Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: One Day Before Meeting the Association President
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One day before facing the Association President.
As soon as Yi Yu-hyun logged out, a text came in from the Association.
[Web Message]
Hello. This is the Hunter Association.
It's time for your physical examination, so we're reaching out. Please visit the Association at your earliest convenience.
View Map
Yi Yu-hyun grabbed a few essentials and left his one-room apartment.
Today, he was finally going to see his little sister. Before heading to the Association, he made his way to the hospital where Yi Ra-hee was staying.
〔Yi Ra-hee〕
He could see the nameplate hanging outside her hospital room.
Yi Yu-hyun took a deep breath in front of the door. They'd been inseparable when they were kids, but he'd been too busy lately to look after her properly, and it weighed on him.
He knocked three times.
"Ra-hee, it's your big brother. Can I come in?"
"Yeah!"
A cheerful voice came from inside the room. When he opened the door, a girl with straight, calm hair was sitting up on the bed.
"Ra-hee, have you been okay? I brought some Bibibig—you know, your favorite."
"It's been a while. Y-you're even later this time..."
"Sorry. I should've come more often. How's your body feeling?"
"It's fine..."
Yi Yu-hyun placed his hand on Ra-hee's small head and stroked her hair.
"What webnovels have you been reading lately, Ra-hee?"
Ra-hee looked up from flipping through pages on her phone while munching on the Bibibig.
"It's about a villainess who g-gets divorced and then has a terminal illness—why do they keep looking for her?"
"Sounds interesting. What's it about?"
Ra-hee rolled her eyes and shrugged.
"It's about a villainess... who g-gets divorced and ends up with a terminal illness and stuff like that..."
"Yeah?"
"Uh-huh."
Ra-hee set her phone down and stared blankly at Yi Yu-hyun for a moment.
An awkward silence settled in.
As the quiet stretched on, Ra-hee lowered her head and went back to her webnovel. Growing a bit anxious, Yi Yu-hyun sat beside her, peeling an apple while racking his brain for something to say.
Hospital life? Too obvious.
Her health? He'd already asked.
Webnovels? He'd heard what she was reading. Besides, she didn't seem keen on explaining it in detail.
Ra-hee pretended to read but glanced sideways at the serious look on Yi Yu-hyun's face. Then, out of nowhere, she spoke up.
"B-Big bro. I want to become a hunter too."
No.
Yi Yu-hyun swallowed the instinctive refusal that nearly burst out. She'd finally opened up about her true feelings—if he shot her down right away, she might shut him out completely.
After a moment's thought, he opened his mouth.
"Why do you want to become a hunter, Ra-hee?"
"'Cause I'm w-worried about you... And..."
"And?"
"It's just so cool... S-Superpowers to save people. It's like a novel. I heard I might be able to awaken too."
Ra-hee spoke slowly. Yi Yu-hyun caught himself about to sigh and held it back.
"Ra-hee."
"Y-Yeah?"
"I'm really happy you've found something you want to do, but that said, hearing someone who's been sick her whole life talk about walking the hunter path—which even healthy people struggle with—it's only natural I'd worry."
Yi Yu-hyun gave her a warm smile.
"So, to ease my mind, could you look into what hunters actually do when you have time? Like how awakening works, what happens if you fail, stuff like that. I need to see you're serious about it before I can say yes."
Ra-hee, listening intently, nodded.
'He's beating around the bush like crazy—he must hate the idea.'
"Okay... I'll l-look into it when I have time..."
"Thanks for being honest with me, Ra-hee."
"N-No problem... I'm always sorry, and thankful."
As the words left his mouth, Yi Yu-hyun screamed internally. Why didn't I just say no outright? What if she really researches it and doesn't change her mind? If I refuse later, it'll make me a liar—don't you get that?
The plastic coffee cup in Yi Yu-hyun's hand crumpled slightly.
"If you need anything, just say so. I've got some spare cash right now, so I can get you whatever you want."
"Whatever I want?"
"Yeah."
Ra-hee's eyes suddenly caught sight of Yu-hyun's frayed clothes. She didn't like how he always put her first.
She wanted to see him take care of himself for once—to ease the guilt blooming in her heart. He always put her first.
Ra-hee thought for a bit, rolling her eyes, then answered.
"Lamborghi—"
Yi Yu-hyun, mid-sip of his Americano, choked and coughed.
"Agh, cough—got it, Lamborghini. Since when are you into cars? You can't even drive till you're an adult, you know?"
"I was kidding..."
Ra-hee wiggled her fingers and grinned sheepishly. Yi Yu-hyun chuckled back at her prank.
"Fun teasing me, huh?"
"Whatever. G-Go buy some new clothes already. You're not Shin-chan or something... Always the same old stuff..."
"Steve Jobs wore the same thing every day too?"
Ra-hee's eyes narrowed at Yu-hyun's retort.
"Oh man... You m-miss the point every time..."
She playfully raised an eyebrow and sighed dramatically, and Yi Yu-hyun laughed, scrambling to respond.
"Okay, okay, got it. I'll go buy some clothes."
"Yeah. S-Spend some money on yourself for once. And Yu-hyun bro... You're too serious sometimes... It's boring. Don't overthink everything for my sake."
"Got it. Thanks for thinking of me too, Ra-hee."
Ra-hee shook her head. She was always the one who was sorry and grateful.
* * *
Hunter Association Headquarters.
After finishing various tests in the First Medical Office, Yi Yu-hyun changed back into his regular clothes.
"You've successfully achieved your second awakening! Your mana quantity and purity are both A-rank. Wow, an A-rank awakener—it's an honor. First one I've seen in my life. You're going to be famous soon."
Seo Ah-rim smiled as she looked over the chart analyzing Yi Yu-hyun's body. It was covered in complex graphs.
"So, what's Yu-hyun's awakening ability? Does it match the one from the simulation?"
"Ah, you can't measure what my ability actually is?"
"Nope, unfortunately, the tech hasn't advanced that far."
"Then how do you confirm a second awakening?"
Debating whether to overshare, Seo Ah-rim showed Yi Yu-hyun his test results. He was an A-rank awakener, after all—might as well impress him.
"Look at this mana wave graph here. It's way bigger than a normal person's, right? Over 30 is first awakening, over 60 is second."
"How do you measure rank and purity?"
"That comes from other graphs... Ah, explaining each one would get too complicated. If you're that curious, join the research team. Though the president might object since you're such a rare A-rank."
Yi Yu-hyun nodded. Truth be told, the mana quantity and purity scanner had been flickering oddly in his eyes since earlier.
If it was glitching like something was overlaying his vision, it meant he could upgrade it to a higher version.
No need to bother analyzing graphs to check awakening status.
'Try not to leak too much info to the Association if you can help it.'
Seol Do-yun's advice came to mind. Yi Yu-hyun decided to play it safe until he met the president.
"Want to try the new mana nutrient injection our team's developing?"
"Mana nutrient injection?"
"Yeah, it stabilizes mana flow in your body and boosts purity. All safety tests are done, so no worries."
Seo Ah-rim smiled as she injected his arm. There was a slight sting, and he could feel the mana circulating in his body flowing more smoothly.
"It's pricey—goes for over a million won on foreign hunter markets. But since you're A-rank, it's on the house."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"Stay here overnight. As our first sim awakener, we need to run more tests."
Yi Yu-hyun gave an awkward smile and left the medical office.
* * *
The Association had tons of empty rooms. The one assigned to Yi Yu-hyun was the largest and nicest. It felt just like a five-star hotel suite.
Having never stayed in a place so clean and spacious, Yi Yu-hyun sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed.
Second awakening, huh...
He hadn't expected to get this far. Honestly, he'd thought he'd die like everyone else midway, but here he was.
With a second awakening under his belt, he didn't have much left to worry about. Ra-hee wanting to be a hunter was a bit concerning, but not life-shaking.
If he kept at it diligently, things would probably turn out fine. Hunters faced death at any moment, so he'd even gotten life insurance for Ra-hee's sake.
Yi Yu-hyun slipped under the covers and stretched out his legs. His body felt great now, and his mind was at ease.
Tap, tap.
As he closed his eyes to drift off, a small sound came from the window.
A girl with her hair in a half-ponytail was precariously balanced on the window ledge, picking the lock with a hairpin.
He recognized her. Lee Sa-byeok, was it? Seol Do-yun had introduced her last time.
Before he could exclaim in shock, Sa-byeok put a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet. Yi Yu-hyun froze in bed.
After unlocking the window, she slipped inside swiftly and silently.
Once in Yi Yu-hyun's room, Sa-byeok pulled a device from her pocket and scanned the corners, locating hidden bugs and sticking something on them.
"Bugs neutralized. You can talk now."
"Bugs?"
"Yup."
Sa-byeok scratched her head awkwardly as she spoke.
The floor felt warm underfoot, so she flopped down and sprawled out on it. Like a flattened rice cake, she looked up at Yi Yu-hyun and spoke.
"Ah, you know. High-rank hunters crash here a lot, so there's heavy surveillance, A-rank mister."
"A-rank mister?"
Shocked by the bugs at first, Yi Yu-hyun couldn't help but laugh at her words.
"Yi Yu-hyun, A-rank mister? Come on, you're that A-rank hunter. Don't you know? Anyway. Ah, so warm. It was freezing out there."
Sa-byeok rubbed herself against the plush carpet.
"Don't lie on the floor—lie on the bed if you want..."
Yi Yu-hyun quickly scooped her up from the dirty floor and placed her on the bed.
Sa-byeok stared piercingly at him, then burrowed under the covers and curled up.
"You've got the president tomorrow, so I came with advice. Seol Do-yun was supposed to come herself, but she's kinda dead right now."
"Huh?"
"Not actually dead—just touch and go. Gave her meds this afternoon, so she'll probably pull through by tomorrow?"
"Is Do-yun in that bad shape?"
Sa-byeok raised an eyebrow at Yu-hyun's overreaction.
"It's bad, but whatever. She'll make it somehow. The meds they make here are insane—even if you're barely hanging on, you pull through. Don't worry."
"But still, a kid on the brink of death..."
"She'll be fine tomorrow. You worry about everything. I nearly died too, and look at me now. Anyway, not the point... Seol Do-yun wanted you to have this."
Sa-byeok yawned hugely and tossed him a crumpled piece of paper.
Yi Yu-hyun caught it and unfolded it. Neat handwriting filled the page.
『Sa-byeok's not great at explaining, so I left a note.
You'll meet the president tomorrow, and there are a few things to watch out for.
...』
Yi Yu-hyun read the long note. Types of people the president ignored, types he couldn't. Clothing, speech, behavior—all detailed.
There was even a map marking bug and CCTV locations.
『He'll start realizing you smuggled out the little sister he was gonna use as leverage. Expect him to pressure the hospital or dig for other weaknesses. As our first A-rank sim awakener, watch your words and actions.
If he makes a move, I'll gather evidence on the hospital coercion. Just stick to the precautions I listed above.
Memorize this ASAP and hand it to Sa-byeok.
You can manage that, right? If you forget details later, ask me or her on the sly. Good luck.』
Finishing the note, Yi Yu-hyun clutched his head.
Doing all this despite her condition.
Seol Do-yun never moved without gain, so there was intent here—but whatever it was, he was deeply grateful and sorry.
Yi Yu-hyun committed the note to memory, treating it like game攻略.
Once done, he handed it to Sa-byeok.
Rustling from the bed, she took it and pulled out an old coin purse.
Flick, hiss.
The kid lit a lighter with her thumb and burned the note. It flared bright, then turned to ash.
"Well, I'm off."
"Got to go so soon? Stay a bit longer."
"Nah. Getting caught here would complicate my life big time."
"If I stepped up to help, it'd just mess things up more, huh?"
"Yeah. One-off pity from a nobody derailing our carefully laid plans? Super annoying."
Sa-byeok opened the window, dumped the ashes outside, and prepared to leave.
"Wait. There's a mini-fridge—take some snacks."
Yi Yu-hyun hurriedly opened the fridge door. It was stocked with water, drinks, and treats.
Food made her gag these days, but Sa-byeok swallowed hard. That growling bastard might come in handy.
"I don't eat much, but I'll take it for the ants I raise."
"?"
"Even Seol Do-yun nibbles the scraps they leave. Got a personal bag—not Association stuff?"
She had one in her bag. Yi Yu-hyun handed it over in a fluster.
Sa-byeok rummaged through the fridge, unwrapped chocolate bars, peanuts, everything, and dumped them into the plastic bag.
Wrappers went in the room's trash. No point leaving evidence of missing snacks.
Loaded up, she tore the bag handles slightly and looped it around her neck.
With a quick nod goodbye, she vanished out the window.
Worried, Yi Yu-hyun watched her go. She stumbled a few times but got up fine and disappeared behind the building.
"Kinda reminds me of Dun..."
The way she struggled to explain things, her immature emotions.
Her pale face evoked Dun. Recalling Seol Do-yun's memorized note, Yi Yu-hyun had suspicions.
Surface wounds from fights? Fine. But something deeper tormented them.
Both Seol Do-yun and Sa-byeok were thrashing to escape it.
Whatever it was, since they'd helped him, he wanted to return the favor. Even if they refused direct aid, he wished they'd give him an opening.
The next day, Yi Yu-hyun steeled himself and headed to the president's office. He had to uncover what was tormenting those dying kids.
To avoid being mere one-off pity, he resolved himself.