The Stride of a Giant
"Is that why you quit? But after two whole years..."
"I realized that contracts are truly terrifying things, you know."
Akemi's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"Even if I wanted to quit, I couldn't. It was originally a ten-year contract."
"Eh? Ten years?"
"Yes... I heard later that such a long term is legally problematic, but there was no way for me to know that at that age."
"But what about your parents? Don't they usually sign with you?"
Yunjae let out another bitter sigh. He looked so hesitant to speak that Akemi instinctively grew cautious as well.
"You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable..."
"No, it's not that. I'm very proud of my parents."
He took a deep breath, forcing a bright smile onto his face.
"My parents' minds were a little... fragile, you see. So they didn't really understand those kinds of things."
"Fragile?"
Akemi fell into thought for a moment, processing his words.
"They had intellectual disabilities... I don't really like using that term, though..."
"Ah!"
Realizing what he meant, her face filled with genuine shock. It was something she had never even considered. 'Fragile minds' had been his gentle euphemism. To think his parents had developmental disabilities! Having stumbled upon such a heavy truth, she was utterly stunned into silence.
Seeing Akemi's eyes welling up with tears before she even realized it, Yunjae took a quiet breath.
"The agency knew about their condition, so before we signed, they only said sweet things, promising they would take care of everything. My parents must have believed them. But once the ink dried, we were bound to a ten-year contract with a 90-to-10 profit split in their favor. And if we broke it, we had to pay an astronomical penalty."
Never imagining his parents had such a background, Akemi spoke through her tears.
"...That's horrible. Truly."
"Yes... but the world proved to be even harsher."
"Eh? Why, what else happened?"
"I worked incredibly hard for two years, but I didn't receive a single cent in payouts."
"Eee?!"
"They said I had been a trainee for about a year, and between those training expenses and the debut costs, it added up to hundreds of millions of won. They claimed they wouldn't pay me anything until all of that was paid off. So, for two years, I didn't make a single penny."
Akemi was completely speechless.
"Why on earth would they make you sign such a contract...!"
"Well, I was only eleven years old when the contract was signed."
As Yunjae spoke, his voice tinged with a deep, lingering regret, Akemi fell silent.
"Anyway, the older members I was with couldn't take it anymore and filed a lawsuit alongside their families. We managed to resolve things somehow, but later, the agency told me that because I had more individual schedules than the others, my expenses were higher, leaving me with a remaining debt of thirty million won. They said they wouldn't terminate my contract unless I paid it off, and until then, I had to keep working. They probably targeted me because my family was poor and didn't know any better."
"Ugh! I'm so mad! I want to punish those people!"
"They're probably all gone by now. It's already been over sixty years, after all."
"Ughhh!"
Yunjae let out a deep sigh.
"Back then, my parents worried about me so much. They literally begged them, saying they would pay off the debt if they would just let me go. The agency refused to let go until the very end, but fortunately, someone I met during my broadcast promotions stepped in, saying this was too cruel. With their help, we paid off the thirty million won, and the contract was finally terminated."
At those words, Akemi's teary eyes began to overflow.
"I worked so hard for two years, only to end up with thirty million won in debt. My parents had to shoulder all of it, and I felt so incredibly guilty. That's why, even when I was in school, I was always worrying about how we were going to make a living."
It seemed this painful history was the reason why, despite his explosive popularity, he had never once been in a relationship.
"That's so unfair. How could they do that..."
Perhaps this was why Yunjae hadn't been angry at all when he heard Lupinus's explanation. To him, it was a blessing that his parents, who had suffered so much because of him, had become incredibly wealthy and lived out the rest of their lives in happy, worry-free comfort.
"There are way too many bad people in this world!"
Wiping her eyes, Akemi stared at Yunjae, completely caught off guard by his unexpected past. It was a miracle that he could maintain such a saint-like, gentle personality after enduring all of that.
"...Is that why you find it hard to trust people?"
"It's not that I don't trust them, I'm just... cautious. There was another incident besides that one..."
"Eeet!"
That wasn't the end of it?!
"There's more?"
"...Yes."
Just how many hardships had he gone through?
"Ugh..."
The realization that someone with such an angelic face and a naturally gentle, kind disposition had lived such a painful life finally made Akemi burst into tears again. Meanwhile, Yunjae shook his head, looking as if he truly did not want to bring up that particular story.
"Anyway, it's not because there's any problem with you, Akemi. To be honest, I don't really know how to interact with people properly either. I was trapped in that place for so long, so I'm not exactly normal myself. I think I was just insensitive. I'm sorry for not being more considerate!"
At his reassurance that it was his fault and not hers, Akemi wiped away her tears and forced a smile.
"Still, I'm really glad you shared this with me."
"Please keep it a secret from the others. Let's make it something only you know..."
He really was so sweet and gentle. To think he would take her childish whining so seriously and open up like this!
"Yes! I will! It'll be our little secret!"
Overjoyed, Akemi held out her pinky finger.
"Ah, a pinky promise..."
Hooking his pinky with hers and pressing his thumb against hers to seal the deal, Yunjae chuckled softly.
"You shouldn't go around signing contracts so easily, Akemi!"
"It's fine! I wouldn't mind a lifetime contract with you, Yunjae!"
With that, Akemi grabbed his hand with both of hers and hugged it tightly to her chest.
"Ah!"
Looking up at him as he blushed in surprise, Akemi suddenly felt her entire body tense up. She wanted to comfort him, to embrace him. And those lips of his, which shone even more beautifully than her own, kept drawing her gaze, filling her with an overwhelming impulse to just go for it.
Thump!
But with her heart hammering so violently against her ribs, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Swallowing hard, she spoke awkwardly.
"Uh, anyway, don't worry about those things anymore. Okay?"
Though she was clearly flustered, her words carried genuine warmth, and Yunjae nodded.
"Yes, Akemi. And actually, I haven't been scammed once since then! I didn't even fall for the real estate agent's tricks!"
"Yeah! Thanks to you, I managed to avoid that shady landlord too! Anton is the best! If you bring Anton along, nobody dares to scam you!"
He chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Well, I should head out now to heal Ileyna with Anton. What about you, Akemi...?"
"Ah, I promised to help that dummy goddess find a place to live!"
"Lupinus can be a bit... lacking, but please take good care of her. She has gone through a lot of hardships herself..."
"But I think that dummy goddess needs to suffer a bit more to snap out of it."
"Ah, but she is still a goddess...!"
"Heheh!"
In any case, she had managed to talk to him one-on-one through her consultation request, and feeling like they had grown closer, Akemi smiled brightly and crossed her arms.
"Anyway, I'll request another consultation next time!"
"You can't request them every single day, Akemi!"
"Eee! Why not?!"
"Ah, I have other work duties to attend to!"
"Fine. Then I'll just request them after work!"
"Yes, that is perfectly fine!"
Yunjae chuckled and nodded, indicating that would be absolutely fine.
"Well then, I'll go meet Anton now."
"Okay!"
With that, Yunjae stepped out of the office.
"He really went through so much."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Akemi called out.
"Yunjae!"
She called him back.
"Yes? Is there something else...?"
Seeing him turn around mid-stride, Akemi ran up to him with a flushed face and stood right beside him.
Smooch.
"Ah!"
Even if she couldn't kiss his lips, a cheek kiss was more than doable. Startled by the sweet peck, Yunjae let out a soft laugh, and Akemi, shaking off her lingering regrets, spoke with a beaming face.
"I'm going to call you Oppa from now on!"
"Ah! There's a fifty-eight-year age gap between us, so calling me Oppa is a bit...!"
"You don't like being called Oppa?"
He shook his head, replying with a bashful expression.
"Ah... I was just playing hard to get out of politeness."
⟨ Recovery ⟩
The moment Yunjae quietly chanted the spell, a brilliant light enveloped Ileyna's body.
"Oh my goodness..."
She was seventeen this year. With her grayish-green eyes and brown hair, she possessed a delicate, lovely face that looked nothing like her rough-looking father, Anton. Her eyes went wide with disbelief.
"It's so beautiful!"
Seeing his daughter smile, completely mesmerized by the warm, radiant light wrapping around her, Anton looked at Yunjae with an expression that was half desperate hope and half sheer joy.
Shuuu...
Soon, the beautiful light swirling around Ileyna seeped into her skin and vanished.
"It's finished now. You should probably get it checked."
"Thank you, truly!"
Anton was filled with immense anticipation, while the doctor reacted with skepticism.
"...This makes absolutely no sense. If diseases could be cured this easily, why would hospitals even exist?"
The room was split between the two contrasting reactions. A brain tumor cured in just a few seconds? It was completely absurd.
"Please check her anyway. Even if it didn't cure it completely, it will definitely have helped."
As a medical professional, it was only natural for him to be skeptical. Unable to refuse Yunjae's polite and understanding request, the doctor hesitated.
"Yes! Right away!"
Anton urged, wanting to confirm the results immediately.
"I really feel fine. I feel amazing, actually."
Ileyna also looked as if her physical condition had improved dramatically compared to before. It could have been a placebo effect, and they might face despair once the actual test results came out, but...
"I can't really explain it, but something feels completely different."
A sensation entirely different from her previously diseased body washed over her.
"Thank you."
She looked at Yunjae, who appeared to be around her age, with eyes full of affection. Having been hospitalized for so long, how often did she get to see peers her own age? Even though Yunjae's chronological age was seventy-seven, no one would ever suspect that looking at his face. He was an exceptionally beautiful youth. It was only natural for a girl of Ileyna's age to develop an immediate crush on him!
"Ah, no, it's nothing! Please, let's get you checked first to see if you're cured!"
When Yunjae shyly replied that confirming her condition was the priority, Ileyna giggled and nodded. Seeing an incredibly handsome, powerful hunter get so flustered only made the young girl's heart flutter even more!
"...Sigh. Alright, we will perform an MRI scan immediately."
As the doctor and nurses led Ileyna toward the MRI room, Anton watched them go with a slightly disgruntled expression.
"Smiling at another man before her own father... Raising a daughter really is completely useless."
It seemed he was feeling a bit jealous of his daughter's obvious interest in Yunjae.
"Ah, I'm sure she was just expressing her gratitude!"
"A father has his instincts. That look was definitely something else."
But could anyone really blame Yunjae? Anton knew all too well that girls, especially teenage girls, absolutely adored pretty boys with delicate features. On top of that, Yunjae was the strongest hunter on Earth, and his personality was completely flawless.
"Anyway, if you ever make my daughter cry, I won't let you off easy, even if it's you!"
"Ah! You're moving way too fast, Anton!"
Anton burst into hearty laughter at Yunjae's panicked cry.
"Well, I suppose I can trust you. You'll make a living no matter what you do, so you might actually be the best son-in-law material."
Currently, a major topic of discussion within the guild was the fact that portals were continuously disappearing. What did that imply? Ultimately, it meant that hunters and awakened ability users would lose their livelihoods. Once the monsters were gone, what would be left for them to do? They could potentially collaborate with the government to maintain public order, but with the military and police already in place, there was no way the state would hand over such authority to external forces. Ironically, the eradication of the monsters threatening humanity would result in a massive unemployment crisis for hunters.
"Ah! That is true!"
But Yunjae, who could perform any task at a max-level standard thanks to Mamon's Grace, was in a completely different league. On top of that, he possessed the 300% reward passive! He was a man who could easily earn a hundred million won a year just by working part-time jobs. As Yunjae nodded in agreement, Anton let out a soft chuckle.
"...The stride of a giant, is it?"
It seemed he was recalling what Yunjae had said earlier. Just as Yunjae had remarked that no matter how quietly he tried to move, he couldn't help but leave ripples in his wake, his instantaneous elimination of threats to humanity had ended up impacting countless hunters and ability users. While nothing was set in stone yet, if things continued this way and all portals vanished, a highly complicated future lay ahead.
"Pardon?"
"No, it's nothing. Anyway, let's wait for Ileyna's results."
"Yes, Anton."
Yunjae stole a glance at his watch. An MRI would take at least thirty minutes. He seemed worried about being away during work hours.
"You can head back first. I'll let you know the results immediately."
"Ah, yes! I truly hope it worked! Even if it didn't, please don't give up, Anton. I will make sure Ileyna is saved, no matter what."
It felt as though Yunjae was projecting his feelings for his own parents onto Anton.
"...Right."
There was no way Anton could know his inner thoughts, but they say sincerity always reaches the heart. He could feel that Yunjae's words were genuine. Who else could truly understand a father's struggle? Throughout the lonely, solitary years he had spent enduring everything for his daughter, this was the first time he felt like he had someone truly on his side. With a full heart, Anton nodded, and Yunjae, looking quite confident in his magic, bid him farewell with a bright expression.
"Please make sure to call me!"
"I will!"
"See you at the office!"
With that, Yunjae left Anton behind and stepped out of the hospital.
"I hope everything goes well. Please make sure she's cured, Goddess Lupinus!"
Though she wasn't exactly the type of goddess to grant such wholesome wishes, she was the only deity he knew, so Yunjae clasped his hands together and offered a prayer. Meanwhile, as he began walking back toward the Blast Guild...
"W-What! He's so incredibly cute!"
Renge, who was spying on Yunjae disguised as an office worker in horn-rimmed glasses, flinched violently, her face flushed with excitement as her personal tastes were struck dead-on.
"He's ridiculously cute and handsome! No, rather than handsome, he's beautiful!"
In fact, when Yunjae had traveled to Tokyo with Rosamy yesterday to drive out the monsters, she had witnessed the scene firsthand. Back then, he had looked like a literal god. Drawing all the monsters to a single spot with his Taunt skill, he had swung the Holy Sword Gae Bolg, vaporizing them in an instant. And then, there was his recovery magic that healed everyone who was injured!