“Ae-yeon, how’s school life these days? If you’re having a hard time, you can talk to the teacher anytime.”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Really? Well, that’s a relief. The teacher was worried for no reason.”

Ae-yeon raised her head hesitantly and stared at the homeroom teacher. That was it. The homeroom teacher shrugged awkwardly and forced a smile.

“By the way, is it not too hard to keep up with the lessons? You’ve been leaving early frequently to go to the Association. If you ever feel tired, let me know. The teacher will help you.”

“…Thank you.”

Tap.

Ae-yeon, who had come out of the teacher’s office, stared blankly at the hallway window.

Her reflection in the glass.

Iridescent pink-purple irises due to awakening. Her jet-black short hair had turned slightly brown.

A familiar but strange appearance. Ae-yeon brushed the surface of the glass with her finger.

Her reflection in the glass was smiling.

Every day, the cameramen with heavy equipment came to the villa where Ae-yeon was living.
They were scattered everywhere, both in front and behind the school gates, ready with their cameras, capturing Ae-yeon in her school uniform, pressing the federal flash.

Even a few words thrown into the seemingly heavy microphones made them cheer loudly.

In recent times, a well-known conglomerate had spared no expense in investing in the dazzling new star who recently joined the ranks of S-ranks. Even simple tasks like updating vlogs, which only covered her daily life after school, flooded her with money.

“Wow. Those shoes, did Chanel collaborate with Big Vamp ZD this time? How did you get them?”

“It’s amazing. I never thought I’d get to see them in person. Can I try them on?”

“Sure, why not. I have another pair at home anyway.”

“Really? You have another one at home?”

“Yeah. I left it in the box. It’s a limited edition with a handwritten signature.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. What level of flex is this?”

Friends invited Ae-yeon to birthday parties every time, and she never missed any school events, class president elections, or any other events.

A classmate who used to incite the bullying against Ae-yeon was now the target himself.

“Hey, because of you, Ae-yeon’s bag got dirty. Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“S-sorry…”

“If you’re sorry, slam your head on the floor!”

Smack!

The classmate wobbled in front of her, collapsing in the hallway. Ae-yeon, passing by, stopped and turned to look.

“Do you know how much Ae-yeon’s bag costs? Even if you add up your mom’s annual salary, you couldn’t afford it.”

“Uh, uhuh…”

She could have told them to stop. After all, she could just buy a new bag.

If she said just one word, her friends would have stopped without any complaints.

But.

“…”

Staring silently at the classmate with his head on the floor, Ae-yeon turned her gaze away.

──Why bother?

A complete reversal of life. There was nothing to regret.

And so, Ae-yeon entered the second year of middle school.

As she welcomed the summer vacation, Ae-yeon, carrying shopping bags in both hands, headed to a university hospital in Bucheon.

The teacher who had been in charge of the orphanage where Ae-yeon grew up was there.

‘You must be aware.’

Surely, she must be aware that I’ve become an S-rank. What would she say after seeing the changed me?

With a full heart, Ae-yeon headed to the place she longed for. However, she couldn’t meet the teacher she had missed so much.

“Last winter, she already passed away.”

It was already too late.

“Was the surgery done incorrectly?”

“No, we couldn’t afford the surgery in the first place. We were already heavily in debt due to the long hospitalization.”

“Why…”

The hesitant man finally opened his mouth.

“…we couldn’t prepare for the surgery. We were already deeply in debt due to the extended hospital stay.”

“That, that…”

Thud.

The shopping bags fell to the ground. The shoulder bag with the logo of a famous overseas brand also rolled on the floor unimpressively.

“It was because of money… the director passed away because of money?”

“…”

“Could she… have survived…?”

“…”

The man didn’t answer. Ae-yeon collapsed to the ground.

The first thought that came to her was this.

‘If only I had come a little earlier.’

No, if only she had awakened a little earlier. So she could have earned money a little faster.
If only I had done that, maybe I could have cured the director’s illness.

After starting to dwell on such thoughts, the seeds of regret began to grow into a giant plant in the blink of an eye, uncontrollably fast.

Yeah, if I had been a bit faster, maybe I wouldn’t have suffered from bullying. Maybe I didn’t need to leave the orphanage.

If only I had awakened.

If only I had money.

If those painful experiences had never existed from the beginning…

After that, Ae-yeon dropped out of school.

It was a simple whim.

Even though there was no need to provide a reason, if one had to be given, it simply felt meaningless. Going to school itself.

She judged that engaging in hunter activities during the time spent sitting at the desk in a school uniform and daydreaming would be more valuable. As a result, she became wealthier, and she grew stronger.

That’s how Ae-yeon began to make a name for herself as a professional hunter at a young age.

However, not even a year after starting full-fledged hunter activities, an incident occurred.

“Korea’s ‘Supernova’ Kang Ae-yeon involved in school violence controversy. Continuous revelations on social media.”

“Famous guilds that were planning to recruit her are canceling one after another. Jecheon Dae-sung expresses strong disappointment, ‘Personality comes before rank.’ Revealing strong disappointment in Supernova.”

“Victim Kim Momo says, ‘I still tremble when I think about that time.’ Appeals for mental distress. Attempted extreme choices in the past.”

It was absurd.

In Ae-yeon’s own judgment, she hadn’t done anything significantly wrong. The things that happened to the child claiming to be a victim of school violence were things that Ae-yeon herself had experienced in the past.

Ae-yeon endured, changed, and succeeded.

What the child claimed was just jealousy and resentment of a loser.

‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’

The ones who couldn’t endure, couldn’t change, and couldn’t succeed were the ones at fault.

Ae-yeon was confident.

However, the public turned away from Ae-yeon as if flipping the back of their hands. When everyone enthusiastically cheered and admired, the whole world ridiculed, laughed at, and tore Ae-yeon apart.

The incident of closing the S-rank gate at Hapjeong Station and the substantial donation to W Hospital Foundation seemed to have disappeared into the distant memory by now.

Eventually, a protest group against Ae-yeon’s hunter activities was formed.

Because of this, Ae-yeon had no choice but to temporarily suspend her hunter activities.

Rumors spread that Ae-yeon had fled overseas, that she was hospitalized for a serious panic disorder, or that she had made extreme choices due to malicious comments.

It was ridiculous.

People who knew the truth kept quiet, and only those who didn’t know the truth shouted baseless speculations.

But everyone was wrong.

An S-rank hunter meant national power. The country would never agree to Ae-yeon’s retirement.

As evidence…

“Come on, everyone, look here! Hero-grade items for just 20 chips today! Get in line, get in line!”

Lee Myeong-eun, the Phantom Thief.

An independent free hunter.

He was currently doing brisk business at the hunter auction held in Sejong City.