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“Are you okay?”
I simply asked because he didn’t look well.
However, he seemed to be so terrified by my question that tears welled up in his eyes and his body trembled. I raised both my hands, hoping the security guard wouldn’t be frightened anymore, and wore the most comforting smile I could muster. Yet…
“I’m here to renew my contract-”
“Heu-heu-heuk. I have children to support! I promise I’ll do better, so anything but firing me…”
‘No way. Why is he crying? Normally, I would understand if he cried out of fear because a detective, who he thought he would never meet, came looking for him. But right now, I am Seo Go-woon. Even though Seo Go-woon is notorious for causing trouble, all I said was that I came to renew the guild contract. Is he that upset because Seo Go-woon (me) is renewing the contract?’
“Ppi-ppi?”
“No, I didn’t do anything. And, Salt, you promised to stay quiet.”
“Ppi!”
“Shush! Be quiet. Please… don’t cry, just tell me where I can renew the contract and I’ll take care of—”
“Heuk. Please let me work here for a long time. *Heu-heu-heuk*.”
“Huh?”
“Ppi-ppi~.”
The sound of Salt’s mocking laughter reached my ears.
This is crazy. This security guard cries whenever I speak. How is he supposed to guard the building like this?
I gave up on asking the guard and looked around, thinking of asking someone else instead. However, as if a cockroach had emerged, the area around the guard and me was completely empty.
‘Is Seo Go-woon not an alchemist but a poisoner, after all?’ Suddenly feeling a headache, I pressed my forehead.
Just then, someone shouted furiously, “Hey! Seo Go-woon! Are you messing with Mr. Cheolmin again?!”
Lowering my hand, I saw the red-haired guy who had come to my house on Seo Taeju’s errand running towards me.
“Oh, Red Hair!”
“My name is Kang Dohoon!”
I thought he would be a young guy since he consistently calls 24-year-old Seo Taeju ‘hyung’, but seeing this guy who revealed his own name in response to simple provocation, I chuckled.
“Okay. Kang Dohoon. It’s fortunate that you’re here.”
Kang Dohoon’s face contorted abruptly. “What the hell are you talking about?”
I approached Kang Dohoon, placed my arm on his shoulder, and said, “I’m here to renew my contract. Show me the way.”
“Let go! What, renew? Why are you renewing a contract! Just get lost! Stay away from Taeju-hyung and go get crushed somewhere!” Kang Dohoon yelled as he tried to shake off my arm.
But his effort to lift my arm was pitifully weak.
‘Is Kang Dohoon not a Hunter? Well, what does that even matter. Once I finish with the cradle mission, I’ll return to my original world anyway. So, whether Kang Dohoon is a Hunter or not, what does it matter?’
‘When I gently pressed down on Kang Dohoon’s shoulder, signaling him to stop struggling, he let out a small groan as if it hurt.
“Let’s go nicely. You scared the security guard when you shouted.”
I wasn’t lying; the security guard, who was pleading not to be fired a moment ago, was staring at us wide-eyed.
Kang Dohoon muttered a curse under his breath.
“Causing a ruckus here will inconvenience your beloved Taeju-hyung, so just show me the way.”
“…Let go.” Upon releasing his shoulder, Kang Do-hoon stepped forward irritably. “Why the hell would you renew the contract if you’re not doing anything related to Hunter work?! Are you trying to leech off Taejoo hyung again?! Didn’t I tell you to back off from him?!”
“The way you’re yapping on…”
“What?”
“It feels like you’re his wife.”
“What?! Wife?!”
Kang Dohoon, who had been walking ahead, turned around and looked at me with an astonished face.
“That’s right. What you’re doing feels like a wife telling a mistress to back off from her husband.”
“W-what! You’re spouting nonsense!” Kang Dohoon, who had been yelling, quickened his pace as if alarmed.
However, our destination was only the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, I glanced at Kang Dohoon.
‘A boy barely 21 years old. As an innocent young man who still doesn’t know the ways of the world, I should interrogate him. I need to find out what Seo Go-woon has been up to here.’
“I have no idea why the security guard was crying over what I did.”
At my nonchalant murmuring, Kang Dohoon’s eyes widened. “You didn’t know?! Are you serious?!”
“What have I done?”
“Wow. You really have some nerve. Last time you came, you threatened to get rid of Cheolmin because he didn’t greet you! You even used your abilities on a civilian when he pretended not to hear!”
‘…Whoa. That guy really had a good reason to cry.’
It seemed like Seo Go-woon’s skill level had increased diligently, but it had probably risen automatically from using it for such crappy whims.
‘Seo Go-woon’s antics had truly exceeded my imagination.’
“That’s not all, right? You smashed the lobby door because you didn’t like it! You even brought a monster from somewhere and released it! How could you do such a lowly thing?”
With a ding, the elevator doors opened. Even as we boarded the elevator, Kang Dohoon’s mouth didn’t stop.
“If that’s it, phew! Seriously, why’d you even have to borrow money? Do you have any idea how much crap Cheolmin had to deal with because of those loan sharks hunting you down?”
Loans.
‘Right. I suspected Seo Go-woon might resort to loans, but I didn’t expect he’d actually use them. How does his behavior not deviate an inch from my expectations? Even calling him garbage seemed too kind. His very existence was nuclear waste, pure nuclear waste.’
“Because of a piece of trash like you, Taeju hyung is always falling behind Shin Sooha! If it weren’t for you, he could’ve been the number one Hunter in Korea!”
“Sure, sure. That’s too bad.” I responded nonchalantly to Kang Dohoon and exited the elevator.
Even though I was interrogating him, I couldn’t understand why this guy talked so much. Kang Dohoon’s mouth didn’t stop until we arrived at the contract renewal office.
“Hey! Listen properly!”
As soon as we arrived at the door, I turned towards Kang Do-hoon. Taken aback by my sudden attention, Kang Do-hoon scowled and spoke, “What! What is it!”
I reached out and grabbed Kang Do-hoon’s shoulder. “Dohoon, no matter a loser I am,” as I put strength into the hand holding his shoulder, a groan escaped from Kang Do-hoon’s mouth, “I’m your hyung, you know that, right?”
“W-what, let me go!”
“Oh, didn’t you know how to respect your elders?”
“You crazy bast*rd.”
“Hehe. Looks like this little puppy still doesn’t know how scary a day-old tiger can be.”
With the change in societal atmosphere, the police officers and detectives were instructed by the Police Chief to refrain from using profanity. Even if gangsters cursed at them, the detectives had to smile and say, “Sir, if you curse at us, it might disadvantage you in court. Hehe,” or otherwise, they would face disciplinary action.
But the current me wasn’t a detective anymore.
I pulled Kang Dohoon’s shoulder closer and whispered into his ear using the words I learned from police training back in my day.
“You damn son of a bit*h. Do you think I’d let you off the hook after pulling off such a damn stunt? Don’t act all high and mighty. Before I put you in your place, shut up quietly. Got it?”
Kang Dohoon’s face turned pale.
Seeing his dilated pupils, I felt a sense of relief. “Let’s speak properly and use decent language. It’s better for both of us. Dohoon, let’s meet again sometime.” I patted his shoulder and then opened the office door to renew the contract.
“You shitty bastard.”
I raised my middle finger at Kang Dohoon’s face.
“You madman! Hey, you!”
Ignoring the fuming Kang Dohoon, I walked inside, and a staff member who was looking at the monitor stood up. “Oh! Hello, hunter Seo Go-woon. You came earlier than expected. I thought you’d come close to the deadline, just like last year.”
“Yes, hello.”
‘Seems like not only that guard earlier in the lobby, but even this employee acted like she knew me when he laid eyes on me.’
“I don’t think you’ll remember my name again this year. I’m Lee Yeoreum, the team leader of the contract team.”
And when I accepted the business card that was held out, Lee Yeoreum looked surprised. “It’s the first time you accepted my business card.”
Her cheerful face resembled that of a young puppy. Even if she was on high alert, it seemed like she could easily let her guard down.
I wondered what kind of nonsense I had said to this kind person that made her remember me.
“Please have a seat here.”
As I sat where Yeoreum pointed, not much time passed before a stack of documents and a pen were placed in front of me.
“Oh? What’s wrong?”
“Ppi?”
As I sat down, I noticed Salt standing nearby, seemingly interested in the stack of documents in my hand.
“Is this the contract?”
Not wanting to talk about Salt, I grabbed the stack of documents, and Yeoreum nodded as she sat across from me.
“The contract details are the same as before. The only difference is…”
While listening to Yeoreum’s explanation and trying to read the contract, a piercing siren suddenly blared.
“Aigoo, these monster waves have been getting stranger lately. I’ll finish explaining the contract. If you look at this section here—” Yeoreum continued with the explanation, as if it was nothing special. However…
“A monster wave has been confirmed in the vicinity, classified as fire attribute. All available hunters are requested to respond.”
Just as Yeoreum’s explanation was getting into more substantial details, a keyword brushed my ears.
“Fire attribute monster wave? Could it be?”
“Once again, we would like to inform you that a monster wave has occurred at Exit 3 of XX Station. All available hunters, please respond immediately.”
“Damn it. Today of all days.”
“Hunter Seo Go-woon, is something wrong?”
There was no time to listen to her explanation. I had to act quickly. I picked up the pen and quickly signed the contract, took out the documents from my bag, and stood up abruptly.
“I’m sorry. I’ll come back later to pick up the documents.”
“Hunter Seo Go-woon!”
Ignoring Yeoreum’s voice, I rushed out of the guild building towards Exit 3 of XX Station.
As I got closer to the station, the sound of buildings collapsing and people screaming grew louder.
“Ah-ahh! Help me!”
“Run!”
Pushing through the crowd of panicked individuals, I eventually arrived at Exit 3, where ominous black fissures tore through the fabric of space, unleashing fire golems. The asphalt bubbled furiously, resembling chunks of molten coals that is shaped like a human, while the melting streetlights added to the nightmarish ambiance, evoking a scene straight out of hell.
