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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“A-Attacking a civilian as a Hunter is a crime, you know?”
“Do you think there’ll be any evidence?”
Park Hyun-joo’s face turned from pale to deathly ashen at Lee Seong-joon’s sneering expression.
“…”
To avoid any unnecessary trouble, he had thoroughly surveyed the surrounding area before confronting Kim Jong-ha.
“Since it’s a corner of the department store, there are no passersby, and there are no CCTV cameras recording the area. What evidence could there possibly be?”
This must have been a spot they chose to harass his sister, Lee Seo-yoon, without any repercussions.
But now, that very location had become their own trap.
“…”
Park Hyun-joo’s expression shifted rapidly as she finally grasped the reality of the situation.
She turned pale, then startled, and at times, trembled with fear.
Amidst those various expressions, there was one common emotion.
Primal fear. That emotion filled Park Hyun-joo’s mind.
Confident that there would be no further resistance, Lee Seong-joon spoke again.
“But before that, I’ll give you a special opportunity. Apologize to Seo-yoon sincerely. Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But in that case…”
Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra hurriedly rushed to Lee Seo-yoon at Lee Seong-joon’s icy glare.
“S-Seo-yoon, we were friends before, weren’t we?”
“Hyun-joo, she made me do it. I really liked you, you know how I feel, right?”
Lee Seo-yoon didn’t respond to Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra’s desperate pleas.
She just kept her head down and trembled.
“…Is that all you have to say to me? Don’t you feel sorry?”
“Of course I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”
“I was really wrong. I’ll apologize sincerely! So please…”
For a brief moment, the two women’s gazes shifted towards Lee Seong-joon before returning to Lee Seo-yoon.
“Please forgive us just this once.”
“We’re begging you.”
Lee Seo-yoon, watching the two women desperately pleading, clenched her fists, suppressing her anger.
Three years of hell.
Although she hadn’t shown it at home, she had been relentlessly bullied throughout high school.
It had definitely started as a friendship.
But one day, a strange atmosphere developed, and she gradually became ostracized.
There wasn’t any particular reason.
Their relationship soured due to what people often called “politics,” and the bullying began.
At first, she was treated as if she didn’t exist, and then her belongings started disappearing or ending up in the trash.
No one offered a helping hand.
Everyone was a bystander.
No, that was still bearable.
There were those like Kim Ah-ra who enjoyed and even added to the torment.
That’s how she became isolated in the social environment of school.
She was scared and wanted to run away.
She had even asked her teachers for help, but the only disciplinary action taken was a verbal warning.
Instead, she was bullied even more for “snitching.”
She was afraid, and there were times when she contemplated ending it all.
But it was too unfair.
That she should die because of those inhuman pieces of trash.
It was too sad.
The faces of her family members came to mind.
So she endured.
It would be over soon.
Once she graduated from school, everything would be over.
She persevered with that single thought, and finally, she achieved it.
Therefore, she was overjoyed and proud at her graduation ceremony.
She had even felt proud of herself.
But looking back now, she felt foolish for having been so afraid of trash like Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra.
‘…They were really nothing.’
Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra, whom she had been so afraid of, were merely truly weak individuals who bullied others because they were weak and pathetic themselves.
That’s why she couldn’t forgive them even more.
Because they were trash who looked down on and hurt others to hide their own weakness.
“No matter what you say, I don’t intend to accept your apology, but…”
Lee Seo-yoon bit her lower lip.
“I’ll forgive you because I don’t want to become like you. But don’t ever appear in front of me again. Because next time, I don’t know what I’ll do to you.”
Despite the flood of accusations and threats, Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra, who had long abandoned their pride, repeatedly bowed their heads and expressed their gratitude.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“I’ll never forget this kindness.”
Lee Seo-yoon, looking at their disgusting expressions, shook her head vigorously and then left.
However, Lee Seong-joon continued to stare at Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra with cold eyes.
“Remember, this is your last chance.”
Lee Seong-joon briefly shifted his gaze to Kim Jong-ha, who was sprawled on the floor.
“You understand what I mean?”
“Y-Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“We’ll never! We’ll make sure we never run into Seo-yoon again, not even by chance!”
After confirming that Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra were nodding repeatedly, Lee Seong-joon also left without hesitation.
All that remained were Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra, paralyzed by fear and shedding tears, and Kim Jong-ha, unconscious on the floor.
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After giving them a firm warning, just in case,
Lee Seong-joon followed Lee Seo-yoon, who had left earlier, and found her sitting on a nearby bench, crying.
It was a sight too unfamiliar to Lee Seong-joon, who was used to seeing her always smiling.
That’s why it hurt him even more.
He wanted to go back to them immediately, hear the whole story, and take appropriate revenge.
However, this was a decision made by Lee Seo-yoon herself.
Any further action would be unnecessary interference.
Therefore, Lee Seong-joon sat down next to Lee Seo-yoon, who was silently crying, without saying a word.
Then he sent a text message to his father, Lee Soo-hyuk, saying that he and Seo-yoon were at the cafe downstairs because she was thirsty, and that he shouldn’t worry.
Immediately after, he confirmed the reply,
“Okay, I understand,”
and placed his smartphone on the bench.
A heavy silence followed for five, ten minutes.
“I really… didn’t want to show this side of me to my family.”
Lee Seo-yoon, with a bitter smile, lifted her head.
Tears still welled up in her eyes.
“When I first entered school, Hyun-joo, Ah-ra, and Min-seo, the four of us were close friends. But around the midterms of our freshman year, when Min-seo suddenly moved…”
Lee Seo-yoon’s story was somewhat disjointed, but Lee Seong-joon listened silently without interrupting.
“Suddenly, Hyun-joo started hanging out with just Ah-ra, and then she started turning everyone against me. Honestly, I still don’t know the exact reason.”
It was a story that Lee Seong-joon found somewhat difficult to accept.
However, having witnessed the power struggles and political maneuvering of women vying for partners in the Thousand Continents, he understood clearly.
“At first, it was really nothing. Just some ridiculous rumors, so I ignored them. But the people around me didn’t ignore them.”
“On the contrary…”
“The rumors kept getting bigger, and before I knew it, I had become a real bitch.”
“…”
“After that, they started bullying me even more, as if they were some kind of righteous crusaders. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell my family…”
Lee Seong-joon’s eyes wavered greatly.
He understood why his sister, Lee Seo-yoon, couldn’t tell her family.
The time when Lee Seo-yoon was in high school was right after Lee Seong-joon had become an adult.
And at that time, Lee Seong-joon had been constantly clashing and fighting with his father.
Naturally, there was no way Lee Seo-yoon, who had been witnessing all of this, could rely on her family, right?
“Speaking of which, I remember now. Do you remember that time when I lost my gym uniform and jacket? They actually threw them in the trash, so I couldn’t get them back.”
Lee Seo-yoon’s calm demeanor as she continued speaking pierced his heart.
He clearly remembered that incident.
It must have been the day he had scolded her for not taking care of her belongings, even though their family was struggling financially due to their mother’s medical expenses.
Not only had he neglected his sister during her adolescence, when she needed a lot of attention and care due to their financial difficulties, but he had also hurt her even more.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry, Oppa. You know I didn’t tell you this to hear an apology.”
“Still…”
“It’s okay. I’ve been suffering alone all this time, and not only did you resolve it for me, but you’re also listening to my story so patiently. I’m actually very grateful to you, Oppa.”
A bright smile now graced Lee Seo-yoon’s face.
“Thanks to you, I was able to let go of all the pent-up resentment. Thinking about it now, it’s really simple. Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra were just trash.”
“Are you really okay with this? If you want, even now…”
Lee Seo-yoon nodded with a smile at his anger-laced voice.
“Yes, I’m really okay. Like I told Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra, I never want to become like them.”
How could he go against such a firm and admirable resolution?
A smile, similar to Lee Seo-yoon’s, appeared on Lee Seong-joon’s face.
“Thank you.”
“For what, suddenly?”
“For growing up so well despite having a useless older brother like me.”
“What are you talking about?”
Lee Seo-yoon’s face flushed red, and she quickly stood up.
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go. Mom and Dad will be waiting.”
“…Okay.”
Lee Seong-joon no longer showed any pity for his sister.
No, it didn’t make sense to pity her in the first place.
His little sister’s small back now seemed more admirable than anyone else in the world.
‘Forgiveness is harder than revenge.’
It wasn’t for nothing that grudges continued endlessly in the Thousand Continents. It took great courage and resolve to break that cycle.
His sister, Lee Seo-yoon, had accomplished that difficult task.
‘She’s really… grown up.’
His sister, Lee Seo-yoon, was no longer a child who needed protection.
She had become a mature adult, walking her own path admirably.
He could say with certainty that she would become a much better person than Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra.
‘So… what I need to do now is…’
Not harbor petty emotions like revenge or pity, but to become a strong pillar of support for his precious sister, Lee Seo-yoon, so she could continue walking her righteous path.
With a smile on his lips, Lee Seong-joon made a firm resolution in his heart.
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