Wearing an expression that suggested he'd had enough, Haran tugged on Seo Munhyeok's sleeve. After thanking the stylist and paying the bill, Seo Munhyeok led him toward a nearby department store.
"That young woman from earlier... was she an Awakened too?"
"Hm? Well... probably not."
"Just an ordinary person? Her eyes were shining like she was possessed."
"I think she was just very pleased with her work."
"You mean my hair?"
"Yes. You look much more presentable now."
Just then, Haran stepped into the department store elevator and looked at himself in the mirror. He still wasn't fond of this soft, harmless-looking face, but he had to admit the new haircut was decent enough.
"Think this'll help our little one hold her head up a little higher?"
He awkwardly smoothed down his hair.
Seo Munhyeok didn't understand what he'd meant until a moment later.
It simply wasn't something that suited Haran.
"...You seem to like children more than I expected."
"Me? No. I can't stand children. Especially snot-nosed little brats."
The elevator doors opened.
As they stepped out, Seo Munhyeok asked curiously,
"Despite that, you've been very kind to Sua. You seem used to dealing with children. Even now, you seem worried about her."
"That's..."
Haran slowed to a stop.
Seo Munhyeok glanced at his injured leg. Thinking it might be hurting, he looked around for somewhere to sit.
After a brief silence, Haran quietly continued,
"I was like that once too."
"...What?"
"I was an orphan too."
The unexpected confession caught Seo Munhyeok completely off guard.
"My father... I never even saw his face. My mother died of illness when I was four."
"..."
Perhaps it was because of Haran's arrogant attitude.
Seo Munhyeok had simply assumed he'd been born into nobility.
The revelation that he hadn't left him genuinely stunned.
"So... is that why you're softer toward children?"
"Yeah. Maybe. When I was starving to death on the streets, there were kids around my age living the same kind of life. They helped me."
"..."
"Because of them, I survived."
His gaze softened, as though he'd fallen into an old memory.
"One of the children who helped me said something."
He slowly looked ahead again.
"'If you ever meet children in the same situation someday, reach out your hand to them too.'"
The distant look faded from Haran's eyes as focus returned.
"Well. That's all there is to it. It wasn't an unusual story back then."
After that, Haran returned to his usual grumpy expression as they wandered through the department store shopping.
He never mentioned the subject again.
Although Seo Munhyeok kept glancing at him, he also pretended he'd heard nothing.
By the time they left the department store, each of them was carrying around ten shopping bags.
After buying Haran a proper wardrobe along with everyday clothes and necessities for both him and Sua, Seo Munhyeok got back behind the wheel.
Their next destination was Sua's kindergarten.
"This way?"
"Yeah. Turn left here."
"The road's awfully narrow..."
"What? Can't manage it? A coachman ought to be confident behind the reins."
"Now I'm a coachman too...? Seriously..."
Despite a bit of bickering along the way, the sedan eventually arrived in front of the kindergarten without incident.
"So we just get out?"
"Please wait a moment."
It happened to be dismissal time for the regular classes, so the entrance was crowded with parents and children.
Everyone had already noticed the luxury sedan parked outside and was whispering among themselves.
"I'll open the door for you."
Seo Munhyeok did something he normally never would.
Without hiding his face, he stepped out of the car in full view of everyone.
"Oh my!"
"Who's that? Is that a celebrity?"
"That's Hunter Seo Munhyeok!"
Ignoring the curious stares, he walked around and opened the passenger-side door.
The chatter surrounding him died down instantly.
Who exactly was the person being escorted by the nation's greatest hero?
Every eye turned toward the passenger seat.
"I could've opened the door myself. Why make such a fuss?"
"Sometimes a little performance is necessary."
The person who stepped out was a young man.
Snow-white skin.
Delicate, perfectly balanced features.
One black eye and one blue.
A sharply tailored semi-formal suit.
"Who is that?"
"I told you, maybe he's really a celebrity."
"But why is Hunter Seo Munhyeok with him...? Is he someone's protection target?"
The crowd became noisy once again.
Ignoring every stare directed at them, Haran and Seo Munhyeok headed for the kindergarten entrance.
The people gathered there instinctively stepped aside, allowing them to reach the teacher without difficulty.
"W-Who...?"
"I'm Sua's uncle. I'm here to pick her up."
Haran's introduction was brief and direct.
The homeroom teacher stared blankly at him in shock.
Haran raised an eyebrow in visible annoyance.
"Ah... O-Oh! Sua! J-Just a moment! Sua!"
Fortunately, Sua appeared almost immediately.
She had already been told that morning she'd be going home at the same time as the children in the regular class.
She emerged from the classroom, still surrounded by her classmates as they prepared to leave.
"Huh...?"
But instead of running over shouting "Uncle!" as usual, she simply stood there.
Her eyes darted back and forth between Haran and Seo Munhyeok, as though she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.
"What are you standing there for? Come here."
Haran called to her.
Seo Munhyeok lightly nudged Haran in the side with his elbow before speaking more gently.
"Sua, let's go home. We came to pick you up."
At that moment, several children poked their heads out through the open classroom door.
"H-Hey! Look! It's Seo Munhyeok! Hunter Seo Munhyeok!"
"Where? Where?"
"Why is Seo Munhyeok here?"
"They said he came to pick someone up."
"Who? That poor girl? Yoon Sua?"
Only then did Sua snap out of her daze.
A brilliant smile spread across her face.
"Uncle! Mister!"
She tossed aside her kindergarten bag and sprinted toward them.
The sheer force of her charge made Haran instinctively flinch before quietly stepping out of the way.
"What are you doing?"
"You catch her. My body is far too delicate."
"...Ha."
Unable to help laughing, Seo Munhyeok scooped the little girl into his arms.
Sua burst into cheerful giggles.
"Did you have fun at kindergarten today?"
"Yep!"
"U-Um...!"
Just then, several of Sua's classmates who had gathered in the hallway to watch Seo Munhyeok timidly approached.
The tallest boy among them finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Haran answered bluntly.
Recognizing him, the boy visibly flinched before cautiously stepping closer to Seo Munhyeok instead.
"Um... you're Hunter Seo Munhyeok, right?"
"...That's right."
"Do you know Yoon Sua?"
Sua shifted uneasily in Seo Munhyeok's arms.
He gently patted her back.
"Of course. That's why I came all the way to her kindergarten."
"B-But how? Yoon Sua lives in that old hillside neighborhood... Aren't you mistaken?"
"What did you just say, brat? Hey! How old are you? What's your name?! Huh?!"
The boy's words struck Haran's nerves perfectly.
Seo Munhyeok hurriedly grabbed Haran's sleeve to keep him from exploding.
"The abilities of Sua's uncle here are simply exceptional, so Eclipse recruited... well, invited... him to join us. Hunter Pyo Haram is such an extraordinary Hunter that I wanted to stay on his good side. I thought I'd also get to know Sua better by picking her up today."
He deliberately raised his voice.
The effect was immediate.
The moment he finished speaking, the entire entrance erupted in whispers.
Eclipse had recruited a new Hunter?
And not just anyone—someone so extraordinary that Seo Munhyeok himself, an S-class Hunter and guild master, was personally courting him?
It was irresistible gossip.
Everyone's attention shifted away from Seo Munhyeok and landed squarely on Haran, who was practically being held in place by him.
"But."
Within the noisy crowd, Seo Munhyeok looked directly into the boy's eyes.
His smile remained gentle.
His gaze did not.
"So... what's your relationship with our Sua? Are you perhaps her friend?"
His shadow stretched across the child's body.
The subtle pressure alone made the boy's shoulders stiffen.
Terrified, the child trembled so violently he couldn't even cry.
"U-Uh... I..."
Before the boy could force out an answer, a woman's voice called from behind Seo Munhyeok.
"Gyumin!"
"M-Mom!"
The instant he heard her voice, the frightened boy visibly relaxed.
Sneaking one fearful glance at Seo Munhyeok, he ran straight into his mother's arms.
"Oh my! Aren't you Hunter Seo Munhyeok? Hello! I'm such a huge fan!"
After hugging her son once, she immediately greeted Seo Munhyeok, completely oblivious to what had just happened.
"Ah... hello."
"But what brings you here...? Oh? Aren't you Sua? Hello, Sua! It's been so long. Oh my goodness! I had no idea you knew Hunter Seo Munhyeok..."
Her face lit up.
Without even recognizing Haran standing beside him, she happily chatted away.
Her son was in the same class as Sua.
The two children were supposedly quite close.
Her son often talked about Sua at home because she was such a cute little girl.
"M-Mom... let's just go..."
"What's wrong, Gyumin? Mommy's talking."
"Mooom!"
"Shh! Don't interrupt while adults are speaking."
Gyumin's face turned bright red.
He shifted nervously from foot to foot, constantly stealing anxious glances at Seo Munhyeok and Haran.
He was afraid they already knew what he'd been doing to Sua.
'Just as I thought. He's one of the children who bullied her.'
Watching the boy panic, Seo Munhyeok became certain.
Haran had undoubtedly reached the same conclusion.
'I'd better settle this myself before Pyo Haram takes matters into his own hands.'
Just as Seo Munhyeok stepped forward, quietly moving Haran behind him—
"U-Uncle!"
Sua suddenly cried out in alarm.
Seo Munhyeok finally turned to look at Haran.
"...!"
Instead of glaring at the boy with murderous fury as he'd expected...
Haran stood completely frozen, head hanging low.
Blood dripped steadily from his face onto the floor.
"P-Pyo Haram?"
"Uncle!"
Both of them shouted in shock.
Still dazed, Haran casually wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand before taking one slow step toward the child.
"You're... Gyumin, aren't you?"
"...Pyo Haram?"
Something felt terribly wrong.
Seo Munhyeok immediately sensed it.
Haran's eyes...
Had completely lost their focus.