12. 하드 카운터
12. Hard Counter
==========
[Hunter Gallery]
[General] Guys, I heard Chae Ju-ah is coming to Korea University—is that true?
Posted by:
There was that scandal at Korea University the other day, right?
So, like, some kind of safety training?
I heard Chae Ju-ah is doing something like that.
Is that true?
[Comments]
-(Molu Con)
N: What’s with this outdated Molu Con?
N: (A cosplay where the tank character says “I know”)
-Yeah, I have a friend at Korea University who said she’s coming.
-No way. Why would Chae Ju-ah go there?
N: Chae Ju-ah graduated from Korea University.
N: Seriously? What? Was Chae Ju-ah a good student?
N: It’s just her usual image—she’s actually pretty smart.
[General] I’m just a regular person—if I go to Korea University, can I see Chae Ju-ah?
Posted by: Mujibi Han Hunter Lover
(Image of a frog character running)
If I can see Chae Ju-ah, I’m bolting out there right now.
I’ve already changed my clothes and even put on my shoes.
So, what’s the deal? If I go now, can I see her?
[Comments]
- No way.
- I don’t think you’ll see her even if you go.
- It’s hard to see her unless you’re a student at Korea University.
- Do you think you’re the only one like this?
- You should go out more often.
N: What are you talking about? I go out all the time.
N: What a diligent young man.
[Compilation] Chae Ju-ah “Gate” Videos
Posted by: Chae Joo-ah’s Toothbrush
(Video of Chae Joo-ah drawing her sword from its sheath)
(Video of her single-handedly slicing through monsters)
(Video showcasing Chae Joo-ah’s ability where her sword glows)
(Photo of a Gate wiped out by Chae Joo-ah’s attack)
Whoa, this is seriously S-rank
Look at how the ground gets torn up with a single swing
This is romance, and this is what a hunter is all about
Honestly, among Korean hunters, Chae Joo-ah is my favorite
[Comments]
- It’s seriously romantic
- This is amazing no matter how many times I watch it, yeah
- Is she really the same kind of human as us?
Nope, lol. It’s like she’s a completely different species.
-Did you forget about our “Ride the Lightning” sis?
-Nah, it’s just a wheelchair.
-You’re getting senile at your age.
-Lolololol
-Seriously, why did that guy’s image get ruined?
==========
As always, I was perched on Ga-eun’s shoulder.
Ga-eun’s expression was subtly excited as she headed to the classroom she’d been notified about in advance.
[“Hmm, that’s surprising, isn’t it?”]
“Huh? Is there something surprising about it?”
[“No, I just thought you seemed a little excited.”]
It was different from the Ga-eun I was used to seeing.
The Ga-eun I knew—even if she were an S-rank hunter—would probably just say, “Oh, okay,” without showing much interest.
But seeing her looking a little excited like this now…
I guess you could say it felt like I’d discovered a new side of Ga-eun.
It was a slightly strange sensation.
“I guess that’s because she’s S-rank, right?”
[“True, she’s not exactly someone you see every day.”]
“It’s probably harder to spot her than most celebrities.”
[“Is it really that hard?”]
“All the popular hunters these days are like that.”
After all, strong, beautiful, and handsome Hunters enjoy popularity that surpasses that of ordinary celebrities.
In fact, these days, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that “Hunter = Celebrity.”
And Chae Joo-ah is an S-rank, at the very top of the Hunter hierarchy.
In fact, it would be strange if she weren’t popular.
So does that mean Ga-eun is just going to check her out because a celebrity is visiting the school?
“I guess so?”
[“What? So you’re not really interested in Chae Ju-ah?”]
“It’s hard to say that’s not the case.”
[“Huh? What kind of answer is that?”]
I unconsciously tilted my head at Ga-eun’s reply.
“Well, I’m a Hunter too, right? Of course I’m curious about an S-rank Hunter.”
[“What’s with that complicated, ambiguous answer?”]
“People are naturally complicated and ambiguous.”
[“Seriously, I’m speechless.”]
We were in the middle of that trivial conversation with Ga-eun.
I noticed someone running toward us from far off.
It wasn’t very clear because they were so far away, but…
For some reason, it felt really familiar.
“Ga-eun!!! Han Ga-eun!!!”
Ah, I remember now.
Hearing that voice brought it all back immediately.
The person coming toward us was none other than Kang Min-ah.
It was definitely her—the one who’d gotten caught up in the Gate with Ga-eun not long ago.
Kang Min-ah ran at an incredible speed and reached Ga-eun in no time.
Watching Min-ah come running toward us, I said,
[“Well then, my apprentice.”]
“Huh?”
[“Good luck. Just watching is exhausting enough for me.”]
That Min-ah was the polar opposite of an introvert.
In gaming terms, she was a hard counter through and through.
How am I supposed to beat her?
I might as well just run away or surrender.
Ga-eun and I were clearly introverts.
Just having Mina chatter away nearby was enough to wear us out.
And it was obvious at a glance that getting caught by Mina would be incredibly exhausting.
If we got caught, I could clearly picture a future where we’d be manipulated like puppets.
[“So, I’m just going to hide for a bit, okay?”]
With those words, I cast a spell on myself.
It was a stealth spell designed to make me invisible to others or to impair their perception of me.
It’s a spell typically used by thieves or assassins who need to remain hidden.
Right now, I needed that same stealth to hide from that ball of energy.
“Bapsae? Bapsae?”
[“Bapsae isn’t here.”]
So don’t call me.
From now on, I’m not here.
After that, Ga-eun called out to me a few more times, but I ignored her completely.
“Hey, Ga-eun. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Huh? Oh, really?”
“Yeah, we haven’t been able to meet since I got caught up in the Gate, right?”
“We’ve been texting all along, though.”
“Texting and this are two completely different things.”
Hmm, this massive amount of energy.
It was enough to make even me, just standing there watching, feel exhausted for no reason.
Wait, Kang Min-ah is clearly human—am I seeing her in the form of a dog?
I guess you could say she looks like a high-energy large dog pestering its owner to play.
The analogy was a bit off, but there was definitely no more accurate one than this.
“Anyway, Kang Min-ah, did you check that text?”
“Text? What text?”
“The one from the university telling you where to go.”
“Oh, I thought you meant something else. Of course I checked that.”
Min-ah held out her phone to Ga-eun, showing the screen with the university’s text message displayed.
“Here, take a look.”
“Hmm, yeah, you checked it well.”
“Oh come on, did you really think I wouldn’t check this? Don’t you think you’re underestimating me a bit?”
“Then why didn’t you check it before…?”
“Waaaaaah!! Stop, that’s enough.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
Mina looked embarrassed as she covered Ga-eun’s mouth with both hands.
“S-shall we talk about something else?”
With her mouth covered, Ga-eun nodded up and down in response.
It wasn’t until she heard Ga-eun’s reply that Mina released her hands from Ga-eun’s mouth.
“Haha. What am I supposed to do if you block my nose too?”
“Oh, did I? Sorry.”
“I really…”
“Hehehe, I guess you could say that was unavoidable?”
Ga-eun glared at Mina for a moment, but Mina just gave an embarrassed smile.
Just as they say, you can’t spit in someone’s face when they’re smiling.
Ga-eun could only sigh as she watched Mina like that.
“Ugh, let’s just get going already.”
“Yeah! Let’s go.”
“If only you’d just keep your mouth shut…”
Ga-eun shook her head and started walking.
====================
We arrived at the lecture hall later than expected, but fortunately, we weren’t too late.
Despite it being summer break, the lecture hall was packed with students.
Even though it was a huge auditorium, it was hard to find an empty seat.
Since there was still some time before the lecture started, Ga-eun and I were hanging out outside.
We sat down in a suitable spot where there weren’t many people around.
[“Wow, there sure are a lot of people.”]
“You’re right. I didn’t expect there to be this many either.”
[“I guess being an S-rank hunter is more impressive than I thought.”]
Calling students in like this during break.
This is really no easy feat, yet they’re pulling it off.
“I guess it’s because they’re S-Rank, right?”
[“True, they say there are only four of them in Korea.”]
“I guess you could say there’s a certain aura that comes with the title.”
[“That’s definitely true.”]
I nodded in agreement with Ga-eun’s words.
Anyway, an S-rank hunter…
[“Don’t you ever think about becoming an S-rank hunter yourself?”]
“I do think it would be nice if I could.”
[“Just think about it?”]
“What can I do? I don’t have the ability for it.”
Ga-eun spoke while looking at the sparrow perched on her shoulder.
[“Honestly, it seems like you’d have more than enough to make it.”]
“Huh? What did you say?”
[“That S-rank thing—it didn’t seem that hard.”]
From what I saw on YouTube, it was definitely strong, but that was all.
By the standards of this world, it wasn’t a particularly high level.
Except for a very small number of hunters, it was merely an upper-intermediate level.
“Really?”
[“I’m telling you it’s true.”]
“No. It’s not that I don’t believe you…”
[“If you’re going to say that, at least change your expression first.”]
I said this while staring intently at Ga-eun’s face.
It was just as the two of us were chatting casually.
“Oh, there’s someone here too?”
Neatly cropped blonde hair and distinctive red eyes.
And a cheerful tone and voice.
“Nice to meet you, junior. Feel free to call me ‘senior.’”
Chae Ju-ah, an S-rank Hunter, appeared from the other end of the hallway.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)