Incheon International Airport. 3:11 a.m.
Catherine, with her neat hair and angular glasses, looked around.
This was a special security gate reserved for private plane holders or those who were entering the country in secret. Reporters and ordinary passengers were not allowed to set foot here.
Catherine glanced at her wristwatch after making sure that there was no one around her.
'It'll be time for him to arrive soon?'
As soon as she had thought so, the door she had been waiting for opened. The sound of the automatic door opening resounded unusually loudly in the cold, silent lobby.
"You're here."
A clean black shoe tip came closer with the sound of a step.
He answered while rolling his shoulders lightly, as they had been stiff from the long flight.
"The world has gotten much better. It only took 10 hours to get from New York to Incheon."
"I'm glad it was comfortable."
Catherine smiled and lifted her head.
His hair was blonde, but it was a shade that neared beige. His neat haircut gave an urban and sophisticated impression. However, his eyes, which looked both silver and grey, seemed a little tired and subdued.
"It was fine. It was a little hot."
He took off his black suit jacket, revealing a white shirt fitted to the shape of his toned body. Beside him, Catherine skillfully grabbed the jacket he had taken off.
Loosely tugging at his black tie, he glanced around.
"The Incheon Airport has changed a lot."
"Yes… It's been a long time."
"That's true."
He turned his head after blandly expressing his agreement. His eyes met the window, as if they were involuntarily drawn to it. Perhaps it wasn't just the landscape that had changed.
The two walked through the empty lobby.
When they stepped onto an empty escalator, it moved with a rattling noise.
Through the window that spanned across a wide wall, he could see the bustling airport at a glance. Until he reached the bottom of the escalator, his grey eyes remained fixed on one place.
"…"
Meanwhile, Catherine, who had been looking straight ahead, suddenly turned her head. Catherine looked in his direction and smiled.
"How is it to visit Korea after such a long time? Are you glad to see it?"
"Glad to see it?"
He let out a low laugh.
"No way."
In front of him, Catherine closed her mouth. She noticed it immediately. The emotion that dwelled in his darkened grey eyes was by no means happy or yearning.
Catherine thought about it. It was clear that his sudden trip to Korea was also closely related to the Princess of Dark Flare.
Although she hadn't heard it directly from him, she was completely sure of it. Otherwise, she had no idea why he would suddenly decide to go to Korea, since he hadn't stepped foot in Korea for 30 years.
"As for Wolf? How was it?"
He asked, putting on the leather gloves he had in his pocket.
The time had come.
Catherine pushed up her glasses that had slid down and opened her mouth heavily.
"I'm sorry. I failed."
"Really?"
He lightly clenched his fist before unfurling it. The wrinkles on his black leather gloves gently smoothed out.
She couldn't read any emotion from his side view or brief reply. He didn't seem happy, but he didn't show any signs of disappointment either. She was just glad that he didn't blame her.
After receiving an order from him, Catherine had entered Korea first. Then, she found all the information she could on the 'Princess of Dark Flare'.
As a result, Catherine determined that the Princess of Dark Flare was not just an F-Class concept hunter.
As a matter of fact, many people watched the Princess of Dark Flare appear on a broadcast and assumed that it was edited.
But Catherine didn't think so.
The fact that she was being protected by Wolf and that her own boss cared about her was proof that she wasn't normal.
Actually, it would've been quickest to ask her boss directly about this. Behind her clear glasses, her slightly troubled eyes turned to look at him.
"What?"
"…It's nothing."
Catherine closed her mouth. Because he wouldn't give her a proper answer anyway.
After that, there was no more conversation between the two.
There were some glancing eyes while they left the airport, but thanks to the security officers who were informed of the situation in advance, they were able to get to the car without any problems.
The stylish black car had windows tinted dark enough that they completely blocked the outside view.
"This is a nice car."
"It was prepared in advance."
"Competent, as expected."
"Thank you."
Catherine loaded the luggage into the trunk and got into the driver's seat.
"Shall we go right away?"
Catherine grabbed the steering wheel and looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Perhaps he hadn't heard her, as he was staring out of the window, seemingly deep in thought. Catherine skillfully turned on the ignition and ran the navigation on her phone.
"What would you like to do? At this time, it will take less than an hour to reach Gangnam-gu."
He was the one who had been in a hurry to go to Korea. It was late, but he must have wanted to knock on Wolf's door right now.
But he muttered an unexpected reply with his chin on his hand.
"No, let's go to the hotel today. It's not polite to visit a guild's headquarters before dawn anyway."
"Is that really alright?"
"Yes. I'm tired."
He leaned deeply into the soft seat. The voice was unusually low, so it rang softly in the silent car.
"Then… I will drive straight to the hotel."
Catherine stepped on the accelerator without any further ado. Shining headlights beamed onto the street where deep darkness laid.
The car body vibrated lowly and the scenery outside the window slowly began to move. Then, when he turned his head casually, he noticed a brightly lit signboard.
Until it disappeared completely from his field of view, Yijun did not take his eyes off of it, as if they had been nailed to it.
"…"
The streetlights that shone through the windows quickly flickered light onto his face before disappearing.
The next day.
The whole country was buzzing on the internet, newspapers, and TVs.
Maestro had come to visit Korea.
He had returned after 30 years.
* * *
「As much as I trusted you, I trusted my friend too…!」
tl/n: fun fact this song is Wrongful Meaning by Kim Gun-mo
The large wall mounted TV screen shone. Eunha thought as she listened to the familiar song coming through the speaker.
'It's still a good song to listen to now.'
She thought that the point of this song was that the melody was exciting while the lyrics were full of despair and betrayal. Even thirty years later, the song was still famous, and the masterpiece was still a masterpiece.
However, the singer was different from how Eunha remembered them. Was it because time had passed? It was very disappointing.
Eunha checked her reflection in the veranda window. Nothing had changed. Except that her hair was a little longer.
'Would you like to groom my dog later? He's a Bichon Frise; his name is William.'
Why?
That guy suddenly came to mind. By now, he must be as old as the singer on TV. She probably wouldn't be able to recognize him at a glance.
He was a person who had a shy smile and looked as lovely as a balsam flower. When she had said that to him, he used to jolt and shake his head in denial.
However, the face that remained the most vivid in her mind was the one she saw last.
'Eunha! Cha Eunha!'
Baek Yijun had reached out to her with a face that seemed like he had lost the world. It was Eunha that had been trapped in the gate, but she remembered his face looking like he was the one who was trapped.
She wondered what he could've been doing right now. He hated fighting in battles and was a soft-hearted boy. In the now peaceful world, he might have stopped working as a hunter and started living out his life peacefully.
She thought about how he would look if she were to meet him. He might burst out crying in surprise. Ah, but he was over fifty now, so maybe he wouldn't cry.
Either way, he would still be shocked. Since he must've lived thinking Eunha was dead.
Smile.
When she remembered that face, a dry smile leaked out. Then, a yellow message window popped up before her.
Ding.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' asks what you're thinking about. Golden eyes grow round with curiosity.]
"It's just… old memories. There was a boy who was with me before I was locked in the gate, and I wonder how he's doing now."
A yellow message window came up again.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' asks if he was a close friend. It seems to be sulking a little.]
"A friend…?"
Eunha muttered softly as she lifted a can of cold beer from the table. Cold water droplets on the surface of the can dripped down after meeting her fingers.
'T-T-That's why, when you leave the gate, tomorrow… At… At my house… D-D-D-Do you want to come over?'
Her lips drew into a thin line as she brought the can to her mouth.
If you could call a person who you readily sacrificed yourself for, even in the face of a monster the size of a house, a friend;
If you could call a person who you smiled with while looking forward to tomorrow, even when your life could end the next day, a friend;
If you could call a person you wished a good life for, regardless of wherever they were and whatever they did, a friend, then—
"Yes."
A rare smile bloomed on Eunha's lips as she took a cool sip of beer.
"I think so."
The smile that bloomed slowly and faintly like dye on a white cloth faded, and Eunha suddenly turned her head toward the balcony.
Through the transparent glass window, the now familiar scenery of Seoul came into view.
If he was out there somewhere, she just wanted to tell him. That she was alive, and she was doing well in her own way.
So,
I hope that you are, too.
* * *
[Breaking News: The American Maestro Arrived at Incheon International Airport Early in the Morning on the 10th Yesterday]
[Netizens Are Paying Attention to Maestro's Visit to Korea. What is the Purpose of His Visit?]
[Well-Known BJ King God Says on SNS That 'Maestro, you're my old idol.']
[Title] maestro came to korea?
[Author] ㅁㅁ (125.107) | 2031.8.10 2:01 PM | [Views] 42,979 | [Recommended] 1,431
[Content] i thought that he wasn't going to come back to korea anytime soon, so why all of a sudden???? did he get kicked out of the us ;;
[Comments] 788
└> □□: are you an idiot haha, chaser has a place in the us so why would he be kicked out
└> □□: he didn't just come to take a break?
└> □□: it's been 30 years and he came back to go sightseeing?? lmaoo what is he thinking to come back for a tour, he's just gonna get sweared at BAHAAHHAH his head must be really empty
└> □□: the rumours have been circulating for a while but is he coming back to work in korea now??
└> □□: that traitor old man has crawled back to korea, fking disgusting hahaha how shocking ;;;;
└> □□: the comment above is so ignorant. in the 2000s when times were toughest, he did everything they wanted to do for three years
└> □□: i agree tbh cuz at that time, the country forced people into gates with only their bare body and didnt give them proper compensation so being in korea must've exhausted him
└> □□: the people defending him are traitors
└> □□: think about it idiot lololol if you're in korea, you get paid basically nothing for the forced conscription but tbh, what's so bad about it? would you rather live in the stubron us or hell joseon?
└> □□: stubron (x) stubborn (o)
└> □□: i heard that american hunters get paid thousands of dollars a month for dignity maintenance, position support, and other expenses if they're above a-class haha, he's even an s-class. how could a crazy person come to korea after kicking it all away?
└> □□: wow that's amazing hahaha but if he's really coming back to korea, which guild would he enter???? is it wolf as expected??
└> □□: the monkey king will be obsessed with trying to recruit him into immortal
└> □□: nono at his level, he can just create his own guild lmao
Knock, knock.
Siwoo had been looking at the screen but raised his head at the sound of a knock on the door.
Jehwi opened the door and entered.
"So they're here."
Siwoo turned the computer screen off and stood up from his seat. It seemed that the person he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Shall I take you there?"
When Siwoo nodded, Jehwi hurriedly disappeared.
Siwoo was the first to sit down at the long table in the centre of the room. He tapped his hand on the glass table while holding his chin with the other.
"…"
His hardened blue eyes glanced at the phone next to him. He grabbed the phone with the hand he used to tap the table and checked the messenger.
[You] [7:20 AM] Sunbae
[You] [7:20 AM] That kid from yesterday, you better keep away from him
[You] [7:20 AM] He's Trickster, and he's a pretty famous hunter in Korea
[You] [7:20 AM] Of course, that isn't a good thing
They were messages he had sent the day after eating with Eunha at the rice soup restaurant.
However, to this day, the 1 by the side of the messages had not disappeared.
Was something wrong? Seeing that she hadn't replied after days had passed made him a little worried.
However, in order for Siwoo to visit Eunha's house, he needed an excuse because they weren't close enough for him to go in and out of the house for no reason.
Actually, he could've made an excuse if he had wanted to. There was a limited edition DVD of a well-known film that had been airlifted from overseas a while ago, and he could have also used a meeting for her next mission as an excuse.
But today, there was something more important than that.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of the knocks, Siwoo put his phone in his pocket and opened his mouth.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a bewildered Jehwi came in. After that, a familiar woman nodded her head.
"Hello, Hunter Shin Siwoo. We meet again."
It was Catherine. The woman who belonged to Clamp Management, a subsidiary of Chaser.
Siwoo's blue eyes widened.
To be precise, it was because of the large silhouette that stood behind her.