Chapter 57: Home (1)

Ten days passed since the attempted poisoning by the Pandinus Guild, and Kwon Oh-Jin was finally able to get discharged.

Ugh, I thought I was gonna lose my mind being stuck here any longer.

Being stuck in a dreary hospital bed with an oxygen mask on for so long had him itching to move.

“Well, at least I got to improve my mana control.”

With nothing else to do, he had spent all ten days training to fine-tune his manipulation of his lightning. His focus was on controlling minute amounts of energy—just enough to power something as simple as a remote control or a handheld fan.

It's surprisingly hard.

Normally, he unleashed lightning with a destructive force, breaking things with ease. Dialing it down had proven to be far trickier, like trying to handle bubbles that would burst at the slightest touch.

I’ll have to keep practicing.

If he could master controlling energy at such a subtle level, there would be countless uses for it.

“Come to think of it, this is a strange coincidence in a way,” he muttered.

If he hadn’t been cooped up in the hospital, he wouldn't have thought of refining his control over lightning to such precision.

After tidying up the hospital room, Kwon Oh-Jin opened the door to leave.

Click.

Han Jun-Man, who had been waiting for him outside, asked, “Are you sure you’re okay to be discharged?”

“Yes, I’m fully recovered now.”

With a solemn expression, Han Jun-Man bowed deeply.

“I’m so sorry, Oh-Jin. This is entirely my fault for failing to ensure your safety,” he said, his massive clenched fists trembling.

Kwon Oh-Jin offered a gentle smile and shook his head. “How is this your fault? The blame lies with the ones who tried to poison me.”

“But I—”

“I also pushed myself too hard, trying to rush things irresponsibly. I share some of the blame as well.”

“Oh-Jin...” Han Jun-Man trailed off, deeply moved.

Seeing such a big man look at him with teary-eyed admiration, Kwon Oh-Jin felt disturbed.

What’s with this guy?

“More importantly, what happened to the Pandinus Guild?” he asked.

“They kept denying everything until the end. Eventually, they scattered and fled. Another major guild is hunting them down now.”

Damn. I figured they’d go down, but it took just ten days? Words really do carry weight.

A massive guild—ranked among Korea’s top ten and home to apostles of Scorpio from the Twelve Zodiacs—was ravaged by a single act of deception.

Well, they did have a rotten reputation from the get-go.

This event had just brought their accumulated crimes to light in one catastrophic blow.

“So, does that mean the 'top ten guilds' are now just the 'top nine'?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“

Haha

, no. The Valhalla Guild snagged the open spot in the top ten.”

“... With less than twenty members in their whole guild? That’s impressive.”

“Each member is incredibly skilled, so it’s no surprise,” Han Jun-Man replied.

Park Chang-Hyun, who Kwon Oh-Jin had recently worked with, had proved that by himself. And as for the guild master, Lee Woo-Hyuk? He was in a league of his own.

“By the way, has there been any mention of the Black Star Society in all this?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“

Hmm...

No, I haven’t heard anything about them.”

I figured. They must have cut all ties and vanished. It’s a shame I couldn’t get to dig deeper into them.

He hadn’t found out what the Black Star Society and the Pandinus Guild were working on together or how close their relationship was.

I guess I should be satisfied with removing one from the equation for now.

He clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Han Jun-Man suddenly spoke up. “

Oh

, actually, I did hear something about the Black Star Society, though it's unrelated to this incident.”

Kwon Oh-Jin was taken aback. “What?”

“Well, it’s news from overseas, not Korea. I heard that a group with the same name was rapidly gaining influence in Italy.”

Kwon Oh-Jin was speechless for a moment.

These bastards weren’t just scum but international goons? Well, it does make sense. A group with that kind of power wouldn't just stay holed up in one small country.

Considering their ambitions to "turn the world

upside down", it would have been weirder if they were confined to Korea alone.

I don’t have the capacity to deal with them on an international level right now. It's hard enough putting out the fire in my own house, how can I possibly worry about the one burning next door?

“Let me know right away if you hear anything else,” he urged.

“Alright,” Han Jun-Man replied. “Are you heading straight home then?”

“Of course.”

It’s about time I check on Ha-Eun.

Although she had messaged him, saying she knew he had orchestrated everything, they hadn’t seen each other in ten days.

“Then, allow me to give you a ride home,” Han Jun-Man said.

“

Oh

, I’d appreciate that.”

“Right this way.”

Han Jun-Man led Kwon Oh-Jin to a staff-only elevator.

“Why this one...?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“There are reporters swarming outside. You just got discharged, so you’ll need some peace and quiet, won’t you?” Han Jun-Man smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

Damn, that’s hot as fuck.

“You’re the best, my brother.”

“

Haha!

No need to call me 'brother.'”

“Then... uncle?”

“... I’m still in my mid-thirties, you know.”

“

Pffft!

That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all year!” Kwon Oh-Jin exclaimed, barely holding back his laughter.

Come on, man, have some shame. You’re clearly in your late forties. How do you shave ten years off just like that?

Han Jun-Man’s face turned grim as he fell silent.

Oh, shit. Is he actually in his mid-thirties?

Kwon Oh-Jin quickly tried to recover. “I had no idea! I thought you were in your twenties like me, bro!”

“

Ah

, i-is that so?”

The gorilla broke into a smile.

Holy shit, I can’t believe he’s in his mid-thirties. He made it to division head in the association when he's that young?

Kwon Oh-Jin realized Han Jun-Man must be incredibly skilled. Then again, the real game-changer was probably recruiting the apostle of the North Star into the association.

“I do get told I look young for my age!

Haha!

”

Han Jun-Man laughed heartily, his chest muscles swelling as if ready to explode. A button from his shirt popped off under the strain and rolled across the floor, making for a terrifying sight.

I can see why someone would tell him that...

“Let’s go,” Han Jun-Man urged.

“Right.”

After exiting the elevator, they climbed into Han Jun-Man’s Jeep, which suited his massive frame perfectly.

Vroom!

The car set off smoothly. About forty minutes later, they arrived at Kwon Oh-Jin’s home.

“I’ll be in touch.”

“Sure," Kwon Oh-Jin replied. "Get some rest yourself.”

After parting ways with the team leader, he stepped inside his house.

Creak.

The familiar, musty smell of mold hit his nose.

“I’m home~!” he called out, expecting to find Song Ha-Eun waiting for him. However, the house was empty.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t just that Song Ha-Eun wasn’t there—everything was gone. The furniture, the groceries, and even his belongings were nowhere to be seen.

“W-What the hell?” he muttered in disbelief as he scanned the empty rooms.

A robbery? No, that can't be it.

Why would a thief even bother stealing from this crumbling old place?

“If it’s not a thief, then...”

His face turned stiff as an ominous feeling crawled up his spine. He pulled out his phone and called Song Ha-Eun.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

The call didn’t go through.

“Damn it!” he yelled. As he anxiously bit his lip, his eyes caught a small scrap of paper on the floor.

“... Huh?

What's this?

”

[Come to exit nine of Hapjeong Station as soon as you see this.]

It was written in Song Ha-Eun’s handwriting. Thankfully, it seemed like she wasn’t in any danger.

“Phew.

But what the hell is this about?”

Frowning, he sent her a text. She read it immediately but didn’t reply, leaving him no choice but to go and meet her.

“Ugh.

What kind of stupid game is this?” he mumbled.

He had spent an hour driving home from Yeouido, but now, he had to go to Seoul again. He let out a deep sigh and left the house.

Thanks to the luxury car provided by the association, he arrived at Hapjeong Station in just an hour.

Song Ha-Eun was standing by exit nine, waiting for him. “You’re here?”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” he asked.

“

Hehe

. I just wanted to mess with you a little,” Song Ha-Eun said smugly.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled.

How is this messing with me?

She grabbed his arm and pulled him along. “Stop talking and follow me.”

“...

Huh?

”

I have no idea what's going on, but I’ll figure it out once we get there.

Eventually, they arrived at an apartment building near Hapjeong Station surrounded by upscale restaurants and shops. The ground floor housed various stores, and the apartments above radiated luxury.

“... Wait a second,” Kwon Oh-Jin muttered as he quickly realized what Song Ha-Eun was up to. His empty house, paired with her strange confidence as she led him toward this luxury apartment complex, could only mean one thing.

“Hey, that thing you had to 'take care of' before...”

“

Shhh

, shut up.”

At the building's entrance, she swiped a keycard across the reader.

Beep.

With a soft chime, the door unlocked.

They took the elevator up to the seventh floor.

“It’s not that high up, but...” Song Ha-Eun smirked as she unlocked the front door.

Kwon Oh-Jin's eyes widened. “

Woah.

”

The apartment wasn't massive by luxury standards, coming in at just under a thousand square feet. But compared to their previous place, which was barely three hundred square feet, this was a palace. More importantly, the walls were free of mold and cracks, and there weren't any mysterious mushrooms sprouting out of nowhere.

“W-What is this?” Kwon Oh-Jin looked at her, bewildered.

“

Hahaha!

Are you surprised?” Song Ha-Eun asked, playfully jabbing him in the ribs.

She lightly touched the eyepatch covering her right eye and smiled. “You bought me this too. I couldn’t just keep taking without giving anything back.”

“... Where did you get the money for this?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I told you, I wasn’t just sitting around these last three months. I got a hefty reward recently from the subjugation mission... and I took out a loan too. Five years ago, those damned bankers wouldn’t even give me the time of day, but now that I’ve regained my strength, they’re practically throwing open their vaults for me.”

She spoke casually, but Kwon Oh-Jin could tell she had gone to great extents to afford this place.

“I can just earn more money later,” Song Ha-Eun cheerfully said, slapping him on the back. “Anyway, this is our new home!”

A bright grin spread across her face as she stretched out her arms, standing at the center of the spacious living room.

“... Ha-Eun.” His voice trembled. A torrent of emotions welled up from deep within his chest, too complex to put into words.

As the apostle of the Weaver, he had expected to move to a new home eventually, but he never imagined it would happen like this.

“

Hahaha!

Look at this view. Isn’t it sick? It’s close to the association and the Sanctum, so it’ll be hella convenient! Plus, there are so many cool spots nearby—”

“Ha-Eun! Ha-Eun!

Ha-Eun

!” he shouted, rushing forward to wrap his arms around her.

“Kyahh!

W-What are you doing?” she yelped, startled.

How could he even begin to express the overwhelming sense of gratitude and awe flooding him? Endorphins pumped through him like crazy, igniting every nerve within. Unable to hold back the whirlwind of emotions any longer, he let himself be swept away completely.

“Oh-Jin, c-calm down for a second—”

He pulled her closer before she could finish speaking, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, and then—

“Mm?!”

—he kissed her.