Chapter 597
“He’s awake.”
The path I’ve walked was paved with countless deaths and screams.
But I can say for certain—never before had I felt such quiet, suffocating sorrow.
Beyond the silence, a heavy storm beat against the windows.
Though everything that needed to be said had long ended, the room that held just the two of us remained wrapped in silence.
Chief Choi, his head turned toward the rain, suddenly spoke.
“I must’ve been seven. That was when Butler Kim first came to me.”
A memory faded by time. Over twenty years had passed since then.
The child who had suddenly lost his parents grew into a young man, and frost began to settle in the butler’s hair.
“I can barely remember my parents’ voices anymore, but everything about him is still clear as day.”
When his parents died and even his only maternal grandfather disappeared, Butler Kim remained at his side.
“There came a day I realized it. The scale and weight of his devotion… was beyond anything I could ever measure. And yet…”
His voice trailed off, and Chief Choi turned his head.
Perhaps it was from staring at the rain too long—his eyes, now fixed on me, were soaked with tears.
“I can never repay it now. Not anymore. Not ever.”
Drip. Drop.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him like this.
With a heavy voice, tears rolled down his cheek and stained the white bedsheets.
No, this was just the storm tapping against the window. At least for now, I chose to believe that.
“Mr. Jin Taekyung.”
I nodded in response.
No one had spent more time with Butler Kim than Chief Choi. Whatever sorrow I had felt earlier was nothing compared to what he was feeling now.
‘He lost family.’
To Chief Choi, Kim Hwajong wasn’t just a butler—he was family. The one person who had stayed by a left-behind child and became his only support.
He had every right to resent me for not saving him, to grab me by the collar and curse me out.
That would be okay. Better, even, than bottling everything up. Sometimes it’s better to let it all out.
I didn’t want to see him drowning silently in the emotions swelling in his throat.
And then, he said something that pierced my ears.
“Thank you.”
“For staying by his side at the end. For doing what I couldn’t… thank you, sincerely.”
I suddenly found myself speechless.
I wanted to say something, but something in my throat locked the words away.
After a long pause, I barely managed to speak.
“Chief Choi.”
But he gently shook his head before I could continue.
“I’m okay. Really.”
It was an obvious lie, but one I had no choice but to accept.
As I pressed my lips shut again, he offered me a faint smile.
“Sorry for showing you such a pathetic side. Mind if I have a moment alone?”
What words could I possibly offer him now?
I wasn’t qualified to say anything.
He needed time.
Time to accept the death of someone closer than blood.
Time to gather the courage to face his body.
“Then please rest. There are people on standby, so call for anything you need.”
Trying to sound cheerful, I rose from my seat and walked to the door.
Just as I reached for the doorknob, a thought struck me. One last thing I wanted to say.
“Chief Choi.”
“Yes?”
“It’s okay to stumble sometimes. No one will hear if you cry out loud. No one but him.”
“…”
“I’ll be going now.”
I had already turned around, so I didn’t see what kind of expression he made or how he felt when he heard me.
And for that, I was grateful.
*Click.*
As I stepped out and closed the door behind me, a faint sob reached my ears.
The quietest, saddest sob I had ever heard.
It was the sound of someone who had never wavered finally breaking.
“Taekyung, how’s Chief Choi…”
That sob wasn’t mine to hear alone.
As I exited the room, Im Jeok-jung, who had been about to ask a question, closed his mouth with a grim face.
The two others waiting in the hall had the same reaction.
“Ah. I’m tired. I need a coffee.”
Stretching her arms wide, Song-Yi quickly walked off.
Skeleton King, locking eyes with me, scratched his jaw.
“I should grab some coffee too. Haven’t been sleeping well… about to pass out.”
“Huh? Yeah. Me too.”
Im Jeok-jung made sense. But an undead monster saying he’s sleepy and wants coffee—what kind of excuse was that? I laughed faintly and patted his shoulder.
“Grab me one too.”
“Damn human. Don’t you have hands? Or feet?”
“I’ve got a spear instead.”
Skeleton King paused for a beat, then spoke with narrowed eyes.
“Black?”
“Mix.”
“Tch. You don’t even know good coffee. Fine. Just this once. Only this once.”
Grumbling under his breath, he followed the others down the hallway.
Then I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance.
Step. Step.
Three men in black suits emerged.
From their steady pace and composed breathing, it was clear they were highly trained—no, they were definitely A-rank Hunters.
But the fact they’d stepped into this mansion meant they weren’t ordinary Hunters. They belonged to an organization completely separate from the guilds.
“Pleasure to meet you, Hunter Jin Taekyung.”
Instead of replying, I looked at their neckties.
Pinned to their ties was a black-and-gold badge engraved with a rose of Sharon and tiny letters.
[Presidential Security Service]
There was no doubt whose orders they were following.
I gave a small nod and opened my mouth.
“President Baek Hanseong sent you?”
The man at the front responded with military precision.
“No. His Excellency departed 30 minutes ago. He apologizes for leaving without notice due to urgent affairs and asks for your understanding.”
Seems he left while I was with Chief Choi. I understood his situation and had no regrets.
“No need to apologize. He’s probably ten times busier because of me anyway.”
“Twenty times, maybe?”
*Ahem.*
“Cough.”
Their flustered coughs made it clear they were beyond swamped.
I hadn’t checked the outside world yet, but I could already guess.
Two days ago, the country—and the world—had flipped upside down.
‘And rightly so.’
Back-to-back monster waves in one day was unprecedented.
But the fact they had been artificially triggered, and that Ares Guild’s vice guildmaster was the mastermind—that was more devastating than a nuclear bomb.
Even I, unaware of the full picture, could guess how massive the aftermath would be.
“Wait… did you stay just to tell me that?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then…?”
As I trailed off, the three men bowed politely.
“By order of the President, we have been assigned to temporarily guard you and your family. Though officially described as surveillance, we hope you’ll think of us as simply protection.”
“Surveillance?”
“Just until the situation is fully resolved. Only two days have passed, and at present, Hunter Jin Taekyung, you are considered under investigation but not detained.”
Under investigation without detention.
Not the most comforting phrase, much like surveillance.
I’d heard that phrase countless times growing up, whenever high-ranking politicians or corporate tycoons got in trouble.
‘At least it’s not detention.’
It meant I still had my freedom, though the investigation had formally begun.
“What are the charges?”
“Most can be considered under extenuating circumstances, but… the largest is the assault-related one.”
The man who seemed to be in charge spoke with a mixture of respect and anxiety in his eyes.
“As you likely know, the number of casualties caused directly by you, Hunter Jin Taekyung, exceeds five hundred—ranging from minor to serious injuries.”
“…Ah.”
“But please don’t worry. Given the domestic and international context, and the situation at the time, it’s highly likely that self-defense will be recognized.”
I had expected some punishment, but the outlook was more favorable than I imagined.
With the truth revealed, both at home and abroad, the justification for my actions was widely accepted.
And the late Seok Gojun had become globally recognized as a certified bastard.
‘I thought I’d be headed straight to prison.’
Before heading to the Ares Guild HQ, I’d even formally resigned from the Peace Guild, afraid of causing collateral damage. That now felt unnecessary.
Of course, none of this could be called fortunate—after all, it had all begun with Kim Hwajong’s death.
And…
‘Things settled so quickly because of that solid testimony.’
I recalled my conversation with President Baek from about an hour ago.
That photo of a composed middle-aged man standing before countless cameras and microphones.
Go Sewon.
According to the president, he was being held in a special detention facility and had requested to meet me.
Said he owed me a debt.
‘A debt… what does he mean?’
Our meeting had been brief, but Go Sewon didn’t strike me as someone who would say such things out of courtesy.
Even if I was wrong, I should speak with him at least once.
He gave up everything to tell the truth.
Though his crimes as Seok Gojun’s bodyguard were unforgivable, I couldn’t deny I owed him something as well.
While I was deep in thought before the guards, Skeleton King came swaggering down the hall.
“Here’s your damn coffee. Drink it.”
As I stared at the steaming mix coffee, I made my decision and spoke.
“I don’t want it.”
“…You son of a bitch.”
Ignoring his growl, I turned to the guards.
“Let’s go. Take me there.”
“Pardon?”
“To Go Sewon. You said he’s being held in a special facility.”
The guards blinked in surprise for a moment—then nodded.