Chapter 444 — Returning Home (3)
Camera flashes went off from every direction. Surrounded by reporters, Yoohyun, who had just finished a raid, and Yerim, who had just returned from Japan, came over to me with bright smiles. Yoohyun spread his arms and pulled me into a tight hug.
“I’m glad you came back safe, hyung.”
Yerim went around behind me and hugged me too. She was clearly trying to avoid it as much as possible, but she still ended up partly hugging Yoohyun as well.
“I was really worried, ahjussi.”
Director Song, who had been discharged from the hospital, stood a little apart and looked at us with a stiff expression. After the three of us stayed wrapped up in a warm little cluster for a moment, Yerim was the first to hurriedly pull back the arm that had been touching Yoohyun. I heard a faint grumble that she wanted to wash her hands. Yoohyun also let go of the hug and came to stand beside me.
Then the Seseong Guild Leader appeared a step later. Evelyn was with him too.
“I’m sincerely delighted that our Director Han is safe.”
With a broad smile on his face, Sung Hyunjae held out a bouquet. Pink roses, a big unknown flower with layers like frills that was also pink, small pink flowers, pink hydrangeas, and a pink ribbon tied around it… It was a flashy bouquet, very well arranged so that even a single color looked harmonious, but this bastard was obviously messing with me too.
Barely suppressing the urge to throw the bouquet straight at that shameless face, I beamed right back at him.
“I heard you were even put under suspension because of me. I’m sorry for causing you concern, Seseong Guild Leader.”
“Not at all. Director Han’s business is my business too, isn’t it?”
I accepted the bouquet, thanked him for the plane ride, and even shook his hand. The reporters eagerly snapped more pictures. The relationship between the kiseungsu rearing facility and Seseong Guild must be excellent, that kind of headline would probably come out. The thought of a large photo of me holding a pink bouquet being plastered everywhere made me a little sad. Other people weren’t going to get the wrong idea and think the rearing facility director liked pink, were they? I hadn’t asked for it. Sung Hyunjae had brought it on his own.
As if the order had been decided in advance, the next person to step forward was none other than Moon Hyuna. Taking big, unhurried strides, Hyuna-ssi came over and lightly patted my shoulder.
“You look well, Director Han. I was worried.”
“Thank you, Breaker Guild Leader.”
“Oh dear, should I have prepared a bouquet too?”
“Just coming here is more than enough, thank you.”
“It suits you very well. Very bright and cheerful. Nice to look at.”
Instead of answering, I just smiled. Was that a compliment, or were you teaming up with Sung Hyunjae to tease me? Probably the latter.
The last ones to appear were Myeongwoo, Noah, and the monsters. The highlight of scenes like this was obviously the animals, wasn’t it.
- Kkiang!
Peace came running toward me as if we’d been apart for three months and ten days instead of just a little while.
“Peace!”
- Kyaawung!
I handed the bouquet to Yerim and caught Peace as he sprang up at me. His fluffy tail wagged wildly, and his damp nose poked into my cheek. As Peace buried his head against my shoulder, the soft fur at the tips of his ears tickled the back of my neck.
- Ppiyak!
Chirpie floated over too, sat on top of my head, and fluttered about. It felt like they might have gotten just a little heavier in the meantime.
“Chirpie, were you doing well while I was gone?”
- Ppiya!
“They all behaved very well.”
Noah said that as he came over with Bellaré. Bellaré lifted their head with a faint hiss.
“Welcome back, Yoojin-ah. Everyone was really worried about you.”
Myeongwoo gently patted my arm. That made it really feel like I was seeing everyone again after a long time. This was exactly the point where I should tear up a little.
“It really feels good to be back.”
I set Peace down and hugged Myeongwoo and Noah once each too. I cast a glance at Director Song as well, but he ignored me.
We stood side by side for a moment so the reporters could get some good shots, and then we sent them away. Director Song, who had stood silent the whole time, came over and spoke in a businesslike tone.
“I would ask that you go straight home today.”
“Don’t worry. I want to get home quickly too.”
We were taking the lamb with us, but how was I supposed to hand over the wire?
“As for the SS-rank handcuffs—”
“Ah, I’m so tired! Let’s discuss that slowly later! Of course, until then you may use them comfortably~”
Director Song pulled out the handcuffs, and I quickly hid behind Yoohyun.
“Don’t take them, don’t take them.”
“Mr. Han Yoojin.”
“Ah, Hyuna-ssi is glaring at Evelyn-ssi over there! Shouldn’t someone stop them?”
“Glaring? At this level, that counts as a warm gaze.”
In what universe?
“As long as they’re not drawing weapons, they’re getting along.”
Evelyn agreed. Then the two of them smiled at each other.
“I’ll head out first, hyungnim.”
“Ah, I have something important to talk to you about, so please stop by soon!”
“When hyungnim says it’s important, that makes me very curious.”
It wouldn’t disappoint. Moon Hyuna gave a casual little wave and left. Director Song, too, let out a short sigh and stepped back.
“If you do not retrieve them within a week, I will report it and have them transferred to the state.”
“That’s harsh!”
Did I really have no choice but to turn them into bound items? How was I supposed to fool Director Song? Since they were SS-rank close-combat items, I could give them to Yoohyun, or to Hyuna-ssi, or to some other Hunter, but Director Song was seriously the perfect fit. The options were ideal for fighting bladed weapons barehanded.
“I just got back, a poor kidnapping victim and all. One week is too short. How about a month? No, wait, I’ve got a lot of work piled up, so to handle everything comfortably, let’s say a year!”
“One week.”
The answer came back firm. Tch, not even willing to bargain. Director Song once again told everyone to go straight back, then turned and headed out. His retreating figure gave off the feeling of being extremely busy. Well, of course. He’d lost several days’ worth of work, so it must have piled up badly.
“Let’s go, hyung.”
Yoohyun said that as he helped me up, since I was peeking out from behind his back with only my head showing.
“How’s your leg?”
“I can manage.”
The effect of the acupuncture had worn off, but I’d gone in front of the cameras without using a cane in order to pretend I was fine. There was no need to make that public.
“The preparations for surgery are complete.”
Evelyn said that while looking at us.
“However, Director Han Yoojin’s poison resistance is the problem.”
I could turn my resistance skill off, but that was normally impossible. And there was absolutely no benefit in letting it be known that poison resistance could be removed. Just imagine Park Hayul finding out about that. They could have sweet-talked me into turning off my poison resistance and then used medicine or something on me. Even without mental-type skills, threatening me would have been possible.
So I had to avoid being anesthetized and operated on as much as possible. Even if it was a hospital owned by Seseong, I couldn’t completely trust the staff. Words leaked out everywhere sooner or later.
“The healer who’ll be arriving shortly can paralyze the body through acupuncture. Even with poison resistance.”
“In that case, I’ll make sure the treatment is centered around that person. Publicly, it will be announced as a comprehensive health examination for Director Han Yoojin.”
“Yes, please do.”
Evelyn gave a short nod, then shifted her gaze to Yerim. Yerim flinched and pulled a bow out of her inventory.
“I only scratched it a tiiiny little bit… I’m really, really sorryyy.”
“It’s all right.”
With a gentle smile, Evelyn took the bow.
“Hunter Yoo Myeongwoo will repair it for you.”
“Please stop by any time. Thank you for your cooperation, Hunter Evelyn.”
“Not at all.”
Evelyn smiled warmly at Myeongwoo too, then put the bow into her inventory. Even though she’d said it was fine, Yerim still looked a bit uneasy.
“Please don’t forget that you shouldn’t go too far away for a while, Mr. Sung Hyunjae. Even if it’s nearby, it’d be better if you told us.”
“I’ll report faithfully every time, provided my partner does the same.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go in the first place.”
Unless someone forced me overseas.
“And for the interior of the plane, why not at least change the wallpaper? Don’t tell me the new house is that bad too.”
“The room prepared specially for Han Yoojin-gun—”
“I said forget it already. I like normal things. Calm neutral colors are very welcome.”
Was it really that fun to tease me? One wrong gift and I was going to have it held over my head for ten years. After leaving me with a reminder to take care of my health, Sung Hyunjae and Evelyn also left.
“Kang Soyoung unni said it too. Apparently that unni holds grudges like crazy.”
Yerim spoke quietly once Evelyn was completely out of sight.
“But it’s repairable, right? She didn’t even look upset.”
“If she shows right away that she hates it, then that’s the end of it. If not, it’s fifty-fifty, apparently. Either she’s genuinely fine, or she’s storing it up.”
“It’ll be fine.”
Myeongwoo was there too, and besides, surely she wouldn’t do anything to a kid. Still, I should remember it. Evelyn-ssi also held grudges. Honestly, she already looked like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with anyway.
We got into the waiting car and headed straight home. The streets of Seoul outside the window felt familiar and yet strangely unfamiliar. There were really that many people. Since the sun had almost set, the illuminated shop signs glittering everywhere felt newly vivid too.
My younger brother and I… we’re doing well, aren’t we. If I could get a message across, I’d tell him to raid the zoo. There’d be sheep and goats and horses too. Then again, being me, I’d probably figure that much out on my own anyway.
“Home!”
The moment the front door opened, Yerim shot inside first. Take your shoes off. The bouquet she tossed through the air landed perfectly on the table. Even the shoes she kicked off midair flew neatly back toward the entrance. As Yerim headed upstairs to her room, Yoohyun spoke.
“You have to go out again.”
“Why! You go by yourself, Guild Leader.”
“You just returned from Japan, so you need to report to the Hunter Association, Hunter Bak Yerim.”
“Is there nobody here who wants to smash the Association building too?”
In my heart, absolutely yes, but if we did that here, Director Song would be the only one who suffered for it. Since I didn’t need to go out, I felt a little sorry for the two of them, but I headed straight for the bedroom.
“…I can’t be bothered to wash.”
Once I got home, all I wanted to do was collapse immediately. Still, I had to wash. Muttering to myself, I sat down on the bed. I should’ve just taken a bath on the plane. Then I could have gone straight to sleep.
“Are you really tired?”
Yoohyun, who had followed me in, took out my pajamas and handed them over.
“Do you want me to wet a towel and wipe you down?”
“Am I a little kid with a cold? I’m going to rest a bit, wash up, and sleep.”
When Yoohyun was little, there had been times I’d wrung out a towel soaked in warm water and wiped him down instead of making him wash properly. The last time I’d done that was when he was in middle school. I’d sent him off on a school trip, and when he got back, he started nodding off right away because he hadn’t been able to sleep properly in an unfamiliar place. I hadn’t had the heart to wake him, so I’d wiped him down with a warm towel and put him to bed.
“I’m just going to sit here for a bit, then wash up and sleep. Don’t worry and go to the guild.”
“I’ll handle only the urgent things and come right back.”
My little brother said that without managing to hide how much he didn’t want to leave. Even S-ranks hated going to work, huh. Though this one wasn’t an office worker, he was the boss.
“Have a good trip.”
“Yeah.”
He answered, but instead of leaving, he kept looking at me. Yoohyun’s eyes curved roundly.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Because it’s our house. It really has to have hyung in it. Only then does it feel like my home.”
“That’s a bit sudden.”
“Everywhere except home is uncomfortable. I can’t relax properly anywhere else.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go and come back quickly so you can rest too.”
Yoohyun spent a little while longer looking at the bedroom with me in it, looking content, then finally left, saying he’d be back. Yeah, I really shouldn’t let myself be hospitalized for long. Though with a high-rank healer attached, there’d be no reason to stay laid up for too long anyway.
“I’m off! Don’t go anywhere!”
Yerim shouted loudly too, then left the house together with Yoohyun. I stretched and got to my feet.
“Peace, you too, let’s wash.”
- Grrng.
“I only wiped your paws. If you don’t wash the rest of you too, you’re not getting on the bed. Be good, okay? Dad’s tired, so let’s wash quietly today.”
Coaxing Peace along, I went into the bathroom, and Chirpie and Bellaré followed after us too. By the time I’d washed, bathed the kids, and dried them off, I was completely worn out. The moment I lay down on the bed, it felt like I could sink straight into it.
“You two got along well while I was away, right?”
- Ppiyak.
- Shiit.
“You’ve got more friends now. I’ll introduce you tomorrow.”
The baby monsters that had arrived first had been moved to the first-floor rearing area. The one that needed to be raised the fastest was definitely the water dragon. Hyuna-ssi was in a hurry too—had Sorok grown at all in the meantime? And then there was also…
‘I have to name the kids… and the changeling too.’
What should I name the changeling? Chain, no, that overlapped too much with Sung Hyunjae. Hmm, Pinky? Pink, Pinky, Pingpingi, Yongyongi…
“…Peace, have you ever disliked your name, or anything like that?”
- Kkiang.
Peace settled beside me and wagged his tail. He didn’t look dissatisfied.
“Chirpie is at least cute.”
- Ppiyakppi.
Bellaré was curled up beside Chirpie, who was half-buried in Peace’s fur. Bellaré, hmm. It did feel a little unequal in comparison. Pink fairy dragon, golden eyes, Goldie… no, definitely not. Pinky honestly still seemed like the best one so far. There was silver too. Silver or Gold, Eundongi… No, let’s move away from colors.
But if I took away the color angle, then what was I supposed to call them? Honestly, color was the most intuitive. Pink, azalea? Dallae had been nice and cute. Cherry blossom, Cherry, or Peach? Cherry wasn’t bad, was it.
‘When I wake up… I’ll ask Yerim.’
It felt like I absolutely shouldn’t name it on my own. The moment I closed my eyes, sleep came rushing in.
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