After Han Ji-hoon left the meeting room and closed the door behind him, those present remained in heavy silence for a moment. Han Tae-won, the Supreme Advisor, was still sitting at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on the closed door. His face appeared calm on the surface, but his fingers were tapping slowly on the table, a sign of hidden tension.
(Han Tae-won (in a low voice)
"This situation cannot continue."
He looked around at the four elders, then at Han Yeon-soo, the eldest son, who was sitting beside him with a straight back and a stern face.
(Han Tae-won (sighing)
"I have spoken to him. Warned him. Scolded him. But he does not learn. Every time we try to restrain him, he explodes even worse."
(One of the elders (an old man with a thick white beard)
"He is still young, Master Tae-won. Perhaps he needs time."
(Han Tae-won (looking at him sharply)
"Time? Time that might destroy everything we have built? You all saw what the Phoenix did today. You saw how she played with her opponents like a cat with a mouse. And she did not even use all her power, that is clear."
(Han Yeon-soo (in a cold voice)
"Uncle is right. This is no longer a matter of upbringing or understanding. This is a matter of survival."
(Han Tae-won (nodding)
"If Ji-hoon causes a problem for the Phoenix or her husband Anas... if he says one inappropriate word, or looks at her the wrong way... the entire family will be wiped out in less than a day. I am not exaggerating. Anas Sharif Yazeed will become an SSS-rank hunter tomorrow. And that man... was unaffected by the aura of Saif bin Hamoud and Lukas Steiner together."
Those present fell silent. They knew he was not exaggerating.
(Bald elder (in a low voice)
"Then... what do you suggest?"
(Han Tae-won (looking at Han Yeon-soo)
"You have a proposal, Yeon-soo. Speak."
(Han Yeon-soo (stepping forward)
"I propose sending two of the family's elite hunters. From the shadow class. Experts in tracking and surveillance. Not to arrest him or harm him, only to know where he goes, what he does, and who he speaks to."
(One of the elders (skeptically)
"And will he allow that? Ji-hoon is not stupid. He will sense them."
(Han Yeon-soo (smiling coldly)
"He will not sense them. These are not ordinary shadow hunters. These are the elite of the elite. They have trained in stealth for years. They can hide in your own shadow without you feeling them."
Han Yeon-soo looked at the elders, then at Han Tae-won.
(Han Yeon-soo (seriously)
"But I will not do this without your consent. This decision is not mine alone."
The elders exchanged glances. Then, one by one, they nodded.
(Bald elder (firmly)
"We agree. It is better to be safe than to regret."
(Han Tae-won (sighing)
"Then, do it."
Han Yeon-soo smiled a faint smile. Then he raised his hand.
CRACK!
He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, from behind him, from the shadows clinging to the corners of the room, the darkness began to thicken. Then, as if emerging from a wall of shadow, two men appeared.
They wore all-black outfits, their faces hidden behind black masks. They made no sound. They did not move. They were like part of the shadow itself.
(Han Yeon-soo (in a low voice)
"Follow Han Ji-hoon. Do not let him out of your sight. Do not get close to him. Do not let him feel you. I want to know where he goes, what he does, and who he speaks to. Do not intervene unless he is about to do something stupid that might destroy us all."
(Shadow Hunter One (in a hoarse voice)
"Your command, my lord."
The two men vanished. They did not go out the door. They did not move in the natural direction. They simply faded away, as if the shadows had swallowed them again.
(Han Tae-won (looking at Han Yeon-soo)
"I hope this is enough."
(Han Yeon-soo (in a cold voice)
"We shall see."
---
In the luxurious corridors of the hotel, Han Ji-hoon walked slowly, his hands in the pockets of his garish red trousers. An arrogant smile still lingered on his face, but his eyes burned with suppressed anger.
(Han Ji-hoon (to himself)
"They are afraid. All of them are afraid. Of one woman. And of her husband, who just yesterday was a mere G-rank hunter. What nonsense."
He continued walking, pretending not to notice anything. But he knew. He knew there were eyes following him. He did not need to look behind him. He could feel them. Two. Professionals. Not like the ordinary shadow hunters his brother had sent before. These were different. But he was also different.
(Han Ji-hoon (to himself)
"They think I do not see them? Fools. I reached S+ rank through my own efforts, not through anyone's support. I am not like other weaklings."
He passed through a long corridor lit by dim lights. Its walls were covered in dark wood, and the floor was covered with luxurious carpet that absorbed the sound of his footsteps.
(Han Ji-hoon (to himself)
"How can the whole family be biased toward my older brother? Yeon-soo... has done nothing to deserve all this respect. Just a cold, soulless shadow. But I... I have raised the family's name. I became a true S+ rank hunter. I gave the family power not to be underestimated."
He stopped for a moment in front of a large window overlooking the lights of Seoul. His face reflected on the glass. He saw his burning eyes.
(Han Ji-hoon (to himself)
"They will regret it. All of them. I will make them regret treating me like a spoiled child. I will show them who Han Ji-hoon really is."
Suddenly, he felt something.
He did not see it. He did not hear it. But he felt it. A faint aura, barely perceptible, coming from behind him. He knew it was not a threatening aura. It was a surveillance aura. They were still there.
(Han Ji-hoon (to himself, smiling)
"My brother... thinks I do not know he will send guards after me. Thinks I am unaware. But I am not. I will play with them a little."
He continued walking, pretending he was still unaware. He walked slowly, contemplating the paintings on the walls, sometimes stopping to look out the window. He played the role of the curious tourist perfectly.
Then he reached a crossroads.
The corridor to the right was completely dark, while the corridor to the left was lit with warm golden lights. In the middle, a small fountain in the center of a small hall, with leather seats for sitting.
Ji-hoon stopped in the middle. He looked around, as if searching for something.
(Han Ji-hoon (loudly enough for those behind him to hear)
"Do you think I do not feel you? Go back to my brother and tell him I do not need babysitters."
He paused for a moment. He heard no reply. He expected none.
Then he smiled.
CRACK!
He snapped his fingers.
In an instant, he disappeared.
He did not run. He did not jump. He did not hide behind a door. He did not enter a room. His body faded as if it had turned to smoke and dissipated into the air. His red aura vanished suddenly, as if it had never existed.
The two shadow hunters rushed forward. They had gotten closer than they should have, but they did not expect this. They searched every corner. Every door. Every window. Even under the fountain they looked. They did not find him.
(Shadow Hunter One (through his communication device)
"We have lost him. Repeat: we have lost the target. He disappeared suddenly at the corridor intersection. No trace."
In his room, Han Yeon-soo pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed deeply. His face was still cold, but his eyes showed a flicker of anger.
(Han Yeon-soo (coldly)
"Search for him everywhere. In every corner. In every room. In every corridor. Do not come back without him."
(Shadow Hunter One (in a frightened voice)
"My lord... it may take time. The hotel is large."
(Han Yeon-soo (sharply)
"Let it take whatever time it takes. Search. Now."
He closed the channel.
Han Yeon-soo looked at Han Tae-won and the elders. Their faces were pale.
(Han Yeon-soo (in a low voice)
"He has disappeared. As we expected."
(Han Tae-won (closing his eyes)
"The fool... what is he planning now?"
(Han Yeon-soo (speaking to the elders)
"We must prepare for the worst. If he does something stupid... if he approaches the Phoenix... if he angers her husband..."
He did not finish his sentence. He did not need to. Everyone knew what he meant.
(Bald elder (in a trembling voice)
"Oh God... what have we done?"
(Han Tae-won (opening his eyes)
"Nothing yet. But we may regret it if we do not find that fool before he does something unforgivable."
---
Somewhere else.
A dark place. A place where the hotel's luxurious lights do not reach. A place with no windows, no normal-looking doors. Only damp stone walls, an earthen floor, and cold air that nearly freezes.
In the middle of this place, Han Ji-hoon stood.
His red aura had returned, but it was faint, barely visible. He looked into the darkness before him with sharp eyes.
Then, the darkness moved.
It was not just an absence of light. The darkness itself moved. Thickened. Gathered into a single point before him.
Then, from this darkness, a figure emerged.
He wore a long black cloak that completely concealed his features. His face was not visible. His hands were not visible. Only a black cloak fluttering as if alive, and darkness surrounding him like an aura.
He did not speak. He just stood.
(Han Ji-hoon (bowing with a respect he had never shown anyone else)
"My lord."
The man did not reply. He only gestured with his hand hidden beneath the cloak. A light gesture, barely noticeable. But Ji-hoon understood it.
(Han Ji-hoon (in a low voice)
"As you command."
The man stood beside him. Now they stood side by side, looking into the darkness itself.
---
In the Baek Family's private suite, the atmosphere was completely different.
The suite was unlike the other hotel suites. It overlooked a private garden, with the Han River shimmering before it under the moonlight. The large glass windows were slightly open, allowing a cool night breeze carrying the scent of water and damp earth to enter.
In the center of the suite, on a white silk mat, Baek Ha-yoon sat in a meditative pose.
She looked like a woman in her thirties. Her face was fresh, smooth, free of wrinkles. Her features were delicate and harmonious, as if carved from snow itself. Her pure white hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, her cold blue eyes were closed, and her lips held a faint smile. She wore a long white silk dress, flowing around her like water.
But in reality, she was in her sixties. Her supernatural power was what preserved her youth, made her appear as if she had never passed thirty. She was like a living legend, her body defying time itself.
She was gathering energy.
Around her, the air trembled. A white aura tinged with blue slowly emanated from her body, like mist on a cold winter morning. It rippled, rose, danced around her like a sleeping serpent awakening. The moon in the sky was full, its silver light streaming through the window, mingling with her aura, as if they spoke a language no one else understood.
Energy gathered in her hands. Small balls of white-blue light formed and vanished, formed and vanished, as if breathing.
(Baek Ha-yoon (whispering, her voice barely audible)
"The moon tonight... cold. Quiet. As if grieving for something we cannot see."
She paused for a moment. Then she sighed.
Behind her, a respectful distance away, stood her Captain of the Guard. He was a man in his fifties, his body full but not fat, his muscles still prominent beneath his combat uniform. The uniform was white tinged with blue, like the color of ice on a cloudy day. It was made of thick leather and light fur at the collar, as if designed to withstand the harshest northern conditions.
His face was rugged, his eyes light blue, his beard short and thick. He stood like a soldier, his back straight, his hands behind him. He respected Baek Ha-yoon not only because she was his mistress, but because she was stronger than him, wiser, and more than any human seemed.
(Captain of the Guard (in a low, respectful voice)
"My lady... I have a report."
Baek Ha-yoon did not move. She did not open her eyes. Only her aura stopped rippling for a moment, as if listening.
(Baek Ha-yoon (in a voice cold as ice, yet soft)
"Speak."
(Captain of the Guard (speaking quickly, as if wanting to finish the task before thinking about the meaning of his words)
"The information about Anas Sharif Yazeed and his family... has been completely blocked. All of it. Nothing can be accessed. Even their names before awakening are not in any database."
Baek Ha-yoon slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were light blue like the winter sky, but they held an ageless sparkle. They were the eyes of a woman who had seen much, known much, and understood much.
(Baek Ha-yoon (turning to him slightly, though her body remained in meditation)
"What do you mean, blocked? By whom?"
(Captain of the Guard (hesitating)
"We do not know, my lady. We could not determine the source of the block. All we know is that every trace of them has been erased. As if they did not exist before this year. No medical records, no educational records, no financial records. Nothing. Even birth certificates are not in the national archives."
Baek Ha-yoon paused for a moment. She was thinking. Her eyes moved slowly, as if reading an invisible book in the air.
(Baek Ha-yoon (quietly)
"Is there more?"
(Captain of the Guard (taking one step forward, his voice even lower)
"Yes... we received a message. Through a heavily encrypted channel. We could not determine its source. Not even the country it came from."
(Baek Ha-yoon (looking at him with her blue eyes)
"Read it."
(Captain of the Guard (taking out his small phone, opening the screen, and reading in a low voice)
"'Whoever looks into what does not concern him will see what he does not wish to see. Stop searching. This is not a request.'"
A heavy silence fell over the room. Even the wind that had been coming through the window suddenly stopped.
(Captain of the Guard (adding in a low voice)
"No signature. No source. Just a warning."
Baek Ha-yoon turned to the window again. She looked at the moon, and at the river below shimmering. Her white aura slowly returned to rippling, as if breathing with her.
(Baek Ha-yoon (contemplatively)
"Strange... a man known to be G-rank, worthless, with no future. Then after a short while, he becomes a candidate for SSS rank. And his wife, an ordinary employee at the association, working day and night to pay off debts, suddenly transforms into an unconquerable phoenix. And their daughter, a little girl of five, protected incredibly. And now, all their information has vanished as if it never existed."
(Captain of the Guard (cautiously)
"My lady... do you think he might be one of the followers of the Eternal Dark? This is their way. They appear from nowhere, disappear easily, and every trace of them is erased."
Baek Ha-yoon smiled a cold smile, not reaching her eyes. It was the smile of one who knows more than she says.
(Baek Ha-yoon (quietly)
"If he were one of the followers of that evil organization, he would have revealed himself. Or the association would have exposed him. And if he were, he could not have stood before Lukas Steiner and Saif bin Hamoud Al Busaidi. Their auras reveal all that is dark. Followers of the Eternal Dark cannot stand before them without their bodies screaming with exposure."
(Captain of the Guard (slightly relieved)
"Then... he is not one of them?"
(Baek Ha-yoon (shaking her head)
"At least, it is not clear that he is. As long as he stood before Master Saif and showed nothing suspicious, he is not a servant of the Eternal Dark. Or at least, not yet."
She paused for a moment. Her aura expanded slightly, as if taking a deep breath.
(Baek Ha-yoon (firmly)
"Stop searching. Completely. We do not want to anger someone whose power we do not yet know."
(Captain of the Guard (bowing deeply)
"As you command, my lady."
He stepped back, then two more steps, then left the room quietly, closing the door behind him without a sound.
Baek Ha-yoon remained alone, contemplating the moon once more. A faint, mysterious smile appeared on her lips, the meaning of which no one understood.
(Baek Ha-yoon (whispering to herself)
"Who are you really, Anas Sharif Yazeed? And what are you hiding?"
---
End of Chapter Twenty-Four