I decided to confirm exactly what had changed.

“Hah... losing the power of an SS-class Hunter…”

When I checked, Baek Hyung-won, who had arrived late to the scene, let out a hollow laugh upon realizing that the Baekho Guild had just lost one of its SS-class Hunters so effortlessly.

Baek Hyung-won’s words left Han Se-hee visibly displeased.
Naturally so—who would feel good about hearing someone lament the loss of the person who murdered their parents?

To make matters worse, Baek Hyung-won had uttered those words in front of an 11-year-old girl who had lost her parents.

“Um... Se-hee…”

Han Se-hee already harbored ill feelings toward Baek Seo-jin, but Baek Seo-jin didn’t give up and cautiously approached her.

“What choice will she make?”

At this moment, I was merely an observer.

I bore no ill will toward Han Se-hee, and I had extended my goodwill to her.
However, her choices from now on could potentially make her an enemy to me.

If she genuinely accepted Baek Seo-jin as a friend and fulfilled the role of the main heroine as in the original story, she too would become my enemy.
The difference would only be that she was not someone to be destroyed but an obstacle to be dealt with.

“Are you… shocked?”

Baek Seo-jin spoke with concern. He appeared confused by the situation but chose to comfort Han Se-hee for now.
Given his nature, he became kind toward anyone he didn’t perceive as bad, so this wasn’t surprising.

“...Yeah.”

“Could we… talk for a bit?”

Baek Seo-jin clearly wanted to have a conversation with Han Se-hee. However, she didn’t immediately answer and instead looked around.

“Here?”

“I’ll take you somewhere quiet. How about we talk there?”

When Baek Seo-jin asked again, Han Se-hee remained silent for a moment before nodding.

“Alright.”

“Thank you!”

Baek Seo-jin looked relieved that she had agreed to listen to him, but there was still no hint of goodwill in Han Se-hee’s gaze.
Her expression was closer to that of someone trying to gauge something.

“Gauge, huh.”

It was likely she wanted to use Baek Seo-jin to understand the relationship between me and the Baekho Guild, as well as my involvement in Pyo Woo-jae’s case.
I watched the unfolding events with quiet interest.

“Will this place do?”

The location Baek Seo-jin led her to was a secluded storage area within the Baekho Guild, a spot rarely frequented by others and thus suitable for a private conversation.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll set up a barrier to keep the sound from leaking out. Is that okay?”

When Baek Seo-jin mentioned using mana to create a soundproof barrier, Han Se-hee seemed a bit surprised.

“You already know how to do that?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

Baek Seo-jin spoke with a shy tone, as if fishing for a compliment from her.
To an outsider, this might have looked like the innocent interaction between a future protagonist and his destined heroine during their childhood.

But Han Se-hee’s response was devoid of warmth.

“I see.”

That was all she said before continuing.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“Uh… it’s about Pyo Woo-jae.”

The mention of her parents’ murderer made Han Se-hee’s small hands clench into tight fists.
While she deeply hated Pyo Woo-jae and wished for his death, her gentle nature made her averse to killing.
Because of this, she had been unable to take revenge on her own.

No matter how harsh the world might be, I had no intention of forcing an 11-year-old to commit murder. Instead, I had promised her that justice would be served according to the law.

“And yet, he brought up Pyo Woo-jae here.”

I decided to watch and see if Baek Seo-jin’s actions were nothing more than childish self-sabotage.
Just as much as Han Se-hee, I was curious about what he would say.

“You knew Pyo Woo-jae... before all this, right? It must be confusing. If the Kangin Guild has gone so far as to investigate him, he’s probably guilty. But since nothing is certain yet, could you wait for the results?”

To Han Se-hee, Baek Seo-jin’s words must have sounded cruel. But in truth, they weren’t entirely wrong.
He was simply considering the possibility that Pyo Woo-jae might still be innocent since no conclusive evidence had surfaced yet.

“He’s technically correct, but... what hypocrisy.”

Baek Seo-jin applied the presumption of guilt to me, his brother, but extended the presumption of innocence to others.
The real issue, however, was that his words didn’t sit well with Han Se-hee.

“Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“I just thought... you might be struggling because of Pyo Woo-jae…”

Baek Seo-jin replied cautiously, lowering his head. His hesitant demeanor seemed designed to lower others’ defenses.
But Han Se-hee didn’t seem swayed.

In fact, she appeared to have something weighing on her mind.

“I’ve known Pyo Woo-jae was guilty all along.”

Her cold words startled Baek Seo-jin.

“What?”

“Grandfather Choi Kang-in told me he would be arrested.”

“Choi... Choi Kang-in said that?”

“Yes. And... so did Ho-jun oppa.”

In front of Baek Seo-jin, Han Se-hee stuck to her promise of keeping my identity secret, referring to me by the alias Ho-jun instead of Seo-jun.

“Ho-jun... as in Kim Ho-jun?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

After confirming with Han Se-hee, Baek Seo-jin lowered his head as if trying to suppress his emotions.
It seemed like he was telling himself, “Getting angry would make me a bad person.”
He then asked Han Se-hee cautiously.

“He didn’t... mistreat you, did he?”

His voice was laced with worry. Clearly, he believed I had acted harshly toward Han Se-hee.

“What are you talking about? Ho-jun oppa is so kind to me.”

“K-kind? That can’t be…”

Baek Seo-jin couldn’t accept her words. To him, the Kim Ho-jun who stood firm against his parents couldn’t possibly be kind.

It was logical if he thought about how Seomun Ye-jin stayed by my side.
However, not wanting to see his parents in a bad light, Baek Seo-jin rejected the possibility.

“Don’t speak nonsense. Ho-jun oppa is my benefactor.”

Seeing Han Se-hee rebuke Baek Seo-jin, I realized how much had changed from the original story.

“In the original, she was always pure and gentle.”

The kind, serene, and healing heroine who smiled brightly while helping others—such was Han Se-hee’s original character.
Her childhood self in the original gave a glimpse of the person she would grow into.
But now, the cheerful innocence she had once shown toward Baek Seo-jin was gone.

Perhaps the fact that her parents’ murderer was a human rather than a monster had played a role.

“…Alright. I’m sorry.”

Realizing that Han Se-hee wouldn’t budge, Baek Seo-jin backed down. After a moment, Han Se-hee, who had been watching him, spoke up.

“Seo-jin.”

Baek Seo-jin’s face lit up when she called his name.

“Yes, what is it?”

“I wanted to ask you something too. Can we talk privately?”

“What is it?”

Baek Seo-jin, more excited about the chance to grow closer to her than curious about her question, was caught off guard when she mentioned a certain name.

“I lost my parents… and it was so painful. I’ll never forgive the one who harmed them. What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. About Baek Seo-jun—your brother. What do you think of the villains who abducted him?”

At her question, Baek Seo-jin hesitated to answer.

I already knew why.

“To him, my existence is something he couldn’t care less about.”

Even if his thoughts might change in the future, for now, Baek Seo-jin, still clinging to his parents, had rationalized their favoritism.

The memory of me being taken by villains lingered faintly, but he had dismissed it as a mistake, convincing himself it wasn’t real.

He had fully turned away from the truth, all to avoid thinking poorly of his parents.

This wasn’t uncommon—many people like him existed.

In his mind, my disappearance wasn’t a tragedy; it was a convenience that brightened his parents’ lives.

Now, though, he couldn’t say that aloud.

Instinctively, he knew that voicing such thoughts in front of Han Se-hee, who couldn’t forgive her parents’ murderer, would make him look terrible.

***

“Why… Why… Why can’t I answer?”

Baek Seo-jin couldn’t understand.

Why couldn’t he confidently speak his mind?

And what was this unease gnawing at him?