I Will Not Give Affection
Cheon I-hwa. Slender frame, perfect proportions, and a face so flawless you half-suspected she was a robot. On top of that, her talent as a hunter was on another level. Everyone agreed she was the future S-rank.
The bell bracelets on both her wrists looked like they would chime at the slightest movement, yet those bells never made a sound—no matter how she ran or fought.
Clear Mirror, Still Water. So she was already training in that S-rank mental technique from this early.
I’d deliberately avoided eye contact, yet here she was, walking straight toward me.
“This isn’t something to discuss in front of others. Would you follow me?”
She smiled, polite and radiant. Who could refuse that beautiful smile and gentle courtesy? Me. That’s who.
In the first test, Kim Yeo-ul—who had scored a miserable two points—was quietly packing his bag. The atmosphere around him screamed that he was about to drop out. If I didn’t grab him now, I’d lose him for good.
“Sorry, but I’m busy right now.”
“Then please follow… Huh?”
I slipped away before her fans could close their encirclement. Kim Ji-woo, who had tailed me, immediately started yapping at my side.
“Hyung-nim, hold on. You do know who that is, right? That’s Cheon I-hwa! The disciple of the Great First Sword!”
“I know.”
Shut up, you idiot. I probably knew Cheon I-hwa better than her own parents. Better than she knew herself.
“It looked like she was inviting you to her party. Why turn her down? Join her and you pass the exam for sure.”
Answering felt like too much effort, so I ignored him and kept walking. Then—
Jingle.
The clear sound of bells. In the next instant, Cheon I-hwa was standing in my path.
“If you’re busy, I’ll say it here. Please join our party. Your friend too.”
Just as Kim Ji-woo had guessed, she was offering a party invitation—and generously including even him.
“I’ll pass.”
My party was already set, and I had zero intention of squeezing Cheon I-hwa into it.
Her followers immediately frothed at the mouth, hurling insults. Is he crazy? Who the hell does he think he is? I ignored every word.
“Hyung-nim! What’s the problem here?”
“I just don’t like it. If you’ve got an issue, feel free to leave my party.”
“Ha… It’s not that I have an issue, but… fine, I understand.”
After the string of rejections, Cheon I-hwa stood frozen, visibly shaken. In her place, the damn reporters and newtubers shoved their microphones in my face.
“Examinee Chae Mu-jin, why did you reject Cheon I-hwa’s party offer?”
“Do you believe your abilities are superior to hers?”
“Is this some kind of gender discrimination?”
Unlike Cheon I-hwa, who had given up after two tries, these parasites refused to let go.
“My friend here will answer all your questions.”
I tossed Kim Ji-woo to the leeches like a piece of meat and made my escape. But the real leech turned out to be Kim Ji-woo himself. He shook off the reporters in seconds and reappeared at my side, muttering.
“Teaming up with Cheon I-hwa would’ve been a free pass…”
If I could, I would’ve told him the truth.
How the hell do you party with your ex-wife?
In my previous life we had gotten married. The marriage lasted two years before we divorced. It wasn’t out of love—it was closer to coercion—but I had still done everything I could to make it work.
Those were the hardest two years of my life.
We were married, yet we never once shared a bed. That pretty much summed up our relationship.
Still, I didn’t hold any real grudge against her. She had been forced into it too.
Regardless, I had no desire to keep someone who disliked me close. What did I possibly stand to gain?
“By the way, Hyung-nim, where are we going now?”
“To find party members.”
“After turning down even Cheon I-hwa, I’m curious who you’ll pick instead.”
I ignored his habitual sarcasm and stopped in front of Kim Yeo-ul.
“Excuse me.”
Kim Yeo-ul, busy packing his bag, didn’t even glance up. It wasn’t deliberate rudeness—he simply didn’t think someone like me would be speaking to him. After all, why would a super rookie who scored ten points—where even Cheon I-hwa only managed nine—bother talking to a two-point mage?
“Kim Yeo-ul. Let’s talk.”
“M-me?”
“Yes. You.”
“Did I… make some kind of mistake…?”
“Not yet.”
“Um… I don’t really understand what you mean.”
“To put it simply—would you join my party?”
I threw the pitch straight down the middle. The people watching were stunned. He had turned down Cheon I-hwa with her nine points, yet here he was recruiting a mage who had only scored two?
“Ah… No, it’s fine. I’m planning to drop out anyway… Good luck.”
My eyes flew wide open. It felt like a massive boulder had slammed into my chest. The exact feeling of having someone you assumed would accept suddenly refuse.
Now that I was in the same position Cheon I-hwa had been in, I watched Kim Yeo-ul’s retreating back and spun my brain into overdrive—
“Wait!”
I ran after him and caught his arm.
“The party…”
“It’s not about the party.”
I couldn’t afford to lose Kim Yeo-ul, so I decided to use knowledge from the future.
“I’m here to recommend you join a hunter management agency.”
* * *
“Hunter… management agency? Is that like a guild?”
Kim Yeo-ul asked, eyes bright with curiosity. Of course it was new to him. The concept wouldn’t exist for another five years.
“Not a guild. If I had to compare it to something, it’s similar to an entertainment agency for celebrities. Just as agencies advise and manage entertainers, a hunter management agency consults and supports hunters.”
“Oh…?”
“For mages, I’ll teach you how to shorten casting times and which spells to use in which situations. We’ll also handle dungeon research, equipment setup, taxes, and legal headaches so you can focus purely on hunting.”
“That… sounds incredibly convenient.”
The system was so flawless that even timid Kim Yeo-ul had to admit it.
“Kim Yeo-ul. If you join our hunter management agency now, I guarantee you’ll pass the official hunter exam.”
“G-guarantee passing? Really?”
“Of course it’s not free. All future earnings from your hunter activities will be split seven to three. Seven for you, three for the company.”
“Seven to three…”
“Do you think the company is taking too much? Not at all. If you suffer a fatal injury, we’ll use every resource to bring you back. If you make an enemy, that enemy becomes the company’s enemy too.”
“No, it’s not about the ratio. I just don’t think someone like me qualifies for such an amazing agency…”
I shook my head firmly and placed a hand on his shoulder, applying just enough subtle pressure.
“Kim Yeo-ul. Look into my eyes. Do these look like the eyes of a liar? You have the potential to become an S-rank hunter. You more than qualify—you overflow with it.”
“M-me? An S-rank?”
“Yes!”
Look at my eyes, Kim Yeo-ul. Do these clear, sparkling eyes look like they’re lying?
Even though he would become a villain, he really would reach S-rank. The number of A-rank hunters who died at his hands exceeded a hundred.
I still can’t understand how someone this gentle ended up becoming the Murder Association President.
He definitely had a jade mat at home. Probably a dozen different insurance policies too. And that thing on his wrist was surely a germanium bracelet.
“There’s no joining fee. We don’t even need to sign the contract today—we can wait until after you pass the official hunter exam. If at any point you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
The perfect offer that gave me nothing but upside. Even though I was the one making it, it almost felt too good.
Was I too eager? I sound like a damn cult recruiter.
Kim Yeo-ul might be timid, but he wasn’t stupid. He clearly sensed how suspicious the proposal was. But I had scored ten points in the first test—as a supporter, the weakest possible class. Would someone impressive enough to score a perfect ten—something even Cheon I-hwa couldn’t do—bother lying to an insignificant mage like him? Deliberately?
“Then… I’ll do it. The party.”
“Welcome aboard, Kim Yeo-ul.”
“But how did you know my name…?”
“I heard the supervisor say it earlier. I’m Chae Mu-jin. You can just call me Manager.”
Confidence sells any lie. Kim Yeo-ul nodded, looking convinced.
“Rest for now. We can talk business later.”
After exchanging numbers with the exhausted-looking Kim Yeo-ul, I finally let out a breath. It had been an on-the-spot improvisation, but bringing up the management company was a solid move. Blurting out I’ll raise you to S-rank would have been way too suspicious. But hunter management agency sounded legitimate. It had legal grounding.
The structure that forces him to rely on me is perfect, too.
Hunter management agencies didn’t exist in this era yet, so there was no competition.
“Hyung-nim, hunter management? Never heard of it, but it sounds amazing. Can I join too?”
“You just focus on being the meat shield.”
“I got six points in the first test, you know?”
“Points don’t matter. What matters is potential. You don’t have any.”
After grabbing lunch, I ran into Kim Yeo-ul again at the perfect time and we headed over together.
―We will now begin the briefing for the second test. All examinees, please gather at Area 7 by six thirty.
Following the announcement, we arrived at the designated zone. A massive gate stood there, imposingly large.
“Isn’t that a dungeon gate?”
“It is, but it’s a privatized dungeon so it’s safe. No monsters will break out or anything.”
“I see…”
“The second test requires you to enter the dungeon and collect tokens. The monsters inside are goblins. Have you ever hunted goblins before?”
“N-no.”
“People tend to dismiss goblins as the weakest monsters alongside slimes, but that’s a huge mistake. They’re small, but they’re clever and use basic tactics. Their level range is only ten to twenty, yet even level-fifty hunters die in droves if they let their guard down.”
When I received no reply, I glanced sideways. Kim Yeo-ul was staring at me with sparkling eyes.
“Manager-nim, have you been a hunter for a long time?”
I almost said ten years out of habit and quickly corrected myself.
“I only awakened a year ago. I just studied a lot online.”
Right then, the supervisor stepped onto the platform and picked up the microphone.
―We will now begin the briefing for the second test. I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.
The supervisor launched into a long-winded explanation, but it boiled down to exactly what I had told Kim Yeo-ul. Enter the dungeon, collect passing tokens, and exit. One point per token, maximum ten. Time limit: six hours.
That part was normal. What came next was the real problem.
―Starting this year, there will be no safety officers. If you find yourself in danger inside the dungeon, no one will help you. If you lack confidence in your abilities, please withdraw from the test here and now.
The briefing ends here. The test will begin at seven p.m. sharp, in fifteen minutes.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. No safety officers when they were sending people against goblins? No one had imagined they might actually die during the exam, so the unrest refused to die down.
“Manager-nim… What do we do? I-I’m scared. I don’t think I can do this.”
As expected, the timid Kim Yeo-ul looked like he was about to cry. I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeo-ul. What was the content of the second test? Were we told to fight goblins?”
“N-no. It was to find the tokens and come back out…”
“Exactly. You don’t need to fight the goblins. Just find the tokens and leave. That’s all it takes.”
“Ah…!”
“Of course you might run into them. But you don’t have to fight. You can just run away.”
This wasn’t just empty reassurance. It was literally the test’s intention—to evaluate not only combat ability but judgment as well.
“Just trust me and follow my lead, Yeo-ul. If you do exactly as I say—”
I deliberately paused. Kim Yeo-ul stared at my mouth, dying of curiosity.
“We can both walk out with ten points.”
“……!”
Even though we had only known each other for two hours, Kim Yeo-ul had no choice but to believe me. The aura of a ten-year veteran who had personally raised multiple A-ranks was simply that overwhelming.
“I’ll do it!”
Watching Kim Yeo-ul answer with renewed vigor, I smiled for a brief second before my expression hardened.
Get a grip, Mu-jin. Are you really about to make the same mistake as last time? Do not give him affection. Ever.
Raising Kim Yeo-ul was only so I could devour him later. No one grows attached to livestock. He was going to be sold off eventually.
I would feed him, house him, protect him—but only because he was an asset. Therefore, no matter what—
I will not give affection.