Summer Vacation (3)

"Why are you..."

Three people suddenly entered the hospital room. When she saw them, Sang-ah's hands and feet began to tremble.

Just a moment ago, she had looked relieved in front of her mother, but the instant they appeared, her expression grew twisted and vicious.

"By what right do you come here?!"

She finally exploded with tremendous rage and shouted in the hospital room.

The three of them, however, looked utterly nonchalant, even in the face of Sang-ah's intense venom.

Their attitude was as if to say, "What does it matter if livestock get angry?"

"Right? Did she eat something strange? Have you already forgotten who prepared this hospital room for you?"

A woman among the three snorted as she spoke. This was Kang Minji, Kwon Yongha's wife. Her face was well known.

She was a lawmaker pushing pro-Mutamit policies, but at her core, she was a person who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

I'd learned that myself as my father investigated Sang-ah.

He knew she was shady, but said not to get involved unless we wanted trouble.

This applied to Kang Minji and the entire Hwasan Guild.

"Your father worked hard to earn enough money to provide this kind of room, so how can you act like this?"

"...."

At Kang Minji's sarcastic remark, Sang-ah couldn't reply.

After all, not just this room but the whole hospital was practically under Kwon Yongha's control.

Thus, he certainly was entitled to enter the room as he pleased.

"You know very well who's keeping your mother alive, don't you? Did you lose your mind after enrolling at Hand? "

"Look who's talking."

"What? You disrespectful brat...!"

Kang Minji clenched her fist and raised her hand. Having once been a hunter, her hand brimmed with magic power. But at that moment—

"Calm down."

Her husband, Kwon Yongha, raised his hand in front of her, stopping her.

"Calm down? You know very well how she acts! This is the chance to teach her a lesson—"

"We're in a hospital room. Keep it down."

"...."

With Kwon Yongha's icy expression, Kang Minji fell silent and lowered her hand.

In the end, she was just another person kneeling before her husband, Kwon Yongha.

"More to the point, we have a guest, don't we?"

Kwon Yongha spoke again, putting on a relaxed face. He was referring to me.

"And who are you?"

"Nice to meet you. My name is Ma Seongjin, and I'm a classmate of Sang-ah's."

"A friend, huh..."

After hearing my introduction, Kwon Yongha observed me with greater interest. Our eyes met.

For some reason, I felt a sense of rejection from his gaze.

"Friend? What kind of wisdom would that girl possess to make friends?"

This time, Kwon Yongjun started to sneer. Contrary to his status as Sang-ah's brother, he openly treated her like trash.

"Bet she just clings to anyone who looks strong. That's all Sang-ah's ever good for—"

"Yongjun."

"Y-yes..."

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"...."

He told everyone to be quiet.

That didn't just apply to Kang Minji but everyone in the room.

The intuition that if he pressed further, words wouldn't be enough, made Kwon Yongjun tremble.

"Well, nice to meet you. I am..."

"You're the leader of the Hwasan Guild, guildmaster Kwon Yongha, aren't you?"

"Then there's no need to introduce myself. What brings you here?"

"Sang-ah and I came to visit her mother in the hospital. What about you, guildmaster?"

"Me?"

"Sang-ah told me—She said you two don't get along."

If he was hated by Sang-ah, his relationship with Sang-ah's mother wouldn't be much better. So he didn't seem to have any reason to be here.

"Huhuhuhut..."

Kwon Yongha suddenly laughed as he looked at me. It was as if he was interested in me all of a sudden. Why is he acting like this out of nowhere?

I felt uncomfortable.

"Everyone, step outside for a moment."

"What?"

"I have something to discuss with this friend."

At that, both Kwon Yongjun and Kang Minji widened their eyes.

Kwon Yongha, their father and husband, rarely spoke with anyone beneath him. He didn't care about the weak.

One needed to be at least S-rank to even catch his eye. Anyone else, he viewed as a cheap magazine to be trampled underfoot.

And now, this same Kwon Yongha wanted to speak with me—a mere middle schooler? It was incomprehensible.

"Father... You're joking, right? Why would you—"

"Seriously, what's with you today? Did this brat do something to you?"

Unable to accept it, they started picking on me. They probably assumed I'd done something to make Kwon Yongha act strangely.

But I had done nothing.

"I'll explain later. For now, wait outside."

"Still, this is—"

"Kwon Yongjun, Kang Minji..."

At that moment, their faces tensed and words froze on their lips.

"Gasp!"

"Urk!"

Kwon Yongha released his magic power, and the two could no longer breathe.

Their hands flew to their throats from lack of air, as if begging to be allowed to breathe, and soon enough, they began to cough up blood.

"Why do you keep ignoring me?"

"Huuk...!"

"Does what I say not sound like words to you? Or do you just not take me seriously?"

"No, that's not it..."

"If it's not, then why do you keep ignoring me?"

"I-I'm really sorry! Father...! I'll step outside...!"

"Yongjun's father... our Yongjun hasn't done anything wrong. Take me instead...!"

Even Kwon Yongjun, known as an S-rank hunter, could only writhe in agony under Kwon Yongha's magic power.

He seemed to control the output so it wouldn't harm me and Sang-ah, but even Sang-ah was trembling from coming into contact with it.

The overwhelming, bottomless force. No wonder he was called an SS-rank hunter.

"If you understand, then obey me."

"Y-yes...!"

"I'm truly sorry..."

As soon as the release of magic power ceased, the two hurried for the door.

"Oh, and if you want to talk outside, keep it down. Otherwise, coughing up blood won't be the end of it."

"We'll keep it in mind...!"

With that, they went out the door—the noisy two completely gone.

"And Sang-ah, you go out as well."

"Me too?"

Sang-ah gave strange looks, glancing between me and Kwon Yongha.

"You're not going to do anything weird to Seongjin, right?"

"Huhuhu... Of course not. I just want to have a chat."

That man would never just ask someone for a chat. It seemed a bit fishy, but Seongjin would be fine. So thinking, Sang-ah left. At last, the hospital room was quiet.

"Now, we can finally have some time alone."

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Hmm... Let's get straight to the point."

He sat on a hospital chair, watching me intently, and spoke.

"What exactly are you?"

"...."

At that question, my hands and feet twitched slightly. But I masked it and answered calmly.

"As you can see, I'm a student."

"Heh... Then why didn't you flinch at the magic power I just released?"

A monstrous magic power that could make even S-rank hunters cough blood. Even if I said others weren't affected, Sang-ah still trembled from it.

Even a student of Hand was supposed to feel fear.

"Besides, even when I first saw you, something seemed off."

"...."

"You're not an ordinary student."

He smiled as he asked, his gaze like that of a beast discovering a delicious prey.

The look on the face of someone crazed by thirst for strength.

Of course, if someone like him had figured out my strength, he wouldn't be able to contain his excitement.

"Speaking of which... Do you remember the attempted murder case at your school recently? The suspect's name was... Michael Kang, right?"

The incident where Chohyang sunbae's wings were cut.

"And what about it?"

"I heard Sang-ah was there too. But she couldn't have handled the situation on her own."

He brought up the incident, and the mood in the room turned cold. Only the beeps of the heart monitor echoed through the silence before Kwon Yongha broke it.

"You were there at the scene too."

"... Where's your proof?"

"I have no proof, but... the evidence suggests as much."

"What evidence?"

"They're saying our guild members self-destructed because of internal division, but... I know my guild members."

No way. Guild members who'd sided with Sang-ah wouldn't have self-destructed by clashing with Sura Guild.

"To resolve that situation would have required at least an S-rank hunter. You'd agree, right?"

There had been an allied force of powerful guilds with A-rank hunters. To defeat them all and subdue Michael would have taken power far beyond even A-rank. Could a mere Hand student do that?

"Not to mention, the location was a remote mountain where not even passing hunters would be. In that situation, who could possibly sort things out?"

"...."

"You."

Kwon Yongjun's pointed finger jabbed at me, certain that I'd interfered.

"Are you saying I'm that strong?"

"Don't try to wriggle out. You didn't even react to my magic power just now."

"...."

"And that's not all. When I opened the door, I almost didn't recognize Sang-ah."

Kwon Yongha sighed in relief.

"What the hell happened at Hand for Sang-ah to get that strong?"

He must have appraised her strength earlier, during her outburst of anger. The magic power that leaked alongside her rage was proof enough.

"No matter how competent Hand is, that sort of rapid growth is unheard of."

"...."

"It couldn't have been a teacher. Someone else must have guided her."

Someone who solved that incident in a flash and made Sang-ah far stronger than before.

A simple classmate couldn't have enabled that, and even if they had, there needed to be a friendship.

Strength and closeness—only one person meeting both requirements stood before Kwon Yongha.

"No matter how I think, it has to be you."

"...."

"When Sang-ah didn't come home, I wondered where she'd gone... Only to meet her here, with you."

He could also deduce she had been at my house the entire break.

"What is it you want from me?"

In effect, he'd found me out. I gave up on hiding and asked why he wanted to talk.

"I thought perhaps you might know."

"...."

"About that woman's hometown."

Kwon Yongha gestured at the woman lying in the hospital bed. From his statement, it was clear that Kwon Yongha knew Sang-ah's mother wasn't from Earth.

"I recently started looking into it, so came to check the hospital. Originally, I'd just finished an important family event and was headed home when it came to mind."

That's why he brought his wife and son to the hospital, ending up with the whole family gathered.

"Is it really so important for you to know?"

"You're speaking as if you know something. But..."

"Yes, and I am not about to tell you."

"...."

He's the kind of person who refuses to treat his own daughter as a human being because she's weak. Why would I agree to his request so easily?

"Are you worried?"

"How could I not be, given the situation? I've heard more than enough about you from Sang-ah."

"...."

"Am I going to be buried in the ground, too?"

A man who divides even his family by strength—his treatment of outsiders is easy to imagine.

I didn't know why he wanted to pry into Mewzealand, but one thing was certain.

He'd stop at nothing to get what he wanted. No doubt, his head was full of such thoughts.

"Hahaha! You must have heard a lot from her. But you don't fall into that category."

"And why not?"

He burst out laughing and then—

"Because you are strong."

"What...?"

Kwon Yongha's face was ecstatic. I felt chills, and then he leaned closer with that same expression.

"A talent with such power... why would I ever discard you?"

"...."

From a short while ago, he'd been looking at me with an unpleasant gaze. Now, that look was beginning to change, as if possessed by something. That was why I'd felt uncomfortable.

"So... so very attractive."

"...."

He started caressing my arm as if enamored by something.

'Shit!'

I couldn't help but curse at the sudden skinship. I'm not even a girl, but here's this bearded old man calling me attractive. I felt so gross I wanted to puke. And then—

──────────────────[A mission has been issued. (Rare)]– A leader of a major guild has become infatuated with you. Tempt him even more.

Reward on completion: Karma increase (Physical restoration 0.5%)──────────────────

What?What the actual hell does that mean?Have I just been picked by this old bearded guy?

"That body and magic power... sllurrp... ha..."

I got goosebumps from that look in his eyes.

It was the same lustful gaze found on men flipping through lewd magazines.

I'd heard from Sang-ah that he lived by survival of the fittest, but who knew it would be like this? What a goddamn mess.

"Don't worry."

Kwon Yongha patted my back as he spoke.

What the hell does "don't worry" mean, you perverted bastard?

"You're very precious."

Uweeek! Shit.

Precious, my ass.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Dafuq...【( ◑.◑ )】

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