Meeting Room.
“I’m J.H.A. Nice to meet you.”
Wearing a friendly smile, J.H.A. extended his hand to Jeong Noeul.
“I-It’s an honor. I’m a fan, Mr. J.H.A…”
Jeong Noeul grasped J.H.A.’s hand with an emotional expression.
‘Hey Star, do you know anything about J.H.A.?’
<Do not call me Star. Could you not at least call me a filthy fly instead…?>
‘That’s not happening, so get used to it. Anyway, do you know anything about him?’
<Nothing. Hunters are mere insects in my eyes.>
‘Hmm… figured as much.’
I crossed my arms and muttered in my mind.
‘「J.H.A. Status Window」.’
Ding!
[Kim Sumin]
― Title: J.H.A. (Justice Hope Attacker)
― Constellation: ―
― Constellation Rank: ―
― Base Attributes
- Expression (Men are about loyalty!): S
- Atmosphere (Men are about muscles!): B+
- Creativity (Men charge head-on!): D
- Self-esteem (Men are about courage!): S
― Special Skill - [Glory of Hunter Days LV.A]
― Status Conditions - [Aging LV.B]
- [Dreams of the Days When Gates Opened Every Night LV.A]
It was the first time I ever looked at the status window of a regular person who hadn’t formed a contract with a constellation.
‘Why is everything about being a man…?’
Despite the sleek name, “J.H.A.” was just a title made up of childish phrases.
There was only one thing I could glean from J.H.A.’s barren status window:
‘This guy… really likes manly things, huh.’
“I smell curiosity, Mr. Eunyul.”
Suddenly, Min Heejae spoke to me.
“Can you please stop saying things smell…?”
“Then let’s say I sensed an aromatic curiosity. Are you wondering about Mr. J.H.A.’s personality?”
I nodded.
Chaeya had introduced J.H.A. as a former member of the Tragic Blue Guild and an A-rank hunter.
It seemed he had made notable contributions during large-scale gate raids.
Jeong Noeul mentioned seeing J.H.A. several times in hunter documentaries and current affairs programs.
Coincidentally, I wasn’t very interested in that sort of content.
Maybe that’s why—
I couldn’t really join in on the excited mood shared by the bottom three as they fawned over J.H.A.
“Same here,” said Min Heejae. “I don’t like watching TV. Or using my phone, for that matter. Do you like analog men?”
“I neither like nor dislike them.”
I frowned and sighed.
“Mr. Heejae, you seem rational, so I feel a little relieved. Could we talk for a bit? I have something to say about Mr. J.H.A.’s song choice…”
“Of course.”
Min Heejae dragged his chair closer to me.
After the special guest introduction wrapped up, the song selection was revealed.
J.H.A. had chosen “After Life” by John River Williams.
John River Williams was one of the most influential artists in popular music history.
He was even listed among the top 100 artists by the globally renowned music magazine, Rolling Paper.
Which meant—
“This song will be extremely difficult to perform.”
Min Heejae chuckled.
“After Life is a globally famous piece. It has a huge fanbase too. No matter how hard we try to replicate the original, the result will be unsatisfying.”
“True.”
I nodded.
As Min Heejae said, even trying to preserve the original’s essence would likely end in disappointment.
I had seen many skilled local artists get harshly criticized by die-hard fans after covering legendary foreign songs.
“You could say we’re surrounded on all sides.”
“Why are you smiling when you say that…?”
“Isn’t this exciting?”
Min Heejae looked genuinely surprised that I wasn’t enjoying it.
“I thought you’d understand, Eunyul.”
“Understand what?!”
“It’s impossible to replicate the original in detail. We’re working as a team, so even more so. The only way is to go beyond what purists consider sacrilege and make a bold move.”
He said that smoothly, then whispered:
“Isn’t this a thrilling opportunity as an artist? We’ve met a strong opponent, and if we win, the rewards will be huge.”
“Th-That might be true…”
To be honest, I didn’t really have a strong sense of identity as an artist.
I hadn’t even created any professional work yet, so the word “artist” still felt far away from me.
As I struggled to find the words, Min Heejae stared at me and smiled.
“I smell a lack of confidence, Mr. Eunyul.”
“Stuff some tissues up your nose already!”
I snorted and looked straight ahead.
“You two seem to be having a pleasant chat.”
J.H.A. spoke to me with a pleased look on his face.
“I overheard a bit about After Life. It’s a tough song to perform, right?”
“…To be honest, yes.”
I replied straightforwardly.
“If you’d like, I can change the song. I can ask the editors to swap it out.”
“No need.”
Min Heejae spoke.
“But there’s one thing I’d like you to know. In this team, I’m the only one with actual producing skills. Which means After Life will be utterly shattered by my hands.”
Why does that sound so terrifying when he says it with a grin…
“You’re quite bold. Good. So how do you plan to break it?”
“I’ll break it just the way you want it.”
“The way I want it?”
Min Heejae nodded.
“Sorry, but I don’t want After Life to be broken. It’s a perfect song.”
“That’s the privilege of the audience.”
Min Heejae cut in.
“Every listener thinks the music they love is perfect. They have the right to that illusion. But in truth, all music is imperfect. Music is sound, sound is vibration, and all vibrations are imperfect as they reach the human ear.”
‘What the hell…?’
Min Heejae was saying things a veteran artist might say—without hesitation.
It was hard to believe he was still just a trainee like me.
Sure, people can spout fancy lines, but there was undeniable confidence behind his words.
Maybe that’s why I found myself supporting his opinion.
“I think Heejae’s right too. Maybe the most perfect music… is silence.”
“…Heh.”
J.H.A. chuckled at my words.
“That might be true. But my feelings for After Life haven’t changed. I’m just a listener, after all.”
“That’s fine. But in return, could you tell us?”
Min Heejae spoke confidently.
“…Why you consider After Life a perfect song. Tell us, and we’ll break it to your taste.”
“That’s not hard.”
J.H.A. chuckled, then began to speak with a nostalgic expression.
“It’s all in the past now…”
Before becoming an adult, J.H.A. awakened as a hunter.
The world was constantly on the brink of disaster.
Like weather forecasts, the news would daily report high-risk gate areas.
J.H.A. was chosen by a fairly powerful constellation.
He took pride in using that honor for humanity’s sake.
Some did it for selfish gain, and others even borrowed power from demons to wreak havoc as anti-hunters—but J.H.A. wasn’t like them.
“…But I was too young then. And too arrogant.”
J.H.A. always acted alone.
“Lone wolf J.H.A.…”
“Noeul, could you keep it down?”
Once again…
J.H.A. faced gate raids solo.
He thought it better to hunt alone than to work with subpar allies.
“I didn’t want to see my teammates die.”
But that thought was flawed.
He believed the weak had no right to join the holy war against monsters.
Maybe that’s why—
He ended up in serious danger.
There was no one to save him.
“I thought I was going to die… and closed my eyes.”
His consciousness faded—but miraculously, he woke up.
He found himself in a hospital bed.
“And I heard a song in my ears.”
It was After Life by John River Williams.
“I felt like I’d been reborn.”
In fact, After Life was a song about reincarnation.
“I heard soldiers had saved me.”
Soldiers…?
I clenched my fists.
“Up until then, I’d seen soldiers only as people to protect—not ones I’d entrust my life to. But that changed.”
He realized that strength and weakness didn’t matter when protecting the world.
“Impressive,” Min Heejae said—without looking impressed at all.
“Thanks to that, I now know exactly how to arrange the song.”
“Ha ha ha! Thinking back on the old days makes me feel young again!”
J.H.A. laughed heartily.
And strangely, he actually looked a little younger when he did.
‘Wait a minute…’
I squinted.
‘That guy… he’s been looking familiar…’
<Did something come to mind?>
Star’s voice echoed in my head.
‘Yeah…’
But I couldn’t be sure.
‘I think I saw him in a dream… when he was younger.’
But back then, his name wasn’t Kim Sumin—
‘It was Kim Bongcheol.’
And his nickname wasn’t “Justice Hope Attacker”…
‘It was “Seems like the Protagonist (J), but Hehe, Nope (H)(A)”?!’
It was already a long time ago.
After I got into a car accident saving Amil’s younger sibling, I had a dream.
In that dream, I saw young J.H.A.—or rather, Kim Bongcheol.
At the time, I thought it was just a random dream, but—
‘Why does Kim Bongcheol actually exist?!’
He clearly exists, but why are his name and nickname so different—and why so ridiculous?!
‘…I don’t get it.’
After the schedule ended, I wandered the hallway, holding my dizzy head.
<Hmm… so you had a dream like that.>
After hearing my story, Star spoke from within his metal case.
<At that time, you stood on the brink of life and death. Had you not made a contract with me, you’d have died. So perhaps, someone else’s memories were mixed into your life-flashing-before-your-eyes moment.>
‘But Kim Bongcheol was a hunter…’
And hunters were active long before I was even born.
<There’s only one answer.>
Star said.
<People think the “life flash” is a replay of their own memories. But in truth, it is Papa’s anesthetic—a way to ease a dying creature’s pain by reminding them of a precious memory.>
‘Then…?’
<It doesn’t necessarily have to be your memory. It may feel like yours, but it could belong to someone else. Have you never wondered why people often see things they don’t remember in such moments? So how can they be sure it’s their own memory?>
‘That’s…’
<Of course, there is a rule. In such cases, one glimpses the memories of someone they cherish. Because those memories feel precious, they are mistaken for their own.>
Which meant I had arrived at one hypothesis.
‘That dream I saw back then…’
…was my dad’s memory?
That was the only explanation.
Had I seen my father’s memory?
Did J.H.A. know my father?
With a swirl of confusion in my chest, I reached my room.
“…Eunyul.”
And standing outside my door was an unexpected visitor.
“…Dojin?”
Madojin was leaning against the entrance, waiting for me.
“Long time no see.”
He said in his usual curt tone.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Little Pink Starfish 
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