Chapter Text
Jinchul doesn't drive recklessly.
That aside, when he is personally called after Sung Jinwoo entered an A ranked gate by a shaken monitoring Division member, who could only tell him an anomaly had occurred.
Well, no one can blame him for driving particularly fast.
He arrives not even fifteen minutes after the call to find the area cordoned off even further than expected, the press all pulled to one side with clipboards and furrowed brows and Hunter Sung Jinwoo nowhere to be seen.
He parks in the cordoned off area and looks around. The gate is closed, no signs of a dungeon break. No signs of an S rank that went out of control, not that Hunter Sung would do that.
“Chief!” Jinchul heads further into the cordoned off area where division monitor Gim Haeun waves at him, she looks stressed. He doesn't run however he does speed walk in her direction.
“Hunter Sung?” He asks, she avoids his eyes and instead of answering his questions asks him to wait as she leads him to the S rank hunter.
He freezes.
Hunter Sung Jinwoo is twenty two years old, this is not Hunter Sung Jinwoo. This is a child—
Shadows flicker beneath the boy who kicks his feet as he sips the smoothie someone had purchased for him. He can see some blood crusted in his hair even if his face is clean, there's still evidence that something happened to him.
How much blood did he lose to become that pale? Dark circle like bruises under his eyes as he stares dazed at nothing. How cognizant is he?
He's drawn away to speak with Gim-ssi a little ways away.
“He exited the gate like that.” Jinchul faces his subordinate, she looks highly stressed as her hand flutters through the air.
“He said he woke up on an altar and just stumbled out.” She brings up her phone to show how long the raid took place, twenty-five minutes and then a picture of the boy exiting the gate in clothes that dwarfed him while carrying his sneakers in one hand. His pale face is liberally coated in blood, there's tears littered throughout his oversized clothes. One sleeve hanging by a literal thread.
It's wrong.
Seeing a child covered in the much blood being so close to a gate.
Children shouldn't be so close to danger.
“He came out in the same clothes, and answered to Hunter Sung’s name, but he doesn't know why he was there.” She swipes to the next photo where it shows his shadow elongated as the gate closes behind him, several pairs of glowing eyes peering out of his shadow.
“He wasn't injured despite all the blood.” She looks shaky. He rests his hand on her shoulder to steady her, she draws a deep breath in and centers herself.
“He asked for his mom or dad to come pick him up.” Jinchul brings out his phone, eyes on the child nonchalantly kicking his feet from where he sits at the back of a van in a shirt that fits him better than the one he was wearing this morning.
He nods, looks up the number for Hunter Sung's mother and takes a deep breath before dialing.
“Good afternoon, Park-ssi.” The woman greets him in confusion. “There has been an incident and your son would like to see a familiar face. Would you be able to make your way to the hunter's association?” She agrees and he hangs up. He turns back to Gim-ssi after tilting his head in the direction of the reporters.
“The reporters saw him exit the gate. Thankfully after the last time, there was no one that was live.” Last time where the strongest hunter in South Korea came out beat to near death. Covered in his own blood and passed out after walking five steps out of the gate unassisted.
It had been horrifying. Seeing the man that had taken on the Jeju raid with just his summons, keel over. Everyone had seen his strength, that raid had cemented it into everyone's minds. Hunter Sung is still young.
“We're having them sign NDAs in regards to what they witnessed until we have more answers.” He nods, it was quick thinking on her part.
“Good. Have them forwarded to me upon completion and issue gag orders on any of Hunter Sung’s information.” She nods and he makes his way over to the child at the center of all of this.
He studies the boy from afar for a few moments before he makes his way over to him. He looks pale, though not as pale as when he first laid eyes on him. Maybe the smoothies weren't just to keep him occupied.
“Sung Jinwoo?” He kneels down so he is about eye level with the kid, he can faintly sense mana coming from him. Nothing like how it was before, as if he exhausted all of his mana and is only just recovering. Or he is an E rank again.
Did whatever happen in there awaken him as a child? Or is he still reawakened despite his body regressing?
“Yes? Is my mom or dad coming?” He asks, no recognition on his face. He doesn't seem worried about being surrounded by all this activity.
“Yes. She's going to meet us somewhere else, would you be alright with coming with me to meet her?” He asks, Hunter Sung stares at him, head tilting as the shadows flicker in the van. He nods after a moment and scoots himself to the edge of the van before hopping off. He sways on his feet but quickly regains his balance when he looks up at Jinchul.
Jinchul can see a little bit of an orange tint at the back of his neck where he must have not wiped thoroughly to remove the blood. It makes him sick to his stomach.
“Okay.” Jinchul pauses before hesitantly offering his hand, Hunter Sung grabs hold of his hand, trusting him like any child would trust an adult with authority. He obediently follows after Jinchul like a baby duckling. The kid is a little unsteady as he walks but he doesn't complain, maybe he can have him shower at the hunter's association training facility showers.
He is alerted to the fact that Hunter Sung's mother arrives.
Park Kyunghye marches into the hunter's association building like a woman on a mission. She marches straight to his office and listens to no one until she lays eyes on her son.
Jinchul careful keeps his distance from her.
Her son is curled up, fast asleep on Jinchul's chair with Jinchul's suit jacket covering him. She stares for a good minute before jerking her head at him, he accompanies her to another room to speak without disturbing the young child in his office. She accepts no offer for beverages, instead getting straight to the point.
“What happened to my son?” She doesn't raise her voice, eyes staring straight at Jinchul as she waits for his response.
“I wouldn't be able to tell you as we don't know ourselves.” She looks down at her lap, hands clenched into tight fists. Jinchul cannot assuage her worries or fears when this is all unknown territory for them. He will need to carefully probe Hunter Sung for answers but more than likely, he won't have any for them.
"It was an A rank gate, he was gone for no longer than twenty-five minutes whereupon he exited as a child wearing the same clothes that fit his adult self perfectly fine.” He takes a moment to gauge her reactions but her face remains carefully blank.
“He said he woke up on an altar and just found his way outside upon which the gate closed.” Therefore taking any chance of them getting any answers.
“I see.” She says in a carefully measured voice, hands clasped together as she rubs her wedding ring in a self soothing gesture.
“I would like to speak with my son.” She tells him. Jinchul nods, rising to his feet and leading her back to his office only for the door to open on its own and the dark knight Hunter Sung has summoned before stands at the door with its fingers raised to where its lips should be. Park Kyunghye meets its gaze head, the knight bows and allows her through.
Her entire demeanor softens, a smile graces her face as she kneels down beside his chair. She lightly rubs the back of her knuckles down her son's cheek, his nose crinkles as he shifts. He slides off the arm rest, waking up with a startled shout as he flails. His mother holding his head calms him down.
He frowns, a look of confusion on his face. Jinchul tenses.
“Mom?” He sits up, Park Kyunghye nods, grabbing hold of her son's hands when he leans forward to inspect her face. He runs his fingers over her face with a curious look before a brilliant smile blooms on his face. His hands carefully hold her face between his palms.
“You look different but I recognize you anywhere!” he declares, Jinchul finds himself relaxing, glad that Hunter Sung still recognizes his mother and didn't panic.
“Not really but I'm glad because I recognize you anywhere.” She tells him pressing a finger to his nose, he wrinkles his nose with a giggle. He nods in agreement before looking down at their hands when she takes his hands from her face.
“Can you answer some questions for Chief inspector Woo?” He straightens up with a nod, Jinchul takes the seat across from his desk, the knight at his back draws a curious look from Hunter Sung.
“Can you tell me what happened when you woke up earlier?” Hunter Sung frowns heavily, he looks at his mother who gives him an encouraging nod.
“I woke up on a rock with lots of words and symbols.” His shoulders hunch as he looks down at his knees. “He was there.” He murmurs, gaze flickering to the dark knight.
“And then?” Park-ssi prods gently.
“Everything was broken…” he looks so small, Jinchul can't help but think. “And there was blood everywhere.” He removes one hand from his mother's hold to rub his forehead with only a moment to stare at his clean hand; only his hands are clean now, after the shower Jinchul had him take earlier.
“Nothing hurt but it was everywhere and my clothes didn't fit.” He sighs as he grabs his mom's hand in his again. Jinchul can't help but frown when he sees his hands shaking and can't tell if it is the mother or son who has the unsteady hands.
“I didn't know where to go but he told me to follow him.” He glances back at the knight then abruptly averts his gaze as one hand comes up to his temple.
“Jinwoo-ya?” He whimpers, other hand coming up to his head as he lightly shakes his head. The knight vanishes between one blink and the next.
“How are you talking?” He asks, muttering something under his breath that doesn't even sound Korean.
“Jinwoo-ya?” His mother jostles him lightly but Hunter Sung shakes his head, muttering fervently under his breath, shadows flickering at his agitated state before abruptly stilling as he passes out.
“Jinwoo-ya!” His mother cries out in fear, Jinchul is already on his feet and checking Hunter Sung’s pulse, he sighs, relieved.
“He just exhausted the little mana he managed to recover, he just needs to rest.” Hopefully he doesn't end up in another three day coma like the last two times he escaped a strange dungeon
Dammit.
He should have kept his thoughts to himself.
The S Rank trouble magnet hasn't woken up yet, it's been two and a half days.