While moving, Ber told Soo-ho about Sung Il-hwan’s past that he knew.
Seong Il-hwan.
Suho’s grandfather and the father of Shadow Lord Seong Jin-woo.
He was once a top-tier hunter who accepted the ruler’s power.
The exact grade is unknown.
The reason is that when he awakened, the Hunter rank had not yet been clearly defined.
But Ber said that it would definitely be S-class.
In any case, it was possible for that body to accept the power of the rulers.
[And it is very possible that the Lord’s grandfather may have awakened as a hunter again like before!]
There is no age limit to Hunter’s awakening.
The constitution suitable for magical power is innate.
Because it is a field of talent in the first place.
That is why the ‘former hunters’ we have met so far have awakened to the same powers they had in the past.
So Seong Il-hwan was probably no exception.
Just one thing.
The timing of awakening magical powers was different for each person, regardless of talent.
There were times when I suddenly woke up, either due to some trigger or without any trigger.
[Maybe you are still in the early stages of awakening!]
“That’s more worrying.”
[That’s right!]
Suho had never heard any news of his grandfather’s awakening.
‘Given my grandfather’s personality, if he had become a hunter, he would have said he would become a firefighter again. Or he would have started a guild with a similar personality.’
If you think about Seong Il-hwan’s usual personality, there was a high chance that he had not awakened yet.
So I felt more anxious.
The perfect vessel for the apostles of Itarim is yet to awaken its power!
Waaaaaaaaaaaa-!
Suho’s silver hair flutters in the strong wind as he grits his teeth and runs down the highway.
That speed was much faster than Baek Mi-ho, who ran with Su-ho on her back during the previous immigration incident.
He had already been strengthened to the point of being as strong as Gray, and his strength stat had increased so much that it was incomparable to what it was back then.
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“Hey, who’s that guy!”
“Dangerously!”
“Someone report this to the association!”
Many drivers on the road gasped in surprise when they saw Suho.
Sometimes, people would take out their cell phones and report it to the police or the Hunter Association.
But Suho didn’t care and just ran and ran as fast as he could.
The result.
I arrived in Yangpyeong literally at the speed of light.
Saaaaaaaaa-
Paldang Dam.
Along with the sound of the river flowing, thick fog in front of it gently obscures the view.
Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, is divided into two by the Namhan River.
And in areas near rivers that merge with the Namhan River, fog like this often occurs.
Among them, Paldang Dam in particular had a lot of water stored up to a high water level, so the fog was even worse.
Shwaaaaak-!
‘Huh?’
Suho, who was running through the thick fog, felt a strange sensation that was indescribable in an instant.
It seemed like my senses stat, which had been significantly raised through leveling up, had been activated, but it felt a little different than usual.
‘What is it?’
Suho expanded his senses by looking around with narrowed eyes.
But it’s strange.
There was no sign of life or evil around.
What on earth is it?
From the moment he set foot in Yangpyeong, a strange sense of uneasiness continued to bother Suho.
“Ber.”
[Okay, I understand.]
Now, if you pretend, it’s pretend.
Ber immediately started to look around in earnest, wagging his antennae.
Meanwhile, Suho took out his cell phone and called his grandfather.
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I tried calling my grandparents before I left, but no one answered the phone.
But this was a common occurrence.
This was because they were people who lived a leisurely life after moving to the countryside, and they didn’t always carry their cell phones with them.
“… … You still aren’t accepting it.”
Suho frowned as he listened to the never-ending beeping sound.
[… … Do you happen to know the address?]
“Yeah.”
Suho nodded slightly awkwardly at Ber’s question.
“For the past five years, I’ve been completely out of my mind.”
Actually… … it would be the same for anyone.
How many people would be able to maintain their sanity when both their parents suddenly disappeared overnight?
“… … I was at a loss.”
Suho recalled his feelings at that time with a bitter smile.
I know the whole story now, but at the time, I felt like the sky was falling down.
And then I realized.
How weak and insignificant you really are.
“My parents were missing, and there was really nothing I could do as a high school student.”
What did I do?
Yes, first I reported her missing to the police.
Contact your relatives and inform them of the situation.
Watching from the side as the adults who came in such a hurry had a serious conversation with the police… … .
Sitting at home, waiting and waiting for my parents to call.
And then, just in case you suddenly get a call, you hold the phone tightly in your hand without letting it go for even a moment.
… … That was the best he could do.
“Then my uncle came to me and said this.”
-Suho, leave this to the adults and focus on your studies like you normally would. That’s what your parents really want.
And Suho had no choice but to follow those words.
My uncle, Yoo Jin-ho, was a tycoon who was well known even in Korea.
That person was doing everything he could to find his missing parents, and there was nothing he could do as a high school student.
So Suho went back to school.
“… … but do you know that?”
Suho, who was recalling the bad memories from that time, asked Ber with a slightly complicated expression.
“In that kind of atmosphere, what do you think our grandfather was doing at that time?”
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He continued speaking without waiting for Ber’s answer.
“What was really strange was… … my grandfather was turning off the lights just like he always did. Even though his son was missing, he was saving other people.”
[Keeec?]
At those words, a strange light suddenly appeared in Ber’s eyes.
“You keep not answering your phone. This is not going to work. I’ll have to ask my uncle.”
When Suho saw that his grandparents weren’t answering his phone, he immediately called his uncle, Yoo Jin-ho.
However, at that time, Yoo Jin-ho was working and unable to talk to him, so Su-ho tried to contact his aunt as a second choice.
-Oh my, Suho?
Luckily, I got it this time.
“Auntie! Could you tell me Grandpa’s address?”
-Huh? Why all of a sudden?
The voice of Suho’s aunt, ‘Seong Jin-ah’, coming from the other end of the phone was clearly surprised.
Well, this kind of reaction is natural.
As I just told Ber, things between him and his grandfather had become a little estranged since then.
Suho smiled bitterly and chose his words.
“I just wanted to see you after a long time.”
-That, that’s right! Good idea, Suho! Auntie will text me the address right away! Oh, no! Don’t you want to go with Auntie?
“Huh? No, you don’t have to do that… … .”
-No. Even if it weren’t for you, I was going to stop by anyway.
Suho immediately declined, fearing that his aunt would get involved in something dangerous, but his aunt was very stubborn.
This time, I felt a strong will to resolve the relationship between Suho and his grandfather.
-Okay, Suho. How about this? I’m getting off work soon, so come to Ajin Hospital right away.
I stopped at those words.
Suho’s expression hardened.
“… … Yes? Ajin Hospital?”
But the aunt seemed even more puzzled by the reaction.
-Oh my, didn’t you know and call me? Your aunt opened a hospital in Yangpyeong.
“… … Yes?”
-You really didn’t know?
“… … .”
Suho realized it once again.
How indifferently I have lived all this time.
* * *
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Suho arrived at Ajin Hospital in Yangpyeong in one go.
“Suho!”
Seong Jin-ah, wearing a white doctor’s gown, greeted Su-ho warmly.
“How come you came right after I hung up the phone? Were you nearby?”
“How have you been?”
Seong Jin-ah, Su-ho’s aunt and the younger sister of Shadow Lord Seong Jin-woo, was a doctor. She even opened a hospital in Yangpyeong.
‘Ajin Hospital’ is not a very large hospital, but it is famous for its facilities that are great compared to its size.
Suho looked at the hospital name and asked Sungjinah.
“Auntie, is there… … here?”
“Yes, that’s right. This is a hospital established by a foundation sponsored by ‘Ajin Soft.’”
In other words, it was no different from a hospital established by the company of Yoo Jin-ho, Seong Jin-ah’s husband.
Sung Jin Ah smiled bitterly as she said that.
“So there was a lot of gossip.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you may have seen on your way here, there are a lot of rich people living in Yangpyeong. To be exact, old, retired rich people.”
“Ah.”
Suho was convinced by those words.
I saw a lot of them on the way here, but there were expensive-looking detached houses built here and there around here.
Looking at it this way, it was a perfect situation for gossip to spread that a large company like Ajin Soft was building a medical facility for the rich.
But in fact, the order was reversed.
Seong Jin-ah said as if she felt a little wronged.
“I don’t know if you know, but this area is moderately far and close to Gangnam, so it’s a perfect location to retire and build a house in the country. That’s why I recommended this area when your grandparents said they wanted to move to the countryside.”
As Seong Jin-ah said, Yangpyeong, which is generally thought of by people in Seoul, is a good place to lead a leisurely life with nature after retirement.
Enjoy healing and relaxation in nature, but not too far from Seoul, so it’s a good distance for children to visit.
“There’s a saying. Sleep in Yangpyeong, but live in Seoul. But when I let you live here, I suddenly became worried. There aren’t many big hospitals here!”
Even if they lived in a country home surrounded by nature, the most important thing for the elderly was whether there was a medical facility nearby.
And after realizing this fact, Sung Jin Ah made up her mind.
To build a hospital near my parents.
“So when I opened a hospital here, people started to gather around here because they knew about it.”
But there was another reason why Sungjin-ah was so active in chatting with Suho.
“… … So now you’ve decided to make up with your grandfather?”
“We’ve never fought before, you know.”
“Yeah. I thought about it well. But my dad, no, your grandfather, has been cool since a long time ago. Isn’t that right? Your dad suddenly ran away from home for two years when he was in middle school?”
“… … I heard it from my grandfather.”
At Sung Jin Ah’s words, the image of his grandfather saying those words came to Su Ho’s mind.
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-Your father has always been good at suddenly disappearing. Don’t worry too much, he’ll come back just like that time.
-No, that’s comforting… … !
It was from that time.
The reason Suho and his grandfather had a falling out.
“Suho, it’s here. It’s really close to the hospital, right?”
Before long, the rice fields tended by his grandfather and grandmother were spread out in front of Suho.
Suho immediately expanded his sense of smell.
