A Guest (2)

"Oppa, if anything happens—I mean really happens, even a little—if something weird goes down at the shop, you have to call me. Okay?"

We were walking side by side toward the restaurant. It doubled as my commute, and with how busy Chaewon had been lately, I figured it was about time I made her breakfast again.

"You?"

"Yeah!"

Chaewon nodded, looking up at me.

"The Gates have been acting weird lately. Like, totally unpredictable—and they said they're popping up in Seoul a lot."

"You're talking about the Roulette Gates."

Worry was written all over her face. From her perspective, she had no idea how strong I was, so of course she'd be concerned. She still thought I was just a regular civilian.

"Yeah! And that's not all. Watch out for problem customers, too. You know about Hunter crime, right? The scumbags these days don't even leave civilians alone."

"Don't worry about it."

Having her fuss over me like that put me in a pretty good mood. I felt the corner of my mouth lift.

What a good kid.

"I'm serious. You don't even get how bad this is, do you?"

"Aigoo, I get it, I get it."

"If you're ever in a dangerous situation, you have to call me. Promise?"

I gave her a faint smile and nodded. Chaewon narrowed her eyes at me.

"Don't just sit there taking it because you'd be embarrassed. Okay? The second you call, I'll come running."

"You're going to protect me?"

Chaewon raised a tiny fist.

"Obviously. Anyone who lays a hand on my oppa is dead."

She looked thoroughly pleased with herself. The way her shoulders had puffed up made that much obvious.

Aigoo, she's so cute. This little thing, talking about protecting someone. She should go make some friends instead…

I opened the shop door, well aware that if she ever overheard that thought, she'd sulk for a good month.

"Whoa! The shop looks so pretty now!"

The Hunter Academy ran its students into the ground on a brutal schedule, but when it was time to rest, they actually let them rest. The year was split mainly around practical training. When field exercises stacked up, the students were worked half to death—but afterward they were given a generous two months or so of real work-life balance.

Chaewon had just come off a training week, which was why she was dropping by the shop for the first time in quite a while.

"Oppa, oppa! So does that mean we're doing other food now too? I looked up One-Table restaurants and everything. They said the menu changes every single day?"

Her eyes were shining with anticipation as she stared at me.

I smiled, and proceeded to crush her childhood dreams.

"No? We're just doing noodles."

"…Huh?"

"Meat noodle soup, at that."

"W-what about the bibim noodles?"

"Not making those."

"Why?! Why on earth not!"

Chaewon's face crumpled. She'd been eating those spicy mixed noodles on the regular, and finding out they'd been struck from the menu clearly stung.

"It's a One-Table restaurant, so there's only one menu. That's the point."

"…?"

"That's what makes it cool."

I nodded to myself. A man ought to pick one well and keep digging.

"So I have to eat meat noodle soup every single morning…?"

"You don't like it?"

"I-it's not that I don't like it."

She whined like a child, but my little sister had a surprisingly solid head on her shoulders. She was one of those rare people who never mistook kindness for entitlement.

"…Okay. Oppa probably has a reason. But where's Unni?"

Chaewon was looking for Yujin. The two of them had seemed like they couldn't stand each other at first, and somewhere along the way they'd started calling each other unni and little sister.

"She's on vacation."

"And you're working this hard? That's not right. I need to have a word with her."

"Huh?"

"Come on. She's a part-timer and she's just skipping out? You're too nice to say anything, so I'll tell her for you."

"No… you really don't need to—"

"Ah-ah. Just trust me."

I felt a little bad admitting it, but lately the only work I'd actually been doing was reading. Even yesterday, after Siu left, I'd done nothing but sit with a book.

Can't let myself run out of material.

I'd made a connection with Siu. If I wanted to get closer to him, I was going to have to actually read the book some old geezer named Hitler—or Adolf, whatever—had written. Otherwise we wouldn't have anything to talk about.

Ugh. How am I supposed to get through all of this?

I thought back to what I'd read yesterday.

Was that even Korean? That was the thought that had gone through my head. I was technically reading the words. I understood exactly none of them.

I'm so screwed.

Just looking at the lonely little book sitting on the table was enough to make me sigh. But I still needed that military exemption, and giving up wasn't an option.

Chaewon had spotted the book on the table too. Curiosity filled her face.

"Is that what you're reading, Oppa?"

"Yeah."

Her pupils shook.

"O-Oppa is?"

I was so incredulous I asked it back.

"I'm not allowed to read?"

"No, it's just… this is coming from the guy who said cookbooks have too many words and give him a headache. And now you're sitting there reading a research paper."

"Ahem."

Every word of that was true, so I couldn't even argue. I could fool everyone else in the world, but I could never fool Chaewon. I smoothly changed the subject.

"Just wait a bit. I'll make you some noodles."

"Okay!"

Needless to say, these were not ordinary noodles.

I walked into the kitchen, running through the list in my head.

Too much elixir at once isn't good for you. Slow and steady, a little every day.

A satisfied smile on my face, I stirred the elixir into the noodles.

A terrace café in Cheongdam.

Three people sat looking at one another in silence.

"You dragged a busy person out here and now nobody's talking. What's the reason you called us today?"

Park Heesung was the one who broke the silence.

"You already know. It's because of that man. Han Seonghun."

"You trying to get yourself killed too? Just live quietly and enjoy what you've got. Give it up."

"Why would I give up on someone who'd be such a huge asset?"

"Are you even really Seol Min-ah? When did you get this stupid? Look at the guy. He's running a noodle shop right out in the open. He's telling the world he doesn't give a damn about being a Hunter."

"And you believe that? Who in this world actually hates power and money?"

"I just wanted to see with my own two eyes how strong that bastard Han Seonghun really was. Whether he becomes a Hunter or not is none of my business. You getting that?"

Seol Min-ah's brow furrowed as she turned to Shin Seohyun.

"Seohyun, what do you think? If you help me, I'll talk to the chairman and get the G-21 Gate access fees slashed."

"Give it up. Something bad's going to happen."

"What's wrong with all of you? Don't you have any ambition? Don't you want to climb higher?"

Seol Min-ah looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from one of them to the other, frustration plain on her face.

"Climb higher from here? Get greedy and you'll fall on your face. Be satisfied with what you have. Leave it to your assigned agents."

Park Heesung shoved his chair back and stood.

"Anyway, I've got no intention of getting involved with that bastard Han Seonghun. You two do whatever you want. I'm out."

"Hey, Park Heesung! Wait—!"

Seol Min-ah called after him in a rush, but Park Heesung didn't even glance back as he headed for the entrance.

Seol Min-ah bit down hard on her lip. Somewhere along the way, she'd picked up the habit of doing that whenever things stopped going her way.

"Seohyun, you'll help me, right? We're the closest friends there are."

"Min-ah. I don't know what you're doing this for, but give it up."

"Not you too…!"

Shin Seohyun rose from her seat with quiet composure.

"I'm heading out first. And you've been acting weird lately."

"Seohyun…"

Shin Seohyun flicked her hair back over her shoulder and disappeared to the click of her heels.

"That fucking bitch! She's looking down on me?"

The instant Seohyun was out of sight, Min-ah slammed her fist down on the table.

Shit. What do I do now?

Chairman Oh Seong-ho.

He was a devil wearing human skin. She'd fallen for that devil's sweet whispers, and that was how she'd ended up here.

I can't let this life end.

This fame. This power. She couldn't throw away something that sweet.

But if she failed to pull Han Seonghun in, her life as an S-rank Hunter was over.

I have to get on his good side.

Force was never going to work on him anyway. That left only one option.

Min-ah pulled out her smartphone and placed a call.

Seol Min-ah's mouth curved into a faint smile.

"Achoo."

I stepped back inside the shop.

Someone's talking about me.

I'd been sneezing more often lately. If someone was talking about me, I wouldn't mind if it was a woman.

With that idle thought, I crossed my legs and opened the book.

Is this actually interesting?

The Psychology of Adolf. I'd tried I don't know how many times to get into it. It was not going well.

In the end I shut the book, pulled out my smartphone, and opened YouTube.

"Pfft, why would you Flash there?"

Kicking back with a video of my favorite game was one of life's genuine pleasures. All thanks to finally being financially free.

The door chime rang.

I shoved the phone into my pocket at lightning speed and put on a smile, as if nothing at all had been going on.

"Welcome!"

"Hello. It's been a while, Oppa."

East and West had blended into a face that was almost unfairly beautiful. Her immaculately arranged clothes and hair only heightened the air of luxury around her.

"It has been a while, Sia."

Yoo Sia. She'd come to our shop.

Damn. She saw that, didn't she.

She was Chaewon's friend, for crying out loud, and she'd walked in on me looking like a total slob. I gave her an awkward smile.

"What brings you?"

"Chaewon said the shop had changed, so I came to visit."

"How come you're alone, though? You two should've come together."

"Chaewon told me to go ahead. She said she wanted to stop by the training grounds for a bit."

Chaewon almost never went to the training grounds. And she'd gone today?

I cheered internally.

That's my little sister!

I thought of the elixir I'd put in the noodles I'd cooked her that morning.

If she'd gone to the training grounds, it had to be because a new ability had manifested and she wanted to test it out. I was thoroughly proud.

That's it. Grow up nice and strong.

Raise the power first. Practical training came after.

"The interior's changed a lot."

Sia looked around the shop as she said it.

"Pretty high-end, right?"

"Is it? I couldn't really say. I actually liked the old interior better."

"Yeah?"

Well, Sia had grown up surrounded by luxury. An interior like this wouldn't even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠register. If anything, the worn-in old look would have felt fresher to her.

"Sit down. I'll make you some noodles."

"Ah, I'm fine. I really just came to visit."

"No, sit. There's no other customers anyway, so it's fine."

I sat her down before she could refuse.

The reason Sia had come today. It was probably the questions she had about me. That actually worked out. I'd been meaning to give her something anyway.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"You really do look like Chaewon."

"That's a compliment, I assume?"

Sia just beamed without a word.

I shook a bundle of somyeon into the pot with a rustle.

"Oppa. May I ask you just one thing?"

"Sure, go ahead. What is it?"

"Why aren't you a Hunter?"

The question I'd been expecting. She already knew everything about who I really was. So with Sia, I intended to be honest.

"Can you keep this a secret from Chaewon?"

"Of course. Don't worry."

"I just want to live an ordinary life."

"That's all?"

I nodded and set the finished noodles down in front of her. Then I put on a firm expression, the kind that said I wouldn't be answering anything further.

"I understand."

She seemed to take my meaning, because she didn't press.

She's quick on the uptake. I really do appreciate that.

Even if I launched into some long-winded story about regression and whatever else, she wouldn't believe it. Whether Sia accepted my answer or not wasn't what mattered. I'd answered her question. That was enough.

"It's bland."

"Right? Well, there's no grand reason for it."

"No, Oppa… the noodles are bland."

"Huh?"

I stared at Yoo Sia, thrown.

Had the elixir made them a little underseasoned? Same as with Chaewon, I'd put the elixir in her noodles too. I'd used a larger amount, actually, so that was probably it.

Sia smiled.

"I'm kidding. It's delicious."

"Hey. You got me."

Then again, knowing Sia's personality, she would have eaten them without a word even if they really had been bland. She'd probably joked to lighten the mood. I found myself quietly impressed by how considerate she was.

"Oppa."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving me last time. I'm sorry the thanks is so late."

Sia stood from her seat and bowed her head.

"Don't worry about it. Lift your head. Just stay close with Chaewon and that's enough for me."

"I've made up my mind."

Sia slowly raised her head and looked at me.

"I've decided to become stronger than you, Oppa."

"I like that kind of ambition. If anyone can do it, it's you, Sia."

"Huh?"

Maybe it was the lighting, but Sia's face looked faintly flushed.