Han Se-ah’s family was incredibly famous, even within the entertainment industry.
‘Han Group’—the largest corporation in Korea and one of the top conglomerates in the world.
Some even referred to it as the ‘Saint Han Family,’ counting it among the world’s ten wealthiest dynasties.
Han Se-ah was the only blood descendant of Han Du-ho, the chairman of Han Group.
Han Du-ho had a single son, and eighteen years ago, after getting married, his son and wife had Han Se-ah.
However, when Han Se-ah was five, on their way back from a business trip abroad on Han Group’s private jet, they were kidnapped by assailants.
The perpetrators were a notorious criminal syndicate targeting Han Group’s immense wealth; even after receiving the staggering sum of fifty million dollars, they ultimately crashed the plane.
That criminal organization had to bear the full brunt of Chairman Han Du-ho’s wrath.
Though the syndicate was as large and powerful as any IS militant group, Han Du-ho’s fury was far more overwhelming and relentless.
They even had numerous villains who had awakened Mysteries among their ranks, but when Han Du-ho put out an enormous bounty using his vast resources and promised astronomical rewards, legendary mercenary groups took action, and countless Hunters joined the hunt.
In the end, the syndicate, with over two thousand core members, was utterly annihilated.
Though some members scattered and hid across the globe like cockroaches, Chairman Han Du-ho tracked down and mercilessly executed every last one.
The revenge was complete, but the lost son and daughter-in-law could never return.
Thus, having lost both her parents at the same time on the same day, Han Se-ah was raised by her grandfather, Han Du-ho, and received rigorous training from a young age to inherit Han Group.
She was treated like a princess within Han Group.
Han Du-ho, fearing that other criminal organizations might target her as their next objective, hid her identity with utmost secrecy.
And then, Han Se-ah caused trouble.
Feeling rebellious over being locked inside the house and unable to go out alone, she secretly ventured outside behind Han Du-ho’s back and ended up stepping into the entertainment industry.
She turned even the bodyguards, housekeepers, Han Group executives, and relatives who were monitoring her to her side, joining the girl group Rosefinch—without Han Du-ho knowing.
Rosefinch took its name from the most beautiful bird in the world, the rosefinch.
True to the name, each member boasted incredible beauty and talent.
But in truth, Rosefinch’s popularity was almost single-handedly created by Han Se-ah.
Singing, dancing, and even appearing on variety shows, she showcased outstanding wit.
Han Se-ah became famous overnight and soon expanded into dramas and films.
Every drama or movie she starred in was a massive hit.
Thus, Han Se-ah became a mega-star, even earning the nickname “Korea’s National Fairy.”
But her career in the entertainment industry was brief.
At most, a year and a half.
Debuting at sixteen, she had just passed the middle of her seventeenth year when she suddenly disappeared from the scene.
The agency claimed she was taking a break to prepare for the future, but her secret didn’t last long.
Eventually, the truth came out—Han Se-ah was the granddaughter of Han Du-ho, chairman of Han Group—and the world was shocked once again.
Han Se-ah’s disappearance was due to her grandfather, Han Du-ho, discovering the truth late and immediately halting all her public activities.
Countless fans hoped for her return, but even a year later, there was no news.
And then, her appearance at the Hunter Academy was discovered, and rumors spread like wildfire, causing a sea of people to swarm in front of the academy.
*****
“Should I try getting an autograph too? A Sei autograph could fetch at least a couple million won.”
Joo Gwang-sik smacked his lips regretfully as Han Se-ah disappeared into the van.
“You really want to squeeze in with all those people? And you’ve already run out of allowance? Just from the way you’re thinking about selling autographs, you’re up to something, aren’t you?”
When Yoo Ho-seong asked, frowning, Joo Gwang-sik quickly changed his expression and led the two along.
“Ah, I’m hungry. I’ll never understand why there aren’t large portions of gukbap. When I’m this hungry, a large bowl with two scoops of rice mixed in and slurped down would be perfect.”
“What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t there be large portions? Don’t change the subject. Be honest, where did all the allowance I gave you at the start of the month go?”
Bickering like that, Yoo Ho-seong and Joo Gwang-sik exited the academy building and headed toward the alley.
Following behind, Kim Seo-jun turned his head for a moment and looked at Han Se-ah’s fans.
The van she rode in had already departed, and the remaining fans sat on the ground with despondent faces, as if they’d lost the world.
‘Han Se-ah… Meeting you here again like this.’
Kim Seo-jun recalled the brief eye contact he’d made with Han Se-ah as she passed by Yoo Ho-seong’s classroom.
‘No wonder she seemed familiar…’
He felt a pang of regret for not at least saying a word to her.
Because the worlds that Han Se-ah and he lived in were so different, it seemed unlikely they’d ever meet again.
Now that her face had been revealed, she probably wouldn’t come back to the academy.
*****
[Original Grandma’s Gukbap Restaurant]
The three entered the homely gukbap restaurant and each ordered according to their tastes.
Kim Seo-jun and Yoo Ho-seong ordered pork gukbap, while Joo Gwang-sik ordered a large portion of soondae gukbap.
The food arrived quickly.
As the steaming gukbap was brought out in stone bowls, their mouths watered automatically.
The three dove into their gukbap, devouring it alongside chunks of kkakdugi and fresh kimchi as side dishes.
When the bottom of the stone bowls began to show, Yoo Ho-seong finally took a breath and started talking.
“How’s your father doing?”
If Kim Seo-jun was that student from Jungsan Station, then his father would naturally be Kim Joo-hyuk, so Yoo Ho-seong asked about Kim Joo-hyuk with a fond expression.
“He’s doing well. He’s stepped down from active duty for now, but I think he’ll be returning soon.”
“Stepped down? He still looks fit as ever.”
Yoo Ho-seong was surprised, since Kim Joo-hyuk looked no different from his prime on TV.
“Up until recently, he was a pot-bellied middle-aged man. He devoted himself to his family and gained a lot of belly fat.”
“Ah, I see. Maybe Gwang-sik already told you, but your father saved me and eighteen other kids from death nine years ago. That’s a debt I can never repay. I’ve always wanted to thank him in person. But when I saw him on TV, he didn’t look any different than he did nine years ago, so I didn’t expect that.”
“He went through hellish training to get his old body back.”
“Hahaha. He must have. Age weight and visceral fat aren’t easy to lose.”
Right now, Kim Seo-jun felt so happy chatting with Yoo Ho-seong about these little things.
He’d thought he’d never be able to sit across from him and talk again—Yoo Ho-seong, who had been like an older brother to him.
Being able to laugh and talk together felt like a dream.
“By the way… I heard from Gwang-sik that there’s something you wanted advice about?”
“Ah, yes. There’s something I’ve been curious about recently.”
“If it’s something I know, I’ll answer as best as I can. Go ahead.”
Yoo Ho-seong calmly wiped the steam off his glasses, his face warm with a gentle smile.
“It’s about Mysteries. These days, there are all sorts of Mysteries, and sometimes multiple people awaken similar or almost identical ones. But why is there no one with two Mysteries? I was wondering about that.”
“Awakening two Mysteries… Before I answer that, let me ask you first. Do you know how humans awaken Mysteries in the first place?”
It was a question befitting the top instructor of the Hunter Academy.
Countless people wanted to awaken Mysteries, but the chance was only 0.01%.
The odds were higher than being struck by lightning or winning the lottery, but with only one in ten thousand people awakening, it was never easy.
“When there’s a powerful desire to achieve something, and that desire aligns perfectly with a particular action in a special situation, a human awakens a Mystery. Isn’t that right?”
Kim Seo-jun’s answer was the standard principle found in textbooks on Mystery awakening.
“That’s a textbook answer. And also the right one.”
Yoo Ho-seong laughed and took a big gulp of water.
“Then why do most awakenings happen between ages sixteen and twenty? Occasionally there are younger or older awakeners, but most fall in that range. It’s not like people older or younger don’t have desires, or can’t align their actions with their wishes.”
“Oh, is that so? I’m an exception, since I awakened after twenty.”
Joo Gwang-sik butted in, wanting to join the conversation rather than be left out.
“It’s because the zeta wave that the human brain produces is at its strongest during that age range, isn’t it?”
Zeta wave.
This was the basic requirement for awakening—a high-frequency wave produced by the human brain.
The stronger the zeta wave, the better the focus, and focus is the most important element for awakening a Mystery.
“Right. Zeta waves are most active from sixteen to twenty. At least five times, and sometimes up to ten times more active than at other ages. That’s why most awakeners come from that age group.”
“So does that mean zeta waves limit a person to only one possible Mystery?”
At Kim Seo-jun’s question, Yoo Ho-seong’s eyes flashed for a moment.
He had intended to explain step by step, but with just a few hints, Kim Seo-jun had figured it out.
Whether it was his intelligence or understanding, he was clearly an exceptional student.
“Exactly. The period when zeta waves are active is very short. Five years isn’t even enough to awaken a single Mystery, really. So, even if someone manages to awaken one during that time, awakening a second one is essentially impossible.”
“What about someone who’s lucky enough to awaken early, say at sixteen or younger? Wouldn’t they have another chance to awaken?”
“There’s another issue. The core of awakening is focus and willpower. It takes extreme focus and powerful will to barely manage a single awakening. Could someone who’s already awakened a Mystery muster that kind of focus and will again? The mindset of someone with no Mysteries and someone who already has one can never be the same.”
“Ah…”
Kim Seo-jun clearly understood Yoo Ho-seong’s words.
The difference in desperation.
Someone who has already gained something can never match the desperation of someone with nothing.
“Then, what if… let’s say someone awakened a Mystery, but it turned out to be completely useless? Wouldn’t their desire for a better one allow them to awaken a new Mystery?”
A question that cut to the core.
Yoo Ho-seong was quietly impressed that young Kim Seo-jun had thought that far.
“It’s possible. But if that happens, the original Mystery would disappear. The focus and will for a new Mystery would outcompete and eliminate the unnecessary one.”
“So, in the end, having two Mysteries at once is theoretically impossible.”
“That’s why, even though Mysteries have existed for decades, no one has ever seen a Hunter with more than one.”
“Now I get it. Thank you for the explanation.”
Kim Seo-jun nodded in understanding, expressing his gratitude.
But inside, a new question was forming.
‘No one has ever seen such a Hunter… That just means we’ve never seen one, not that they don’t exist, right?’
Yoo Ho-seong’s words were very peculiar.
He didn’t say there are no Hunters with more than one Mystery—he said we haven’t seen any.
That could mean they exist, but can’t be seen. That was odd.
‘Well, I already have five Mysteries myself.’
Currently, Kim Seo-jun had five Mysteries.
He expected to have more, so for him, the number of Mysteries was meaningless.
The reason he asked Yoo Ho-seong about additional awakenings wasn’t for himself, but to gauge how likely it was for others to have two or three.
The answer was clear.
The odds were low, but not zero.
“Thanks to you, I feel so much clearer today. In that spirit, let me pay for this meal.”
“Haha, you don’t have to buy lunch just because I talked a bit! I earn plenty; let me pay. And what’s with the ‘hyung-nim’? We’re not that far apart in age. Just call me hyung.”
“Uh… Really? Then I’ll call you Ho-seong hyung?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Somehow, Kim Seo-jun felt his chest tighten at the word “hyung.”
In his previous life, Yoo Ho-seong had been exactly the same.
When he first met Kim Seo-jun, who had just turned twenty, they’d argued for ages over whose martial arts training method was right.
Eventually, they’d clicked, and despite their six-year age difference, they’d become as close as brothers only a couple of years apart.
“Ho-seong hyung, can I drop by from time to time for some lecture audits?”
Kim Seo-jun announced his intention to audit openly.
At this, Yoo Ho-seong raised an eyebrow.
“Are you coming for the lecture, or is it to see idol Sei?”
He was teasing, implying that since Rosefinch’s Sei was taking his class, maybe Kim Seo-jun was trying to set something up.
“Even if Gwang-sik does, I’m not like that.”
“Hey! What about me? I’m only here for the legendary lectures, purely, from my brother.”
“Oh, really? Then why does it sound like you’re lying to my ears?”
Yoo Ho-seong replied with a sly, meaningful smile.
He seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere at this table, never losing his smile.
“Geez, whose idea was it to get together today, anyway! Are you two just going to gang up on me?”
At Joo Gwang-sik’s grumbling, Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but grin.
“Today’s perfect weather for leaving Gwang-sik out.”
Quoting a line from a movie, Yoo Ho-seong burst into louder laughter.
“Hahaha. Yeah, like Seo-jun said, today really is the perfect weather to leave someone out.”
At his hearty laughter, most of the customers in the gukbap restaurant turned to stare at them.
Then, the grandma who was boiling soup in the kitchen poked her head out and glared at the three.
“What the heck! If you’re in a gukbap restaurant, eat your soup quietly! Why are you cackling like you’re slaughtering pigs and making the other customers uncomfortable? If you’re done eating, pay up and get out!”
As it turned out, the owner of Original Grandma’s Gukbap Restaurant was a foul-mouthed granny.