Ozpin sighed, leaning back. "Hyunwoo... it's too early for you to carry this burden. There are matters you aren't ready to face yet. Let the grown-ups handle this."
Hyunwoo's eyes narrowed, his voice sharp and icy. "Too early? You mean I should wait while the people who caused all of this continue their plans? You want me to stand by and do nothing?"
Ozpin's expression softened, trying to calm him. "Patience, Hyunwoo. Acting rashly will—"
"When?!" Hyunwoo's shout cut through the room. "You want me to act when Beacon is falling? When lives are already lost? When my father's death is all for nothing? No. I will act now. I will understand the truth now!"
Ozpin's hand hovered near the letter, his calm demeanor tested by the fire in Hyunwoo's eyes. "This path is dangerous... more than you realize."
Hyunwoo leaned forward, voice low but searing with determination. "Then tell me everything, Ozpin. No more holding back. I can handle it. I must handle it."
Ozpin hesitated, adjusting his glasses as if to buy time, his usual calm demeanor strained. "Very well... but you must understand, what I am about to tell you is not something to be taken lightly."
Hyunwoo's fists clenched on the desk. "I've handled worse. Just speak."
Ozpin took a deep breath. "Your father... he was on a clearance mission when he encountered forces far stronger than most Huntsmen have ever faced. You were told he died in the line of duty—technically true, but the circumstances were... complicated."
Hyunwoo's jaw tightened. "Complicated? What do you mean?"
"The girl your father faced," Ozpin continued, "she was not just any adversary. She was... a False Maiden. She had taken the powers of a Maiden, though not fully mastered them. Even incomplete, it made her extremely dangerous. And she wasn't acting alone."
Hyunwoo frowned, trying to process. "A... Maiden? What exactly is that?"
Ozpin's gaze grew serious. "A Maiden is a wielder of ancient power or you could say Magic, tied to elemental forces. The False Maiden, as I said, took that power forcibly. It's dangerous even without full control. She's one of the few people capable of challenging skilled Huntsmen directly."
Hyunwoo slammed his hand on the desk, voice low and fierce. "And the humanlike Grimm? The one I fought that shouldn't exist?"
Ozpin's eyes widened slightly, a rare flicker of uncertainty. "That... I did not know about. That Grimm should not exist in this world . Whoever—or whatever—created it has knowledge and power beyond anything we've encountered. It is likely connected to Salem herself."
Hyunwoo's expression hardened, voice tense. "Salem? Who is she?"
Ozpin's gaze darkened. "Salem is the queen of Grimm. She controls them, directs their movements, and orchestrates their attacks. Her influence is absolute over the creatures of darkness, and she has been pulling strings behind the scenes for centuries. That human Grimm you fought—it may very well have been her doing."
Hyunwoo's eyes burned with determination. "So even you don't know everything. Then what am I supposed to do? Wait? Watch? My father... his death... this war... I won't stand by."
Hyunwoo's voice dropped, heavy with hesitation. "And. ... there's one more thing. The Grimm I fought..." He paused, fists tightening. "It said something ... it said it found me. And that arm..."
His gaze hardened. "Is it possible... that Salem can create Grimm from human body parts?"
Ozpin's eyes flickered, caught off guard. "I... I don't know of any instance like that."
Hyunwoo's breath hitched, a cold dread spreading through him. "If that's possible... then my father..."
He let the words hang in the air, the implication striking even Ozpin silent. The room felt colder, heavier, the weight of hidden truths pressing down on them.
Ozpin ran a hand down his face, sighing. "Hyunwoo... what you describe is unlike anything we've encountered before. Grimm are creatures born of malice and darkness, not humans. I cannot confirm if Salem—if she indeed orchestrates such things—has crossed that line. What you fought... it is unprecedented."
Hyunwoo's fists clenched around the spear, his knuckles white. "Unprecedented? That's just a word. That doesn't make it any less real. If she's turning humans into Grimm... if that's my father..." His voice cracked slightly, but his eyes blazed with determination.
Ozpin's gaze softened, a mixture of caution and sorrow. "You're stepping into matters far beyond Beacon's walls. These truths... they are dangerous. Even knowing them can change the course of everything."
Hyunwoo shook his head, his expression firm, unyielding. "I don't have time for 'later.' Every second counts. If this Salem's involved, if my father's fate is tied to this... I need action."
Ozpin swallowed, realizing the fire in Hyunwoo mirrored that of his father. "Very well," he said carefully. "But understand this—once you step further, there is no turning back."
Hyunwoo's grip on his spear tightened. "I'm already past turning back."
Ozpin glanced at him, concern flickering in his eyes. "Hyunwoo... for now, you need treatment. Your adrenaline may have carried you through, but your injuries are worsening. You can't keep pushing like this."
"But-"
"No but, I as a Headmaster and a Professor need to take care of my students."
Hyunwoo exhaled deeply, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. He nodded, finally letting the weight of the situation settle. "Alright... I understand. I'll follow your guidance. I will meet you later, Ozpin"
Glynda stepped inside the room from Ozpin orders , her expression a mix of relief and stern concern.
"Good. Now, Glynda will get you treated properly before this gets worse. No more delays."
Hyunwoo allowed her to guide him, each step cautious as his body protested. The corridors of Beacon blurred past, the adrenaline of the previous encounters finally fading, replaced by the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat.
As they reached the infirmary, Glynda opened the door and gestured for him to lie down. "Rest now. Everything else can wait until you're back on your feet."
Hyunwoo gave a small, appreciative nod. Though his mind raced with plans and strategies, for the first time in a while, he allowed himself a moment to simply... recover.
Hyunwoo lay back on the infirmary bed, the crisp sheets pressing against his bruised body. Glynda had already begun examining his injuries, her practiced hands moving with efficiency, but his mind couldn't stop racing.
After finishing her thing, Glynda left the room, reminding Hyunwoo to take a rest for a few days.
Hyunwoo nod, his head rested on the pillow as his gaze stare at the ceiling. Just when he wanted to closed his eyes.
The door creaked open, and Ruby was the first to peek inside, her silver eyes wide with concern. "Hyunwoo! Are you... okay?"
He offered a faint, reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Just need some rest and proper treatment."
Pyrrha stepped in behind her, her brow furrowed. "You took too many hits out there. I... We was worried."
"I know," Hyunwoo replied quietly. "But I had to see it through. There's no room for hesitation in moments like that."
Weiss followed, her usual composed demeanor softened by concern. "You really need to be more careful. I've seen injuries that don't heal properly if ignored."
Jaune peeked in from the doorway, shield slung over his back. "I should've helped more... or at least warned you!"
Hyunwoo shook his head. "You did enough. That fight wasn't for you to solve alone. Besides..." He smirked faintly, though his eyes were tired. "I expected nothing less from my teammates."
From the corner, Jaemin leaned against the wall, arms crossed with his tonfas resting across his shoulders, pretending to be casual. "Still, you could've let us join earlier. Don't think I didn't notice."
Jisoo and Jiwon entered next, their expressions calm but alert. Jisoo tilted her head, her twin chakrams resting in her hands. "We can handle ourselves, but we didn't expect it to get that dangerous."
Jiwon's long staff rested against his shoulder, echo sense faintly activating as he observed Hyunwoo. "You didn't have to take the brunt alone... but I understand why."
Hyunwoo glanced at them all, fatigue softening his usual sharp demeanor. "I appreciate it. I wanted to test strategies, see what worked—but seeing all of you there... it reminds me why we train together. You've all got my back, just as I have yours."
Ruby bounced a little, still worried. "You scared us! Don't do that again!"
He chuckled softly, a rare moment of levity. "I'll try not to. For now, rest is mandatory... for me, and maybe for all of you after seeing how reckless I can be."
Pyrrha spoke up, glancing toward Ruby. "You should let the others know what happened. Yang, Blake... the rest of JNPR... they weren't there. They'll worry."
Ruby nodded, her voice excited but still concerned. "Right! We can tell them how brave Hyunwoo was, and how we handled it too. They need to know he's okay."
Hyunwoo shook his head with a small smile. "Let them hear it from you two. It's better they know the facts than rumors or exaggerations."
As Ruby and Pyrrha began recounting the events, Hyunwoo let himself relax a little, watching the bonds between his teammates strengthen. Even in the infirmary, with bruises and fatigue pressing down, there was reassurance. He was alive, and they were all together—ready for whatever came next.
The infirmary was finally quiet.
One by one had left—Weiss with a polite nod, Pyrrha after making Ruby promise to rest, and Jaune after lingering in the doorway a little too long. Team NOVA tells Hyunwoo to get a rest he deserved.
Now, only Ruby remained, sitting on the chair beside Hyunwoo's bed. She fiddled with the edge of her cape before speaking.
"You... didn't really answer me earlier. About the hand."
Hyunwoo stayed quiet, gaze fixed on the bedside table where the arm—wrapped neatly in cloth—sat beside his watch.
"It's... not something I wanted to say in front of everyone."
Ruby leaned forward, voice gentle. "You can tell me."
He hesitated, then brushed his fingers across the watch. "That arm... it wasn't just a Grimm's. There's something about it that felt... human. Familiar."
Ruby's brows knit. "Familiar?"
A faint, bitter smile touched his lips. "The watch belonged to my father. And that arm..." His voice lowered. "There's a chance it's connected to him. In a way I wish it wasn't."
Ruby's breath caught. "Hyunwoo... are you saying—"
"I'm saying someone might've turned a human into a Grimm. And if that's true..." His jaw clenched. "Maybe my father didn't die the way I was told."
Ruby didn't speak right away. Instead, her eyes dropped to the floor, her hands tightening on her cape.
"...When I was little, my mom went on a mission," she began quietly. "She never came back. Everyone told me she died protecting people. And I... I wanted to believe that was the whole story. But there's still this part of me that wonders if there's more—something I wasn't told."
Her silver eyes lifted to meet his, shimmering under the infirmary light. "So... I get it. That feeling of not knowing. And I promise—" she reached out, resting her hand on the bed beside his—"we'll find out the truth. Together."
Hyunwoo stared at her for a moment before allowing a faint, genuine smile. "...Together."
The room fell into silence again, but this time, it wasn't heavy. There was an understanding between them now—two people carrying the weight of unanswered questions, both unwilling to let them stay that way.
After that Ruby went back to her dorm,
____
The infirmary was quiet. Too quiet.
Hyunwoo sat on the edge of the bed, the watch lying in his palm. The faint scratches on its surface caught the light, each one a memory he didn't live... but could still feel.
His gaze lingered on it for a long time.
"This body's emotions..." he muttered to himself, the sound barely more than a breath. "They really make me feel the same."
He let out a shaky laugh, the kind that wasn't really laughter at all.
"I'm not the real Hyunwoo," he whispered into the empty room. "And Hyun Kim... is not my real father."
That should have been the end of it. The truth.
But the ache in his chest refused to fade.
His grip on the watch tightened, and before he realized it, his mind drifted—
⸻
Flashback
He was smaller, younger, sitting on the porch steps as the evening sun bled orange across the yard. Hyun Kim knelt in front of him, one hand resting heavily on his shoulder, the other holding out the very same watch.
"You can do this," his father said, smiling faintly. "No matter what the world throws at you... I'll believe in you until the end."
Hyunwoo—no, the real Hyunwoo—had grinned wide, almost too wide for his face, before throwing his arms around him.
The smell of oil and metal clung to the man's shirt. Warm. Solid. Safe.
⸻
The memory snapped away, and Hyunwoo found himself back in the quiet infirmary.
"That's what I want to say," he continued, voice tightening. "But I don't know anything anymore. The way I hurt, the way I'm sad, the way I'm angry for Hyun Kim..." He paused, clenching his jaw. "...it makes me wonder."
His eyes burned as he looked down at the watch, his thumb brushing over the tiny hidden compartment he'd found earlier.
"Can I... can I say that I am your real son?"
No answer came—only the soft, steady ticking from the watch.