Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It’s only right that hunters hunt down monsters. And if he is indeed a monster, then I’ll take care of him myself. But if he is not a monster but rather truly my father...

Then I’ll hunt down the hunters.

I will protect my family, even if that means I’ll make an enemy of every single hunter in the world.”

And with that, the conference ended.

Adam White watched as Hunter Sung Jin-Woo walked away from the conference hall. He had always admired this young man who went from a nobody to the world’s most formidable hunter in such a short period.

The hunters were scattered all over the place, flocking together to talk about the events of the meeting.

After observing the situation, Adam decided to approach Sung Jin-woo.

Reaching there, he saw Liu Zhigeng approaching.

As soon as Liu Zhigeng moved towards Sung Jin-Woo, Adam realised that the previous groups of talking hunters had retreated probably anticipating a fight between these two titans.

The whispers died down as soon as the tension between Jin Woo and Liu Zhigeng started building up. The panic in the room spiked as the weaker hunters searched for a place to take refuge so that they wouldn’t be endangering their chances of survival if a fight were to take place.

To everyone’s relief, Liu Zhigeng was not trying to pick up a fight; he was there to express his admiration for Jin Woo’s battle prowess. He even went for a friendly handshake.

Jin Woo hesitantly shook hands with Liu Zhigeng, who seemed happy. Adam sighed in relief as Liu Zhigeng expressed his happiness about Sung Jin-Woo teaching Thomas Andre a lesson. He also hoped that 'suspect S' isn’t Jin Woo’s family member as he didn’t want to get into a fight with the hunter.

When shaking hands, Liu Zhigeng lightly caressed Sung Jin-Woo's hand; it did not go unnoticed.

Jin Woo gripped his hand tightly to warn Liu Zhigeng and stop his actions which thankfully got the point across; Liu Zhigeng stopped in his acts as he did not wish to provoke Jin Woo.

With that, they parted ways.

***

Meanwhile, something huge happened on social media. A hacker revealed Sung Jin Woo’s second gender.

[Hunter Sung Jin Woo is an Omega!…]

This revelation made headlines; all the efforts made by the Korean Hunter’s Association to suppress this news were futile. The news had already all over social media.

Netizens all over the world were discussing this.

[Iamsceptical: Hunter Sung is an Omega? Are you sure?]

[Noobinvestigator: A hacker revealed it. Considering how the Korean Hunter’s Association is trying to suppress this news, it must be true.]

[Dumbass: Is that even allowed? An Omega becomes a hunter?]

[Patientlywaiting: Wait for the confirmation.]

[Throwawaythescumbag: @Dumbass Well, well, well, look how much your username suits you. So what if he is? He just saved a country! Even Alpha hunters failed at that. So stop being an ignorant and judgmental fool and learn to appreciate people for who they are. You dumbass.]

[ IamImportant: Do not forget that he even defeated THE Thomas Andre!]

Association President Go Gunhee was calm as all this went down. He had anticipated such a situation to happen.

He remembered the conversation between him and Sung Jin-Woo a few days ago.

This topic came up while they were talking about how to proceed with their plans about the future. When asked what to do if such a situation were to arise, Sung Jin-Woo replied, “Just confirm it then. Not like I am hiding anything."

So, currently when he was asked on the course of action to take, remembering the conversation, the president ordered his PR team to confirm the news.

“Sir, are you sure about this? Shouldn't we take Hunter Jin Woo’s permission first?”

“I already had a discussion with Hunter Jin Woo on this topic; he consented to confirm it if the news was to break out. Don't worry, he knows what he’s doing.”

Although the employees were still hesitant about confirming Sung Jin Woo’s second gender, they had to follow the orders.

By that evening, a new headline was trending on social media.

[Hunter Sung Jin Woo is an Omega, confirmed by the hunter’s association]

An amused smile adorned Liu Zhigeng’s face as he saw this news. He already had a suspicion that Sung Jin-Woo is an Omega. Even though Sung Jin-Woo wore a strong pheromone suppressant, the faint scent oozing out of him was enough for Liu Zhigeng to pick up on.

He looked around; it seemed that people had yet to see this news. He smiled in amusement. The world's most formidable hunter turns out to be an Omega, this will be interesting. He wondered how the other hunters would react, especially Thomas Andre when he finds out.

***

Meanwhile, at Sung Jin-Woo's home:

“Mom! They found out!”

“Found out about what?”

“About Oppa! They found out that Oppa is an Omega! What if he got harassed? What if-“ Sung Jin Ah was starting to panic thinking about how much backlash her brother might receive just for being who he is.

“Jin Ah, it’s fine. Your brother knows what he is doing”

“But mom!”

“I’m sure he will be fine. He’s powerful. He will be alright.”

“I know that he is powerful but I am worried, What if-“

“How about this, when your brother comes home, let’s watch a movie together. Sounds good?”

Sung Jin Ah hesitated for a moment but finally relented.

“Okay. I’ll go pick the movie.”

Chapter Text

Leaving the conference hall, Sung Jin-Woo decided to visit Yu Jin-Ho.

He went into the hospital where Yoo Jin Ho was admitted due to his injuries. As soon as Sung Jin-Woo stepped into the ward, he was suddenly tackled into a hug by a crying Yoo Jin Ho.

Jin Ho’s reaction perplexed Jin-woo; he was worried that something might have happened when he wasn’t here. So he looked to Yoo Jin Chul for information; as if understanding Jin Woo’s thoughts, Jin Chul showed him the newspaper headlines of Sung Jin-Woo defeating Thomas Andre.

Yoo Jin Ho was emotionally overwhelmed; he would not stop thanking and hugging Sung Jin-Woo, no matter how hard they tried to get him to calm down.

After he calmed down, Yoo Jin Ho declared that he would follow Sung Jin-Woo forever; which warmed Sung Jin Woo’s heart.

After getting Yoo Jin Ho discharged from the hospital, they headed to the vehicles prepared by Hunter Bureau.

Sung Jin Woo and Adam White entered the first car to discuss some classified matters.

Yoo JinHo and the remaining employees of the Korean Hunter’s Association boarded the vehicle in the back.

After ending their discussion, Sung Jin-Woo noticed that his travel companion seemed to be trying not to fall asleep. Even though he admired the work ethics of the American agent, he couldn’t help but be worried as the agent kept pushing himself; so he reached out to cover the agent’s eyes.

Adam stiffened as soon as Sung Jin-Woo put a hand on his eyes. He was freaking out internally; he had no idea where to put his limbs and what to do (he didn't get any training to deal with this situation). He could feel Jin Woo’s hot breath on his face and a sweet smell of lavender which seemed to be wafting from the S-rank hunter turned him into a blushing mess.

Sung Jin-Woo poured a healing potion in the agent’s mouth to help him deal with his fatigue. Agent Adam was stunned and didn’t know what to make of these actions. As soon as the liquid entered his throat, Adam felt refreshed.

“H-Hunter nim? How did you do that?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

Sung Jin-Woo shrugged; since he didn’t want to disclose his secret, Adam didn’t pry into his privacy anymore. This did not stop him from admiring this kind-hearted yet strong hunter.

Then he finally realised something, a sweet smell of lavender was floating in the air but he was confused about its origin. He looked at Sung Jin Woo to see if the hunter noticed it too. Sung Jin-Woo seemed to be oblivious to this scent.

“Hunter nim, did you smell anything?”

“What smell?”

“……uhhhhh nothing. Maybe it’s just my imagination.”

Sung Jin Woo was very confused with the agent’s actions. Then he finally realised where the smell came from. He quickly suppressed his pheromones, to think that he somehow lost control of pheromones at a place like this. Thankfully it wasn’t at a place full of Alphas, it might have resulted in some problematic events.

***

As soon as Sung Jin-Woo stepped down from the car, Yoo Jin Ho and Woo Jin Chul quickly ran towards Sung Jin-Woo. It resulted in Jin Woo being confused yet again.

“Hyung-nim!”

“Hunter Sung!”

Listening to the panic in their voices, Sung-Jin Woo was even more confused. What happened to make them look as if the world was falling apart?

“Hyung-nim! Bad news!!”

“What’s the matter?”

Woo Jin Chul showed his phone with several headlines flashing on it.

[HUNTER SUNG JIN WOO IS AN OMEGA!]

[AN OMEGA BECAME A HUNTER?!]

[AN OMEGA IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE MOST CELEBRATED ALPHA HUNTERS OF ALL TIME?!]

Both of them were anxious while waiting for Jin Woo’s reaction. Looking at him staring at the phone’s screen without any reaction made them worried.

“So? They’re not wrong.”

“But hyung-nim!!”

“The association had confirmed it. Right?”

Woo Jin Cheol nodded hesita1ntly.

“Then it’s fine. I knew this would happen eventually; I already discussed this with the chairman long ago. Don’t worry.”

“Hyung-nim…..”

Woo Jin Chul suddenly remembered the banquet that they were supposed to attend that night.

“Hunter Sung, what about tonight? Will you go?”

“Yeah, just because they found out doesn’t mean I will back down.”

Chapter Text

The banquet was named ‘Night of the Hunters’, all the influential Hunters and their parties were invited.

As soon as Sung Jin-Woo arrived at the venue, all eyes were directed to him; whispers broke out.

“Look, isn’t that……”

“That’s the Korean Hunter, right?”

“The hunters that defeated Thomas Andre.”

“The one that ascertained to be an Omega?”

“It seems so; he doesn’t look like an Omega.”

“I can’t even smell any pheromones from him.”

“Hey! didn’t he fight Thomas Andre because of the beta next to him?”

After the Hunter’s Association released the official statement, the situation on the internet had more or less died down; the people were still curious about the whole Sung Jin-Woo being an Omega situation.

A shiver ran down all the hunter’s spines as they realised that the warning that night was probably not a bluff since he was even willing to clash with the Scavenger Guild for a mere D rank beta hunter.

This realisation increased admiration for Sung Jin Woo in their hearts.

But ever since the news of Sung Jin-Woo being an Omega was released, all the hunter’s started to seek a chance to talk with the Omega.

***

Yoo Jin Ho guided the approaching businessmen away from Sung Jin Woo as he did not want his Hyung-nim to be uncomfortable while being trapped in this large crowd.

With a worried glance towards Jin Woo, he moved towards a different spot.

Noticing Jin Ho’s actions, Jin-Woo smiled in amusement. This kid…. Even though he knew that Jin Woo can take care of himself, he is still worried. Knowing that he is appreciated and cared for made Sung Jin-Woo happy.

Adam White was discussing some important things with Sung Jin Woo. He does not know how he is supposed to act towards the other. Other than being polite and drawing a line between them since he is an Alpha.

Then a commotion rose from across the hall. The appearance of a certain someone had thrown the guests into a state of confusion and panic.

Noticing the presence, Adam worriedly looked at Jin Woo.

“H-Hunter nim….”

“Don’t worry.”

The cause of the commotion didn’t display any hint of hesitation as he strode towards Jin Woo and halted right in front of the Korean hunter, before removing his sunglasses.

Liu Zhigeng, who was watching from the sidelines, smiled in amusement.

“Thomas Andre”

Jin Woo didn’t seem bothered by Thomas Andre’s actions; the same could not be said for the onlookers, who were freaking out by now.

“Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, I want to ask a question.”

Jin Woo did not look puzzled in the least bit by this, he seemed to have expected this.

What confused Jin Woo was that he could not sense any ill-intent from Thomas Andre. So he nodded for the hunter to continue.

“I heard that the damage sustained by my arm from the magic attack was so severe that it would take a long time for it to heal; it will take a long time for me to be able to use my arm properly again.”

Blocking the attack had resulted in him having to endure severe pain. But the pain gave him the clarity to think about what happened; the more he thought, the more perplexed he grew. That is the reason why he arrived at the banquet so that he could seek answers from Sung Jin-Woo.

Jin-Woo started back at him with confusion. This man…. What is he trying to say? He’s not here to ask about his gender or something?

“Since it’s you, you would have no problem finishing me off or any of my Guild members. Back then….. why did you let us all live?” Asked Thomas Andre.

The one who kidnapped Jin Woo’s comrade and those who attacked Jin Woo while he was rescuing someone, all belonged to Thomas Andre’s Guild; Thomas himself was involved in it too.

At that time, if Sung Jin-Woo had killed everyone present on site, he would still manage to evade punishment from the government. However, Jin-Woo didn’t kill anyone other than Hwang DongSu.

So why didn’t he kill the others?

This question was plaguing the American hunter’s mind.

Even though Thomas Andre was the one to admit defeat so that his guild members survive, he was still perplexed by Jin Woo’s choice of action.

Too bad, Jin Woo’s answer was very simple.

“Because none of you committed a crime worthy of death.”

Thomas Andre is an arrogant man. But back then, he showed up to protect his guild member, Hwang Dong Su. The same for all the members of the Scavenger Guild who were present that night.

They were wrong for attacking him; they already paid for their indiscretions.

Sung Jin-Woo thought as he withdrew his final attack although he suspects that his Omega nature might have played a role in this decision.

This response surprised Thomas Andre. To think that the reason was such a simple one all along. Such pure thoughts warmed his heart even though he was still a bit conflicted, a relaxed smile inadvertently graced his face.

“What about you?”

This time, it was Jin Woo’s turn to ask him a question.

“How come you don’t look bothered by the fact that an Omega managed to defeat you?” Sung Jin-Woo clarified when Thomas Andre looked like he didn’t understand his previous question.

“To be honest, I was shocked when I found out. However, you earned my respect for the strength that you possess not because of your second gender so, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Omega or not.”

When he had first heard of this news, he was shocked and his ego did get hurt a bit. But the more he thought about it, the more he found it ridiculous, how could he be offended by someone’s gender when that person did manage to defeat him in a fair fight? So he just accepted it.

Listening to his response, Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow.

“Judging from your response, I am guessing that you want me to elaborate.”

“Yes. Please do.”

“The strength that we gained with hard work, has nothing to do with gender. Whether it is an Alpha, Beta or Omega, everyone has the right to be appreciated for their hard work and it should not be undermined just because of their second gender. Especially when I see you, someone that managed to reach such potential while breaking the gender barriers, makes me respect you even more.”

He answered honestly. Jin Woo’s shocked expression was visible to everyone.

Then something unexpected happened, Sung Jin-Woo smiled, a genuine smile, it caught everyone off guard. The smile highlighted his slender figure and flawless face.

Jin Woo felt happy and grateful when he heard these words; all his life, he has been told that an Omega can't achieve anything of importance.

He became a hunter to support his mother’s hospital bills and to get his sister educated, even though they were extremely worried about him. When he received the power, his first thought was that this job is supposed to be for an Alpha, an Omega like him isn’t supposed to be a Hunter.

But he was given the responsibility, and Omega, he was supposed to do this and not some Alpha. He realised that even though he is a weak Omega, someone believed in him enough to give him these powers.

Therefore, despite all the criticism, he kept going. Today, being validated and not having to compete with someone over his right to survive felt refreshing.

“…thank you.”

Everyone was stunned, they blushed at how dazzling this man is. Thomas Andre, the one at the receiving end of such a beautiful smile, blushed like a virgin.

Chapter Text

“I- uh I’d like to treat you to a meal after my arm heals up. C-can you leave your contact information with my manager? So that I can call you later.”

All his attempts at trying not to sound flustered were useless. He looked like a flirt trying to get the other’s phone numbers.

Thomas Andre looked cautious yet flustered as he turned around to leave.

To not cause a scene due to his blind rage, Liu Zhigeng cast aside the wine glass he was holding. He glared at Thomas Andre; that dazzling smile is supposed to be directed at him. His Alpha nature made him exceedingly possessive of the Omega.

After Thomas Andre had left, Laura approached Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who looked amusedly at her boss’s departing figure.

“Hunter-nim, just now, my guild master was simply expressing his gratitude towards you for not killing any of his Guild members. He might look tough but he gets flustered very easily,” said Laura trying to justify her boss’s actions.

“I can see that.”

Jin-Woo laughed softly; Thomas Andre being embarrassed was a rare and amusing sight.

The soft laugh had dazzled the onlookers again. It rang like a small bell in the quiet hall.

Taking Sung Jin-Woo’s contact information, Laura proceeded to follow her boss outside.

***

After this ordeal ended, Sung Jin-Woo went around the hall greeting world’s top 10 hunters.

“Uhhhhhhhh???”

“Is Hunter Sung Jin-Woo networking using this occasion?”

“But, aren’t the Hunters he’s talking to…….?”

All the attendees of the banquet eagerly hoped that Jin-Woo would approach them to share greetings.

“He’s coming this way….!”

“I knew it. Of course, I’m the one he wants to talk to.”

Such were the talks that the Hunters had whenever Jin-Woo headed towards a specific direction, only for him to leave them disappointed when he walked right past them to talk to some other hunter.

After some time, Jin-Woo finished greeting the Hunters; he had also managed to stick a shadow soldier to the ones on his list.

“Ahem…..”

The tenth Hunter on his list cleared his throat for the fourth time before he began talking. It might have been Jin-Woo’s imagination but the Hunter seemed to be talking in a louder voice than before and his face seemed to be flushed red, the cause of which was pinned on the extremely hot environment by Sung Jin-Woo.

The Hunters raking 11th and below could only drink their grief away.

On that day, the employees of the Hunter’s Bureau, organiser of the ‘Night of Hunters’ banquet, had to work extra hard to find out the cause of the excess alcohol consumption which took place during the party.

With that, the banquet ended.

The next day, Sung Jin-Woo and his party returned to South Korea without any incident.

***

The minute Sung Jin-Woo stepped foot on the airport, many reporters swarmed towards him, trying to get the first exclusive interview with the first Omega Hunter in history.

With the efforts of the Korean Hunter’s Association, he managed to leave the airport peacefully.

He had yet to put a foot into the threshold of his home when his sister started scolding him.

“Oppa! You need to be more careful. How could you just nonchalantly go anywhere when everyone knows that you’re an Omega? I saw how much those reports were pushing and pulling each other. What if you had been injured? Why did you not have someone by your side?”

“Jin-Ah I don’t need a bodyguard and I already came back safe so what’s the point in fussing so much?”

“No! What if you got harassed again?!”

“Jin-Woo… you got harassed?”

Jin-Woo turned around to see his worried mother.

“Mom, that was long ago. I can protect myself now. If someone dares to touch me, I’ll break their arm.”

Hearing this, his mother smiled. Even though she was still worried about Jin-Woo, she knew that her child wasn’t the weak Omega that he once used to be.

“Alright then, don’t forget to wear the choker.”

Jin-Woo stared at his mother for a while, not understanding what she was talking about and then it hit him, he had forgotten about the choker. It was a special device that prevents marking on an Omega. He had stopped using it when he got Igris as his shadow soldier and now, he only wore turtlenecks just as a preventive measure,

Thinking about the current situation, it would be wise for him to start wearing it again, just in case something happened.

Although he knew he could always order Beru and Igris to take him away if an unprecedented situation occurred, like his heat cycle starting early, prevention is still better than cure.

“Okay.”

“You must be tired right? Did you eat anything? Mom will cook for you.”

“I already ate, it’s fine.”

“How about we spend some time together. If you don’t have any work to take care of.”

“Okay.”

“The first to reach the living room, gets to pick the movie!” said Jin-Ah as she ran towards the living room with Jin-Woo following closely.

“I’ll go and make popcorn.” Said their mom.

It was nice to be with family and not have to worry about the end of the world all the time.

That night, Jin-Woo had the most fun in quite a long while.

Chapter Text

For the next one month, Jin-Woo spent time with his family; not even a glimpse of him could be seen anywhere.

During this time, the media had finally calmed down a bit even though they were still curious about Sung Jin-Woo.

Many contacted the Korean Hunter’s Association to interview Sung Jin-Woo which resulted in an increased workload on the association.

Being fed up with the daily inquiries about Jin-Woo, President Go Gunhee decided to contact him.

[….Hello?]

“Hunter Sung, how have you been?”

[I am doing well, chairman. What’s the matter?]

“I want to ask you to attend an interview.”

[They still haven’t settled down about that?]

“The situation is rather tame now but there are daily inquiries here which have resulted in a lot of workload for my subordinates. If you don’t mind, can you attend an interview for this old man?”

[….fine. When is it?]

“The association will contact you when the date is confirmed.”

[Alright.]

The chairman sighed in relief, the annoying calls will finally stop now.

And now, the chairman has to face everyone’s worst nightmare, paperwork.

***

Due to Sung Jin-Woo being a hot topic, the interview was decided to be a live one. The date and time had been publicised.

On the day of the event, everyone was huddling towards their televisions or mobile phones to see the rumoured Omega hunter. As Sung Jin-Woo had gained popularity overseas too, this interview was accessible in many countries along with translations.

Jin-Woo and Jin Ho arrived at the TV station at the given time. The TV station that the Association had arranged for this interview was a highly trustworthy source of media so the risk of inappropriate questions was minimalised.

Seated on a single sofa, Jin-Woo observed the place, they had placed Jin Ho backstage as a backup. The two interviewers were a beta male and an alpha female.

As soon as the interviewers were seated on the double sofa across from him, the interview was finally aired.

“Good day everyone. Welcome to XXX. I am your host Ben, this is our beautiful co-host Leena and today we have a special guest with us.”

“That’s right! It is none other than Hunter Sung JinWoo!!” Said Leena.

Clapping and cheering sounds could be heard in the background. Jin-Woo smiled and greeted them. The charming smile captivated everyone who was watching.

“Now, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo doesn’t need to be introduced as everyone who isn’t living under a rock knows who this charming personality is,” Ben said to break the trance created by Jin-Woo’s smile.

“Yes, so let’s jump straight into the interview. First of all, welcome to our humble adobe Hunter-nim.” Continued Leena.

“Thank you. It is nice to be here.”

“So, Hunter Sung. We have a lot of entries from the audience and everyone is very eager to ask questions.” Ben said with an excited tone in his voice.

“I am aware of that.”

“Shall we start?” Questioned Leena. Both of them had a weird set-up going on, Leena and Ben seemed to alternate between each other while speaking the sentences.

“Sure” answered Jin-Woo, he seemed to value his words like gold.

“Alright then! The first question is also the one that we have got the most frequently, many people still do not believe that you’re an Omega.”

“Yes, I am. I’m sure the association also confirmed it.”

“It’s still unbelievable but the choker confirmed it.”Said Ben trying to make some contribution in this conversation.

“Hunter Sung, you have managed to surpass all the greatest hunters out there, despite the gender barrier. You are truly the role model for the younger generation.”

“Honestly, I was a bit uncomfortable at first. However, someone told me that power is not related to gender, the benefits that I reaped are the result of my hard work. That alone made me feel relieved so I wanted to thank that person.” Said Jin-Woo, finally answering in more than a single word.

He remembered Thomas Andre’s encouragement and a soft smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Only the people who had attended the banquet knew who he was talking about.

At home, Thomas Andre, who was watching the life, couldn’t help but blush. Jin-Woo’s soft smile was still etched into his brain as clear as day. Never in a million years would he have guessed that his words made such a deep impression on Sung Jin-Woo. Although he had dated many people in the past, no one has ever made him blush as much as Sung Jin-Woo’s mere presence did.

Liu Zhigeng clenched his teeth in anger. Again, those smiles and those words should be directed towards him and not some useless hunter.

Choi Jong-In, the guild master of the Hunter’s Guild and Baek Yoon-Ho, the guild master of White Tiger Guild had very complicated feelings about this. They only saw Jin-Woo as a comrade ever since the Jeju island raid and the incident at the double dungeon. News of him being an Omega shocked them too, and looking at his smile right now, made them feel complicated.

Hunter Cha Hae-in also felt quite complicated. She admits that she had a slight crush on Jin-Woo. However, after the revelation of Jin-Woo’s second gender, she couldn’t help but reconsider her feelings. Did she have a crush on Jin-Woo? Or did she just like him a lot because he was the first proper friend?

“You know Hunter Sung, my wife admires you a lot. When she found out that you’re an Omega and you still managed to achieve so many milestones, you immediately became her idol. I am very jealous.” Said Leena.

“Hahaha, thank you. Tell her I said hi.”

“Wahhhhhh, Hunter Sung is very beautiful when he laughs. If I was an Alpha, I would ask you to marry me right now.” Said Ben who couldn’t hold in his fanboying anymore.

“I’m flattered,” said Jin-Woo smiling.

Jin-Woo’s smile made many hearts sway and made people blush. His soft laugh dealt even more damage to the already mushy hearts of the viewers. His features became more delicate and his eyes looked like shining stars; showing off his Omega nature more vividly.

After that, the interviewers asked a few more questions from the audience. Sung Jin-Woo’s humbleness and way of conduct made him seem approachable even though everyone knew that this man can and will kill you without batting an eye.

“Alright! Next question. Do you have anyone you are interested in?”

This question made people pay even more attention to the interview, the prospect of Sung Jin-Woo’s potential partner would be a new hot topic.

“Hm? Interested? Well, there are many interesting people that I have met.”

This made the people laugh. At that moment, they realised that Sung Jin-Woo doesn’t seem to understand the concept of ‘interested in’.

“Ehhh…. Turns our Hunter Sung is quite dense in these matters.” Said Leena.

“Hahaha, Hunter-nim, what we meant is that are there any people that you think might be a potential lover?”Asked Ben, seriously interested in the gossip.

“Lover? No. I am not interested in anyone at the moment. And I am not interested in having a lover for the time being.”

“Eh? Really? Ahhh I feel bad for your suitors.” replied Ben, slightly turned off as he didn’t get any gossip material.

“What do you mean?” Asked Jin-Woo tilting his head in confusion, which just made the viewers coo at his cuteness.

The interviewers laughed heartily, this young man was too pure for this world. Even though Sung Jin-Woo had no idea why they were laughing, he still enjoyed it.

“Next question! It is something that I wanted to know as well.” Said Ben being the big gossip queen once again.

“Why did you hide your true gender?”

“Hide? I never hid my gender. Everyone just assumed that I’m an alpha and I didn’t bother to say anything.”

Everyone laughed at this straightforward and blunt answer. It was truly befitting of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo’s image.

“Now, for the last question. I hope Hunter Sung wouldn’t take it to heart.”

“Ask away.”

“Why did you not reveal yourself to the public eye after your second gender was revealed? Were you afraid?”

Everyone fell silent. It wasn’t their fault for being curious, Jin-Woo disappeared for a month ever since that news broke out. He was last seen at the airport and his experience with the reporters could be called anything but pleasant. So, they wouldn’t be surprised if he was scared or uncomfortable to be in public at that time.

After some time, Jin-Woo started laughing heartily.

“It’s not that I didn’t reveal myself. It’s just that I wanted to relax my mind and spend some time with my family. That’s why I was missing in action the last month. And it would take someone at least a million years before someone managed to make me afraid.”

This resulted in another bout of laughter but looking at Hunter Sung’s serious expression, everyone fell silent. A shiver ran down their spine. They knew that this was not a pure bluff as no one was privy to Hunter Sung Jin-Woo’s battle prowess.

“W-Well! With this, we have finally reached the ending of our interview! We hope that everyone is satisfied with Hunter Sung Jin-Woo’s answers.” Said Leena.

“Hunter Sung, thank you so much for joining us for this interview. We hope you enjoyed your time with us!”

“I enjoyed my time here. Thank you for your hard work.” Said Jin-Woo.

Chapter Text

After the interview ended, Jin-Woo and JinHo headed to the guild.

JinHo kept saying how cool Jin-Woo looked when he was there at the interview.

“Hyung-nim, you were so cool!”

“You’ve said that 37 times already”

“I can’t help it! You’re just so cool!”

Jin-Woo didn’t mind his excitement too much, in fact, he was rather relived with this behaviour of Jin-Ho.

JinHo is like a little brother to him so he is happy to know that JinHo is his usual self even after the kidnapping.

Afterwards, their days went by as usual with Jin-Woo clearing gates and JinHo managing the guild.

***

A few days later, Jin-Woo decided to go to the hunters’ training ground to test his shadow generals’ strength.

Coincidentally, Baek Yoon-Ho, Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In were also present there.

They haven’t met each other since the double gate incident and the other three hunters seemed to be in a dilemma so it quickly became awkward.

Jin-Woo didn’t know if he should leave or stay.

He planned on leaving since he came here to test his generals’ strength but it was only because he was certain that he would be alone.

He didn’t dare fight in front of the hunters since he is quite brutal with his army.

“Hunter Sung, how about you spar with us?”

Unexpectedly, Baek Yoon-Ho presented this proposal.
“Huh?”

Jin-Woo was surprised, is that why they came here? To spar with him? The three of them against him?

He didn’t mind a three on one match since he knew he could easily handle it but can they handle him?

As if knowing what he is thinking, Choi Jong-In spoke up.

“We will try to catch up with you. After all, the objective of sparing is to improve yourself.”

Sung Jin-Woo hesitated, they looked like they were looking forward to spar with him and Choi Jong-In was right; he has no reason to refuse, he can just suppress his strength a little.

“…….alright.”

They stood in fighting stance with their weapons and Baek Yoon-Ho changed to his beast form.

Baek Yoon-Ho, Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In were on one side with Jin-Woo on the other side.

Suddenly Jin-Woo rushed towards Baek Yoon-Ho. This surprise attack did not deter Baek Yoon-Ho in the slightest, he barred Sung Jin-Woo’s daggers with his claws and proceeded to throw him off balance. This trick would have worked if his opponent wasn’t Jin-Woo.

As soon as he touched the ground, Jin-Woo rushed towards Baek Yoon-Ho once again but changed his trajectory mid running and rushed towards Cha Hae-In.

With the element of surprise, Sung Jin-Woo managed to reach in close proximity to the other thus rendering Cha Hae-In’s sword useless.

Disarming Cha Hae-In wasn’t that big of a deal for him.

Before he could catch a breathe, Choi Jong-In rushed towards him; trying to face him head on. Deflecting Choi Jong-In was harder as Sung Jin-Woo didn’t want to injure the man so, he dodged. Choi Jong-In’s built up momentum made it hard for him to turn around instantaneously and Sung Jin-Woo took advantage of the situation to disarm him as well.

“You need more practise in your direct combat without using your powers.”

“Yes. Hunter-nim.”

Then, they changed their strategy, instead of going one on one with him; they joined hands and prepared to attack together.

As all of them rushed towards Jin-Woo at the same time, they also made sure that he didn’t have a way out of this.

Two swords and a pair of claws descended at the same time but they were still deflected by the daggers. Sung Jin-Woo had taken advantage of the fact that as they near him, the distance between the weapons would decrease thus making it easier for him to deflect them.

Long swords couldn’t be operated efficiently if in a restricted space. Cha Hae-In and Choi Jong-In’s weapons were used against them while Baek Yoon-Ho had to suffer a sensory overload as Sung Jin-Woo made sure to attack his heightened senses with the noise that they created.

Sensory overload wouldn’t happen in normal circumstances but they were sparring and not fighting so the use of powers wasn’t allowed due to which, his condition became a weapon against him.

Even though the fight was over quickly, they could still feel that Sung Jin-Woo was holding back.

“Hunter Sung, even tough your attacks are powerful, I can feel that you are holding back.” Said Choi Jong-In.

“ Sorry but I don’t think you can handle it.”

“Didn’t he say it? Just give us your all, we will definitely be able to handle it.” This time it was Baek Yoon-Ho who chimed in.

Jin-Woo looked very hesitant, he didn’t want to hurt anyone. However they look very determined, it’s fine……right?

“……If you say so.”

Right after he said that, Baek Yoon Ho, Choi Jong In and Cha Hae-In felt a powerful aura surround them. The aura’s strength was suffocating them. It was a lot more powerful than the one they felt while facing those weird statues.

Just as they were about to collapse, the force suddenly disappeared. What happened? All of them were extremely confused with this turn of events.

“Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?”

All of them started to approach him to make sure that he is alright. When he suddenly yelled, ”NO! DON’T COME HERE.”

He looked panicked as the trembling of his body became more and more obvious.

The sweet smell of lavenders was starting to spread in the air.

That’s when it hit them, Sung Jin-Woo is in heat.

“Hunter Sung……… are you…….. in heat?”

Jin-Woo didn’t say anything but the smell was growing stronger. He tried to suppress his pheromones as much as he could but this time, his heat was a lot stronger than usual. How can it come at a time like this? Even though he is strong, he is still an Omega.

Baek Yoon-Ho reacted fast as he went to call for help while Cha Hae-In and Choi Jong-In left immediately. Among all of them, Yoon-Ho had the most self control so they let him handle the situation, opting to observe from a distance.

They thought that Sung Jin-Woo was undefeated under all circumstances but looking at him right now as he hopelessly tried to control his heat in presence of unmated Alphas. It reminded them that he too, is a human.

It is pretty easy to forget such a simple fact when the person in question has never shown any signs of defeat or fatigue ever. They were suddenly reminded that he was just as flawed as the rest of them.

Soon, Baek Yoon-Ho arrived with some paramedics although he had to leave immediately as the smell was getting stronger and he didn’t want to lose control.

Soon after, the chairman of the association arrived. He looked anxious as he watched the paramedics take Jin-Woo away.

After he made sure that Jin-Woo was safe and in proper care, he approached the alpha hunters.

“Thank you for immediately contacting us.”

“No problem chairman, this was something that needed to be done.” Said Baek Yoon-Ho.

“Although, I am sure he would have been fine even if we were not present. He still has his summons.”said Choi Jong-In.

“Ahh you’re right.” Cha Hae-In chimed in.

“Overall, thank you.”

“It’s fine president. You don’t have to thank us for showing basic human decency.”Said Baek Yoon-Ho, speaking on the behalf of the other two hunters.

Chapter Text

Sung Jin-Ah and their mother were informed of Jin-Woo’s sudden heat and they immediately rushed to the place where Jin-Woo was admitted. They informed Jin-Ho of the situation and even though he wanted to go make sure that Jin-Woo was alright, he wasn’t allowed into the facility as only family members were allowed in this facility made for omegas in heat.

Sung Jin-Woo felt uncomfortable, he hated it when his heat came. He felt powerless. The reason why he didn’t tell Beru to take him away was that he trusted his comrades to not take advantage of him and get him some help.

It was a much better idea to be properly transferred to a special facility rather than randomly vanishing.

And even though his sister scolded him a lot, all of them knew that it was a better choice. After some time, their mother stopped Jin-Ah from scolding him since Jin-Woo wasn’t feeling well.

What Jin-Woo didn’t know was that his pheromones were stronger than he thought. They had leaked outside of the hunters’ training grounds and the Alphas near that place almost went berserk because of it. Fortunately, the association took care of it.

***

Few days after that, Thomas Andre arrived in South Korea and headed to AhJin Guild.

Coincidentally, Liu Zhigeng and Germany’s strongest hunter, Lennart Niermann also decided to do the same thing.

Since Jin-Woo was still in his heat, as the vice guild master of the AhJin guild, Yoo Jin-Ho was the one who had to entertain them.

Other employees gave him the “good luck” look. Jin-Ho smiled his best business smile as he walked towards the high ranking hunters, his whole body full of cold sweats. He spoke in English.

“Gentlemen, may I ask why you have decided to visit AhJin Guild?”

The three of them answered almost at the same time.

“To meet Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.”

Jin-Ho was sweating. What should he tell them? He can’t just tell them that Hyung-nim is unavailable due to his heat! So, he decided to take a safer route.

“I apologise if I’m being rude but do you have any business with Hunter Sung?”

Thomas Andre answered very easily, “I promised to bring him for a meal after my arm heals.”

Liu Zhigeng smiled and answered,” I simply want to bring him for a cup of coffee and get to know him.”

Lennart Niermann calmly answered,” I have something ‘important’ I need to talk to him about.”

Jin-Ho started to sweat even more if that is even possible. Why of all time did they need to come when Hyung-nim is in heat? If he tells them Jin-Woo is currently inside a gate and won’t be able to meet anyone, will they believe it? What is he saying! They are the most powerful alpha hunters in the world! They can easily see through his lies!

“….I’m sorry gentlemen but Hunter Sung is currently unavailable.”

The three alphas raised their eyebrows at him. Jin-Ho froze in fright. He’s not lying okay?!

“Is he inside a gate? If so, I can wait here longer.”

Please don’t.

“Hmmm. I don’t mind waiting either.”

Oh no!

“I can wait.”

The corner of Jin-Ho’s mouth started twitching. Why don’t these Alphas understand the meaning of ‘unavailable’? However, if he didn’t tell them the reason, who knows how long they will wait here! Us betas can’t handle their pressure any long!

“…..Once again, I apologise. Hunter Sung won’t be available for the next two weeks due to some issues.”

“What kind of issue is that?”

“…”

Jin-Ho was crying imaginary tears. Just why?! Laura who saw Jin-Ho struggle seemed to understand the reason. She decided to help him out.

“Sir, I think it is better if we come back after a few days.”

“And why is that?”

Laura wasn’t sure if she should tell the Alphas directly. She glanced at Jin-Ho, telling him that it is better if he told them the truth. Jin-Ho saw that look and sighed internally. He has no choice, does he?

“…Hunter Sung is currently in his heat.”

The three Alphas froze, so that’s why this Beta was struggling with them. Who would be comfortable enough to tell the Alphas that Jin-Woo is in heat, especially when they just found out about his second gender?

“…Well if that’s the reason then we will come again in two weeks,” said Thomas Andre.

“Thank you very much for understanding.”

Jin-Ho walked them out while maintaining his smile. After the Alphas left, he immediately went back to his desk and slumped down tiredly. Hyung-nim, please come back quickly! I can’t handle it if I have to face them again when they eventually come back!!

***

Unfortunately for Jin-Ho, after two weeks, the three hunters returned. The employees were crying miserably internally. Why did they come so early? Vice guild master, please tell us that you can contact the guild master! QAQ

Jin-Ho called Jin-Woo’s phone many times but it wasn't answered. Hyung-nim! Where are you? You are needed here immediately!

As if the gods finally answered his prayer, the door opened, revealing Sung Jin-Woo.

Guild master! Hyung-nim!! Jin-Ho and the employees cried in relief as Jin-Ho ran to Jin-Woo.

“Hyung-nim! Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“Ah sorry, many gates opened left and right. I can’t do anything about it.”

Only then did Jin-Woo noticed the extra presence there. Thomas Andre, Liu Zhigeng and Lennart Niermann stared back at him. Jin-Woo looked at them in confusion, why are they here? As if Thomas Andre could see his confusion, he stood up and walked to him.

“I told you that I will bring you for a meal, remember?”

Jin-Woo thought back to the party when Thomas Andre had invited him, he nodded. Then he looked at Liu Zhigeng and Lennart Niermann, what about them?

“I have something important to talk with you about.”

He nodded in understanding. Lennart Niermann stood up to introduce himself formally but he was blocked by Thomas Andre.

“I asked him for a meal first so back off.“

Lennart Niermann wanted to fight back but he knew that he is no match against the American hunter. While they were glaring at each other, Liu Zhigeng held Jin-Woo’s hand and kissed on the back of it.

“How about we get a cup of coffee and get to know each other more?”

Without waiting for an answer, he dragged Jin-Woo away. By the time Thomas Andre and Lennart Niermann noticed it, both of them had already left. Thomas Andre looked at Laura.

“Where is Sung Jin-Woo?”

Laura answered simply.”Hunter Liu Zhigeng already took him away, sir.”

The American hunter glared hatefully at Lennart Niermann. If it wasn’t for him, Thomas Andre would be together with Jin-Woo right now! The German hunter had the same thoughts.

They rushed out immediately, Laura nodded at Jin-Ho and left.

All of this went down so fast that Jin-Ho was left very confused.

“…did Liu Zhigeng just kidnap Hyung-nim?"

Chapter Text

After Liu Zhigang took away (kidnapped) Sung Jin-Woo, they secretly passed the reporters crowding outside of the guild and Liu Zhigang unhurriedly brought them to a slightly hidden coffee shop not far away. Not many people are inside so they don’t have to worry about being recognised by someone.

They ordered their coffee and then Jin-Woo noticed that Liu Zhigang is speaking in Korean. He looked at the Chinese hunter in amazement. As if the Chinese hunter knew what he was thinking, he smirked in amusement.

“I learned Korean right after I met you, so it will be easier for both of us to talk alone.”

Even though Jin-Woo is smart, he isn’t aware of the hidden meaning in these words since he could only feel the bloodlust of the enemy and not lust; so, he nodded in understanding. Liu Zhigang chuckled, it seems that this omega is dense to even notice it, he thought in amusement.

“So, you came to South Korea just to get to know me?”

“It is.”

They both spend their time talking and getting to know each other. Liu Zhigang is not a bad guy and he is pleasant to talk with. He treats Jin-Woo as a hunter and not an Omega. Just like that, Liu Zhigeng got a ‘good person’ card from Jin-Woo.

“Do you want to go somewhere?”

“Hm?”

“Well, since there’s nothing to do now, do you want to go somewhere to relax?”

Jin-Woo thought about it, all this time he has been running around fighting monsters and levelling up, he hasn’t had the time to relax. Now that he thought about it when was the last time he relaxed and wasn’t fighting monsters? With these thoughts in mind, Jin-Woo nodded in agreement.

“Well then, where do you want to go? Since I’m not that familiar with South Korea.”

“There is a place I want to go….”

***

“Hey, is that Hunter Sung Jin-Woo? Who’s the guy next to him?”

“Isn’t that Liu Zhingang, the Chinese Hunter?!”

“What?! Seriously?!”

“What’s this? Are they dating?!”

Since it is the weekend, many people come to go to the theme park. Everyone recognised Sung Jin-Woo face and they stared at him in amazement.

Next to Jin-Woo is a taller male with black hair tied into a long ponytail and golden eyes, he is Liu Zhigang. He looked at the front with interest, his lips formed into a smile. Liu Zhigang smiled in excitement, this is a date!

“I didn’t know that you enjoy going to places like this.”

“It’s not that I enjoy it, I just wanted to come here at least once.”

Liu Zhigang stared at Jin-Woo’s childlike expression, his ice-cold demeanour when fighting monsters is nowhere to be seen. His eyes shine in excitement when he knew that he is the person that Jin-Woo brought to a place that the Hunter wanted to go. Liu Zhigang can feel his heart racing when he saw the Korean Hunter’s cute expression, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. He looked away to prevent Jin-Woo from seeing his flustered face.

“I am flattered that you bought me here to come with you.”

“Well, most of the time, I am very busy and you just asked me if I wanted to go somewhere so I see nothing wrong with it.”

Liu Zhigang’s heart skipped a beat as he heard that. This person, do you even know that I have an ulterior motive? Who would come from far away just to get to know someone unless they want to get on your good side? However, that is not Liu Zhigang’s motive, he came here to get Sung Jin-Woo’s heart. He knew that he is being lame for using the ‘get to know each other first’ tactic but this person is too dense and he didn’t want to do anything that he hated.

Jin-Woo took a look at their surroundings, people crowded them and snapped pictures with their smartphones. If this is any other day, he will smile and let it slide. However, he didn’t feel like having his day off being bothered like this, especially when he had company.

He summoned his shadows and thirty knights surrounded them in a protective circle. They walk in perfect sync with Jin-Woo. Liu Zhigang stared at Jin-Woo and chuckled in amusement.

“As long as we’re not bothered, it’s fine.”

“I’m not complaining.”

They both shrugged it off, laughing together. Then Jin-Woo pointed at the roller coaster falling at a scary speed from dizzying heights and asked Liu Zhigang to join him.

“Should we get on that one?”

“I’m alright with it.”

“How about that one?”

“Sure.”

“That one?”

“That’s ok.”

Liu Zhigang patiently answered everything with a smile as he stared at Jin-Woo’s excited face. He laughed to himself, really enjoying it. Liu Zhigang held Jin-Woo’s hand and led him to the nearest ride.

“Let’s ride all of them.”

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as fun as he imagined.

Both of them managed to get the very front seats but everything seems like slow motion. It was their first ride and yet Jin-Woo was trying his best not to yawn.

After few more rides, both of them decided to take a break even though they weren’t tired. They headed towards a stall. Liu Zhigang stared at Jin-Woo, a smile on his lips. This behaviour was noticed by Jin-Woo, he wasn’t sure if he liked Liu Zhiang smiling like a fool on every ride they took.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I enjoyed it.”

‘Especially since you are next to me', is left unsaid as he gazed at Jin-Woo, an emotion hidden deep within his eyes. Jin-Woo felt unconvinced with his answer.

“You don’t seem to react to any of it so, I thought…”

“Hm? So you want me to scream?”

“Ah no…”

Jin-Woo has seen many guys, even Alphas, screaming their heads off in excitement, horror and anger. However he can’t imagine a guy like Liu Zhigang screaming, he felt weirded out by it.

“How about it scream now? Ahh….”

Jin-Woo looked at Liu Zhigang’s supposed ‘scream’. It is nothing like a scream. Liu Zhigang simply closed his eyes, his chin rested on his right hand and he opened his mouth and let out a soft ‘ah….’ He looks like someone waiting to be fed. Jin-Woo didn’t want other people to see him as a weirdo and stuffed his half-eaten bread into Liu Zhigang’s mouth.

The Chinese hunter was caught off guard and subconsciously took a bite. He stared at Jin-Woo, surprised.

“You look like a weirdo.”

Jin-Woo said as he continued eating his bread. Liu Zhigang realised what happened and looked away in embarrassment. He didn’t think that Jin-Woo would feed him (forcible stuff into his mouth) the bread that he was currently eating! Not only that… Liu Zhigang sneak sneaked a look at Jin-Woo eating.

He is eating the part where Liu Zhigang bit earlier!! Is this…indirect kiss?! His face flushed red.

Then, Jin-Woo got a message from the Association President about important matters. He sighed, even though it was his day off, he is still a hunter so it can’t be helped.

“I’m sorry Zhigang but I have something important that I need to do so I have to leave.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry but I need to go”

“Huh?”

Just like that, Jin-Woo walked away. Liu Zhigang couldn’t process what Jin-Woo said as he still couldn’t get over the indirect kiss. After the gears in his head started working and he realised that Jin-Woo left, he cursed.

Ah, that’s fine. At least he could spend time with Jin-Woo.

Wait a minute…did he just call him Zhigang?!

***

After he met with Go Gunhee, a car suddenly stopped in front of Jin-Woo. He was wondering who the owner is when Thomas Andre walked out. Then he remembered that Thomas Andre wanted to bring him out for a meal before Liu Zhigang dragged him away. He kinda felt guilty about it, it’s rude to leave the guests without saying anything.

Oh Jin-Woo, if only you knew that these men are chasing after you.

Anyway, Thomas Andre walked out of his car, smiling as he invited Jin-Woo to join him.

“I promised you a meal, remember? I am a man of my words.”

Jin-Woo nodded with a slight smile and entered the car and Thomas joined after him resulting in them sitting next to each other.

“What would you like?”

“It’s evening now, I don’t mind eating something.”

“Haha alright them.”

Jin-Woo did say that but he still felt weird eating in a fancy restaurant. He lives a casual life and eating with Thomas Andre as his squad keeps watch is a new experience for Jin-Woo.

After eating their food, Thomas Andre spoke up.

“This is a gift from me.”

“I already said that I don’t need it.”

"Haha, it is a gift for sparing my Guild Members. I need you to receive it so that I can finally feel relieved.”

“….alright…”

The bodyguards brought out a large box, covered with a sheet of fabric. Jin-Woo stared at the gift with disinterest that is until he got a closer look. As soon as Jin-Woo saw the gift, his eyes became sharper.

“This is the gift I wanted to give you.”

***

Meanwhile, at the Association headquarters,

When Go Gunhee saw Jin-Woo leaving his office, he couldn’t help but sigh. This boy…. Even if you are very powerful, how can you be so clueless? Go Gunhee considered Jin-Woo as his son. Yes, he had children too but all of them are grown up with their own families and none of them wants to burden him anymore. He is proud of them, but he is also feeling a bit lonely.

Suddenly, his assistance entered the office in distress.

“Chairman!”

“What is it?”

“A gate appeared at the outskirts of the city!”

Go Gunhee was puzzled, if it appeared shouldn’t they take care of it instead of telling him about this? Something must be wrong.

“What’s the matter with this gate?”

“The gate is not like the usual gate. It appears like a rip and it has a tremendous amount of power! No one can get close to it, not even an A rank hunter!”

The chairman was deep in thoughts. If an A rank hunter couldn’t get close to it, what about an S rank hunter? It might be possible, so he should send a few S rank hunters.

Chapter Text

The next day, a rather sensational headline concerning Sung Jin-Woo appeared again. The bold words were so eye-catching that even the passersby couldn’t help but take a look.

[KOREAN HUNTER SUNG JIN-WOO IS DATING CHINA’S HUNTER LIU ZHIGANG? THE BIRTH OF THE STRONGEST COUPLE OF THE WORLD?]

The article contained many photos of the two people in question visiting the theme park. News about hunters was a normal occurrence however, personal affairs were supposed to be protected but this news was such a huge sensation that the media decided to ignore the privacy of the people involved.

As expected, the response was tremendous.

[I spit fax: Oof wasn’t this expected? It’s normal for an Omega to be courted.]

[hehehe: Ever since Hunter Sung was confirmed to be an Omega, many alphas had started to court him. I wonder what Hunter Liu did to capture Hunter Sung’s heart?]

[the investigators are idiots: hey hey remember, he is the world’s greatest hunter. Despite being an Omega, he is terrifyingly powerful. I doubt that those Alphas can easily court him.]

[waiting patiently: It hasn’t even been confirmed yet, you guys are jumping to conclusions already.]

[the local dumbo: It isn’t wrong though. Hunter Sung managed to defeat the earlier world’s strongest hunter, Thomas Andre. I’m sure they would feel at least a bit fearful of Hunter Sung.]

[looking at everything and nothing: you people are all wrong. If you watch the interview, you will notice that Hunter Sung looked completely clueless when asked about love.]

[I spit fax: Eh- that’s true! He looks so clueless…]

[the typical stressed-out teen: I saw them in the theme park! They look like a true couple! *insert pic* I was somehow able to take this pic.]

[going crazy over my babies: HOLY SHET- IS THIS LEGIT?!]

[looking at everything and nothing: @the typical stressed-out teen, How did you manage to get this?!]

[the hardcore fujoshi: Hunter Sung is feeding Hunter Liu?! I don’t need official confirmation, I can feel these two are dating!]

——

The Guild Master of Hunter’s Guild, Choi Jong-In tsked and threw away the newspaper. He hated to admit it but they looked good together.

He is not feeling jealous.

“This is rubbish. Strongest couple? Don’t make me laugh.”

The assistant sitting next to him saw the displeased expression on his face and was confused. He asked,” what’s the matter, sir? The way I see it, Hunter Sung and Hunter Liu would be worthy of the title ‘strongest couple’.”

“It doesn’t matter who Hunter Sung Jin-Woo dates, they’ll still be called ‘the strongest couple’ anyway so, what’s the point of attaching importance to this sort of headline?”

Oh? It does sound logical.

Placing anyone next to Sung Jin-Woo, they will automatically become unconquerable.

“You’re completely right, guild master.”

His secretary who had been working with Choi Jong-In for a long time, despite being a beta, is a very capable woman. She could feel his displeased emotions but there seemed to be something weird about his aura. It feels familiar…then it clicked.

“Ara ara~ Guild master, are you perhaps, jealous?”

“Ah? What nonsense are you talking about?”

He is not jealous!

He is not jealous!

The assistant and the secretary realised this and looked away to hide their expressions.

What she said is not wrong though.

——

At present time, Sung Jin-Woo was in front of a gate. It was a bit smaller than the usual gate and it was shaped like a rip. Therefore, the chairman asked him, along with some assistants, to investigate it.

Jin-Woo had tried to enter the gate but it wouldn’t allow entry. The chairman had already informed him of the fact that even A-rank hunters couldn’t enter and therefore they had assumed that an S-rank hunter might be able to enter. However, the gate didn’t even let him, a S-rank hunter and a shadow monarch, pass.

He looked around and saw the assistants and some S-rank hunters who were participating in the investigation. He sighed, due to the presence of others, he can’t casually use his powers. The only thing he could do is to send Beru to investigate.

As he was deep in his thoughts, the hunters that followed along kept looking in his direction. Some of them tried to talk to him but then abandoned the thought. The others did talk to him but they messed up the conversation by stuttering and blushing too much. Their red faces had resulted in Sung Jin-Woo assuming that they had a fever and were told to take a rest.

Baek Yoonho saw the whole ‘interaction’ that failed miserably. Even though Jin-Woo has tremendous power as seen from the Jeju island raid, Baek Yoonho also knew that Jin-Woo was very kind and considerate to his comrades.

“Tch, these hunters have only gathered here to try to hit on hunter Sung.”

Choi Jon-In said with disdain, the three of them stood together as they were familiar. These S-rank hunters trying to talk to Jin-Woo only came because they were delusional enough to think that the Omega would pay some attention to them.

“Though I wonder how they knew he would be here?” Choi Jong-In questioned.

“Didn’t you also come here for him?” Baek Yoonho decided to poke Jong-In's sore spot.

And his tactic worked, the very next second, Choi Jong-In replied,” What are you talking about? I came here to participate in the investigation because the chairman asked me to and I must accomplish the allotted work.”

Sensing an impending bickering session between these two, Cha Hae-in decided to avoid it by calling Sung Jin-Woo.

“Hunter Sung!”

Just as predicted, as soon as she called out to Sung Jin-Woo, Choi Jong-In and Baek Yoonho stopped bickering so that they could scold her.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

Ignoring their existence, Cha Hae-in continued to wave at Sung Jin-Woo to get his attention.

Hearing his name being called, Jin-Woo turned to look at Cha Hae-in who was still waving at him.

Choi Jong-In and Baek Yoonho looked very offended, being so blatantly ignored.

Sung Jin-Woo unhurriedly walked towards them and once he was within earshot of the hunters, he asked,” what’s the matter?”

“I thought it would be better if we discuss it together.” Said Cha Hae-In.

“…you’re right, hunter Cha.” Agreed Sung Jin-Woo.

“Oh! Just call me by my name, no need to be so formal.”

“Ah, she is right, hunter Sung. We fought together as an ally after all” added Baek Yoonho.

“…yes. Then you can call me by name too…Baek Yoonho and Cha Hae-in.” Said Jin-Woo.

“Alright, Sung Jin-Woo.” Said Cha Hae-In.

Baek Yoonho simply flashed a smile. He didn’t know if Sung Jin-Woo noticed it or not but he sounded a bit awkward…which he found cute.

“Ah. Hunter Sung, about the rumours…are they true?”Choi Jong-In spoke up, he was not jealous, he only wanted to quench his curiosity.

“Hunter Choi…you can also…call me by my…name,” said Sung Jin-Woo.

“T-Then you can also call me Choi JongIn, S-Sung…Jin-Woo.”

Chapter Text

“Choi Jong-In…I want to ask..what rumours are you talking about?”

At the mention of the rumours, everyone perked up and suddenly, all attention shifted to the four S-rank hunters. Choi Jong-In became awkward and started sweating. He thought Jin-Woo knew about the rumours!

“A-ah…The rumours about…uhh…y-you and Hunter Liu Zhigeng…da-dating?”

Choi Jong-In cursed inwardly, he sounded awkward and stupid!!! He looked around to avoid Jin-Woo’s eyes.

Secretly glancing at Jin-Woo, Jong-In noticed that he looked blank and confused as if he had no idea what Choi Jong-In was talking about.

“Me and Liu Zhigeng? Dating?”

The other three nodded.

However, they didn’t dismiss the fact that Jin-Woo called Liu Zhigeng’s name without any formality. Sung Jin-Woo closed his mouth with his hand and turned around, his body trembling.

“S-Sung Jin-Woo?”

“Hahaha! Sorry, but really? You think like that?”

All of them nodded dumbly.

Jin-Woo laughed softly and muttered under his breath,” they did-“

“S-Stop laughing!” Choi Jong-In was getting more and more flustered as Jin-Woo proceeded to laugh non-stop.

“I’m sorry. I can’t believe you thought like that, hahaha.”

His laugh was soft and pleasant to hear, it was the kind of laugh that you could listen to all day without being bored. Then again, it wasn’t every day you can see him laughing in public. After all, he is the formidable and powerful S-rank hunter of South Korea.

Sung Jin-Woo cleared his throat, “Ehem, excuse me. However, me and Liu Zhigeng are not dating, we were simply hanging out as friends.”

“I-I see..”

“Where were we? Oh yes, what do you think about the gate?”Asked Sung Jin-woo, wanting to get back to the work at hand.

“Huh? Oh yes! The gate is smaller than the usual ones and it appeared at an uninhabited place. Fortunately, it was found before the dungeon break.” Said Choi Jong-In, being a bit disoriented with the sudden change of the topic.

“The assistants scanned the gate and even though it is small, the magic inside the gate is tremendous. It is even preventing us from entering.” Added Cha Hae-In.

“When was the gate discovered?”

“3 days ago.” Supplied Baek Yoonho.

“…this is the outskirts of the city and this place has little to none of the people passing by. I think this gate appeared a long time before it was found.”

“Then you mean-“ said Cha Hae-in, suddenly feeling a chill down her spine.

“The dungeon break may happen today.”

It was almost as if Jin-Woo had jinxed it all, whatever that blocked the gate was destroyed and a tremendous amount of magic was released.

The assistants ran to safety while the hunters prepared themselves for a fight.

Slowly, someone walked out of the gate. The hunters gasped, shocked to see the creature that appeared out of the gate. They glanced at Sung Jin-Woo who was shocked as much as they are.

The creature? The person? Was a muscular middle-aged man with black eyes, shaggy black hair and slight facial hair. He wore a tattered grey cloak over a ragged white undershirt, baggy black pants and a pair of black boots.

This person was Sung il-Hwan, the father of Sung Jin-Woo and the person that the entire world was looking for.

No one moved as they were still in shock. Sung il-Hwan raised his hand and used Ruler’s Authority to make the hunters float to prevent them from using their skill except for one.

Sung Jin-Woo snapped out of his shock and activated his own Ruler’s Authority to protect himself along with the people near him. Jin-Woo was surprised by how powerful his father’s skill was, it was on par with his own.

Sung il-Hwan noticed them and was confused as to how they were able to resist his Ruler’s Authority. Then he finally saw his son, Sung Jin-Woo, using the same skill like him. He couldn’t believe it, his lovely son that he had sworn to protect was standing before him, surrounded by those disgusting Alphas that he disdained. (Even though he is an Alpha himself, he is the typical overprotective dad that won’t let their child date anyone that they didn’t approve of or probably won’t even let his son date anyone.)

Witnessing his son using Ruler’s Authority skilfully, he realised that his son is somehow involved with the Rulers. However, the thoughts were immediately abandoned when he felt the thousands of presences on his son. At that moment, he realised that his son is the Shadow Monarch.

Oh No! His son is the Shadow Monarch!!!

Chapter Text

Sung Jin-Woo was feeling complicated. He was relieved to see his dad alive but he also needed to make sure that this is actually his dad and not a monster that looked like his dad. However before he could even think of a plan, his dad leapt away in a flash. Jin-Woo can’t let him get away that easily.

“Sung Jin-Woo, where are you going?” Someone screamed.

“I’m chasing him! Take care of the others!”

After he answered, he quickly chased after his dad.

Not long after, he spotted the man, immediately activating Stealth in order to not alarm him. For someone who went missing in a gate, he is very fast. Jin-Woo suspected that his dad might be involved with the Rulers, so he needed to keep his guard up. He managed to put Beru inside his dad’s shadow and hoped that the other man won’t notice anything.

Sung il-Hwan released a bit of his pheromones in an attempt to weaken his son and prevent the other from following him. However, he hadn’t used his pheromones in a long time, thus accidentally releasing a lot of pheromones.

Jin-Woo stopped and fell down when the pheromones surrounded him, overwhelming all of his senses. He couldn’t move, the pheromones were ten times stronger than a normal Alpha’s pheromones. His face flushed red and he was forced into heat.

Jin-Woo was terrified, he once again felt this feeling of being helpless and weak all over again. To make things worse, all the nearby areas were filled with Alphas including his own teammates.

He heard footsteps coming towards him and he knew it was the hunters. He won’t be able to protect himself right now, so he can only let Iron and Igris protect him.

As soon as the hunters were finally released front the Ruler’s Authority, they quickly went to chase after Hunter Sung’s supposed father. Then they were shocked to see Jin-Woo lying on the ground, probably unconscious. They hurriedly went to help him. However they suddenly felt very strong Alpha pheromones surrounding Jin-Woo. Cha Hae-In, the one being the most sensitive to smell, closed her nose even then she could still smell the pheromones. She caught a sweet lavender scent mixed with the strong pheromones.

She recognised the smell from a few months ago. She finally realised why Sung Jin-Woo was laying down seemingly unconscious. She paled.

“EVERYONE, STEP AWAY FROM HUNTER SUNG RIGHT NOW!” Screamed Cha Hae-In with all the might that she could muster.

Confusion broke out between the hunters as they wondered why they were told to step back when Jin-Woo was lying unconscious.

She glanced at Choi Jong-In and Baek Yoonho, hoping they can smell it before the others realise what’s happening. She paled more when the Alpha pheromones started to fade and Jin-Woo’s heat pheromones started to dominate the air. Both the men soon realised what’s going on as they caught a whiff of the lavender aroma.

The Alpha pheromones faded pretty quickly, releasing the heat pheromones of an Omega in heat. Fortunately, most of the hunters have a stronger resistance to pheromones thus preventing them from losing control. Choi Jong-In had just finished telling the assistants to bring a suppressor and a Beta/Omega to help Jin-Woo when suddenly, a hunter rushed towards the defenseless Omega.

He wasn’t able to keep a clear head anymore as he entered into a beast like state with only the innate urge to mark the Omega guiding him.

The Alpha was 5 meters away from Jin-Woo when a body appeared in front of him. The Alpha was thrown far away and fell unconscious. There stood Iron who had just thrown away the Alpha and Igris carrying Jin-Woo into a bridal style. Kaisel also appeared, giving Igris the permission to get on top of him and they flew off to the city.

This chaos was so quick that the hunters couldn’t even react to it.

——

“Are you feeling bored?”

“I am. Oppa doesn’t want to come home and Mom doesn’t want to play with me~.”

While mom was sleeping in the hospital, Jin-Woo performed the role of the substitute mother to his sister. To help Jin-Ah focus on her studies, he did his best to be the sole breadwinner and took care of all the chores around the family home.

To her, he was her sibling, her parent and at the same time, her best friend.

That was also the reason why Jin-Ah often missed her brother’s presence around the family home as he grew busier and busier every day.

Every single person in her country knew her brother’s face and his name by now, but what was the point if she couldn’t really get to see him anymore?

And so, here she was, trying to fill the hole left due to Jin-Woo’s absence with her mother and her kind words of encouragement’s.

“Still, it’s great to have you around, Mom.”

JinAh buried her face in her mom’s back and formed a happy smile. Although she couldn’t see her back, the mother carried a similar expression as the daughter and continued cleaning the dishes.

Jin-Ah clung to her mom’s back like a cicada holding onto a tree for a while before opening her mouth.

“Mom? Let’s move house.”

Flinch.

Mom’s hands momentarily stopped moving before resuming their actions. A smile reforming on her lips.

“Do you want to move to somewhere else?”

“Yeah.”

“But what will we do? Mom really likes this place, you know.”

“Why do you like such an old apartment?”

Actually, Jin-Ah knew why her mom didn’t want to leave this apartment. She was still waiting for her missing husband. She was hoping that her missing husband would return one day.

Jin-Ah couldn’t remember much about her father now and to her, waiting for him was useless. But her brother hadn’t mentioned moving house again after he heard mom’s reasoning.

“Still, I like this apartment.”

Mom gently persuaded her daughter again, prompting JinAh to spin on her heels to leave, her cheeks puffing up unhappily.

“Che.”

“Don’t be like….Ah!”

Mom quickly turned around and looked at JinAh with a face that said,’I forgot!’; she had just remembered that the weathers forecast warned of rainfall later in the evening.

“Sweetie, can you take the washing front the veranda and bring them in?”

“Mom, you only call me sweetie when you need me to do something.”

Still, she didn’t mind being called that as evidenced by her happy humming as she made her way to the veranda.

But then…

Her rapid hands suddenly halted. She realised that the sky above had darkened even before she noticed it.

“…Uh?”

There stood Igris, with her brother in his arms. Sung Jin-Woo’s face was flushed and a strong smell of lavender coming out of him.

She was shocked to see Igris suddenly appear in front of her but that shock was abandoned as soon as she noticed her brother’s condition.

Her brother is in heat!!!

Chapter Text

In a dark alley, Sung Jin-Woo weakly slid down the wall, his face flushed red and his breathing accelerated. How could this happen to him?

To answer that, let’s go back to how all of this started.

A week and a half ago.

Jin-Woo had just been discharged from the hospital after his oestrus cycle ended but he would require a few days worth of rest so that his body can stabilise the pheromones. Jin-Woo climbed the car with Jin-Ho who had been waiting outside. However, on their way back, a gate appeared in the middle of the road.

"...deja vú..."

"Seriously? Just when can hyung-nim get some proper rest?"

"It's fine, I'll handle it"

"But hyung-nim, you need to rest!!"

"I'm fine"

Jin-Woo entered the gate and in less than an hour, he was back. With that, they continued with their ride.

The next day, some of his shadows reported that another gate had appeared in a deserted part of the city. Jin-Woo thought he could handle it since it’s only one gate, so…it’s fine…right?

But boy was he wrong, more and more gates kept appearing, sometimes reaching as high as 6 gates in a day and Jin-Woo was needed to handle this mess. The guilds were helping reduce the number of gates but their efforts weren’t enough.

As much as Go Gunhee didn’t want to, he had to ask Jin-Woo for help with these gates.

And Jin-Woo being Jin-Woo, accepted it with open arms.

He handled 3-5 gates each day.

However, he had overestimated his health and that led to his current situation.

Jin-Woo sighed heavily. Maybe he shouldn’t have overestimated his health and endurance this much. He couldn’t move his body let alone try to summon his shadows.

He should’ve rested when his sister told him to. If she was here, she would have nagged him day and night.

As he was thinking about all this, he felt a presence near him.

A man, probably in his thirties, was walking with a bottle in his hand. He was visibly drunk.

The man stopped a few meters away from him but the man doesn’t seem to notice Jin-Woo. He sniffed the air and laughed.

"I know you're here, little omega~ Your sweet addicting scent sold you away~"

Jin-Woo panicked. His heart racing. Fuck! His pheromones haven’t stabilised yet! He couldn’t move his boy, what should he do?

"Oh little omega~ there you are~"

The familiar helplessness came crashing down on him and he was once again unable to stop this series of events that was bound to happen.

Jin-Woo felt lost, he felt scared. He felt genuine fear, an emotion he hadn’t experienced in such a long time. He desperately wanted someone to help him.

Someone. Anyone. Help me!

He wanted to scream but he was too exhausted to even lift a finger.

Help!

He watched helplessly as the man drew closer, Jin-Woo wanted to stand up and run away but his body was as heavy as lead, he couldn’t do anything. He was scared.

The next thing he knew, the man was unconscious with a bruise on his face and someone was helping Jin-Woo up.

He wanted to see who his saviour was, he wanted to make sure that it wasn’t another pervert trying to take advantage of him. But the nonstop working since the last few days took a toll on him, his vision was getting blurry. The man was saying something but he couldn’t hear it. He wanted to resist, he wanted to make sure that he isn’t landing himself into a trap, he wanted to flee but he was very helpless at this moment.

However, the person holding him let out a comforting scent, a scent that made Jin-Woo’s Omega instinct trust this person. And although he isn’t normally the kind of person who trusts his second gender’s instincts, this time, he felt like he could trust this person. He somehow knew that this person meant no harm and was only here to help him.

Jinwoo only heard a short sentence.

"......I'm here....."

Chapter Text

Woo Jin-Chul is not sure how the situation turned to this. He sighed as he looked at the strongest hunter, currently resting on the bed.

He was on his way to check up on Hunter Sung who had been working relentlessly to reduce the number of gates.

When he reached at the site where Jin-Woo was supposed to be, he didn’t find the Hunter near the gate. Thinking that Jin-Woo has already left for his home, Jin-Chul was heading back when he caught a glimpse of Jin-Woo in an alleyway and he went to check it.

Then Jin-Chul saw a man looking at a somehow vulnerable Sung Jin-Woo with lust. Before he knew it, he had started running towards them and punched the man unconscious. He was shocked for a second before he quickly helped Jin-Woo.

"Hunter-nim! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"

Sung Jin-Woo looked at him in a daze, as if he couldn’t hear anything that was said.

Jin-Chul realised what might have happened when he smelt a faded lavender scent oozing from Jin-Woo who seemed to be resisting Jin-Chul out of instinct.

To calm down the agitated hunter, Jin-Chul let out a comforting scent.

As soon as Jin-Woo calmed down, his eyelids closed. He seemed to be sleeping.

"Don't worry Hunter-nim, I'm here. I will take you to a safe place so that you can rest."

He carried the unconscious Jin-Woo to a nearby hotel.

They were on a deserted road, no taxies could be seen on the road and the hospital was too far away. Going to a nearby hotel was the only solution he could think of.

Sung Jin-Woo was very weak at that moment and he needed a proper place to rest before he is sent to the hospital.

Woo Jin-Chul sighed again.

Jin-Chul looked at the sleeping Jin-Woo.

The hunter had a tan but smooth skin, his breathing was shallow, he had long eyelashes and delicate yet strong collarbones.

Slowly, Jin-Woo’s scent started fading out as his body gradually got them under control.

This is not the first time Jin-Chul has seen this face. It is probably the third time he has seen Jin-Woo like this.

The first time was when he rescued the then delicate teenager from the double dungeon. Sung Jin-Woo at that time used to be a normal Omega with a small physique. His eyes shone with innocence and confusion when Jin-Chul first introduced himself.

The second time was also in a similar situation but at that time, the difference was that Jin-Chul was there to inform Jin-Woo of the things that happened after he fell unconscious. At that time, his eyes were a lot different, unlike the first time they met, this time Jin-Woo’s eyes had a fierceness in them along with a lot of caution.

That makes this, the third time.

He was very worried when Jin-woo was tasked to assist the investigation of the unusual gate. Woo Jin-Chul wanted to go with him but unfortunately, he was occupied with other assignments.

But then he was told that the so called monster which appeared from that gate had the appearance of Sung il-Hwan and he had forced Jin-Woo into an early heat.

Since then, he had been very worried so he had decided to visit Jin-Woo so that he can get this workaholic to get some rest.

Jin-Chul removed Jin-Woo’s black locks from his forehead and unconsciously caressed Jin-Woo’s soft cheek, Jin-Chul smiled softly.

He suddenly realised what he had just done, he didn’t have Jin-Woo’s permission so he shouldn’t be touching the hunter, he took his hand back from the sleeping hunter’s forehead. His heart was beating loudly. He could still feel the softness of Jin-Woo’s cheek on his fingers.

No! This is not appropriate! He shouldn’t touch a person without their consent!

He can’t take advantage of a person when they’re in a vulnerable state.

He should be assisting!

He repeated it to himself over and over again like a spell.

Then he sighed again.

"You....make me feel like this"

He didn’t want to feel like this yet he liked this experience. However, he felt like he was taking advantage of Jin-Woo if he felt like this. He needs to find a way to crush these bubbling emotions.

He looked at Jin-Woo again.

Jin-Chul stood up and brought his face closer to Jinwoo.

'One time, just this once', he keep thinking to himself.

In a small voice, he lightly whispered in Jin-Woo’s ear.

"I love you"

Chapter Text

Sung Jinwoo felt like he was floating on clouds, feeling very soft and comfortable.

Then he heard a faint whisper.

"I love you"

Jin-Woo instantly woke up, a white ceiling greeted him.

He sat up, his mind was still focused on the sudden confession.

The voice. It sounded very familiar.

That was not the first time someone said that they loved him.

His family constantly reminded him that they loved him. He did receive confessions before but he didn’t realise that the “I like you”s that he had responded to with a “I like you too, you’re a good person/friend.” Were supposed to be confessions.

He felt very warm, but this warm fuzzy feeling was different from the one that he got when his family said “I love you” to him.

The “I love you” that he just heard, ignited a different feeling in his chest. He didn’t understand what it was but he liked this feeling a lot.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open. He unconsciously expected it to be Woo Jin-Chul since he had always seen the man whenever he woke up in a white walled room.

But instead of Woo Jin-Chul, it was his mother and sister.

His sister ran to him and started nagging about how he should have listened to her and should have rested when she told him to instead of pushing himself to exhaustion.

Jin-Woo nodded carelessly, still thinking of the voice.

It was so familiar yet he couldn’t remember who the voice belonged to.

His mother saw the dazed look and smiled knowingly.

After JinAh's nagging and his mother's soft pleads, Jinwoo spent the next few days resting at his house.

***

The abnormal appearances of the gates, reduced and finally returned to normal.

The association was investigating the cause of this phenomenon but they couldn’t find any credible reason. Though, other than the abnormal gate appearances, everything was just fine.

Sung Jin-Woo just finished discussing with Chairman Go GunHee about the abnormalities of the gate, which Jin-Woo suspected, were caused by the Rulers.

On his way to the exit, he bumped into Woo Jin-Chul, the man greeted him respectfully.

Jin-Woo, being as sharp and observant as he is, noticed something.

He hadn’t seen Jin-Chul for a while but he noticed that the man was being a bit…weird? If that’s how one would describe it.

He looks normal and is acting like he usually does but he seems to be nervous? Plus, his necktie is crooked which is definitely not acceptable for a man like Jin-Chul.

"Are you alright, Jin-Chul?

"??? I don't understand what you’re talking about, Hunter Sung. But I am fine."

"....alright, if you say so. However..."

Jin-Woo walked closer to Jin-Chul, close enough to be able to feel the other’s breath.

Jin-Chul went stiff.

Then he felt a sensation on his neck.

He look down and saw..

...Jin-Woo was fixing his necktie.

Jin-Chul hadn't noticed that his necktie was crooked but Jinwoo did. And now he was fixing his necktie.

"There, all done. That is out of character for an upright man like you, JinChul"

"A-ah, I-I guess i was too busy and didn't notice it"

"Alright, but do take care of yourself"

‘Look who’s talking. Such a bold thing to say when coming from someone who literally passed out from exhaustion.’ Jin-Chul almost blurted this out but he managed to prevent himself.

"Yes, Hunter-nim"

"Just call me by my name, we are acquaintances and you saved me. It's the least i could do"

"I-If you insist, Sung J-Jinwoo"

Jinwoo smile and bade him goodbye as he entered the elevator. The whole way, Jin-Woo was questioning himself. He could’ve just told Jin-Chul that his necktie is crooked, but why did he go to fix it himself?

Jin-Chul saw Jin-Woo exit the building, and slumped down on the floor. His face was flushed red and his heart was beating loudly. He told himself to abandon these feelings after that day but how could he abandon it when his heart skipped a beat whenever Jin-Woo came in sight?

"God.....He's making me go crazy"

Chapter Text

"I got accepted! Mom! Oppa! I got accepted!!"

Jin-Ah squealed excitedly as she read the content of the letter that was sent from her dream college that she had applied to, confirming that she got accepted. Jin-Woo took the letter from his sister and read it as he walked towards his mom to show her the acceptance letter.

Few weeks ago, Jin-Ah had taken the examination for the medical college that she had applied for. She kept looking over her books and notes the whole week. Even after finishing the exam, she was very worried and anxious as she waited for the acceptance letter.

Jin-Woo and his mother were worried for her well-being and gave her their utmost support. Jin-Woo didn't enter any gates the whole time because he wanted to be there for his sister.

Just now, the letter from the college had arrived. Jin-Ah looked at the letter for three whole hours, anxiously. Jin-Woo had to calm her down and coax her into opening the letter if she wanted to know the results.

Fortunately, after weeks of hard work and anxiety, Jin-Ah got accepted. She was jumping from happiness.

"I am very proud of you Jin-Ah!"

Their mother said as she hugged her daughter and Jin-Woo joined them too.

"We need to celebrate this! I'm going to cook all your favourite foods!"

"Yay!!"

"How about we check out the college? We can go there next week"

"That's a great idea!"

Jin-Ah cheered. She hugged Jin-Woo's arm as they sat on the couch and started talking about everything she will do at the college; How she's going to make new friends, partying and everything that you could do at college.

Jin-Woo smiled at his sister's blabbering. He hoped nothing more than Jin-Ah having a great time at her college and have a smooth, peaceful life. Jin-Ah released Jin-Woo's arm and took her phone to tell her friends that she got accepted to her dream college, while Jin-Woo went to help their mom.

Delicious foods and drinks lined up their table.

Jin-Ah drooled as she watched her mother and brother put down her other favourite dishes.

They sat down to celebrate Jin-Ah's acceptance.

Fast forward to next week; Jin-Woo, Jin-Ah and their mother arrived at the college. The three of them were wearing visitors’ tags. Jin-Woo had asked Jin-Ho to request permission from the college so that they could look around the place.

Jin-Ah was brimming with happiness as she looked around at the place that she's going to attend. Some students looked at them curiously before they returned back to doing their own things.

Without them knowing it, someone was looking at JIn-Woo intently.

Although he felt the gaze on his back,Jin-Woo didn't suspect anything since the place was full of students, and they didn't hold any malicious intent in their gazes at Jin-Woo.

As they were looking around, a woman in her thirties came up to them.

"Excuse me, are you Sung Jin-Ah?"

The woman was conventionally attractive. She had a bit tanned skin with black hair that was tied up into a bun, giving her a diciplined image. She had a pair of black eyes with a little to no wrinkles at their corners, She give them a warm smile.

"Yes, I am Jin-Ah. What's the matter?"

Jin-Ah looked at the woman in confusion.

"I am the principal of this college. Both of you must be Jin-Ah's guardians, right?"

"Yes, I'm her brother and this is our mother. Is there something wrong?"

"I would like to talk to you. How about coming to my office for a cup of tea?"

Jin-Woo looked at the woman, his eyes sharpened as he inspected her. She didn't seem to have a malicious or bad intent.

"Sure", he said as he followed the woman while making sure that his sister and mother were also following behind them.

They entered a building and passed a few corridors with some students and teachers passing by, glancing at them in curiosity. After a moment, they finally arrived.

They entered a room that looked like a waiting room.

"Sung Jin-Ah, you can wait here while I talk with your mother and brother in my office. If there's something that you need, you can ask my assistant for help"

She extended her arm to invite Jin-Ah to sit on the sofa and show them the male assistant that was sitting not far from them. Then, she walk to her office door and opened it while gesturing to the mother and son duo to enter the room.

"Don't worry Jin-Ah, I'm sure it's nothing bad. Wait for me and your brother here, okay?"

Jin-Ah looked at her mother and nodded hesitantly.

The mother and son pair walked inside the office and took a seat on the chairs in front of the principal's table. The principal took her own seat and proceeded to take out a file from the drawer.

"In Sung Jin-Ah's file, it is said that she is one of the survivors from the orcs' attack which were saved by your son, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo"

"Yes, I am hoping Jin-Ah will continue her life without having to remember that incident. Is there a problem?"

"Actually, I am worried for her well-being. I need confirmation from her own family about her condition"

Jin-Woo's mother sighed in relief.

"Thank you, teacher. For caring for my daughter."

"No need to thank me, it is my duty as a principal."

They continued their discussion about Jin-Ah's health for some time.

After an hour, the duo took their leave and walked out of the office as Jin-Ah looked up from her phone screen.

"What did you talk about? Did I get into trouble?"

"Don't worry Jin-Ah, we were just talking about your health"

Jin-Woo said as he caressed Jin-Ah's head. He saw no reason to lie to her when it was about her health.

Jin-Ah sighed in relief.

"I’m glad that there isn’t a major issue. Don't worry about me, I am fine now. In fact, I am worried about you!"

"Me?"

"Yes! Someone out there wanted to take you as their possession!"

"It's fine. I will break their legs even before they could even touch me"

Their mother smiled at her children’s antiques. She is happy that her children care about and protect each other.

"Alright now, don't cause trouble…Do you know where the restroom is?"

"Yes, I'll lead the way"

Jin-Ah held her mother's arm and led her to the restroom. Jin-Woo followed after them.

Jin-Ah and their mother walked inside the restroom while Jin-Woo waited outside; He took out his phone and started looking at messages and recent news.

Then, he felt someone approaching him. A hand was slammed a few inches away from his face and onto the wall that Jin-Woo leaning on. He look up from his phone.

"Is there a problem?"

A young man who is probably a student of the college looked at Jin-Woo with a smirk, his underlings surrounding them. The student who is kabedoning Jin-Woo has short black hair with an undercut and was quite tall, at least few inches taller than Jin-Woo.

"It seems that you're a visitor, a good looking one too. And by the choker that your wear, you're most probably an omega. How about you spend some time with us?"

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm waiting for someone"

Jin-Woo ignored him and continued browsing through his phone.

Eventually, the man got annoyed and held Jin-Woo's chin.

Jin-Woo who is not a fan of human contact without consent, except from his close family, smacked away the man's hand. His eyes glowed purple as he glared at the man who was seeking his own death.

The young man and his underlings stepped away in fear.

Jin-Woo kept his phone away and released a little bit of his aura to scare the students a little.

"So, you don't have anything to do other than flirting? I'm sure your grades are quite high quality then."said Jin-Woo, with his voice dripping sarcasm.

The young man forced a smile.

"S-so what? I was awakened, I will be a Hunter."

"Oh really? That's good. But from my point of view, you're not that strong. Maybe a C- or D- rank. Not to mention that the arrogant way of conduct that you have will make it harder for you to get along with others. So, unless you have a rock-hard determination to be a hunter,which I highly doubt, you will die the moment you encounter the moment you encounter the first monster."

"How do you know anyway? You, a mere Omega?"

"A mere Omega? You don't even know who I am, where do you live? Under a rock?"

Jin-Woo didn't want to use his authority as a hunter or fawn it, but this young man was really pushing it.

He knew that this ignorant kid who knows nothing about the world of a hunter will die the moment he step in a gate and so,he had done his job of warning the other man but if he doesn’t take it seriously? Well, that’s not Jin-Woo’s problem anyway.

"Jin-Woo?"

He heard his mother called him.

Their mother looked at him in worry when she saw a group of young men surrounding him, he look at her and smiled in reassurance.

The little gangsters’ blood ran cold, they paled when they heard what the woman had called the man in front of them.

"Y-You are H-Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?"

"What? Surprised that a mere Omega became a hunter?"

"RUN"

The men ran away in fear. Jin-Woo’s eyes restored back to their original black colour again and he smiled at his mother and sister.

"Did those men flirt with you?"

"I already handled it"

"If I was with you, I would’ve broken their arms, they dare gang up on MY brother? Let’s see how long they can live" Jin-Ah said as she rolled the non-existent long sleeves of her dress.

"Calm down, you raging bull. They too, study here so be careful and tell me if they do something to you." Seeing that Jin-Ah was about to say something else, Jin-Woo quickly added, ”and DON’T try to handle it yourself because I don’t want to deal with the aftermath of a murder allegation on my sister.”

Jin-Ah nodded in understanding.

"Now that that's done, how about we have a lunch at a restaurant? My treat."

"Jin-Woo, you don't have to. That’s the money from your hardwork"

"It's fine mom. I don't really spend much of it anyway, so why don't I bring my family for a lunch?"

"Alright then!"

"Yayy!! Let's eat steak!"

Jin-Woo smiled at his family as they left the college and got inside the car.

Chapter Text

The men that tried to flirt with Jin-Woo (and failed miserably) took a deep breath after running away from the S-rank hunter.

They ran towards the place where they usually smoke and hang out. The place is deserted and no one would dare go there/

"Damn it, to think he is the infamous Hunter Sung."

"Hyung, if you didn't provoke him, maybe he could be your Omega."

"Are you crazy? He can defeat Thomas Andre, he will kill me as soon as he gets the chance to"

"....He......is......mine...."

"Hah? What do you mean by that?"

"Huh? I didn't say anything"

A man appeared behind the students and whispered something again.

He was as tall as Baek Yoon-Ho, wearing a grey hoodie and black pants with the hood of the hoodie are covering his head, the man's hair was long enough to cover his eyes. Everything about this man screamed "GLOOMY".

"...he....is....mine...!"

The man took out a knife and started stabbing them one by one. They couldn't run away, as if something was binding them to this narrow alley and preventing their escape. The man laughed maniacally as he stabbed them until their bodies fell limp and any signs of life had left their body.

"Ahh...I made a mess."

The man stood up and started cleaning the place.

"I need to make sure my future in-laws don't get worried!"

He put the bodies inside the bags and took out his phone to call someone.

After a while, a van appeared and few people came out to collect the bodies making sure that no evidence was left behind. Then, they got inside the van and drove away.

"Haha...Hahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAH"

The man started laughing, then he stopped abruptly and took out a picture.

"You are mine, my beloved Jin-Woo."

The picture in his hand was a picture of Jin-Woo walking around the campus together with his family. A soft smile adorned on Jin-Woo face. The man caress the picture as if it was a treasure that could break with the slightest touch.

"Mine and mine alone."

"This is so delicious!"

Jin-Ah said and she took another bite of the steak. Her mother put more meat and vegetables on her plate.

"We should eat out once in a while!"

She said loudly as she continued to stuff her face with more food. Jin-Woo, on a normal occasion, would tell her that she will get fat if she keeps eating, but not today as it was a very important day in her life. Jin-Woo had reserved a private room for them so that they could eat peacefully without having to worry that the paparazzi might photograph him.

"I'm going to the restroom. Continue eating"

"Okay!!"

Jin-Woo smiled softly and walked out. He asked the waiter for the directions and walked towards the restroom.

After doing his business, he was washing his hands when he heard the door opening.

Someone else had entered the restroom, which is a sign that Jin-Woo should leave immediately. However, the man leaned their body on Jin-Woo.

By reflex, Jin-Woo punched the man in the face which sent the other flying.

Jin-Woo tidied his clothes and looked at the man.

The man was sitting there holding his aching cheek.

'Looks like this man is a Hunter. Maybe a B-rank,’ Jin-Woo thought. He only used a little of his power to hit the man. If it was an ordinary person, they would have been unconscious.

The man was angry and wanted to yell at the Omega but froze when he realized who said Omega is. He laughed in fear.

"H-Hunter S-Sung! What a coincidence!"

Jinwoo glared at the man, making the other shiver in fright, "I suggest you leave immediately before I lose my patience."

Jin-Woo said as he continue washing his hands. The man scrambled and ran out in a panic.

The restroom become quiet again, only the sound of water splashing could be heard.

Then Jin-Woo heard a scream. It was muffled but he heard it.

He left the restroom in a hurry.

Jin-Woo looked out but didn't see anything although he could feel a presence nearby. He let his senses lead him to the whereabouts of the presence and arrived at a cleaner's room. He opened the door and what greeted him was a very gruesome and bloody sight.

The man that tried to harass him was lying in a pool of blood, he was still alive but unconscious due to excessive blood loss.

Jin-Woo was shocked, this guy is a B-rank hunter and quite strong too. Then he noticed another guy in the room. He had a bloodied knife in his hand and was looking at the unconscious hunter with a crazed smile.

Jin-Woo could feel that this man is extremely strong (at least stronger than the unconscious guy) and his whole being is surrounded with killing intent.

The man looked at Jin-Woo and smiled even more. Suddenly, Jin-Woo became extremely cautious.

Usually, if he detected a killing intent, the system will prompt him to eliminate it. However, the system didn't give a warning which meant that the killing intent was not directed towards him

'Did that guy do something to provoke this guy?', Jin-Woo thought to himself.

"It is a pity that this is our first meeting. I want our fateful meeting to be beautiful, very beautiful that you even fall in love with me as I did", the man said as he wiped the blood off his knife and looked at Jin-Woo with a smile.

"But that's fine because you will become mine sooner or later"

The man released his aura and Alpha pheromones at the same time. Jin-Woo muttered 'bastard' to the man. The man at the college was a lot more decent than this guy, at least he didn't pressure others with his pheromones.

"Just give up and become mine," the man said as he continued to suppress Jin-Woo by using his dominant pheromones. He knew that if he were to fight Jin-Woo, he might not win but Jin-Woo was an Omega, surely he would love this strong Alpha!!!

"No thanks, I can live my life without having an Alpha"

Jin-Woo didn't need a pushover Alpha. He doesn't need an alpha at all. He can live his life peacefully without having the Alphas harassing him all the time. Even if he were to fall in love, that person has to be someone who understands him and supports him no matter what rather than some asshole who tries to force him into submission.

The man's face flushed red in anger and used his power to bind Jin-Woo, this action was immediately noticed byJin-Woo and he easily broke it off.

The man laughed in delight.

"Hahaha! Just as I expected! Only you can break my binding!"

Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow. This guy is crazy.

"That's why.....you can only be mine!"

Jin-Woo sensed another presence behind him. He took out his dagger and blocked the sneak attack.

Other people started to appear.

"This is very troublesome", Jin-Woo whispered.

The men started attacking him all at once.

Jin-Woo was being overwhelmed by the flux of pheromones trying to suppress him.

He was about to attack when a person appeared in front of him.

Suddenly, everything became slow-motion for Jin-Woo. The familiar slick orange hair with only a single strand poking out and the glowing purple eyes that usually glow whenever that person is agitated or using his abilities.

---

Woo Jin-Chul sighed in frustration as he drank the red wine. He should be doing his work but all his mind is thinking about is Sung Jin-Woo and Sung Jin-Woo only. He couldn't do his work properly and therefore, the chairman give him a day off to clear off his mind. However, how can he clear his mind when everything reminds him of Jin-Woo?

He took another sip of his wine and not long after, his meal arrived. He started eating his food.

After finishing his meal, he put his napkin and payment on the table and stood up to go to the restroom before leaving.

On his way, he suddenly felt a sharp killing intent nearby.

He immediately went to investigate it, which lead to a corridor that was a little far from the restroom. The sight that greeted him was Jin-Woo being surrounded by men who were about to attack him. Not to mention the sharp Alpha pheromones in the air that were trying to suppress the Omega.

If this continues, Jin-Woo might die due to exertion!!!

On instinct, he quickly jumped into action and blocked all the attacks. He took them down easily, leaving only the man with the grey hoodie.

"NO NO NO NO!! DON'T GET IN MY WAY, YOU PEASANT!! SUNG JIN-WOO IS MINE AND ONLY MINE!!!"

The man screeched as he lunged towards the Omega who seemed to be dazed.

Jin-Chul, an experienced hunter, knocked down the man in one swift motion. Before the man dropped unconscious, he told him, "it is Sung Jin-Woo's decision who he wants to be with. He’s not an object that you can claim ownership of."

He let go of the unconscious man and immediately looked at Jin-Woo. He knew that Jin-Woo can heal himself easily but he couldn't help being worried.

Jin-Woo hadn't received any injuries but he looked at Jin-Chul in a daze.

Soon, Jin-Woo snapped out of his daze and assured Jin-Chul that he was alright. In Jin-Woo's daze, he thought that Jin-Chul is most probably the only one who kept protecting him and worried for him (other than his family and Jin-Ho) even though he knew that Jin-Woo can protect himself.

He smiled in realisation.

"You don't have to worry, Jin-Chul. You arrived just on time before they could hurt me. Thank you"

Jin-Woo smiled softly at him in assurance, causing the A-rank hunter to blush brightly.

"T-That's g-good. Ah! I should call the association to handle this."

Jin-Woo nodded in agreement as Jin-Chul took out his phone and called the association.

Not long after, people from the association came and took away the unconscious people, including the bloodied hunter without alerting the citizens.

Everything was handled properly and Jin-Woo finally sighed in relief. Then he remembered that his family was still waiting for him.

"I should go now, my family is waiting for me"

"Yes, I understand"

Jin-Woo was about to leave but he hesitated. The hesitation was noticed by Jin-Chul.

"Sung Jin-Woo? What's the matter? Don't tell me that you're hurt?!"

"No no no, it's just that....since everything was handled, how about you join me for lunch?"

Jin-Chul was suprised, millions of thoughts raced through his mind, one of them being, 'isn't this the same as meeting my in-laws?!' He quickly shook that thought away.

"I don't want to disturb you and your family"

"It's fine, take this as a thank you gift for saving me, and I'm sorry for dragging you into my mess"

"This mess is not your fault!...and if you insist"

"Great! Let's go"

"One more thing Jin-Woo"

Jin-Woo looked back at Jin-Chul.

Jin-Chul smiled calmly as his eyes turned into crescents, Jin-Woo could feel the sincerity of that smile.

"..There's no need for thank you and I'm sorry between us"

Jin-Woo smile back, "okay."

Chapter Text

"What took Jin-Woo so long?"

Park Kyung-Hye said with worry as she looked at the door of their room. She kept hoping that Jin-Woo didn't encounter something horrible and that he would open the door any seconds without any injuries.

Jin-Ah, who took a big bite from her spicy and crunchy chicken wing, glanced at her phone to look at the time and almost choked in shock. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and drank the cola in her glass.

"HE'S BEEN OUT FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR?!"

She yelled out in shock. She took a last drink from the cola before standing up and walking to the door.

"Where are you going, Jin-Ah?"

"I'm going to look for oppa! Something must have happen to him!"

She has watched enough movies to know that the only reason someone who went to the restroom has been gone for a long time is that they are in danger. So, unless her oppa has a diarrhea, which is impossible because he is a freaking S-class hunter, then someone must be molesting Jin-Woo!

Before she could touch the knob, someone opened the door from the outside. Jin-Ah sighed in relief when she saw Jin-Woo, who stared at her in confusion.

"Why are you at the door?"

Jin-Ah punched her brother in frustration, even though she knew that won't have any effect on Jin-Woo. 

She pointed her index finger towards Jin-Woo's face.

"You! Where were you! You were out there for so long!"

"Sorry, I found a friend on the way and we talked for a while, I lost track of time"

"It's fine. Thank goodness you're alright, I was getting worried"

Jin-Woo smiled in assurance at his mother. Jin-Ah huffed in anger but decided to forgive him, atleast her brother is fine. Then she stepped aside to let Jin-Woo walk inside. She saw Jin-Woo invite a man, who was taller than him, to step inside with him. She frowned when she smelled an Alpha’s pheromone wafting from the man.

"Who is he?" Jin-Ah asked pointing at the man behind Jin-Woo.

Woo Jin-Chul, who had been following Jin-Woo, started sweating with nervousness. He didn't know what he should do and he didn't want to give a bad impression to Jin-Woo’s family. His heart beat increased and he desperately tried keeping his calm facade.

Park Kyung-Hye saw Jin-Chul and she smiled at both of them as if she knew what was going on.

"Oh my, are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend, honey?" 

Jin-Chul flushed red and started coughing in shock. The only thought in his mind was, 'did she seriously just say that?' Does this mean that Jin-Woo’s mother approves of him? He’s not Jin-Woo's  boyfriend yet but- Wait….What’s with these thoughts?!

'What about Jin-Woo?' He thought in dread, as he glanced at Jin-Woo to see his reaction, 'He won't look disgusted, right? He sees me as a friend, so he won't right?' His insecurities about what Jin-Woo’s opinion of him were eating him. But his thoughts were the complete opposite of reality.

Jin-Woo looked away so he couldn't see Jin-Woo's face, but he couldn’t hide the flushing ears and the blush that reached his neck. Jin-Chul's mind became blank for a moment before he looked away from Jin-Woo. 'Does this means that I have a chance?' 

Park Kyung-Hye smiled in glee and excitement. So her son does have someone he likes and just doesn’t want to admit it yet. 

She sighed helplessly, 'Just like his father.' 

Jin-Ah looked back and forth between the man and her oppa. 

Her mother's words were still echoing in her mind.

...Are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend....

...introduce us to your boyfriend...

...boyfriend...

.

.

.

….wait….

.

.

.

BOYFRIEND?

"WHAT" She yelled when she was finally able to register her mother's words. She looked at her mother who looked….oddly excited.

"Mother?!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hush it, Jin-Ah. He looks like a decent man, I'm sure he can take care of our Jin-Woo" She smile as Jin-Ah huffed.

Jin-Woo who finally came to his senses, coughed to get rid of the residual embarassment. 'Why do I feel so flustered?' Looking at his excited mother and shocked sister, he coughed again to gain their attention. 

Chapter Text

Lunch passed smoothly with occasional stares from Jin-Ah, who still had a little doubt whether the both of them were simply 'friends' but then put it aside since there were no intimate moves between the both of them. While Park Kyung-Hye kept putting food in their plates, to which, Jin-Chul responded by putting food in her plate as well, to be polite.

Jin-Chul would also glance at Jin-Woo who had the ever gentle smile plastered on his face. Jin-Woo's every little move made him fall harder and harder for this perfect man. The fact that Jin-Woo had trusted him enough invite him to meet Jin-Woo’s family made him happy that probably Jin-Woo saw him as someone important to the other, just like how Jin-Chul saw Jin-Woo as someone he wanted to protect and treasure. 

'My love for you is not hopeles after all, I just hope you can accept this overwhelming love of mine.'

Then Jin-Chul phone suddenly rang, he excused himself and answer the call immediately. He carried two phones, the first was a personal phone and the second was for the work related to the  Hunter’s Association. The one that rang was his second phone, therefore it must be something important since today was supposed to be his day off.

"What's the matter?"

"Chief! I'm sorry for bothering you at your day off but a gate has appeared in the middle of the road at XXXX Street few minute ago. It caused a traffic jam. It is suspected to be a strong red gate!"

"Did you block the street? What about the hunters?"

"We're still evacuating the citizens but there are some that aren't cooperating. They caused a havoc and are demanding for the gate to be quickly closed. The hunters are still on their way."

"Try to calm them. Make sure that the citizens are away from the gate. I'll be there"

Jin-Chul ended the call and sighed. Why have the people decided to be so unreasonable today? He walked back inside to inform the others of his departure from the meal.

"I'm sorry but I need to leave-"

Loud noises were coming from the outside. Jin-Woo stood up and looked out the window to see what happened. His eyes went slightly wide.

"A gate has appeared outside, a big one too." 

Park Kyung-Hye hugged her daughter tightly, still terrified of the incident from before. Jin-Woo looked at Jin-Chul, "Were you informed of this?"

"Just now." He replied. Jin-Woo nodded in understanding and took out his phone.

"Jin-Ho where are you?"......."Good, meet me at xxxx restaurant now"

He ended the call and started to assure his mother and sister, "Mom, Jin-Ah, Jin-Ho will come and send you back home. You will be safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll be with Jin-Chul, maybe I can help him control the situation."

He gently brought them out of the restaurant and made them sit into the car. When he met up with Jin-Ho, he told Jin-Ho to drive them back home safely.

By the time they arrived, the street was filled with protesting citizens who seemed to think that the gates can be easily closed like any other ordinary gate.

Jin-Chul stood in the middle and said, "CITIZENS! PLEASE CALM DOWN SO THE ASSOCIATION CAN HANDLE THIS!"

However, there were still some people who wouldn’t listen.

"Hurry up!"

"I have an important job to attend!"

"Just close the damn gate already!"

Jin-Chul who was already annoyed that his holiday was interrupted just to assure this ungrateful bunch, was pissed. 

"IF YOU WANT US TO HURRY UP THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP SO WE CAN FINISH THIS," he yelled while letting out his domineering Alpha pheromones along with his aura, causing the loud crowd to go silent in fear. They immediately left so as to not anger him.

Jin-Woo was standing nearby so as to not attract atteention to himself, he looked at Jin-Chul who still seemed pissed.

JIn-Woo had always seen Jin-Chul being so gentle and considerate that he had almost forgotten that the man is an Alpha and a hunter. He was near Jin-Chul so he could smell the man's pheromones, a strong smell of jasmine, his body had started trembling a bit due to the excessive contact with Alpha pheromones but that seemed to be all. 

'He was quite attractive just now.'

Realizing what he had just thought, Jin-Woo flushed red. 

'The hell? Did I just think Jin-Chul is attractive?'Although he didn’t disagree with this thought. 

This line of reasoning made Jin-Woo go even redder.

When Jin-Woo saw Jin-Chul is walking towards him, he slapped his cheeks to reduce his red blush, not like it was helping much. 

Jin-Chul walked towards Jin-Woo right after he handled everything. He has never yelled like that before, and in anger, he let out his Alpha pheromones. What would Jin-Woo think of him? An Alpha who uses his pheromones to control people? He doesn't want Jin-Woo to hate him.

When he was nearing Jin-Woo he saw Jin-Woo slapping his cheeks? He hurried to Jin-Woo, who looked at him calmly with faint redness on his cheeks due to slapping his own face.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally let out my pheromones. Are you alright?" 

He let out some comforting pheromones to comfort the other. Jin-Woo smelled the familiar scent and his mind became at ease. The scent was just like before, a unique scent of jasmine, strong yet somehow unreasonably soft.

His family always said that his scent is like that of a fresh lavender on a spring day, warm, fragrant and totally addictive. To avoid troublesome things that involve pheromones, he usually suppresses his scent. Though his sister said that he still reeked of lavender, warm and fragrant but not as adictive which was quite acceptable in her standards.

"It's fine....you're kinda cool like that though", Jin-Woo blurted out.

Jin-Chul was surprised and then his face became red. The same could be said about Jin-Woo, he felt embarassed, why did he blurt that out?!

Jin-Woo felt the embarassment washing over him, he wanted to hide. Never had he felt so embarassed like this, nor had he ever blurted things out. His thoughts had always remained in his head, how come he blurted them out right here and right now? And his heart was beating faster than usual, not like the adrenaline he felt when fighting monsters.

'What the hell is wrong with me'

(A/N: o-o i think i just made jin-woo ooc)

(E/n: Honey, OOC Jin-Woo is what we live for.)

Chapter Text

"I- I mean- What I meant is-" Jin-Woo just hoped that he can disappear right now to escape from the embarassment (he can but his mind is blank at the moment).

"Chief Woo? Sung Jin-Woo?" A feminine voice call them out. They look at the source of the voice to see Cha Hae-In and Choi Jong-In along with the members Hunter Guild.

Jin-Woo sigh in relief, he mentally thanked Cha Hae-In for saving him from such an embarassing situation. Both of them walk towards the members of the Hunter Guild.

"Hello Chief Woo, hello Sung Jin-Woo! Did you come to clear the gate too?" Cha ask them.

After lots of self-refelecting and questioning, Hae-In have clear herself up and come to a conclusion that it is simply a feeling that she misunderstood. The feelings she have for Sung Jin-Woo is love, not a romantic type of love but love as a friend, a true friend that she never had.

"No, we just happen to be nearby when the gate appeared," Jin-Woo answer Cha.

"How is your condition, Sung Jin-Woo?"

"I'm fine, thanks"

"I'm sure you were informed that this gate might be a red gate, right?" Jin-Chul asked her

"Yes, I've prepared everything," this time it was Choi Jong-In that answer.

"Are you going to join our raid, Sung Jin-Woo?" Hae-In ask Jin-Woo.

"No need, I'm sure your Hunter Guild can handle it just fine"

"Thank you for having faith on us"

"Anytime"

"Well, we should get going now. Goodluck"

"Thanks!"

Jin-Woo and Jin-Chul left since everything is under control. The both of them walk in an awkward silence with nowhere to go.

"So uhhh... do you want to have dinner? Not now though! When you're not busy," Jin-Chul asked. Jin-Woo thought that Jin-Chul might forgot about what happened a while ago, so he gain back his composer.

"Sure, how about next weekend? I'm available at that time"

After that, they bid each other goodbyes.

Jin-Chul get inside his car and hit his head on the steering wheel, the car honked due to this, but his thoughts was completely on something else. His whole face is blushing all the way to his neck and steam coming out his head.

He haven't forgotten about the blurted words but decided not to ask when he saw how embarrassed Jin-Woo is. He thought about what happened a while ago. Jin-Woo whole face flush a lovely shade of red, that's the first time he saw the usually calm Jin-Woo become very flustered, he wondered if he's the first one to see this side of him?

"So cute♡"

It takes a while for him to be able to compose himself. He started the car and drive back to the association.

Jin-Chul is completely in love with that person.

How can he fell for him?

The first time he met that person was at he hospital. There's a report of a double dungeon and almost all the people from that raid are dead, only few survives. And one of them, is a male Omega named Sung Jin-woo.

It's questionable about how an Omega was able to become a hunter, an E-rank at that, and still continue this career. Turns out, he did it in order to pay his mother's medical bills and take care of his younger sister, while his father vanished in a gate years ago.

Many people presumed that he is a beta, probably masking his pheromones and the fact that Omegas aren't fond of being a Hunter along with their heat. And because of how weak he is, he became a subject of mockery in the Korean hunter community, but he still managed to support both himself and his sister even though he nearly died on every raid he went to.

He was still asleep when Jin-Chul stepped inside the hospital room, and completely different from the S-rank hunter he will become. He got a slightly tanned skin with baby fat still clinging on his cheeks and long hair that reach his neck. His was short and looks younger than he's supposed to be.

Then he suddenly woke up, the beautiful gray eyes finally revealed themselves to the world. He seems to be in daze before he throw aside the hospital quilt and look at his legs in shock. To say he is stunned is an overstatement. Jin-Chul is a type of person that would strictly not be affected by anyone, even if that someone is an adorable person.

'I wouldn't mind having him as my wife', he thought but he put it at the back of his mind since he is too busy with the association. He doesn't want his marriage partner to feel lonely.

After he did the mana measurement which left him disappointed, he left the hospital. Not knowing that a seed of love had been planted, he wonders if he would meet the Omega again.

And they did.

He looks much different than before, he grew taller and his body is more lean and slender. He assumed that there's no way Jin-Woo could kill someone who is a higher rank than Jin-Woo. He warned Jin-Woo that Hwang Dong-Su was after him.

Not long after that, Hwang Dong-Su came to Seoul to hunt down Jin-Woo. Jin-Chul felt the dread of Jin-Woo being harmed. Luckily, Jin-Woo was inside a gate, a red gate but at least he won't have to face the furious Hunter. Especially with the Alpha pheromones that he let out.

After that, he found out that Jin-Woo became the S-rank hunter. He felt his heart skipped a beat. Jin-Chul knew that that is not the first time his heart skipped a beat, it beats for Jin-Woo lots of time, but he just never notice it. He is not dense and he knew that.

He eagerly work overtime when the association president, Goh Gun-Hui asked him to find Sung Jin-Woo's location. Even though the president failed to recruit Jin-Woo, he felt a satisfaction when he can see Jin-Woo again. Though, he hoped that the next time they talked, it would not be association or hunters related stuffs.

His heart beats faster and faster on every glances and every meetings. And each time he thought how would it be if they are together.

But Jin-Chul is a man who does not like to speculate about things and prefers to stick only to the facts. They are not very close and they only met when its about something important. It is clear that there are boundary between them, a boundary that Jin-Chul didn't dare to cross.

He is not sure when but everyone assumed that he is an Alpha, as if they didn't thought that he was a Beta, since many believe only Alpha can be strong. Haha jokes on them.

Only god knows that he almost lost control because of his jealousy when he see many Alphas swarmed for Jin-Woo, but he can't because he don't have a right to interfere and because he is a coward.

However, he questioned himself again, how in the world they can be so close right now?

Chapter Text

For the first time in Sung Jin-Woo's life, he was conflicted on what to wear for the dinner date that he planned with Woo Jin-Chul. Wait- Did he just say 'dinner date'? NO! Jin-woo, it is just a dinner with a friend. A friend that you thought as hot-

"Sighhh..... I never thought I'll be in this situation", Jin-Woo said to himself. He look inside his closet, black. Most of his clothes are plain black with some white shirts. Jin-Woo never questioned his fashion sense but he is feeling self-conscious right now.

There is only one solution to this.

"Hey mom, can you help me?"

"YES YES OF COURSE MOTHER WILL HELP YOU!", Park Kyung-Hye immediately said. Her son who is now a capable adult have never ask her for any help ever since she woke up. She knew that he doesn't want her to worry.

"Mom, oppa haven't said what kind of help yet," Jin-Ah said, not looking away from her phone.

"W-well I got dinner coming up and I- I'm not really sure what to wear," Jin-Woo said, looking everywhere but his mom and sister.

Jin-Ah almost dropped her phone when she heard that while Park Kyung-Hye squeled in delight. It's been a long time since she got to dress him up >v<

"By dinner, you meant dinner date, yes?" Jin-Ah said. Not a question but a statement. "I don't mind if it's with that Jin-Chul guy, he is......not bad. So i won't mind if you date him. You can't be single forever, I WANT A NIECE AND/OR A NEPHEW!!"

"IT'S NOT A DATE! And we're not like that!!" Jin-Woo tried to defend himself, which miserably failed. He had always won every battles but he will always lose to his family.

"Uhuh yeah whatever you said, oppa", Jin-Ah said uncaringly.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's buy some clothes for you!", Park Kyung-Hye excitedly said.

" Buy? But-"

"Honey, no. I checked your closet and all your clothes are so plain. It should fit for your Hunter job but not for a date. So let's go to the mall!"

"YAYYYYYYYYY", his sister yell as she run to her room. His mother pushed him back to his own room so he can change to a more appropriate clothes. Jin-Woo sigh in defeat.

---

After getting ready, they got inside the car, wore their seat belts and Jin-Woo drove them to the mall. They arrived not long after. Jin-Woo parked the car and they walked to the mall.

"Fuh it's getting colder since it's almost winter. We should find clothes that would fit the weather", their mother suggests. Her children just follow her like lost puppies.

They walk into a store and went to the winter clothes side. Park Kyung-Hye and Sung Jin-Ah immediately started choosing clothes that would looks good on Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo knew that women will take a long time to choose clothes so he decided to walk around the mall.

"Mom, I'm going to walk around", he told his mom. She nodded in understanding and Jin-Woo give her his card so they can pay it.

Jin-Woo left the store and walk aimlessly, he wore a mask so no one will notice him. He thought back to what his sister said to him. 'You can't stay single forever'. Honestly, he doesn't thought about dating or getting married ever since his father disappear. He was too busy trying to support his family that almost break apart to even think about it, but everything is getting better now.

Everything is getting better. Other than the fact that the whole world is looking for his father, he knew that everything is going to be fine.

Then, what about Jin-Chul?

He is a friend that Jin-Woo trust. He trust him enough to look after his family if something ever happened to him.

Jin-Woo stopped.

A friend...

He look at the store in front of him. He sucked a breath and walk inside.

Yes, a friend.....or is it more than that?

---

"Sung Jin-Woo?"

As soon as Jin-Woo come out of the store, someone greeted him. He immediately hid the bag with the thing that he just bought and put it in his inventory.

"Cha Hae-In?", Jin-Woo was shocked when he see Hae-In who's wearing a casual clothes and a mask. What a coincidence.

"What are you doing here?", he asked Hae-In.

"Just getting groceries. What about you?" Cha Hae-In asked.

"Shopping with my family, what about a hot drink? I'll pay," Jin-Woo offered to her. He got nothing to do anyway so why not? And it'll be nice to have someone to drink with. She is also his dear friend.

"Sure. Don't complain when I empty your pocket," she laughed.

"I won't", Jin-Woo smile. She's no longer awkward or nervous around Jin-Woo, she even joke with him. It feels nice.

They get into a nice looking cafe and have a cup of hot drink for themselves and chat.

"Are you dating Chief Woo?", she asked out of nowhere.

Jin-Woo almost spit out his drink in suprise and start coughing, "What made you think like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you both of you keep eye fucking each other?", she said with sarcasm as she look at him with a 'no shit Sherlock' stare.

Jin-Woo was left speechless.

"Um..We're not"

When she heard that, she slammed the table and shouted, "YOU'RE NOT DATING?!?!!", as if he just offended her whole entire family.

"Umm....no? And please quiet down. Everyone is watching," he whisper to her. She looked around and saw that everyone is staring at them, she immediately bow and apologize.

" What do you mean you're not dating?!?", she whisper-yelled.

"Like I said, we're not dating. We're just friends."

"Yeah right, like I would believe that," she said. Jin-Woo just stare at her.

"....wait.....You're seriously not dating?!?! How can that happened?!?", she said unbelievably.

"We just....didn't", Jin-Woo said quietly, feeling self-conscious for some reason.

Hae-In stare at him and sigh, "Fine, you're not dating him."

"..why do you think we're dating?", Jin-Woo asked quietly.

" Well, I always saw you look at him when he's not looking, and he look at you when you're not looking. So i thought you just, well, secretly dating"

"Oh," Jin-Woo said with a sligh blush. Jin-Chul looked at him when he's not looking?

"Look, we never really know each other but I'm your friend, Jin-Woo. You can talk to me when you're comfortable."

" Thanks, Hae-In"

"Yeah. I should get going now, see you later Jin-Woo"

"See you later"

"Oh one more thing, you can ask me for help to set you up with Chief Woo. You guys looks good together"

"Hae-In!!" he shouted in embarrassment, his face flush red. Cha Hae-In laugh as she left the cafe.

Chapter Text

It's winter now, the weather getting colder but the snow hasn't fallen yet. People walk around the city while wearing thick clothes to keep themselves warm, including Hunters as they work to clear the gates while the sun is up so they can rest at night.

The weather is colder than in the daytime. Everyone is in the comfort of their home to rest and spend time with their families.

Woo Jin-Chul arrived in front of Sung Jin-Woo's house to pick him up. The time he's supposed to pick him up is 10 am but Jin-Chul is very nervous that he wakes up early and waits in front of the apartment building for 2 hours because he doesn't want to be late.

'Come on, Jin-Chul, knock on that door. You met his family, they are nice people so knock on the damn door', Jin-Chul take a deep breath and knock the door.

He heard a faint 'coming' from the inside and wait. Seconds later, the door was opened by Jin-Woo's mother, Park Kyung-Hye. She smile happily when she saw Jin-Chul and let him come inside.

He noticed that she is looking intently at his clothes. Jin-Chul sweats, does his clothes aren't good enough for this? He is wearing a long grey coat that reaches his knees on top of a black long sleeve shirt, a peach color scarf that was wrapped around his neck, a long black pants, and a pair of black leather shoes. This time, he didn't wear his black sunglasses. He thought that he looks just fine? Why does she look at him like that?

Then Jin-Chul saw that she nodded to herself. "You came to pick up Jin-Woo, right? He will be here in a moment. Take a seat, do you want a drink?", she asked.

Jin-Chul sighed in relief. "No need, ma'am", he politely refuses and sits on the sofa. She left to get Jin-Woo. Then Jin-Woo's sister, Sung Jin-Ah walks in. She saw Jin-Chul and sit on the other side of the sofa, far away from Jin-Chul.

"Just so you know, if you break my oppa's heart, I will cut your dick off", she threatened.

Jin-Chul clamped his legs(internally) and said, "Rest assured, I won't." He's not surprised by the threat since she is protective of her brother too when he first met her.

Jin-Ah nodded in satisfaction and plays with her phone.

Not long after, Jin-Chul heard footsteps. Sung Jin-Woo slowly walks out with a faint blush on his cheeks. He is wearing a grey turtleneck sweater covered up by a grey jacket with blue lines, peach color fur on the hood, and black leggings with a peach color short skirt. The leggings show off his long and lean legs. Jin-Chul was love-struck that he stare at Jin-Woo, for a little too long. Jin-Chul can almost feel that he's going to have a nosebleed.

Jin-Woo crosses his arm and his cheeks become red in embarrassment. He can't believe that his mom made him wear these tight pants that she calls leggings! With a skirt at that too! Jin-Woo sighed in defeat internally.

Park Kyung-Hye clapped her hands in delight. It is a big coincidence but their clothes are matching. When both of them stand next to each other, it is like they are a pair of lovers that planned to wear matching clothes. She pats herself proudly.

"Time to go young men, you have a date, right? Go! Go enjoy yourself!", she said as she push both of them to the door.

"Mom!", Jin-Woo whined. How can his mother say that when Jin-Chul is here?! So embarrassing!! Jin-Chul blushed in embarrassment and happiness.

Jin-Chul wears back his leather shoes while Jin-Woo wears a pair of black sports shoes with blue streaks. Jin-Chul takes a look at Jin-Woo and accidentally sees Jin-Woo's thighs, those beautiful and juicy pairs of thighs.

Jin-Chul's eyes become sharp and he let out a low unnoticeable growl. ".. mine.. ", he mutters in a very low voice.

Jin-Woo heard him and look back, "Jin-Chul? "

Jin-Chul snapped out of it and smile at Jin-Woo, "it's nothing." He smiles.

However, his mind is in chaos. 'Waahhhh what the hell was that?! I almost- Ahhhh I can't believe I almost lose control there! And I just look at his thighs! Wait no- I shouldn't have looked at his thighs in the first place!! Fuh Keep your cool Jin-Chul! Wait- what if other people saw his thighs and lose control too?!?!', is what is going on in Jin-Chul's mind as he wears his shoes.

Then they left.

They get inside Jin-Chul's warm car. Jin-Woo asks, " So where are we going?" And Jin-Chul answered, "It's too early for dinner, so brunch? I knew a nice place"

"Sure, I haven't eaten yet anyway", Jin-Woo said, accepting Jin-Chul's arrangements.

Jin-Chul drives them to a warm-looking cafe. They ate their brunch and a cup of delicious hot chocolate. They ate first so they won't be hungry when they were doing their activities. After eating, Jin-Chul brings them to the ice skating grounds.

Jin-Woo has never tried ice skating before so he is having some difficulties, Jin-Chul helps him out. "You sure do have experience in this", Jin-Woo said while holding on Jin-Chul's arms and facing him to keep his stability.

"Well, I did some ice skating when I was younger. It's been so long, I think I get rusty haha", Jin-Chul answered, feeling embarrassed.

Jin-Woo look at him and said, "do it." Jin-Chul is confused, "do what?"

"A trick, anything. I wanna see you do it. Don't worry I won't laugh if you fall", he said, eyes sparkling as he look at Jin-Chul. Jin-Chul who is already weak becomes weaker when he looks at Jin-Woo's sparkling eyes. 'Omg why he's so cute, how can someone be so adorable, this should be a crime, can I hold him?' is what Jin-Chul thought in his head while his cheeks flushed red.

"U-um I- I guess a little bit won't hurt", Jin-Chul coughed. He makes sure Jin-Woo is stable before he let him go. (A/N: nooooo don't let him gooooo;-; lmao wth I'm doing here www)

Jin-Chul glides around for a while before he took a deep breath. He glided faster and successfully did a low toe loop. Jin-Woo smiled and clapped in amazement, his eyes sparkle more. Jin-Chul smile in satisfaction, it is the easiest jump but it's good enough for someone like him who hasn't skated for years, and he's able to make Jin-Woo smile.

"You're so cool", Jin-Woo said to Jin-Chul when he skate back to Jin-Woo, clapping softly. "Thanks", Jin-Chul smiled gently.

Then they go to a movie. Cliche? Yes. But hey, simple is better. And Jin-Woo is not the fancy type.

They watch a movie called 'Nightmare Christmas', why do they watch that? Author-san has no idea, but they still enjoy it. Even though Jin-Chul didn't get the head leaning or hand-holding, he still enjoy it since he get to be with Jin-Woo. By the time they come out of the theater, it's already evening.

Then the first snow falls on Jin-Woo's nose. He is confused for a moment before more and more snows begin to fall. Both of them look up as their hands reach out to catch the snow, then Jin-Chul looks at Jin-Woo. He was dumbstruck seeing how breathtaking Jin-Woo is as he look at the falling snow.

Jin-Chul's eyes were locked on Jin-Woo. Then slowly without him noticing, he reaches out to Jin-Woo's hand. He gently grabs his hand and clenches it tightly. Jin-Woo realized that Jin-Chul is holding his hand.

"Is it cold?", Jin-Woo asks. They didn't wear their gloves when they left since it didn't snow yet, but it becomes colder when the snow falls. Therefore he thought that Jin-Chul is cold. Jin-Woo noticed that his hand is trembling, and he clench Jin-Chul's hand back.

Jin-Chul blushes uncontrollably.

After that, they walk around for a bit before they stumbled upon a Winter Festival. It's a bit early, but they did buy some snacks and hot drinks and play some games. The sun have set before he realized it.

Jin-Chul reluctantly thinks it's better to send Jin-Woo back home. Jin-Woo was hesitant but decided to listen, which make Jin-Chul feel a little down.

They walk back to the car.

"Thanks for today, I have lots of fun", Jin-woo said, a little sad that their day have to end. " It's nothing really, I have fun too", Jin-Chul answered. Then they fell into silence.

It is night time so many people left to return to the comfort of their homes.

It was then that...

Jin-Woo wants to show Jin-Chul the world that he sees.

Chapter Text

To be honest, Jin-Woo didn't want today to end. He have so much fun with Jin-Chul that he hoped that the day will never end, but the world didn't revolve around him. It is nighttime by the time they know it.

They walk to Jin-Chul's car.

Halfway there, Jin-Woo wants to show Jin-Chul the world that he saw.

It's just an excuse but he didn't want it to end. He wants more time together with Jin-Chul.

Beru sensed Jin-Woo's desire and hurriedly began dissuading him. [My king, it might be too dangerous for this man] he said to Jin-Woo. Beru is happy that his liege is having fun but he is concerned about his liege's spouse.

'It'll be fine. Besides, I'll put you in charge of catching him if he falls off. If you fail to do so... You know already, right?', he said to be.

[....your wish is my command, my liege]

Now that the voice of dissent had been suppressed, Jin-Woo spoke to Woo Jin-Chul.

"Do you want to do something really exciting?", he said to Jin-Chul.

"Something really exciting? Like what?" Jin-Chul question.

Jin-Woo holds Jin-Chul's hand and brings him to open space. Then a large, black monster suddenly rose from the ground. It flapped its massive wings and screeched loudly towards the sky.

"Kiiiaaaaaahhhkkk-!"

"Shut up", Jin-Woo said and the shadow dragon quiet down.

It wasn't Jin-Chul's first time seeing the Sky Dragon up close but he is still surprised, "O-oh my god...."

Jin-Woo gestured towards Jin-Chul, "Hurry, come on up."

He hold Jin-Chul's hand, again, and climbed on the back of the Sky Dragon. Jin-Chul is utterly flabbergasted.

"You....want us to ride the dragon?", Jin-Chul asks, now standing on top of the dragon with Jin-Woo.

"WOW-", Jin-Chul startled and hugged Jin-Woo in suprised. Both of his arms wrapped around Jin-Chul's waist from the back, and Jin-Woo put his palm on top of Jin-Chul's in assurance. He looks back at the taller man and smiled, "let's do something exciting."

The dragon flapped its huge wings and began rising in the air.

Jin-Chul look down as the ground gradually grew distant and shallowed his saliva. The sensation he felt right now was on another dimension.

Almost instinctively, the arms that were around Jin-Woo become tighter. Jin-Woo's voice grew louder as they get higher, "hold onto me tight. We're going to fly now."

"Ehhhh?", Jin-Woo could feel an incredible amount of pressure being exerted by Woo Jin-Chul's big arms wrapped around his waist but not too tight to hurt him. For a quick moment, Jin-Woo felt safe in Jin-Chul's embrace.

'What the heck, a regular guy would've folded in half!' This showed how scared Jin-Chul must've been feeling right now. Jin-Woo spoke loudly with an excited voice, "Kaisel, go faster, faster!"

"Kiiahk!"

As Kaisel began flying at its fastest speed, Woo Jin-Chul's screams were heard for the very first time and resounded out right behind him.

A smaller-scale dragon was splitting the air as it speedily flew forward.

Riding on top of Kaisel, Jin-Woo and Jin-Chul were able to fly into places where one wouldn't normally survive.

They entered a storm cloud where snow and wind wildly lashed out. They flew so close to a mountain range that they could almost touch it, they even flew past the seemingly-endless field of snow.

But the most beautiful sight still had to be watched, the setting sun on top of the ocean. Kaiser gradually slows down.

Accompanied by the chilly wind brushing past their cheeks, the two of them watched the sun slowly disappear below the distant horizon, the skies being dyed in an amber-orange hue.

Woo Jin-Chul took in the spectacular sight that gently glowed in the orange hue. Jin-Chul knew that they most probably flew to the other side of the world since it was already nighttime in Korea, but he didn't say anything about it. He just basks in the sight, holding Jin-Woo, as they enjoy the sunset.

Then Jin-Woo spoke to him, "Thank you."His sudden thanks prompted Jin-Chul to look at him, but since Jin-Woo is looking down, there was no way he could see the expression on his face.

"Pardon me?", Jin-Chul replied.

"I wanted to say thank you for....everything. You have been helping me out all this time, so...."

Through their bodies pressing against each other, his warm breath tickling his arm, his red ears, and from his powerfully beating heart as Jin-Woo's back leaned on his chest, Jin-Chul sensed what Jin-Woo wanted to say.

Indeed.

This was enough for him.

Jin-Chul smiled gently and said, "between you and me, there is no need for thank you and I'm sorry."

Jin-Woo look back at Jin-Chul and saw his smile. Jin-Woo felt his heart become warm, and he smiles back. 'So warm', he thought to himself as he basks in Jin-Chul's embrace.

He commanded Kaisel to head in the opposite direction. "Where are we going now?", Jin-Chul asks.

Jin-Woo replied with a smile, "There's something I want to show you."

The destination they got to after a long flight wasn't Korea, but Japan.

More specifically, an area designated as a restricted zone. Which meant that there was no one going to be found there. Even the wild animals here were driven away by the horrible auras oozing off from the monsters and thus no one lived in this area.

In this expansive forest where not even the breathing of a small animal could be heard, Kaisel slowly made its descent.

"Kiiahk-!"

The Sky Dragon lay flat on the snow. Jin-Woo looks at Jin-Chul.

"What's the matter?", JIn-Chul asked. Confused as to why Jin-Woo is looking at him like that.

"We got to climb off, but I can't move with your....", Jin-Woo trailed off.

Jin-Chul was confused for a moment before he realized that he is still holding onto Jin-Woo. He abruptly let go and laugh awkwardly, "haha sorry."

Jin-Woo felt the warmth leave him and he feel a little lost. He shook it off and climbed off first. Then Jin-Chul jumped and easily landed on the snowing ground. The snow already stopped falling and the grounds are filled with snow.

"What are we doing here?", Jin-Chul asks. He knew that they are in Japan right now but he is curious why Jin-Woo brought them here.

Jin-Woo sneakily bought a blanket from the System Store and laid it down on the ground before opening his mouth, "There's no fun if I let you in on the secret already, so why don't you lay down first?"

"Eh?"

Did he hear him wrong?

Unfortunately, there was no way that an A-rank Hunter's hearing would hear such a clear enunciation of words incorrectly. Besides, Jin-Woo already getting ready to lay down on the blanket anyway.

"Please, hurry"

Seeing how nonchalant he was with his invitation, Woo Jin-Chul's heart began pounding as if it was about to explode.

"A-are you being serious?", he simply had to confirm Jin-Woo's intention one more time.

Jin-Woo didn't show one bit of hesitation as he nodded his head in a determined way. Jin-Chul clenches and unclenches his hand in hesitation before he approaches the blanket. Jin-Woo confirmed this and slowly lay down first. Soon, Jin-Chul too laid down next to him.

"I'm....ready", he said. Jin-Woo looks at Jin-Chul murmuring with tightly closed eyes and chuckles before he replies to him, "Then, please open your eyes."

When his eyes creaked open just a bit, Jin-Woo wordlessly pointed at the night sky above. Towards the cascading lights of the stars.

Jin-Chul gasped out inadvertently after looking at the stunning parade of the starlights filling up the sky.

Amazing, he thought. Could he be able to describe this spectacle with any other word besides that? He wouldn't answer 'yes' because he has seen the most beautiful sight he saw in his life, he looks at Jin-Woo who is looking back at him, laying right beside him.

Jin-Woo smiled at him before he looks at the sky, "beautiful, right?" Jin-Chul who is still looking at Jin-Woo replies with "yes."

Truly beautiful.

Chapter Text

"I arrived here to deal with some giants and ended up looking at the night sky." Back then, he felt fatigued and wanted to lay his weary body down and close his eyes to rest. But because the surroundings were so bright, he couldn't sleep.

He got irritated and opened his eyes and that's when he got to see this brilliant echo of stars enveloping the sky.

Just seeing them made his heart melt. "I thought that it'd be wonderful to share this night sky with someone else."

The only thing filling up this forest with a nary squeak sound was the endless river of starlight. Jin-Woo wanted to share this feeling, this moment, with someone else.

The result of his desire was a strong sense of relief. He felt relieved by the fact that there was someone who could also feel what he had felt then. And his heart, once hardened and lumpy, become untangled now.

Then, he felt the warmth of Woo Jin-Chul's hand climbing up on top of his own. "Can I hold your hand?", he asked.

But....he was already holding it though?

Jin-Woo smiled before shifting his hand to interlock his fingers with Jin-Chul. The cold, bigger, and rough hand of Jin-Chul engulfed his own.

So still, so quiet, so peaceful and so......safe.

Countless sparkling stars become the witness of their love. Even though the other one has yet to realize it.

---

Jin-Woo is the first one to open his eyes. He is wrapped inside Jin-Chul's arms, feeling warm and safe. Jin-Chul must have been exhausted from yesterday as he hadn't woken up from his slumber yet. They didn't feel cold at all since the blanket that he bought can keep them warm and prevent the snow from engulfing them

Just how long has it been since he greeted the morning together with someone else? It was at this moment that he sensed Jin-Chul's movement as he slowly woke up. Jin-Woo smiles softly, " Good morning. Did you rest well?"

Jin-Chul reddened and replied while adverting his gaze away from Jin-Woo, "....yes..." Then Jin-Chul realized that he is holding Jin-Woo intimately without his consent. He immediately let go and sprang up, his whole face is red.

"W-well what about we wash up? Is there a place around here?", Jin-Chul said while looking around the place but Jin-Woo.

"I think there's a lake around here, maybe we can go there-"

"NO!!", Jin-Chul shouted, shocking Jin-Woo. "S-sorry, but it's not appropriate for you to wash out here", he said.

Jin-Woo nonchalantly let out an 'oh', he forgot that he's an Omega. Jin-Chul didn't let out any of his pheromones the whole time that he forgot that it existed. But he feels happy, because Jin-Chul didn't see Jin-Woo as an Omega, he sees Jin-Woo as who he is, the real him.

For some reason, Jin-Woo feels his cheeks heated up and his heart beating faster as he gazes at Jin-Chul. Why does his face feel like it's burning and his heart beating like he just killed a powerful monster? Why does he feels like this?

"Y-yeah I know a hotel around here. Let's go there", Jin-Woo said, not looking at him. Jin-Chul let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him, "that will be great."

Jin-Woo felt his cheeks become hotter.

"What about we take a walk here for a while? I'm sure it'll be nice", Jin-Chul smiled. Jin-Woo nodded in agreement.

They walk around the area where there are only both of them, as if there are only two of them left in the world. Then, the snow falls from the sky again.

Jin-Chul let out his hand to catch the fallen snow and watch as it melts in his palm. He suddenly sensed something is thrown toward him and he dodge it out of reflex. It was a snowball.

He looks at Jin-Woo and saw that he is grinning with a snowball in his hand before he throws it at Jin-Chul. Jin-Chul dodges it again and chuckles before he makes his snowball and throws it back to Jin-Woo.

Jin-Woo laughs as he let the snowball hit him. He throws another one and this time it hit Jin-Chul. Both of them continue throwing snowballs at each other before some shadows joined them.

"Hey! That's not fair!", Jin-Chul shouted and laugh as the shadows easily hit him with snowballs." Nothing is fair in battles, Jin-Chul", Jin-Woo said while laughing and commanded his shadows to throw more snowballs at Jin-Chul, but not too much to hurt him.

It ended up with Jin-Woo as the winner while Jin-Chul was buried under the snow that was thrown at him.

Then they continue walking around before they climbed onto Kaisel and flew to the hotel.

They return to Seoul that day at noon. Jin-Chul sent Jin-Woo back home and they bid each other goodbyes.

When Jin-Woo walks inside his house, his mother and sister are sitting on the sofa while watching a drama. His mother smiled when he saw him arrive, "I'm sure you have fun, honey. You were out the whole night." Jin-Woo smiled back at her and nodded.

"Oppa, I knew that I said I want a niece and/or nephew but not this early", Jin-Ah said, not looking away from the movie as she ate the popcorn.

Jin-Woo turns red and hit her head, "It's nothing like that, you idiot."

Park Kyung-Hye laugh and said to her son, "I don't mind it at all, maybe we can plan your marriage soon."

"MOM!"

---

Jin-Chul came to the association in the evening with a smile on his face, making the people there shocked and silly when they see Jin-Chul.

Jin-Chul felt happy, very happy that even the Association President, Goh Gun-Hee was weirded out when he send the reports to him.

"What makes you so happy, Jin-Chul?" Goh Gun-Hee asked when he sees Jin-Chul's smile.

"I just felt very happy today, president", Jin-Chul replied.

"I can see that. Well then, don't forget to give me the wedding invitation when you and Hunter Sung Jin-Woo decided to get married", Goh Gun-Hee said while sorting out the paperwork. He smirks in delight when he sees Jin-Chul's face turns red. Maybe he should prepare a gift for them.

Chapter Text

Winter ended and it is now February. Jin-Woo didn't see Jin-Chul at all since their date- OUTING! He meant their outing! Nothing much happened after that other than the gates' lesser appearance.

It's just that Jin-Ho keeps whining at him that bouquets of roses keep arriving in front of Ahjin Guild's office ever since the three Hunters came there.

Therefore he just let Jin-Ho throw it out. It's suffocating.

Suddenly, Jin-Woo felt an ominous sensation that brushes past his backside. It comes from the sky, Jin-Woo walks to the window of his room and looks out.

Jin-Woo spat out a gasp. Just how could a thing like that appear in the middle of the sky?!

He stares at the massive gate floating up high in the sky. Even the gate that spat out Kamish wasn't that huge.

Jin-Woo had seen a gate with a similar dimension before, within the 'data' the stone angel statue played for him back then. The massive size of the gate covering the sky above the city of Seoul was almost the exact match to the gate he saw within the data. Jin-Woo felt this shudder, a jolt, buzzing from the back of his neck.

•••••

The emcee listened to the scientist's explanations with a gloomy, heavy expression, before asking him.

"Doctor, you have been researching the gates and monsters for a very long time, am io correct?"

"You're correct"

"In that case, can you tell us your opinion on what would be the smartest response we can come up with in this situation?"

The viewers watching their TV sets, leaned forward to pay closer attention to the good scientist's next words.

Unfortunately for them, what he said was something everyone could say too.

"We can only pray that this unprecedented event doesn't end in tragedy.
However, there is this one thing. One piece of news that can't be considered bad"

"What could that new be, doctor?"

"It's rather fortunate that the location of the gate just so happens to be South Korea where it is the home of one of the greatest Hunters. Someone who already stopped a couple of world-ending calamities all by himself.

Yes, I'm talking about Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who has removed every single ant monsters from Jeju Island and killed all the Giants in Japan. He may be an Omega, but he had shown us his capabilities that even exceed the Alpha Hunters.

If he can't stop that Gate, then no Hunter alive will be able to do so either. And that is why, when viewed from the world's perspective, we should be thankful that the first gate to open up is in South Korea.

What I'm saying might come across as cold-hearted and callous, especially when Korea is facing a grave crisis, but the truth is, the world doesn't need to feel pity for the Korean people"

That speech alone has made people put their fate on Sung Jin-Woo in hope he can clear the gate. And that hope too has put a burden on Jin-Woo's shoulders.

•••••

Jin-Woo riding on the back of his shadow dragon, Kaisel, flies closer to the gate. Once he got near its bottom, the damn thing look more like an endlessly-stretching lake rather than an actual gate.

What an overwhelming size it was.

Above his head, in the distance where his hand could reach the gate, with its maws wide open towards the ground below, floated in eerie silence. The portal's surface was still blocked off by the black screen so he couldn't see what its inside looks like.

Jin-Woo's hand couldn't enter the gate as it got blocked off by the black screen. It was as hard as a solid wall.

'It was different'

'Whatever the case may be....'

Whatever came out, his family and friends were below this gate. He had no plan of letting them easily get past him.

'I now possessed the stats I've raised until now and the brave soldiers that will fight alongside me.'

Anxiety and anticipation alternated in his heart. Could it be that he was meant to stop this calamity? 'What rubbish am I even thinking about now...?', Jin-Woo shook that thought.

He chuckled and brush aside his needlessly grim determination before pulling his hand back from the gate.

Jin-Woo will not let Korea experience the horrors that they had to endure. He wasn't making a promise, but a resolution. The reason for him diligently maintaining his growth up until this moment was the same.

It is now time to show the results of his hard work.

•••••

With a deeply tense expression, Goh Gun-Hee read the report that was handed by Woo Jin-Chul and made a decision.

"Call every Hunter in our country to Seoul"

"Sir? But that will be too dangerous", one of them said.

"If we do that and a gate we failed to discover goes to become a full-on dungeon break, then..." another one suggests.

"How about we summon only around half of the Hunters and leave the rest to...", and another one.

Jin-Chul heard the incoming rush of objections and angrily slammed down on the conference table, completely ignoring his position.

SLAM!

Woo Jin-Chul shout out loudly.

"Do you all believe we have the necessary leeway to worry about unseen dangers right now? We're facing an unprecedented calamity right now. We don't know whether we can stop that damn thing or not even after we pour out everything we have at our disposal!"

Jin-Chul roared out. He hated it. He hated how everyone let Sung Jin-Woo bear this burden alone. The burden of the whole world that count on him to clear the massive gate. Jin-Chul refused to let Jin-Woo bear it alone, not when he can do something to lighten that burden.

Goh Gun-Hee nodded in approval to Jin-Chul. He faced the conference, "you heard him. I shall take full responsibility if incidents take place in other districts."

No one could argue against the president and Jin-Chul's grim determination.

"Summon every Hunter in the country to Seoul immediately. As long as they can fight, do not leave anyone behind"

And so under the direct order of the Association President, the Hunters of the Republic of Korea began heading to the city of Seoul.

---

Jin-Chul huffed tiredly as he sit on the chair in the office. He takes the water bottle that Goh Gun-Hee handed to him.

"I'm worried about him too, you know. I see both of you like my own child", Goh Gun-Hee said as he take a seat on the president's chair.

Jin-Chul smiled, "I know."

Then he ruffled his hair into a mess, "I'm just- He has to bear the burden of the whole world all by himself, and I'm furious that everyone else just leaves it to him to handle it alone. I want to help him, assist him with everything I can."

Goh Gun-Hee looks at him softly, "you are fighting right now. You arrange for hunters to assist him in this fight. I'm sure he'll appreciate it"

"I just want him to be safe", Jin-Chul said as he clench his hand into a fist.

•••••

The roads had become a confusing mess as the citizens tried to evacuate from Seoul, while the Hunters were trying to enter the city to protect it.

Jin-Woo watched the TV news that was busy covering the evacuation and spoke to his mom, "Mom, don't you think it'll be best if you and Jin-Ah go somewhere else?"

"Our area isn't one of the evacuation zones, you know." She had no thoughts of leaving Seoul at all, it seems. She believed that the flames of danger would never reach here.

Jin-Ah glance at her older brother and asked him, "don't you have to go too?"

"The Hunters on TV are from other regions and they are trying to report to the Association that they have arrived in Seoul"

"Oh..... Be careful, okay?", she said to him. Jin-Woo nodded to her in assurance.

In reality, Jin-Woo had been feeling frustrated by the fact that he had no choice but to dazedly spend his time at home under the current circumstances. His family enjoy him spending more time at home, but Jin-Woo wanted to strengthen himself even further to prepare for any eventualities. He needs to get stronger.

'What should I do?', he thought.

He pulled out his phone and tapped one of the saved numbers. As usual, the call was promptly answered only after a couple of ringtones.

"Hello? Jin-Woo?"

"Sorry for calling you in this dire situation"

"You can call me whenever you want", Jin-Woo can imagine Jin-Chul smiling from the other side of the line by how gentle his voice is. Jin-Woo smiled.

"Did something happen on your end?", Jin-Chul's voice instantly become serious.

" It's nothing serious..."

As this short bout of silence drifted in between them, Jin-Woo nonchalantly said with embarrassment, "I just....kinda miss you"

Chapter Text

The icy coldness that spread out from the dagger stabbing into his belly froze up Jin-Woo's body. His eyes continued to emit flames of sheer danger as the icicle reached up to his face.

Even then, the Sovereign of Frost was smirking in delight.

The Ice Elf yanked the dagger out and immediately stabbed into Jin-Woo's heart, shattering his rib bones and penetrating his heart.

By the time the Sovereign confirmed the human's heart had been destroyed, the ice had completely frozen up the human's entire body, trapping him in thick ice.

'Not yet...I can still.....'

He tried to move again but he didn't possess a single bit of energy left, along with the abrupt loss of senses, his consciousness getting dimmed.

" A little more.....just a little more...! '

His human heart has stopped operating.

['Player' has died]

-------

Woo Jin-Chul released his Alpha pheromones to stop his colleagues and the chairman from stopping him, he stormed out of the office, grabbing whatever gears he could get his hand on before running out of the Association office building.

He doesn't give a fuck about anything as long as he can get there faster. He has to get there, he needs to get there fast!

'Please, please hang on'

-------

Jin-Woo quickly open his eyes. he saw the white ceiling and the smell of medicines that stung his nose. He could easily tell just where he is.

'A dream? Was that all a dream?'

This is a hospital.

He feel how his heart shattered when the ice dagger pierced through his heart.

'And yet, I'm still alive?'

"Have you come to your senses?", someone said.

He immediately spotted two men standing near his bed. One of them is someone that Jin-woo knew very well, someone who was always there when he need him.

"Jin-Chul...? Jin-Chul, what happened to that monarchs....no, those monsters? And how am I still alive?"

The man looks at him in confusion before answering, "Firstly, I am the Chief Inspector of the Surveillance Team. Secondly, I would like to ask you about the moving statues. and thirdly,  how do you know I am? Also, to directly call me by my name is a bit rude as this is the first time we meet."

"Huh...?"

At that moment, Jin-Woo felt like his heart shattering again. It's not the pain of his heart being stabbed, but the pain of his heart being torn apart.

-------

While everyone held their heads and screamed their lungs out when the monster's dagger stabbed Jin-Woo's chest, Jin-Chul chose to abandon everything and rush to him.

He knew no one would be able to stop those monsters, much less him. But that is not his goal. His goal is Sung Jin-Woo. He didn't care about the world's destruction at the moment, all his thoughts are focused on his beloved one.

The whole place was destroyed and devoid of people, as if it is the end of the world. Then he spotted the barely conscious National rank Hunter and the German hunter. The two monsters' gaze fell on them before they hurriedly look behind them at the same time.

They exchange disbelieving gazes with each other and instantly rush towards the froze up Omega with their claws and ice spear. Jin-Chul's eyes turn vicious as his anger and urgency rising.

------

[It is a world created by combining your desire to correct your mistake up until now, together with my power. In other words, this is my territory. This is the eternal rest...]

Jin-Woo finally realized that this world he is standing in had gently embraced him all this time.

'That means Jin-Chul...'

He already knew that it was not real, but he felt a feeling of happiness rising in his heart, knowing that Jin-Chul didn't forget about him.

-

"I just....kinda missed you", Jin-Woo said in embarrassment. After saying this, he heard sounds of papers thrashing on the phone.

"Ahem. Well, I missed.....you too..." The other side of the call uttered out as his voice become quieter. Jin-Woo laugh, he can imagine the man's face becoming red.

"Glad you missed me too. I just....who knows what will happen until that gate opens," said Jin-Woo.

"It's natural to be worried, but until then, we will be ready. You are the strongest person I ever met Jin-Woo, both in power and heart. That's why I will assist you in this fight. Well, you can kick those monsters' butts all you want, I will handle the rest" Jin-chul said to assure him.

Jin-Woo couldn't help but laugh, this man has always been like this. Unlike other Alphas Jin-Woo ever met, Jin-Chul worried about him, helping him and making sure he is alright while he handle the others. This made his heart warm.

"Hey, Jin-Chul...let's go out again after all this. I want to see the stars with you again," Jin-Woo said with eyes closed and a smile on his lips.

It's like he can see the man's smile as he replies, "okay, let's go out again. I will wait for you."

-

Jin-Woo knew that he needs to return. He has to return to him.

------

Jin-Chul knew he wouldn't survive, but he rather dies trying than not do anything at all. He snatch a shield from the support team and ran with all his might to get to Jin-Woo before the two Sovereign could. Jin-Chul felt a burst of power from within him.

This power helps him move faster than the Sovereigns before they reach Jin-Woo, shocking him, but he dismisses it before he gets to his stand. His stand is clumsy as he never wielded a shield before but he stood his ground. He didn't care if he died, as long as this person is alive.

Fortunately...

A figure blocked the claws and ice spear.

Jin-Chul saw the two monsters were shocked and flustered after their attacks were blocked.

The figure is cloaked in a hood and a pair of eyes gleaming in pure golden light are glaring at the Sovereigns. Jin-Chul had seen this figure before.

"From here on, none shall touch this child."

It's Jin-Woo's father.

------

[You could stay in this domain of death and enjoy the eternal dreams you've created for yourself. You could choose to rest.
If that is not your choice, you will be sent to reality once more. You will have to fight your adversaries.]

Jin-Woo asks a question, instead of an answer.

"You said you had made your decision, but you did not stand with the Rulers. So why did you escape with the Monarchs, even though your will to fight the Rulers had long dissipated?"

The Shadow Sovereign answered while using Woo Jin-Chul's appearance [It was because that place did not offer a place for me]

Hearing the Sovereign's answer, Jin-Woo finally made his decision.

"My answer is still the same. This is not a place where I should be."

'Because I have someone to return to', goes unsaid.

------

Woo Jin-Chul watched as the figure fights the two monsters. Jin-Chul didn't interfere as he knew that he will just be a liability, his strength is useless against those monsters.

He couldn't do anything to help because he is weak. Because he is weak, he couldn't protect Jin-Woo. His gaze fell onto the Omega trapped inside the thick ice letting out a tremendous amount of aura, but Jin-Chul didn't feel intimated by it at all.

He needs to get stronger.

Then, a storm full of ice arrows shots toward Jin-woo. Jin-Chul doesn't know why the monsters want to kill Jin-Woo but he won't allow it. Jin-Woo's father appear and blocked every single arrow from hitting them but he got distracted and injured himself.

Without hesitation, Jin-Chul pick up the fallen shortsword and stood in front of the man. He uses every ounce of energy he has into his skills, 'Enhanced Speed' to block the arrows. Even if his arm is shattered, even if his body is crushed, he must protect Jin-Woo. It wasn't long before he got injured, but he continue to block it.

Then his right shoulder was struck by the arrow that he failed to block, staggering him as another arrow struck his hand that was holding the shortsword. He doesn't have anything to block the arrows anymore as the shield was penetrated too until it couldn't be used anymore. He closes his eyes and braces for the pain.

But strangely, the pain didn't come.

"What the....?"

He open his eyes and saw that someone is standing before him. The figure is not Jin-Woo's father, this figure has jet-black armor and a blood-red mane from the helm to the back.

Jin-Chul is shocked and hopeful. This is Jin-Woo's shadow knight, does that means... He look back and there stood Jin-Woo in his glory.

Chapter Text

Sung Jin-Woo saw the ruins that the Monarch of Frost caused, including the injuries on Woo Jin-Chul. He commands Beru to bring Jin-Chul to a safe place and heal him along with Thomas Andre's injuries.

Jin-Chul knew that Jin-Woo want to bring him to a safe place, but he is confused about why Jin-Woo didn't notice the man that are laying near him- Wait what- Sung Jin-Woo's father, Sung Il-Hwan is no longer at the place where he collapses?! But he is sure that the man was there just now. He knew that he needs to tell Jin-Woo about his father's appearance to protect him but now is not the right time. Jin-Woo needs to focus on defeating that frost monster.

He let himself teleported together with Beru to the location where the American Hunter was treated, well at least they tried to treat him. He let Beru heal the National Level Hunter first as he is the one with more major injuries than any of them present.

Lennart Niermann steps closer to Jin-Chul and asks a question that the people want to know the answer to when they see Beru.

"Mr. Woo Jin-Chul," he called out.

"This is one of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's summons, right? Does that mean that he...." Lennart doesn't dare to say the rest of the sentence.

Jin-Chul understood what he meant and even he almost couldn't believe it if he doesn't see Jin-Woo come back to life and currently fighting the monster. He nods in confirmation to the Germany Hunter. The people around them cheer in happiness that the last pillar of Korea is still standing.

They could feel the powerful aura that was released from where Sung Jin-Woo is fighting. When he sees Jin-Woo just now, he already knew that he will win this fight and so are other fights in the future. And with that, Jin-Chul has to get stronger so that he can stand next to Jin-Woo.

Then, he felt his injuries start to heal. He knew that Beru is healing him, but he can't delay the Ant Soldier's time just to heal him.

"B-Beru, you don't have to heal me. Just go to Jin-Woo, he must need you right now," he told Beru, but the Ant shook his head to the side and said to him.

"The liege commanded me to bring you to a safe place and heal you. As a servant, I shall accomplish what my liege told me. Not only that, although my liege never says it, you are someone that my liege holds dear in his heart"

Jin-Chul didn't expect the Ant Shadow to talk to him since he only talk to others when Jin-Woo told him to. Also, d-did he said that Jin-Woo holds him in his heart?!

"W-Wha-?"

"You are the source of my liege happiness", and with that Beru left to meet up with Jin-Woo after he finish healing Woo Jin-Chul.

Jin-Chul has yet to process what the Ant said to him, but when he did, his whole face flushed red to the point that it let out steam. The people around him saw the whole interaction and the only thing they could think of are...

'HUNTER SUNG'S INDIRECT CONFESSION?!'

If Jin-Woo knew that Beru just did a confession for him, he would kick the Ant Soldier to oblivion, crack open the earth, and hide there just to hide from the embarrassment.

When Jin-Chul snapped out of his blushing phase, the aura that was running wild finally calm down.

"It seems that the fight has ended", Lennart said as he look in the direction where the fight happening. Then he felt a swoosh of wind run past him. He look back and saw that Jin-Chul is nowhere to be seen. He said in confusion, "was he always that fast?"

Thomas Andre, who woke up just at the moment where Beru confess for Jin-Woo, "did that ant just confess to him?"

Everyone sweatdropped at what The Goliath said before they bring him to the hospital.

...

"MY LIEGEEEEEE"

Beru expresses his unreserved joy of being able to see his liege again.

Jin-Woo tapped the ant soldier on the shoulder, not knowing that Beru just confessed a secret that he kept in his heart to the person that he wanted to confess soon.

He looks around the place, there should have been one more person here. The man that is wearing the tattered robe was nowhere to be seen, though.

"Who was that man?"

"While my king lost his consciousness, the man together with Woo Jin-Chul protected you with all their being, my king," Igris answered.

Jin-Woo was surprised by Igris' thick manly voice for the first time.

However it only lasted for a short moment before his expression become puzzled, "he protected me?"

"Yes, that is correct, my king"

He is not surprised if it was Jin-Chul the one who protected him, because that Alpha has always been like that which warms his heart. But what about the other person? Why did he protect him?

Then he saw a certain item that has fallen to the ground. His eyes trembled as he picked the item up, 'Isn't this...?!'

Is it who he thinks it is?

That person who their family has been waiting for all these years...

...is it truly him?

-----

The robe-wearing man plopped down to the ground while pulling his hood back. Sung Il-Hwan leans against the wall while spitting out heavy breathing. He look at his left hand which was slowly disintegrating into the dust from the tip of his finger. This is the result of accepting the powers of a god with a mere human body.

However, he still formed a satisfied expression even though he is experiencing unimaginable pain because he managed to protect his son, his beloved Jin-Woo. It is worth risking his life to protect his family, although it is unfortunate that he couldn't even say a simple hello to his son who he hadn't seen in ten years.

He wondered what happened to them after he disappeared? Did his children live a good life? What about his wife? He is certain that they are facing hardship because if they didn't, his son wouldn't have to become a hunter. Sung Il-Hwan knew that he is not a good father, but he is willing to sacrifice his life to protect his family.

Then a certain someone stood before him.

He didn't even take a look to know who is standing before him. It is Jin-Woo.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't have noticed it if you went away like this", Jin-Woo said.

Il-Hwan looks toward his son.

"Are you going to leave again without saying anything, dad?" Jin-Woo said. His voice trembled as he uttered the word that he hadn't said for the past years. His tears threatened to fall as he look at his father who his family had been waiting for years.

The word 'dad' dug deeply into Il-Hwan's heart and he remove his hood. His left arm was slowly turning into ash as well.

Jin-Woo flinches greatly after realizing the state of his hand, but Sung Il-Hwan forms a thin smile, "I don't want to show you this sight."

"Dad..." few droplets of tears escaped from Jin-Woo's eyes.

"Do you... hate me?" Il-Hwan asked.

"...yes...sometimes.."

"I'm sorry..."

"When I first started as a Hunter, when I was at death door when I barely survives to see mom and Jin-Ah again ...You appeared in my mind.
And I always hated you whenever it happened," Sung Il-Hwan already expected that Jin-Woo would hate him. After all, he disappeared from their lives for years. He only felt disappointed in himself.

"But I also missed you," Il-Hwan's eyes widen in surprise.

"What about you? Did you miss me...no, us?" Jin-Woo asks as he looks at his dad.

"I... I missed you, all the time. I also missed your mom and your sister, so much," tears already fall down Sung Il-Hwan's face.

"Even though you couldn't see me, I was always happy about the fact that I was able to see you from afar," he said as he start to stand up and come closer to Jin-Woo

Sung Il-Hwan reaches up with his remaining hand to gently touch his son's cheek. Tears fall down Jin-Woo's face while holding his father's hand that caresses his cheek.

'This foolish father wasn't able to do anything for you, but despite that....'

"..you have grown up well."

Il-Hwan smiled in affection, "look at you, you become so beautiful, just like your mother"

"Is this Rulers' doing? Are they throwing you away after using you?" the rage could be felt on Jin-Woo face.

Il-Hwan shook his head, "they only give me an opportunity to make a choice. I chose to protect you, and I didn't regret a single thing about it."

"I wanted to talk to you more. I wanted to stay with you..." but his time is almost up.

Both of them knew this, but Jin-Woo couldn't accept it. He stops hesitating and hugs his father with all his might, burying his face in his father's chest where he always felt safe. He let out sobs in his father's embrace.

Sung Il-Hwan hugs Jin-Woo tight, but not too tight to cause discomfort. Just enough to comfort his Omega son in his arms.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be a great father to you."

Jin-Woo held his father tighter, those are his last words before his father's body slowly crumbles away until eventually, nothing remains in the spot where Sung Il-Hwan once stood.

Jin-Woo falls to his knees in despair, his tears still falling down his cheeks.

---

"Jin-Ah", Park Kyung-Hye called out to her daughter.

"Hm?" Jin-Ah answered while hugging her knees.

"Let's move now", Park Kyung Hye said.

Jin-Ah is surprised because her mom never wanted to move out of the apartment, just for his dad.

"I feel like... we can move now," Park Kyung-Hye said while looking out at the droplets of rain that were hitting their window.

---

Anger from deep down bubbled in uncontrollable bursts and Jin-Woo raised his head to the sky and roared out loudly.

'All of this are the sovereigns fault.

I will make them pay an unforgettable price.'

[You shall pay for today's event, without exception!
Are you listening, sovereigns?!]

After that, he felt someone embrace him into their arms. The familiar jasmine scent that belongs to the one that brings him utmost comfort caused him to let out more tears. He let himself be seen by Jin-Chul at his weakest moment.

Woo Jin-Chul saw what happened from the very beginning. He hides because he knew that Jin-Woo has always missed his father even if he never looks like it.

He didn't question about the Rulers, instead, he keep quiet. No words can comfort the Omega in his arms, therefore he only tightens his embrace to comfort Jin-Woo.

Chapter Text

While everyone are celebrating Sung Jin-Woo's victory, somewhere not far from the battlefield, Woo Jin-Chul is silently comforting the Omega in his embrace. Not long after, Jin-Woo gently pulled away.

"....I'm sorry.....and.....thank you....." Jin-Woo said, the corner of his eyes are red from crying.

Jin-Chul just smile and said, "Didn't I already told you that there is no need for 'I'm sorry' or 'thank you' between us?"

Jin-Woo just let out a small smile before he return back to Jin-Chul's warm embrace, "You're too kind to me."

Jin-Chul just hold him tight but not too tight. "I do," he said, because you deserve it, the last words wasn't uttered out.

Although Jin-Woo is still furious by the event that just happened, Woo Jin-Chul's presence had calm him down a lot. Then he snuggle close to Jin-Chul chest, "Let's stay like still for a while?"

"Sure," Jin-Chul reply and buried his nose to Jin-Woo's neck, smelling the scent of Lavender. The Hunter didn't seem to be bothered by this.

After that, Jin-Chul take off his coat to cover Jin-Woo's body that are tattered and full of bloods, before walking towards the location where the other hunters are on standby.

---

Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In are bantering with each other before they notice the two men walking out from the center of the ruined city.

Jin-Chul and Jin-Woo, who was covered by a coat, quietly walk towards where everyone was. Hunters all bowed their heads to Jin-Woo's direction in pure respect.

How could they not feel a sense of respect for the fellow Hunter that are capable of fighting a monster on that level? That even Thomas Andre couldn't beat? They all expressed their genuine gratitute and paid their respect.

Jin-Woo observe their show of respect and walk wordlessly past them.

"Hyung-nimmmmmm!!" 

Jin-Woo watch as Yoo Jin-Ho clung onto him as he gently pat Jin-Ho's head, his eyes soften. He move his gaze from Yoo Jin-Ho to meet his gaze with Jin-Chul, a thin smile form on Jin-Woo's lips. The warmth he felt from someone genuinely worried about him managed to melt his frosty heart.

---

Sung Jin-Woo look at the pair of shortswords his father had left behind. It was as if there was a hint of the person's warmth remaining in the hilts.

'Dad...'

Woo Jin-Chul watch as Jin-Woo lightly kiss the hilts of the daggers and store it away before Jin-Chul hold his hands and guide him into the van.

"You're not coming?" Jin-Woo asked because Jin-Chul didn't get inside the van. Their hands are still intertwined, both didn't let go of each other.

Jin-Chul shook his head to the side, "I couldn't. I have to handle the things here."

Jin-Woo just nodded in understanding. However, he hesitate to release his hand. Jin-Chul smile gently and kissed Jin-Woo's hand before he said, "Don't worry, I will come to you as soon as I can."

Then he released Jin-Woo's hand before leaving with full on blushing ears.

Sung Jin-Woo is still processing what had just happened before his whole face blush in a beautiful red colour.

"Hyung-nim? What's the matter?" Jin-Ho, who had just entered the van on the driver seat look at Jin-Woo in concern.

"N-nothing, just drive," Jin-Woo shuttered before closing the door. Jin-Ho is still confused but shrug it off and started to drive.

----

Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's incredible power that he displayed to the world during his fight had manage to change the mindset of the world's citizens. The South Korean Hunter's Association received phone calls from the whole nations. They wanted to aid South Korea by sending their Hunters to deal with the massive Gate above them.

All of them come to a conclusion that, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo must not fall.

Each Hunters from all nation hurriedly set off for Seoul in order to make it in time. And now, not only South Korean's own Hunters, but the entire world's were gathering in the capital city of the small nation in East Asia.

---

Yoo Jin-Ho send Jin-Woo back to his home after changing his clothes. His mind is still deep thought with the events that happened between him and Woo Jin-Chul. The mere thought of it only turns himself into a blushing mess.

His thoughts was interrupted when Sung Jin-Ah crash and cling onto him like a koala that refuse to let go and yelled,  "DON'T WORRY US LIKE THAT OPPA!!"

Jin-Woo only smile and hug her back, "Sorry."

Their mom walk towards them and bring them into a big hug, "we thought we lost you Jin-Woo."

Jin-Woo knew that if he die, who will look after his family? They only have each other, that's why he refuse to die.

"I won't die, I will always come back to you. I swear," since their father couldn't, then he will do it on his behalf.

Their hug last quite long before Jin-Woo notice thee boxes round the house.

"Did you bought something? There's lots of boxes," he asked.

"No, we are packing our stuffs," Park Kyung-Hye corrected.

"Packing? Why? Where are we going?"

"Mom wanted to move away," Jin-Ah answered.

"What? But I thought mom...."

"I know, son. It's just that.... I feel like.... we can move now," their mom said as she arrange the boxes.

Jin-Woo breath hitched. Their mom never wanted to move away for their father, then does it mean that she know..? Is this what they called the soulmate bond?

Jin-Woo had a little belief of it, but his mom somehow believe that their father are no longer.....here, then does the soulmate bond truly exist?

Jin-Woo shook his head. This is not the time to ponders about that stuff. He take out his phone to asked Jin-Ho to find a decent house for them.

Chapter Text

True to his words, Woo Jin-Chul come to meet Sung Jin-Woo after two days. He knock the door of the Sung family's apartment door and it was opened by Jin-Woo's sister, Sung Jin-Ah.

The teenage girl just look at him from up to down with indifferent gaze before she shouted to the inside of the apartment, "OPPA, YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HERE!!"

Then the clear voice of Jin-Woo coming from the inside yell back, "HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

Jin-Ah motion him to come inside and go to direction of the kitchen while saying, "yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

Jin-Chul come inside and close the door. He noticed the amount of boxes that are piling up inside the house and remind himself to ask later.

Jin-Woo walk passed Jin-Ah while giving her a glare and messes up her hair. Jin-Ah yell in protest and Jin-Woo give her his smug look before his gaze fell towards Woo Jin-Chul. A gentle smile formed on his lips and Jin-Chul smile back in fondness.

"You really came, fast at that. I thought you're still busy," Jin-Woo exclaim.

Jin-Chul laugh and agree, "Yeah it is busy, but I manage. Besides, I promised I'll come, and here I am."

Jin-Woo blush at the reminder from their last meeting before they sit themselves on the sofa, despite the boxes that are piling up.

After they get comfortable did Jin-Chul ask, "What's with all these boxes?"

JIn-Woo look around and smile sheepishly, "oh, sorry for the mess. We are packing our stuffs."

Woo Jin-Chul is confused of that, "Packing? Are you moving?"

"Yea, It's for the best. I already planned of moving long ago but my mom have an attachment of this place, so we didn't move. Now that it's getting dangerous, it's best if we move now."

"I see," Jin-Chul nodded in understanding.

Jin-Woo look down in sorrow, "To tell you the truth, my mom didn't want too move because she believes that my dad is still alive and that he will return to us but after-"

He clench his fist to held back his tear. Jin-Chul saw this and intertwined their hands so that Jin-Woo wouldn't hurt himself.

Jin-Woo smile at him before continues, "After I return back that day, she suddenly said that she wanted to move, even though I never tell them what happened."

Jin-Chul is shocked, "She knew? How?"

"I don't know either. I guess they have a soulmate bond? Who knows? I didn't quite believes these types of things," Jin-Woo admitted.

He told Jin-Chul the reason of them never moving despite Jin-Woo having more than enough income for his family. He already showed Jin-Chul his most vulnerable self, and he felt no resistance in telling Jin-Chul his private life either.

Being with Jin-Chul made him feels nothing but comfort.

---

The air began trembling. Tens of thousand of Hunters surrounding the spot jus blow the Gate held their breaths and waited. Each one of them ready for battle.

Their gazes only fall between the Gate above or the one lone Hunter at the front, Sung Jin-Woo.

The black heart the replaced his destroyed human heart, powerfully pulsed within his chest. Jin-Woo is doing his best not to lose his composure and waited for the approaching final hour.

Cha Hae-In, who was standing next to him saw his expression and whispered to him, "Why you look so tense? You literally killed the unknown monster. I'm pretty sure this is a peace of cake for you."

"Haha, do I really look tense?" he asked with a smile.

"Hmm not quite. It's more like you're trying to hold an excitement? Wow does that fight didn't satisfy you?" Cha Hae-In guessed.

Jin-Woo is a bit shocked that she could see through his action. He is a bit embarrassed for being exposed being excited while everyone else are nervous and fear.

A slight blush adorned his cheeks as he look away, "shut up."

"Awwww so cute!" Cha Hae-In laugh in glee.

Their not so quiet conversation catched the attention of the other Korean Hunters, while the other nations' Hunters were attracted by the blushing Sung Jin-Woo. They truly admired Sung Jin-Woo and his strength to the point that they forgot their old resentment of an omega being more powerful than them, who are Alphas.

His displays of power proven that being an omega is neither a weakness nor something to be ashame of. However, they admired him that they even forgot that he is an Omega in the first place.

Sung Jin-Woo is a beauty, added with his strength, he is a badass beauty. Who doesn't want a badass beauty as a mate? Unfortunately, they don't have the courage to talk to him in fear of making themselves look like a fool. Except for one person.

"I agree with you Hunter Cha, he is very cute," Liu Zhigang suddenly appears next to them.

Cha Hae-In lose her smile and greet him politely, after all they are neither close nor acquaintances.

Jin-Woo, however, considered Liu Zhigang as a friend. Therefore his reaction is different, "Shut up! and don't call me cute!"

"But you are cute. Why would I not call you cute?" he teased.

"Y-You-!"

While both of them continues their little bantering, Cha Hae-In is feeling a sense of crisis.

'THIS GUY IS IN LOVE WITH JIN-WOO! wtf who wouldn't be in love with Jin-Woo? He is the best candidate as a lover- THIS GUY IS COURTING HIM!!'

She shipped Jin-Woo with Jin-Chul. She wanted Jin-Woo to be with Jin-Chul. Heck, she knew they were meant to be together!

And although Jin-Woo wouldn't admit it, he is in love with Jin-Chul!

By their interaction, they were close! Shit- WHERE ARE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU WOO JIN-CHUL?!?!!?!

---

"MOM! Someone is flirting with oppa!" Jin-Ah told her mother.

"Do you mean Jin-Chul? Oh let them be Jin-Ah, they are so cute together," their mother laugh it off.

"NO! This is a different guy! He is China's Hunter if I'm not mistaken..."

crack

"Oh my, how careless I am," Park Kyung-Hye laugh. The glass that she held crack a bit.

Sung Jin-Ah shivers. She had seen her mom like this before. It was years ago when she was in kindergarten. That time her oppa was in an elementary school. Her mom was there to attend a parent-teacher meeting, she came long too as their father was busy with his work. Then an alpha boy in oppa's class loudly said that he wanted Jin-Woo to be his wife. Her oppa is confuse while her mother just smile and laugh it off, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. That was the first time she fears her gentle mother.

She shook her head to forget about the event that happened that day. She look back at her phone to see what else the guy that flirt with her oppa do, and it almost chocked her to death.

"MOMMMM!!!!"

Chapter Text

They're supposed to be focusing of the incoming creatures that will come out of the massive Gate above Seoul, but they are focusing on the blushing China Hunter that was holding the hands of the current Shadow Monarch after his abrupt confession instead.

Here's what happened.

Liu Zhigang was having fun at teasing Sung Jin-Woo while Cha Hae-In, who are next to them was glaring daggers at the China Hunter. Seeing the adorable Jin-Woo and the fight that they will happen soon, Liu Zhigang thought that this could be a great time to confess his feelings towards the omega.

There is no guaranteed that he will survive, so why don't he just confess?

"I like you," Liu Zhigang said to Jin-Woo.

Silence.

Cha Hae-In gaped in shocked while the other Hunters just froze. They were shocked at the sudden confession of the China Hunter, and at this moment of time at that!

The spectators that are watching them in live are also shocked, some almost chocked themselves. Some people thought it was romantic yet tragic, like a last confession before their death.

All of them wait for Jin-Woo's answer.

Jin-Woo just look at him in confusion, "what?"

"I like you, do you like me?" Liu Zhigang repeated.

"what the? I thought you already knew, you need me to tell you myself?" Jin-Woo look at him as if looking at an idiot.

"What do you mean?" this time it is Liu Zhigang that is confuse. However, there is a faint hope in his heart.

"Of course I like you too, why wouldn't I?" Jin-Woo sigh. Liu Zhigang is his friend, why wouldn't he like him?

At this point, all the Korean Hunters that are witnessing the scene gasped, while the other nation's Hunters have no idea what's going on from the very beginning.

'What are they talking about? T_T; ' are their thoughts. Everyone at home are lucky because a least they have a translation.

Poor them, witnessing a drama with their own eyes but have no idea what they are saying.

Jin-Chul who had been watching the whole thing from the Association office with Goh Gun-Hee was furious but then turned into an abandoned puppy. His reality crashes, Jin-Woo was snatched away before he could confess.

Goh Gun-Hee could do nothing but patted the sulking puppy Woo Jin-Chul to comfort him. It is Jin-Woo's choice and they could do nothing but accept it.

Sung Jin-Ah was speechless before she was startled when the new glass that her mother holding crack again.

But Cha Hae-In refuse for that to happen!

"I DO NOT APPROVE!" she yelled as she seperated them.

Liu Zhigang glare at her, "What are you? His mom?"

"No, but I'm his best friend! As his best friend, I do not approve!" she stood in front of Jin-Woo, protecting him from the China Hunter.

"He accepted me, and there's nothing you can do about it," Liu Zhigang growl, and it is the truth. No one could objected if an omega chose their alpha.

Cha Hae-In gritted her teeth and look at Jin-Woo. He looks confuse of what is happening right now.

"Jin-Woo, why would you accept him?! Didn't you love Jin-Chul?" she asked him.

Jin-Woo blush so much that there is a steam come out of his head. He close her mouth with his hand to shut her up, "YOU-! SHUT UP!"

Everyone were intrigued at that.

Jin-Chul perked up, while Park Kyung-Hye cheered!

She removed his hand and pointed at Liu Zhigang, "then why the hell you accept his confession?!"

"Wha-? What are you talking about?!" Jin-Woo have no idea what is happening. How did it got to the point that Hae-In reveal his crush towards the Chief Inspector?!

"I'm saying that, why would you rather marry this guy?!" she asked again. At this point, her imagination ran wild. Imagining Jin-Woo marrying Liu Zhigang left a bad taste to her. She don't hate him, she's just being petty. Being a hardcore fan of Jin-Woo and Jin-Chul just made her crazy.

'How did it got to the point of marriage?!' everyone was shocked by how quick this event had escalated.

"Who? I'm marrying whom?!" Jin-Woo almost cry, what is really happening?!

The other that are watching them, especially at home, took out their popcorns while watching the drama that are unfolding.

Liu Zhigang stepped up, push Cha Hae-In away and hold his hands, "Me, you will marry me."

Jin-Woo made a disgusted look at him, "That's not a good joke."

"A joke? Dear, you accept my confession. Marriage is, of course, not impossible," Liu Zhigang said in affection.

"Confession-? When??????" Jin-Woo have no recollection of acceptinf Zhigang confession. Did he meant- oh.

"Wait, you're serious about the liking thing? I thought friends say that to each other all the time," Jin-Woo said innocently.

...another silence.

Realization befall them when they witnessed what is happening and they feel pity towards the China Hunter.

'The poor guy just got friendzoned.'

Even Cha Hae-In pity him. She just patted his back before she seperate his hands with Jin-Woo.

"Hae-In?" Jin-Woo look at her in confusion with his head tilted slightly to the side.

Cha Hae-In patted his head, "You're too oblivious for your own good."

Those who watched Jin-Woo's interview should have known that the Korean Hunter is as oblivious as a rock when it comes to feelings. However, it seems that they forgot about it.

...and it also seems that they forgot about the Gate.

Chapter Text

The aura of the massive Gat ran wild. All the Hunters brushes off the previous event and quickly went to their positions. The fear and nervousness that they felt resurfaced again as they watch the Gate that will open up.

Jin-Woo placed his hand on his chest and silently close his eyes, he felt the pounding of the Black Heart. The emotion welling up in his chest was neither nervousness nor terror. It was excitement.

"They're coming!"

"The Gate is opening!"

Finally, the Gate began to open.

The creatures staying within finally began pouring out and fills up the sky. The Hunters below become completely dumbfounded by the numbers of the creatures that seems to be at least over a hundred thousand.

The Hunters began to start their attacks in order to reduce the creatures before they could descend to the ground. But then, before the firepower from the Hunters could pour out, Jin-Woo yelled loudly, "Nobody move!"

The Hunters stare at Jin-Woo in confusion. However, Jin-Woo simply repeat what he said, "everyone, don't move."

Woo Jin-Chul watching from the distance wiped the sweats off his forehead. He ran all the way from the Association to the Gate to confront the China's Hunter, but it seems that he is too late as the Gate was finally opened.

One of the surbodinate Hunters working for the association saw him and quickly approach the Chief Inspector, "Chief..."

He heard Jin-Woo's yell to stop the attacks. Although he is confused, he believes that Jin-Woo knew what he is doing. He wouldn't risks the lives of thousands Hunters for uncertain reasons.

"Everyone, do not fire!" he give his command. He is the one that was put in charge of commanding the Hunters. However, he was called to the Association for urgent thing in the last minute so he put the second in command in charge in case he wouldn't be able to be there by the time the Gate open, another reason why he hurried there.

The Hunters saw him and lowered their hands when he told them not to attack.

Confusion and terror began whipping up around the battlefield. The Hunters are questioning why they didn't attack the creatures on long range attack. Eventually, those creatures land on the ground, and Jin-Woo step up.

The Hunters couldn't breath properly and watch Jin-woo. Then something bizzare happen.

The monsters looking at Jin-Woo suddenly knelt down on the ground, the soldiers behind it also knelt down at the same time.

[ The Grand Marshall Bellion, here to humbly greet the Sovereign with his Shadow Army]

No human being could understand what the creature said, except for one person, Sung Jin-Woo.

Seeing the spectale that are happening, they began to feel curious about the real identity of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.

Jin-Woo take a long, hard look at his Shadow Soldiers kneeling before him, the inheritance the former Shadow Monarch, Osborne, had given to him. His own loyal soldiers come out of his shadow and knelt down to him, swearing their loyalty to Sung Jin-Woo.

However, Jin-Woo could feel quite a few gazes flying in his direction, stabbing him rather painfully on his neck, and he just had to take a look behind him.

That is when he discovered tens of thousands of Hunters standing there staring at him, along with hundreds of reporters risking their lives to record the historic battle that supposed to take place.

All of them were looking at him in confusion and expect him to explain what is happening.

Jin-Woo formed an awkward smile, '...how am I supposed to explain this?'

Jin-Woo take a look at the other Hunters before he slid into his own shadow. Instead of giving them answers, Jin-Woo chose a different rout; vanish from everyone sights.

---

The shocking scene of the monsters kneeling before Hunter Sung Jin-Woo caused the world to be in an uproar.

The TV stations continues to repeatedly broadcast the same shocking scenes from back then. Many questions were asked yet no one could explain the event of summoned creatures that belongs to a single person, coming out from the Gate.

Everyone was in loss and could only shake their heads. Soon, experts could only defined this incident as a miracle as no lives were taken. Although, no answers could be given...

...because only Hunter Sung Jin-Woo knew the truth.

Woo Jin-Chul wondered where Jin-Woo could be right now, not because he wanted answers. It's because he is worried about Jin-Woo. The creatures swore their loyalty out of nowhere, he must be confused and doesn't know what to do that he had to vanished like that.

However, his thought was interrupted as they received another call. The numbers of calls flooding the Association was very high, it's a miracle that their phone linees hadn't broken down yet.

The Association President, Goh Gun-Hee let out another sigh as he stare at another stacks of douments. His work had piled up to the extent he couldn't see the end now. Woo Jin-Chul tried his best to help him with the documents, but it is endless.

Then he heard a subordinate speak something that could not be overlook, and even caused him to feel rage.

"Just why di Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's summons have to come out from there..." the subordinate said with dissatisfaction.

Jin-Chul could never let this thoughtlessness go, "In that case, do you think that it would be better if monsters come out from that super-massive Gate? Is that what you're saying?"

"Pardon me? AH-! N-No, that's not-!" the subordinate paled when he realizes what he just said. However, Jin-Chul continue his sharp scolding.

"Then you want countless Hunters to die fighting? That you rather received phone calls from the relatives of the deceased Hunters asking for the news of their loved one? Is that what you're saying?" Jin-Chul scold.

"Let me explain to you, you ungrateful swine. You should thank Jin-Woo that there are none casuality with no deaths. Thanks to Jin-Woo, we are still able to fight if there are ever any threats in the future. Now stop complaining and do your work," Jin-Chul was so mad at the subordinate that he accidentally addressed Jin-Wo informally in front of everyone. Fortunately, no one realized it as they let themselves being scolded.

As long as you hadn't been out in the field, you would never understand it just what the Hunters had to go through during emergency situations. The potential scenarios that could have gone down during the raid the day before is the best result they could ever hope for.

A smile formed on Goh Gun-Hee's lips, he knew himself what kind of dread they felt when raiding a Gate. Being in an unknown place with unknown monsters and possible deaths, yet there are still some ungrateful people that wouldn't appreaciates Hunters, who defended them againts those monsters.

Hunters protect others, yet who would protect the Hunters?

Seeing Woo Jin-Chul defend the Hunters bring warmth to the old man's heart. If Sung Jin-Woo is here, Goh Gun-Hee is sure that Jin-Chul would slap the subordinate before the young Hunter had a chance to get angry.

Woo Jin-Chul had seen almost every side of Jin-Woo, he had seen how vurnerable he was. No one understand what Jin-Woo had been through in order to become who he is today, but they dare to complain?

The subordinate lowered his head is down in shame, "I'm sorry, sir. I was being thoughtless. I am truly sorry."

Jin-Chul nodded and had him return to his post before sitting down with Goh Gun-Hee, who patted his shoulder. Jin-Chul smile to the president.

He is still worried about Jin-Woo who would in no doubt be stuck in all sorts of dilemmas right now, 'I wonder what Jin-Woo is doing right now, I hope he is doing alright."

Meanwhile, Sung Jin-Woo is watching the battle between the two Shadow Marshals from a distance with a bright face.

---

At somewhere else, a man with tattered clothes wake up in a dark alleyway. He is confuse as to how he is still alive, as he is very sure that he just died.

He look at his unscatch hands in confusion. Although his clothes are tattered, no injuries could be seen on him

He walk out of the alleyway and his eyes widen when he saw a broadcast of countless creatures kneeling before a lone man on the big screen of a building.

"...Jin-Woo..."

Chapter Text

Sung Jin-Woo drove to the Hunter Association building, the call he’d made to Woo Jin-Chul having clearly been enough to raise an alarm. As he pulled up, he wasn’t surprised to see Jin-Chul, the Association President Goh Gun-Hee, and several employees waiting outside. But their faces were tense, almost fearful.

Jin-Chul rushed forward the moment Jin-Woo stepped out. "Are you alright, Jin-Woo?" he asked, worry lacing his voice.

Jin-Woo offered a reassuring smile. "I’m fine."

Jin-Chul sighed in visible relief but still looked troubled. Jin-Woo noticed the worried glances of everyone around. "Why does everyone look so tense? Did something happen?"

"You haven’t seen the news yet?" Jin-Chul asked, pulling out his phone. He showed Jin-Woo a live-streamed video: eight massive Gates had appeared across the world, each more enormous than any before. Videos and images were flooding social media, showing widespread panic.

Jin-Woo finished watching and handed back the phone, his face set in determination. "Let’s talk somewhere more private."

Jin-Chul quickly guided him to the Association President’s office. Goh Gun-Hee motioned for them to sit, his gaze steady as he looked at Jin-Woo.

"You mentioned you had something important to tell us, Jin-Woo?" Goh Gun-Hee asked.

Jin-Woo nodded, his expression serious. "President, Jin-Chul, do you trust me?"

Both men nodded without hesitation. "We do," they replied.

"In that case," Jin-Woo began, "I need you to believe everything I’m about to show you."

Jin-Woo placed his index finger on Goh Gun-Hee’s forehead. Instantly, darkness filled the older man’s vision, and countless images flashed before him. Memories, battles, and horrors that Jin-Woo had witnessed and endured swept through his mind. He then did the same with Jin-Chul, touching their foreheads together.

When the vision ended, both men gasped, breathing heavily as they processed what they’d seen. Jin-Woo withdrew, watching them as they struggled to make sense of it.

"This...this is a war far beyond humanity’s reach," Jin-Chul whispered, his hands trembling. "A war between Monarchs and Rulers… How can any of us stand against this?"

Jin-Woo held his gaze. "I plan to fight them. Alone if I have to."

Jin-Chul’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, pain and frustration in his voice. "No...no, you shouldn’t have to do this alone, Jin-Woo!"

Goh Gun-Hee, though visibly shaken, managed to speak with resolve. "Then tell us what we can do to help."

As much as Jin-Chul wanted to argue, he knew Jin-Woo had made his choice. The only thing he could do was support him in any way possible.

"I need you to gather the world’s leaders in one place," Jin-Woo said quietly.

---

After their meeting, Jin-Woo and Jin-Chul stepped out of the President’s office. As they walked toward the elevator, Jin-Chul suddenly pulled Jin-Woo into a tight embrace from behind.

Surprised, Jin-Woo paused, allowing Jin-Chul to hold him. "Do you really have to do this?" Jin-Chul’s voice was thick with emotion.

Jin-Woo sighed softly. "You know I’m the only one who can."

"This isn’t fair," Jin-Chul murmured, his grip tightening. "Why should you have to carry this burden alone while all I can do is stand here and watch?"

"That’s not true." Jin-Woo’s tone was gentle. "You’re helping me more than you know."

But Jin-Chul shook his head, his thoughts spiraling with frustration and guilt. "If I were stronger...if I could do more… you wouldn’t have to face this alone—"

His words were abruptly silenced as Jin-Woo leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Jin-Chul froze, his mind blank, heart pounding wildly. When Jin-Woo pulled back, a slight blush dusted his cheeks. He chuckled softly at the dazed expression on Jin-Chul’s face.

Realizing what had just happened, Jin-Chul’s face flushed a deep red. Emboldened, he took a shaky breath. "Jin-Woo, I...I lov—"

But before he could finish, Jin-Woo silenced him again with another kiss. This one was brief but left them both breathless. Leaning his forehead against Jin-Chul’s, Jin-Woo closed his eyes. "Not yet," he whispered. "Not until this is all over."

Jin-Chul nodded, tears gathering in his eyes as he hugged Jin-Woo tightly. "Then, until that day, please… stay safe."

---

Meanwhile, a man in tattered clothing wandered the city streets. Sung Il-Hwan moved unnoticed through the crowds, their attention entirely focused on the breaking news of the Gates. Though he appeared lost, he knew exactly where he was going. Eventually, he found himself outside an apartment door. He knocked but received no response.

As he raised his hand to knock again, the neighboring door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman carrying a laundry basket. She looked up and gasped in shock.

"Il-Hwan? Is it really you?"

Il-Hwan blinked, equally surprised. "Ha-Yoon?"

The woman motioned him inside, her face a mixture of shock and worry. "Come in, come in. You look terrible."

Inside her cozy living room, she offered him a cup of tea and settled down across from him. "Il-Hwan," she began gently, "where have you been all these years?"

"It’s...complicated," he said, hesitating. He didn’t want to involve her in his problems. Thankfully, she didn’t press him for details.

After a pause, he finally asked, "Ha-Yoon, do you know where my family is?"

She sighed, sympathy softening her gaze. "They moved not too long ago."

"They… moved?" The words barely registered. "Why… why would they leave?"

She looked at him knowingly. "Il-Hwan, they waited for you a long time. Your wife said she finally felt at peace enough to leave. She knew you were...gone."

He looked down, his heart clenching. His family had moved on, perhaps finally accepting his death. "So, they gave up on me after all this time," he murmured bitterly.

Ha-Yoon slapped the table, snapping him out of his despair. "Don’t be an idiot! They waited for years, Il-Hwan. Don’t give up now!"

Her words stung, and he realized she was right. How could he even think of giving up? "You’re right… But I don’t know where they are."

Ha-Yoon sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. "Then it’s a good thing I do. I’ll give you the address—but only after you clean up. You look like a ghost."

He chuckled weakly, nodding as he rose to follow her. "Thank you, Ha-Yoon. For everything."

Chapter Text

Representatives from every nation summoned by the Korean Hunter Association had gathered in South Korea. Though the world was plagued with massive Gates in every region, they’d come, albeit frustrated and confused by the urgency of the meeting. Why call for a summit when each of their own nations was in crisis?

In the emergency conference hall, Woo Jin-Chul and Goh Gun-Hee reviewed a steady stream of updates as reports flooded in from around the globe. The atmosphere was tense as more representatives filed in, awaiting the start of the meeting.

Woo Jin-Chul, despite his careful handling of the situation, seemed distracted. Goh Gun-Hee noticed the flicker of unease in his eyes.

"You’re worried," Goh Gun-Hee observed quietly, drawing Jin-Chul out of his daze.

Jin-Chul took a deep breath, nodding. "It’s hard not to be. He has a family to protect, yet the world keeps demanding more from him."

Goh Gun-Hee gave a dry chuckle. "True. Sung Jin-Woo is selfless, but he’s no saint."

Jin-Chul looked at him curiously. "How do you mean?"

Goh Gun-Hee huffed, glancing at the reports but not losing his train of thought. "Sung Jin-Woo can be ruthless when needed. Remember that international summit? One person died, and Thomas Andre himself left wounded."

The memory made Jin-Chul wince. That incident had nearly given him a heart attack. But he also knew how it had all ended in an uneasy truce.

"He wants to save this world," Goh Gun-Hee continued, "but not out of pure goodwill. I think he fights so his family can have peace."

Jin-Chul nodded thoughtfully. "I believe that too." His voice softened. Even if Jin-Woo ever chose to defy humanity, he knew in his heart he would still stand by him.

As he glanced toward the door, he couldn’t help but wonder where Jin-Woo was right now.

---

"Ta-da!" Jin-Woo grinned as he set a steaming pot of homemade kimchi stew on the table. Sung Jin-Ah’s face lit up instantly.

"Wow, it smells amazing!" she cheered.

Their mother, Park Kyung-Hye, looked on, a bit concerned. "You shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble, Jin-Woo."

Jin-Woo smiled softly. "You handled most of the unpacking when we moved here, Mom. Let me take care of this so you can rest."

Kyung-Hye sighed but smiled, knowing better than to argue with her stubborn son. She took a small taste, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh my… this is incredible."

His sister giggled. "Oppa’s the best cook—well, after you, Mom! Try the side dishes too; he’s amazing at those."

As Jin-Ah went on, Jin-Woo noticed his mother’s expression changing. He leaned forward, gently asking, "Mom? Is something wrong?"

She placed her spoon down, looking at him intently. "Jin-Woo… is there something you’re not telling me?"

Jin-Woo kept his expression calm, even managing a light chuckle. "What do you mean?"

She smiled, but there was a knowing glint in her eyes. "Your father used to cook for me before going on dangerous missions. It’s a mother’s intuition, you know."

Jin-Woo paused, a slight flicker of sadness passing through him, but he quickly recovered. "It’s nothing like that, Mom."

Park Kyung-Hye looked at her son, her heart heavy with the knowledge of the burdens he carried. She gave him a quiet smile, choosing to let it go for now, and resumed eating.

Meanwhile, Jin-Ah observed their exchange, understanding more than she let on. She knew the dangers her brother faced, but she chose to believe, deeply and fully, that he would always return to them.

Just as they settled back into the meal, Jin-Woo’s hand froze mid-reach. He’d sensed something unusual—a faint sound of footsteps from outside, one of them with a racing heartbeat filled with both excitement and nervousness.

“Let me get that,” Jin-Woo said, stopping his mother as he got up to answer the door.

When he opened it, he was met by a familiar face: their old neighbor, Tae Ha-Yoon.

"Aunt Yoon!" he greeted warmly. "It’s good to see you. Did you come by for a visit?"

"It’s good to see you too, Jin-Woo. I would love to visit, but that’s not the reason I’m here." Ha-Yoon’s eyes sparkled with a knowing smile.

Jin-Woo looked at her, confused. Given the distance to their new place, he couldn’t think of any other reason for her to be there.

She laughed at his bewildered expression. "My, you’ve grown even more handsome since I last saw you."

Jin-Woo blushed slightly, smiling. "You’re as beautiful as ever yourself, Auntie."

She huffed, playfully swatting his arm. "If only my idiot son could be as charming as you! I’d happily make you my son-in-law."

“Oi, oi, don’t get carried away,” came a familiar deep voice.

Jin-Woo froze, his heart pounding. That voice—a voice he had thought he would never hear again.

Ha-Yoon gave him an encouraging smile, stepping aside to let the second figure come into view. Jin-Woo’s eyes widened, his breath catching as he saw him.

Standing before him was his father, Sung Il-Hwan, looking worn yet somehow untouched by time. The man he thought was lost forever.

Jin-Woo’s body trembled, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Dad… is it really you?"

Sung Il-Hwan smiled, a hint of sorrow and pride in his eyes as he looked at his son. "Yes, Jin-Woo. I’m home."

Chapter Text

Jin-Woo's emotions churned violently as he stared at the figure standing at his doorstep. His father—no, someone wearing his father's face—stood before him, and his mind struggled to accept what his eyes were seeing.

Without warning, Jin-Woo lunged forward, shadows flaring out around him as he attacked with blinding speed. "Whoever you are, you're not my father!" he snarled, his hand tightening like a vice as he gripped the "imposter's" throat, demanding, "Reveal yourself!"

The man before him—Sung Il-Hwan—stumbled back, raising his hands in a desperate bid for peace. "Jin-Woo! It's me," he gasped. "It's really me—your father!"

Jin-Woo hesitated for a brief moment, but he wasn't ready to believe it yet. "Prove it," he demanded, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He'd seen too many faces twisted by the Monarchs' deceit.

But Sung Il-Hwan didn't back down. He looked directly into Jin-Woo's eyes, his voice steady and filled with an emotion that stirred something long-buried in Jin-Woo's chest. "Do you remember the last thing I said to you before I left?"

Jin-Woo's grip loosened just slightly as fragments of his childhood came rushing back. Sung Il-Hwan's gaze softened as he continued, "I told you... that I'd always be watching over you and your sister, even if I had to do it from afar."

At those words, the dark tendrils of doubt clouding Jin-Woo's mind finally lifted. He staggered back, heart racing. His father was alive—somehow, impossibly, alive, though his presence was tinged with something otherworldly, a residue of Chaos that only the Monarchs seemed to carry. But this was his father, back from the void.

Overwhelmed, Jin-Woo reached out, pulling his father into an embrace. After everything he'd lost, one piece of his past had been returned to him.

---

In the Korean Hunter's Association, Woo Jin-Chul sat in his office, his gaze fixed on the news. The screens displayed chaotic footage from North America, where the monstrous army marched forward like a tide of darkness. Each clip was a grim reminder of the stakes at hand, and with every passing second, his anxiety grew.

He couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that wrapped around him like a shroud. Jin-Woo was out there, facing the Dragon Sovereign and its relentless army, alone. The thought twisted in his chest like a dagger. Despite the power Jin-Woo wielded, despite the strength he had shown time and again, Jin-Chul couldn't help but feel utterly useless, watching from afar while the man he cared for fought the battles of the world.

They had shared moments of intimacy, laughter, and connection. The mutual understanding of their feelings lingered in the air between them, unspoken yet palpable. But the timing had always felt wrong, overshadowed by the relentless dangers surrounding them. They both knew it, yet that knowledge did little to alleviate the weight in Jin-Chul's heart.

"Jin-Woo," he whispered, his voice barely a breath. The name held so much significance, a mix of longing and worry that clenched at his throat. He wanted to reach out, to offer his strength, his support, to stand beside him in this fight. But all he could do was watch, powerless and tormented by his inability to help.

His heart raced as he imagined Jin-Woo, alone amidst the chaos, facing the monstrous forces that threatened to consume everything. The thought sent a chill down his spine. "Please," he murmured, a silent prayer escaping his lips. "Please be safe."

He closed his eyes, envisioning Jin-Woo's determined expression, the way his eyes lit up with fierce resolve even in the face of insurmountable odds. "You're strong," he reminded himself, though doubt clawed at his mind. "You can do this. Just come back to me."

The news continued to broadcast the horrors unfolding across the ocean, but Jin-Chul found himself drifting into thoughts of Jin-Woo instead. He pictured their future together, one unmarred by conflict—a dream that felt impossibly distant now. He would fight for that dream, for the chance to stand by Jin-Woo's side, to support him, as someone who truly understood him.

As the weight of his worry threatened to overwhelm him, Jin-Chul clenched his fists. He wouldn't allow despair to take root. He would hold onto hope, channeling every ounce of his energy into a single prayer for Jin-Woo's safety. "Come back," he whispered into the silence of his office. "I need you here."

---

Jin-Woo felt a growing urgency; there was no more time to waste.

He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing the familiar weight of his phone. This might be his last chance to speak to his family, to hear their voices before he faced his greatest enemy.

To hear Woo Jin-Chul's voice.

The thought sent a pang through his chest. Jin-Woo hesitated, staring at the 'Call' icon, feeling the intensity of his emotions swell within him. Memories of their moments together flooded his mind—Jin-Chul's reassuring presence, the way he always managed to calm the storm within Jin-Woo, how they had grown closer through every challenge. There was a warmth in his heart, a mutual longing that neither had fully expressed. But Jin-Woo couldn't bring himself to reach out, not now.

If he heard Jin-Chul's voice, it would ground him, tether him to this world in a way he couldn't afford. He might falter, might lose the fierce resolve driving him forward. The thought of hearing that deep, steady voice filled him with both comfort and fear—comfort because he knew Jin-Chul cared deeply, and fear because that care could become a distraction he couldn't allow.

Instead, he let his phone drop, shattering it with a soft crack as it hit the ground. He stared at the broken pieces, a symbol of the connection he was severing, a silent goodbye to the warmth he was willing to sacrifice for the sake of the world.

With a deep breath, Jin-Woo steeled himself, focusing on the battle ahead. The pull of his heart remained, heavy and insistent, a reminder of the love that flourished in silence between them. But for now, he had to embrace the darkness, to become the shadow that would face the looming threat.