A Dangerous Interview
When analyzing any situation, the most important thing is to clearly grasp the given conditions and information from the start.
Next comes deriving a clearer result based on that foundation.
Obtaining those conditions and pieces of information is no easy task, yet devising an appropriate response from them is just as difficult—and even more critical.
It is much like securing the finest ingredients and then using them to create a masterpiece of a dish.
And in that regard…
The conclusion I reached about this particular moment was singular.
It concerned the manner in which this interview would unfold.
And not even a few seconds after I issued my instructions regarding it…
Clang!
A window exploded outward with a deafening crash. Glass shards sprayed in every direction at once. Are, who had been standing by exactly as I ordered, moved without hesitation.
An A-class Hunter possessing physical abilities that transcended ordinary humans, she interposed herself between me and Suyoung-noona so swiftly that the eye could not follow.
And then—
Whirr!
Are spun the baton she had already drawn, rotating it with precise control. Every last one of the countless glass fragments hurtling toward us was deflected cleanly away. Not a single shard got through.
It was a perfect defense possible only because she was a Hunter, not an ordinary human.
I spoke to her in a calm, measured voice.
“Situation report, please.”
“Four hostiles in total. Three carrying blunt weapons. The remaining one has a compact handgun.”
Even with the attackers concealed in darkness, Are had read their positions and armament with near-perfect clarity. With that level of force, an A-class Hunter like her could have handled them alone without difficulty.
Even so—
“Focus on defense for now. They wouldn’t have come in without preparations if they weren’t complete fools.”
“Yes, understood.”
She could have ended it in seconds, yet she followed my order without question. Watching her, I found myself remembering those other women who had never once listened to a single command of mine. If it had been Sena or Yujin, they would never have bothered with a situation report—they would already have charged out swinging.
Once again I felt genuine gratitude for having a comrade who trusted me completely. I kept my eyes fixed on the scene ahead, remaining as coldly analytical as possible.
Bang!
Ting!
A single round cracked from the darkness. The instant it flew, Are’s baton flicked it aside with casual ease. A bullet of that caliber posed no threat whatsoever to someone who could bat away dozens of glass shards. Even a direct hit would not have made Are so much as blink; her physical durability far exceeded anything one or two ordinary rounds could achieve—unlike me or the people behind her.
Apparently deciding that further attacks from range were pointless and that we would not be the ones to initiate, the figures in the darkness slowly stepped into the café and revealed themselves.
Four men, exactly as Are had assessed. All of them wore suits; none looked like Hunters.
Still I did not order Are to engage. Instead I did what needed doing first.
“Noona, get behind the sofa and stay flat on the floor.”
“What? …Uh… y-yeah… okay.”
Suyoung-noona carefully withdrew according to my instruction. The suited men flinched at the movement, yet they still did not dare advance. They understood perfectly well that any attempt to close the distance would be stopped cold by Are’s defensive stance, yielding them nothing.
Once Suyoung-noona was out of sight, I lowered my own posture and eased backward as well. The moment I reached the position I had chosen—
“Attack!”
Whoosh!
Are exploded forward the instant the order left my mouth. The suited men frantically swung their weapons.
But—
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Their blunt instruments shattered under a single swing of Are’s baton. The difference in raw power and material quality made the outcome inevitable.
And then—
“Keuk!”
Are’s kick drove straight into the abdomen of the man I had marked from the beginning—the one holding the gun. In the same fluid motion she stripped the weapon from his grip and tossed it toward me.
Click!
I caught it, chambered a round at once, and leveled the muzzle at one of the remaining men.
At the same moment Are seized the other two by the throat—one in each hand—and slammed them face-first into the floor.
Bang!
“Keok!”
I kept the gun trained on the last man standing and spoke in a voice of pure ice.
“It’s over. If you want to live, kneel right there.”
He hesitated, reading the room. Then, realizing he had no options left, he slowly sank to his knees. All will to resist had drained out of him.
I spoke again, just as coldly.
“Who sent you? They’re nearby—call them. Now.”
“…Y-yes, sir.”
He had no choice. He pulled out his phone and made the call.
With the situation more or less settled, Are exhaled a quiet breath, rose, and walked over to me. The man she had kicked in the gut looked to have several broken ribs and was not moving. The two she had driven into the floor were still twitching, too stunned to control their own bodies.
“What do you intend to do next?”
“Leave them as they are for now. Check on Suyoung-noona—she’s probably badly shaken.”
“Yes.”
Are moved to look after Suyoung-noona. At that moment, exactly as I had anticipated, a figure emerged slowly from the darkness. The men on the floor staggered upright and bowed their heads toward the newcomer with visible effort.
Their leader, clearly.
She was a Caucasian woman with short golden hair cut in a bob and sharp green eyes. Mid-twenties, dressed in a tailored suit and glasses. Beautiful, yet carrying an unmistakably severe air.
She surveyed the men prostrating themselves before her. I raised the gun and aimed it squarely at her chest.
“There’s a sniper as well. Call them off.”
“…How did you know?”
“Only an idiot would walk into a room against an A-class Hunter with nothing more than this. Against someone who can bat bullets aside, the only practical way to take a target—short of bombs, which are too risky in here—is a sniper.”
That was precisely why, before the real fighting began, I had moved Suyoung-noona out of any possible sniper’s line of fire and withdrawn myself as well.
Her expression did not change. She simply took out her phone and spoke in a clipped, icy tone.
“Situation terminated. All units withdraw.”
She ended the call. Then she glanced at the men still sprawled on the floor.
“You lot pull back as well.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
They shot me a nervous look, then scrambled to their feet and fled the café far faster than they had entered it. She paid them no further attention. Turning to us, she bowed her head with formal courtesy.
“Lee Jinhyun-ssi, and Lee Are-ssi—correct?”
“…Yes. That is correct.”
Are answered in a voice of pure frost. I said nothing.
The woman raised her head and continued in the same calm, measured tone.
“I apologize for the discourtesy on our first meeting. My name is Bones Bore. I am Chief of Staff of Laie—the company to which you submitted your request—and the interviewer assigned to this interview.”