I love this panel. Why is Akira pointing at the visible-all-across-Japan fireworks that literally light up the night? And why isn't Makoto looking at it? (And why is he fidgeting with a pair of handcuffs??? That's a whole different point.)
Is he so caught up is seeing Akira that he simply doesn't notice the Yanagida-grade noise and light parade happening right above him?
(Also, unnamed-zashiki-warashi (who desperately needs a name) being adorable as always)
(And the implication that Makoto walks over to the hospital after work? Do they go home together every night?)
Yoojin's ideal type is someone mature who is tall (approaching 200 cm) with a good build, capable of protecting him; these desires arise from the things he lacked in childhood.
This shit is fukin killing me. The closet is glass. DUDE
Extra: Nightmare of a Government’s Official, e-book Vol. 25 (MTL, with edits from Korean speaking friend lol)
(featuring Han Yoojin, Han Yoohyun, Song Taewon, Sung Hyunje, and Park Yerim, set after Chatterbox Arc)
HEAVY SPOILERS FOR CHATTERBOX ARC AND EVENTS THAT FOLLOWS
Context: After successfully defeating Chatterbox and having his pre-regression memories revealed to the world, Yoojin disappeared. Sung Hyunje also went missing (kidnapped by Cresent Moon gang to prepare for his “wedding”).
.
Han Yoojin had gone missing. It was said that he was somewhere on Earth, but his whereabouts were unknown.
Han Yoojin was not an ordinary F-rank Hunter. Even setting aside his abilities as a Hunter, he had plenty of social experience and excellent interpersonal skills. Song Taewon believed that no matter where in the world Han Yoojin might end up in, he was the kind of person who could at least take care of himself. This assessment was very different from when Song Taewon had first met him.
However, at the same time, Han Yoojin was still stat F. He wasn’t the kind of person who would be easily crushed by high-rank Hunters, but his rank definitely meant he stood on the disadvantaged side. Even if you trusted him, it was impossible not to worry.
“Yes, I see. As expected.”
And to make matters worse, this was right after information about the time regression had been revealed. High-rank Hunters whose memories hadn’t been completely erased had begun making moves to search for Han Yoojin.
So, they needed to track down Han Yoojin’s location as quickly as possible.
“Hunter Han Yoohyun.”
Song Taewon couldn’t take his eyes off the Korean Hunters other than Han Yoojin either. Han Yoohyun showed no reaction at all, as if he hadn’t heard Song Taewon’s voice.
Before he could leave the hotel, Song Taewon spoke again.
“On behalf of Han Yoojin-ssi… I want to say this.”
Song Taewon’s voice hesitated for a moment before continuing quickly.
“Han Yoojin-ssi would not want Hunter Han Yoohyun to act recklessly and on his own.”
“Hyung would say it’s fine no matter what I do, as long as I come back safely.”
With the Transcendents temporarily withdrawn, there was currently no one in this world who could threaten Han Yoohyun. So whatever he chose to do didn’t really matter.
Even so, his response did not sound arrogant or overly confident. Han Yoohyun was simply stating what he believed to be an obvious fact.
“That may well be true. However, Han Yoojin-ssi would likely try to personally clean up after whatever you do, Hunter Han Yoohyun. And since this is the United States rather than Korea, the situation would inevitably become more complicated. There is a strong possibility that he could end up tied down here for a long time.”
He had exaggerated slightly, but it was not a lie. Han Yoojin would never leave Han Yoohyun’s mess unattended. And the American Hunter community would hardly pass up a good opportunity to keep Han Yoojin tied down.
“But Hunter Han Yoohyun will likely have to return to Korea. You have duties as a Guild Master, and the United States will probably demand that you leave the country. That would make it easier for them to approach Han Yoojin-ssi.”
“Don’t you have a duty to protect the Hunters of your own country?”
Han Yoohyun turned his body toward Song Taewon. It seemed he had finally decided to listen properly.
Inside, Song Taewon swallowed a sigh.
“You wouldn’t allow hyung to remain in the United States. The Korean government and the Hunter Association feel the same.”
“Of course, we will do our utmost to protect Hunter Han Yoojin. However, there are limits. Hunter Han Yoohyun. If you intend to live within society rather than apart from it, please follow the proper procedures.”
Contrary to what Song Taewon had said, with the abilities of Han Yoojin and Han Yoohyun, it wouldn’t actually be difficult for them to smooth over most incidents. It was society that needed them, not the other way around. Especially Han Yoohyun.
However, Song Taewon had a duty to stop Han Yoohyun’s unilateral actions somehow. If he let the other go like this, a clash with the high-ranking Hunters targeting Han Yoojin would inevitably occur. And that clash would happen right in the middle of Manhattan.
Han Yoohyun didn’t deliberately harm civilians. Rather, he simply had no interest in them at all. In that sense, among S-class Hunters he could even be considered relatively moderate.
However, if it involved his hyung, that was a different matter. When it came to Han Yoojin, there was no such thing as a reasonable limit. Letting him loose like this would make him even more dangerous.
“You’re well aware that Han Yoojin-ssi wishes to adjust to society and blend into it appropriately, if only for the sake of his children.”
Han Yoohyun’s gaze briefly fell upon the back of his own hand. The skin was clean and unblemished.
“I trust hyung.”
Not your words.
There were flaws in Song Taewon’s persuasion, and it wasn’t enough to stop Han Yoohyun. But the part that was lacking could be filled by Han Yoohyun’s trust in and respect for Han Yoojin.
Hyung had even escaped safely from that Chatterbox’s grasp. So there was no way he would fall victim to mere humans in this world.
Han Yoohyun desperately wanted to find his hyung and stay by his side as soon as possible, even if it was only for a moment longer. But he decided to endure a little more. Just as Song Taewon had said, his hyung wanted to live in this world’s society together with him.
“I won’t wait long.”
“Yes. I’ll obtain permission and cooperation for the search operation as quickly as possible.”
Saying he would wait, Han Yoohyun called over Peace, who had been standing near the hotel entrance. Though Peace showed dissatisfaction and confusion, it followed the command and went up to the room with Han Yoohyun.
“…Ha...”
Song Taewon finally let out a short sigh he had been holding back.
For now, the biggest hurdle had been overcome. Moon Hyuna was cooperative, and since Park Yerim, who tended to stay within the bounds of common sense, had left together with her, that was another worry off his shoulders. Noah and Liette belonged to the European Hunter Federation, and since that side had agreed to handle them, they were outside Song Taewon’s authority. Evelyn and Kang Soyoung had decided to return home first.
Regarding the last remaining person.
‘Hunter Sung Hyunje…’
As Song Taewon contacted the American Hunter Association, the face of the one other person who had disappeared came to mind.
It was a daunting thought.
* * *
Song Taewon, Director of the Korean Awakened Management Office, moved busily around the United States.
His top priority was obtaining permission for Hunters Han Yoohyun and Park Yerim to conduct a search operation for Han Yoojin. Even convincing them (the Management office of the States) of the clear reason, that Dodam Breeding Farm maintained close relations with Haeyeon and that Han Yoojin was family, required a mountain of paperwork.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the terrorist activities of the Prophet faction had begun, allowing Han Yoohyun to quickly receive combat authorization within the city under the pretext of dealing with them.
However, there was still no news of Han Yoojin or Sung Hyunje.
“Apparently it’s nothing but false reports again today!”
Park Yerim, who had taken over communications with Haeyeon while Han Yoohyun pursued the terrorists, grumbled. Then, she looked at Song Taewon with concern.
“Public servant ahjusshi, you stayed up all night again, didn’t you?”
“I’m fine.”
“What do you mean fine! Even if you’re S-class, they said you still need to sleep a little. People at the Awakened Management Office said that even S-class Hunters feel fatigue if they overwork—and that Director Song is the living proof of it!”
“I’m still fine.”
“You’re not fine. What if you find ahjusshi later but you’re in bad condition? Hyuna-unni said there’s definitely going to be a huge fight.”
Given how heated the situation was, she said it would be hard for things to end quietly with everyone simply going home. Park Yerim crossed her arms and looked straight at Song Taewon.
“More importantly, public servant ahjusshi is my team member!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Yes, the Yesong Team. This is an order from the team leader. You must sleep tonight!”
(Context, highlight to read the white text: Song Taewon and Yerim participated in the Chatterbox game as a team. Yoojin competed on his own.)
Was Park Yerim the team leader? More importantly, had there even been a team leader? Song Taewon thought blankly. Perhaps he wanted to forget as quickly as possible, because the events from the party already felt hazy, like something from over ten years ago.
In any case, it was true that once Han Yoojin’s location was found, a clash between Hunters would be unavoidable. Above all, the movements of the terrorist organization were far from ordinary.
Because of that, Song Taewon decided he would at least get a little sleep.
* * *
“Since we came all the way to the United States, it’d be a shame not to do some sightseeing in Paris~.”
Han Yoojin was standing atop the head of a swaying gondola (a type of boat similar to the ones used in the canals of Venice). Beside him, Sung Hyunje slowly fanned himself. Both of them were dressed in Rococo-era clothing, as if they were about to attend a grand masquerade ball.
Song Taewon felt relieved. So they were sightseeing together. The fact that the two of them were together made him uneasy, but at least they were safe. They didn’t seem to have caused any particular trouble either.
“But it’s a pity it’s only the two of us.”
“We were about to blow up the Eiffel Tower, yet there are so few spectators.”
The Eiffel Tower… Song Taewon’s heart began to pound. Of course, it wasn’t from anticipation.
The Eiffel Tower appeared in front of the two of them. Han Yoojin laughed brightly, giggling with delight. Sung Hyunje lifted an opera glass and looked toward the tower.
“The bombs are stacked quite beautifully.”
“My skills have improved a lot in the meantime~.”
Han Yoojin raised a classic-looking bomb switch high into the air. Reflexively, Song Taewon reached out his hand.
But his body wouldn’t move, as if it were tightly bound in chains.
‘Han Yoojin-ssi!’
Even his voice wouldn’t come out. Sung Hyunje poured wine into a glass. Han Yoojin’s finger descended toward the red switch.
Click.
And then—boom!
Song Taewon’s eyes flew open.
“……”
The dim ceiling of the hotel room came into view. The blanket he had unconsciously gripped tightly had been torn in a long rip.
‘…A dream.’
Song Taewon calmed his pounding heart. He normally didn’t dream much, but with both Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunje missing, the situation must have been stressing him more than he realized.
‘…Han Yoojin-ssi would never do something like that.’
He had caused plenty of trouble before, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would harm others for no reason, just as a prank.
A dream was only a dream.
Song Taewon picked up his phone to check the time and tried to go back to sleep.
But sleep didn’t come easily.
* * *
On the fifth day since Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunje went missing, the whereabouts of the two were finally revealed, along with news of Sung Hyunje’s marriage.
The circumstances were unclear, but Song Taewon immediately began negotiations to head to Africa. Fortunately, both the United States and the Hunter Association in Egypt, where he was heading, were fairly cooperative.
“It’s a shame you’re leaving already.”
An employee of the New York Hunter Association, who had come to see Song Taewon off at the airport, spoke with sincere regret. Song Taewon gave a polite bow of his head.
“Thank you for your cooperation during this time.”
“No, we’re the ones who should be thankful. Whenever Director Song visits, things stay peaceful.”
The association employee continued with a sigh.
“In the United States, not only in public office but even within the association, it’s rare to have even A-rank Hunters, let alone S-rank ones. S-ranks only sign short-term contracts at best. Meanwhile, most Hunters in the association are mid-rank or lower. But New York, especially Manhattan, has a high population density, so the dungeon occurrence rate is high, which means there are many high-rank Hunters as well… and they’re quite forceful.”
The more important Hunters became, the greater their influence tended to be. As a result, the ones who suffered the most were the relevant departments and association staff.
“If we just had even one S-rank Hunter staying with us, things would be much easier.”
Song Taewon calmly brushed aside the gaze that carried not just admiration but outright desire. It was something he encountered in almost every country. Thanks to that, there had even been times when working overseas felt easier than working in Korea.
“Even with a direct flight, Egypt is quite far, so please get some rest on the way.”
Leaving behind the lingering farewell asking him to visit again anytime, Song Taewon boarded the plane.
Han Yoohyun and Park Yerim would likely have slipped aboard quietly as well, but boarding the private jet alone still felt extremely awkward.
Song Taewon sat in the spacious seat and checked his phone. After once again reviewing the photo of a cat presumed to be Han Yoojin and the information on Samir and Isabella, he leaned back deeply against the seat.
‘Han Yoojin-ssi seems to be safe for now, but…’
The photo uploaded by Isabella did not appear to have been taken under coercion. Rather, it was more likely that Han Yoojin himself had requested it be taken so that his location could be revealed.
In other words, the relationship between the two S-class Hunters and Han Yoojin was likely friendly, or at the very least a contractual alliance.
‘Both S-class Hunters had decent evaluations as well.’
Even if their relationship soured, they weren’t the kind of people who would harm Han Yoojin, or so he had been told. The information couldn’t be trusted unconditionally, but for now, it seemed safe enough to feel reassured about Han Yoojin’s side.
But as for Sung Hyunje…
A deep crease formed between Song Taewon’s brows.
‘Marriage…?’
If, like Huanglin had joked, Sung Hyunje’s marriage partner was Han Yoojin, it would almost make sense. But otherwise, there was absolutely no one he could imagine.
‘He’s not the type to marry someone he doesn’t find worthy just for the sake of a goal…’
Sung Hyunje occasionally did incomprehensible and absurd things, but he rarely behaved in a way that diminished his own value. At least, that was the kind of person Song Taewon believed him to be.
The plane began rolling down the runway, and amid the vibrations Song Taewon searched through his memories. But still, marriage—
“Public servant ajhusshi!”
Bang— the door connecting to the bedroom area flew open as Park Yerim walked in.
“You know, regarding Sesung ahjusshi’s marriage partner— if it isn’t our ahjusshi, then who else could it be? Honestly, the only people Sesung ahjusshi shows interest in are our ahjusshi and public servant ahjusshi. Soyoung-unni said public servant ahjusshi might know.”
Saying that Soyoung-unni had also been extremely shocked, Park Yerim hopped over to the seat beside Song Taewon.
“I don’t know either.”
“Then maybe it’s just a rumor! What if Sesung-ahjusshi also turned into a cat and is traveling around with our ahjusshi?”
For a moment, Song Taewon thought he would rather that be the case. If Sung Hyunje were a cat, the worst trouble he might cause would probably be bullying neighborhood dogs.
“For now… if it were Hunter Sung Hyunje, he would have personally announced his marriage.”
“That’s true.”
“So if the marriage news is real, it’s likely there’s another reason or objective behind it. Or… it could even be a forced marriage.”
“Sesung ahjusshi in a forced marriage?”
Park Yerim first looked startled, then let out a long sigh.
“Well, Sesung ahjusshi does look kind of sickly sometimes. Like with our ahjusshi, someone might’ve just picked him up somewhere strange and decided to marry him just because of his face.” (She’s calling out Yoojin for being a face-con..)
“…I don’t think a marriage like that should happen.”
Not just for Sung Hyunje’s sake, but for the other person’s as well.
Park Yerim nodded in agreement.
“They said it’ll take ten hours to get to Egypt, so public servant ahjusshi should sleep too. Han Yoohyun is in the innermost bedroom. I’ll use the bedroom farthest from there.”
After Park Yerim left her seat, Song Taewon found a blanket and covered himself. Simply reclining the chair was enough.
Song Taewon closed his eyes, trying to calm the chaotic thoughts racing through his mind.
* * *
“Director Song, it really suits you!”
Han Yoojin, dressed in formal wedding attire, said with a bright smile. Song Taewon stared at him blankly.
Everything around them was brilliantly white. Flower petals fluttered down from somewhere.
“Oh dear, your expression is far too stiff. Try smiling naturally.”
“You’re probably just nervous. That would make sense.”
Sung Hyunje was also wearing a white, ornate ceremonial outfit like Han Yoojin. Song Taewon slowly blinked his eyes. The blurred scenery around him gradually came into clearer focus.
A place filled with flowers… a wedding hall…?
“Marriage……”
Before he could even finish thinking surely not those two, Han Yoojin suddenly grabbed one of Song Taewon’s arms.
“Yes, it’s Director Song’s wedding!”
“…Excuse me?!”
“Isn’t Song Taewon-ssi the main character of today?”
His other arm was seized by Sung Hyunje. Startled, Song Taewon tried to pull himself free from where he stood. But he couldn’t escape - not from Sung Hyunje, and not even from the grip of F-rank Han Yoojin.
“Wait a moment—who exactly am I marrying—!”
“Congratulations on public servant ahjusshi’s marriage!”
“Maa-eh!” (Songyi!!)
From the sky, Park Yerim and a black baby lamb descended with angel wings attached. Park Yerim scattered flower petals everywhere.
Before he knew it, the guest seats were filled with employees from the Awakened Management Office. Han Yoohyun, Moon Hyuna, Kang Soyoung, and even Peace were visible. Kang Soyoung suddenly sprang to her feet and pulled a party popper, which exploded loudly. Amid the applause of the guests, Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunje began dragging Song Taewon forward.
“Stop this, I—!”
.
Hah—!
With a sharp gasp for breath, Song Taewon’s eyes flew open.
The sound of the airplane engine rang in his ears like applause. Taking a deep breath, Song Taewon looked around his seat. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t destroyed the airplane while half-asleep.
‘…What was that?’
A chill ran down the back of his neck. Song Taewon slowly brushed back his disheveled hair.
Perhaps the stress and fatigue had piled up more than he thought.
Still—
‘It was just a dream.’
He was relieved it had only been a dream. The mere thought of himself dressed in pure white wedding attire sent a shiver down his spine.
Song Taewon checked the time and looked out the window.
He felt like he should rest a bit more, but he didn’t want to sleep. If he closed his eyes, it felt like Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunje would grab him again and drag him back into that wedding hall. Their delighted expressions were still vivid in his mind.
‘It’s better when they’re somewhere I can see…’
Both Han Yoojin and Sung Hyunje. It was better that way. He almost found himself missing the chaos back in Korea. At the very least, if one of them was nearby— but with both of them far away, he couldn’t help feeling unsettled.
Still, Han Yoojin would be joining them soon.
Though he had a premonition the process wouldn’t be easy, Song Taewon tried to relax his body and get some rest.
He dozed off briefly, but this time he didn’t dream.
The Renren arc must fuck up Nyuudou's dad so much. 'Turns out my relationship with my son isn't as good as I'd thought, and I've been lowkey not doing a justice to my late wife's memory. Oh, and the security of my house sucks so bad a group of high schoolers (led by a human Japanese teacher of all people) could break in. And if that wasn't enough, there's a random small town cop who could fuck up my entire carreer if he felt like it, so there's that.'
my friend asked me how i survive not following anyone yohaji related and the answer is i dont. every day i lose my sanity being the only one starting a topic on a private chat and hold myself back from replying to yohaji topic outside because im afraid theyre not open for any discussion and i keep forgetting myself to write any post talking about yohaji whenever its stupid shit or actually something to be discussed about
germansingergirl
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
