TSOT#1 Chapter 39

“…Han Se-hyun?”

Although he was standing some distance away, she could recognize him immediately, even just from the back.

Joo-ah muttered under her breath, frowning.

“Why is Han Se-hyun here?”

The elite units were housed in a separate dormitory, located far from where the regular Hunters stayed.

So why was Se-hyun here at this hour, and not even in his elite unit uniform but dressed in plain clothes?

Standing still in place, watching the direction he was heading, Joo-ah’s eyes widened.

She had a feeling she knew where he was going.

Joo-ah, who had been standing frozen in front of the dormitory, began moving again. Her steps led her in the same direction Se-hyun was heading.

The elite units enjoyed numerous privileges that regular Hunters did not.

One of those privileges was a villa-like facility assigned to each team, separate from their regular accommodations.

However, due to the nature of their work, Hunters couldn’t stay far from the tower, so the villas were built near the regular dormitories.

The X Team and Z Team didn’t get along well, so their villas were located a fair distance apart.

Eun-young’s Z Team typically used the villa during the five-day leave granted after a tower summons ended.

At those times, they often dressed casually, pretending to be ordinary people, even if just for a short while.

That was a distant memory now.

Since Joo-ah had taken another’s body, she hadn’t been to the villa. Moreover, Chae-rin had only recently awakened from her coma.

Given the circumstances, she thought no one would have visited the villa in quite some time.

…But could it be that Se-hyun had been using it alone all this time?

He was undoubtedly heading in the direction of the villa.

A place meant only for Se-hyun, Eun-young, and Chae-rin.

A location specially provided by the government, even the Special Awakener Association didn’t interfere with it.

How long had she been walking past the regular dormitories?

A large three-story house came into view.

Se-hyun, moving with practiced familiarity, entered a code, and the grand gate slid open.

From afar, Joo-ah quietly watched him disappear into the house.

Under the dark night sky, the villa stood still and silent. The only source of light was the occasional streetlamp that turned on automatically. A faint breeze blew.

There was no sign of Se-hyun anymore. Not a single light illuminated the three-story house.

Standing by the gate, Joo-ah stepped forward. She reached out and entered the code.

Click.

The gate unlocked.

Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone on the other side of the gate.

Joo-ah cautiously opened the gate and stepped inside.

She saw a garden overgrown with grass and trees. Chae-rin had once hired people to tend the garden, determined to make the villa beautiful. Now, it had all gone to waste.

There was no sign of anyone living there anymore.

Joo-ah slowly walked toward the house’s entrance. The three-story building remained quiet.

There was still not a single light.

It was proof that Se-hyun hadn’t entered the house.

After staring up at the building for a while, Joo-ah turned and headed toward the back of the villa.

After walking for some time, she reached another door.

This door led to a staircase descending underground.

Standing at the top of the stairs, her face hardened as she peered into the darkness below.

Just as she was about to step down—

Thud!

Someone appeared out of nowhere and slammed her against the wall.

“Ugh.”

Joo-ah let out a small groan at the sheer force. Her chest was pressed against the hard wall. A large hand pinned both her wrists behind her.

A cold sensation touched her left cheek, it was unmistakably a dagger.

“Answer me if you don’t want to die.”

A familiar voice came from behind her.

“How did you get in here?”

His tone was sharp, his presence menacing.

The suffocating air, the biting edge of the blade, none of it matched the Se-hyun she knew.

What had made him this tense?

And why had he come to this place, which showed no signs of anyone living there?

The pressure on her wrists intensified, sending waves of pain.

Yet, from between Joo-ah’s lips, a faint chuckle escaped.

“Hunter Han Se-hyun.”

Her voice carried an eerie familiarity, causing Se-hyun to furrow his brows.

Speaking slowly, she opened her mouth once more.

“Who is in this basement?”

With her words, an emergency system window appeared in the air.

【…Verifying violations…】
【This may take some time to process.】
【Verification complete!】
【No violations found.】

But Joo-ah paid it no mind, her focus solely on the man holding her.

She ignored the pain and the loud beating of his heart behind her.

It felt like she had caught someone with stolen treasure red-handed.

With a faint scoff, she asked, “Is Hunter Kwon Eun-young in there?”

【…Verifying violations…】
【This may take some time to process.】
【Verification complete!】
【No violations found.】

Se-hyun turned her around roughly, slamming her back against the wall.

He pressed an arm under her neck and gripped her cheeks with his other hand.

“Who are you?”

His bloodshot eye glared at her, seething with anger.

“Who do you think you are to spout nonsense so recklessly?”

His icy glare was enough to tear her apart.

Joo-ah stared at him silently, readying herself to speak—

【The Anonymous Constellation sends a low warning: ‘If the contract conditions are not fulfilled, the consequences will fall on you.’】
She glanced at the system message.

【The Anonymous Constellation advises: ‘Consider why you and your teammates have met under such circumstances.’】

These circumstances…

They had once been teammates. Se-hyun, Eun-young, and Chae-rin.

Just a few years ago, they had cherished and cared for one another deeply.

But now, they faced each other with hostility, as if they were strangers.

The cause of everything lay in the battle with the administrator three years ago.

Joo-ah raised her hand, prying Se-hyun’s grip off her face.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

Her soft voice made Se-hyun grimace. Watching him, she spoke again.

“Just answer one thing.”

“…”

“Why did you bring Hunter Kwon Eun-young here?”

Eun-young had been recovering well in the hospital.

Why?

Why would someone from their own team, someone like Se-hyun, do this?

Everything was so confusing.

She wanted to know the reason.

Looking down at her without a word, Se-hyun straightened his posture.

Expressionless, he reached out to touch her system window, frowning as he did.

“You must have lost your mind.”

“To think you’d threaten me with this rank.”

Se-hyun tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a crooked smile.

“Or is this your way of begging me to kill you?”

He brought the dagger closer to her cheek.

“If I really were the lunatic who brought Kwon Eun-young here–”

“Do you think I’d let someone like you, who knows about it, walk away alive?”

Joo-ah’s expression subtly shifted.

The Se-hyun she knew wouldn’t openly threaten someone like this.

What had happened to him?

Was it the aftermath of the previous battle?

Joo-ah’s gaze lingered on him, particularly on the black eyepatch covering one eye.

“…Your left eye,” she said.

“Can you not see with it anymore?”

Her sudden question made Se-hyun frown.

Unconcerned about the knife at her cheek, she asked the question that had been on her mind.

“Are you receiving treatment? Does it hurt? Are you in pain?”

Her tone held a hint of worry, so much so that Se-hyun found himself at a loss for words.

The knife he held still threatened her, ready to pierce her skin with the slightest wrong move.

And yet, this woman was worried about his eye.

She wasn’t acting like a normal person.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

“Don’t tell me Yoo Tae-jun sent you…”

But before he could finish his sentence—

Boom!

A sudden monster attack interrupted him.

【Emergency Alert】
Date/Time: [X/XX, 23:12]
Tower: Sixth Tower, 712th Floor Gate Activated.
Residents in the vicinity, please evacuate immediately. If you encounter a monster, find a safe location and wait for a Hunter to arrive.

The association issued an emergency gate alert, and disaster warnings poured onto their phones.

Startled, Joo-ah looked ahead, while Se-hyun grabbed her wrist and moved them to safety.

Immense magical energy was emanating from nearby.