No Free Lunches in This World (1)
The official hunter exam was over. The moment the interview ended, the pass or fail notifications arrived by text message.
Lee Min-ji let out a delighted squeal as she read her acceptance message, jumping up and down in excitement. Then her eyes landed on Kim Yeo-ul, who looked utterly crushed.
"Did you fail?"
"Then why… Oh."
Kim Yeo-ul had received the news that his younger sister's Awakening Disease couldn't be cured. Even though he'd passed the official hunter exam, he couldn't feel any joy at all.
Lee Min-ji hated the gloomy atmosphere so much that she desperately searched for something to say.
"Now that I think about it, where did Ahjussi go? He told us to wait for a bit. Don't tell me… he ditched us?"
Ring ring—!
"Speak of the devil. Ahjussi! Where are you? Come out to the main gate? With Yeo-ul too? Okay."
She practically dragged Kim Yeo-ul to the main gate, but Chae Mu-jin was nowhere to be seen. Then—
Beep!
At the sound of a car horn, they turned to see Chae Mu-jin waving from the driver's seat.
"Yeo-ul, get in the passenger seat."
Once the two of them were in the car, Chae Mu-jin spoke to Kim Yeo-ul, who sat with his head bowed low.
"Yeo-ul. Put your home address into the navigation."
"…Why our house?"
"I know a thing or two about Awakening Disease."
"……?"
"Just put it in."
Even in his depression, Kim Yeo-ul could tell. Chae Mu-jin was being considerate. The claim that he knew about Awakening Disease was obviously a lie—a flimsy excuse just to drive them home.
The Association President said it was impossible to treat. What good would it do for the manager to look at her?
Kim Yeo-ul hadn't only relied on official hunters. He'd scoured every possible method to cure Awakening Disease. He'd even tried things that were basically superstitions. But the more he tried, the worse her condition became. It had never once improved.
"It's pretty far… Are you sure it's okay?"
"Yeah. Even if it's in Busan, it's fine."
Despite his gloom, Chae Mu-jin's firm response made Kim Yeo-ul smile just a little.
Kim Yeo-ul's house was a full three hours away from the Seoul test site.
"Osan in Gyeonggi Province? Isn't this a Level 3 hazard zone?"
Lee Min-ji, who had seen the destination, leaned forward in surprise. The navigation even displayed a grim warning: Destination is a Level 3 hazard zone. Our company assumes no responsibility for any incidents that occur during travel.
"It's fine. People live here too."
Hazard zones were areas contaminated with mana where monsters appeared. But at Level 3, it wasn't direct mana contamination or monster spawning. The problems came from creatures migrating in from other areas.
On the way to Osan, Lee Min-ji chattered nonstop.
"Ahjussi, you're supposed to be some amazing person. Why are you driving a compact car?"
"Because I don't have money right now."
"Your music taste sucks. Play something recent."
"This is recent to me."
"Can't we stop at a rest area? I'm hungry."
"I'll cook when we get there, so just hold on."
After driving for about an hour, the back seat had gone quiet. When Chae Mu-jin checked the rearview mirror, Lee Min-ji was fast asleep with her mouth hanging open. Kim Yeo-ul had passed out the moment they started driving.
Ding.
A text arrived. He glanced at it. Unknown number. But he knew exactly who it was from the content alone.
Chae Mu-jin, I heard you failed? How pitiful. Should I talk to the Association President again? He might listen if I ask nicely.
Cheon I-hwa didn't know that Chae Mu-jin had deliberately chosen not to join the Hunter Association.
Why is this woman being so clingy when she was completely different in my previous life?
In his past life, Cheon I-hwa had been ice-cold toward him. She'd ignored him even when he tried to get close. But in this life, she was the one approaching him first. It was awkward.
Must be a whim.
She hated being ignored more than anything. So if he ignored her, she'd naturally drift away.
Chae Mu-jin blocked the number and focused on driving again.
—You have arrived at your destination.
At the navigation announcement, both Kim Yeo-ul and Lee Min-ji woke up. Lee Min-ji got out of the car and looked around.
"Ahjussi. Are you sure we're in the right place?"
It was the most rundown corner of a villa complex built with red bricks. The desolate sound of wind whistling through broken windows everywhere was eerie. Thick concrete barriers surrounded the entire area, covered in graffiti written in unknown languages. When something moved and they turned, it wasn't a person—it was a crow. It stared at them with an unnervingly human gaze.
"This is the right place…"
Kim Yeo-ul seemed used to it and didn't react at all.
"Thank you for driving us. The house is dirty, so you really don't have to come in…"
Chae Mu-jin couldn't be bothered to respond and simply stared at him.
"…Follow me."
Kim Yeo-ul surrendered in less than a second and led the two of them into the dilapidated villa. When they went down to the basement instead of upstairs, Lee Min-ji looked disgusted.
"Why do you live in the basement?"
Thump!
"Ow! Why'd you hit me! Hitting the head lowers intelligence!"
"Min-ji. It's obvious you've been spoiled rotten."
"No I'm not! I'm actually really nice… Wait, how much further down are we going, Yeo-ul?"
Yeo-ul's house wasn't on the first basement level. They had to go down one more floor to the second basement level.
"Just a moment."
He pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. Lee Min-ji found it fascinating.
"This is my first time seeing someone actually use a physical key."
"The electronic lock keeps breaking for some reason…"
Creak. The door opened. The inside was plastered with talismans.
"Oppa, you're back?"
The moment the door opened, a girl's thin, frail voice drifted out. Even someone who wasn't a doctor could tell at a glance. The girl's physical condition was extremely poor.
Shhh, shhh, shhh.
Kim Yeo-ul sprayed the disinfectant kept by the entrance all over himself. Then he looked at the other two.
"My sister's body is very weak… Would it be okay if you sprayed some too?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"I'm clean, so I don't need to."
Thump!
"Ow! Use your words! Use words!"
After finishing the disinfection, the two of them were finally able to enter Kim Yeo-ul's home. It was a studio apartment with a separate room. There was a small kitchen and bathroom right at the entrance, and one small room separated by a single door. Kim Yeo-ul opened the door first and spoke with his sister.
"Gyeo-ul. Nothing happened while I was gone, right? Who came? Yeah. People I met at the test site. They're really nice. They want to see you. Is that okay?"
"Yeah… I'm so happy. That Oppa made friends."
"Why, why are you crying? I passed the official hunter exam, so don't cry. We'll move to a better place, and we can go to the best hospital in the country."
"Thank you, thank you, Oppa…"
Lee Min-ji, who hated this kind of atmosphere, fidgeted uncomfortably. Chae Mu-jin felt the same way.
"Excuse me."
The moment he entered the room, the strong smell of medicine hit him. The girl lying in bed had an extremely pale and gaunt face. Chae Mu-jin knelt on one knee, gently pushing Kim Yeo-ul aside as he spoke.
"I'm Chae Mu-jin. What's your name, little miss?"
He'd already heard it, but he wanted to hear it from her directly.
"…Gyeo-ul."
"That's a pretty name. Can Uncle take a quick look at your body? I want to check how far the Awakening Disease has progressed. Is that okay?"
"……"
Kim Gyeo-ul stared into Chae Mu-jin's eyes for a brief moment before giving a faint smile.
"It's… okay."
"Excuse me."
The moment he carefully pulled back the blanket, Chae Mu-jin frowned deeply. Setting aside how painfully thin she was, her entire body was tinged purple. He didn't even need to examine her to know.
It's a miracle she's still alive. This can only be explained by this child's sheer willpower.
Kim Gyeo-ul's condition was the worst possible. Mana had already completely overtaken her body. In modern terms, it was like cancer had spread throughout her entire system. Yet the only reason she was still alive was one thing.
She's holding on with pure mental strength. So she doesn't make Yeo-ul sad.
Chae Mu-jin closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After reaching some kind of decision, he opened his eyes again.
"Min-ji. Take this card and go to the unmanned convenience store for a bit."
"You want me to walk around this creepy neighborhood alone?"
Thump!
"Aack!"
"I didn't see any monsters on the way here. Don't tell me you're scared?"
"I'm not scared! What should I buy?"
"Food. As much as you can carry."
"Are you sure? My hands are pretty big, you know?"
"You can bring the entire convenience store and I'll still accept it."
"Don't regret it later!"
After sending Min-ji out, he looked at Yeo-ul.
"Pay close attention."
"……?"
"Gyeo-ul will die if we don't treat her right now. The fact that she's survived this long is already a miracle."
"……!"
"And I can cure Gyeo-ul. Don't ask how it's possible. Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand."
"…What?"
"But this is something that puts my own life at risk too. Sorry for being so materialistic, but it'll cost an enormous amount of money."
"P-please do it. I'm begging you. I'll do anything, anything at all!"
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Yes. You can take everything I have."
"…Understood."
Chae Mu-jin looked at Gyeo-ul again. Since she had ears, she'd naturally heard the entire conversation and now wore a shocked expression.
"Gyeo-ul. As you heard, I can cure you. But I need your resolve."
"What kind of…"
"The resolve to live no matter what. Without that, both you and I will die."
"……"
Kim Gyeo-ul fell silent. It made sense. Until today, she had been planning to hold on just a little longer and then finally let go. She hadn't shown it to Kim Yeo-ul, but the pain was unbearable. There wasn't a single moment of the day when she wasn't in agony. She'd writhe in pain until she took painkillers and passed out, and when she woke up, she couldn't even tell if it was the same day or the next.
But she could endure that kind of pain. What she truly couldn't endure was the guilt.
She felt so sorry for her brother. It broke her heart to see Kim Yeo-ul throwing his life away just to save her. Yet every day he begged and prayed for her to hold on, saying he would cure her, so she had forced herself to endure.
But after long deliberation, she had realized something. That she needed to die for Kim Yeo-ul to be free.
She had decided to endure only until he returned from the official hunter exam. That's what had kept her going until now…
But now that she heard there was a chance she could live, her heart wavered.
No. Even if my Awakening Disease is miraculously cured… I'll only be a burden to Oppa anyway.
Her body was frail and her lower half was paralyzed. She'd have to live off her brother's money for the rest of her life. Like a leech. She didn't want to be a burden anymore. So it would be better to just die like this… The moment that thought crossed her mind, Chae Mu-jin spoke.
"Gyeo-ul. Have you ever made a snowman?"
"…No."
"After you're cured, you'll be able to make as many as you want. I promise."
"Really…?"
"Yeah. I've never lied in my life."
"……"
It was Kim Gyeo-ul's dream. Pure white, cold snow. Herself playing with clumps of that cold snow. Throwing snowballs at her brother, making snowmen together. She'd endured the pain by imagining those things.
At Chae Mu-jin's words that he would make that dream a reality, an overwhelming emotion surged up inside her.
"Please… save me."
"Hm? I didn't quite catch that."
When Chae Mu-jin playfully pretended not to hear, Kim Gyeo-ul gathered every last ounce of strength she had and shouted.
"Please save me! I want to live…!"
"Good girl. Now close your eyes slowly, okay? No matter what happens, you mustn't open them."
Chae Mu-jin didn't believe in fate. This was an opportunity. The fact that he happened to possess the key ingredients for curing Awakening Disease—the spiritual medicine and the top-grade magic stone—wasn't a coincidence. He'd obtained the spiritual medicine by earning the Association President's favor, and the top-grade magic stone by provoking Cheon I-hwa. The fact that he'd kept them safely stored instead of using them was his own choice.
It's good fortune for the two of you, and I get a solid justification.
In Lee Min-ji's case, he'd earned the right to take her skills under the pretext of defeating Bahamut. But with Kim Yeo-ul, he hadn't had any particular justification. Until now. The opportunity had finally arrived.
The right to take everything Kim Yeo-ul had in exchange for curing Kim Gyeo-ul. Of course, this wouldn't be a verbal contract. Before long, he'd make him sign a contract that bound his very soul. An unbreakable contract.
"Huu."
He took a deep breath. Not once, but two or three more times. Saying he could cure Awakening Disease was a lie. There was no cure for Awakening Disease. Instead, he could only guarantee that she would awaken as a hunter. But the part about risking his own life was completely true.
If I make even the slightest mistake, I'll die.
Even during the official hunter exam, even while witnessing Cheon Mu-jong's rage, Chae Mu-jin hadn't been nervous. But at this moment, he spoke with more seriousness than ever before.
"I'm starting."