Why Are You Here? (Part 3)
Five years older than her brother, twenty-one-year-old Lee Do-hee stared at him now with an expression of pure disbelief.
She had come with her friend Kim Ji-min because the hunter scammer had hurt her, but she never expected to run into her own brother here.
What really stunned her was that her brother Dohyun was out there preaching to the masses, calling himself a hunter while extorting money from regular people.
Dohyun had always been the type to fight, but Do-hee figured he was too detached from the world to ever become a hunter. He was the normal brother who never picked up a fight, after all.
Even the thought that he had never once arm-wrestled her still stung. If his body wasn’t strong enough for something as basic as that, how could he possibly be a hunter?
She sent Kim Ji-min home and headed straight for the quiet café nearby, plopped down, and blurted out her question.
“So… how did all this happen?”
Dohyun looked at her and sighed, as if he found her exasperating.
“How? I awakened and became a hunter.”
“……Oppa?”
“What’s that look in your eyes? Like you’re judging me?”
“It’s not judging! If someone who used to claim he got a normal job told me he was a hunter, who wouldn’t be shocked?”
“Shocked? No, it’s the look of someone watching a liar.”
Do-hee rolled her eyes and took a sip through the straw before glaring at him again. Her confusion was still written all over her face.
Dohyun felt the same.
‘I wouldn’t have started if I hadn’t used Analysis.’
He hadn’t had the guts to fake it. Besides, Do-hee had always pictured him as someone who didn’t fight much, never mind arm-wrestling. That made his hunter life even more unbelievable.
Her questions made sense, so he didn’t push back. Still, the disappointment in her eyes bothered him.
“……So, is being a hunter worth it?”
He tried to sound concerned for his little sister.
Dohyun smirked proudly. “You’d have to call me a legendary hunter.”
“…….”
Do-hee gave him the doubtful stare, but she thought it was a joke and laughed it off.
‘That’s not a joke.’
He wanted to tell her the truth, but his stupid little sister wouldn’t believe it anyway. He shrugged and kept sipping his drink, acting like it was nothing.
Do-hee, watching him, started firing questions left and right.
“Is it really safer these days?”
“As a hunter?”
“Yeah, the news says the death rate has dropped a lot.”
“Hmmm. That tracks.”
Dohyun answered her honestly.
But she kept asking. “Are there really other species in the Black Gates?”
“Yeah, tons of them.”
“Whoa, that’s straight-up discrimination, right?”
“Nah, it’s serious. They call low-ranked races ‘mongrels’ and all that.”
“No way! Really?!”
Do-hee looked shocked at the new information.
Dohyun thought, ‘She must be pretty into hunters after all.’
‘Makes sense.’
Her major was physical education, specifically taekwondo. Of course she’d be interested.
He worried she might actually awaken soon, but he decided it didn’t matter. After all, he was already at the top of hunter training and would only get stronger. It was actually a good thing.
He answered every question one by one. From hunter academies to the lives inside the Black Gates, even stuff regular people couldn’t know.
Since it wasn’t illegal to talk about, he answered casually.
Do-hee watched him and muttered, “……You really are a hunter.”
“So I must be a fake hunter?”
She tried to play it cool, but the disbelief in her eyes said otherwise. Still, the suspicion in her gaze finally eased.
Dohyun looked at her earnestly. “I still haven’t told Mom and Dad.”
“How long do you plan to keep hiding it?”
“Come on, I have to be the one to break it to them.”
“Hmmm, fair enough.”
“Until my rank is higher, it’s better to wait until I’m sure no one will freak out, right?”
“Yeah, that makes sense. So… you’re actually working with the Hunter Association?”
“That’s right.”
Do-hee looked at him with a little pity. She was probably thinking, “So that’s why he couldn’t join a guild.”
Dohyun gave her a weird look. He knew she assumed he hadn’t been scouted by Taekwang Guild. He could have explained that the Hunter Association was actually better than most guilds, but it would sound like a sore loser’s excuse. So he just shook his head.
“I guess you got paid then. Did you buy a used car?”
“Yeah, I got some decent ones.”
“Hahaha, so you basically robbed me?”
“Who told you to scam first?”
“Hahaha.”
Do-hee was still laughing when Dohyun finished his drink, stood up, and said, “Since we met, let me buy you lunch. Let’s go.”
“Whoa! The first time I’ve ever eaten for free with a hunter!”
“How lame.”
They both chuckled awkwardly as they stood and headed for the counter. Then Dohyun froze.
Do-hee noticed his stiff posture and raised an eyebrow. The most stunning woman he had ever seen stood right in front of them—hair and eyes glowing with a faint blue ether tint.
Do-hee’s jaw dropped. “Oppa… you’re a guy too~.”
The second the words left her mouth.
“Dohyun Oppa?”
“Hmmm, here too.”
“Huh?”
Do-hee stared back and forth between them in confusion. Hana Rin turned to look at Dohyun as well.
Dohyun quickly introduced them. “This is Hana Rin, my party member. This is Do-hee, my little sister.”
“Oh! You’re Dohyun Oppa’s sister! Nice to meet you. I’m Hana Rin.”
“U-um, um, h-hi. I’m Do-hee.”
The awkward greeting left Do-hee wide-eyed. She poked her brother with both fingers. “How are you two even in the same party?!”
Dohyun shook his head, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous expression on her face.
‘If Yu-chan saw her, he’d probably have a heart attack.’
He shook his head again. Hana Rin’s beauty was on another level. A face so perfect it belonged on an idol, combined with pure mana that gave her an ethereal blue glow—it was enough to make anyone lose their mind.
Dohyun looked at Do-hee and asked, “We were just heading out for lunch.”
“Oh, I was planning to eat coffee and then lunch too…”
“Oh, really?”
Hana Rin seemed surprised too.
Dohyun was about to say they’d just go, but Do-hee shot him a death glare. She clearly wanted to get to know the other girl better.
Dohyun glanced at his sister, then turned to Hana Rin. “If you’re free, want to eat with us?”
“Eh? Are you sure?”
“Of course! Oppa’s party member? We’d be honored to have you! Hehe.”
Hana Rin asked cautiously. Do-hee answered right away.
Dohyun shook his head at his sister, but since she didn’t seem to mind, Hana Rin nodded too. “If it’s okay with you, I’d love to join.”
It had been lonely eating alone. Meeting Dohyun like this felt like a lucky break. Do-hee smiled happily.
Dohyun sighed and shook his head.
How had things gotten so weird?
The strange group of three walked off together toward lunch.
* * *
Hana Rin had come out of the house because she was bored staying inside. Seeing Dohyun and Do-hee together, she thought, ‘What kind of coincidence is this?’ But she smiled anyway.
Having lived abroad since childhood, she had no Korean friends and hated eating alone on holidays. Running into them felt almost too perfect.
As they walked toward a restaurant, Dohyun suddenly snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait. You two are the same age, right?”
“What?! Really?”
“Eh? For real?”
Do-hee and Hana Rin answered at the same time. Dohyun nodded.
He had never paid attention to Do-hee’s exact age before, but now it clicked. Both were twenty-one.
The two girls suddenly looked at each other with a strange spark of closeness.
Do-hee asked cautiously, “So… do we call each other by first names?”
“Sure.”
Hana Rin answered quickly. Dohyun chuckled. He realized Hana Rin had been the one who brought up titles first when they joined the party. That’s why it felt so natural.
They walked a little farther and spotted a place that looked delicious. Dohyun asked, “So… what are we eating?”
Do-hee looked thoughtful for a second, then Hana Rin shrugged. “I don’t care. Whatever you want, Oppa?”
“Doesn’t matter to me either. Do-hee, you decide.”
“Wha—me? Eek!”
Do-hee didn’t have a preference, but she smirked. “What about tteokbokki?”
Among the usual street foods when girls get together, tteokbokki sounded fun. Hana Rin’s image was more like someone who’d try fancy Western food, but since Do-hee suggested it, Dohyun nodded.
Hana Rin’s eyes lit up. “Tteokbokki? I’ve never tried it!”
“What?! Really?!”
“Oh, well, she did study abroad,” Dohyun explained.
Do-hee’s jaw dropped. How could Hana Rin have never eaten tteokbokki? She stared at her in shock.