Doubt (1)
At the headquarters of the Korean Hunter Association, Im Yujin walked with a measured tread, her footsteps echoing through the halls.
“I’m entering. Im Yujin, Team Leader of the Emergency Response Committee.”
-Creak.
A man stood by the window. He confirmed Im Yujin’s entry and lowered the blinds.
“Is the plan going well?”
“Yes. It’s progressing smoothly.”
Im Yujin stopped in front of his desk with a composed stride.
The man spoke without turning around.
“For something like that, there’s no word from you at all.”
“...Recruiting an S-rank Hunter isn’t an easy task. Moreover, the authority I’ve been given is minimal.”
The Hunter Association is government-affiliated.
However, few people are assigned there.
That was the reason.
Even though he ordered her to recruit the newly discovered S-rank Hunter Han Seonghun, the authority granted to Im Yujin was only 5 billion won.
It was a condition that made it hard to even recruit an A-rank Hunter, let alone an S-rank Hunter.
“Is an S-rank Hunter supposed to be swayed by money like some greedy person?”
Director Ko Gyeong-tae finally turned around.
He looked like he had as much greed as the wrinkles on his face had increased.
Im Yujin bit her lip slightly.
“No.”
Im Yujin’s superior, Gyeong-tae, was from the old movement generation.
Someone who prioritized the principle of the cause over practicality to achieve what they wanted.
So, he must have issued the impossible command to recruit an S-rank Hunter with 5 billion won.
“However, I am doing my best with the conditions given.”
“Working as an intern at a noodle shop?”
Gyeong-tae sat down and crossed his legs. He said arrogantly.
“I’m not doubting your abilities, but the upper echelons are not pleased with it.”
“...I understand. But this is something that must be done to bring him to the government.”
“Tell me. What’s the plan? From my perspective, you seem to be just wasting time.”
Im Yujin was familiar with such matters.
Officially, the upper echelons always had the mindset of ‘Of course, if the country calls, we must obey!’
Here, the very normal statement ‘Hunters are not soldiers’ didn’t apply.
Im Yujin was a civil servant. She knew well that civil servants often had to persuade with appropriate words rather than spitting out the truth.
“According to the investigation, Han Seonghun, the S-rank Hunter, is analyzed as a person vulnerable to emotions.”
“Vulnerable to emotions.”
“Yes. This is for that. The conclusion is that to negotiate, we must maintain the closest position to him.”
Gyeong-tae had a half-understanding expression on her words.
“He’s an easy person. But, the higher-ups don’t accept such words. They’re all as merciless as me. We don’t have much time. Yujin.”
“...Yes. I will try to create the desired result as soon as possible.”
“It shouldn’t be late. Because.”
Gyeong-tae paused for a moment, then gave a contemptuous smile.
It was a smile as unpleasant as a snake’s scales.
“You have to operate on your sister, don’t you?”
-Crack.
Im Yujin bit her teeth and lowered her head. Her clenched fists trembled slightly.
**Destructive Mace (S)**
[As the name suggests, a destructive mace.]
[With a low probability, it can deal average 100x destructive power.]
“The weapon is perfect for our sister to use.”
A golden mace.
Even this, being an S-rank weapon, its size automatically adjusts.
In other words, it’s a weapon perfectly suited for our little sister.
Moreover, the effect is to my liking.
100x power, even if temporary, our sister has been quite lucky.
It shouldn’t break easily, right?
Anyway, it would be much more helpful than the old weapon I’m currently using.
So, I secretly (?) stole it.
The problem is that I have no way to deliver it to her.
“She would definitely think it’s suspicious. She might even think I stole it.”
But thinking about it, it was indeed a stolen weapon.
...Anyway, even setting aside such trivial issues, I don’t know how to give this to my sister.
Speaking of which, there’s also the ‘Absolute Shield’ that Yoo Sia should have received last time.
“Ha, this is troublesome. Even though there’s something good, I can’t give it to her.”
Currently, I am an ordinary person.
A completely ordinary noodle shop owner.
It’s impossible to find a reason why a noodle shop owner would have such expensive artifacts and weapons. It’s an error in existence itself.
“...Did you find something?”
...Given my sister’s personality, she probably wouldn’t run to the police station.
It was when I sighed at the awkward problem.
-KakaoTalk!
I picked up my phone at the bell sound.
-Im Yujin: Boss. Do you have time today?
-Im Yujin: If it’s okay, would you like to have dinner with me?
“Eh?”
I tilted my head at the unexpected KakaoTalk.
Is this...
“Date request?”
Today was the only day off for the store this week.
I should have some time to rest too.
Chaewon had gone out long ago to train with Siu.
“Hmph, even though I’m popular, it’s troublesome.”
Yujin had met many beauties in her previous life, but among them, she was the owner of outstanding appearance.
To spend the weekend with such a woman?
As a man, there’s no way I’d refuse.
-Okay, when?
It seems she was looking at the screen, and the 1 disappeared immediately.
I smiled with satisfaction. She’s quick-tempered too. She’s not good at playing hard to get?
-Im Yujin: ..I’m also bored. Can I meet you right away?
It was the moment I was about to send a reply.
-Ring.
The sound of the door lock opening.
“Oppa!”
“What? You said you were going to train, didn’t you?”
Chaewon entered with a bright expression.
It wasn’t just Chaewon. Behind her, Siu, who was always neat, was visible as usual. She bowed her head slightly and carefully entered the house.
“Because Sia wanted to come play at our house. I’ll rest for a bit... I came to eat too!”
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
“Eh? It’s been a while.”
I smiled and greeted her happily.
“Oppa, we’re hungry! Make tteokbokki for us.”
How did she know that I bought tteok yesterday and this happened? My sister was amazing.
“Chaewon, wash your hands first.”
“Um, okay. Sia, I’ll wash first and come back.”
“Okay, go and come.”
Chaewon went into the bathroom. After a while, the sound of water came.
“You can sit comfortably too. It won’t take long.”
Tteokbokki is relatively easy to cook.
The date with Yujin shouldn’t be disrupted.
First, feed the two of them, prepare quickly, and go out.
“Thank you.”
Sia sat softly on the sofa.
I glanced at her and opened the refrigerator door.
Then, I took out the necessary ingredients and placed them on the table.
“How’s the business going at the noodle shop?”
“It’s not bad thanks to YouTube recently.”
“That’s good. I thought the oppa’s noodles would be delicious and it would do well.”
She was as pretty with words as she was with her face.
“You, you had some bad things recently, but are you okay with your body?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
-Startle.
I looked at her.
I wondered what she meant by that.
Sia gave a faint smile.
“Could it be that I was caught?”
A strange sense of unease arose.
In the past.
The scene where Yoo Sia looked at me wearing a mask with a surprised expression came to mind.
If she was quick-witted, she would have suspected enough.
However, she is trusting her powers blindly.
Since the status window didn’t come out, she probably didn’t discover my true identity.
“Hey, can I ask you one thing, oppa?”
I started handling the ingredients and spoke.
“Go ahead, ask comfortably.”
“What did Chaewon do on her practical training day?”
“She did business, she was busy.”
Without thinking, I blurted out the answer to Sia’s sudden question.
It was possible that Chaewon had said something.
“Ah, I see.”
I deliberately put my gaze on the cutting board.
I felt like I shouldn’t look at her right now.
“But, according to Chaewon, that day was a day off.”
“...!”
The feared thing happened.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
The tension I felt after obtaining the instant-death skill.
I spoke calmly.
“Ah, that day. I was mistaken for a moment. On that day, I held a small party with the part-time workers.”
Small lies beget bigger lies.
The words that couldn’t be swallowed kept growing.
“Wake up, Han Seonghun. The opponent is a high school girl.”
Somehow, it felt like she was catching my lie.
I poured all my attention into the cooking.
Even so, the gaze from behind.
This must be.
“She’s suspicious.”
Even if I was caught, it would be fine.
I was careful, but Sia had noticed.
What should I say?
Is it a secret from my sister?
How did it come to this?
It was when I was racking my brain in worry.
“Sia, wash your hands too.”
Chaewon came out from the bathroom.
“Okay. Oppa, we’ll talk later.”
“What did you talk about?”
Chaewon came to the kitchen.
“I didn’t talk about anything special.”
I gave an awkward smile.
**
During the meal time when silence flowed.
Only the clinking of chopsticks echoed.
“As expected, oppa’s cooking skills have improved. It’s excellent!”
It was Chaewon who broke the silence.
“I’ve always done about this much.”
I looked at Chaewon and said, but my mind was focused solely on Yoo Sia.
“How should I explain this?”
If I explain from beginning to end, it’s too complicated.
I need to explain it in a way that she can understand appropriately.
No good method came to mind.
“Sia, it’s delicious?”
“Yes, it seems like it could do business.”
“Thank you for saying that. If you need more, tell me. I’ll make it right away.”
“It’s okay. I’m already full enough.”
“Eh, I feel like I’m a little lacking...”
Seeing my sister’s reaction as usual, it seemed Sia didn’t say anything special to Chaewon.
“Was it a misunderstanding?”
Even if she suspected, there was no definite evidence.
I felt like I had made a hasty judgment.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
The two of them, having finished eating, put the bowls in the sink.
“Chaewon, then I’ll go. I have things to do.”
“So soon? I only ate tteokbokki. Hing.”
“I’ll come play again next time. Oppa will go now. Thank you for preparing a delicious meal today.”
“Eh, okay. Come play again.”
“Is she just leaving?”
I looked at her intently.
She put on her coat and headed for the front door.
At this point, it seemed I had made a hasty judgment.
“Goodbye. Sia! See you at school tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll come play again next time.”
-Ring.
She opened the door lock.
Sia hesitated for a moment, then turned her head.
“Ah, oppa. The conversation we had earlier, let’s talk later. The two of us.”
“......”
“Caught.”
The front door closed.
I looked at the front door with empty eyes.
Is there no artifact to erase memories?
It was when I was thinking.
“Oppa, what? What did you talk about with Sia? The two of us.”
“I didn’t talk about anything special.”
“Oppa? No. Sia is my friend. I can’t even dream of dating a high school girl!”
I looked at Chaewon with a dumbfounded expression.
“It’s not like that.”
I sat on the sofa and spoke.
“Now that I think about it, what was I trying to do?”
Because of the incident just now, my memory wasn’t clear.
**
Inside a spacious cafe.
A woman who looked like a photo was sitting, sipping coffee.
“What are you doing.”
Im Yujin had been staring at her smartphone the whole time.
She had prepared a new strategy to bring Seonghun to her as quickly as possible.
Today, she had specially received makeup at the shop.
However, even though the KakaoTalk 1 disappeared, Seonghun was unaware.
“Could it be that I was stood up?”
She gave a desolate expression.