuff like this would happen every once in a while. As for Hunter Cha, maybe she wasn't as good with darkness as he was.

Click.

He flipped the switch and the interior was brightly lit up. She took a look inside the illuminated interior and cautiously asked him again.

"There is no one in the office?"

"The Vice-Chair wanted to remain behind in the Gate's location, you see."

"Could there be only two people in this Gui..."

Cha Hae-In stopped her words there and quickly shook her head when she saw Jin-Woo and his expression that said, "So, what's the problem with that?"

".....No, it's nothing."

Cha Hae-In was very quickly coming to an understanding that the common sense of the world didn't seem to apply to the man in front of her eyes.

'Hold on.'

Her steps taking her into the Guild office suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

'Doesn't that mean there are only me and Mister Seong Jin-Woo inside this Guild building??'

The light of tension quickly filled up Cha Hae-In's eyes. At the same time, she also realised that it'd been a while since she felt this tense as well.

'Maybe, it's my first time since becoming an Awakened....'

How many men out there in this world were capable of making her feel this tense? Especially when she was acknowledged to be one of the highest levelled among the ranked S Hunters, at that?

For some reason, the words of 'somewhere private' kept repeating in her head and she became even more conscious of herself because of that. Her heart was palpitating faster and faster.

She began giggling then, suddenly thinking that she was no longer acting like a rank S Hunter, but like a regular girl now.

"Keuk, keuk."

Jin-Woo gazed at Cha Hae-In trying hard to suppress her giggles and tilted his head.

'Is it that funny to have only two employees in a Guild?'

But, then again, she was a part of the top Guild in South Korea, so from her perspective, this arrangement must've come across as totally inconceivable.

So, Jin-Woo stopped paying any mind to that and entered the conference suite. He made her sit close by and settled down on the opposing chair.

He started talking only after the air in the conference suite felt a bit more familiar to both of them.

"Please tell me. What happened?"

Just those simple words were enough to change the atmosphere within the suite completely.

"How is it possible for Hunter Min Byung-Gu to leave you with messages for me?"

Jin-Woo's expression was serious. He didn't know her all that well, but still, he got the impression that she wasn't a type to start spewing baseless lies just to get some attention.

That was why he became so much more serious now.

"..."

Either she needed some time to recall her sleeping memories, or didn't know where to begin her tale, because she needed a bit of time before she was ready to open lips.

"That day....."

Cha Hae-In finally raised her head and looked deeply into his eyes. Her gentle eyes were now filled to the brim with tears. When Jin-Woo saw her expression, he thought he could more or less tell where she'd start her story.

She quietly spoke.

"I heard his voice."

***

Cha Hae-In was getting sucked deeper into the unending darkness, but it was none other than the hand of Min Byung-Gu reaching down to stop her falling.

"Min Byung-Gu.... Hunter-nim?"

Min Byung-Gu slowly nodded his head.

Cha Hae-In had to confirm that it was him multiple times because he was currently decked out in unfamiliar black armour. If it weren't for his uncovered face, she'd never have figured out that it was him.

Cha Hae-In asked him in confusion.

"Where.... Where are we?"

"I don't know myself, but I do know what will happen if I let go of the hand holding you."

Cha Hae-In was about to take a look below her, but Min Byung-Gu hurriedly stopped her.

"Don't look!!"

"Excuse me??"

Cha Hae-In got startled and she quickly looked up at him. Min Byung-Gu explained to her with a sombre look on his face.

"If you look down there, you might not be able to come back up again."

As he said those words, she got to read a certain emotion that almost felt like a longing of some kind within his eyes.

'No, it can't be....'

She began recalling the scene taking place seconds before she lost consciousness.

The Jeju Island raid.

The ant queen.

And then, the sudden appearance of a truly terrifying mutated ant monster.

She sensed a scary something approaching her, and then, the darkness came over her.

"Did I... Am I dead?"

Min Byung-Gu shook his head.

"No, not yet."

"But then, what about you, Min Byung-Gu Hunter-nim?"

He didn't reply. Instead, Min Byung-Gu stopped her line of questioning there.

"We don't have much time left, so allow me to get to the point."

This was likely his one and only chance. If he missed it, then he'd never be able to get this message across. Min Byung-Gu's expression became urgent, pleading even, as he spoke to her.

"Please pass this message to Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

'Seong Jin-Woo....?'

Cha Hae-In could only briefly stew in her confusion arising from that name unexpectedly being mentioned here. Min Byung-Gu carried on.

"You must tell him that he needs to be careful with the power he possesses."

"What, what do you mean by that?"

"You must've noticed it by now, but I've already died once. I fell to the bottom of this place, but someone pulled me back up. He pulled me back out of this endless darkness."

"Could it be that man is....?"

"Yes, it was Hunter Seong Jin-Woo."

Cha Hae-In's eyes began quaking powerfully now. Even if Hunter Seong Jin-Woo was ridiculously overpowered, was he really powerful enough to revive a dead person??

However, Min Byung-Gu continued to recount the experience he had gone through without holding anything back.

"Truth is, even though it was indeed I that got revived, that wasn't really me, either. I possessed my will and my consciousness, but I was also prepared to do anything for him.... It felt like I have become an unquestioning, unconditional slave only existing to serve him and nothing else."

There was no reason for Cha Hae-In to ask who this 'he' was in Min Byung-Gu's explanations. She swallowed her nervous saliva.

"I was scared as well, because the mere idea of serving him made me feel so happy."

Min Byung-Gu formed a bitter expression.