Chapter 87
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: No Way, Is That You?
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The elevator came to a stop, and the two stepped out.
Their hands were still clasped tightly together.
Ye-rin was heading not to the top floor, but to a temporary office a few floors below.
Of course, the child had no way of knowing where they were.
"The Master's original office is under remodeling right now, so he's using a temporary one."
The office was being completely gutted and rebuilt after the damage it had sustained.
Na-rin's power had turned out to be far stronger than expected, so this time they planned to make it even sturdier.
"If you'll wait just a moment, I'll fetch the Master for you."
"Okay."
Su-hyeon nodded, and the leaves sprouting from the top of her head rustled.
Ye-rin glanced absently at the fluttering leaves before asking,
"Do you have a favorite kind of cookie? Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like."
"Um... something sweet, is that okay?"
"How about chocolate ones?"
"Yeah, I like those."
Su-hyeon hesitated a bit but made her request clearly.
Seeing the leaves swaying atop her head, it seemed she really liked sweets.
"You'll have to brush your teeth extra thoroughly tonight."
"......Okay."
'That's not wrong, but the nuance feels a little off...'
Su-hyeon sighed inwardly.
The two passed by rooms that were sparsely occupied here and there until they reached their destination.
A bowl filled with various packaged cookies was placed in front of Su-hyeon as she sat down on the plush sofa, guided by Ye-rin's hand.
"The Master will be here shortly."
Tilt.
Su-hyeon hadn't seen her make any call.
Su-hyeon tilted her head in confusion for a moment before brushing it off.
Eh, she must have contacted him somehow.
"Feel free to look around at the items inside. But I recommend just looking with your eyes. Some of them are the Master's treasured possessions."
"Okay."
"Oh, and you can break the desk and anything nearby if you want."
"Huh?"
Regardless of Su-hyeon's puzzled reaction, Ye-rin was dead serious.
Ye-rin watched the child turn her gaze to the snack bags in front of her and thought,
'Should I ask her now?'
Su-hyeon had opened a small bag and was munching away happily.
Ye-rin gently pulled a strand of hair away from Su-hyeon's mouth before asking,
"Is your father doing well, by any chance?"
"Hm?"
Su-hyeon's munching mouth paused for a moment.
Her pudgy cheeks twitched a few times before she swallowed what was in her mouth with a gulp.
Then, as if pondering something, her eyes slowly rolled sideways.
The words that came out of Su-hyeon's mouth next were more than enough to fluster Ye-rin.
"......My dad's been gone since way back."
"Pardon...?"
'Why's she suddenly asking about my dad?'
Su-hyeon mulled it over for a second but soon shrugged it off.
Well, it could happen.
The secretary looked like she was in her mid-to-late twenties at most.
There was no way she'd known Dad from the Imperial Korea days, so she was probably just asking casually.
"He passed away before I was born, so I've never met him in person. Oh, but I have seen pictures."
But Ye-rin's face had long since stiffened.
'Oh no... what kind of mistake did I just make...'
What had she done to make a child say something like that?
Kim Ye-rin, 28-year-old A-rank Hunter.
This was her greatest crisis ever.
"I'm truly sorry. I was so thoughtless."
"It's fine, really. It doesn't bother me at all. Oh, could you bring some more snacks, maybe?"
To divert Ye-rin's apologetic attention as she bowed politely again, Su-hyeon asked for more snacks.
Absolutely not because she wanted more to eat, but to help ease the woman's guilt.
"Of course. Would you like a drink as well?"
"Whoa, sure."
Another heaping pile of snacks arrived.
Along with a peculiar glass bottle covered in foreign writing.
"Oh..."
Su-hyeon had wondered from the look of it, but it turned out to just be orange juice.
"The Master will be here soon, so I'll take my leave now."
"Okay, thank you."
With Ye-rin gone, Su-hyeon was left alone.
"...Why is this so delicious?"
Su-hyeon picked up one of the snacks from the bowl.
Pure black packaging with no writing on it.
It was clearly some expensive treat.
Su-hyeon peeled off the wrapper completely, popped the snack into her mouth, and began looking around the room.
The desk? Not particularly interesting.
Hup.
Su-hyeon hopped down from the sofa.
Her slowly scanning gaze came to rest on the wall.
She approached the spot that had been nagging at her earlier.
A bookshelf lined with old trophies and photos.
"As I thought..."
Among the many photos, a small frame caught her eye.
A first-year group shot with Jun-hyeok and herself standing side by side.
Most people would use a third-year high school photo if they were picking one.
"......"
And... one item that was especially out of place in this room.
A white, worn-out soccer jersey hanging on the wall.
Not an authentic Royal Madrid uniform, but a cheap knockoff.
Just the right material for pajamas.
And on the back, a ridiculous nickname was scrawled.
"This guy's loaded with cash, and he still has an internet fake like this."
Su-hyeon muttered to herself.
From behind her came a voice laced with utter disbelief.
"Kim... Su-hyeon...?"
Su-hyeon's eyes widened like saucers.
Whish—tap.
A large man's hand caught the falling soccer ball.
As the man gave it a slight bounce, it shot straight up vertically again.
The worn ball rose and fell perfectly vertical, without a millimeter of error.
He repeated the smooth catch over and over.
Jun-hyeok lay on his bed, deep in thought.
'...There's no way it's just someone who looks similar, right?'
Ever since returning from Mount Jiri, something had been bothering him, leading to a sudden realization after endless rumination.
The elder who had chewed him out relentlessly...
Was identical to Su-hyeon's grandmother, who had visited for career counseling at the start of the semester.
But nearly 15 years had passed since then—how could she not have aged a single day?
"An Awakener...? Nah."
Even he, an S-rank, was showing faint signs of aging.
If she were that powerful of a senior, he'd have data on her.
...Was it really just coincidence?
That the kid he thought was just a namesake...
Shared a grandmother with his friend...
And that mysterious green-haired woman and the long-eared one too.
"Haa, I wish she'd just tell me yes or no."
His head was spinning when—
Beep—
A very brief burst of white noise.
The distinctive sound that preceded an informatics Hunter using their ability.
Jun-hyeok rolled his eyes toward the phone on his nightstand nearby. No incoming call, yet Ye-rin's voice emanated from the receiver.
"Master, your friend's daughter has arrived. I picked her up from reception and am escorting her to the temporary office."
"What?"
The line cut off abruptly.
Since Jun-hyeok wasn't an informatics type, there was nothing he could do.
"My friend's daughter...? Who the heck is that?"
Jun-hyeok was baffled.
One of his classmates from two years ago had gotten married, but a newborn showing up at his door was ridiculous.
Impersonation?
But Ye-rin wouldn't fall for some amateur scam and send them to the office.
The unwritten rule was to direct anyone not close enough to a reception room instead.
Jun-hyeok sat up, intending to call for more details, but gave up.
'I'll find out when I go see for myself.'
It would clear his cluttered mind anyway.
He arrived at the temporary office quickly and quietly grasped the handle.
The doorknob turned silently.
Not knowing who it was, he planned to slip in without a sound.
If it was a scammer, he could seize the initiative—or get lucky and catch them off-guard.
As he opened the door, the glimpse of a back through the crack...
'Little Su-hyeon...?'
He had no idea what introduction she'd given for Ye-rin to misunderstand like that, but seeing that round little head from behind suddenly made him want to prank her.
Jun-hyeok slipped into the room soundlessly and was about to approach when he froze.
"This guy's loaded with cash, and he still has an internet fake like this."
'What'd she say?'
The faint mutter, like a distant memory.
That scolding tone.
It matched his friend's perfectly.
No, it couldn't be.
But just in case...?
"Kim... Su-hyeon...?"
The words slipped out unbidden.
Su-hyeon slowly turned around with a startled look on her face.
In that instant, Jun-hyeok realized his mistake.
'No, what was I thinking...'
Thankfully, if it was just a namesake, he could play it off.
That's what he thought—until then.
"J-Jun... hyeok."
"......"
It wasn't much of an exchange, but the meaning was clear enough.
"......For real?"
Jun-hyeok's head reeled as he asked again. Su-hyeon nodded vigorously.
Her big eyes brimmed with indescribable emotion.
"Hard to believe, I know... but it's me."
"Hooo... pfft."
"?"
But what could have been a touching reunion was ruined by Jun-hyeok's laughter.
"Pfft-haha-kkh! Eek-hee-hee-hee!"
"......???"
What the heck?
Su-hyeon's eyebrows shot up higher and higher.
Shouldn't this be a tearful, emotional reunion right now? Tears flowing, questions about what happened all these years?
Did this jerk have an itching belt strapped on or something? Why was he cracking up like a maniac?
Sensing Su-hyeon's mood souring, Jun-hyeok barely stifled his laughter and pointed at his friend's face.
"Huu! Su—no, dude, what's that on your mouth? Uhahaha!"
"Huh?"
As Su-hyeon looked around cluelessly for a reflection, Jun-hyeok grabbed a desk mirror from above and handed it over.
Su-hyeon hurriedly checked her mouth.
Her cute little lips were smeared with dark chocolate stains.
No way a touching reunion was possible like this.
"How much chocolate did you scarf down? Kkh-hahaha!"
"......"
"Agh! You maniac, this was dry-clean only!"
In any case, their touching reunion after 15 years ended in an embrace.