Scout (2)
Instant-death skills have one fatal flaw. The inability to control strength. In other words, there is no such thing as “just right.”
You can’t go around killing people over every little argument, after all.
So at first, I held back.
I figured that after one or two times, they’d stop provoking me. It was a foolish choice. The stupid ones kept stirring up trouble endlessly, and eventually my temper snapped.
So the method I chose was to act hot-tempered. Strike back at the exact right moment. That was the way I’d survived.
The problem was… after living like that for so long, I really became hot-tempered.
I scratched my head. A gangster was wriggling on the floor, stuck to the wall.
“S-Sorry.”
I pulled the gangster out with an awkward face.
When I looked at the others, their faces were deathly pale.
Oh no…
They must have thought I was being rude to customers.
“How about filing an insurance claim or something…”
“Tsk.”
After taking one step forward, the gangsters tsked.
“G-Ghost.”
They backed away one step at a time.
“…Even if, you don’t call people ghosts.”
Anyway, it was my fault. I bowed to apologize.
“Tch, run!”
The gangsters fled in a panic.
I watched them run away with a helpless look in my eyes.
“…I still have to pay the bill though.”
**
Steam rose from the boiling noodles.
But she couldn’t even take a single bite.
Scary man.
Im Yujin’s fingertips trembled faintly.
Sticking someone to the wall upside down and saying “sorry.”
Actually, hunters of that level were rare to be normal people, but Seonghun was even stranger.
No warning signs before anger.
Im Yujin had been a talented person trained rigorously since childhood.
What she did was dealing with the highest-level hunters called industry VIPs.
So understanding behavior patterns was an extremely important task.
People have characteristics. Even strong hunters have them.
Before anger, eye twitching, face flushing, and so on.
You had to catch those in advance to handle sudden situations.
But Seonghun…
None. Nothing visible.
He didn’t exist.
There were no characteristics in the series of situations where he got angry.
How is that possible?
Yujin swallowed hard.
Only one thing was clear from this.
Although I don’t know his exact ability yet, the probability that the man in front of me, Han Seonghun, is an S-rank hunter who handled a disaster-level monster a few days ago is high.
I half-believed it.
Possessing the ability to handle a disaster-level monster but running a noodle shop.
It was unlikely, but I thought maybe the information was wrong.
But the power just now was definitely not normal.
It was close to the level of an A-rank hunter.
She took a sip of cold water.
I must not upset his mood. I must recruit him as a government-affiliated hunter.
After making that decision, she gave a signal to the junior sitting in front of her.
-Glance
She nodded and stood up.
“Nice to meet you. I assume you already know, but I am Im Yujin, Team Leader of the National Disaster Response Committee.”
**
What nonsense is this?
He looked at the person with an absurd expression.
It felt like the shit he had done in the past had come back as poison.
That was when he had just obtained power, so he had experimented.
But to come this fast?
“Sorry for coming uninvited suddenly.”
“Please go. Since I didn’t think about it.”
He answered coldly.
Her request was simple.
“I’ll give you 300 billion if you become a government hunter.”
After regressing, again want to be a hunter?
Refusal.
She continued with a sad expression.
“If you tell me any conditions you want, I’ll match them as much as possible.”
No matter what conditions, he had no intention of becoming a hunter again.
But seeing her come this far, she seemed unwilling to back down easily.
“If I give you 1 trillion, how about thinking?”
It was a proposal he knew wouldn’t be accepted.
In a private company, maybe, but in our country’s government that doesn’t spend money, it was an impossible amount.
“Yes.”
“…?”
“I’ll give it. 1 trillion.”
He looked at her with an absurd expression.
Is this real?
He looked at her with an absurd expression.
“Then, shall we start with the contract right away…”
“I’ve changed my mind. If you give me 10 trillion, how about thinking?”
He crossed his arms. It was a wedge that he would never join the government.
“…”
Her eyes widened.
She hadn’t expected such firmness.
“Everyone has their own happiness. I don’t want to be a hunter, so please go back. Tell that to the higher-ups as well.”
“…Me.”
“I hate repeating the same thing twice. But I have to report, so.”
He said it as if giving charity.
“I have no intention of belonging anywhere. If I report this, it should calm down.”
The reason the government was recruiting high-rank hunters was one thing.
To not lose to private companies.
Naturally, private companies could offer more money, and since hunters were human, they chose the side that benefited them.
Thus, the gap between government and private widened.
In other words, the government was slowly losing power.
So they were desperate to recruit S-rank hunters.
In my previous life, the problem was that government power was too high because of me.
From nepotism to my bullying.
…At that time, I was not in good terms with my sister and had basically lost the will to live, so I didn’t care.
But in this life, since I wouldn’t join the government, the same history wouldn’t repeat.
“…If you say that much, I understand.”
She bowed with a resigned look.
“Then, take care.”
He held the cloth and turned his back to her, wiping the table.
“…Me.”
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
He sighed.
“You would have said. Just go.”
“…I want to do part-time.”
-Startled.
He looked at her intently.
Blonde waves, office look clinging to her body.
Objectively, she was pretty.
If she worked in our store, sales would definitely increase.
However.
“Not needed.”
He wasn’t busy enough to need part-time yet, and he would have to give additional money.
More importantly, suddenly wanting part-time. It seemed like there was some scheme.
She lowered her head.
“I’ll do it for free.”
“…”
Free?
Slave?
He shook his head.
…Still no.
“…Not needed…”
“I’ll work every day without rest.”
“……”
**
“Karaoke?”
“Yeah, Chaewon, let’s go together?”
Chaewon was rarely startled.
No one had ever suggested karaoke to her before.
“Me…?”
“I want to get closer.”
Chaewon shrank in shyness.
Sia next to her helped.
“After a long time, it should be fine. If Chaewon goes, I’ll go too.”
“Really?”
Since her only friend Sia was going, there was nothing to fear.
But Chaewon shook her head.
“Sorry.”
“Eh?”
The girl who suggested karaoke had thought Chaewon would go, so she looked startled.
Chaewon smiled brightly.
“Today has something to do, probably can’t.”
Sia looked at her with an odd expression.
Chaewon thought.
…Since it opens today, I need to help oppa. Since she’s suffering because of me, I can’t play leisurely.
Self-employment was hard.
Especially, Seonghun had given up university to inherit the noodle shop.
She had a choice, but Seonghun had no choice. He had inherited the shop to earn money at a young age.
Knowing this situation, she couldn’t play leisurely.
Because she knew how hard it was to serve, calculate, and cook alone.
“Next time, definitely play together!”
Chaewon waved her bag and ran with a bright greeting.
…Honestly, she wanted to play. But family came first.
“Chaewon-ah.”
Sia followed.
“What’s up? You look urgent.”
“Eh?”
Chaewon blinked with pure eyes.
“…If it’s bad news, I’ll help. You’re my friend.”
Sia saying that was reassuring, but unfortunately this didn’t need help.
Chaewon smiled and shook her head.
“Just want to help oppa quickly. Sia has no work to help.”
“…Ah, help oppa.”
Sia sighed in relief, imagining what.
She looked at her watch and said lightly.
“Can I help too?”
“Sia?”
Chaewon was startled.
“No. No need.”
“I want to help. I’ve never experienced such a thing. Or rather, you’re helping me.”
Sia was good at speaking.
Even if the logic was awkward, her gestures and tone made it leadership.
“Experience can’t be bought with money.”
Re, re-chaebols are different.
Of course pure Chaewon fell for it.
Sia smiled inwardly and said in a pitiful tone.
“…If I tell dad I want to try, he’ll strongly oppose. So if you, I thought you’d help… but probably can’t? Me like me can’t even do part-time.”
“T, that’s not it. Oppa has no money for part-time pay. Sia working as unpaid slave is no different!”
“…Un, unpaid slave.”
Chaewon’s word choice startled, but she quickly recovered a poker face.
Sia said with an angelic expression.
“No need money. I said? Experience is more valuable than any gold.”
“…R, really?”
“Yeah. I hope you help me. I’ll definitely repay the favor.”
Chaewon thought for a moment, then nodded.
She always received help from Sia.
…She didn’t know this was giving help, she was a common citizen, but since she was chaebol, it made sense.
She nodded.
“Okay. If that’s the case… I’ll tell oppa. Probably like it. Always says he doesn’t want to work.”
The ones who decided to do daily part-time walked chatting.
Oppa will like it? Maybe think I’m amazing.
Chaewon had upturned lips thinking of praise.
Sia just healed seeing such Chaewon.
Chaewon arrived at the store and opened the door.
-Clang.
“Welcome… Oh, you guys are here?”
Seonghun greeted happily.
Chaewon put her hand on her waist to explain the situation. But…
“Ah, is this lovely lady the young master’s sister?”
“You should say ‘miss’.”
“Yes. Miss, hello.”
A stranger calling her ‘miss’?
Chaewon instinctively looked at Sia next to her, but she also didn’t know.
“…Oppa?”
Looking at Seonghun demanding an explanation.
He frowned and said.
“That strange concept, shouldn’t you drop it?”
“Seonghun-ssi seems not knowledgeable about marketing.”
Yujin quickly dropped the cute tone and spoke in a cold tone.
“I’m confident this will help store sales. Maid cafe. Heard right?”
Seonghun said with an absurd expression.
“Hey… this is a noodle shop?”
Of course the most absurd was Seonghun’s sister Chaewon.
“Hey! Han Seonghun!! Who are these people!”
Her eyes were watery with tears.
She had run hard thinking of her real brother, but… not giggling with strange sisters?
Chaewon felt a mysterious emotion like something precious was stolen.