Chapter 26: More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers

Uh, fuck, a prosecutor?

Ah, right.

I did commit a rather serious crime.

Even if I truly had no intention of killing the guy, a Hunter using their ability on a civilian is a grave felony punishable by up to death.

'That bastard looked like he had money.'

Unless you are a strong Hunter capable of turning the state into an enemy, money remains a powerful weapon in modern society.

And the current me probably has less money than him.

Although I destroyed it, the car he drove looked quite expensive. And the clothes he wore didn't look cheap either.

"You're awake. That's a relief, I was worried about what might happen to you, Hunter-nim..."

"No, Ha-young-ssi. That's not important right now. Why is someone as precious as a prosecutor visiting me?"

Prosecutor-nim.

It is true that it was my fault for almost killing a person.

But that bastard was the one who wronged me first.

I am a person who has the right to do that.

And I haven't even properly started my life as a 'King-Civilian' (God-Civilian) yet.

My life can't end like this.

If the prosecutor blocks my path...

"I might just end it with my own hands."

"Yes?"

"Ah, n-no. I was just thinking of something else for a moment... So, what brings you here, really?"

"What do you mean 'what'? It's because of the accident you caused, Hunter-nim."

I'm not a Hunter though?

Those words climbed all the way up my throat.

Fuck! I handed my license directly to the Association President!

"Ha-young-ssi."

"Hmm, is that so? Then it would be 'Use of Ability by an Unregistered Person.'"

I shut my mouth hearing the prosecutor Unnie (older sister) standing behind her, staring at me.

As expected of someone from the legal profession. She immediately caught the loophole and brought up a different charge.

"..."

If I could solve it with force, maybe, but since I can't, I should just shut up.

"You said your name was Eun-ha-ssi."

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you. I am Prosecutor Han Ju-kyung."

The cool-looking prosecutor extended her hand to me.

But right now, if that hand wrote a document unfavorable to me and sent it to trial...

Unless I was prepared to cut ties completely with this country and my people, "eating bean rice" (going to prison) was guaranteed. So, that hand looked like nothing but a devil's hand.

"I am Hwang Eun-ha."

Still, I should accept it, right?

When I cautiously took her hand with trembling fingers, the eyes of the woman who introduced herself as Han Ju-kyung curved into an arc.

"I heard you were a former S-Class Hunter, so I thought you'd be scary, but you're cuter than I expected."

Det? (What?)

I'm cute?

Me? Who is 170cm tall with an E-cup, looking like a strong-willed unnie to others?

I turned my gaze to Jin-wook, but he avoided my eyes and shrugged.

"Like a hamster."

"P-Please just tell me your business quickly."

You are seriously scary.

If she weren't a prosecutor, I would have just gone back to sleep.

"Eun-ha-ssi, Ju-kyung Unnie really didn't come to harm you. In fact, she came to help us."

"Yes?"

"She is in charge of your case."

"Why are you only telling me that now?"

"It was quite fresh seeing an S-Class Hunter trembling in fear, so I played a little prank."

At Ju-kyung's words, I let out a long sigh rising from deep inside.

Ah, seriously, I thought you came to catch and torture me.

I was super tense because of that damn charge called 'Use of Ability on a Civilian.'

"First of all, the victim's side does not want Eun-ha-ssi to be punished, so the case itself will be closed as is."

"Excuse me?"

"That trash, whose name I don't even want to mention, went crazy screaming about attempted murder and what not, but considering Eun-ha-ssi is a former S-Class Hunter, it's actually hard to get an attempted murder verdict."

Well, that's true.

If I had really intended to kill him, Yoon Seok-chan, a civilian, would have left this world just by me simply twisting his neck from afar.

"So eventually, what remained were 'Use of Ability on a Civilian' and 'Special Assault and Injury,' but both were resolved well."

"How?"

But originally, back then, I purely wanted to inflict pain out of hatred.

So I controlled the wounds even more cruelly so he absolutely wouldn't die, inflicting pain on him.

I don't know if it would even be half the pain I suffered, but I wanted him to at least experience a bit of the devastated life I went through.

"That Yoon-something guy, turns out he's a Congressman's son."

"Yes."

Congressman's son.

No wonder the car looked expensive.

"He was throwing such a fit while lying in the hospital bed that, at first, I thought about not persuading him and just sending it to trial. Because, honestly, no judge has the guts to sentence an S-Class Hunter to actual prison time beyond a suspended sentence."

"Then I would have to go to court anyway?"

"Even for a Supreme Court Justice, it's not easy to sentence an S-Class Hunter to prison. Even if he's a Congressman, the opponent is an S-Class Hunter."

No, I'm telling you, I'm not a Hunter.

But at this moment, the status of 'former S-Class Hunter' seemed to have worked favorably in the negotiation Ju-kyung conducted, so I kept my mouth shut.

I can input the fact that I'm a civilian, not a Hunter, later.

"But really, would they want to turn an S-Class, who might be the shield protecting them in a future crisis, into an enemy?"

"Anyway, you're saying the family opposed the punishment."

"Yes. And regarding the use of ability on a civilian, I just need to close it with a suspended indictment, so it's practically over. Not guilty. Congratulations."

Ju-kyung grinned, tore the envelope she was holding in her hand, crumpled it, and put it in her bag.

Inside that envelope, there must have been the documents to indict me.

Behind her, who was scary earlier, I felt like a light, not darkness, was shining on me now.

"Uh, but was this a problem that could be solved this easily? I lack a sense of reality, so..."

"Actually, it's not. Originally, I should have indicted Eun-ha-ssi. I just took the extenuating circumstances into account."

"Yes?"

"Assistant Manager Yu here told me. Why the Hunter-nim turned a person into a half-cripple."

So...

Anyway, it means she heard my past.

It's not even a good story, why listen to such things?

"I-I'll call the parfait even with this, Hunter-nim. Since I blabbed on my own accord..."

Ha-young spoke cautiously, avoiding my gaze as if she knew what she did wrong.

Right, that's true.

We agreed to go eat parfaits together sometime.

"It's fine. How much does a dessert cost anyway... We can go eat that together when we have time later."

Anyway, I nodded in gratitude to the prosecutor Unnie who pulled me out of a shitty situation.

My body was fine, but wearing a patient gown made me look like a patient. And since I was sitting on the bed, I couldn't help it.

"By the way... isn't today Sunday?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you come to help me on this red day (holiday)..."

Ju-kyung gave me a meaningful smile.

Then, she handed me her phone, saying isn't this fate too?

She asked to exchange contact information.

And as if possessed, I ended up exchanging numbers at her request.

Me, Hwang Eun-ha.

This was the first moment in my entire life, publicly or privately, without any prior connection, that a woman asked for my number.

(Si-hyun Unnie was Kang Tae-woo's sister, so that didn't count.)

"Hey."

"Why."

"She said she'd give us a ride, so why are we taking the subway?"

Inside the empty subway car rattling along the tracks.

Jin-wook, sitting right next to me, asked as if going home was a hassle.

"That's because you haven't ridden it."

Recalling Ha-young's catastrophic driving skills, my body trembled.

You wouldn't know.

Even though I achieved S-Class, that was the first time I experienced that I could die in a traffic accident.

"I'm giving you advice: Never get in Yu Ha-young's car."

"Why?"

"You'll know if you ride it."

When I said that much, Jin-wook seemed to roughly notice why I was acting like this and nodded as if he understood.

Dude, this Hyung saved your life.

I'm a former Hunter so I might survive, but you might actually vomit.

"But Eun-ha-ya."

Jin-wook, who had been silent for a while, made a serious expression as if he wanted to ask something.

He cautiously called my name.

When I, who had been looking at my phone moderately, lifted my head slightly, Jin-wook gently held my left hand and brought up the topic.

"That... what does 'more than friends, less than lovers' mean?"

Ah, right.

Come to think of it, I think I said something like that earlier.

How should I answer this?

The time I spent pondering became long without an answer.

Just like that, the conversation between me and Jin-wook was cut off and continued until we got off at the subway station.

Dark hours.

Having come out of the subway station at a time when few people were walking the streets, we took a bus at a nearby stop and headed to the apartment near our home.

"Ah."

Come to think of it, so many things happened over the weekend that I forgot.

I momentarily forgot.

That thanks to our parents being close and trusting that nothing would happen, Jin-wook and I live together.

"Jin-wook-ah."

"Yeah."

"The position of a lover is still hard for me, but it means it's okay to be a little closer than friends."

Jin-wook was silent for a moment.

Even though the sound of the digital lock relocking was heard.

Between the two of us who couldn't move first, the one who moved their hand again was me.

"So don't feel too guilty. It wasn't bad for a first time."

Without looking back as I entered the entrance.

I said that and ran into my room as if escaping.

I absolutely couldn't show my face to Jin-wook right now.

'My face must be really red right now, right?'

Hwang Eun-ha, calm down.

You weren't originally like this.

After today passes, Jin-wook and I will hang out again as if nothing happened.

"I should call Mom."

I let out a small sigh alone, took out my phone, found my mother's number, and made a call.