Chapter Text
" Hey, this is a really weird thing to ask while you're busy, but… "
It was three days into her stay in Japan when Baek Yoonho called her. Hani half-expected it, if it was already known her neighbour was Jinwoo, and Jinchul had already asked about it not long ago. About now, Yoonho would be using his guild resources to figure out information about Jinwoo and try to recruit him for White Tiger Guild, but it made sense if one of the resources he'd exhaust would be Hani as well. Jinwoo was just going to keep proving to be too slippery for Yoonho to get information on.
"It's fine," Hani said, and she hated how exhausted she sounded.
Instead of being holed up in her room at Draw Sword Guild, she'd made the decision to leave for her daytime tourism with Jinchul in tow. She'd already visited Tokyo Tower and the parks in the area, and now she was up to the aquarium that apparently boasted a whole jellyfish exhibit inside. She hadn't seen it yet, but that was more because she'd stepped aside at the entrance to take the call from Yoonho.
Yoonho seemed to hesitate. Gently, he asked, " Is everything going alright over there? "
Hani sniffed. She looked at the people entering the aquarium, then at Jinchul as he waited nearby with his sunglasses on. People were mistaking him for aquarium security, and when they realised he wasn't wearing a name tag, they assumed he was a new Hunter with the local guilds.
"Sure. Why wouldn't it be?" Hani deadpanned. Yoonho hummed, not quite impressed, and his response all but weakened Hani's resolve to play it cool.
" You used to do that too, " he mumbled. " Only you'd sound less dead inside and more like you'd just won the lottery. "
Hani sucked in a deep breath and groaned. She reached up and rubbed at her eyes. It wasn't like anyone could fault her for complaining a little, and how many average Japanese citizens spoke Korean, anyway?
So she was honest with him. "It's been a shitshow," she confessed. Yoonho was quiet as he let her speak. "Did you know my uncle is the guild master of Draw Sword? And that he has beef with my very deceased dad? Because I found out the hard way when I arrived."
Hani furrowed her brows as she glanced back at Jinchul again. No doubt he would hear her even from this distance, and she knew he was watching her behind his sunglasses. Probably knew it was Yoonho she was talking to, too.
At least Goto Ryuji left her alone for the last three days. Hani never left her room unless she was due to go out into the town or do testing, and he made sure to never cross paths with her under heavy recommendation from a lot of guild members. Reiji had explained the situation to Hani and Jinchul the day after the confrontation, and the humility he showed was enough to earn Jinchul's respect. The respect did not extend to his guild master, however.
"I'm considering just getting all of the testing done this week and then heading home early," she admitted. "I'm so tired. I can't leave the country half the time without someone having an issue about it, and it's starting to get annoying, how often I have to say I'll pull any access to research if I'm not treated with some decency. Literally everyone but the guild master has been accommodating and kind to me. One of them even wanted to plan a girls night with me!"
" Has Mr. Woo been doing some heavy lifting on the paperwork side of things? " Yoonho asked.
"I think so. I'm kinda tuning it all out in between tests." Hani shrugged. "But whatever. It's nothing I can't handle. What were you gonna ask me?"
She heard him groan, hesitating to ask her his original question, but Hani had some suspicions of what it was about. Honestly, why else would Baek Yoonho be reaching out to Hani after the night he'd had? Like Jinchul, he had questions about Jinwoo—probably because the B-rank Healer who was involved in the Red Gate incident had divulged bits and pieces to explain in the report how they'd survived a week in the Red Gate.
"C'mon," she sighed. "Out with it. I can't answer your question if you keep avoiding it."
" Alright, alright. It's a weird question, so just tell me to shove it if you don't wanna answer. " Yoonho grumbled to himself in between speaking. " Your neighbour, his name's Sung Jinwoo, right? An E-ranker? "
Yeah, there it was. At least it was easier to lie over the phone compared to in person. Yoonho couldn't see her meltdown happening in front of him this way.
Hani hummed, making affirmative sounds. "Why?" she asked.
" We, ah… One of the suits in the Management Department, he's been paying close attention to Sung Jinwoo ," he explained. " And he organised for him to attend a raid in a C-rank dungeon with a group of new recruits for the guild. We lost, uh… nine members of our guild. One of them was an A-ranker. But the survivors were two C-rankers, one B-ranker, and one E-ranker. Plus… Sung Jinwoo. "
That checked out. Hani was certain she hadn't done anything to change Jinwoo acquiring Iron as part of his shadow army, so she nodded along as she listened. But when it was obvious that Yoonho was waiting for an answer, or a question of whether or not Jinwoo was okay, Hani realised she'd underreacted severely for the circumstances.
"O—Oh?" she tried, and she could tell even Jinchul wasn't buying it from ten feet away. She saw him shaking his head in disappointment as he reached up to pinch at his brow. It wasn't Hani's fault that she was getting used to her puppy being an attack dog now! This was par for the course for the original plot! What was there to be shocked about!? "I'm so sorry to hear that—are the survivors okay?"
Yoonho made a dubious sound. He didn't push to interrogate Hani's reaction. " Yeah, it was a… very interesting outcome. The official report said that Sung Jinwoo kept everyone fed and warm for those seven days inside the Red Gate. The way they said he fought, as well… I've never heard of any E-rank capable of what he was. Ha —" Yoonho stopped himself. He was clearly scolding himself for slipping back into old habits. " Miss Jang, do you know anything about that? "
Hani sucked in a short breath and glanced back at Jinchul. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was staring at her as he stood still as a statue. God, couldn't a woman have ten minutes in private to take a phone call? She knew whatever he heard today was going on the record the moment he got his hands on a laptop.
Hani finally sighed and asked, "What are you thinking of? With the whole situation?"
" That complicated of an answer, huh? " Yoonho huffed a laugh. He sounded almost fond. " I won't pry, but I have my reasons to be suspicious about things. If Sung Jinwoo's reawakened, and one of my workers in the Management Division is eyeing him, I'd like to get ahead of the game and at least beat that bastard Choi Jong-In to him. "
Yeah, that wasn't happening. Jinwoo was holding out on getting a shiny guild of his own through Jinhoo, so there was no way in hell he was committing to someone else, even if he was evaluated as an S-ranker already.
"That's fair," Hani eventually said. "If you're sticking to your guns, at least find out what Choi Jong-In would offer and try to counter it."
Not that he'd need to. The poor man already lost six hundred million won to Jinwoo through Ahn Sangmin's negotiations. Whatever he had left to offer, Jinwoo wouldn't want it. Not unless Yoonho gave him the guild itself and stepped down as the guild master.
" Yeah, tale as old as time. " Yoonho paused, seeming to consider something. When he spoke again, his tone was hushed. " Are there any other Hunters nearby? "
"Hm?" Hani glanced around. Through her link to Aarush, there was little in the way of sensing a Hunter who could overhear them. "Only Mr. Woo, but he's a good ten feet away."
" Guess I'll get in trouble for this ," Yoonho muttered.
Hani snorted a laugh. "Then don't do the thing that'll get you in trouble?" she suggested.
" No, I have to warn you about this. Have you been watching the news while you're there? "
"Only Korean news. I've been a bit on edge since Hwang Dongsoo tried to make a homecoming."
Yoonho grunted once. He was clearly unhappy to be reminded of his missed chance to fight the man.
" Keep it quiet, since no one outside of the Association is supposed to know this. " Yoonho lowered his voice enough that Hani had to doubt if Jinchul would actually hear him this time. " I got a call from a friend who's staying in Japan at the moment. He said there's been some concern with… an ant from Jeju washing up on the shores of Japan. "
Hani felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. Min Byung-Gu already told him about the ants washing up on Japan's shore? Wasn't this too soon? The Jeju Island business wasn't for a good while, right? Jinwoo still had to get the other summons, like Tank. Wait, no, he already had Tank. Wasn't there another buffer between Beru and Tank? Shit, Iron was that buffer… Hani's heart was racing as she once again retreaded the events in the story and when they took place. There was other stuff in the story, as well, and Hani still couldn't recall when things like the Monarchs' appearance on Earth or Jinwoo's father's return occurred. Was there even another noteworthy shadow soldier along the way?
Jeju Island wasn't supposed to happen until after Jinwoo was reevaluated to S-rank. Didn't he fight the facsimile of Baran in the Demon Tower before he was reevaluated too? And there had to be at least one other raid he participated in before he was reevaluated, too. The one that White Tiger Guild's B-rank healer participated in, wasn't it? Not the one that just passed—the one with the orc mage.
In a quiet, shaky voice, Hani asked, "So what does that mean for me right now?"
" Hopefully they don't ask you to stay longer or anything. It's not like they can detain you. But… " Another bout of hesitation. Another moment to restrain himself. " You… stay safe, okay? I know you're already trying to, but just… Don't hesitate to call for Mr. Woo if you need help, alright? "
Hani tried to calm her nerves as she nodded and hummed in response. It felt like such a tall order, but she supposed if he was certain they couldn't force her to stay, she'd believe him.
With his warning out of the way, Hani cleared her throat and gently said, "Right. Thanks. I… appreciate it, Mr. Baek."
The formal address snapped him out of his mothering tone. " R — Right. Any time, Miss Jang. "
"I'm gonna go now, since I've left Mr. Woo waiting for too long. I'll… take some pictures of the aquarium or something. I hear the jellyfish exhibit is beautiful."
" I'll bet. You take care. "
"You too. And tell Mr. Min to stay safe."
Yoonho seemed to pause upon hearing that. Hani couldn't think why, but eventually he hummed in agreement and ended the call.
It felt so awkward to just hang up on him after that. Hani gripped the phone tightly in her hands and chewed at her lip. She opened the phone again and selected Jinwoo's number, and she brought it to her ear as it rang.
The call went straight to voicemail. Hani could feel her pulse in her ears as she rambled into his inbox.
"H—Hey, just checking in," she said quickly. "I heard you had an incident with a Red Gate. Is everything going alright after that? You've gotten a bit of attention, and I'm sure Siobhan's giving you a hard time for it, so I won't lecture you. I'm thinking of coming home early, so maybe we can debrief a bit when I'm back? Or not—that's fine. Totally up to you." Hani could feel her face turning red as she scrambled for the right words. "Promise I'm still staying safe and all that. So. Um. Yeah."
She hung up. Hani held her face in her hands as she groaned softly. Since when was leaving a voicemail so difficult, anyway?
This was all way too stressful. Hani reached up and ran her hands through her hair with a groan, messing up the neat half-ponytail she'd managed to wrangle her hair into this morning. A few pedestrians paused to ask if she was alright, and Hani politely apologised for making such a scene in public and assured them she was fine.
Honestly, she was starting to wonder if she was actually boned with no actual chance to strengthen herself to run from the Monarchs. She wasn't on that grindset like Jinwoo was, and she definitely didn't abuse the System the way he did. By this point, he had already acquired three named shadow soldiers in the series since his job change quest. Hani only had Aarush to her name right now. She hadn't even received the key that would give her access to whatever Baran's equivalent of the demon tower dungeon was yet!
Maybe it was time to invest in the System properly and stop putting things off. Sneaking around overseas was getting tiring, and if she kept up these trips and hid her actual power, she was going to inevitably fall behind on everything and wind up dead in a ditch. The Beast Monarch would point his cowardly little finger at her and teehee about how weak Baran's vessel was, and then how weak Baran was for not having full control over Hani, and then he'd chomp off her head and spit it out in front of her ex-boyfriend and the man who clearly had an invested interest in her.
A swift death for him, to be sure, but Hani couldn't relish that kind of catharsis if she was dead!
She stomped over to Jinchul, motioning for them to go inside, and he sighed as they purchased their tickets and wandered in. It was definitely worth the trip, she decided as soon as they entered. The atmosphere of the aquarium was enough to almost take your breath away, if you weren't a Hunter, and Hani wasn't quite sure where to go first on the first floor of the aquarium. She debated stopping at the small cafe first to grab a drink for the whole tour, but Jinchul seemed to have his own ideas on where to check first. His gaze was glued to the atrium area, where the displays were decorated like artwork, and Hani couldn't fault him for it. It was the first thing they saw after being let in, and Hani only truly debated the cafe because it was visible on the other side of the room when they entered.
She gave him a nudge, and Jinchul glanced at her with an almost annoyed glare.
"And you judged me for having a tourism plan," she teased him.
"I've earned this break," Jinchul insisted.
"What a coincidence, so have I." Hani smirked as she gestured to the atrium displays. "C'mon, I hear the jellyfish scramble after this exhibit is dazzling. Have you ever seen a moon jelly up close? I don't know why, but I always imagined them to be super tiny, like the, uh… What's it called… Iru-something…?"
"Irukandji jellyfish," Jinchul finished without hesitation.
Hani paused, expression dropping as she stared at him. "How do you just know that off the top of your head?"
If he were wearing glasses—not his sunglasses—he'd definitely have pushed them up his nose like some smug character.
"They're named after the Yirrganydji people in northern Queensland, who are descended from the Irukandji people before them," he said matter-of-factly. "One must be aware of local wildlife when planning a trip to the area."
"You've been to Australia? When?"
Jinchul sniffed and looked away. "One must also plan accordingly around the hazards of their workplace."
To hell with the raise, Woo Jinchul needed a fucking vacation.
He cleared his throat and held out his hands, giving a rough size estimate as he continued. "Anyway. A moon jelly is only about yay big," he said, changing the subject. "They're also the only jellies found at Shinagawa Aqua Park. Understandable, since unlike most jellies, a moon jelly's sting has little to no effect on humans. Less hazards for the workers, I'd say."
Huh… If she didn't know any better, she'd almost say Jinchul had been excited enough to do research before coming here today. How badly did he want his vacation to Queensland?
The areas on the brochures labelled as "Patterns" and "Colours" were definitely a nice appetiser to the rest of the aquarium to come, Hani thought. She snapped some pictures on her phone of some of the sights, making sure to keep the flash off as she did so, and Hani even caught Jinchul using his translation app to fully immerse himself in the information on each display's information. It felt like a great way to unwind, especially when she finally noticed the carousel on one side of the exhibit, and she discreetly tucked her things into her inventory as she got in line to ride it.
The carousel was called the dolphin party, but Hani could hardly find any dolphins free to ride on as children and teens filled the seats. A couple with their toddler were seated on a clam shell together, and they waved Hani over as they pointed to the seahorse next to them that was free. It felt like an incredibly short ride, but it was nice to chat with the couple as their daughter gushed over the ride itself. She liked pearls a lot, and even had a collection that her grandmother had started for her when her parents were expecting her. It was endearing, enough so that Hani had almost forgotten Jinchul was waiting for her until she spotted him on one lap waiting with his arms crossed over his chest.
When they disembarked, the couple wished her and Jinchul a lovely date. Hani was quick to inform them they were on a work trip and taking a break on their day off. They changed their tune to something more casual, telling Hani that she and Jinchul should go to one of the local izakayas after work one day to unwind; there was nothing quite like it, both of them said, and Hani would be willing to believe it if she didn't have the stupid detox effect in place.
Despite Jinchul trying to guide her to the cafe, Hani managed to catch sight of the pirate ship on the other side of the area and immediately beelined for it. She wasn't sure how, and she wasn't sure whose desire this was, but something in her gut told her that the pendulum pirate ship ride was something she'd always wanted to try when visiting a theme park. Jinchul actually accompanied her on this one, but under his breath, he warned her not to get her hopes up.
"Don't be such a buzzkill, Mr. Woo," Hani scoffed. "Who doesn't love these kinds of rides? The carousel is always the most vanilla kind."
She regretted those words as soon as she got off the ride.
It wasn't that Hani hadn't enjoyed it, but… Somehow she found herself thinking, That was it? when the ride came to a stop. It wasn't the thrill and weightlessness that she'd expected—almost knew was supposed to be there, like a part of her had experienced it before. It just felt like it never built up enough momentum or height, and Hani's smile slowly dropped over the course of the ride. When they disembarked, Hani couldn't help musing to herself that it was no wonder Jinwoo's date with Cha Hae-In at the amusement park had been so muted. Compared to the life of a Hunter, a carnival ride wasn't all that thrilling, was it?
"I can't drink," she grumbled as Jinchul walked beside her. "And I can't even ride amusement park rides. I'm gonna lose my zest for life at this rate."
"Being an alcoholic adrenalin junkie isn't what it's cracked up to be," Jinchul said offhandedly.
She gave him a stiff glare. They entered the cafe quietly.
Amusement park rides notwithstanding, Hani did have some fun with the trip as it continued. The jellyfish scramble was breathtaking, in a way, and she managed to snap a few pictures of the different light displays as she watched the jellies float in their tanks. It was an almost tranquil sight, the way they bounced off of each other and floated through the tanks. She wondered, in the back of her mind, what it was like living as a jellyfish. How aware of their surroundings were they? Did the passage of time affect them? Did they feel existential dread? She'd heard there was a jellyfish species that was practically immortal, though Hani didn't have the wherewithal to ponder where or when she'd heard it. All she could think about was whether or not the jellyfish knew they were never going to die, not naturally at least, and how peaceful it must be to exist in the almost uninhibited way the jellies did.
Living her life out in a tank wouldn't be too bad, if she weren't even aware she was stuck in one to begin with. Maybe Hani would've liked living as Jang Haneul if she hadn't known about the original story of this world.
One of the moon jellies bounced off of the glass, floating back to the others. Hani huffed a laugh and opened her phone, looking at her contacts with an almost wistful expression.
How had the second Jang Haneul coped with it all? She'd been so gung-ho about meeting all of her favourite characters, and even broke the story by removing a language barrier for Thomas. She'd outspokenly shown her favour of Baek Yoonho over Choi Jong-In, and she hadn't shied away from pursuing a relationship. She'd only seemed to show hesitation towards the end, when she'd realised something was wrong with the original Jang Haneul's body. It was like she'd sensed she didn't have long left in control. But even despite all of that, she'd flourished. She had dove headfirst into training to be a Hunter and learning everything she could, and she'd had fun with it.
What was stopping Hani from doing the same? Sure, she was afraid of all of the death flags poking out of her at this point, but what if something of the second Jang Haneul lingered? Maybe it wasn't dying that Hani was afraid of—she still was, but maybe it wasn't just her mortality that frightened her. Maybe… Could the second Jang Haneul's fear of not existing have rubbed off on Hani? Lingered in the body while the System rebooted her with a fresh new soul long enough to leave a genuine fear of the world around her? Any number of things could end all of this for her, and she'd either die for real, or someone would come and play the role of the fourth Jang Haneul.
She wasn't sure which was worse. She was positive that the second Jang Haneul regretted, in part, forming all those bonds that she would inevitably have to abandon for the sake of this character's progression. She was also positive that the second Jang Haneul wouldn't have done it differently if she was given another chance to do it all over.
Hani found Thomas's contact, still listed as No. 1 Bastard , and she tapped on the message icon. Previous text exchanges opened up, and Hani let out a slow breath as she opened her phone gallery and sent him a message.
It was time to see if the second Jang Haneul was on to something with going all out in her exploration of her favourite series.
She had time to eat dinner before the testing would begin. Actually, they encouraged her to eat dinner. The researchers wanted to see if a full stomach made a difference in the testing, because making Hani fast every time was too cruel when she was out during the day and hungry, apparently. Hani didn't bother to ask the reason why—she just got a call from Akari and was told to meet her at the barbecue restaurant near the guild, and Hani wasn't about to decline.
Jinchul seemed happy to have someone else paying for their dinner, too, though Hani didn't have it in her to tell him that she'd have to pay Akari back for this later. He hadn't seemed to pick up that Akari was demanding repayment for the things she was giving them, only that she was stating how much they cost to show how cheap they were and how unguilty Hani should feel about being given those cheap gifts. She felt bad that he was misunderstanding, but Hani kind of found it endearing how selfless he thought Akari was during Hani's stay.
"I could get used to being showered with free food wherever I go," Hani noted idly as they followed her maps app. They'd taken a taxi most of the way, but Hani supposed taxis in Japan weren't allowed to just drive up to the guilds' doorsteps all willy-nilly. As soon as they hit the district Draw Sword was situated in, the driver politely told them they'd have to either call for a driver from the guild or walk the rest of the way on foot. It wasn't something just anyone could walk into the building at all hours of the day like in Korea, Hani noted, and she realised how lucky she was that her taxi drivers had been able to drop her right at Baek Yoonho's doorstep each time.
Now they were on foot, something neither of them minded. It was nice to do some sightseeing in Minato anyway.
"If I'd known you had the same habits as Miss O'Lear, I would've asked for a bigger budget for the trip," Jinchul deadpanned. "Have you bought anything for yourself since coming here?"
"Why? The guild's cafeteria has great food." Hani shrugged lazily as she followed the map. "And I'm not about to turn down the food Miss Shimizu buys me. Food's tasty."
He grunted, unimpressed. "Have you even come across anything you don't want to eat yet?"
Hani had to consider for a moment. Most of the food she ate was pretty decent, nothing really being terrible . Although if she had to think about times where she couldn't enjoy the food for some reason…
"I couldn't enjoy the food I had on that blind date I went on when Siobhan started living with me," she recounted.
"My condolences to whoever agreed to a dinner with you."
"I'm not a terrible dinner guest!" she insisted. Hani lowered her voice and cleared her throat, and she saw a turn in the street they were supposed to take. She led Jinchul around the corner with her. "And for your information, he was the horrible date. I should've known better than to expect a movie star to stop listening to the sound of his own voice for five minutes."
Jinchul scoffed. He shook his head, and it was clear he thought she was exaggerating. "Now I know you're pulling my leg. You couldn't think of something more believable than a movie star?"
"Right hand to God, it was Lee Minsung—"
"Bullshit."
"Look, I couldn't believe it either. But he wouldn't shut up about his movies! I couldn't enjoy my truffle souffle!" Hani looked to him with a pleading expression. "How often does a gal get to eat high-end truffles?"
Despite her attempts to convince him, Jinchul was still in disbelief and waving her off. The topic could've continued on for hours—Hani insisting she was telling the truth and Jinchul casting doubt on it—if not for Akari calling out to them down the street. They were a mere few stores away from the barbecue restaurant, and Hani was pouting as Jinchul pulled out his phone to type a greeting to Akari.
It wasn't just Akari eating with them, but also two other women that she quickly recognised from the manhwa. Finally, Hani thought, she met Tawata Kanae and Ishida Mari—one of the sole survivors of the Jeju Raid and one of the barely-developed characters slaughtered during the raid. Mari was around the same height as Akari, but she had a more bored look to her as she kept her hands in her jacket pockets and stared at the menu on display at the restaurant's front; compared to Akari, who outright reminded Hani of her very cat-coded roommate, Mari almost looked way too young beside her guildmates. Was she just short, or was she one of the younger members of the guild? Kanae towered over her easily, though it appeared Kanae was just tall in general like Hani—but the similarities ended there, because where Hani was all squishy curves and wavy hair, Kanae was undoubtedly all sharp angles and heavily defined physique. Hani wouldn't deny staring at the six-pack on display as Kanae pulled down the hood of her cropped jacket, but a well-placed jab from Jinchul brought her eyes up higher to note that even Kanae's hair, straight and sleek, felt like a far cry from Hani's own.
Akari had her hair out of her space buns, instead opting for low twintails tied in braids. She was pouting, huffing her cheeks out like the first time she'd approached Hani, and she jabbed a finger at her accusingly.
"Hey, Miss Hani," she drawled, and she was clearly unhappy. "Are you sure you know Japanese? I said we should have a girls' night in my note. Girls' night. You know what that word is, right?"
Hani, though apologetic, did make a point to show Akari the message she'd sent. "You never said dinner would be the girls' night," she pointed out.
"Boo." Akari stomped her foot once, but her pout slowly faded away as she clicked her tongue. "I guess your bodyguard can come."
"He'd appreciate it," Hani laughed. "His Japanese isn't as good as mine, and I don't want him to get lost on the way back to the guild."
"Am I not welcome?" Jinchul asked quietly.
"She's making an exception," Hani replied back, just as quiet in Korean.
Jinchul politely, and somewhat uncertainly, thanked Akari in the best Japanese he could muster. Akari pointed her nose up in the air, but she didn't seem upset over being thanked. She gestured for everyone to follow her inside, and she led the way confidently to their table. It seemed Akari had planned for more people to come, given how big the table she'd reserved was, but Mari and Kanae had been the only ones to show up.
And Akari was quick to confirm this, sulking out loud that some of the women in the guild weren't feeling up to a girls' night with the S-rankers, and then she grumbled that it wasn't Hani's fault there was tension in the guild right now. That made Hani pause as she looked over the menu of meats she could order, blinking quickly as it dawned on her that members of the guild were avoiding her because of the disagreement she'd had with Ryuji, not out of respect for getting the research done.
She really was more trouble than she was worth to Draw Sword guild.
A waiter stopped by the table to ask what meats and drinks they wanted. There was something familiar about him, Hani noted, and she sized him up as he wrote down the drinks that Mari and Akari had ordered. He had some sideburn action that reminded her of Yoonho, almost, and Hani couldn't help thinking that if he pushed his hair out of his face, he'd have a striking resemblance to the man. Maybe dye the hair orange, too. But he did have the same orange eyes, and he had a similarly toned build to him.
She heard Kanae tell him, "Kirin Ichiban," and it was enough to snap Hani out of her daze and second the order. She'd almost planned to order some Asahi, whatever they had in supply, and see how it tasted, but she knew Kanae's order was good for barbecue specifically.
"Ah, Mr. Woo, did you want any alcohol?" she asked him.
"What are you and Miss Tawata having?" he asked. Hani shrugged and told him the label. "I'll just get that."
"Mr. Woo likes his beer?" Akari asked, mildly surprised. "He looks too professional and anal for beer."
Hani snorted and choked, clamping a hand over her mouth. Jinchul levelled both Hani and Akari with a glare, and he sourly pulled up a menu to translate on his phone.
Kanae finished ordering their first servings of meat with the waiter. Hani watched the waiter leave, still unsure of where she'd seen his face before and wondering if it was just a case of him looking like Yoonho too much for Hani to know what to do with herself. She was finding that not everyone had a case of same-face syndrome now that she lived in the world, but sometimes, like with Lee Minsung somewhat resembling Jinwoo, it threw her for a loop.
"We haven't introduced ourselves properly," Kanae said, and it was obvious she was taking over the conversation from Akari. Akari whined as she leaned back in her chair. "I'm Tawata Kanae, an S-rank Fighter with the guild. You've already met Shimizu. Next to me is Ishida Mari, S-rank—"
"Does it matter?" Mari sighed. She had her chin propped on her hand as she glared out the window they were sitting at. "You guys are drinking without me again."
"Mari-Mari should grow up quicker then—" Akari started to tease, only to let out a pained grunt as Mari's elbow slammed into her gut. She leaned forward again, pained, and it took Hani too long to realise she'd choked briefly on the piece of gum in her mouth just now. "R—Rude…" she wheezed. "E—Elders… and shit…"
"Like you didn't just turn twenty last month," Mari grumbled.
Hani tried to defuse the situation by asking a question, but she barely got the words, "How old are you, Miss Ishida?" out of her mouth before Kanae was pulling rank on the two women. She hit them with a sharp glare, sharper than any Jinchul could manage, and Mari turned her head further away from the group as Akari whimpered in a way that begged Kanae to be delicate with her.
Red eyes locked onto Hani. Jinchul was still peering at the menu, ignoring the women as he translated each portion of the menu meticulously.
"Miss Hani," Kanae said, and her voice was slow and deliberate. "How would you say Japanese beer compares to Korean beer?"
She couldn't help blinking in surprise again. Hani took a second to process the question. She didn't recall Kanae being characterised as someone who was passionate about alcohol, though then again… Did any of them get more than surface-level characterisation?
Kanae's gaze intensified. Hani cleared her throat and decided to just roll with it.
"Each beer has its own strengths," she explained. "It all depends on how you plan to drink it. Kirin Ichiban is perfect for yakiniku, which is why I ordered it tonight and recommended it to Mr. Woo. But if I wanted something spicy, I'm not too sure what beer from Japan would suit it. But in Korea, I'd take Cass beer over anything else because it helps balance the heat of our food."
Kanae leaned back in her seat, and Hani thought she was seeing things when Kanae smiled gently. "Looks like you aren't a snob," she teased.
"Only a beer snob," Hani joked. "But if you ever get the chance or find yourself in Korea, you should totally try buldak with Cass beer. It's a match made in heaven. Although… Most beer tastes perfect with fried chicken, so I guess that's your call…"
"Shimizu, what were you doing, hogging her all this time?" Kanae suddenly nagged at Akari. Akari glowered at her as she chewed indignantly on her gum.
"I saw her first," Akari grumbled.
From behind his menu, Jinchul asked, "Did you start another argument?"
Hani scoffed at him. "They're fighting over me, for your information."
"Miss Jang, you sure do like trying to pull the wool over my eyes." He lowered his menu, and his stare was dry and scrutinising.
"When have I ever lied—"
He scrunched up his face at her. Hani scrunched her own up back at him. Whatever. Who cared if he didn't believe her. She went on a blind date with a movie star and now S-rankers in Japan were fighting over who got to play with her more. She knew her truth.
The waiter who'd taken their orders returned with a tray of drinks. Mari was handed soda that was bright green and fizzy, while Akari graciously took her rum and coke with a teasing reminder to Mari that she was allowed to drink it now. Hani poured the drinks to Kanae and Jinchul, and it looked like they wouldn't have to wait long for their meat to arrive as Kanae ordered a round of varying cuts to get them started.
The waiter nodded along with each order Kanae placed. He was smiling brightly, and Hani gently explained what each piece Kanae ordered was to Jinchul, and for a fraction of a second she felt her guard slipping. She actually felt relaxed, like a normal human person now that she was indulging Akari on her wish for a girls' night, and frankly speaking, who the hell wouldn't look forward to premium cuts of wagyu?
But it was in that fraction of a second that Hani was reminded she couldn't have good things. The moment she picked up her drink to take a sip, the waiter went rigid and stopped writing down the order. Kanae blinked at him, and from the other side of her, Akari asked what the hold up was. True to her prowess and rank, Kanae was quick to jump out of her seat and catch the waiter as he doubled over and fell forwards, almost on a path to land on top of the grill on their table if he hadn't been caught. Jinchul jumped up as well, immediately going into business mode, and Kanae helped the waiter to the ground so he could catch his breath.
"Miss Jang, tell everyone to stay back!" Jinchul shouted at her. She jumped up and ran towards him, hurriedly urging onlookers who were trying to take a peek to stay back, and she heard Kanae urge the waiter to breathe and pace himself.
"What's happening?" Hani asked Jinchul quietly.
Jinchul was looking back at the waiter with an almost conflicted expression. Like part of him could tell what was happening, but another part was dismayed that it was happening right now.
"He's awakening," he explained. "It looks intense. C, maybe B at minimum… If he's struggling to breathe, it means there's too much mana for his body to process right now."
What? Right now? No fucking way. Hani kept the crowd at bay and heard Akari hurriedly call the Japanese Association to report the awakening, and all the while Kanae coached the waiter through the growing pains that came with suddenly finding uncontrollable power festering inside of you.
He wouldn't awaken as an S-ranker, she told herself. All of the S-rankers from Draw Sword came to Korea in the Jeju Island raid, and the waiter wasn't one of them. Hinode wasn't included, and Akari was the only S-ranked Healer in the Guild, so Hani knew they didn't take A-rankers either. Was this a case of a nameless character in the background? No, she was getting ahead of herself—there was no guarantee the waiter would join Draw Sword, either.
She was chewing her lip as a sudden influx of mana surged throughout the restaurant, suffocating and domineering and oppressing. It was nothing like what Hani had felt from even when Hwang Dongsoo had attacked her, and Thomas hadn't even come close to this level of intensity.
Her mind raced and raced. Instinctively, almost as though to protect her, Aarush flew out of her hair and positioned himself between Hani and the waiter. His hands were shaking, and she couldn't tell if it was from terror or excitement. She dared to peek at the waiter as Kanae tried to tell him to control the mana he was throwing out, and when she did, everything clicked into place.
His hair had grown exponentially from the sudden transformation, and it looked like an untamed mess flowing down his back as he stumbled to his feet. His nails had sharpened to points, like claws, and they gripped the table that Mari was still sitting at—streaks of wood were peeled away as he adjusted his grip and shoved Kanae away from him. He was mumbling something, something in the same language Aarush spoke the first time she'd met him, but now Hani could understand it better. There was a familiarity in the mana that tried to stomp all over her—a familiarity that brought forth the voice of rage from the depths, and Hani was overcome with a grudge she didn't even know she'd been holding.
Maybe it wasn't even her own.
"Finally…" the waiter said, and his voice was far more gravelly than it was before. Like a beast trying to mimic human speech.
The waiter looked up, appraising Akari and Mari as the two pressed themselves against the wall and waited for something—for him to either strike them or to run, so that they could handle him appropriately—but when Kanae called out to them, Akari was almost instantaneous in her reaction speed. Ropes of light were thrown from her hands, ensnaring the waiter all at once, and then a barrier of light blanketed the small area that the Hunters occupied. If ensnaring and trapping was part of Akari's skillset, it was no wonder she could confidently run around with a big axe during the raid in the series…
Finally the waiter looked over at Hani and Jinchul, and for the briefest moments Hani could see an almost smugness to him as she tested the bindings. It was a confidence she recognised and dreaded, but deep in her gut, it was one she was livid to see. An undercurrent of something screaming, How dare he?
When golden eyes fell on Hani, the smug demeanour faded. Slow processing, disbelief, recognition. Someone who knew Hani.
Someone who knew Baran.
Ever so quietly, as his eyes went wide and dread dawned on his face, the Monarch of Fangs muttered, "You… survived…?"
She wasn't sure if it was her own instincts or if it was Baran suddenly wresting control of the body from her. All Hani knew was that she'd pulled Aarush's sword from her inventory and lunged at the Monarch in front of her. The blade erupted into flames, Jinchul screaming at her to stop, and before Kanae, Akari or Mari could stop her, the coward broke free of his bindings.
A Gate opened up right on top of them. The Monarch of Fangs fled inside, and Kanae and Hani were sucked into the pull of the Gate at the same time. Jinchul followed soon after, if his shouts were any indication, but Hani was more relieved to find Aarush had run after her in solidarity against the Monarch of Fangs.
Kanae and Hani slammed into the ground of the dungeon with pained grunts. Neither of them had been properly braced for the impact, nor for the Gate to suddenly appear. Aarush tumbled to a stop near Hani, helping her to her feet immediately, and Jinchul skidded to a stop a short distance from them.
If she hadn't known that it was the Monarch of Fangs opening a Gate, Hani would've assumed she'd landed in the Penalty Zone again. Hot sand had gotten everywhere, coating her and Kanae after their tumble through the dunes at the entrance, and she bashed a fist against the sand in frustration. Baran's control over the body weakened once more, and Hani forced herself to keep breathing as Aarush stood between her and the two Hunters who'd followed.