Chapter 148. Love and War
Chapter 148. Love and War
Every nation shared a single, common desire.
How exactly could they draw Song Hoon to their country?
Economic incentives?
The Unknown Hunter himself was the economy.
Every time he cleared a gate that had been deemed unclearable, the financial rewards alone reached astronomical figures.
Diplomatic pressure?
China had already attempted that and been crushed, and an entire region of Mexico had vanished from the map due to friction with the cartels.
'No resource we possess, no power we wield, means anything to this man.'
And so, they all arrived at the same singular conclusion: the honey trap.
Staged chance encounters on the street, fellow streamers—all of it had failed...
Yet, amid these circumstances, one slender, thread-thin ray of hope emerged.
'A meeting at a university... wouldn't that feel entirely natural?'
In truth, by outward appearances he seemed somewhat like a player, with a slightly roguish look.
And they weren't particularly concerned about potential fallout from a seduction attempt.
The prevailing thought was: 'Who could blame anyone if two people simply fell for each other?'
"He has a girlfriend at the moment, doesn't he?"
In response to someone's question, another person shrugged.
"They aren't married; it's only a relationship. He's young, wealthy, and a capable twenty-something. No matter how smitten he is with one woman right now... do you truly believe he'll be satisfied with just one?"
"..."
"If this were a military operation, the risk would be too great. But this is us targeting a person's heart. Even if we fail, our nation won't be attacked. And if we succeed? We can recruit him."
"Ahem..."
He recalled a line from a Korean drama he had seen recently.
"Falling in love isn't a crime, is it?"
Even the elites seated here were hardly the sort of men who dated only one woman.
"We have someone perfectly suited. She's pretty, has a great figure, and is highly capable."
He said it with a smirk.
She wasn't more beautiful than the one named Laila, but...
If he fell for her even once, he wouldn't be able to escape.
---
"Nice to meet you. I'm Rachel."
A smooth, polished voice.
Although a foreigner was speaking Korean, it didn't sound awkward in the slightest.
'So this person was another Unknown...'
Laila observed Rachel for a moment.
Then, an innocent smile lifted the corners of her own lips as she took the offered hand.
"I'm Laila. Nice to meet you."
Even during that brief instant when their palms touched, both were meticulously scrutinizing each other's expressions.
"Your hands are so soft... and your looks speak for themselves. Truly, you are the perfect match for Hunter Song Hoon."
Rachel spoke with a friendly smile.
It was completely unshaken, yet it was unmistakably the language of 'comparison' she had delivered.
But Laila was no ordinary woman either.
"Well... my Hoon doesn't 'match' with just 'anyone,' you see."
The words blended behind her smile—Hoon and anyone.
It sounded like a light jab, but those words were as precise as the tip of a blade.
'A woman like you could never match with him in the first place.'
Rachel caught that nuance, precisely.
Not only she, but any other woman would have felt it too.
Yet, she had no intention of backing down easily.
"Certainly... The Unknown Hunter, capable, powerful... He must be the most capable man on this Earth, wouldn't you say?"
She bowed her head slightly, then added with a smile in her eyes.
"Miss Laila, your boyfriend is so remarkable, it must be quite difficult to keep him reined in."
But Laila laughed softly, gently swirling her glass.
Her expression still held the innocent look of an angel, but a resolute ring echoed in her words.
"Is reining in necessary? We have absolutely no need for such things."
We don't need 'reining in.'
Could it be that a woman like you was trying to grab and shake a man?
'...'
"Ha, haha... I think so too. My ex-boyfriend was also head over heels for me without needing to be reined in. I never had that worry."
'Men latched onto me even when I didn't try at all.'
"Hmm... Then why did you break up?"
Rachel's smile trembled, almost imperceptibly.
A thin line of tension drew itself across her brow.
Laila was a high-level expert.
In fact, Rachel had even envisioned a scenario where the woman, unable to contain her anger, got her hair pulled out right then and there.
'Then Song Hoon's affection for this woman would have been instantly shredded...'
But on that front, Laila was not a woman to be swayed by such low-class emotions.
As if nothing had happened, Laila raised her glass.
"Well, you said you wanted to get close, right? I look forward to it."
Rachel also clinked her glass with a smile.
"Of course. Let's be friendly."
The sound of the glasses meeting was light and cheerful, but between them, invisible swords had quietly clashed and scraped past one another.
---
On one side, the quiet war between Laila and Rachel continued.
Two women who hid blades behind calm smiles.
However, just a few steps away, a completely different kind of offensive was unfolding.
"As expected, junior, you are remarkable."
"Right? To possess such power, yet live frugally while caring for the weak..."
As the atmosphere mellowed somewhat, the eldest graduate present carefully broached the subject.
"Instead of just this... how about we all have a drink together?"
As if they had been waiting for those words, the professors and graduates nearby lit up, on the verge of applauding.
'We drank the night away with the Unknown Hunter.'
With that single sentence, they would become the main characters of any social gathering.
But Song Hoon merely smiled and shook his head.
"Haha, I'm not really someone who enjoys drinking much... My apologies."
A brief silence.
Then, soon after,
"Hahaha! That's quite alright!"
"Let's definitely, definitely grab a drink together sometime when the chance arises!"
Leaving behind the deep disappointment veiled by a thin veneer of decorum, Song Hoon quietly excused himself.
The place he headed toward was where Laila was.
Around her were seated classmates and relatively young seniors.
"Seniors, I'm Song Hoon. Pleased to meet you."
Short and neat.
Yet his presence was weighty.
"Ah... Hunter, no, you're our junior."
The seniors' reactions weren't as enthusiastic as the older men's had been.
Their gazes felt slightly tense.
Perhaps it was because they hadn't all acquired as much worldly experience yet?
Just then,
An unfamiliar silhouette entered Song Hoon's field of vision.
As a foreigner, she stood out at a glance.
"Who...?"
At the words he had unconsciously let slip, she approached.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Rachel."
She slightly bowed her head and bent at the waist.
The motion was far from ordinary.
A dress with a low neckline, and curves subtly revealed through its opening.
"Uh... you really didn't have to bow so deeply..."
Unable to hide his bewilderment, Song Hoon stepped back slightly.
'Hehe... men were all the same.'
Rachel's movements were calculated without a single flaw.
She had to seduce him, but without giving off a cheap impression.
"Oh, I was taught... that this is polite in Korea."
The sight of her smiling with her eyes crinkled like crescent moons struck a chord in the hearts of the men around her.
"Hehe, Hunter Song Hoon, you are very kind, unlike the other hunters I've met."
"Hmm... is that so?"
'He'd fall for me the moment something decisive happens.'
'Hmph... this woman... she's a bit much.'
Rachel believed everything was already settled.
But Song Hoon was no ordinary man.
He was someone who had weathered the seductions of countless masked noble daughters.
'Anyone could see she's trying to seduce me...'
And unlike back then, he now had an owner.
"Ah, the hunter's glass is empty."
Whether she knew Song Hoon's thoughts or not, Rachel brought over a single new glass and placed it into Song Hoon's hand.
"...?"
"..."
---
Before long, the drinking party was filled with gentle laughter.
The seniors had tactfully vacated the area, leaving only the classmates at the table.
More precisely, the classmates and Rachel.
"Hoon, want to go somewhere for a second round? I'd like to have a few more drinks with you..."
"Me too...! When will I ever get to drink with the Unknown Hunter!"
The classmates, slightly tipsy from the alcohol.
More precisely, his juniors, raised their hands excitedly with smiles.
And since he was with Laila, he had no reason to refuse.
"Sure. Round two's on me, so let's all go."
The venue for round two was an upscale restaurant near the university.
The kind of place that seemed suitable for a professors' dinner gathering.
A few people stepped outside to smoke, and a few others slumped their heads onto the table and began to doze off.
"...Hmm, Hoon..."
Without reservation, the Demon God Laila was already resting her head on my shoulder, her eyes half-closed.
"Hm?"
"Hehe, because I'm happy..."
The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and her cheeks were flushed pink.
I carefully adjusted her posture and rose from my seat.
"I'll, uh, just use the restroom for a moment..."
I took care of business, washed my hands, glanced once at the mirror...
"Since I didn't detoxify, my face is red too... Guess it's about time to head out."
I dusted off my hands and pushed the door open to step out.
Just then, I spotted a silhouette leaning against the grey wall.
"...?"
"Haa... dizzy..."
It was Rachel.
She was leaning her shoulder against the wall, her breathing somewhat ragged.
She staggered closer, her eyes hazy with what might be intoxication.
"I'll get a taxi outsi..."
— Thud.
"...???"
As if she had stumbled, she closed the distance and in an instant fell into me, leaning against my chest.
I had no time to block her.
I just threw my hands up as high as I could to avoid touching her as much as possible.
"...Excuse me?"
"Hehe... I'm sorry... I'm too drunk..."
Her tone held a strangely excited, teasing lilt.
But I found this situation neither pleasant nor funny.
"You're drunk?"
"Pff... yes, I think I drank too much... hehe..."
"Why did you get drunk?"
I couldn't believe she was drunk.
And for good reason—she was a hunter.
I didn't know why she was hiding the fact that she was a hunter, but Rachel had clearly been detoxifying with mana bit by bit during the drinks.
"Rachel, I clearly saw you at the drinking party..."
"Hoon...?"
"Huh?"
A voice so cold it sent chills down my spine.
When I turned my head, goosebumps prickled along my backbone.
Laila, her eyes completely glazed over, was staring this way.