Chapter 63 Part 2:  Ominous

“I can’t reach Da-Jung Noona.”

“I see. I can’t reach her either.”

“What kind of training is she doing that you still can’t contact her?”

I didn’t dare to say that she was probably training in hell…

Even the blacksmith who told me about it before said that, just the thought of his master would wake him up in the middle of the night.

So if she’s doing that high-intensity kind of training, she might be busy sleeping and surviving right now, rather than choose to contact anyone.

“Let’s often get together every now and then. It’s nice to see everyone’s faces such after a long time.”

“That’s right! Everyone seems to be doing well.”

“I’m nothing yet, but I won’t forget you when I finally move up.”

Kwon Seong-min said something like a promise for the distant future.

But somehow, I felt an uneasy feeling twinge my heart.

(T/N: He’s really creepy.)

❖

Tick, tock, tick.

The clock finally struck at midnight.

Bang! Bang!

“Congratulations on becoming an adult!”

“Yeon-Won is finally an adult now!”

Hye-won put on a sassy cone hat on her head and Pyo Yeon-won smiled awkwardly.

The remnants of the firecracker she had just set off had fallen on his shoulders.

“Thank you, Big Sister. Seoha-Noona, too.”

“I can’t believe that our youngest had finally turned 20 years old.”

Hye-won was looking at him as if it was new to her.

She immediately hugged Pyo Yeon-Won with an emotional expression.

Pyo Yeon-Won struggled for a while, and told her that he was embarrassed, but there was no way he could beat a Hunter.

So he gave up eventually and sagged.

“You’ve decided on a college, right?”

“Yes. I managed to pass the preliminary exam at Hankuk University.”

“Good for you. That sounds fun.”

It’s great to enter one of the best universities in our country.

I originally planned to go to a university too, but…

Before my regression or now, I seem to have never stepped on the threshold of college.

I also had a dream about college life.

“Seo-Ha, do you know what his major is? I didn’t force him, but—”

“Gate Systems Science Department.”

Pyo Yeon-Won suddenly spoke up, cutting off Hye-won’s words.

“If it’s there then… Do you plan to enter the National Gate Research Institute?”

“That’s right. I’m going to be a gate researcher.”

I heard that it was a department set up by the government to foster outstanding gate researchers, and that the competition was fierce, with a half-guaranteed job.

Is that what he always wanted?

Was Pyo Yeon-Won interested in gate research in the first place?

But if it was gate research institute…

A woman with short black hair and sharp eyes popped into my mind.

She also had a cat-like aura, it was Baek Mok-Ryeon.

Will he be under the deputy director then?

“When did you start thinking about that, without even telling your sister anything?”

“I guess it just came naturally. My sister told me a lot about the gate, and I looked it up as much as I could because I was worried about her entering it, and then I realized that studying the gate was quite fun.”

It was nice to see him smile while he was saying that.

I was happy that he had genuinely found his passion for something.

“Are you having a welcoming party for freshmen?”

“What about the membership training? Aren’t you going?”

“I’m not sure about the details yet, because we haven’t gotten the preliminaries… And we don’t know the exact number of students to be accepted, and there’s still time.”

“You’ll still be there, right? You’ll go, right?”

Hye-won looked more excited than Yeon-Won.

After all, it’s a welcome party for freshman, and attending the membership training is a sign of youth.

I was a little curious too.

“Go make a girlfriend! You know, that’s where most couples get together!”

“Oh, never mind, I’m not going to do that, I’m just curious about the girls who will be there to motivate me…”

“That’s what everyone says.”

Hye-won found it funny to tease Yeon-Won more, after seeing his embarrassed appearance,

“Well, then Our Youngest! How did it feel to finally become an adult!”

“Shall we make a toast?”

“Unnie drink moderately today, and don’t drink until you’re drunk on my account.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I don’t get drunk even if I drink a bucketful of liquor.”

At that, Pyo Yeon-Won let out a low sigh, and I smiled a little.

Just like that, January 1st finally passed by.

❖

Soon after, Pyo Yeon-Won’s acceptance was finally announced, and we had dinner to celebrate that.

February came, and the schedule for the New Student Training Program, a.k.a. The Membership Training was posted.

I think Hyewon-Unnie and I were more excited than Pyo Yeon-Won.

We even had a long discussion about what he should wear that day.

I wondered if ‘Is this what it’s like to have a little brother in college?’

I’ve never had a brother before, so I don’t know, but I thought it would probably feel like this.

Even though I’m a loner, for a while, at least, I was a family with Pyo Hye-Won and her brother now.

That warmth made me feel grateful again that I was given another chance in life.

It was one of the happiest moments of my life, and so, on the same day as the new year, we happily sent Pyo Yeon-Won off and looked forward to listening to an interesting story once he came back.

Perhaps I could have waited with pleasure.

I might have expected a little more because I’ve never been to college before or this time.

Until Theo suddenly brought some news to me.

“By the way, A Non-Wave Gate will open again soon.”

Theo dropped a bombshell with a nonchalant expression.

We know that once a gate opens, Hunters are immediately summoned up and they will scramble to organize a meeting, and countermeasures.

“What gate?”

I said.

My voice seems to tremble for some reason.

I have a very ominous premonition.

“The Hankuk University gate.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My face drained of color and I had a terrible thought.

‘Yeon-Won…… is in there.’