An Unwelcome Reunion
"Are you going out?"
As I started getting ready to go out early in the morning, Do Sangjin, who was cleaning, asked cautiously.
"Ah, yes. I have plans."
"Plans...?"
"An older guy I know."
Since joining the Hunter Administration Office, I had never gone out unless it was for work or a team dinner.
In other words, I had never gone out for personal reasons.
So it was only natural for Do Sangjin to find it strange.
"Haha. Did I surprise you?"
"Ah, no, not at all."
"I do have a social life, you know."
It was just extremely narrow.
I barely had anyone I could call a friend.
And the few I did have were lost after they went to the military and got caught up in the Babel Tower incident.
So, the number of people I could call friends right now was about two or three.
I had no complaints. I was just grateful to have even that many.
"The guy I'm meeting today is a webtoon artist I met back when I was working as an assistant."
"I see."
"I hadn't heard from him in a while, so I wondered if something had happened to him..."
But then he suddenly reached out.
The last time we spoke, his upcoming webtoon had just flopped, and he called me drunk, slurring that he was going to throw himself into the Babel Tower.
...Come to think of it, he still owes me money.
Back then, I couldn't bring myself to ask a guy who claimed he wanted to die about my money. I just wrote it off and forgot about it...
Still, I suppose I should be glad he's alive and well.
Whatever the case, we had spent a lot of time working together.
Thinking about seeing him again actually made me feel a bit glad.
I had been so focused on the Babel Tower lately. I felt like I had drifted too far from normal, everyday life.
Meeting someone I knew, eating good food, and having a good chat would be a nice change of pace.
"Shall I drive you?"
"No, it's fine. I think I'll just take the bus today."
"Then, what about picking you up..."
"I'll just take the bus back too."
"Will you be alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I used to ride it every single day."
Actually, no. Back then, even the bus was a luxury. I was so poor I walked everywhere just to save on fare.
But now...
If I just say the word, the Administration Office will fetch me a foreign car with a private chauffeur.
Or I could just buy one myself.
Of course, I had no intention of doing that. Why would I buy a car when the Administration Office provides everything for free? I'm never getting a driver's license!
"Hehehe..."
I grinned as I grabbed my transit card.
"Well, I'm off."
"Please be careful."
"Come on, of course I will. What, do you think I'm a kid?"
"It's not that, but lately..."
I was well aware that guilds were doing everything they could to get in touch with me lately. Kang Mina had repeatedly warned me to be careful.
"I know. I'll make sure to watch out for strangers."
"If anything happens, please contact..."
"Yes, yes. I got it."
Leaving behind a strangely anxious Do Sangjin, I stepped outside in high spirits.
After a long bus ride, I got off at the stop, greeted by a familiar landscape.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
Before I lost contact with him, I used to hang out in this neighborhood quite often. Coming back after so long, many things had changed, making it feel unfamiliar.
The meeting spot was Gimbap Heaven. It was a restaurant that sold cheap snack food, and it seemed to still be standing.
Man, I used to love the omurice here. I was looking forward to eating it again after all this time.
In the past, I would tremble just ordering a single roll of gimbap. Now, I could order whatever I wanted. I could literally say, "Give me one of everything on the menu!"
Though I doubt anyone would actually do that in a Gimbap Heaven...
Ding.
I opened the door to the old restaurant and stepped inside.
"Oh, Taepyeong!"
A voice called out to me the moment the door opened. It was Kim Jesik. Former webtoon artist. Current unemployed bum... probably.
"Jesik-hyung."
I sat down across from him.
Just like a few years ago, Kim Jesik was wearing a shabby tracksuit. His messy beard and shaggy hair were exactly the same. Seeing him like this was actually almost welcoming.
"Hey, it's been forever!"
Kim Jesik grabbed my hand with a bright smile, as if he had completely forgotten about running off with my money.
"It really has been a long time, hyung."
"You look great! I almost didn't recognize you, man!"
I couldn't bring myself to say, I recognized you instantly, hyung, so I just gave an awkward laugh.
"Should we order food first?"
Kim Jesik picked up the menu. After pondering for a moment, he spoke.
"Can I get the cheese pork cutlet and the kimchi fried rice?"
Wait. Was I paying for this? This guy hadn't changed a bit, naturally dumping the bill on me.
"Sure. Order whatever you want."
"Then I'll get the rabokki too."
I wondered if he could even finish all that. I ordered the dishes Kim Jesik picked, along with an omurice for myself.
"Hmm..."
Kim Jesik scanned me from head to toe for a long moment, then let out a low whistle. "Wow..." He grinned.
"Taepyeong, you seem to be making some decent money lately?"
"Huh? Well..."
Before I could even answer, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Is it true that you became a Hunter?"
It was true that I was making money, and it was true that I had become a Hunter. The problem was... "How did you know that?" How on earth did Kim Jesik know?
It hadn't been on the news or in any articles. I hadn't told him either. How did he find out?
"Ahahaha!" At my question, Kim Jesik burst into laughter. "Ah, I really couldn't believe it!" He was practically tearing up.
"That timid kid Lee Taepyeong is a Hunter?!"
Kim Jesik chuckled, still acting like he couldn't believe it, before suddenly stopping. He looked at me with a serious expression. "This is huge."
"Hyung, I asked how you knew."
"That's not what's important, man." Kim Jesik stroked his messy beard, lost in thought. "I heard Hunters make a killing, and it looks like it's true."
What did Hunter earnings have to do with him?
"Here is your pork cutlet." Just as I was about to ask again, the food arrived.
Cheese pork cutlet, kimchi fried rice, rabokki. And the omurice I ordered.
And yet, I'm still hungry...
Well, there would be plenty of time to ask after eating. I picked up my spoon and began digging into the steaming Gimbap Heaven omurice.
Mmm. This salty, cheap taste couldn't even compare to the meals at the Administration Office. Sometimes, I really missed this kind of flavor.
Just as the taste of nostalgia was starting to lift my mood...
"I guess being a Hunter isn't that big of a deal." Kim Jesik's words jabbed at me. "Maybe I should give it a try too."
"..."
"If I get a good trait too..."
"Hyung." A chuckle escaped my lips. Time had made me forget. This guy had always been like this.
"Go ahead and try."
"..."
"Don't just talk about it."
"What?"
"Who knows? Maybe you'll get a killer trait too." Though in my case, I literally got a slaughter trait.
"You punk..."
"Jesik-hyung."
"..."
"But why aren't you answering my question?"
"W-what question?"
"How did you know I was a Hunter?"
Kim Jesik's face began to sour.
"It hasn't been on the news, there are no articles, and even the Administration Office hasn't made an announcement."
"...!"
"How does a shut-in like Kim Jesik know that I'm a Hunter?"
There was no way Kim Jesik had found this out on his own. I had suspected it the moment he brought it up.
"Are you talking down to me right now...!"
"I'm holding back only because you're my hyung."
Yes. I was letting it slide out of respect for our past relationship.
Even though it was obvious there were some shady bastards behind Kim Jesik, I was graciously exercising my patience.
"You ran off without paying my wages."
"T-t-that was...!"
"And here I was wondering why you suddenly contacted me."
"Well...!"
"Did you reach out to see if there was something else you could rip off from me?"
I let out a deep sigh. Thanks to Kim Jesik, the nostalgic taste of the omurice was completely ruined.
"Are you putting on airs just because you're a Hunter now...!" Kim Jesik tried to jump up from his seat.
I slammed the spoon I was holding right into the middle of his forehead.
Crack! A sound like a skull splitting.
Well, I had controlled my strength so it wouldn't actually crack.
"Aaargh!"
Hmm. It was definitely different from the screams of goblins or orcs. More annoying, to be precise.
"That was for the unpaid wages."
"Ughhh..."
Kim Jesik clutched his forehead and faceplanted right into his kimchi fried rice. That was going to sting his eyes.
"Now, speak up while I'm giving you a chance."
"Ugh..."
"Who told you I was a Hunter?"
It wasn't like I didn't have any suspects. It was bound to be one of the private guilds.
Since they couldn't find any way to get in touch with me, they must have dug through my past until they stumbled upon Kim Jesik.
And that was why this bastard had contacted me.
Tsk. Indeed. Why else would he have reached out to me?
Tap, tap. I tapped the table with the spoon I had just used to whack his forehead.
Startled, Kim Jesik quickly bolted upright. His face was covered in kimchi fried rice.
"G-GR! GR contacted me!"
GR Guild. I had heard of them.
They had once shot up to the rank of the second-best guild in the country, but after Hunters left due to various internal issues, they had fallen to ninth place.
They're approaching me in such a dirty way?
What did they think would happen by contacting me through Kim Jesik? These bastards were completely looking down on me.
"H-here!" Fumbling through his pockets, Kim Jesik slapped a crumpled business card onto the table.
"T-they told me to give this to you...!"
"..."
I stared at the black business card for a moment, ripped it in half, and handed the pieces back to Kim Jesik.
"If they contact you again."
"Y-yeah...!"
"Tell them never to approach me like this again."
Nod, nod! Kim Jesik nodded vigorously, barely able to open his eyes.
"Sigh..."
They say some memories are best left buried. I guess Kim Jesik was one of those memories.
I used to think he was a decent guy despite his flaws, but seeing him like this made his past act of running away with my money look almost respectable.
Then again, if he had been a good person in the first place, he wouldn't have run off with a kid's hard-earned money.
"Hyung."
"Ugh..."
"I'll pay for the food, so make sure you eat it all before you leave."
"Ugh...!"
"And if you have the time, you should definitely try becoming a Hunter."
Instead of just talking about it all the time. Tsk, tsk.
Leaving the dazed Kim Jesik behind, I paid for the meal and walked out of Gimbap Heaven.
Whoosh... A lonely, chilly wind swept past.
Damn it! I wanted to enjoy some nostalgia and have a good laugh today. I should just go home and have chicken and beer.
"...Sigh."
Anyway...
I'll have to keep the GR Guild in mind.