Chapter 120: Crazy Woman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: Crazy Woman
In that regard, no faction was any different.
People always have differing opinions, and powerful factions are bound to clash with others.
In fact, even the World Returnee Association that Seol-hyang had created might be fine for now because she was there to lead it.
But it was entirely possible that it, too, would change with the passage of time.
Alterz was no different.
It wasn't a perfect organization, so discontent brewed within its ranks, leading to cases like Baeksa and Beam Sniper today.
They sent Yu U-jeong because they thought the Korean hunter market was encroaching on their territory.
This was how they had always operated.
“I'm part of Alterz, so I can't really say much. But Kang Ha-chan, you're just too suspicious. The information control around you is abnormally tight for someone who isn't one of our informants.”
I couldn't deny that.
The information control was likely Seol-hyang's doing, a measure to protect me.
Of course, no matter how tight the control, Alterz wasn't just some hollow organization; they must have dug up some information on me.
The problem was that the partial information they found was so suspicious it led to this whole mess.
“And then there's that returnee over there… I've been sticking to you for weeks, and I still have no idea who you really are, Ha-chan.”
“He is the future husband of our Association Chairperson.”
As she said this, Eunhyeon took out her phone and started typing a message to someone.
The moment I froze at her words, Yu U-jeong let out a small, “Huh?”
“W-What did you say?”
“The future husband of the Returnee Association Chairperson. Does that clear things up for you?”
“Ugh, ack, eek.”
Yu U-jeong froze, unable to move, with an expression like she was about to stop breathing.
She looked as if she'd just heard something she never should have.
From her perspective, it was as if Alterz, a mere honeybee, had just fearlessly poked a hornet's nest.
“…Eunhyeon? Seol-hyang and I are just childhood friends.”
“Yes. For now.”
I fell silent as Eunhyeon smiled.
“K-Kang Ha-chan, what did I just hear? First Ha Si-ho and Master Shin So-ra, and now the husband of the R-Returnee Association Chairperson? Just how many women are you juggling?!”
Right, Jo Si-a didn't know about my relationship with Seol-hyang.
The situation was too complicated to explain, so I chose to remain silent.
Meanwhile, for some reason, I noticed Yu U-jeong staring at me with a dazed, captivated look in her eyes.
She was even drooling and licking her lips. It seemed she must have hit her head when she was attacked by the hunters earlier.
Maybe another smack to the head would fix her.
But her eyes were dazed in another sense as well, so I decided against it.
“First, the hospital.”
The person on my back seemed to be reaching their limit, too.
*
After taking her to a hunter hospital, I explained what happened to the police officer in charge of hunter-related incidents.
Seo-ho and Jo Si-a were with me, and Eunhyeon had also pulled some strings with the Returnee Association, so the police matter was resolved without any major issues.
After all, the ones who had committed a crime were the hunters from Alterz's reformist faction who had trespassed.
Once that was more or less settled, I got a call from Seol-hyang.
[So that's what happened. I knew the situation with Alterz was tangled, but for it to come to this…]
Seol-hyang, who had some grasp of the situation, spoke to me.
[In that case, should we take this opportunity to officially make you an SS-rank hunter?]
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
[Why not just turn their suspicions into fact? The way things are going, Alterz is bound to split up eventually. When that happens, we can just absorb their side.]
She laughed as if it were no difficult task.
[Besides, we have the artificial dimensional gate card up our sleeve. I've been in continuous talks with the Korean Hunter Management Bureau. This could be a good chance to dismantle Alterz and usher in a new era for hunters.]
“But hunters hate returnees.”
[That's why you're here, Ha-chan. You're not a returnee, and you're not the type to antagonize either hunters or returnees, right?]
“Well, that's true, but…”
[If we just gather hunters around you and form a new faction, Alterz won't be able to touch you. Of course, there will be some reckless hardliners we'll have to deal with, but even Alterz's core members aren't completely free from their national ties.]
Unlike returnees, hunters are much closer to the public.
Many of them are even hailed as national heroes, so naturally, they care a great deal about their public image.
Because of that, they can't just make a direct move even if a new power emerges in the Korean hunter market.
That's why they went to the trouble of sending someone like Yu U-jeong to me in the first place.
[The moment we mention the artificial dimensional gates, they'll all bow their heads willingly. The scale of capital in the Korean hunter market will change, and they won't want to be on the wrong side of that. Plus, it'll also serve to placate those within Alterz who have been discontent.]
I just drove out the ones who were dreaming of reforming Alterz.
In that case, the reformist faction, realizing they can't borrow my strength, will choose to watch how things play out rather than rashly betraying Alterz.
They need to find a way to survive, after all.
A sudden collapse causes chaos and conflict, but a gradual one is impossible to stop.
[From Alterz's perspective, the emergence of a rival faction in Korea will curb their tyranny. They'll lay low for a while to prevent their S-rank hunters from leaving.]
“Because what they fear most is their faction losing power?”
[Yep. The board has been set too quickly for them to take any risks. Wouldn't they choose to handle the fallout first?]
That may be true, but…
I wore an ambiguous expression.
I wondered if it was really okay to use the power that bastard Baeksan taught me to protect myself in this way.
No, maybe this will actually make me less of a target.
It's the way of the world that once you have a position, people become hesitant to mess with you.
“…But am I really the right person for a role like that?”
I'm just an ordinary employee at the Rodri Company, leading a single hunter team at best.
Even though I've built up some nerve after everything that's happened recently, it's not easy to shake off my small-minded citizen mentality.
[Are you worried?]
“A little, yeah.”
[Then don't do it.]
Seol-hyang said to me in a generous voice.
[If you don't want to do it, Ha-chan, then you don't have to.]
I gave a bitter smile at her words, which carried the meaning that she would respect my opinion above all else.
My childhood friend cares about me too much for her own good.
And I was so grateful for that.
When I glanced at Baeksan, he shrugged as if to say, ‘Do whatever you want.’
His reaction showed he had no intention of trying to stop me now that things had come this far.
“I guess I'll do it.”
Life's not that complicated, anyway.
“Besides, I doubt you'd plan on putting me on the front lines anyway, Seol-hyang.”
[Yep. You don't like standing out unnecessarily, do you, Ha-chan? We'll just build up your image as an SS-rank hunter, just like Alterz thinks, and leave the actual work to the Hunter Management Bureau and other hunters.]
“So I'm just lending my image, basically.”
[Since two of Alterz's S-rank hunters were just subdued by you, and with your track record from the large-scale rapid dimensional gate incident, your image is already more than sufficient. It's overflowing.]
At this point, I was starting to wonder if Seol-hyang had already predicted all of this and made preparations in advance.
“Thanks. I'm always surviving because of you. But if you have anything you need me to do, just ask. Don't carry the burden all by yourself.”
[Heehee, alright. Oh, and I have an hour free two days from now.]
In that moment, a subtle, alluring tone slipped into her laughter.
[I'm going to use that time to my heart's content. Got it?]
I could only swallow hard, unable to answer.
A chill colder than any I'd felt fighting an S-rank hunter ran down my spine.
After finishing the call with Seol-hyang, I turned back to Yu U-jeong.
I had deliberately let her overhear the conversation to make her decide her own future.
“Yu U-jeong, you heard all that, right? What are you going to do now?”
She could return to Alterz, but her situation was far from ideal.
If she returned to Alterz now, she would almost certainly get tangled up with the reformists again.
She had already nearly died once; there was no reason they wouldn't target her a second time.
Besides, the reformist faction would probably be more inclined to just kill her and shut her up for good.
So, from her perspective, it was more beneficial to stick with me.
Whatever the reality, they were the ones who wanted my help.
As long as I made it clear I was protecting Yu U-jeong, they wouldn't dare touch her while she was by my side.
“Are you telling me to choose whether I live or die?”
“I guess you could put it that way.”
Of course, it was all entirely up to her.
As I looked at her, waiting for her decision, a sigh escaped her lips.
“I don't have a choice, do I? I don't even know if Alterz would protect me or not. And it's not like I had that much attachment to them in the first place.”
Her lack of belonging turned out to be a blessing.
“…So, am I really on your team now?”
“I told you, you were always on our team.”
In my own way, I already considered her part of our team.
A sort of reluctant affection had grown, and aside from her bad habits, her skills were undeniable, as expected of an S-rank hunter.
“Then I'll be in your care from now on, Yu U-jeong.”
“I'll be in your care, too, Ha-chan.”
I offered her a handshake, and she took my hand.
Then, she suddenly turned my hand and interlaced our fingers.
Not understanding the meaning of her action for a moment, I glared at her, and she gave me a sly, crescent-eyed smile.
“What do you think you're doing? You don't have to work for Alterz anymore.”
“That's true, but it's not like I've given up on you, Ha-chan?”
Is she crazy?
“You saved me in such a dramatic situation, and then you even called me your teammate. Did you really think I'd just say 'thank you' and back off meekly?”
So this is what they mean by ‘save someone from drowning and they demand your luggage.’
“So what are you going to do about it?”
As I let go of her hand in disgust, she brought it to her lips and suddenly licked her fingers.
While I stared in shock, she began to slowly unbutton her hospital gown.
Since it was a hospital gown, she wasn't wearing anything underneath, and her moon-like mounds of flesh were revealed.
“You know, this is the first time in my entire life I've ever truly wanted something this badly?”
I took a step back from the dangerous atmosphere.
Her face flushed bright red, she threw off the top of her gown and started to get up.
“Just so you know, I'm going to fuck you like an animal!”
This was beyond vulgar.
“Crazy! Are you insane?!”
“Stop right there! I'm good at it!”
“Good at what?! You crazy woman!”
I kicked the hospital room door open and bolted.
In her state, it seemed she couldn't chase me outside the room, and she didn't.
But the sound of laughter coming from inside the room was utterly horrifying.
From where I stood, it seemed Yu U-jeong had truly gone insane.
“Tsk, tsk. Idiot.”
Only the sound of Baeksan clicking his tongue echoed quietly in my ear.