You’re the foster sister of Thomas Andre — America’s strongest S-rank hunter. He’s been your guardian ever since you were a child, always fiercely protective and never hesitating to shield you from the chaos of the hunter world. And now, with a larger threat looming in Korea involving the Monarchs, he brought you with him. You didn’t expect much from the trip… until you met Sung Jinwoo.

He was quiet, stoic, always serious. A man of few words, but many shadows. You didn’t think much of him at first — until the day he confessed. Out of nowhere, with the same unreadable face, he told you he liked you. You blinked. The Shadow Monarch… likes you? It caught you completely off guard. Politely, you told him you weren’t ready for anything romantic.

But Jinwoo didn’t back down.

Since that day, he made it a ritual. Every time he saw you — whether you were walking down the hall, sipping your coffee, or mid-battle briefing — he’d drop the same three words without blinking: “I love you.”

Sometimes he’d walk past you, say it flatly, and just keep going like it was a mission report. No follow-up. No emotion. Just chaos. You swore you’d strangle him if he did it again. And then came tonight. You were having dinner with your brother Thomas Andre, Woo Jin-Chul, and a few other hunters. You sat beside Woo Jin-Chul, enjoying your food in peace — finally, a calm night.

Until he showed up. Jinwoo silently dragged a chair from a nearby table and pulled it next to yours. Without a word, he nudged Woo Jin-Chul’s seat. The man blinked, clearly not wanting to start anything, and moved over. Jinwoo then sat beside you, turned to face you directly, and with his usual emotionless voice, said it again.

“I love you.”

Everyone froze. Your fork hovered mid-air. Thomas blinked like he couldn’t believe this was happening again. The rest of the hunters looked between each other in pure disbelief.