44
Ch.44 The Strange Man
Because Han Mu-ryo was the one who helped her, Yoo Hyena thought, He’s just going to ask for food again and brushed off his rude remark as she turned her steps back toward home.
But only for a moment. Sensing something strange, Yoo Hyena turned around and saw Han Mu-ryo standing still in the alley, watching her.
“Huh? Aren’t you coming?”
“Should I?”
“What? Well, I mean… Right now…?”
Wasn’t he supposed to help her and walk her home? Or was it just a coincidence, and they were supposed to part ways now? Should she even tell him where she lived?
As these thoughts raced through Yoo Hyena’s mind, Han Mu-ryo began walking toward her, like a stray cat following her at night.
Despite his odd behavior, the sheer size of the man walking beside her in the dark gave Yoo Hyena an unexpected sense of security. She decided to use him as a bodyguard for the rest of the way home.
Han Mu-ryo followed closely behind her, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
Is he keeping watch in case another criminal shows up? Yoo Hyena felt her face grow warm at the thought, but his next words chilled her more than the night air.
“Is Starlight not coming?”
“…You must’ve heard from the residents. That I’m Starlight’s younger sister.”
“A lot of people mentioned it.”
“She’s not coming.”
“Why?”
“Because I told her not to.”
“Why?”
“My sister is busy, you know? Even if she’s an S-rank hero, she’s still human. Instead of wasting time on me, she should rest at home when she can. That way, she can save more people when it really matters.”
“I see.”
Han Mu-ryo nodded as if he understood, which left Yoo Hyena bewildered.
Was his question not out of curiosity about Starlight, but genuinely wondering why her sister wouldn’t come when her younger sister was in danger?
Feeling guilty for her sharp reaction, Yoo Hyena bowed her head slightly.
“I’m sorry. You helped me, and I wasn’t even grateful.”
“If you’re grateful, add more meat to the cafeteria menu.”
“Food again? You really love eating, huh?”
She let out a small laugh, thinking how simple Han Mu-ryo was. It put her at ease.
Han Mu-ryo was a strange man, but not a bad one.
He didn’t hide complicated intentions, nor did he approach with ulterior motives. All he wanted was to eat his fill and sleep soundly.
When they arrived at her doorstep, Yoo Hyena bowed deeply, sincerely thankful that Han Mu-ryo had saved her by chance.
“Thank you for helping me today. If you have time later, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
The words slipped out naturally, something she’d grown used to saying while volunteering at free meal services.
But Han Mu-ryo’s eyes lit up, and he stepped closer with sudden enthusiasm.
“A meal? You’re going to buy me food?”
“Y-Yes? That’s… Right?”
“When is later? The weekend?”
“Uh… N-No? I have volunteer work on weekends…”
“A weekday, then? Good. I can eat my fill on a weekday too.”
“W-Wait, don’t just rush at me like that!”
Ah, crap…! Realizing her mistake too late, Yoo Hyena blinked rapidly and took a step back.
He was so big that just standing close made her feel like she was being enveloped, leaving her flustered.
Unfazed, Han Mu-ryo kept pressing, his excitement obvious.
“Which weekday? Later isn’t specific enough.”
“Huh? I mean, uh… Whenever you’re free?”
“Good.”
With that, Han Mu-ryo suddenly leaped up, landing on a nearby streetlight.
As the cold night air finally snapped her out of her daze, Yoo Hyena stared blankly. Han Mu-ryo crushed the streetlight underfoot with a crack and jumped onto a higher building.
“W-Wait! You’re leaving without even a goodbye?! Hey! Why’d you break the streetlight?!”
What should I even criticize first? Confused, Yoo Hyena hesitated before shouting after his disappearing figure.
“Be careful on your way home!”
Does Han Mu-ryo even need to be careful? Embarrassed by her own words, she touched her warm cheeks and headed inside.
He really was like a typhoon—appearing and vanishing in an instant, just like when he first showed up in District 4.
He’d disappeared like this, but she had a feeling he’d suddenly reappear at some point.
But she never expected to see him again the very next morning.
“What are you doing here?”
Early in the morning, as Yoo Hyena left for work, Han Mu-ryo stood in front of her house, dressed exactly as he had been the night before.
“I’m hungry.”
At his innocent tone, Yoo Hyena smacked her forehead without thinking.
Ah, right… This guy eats a ridiculous amount.
She had told him to come whenever he was free, and apparently, that meant now.
“S-Sorry, but not today—I mean, not right now. I’m heading to work… I won’t have time until after my shift.”
“When does your shift end?”
“Huh? Uh… Around six in the evening…?”
Han Mu-ryo raised a single finger on his palm, pointing toward the rising sun.
“That’s 9 hours and 11 minutes from now. Understood.”
“How do you even know the time like—wait, what?”
Pulling out her phone to check, Yoo Hyena was startled.
It was 8:49 AM—exactly 9 hours and 11 minutes until her shift ended.
Before she could marvel at this, Han Mu-ryo leaped back onto a streetlight.
Crack!
The already damaged streetlight from last night shattered completely under his weight.
“Hey! I told you not to break the streetlights!”
And why jump on a new one when you could’ve used the one you broke last night?!
Exhausted before her day even began, Yoo Hyena hurried to work.
At the company, Yoo Hyena went by Oh Hana, concealing her appearance to hide the fact that she was Starlight’s younger sister.
Her job was at a private monster insurance firm, where she reviewed damage claims and ensured payouts were correctly processed.
Pressing ‘Approve’ sent the insurance money, while ‘Review’ held it back.
Yoo Hyena had one of the highest approval rates in the office.
“Oh Hana, the manager wants to see you.”
“…Sigh.”
“Hang in there.”
Because of her leniency, she was frequently called into the manager’s office.
“What are you thinking, approving so many claims?! You think we’re here to hand out money?!”
“Manager, but these are—”
“Is it your money?! Huh?! Wake up! Do you know how much the company’s losing because of you?!”
“But the victims deserve their insurance—”
“If you’re just gonna hand out money, go work at a welfare center! Why are you even here?!”
Scolded and kicked out once again, Yoo Hyena washed her face in the restroom.
“…It’s not even his money.”
She followed the regulations exactly—what was the problem?
If anything, the insurance money came from citizens’ premiums and government support. It wasn’t meant to fatten the company’s profits but to help those in need.
Part of her wanted to report the company to the authorities for withholding rightful payouts.
But if she involved Starlight, the media would spin it as a hero’s sister abusing her influence.
Even reporting it herself would lead to similar complications.
Yoo Hyena, living as Oh Hana to avoid the spotlight, didn’t want that.
“Sigh…”
Stressed, she splashed water on her face and headed back to her desk.
Outside the window, a long contrail streaked across the sky.
Her sister was flying off to battle another monster.
Whenever an S-rank hero moved, it meant a Disaster-class monster.
After the Black Cat’s appearance, W-City no longer treated disasters as catastrophes like A or B-City, where heroes were abundant. But large-scale incidents still caused massive damage.
“Working hard as always… Huh?”
Just then, a large figure sat up abruptly on a rooftop across the street.
Rubbing his eyes as if he’d been napping, the man stared at Starlight’s fading trail, then yawned and stood.
“What the…? What’s he doing there? Taking a nap…?”
Wait—is he waiting for me because I said I’d treat him to food after work?!
Flustered, Yoo Hyena pressed her face to the window.
Han Mu-ryo noticed her gaze and met her eyes.
He patted his stomach—a clear I’m hungry gesture.
Yoo Hyena let out a disbelieving laugh.
Then Han Mu-ryo started running across the rooftops.
“Is he seriously going to hunt monsters now?”
Moments later, back at her desk, Oh Hana received an alert about another major monster attack.
At the same time, the manager’s furious shout echoed through the office.
“Goddammit! It’s the Black Cat again!”
News of the Black Cat hunting a monster nearby was never good for private insurers.
Unlike government insurance, which only assessed the damage, private insurers lured customers with special policies—like paying out only for ‘Despair-class’ or higher monster attacks.
Such attacks were rare, and victims often didn’t survive to claim the money.
It was a lucrative product—until the Black Cat showed up.
“How is the Black Cat a Despair-class?! That damn cat should be under a special clause! When is the government passing that law?!”
For W-City’s private insurers, Despair-class policies were no longer profitable.
“People get full eating kebabs at food stalls and then claim full Despair-class payouts?! How does that make sense?!”
“Oh Hana, heading out?”
“Yes. Good work today, Team Leader.”
“Take care~ You worked hard.”
After a tiring day under the manager’s scolding, Yoo Hyena finally left work.
Glancing toward the rooftop where Han Mu-ryo had been, she heard a thud from between buildings.
Remembering last night, she realized it was Han Mu-ryo landing.
A moment later, he emerged—still shirtless—and began lumbering toward her.
Panicking, Yoo Hyena hurried away from the office entrance.
Han Mu-ryo sped up, falling into step right behind her.
“You’re off work.”
“Y-Yeah, so stop following me so closely!”
“Were you lying?”
“I wasn’t! I’ll treat you, just… Walk a little farther behind me, okay?”
“I’m hungry.”
“Ugh, fine! But at least wear something!”
“Can’t find clothes that fit.”
Should I buy him clothes first?
After a brief debate, Yoo Hyena glanced around to ensure no coworkers were nearby, then tugged at Han Mu-ryo’s waistband.
“Come with me.”
She dragged him into a nearby clothing store and picked out the largest sizes available.
In this era of monsters, average body sizes had decreased due to reduced food intake, but some brands still carried oversized clothing for physically enhanced superpower humans.
Finding the biggest hoodie, Yoo Hyena marveled at how much more normal Han Mu-ryo looked with a proper top.
“H-How about trying these too?”
“I like these pants.”
“Come on, they’ll look good. I’ll buy them for you.”
“No.”
Despite his stubbornness, his tattered firefighter pants stayed. But at least he looked less like a weirdo and more like a fitness enthusiast now.
Now we won’t stand out too much.
Yoo Hyena pondered where to take him.
Wait… Is this like a date?
She glanced at Han Mu-ryo, then pulled out a lipstick from her pouch and applied it.
“You’re putting ketchup on your lips.”
“It’s lipstick.”
Sighing at his clueless stare, she asked,
“So… What do you like to eat?”
“Gukbap.” (Korean soup with rice)
“…Gukbap.”
I shouldn’t have bothered with the lipstick.
Deflated, Yoo Hyena led the way.