Chapter 12
“Be as careful as you can going down the steps.”
“Ugh, I know~”
A university hospital in Seoul.
Today, Juhyeok had brought his mother here to get a more detailed diagnosis of her knee.
It had taken quite a bit of persuasion to get her to come.
She’d insisted she was fine, but once they finally arrived, the doctor’s words were brutally simple:
[You’ll need to undergo surgery as soon as possible, so let’s start your admission today.]
Her knee had been overworked to the point where immediate surgery was necessary.
The doctor didn’t even hesitate before recommending it.
“Since the doctor said so, just be careful now. I’ll bring you anything you need, so just lie down and rest quietly.”
“…I really don’t think it’s that bad.”
“The doctor said otherwise.”
Even after seeing the test results herself, which clearly showed her condition was serious,
his mother continued to be stubborn.
She complained about the store and how being stuck in the hospital would make her restless,
but Juhyeok knew that wasn’t the real reason.
It was about money.
So he said it again, firmly:
“You saw that I’ve been earning money lately. Don’t worry about closing the store for a while — it’s fine.”
After his first gate expedition, he’d earned just over a million won.
Since it had only been an F-rank mana stone, it wasn’t much,
but if he kept running E-rank gates,
he’d have no trouble covering her surgery costs.
“So please, stop worrying your son and just rest.”
“….”
Despite his confident tone, her face still showed unease.
She forced a small smile, but worry lingered in her eyes.
“Are you really sure it’s safe, what you’re doing?”
Was gate work safe?
If anyone else had heard that question,
they would’ve immediately answered no.
Especially since Juhyeok had faced a mutant orc in his first gate —
no one in their right mind could call that “safe.”
But Juhyeok smiled gently and answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Didn’t I come back last time without a single scratch?
Everyone in my team was a veteran, so I barely had to lift a finger.”
A pure, white lie.
Telling his mother the truth would only make her worry more.
How could he possibly say, “Gate work is dangerous enough to die any day”
to the woman who raised him?
“I just watched from the back last time and came out right away.”
He’d hidden the dirt-stained clothes,
the blood-scented hands washed clean at a sauna,
and the truth of what he’d done — of what he’d killed.
Telling her about the mutant orc and how he’d survived would probably never happen.
“Really…? Well, that’s a relief then…”
No matter how many times he reassured her,
the doubt in her eyes didn’t fade easily.
She knew her son wasn’t the type to run toward danger.
That made his choice even harder to believe.
As they exchanged quiet words filled with worry,
a familiar voice suddenly joined them.
“That’s right, ma’am. You really don’t have to worry too much.”
Yena appeared out of nowhere.
“New hunters are always required to form parties with veteran hunters.”
“…And who might you be?”
Startled, his mother looked back and forth between them.
Yena smiled warmly and took out a business card.
“Hello, I’m Ahn Yena, from the Mir Guild’s scouting team.
I led the party that included your son in the last gate raid.”
“Oh— hello!”
How does she always show up at the perfect time…
It was the same as last time — she’d somehow arrived just before he did.
He wanted to call her out for following him around like a stalker,
but doing that in front of his mother would only make things worse.
So he stayed quiet and watched.
“I understand your worries, ma’am. But until he gains more experience,
your son will always be teamed with experienced hunters.
You really don’t have to be too concerned.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Yes! Safety always comes first for hunters.”
Her tone was bright and confident,
and his mother’s expression softened as she looked at the woman’s crisp suit and polite smile.
“Your son shows great promise as a hunter,
so I’m sure he’ll continue without any major trouble.”
“Ha… thank you so much for saying that.”
Hearing that from a veteran seemed to ease her nerves.
It reminded Juhyeok oddly of a teacher-parent conference from middle school.
“If we end up in the same party again,
please take good care of him.”
“Of course — that’s my duty as a senior hunter.”
Yena clasped her hands together with a dazzling smile.
Her sudden appearance had irritated him at first,
but now she looked harmless and well-mannered—
“…Of course, if he joins our guild,
his safety will be even more guaranteed.”
“…”
There it is.
Just when his mother had begun to relax,
she went straight for recruitment.
If he let this continue,
his mother would be listening to a full-blown guild sales pitch before long.
“Mom.”
“If he joins a guild… huh?”
“I’m just going to talk to her for a bit.”
His mother was already staring down at the business card,
eyes glinting with interest.
It might already be too late,
but he still had to stop this.
“Alright, I’ll be right here. Go talk.”
“Call me if anything happens.”
Juhyeok stood up, smiling stiffly.
Yena, all sunshine as usual, followed right along.
“Shall we?”
“Haha, sure.”
Ignoring the edge in his tone, she even waved politely to his mother.
“See you later, ma’am~!”
The two left the hospital lobby and walked to a small café inside the building.
He didn’t want to go far in case his mother needed him.
“What do you want to drink?”
“You’re the one who asked me to find a hospital,
so let me buy this time.”
He pulled out his card, but Yena pushed it away immediately.
“Nope. As your senior, I’m paying.”
“If I accept, it doesn’t feel like a senior’s treat — it feels like a bribe.”
“Wow, do you really think I’m that calculating?”
“Let’s just say I am.”
Despite his refusal, she still pushed the card back into his hand.
Her persistence was disarming, and he reluctantly let her pay.
Soon after, they sat at a corner table with their drinks —
an iced Americano for him, a strawberry smoothie for her.
“Ugh, how can you drink something that bitter?”
“Why are you here?”
He wasn’t interested in small talk.
His tone was sharp and to the point.
She pouted slightly.
“Tch. I just heard you were going to the hospital and got worried.”
“And you just happened to show up right after the checkup?”
“When someone who saved my team asks me for help,
of course I pay attention.”
She fidgeted for a moment,
then glanced at him carefully.
“I might’ve heard a bit more than I should’ve while helping…
You’re not mad, are you?”
“…Ha.”
What was he supposed to do with this woman?
If she’d just acted cold and professional,
it would’ve been easy to be angry.
But when she looked genuinely contrite like that,
it was hard to snap at her.
Besides, her timing had helped.
Thanks to her, his mother had actually looked more at ease.
And because Mir Guild had handled the mutant orc incident quietly,
his identity hadn’t leaked to the press.
He couldn’t deny he owed her for that.
He sighed deeply.
“If you do that again, I’ll block your number.”
“Hehe, got it.”
Her smile returned instantly, bright as ever.
She sipped her smoothie and looked around the café.
A short silence passed before she spoke again, more softly.
“Your mother’s surgery costs seem pretty high.”
“I can earn enough through gates.”
“Even so, hospital stays and living expenses add up fast.”
She lowered her voice, glancing around before continuing.
“If you use that D-rank mana stone, it might cover the surgery,
but after that, you’ll still be short on living costs and recovery expenses.”
“….”
She wasn’t wrong.
A hunter couldn’t enter another gate right away —
they needed at least a week of rest between raids.
And there weren’t enough gates to run every day anyway.
Higher-rank gates yielded better stones and higher pay,
so they were always in demand.
F-rank gates, while more frequent,
didn’t pay enough to sustain long-term expenses.
“So, you’re saying if I join your guild, you’ll help?”
“Would you, then?”
Her brown eyes lit up instantly.
But his answer came just as quickly.
“No.”
“…I figured.”
Yena sighed, looking a bit defeated.
She took another sip of her smoothie before continuing.
“A new D-rank gate just opened.
Our Mir Guild is sending a few people —
if you’re interested, I can add your name to the list.”
“A D-rank?”
That was a tempting offer.
It was a chance to enter a higher-tier gate —
something usually beyond his reach.
But one problem remained.
“Would they even allow an F-rank hunter inside?”
“Normally? No.”
An F-rank joining a D-rank gate party would be dead weight,
and most guilds would never permit it.
“But you’re not just any F-rank, are you?”
Her tone turned teasing, but there was truth in it.
The story of the mutant orc had already spread among guilds.
Everyone knew an F-rank rookie had slain it alone.
Mir Guild had done a good job keeping his name out of the media,
but within the hunter community,
his reputation was quietly growing.
“I know you want to stay under the radar,
but people are already talking about you.
Why not just accept it and move forward?”
“….”
“Of course,” she added with a grin,
“joining our guild would make all that publicity a lot easier to handle.”
“I’m not joining.”
“Too bad.”
She twirled her straw lazily,
her voice suddenly softening again.
“For the record, this isn’t some trick.
It’s just my way of showing gratitude.”
Unlike her usual lighthearted tone,
there was sincerity in her voice this time.
Maybe it was genuine —
or maybe it was just part of her act.
She was an adult, a professional —
someone skilled at masking her true intentions.
“Saving me, Jaehwan, and Suhwa…
That’s not something I can repay with just a few favors.”
“….”
“So, will you come?”
Her smile returned — gentle, inviting.
‘I can’t afford the surgery with F-rank stones alone.’
Hospital bills, living expenses,
and the mana stones he needed to keep growing —
F-rank gates simply wouldn’t cut it.
Whether she was sincere or scheming,
her offer was too practical to refuse.
I wanted to stay out of sight… but it’s too late for that.
As long as he didn’t join the guild formally,
his artifact would remain hidden.
There was no turning back now.
“When’s the raid?”
