The Tsundere Hunter's Unexpected Warmth
The Hunter Association Lake Park bench was no ordinary seat. It felt like sitting on a bed of cactus spines, every nerve ending screaming for relief. Min Jihun sat there rigidly, his tall frame rigid as a statue, while Han Sia lounged right beside him as if the park bench had been custom-made for her.
Jihun had come here expecting nothing more than a quick hello and then parting ways. He had even mentally prepared a polite nod. But Sia had dropped onto the bench next to him without warning, crossed her arms, and stared out at the lake with a blank, distant expression.
Whoa... this is seriously awkward... What the hell do I even say, Min Jihun!
Why are you acting like this, you crazy bastard? Come on, think of something.
What nonsense are you spouting? You're the one talking to me.
Since when does the guy who knows me best tell me to talk first?
Jihun's inner voice was still wrestling with itself when the personality disorder hit him again. He took the lead before the two sides of his brain tore each other apart.
“Ah... The weather's really nice today! Hahaha, you working out? Your workout clothes look great!”
Small talk about the weather, followed by a compliment on her appearance. The classic way to lift someone's mood. Or so it should have been.
But Han Sia, dressed in her usual black long-sleeve top and pants, didn't reply. Not a single word.
Whoa, the crazy woman is sitting right here and refusing to speak. Look at her.
Still, today she's wearing a full-coverage outfit, so at least it's easier to talk to her. Last time that peach-colored dress... even if she's a total bitch, that body was something else. Ouh yeah.
Jihun had no more lines to deliver, and the silence was stretching into something uncomfortable. He gave up, pressed his lips together, and simply stared at the lake alongside her, the two of them lost in their own thoughts.
After a full five minutes of pure silence, Jihun felt the familiar prick of discomfort in his back. He stood up and stretched with a loud crack.
“Going somewhere?”
Han Sia finally opened her mouth.
“Huh? No! Just stretching. Hahaha.”
“Mhm.”
Is that it? Is the conversation over already? Do I really have to say something more?
“Hehe, thanks for giving me a spot in tomorrow’s B-rank gate, Sia.”
She turned her head to look at him. Jihun could feel her gaze on him, but he kept staring at the lake as if he hadn’t noticed.
“You’re still the same, huh.”
?? What the hell does “still the same” even mean? What does that mean?
“No thanks needed. It’s not like I’m giving you a spot. If it were the old days, you’d have been at that gate anyway.”
“Ah... I see... Hahaha, back then I was actually kind of scared, right?”
Jihun laughed loudly and scratched the back of his head. When he looked over, Sia was still staring at him with that same intense gaze.
“That’s still true?”
“If you mean ‘awakening,’ then yeah, haha, it’s still not easy!”
“I heard about your status window earlier. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Sorry.”
Eh...? Eh...? From Sia’s mouth, the word “sorry”?
Jihun blinked in surprise. He had never expected to hear “sorry” from her lips.
“I’ll head out first. You have a gate to clear tomorrow, right? Go in early and rest. See you then, Sia.”
“Okay, I’ll head in soon. Be careful. See you tomorrow, Sia!”
Jihun watched Sia’s retreating back as she walked away, his eyes following her for a long time.
What’s going on? She’s been acting so... different lately?
Jihun’s mind drifted back to a distant memory from years ago, when he and Sia had been the closest of friends, raiding gates together.
They had both been D-rank then. Now Sia had soared past C-rank and was perched at the very top of A-rank, while Jihun remained stuck at the bottom. The gap in ranks had widened their distance. Whenever they met, A-rank hunters surrounded her, and if Jihun tried to talk to her, she would look at him with eyes that seemed to say, Who is this low-rank trash doing here?
That was why Jihun had stepped back first, and he suspected Sia had wanted to do the same. He had kept his distance so he wouldn’t be a burden to her.
He never imagined she would come up to him first like this.
“Tch, what the hell am I thinking, Min Jihun. Let’s head home and sleep.”
Jihun slapped both cheeks with a loud smack, then grabbed his bag and stood up.
“Make sure you earn a lot of money tomorrow, Jihun! Khhahahaha, I’ll be the one eating the last piece of cake!!”
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Jihun slung his pre-packed hunter backpack over his shoulder and headed toward the operation base at XX University’s Davinci Hall.
Thanks to leaving early, he still had more than an hour before the 10 a.m. briefing. He carried an iced Americano in one hand and the detailed gate-preparation packet in the other. Instead of rushing straight into the briefing room, he decided to grab a bench and read through it first.
Jihun’s eyes, which had pored over the document for hours the night before, immediately locked onto the latest section.
The Hunter Association had prepared a [Gate Mana Measurement Result and Pre-Operation Plan] for every gate, and today’s briefing contained the following details:
[XX University B-Rank Gate Mana Measurement Result and Pre-Operation Plan]
Spawn Location: XX University Davinci Hall, Building A, 2nd floor
Estimated Rank: B- (Mana measurement team leader Chae Song-ah and two others)
Mana Output: 16,270 Lt per minute (Laties index)
Recommended Team Size: A-rank 5 or B-rank 20
Minimum Required: B-rank 5 or C-rank 20
Participating Members: A-rank 2, B-rank 2, C-rank 16, plus 1 D-rank (converted combat power: equivalent to A-rank 3)
Overall Operation Leader: Han Sia (A-rank)
Co-Operation Leader: Lee Cheol-uk (A-rank)
Time Compression Ratio: 5.0×
Special Note: Dr. Ham Yunju from the Ministry of Magic Engineering will observe (trial run of inter-dimensional transceiver)
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Yunju.”
After reading the twenty-page packet twice, Jihun stood up and headed to the briefing room, his steps lighter than usual.
The moment he crossed the Association’s control line, two men in black suits stepped forward. They were Association security and escort personnel. E-rank hunters, but today they had set up a full perimeter around the entire building — something rarely seen.
Normally they would only be stationed at the gate entrance. The man in front narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
Jihun showed his identification badge.
“Confirmation received. Please enter.”
Only twenty minutes remained until the briefing. Most of the hunters had already gathered. Jihun passed the operation command room and headed toward the changing room.
He changed into the mandatory 2 mm compression wear first — black, short-sleeved, short-pants, made of high-magestone synthetic fiber. The material was so tough it served as both bulletproof and shock-resistant gear. The turtleneck collar hugged his neck and protected his vital points.
Over that he pulled on the black jump suit, also made of high-magestone synthetic fiber. Together they formed an ultra-protective set.
Jihun had been wearing this gear for ten years. Since the day B-rank gates began spawning, thousands of D-rank hunters had died or been injured. Out of the four thousand active D-ranks today, barely two thousand remained. The death and injury rates were simply too high.
Yet after receiving this exact set two years ago, Jihun had never once suffered a scratch.
He had once asked how such an expensive item could be so effective. The reply had been a cold, matter-of-fact:
“If you sell it on the black market, you’ll never be able to buy another. Ten full lives of hard work couldn’t afford it.”
At that price, I should have sold it and lived a luxurious life instead...
Before he could finish the thought, a deep voice came from behind him.
“Planning to sell?”
Jihun turned sharply. The voice belonged to a short-haired woman in a white lab coat, her front bangs naturally falling over her forehead as she walked. The moment she saw him, she broke into a bright smile and rushed forward.
“Jihun-oppa!”
“Yunju!”
She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, her cheek pressing against his chest. Jihun felt his ribs creak.
“Oppa’s waist is going to break, you know! You’re acting like a kid!”
“But you’re the one who looks bigger every year! I can’t help it!”
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her round glasses glinting. Her eyes sparkled with pure affection.
“Oppa, I missed you so much~”
“I missed you too! When I heard you were coming as an observer, I was shocked! We haven’t seen each other in ages!”
“Haha, Oppa, today I have something that will absolutely blow your mind! I prepared something huge for you!”
“The inter-dimensional transceiver...?”
“Yes! I’ll show it to Team Leader Cheol-uk later, but Oppa has to use it too!”
“Sure, haha, got it.”
Jihun gently hugged her back once, then pried her arms off his shoulders.
“By the way, Ham Yunju, you’re a grown woman now! At twenty-two you still cling to me like a kid? You should maintain some dignity! Minister!”
“Hey, don’t call me that! I hate being called minister! It makes me sound like a bald old uncle!”
“Khhahaha! But everyone knows the truth, right? The real top authority at the Ministry of Magic Engineering is you?”
“Whatever, I don’t care about politics or money. I just want to keep researching!”
“Money? Money is good, huh? Really, earn as much as you can, Jihun-oppa~”
“Wow, Oppa, if I earn a lot of money I’ll buy a private jet and we can travel the world together!”
“That’s the spirit! I’m looking forward to it!”
“Really? Then pinky promise!”
Yunju raised her pinky, looped it around Jihun’s, and pressed her palm against his like a stamp, sealing the promise with a playful grin.
The pair was still laughing and chatting when Han Sia walked out of the team-leader meeting with Lee Cheol-uk and two other B-rank leaders.
“That... that crazy bitch...”
The moment she saw Jihun, Sia’s face twisted. Before anyone could stop her, she rushed forward and pulled Yunju into a hug.
“Everyone, gather! Now!”
Sia’s direct subordinate, C-rank hunter Kim Woo-jae, froze in shock. Without a word he turned and began herding the hunters into the briefing room.
Hmph... Why does she always glare at me like that?
⊳ Operation Base: XX University Davinci Hall
⊳ Gate: B- Rank, 5.0× Time Compression
⊳ Observer: Dr. Ham Yunju (Special Transceiver Trial)