The Foreshadow of Reincarnation: Part 2
In the depths of the underworld, the devil cult known as the Red Inverted Cross was nothing more than a twisted pseudo-religion born from the greed of the powerful. One of the three dominant conglomerates in South Korea, the ruthless and violent Taesan Group, owned by the Park family. Between these two colossal organizations, a war was about to ignite — one Seojun intended to exploit for his own gain.
That was precisely the plan he had set in motion the moment he returned to the present.
Parasitic Growth
—Back… thump! Thump!
Kang Seojun first walked to a place where no one else was around. The secluded corner of the park.
Once he confirmed there was no one nearby, he dialed Seo Eunha on his smartwatch.
📍 Location: Secluded park corner
🕒 Time: Late afternoon
🔹 Contact: Seo Eunha
—Beep! Beep beep!
She had been the most critical key card in his current “harvest” plan.
—Durr… click!
Before the call even finished ringing, Seo Eunha picked up.
“K, heum! Heum! Yes, this is Seo Eunha speaking.”
“Yes. Eunha-ssi. This is Kang Seojun. May I speak with you?”
“O-of course! O-of course! Please go ahead. What can I help you with?”
Her voice sounded as if she would listen to anything he asked.
“First, where are you right now?”
“I’m… I’m driving right now. I just left the company.”
In truth, she was heading toward the Hunter Market, searching for any medicine or elixir that could aid Seojun’s wounds and illnesses. Every injury and debuff he carried was a burden she felt she must bear.
If only she could spend the weekend scouring both the in-game Hunter Market and the online marketplace for helpful items, but the Kim Hak-yong incident had left a loose end, so she had only just finished work.
She chose not to mention any of this to Seojun. If she did, the poor guy would feel guilty and insist on buying her something expensive in return.
“The timing is perfect, Eunha-ssi. I’m sorry, but could you please check one thing for me right now?”
Seo Eunha answered without hesitation.
“Yes. Of course. What is it?”
“Is anyone following you right now?”
“……?”
A faint gulp echoed through the watch speaker.
After a brief silence, her voice grew serious.
“I’ll check immediately.”
She asked no further questions or explanations. Every piece of information he had ever given her had been eerily accurate, even in the most unsettling situations.
—Swoosh… swoosh.
For a while, the watch only recorded the sound of a car sliding along the road.
One right turn. One left. Another left turn.
—Swoosh… heum.
Seo Eunha let out a small sigh, as if she had encountered something troublesome.
“……There’s a black van. And a black sedan. They’re definitely tailing us.”
“As expected.”
Although the heroine was being followed, Seojun felt nothing but relief. His plan had been built on the original story of Grand Hunter Academy, so in the canon, killing Kim Hak-yong would immediately put a demonic tail on the assassin. He had worried the flow would break, but it had not.
“Who are they?”
“Demons. They were assigned to tail you after learning of Kim Hak-yong’s true identity.”
“I see… I was on high alert after eliminating that important spy, but…”
“This is where it gets important. Eunha-ssi, could you help me with something?”
Seojun sent her a map and coordinates.
—Ding.
◈ Abandoned factory coordinates
“This is an abandoned factory on the city outskirts. I need you to lure them this way.”
“Uhm…”
Seo Eunha paused, sounding uneasy.
“Luring them is easy, but… may I ask for the plan?”
“I’ll lure them and fight. Eunha-ssi might get caught in the crossfire, so please equip your gear before we engage…”
“S-st-wait! Just a moment!”
Her voice suddenly turned urgent.
“Yes?”
“Y-you’re putting yourself in danger!”
“I will ensure you never get hurt, Eunha-ssi.”
“N-no… I’m not worried about getting hurt… I’m worried about you!”
Seo Eunha let out a small sigh and continued.
“Wouldn’t it be better to request backup from headquarters?”
“No. That would deviate from my plan.”
Seojun checked the time and explained calmly.
“This matter must remain between you and me. Only the two of us.”
“B-but…!”
Seo Eunha let out a tiny groan.
Only the two of us. Secret. Just between us.
“Understood.”
Her only choice was to obey. Deep down she was worried, but she had no desire to argue with him any further.
“Please explain the strategy.”
“Of course. First…”
Seojun gave her the outline of the plan before she reached the abandoned factory.
Late afternoon on Sunday.
A private room at an upscale restaurant.
Two women sat across from each other in the simply decorated small room.
Jin Serin glared at Kim Joohee with narrowed eyes, while Kim Joohee met her stare without blinking.
The awkward waiter caught in the middle of their staring contest was the only one suffering.
“O-order…?”
“This one… and this one.”
Jin Serin kept her eyes locked on Kim Joohee and pointed randomly at the menu.
“Same for me.”
Kim Joohee ordered without caring about the specifics.
“Y-yes. Right away.”
The waiter nodded silently and left.
A tense silence followed.
It was Kim Joohee who broke it first.
“So, what exactly do you want to talk about?”
“My story comes later. Instructor, you said you had something you wanted to ask me, right? Let’s start with that.”
“Fine. Then…”
Kim Joohee took a sip of water and asked the question she had been holding back.
“Jin Serin-ssi, what is your relationship with Seojun-ssi?”
Jin Serin’s brows furrowed sharply.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because…”
Kim Joohee touched her lips with her fingers.
“I’m interested in Seojun-ssi. Objectively.”
“Hah?!”
Jin Serin’s expression turned to shock.
She had never expected such a direct accusation.
“Y-you’re shameless! Th-this is too much?!”
—Tremble… tremble…
Jin Serin’s hand shook violently as she poured water into her empty glass.
“Are you aware of your own position?! You’re an academy instructor!”
“So what if I am? What’s the problem?”
“Wha—?!”
—Clack!
Jin Serin slammed the glass down hard.
“Are you sane?! An instructor having private feelings toward a student?!”
“What’s wrong with that? Both you and Seojun-ssi are adults.”
“No…! How can…! In a teacher-student relationship…!”
“Hehe.”
“What?”
Kim Joohee smiled quietly and took another sip of water.
Jin Serin could not stop herself from speaking.
“So why does the teacher-student relationship matter?”
“B-because you’re using your position as instructor…”
“I have never forced anything on Seojun-ssi.”
“No! Even so, you’re an instructor…”
“No. It seems you’re misunderstanding something, Jin Serin-ssi.”
Kim Joohee held up her palm to silence her.
“What is the purpose of this academy, in your opinion?”
Kim Joohee suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.
Jin Serin tilted her head with a puzzled frown, yet answered as if it were obvious.
“The academy’s goal is to fairly distribute the Fruit of the Astral Rank through a proper selection process. The Fruit is limited in quantity each year, after all.”
Kim Joohee immediately shook her head.
“Wrong. The academy does not exist to distribute the Fruit fairly. Its purpose is to raise and select hunters who will definitely shine in the next generation.”
“So what? What’s the point of saying that?”
Kim Joohee placed her hand on her chest.
“I’m explaining. My feelings for Seojun-ssi do not contradict the academy’s purpose or my duties in the slightest.”
“……!!”
Although the academy and instructors existed to cultivate and produce the next generation of hunters who would become strong, if Kim Joohee’s devotion to Seojun could help him blossom into the most outstanding hunter of his era… then she was willing to devote herself completely to her duties.
Jin Serin felt goosebumps all over her body.
“That’s treachery! Are you insane?!”
“You don’t understand. I don’t need to.”
“Act your age!”
“Hah!”
Kim Joohee finally took damage from the age comment.
“Y-you’re still in your twenties too! Same as me!”
“Hehe. But you’ll turn thirty soon anyway, right?”
“Hah!”
Kim Joohee’s lips twitched.
Jin Serin did not miss the opening and launched her final blow.
“Earlier you asked what kind of relationship Seojun and I have, didn’t you? We love each other! Aren’t you embarrassed trying to interfere with us who are still young?! Don’t you feel ashamed?!”
“Eek!”
Kim Joohee clutched her chest.
But she was not defeated yet.
She touched her wounds and said softly.
“You don’t know Seojun-ssi’s potential. Only I can awaken it. And—”
Kim Joohee pointed at Jin Serin’s chest and counterattacked.
“Small breasts are one thing, but older is better!”
“Hah, hah?!?”
Jin Serin covered her chest with both arms.
“P-person attack?! And—and I’m above average, you know!?”
“Don’t lie! How can you call it above average?! Are you talking about middle-school averages?!”
“Hah, hah!!”
After that, it became an all-out war of insults.
“@#$!@$%^$#!!!”
“&#%@#$%^&$%%!!!”
“……”
Meanwhile, the waiter waiting outside the private room for the order to arrive finally snapped.
“This is a police station…?”
He quietly called the police.