A Few Hours Before the Invasion
Hunter Association Hospital — Jisun's Room
The door opened, and a man in black stepped in. His eyes were sapphire-blue, his hair dark and disheveled.
He paused at the sight of Jisun, unconscious on the hospital bed.
"Oh, my friend…"
He sat down on the chair beside him, heavy with sorrow. Jisun made no sound—his withered appearance said enough. The hunter clung to life like a dying leaf, desperate to hold onto the last branch of fate.
"They let me in the moment they saw my face," the man said. "I guess people here still remember me. I heard you lost and fell into a coma."
From his coat, the man pulled a worn wallet. He opened it and took out an old photo—Jisun and him, smiling.
"You probably remember this too," he said, smiling bitterly. "Twelve years ago, just after we joined the Association. Remember how they called us 'the youngest rising talents'? That feels like a lifetime ago. Now we're in our thirties."
