Chapter 42

"Do you happen to know Maestro?"

Her jet-black eyes stared at the laptop screen. Eunha placed her hands on the keyboard as if in a trance.

"Do you want to meet him?"

Tap, tap.

Even just typing 'Maes' in the search bar, a long list of related search terms appeared due to the auto-complete function.

Maestro's visit to Korea

Maestro's personality

Maestro's candid shots

Maestro, a traitor

Maestro's wealth

Her hands on the keyboard paused.

Tick, tick, a few seconds passed, and then Eunha slowly lowered her hands.

"…Let's stop."

Right, she had decided not to worry about it.

Even if she met him again, there would be no positive outcome. Most importantly…

"I can't assume that Baek Ijun is hoping for a reunion with me."

If he, once her colleague, was still alive and had reached a position where he was recognized by people, that was enough. Despite knowing his weak character, it would be cruel to dig up old wounds.

What exactly did she want to confirm by doing this?

Did she simply want to reassure herself that her choice that day was not wrong? Or perhaps, she was just momentarily shaken by the vague idea of a reunion with the past.

Eunha firmly pressed the delete key to erase 'Maes' and then flopped onto the bed.

Either way, it was a selfish act.

She gazed at the ceiling, which seemed unusually high tonight, and then slowly closed her eyes.

She no longer had a past.

When she saw her mother's severed arm long ago, her past had been brutally cut away. It would be foolish to feel a sense of futility about it now.

"But what if…"

As if drawn to something, Eunha slowly opened her tightly closed eyes.

In the dark room, her black gaze aimlessly wandered the ceiling.

If she were to meet him by some chance, what would be the right thing to say?

That it was fortunate he was alive?

Whether he remembered her?

Whether William was… dead?

"…I don't know."

Eunha closed her eyes again.

The night grew deeper.

It was a pitch-black night that seemed to belong only to her.

＊＊＊

In the reception room of the Hunter Association's top floor.

Blinds were drawn over all the windows. It was not to block out the sunlight at this time close to midnight.

Clank.

The sound of a glass cup touching its saucer slightly disturbed the unusually quiet air.

"First, I must express my gratitude."

Ijun, who had put down his cup, raised his head and spoke. Opposite him sat Go Daewoon, the current leader of the Korean Hunter Association.

"Thanks to you, I was able to enter the country quietly."

Although the media was buzzing about Maestro's visit to Korea, the Association's efforts had allowed him to board the car at the airport in peace.

"It was only a natural courtesy."

Daewoon smiled and looked at the man opposite him.

Baek Ijun. Although he had moved to the United States, he was one of the first-generation Korean hunters who had survived the tumultuous early days. He was also the first S-class hunter of Korean origin.

Even if he no longer held Korean citizenship, that fact remained unchanged.

"To meet a living legend in person, it is an honor for me."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Not a compliment. Ah, I have prepared what you mentioned. It's called Grandma Kim's ox bone soup, right?"

Daewoon pressed the bell on the table, and soon the door opened. A woman, who appeared to be an Association staff member, placed a large bag on the table.

"Here it is."

She glanced at Ijun.

'This is Maestro…'

His blonde hair, which shone under the fluorescent light, and his delicate features, which were too refined to be mixed-race, immediately captured her attention.

Their eyes suddenly met, and his ash-gray eyes curved kindly. Her breath caught, and behind her, the sound of Daewoon clearing his throat could be heard.

"Hmm. You can leave now."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

The staff member quickly closed the door and left.

"Although it's late, if you don't mind, have a spoonful. I told them to keep it warm, so it shouldn't be cold."

"Thank you."

Daewoon tore open the bag and lined up the disposable containers on the desk.

"Surprising, though. I didn't expect you to want ox bone soup. You must have missed the taste of Korea."

Daewoon chuckled and handed Ijun a spoon and chopsticks.

It was past midnight, and it was a bit late for a meal, but Ijun picked up the utensils without a word.

"It tastes like this."

Ijun muttered softly after eating the ox bone soup.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing. It's really good."

"It's a famous place. I only learned about it recently. Do you like ox bone soup?"

"No, not particularly."

"Ah… I see."

His ash-gray eyes, looking down at the ox bone soup in the container, seemed to have a hint of sadness.

It was unclear why he had said he wanted to eat it if he didn't particularly like it. Yet, the way he continued to eat until the bottom of the container was visible made one wonder if he really didn't like it.

With the empty container in front of him, Daewoon spoke heavily.

"…So, I have a lot of worries these days. Balancing power is not an easy task, after all."

Ijun, who had put down his utensils, nodded in understanding.

"That could be said to be a challenge for all Hunter Associations worldwide. The abilities of hunters are growing day by day. It's reassuring, but also a bit frightening."

"Right, that's true."

Daewoon wiped his hands with a wet tissue and sighed deeply.

"I know that the American Hunter Association employs many high-ranking hunters as association staff, but in our case, that's not so easy."

Daewoon lifted his cup of green tea. He took a sip to soothe his burning stomach and then spoke heavily again.

"Sending search personnel to Burst Gates is already a challenge."

Why would high-ranking hunters, A-class and above, want to work for the Association for a salary?

The only advantage the Association has over guilds is the provision of life insurance. In other words, there's no reason to join the Association unless one prioritizes public good over personal gain.

Moreover, in the modern hunter community, those who are overly righteous are often called eccentrics or suckers rather than heroes.

It was a truly bleak situation.

"If a hunter like you were in the Association, it would be a great help."

Daewoon glanced at him. The expectation in his casual glance was clear. Ijun simply smiled without a word.

Considering his position as the leader of the Korean Hunter Association, Daewoon was not just making idle talk.

'Is he not trying to hide his intentions?'

The door to the Korean Hunter Association is always open. This was a form of appeal.

"Haha. Just a joke."

A joke, indeed. Ijun maintained his smile, pretending not to notice. Daewoon cleared his throat and subtly changed the topic.

"I've heard about the activities of the Chaser Guild. They eliminated an S-class Gate in Florida, right? In just four days."

"The elimination of an S-class Gate is not solely the achievement of Chaser. It wouldn't have been possible without the North American Guild Alliance."

Ijun brought his cup to his lips, a smile still on his face. As he sipped the bitter tea, his gaze fell on a photo.

The photo, placed in a corner of the guest table, caught his ash-gray eyes.

"…What's that?"

"Oh, a promising new hunter who recently started her activities."

Daewoon glanced at the photo.

A woman with black hair, black eyes, and a black dress, the side profile of the Black Flame Princess, Yi Yura.

"There are some suspicious points, so we are investigating."

I must have forgotten to put it away. Daewoon casually flipped the photo over. However, Ijun's gaze remained fixed on the back of the photo.

"Suspicious points?"

"Her abilities are quite high, but she's measured as F-class. As you know, the measurement device used worldwide doesn't make mistakes. There are many points of concern."

The smile on Ijun's face disappeared for a moment.

"…Is that so?"

But it was only for a moment. Ijun lowered his gaze and closed his mouth.

"Do you know her?"

"No."

His answer was immediate.

There was no hesitation.

"Just, her outfit is quite unique."

Something lingered and then disappeared from his quickly closed eyes.

But Daewoon, who didn't notice, nodded.

Of course. As a first-generation hunter who had been in the United States for decades, how could he know the Black Flame Princess?

Ijun did not bring up the Black Flame Princess again. Neither did Daewoon.

The topic naturally shifted from the Black Flame Princess to the Unknown Gates.

"Is that so. The Unknown Gates are still…"

Ijun stroked his chin, feigning seriousness.

While all Gates have a structure that cannot be understood by modern human technology, the Unknown Gates were particularly enigmatic.

Gates were a global phenomenon, but Unknown Gates appeared frequently in East Asia, especially in Korea.

Their difficulty was unpredictable. While they sometimes yielded valuable spoils not found in regular Gates, the unknown causes and methods of destruction made them more of a liability than an asset.

"Perhaps the Unknown Gates are the biggest challenge for the Korean Hunter Association."

Daewoon's hazy face appeared above the tea.

Research on Unknown Gates has been ongoing for the past 20 years, involving neighboring countries, but it was impossible to provide solutions to something whose cause was unknown.

"We're only having heavy conversations."

"No, it's fine."

"Since Hunter Baek is so reliable, I find myself constantly complaining. Truly, if a hunter like you were in the Association, I wouldn't be able to shake off the thought. Haha."

"I'll think about it positively."

"Right, positively—"

Huh? Daewoon, who was about to bring the cup to his lips, froze like a statue.

His eyes widened as he looked up, meeting Ijun's gaze as he picked up his suit jacket from the sofa.

"J-Just now… what did you say…"

"I said I'll think about it positively."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Good grief. Daewoon almost dropped the cup he was holding.

While Daewoon was frozen in shock, Ijun calmly checked his wristwatch. It was almost 1 AM.

Ijun approached the window and peeked outside by lifting the blinds with his fingers.

"I should be going now. I'm still adjusting to the time difference and feeling a bit tired."

"Y-Yes… Go ahead."

"We can discuss the details through my assistant. Is that okay?"

"O-Of course. Anytime."

Daewoon nodded vigorously but blinked in confusion.

"I enjoyed the ox bone soup."

Click.

The door closed.

Still, Daewoon remained frozen in place for a while.

Baek Ijun… the Maestro, in the Association?

And not just any Association, but the Korean Hunter Association?

Of course, it wasn't confirmed yet, but—

'Why?'

Even as the leader of the Association, he couldn't help but wonder.

But regardless of the question, he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.

Daewoon sprang up from the sofa and strode to the phone on the desk.