An Alumni Reunion of Nation-Toppling Magnates
The banquet hall of a luxurious hotel hummed with quiet prestige. High-ranking hunters from overseas mingled freely with titans of industry and politics.
It was an official event hosted by the South Korean government, yet not a single line about it appeared in the press. The outside world knew nothing of its existence.
Baek Ji-soo, in the country on assignment, had been seated among the guests as well.
"..."
She sat in her chair with an air of utter boredom. The higher one climbed, the more unavoidable such gatherings became, but every time she was forced to waste her hours on trivial functions like this, it felt like throwing away something precious. It was the kind of thing she never quite got used to.
With that ice-cold expression on her face, almost no one dared approach her. The calibre of people gathered here had all heard the rumors about the National Security Bureau and Baek Ji-soo herself, and they knew better than to poke a bear in a foul mood — cross her the wrong way, and you half expected to be pulled out of the Han River as a floater.
Screeech!
But someone, entirely without fear, yanked out the chair beside her and dropped into it.
A man wearing enormous sunglasses, as if to downplay his striking looks, flashed a breezy grin.
"Sunbae-nim!"
"...Ryu Ji-hwa. I heard you were busy in America, but you actually came. What, here to put on a congratulatory performance?"
"Haha, I may not look it, but I'm a Supreme Special-Grade hunter. If anyone's going to dance like a trained seal, those folks over there should be lining up first."
Ryu Ji-hwa, the flagship star of Aegis.
He was the youngest of the current Grade 12 hunters, a rising divinity still climbing steeply even at this very moment — a top-tier hunter the entire world had its eyes on. More than anything, he possessed the star power worthy of his lofty skill. Ask anyone to name the most famous Korean alive today, and his three-syllable name would roll out without a moment's hesitation.
"Look over there."
"Holy crap, that's actually Ryu Ji-hwa."
Even now, the people around them were stirring. Some of the most famous names from abroad were stealing glances, dying to get a single photo with him — the only thing stopping them was the terrifying woman standing at his side.
He hadn't earned the title "the Hunter's Hunter" for nothing.
"Yeah, you've come a long way from the days you used to get dragged around and worked to the bone by Oh Sunbae."
"What era are you even talking about? Seriously."
He burst out laughing.
"Anyway, I'll be staying in Korea for a while."
"Why all of a sudden? Weren't you doing great abroad?"
"I've been overseas a long time. It's about time I came home. Plus, I keep hearing interesting things coming out of the domestic scene lately..."
"Trying to feel me out?"
"Haha, come on now."
He shrugged with an air of perfect innocence.
"You know Oh Sunbae got discharged, right?"
"Of course. I was actually planning to visit him myself soon. Oh, that reminds me — Sunbae-nim, would you like to come along too?"
"Me? Why?"
"It'd be nice if we all went together. Everyone's been so busy we haven't seen each other's faces in ages. We could round up the others too — it'd be perfect. Like an end-of-year alumni reunion."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Baek Ji-soo clicked her tongue.
"If you're going, go alone. And don't bring any food with you."
"Excuse me...? Why not?"
"I have my reasons."
After the bewildered Ryu Ji-hwa departed, dinner service began, and exquisite dishes arrived on fine china.
Lavish, glistening food that looked sumptuous at a glance — the government had invited the nation's finest chefs to treat their honored guests, and the importance of what was served at gatherings like this had grown far greater than in years past. Accordingly, no expense or effort had been spared on the ingredients or the staff. The result was, naturally, first-rate in flavor, and everyone was eating with relish.
But Baek Ji-soo soon set down her utensils.
As I thought... something's wrong with it.
An unpleasant, gamy stench rose from the meat. Slathered in aggressive sauces, it was masked on the surface, but with every chew the unmistakable odor burst forth, impossible to hide.
To think I can't even properly eat a banquet made with the finest synthetic meat... It's actually gotten worse than before I lost my sense of taste.
It was no exaggeration to call her situation a slow starvation. Indeed, because the food was so unbearable she could barely keep a meal down, she had lost several kilograms.
In the end, she left the banquet without touching so much as a spoonful and returned to her lodging.
"Mmh..."
The moment she walked in, the scent of the lunchbox sitting on the table washed over her like a wave.
Despite being wrapped up tight, her hypersensitive nose caught it in full. As if in a trance, she drifted over to it, untied the bundled cloth, and lifted the lid.
Click!
Steaming rice, stir-fried pork, and an array of side dishes emerged in a curl of fragrant mist. At the sight of them, she swallowed involuntarily.
That Sunbae of mine — clever as ever.
The lunchbox carried the lingering warmth of the spirits. Because of it, even though it had been made that morning, the food was preserved as if it had come off the stove moments ago.
With a faint smile, Baek Ji-soo picked up her chopsticks, piled some meat and onions onto the rice, and took her first bite.
What followed was shock, then sheer disbelief.
You... you're too delicious.
It felt as though every single one of her dead taste buds was waking up at once. Baek Ji-soo, frozen for a moment as if she'd been struck across the head, picked up her chopsticks again and emptied the entire lunchbox in no time flat.
It truly was the first hearty, warming meal she'd had in a long, long while.
Thud!
A truck with its tires blown out stood on the shoulder of the road, steam billowing from its hood. Beside it, the driver and several other men knelt face-down, blindfolded and cuffed.
Oh Hyeon-seong and Seo Ho-yeon, watching the scene, exchanged a few words.
"We've confirmed their identities — every one of them belongs to Samjeonghoe, one of the country's four major crime syndicates. They covered their tracks so thoroughly I assumed they couldn't be acting as private individuals, and sure enough, an organization was behind it."
"Thanks to that, this wrapped up nicely. We got the goods out safe and sound, too."
Click!
Oh Hyeon-seong opened the black briefcase. A breath of frosty white air spilled out, revealing a cylindrical glass case, sealed with the utmost care. Inside lay several dozen grains of original-strain rice seed — items of staggering value.
With the National Security Bureau's cooperation, he had traced the truck en route to a secret auction house and robbed it without breaking a sweat.
"We'll be transferring all the syndicate members here so that no witnesses are left behind — they'll be locked in a cell before long. That said, an organization the size of Samjeonghoe may send pursuit after us."
They would, as a rule, scrub every last trace clean. It was practically the Bureau's own specialty, after all.
But no one could account for every unusual constitution hunters possessed and every ability they might wield, and an outfit like Samjeonghoe could well attach a high-grade tracker to the job.
"Don't worry about that. I already have a plan in mind. Anyway, I should be heading back."
Oh Hyeon-seong glanced at his watch. A message had come in while he was away dealing with the seed matter — asking whether it would be all right to visit his house.
Guests dropped by often enough that it was hardly unusual, but the problem was the number of them. It was beyond anything he'd expected.
Why does... everyone's timing keep overlapping like this?
CRASH!
"How dare they lay a hand on our Samjeonghoe! Which lunatic did this?!"
Lee Gil-sang shot up from his seat, smashing his desk to splinters. The news had just reached him: the original rice seeds he had fought tooth and nail to acquire had been snatched away.
Even the method was absurd — someone had stormed in out of nowhere and simply made off with the truck.
"Whether it was a rival syndicate or the work of some madman, I'll catch them with my own hands."
He ground his teeth. Both the crew and the truck had vanished without a trace. With the evidence cleaned up this thoroughly, this was no accident — whoever did it had come fully intending to rob them. As a Samjeonghoe executive and the man in charge of this entire operation, it was something he absolutely could not overlook.
"B-But there wasn't a single trace left, so..."
"Forget it. I'll track them down myself."
Lee Gil-sang strode straight out of the room and got into his car. He had prepared for exactly this kind of scenario long ago. For valuable goods like these, he always carved an invisible mark into them himself — just as he had this time.
Pushing his car to its limits, he arrived at the spot where the truck's signal had cut out.
There it is. Just as I thought... I can see it.
Nothing remained where the truck had been parked, but the trail of the mark he had engraved on the seed case stretched on in a long, unbroken line. Chasing that faint bluish thread, Lee Gil-sang followed it all the way onto the highway.
Damn it, how does this trail lead all the way out to the middle of nowhere?
Lee Gil-sang arrived in a farming village whose name he was hearing for the first time. But he could feel it — the trail had grown remarkably close.
The bastard is inside this very village.
Not wanting to draw any eyes, he stepped out of his car and began to move with his presence completely erased — wielding his rare innate constitution itself: Absolute Stealth. No matter how high-ranking the hunter, no matter how sharp their senses, it could never be seen through. The civilians of a backwater village like this obviously wouldn't notice him even if he strolled down the middle of the road in broad daylight.
I don't care who you are, you'd best be ready. The moment I find you, I'm twisting your limbs out of their sockets. You'll collapse without even knowing who took you down...
"Excuse me."
"GYAAH!"
When someone suddenly tapped his shoulder, Lee Gil-sang startled and stumbled backward.
"Why are you so jumpy?"
"H-How on earth did you..."
The moment Lee Gil-sang turned around, his words caught in his throat — because he had seen the face of the man who had tapped his shoulder.
Ryu... Ryu Ji-hwa? No, why... why is HE here...?
"Do you happen to know where the village community hall is? I was told to find it and meet there, but I can't locate the hall for the life of me."
"Uh... er... I'm afraid I don't know either."
"Tsk, you're not from around here either, huh. Thanks anyway."
Letting out a long sigh, Ryu Ji-hwa trudged off. Lee Gil-sang stared blankly at his retreating back.
Insane... why is a mega-star hunter who should be in America wandering around some flyspeck village in the sticks?
His heart was still pounding like a drum. But he quickly shook his head.
Focus, damn it! You've got a thief to catch!
Having been given the fright of his life by Ryu Ji-hwa, this time he moved while hiding along rooftops and between the trees. Following the pull of the trail up past the edge of the village, he spotted a house standing somewhat apart from the rest.
There it is!
Fwoosh!
Lee Gil-sang vaulted the courtyard wall in a single bound and slipped inside. The house was empty of people, but there were clear signs of habitation.
I can feel the mark's trace. It was definitely in here — so why can't I sense anything now?
Lee Gil-sang stood rooted in the room. The trail ended here, and nothing else reached his senses. It was a first for him, and he faltered for a moment before rendering his judgment.
This must be the bastard's hideout... I'll just wait for him to come back, grab him, and make him cough up wherever he stashed it. He dared lay hands on Samjeonghoe without a shred of fear — he'd better be ready for what's coming.
With a low chuckle, Lee Gil-sang hid himself inside the closet. As long as he was using Absolute Stealth from outside his target's field of vision, no one could possibly spot him first. One quick ambush the moment the thief returned, and this whole affair would be over.
At least, that's what he believed at the time.
F-f-fuck...
Cold sweat poured down Lee Gil-sang where he crouched in the closet. It wasn't the stuffiness, and it wasn't the heat.
With every person who appeared in the house that had been empty when he slipped in, his face turned a shade more deathly pale.
A secret conclave of magnates plotting to topple the nation? Or some conspiracy so far beyond the reach of ordinary nobodies that even its outline was unknowable?
He couldn't say for certain — but one thing was clear: he had become entangled in something enormous.
What... what in God's name is going on in this village...?