His black eyes, which had been fixedly staring at the tombstone, suddenly turned towards Jihwi.

“You must have something going on.”

Eyes so dark that they were impenetrable, as if they could see through everything. Hesitant, Jihwi spoke in a crawling voice.

“Just two days… I’m really sorry, but can I take two days off?”

No, even one day is fine, he added.

“……Why?”

A long silence followed Eunha’s question.

Only when the sky darkened, and the streetlights one by one began to turn on beneath the hill did Jihwi manage to open his mouth.

“I told you I have a younger sister.”

“The one in Busan?”

Jihwi nodded heavily.

“……I actually haven’t been able to contact her. For two days.”

“Isn’t she just busy?”

“She’s not the type to ignore calls because she’s busy. She lost our parents early and thinks of me, only eight years older, like a parent. So something must have happened…….”

Jihwi couldn’t bear to finish. He couldn’t avoid imagining terrible things without thinking about them.

“I reluctantly installed a location tracking app on my sister’s phone, and when I tracked it this morning─.”

Jihwi fiddled with his mobile phone and then handed it to Eunha.

A map of Busan appeared on the screen, smaller than his palm. And in the middle of it, a red dot blinked.

“The last location was here, near the Jagalchi Market in Busan.”

“Jagalchi Market?”

“Yes. Where the gate appeared.”

Ah, he seemed to have seen similar news this morning. Lately, gates in the Busan area were so frequent that it was all the talk on TV.

Eunha, who had been watching his mobile phone, wet her lips.

“If civilians are confirmed to be swept away, won’t the association send agents? Like last time.”

“But…….”

Jihwi’s face darkened. In the heavy air, a stagnant voice seeped out.

“There are rumors that the gate might be an unknown gate.”

Eunha’s normally composed face turned pale.

“An unknown gate?”

“The association has issued an evacuation order to nearby residents. But it’s suspicious that the gate auction hasn’t been held yet.”

In the case of an unknown gate, the gate auction does not proceed. The gate management agency didn’t have the technology to predict the emergence of unknown gates in the first place, and even if it was predictable, it was considered too dangerous for regular guilds to suppress.

Therefore, suppressing an unknown gate was an unwritten rule for a guild with Srank to take on.

“I don’t want to think negatively, but… if what appeared in Jagalchi Market is not a normal gate but an unknown gate, then Jerim, my sister─.”

Jihwi couldn’t continue, tightly gripping his mobile phone. Only now did he understand why he had acted so absentminded all day.

Eunha, who had been quietly watching Jihwi’s side face, slowly wet her lips.

“Shall I go with you?”

“……Thank you for the offer, but it’s fine. I can’t impose. Tomorrow is an important day, after all.”

“How about talking to Shin Siwoo?”

“Huh?!”

Jihwi jumped on the spot and vigorously shook his head. Whoosh, whoosh, the sound of slicing through the air was distinct.
“Fine, it’s fine. Really. It’s not even certain if that’s really an Unknown Gate, and my sister might have simply lost her cell phone.”

……Seeing him talk like that, he seemed quite reluctant to ask Siwoo for help. It was a bit awkward to suggest again to Jehwi, who looked very determined.

“……Okay. Then, I’ll be going.”

Eun Ha nodded her head.

“I can go to the broadcasting station alone. It’s not my first time recording, so it’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Looking back, after taking charge of Eun Ha, Jehwi had gone to work on weekdays and weekends without fail. One or two days off was nothing. Thanks to that, Eun Ha seemed to be able to enjoy some time to herself for the first time in a long time.

“Thank you very much, Hunter.”

Jehwi, who had repeatedly bowed and thanked her, suddenly stopped in his tracks and carefully added one more request.

“And…… can you keep it a secret from the CEO?”

Jehwi slightly furrowed his brow, looking a bit troubled. Putting aside the fact that they had built a long trust relationship, Jehwi still found Siwoo difficult.

Seeing Jehwi stiffen just by mentioning his name, Eun Ha smiled faintly and nodded.

“I understand. I’ll do that.”

“……! Thank you!”

From then on, Jehwi no longer sighed. He didn’t suddenly step on the brake or turn the steering wheel.

He arrived safely in the parking lot, and Jehwi took the luggage from the trunk and carried it up to the 17th floor.

“Then Hunter, I’ll go straight to Seoul Station. I’ll be back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

“Have a safe trip.”

“Yes! Have a good night!”

He seems quite worried about his younger sister. Jehwi hurried to the elevator. Watching his retreating figure, I wondered what it would have been like if I had had siblings too.

(This is a time separator.)

The next day. AM 7:23

[Manager Park] [AM 7:23] Hunter, I arrived in Busan on the last train yesterday.

[Manager Park] [AM 7:23] Thank you for giving me a leave.

A message arrived from Jehwi. Eun Ha, lying on the bed, slowly tapped the screen.

[Me] [AM 7:24] How’s it going?

[Manager Park] [AM 7:24] I went to the share house where my sister was staying, and it seems she hasn’t been home for two daysㅠㅠ

[Manager Park] [AM 7:24] I’ve just arrived at Jagalchi Market. I’ll check nearby and return to Seoul by evening at the latest.

[Manager Park] [AM 7:25] The recording starts at 2 PM, right? I’m sorry I can’t be with youㅠㅠ

[Manager Park] [AM 7:24] Our Hunter, fighting!!! (Emoticon)

Eun Ha, laughing at the firecrackerbursting puppy emoticon, tapped the screen rapidly.

[Me] [AM 7:25] Take care of yourself, Manager.

[Manager Park] [AM 7:27] Yes! I’ll send you the location of the broadcasting station and the writer’s contact in a bit! ^^7

And time went by, and it was 12:09 PM.

Eun Ha held her silent cell phone again.

Jehwi, who promised to contact her, had not sent any news so far. It was about time to leave.

“……Is he busy?”

He was a meticulous person when it came to time appointments or workrelated matters. It was strange that such a Jehwi suddenly went silent.

[Me] [PM 12:09] Manager?

[Me] [PM 12:09] Broadcasting station location and writer’s contact, not yet?

Ticktock. Time passed. Eun Ha, who had finished all the preparations to leave, checked her cell phone again.

Staring at the empty mailbox, suddenly her cell phone vibrated.

010[Dash]XXXX[Dash]XXXX

It was Siwoo.

“Hello.”

「Senior, I’m taking your call. Have you left yet?」

“……I’m just about to.”

「I see. It seems Manager Park is a bit late.」

“No, I overslept.”

「Senior?」

“Yeah.”

「…….」

Apparently, the fact that Eun Ha overslept was somewhat unbelievable.

“……I was a little tired yesterday. But why did you call?”

Eun Ha decided to change the subject deliberately.

「Oh, it’s nothing special.」

Fortunately, Siwoo didn’t probe further.
“The recording today is a good opportunity in many ways, but I want to tell you that it would be best not to draw attention like last time.”

“Why?”

“Those watching the senior are increasing lately.”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

“Well… it… was, but…”

Xiwoo trailed off, not answering.

“…Anyway, please. For the time being, it would be best to refrain from drawing attention.”

“Got it. I have to leave now, so I’ll hang up.”

Click. Eun Ha, who hung up, heaved a short sigh. Lying didn’t suit her nature.

‘Manager Park is still…’

Eun Ha tapped her mobile phone screen.

Flash, the screen lit up. Has the contact finally arrived? Eun Ha immediately opened the yellow inbox and checked the new message.

[Manager Park] [1:02 PM] Hanta typing error

“……?”

A typo? The moment she tilted her head, brrr, another message arrived with a short vibration.

[Manager Park] [1:02 PM] Toooa