Chapter 9
Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Dinner
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After leaving the Exchange, Wang-sik headed to a hospital on the outskirts of Seoul.
Seomyeong Convalescent Hospital.
Entering the hospital, Wang-sik greeted some familiar nurses and made his way to the special ward.
It was an area that required an access card, but the guard at the entrance recognized Wang-sik and immediately opened the door for him.
Unlike other parts of the hospital, the special ward was frequently patrolled by male nurses of sturdy build.
“Aargh!”
A scream echoed from somewhere, and the male nurses moved with quick steps while a female nurse prepared a syringe.
—Psychiatric Ward.
Reading the sign, Wang-sik headed toward a familiar room.
It was the same room the male nurses had just rushed into.
A girl in her late teens, dressed in a patient’s gown, was tearing at her hair and screaming as two men held her arms.
A female nurse was preparing a sedative, and next to her stood a young man in his twenties with a look of anguish on his face.
Wang-sik passed through the open door and entered the room.
“I’ll take it from here.”
Wang-sik stopped the female nurse who was about to administer the sedative and embraced the screaming patient.
“Don’t! Aaargh! Let me go!”
Holding her in his arms, Wang-sik said softly.
“It’s okay. No one can hurt you now.”
“Th-the demon will come. It’ll tear me to pieces.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here protecting you. You remember, don’t you? You held my hand all the way here.”
“The demon…”
Wang-sik didn’t give up and continued to soothe her.
“I’ll protect you. I’m a little busy protecting the Earth, but if A-yeong needs me, I’ll come running anytime. So don’t be scared.”
Whether his efforts worked or not, the screaming stopped, and her breathing steadied.
After a while, the girl’s eyes slowly closed, and Wang-sik waited until she was sound asleep.
He gently carried her to the bed and tucked her in before finally leaving the room.
The nurses bowed and returned to their posts, while the young man in his twenties bowed his head to Wang-sik.
“Thank you.”
“Dong-jin.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Are you doing okay?”
“Don’t worry about me. Compared to before, this is like heaven.”
The forced smile looked even more painful to Wang-sik.
“Right. I know you’ll do well.”
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you. I thought I was going to live in hell for the rest of my life and die miserably.”
“If you’re grateful, then live with a smile on your face.”
At Wang-sik’s words, Dong-jin’s smile widened. It finally looked genuine.
“There. Just like that.”
“A-yeong has been smiling a lot lately, too. Her seizures have gotten much better.”
“That’s a relief. I’m envious. That you have family.”
Wang-sik patted Dong-jin’s shoulder and stood up.
As he was heading for the exit to leave the hospital, Wang-sik received a call from Kang Il-seop, the Bureau Director of the Hunter Management Bureau.
“What’s going on? I was just about to head over anyway.”
Kang Il-seop’s voice was much more frantic than usual.
—You have to get Min Ha-na!
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
—I’m asking you to recruit Min Ha-na into the Hunter Management Bureau!
“I don’t know the circumstances, but this doesn’t seem like my job.”
—Just help me out!
“I think I’ve saved you about a hundred times by now. At this rate, I could probably start my own religion.”
—Since you’ve saved me so many times, what’s one more?!
“First, tell me what’s going on.”
—Min Ha-na has left the Black River Guild. Not just guilds in our country, but international ones are all jumping into a recruitment war. But do you know where she went first?
“Unless she’s an idiot, it wouldn’t be the Hunter Management Bureau…”
—What’s that supposed to mean! Are you calling Min Ha-na an idiot!
“So she did go to the Bureau first. But why do I have to be the one to do this?”
—She asked about you. She seems very interested in you.
“Ah. That’s probably because she wants to return the cloak.”
—If that were the case, she would have just left it there. But she took it with her, saying she’d deliver it to you personally.
This was unexpected, even for Wang-sik, and it made him pause for a moment.
‘Min Ha-na is someone the Hunter Management Bureau would stake everything on.’
Min Ha-na was worth the risk. Talent acquisition was the Bureau’s greatest challenge, and Min Ha-na was not only skilled but also a popular star who could attract other hunters.
For the Bureau Director, she was a card he couldn’t afford to lose.
“Hmm.”
As Wang-sik seemed to be contemplating, Kang Il-seop’s voice grew more forceful.
—Think about it carefully. It’s Min Ha-na. Min Ha-na. Men are lining up just for a chance to talk to her. And that same Min Ha-na is interested in you. So…
“I’m sorry. Min Ha-na’s not my type.”
—Wh-what did you say! How could you possibly?
“That’s just my preference…”
—Why are you trailing off? What is it?
“Why is Min Ha-na standing in front of me?”
—I told her where you were! Why do you think I’m calling you in such a hurry?
Bae Wang-sik let out a sigh.
“There seem to be two problems here. First, how did you know I was here, and second, for someone calling in a hurry, aren’t you a little too late?”
—Tracking our agents’ locations is standard procedure, and as for the second point, well…
“I’m hanging up.”
Wang-sik ended the call and looked at Min Ha-na, who was standing in the hospital parking lot.
Her beauty was so striking that she could turn a mundane parking lot into what looked like a prepared stage.
The distance between them was just over ten meters.
A skilled hunter would have undoubtedly heard their entire conversation.
“Well, it’s the truth.”
Wang-sik didn’t pay it much mind and walked over to Min Ha-na.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Yes. I wanted to thank you properly.”
Min Ha-na, her red hair tied in a ponytail, bowed deeply. It was a polite gesture, contrary to her reputation for being hot-tempered and aggressive.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Your gratitude is gratefully accepted.”
“I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’m glad you accepted. I was afraid you’d refuse, since I’m not your type.”
“So you heard.”
“Yes.”
“And you took it to heart.”
“Yes.”
“Should I apologize?”
“No. You said it was the truth.”
“You took that to heart, too.”
“Yes.”
Instead of continuing the conversation, Wang-sik turned his body.
“Let’s go. To eat.”
“I’ll drive.”
Min Ha-na led Wang-sik to her car.
They were in a high-end restaurant where the night view of Seoul was visible through a 45th-floor glass wall.
In a private room, so exclusive that one couldn’t even make a reservation without being someone special, beautiful dishes that could pass for sculptures were laid out.
“I went to the Bureau to thank you. I tried visiting about three times but was told I couldn’t see you, so I ended up looking into a few things without meaning to. I apologize.”
“Did you find out enough to warrant an apology?”
“The missing person case from ten years ago. The mysterious man who returned from a Gate three years ago. That’s as far as I got.”
Instead of answering, Wang-sik simply nodded.
“So it was true. I was just guessing.”
“The Director keeps that information tightly under wraps. You did well to find out.”
“I didn’t ask the Director; I asked some reporters. One of them mentioned suspicions about the disappearance ten years ago and the return three years ago. I just confirmed it now.”
“In any case, you’re right. But please, stop the background checks there.”
“Yes. I apologize once again.”
Wang-sik glanced at the apologizing Min Ha-na.
It wasn’t a formal apology; her expression and demeanor were sincere.
“I guess you can’t trust rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Goddess of Destruction, Empress of Curses… I also heard you have the nickname ‘The Pretty Hooligan’?”
Min Ha-na’s hand, which was lifting a glass of water, froze.
“The water is boiling.”
It was supposed to be cold water, but the water in her glass was boiling as if it were in a kettle.
“It’s nothing. You’re my benefactor, after all.”
She set the glass down and smiled. Anyone could tell it was a forced smile.
Wang-sik accepted the smile and changed the subject.
“The food is delicious.”
After that, they focused on their meal in silence for a long time. When the meal ended and coffee and dessert were served, Min Ha-na asked.
“You haven’t mentioned me joining the Hunter Management Bureau. I thought you were asked to.”
“You heard that too.”
“The Director’s voice is quite loud, isn’t it?”
“Next time I see the Director, please tell him I did my best.”
“Is that excuse the only reason you came here?”
“He’s someone I’m grateful to. Aside from his whining about saving him, he’s a wonderful person.”
“It seems you really have no intention of persuading me.”
“I’m not qualified to give advice.”
“What do you mean, not qualified?”
“Because I’m not genuinely concerned about your life, Miss Ha-na. Advice without sincerity is just interference. It’s meddling.”
Various thoughts ran through Min Ha-na’s mind. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke to Wang-sik, who was popping a small dessert cake into his mouth in one bite.
“I think you just persuaded me.”
“I did?”
“You’re saying the Director is a trustworthy person, enough for you to say that. The reason I left my guild was because of that son of a… I mean, the Guild Leader.”
Looking embarrassed, Min Ha-na took a sip of water and continued.
“I want to be a hunter, but they were trying to turn me into a politician.”
“That’s how most of them are.”
“Is the Hunter Management Bureau different?”
“They’re either fools or pitiful people.”
Min Ha-na’s eyes asked for an explanation.
“Fools who risk their lives for the joy of protecting the public. Pitiful people who know the reality and regret it, but can’t leave because of their sense of duty. That’s the Hunter Management Bureau. Though there aren’t many of them left now.”
The Hunter Management Bureau’s combat personnel, which started with 800 members, once grew to 1,500, but now stands at a mere 300. Furthermore, the Gate defense personnel, composed of C-rank hunters and above, numbered only 50. Considering they were spread across the country, there were only 20 in Seoul.
“And what kind of person are you, Mr. Wang-sik?”
“Let’s save that story for next time.”
Wang-sik was the first to signal the end of their meeting.
This was an unfamiliar experience for Min Ha-na. Most men wanted to spend even a little more time with her.
“Alright. I understand. And this.”
Min Ha-na handed him a shopping bag she had placed beside her.
Inside was a neatly folded golden cloak.
“I made good use of it. Thank you again.”
Just as Wang-sik took the cloak out of the bag to put it in his inventory, his smartphone blared.
It was an alarm that only went off when something urgent happened.
—Dungeon Break Occurred.
Wang-sik immediately made a call.
“Send a helicopter.”
After giving his location and calling for the helicopter, Wang-sik stood up from his seat.
“It’s a Dungeon Break. I have to go.”
“I’ll go with you.”
When Wang-sik looked at her with surprise, Min Ha-na said.
“I’ve become more interested in the Hunter Management Bureau. And if it’s a Dungeon Break, everyone should lend a hand.”
“Let’s go.”
They went up to the building’s rooftop.
They arrived at an industrial complex in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
As it was a Dungeon Break situation, military forces had also been dispatched to establish a perimeter.
Following protocol, the perimeter was set up over a much wider area than the incident site, and a temporary command post for authorized hunters had been established within it.
Sirens wailed loudly, and the continuous stream of evacuating citizens made the atmosphere extremely chaotic.
“Let’s go.”
Once they reached a suitable altitude, Wang-sik jumped from the helicopter, and Min Ha-na followed.
Unlike Wang-sik, who landed roughly on the ground, Min Ha-na used a burst of flame just before touching down to buoy herself, landing gracefully.
“Hunter Bae!”
An agent from the Bureau, Lee Jeong-jin, rushed over upon seeing Wang-sik’s face and guided him to the temporary command post.
Inside the post, there were others besides the Hunter Management Bureau agents.
“The Hero Guild is here. We’ll be handing over operational command shortly. We didn’t think you’d be able to make it to this operation, so we were proceeding according to the manual.”
Usually, when a Dungeon Break occurred, the strongest guild in that region took command.
The Hunter Management Bureau, which legally held command authority, would transfer its power.
This was an unavoidable consequence of the Bureau’s weakness.
A break meant that powerful monsters had invaded.
“The operation will commence in one hour.”
The person giving orders in front of the situation board was the Guild Leader of the Hero Guild, one of the hunters representing South Korea.
A-rank hunter, Kang Seong-chan.
An archery-using, stealth-type ranged hunter, he was so skilled that he had earned the nickname ‘Demon Slayer.’
He had many fans, but he was also a figure disliked by many due to his arrogant personality.
“Has the command authority already been transferred?”
“The team leader is handling the final procedures now.”
“Then I still have authority.”
Wang-sik approached Kang Seong-chan, who was explaining the operation.