An Unexpected Reunion
"Haha, yeah. I guess a lot has changed since back then, so it's no wonder you wouldn't remember."
Su-ji tried to sound composed, but her stiff expression and the unnatural twitch at the corners of her mouth betrayed her completely.
"Why? Don't you remember? We used to fight all the time over the dumbest things."
"I'm sorry."
If only Mina had even the tiniest fragment of memory, she could have pretended to know what Su-ji was talking about. But she had nothing. The situation felt incredibly awkward. Pretending to remember might backfire even worse.
The reunion was freezing over like an ice age when a large man suddenly cut in.
"Hey, Jeong Su-ji. Didn't I tell you not to go around asking about stuff like that?"
"Seong-gyu."
"We couldn't recognize anyone when we first got here either. Let's not make a big deal out of it."
Though his words sounded like a scolding, the gentle, playful tone made it clear he had stepped in to smooth things over. Mina had experienced something similar back in college—when her seniors had practically dragged her to a retreat despite her focus on training. The memory soured her mood, but then he turned to her.
"Anyway, long time no see, Lee Mina. Do you remember me? I was the class president."
Mina examined the man who had inserted himself between them. As an awakened, his hair was yellow and his eyes a reddish hue. The black tuxedo suited him well, as did the black bow tie. He was clearly dressed up, yet something about him felt off. Despite his striking appearance, he didn't exist in her memories at all.
"Really? You were so close with Min-ji, who was the vice president, weren't you?"
When Mina silently shook her head, the response jogged her memory—Min-ji had indeed been vice president around that time in high school.
"So I didn't come to the wrong place after all."
"What?! You actually thought that?"
Since the others had dropped formal speech, Mina couldn't stick to her usual polite tone. She spoke as naturally as she could, prompting Seong-gyu to shout in surprise while those around them burst into exaggerated laughter. The sudden spike in volume made her frown slightly, and the room went quiet in an instant.
Why is everyone so sensitive?!
Her ears hurt, but she could tell they were just trying to liven up the atmosphere. Still, the way they swung wildly between reactions over the smallest things was driving her crazy. It felt like every single action was being scrutinized.
"Ahem. Anyway, it's nice to see you after so long. Right, Su-ji?"
"...Yeah."
Mina felt as if invisible shackles had been clamped around her entire body. Seong-gyu cleared his throat and turned to Su-ji. Not that it helped much—Mina barely remembered any of them, which only made things more difficult.
"If it's too awkward, should I introduce you to some of our old classmates? If Min-ji were here, she'd do it right away. But she's running really late."
I was supposed to come with Min-ji in the first place.
Mina almost mentioned it but held her tongue. Everyone already seemed to be watching her every move; she had no idea how they might react.
"There's really no need..."
When she declined, Seong-gyu checked the gazes of those watching them before raising his voice.
"When did this reunion turn into a funeral? Let's loosen up and have some fun!"
Only after hearing his shout did the people staring in their direction finally look away and scatter. Even so, the lingering glances nearby still pricked at Mina's back, though it was far better than when everyone's attention had been locked on her.
She let out a small sigh of relief at the reduced scrutiny—only to hear the sound of a chair being pulled out.
"Mind if I sit?"
It was Seong-gyu's question, but he had already taken the seat across from her. At least he hadn't sat right beside her; that was something. He had been the one working hardest to thaw the frozen atmosphere, after all.
"You're already sitting. Why even ask?"
Su-ji set her plate on the table and plopped down between them.
"I didn't just sit down without saying anything, did I?"
"It's a reunion. Who cares? It's not like seats were assigned."
Mina's eyes fell on Su-ji's plate. Given that it was a buffet, the large dish was piled high with various foods, but—
"Did you come here just for dessert? They brought in all these chefs, and you've stacked your plate with nothing but sweets."
"Dessert takes the most effort to prepare, so it's the best part."
"You just have a sweet tooth, you pig."
"Who are you calling a pig?!"
Watching Su-ji flare up while Seong-gyu snickered, Mina spoke without thinking.
"You two seem pretty close."
"Well, we're old classmates, aren't we?"
Su-ji crossed her arms with a pout while Seong-gyu laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Speaking of which, Mina, are you seeing anyone?"
"Seeing someone? Why are you suddenly asking..."
Caught off guard by the abrupt question, Mina trailed off. Both Seong-gyu and Su-ji fixed their gazes on her at the same time.
"Why? You were insanely popular back then, weren't you?"
News to me?!
She had a vague memory of frequently receiving letters and candies, but sadly, Mina had never given much thought to what they might mean. Maybe that had been the reason. She tried to ignore the intensifying stares.
"Not at the moment."
"Not yet?"
"That's what she said?"
Su-ji looked like she had noticed something, but Seong-gyu simply nodded and moved on. The surrounding gazes seemed to grow even sharper, yet he kept his arm around Su-ji's shoulders as he continued.
"So what have you been up to all this time? We were shocked when we heard someone who never showed up anywhere suddenly decided to come."
Mina hesitated over how to answer. Recounting everything that had happened would take forever, and she had no desire to dredge it all up.
"Just... a bit of hunter work."
She had quit the company, but she wondered if she should mention it. Even without a contract, the fact that she was a hunter hadn't changed. Everyone looked surprised.
"Oh, for real?!"
Seong-gyu in particular wore an excessively delighted expression. When she looked at him, he pulled out his smartphone and showed her a familiar QR code.
"A-grade hunter?"
The central letter was the same A as hers. She hadn't expected to find an A-grade hunter among her high school classmates, so she was genuinely surprised. After all, she had never seen anyone like him during her university days.
Wondering how it had happened, he explained without prompting.
"I was just working at a company. Then I suddenly awakened. I quit on the spot and switched careers."
She had heard that some people awakened straight into A-grade, so this must have been one of those cases. And now Mina finally understood why she had felt that strange discomfort around him despite how well the tuxedo suited him. His movements looked stiff and uncomfortable. The tuxedo clearly wasn't proper equipment.
"Wow, I never thought I'd run into another hunter at a reunion."
Then his expression shifted to surprise again as he pointed at her chest.
"Whoa?! You worked at Hanshin?"
"Ah, this..."
Mina realized her mistake. The equipment Hanshin provided came in formalwear styles and was convenient, so she had unconsciously worn it. Since she didn't need to return it, simply repairing or replacing the emblem and tie pin was enough.
"Hanshin? That's the guild that specializes in gate raids, right?"
"Working at a place like that..."
"Isn't Hanshin the one that only accepts A-grade hunters?"
Mina belatedly tried to explain that she had quit, but the people watching them let out awed murmurs. She quickly sent Min-ji a message.
No way!
Even the original reason she had come to the reunion had vanished. In the end, she wondered why she had bothered coming at all, but she knew that without an occasion like this, the two of them would never have been able to meet. Their schedules always overlapped like this.
Mina was about to reply that she would do exactly that when—
"Then tell me about Hanshin. I tried to get in but got rejected at the interview."
With everyone—including Seong-gyu—staring at her with sparkling eyes, she racked her brain for a way out and immediately sent a message to Seok-jun.
While her anxiety grew over the stubbornly persistent "1," it finally disappeared.
"The interview was ridiculous—they asked about monster types, strategies, all sorts of complicated—"
-♪ The moment the "1" vanished, the phone rang immediately, cutting Seong-gyu off.
"Just a moment."
She excused herself without hesitation and answered the call.
"Mina? What's going on?"
"Ah, Seok-jun!"
She naturally rose from her chair and walked outside, lowering her voice as she continued the conversation.
"Do you have a little time?"
"Is this about what happened last time?"
"Not exactly, but I'm in a difficult situation."
Mina stepped out of the room where the reunion was being held and glanced back. As expected, most people were watching her. She explained the situation so far in a careful whisper.
"So I want to leave using an urgent matter as an excuse."
"Should I come pick you up?"
"What?! But you're probably busy too."
"I'll be on standby for a while anyway, so it's fine."
His offer to come right away if she gave him the location, along with the sound of a car door opening and closing, put her mind at ease.
"It's at Inhang Buffet."
After telling him the location, she returned to her seat right away.
"Sorry, something urgent came up and I have to go."
"Huh? Already? We barely got to see each other after so long?"
Seong-gyu looked flustered, but since she hadn't been able to meet Min-ji, she had no intention of staying from the start. She was walking out of the building without hesitation when—
"Lee Mina! Wait a second!"
At the sound of her name being called as someone ran after her, she turned to see Seong-gyu hurrying over.
"Can you give me your number?"
"Why?"
Since she had no plans to come back, she asked in return. He lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.
"There's a separate get-together for just our class, not the full reunion. I figured I'd get your number while I was at it."
Seeing his sly grin, she thought for a moment before refusing.
"No thanks. I don't plan on going."
"Wait, hold on!"
Seong-gyu looked like he wanted to say more, but a large black pickup truck pulled into the parking lot and approached them first.
"Mina."
"You're here?"
Mina met his eyes through the already-open window, then opened the door and climbed in.
"I'll be going now."
She spoke to the dazed Seong-gyu before leaning back in her seat as the car left the parking lot.
"Haa... As expected, places with lots of people are uncomfortable."
"A reunion, huh. I didn't know they still held those these days."
"Ugh, don't even mention it. I didn't know anyone, but they all acted like they knew me. It was so awkward."
Thanks to Seok-jun's help, she had managed to escape. But Mina had no idea what kind of trouble this event would cause later.