12 CALL IT QUITS

["WONY-ah, you were born into privilege. Hence, you must live with a generous heart. You must always be the bigger person. Even if other people hurt you, you must forgive them. That's one way to show your gratitude for being born with everything you'll want and need in life."]

["Even though you have all the things other people could only dream of, you must still live in modesty. Always be humble and kind, especially to those who are less privileged than you. And please surround yourself with people with the same values. So, even if your dad and I are no longer with you, we can still rest in peace knowing that you're surrounded by good people."]

That was the content of the love letter that Wonhee's biological parents left in their last will and testament for her.

Those were also the things they often said to her.

She was too young to understand or remember back then, though.

But, thanks to the letter that her parents wrote to her, their life lessons were immortalized in Wonhee's memory forever.

["Wony-ah, you got this far in your career in such a short time not only because of your talent– but also because you're my daughter. Being the daughter of a popular veteran actress gave you a head start on your fellow actors. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you acknowledge your privilege. Otherwise, it will be an insult to your fellow actors who didn't have the same starting line as you."]

["Your mother isn't saying you didn't work as hard as everyone else in the same industry to get where you are, Wony-ah. We know– your mother and I know how much hard work and effort you put into your craft to become a better actress. But we're saying this because we don't want your fame to get into your head. Always remember to keep your feet on the ground, sweetie. Be kind because you were lucky to be born with everything."]

That was what Wonhee's adoptive parents used to tell her, especially when she started to become a successful child star.

Both her biological and adoptive parents' teachings kept her grounded.

She thought she grew up a decent person, but Yool actually said something about her upbringing in the past that made her wonder if she truly grew up well.

["Wony-ah, I'm not saying that your biological and adoptive parents were wrong. In fact, they did well raising you. But I think you misunderstood them. They didn't teach you to be humble just for you to let other people take advantage of your generosity. I might be wrong, but I believe your parents raised you a good person because they wanted you to attract good people in your life."]

Yool put it nicely back then, but Wonhee knew what her best friend really wanted to say at that time.

Wonhee smiled bitterly. "I've been too much of a pushover, right?"

"Wonhee-ya, please don't say that about yourself," Seodam scolded her lightly. "You're kind, and I like that about you."

"Then I'll stop being kind from now on."

"Wonhee-ya…"

"Oppa, ever since you became a Hunter, I started to feel lonely. I feel like I'm having unrequited love for you, even though we're in a relationship. But it can't be helped since I know I love you more than you love me."

"That's not true, Wonhee-ya," Seodam denied while shaking his head. "But I know that my being busy all the time with work is making you feel lonely. That's one of the reasons why I asked to break up with you. I love you, but I can't take care of you properly because of my responsibilities as a Hunter. So, instead of trapping you in a lonely relationship, I decided to let you go."

"I thought you wanted to break up with me because you're determined to receive Advanced Treatment from Ruda Oppa."

"Like I said, I can't take care of you properly because of my responsibilities as a Hunter– and that includes receiving Advanced Treatment from Ruda in order to raise my Class. The stronger I become, the more help I can offer to our country," Seodam explained. "I still believe that breaking up is what's best for the two of us. Even so, I feel bad about ending our relationship while you're in this difficult situation, Wonhee-ya. We don't have to break up right away."

"No, let's end this now, Oppa," Wonhee said firmly. "It doesn't make a difference whether we're together or not in this situation because you're not taking my side anyway. You arrested me just because of a tip-off that the APA received from an anonymous person, and you kept your mouth shut while President Kwon was low-key threatening me."

"President Kwon did no such thing, Wonhee-ya. He's simply following the protocol. He may be the president, but he's not the only one who runs APA."

She smiled bitterly. "See? You're reserved when it comes to me, but you defended President Kwon right away."

"Wonhee-ya…"

"You don't trust me, Oppa– you believe I'm guilty of taking drugs for Forced Awakening."

Seodam's silence was so loud it broke Wonhee's already fragile heart in an instant.

He really doesn't believe that I'm innocent…

"So, this is how lowly you think of me, Oppa."

"It's not like that, Wonhee-ya," Seodam said while shaking his head. "But, as an APA Hunter, I must stay neutral until the result of the investigation comes out. I can't show you preferential treatment just because of our personal relationship. That goes against my creed as a Hunter."

Haaah.

This is sad.

"Oppa, I used to love the fact that you're so dedicated to your work," she said, smiling sadly. "I thought if every Hunter has the same work attitude as you, then this country will be the safest country in the world. I'm proud of how upright of a Hunter you are. That's why I never complained, even though our relationship was making me sad. Because as a Civilian, I know it's not right for me to monopolize your time and attention. After all, a hero belongs to everyone."

Ever since Seodam became a Hunter, she had already accepted the fact that she was never going to be his top priority.

Funnily enough, that made her feel good about herself.

But not anymore.

"I'm sorry, but I just realized that I'm not qualified to be a hero's girlfriend," Wonhee said, smiling sadly at Seodam as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Lee Seodam-ssi, thank you for taking care of me for the past three years. I'm letting you go now– and I sincerely wish for you to become a better and stronger Hunter for our country."

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sola_cola's thoughts on this chapter: As they say, "a hero would sacrifice you for the world." So, kids, if you get isekai-d to another world, don't date the hero– go for the villain. LOLOLOL

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