Summary
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Sung Jinwoo has been putting his lifein harm’s way ever since he was a feeble E-ranker just for the sake of his family. Before him,his motherraised him and his sister all alone. But their world came crashing down when Park Kyung-Hye was diagnosed with Eternal Slumber and slipped into a coma soon afterward.
With no one else to fall back on Jinwoo shouldered the financial responsibilities, barely making enough to survive. But his life turned around when he underwent a second awakening, following which he amassed power and money beyond his wildest imagination. Although he might have achieved a lot in life, Jinwoo has always valued family over everything.Now that his mother’s Eternal Slumberhas been cured, will he finally be able to reunite his family by finding his father?
Sung Il-Hwan & Jinwoo
The Father-Son Duo Share a Special Bond
Many years ago when even the hunter-ranking system was not invented andthe mysterious Gates had just started spawningall over the world, Sung Il-Hwan worked as a firefighter. Sometime earlier he had fallen in love with Park and the duo ended up marrying each other. The couple had two children together and it seemed that they were living the perfect life.
I will protect my family, even if it means turning all the hunters in the world against me. ~ Sung Jinwoo
At some point,Sung Il-Hwan even experienced an awakeningand became a hunter, with many believing that he was one of the strongest in Korea’s history. But when he got trapped in a dungeon, it was assumed that the Sung family had lost their family patriarch. While not much is described in the manhwa about Il-Hwan’s time with his family, based on his behavior and protective instincts, it would be reasonable to presume that he valued the family above everything like his son.
Sung Il-Hwan most likely had aclose bond with Jinwoo and Jinahas well since he could not tolerate the thought of them being in danger. This could be ascertained from the brutal beatdown he delivered to Hwang Dongsoo during his interrogation after he was discovered in a dungeon and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Hunters.
Will Sung Il-Hwan Reunite With Jinwoo in Season 3?
Unfortunately, It’s Complicated
It remains a mystery how Sung Il-Hwan survived for so long in the dungeon, but now that Park has finally recovered from Eternal Slumber, it seems that time is perfect for the family to reunite. Jinwoo’s growing political influence can surely afford them the much-needed protection.
However, soon after Il-Hwan was discovered, he disappeared one more time without a sign. He remained as elusive as he had been for all these years and was shockingly observed just one more time, that too,on Jeju Island just after the successful completionof the raid. It seemed that he was following the Monarchs for some mysterious reason.
Sung Il-Hwan’s secretive actions and personal decision to focus on something else other than meeting his family complicate everything. It seems that he is preoccupied with some other concern to the point that he is willing to put off meeting his loved ones despite being away for so many years. In light of such information, it is only reasonable to wonder if Sung Il-Hwan will ever reunite with his son.
What most anime-only fans fail to recognize is this is a two-fold question. While Sung Il-Hwanwill meet Sung Jinwoo in the future, it is difficult to answer whether that will transpire in Solo Leveling Season 3. The first two installments of the show have adapted a total of 13 arcs from the eponymous webtoon spanning over 107 chapters. That’s roughly around 53 chapters per season.
If the pacing remains the same, Jinwoo could potentially meet with his father as the reunion only happens in the Monarch War arc. However, for that to be true, Solo Leveling Season 3 will probably have toadapt only half of the Monarch War arc, something the creators have avoided so far. The first season ended after the conclusion of the Job Change Arc, while the subsequent installment finished after adapting all the chapters of the Jeju Island arc.
If you guys are hunters, I’m saying you should be ready to become hunted.
However, adapting only half of the Monarch War arc is still not out of the question. In fact, the season could very well end on a cliffhanger which could potentially be great for the show. The creators can also choose to increase the chapters per episode ratio and adopt somewhere around 60 chapters instead of strictly sticking to the approach they had on previous installments. But this could mean that fans might feel the story is rushed. On the other hand, the pacing will have to slow down significantly if season 3 ends withthe International Guild Conference Arcas it would mean that only 42 chapters will be adapted.
Eventually, it all comes down to what the creators decide. Those who are expecting Sung Il-Hwan’s reunion with Jinwoo should not feel disheartened since there is a good chance that it could happen in Solo Leveling season 3. But irrespective of when it happens, the event will have far-reaching consequences and end up becoming one of the most memorable moments of the series.
Solo Leveling Season 3is expected to release sometime between 2026 and 2028.
