"Hunter Kim Yusin."

I was in a windowless interrogation room, sitting across from an agent from the Enforcement Bureau—the division whose name alone made most hunters tremble.

"How long has it been since you got your official rank 4 license? And you've already caused a disaster of this magnitude."

The agent slapped a pile of photos and charts onto the table. There were pictures of the Healer's Union members writhing on the ground, a shot of the collapsed building where I'd fought the chairman, and another showing the aftermath of our battle—an overturned road, a tangle of crushed cars.

"Assault, destruction of property, obstruction of traffic, and violation of the Special Hunter Act for misuse of abilities. Not to mention you left Bonggyu beyond recovery. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I remained silent.

"When the Association grants you an unprecedented promotion, you should be grateful and keep your head down. What does it make us look like when you immediately go off and cause trouble, huh? Haven't you heard the media questioning your qualifications?"

I remained silent, and he heaved a deep sigh.

"Don't ignore me. At least try to make an excuse."

"What I told you earlier is the whole story," I said with a shrug. "I went to rescue a kidnapped employee, they attacked me, and I took them all down. That's it."

"Right, but why did 'you' have to take them down?! Are you a cop? You should have called the police! Or, since hunters were involved, you should have requested help from the Enforcement Bureau!"

"If you were in my position, would you have asked for help?"

The agent's eyebrow twitched. "…What did you just say?"

"Everyone was turning a blind eye to the Healer's Union," I stated plainly. "Despite everything they've done, they've been allowed to operate with impunity. Under those circumstances, why would I trust the authorities and risk a hostage's life by calling for help?"

"Ha, listen to this punk! Are you seriously suggesting the Enforcement Bureau—!"

'Clank!'

The interrogation room door swung open, and a tall man in a coat strode in. The agent shot to his feet, startled, and snapped a sharp salute. The man returned it with a curt nod.

"Get out."

"Sir? B-but we're in the middle of an interrogation…"

"I won't say it twice."

The agent scurried out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The man sank into the chair and crossed his arms.

"We meet again, Kim Yusin."

"Hello."

It was Im Namjin, a rank-2 hunter and the head of the Enforcement Bureau. He glanced at the photos on the table before sweeping them aside.

"The cleanup was handled better than I expected."

"Thank you."

Of course, that was all Seojin's work. It also helped that both incidents occurred in sparsely populated areas.

"Setting all other issues aside," Namjin said, his expression turning serious, "there's one thing I'm most curious about. You. What, exactly, is your relationship with the president?"

I offered a bitter smile. "If I had to define it, I'd say it's the relationship between the academy's chancellor and a student."

"I see." Namjin pressed his temples as if fighting off a migraine. "That woman is raising hell, demanding I release you. She stormed into my office, planted herself at my desk, and threw a tantrum. I'm about to lose my mind."

"…Haha."

"Well, it wouldn't look good for us to have our unprecedented new rank-4 hunter end up in prison, either. Let's just say our interests aligned. Besides, public opinion of the Healer's Union was already at rock bottom. They needed to be dealt with, and you saved us the trouble."

I nodded with a smile. It always helps to talk to the people at the top.

"…But there's a limit to how much we can cover for you," he warned. "You're not a student anymore; you're an official hunter. Be mindful of your actions from now on."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Namjin turned his head slightly. "Still, this whole affair was quite satisfying. Hearing that Oh Bonggyu was taken… I have to admit, it felt good."

"Thank you."

He chuckled and glanced at his watch. "Procedurally, you have to stay here until noon. Are you hungry?"

"Ah, yes."

"Let's have lunch. My afternoon is packed, so I probably won't get another chance to eat." He skimmed a local delivery menu he'd brought with him. 'Jajangmyeon' or 'jjampong'? What's your pick?"

* * *

After a surprisingly friendly bowl of 'jajangmyeon' with Namjin, I was released. Outside, Seojin was waiting with the car.

"You must have had a difficult time, Tower Master. How did it go with the Enforcement Bureau?"

"It was fine. It seems the president pulled some strings. Namjin also seems to have a favorable impression of me since we met at the Labyrinth Dungeon."

Seojin let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. For a moment there, I was afraid something terrible was going to happen."

I patted his shoulder and got into the passenger seat. Seojin slid behind the wheel.

"How's Bora?"

"I just got word that she's awake."

"To the hospital, then."

As Seojin started the car, he turned on the radio. A report on the Healer's Union was just beginning.

"The release of dungeon cam footage from the Healer's Union incident is sparking a firestorm of public outrage."

Right. I'd leaked everything to the media. The day after the Union issued a statement claiming the audio files were fabricated, the original video footage was released to the press. To make it even more damning, I included clips of Bonggyu and the other healers' reactions to seeing the video.

[You bastard! Where did you get this…?!]

[Name your price.]

[At the time, I was blinded by the relic… It was something that should have never happened…]

It was all captured perfectly, leaving no room for excuses. Public opinion didn't just simmer; it exploded. The story dominated headlines, search engine rankings, and primetime news programs. Victims who had long been silent began coming forward, creating a powerful movement that the media scrambled to cover, exposing the Union's corruption to the world.

To add fuel to the fire, I also leaked that the recent rumors about potion side effects were the Union's handiwork. And everyone learned the truth.

—So all that talk about side effects was just a lie?

—Exactly. The Union started it because they were afraid potions would cut into their profits.

—That's disgusting.

The public was now at a point where the very name 'Healer's Union' was met with revulsion. Alchemia was exonerated, its reputation restored.

'Alright, so what's your next move?' I thought, pulling out my phone to check the reactions in the hunter community. The fallout had spread, catching even high-ranking healers unaffiliated with the Union in the crossfire. Their social media pages were flooded with demands for explanations.

[Official Rank-2 Healer Ahn Yuri: "I have no affiliation with the Healer's Union."]

[Heinz Management clearly states that its healers are not involved in this incident. We will take strong legal action against any attempts to defame our hunters…]

[Rank-3 Healer Choi Ilhu immediately unfollows Oh Bonggyu on all social media.]

[While it appears Healer Choi Eunwon's social media account was hacked, she has confirmed that she has no connection to the current situation…]

A laugh escaped me as I scrolled through the posts. 'That's right. Better cut your losses if you don't want to get hurt.'

[Saintess Hasua: "The Healer's Union does not represent all healers. A new system will be created."]

With the Union's complete collapse, even established healers couldn't escape the winds of change.

"Tower Master, we've arrived," Seojin stated.

I'd been so engrossed in the news that I hadn't realized we'd reached the hospital. The triumphant feeling from the car evaporated.

"What floor is Bora's room on?"

"Floor seven, room 703."

The elevator doors opened to the seventh floor and the distinct, sterile smell of disinfectant. Nurses bustled past as we quietly entered room 703.

'…Ah.'

By the sunlit window, Bora was sitting up in a white hospital gown, reading a storybook to Eunsol. When she saw me, she offered a shy smile and a small wave. Seeing her with an IV in her arm, her body dotted with bandages, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Yusin! Hi!" Eunsol chirped, and I finally managed a belated greeting. I set the fruit basket I'd brought on a shelf and took the chair beside her bed.

Seojin, in a bizarre attempt to sound hip, leaned toward Eunsol. "Miss Eunsol, I saw a snack bar downstairs. How about we go get some ice cream-o?"

"I want ice cream-o!"

With that, Seojin led Eunsol out of the room. The woman in the next bed also stepped out to take a call, leaving Bora and me alone.

"Ah, Yusin! Look!" Beaming, Bora held up a crane folded from colored paper. "It's a paper crane!"

"It's a paper crane," I echoed. What was I supposed to say? It was so obvious I didn't know how to react.

"Eunsol brought me colored paper and an origami book! But I think I got more into it than she did," Bora chattered. "I'm actually terrible with my hands, you know? Back in school, a paper airplane was the best I could do. This stuff is so hard! I'll be following the instructions, and then suddenly it gets impossible. Flip this, unfold that, make a new crease… Maybe I just lack spatial awareness. I'd stare at the diagrams and have no idea what I was looking at."

"The best I could do was a dog's face," I admitted.

She giggled. "Right? I was always so jealous of the kids who could fold a thousand cranes and keep them in a jar. But trying it now that I'm older… it feels different." She lifted the paper crane again, making it glide through the air. "Ta-da! My first-ever paper crane! It's surprisingly rewarding. It makes me feel like I'm an adult now, you know? Like I've grown up."

With Bora, there was never a moment of silence. She could talk for hours about something as trivial as origami. But for some reason, I couldn't focus on the small talk.

"Bora."

"Yeees?"

"I'm sorry." I bowed my head. "It's my fault. My carelessness dragged you into something terrifying."

She slowly lowered the hand holding the paper crane.

"I've been thinking a lot," I continued. "As long as you're an administrator for the Magic Tower, I can't guarantee you won't be caught up in things like this again."

The Healer's Union was just the beginning. My future plans would shake the entire hunter world. There would be more incidents, more resistance. I would make powerful enemies, and a confrontation with Unix was inevitable. The Hunter Association itself might one day turn against me.

"It's not too late. You can go back to your old life, back to being an ordinary student. As for the restriction, I'll figure something out…"

"Yusin."

Her voice, usually sweet and charming, was low and steady. A taut silence filled the room. She met my gaze, her expression completely serious, stripped of all pretense.

"My life is here."

For a moment, I was speechless.

"I'm happy here, at the Magic Tower," she said, her voice unwavering. "The people are wonderful, making potions is fun, and I feel like what we're doing—changing the world—is valuable. This is what I chose. I'm doing it because I love it. Of course, what happened was scary, but…" She lifted her head, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face. "In the end, you came and saved me, didn't you?"

I was too stunned to speak.

"And you'll keep saving me. So what's the problem?"

She shrugged, and the fist I had clenched on my knee slowly relaxed. "…Thank you for saying that."

"Actually, I'm the one who should be asking for a favor." Overcome with emotion, her eyes welled with tears as she wrapped her arms around me. "Please don't abandon me."

"…Bora."

"I'm so sick of being lonely," she whispered, her voice cracking.

I felt a patch of my shirt grow damp as I slowly patted her back. "I promise."

"…And I'm sorry. I broke the taboo."

"That was a good strategic choice."

We talked for a long time, clearing up my misunderstandings and hers. I had to admit my judgment had been rash. I'd thought of her as a coddled kid, but she was far more resilient and thoughtful than I had ever imagined. Who was I to tell her to quit just because it was dangerous? My offer had been nothing short of an insult.

"Ah."

Suddenly, she blushed and pulled away. I looked over and saw Seojin and Eunsol standing in the doorway.

"Huh? Bora, were you crying?" Eunsol asked.

"N-no. I wasn't crying."

"Your eyes are red."

"They get like this when I'm in pain."

Seojin chuckled, holding up a rustling plastic bag. "I brought ice cream. Let's all have some."

"Sounds good."

We all dove for the bag.

"Ugh, Seojin, you have no taste! You should have bought a variety!"

"I call strawberry!"

"Is there one with red bean filling?"

"Ohoho! You have such a mature palate, Yusin!"

"You were just making fun of me, weren't you?"

"Excuse me! The patient and her guardians! Please be quiet in the hospital!"

"We're sorry!"

And just like that, we returned to our daily lives.

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