That evening, Sung Jin-Woo returned home after finishing his work as a porter for one of the small guilds.
It was not a job suitable even for a low-rank hunter, but it was the only option available to him.
As usual, his body was covered with bruises and scratches.
Some of them were old and had not disappeared despite receiving treatment many times, as if his body had grown used to pain and refused to heal completely.
He opened the door with tired movements and found the house unusually quiet.
In the living room, Jin-Ah was curled up on the sofa, a blanket covering her entire body, her eyes fixed on the television.
The light from the screen reflected on her pale face.
Jin-Woo looked at the TV without interest at first… then he froze.
The program was showing an interview with the hunter the whole country had been talking about for days.
The newly awakened S-rank hunter.
Kim Yoo-Won.
The broadcast was part of a media campaign to restore the prestige of the Korean Hunters Association.
The image of the hunter, with white hair and red eyes, filled the screen, wearing a calm and confident smile.
Jin-Woo sighed inwardly.
A different world… a different level of power… people who were born at the top.
He spoke out loud to announce his return.
"I'm home."
After a moment, Jin-Ah finally moved and turned her head toward him.
A smile appeared on her face… but it was forced, fragile, unlike her usual smile.
"Welcome back…"
She said it in a tone that sounded normal, but it wasn't.
She stood up from the sofa, pulled the blanket off herself, and said quickly,
"Go take a shower first. I'll prepare dinner meanwhile."
Jin-Woo nodded without thinking.
He didn't notice anything strange in her behavior, or perhaps he didn't imagine there was anything to worry about.
He headed toward the bathroom, and moments later the sound of running water filled the house.
Jin-Ah remained standing where she was, watching her brother's back as he walked away.
She couldn't stop Louis's words from returning to her mind…
Weak… pathetic.
She felt a sharp pain in her chest.
What if Jin-Woo went to work one day… and never came back?
That thought alone was enough to make her breathing unsteady.
Loneliness, losing her family, the danger surrounding them because of their weakness…
Since returning from the hospital, she had not stopped thinking about Louis's offer.
Yes, it was unfair… cruel… unreasonable.
But if the price was her family's safety, her mother's happiness, and her brother staying alive…
Was sacrificing herself really unbearable?
Just as Louis said…
Power was everything in this world.
And having the protection of an S-rank hunter in this era…
Was a luxury most people could only dream of.
A few minutes later, the two siblings sat at the dinner table.
The food was simple, but the silence was heavier than any meal.
Jin-Ah bit her lip, trying to arrange her words.
Trying to find a way to begin without sounding sudden… or frightening.
After a moment, she finally spoke in a low voice.
"Brother…"
Jin-Woo raised his eyes to her.
"Yes?"
She hesitated for a second, then asked,
"What if… there was a way to wake Mom up?"
"A way to cure her illness, but at a certain cost… would you do it?"
He answered without hesitation, as if the question was obvious.
"Of course."
He didn't notice the complexity in her expression.
He didn't see the slight trembling in her hands.
He continued honestly,
"I'll do my best. If a cure exists, I'll do anything to get it."
Then he added realistically,
"But don't raise your hopes too much… treatments like that usually go to important people first."
Jin-Ah lowered her gaze… then said,
"There is someone… willing to provide the treatment."
Jin-Woo froze.
"What? Who? Is that really true?"
His voice was sincere, innocent, completely lacking the dignity of the man he would become in the future.
She said calmly,
"But the condition… is that you quit working as a hunter and join the Hunters Association for a safe job."
Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
"Who is this person? And why would he do this?"
Jin-Ah looked toward the television, where the interview was still playing.
Then she said a single word.
"Him."
Jin-Woo followed her gaze…
And his shock doubled.
Kim Yoo-Won?
Questions exploded in his mind all at once.
When did she meet him? Where? And why was he helping them?
Jin-Ah took a deep breath and began telling the story she had created since returning home.
She said she met Kim Yoo-Won at the hospital while visiting their mother.
During their conversation, he told her that he owed his life to their father, who had saved him in the past before disappearing.
And when their father disappeared suddenly…
He decided to repay the favor to the family.
After obtaining a method to treat such a rare illness, he chose their mother without hesitation.
Jin-Woo looked at his sister in shock.
He didn't doubt her words for even a moment.
After all, this was about their mother… there was no reason for her to lie.
But still…
Did he really have to quit his job?
He asked her that.
She answered quietly,
"That was his condition."
Then she began persuading him.
A safe job.
A stable salary.
No risk to his life.
No injuries… no fear.
When she noticed his hesitation…
She used her final weapon.
Tears flowed.
She began crying, talking about her fear of losing another family member.
About their father who never returned.
About her daily nightmares.
About her inability to bear losing Jin-Woo as well.
Under those tears…
His heart finally softened.
Jin-Woo agreed.
For two reasons.
First, if her words were true, their mother would be cured.
Second, as the man of the house… he should never make his sister cry.
He promised himself to make up for their father's absence in any way he could.
But Jin-Ah's tears did not stop.
Even she no longer knew…
Was she crying to convince her brother?
Or was she crying out of fear…
Because of Louis…
And because of the path she had stepped onto without being able to see its end.
*** *** ***
Early the next morning, and under constant pressure from his sister, Song Jin-Woo left the house and headed to the small guild he had previously agreed to work for as a porter.
There was no official contract between him and the guild, but his conscience did not allow him to leave without informing them first.
As for joining the Hunters Association… he decided to postpone that for now.
At the very least, until his mother woke up and he could see with his own eyes that everything he had been told was real.
A few minutes after Jin-Woo left, Jin-Ah also went out.
She got dressed in a hurry, her heart beating fast as she prepared to go to the hospital.
She planned to visit her mother… and to find Louis to give him her final answer.
But she did not expect to find him right in front of her.
The moment she stepped outside and lifted her head, she froze in place.
Louis was standing there, calmly leaning against a modern black car.
That confident calm on his face had become familiar—yet frightening at the same time.
"Good morning."
He greeted her in a quiet voice.
Jin-Ah quickly lowered her head and returned the greeting with clear hesitation.
Louis smiled lightly, as if he had expected everything.
"You were heading to the hospital, right? I'll take you."
He opened the door of the car—one of the latest models, a car given to him by the Association—and gestured for her to get in.
Jin-Ah could not refuse.
She sat in the passenger seat beside him, her hands tightly clenched on her lap.
The car started moving smoothly.
Louis drove with complete confidence, then broke the silence with a direct question:
"So… what is your answer to my offer?"
Jin-Ah swallowed, then replied in a low voice:
"…I agree."
His smile deepened slightly.
After a few quick questions, Jin-Ah told him how she had convinced her brother.
Louis laughed softly.
"Ohhh… using the magic tears to trick your brother."
Then he added with a mocking tone:
"Just as expected from our little beauty."
A chill ran through Jin-Ah's body at his words, but she said nothing.
After a short while, they arrived at the hospital.
Using the same simple disguise, Louis went with Jin-Ah toward her mother's room without drawing attention.
He stopped in front of the door and looked at her with a cold gaze.
"Think carefully… I don't want you changing your mind later."
Her body trembled, but she nodded.
Without hesitation, Louis took out the dose of holy water from his system storage and brought it to Jin-Woo's mother's lips, forcing her to drink it.
Before Jin-Ah's eyes…
The miracle began.
The wrinkles on her mother's face slowly faded.
Color returned to her skin, and her chest began to rise and fall with steady breathing.
Even her features looked more alive than they had been in years.
Louis watched the scene calmly, then turned away.
"Alright… it's time for me to leave."
He moved closer to Jin-Ah, whose breathing was unsteady from shock, and whispered:
"I'll come back this evening to collect the next part of the deal.
So… make sure you're ready. Dress nicely."
Before she could say anything—
Louis gave her a light kiss on the lips before...
He disappeared.
Jin-Ah stared at the place where he had been standing, stunned by what had just happened, then slowly turned her eyes back to her mother.
A few minutes later…
The sound of a young girl crying echoed through the hospital.
Jin-Ah was holding her mother tightly, crying without stopping, while the woman who had been trapped in a coma for many long years… finally opened her eyes.