He was a demon. She was a hunter. Cha Hae-in must kill every demon that snuck out of the barrier, including him. But she didn't. Sung Jin-woo walked into her life and managed to enrapture her heart like no other.
Hae-in knew she was doomed. Yet, she found a glimmer of hope.
the way his voice turns one pitch higher as he begins to fear for her life... the desperation... the ragged breathing... the frustration in his growls... the way he whispers out "no... no..."
i'm reading the solo leveling LN again to see how the jinhae moments are portrayed in the novel. this is gonna be animated in the first episode of season 3 i think.
adding commentaries cause i need to YAP about how cute this scene is.
“Hunter Cha, one moment please.”
“Hmm?”
“You don’t have to go that way.”
“…?”
Cha Haein stared at Jinwoo with a puzzled look. There was only one door to the meeting room. Surely he couldn’t be thinking of jumping out of the window.
Jinwoo closely approached Cha Haein, who stood still, “There’s an easier way to get to that place.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll have to be a bit close to you. I hope you don't mind?”
“Ah…”
Cha Haein recalled Baek Yoonho’s retelling of that day’s events. When Korea’s attack team was in its most dire situation, Hunter Sung Jinwoo appeared out of nowhere behind Baek Yoonho.
‘Is he going to show me that?’
Jinwoo was up close, more than she had expected. Cha Haein stared at Jinwoo’s face which was now right infront of hers and gulped,
“Excuse me.”
Jinwoo pulled her into a light hug. He didn’t think much of the gesture. After all, he had carried her all over the place when she was unconscious in the ant hive. However, Cha Haein’s face turned bright red in an instant, yet she managed to remain still.
‘…He smells nice.’
GIRLLLLL STAND UP IM CRYINNGGGG okay real talk tho i know that man smells nice i know he smells like aftershave and pine trees and soap and everything that smells CLEAN
jinwoo saying "excuse me" and asking her for her permission before he touches her... i know that's bare minimum but that's a MAN right there!!!!
Even as her face turned beet red, Jinwoo carefully held her as to not lose her.
‘Alright.’
He wanted to see if this would work, thinking that he wouldn’t get a chance like this again anytime soon.”
“You might get a little dizzy.”
He recalled his first time activating this skill.
Cha Haein put her hands on Jinwoo’s waist and let out a soft and almost whisper-like, “Okay.”
Facing forward, Jinwoo triggered the skill by focusing mentally,
‘Exchange.'
The pair fell into the shadow on the floor without a sound.
With a heavy mechanical sound, the rows of lights overhead came to life one after another. The room’s automatic sensors had detected the pair’s magic power and began to illuminate the chamber. Cha Haein still had her eyes closed, but opened them once she sensed the brightness.
“How…!?”
Her eyes were opened wide, unable to contain her surprise. In a blink they had been transported from Jinwoo’s Guild office to this familiar location.
‘Is this even possible?’
As far as Cha Haein could recall, there had been no documented Hunter ability even remotely close to this. She stared at Jinwoo with a mixture of disbelief and awe.
“You…”
Cha Haein paused. She wanted to know everything about this enigmatic Hunter, but found herself unable to speak. One reason for this was that she had too many questions and didn’t know where to start. The other reason for this was that Jinwoo’s face was mere centimeters away from hers.
“Um… It’s okay now.”
Gently, Jinwoo touched her hand. Cha Haein could feel the temperature of her cheeks rising as he peeled her arms off from around his waist.
“You don’t have to hold onto me anymore.”
Breathlessly, Cha Haein nodded as she stroked the spot on her hand where Jinwoo had touched her.
SHE WAS WRAPPING HER ARMS AROUND HIS WAIST??? THAT WAS NOT IN THE MANHWA BRO
also I wishhhhh they included the last part in the manhwa cause it would have looked SO MUCH CUTERRRR RAAAAHH I can imagine jinwoo looking down at her, she looks so small in his arms, and he's so tall and awkward and they're staring at each other, their faces are so close, and he's like “uhhh you can let go now” and cha blushing MADLY while stroking the spot he'd touched her????? SHUT UP THAT'S SO CUTE THEY'RE SO EMBARRASSING
Jinwoo walked away from the corner where his shadow soldier was hiding and made his way towards the center of the gym.
“So, let’s get started.”
“Okay.”
Cha Haein started after Jinwoo, but paused suddenly. She suddenly remembered that she had left her sword back in her car, thinking that it would be rude to be armed while visiting someone else’s office.
“I left my weapon in my car…”
“Oh, your pickaxe?”
“Huh?”
“The weapon you were holding in the high orc Dungeon was a pickaxe, right?”
Cha Haein felt the blood rush to her face a second time as she recalled that embarrassing encounter.
“No, my weapon is—”
Jinwoo was fighting hard not to laugh. Seeing his expression, Cha Haein realized that he was teasing her.
“…”
Cha Haein flushed an even deeper shade of red. Mercifully, Jinwoo held up his hand.
“Just kidding.”
HELPPPPP HE'S JUST AS ANNOYING AS HE IS IN THE MANHWA but in the LN it plays out more naturally so it really feels like he's just a normal guy teasing his crush???? i didn't know jinhae was peak romance in the LN bro
It was Igris, the strongest swordsman of his Shadow Army.
‘The strongest swordsman, yes. But not the strongest overall…’
Jinwoo decided that it would be overkill to call upon Beru. Afterall, he already knew that Beru’s original form had easily overwhelmed the entire Korean S-rank team and left Cha Haein in mortal danger. Even though the shadow retained a fraction of its original’s power, Jinwoo was cautious of the psychological toil that the ant king might impose on her. Similarly, calling upon Tusk was out of the question, as Jinwoo could not count on the high orc sorcerer to avoid damaging the Association’s property. In the end, Jinwoo decided on Igris.
“Are you sure? It might be difficult to use a weapon that you’re not used to.”
Cha Haein shook her head dismissively.
“It is not the tools we use that make us good, but rather how we employ them. Besides, if I was fighting a magic beast, they wouldn’t wait for me to fetch my usual weapon.”
Jinwoo nodded in agreement. Cha Haein’s sentiment was admirable and he found himself warming up to the female Hunter.
the way he was worried about her, not wanting her to get PTSD... but he also acknowledges her strength and he admires her... god this man
also love how cha acts throughout the chapter, she's cute but also a baddie at the same time
Even though the sword was a common, average-level magic weapon, it looked incredibly formidable in that moment, gripped confidently in Cha Haein’s hands as she stood ready for combat.
‘She truly is strong.'
'Hold on…she said that she doesn’t care about what weapons are used, right?’
A wry smile formed on Jinwoo’s face as he decided to use Cha Haein’s words against her.
“Um…could you turn around for a sec?”
“…?”
Cha Haein tilted her head in puzzlement but did as he requested. Once her back was turned, Jinwoo promptly called up his inventory and pulled out the Demon King’s Longsword.
‘Use this.’
He placed the weapon in Igris’s hand. If a magic beast doesn’t care about their opponent’s weapon, then logic dictates that a Hunter shouldn’t either. Igris bowed his head in deep gratitude and began to bend the knee as well, but Jinwoo stopped him.
‘Hey, I told you already that you don’t have to be so formal with me.’
Jinwoo sighed. If only he could take half of Igris’s chivalrous personality and give it to Iron. Having completed his preparations, he called out to Cha Haein.
“Okay, you can turn back around now.”
When Cha Haein faced her opponent again, she noticed that the knight held a new sword. Electricity coursed through the blade with bright flashes, lighting up the area around them with its eerie blue glow.
“…”
Jinwoo avoided eye contact with her and shuffled his feet, feigning ignorance.
“Ready to get started?”
“…okay.”
Cha Haein realized that she had no room to complain, given her words about weapons earlier. Still, she could not help but let the discontent show on her face. Jinwoo felt slightly guilty, but it was too late to change his mind now.
“Begin!”
Igris moved immediately at the start signal, sweeping the Demon King’s Longsword in a large arc and activating its ability. With a blinding flash, a bright bolt of lightning streaked across the room towards Cha Haein. The brightness stunned the woman for just a moment before her combat experience kicked in. With cat-like grace, she bent backwards to let the lightning sail harmlessly over her body. The attack struck the far wall of the gymnasium with a thunderous crash, leaving the wall charred and smoldering.
Cha Haein recovered her stance and shot a dark look in Jinwoo’s direction. However, the newly-appointed S-ranker avoided eye contact once more. Instead, he appeared to be intensely focused on checking the length of his fingernails.
‘…’
Rather than complaining, Cha Haein grasped her sword with both hands. Jinwoo subtly signalled to Igris to avoid using the lightning strike.
Jinwoo: “Summoning Tusk will just end up damaging the Association’s property with his fire magic.”
also jinwoo: gives the demon monarch's sword that can cast LIGHTNING BOLTS to igris
sdfasdfds HE'S A MENACE IN THE LN HE'S SO MISCHIEVOUS
NOT HIM AVOIDING EYE CONTACT AND SHUFFLING ON HIS FEET AFTER IGRIS THREW A FUCKING LIGHTNING BOLT AT HER LMFAOOOOASJFOASKD TRYING TO ACT ALL INNOCENT WHEN CHA WAS LOWKEY GLARING AT HIM HELPPPP THIS IS LITERALLY THEM
ALSO NOT JINWOO LOOKING AT HIS FINGERNAILS WHEN IGRIS KEPT SPAMMING LIGHTNING STRIKES AND PISSING HER THE FUCK OFF HE'S REALLY LIKE mm-mm i didn't see that i don't know what you're glaring at me for girl that wasn't my doing
okay but when he actually felt guilty in the end and silently told igris to stop with the lightning attacks... this is my husband!jinwoo omg he's sweet but also so annoyinggggg
also it's sweet that igris still bends his knees for him and jinwoo stopping him like "bro come on we're friends now" while also throwing shades at iron LMFAOOOOAJSFOSD
NO BECAUSE THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC OF JINHAE JUST MAKES ME FUCKING INSANE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND ME.💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
they mean so much to me and the shy girl x calm boy type shit is literally my favourite dynamic ever and they’re so soft and fluffy and I hate my life I miss them sm it’s not fair I want more jinhae this LN is ruining my life if anyone knows the specific volume w this scene pls tell me bc I need to go buy it or else I’ll die fr I’m begging 🙏🙏🙏
WHAT DO U MEANNNNN SHE HELD ONTO HIM AND DIDNT LET GO UNTIL HE TOLD HER IT WAS OKAY WHAT DO U MEAN SHE CLOSED HER EYES AND LEANED IN AND BASICALLY FELT LIKE CALM FROM HIS SCENT BUT ALSO NERVOUS BC SHES IN LOVE W HIM WHAT DO U MEAN JINWOO WAS GENTLE W HER AND DIDNT WANT TO HARM HER IN ANY WAY WHAT DO U MEAN HE SOFTLY SAID EXCUSE ME BEFORE HOLDING ONTO HER BC HES A KIND AND GENTLE GENTLEMAN WHY IS HE BEING SO TENDER WITH HER WHEN HE DOESNT HAVE ROMANTIC FEELINGS ATP IN THE STORY WHAT DO U MEAN HE LIKES TO TEASE HER WHEN HE DONT EVEN DO THIS W NO ONE ELSE WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEAN WHAT DO U MEANNNNNNNNN 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 im ending it all.
If there were 100 men, 99 of them would unhesitatingly praise her looks and call it beautiful. However, besides all that, what attracted Jin-Woo's attention the most was not her looks but what was inside her. The power that was hidden inside her. From that expressionless woman, an incredible amount of magic energy was leaking out non-stop. At a bare minimum, she's on the same level as Choi Jong-In. Or maybe, even more than that. She possessed an aura that easily overwhelmed her surroundings.
You know what gets me? Before he went to battle the Monarchs, Jin-woo was with Hae-in.
Twice.
1.) Jin-woo, taking Hae-in out on a date with him and eventually falling asleep next to her under the stars. And the day after— he faced against the Beast Monarch and Frost Monarch.
2.) How Jin-woo called Hae-in before he went on a battle with Antares.
Now, why didn't Jin-woo choose to call his family instead? — it's simple: he didn't want to hear their terrified, tearful voices. His heart would clench in pain until guilt came over him and he would no longer have the determination to fight anymore because all in his mind would be the pain in his mother and sister's voices; his family meant more than anything to him, so of course, it would serve as Jin-woo's weakness.
But with Hae-in, Jin-woo's courage was adamantine. He fought with all his might. Jin-woo knew Hae-in would never express her worry to him, except she gave him hope by asking him to meet her again; Hae-in probably knew what it felt if someone showed trepidation before going to battle. Instead, she put her hope on the front.
The only time his family were the last people whom Jin-woo spent time with before fighting the Monarchs again, but in the dimensional cracks on the epilogue.
BUT I WON'T JUST STOP THERE!
3.) Jin-woo taking his wife out on their 16th anniversary before he went to battle again that opened the door to 'Ragnarok'.
"My realm is your realm." He said as he took her hand in his. Jin-woo brought it to his lips, touching the soft skin like the petals of a blossoming flower. . . Warm like the morning sunshine. "We shall always rule this world together as I serve you, my Queen."
"Will you wait for my return, then?" Hae-in asked.
The God let out a smile at his lover. "I will wait for you like how the mortals await for their flowers to bloom. And how the moon waits for the sun to rest. It may feel as though thousands of years might pass, I know fate will bring you back to my arms."