Korea's Strongest, Kang Sung-gi (8)
* * *
It was the last thing I expected to hear from Lisa's mouth.
A way to win the vote.
Obviously, the vote she meant was the one against Baek Seonghun for the leadership of Korea's S-rank hunters.
"What is it?"
"Kim Se-in."
"Huh?"
Her words left my mind blank.
Of course, I knew the name Kim Se-in.
But why...
I locked eyes with Kim Seol-bi, and the same exclamation escaped our lips at once.
"Ah~~"
"Ah~~"
The truth was, the other S-rank hunters had no idea.
That Korea's S-rank hunter count had grown beyond just me.
If we brought Kim Se-in into the fold—and added Kim Eun-bi, the S-rank hunter Lisa probably didn't know about and thus hadn't mentioned—then victory in the vote was inevitable.
"Somehow, it feels anticlimactic," Kim Seol-bi said with a laugh.
"Yeah."
Why hadn't we thought of such a simple solution?
Probably because we'd gotten too swept up in the atmosphere at the S-rank hunter meeting.
"Well, I thought of that too," Valentina said.
"Meet with her first."
"Eek!"
I flinched as I felt a hand slip slyly under my armpit from behind.
Long, dark fingers.
They belonged to Luiza.
She must have been somewhere else, out of sight.
As her fingers naturally reached for my nipple, I pushed her hand away.
"Meet with her?"
"Yeah. Winning the vote isn't the only thing that matters. It's good to know what that bastard's scheming too."
Valentina had a point.
Even if we dragged Kim Se-in and Kim Eun-bi to the vote right now and won, the conflict wouldn't end there.
Leaving loose ends would only breed future problems.
To gauge any potential issues Baek Seonghun might stir up, the next step was meeting Park Hye-na.
If she had indeed used the drugs he'd supplied, as expected... that could expose his connection to the South American soul sorcerer cartel.
I stroked Lisa's hair.
She looked up at me, her face quietly flushing—adorable.
Just knowing we had a surefire way to win the vote eased my mind considerably.
'Until I meet Park Hye-na...'
"Can you tell us more about those guys?"
I asked Valentina.
If someone knew the enemy well, it was best to gather intel first.
Kang A-jin seemed to have a decent grasp on Baek Seonghun's movements too, so that info would be useful.
I decided to do some homework before seeing Park Hye-na.
#
"Hello."
Park Hye-na looked slightly startled to see me show up at the restaurant.
"Oh? You came together?"
She must have thought it was just her and Kim Seol-bi.
"Yeah, since you seem close with Seol-bi, I figured it'd be good to get friendly too."
"Oh my~~"
Park Hye-na laughed and playfully swatted Kim Seol-bi's arm as she sat beside her.
"He's such a cool guy, this one~~"
Our table was by the window, well away from the others.
Still, I could feel distant stares flicking our way.
Three S-rank hunters together, after all.
Those who didn't know me would be wondering: Who the hell is that guy eating with S-rank hunters Kim Seol-bi and Park Hye-na?
Park Hye-na looked stunning in the restaurant light.
Definitely a different vibe from Kim Seol-bi.
If she weren't an S-rank hunter, she might come off a bit ordinary—but that gave her its own charm.
A friendly beauty always had her fans.
If I had to put it in words, Kim Seol-bi was like a mature little sister, while Park Hye-na felt like the girl next door.
Nothing about her suggested she'd struggled with drugs.
It would've been easier to believe if it were Seo Na-yeon.
We chatted casually over the meal.
Afterward, we moved to a private room for wine.
It was a relaxed spot with fun jokes flying, but of course, I hadn't come just to chat idly.
I was waiting for the right moment to steer the conversation, when Park Hye-na spoke first.
"That's why you wanted to meet today, right?"
Sharp as ever—she knew.
"It was because of me. The vote tied at 5-5. If I hadn't picked Baek Seonghun, you would've won, Sung-gi."
"......"
Kim Seol-bi and I didn't deny it.
"Curious why? Why I picked Baek Seonghun over your boyfriend."
Since she'd brought it up herself, no need for us to prod.
"Yeah."
Kim Seol-bi answered.
"Tell us why. What happened?"
Her tone was unusually firm—not her usual self—but that was the only way to get an answer from Park Hye-na.
Especially since it meant exposing her own shame.
"Hmm......"
Park Hye-na scratched the back of her head.
"I made a deal with Baek Seonghun. I need it... That's all I'll say. If I could've, I'd have picked you, Sung-gi—of course. Why would I vote for that scum?"
Everything lined up with the circumstances.
But brushing it off like this wouldn't cut it—the stakes were too high.
Kim Seol-bi worried for her, and I could tell she wasn't a bad person.
Good S-rank hunters were rare, from experience.
Kim Seol-bi grabbed Park Hye-na's arm.
Before she could say a word, she yanked up her sleeve.
"Oh my!"
A cross-shaped mark on Park Hye-na's arm.
Not a tattoo, not drawn on.
Definitely unusual.
And we knew what it meant.
From Valentina.
"Drugs, right?"
"What?"
Park Hye-na's eyes widened.
"W-what are you talking about? How's this related to drugs? It's just a bruise. An injury."
An S-rank hunter with a bruise? Absurd.
Even against an A-rank monster, their body wouldn't bruise.
And any that did would heal in a day.
She had the resources for top-tier items too.
"I know."
Kim Seol-bi sighed.
"That Baek Seonghun's tied to a South American drug cartel. He probably gave it to you to use you."
"No~ Baek Seonghun wasn't the first to give me this drug. He helped me get it later. It's rare..."
Park Hye-na confessed from her own mouth.
"You believe that? Idiot?"
Kim Seol-bi and I had heard from Valentina.
How they approached hunters.
Once they picked a target, they investigated everything about them.
Then developed a seamless delivery route.
Why wouldn't smart cartels do that much? Even without S-rank targets.
"No way... But even so, this..."
I pulled out my phone and played a video for her.
Grotesque. Shocking.
It was from Valentina's collection—gathered while clashing with the soul sorcerer cartel.
Showing how members with the same mark dragged people into nightmares.
Even hunters fell helplessly if targeted.
The drug was created by a soul sorcerer named Gabriel, pooling dozens with his power.
Irresistible even to S-rank hunters.
Addiction stripped your soul bare.
Valentina suspected Gabriel aimed to rule global underworlds through it.
And it wasn't impossible.
"No way..."
Park Hye-na's pupils shook as she watched.
All victims shared one trait: cross-shaped bruises.
Proof the drug had infiltrated body and mana beyond recovery.
The inverted cross tied to Gabriel's faith, his taste.
"How did you... get this..."
Tears streamed down Park Hye-na's cheeks.
It hit me how much she'd suffered mentally.
"Even Kang A-jin can only do so much. You gotta uproot it. Too late, and you'll be their plaything for good."
"Plaything..."
Silence fell.
Kim Seol-bi and I waited patiently.
You couldn't force this.
Finally, Park Hye-na spoke.
"What do I do?"
Her voice desperate.
"How can I survive?"
"Come with us."
Honestly, I wasn't sure either.
Valentina had saved her own disciples from addiction before.
But they weren't S-rank hunters.
This was uncharted territory.
We'd have to try.
* * *