CH 11

“No way…….”

The moment it finally became checkmate, Salamander collapsed in a heap. The crowd of onlookers cheered and clapped in unison. The sound of the explosion washed over me like a wave. No, it was a memory of the past that I had buried in the sea that day.

I know it because I’ve seen it dozens of times. Heo-sang’s chess habit. When he moves a piece, he always hold it between his index and middle fingers, and the swift motion of his hand to grab it is like a hunting beast. And when he’s sure of victory, he tap the board twice.

Just as Simeon had just done.

‘I can tell it’s you by the way you play chess.’

He was half joking.

‘…Don’t lie to me, it’s bad.’

‘Seriously, even if you covered your face, I’d recognise you by your hands.’

Still, I was confident. I was sure I’d recognise him one day. But now that the moment had arrived, I couldn’t believe it.

Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend seven years wondering how he was doing. I’ve searched the hunter community for his name many times. But in seven years, I never found a single post about him. I vaguely assumed that he hadn’t become a Hunter yet, or that he was ranked too low to be heard from.

But this explains his absence.

“Simeon the Apostle is Heo-sang…?”

Nonsense. Even with that thought, I googled Apostle Simeon as soon as I got home.

Guild Apostle (使徒).

Dressed in black from head to toe, they were soon dubbed the “Apostles of God” by the people. Not only did the entire guild use their baptismal names as aliases, but they were nicknamed for appearing out of nowhere, slaying monsters and disappearing into thin air. The number of apostles is twelve. Most of them are A-class, so they’re naturals.

And Simeon.

Name, origin, appearance. An S-class Hunter whose name, origin, and appearance are all unknown. He’s so unknown that some say he’s actually a criminal, but his skills are recognised by all, as he’s taken the hunter world by storm in just two years after founding the guild.

“So….”

You mean that this great Hunter is actually the dwarf kid I know?

“Bullshit.”

It’s a bunch of bullshit.

I pulled out my camera’s SD card, plugged it into my computer, and watched the footage over and over again. As if that weren’t enough, I scoured the internet for Simeon and took notes on his characteristics. Before I knew it, I was looking at a page full of Simeons and laughing my arse off.

It wasn’t an illusion after all. Simeon had everything that Heo-sang had. From the tiny habit of tapping the air just before declaring a check, to the smooth hands with no marks, to the two tiny dots on the third knuckle of her index finger.

“No way….”

Calling me “hyung, hyung.” The kid who’d been calling and following around was now an S-class Hunter, and the head of the Guild Apostles…. I was not easily convinced. I thought about going to visit him one more time, but I forced myself to stop.

I must not forget. I’m the one who gave up Heo-sang.

So, whether Simeon is Heo-sang or not is of no consequence to me. If he is indeed Heo-sang, the moment when I appear before him as John will never come again.

I crossed out the words ‘Simeon = Heo-sang’ in my notebook with a pen. The more I covered the name of He-sang with black lines, the more my complicated mind seemed to disappear, so I stroked harder. Until the paper of the notebook was pierced by the nib.

[This is the picture you requested. I will send you the rest of the pictures when you deposit the balance].

I sold my conscience for three million won. Well, I suppose it’s a small price to pay for awakening him. Anyway, I don’t have any relationship with him anymore, so it doesn’t matter. He can live as he is, and I can live as I am.

Even when I finally got it together, I couldn’t throw it away.

“It’s just… a memento, yeah.”

I made a print of one of the photos I’d taken on the Mapo Bridge, the one with Simeon’s best features. I printed it out not to keep it, but in case I needed to use it later. I tucked it between my notes so it wouldn’t get wrinkled.

No selfishness. Never.

“What’s for dinner….”

After a few days of eating nothing but triangular kimbap while travelling around the association building, I was craving something fancy. I turned on the delivery app and headed home, thinking about the menu. I deliberately went into a deserted alley to avoid the after-work crowds, but there was a transparent barrier at the beginning. Curious, I reached out and instead of shooing me away, it let me in.

“What is it?”

Is this a way of dealing with monsters? Anyway, it let me in, so I figured it would be no problem and went into the alley. As I rounded the corner, I spotted a figure standing in the light of a streetlamp.

Black mask, black clothes.

“Uh…….”

Apostle.

I quickly hid behind a wall and peeked my head out. One with long raw hair and a frilly dress, the other with brown hair and a neck pole. The Hunters who fought Salamander on the Mapo Bridge back then. From their gestures, they seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t make out how low they were whispering.

Why are they here? Were they the ones who set up the clash in the alleyway?

I turned to go back the way I came, but I could feel the hunters coming from the opposite direction.

I’mscrewed. If I move now, I will be seen. I couldn’t get far and ducked behind an air conditioning unit between buildings. As I waited with bated breath, the sound of heavy footsteps grew closer.

Soon, a figure emerged from beneath the streetlights, resembling a frighteningly pale shadow.

“Hello, boss.”

As the frilly apostle approached and greeted him, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

It’s a twist of fate: when I’m frantically searching for him, he’s nowhere to be found, and just when I’m hoping to avoid running into him, he’s here, and it’s only ten steps away. The memorable zither I buried at sea seven years ago is right in front of me.

“Well, we’ll just keep our eyes peeled for it…”

Unaware of my hiding place, they chatted eagerly. There was no way I, a non-hunter, could understand what they were saying about work. And with Simeon in front of me, I couldn’t see anything else.

The shock of this unexpected reunion was great. As if hiding wasn’t bad enough, he hadn’t even realised he was halfway out of the air conditioner. In the next moment, Simeon suddenly held up a hand to stop him and glanced this way.

“Suck.”

I stopped breathing and quickly ducked back behind the outdoor unit. But he had already been spotted, and a long shadow was slowly approaching. It was too late to meekly reveal my identity and make the excuse that I had taken a wrong turn.

The only answer is to run.

I scrambled like a racehorse and headed for the crowded street. No hunter, no matter how skilful, would be able to find me through the crowds. It wasn’t until I blended into the crowd and entered a department store that I began to gasp for air.

My heart felt like it was going to burst. I’d never been this close to doing anything dangerous before. I’d gotten away with it this time, but next time…. No. There shouldn’t be a next time.

”Ha, I thought I was going to get caught.”

I shook out my sweaty T-shirt and touched my pockets, feeling empty.

“Nothing….”

No notes.

“Did it fall out of my pocket earlier…?”

Fuck no. Inside was the note I’d put together while searching for Simeon. I even slipped in a photo I’d secretly taken of him. It’s like I’d set up a jerky dish and put it in front of him so he’d think I was looking into him.

The only good thing is that he doesn’t know who I am or where I live. If I keep quiet for a while, I will disappear from their minds as naturally as water flows. I should have….

“So, the employer of number 99 was Heo-sang…?”

Some time later, I went to an auction for a client and ran into Simeon. This time, I was face to face with Simeon. Of course, my face had changed so much from seven years ago that he wouldn’t have recognised me as John, but that didn’t stop me from feeling uneasy.

“…I’m exhausted.”

Simeon must have known. That the man who lurked in the alley and overheard the conversation that day was the same man who was at the artifact auction.

That’s why he’s been lay low since the auction ended. And I have a new rule when it comes to taking requests. Never do anything that involves humans, especially Hunters. I turned down every request to take a picture of Hunter or to follow him. I didn’t want to be one of those reporters who went behind the Apostle’s back and disappeared without a sound.
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