Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Evil Zone Sweep (1)
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Waiting for Cha Su-ho as he stepped out of the room were Kwon Oh and Tae-il.
"Cha Su-ho, you're the last one out! I've been waiting here for thirty minutes."
Tae-il shrugged his shoulders. Kwon Oh, standing beside him, glanced at his watch and spoke up.
"Su-ho's not late at all. Come on, let's get going."
The two opened the door and called out to Su-ho in unison.
"Let's go, Cha Su-ho."
"Yes!"
With determination etched on his face, Su-ho followed them out of the room.
Normally, he would head to the Teleport Zone with his secretary, Gi-uk, but not today.
The moment the Asia Branch's group Evil Zone sweep operation was decided, the A-grade Helpers' secretaries were semi-forced to take a week's vacation. It was the Center Director's order, meant for secretaries who shadowed Helpers so closely that they never got to rest properly themselves.
"It feels kinda empty without the secretaries, huh."
Su-ho nodded in agreement with Tae-il's mutter.
Even in that short time, Gi-uk's presence as his secretary had made a real impact. Just as Su-ho was thinking he should get him a gift after the sweep, a familiar silhouette caught his eye.
"An... Ji-young Hunter?"
Ji-young, about to enter the Teleport Zone, paused and turned around.
"Hey? We meet here again?"
She waved lightly, and Tae-il leaned right up to Su-ho.
"What? Cha Su-ho, you know An Ji-young Hunter?!"
Should he call it that? Or...
'We're at the stage where I like her all by myself.'
"All by myself... like."
Su-ho clutched his forehead, having unconsciously echoed Jin Seong-hyeok's words.
"What? What? All by myself like? You like her?!"
"No, no! I like and respect her all by myself! She's an SS-grade Hunter and..."
Tae-il blinked a few times before slapping Su-ho's shoulder.
"Hey, I get it. An Ji-young Hunter is awesome. And pretty, talented... Totally worth liking and respecting!"
Thank goodness Tae-il was so straightforward. Su-ho nodded affirmatively and spoke inwardly to Jin Seong-hyeok.
'This is Jin Seong-hyeok's fault...!'
'Well, it's true.'
'No! It's not like that! We're not at the "dying to like her" stage.'
'Then you want to like each other?'
Su-ho hesitated without answering right away, and Jin Seong-hyeok burst into hearty laughter.
'You're so transparent.'
'...You're in my head, so of course you can see. Please just pretend you don't know.'
Su-ho did feel rationally drawn to Ji-young, but it wasn't love yet. Respect was more accurate. Jin Seong-hyeok knew that but teased him anyway because Su-ho's flustered reactions were funnier.
"Hmm? Why so quiet?"
Before he knew it, Ji-young was waving her hand in front of his face. Su-ho stepped back awkwardly.
"Ah, hello."
"And I told you to call me noona?"
Su-ho scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Ji-young, unfazed, changed the subject casually.
"Heading out to sweep the Evil Zone?"
"Yes! Looking forward to working with you."
"Same here. Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
Ji-young led the way, followed by Su-ho, Tae-il, and Kwon Oh as they entered the Teleport Zone. As she prepared to activate the teleport, Tae-il asked,
"Shouldn't we wait for Eun-woo hyung and Airin noona?!"
Ji-young stamped her Hunter ID on the machine.
"They've probably arrived already. Hurry up, everyone stamp yours."
At her words, they quietly stamped their Helper IDs on the machine.
The intersecting blue circles began spinning faster and faster with a whirring sound. As the acceleration built, Su-ho's heart pounded wildly.
On-site. Evil Zone. Boss-grade Mutated Monster. Asia Branch. Hunters and Helpers. The words swirled in his mind. Thrilled, Su-ho clenched his fists tight.
Finally, as the blue circles slowed to a stop, a new landscape emerged between them.
Under a sky strangely blended with red and orange, the ground below was pitch black.
"We're here."
Ji-young stepped out first. Su-ho followed close behind, and his eyes immediately caught sight of people in unusual attire.
SS-grade Hunters and A-grade Helpers from the other Centers of the Asia Branch.
They had a subtly different vibe from Center 1's people, but it was obvious at a glance who was Hunter and who was Helper.
All the Helpers wore Helper suits, while Hunters had Hunter suits too, but customized by ability or trait. Same for Centers 2 and 3.
Helpers were easy to spot in their standard Helper suits. Hunters wore functional gear suited to their powers.
But one person was dressed in casual clothes that didn't fit the scene at all—maybe SS-grade confidence letting them skip the functional wear.
Even casual clothes aside... a suit for an Evil Zone sweep? Wait, a suit?
Su-ho's eyes widened as he scanned the Hunters.
There really was someone in a suit. A luxury brand suit, complete with necktie and sunglasses.
"...Is he insane?"
Su-ho muttered unwittingly, and Jin Seong-hyeok chimed in.
'Totally insane.'
'...Do you know him, Jin Seong-hyeok?'
'Hunter from Center 2.'
Center 2 was China.
'An Ji-young said he's got a bad case of celebrity syndrome.'
'Celebrity syndrome?'
'Yeah. Apparently a big star in China.'
Just as Jin Seong-hyeok finished, Tae-il spoke up.
"Oh, it's Kai Qing!"
"You mean the guy in the suit?"
"Yeah, you don't know Kai Qing? Super famous top star. Hunter who acts and sings too."
"An idol?"
"Yeah. Pretty popular."
Even if an idol, an SS-grade Hunter showing up to an Evil Zone sweep in a suit and sunglasses was baffling. Not impossible, but still.
Suddenly, Kai Qing took off his sunglasses and flashed a bright smile at someone.
"Ji-young!!"
At the name from his lips, Su-ho's brow furrowed instantly.
'Ah. That guy's the one who chased after An Ji-young because he liked her.'
Jin Seong-hyeok muttered like to himself, and Su-ho reacted explosively.
'He's got a severe case of celebrity syndrome. I watch a lot of TV, and people like that lose popularity fast.'
Ignoring Su-ho, Kai Qing approached Ji-young.
"Long time no see, Kai Qing."
It was unexpected. Su-ho turned to Jin Seong-hyeok in surprise as Chinese flowed from Ji-young's mouth.
'An Ji-young Hunter speaks Chinese?!'
'Not just Chinese.'
Not just Chinese?
'English, Chinese, Japanese. All of them.'
'...An Ji-young Hunter?'
'Language prodigy since childhood. That's why she interprets when Asia Branch folks gather on-site.'
Born SS-grade and a language genius to boot. As Su-ho gazed at her with admiration,
"Missed you, Ji-young."
Kai Qing pulled her into a sudden hug. Su-ho froze in shock.
Crack!
With a friction sound, Kai Qing's body flew into the air and crashed to the ground. Ji-young calmly dusted off her hands.
"Hahaha."
Kai Qing, sprawled on the ground, ran a hand through his hair.
"No other woman in the world treats me like you do, Ji-young."
Su-ho couldn't understand the Chinese, but he got the gist. Ji-young's disgusted reaction said it all.
"Kai Qing, didn't I warn you? Hug me without permission again, and I'll stuff you in a monster's mouth."
"If you stuff me in, I'll go quietly..."
Thud!
Another dull impact sent Kai Qing flying far away. Ji-young unclenched her fist.
"Whew."
She exhaled briefly and walked toward the Center 1 group.
"Where are Eun-woo and Airin? We need to greet the Asia Branch folks and start the sweep."
Su-ho asked quietly as she searched for Eun-woo and Airin.
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"...That guy, is it okay to just leave him like that?"
Ji-young glanced at the sprawled Kai Qing and smiled brightly.
"Yeah. He'll get up on his own."
She waved at Eun-woo and Airin approaching from afar. Su-ho thought to himself,
Maybe the strongest and scariest one here is Ji-young.
"Before greetings with the Asia Branch..."
Ji-young's gaze turned to Su-ho.
"Better to know who they are first, right?"
It was her consideration for Su-ho, meeting the Asia Branch for the first time.
"Asia Branch has three Centers total. Center 1: Korea, Seoul. Center 2: China, Guangzhou. Center 3: Japan, Kyoto. You know that much, and..."
She pointed to a group.
"That's Center 2. I'll introduce the SS-grade Hunters first. The girl reading a book is Mei—quiet personality, but brutal in a fight. Physical type, hand-to-hand fighter."
An ability totally at odds with her image. Straight-A student vibe, but a fighter?
The surprises weren't over.
"Next to her, the handsome guy is Liu Xian. Young and rich, handsome and tall. Got it all... and a gentleman too."
Young and rich, hands... whatever. Ji-young's words dripped with personal interest.
'He is impressive. Not as much as me, though.'
With even Jin Seong-hyeok praising him alongside Ji-young, Su-ho looked at Liu Xian. His lips pressed into a thin line.
Taller than Su-ho, strikingly handsome, exuding an intellectual, refined aura. Looking at him stirred unwanted self-doubt in Su-ho.
"Telekinesis, telefire, but main power is explosions. You'll get it when you see it later."
'Talented too. Matches An Ji-young Hunter perfectly. Both elites.'
Su-ho muttered inwardly, and Jin Seong-hyeok roared with laughter.
'No spark there, Cha Su-ho.'
"Next one's a pain to introduce. Sigh. Name's Kai Qing."
As if the face-plant never happened, Kai Qing was pristine, chatting with Liu Xian.
Sensing the gaze, he glanced around, spotted Ji-young, stopped talking, and waved enthusiastically. Ji-young shook her head wearily.
"Thinks he's all that. Nothing else to know. Next, Center 2 A-grade Helpers."
At "A-grade Helpers," Su-ho tensed up. They were the real competition—fellow A-grades.
"The super pretty one there is Xiao Li. Pretty but feisty. Mainly handles Liu Xian. Next to her, the young guy is Axiang. Total kid vibe, right? Still a minor, turns legal next year. Only minor in the Asia Branch, but best Clean ability."
Ji-young glanced at Su-ho.
"Probably like you. His specialty is pulling SS-grades back from the brink."
Jin Seong-hyeok added right after.
'Best Cleaner in the Asia Branch.'
Praised by both Jin Seong-hyeok and Ji-young. Su-ho was itching to see Axiang's Clean in action.
He was a Helper too, after all, and wanted recognition more than anyone.
Unlike Su-ho burning with zeal toward Axiang, Ji-young's gaze shifted slowly.
"Center 2 done. Next..."
Her eyes fixed on one spot.
"Center 3, Japan."