Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Han Ye-rim (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days had passed since that awkward encounter with Han Ye-rim. I headed out to the nearby mart for groceries with Lee Ji-ah.
"Ah, right! Hyun-woo."
Lee Ji-ah called out to me in front of the butcher shop. I naturally came to a stop while pushing the cart.
"Do we have any meat left in our fridge?"
"It's been a while since we ate any... Probably not?"
"Then let's have some meat after a long time, just the two of us."
With that, Lee Ji-ah swept a bunch of meat from the display into the cart. A tower formed in an instant.
"Ahaha..."
How on earth are we supposed to eat all this? I gave an awkward laugh and pushed the cart along.
Lee Ji-ah walked ahead with light steps.
That was when I was struggling to keep up with her.
"Uh, Kim Hyun-woo?"
Some guy approached with the friendliest smile in the world.
I'd never seen his face before.
"Who...?"
Unsure how he knew me, I trailed off cautiously. The man pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it over.
"I'm Baek Seung-hyun."
The crisp card bore the name of a guild along with the man's position.
A scout from Baekil Guild. No way a scout was here for me, an non-hunter.
I glanced back to see Lee Ji-ah had sidled up beside me at some point, staring quietly at the card in my hand. I passed it to her.
"Looks like you're the client here, not me?"
"...Me? A guild scout?"
"Yeah."
Lee Ji-ah gave an awkward curl of her lips before handing the card back to the man.
"I still have no plans to join a guild."
"Hunter Lee Ji-ah! Please, just talk to us once!"
Lee Ji-ah grabbed my wrist.
"Hyun-woo, let's go."
"Hold on a sec."
"...?"
"If you're uncomfortable, Ji-ah, I'll talk to him. Don't go far—just shop around nearby."
"Huh?"
I took the man's card back. He wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
"No problem. I wanted to hear him out anyway. People are staring, so let's wrap it up around here."
"Ah, alright then..."
The conversation went pretty much as I'd expected.
Lee Ji-ah was an S-rank hunter. She was affiliated with the massive Hwasin Guild. The original Lee Ji-ah had been an untouchable dinosaur, something no one would even dream of approaching.
But the hearing broadcast had exposed her falling out with the Hwasin Guild Master.
Anyone with a brain would have figured it out.
The guild master had openly revealed Lee Ji-ah's weaknesses during the hearing, clearly trying to get rid of her by any means.
The guilds watching the hearing were convinced.
The rumors of Lee Ji-ah leaving her guild were true. Korea's top-tier hunter had suddenly hit the free agent market.
It must have made their mouths water.
Whether they had a shot or not, guilds like the one that sent this guy were probably just testing the waters.
"If you join our guild..."
The man started talking about the contract. I cut him off midway.
"Ah, we're good there for now. I'll think it over and give you a call later at the number you gave."
"...Yes, sir!"
He withdrew, masking his dissatisfaction at the vague promise. Lee Ji-ah, adding wine to the cart, asked,
"Conversation over? What'd he say?"
"They'll match any conditions, so please join the guild."
"Ah."
Lee Ji-ah mumbled awkwardly and silently pushed the cart. She clearly found the whole exchange uncomfortable.
In truth, I'd brought up the idea of her resuming hunter activities several times.
Each time, she'd react with the same reluctance she showed now. It was all because of the Abyss raid party.
It had driven the already mentally fragile Lee Ji-ah to the point of extreme choices.
Those memories were holding her back from entering dungeons.
Tough nut to crack.
Could Peace of Mind even erase trauma?
Seeing how reluctant she was, it weakened my resolve; it was hard to push her.
We finished shopping at the mart and headed outside.
We were loading the bags into the car to head home.
"We've arrived."
I was opening the trunk and grabbing armfuls of bags.
Sensing a presence, I turned to see some guy clearing his throat and eyeing me.
"Kim Hyun-woo?"
"Yes?"
"Sorry to drop by unannounced. I'm the kind of person who..."
He thrust out a business card.
No need to check—it was another guild rep.
I felt Lee Ji-ah clutching the back of my collar tightly from behind.
I brushed past him, cutting off his words.
"Sorry. Still no guild plans."
"Please, just hear me out!"
"Ah, enough already."
As I shook off the pleading guy clinging to me, another approached from afar.
"I'm..."
"No."
Another one came.
"Lee Ji-ah Hunter!"
"I'm her manager, so talk to me instead!"
Another...
"Kim Hyun-woo!"
"I said no!"
Damn, this wasn't some fan meet-and-greet. Why were there so many swarming like this?
Every few steps, scouts tried shoving business cards at me, making my feet feel heavy.
I barely shoved through them and made it home.
Lee Ji-ah asked worriedly,
"Hyun-woo, you okay?"
"People are way too persistent. You?"
"Me? Well..."
Right. An S-rank would be fine.
I sat on the floor catching my breath when Han Yoo-jung poked her head in, scratching her messy hair. She shook her head at my fatigued face.
"They're still outside?"
"Who?"
"Suit guys."
"Scouts? How'd you know?"
"I went to the convenience store, and they asked if you live here while handing me cards."
Han Yoo-jung pointed to the shoe rack. It was piled high with business cards.
They gave them to her too? Fine for me or Ji-ah as associates, but to a civilian?
Annoyed, I swept the cards into the trash.
"Throw them out. Why'd you take them? Ignore them from now on."
"Thought they might come in handy."
"Handy how?"
"Don't we need to join a guild soon?"
Han Yoo-jung rummaged through a bag, pulled out ice cream, and crunched into it. I glanced at Lee Ji-ah and replied carefully.
"Why would we join a guild?"
"We're broke."
"Who is?"
"Auntie."
I chuckled and stood up.
An S-rank hunter broke? Yeah, right.
But Lee Ji-ah's reaction was off.
Her awkward smile froze as sweat poured down her face.
"Ji-ah...?"
Her odd demeanor made me trail off, and she hurriedly explained.
"After the Abyss raid failed, I couldn't recover my personal investments..."
"...?"
"Spent on law firms for the hearing prep, training grounds, equipment—house maintenance isn't cheap..."
"......"
"But living expenses are fine!"
Han Yoo-jung cut into Lee Ji-ah's excuses.
"That's not the point. What about Uncle's salary?"
"Huh?"
"You were paying him a ton. Wasn't it a 10-year contract? After living expenses, can you sustain it?"
"...!"
True, real rich people don't even know how much is in their accounts.
Seeing Lee Ji-ah frantically check her balance, it rang true.
Her eyes rolled upward as she saw the number.
"This is bad..."
"Ji-ah?"
Suddenly, she crouched and scooped up the cards I'd just trashed.
Panicking, I grabbed her shoulders and shook.
"Ji-ah? What are you doing?"
"Just a sec, Hyun-woo. Let me grab these cards first..."
"Ji-ah!"
"...We have no money."
"What?"
"No money to pay you."
Was it that bad? I asked,
"How much do we have?"
"...Two years, tops."
Han Yoo-jung munched her ice cream and added,
"Can't pay salary, contract's void."
Lee Ji-ah paled. I shot Han Yoo-jung a glare before patting Lee Ji-ah's back.
"Two years is plenty of time."
"......"
"If salary's late, I'll get it later."
I'm already overpaid for my abilities.
No desire to nickel-and-dime the contract out of greed.
An S-rank like her is blue-chip; I'll get paid for sure.
"We have time, so fix the trauma first, then ease into it... Ji-ah?"
"No, it won't work."
"Huh?"
Our eyes met.
Her trembling pupils scanned me thoroughly.
The obsessive feelings she'd wrapped around me before clearly resurfaced in her gaze.
"Hyun-woo, I'll do it."