Revenge (1)

In my previous life, Chaewon never went out on a practical exam. The noodle shop had collapsed because of a Roulette Gate, and the shock of it had left her bedridden for days.

What I did remember, though, was that Yoo Sia would be critically injured around this time. Already drowning in grief, Chaewon had cried herself to exhaustion the moment her only friend ended up in the ICU.

I don't know where this bastard crawled out of, but he made my little sister cry?

I pressed the mask I was wearing even deeper onto my face. It was junk.

The item didn't matter. What mattered was the thug who'd just shown up.

I strode toward the Hunter.

"Hey."

"W-who are you...? N-no, wait—how the hell did you even get in here?"

"If you're fodder, live like fodder. Don't hog the spotlight."

I smashed my fist down on the Hunter's crown. The impact produced a sound no bare fist should have been capable of, and he crumpled. His eyes had rolled back white—a one-punch KO.

My chest heaved. Part of me wanted to kill him then and there, but I couldn't let my precious little sister watch someone die.

I turned around. Chaewon had her eyes covered. Good girl—always did as she was told. Beside her, I caught Yoo Sia's startled face. Then her eyes narrowed.

Did she figure it out?

I'd been in such a rush I'd just grabbed whatever item I could get my hands on. Honestly, even thinking to cover my face had been a miracle. The second I realized my sister was in danger, I'd snatched whatever was nearby and come running. If Sia knew me, it was fair to be suspicious—my build would be the same, after all.

I need to get out of here.

I'd just made up my mind to leave when Chaewon's voice stopped me cold. I couldn't just ignore her and walk away.

"U-um!"

"Thank you! I-if I could just have your name, Hunter..."

"......"

This was a problem. If I spoke from this close, even Chaewon—who was the densest person in the known universe—would recognize my voice.

"I see... so that's how it is."

"?"

But Chaewon just looked up at me out of nowhere, her eyes sparkling.

"A hero of justice never reveals his name so easily."

Even Sia was staring at her in disbelief.

"Chaewon...?"

What's gotten into her? Did she read some webtoon like this yesterday?

I was still processing the sheer absurdity of it when Chaewon suddenly pulled something from her pocket.

...It was a keychain with a black cat's face on it. A character she adored—she'd practically wallpapered her room with the merch.

"Please... take this, at least."

Chaewon held out the keychain, her face flushed. With her head ducked like that, anyone could tell she was embarrassed. No—this went well beyond embarrassment.

She's into him?

This was, without a doubt, a girl who'd just fallen in love ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at first sight. It felt like lightning had struck my brain.

This little brat...?

Falling for some random guy at first sight?! She was a disgrace to the Han family. They say there's no point raising a daughter, and damn if they weren't right.

"Please, Hunter."

"......"

But I couldn't bring myself to refuse. Chaewon had an incredibly tender, innocent heart. If I turned her down, I'd probably come home to find her bawling in the corner of her bed. I had no choice. I took the keychain and vanished.

I'm going to give her an earful when I get home. Might as well slap a curfew on her, just in case.

I didn't care about anything else—but my little sister? I was never handing her over to some other man.

"You okay?"

"About what?"

I said it to Chaewon, who was staring a hole through the television.

"I heard you almost got into serious trouble today."

"Yeah. But I'm fine. This really cool guy helped me."

"...A cool guy?"

"Someone who doesn't even compare to you, Oppa... an incredibly amazing person!"

Chaewon held her spoon, her eyes shining. I was so speechless I just sighed.

"Hey. What's the big deal? He probably just helped you out while he was passing by."

"Are you stupid, Oppa? What kind of Hunter forces a dungeon door open just to come save someone? And he knocked out an A-rank Hunter in one hit? He's probably some kind of hidden master."

Not like I can tell her it was me. Not that she'd believe me even if I did.

"Thanks for the meal!"

Chaewon grabbed her thoroughly cleaned dishes and hurried off. She dunked them in the sink, grabbed her bag, and pulled on her socks. 8:40 p.m. It was a twenty-minute walk to school from here—cutting it close.

"I'm heading out, Oppa! If I finish early, I'll come help!"

"I hired part-timers, so it's fine."

Chaewon crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

"How well do those women even know our shop? And I can't sit still at home, I'm too worried. What if you got scammed or something?"

"Why would you even worry about that?"

"Hah... seriously. I told you, didn't I? All women are foxes."

"?"

Chaewon, who'd somehow stolen the line I was supposed to say, checked the time again and quickly pulled on her shoes. A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I called after her.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Want me to buy a car? Walking to school every day's gotta be rough."

"No thanks? Walking's good exercise. Don't you dare buy a car."

Chaewon waved one hand as she opened the door.

"I'm off! See you later!"

"Yeah."

The door chimed as it closed. After Chaewon was gone, the bright smile on my lips faded into a blank expression. As if on cue, my phone rang. It was Yujin. I answered and spoke immediately.

Cheongdam. AH Group Headquarters.

I was in a taxi heading there now. According to Yujin, AH Group—pushed aside by SJ Group—had apparently held a grudge and gone after Yoo Sia. AH Group was a Hunter guild ranked among the top three corporations in South Korea. They'd risen to number one in the shortest time after Gates appeared, but unfortunately, once SJ Group entered the Hunter world, they were knocked down to second place before long.

They must've been nursing that grudge ever since.

And in the process, my innocent little sister had gotten caught in the crossfire.

They picked the wrong target.

I'd made up my mind to live quietly this time around. But touching my sister was the exception. I was going to raise so much hell they'd never dare try it again.

"You a Hunter?"

The older taxi driver struck up a conversation.

"No, sir. Just an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ordinary small business owner."

"Figured as much. Those Hunter types got no manners whatsoever. Regular folks, though—now they're polite!"

"That's true enough."

"If I were just five years younger, I'd have wrung the necks of every Hunter who got cocky with me!"

"Haha, they're not all like that."

"Look at you, all scrawny. You even pulling your weight as a man? Don't you let anyone push you around! Anyone gets smart with you, you steamroll 'em with sheer guts."

"Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind."

A moment later, the taxi stopped.

"We're here. Card or cash?"

"Card, please."

I rummaged through my pocket for my card. Then someone approached the taxi—a big guy in a black suit. The driver rolled down the window.

"Hey, cabbie. Don't you know this is AH Headquarters? Where the hell do you think you're parking? Get this thing out of here, now."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry. My passenger said he was getting off here. I'll be on my way right now."

"Hey. Next time, see back there? Have them get out way before the front gate. Got it?"

"...Yes, sir. Understood."

I held out my card to the driver.

"Please run the card."

"Ah, yes, I'll get that for you right away."

The man in the suit crossed his arms and glared at me.

"You. What's your business at AH Headquarters? Doesn't look like you're a Hunter. Here to mop the floors or something?"

I took my card back and stepped out of the taxi.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Hey, you deaf?"

The man puffed out his chest and planted himself in front of me.

"Come on, young man. Answer the question already!"

"No manners, and now you're a pain in the ass too."

"What? You son of a—what did you just—"

I flicked him across the cheek. A massive boom split the air, and the man went flying sideways in an instant. The driver spoke in a trembling voice.

"...You said you weren't a Hunter. You said you weren't a Hunter, young man."

Leaving the driver behind, I put on my mask.

I stepped inside the headquarters. The modern design was laid out with clean, elegant precision—almost enough to make me feel bad about tearing the place apart.

Not that it mattered, given what kind of people they were.

I pulled out an axe.

Didn't think I'd be using this here.

I smashed the expensive vase right in front of me. Then the paintings, the desks, the piano, the figurines—everything I laid eyes on, I destroyed.

"Who the hell is that?"

Drawn by the racket, people came rushing in. All of them looked like Hunters.

"Looks like a lunatic."

"Of all the places to pick, he chose headquarters? Everyone here's A-rank or higher."

One man cracked his neck and approached me.

"Hey, you ready to die—"

I smashed the butt of the axe into his face.

"GRAAAAH!"

"Any executives around?"

I had no business with the small fry. Whoever sent the assassin would be executive-level or higher.

"You son of a bitch!"

A massive spear appeared in the hands of the man I'd just hit in the face. He thrust it at me with practiced skill. I dodged it easily, grabbed his face with one hand, and hurled him through the window. Glass shattered, and a scream rang out at the same time.

I swung the axe through the air.

"Where are the executives?"

They exchanged glances, then dropped their weapons.

Then someone came down from the second floor with a woman in his arms. A man in a robe.

Park Taeseong.

Park Taeseong, S-rank Hunter of the AH Group. The same man I'd killed in my previous life. He surveyed the wreckage of the interior, then tossed the woman he'd been holding onto the floor.

"You do this?"

"You can see that I did."

"Take off the mask. Let me see your face before I kill you."

"Just die."

"What? You? Kill me?"

Park Taeseong's head exploded.

Blood sprayed across the wallpaper in every direction.

"...!"

"T-Taeseong?"

Shock swept through the room in an instant. There hadn't been any warning at all.

"W-what... is this?"

Everyone's faces were frozen. He was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an S-rank Hunter, after all. Watching a Hunter of that caliber have his head burst apart without the slightest resistance would leave anyone stunned.

"Who are you? How did you take him out in one—"

The woman who'd been in Park Taeseong's arms spoke in a trembling voice.

"I came to collect something."

"Do you even understand what you've done? You've made an enemy of AH!"

"Doesn't matter. I only gave back what I received."

This should be enough.

I turned on my heel. An S-rank Hunter was a critical asset—a company's standing rose in proportion to how many they had. With that asset gone, their position would take a massive hit. Besides, Park Taeseong was garbage. He deserved to die. In the last cycle, he'd laid his hands on my sister.

I headed for the exit. That's when I noticed things I hadn't seen before.

These are in pretty good shape.

All kinds of weapons were on display. As expected of a major corporation—they'd invested properly in their gear. I grabbed a shield and a few leftover pieces of equipment.

"Wait a second. That's my weapon! Are you stealing it?"

It was the woman who'd been with Park Taeseong. She stared at me with an incredulous look. I scratched my head. I had nothing to say.

"I'm not stealing it."

"...Then what?"

"I'm just borrowing it for a bit."

"For how long?"

"Oh, about twenty years?"

Just until Chaewon grows up.

From behind me, I heard someone start to cry.