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Chapter 28 – See You Again
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Go Geun-Hee looked at Amanda in concern. For hours, his ex-lover-turned-second-wife had argued with the Chief of Hunter Association from America. It was because one of their Hunters who awakened as the S-rank Hunter was stolen by Uncle Sam's country. Last night, when they got that news from the Bureau, Go Ha-Neul had waved it off and tried her best to calm down her grandparents, telling them that Hwang Dong-Su was trash and it was a relief instead that the trash was picked by someone else.
"Chill out, Grandpa, Grandma. Our country is not a trash can and soon, not only one country, but the entire world will subdue to the strongest Hunter who will arise from the darkness. Oh, obviously, it is not Hwang Dong-Su. So, no need to worry~".
Their granddaughter had assured them and told them about it confidently. Well, this was their granddaughter which they were speaking about. They were not going to doubt her prophecy. But still, Amanda would not feel satisfied if she did not complain and argue with the Bureau about the insolent heathens who dared to backstab them like a thief.
Go Geun-Hee sighed "Amanda, have you not had enough?".
"Not yet!", Amanda pressed her phone back to her ear and continued shouting "Listen. If you want him so badly, just say it in front of our face and we will gladly ditch him away. Feel free to pick him up just like a beggar picking the trash on the street. However, don't backstab us like this, coward!".
Go Geun-Hee held back the urge to facepalm and snort in amusement.
Across the phone, the exasperated voice relented "Ma'am, as you said, it's not like you lost anything. It's Mr. Hwang Dong-Su's choice to accept the naturalization. I'm sure that you're familiar with this since you went through the same process—".
"I did it for the sake of my Granddaughter, dammit! Did you seriously bring this up in my face when I just tried to remind you of what mistake you have made? I wonder from where you've got the nerve!".
Alright. Time's up.
Go Geun-Hee stole the phone from Amanda and took over the conversation. After so kindly reminding the person who was talking across the phone that yes, Amanda had gone through the naturalization, but Amanda did it for the sake of her granddaughter, just the same with her late son, Yo-Han who chose the person he loved the most. After Yo-Han and Ha-Eun's death, only Go Ha-Neul had been left from them. To say that they loved their granddaughter would be an understatement.
"Think of this as a warning while I'm still doing it gently. Don't group my wife with the likes of Hwang Dong-Su who chose the naturalization for the fame and wealth".
The voice across the phone sounded stuttering "Y-yes, Sir! We apologize!".
"Ah, we almost forget about one thing. The thing with Hwang Dong-Su... We will let it be for now because we still have more talented Hunters. It seems like the flower buds have started to blossom and we finally can see it fully blooming. After all, those who bloom late usually will be the most beautiful of all".
"P-Pardon, Sir? I'm afraid that I don't get it...".
Amanda scoffed beside them "And with that small brain cell, you think you can?".
Go Geun-Hee smiled and turned to Amanda "Amanda, I'm afraid that we will be late to her school for Hannie's piano recital if we don't leave now. Even though she had said that she wasn't going to celebrate her coming-of-age, shouldn't we at least hold a feast to celebrate her achievement?".
"Smooth~ of course", Amanda snatched the phone and slammed the poor phone into its place before she wrapped her hands around his shoulders "In three seconds".
"Wait—".
In the Bureau, after Adam explained the complaints from the Hunter Association of South Korea which his underling (poor guy, he would recover for sure) lamented (mostly, the poor guy complained about how his poor soul was dejected), the Chief of Bureau looked like he just remembered something.
"...Didn't they have a granddaughter who was an 'Awakened' as well?".
Adam blinked his eyes in confusion at that "Yes? From what I remembered, she was just an A-rank Healer without the capability to fight on the battlefield, Sir. Not to mention, she's still underage when she's awakened. It is why Chief Go Geun-Hee and Lady Amanda forbid the mass media to reach their hands out to her. Aside from her career as a model, following after her late mother, her personal life is untouchable".
"She's turned into an adult once she graduates from her school, right?", the Chief's Bureau frowned deeply "I have a hunch that those two old foxes hid something. Send our intel to South Korea and investigate about Miss Go Ha-Neul. Secretly".
In the room for the participants of the musical recital in her school's festival, Ha-Neul had predicted something must have happened from the commotion outside the waiting room for the participants.
Go Ha-Neul rolled her eyes, unimpressed "Grandma, I know that you are 'Awakened' as an S-rank Mage-type Hunter and yes, teleportation is a useful skill, but should you use it just to come here with Grandpa? You two do realize that you two attracted too much attention, do you not?".
Go Geun-Hee facepalmed beside Amanda who smiled triumphantly "When I said that we'd be late if we didn't leave right away, you don't have to teleport us right away to here".
"Shut up. This is faster", Amanda nudged his midsection using her elbow before hugging Go Ha-Neul "Oh, Dear! You're so beautiful!".
Right now, Go Ha-Neul wore an off-shoulders white dress with creme high-heels. Her hair was tied half-bun where there was a white lily hairpin attached to it.
Looking at the watch on her wrist, Amanda was confused "Shouldn't you enter the stage now? It's 10.00 AM already, Dear".
Ha-Neul smiled apologetically "Unfortunately, my turn is delayed because there's a sudden power interruption. Min Byeong-Gyu and the others are still working on it to repair it".
Min Byeong-Gyu smiled sheepishly, waving his hand at them and cursed inwardly "I hope that your plan is working, Jin-Woo".
A few minutes before...
When Woo Jin-Cheol and Eun Seok finally arrived at Go Ha-Neul's and Seong Jin-Woo's school, the Festival was being held.
Paying for the taxi and closing the door in hurry, Eun Seok followed Woo Jin-Cheol who walked to the school's Auditorium in a rush "Wait, Jin-Cheol! Where'd you go?".
"Today, she will perform her piano play in the Auditorium. Exactly, from 10.00 AM till 12.30 PM", looking down at his watch, Woo Jin-Cheol pulled his handphone out of his pocket "We have 15 minutes left till her performance started. We need 25 minutes to arrive at the Auditorium. Let's make it in time".
"Your accurate punctuation sometimes scares me", Eun Seok rolled his eyes dryly before pulling Woo Jin-Cheol by the back of his collar "Wait!".
Woo Jin-Cheol grunted, fixing his dishevelled coat "What?".
"Does the Regressor always this impatient and short-circuited?".
"We have no time to waste. Especially not when she's in a danger".
"Listen, buddy. If we were gonna late, then I would prefer to make it natural in eyes of the beholder. First, Ha-Neul won't be upset even if we're late because what's important for her, having her husband back to her side safely from the war zone is far more important".
"She's not my wife and I'm not her husband", covering his blushing face, Woo Jin-Cheol averted his eyes, scratching his nape "Well... Not yet. In this worldline".
"Second, if everything will be going on as you have informed, then we just need to evacuate everyone in the nick of time naturally as if we just find out the Gate in this school. You just need to prioritize your future wife's safety while I will handle it with my force who is still looking for the Gate in the location which you informed us before the Dungeon Break occurs", Eun Seok whispered to his ear, holding the younger man's bicep "But first thing first, you don't think that we're rather out of place?".
Woo Jin-Cheol deadpanned, unimpressed "If you're talking about our battle suit, it can't be helped. Since we're gonna fight, it's better to keep our battle suit on and our weapons close".
"Excuse me, Sir Soldiers-nim. Can I help you? Because you seem... out of place in this school, to say the least".
"Unnie, don't you think that you're too worrywart? This festival is opened to the public".
"I would not even ask about it if the Sir Soldiers here do not wander around with a hostile aura carrying the weapons visibly".
Eun Seok nudged him and rolled his eyes as if he tried to say 'Told you so, Idiot'.
Woo Jin-Cheol elbowed him and glared before rolling his eyes as if telling 'Shut the f*ck up. I will handle this'.
"Forgive me for the inconvenience, Young Miss. We don't mean to make the people around us uncomfortable or scared", bowing his head slightly, Woo Jin-Cheol introduced themselves before explaining "We just came back from the military base after finishing our military service. We have no time to change our equipment due to the airplane's delayed schedule while we're in a rush to come here".
It made the twins curious. Woo Jin-Cheol remembered them, of course. To be more precise, the older sister of the twins. Cha Hae-In.
It was strange. From what he remembered, Cha Hae-In did not have a sibling and was parentless. Actually, she did have, but her parents and her sibling had passed away in a Dungeon Break. It happened when she was in her university and she was awakened as the Melee-type S-rank Hunter. Perhaps, the reason why was Cha Hae-In awakened as the Melee-type S-rank Hunter because of the tragedy that befell her family.
It seemed like Woo Jin-Cheol had stared too long for her liking because Cha Hae-In stood in front of her twin sister protectively but before the older twin could retort, Cha Hae-Sal, who was looking at Woo Jin-Cheol in admiration and excitement (?) with the clear recognition on her eyes, shrieked.
Cha Hae-Sal gasped comically "Unnie, it's him!".
Cha Hae-n snapped her head at that "What? Do you know him?".
"Unnie, are you serious?", Cha Hae-Sal flatly stared at her, dumbfounded because how could her twin sister be so forgetful this time before she scrolled something in her phone and shoved her phone right in front of Cha Hae-In's face "Look! It's really him, right? Ha-Neul Unnie's—".
Something clicked in Cha Hae-In's head as she immediately covered her twin sister's mouth "I got it. Don't mention it. Don't you remember? The forbidden".
Cha Hae-Sal gasped and made a comical gesture as if zipping and locking her mouth before she made a gesture of throwing away the lock. Woo Jin-Cheol and Eun-Seok looked at the twin sisters in amusement. While Cha Hae-In was a calm, composed woman just like the calm sea under the full moon in the dark sky night, Cha Hae-Sal was a bright and cheerful person just like the raging wave of the blue sea in the middle of the Summer at the broad daylight under the clear, blue sky. Then, they heard the voice of someone which they hadn't met for a long time.
"Hyung?".
It was Seong Jin-Woo.
Cha Hae-Sal waved her hand and immediately approached him, dragging him closer to them while Cha Hae-In shyly greeted him and bowed her head which Seong Jin-Woo reciprocated by bowing his head slightly as well. Oho. Eun-Seok grinned as he saw the blush creeping on Seong Jin-Woo's nape and Cha Hae-In's cheeks and ears. Cha Hae-Sal's mischievous grin only confirmed their suspicion. After listening to the explanation of the stwin sisters, Seong Jin-Woo called Min Byeong-Gyu to sabotage the stage's power and delay Ha-Neul's turn till he brought Woo Jin-Cheol and Eun-Seok to the Auditorium.
Across the phone, Min Byeong-Gyu whined "But Grandma Amanda and Chief Geun-Hee will be here as well! How the hell—?".
Seong Jin-Woo deadpanned "Just do it or I'll do it myself and you won't like it, trust me. Good luck".
"The heathens—!".
After Seong Jin-Woo one-sidedly hung the call (he would undoubtedly get a nag at that), Seong Jin-Woo looked at Woo Jin-Cheol and Eun-Seok with the scrutinizing eyes "Let's do something with your attire first, Hyung. Seriously, no matter how excited you are... You don't seriously plan to meet and reunite with Noona and your lover when you still wear your military attire, right?".
Woo Jin-Cheol still had the decency to look abashed at that while Eun-Seok, the shameless man had the audacity to smile broadly at that.
When they changed their clothes, Eun-Seok asked Woo Jin-Cheol about what caused him to be so on edge and Woo Jin-Cheol admitted it. He recited what happened in the previous turn around this time.
Choi Jong-In and Hannie were indeed lovers when they were in Senior High School. It happened naturally because they were in the same school and they often spent time together as the President and Vice President of their school.
"They were lovers?".
"They broke up due to what happened in the Festival. Exactly, the very same Festival which is happening right now".
"How—why did they break up? What happened?".
"...Dungeon Break".
At the School Foundation Festival where Go Ha-Neul was playing her piano recital, neither Go Geun-Hee nor Woo Jin-Cheol could come. Only Choi Jong-In came to accompany her but there was a Dungeon Break in their school. Choi Jong-In was 'Awakened' as an S-rank Mage-type who could control fire. He accidentally burned the whole school. Fortunately, all the students had been evacuated, leaving only Choi Jong-In and Go Ha-Neul in the school. They wanted to make sure that all students had been evacuated when the monsters attacked. At that moment, Choi Jong-In was 'Awakened'.
"Hannie would have died due to the monster's attack, just barely, had it been for Choi Jong-In's Awakening. He could save Hannie from the monsters and they both successfully got out of the school. When I and Chief Go Geun-Hee arrived there, the firefighters tried to put off the fire and Choi Jong-In came out of their school's burned building carrying the unconscious Hannie in his arms", Woo Jin-Cheol draped the semi-formal coat above his white shirt "But his fire burned Hannie as well".
Go Ha-Neul got the burns from the accident and she retired from her job as a model. Before their graduation, Choi Jong-In asked her to break up. She did not cry and she accepted it with an understanding smile.
"She told me about it when she was crying in my embrace".
Eun-Seok hummed apprehensively "It explained why did you so... being overprotective for Hannie's well-being and feel so competed against Choi Jong-In, even refused to let her go for Choi Jong-In".
"I know he was feeling guilty but if I remembered how Hannie was crying back then because of him, I couldn't help it".
"So~ long story short, you're just being petty".
"No. I've planned to never let her go to anyone in the first place".
"Since when?".
"Since we met again in this life in our childhood under the snow".
"THAT LONG!".
When they entered the Auditorium, Ha-Neul was performing her piano play and singing ability "Living life without you feels so wrong~ I want you to be here with me~ I know it sounds so crazy~ I miss you and I miss everything we used to be~ My heart is just missing you~".
Once she ended her performance, Eun-Seok called her and Ha-Neul abruptly hugged him to welcome him "Orabeoni, welcome back!".
Eun-Seok ruffled her hair and chuckled lightly "You've grown so big as well, huh? However, I don't think that I'm the right person you should hug to welcome their homecoming".
Go Ha-Neul looked like she just remembered something and asked him to run but Seong Jin-Woo patted her shoulder and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Bastian.
Oops. It was too late to run.
Preparing the utensils in his hands which he prepared to throw at Eun-Seok, Bastian welcomed him with a stiff smile "Welcome back, Eun-Seok. It's a miracle to see you come back, intact".
When in fact, Bastian cursed him inwardly "Eun-Seok, you motherf*cker! Why don't you just die in the war and stay away from my sister forever?".
Being a soldier trained in the war, Eun-Seok expertly dodged or blocked the flying utensils only using the scabbard of his dagger with a smile on his face "Oh, it's thanks to the pray of my lover and the blessing which my childhood friend that felt like my little sister, Hannie has given to me".
They only stopped when Belladonna hugged Eun-Seok from behind with a disdain glare at her older brother which thankfully stopped their stupid fight.
"He's not the only one who came back, you know".
When Go Ha-Neul turned her head, she smiled brightly and barely teared up "Oppa!".
Woo Jin-Cheol wordlessly spread his arms and smiled as Ha-Neul hugged him, ignoring the hateful gazes which he undoubtedly earned from Choi Jong-In (fulfilled with jealousy, no doubt) or the others.
Wrapping his hands around Ha-Neul's torso, Woo Jin-Cheol plastered his best customer service smile as he felt the younger girl hug him hard as if she was trying to break his bones "Ha-Neul, I can barely breath...".
"That's your fault for leaving too long, Oppa!", tightening her hold instead, she buried her face in his chest, mumbling "Oppa is so mean... to think you never contact me...".
Suddenly, they sensed it, not seeing it.
There was a Dungeon Gate that appeared on the stage of this Auditorium. It was quite different from the ordinary Gate because this Gate sucked the nearby people in. Both Bastian and Eun-Seok crouched on the floor with their hand-holding Belladonna.
Cha Hae-Sal shrieked when she lost her grip on the nearest pole and got sucked into the gate "Unnie!".
Choi Jong-In who was the nearest to her tried to catch her but failed. Cha Hae-In jumped and caught her twin sister's hand without doubt, but as a result, she also got sucked into the Gate which caused Seong Jin-Woo to make a mad dash and tried to catch them. Looking at his friend's reckless action, Choi Jong-In followed him which caused Baek Yoon-Ho and Min Byeong-Gyu to follow after them as well.
Ha-Neul reached out her hand because she had a bad feeling about this "NO!".
Woo Jin-Cheol tried to stop her but Ha-Neul persisted. So, just like when the Assassination Attempt to Ha-Neul occurred, Eun-Seok and Woo Jin-Cheol jumped together with her. Only this time, Bastian and Belladonna also followed them into the Gate before the Gate's blue colour turned into a red purplish colour.
As a result, there was 11 people in total who got sucked (mostly jumped into it, though) by the Gate.
Amanda slammed her fist on the wall "Those reckless brats! To think Hannie follow after them!".
Go Geun-Hee just contacted the missing people's parents and relatives. After he hung the call, he tried to calm her down "We just can trust them for now".
Go Geun-Hee and Amanda wanted to jump as well when they saw their granddaughter was in a danger. However, Ha-Neul shouted telling them to stay. Logically, if the Dungeon Break were to occur, then someone (who was strong enough to do it) had to fight here. It left a bitter aftertaste for Amanda and Go Geun-Hee. They hoped that the worst would not occur and they would survive it.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Amanda picked up her phone. It was a call from Aisha. After she explained everything about what just happened to Aisha, Aisha asked "Mother-in-law, what is the colour of the Gate?".
Now she said it...
It was not totally Red. It was not the Red Gate. It had a red colour with a tint of purple colour, almost black.
Go Geun-Hee frowned "Wait, could it be...?".
There were the cases where the people were lost in the Dungeon, indeed. However, there were the cases where the people lost and never be found as if the Gate ate them away. It was known as the 'Fuchsia Gate' because it had the red purplish colour and it tend to attract people to enter it. In the past, the 'Fuchsia' flower which had a red purplish colour was meant as a warning to the people. They just found out that the Gate seemed to suck the people around it as a way to attract the people to enter it because mostly, the witnesses were already gone by the time this Gate turned into red purplish after sucking people into it and trapped them in it. Once there were no longer the survivors left in it, the Dungeon Break would occur and the monsters would come out of it.
Seong Jin-Woo landed on the ground hardly with an 'Oof' sound as he held Cha Hae-In and Cha Hae-Sal close to him. As if sensing the danger, Seong Jin-Woo scooped them up and sat up, immediately running to the side right before Choi Jong-In, Min Byeong-Gyu, and Baek Yoon-Ho landed unceremoniously on the ground. Unlike the unlucky trio, Woo Jin-Cheol (carrying Ha-Neul) and Eun-Seok (carrying Belladonna) landed on the ground gracefully like how Bastian did. How could the Butler land so elegantly like this, they had no idea.
Lifting his glasses, Bastian looked around "So... where are we?".
Looking around, Cha Hae-In commented "It looked like we have landed in the Joseon-like era".
Lifting his pointed finger, Seong Jin-Woo frowned "But I'm sure that it is not Hangul".
"It's the Ancient Chinese letters", Ha-Neul pursed her lips "From what I remembered, the last thing happened to us was getting sucked by the Gate. Have we gone to the past or something else, I wonder?".
