Chapter 164: The Next Day (1)
Being an S-rank awakener didn’t mean you couldn’t get exhausted. Especially after pushing through a battle in an already overworked state, sustaining injuries, and then staying up all night. It was inevitable that your eyes would sting, and your head would start to throb.
Chief Song Taewon lifted his head from where it had been resting on the desk. The place he currently occupied wasn’t the Awakener Management Office but one of the offices at the Hunter Association. Normally, documents that needed handling would pass through the Association before being sent to the Awakener Management Office. However, instead of waiting for them to arrive, he’d simply borrowed a desk here to process them directly. There was no reason to waste manpower and time, especially when time was something they were already short on.
“This is the last S-rank dungeon under MKC’s management.”
An association staff member placed a file on the corner of the desk and asked if he wanted some coffee. Although caffeine didn’t affect him, Song Taewon replied that he’d take some. Then, he returned his attention to the documents.
The report stated that Choi Seokwon, who had illegally used an item to grow into an SS-rank, had lost control and rampaged. It added that S-rank Hunters Song Taewon, Liette, and Noah, along with the presumed S-rank Kim Minui and A-rank Hunter Kang Soyeong, had managed to stop him. However, Choi Seokwon had fled into a nearby A-rank dungeon and was currently missing.
The report deviated significantly from the truth, but that was what had been officially filed.
Above all, it wasn’t something that could be publicly disclosed—that Han Yujin, whose stats were at F-rank, had been the one to deal with Choi Seokwon after he transformed into an SSS-rank. It wasn’t something that could be easily explained, and Han Yujin himself had asked for it to be kept a secret.
Song Taewon had personally informed MKC of Choi Seokwon’s actions. Their guild leader had gone missing inside the dungeon—effectively deceased. This was to prevent the senior guild members from causing an uproar when they learned the news.
Following that, he spent the entire night collecting all the S-rank equipment and dungeon-related documents from MKC. Considering who they were dealing with, the task couldn’t be entrusted to another Hunter from the Management Office or the Association. With the guild on the verge of collapse, there was also an urgent need to act quickly to ensure the guild members didn’t make off with anything.
As a result, he’d spent all night scouring MKC’s base. Even after returning to the Association at dawn, he continued reviewing everything to make sure nothing had been missed.
‘Once everything is sorted, I’ll have to hold a press conference…’
He also needed to shower and change his clothes. Song Taewon held the coffee cup he’d been handed without drinking it. Despite it being summer, the warmth radiating through the paper cup felt oddly pleasant. The small white paper cup looked laughably tiny in his large hand, providing a bit of an unexpected distraction to his weary thoughts.
If only there hadn’t been an uninvited guest barging in.
“Chief Song Taewon.”
He’d sensed the visitor’s approach even before the door opened. But Song Taewon had intentionally not acknowledged it, only turning his head and standing up after his name was called. Standing there with a faint smile was Seong Hyunjae, the guild leader of Sesung.
And perched atop his head was a small, round, white baby bird.
— Chirp!
Though it wasn’t human and lacked discernible expressions, Song Taewon thought the little bird looked quite displeased at the moment.
“What brings you here?”
Song Taewon’s deep voice reverberated softly as the Association staff, who had frozen upon seeing Seong Hyunjae—and more precisely, the chirping bird—snapped out of their daze and hurriedly fled the room.
“Obviously, I’m here to ask about last night’s events. It seems you had a pleasant time with Han Yujin in my absence. Didn’t I mention that when you pick up something belonging to someone else, it’s only proper to return it to its owner?”
“First of all, Han Yujin is not an object. Perhaps you should start by reflecting on your own lack of management.”
“I have nothing to say in my defense on that point.”
Seong Hyunjae put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression.
“I didn’t expect him to abandon even the child and run off.”
— Chirp!
The little bird pecked fiercely at the hand reaching toward it.
“Hunter Kang Soyeong was also present at the scene.”
“Soyeong is on a date. She said she wanted to refresh her senses before they faded and went into a dungeon with Hunter Liette early this morning.”
The moment she woke up, she’d left behind nothing but a dungeon strategy report and vanished. A fish in water couldn’t be happier than Kang Soyeong in a dungeon.
With Kang Soyeong and Liette occupied in the dungeon, the only person left who could provide objective information to Seong Hyunjae was Song Taewon. Han Yujin might not refuse to provide information either, but it was better to deal with him last. The fewer gaps in information, the easier it would be to extract precise and meaningful insights.
“There will be an official announcement soon.”
“That’s not a very fun joke. Have you had breakfast?”
Instead of answering, Song Taewon simply stared at the distinctly unusual man before him—unusual even among S-rank awakeners. At the same time, he recalled the events of the previous night.
Han Yuhyun.
Like Seong Hyunjae, he was an awakener who gave off a similarly chilling aura. Yet, last night, he had felt different.
Not like a beast gazing down on everything from above, but a human—a mere child who had only just become an adult. That was how he had appeared. Not a beast pretending to be leashed but a vulnerable person wrapped in countless emotions, forced to crawl along the ground.
If that was possible for Han Yuhyun, could it also be true for the man standing before him? Or perhaps for the other S-rank awakeners? What about the S-rank awakeners who had already been drawn into Han Yujin’s orbit?
At that moment, the door burst open, and a woman in her mid-to-late forties entered. It was Choi Eunyeong, a former Hunter Association official who had lost her position but returned due to the current crisis. Her gaze shifted between Song Taewon and Seong Hyunjae, and a satisfied smile spread across her face.
“Oh my, this is delightful. Our Chief Song here is extraordinary in many ways, but…”
She strode confidently toward the two men, continuing her words.
“You’re still quite the artist, Guild Leader Seong. This new fashion suits you well. One of the things I missed most after leaving the Association was not being able to see you in person anymore.”
“Oh dear, I thought I’d given you my personal contact information. My mistake.”
“I’ve got your number memorized perfectly, of course. But I don’t quite have the courage to meet you privately, Guild Leader Seong.”
Still smiling, Choi Eunyeong turned her attention to Song Taewon, though her gaze softened noticeably.
“The MKC crackdown is mostly finished, so you can leave the cleanup to us. You should head home now.”
“I’m fine.”
“Even if you’re fine, the people watching you aren’t. And since someone who brought along a nice car happens to be here, shall I leave him in charge? Guild Leader Seong?”
“I’ll personally ensure he gets home safely.”
“Then I’ll assume Chief Song will graciously escort an S-rank Hunter out of the Association without disrupting the atmosphere. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Adding a convenient excuse that they could take care of the rest later, she remarked that it wasn’t urgent, and he could come back the day after tomorrow. At her suggestion, Song Taewon hesitated slightly before organizing his desk.
When I opened my eyes, the room was already quite bright. My younger brother was still fast asleep. Even with the help of skills or potions, healing major injuries consumed a lot of energy, so he was probably exhausted. Damn Choi Seokwon, that bastard.
To make matters worse, whether it was due to the fog or some skill, it seemed like there was a recovery suppression effect, as a scar on his shoulder still remained. Seeing the red, raised mark peeking out from his collar made my anger boil all over again. I shouldn’t have let him die so easily.
‘Morning… or is it lunch already?’
It felt a bit early for lunch, but still. Either way, I needed to make sure he ate. As I climbed out of bed, Yuhyun cracked his eyes open slightly. I told him to sleep some more as I patted his head.
My eyesight had improved a bit more overnight, so I wasn’t wearing lenses. Since my vision was gradually recovering day by day, I had to constantly replace my lenses or glasses, but I could see fairly well without them now.
— Hiss.
Perched on the windowsill as if soaking up sunlight, Belare raised her head toward me. I carried the jewel snake into the bathroom attached to the bedroom. Belare seemed to enjoy water, so I fixed the showerhead and turned it on. She spun around happily under the stream. After a quick wash, I left the bedroom.
I needed to fetch Chirp. Should I ask them to send him here?
— Chirp!
“…Huh?”
From the direction of the living room connected to the kitchen, I heard a familiar sound. I wasn’t all that surprised—it seemed he’d teleported over on his own. My clever little Chirp…
“You’re awake.”
“…What the hell? Are you crazy?”
It was Seong Hyunjae. A curse slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. At the same time, the door to the bedroom I had just closed burst open, and a disheveled, half-asleep Yuhyun appeared with his hair sticking up in all directions.
“Hyung!”
“There’s no need for you to come out. I’ll handle this, so go back to sleep.”
I told him to go back, but Yuhyun stood there, still glaring at Seong Hyunjae despite his drowsy eyes. He had been fine leaving everything to Sesung before, so why was he growling now? I finally managed to shoo him back into the bedroom, telling him to wash up first.
Seong Hyunjae, who had been untraceable all night, now had the audacity to appear with a perfectly composed face. If he’d arrived on time last night, I might have even begged Choi Seokwon to spare at least this man.
“You didn’t show up when I needed you, and now you’re breaking and entering?”
“I came to return what I left behind, and perhaps to offer an explanation.”
He spoke, looking at Chirp as the little bird circled me. So he hadn’t teleported here after all.
“Fine, come in.”
I answered indifferently and headed toward the kitchen. Since Yuhyun had lost a lot of blood, I figured he should eat some meat. But since I’d been away from home for a few days, there was no way the fridge would have any decent ingredients… Except it did. Fresh vegetables, meat, and even seafood greeted me when I opened the door.
When I turned to look at Seong Hyunjae, he pulled out a card and placed it on the dining table.
“You forgot this, too.”
“You gave it to me to use freely. But the stocked fridge…”
“Even though he ran away, a contract is a contract. It’s my duty to make sure Han Yujin eats well.”
“Wasn’t that contract nullified?”
“Despite the protective measures I put in place, he left on his own accord. That’s not a violation. Was it an invisibility skill?”
I had intended to come back on time to avoid revealing my skill.
“Yes, yes. Congratulations on finally discovering the hidden bonus. Since it’s a bonus skill, I won’t charge you for it. Feel free to contact me anytime you need it.”
“Free of charge? That’s unexpected.”
“Sometimes, services like this exist. Of course, there’s a separate travel fee, and if it exceeds 30 minutes, there’s an additional charge for every 10 minutes.”
What a reasonable pricing model. After setting down Belare, I started taking out ingredients from the fridge, only to notice Seong Hyunjae watching me with a strangely satisfied expression.
“What are you staring at?”
“I was just thinking how the real thing is always better.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense, make yourself useful and chop the green onions.”
Is there such a thing as S-rank green onions? If an S-rank hunter slices them, then they become S-rank green onions. I tossed him an entire bundle of green onions, and he caught it with a wide smile. He must really like green onions.
“A jellyfish showed up, you say?”
Sizzle—the meat cooked on the heated pan. Seong Hyunjae, cracking eggs into a dish meant for steamed eggs, nodded in response.
“It asked me if I knew the Crescent Moon.”
“Oh. One of those brats. They’re asleep right now, so you wouldn’t have been able to meet them. Apparently, they knew the jellyfish.”
Why did it go out of its way to ask Seong Hyunjae? Was it because of the Seeker’s Chain? My conversation with the jellyfish hadn’t lasted long, but since the space we were in had distorted time, by the time I burned it and the mist lifted, it had been close to midnight.
“Thanks to that, I had to listen to complaints about missing the Candy Box.”
What candy box? Did he have a child with him? I gave him a brief explanation about the Mist Sea Clan.
“Please don’t go signing any new contracts. If it’s not a Venom and Curse Dragonkin, I won’t be able to help you.”
“Don’t worry, Han Yujin. You’re still first in line for me. Besides, it wasn’t as interesting as I’d expected.”
He didn’t seem to be lying. Even so, hearing that the jellyfish had approached Seong Hyunjae made me think I should keep an eye on the S-rank hunters in Korea. There weren’t many of them to begin with. I had added two to the count, but two had disappeared. Including Noah and Sesung’s new recruit, it was up by two again.
“Sesung’s new S-rank hunter—Evelyn, was it? Can she be trusted? The jellyfish might approach other S-rank hunters too.”
“She’s a young lady who absolutely despises salespeople and cults.”
“Well, I hate those too.”
In any case, it meant she wouldn’t be easily swayed. I didn’t need to worry about my kids, Moon Hyunah wouldn’t fall for such things, and Kim Seonghan wasn’t the type to betray Yuhyun. That left Song Taewon and Hanshin. I should meet with Park Mingyu from Hanshin at some point.
Once I made sure the S-rank hunters wouldn’t fall for the jellyfish’s tricks, the domestic situation would be mostly under control.
“Leave the MKC hunters to us. We need to form two new teams on our side.”
With the guild leader dead, there would likely be quite a few A-rank hunters leaving MKC. Sudam, being a smaller guild, had been held together well by their vice guild leader, but MKC, being larger, would likely see significant leakage. There would also be S-rank dungeon opportunities and S-rank equipment sales.
“Oh, and healers! Make sure you don’t snatch any of the healers. Sesung already has an A-rank healer, doesn’t it?”
“You can never have too many high-ranking healers.”
“No way, absolutely not. Does it make sense for us to have three S-rank hunters but not a single A-rank healer? Let us have them.”
If I remembered correctly, MKC’s A-rank healer was quite skilled. Was he a Chinese man?
I claimed that all ice resistance items should go to my kids as I set the table. Yuhyun tried to help in the kitchen midway, but I chased him back to the living room, telling him to go apply some potions. With injuries like his, he should be taking a long vacation.
“Han Yujin.”
While I was debating whether to set the table for two or three, Seong Hyunjae called my name.
“Since I helped out, I’ll make an exception—”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. The sound of running water from the sink filled the background, masking his low voice so even S-rank hunters wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop.
“Are you confident you won’t make a contract in the end?”
He must have been talking about a contract with the jellyfish. His gaze felt as though it were digging deep into me, trying to unearth my innermost thoughts.
“What does it matter to you?”
“I’m not used to losing things, and I don’t like it.”
“Not used to it? You must have lived quite comfortably.”
“To put it kindly, I’m worried about you, Han Yujin.”
He smiled as he spoke, but it didn’t feel kind at all. If I said, “Actually, I’m thinking of making a contract,” I was sure he’d slap restraints on me that very moment. If I asked Yuhyun for help, that guy would kindly bring me a leash himself.
“I have no intention of making a contract.”
It wasn’t a lie to dodge the situation. The jellyfish’s proposal was still tempting. But.
“My little brother’s still too young. I can’t leave him behind.”
When he’s hurt and suffering like this, what else can I do? I just have to stay by his side and hold him close. And.
“Why don’t you go eat your jam-covered toast or something?”
That’s about as far as he should go.
–TL Notes–
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