Chapter 233: An Unexpected Family Reunion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: An Unexpected Family Reunion (1)
I had just reached the parking lot where I’d left my car, ready to head straight for Haenam.
“Oh my, Do-jin!”
A familiar voice called out from behind me.
When I turned, I saw Ju-yeon in a white lab coat, waving with a beaming smile.
And next to her…
“Are you… going home now?”
…stood Seo-yeon, her usual stoic expression replaced with a look of deep concern.
I wondered what was wrong.
As I was about to shake my head and answer her, Ju-yeon, who had been watching me with an inexplicably pleased expression, spoke up.
“Do-jin is going to Haenam, too. Right?”
Her words left me speechless.
“…How did you know?”
“Hmm~ I just had a feeling. It seems like something you’d do, given your personality.”
Every time she opened her mouth, my questions only multiplied instead of being answered.
She’s only met this body a handful of times, yet the way she spoke, as if she knew everything about me, was strangely getting on my nerves.
At the same time, another word sparked my suspicion.
“If you said Do-jin ‘too’… does that mean you as well, ma’am?”
She nodded with a cheerful expression.
“Yep, that’s right. Seo-yeon and I are on our way to Haenam, too.”
Wait, hold on.
“…You’re taking Seo-yeon-sunbae with you?”
My eyes met Seo-yeon’s.
Her eyes, and my reflection within them, held a very similar emotion.
“To that dangerous place… why are you going?”
“To that dangerous place… why are you going, Sunbae?”
“……”
“……”
“Hahaha! This is when you’re supposed to say ‘Jinx!’ and pinch each other’s arms… Ah! Is that too old-fashioned?”
Ignoring Ju-yeon’s silly joke, we continued to stare at each other.
In an instant, our similar expressions diverged.
She still looked like she couldn’t understand, but I did.
Right.
You have the same trait as me.
The deep worry on her face was likely because of the word ‘calamity’ she saw in a message window.
I just hope she doesn’t think that calamity is her fault.
Avoiding Seo-yeon’s gaze, which felt almost burdensome, I turned to Ju-yeon and asked, “Seo-yeon-sunbae doesn’t even have a Hunter license. How can you take her?”
“Seo-yeon is coming as my official escort.”
No… I mean, why would you use a Hunter-in-training as an escort instead of an actual Hunter?
And she’s your niece, Ju-yeon…
“…Did the Hunter Association actually approve that?”
I asked in a tone of disbelief, but Han Ju-yeon, oblivious to my inner turmoil, just nodded with a bright smile.
Her answer was even more absurd.
“Yep! I told them I’d go back to a foreign guild if they didn’t, and they became very easy to talk to.”
“……”
That’s not talking, that’s blackmail.
At times like this, she seems so different, but she really takes after her older sister.
Usually, she’s gentle and obedient, but once she deviates, she goes all the way.
I fell for it several times in the past.
When she truly wants something, she’s a frightening woman who will use any means necessary to get it.
That meticulous nature of hers is the spitting image of her sister, Han Ju-hee.
“Since we’re all going, let’s just take my car. Why drive two cars?”
As if my answer was never needed in the first place, she grabbed my hand and led me to her car.
“Seo-yeon, you get in the back. Do-jin, you take the passenger seat.”
Pushed by a strength that was hard to believe for a mere healer, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat.
A subtle, sweet fragrance that wasn't overwhelming filled the car.
I liked the scent and twitched my nose slightly. From the driver’s seat, Ju-yeon grinned at me.
“Do you like the scent?”
“Uh… it’s nice.”
“I see… so you like it.”
…All I said was that the car scent was nice, but isn’t she a little too happy about it?
“Alright, let’s go! You can take a nap if you’re tired.”
And so, the car carrying our impromptu three-person party began its journey toward Haenam.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The road to Haenam was deserted.
An evacuation order had already been issued, so there were almost no cars heading south.
As we sped down the wide-open road, an ominous air began to brush against my skin.
It meant we were getting closer to the calamity-class monster, the Kraken.
“Haaah…”
Ju-yeon, who had been focused on driving, let out a deep sigh.
It seemed something was troubling her.
Figuring it was a personal matter, I pretended not to hear and looked out the window.
“Haaaah……”
“……”
An even longer sigh escaped her lips.
This time, it was directed at me.
“Ahem… You’ve been sighing for a while now. Is something wrong…?”
“Yes, well, you see…”
Her face lit up at my show of concern, but she quickly adopted a woeful expression as she continued.
“Seo-yeon begged me to bring her, so I did… but her mom might kill me if she finds out…”
“Her mom… you mean Hunter Han Ju-hee?”
“Yeah… My sister is terrifying when she’s angry, you know?”
Hmm.
I know that better than anyone else in this world.
But wait a minute.
“Hunter Han Ju-hee… did she answer the summons?”
“Hoho… my brother-in-law, Hunter Son Si-woo, is on sabbatical right now.”
“Ah, so Hunter Han Ju-hee is going instead…?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
Makes sense.
With the fake Si-woo in that state, if she also refused the summons, the press would tear them apart.
S-Rank Couple Ignores National Crisis, or something along those lines.
The last time she participated in a dungeon raid was about five years ago.
Since then, she had dedicated herself to her role as the Tower Lord, essentially retiring from her life as a Hunter. It looked like a video of her would be uploaded to Nertube for the first time in a long while.
Her fan club members might even send their thanks to the Kraken.
“Anyway… what should I do?”
“Well, about that.”
It’s not like I had a brilliant solution.
I smiled faintly and answered her question.
“You’ll just have to be careful and avoid her.”
Hearing my “not my problem” tone, she shot me a sideways glance through narrowed eyes.
“You’re so mean.”
That brings back memories.
Whenever Ju-yeon got in trouble with her sister and came running to me, I’d jokingly tell her to solve it herself. She would always glare at me just like that, puffing out her cheeks and saying, ‘You’re so mean, brother-in-law!’
The fact that I can’t hear those words anymore… is a little disappointing.
“Ah… I see it over there.”
The coastline came into view alongside the long, straight road.
And in the distance, I could see a thick, incredibly crude-looking barrier.
The Defensive Barrier.
The last bastion, built to stop the monsters pouring out of the rift that opens over the sea.
From the outside, it looked like a crude, thick wall made by just pouring a bunch of concrete, but it was a state-of-the-art defensive shield packed with advanced technology.
Countless mana stones had been used in its construction, and all sorts of magic circles were engraved on it to ensure it boasted the strongest defense against both physical and magical attacks.
Even for a Kraken, breaking through that would take a considerable amount of time.
“Oh my, what is that?”
“…Reporters, I see?”
At the entrance to Haenam.
A crowd of reporters, having already smelled a scoop, had gathered there.
The reason they were so far from the actual operation zone was likely because of the Defensive Barrier.
The mana density around the barrier was so high that it interfered with broadcast signals.
One of the reporters milling about spotted our approaching car and began to drool.
“Looks like it’ll be hard to just drive through.”
“I know, right…”
What a pain in the ass.
When time is of the essence, they’re practically blocking the road. Are they trying to save the country or send us all to ruin?
“Ma’am, please stay here. I’ll go out and do a quick interview.”
“Uh… will you be okay?”
I shrugged at her worried question and opened the car door.
“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be.”
After getting out of the car and taking a few steps, the reporters in front recognized my face and shouted.
“It’s Kim Do-jin!”
“Kim Do-jin? Isn’t he a B-rank Hunter? Did he volunteer?”
“Whatever the case, this will get us a ton of views!”
The rookie Hunter named Kim Do-jin had already become a hot topic guaranteed to bring in plenty of views for the reporters.
A handsome face, outstanding abilities, and everything from his first steps as a Hunter to his subsequent actions.
Haven’t I been doing things that reporters just love to talk about?
I held up five fingers toward them.
“I’m short on time, so I’ll take exactly five questions and then I’m leaving!”
At that, a mass migration began.
“Move! I was first!”
“What are you talking about! I saw that car first, get out of my way!”
“Who here is blind enough to miss that huge car? Stop trying to take all the credit!”
“What?! Blind? Did you just—?!”
What a shitshow. They’ve really lost it.
I said I’d take questions, so why are they fighting amongst themselves?
“If you’re going to keep fighting, I’m just going to leave.”
“No, sir!”
“Ah, yes.”
The reporters, worried I might actually leave, put their fight on hold and swarmed around me.
I saw the names of the broadcasting stations on the microphones they thrust at me.
I decided to grant questions in order of which stations got the best ratings.
“Hunter Kim Do-jin, did you volunteer to come here?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What was your reason for volunteering?”
“Well, there’s no grand reason. I’m just here to help if there’s work to be done and to collect a hefty paycheck.”
I spouted my honest feelings, words I would have never uttered in the past.
I know from experience what it’s like to meticulously manage one’s image, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
My life became exhausting trying to protect that image.
So, I need to appear moderately ambitious, moderately selfish, and moderately greedy.
I don’t want to live to protect the hollow title of ‘National Hunter’ anymore.
More questions followed.
“Your recent activities have been astonishing, Hunter Kim Do-jin. Are you perhaps aiming to become the fastest to reach A-rank?”
“If I can.”
“A photo of you on a date with a mysterious woman was recently posted on SNS. Is she your girlfriend?”
“Uh…”
…Something like that was posted?
Why didn’t I know about it?
I was momentarily flustered but quickly continued, “It was a date, but she’s not my girlfriend.”
I couldn’t rashly say she was my girlfriend when I didn’t even know who they were talking about.
But if I said we were nothing, the unknown person might get upset, so I vaguely called it a date.
Then came the final question.
“There’s a lot of interest in you lately, Hunter Kim Do-jin. Do you have anything to say to the viewers who will be watching this broadcast?”
I looked straight into the camera of the reporter who had asked a rather decent closing question and answered.
“Be happy.”
Happiness is the best, everyone.