Chapter 111: A New Hunter Team Member
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: A New Hunter Team Member
Return.
The moment I heard that word, my eyes flew open.
“Are you talking about this world’s Baeksan?”
“That’s right. I’ve set a few things in motion for my counterpart in this world, so while the timing of his return might differ, I don’t think it’ll be long. My own return was in January of next year.”
“Mr. Ha-chan.”
Just as I was about to ask more about the unexpected news, I looked up at the sound of the team leader calling my name.
“Ah, yes, Team Leader.”
He beckoned me over, so I got up from my seat and approached him.
He offered me a chair and pointed at his monitor.
“Si-ho and Ji-eun will be adults soon, won’t they?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
In two months, Si-ho and Ji-eun will officially become adults.
That meant they could be officially registered as hunters and begin their activities in earnest.
“I was thinking it’s about time we finalized the team’s composition.”
“Ah, since hunter teams are usually made up of three members.”
I nodded.
With the two of them about to come of age, it was time to round out the team.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought lately. Ji-eun is in charge of boosting and maintaining morale, and Si-ho is a long-range hunter. So I was thinking we needed someone who could hold the front line.”
Hearing that, I could only remain silent and give a bitter smile.
Si-ho is an S-rank hunter.
And having recently ramped up her combat training, she could, frankly, crush just about anything with her firepower and spatial abilities alone—unless it was an S-rank dimensional entity.
‘Besides, S-rank hunters don’t really need a team in the first place.’
The designation of S-rank implies an individual who is already a complete and self-sufficient force.
You could see that just by looking at how Seo-ho and Jo Si-a operated individually, without a team.
For now, it made sense since Si-ho was registered as A-rank, but she would probably form her own one-person team later on.
“So, there’s someone I’ve had my eye on. This person right here.”
On the monitor was a woman with long, gray hair.
While it was common for returnees to have unusual hair colors for various reasons, it was rare among hunters, so I looked on with a bit of curiosity.
“Her ability is beast-kin type.”
“Ah, so that’s why her hair is that color.”
Beast-kin types were, as the name suggested, people whose physical abilities manifested in animal-like ways.
Their most prominent feature was their exceptional physical prowess.
“What about her age and rank?”
“She’s twenty-one this year. As for her rank, she’s a B.”
Same as Ji-eun.
Setting aside Si-ho as an exceptional case, the balance didn’t seem too bad.
“Sounds good. Should we recruit her?”
“Well, that’s the thing. There’s a bit of a problem on that front.”
I tilted my head.
A problem? What could it be?
“It seems a company called Beom is trying to scout her. They’re a new hunter company, but they’re quite large. We put in an offer too, but her response has been lukewarm.”
“Beom?”
Hearing that, I blinked.
Beom… could it be the Beom I know?
“That’s right. Beom. Do you know of them, Mr. Ha-chan?”
“...Yes, a little.”
More than a little.
The president of that company is someone I know very well.
“Would it be alright if I tried scouting her myself?”
“Oh, would you be okay with that?”
“Yes. If she joins, she’ll be part of our team, after all.”
“Well then, I’m counting on you, Mr. Ha-chan.”
Seeing his face light up, I smiled back and got a quick briefing from him on what to watch out for and what I’d need for the scouting attempt.
‘Yu U-jeong, huh.’
Time to start scouting a B-rank hunter.
*
3
On the subway heading to Mapo District for the scouting mission, I looked at the two people sitting on either side of me and scratched my head.
“Weren’t you two supposed to have training today?”
“We don’t train if you’re not there, Manager.”
“You’re going to scout for our team, right? Of course we have to come along!”
With Si-ho on my left and Ji-eun on my right, I wore a troubled expression.
I have no idea where they heard I was going scouting.
The two of them had chased me down the moment I headed for the subway and were now clinging to me like this.
“...Anyway, aren’t you two sitting a little too close? There are plenty of other seats.”
“Hey, this is the Seoul subway. It’ll get crowded in no time.”
“Si-ho likes being next to you, Manager.”
As she said that, Ji-eun wrapped her arms around mine, and Si-ho pressed her head firmly against my shoulder.
Ji-eun’s and Si-ho’s eyes met for a moment.
I realized the two of them were competing right now.
Perhaps because I was flanked by two girls with such striking looks, a considerable number of gazes in the subway car were gathering on us. I decided I couldn't let this continue.
I put a hand on Si-ho’s shoulder and gently pushed her aside, then pulled my arm free from Ji-eun’s grasp.
“Both of you, sit properly.”
She whined.
“Don’t try to act cute.”
After shutting down Ji-eun’s pouting, I waited for them both to sit properly before letting out an internal sigh.
Right. I brought this on myself.
“So, Ha-chan-oppa, who’s this person we’re scouting?”
When Ji-eun asked, I realized I hadn’t explained it to them yet.
Then again, since this person could become their teammate, it was only right to give them an explanation.
”Her name is Yu U-jeong, a B-rank hunter. She’s twenty-one, so she’s older than you two.“
”Twenty-one, huh.“
While Ji-eun hummed thoughtfully, Si-ho subtly scooted closer to me again.
”Is she pretty?“
Just as I was about to scold her again, Si-ho beat me to the punch with a question.
Is she pretty?
If a guy had asked, I would’ve just thought he was curious, but coming from a girl, this question was a problem.
Sure enough, Si-ho was smiling, but her eyes weren’t.
So this is why she followed me.
I reached out and squished both of Si-ho’s cheeks.
”Mmph.“
”And what if she is pretty? What are you planning to do, Ms. Si-ho?“
”I-I was jusht ashking.“
Si-ho pleaded as I continued to squish her cheeks.
Her cheeks are incredibly soft.
The texture was so interesting that I kneaded them a few more times before letting go and saying,
”You two can come along, but no interfering. This person could be your teammate, so you must be polite. Got it?“
”Yeees.“
”Understood.“
Hearing their replies, I could only sigh once more.
I was truly worried.
*
4
After that, the three of us arrived safely in Mapo District.
I had already arranged a meeting place with Ms. Yu U-jeong, so I checked the time and location and headed over.
”Manager, I’m right here. You could have just asked me to teleport us, you know?“
At Si-ho’s words, I turned my head.
I then plopped my hand on her head and said,
”Si-ho, you need days off too. I’ve relied on you so much already.“
”I don’t mind.“
”Well, I do.“
For some reason, Si-ho seemed pleased by my words and gave a bashful smile.
”What’s this? You’re only doting on Si-ho! Me too, pat my head too!“
At that, Ji-eun popped up and grabbed my arm again.
Ahyu and Seol-hyang both have a certain sense of boundaries, but with these two, those boundaries feel incredibly thin.
When I’m with them, I feel like I’m constantly getting overwhelmed.
‘High schoolers these days are scary.’
Do they get more aggressive the younger they are?
At the same time, the thought of what it would be like if Seol-hyang and Ahyu acted this way gave me an even bigger headache.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Since it wasn’t his problem, Baeksan just clicked his tongue and watched from the sidelines. For a moment, I was envious.
In the meantime, I managed to arrive at the cafe where we were supposed to meet.
As I entered, with Si-ho and Ji-eun once again competing and making a fuss on either side of me, I spotted a woman with gray hair in the distance.
Her gray hair was braided down her back. She was leisurely sipping coffee from a teacup, a book held in her other hand.
It seemed she was reading.
‘So that’s Ms. Yu U-jeong.’
Dressed in a one-piece, her first impression was that of a very elegant person.
Now that I’d met the person I was here to scout, I warned Si-ho and Ji-eun to stop messing around and approached her table.
Sensing my presence, she lifted her gaze from her book and looked my way.
Her eyes, which had a slight blue tint though not as much as Eva’s, met mine, and she tilted her head slightly.
I immediately smiled and took out my business card.
“A pleasure to meet you. You’re Ms. Yu U-jeong, correct? I’m Kang Ha-chan, the one who called you earlier.”
“Ah, you’re from the Rodri Company. Oh my, hello.”
She recognized me and accepted the card.
She received it with a bright eye-smile that filled her face.
Then, as if remembering something, she tilted her head slightly.
“By the way, have we met somewhere before?”
Met before?
I had to tilt my head at that as well.
I don’t recall anything.
“Have we?”
“Did you perhaps… attend S University?”
“Ahaha, well, I dropped out midway through.”
It was an uncomfortable topic to discuss because of its connection to Kwak Sa-yeon, and as I hesitated, her eyes widened.
“Ah, I remember now! When I was in middle school, I went to an information session for the Hunter Department at S University. You were the one who handed me a pamphlet. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, did I?”
There certainly was an event like that back then.
It was an activity that gave extra credit, so I helped out too.
“You have a good memory.”
“I remembered because you were handsome.”
“Ah, th-thank you?”
As I stammered in response to the sudden compliment, she looked at the two girls standing behind me.
“And who are these cute young ladies?”
“Ah, these are my teammates. They ended up coming along.”
“Hi, big sis! I’m Yoon Ji-eun!”
“I’m Ha Si-ho.”
Ji-eun called out cheerfully, but Si-ho, seeming a bit shy around strangers, spoke with a slightly sharp tone.
Yu U-jeong gave them an eye-smile and a nod, and I took a seat across from her.
“Hey, Kang Ha-chan.”
And then, a sudden signal from Baeksan.
Hoping he wasn’t about to tell me this person was another returnee or something, I looked to Baeksan, who had his head tilted.
“This woman… she’s not B-rank.”
My eyes blinked once.
Not B-rank?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
“Looks like she’s hiding it. She’s an S-rank.”
A bad feeling started to creep in.
A feeling that this whole affair wouldn’t go smoothly.
“Alterz… looks like those bastards are up to something.”
And my thoughts and Baeksan’s aligned perfectly.
We both knew what the presence of Yu U-jeong right in front of me signified.
Alterz had started to make its move.