“Child, if you get the compensation, lend some to Hada.”
“Mom. I don’t even know if it’ll be given or not.”
Her mother said that she would confiscate Hada’s salary as soon as he started working and return it to her. The words that Hyunsook said after entering Hara’s room were full of nonsense.
“And Mom, return the term deposit to me when it reaches maturity. To be independent.”
Hara said while looking at Hyunsook.
Hyunsook frowned.
When Hara just stepped into society, her mother received 800,000 won per month from Hara, saying that people should save money regularly. The reasoning was, if children possessed a lot of money, it would be quickly spent.
“Child, others will speak ill of an adult girl that lives alone without getting married. What independence? Just live here thinking that you’re saving money. And, Hada, shouldn’t he also get a job?”
Save money? What do you mean, save money? If she saved 800,000 won a month and paid 500,000 won for the house’s living expenses, she’d only have a small amount of money left.
It’s not like she said she would stop taking living expenses, but it’s all because of Hada her mother was saying this. Anyways, Hyunsook wouldn’t be able to win against him if Hada whined.
“No, I want to leave.”
“Why are you being so cold-hearted to that kid? Mom will get your money back.”
What ‘get my money back’? Hara knew everything. Given Kang Hada’s personality, he would persist in not paying her back, and her mother would eventually let things pass while saying, “You should be understanding.” This didn’t just happen once or twice.
“Mom, to put it bluntly, it’s not that he can’t get a job, he just didn’t. So why should I help him with that?”
After blurting that out, Hara thought, ‘Oh sh*t,’ but it was too late. Hyunsook’s eyes turned sharp at those words.
“You obviously wouldn’t understand because you got a job right after graduation!”
“……”
“Child, forget it, just for that measly term deposit, you’re going to act so nastily. Thanks to you guys, I’m so dead tired.”
Hara was speechless. Her mom wasn’t the only one that’s tired. She was also exhausted, so why did she have to come home and listen to this… While Hara was rubbing her eyes, she heard the sound of the front door opening. It was her father, Kang Jae-pil.
At the sound “I’m back,” her mother raised her finger in front of her lips, and told her to keep the things they talked about a secret from her dad.
No, if you’re going to do that, just keep it a secret from me…
As Hara thought that, her mother went outside to greet him and came back in. A rebuke of “This Hada, your father has come back, and yet he’s not even coming out to greet him!” echoed from the living room.
Even if Hara delayed her bedtime and kept the lights on, Jae-pil would barge in and nag at her, so she quickly went to wash up. When she returned back to her room after taking a shower, she received a text message. It was from Yoojung, Hara’s boss.
Only then did Hara realise that she hadn’t properly greeted Yoojung today, after going to work for the first time in a while. Although she’d sent a text message asking after her and saying that she was going to work today, she didn’t enter the usual office, so Yoojung deserved to worry.
— I heard that you were discharged from the hospital, but did you also resign from the company?
Hara called her, and Yoojung immediately answered the phone with a deliberately cutting tone. Hara burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry, Manager-nim. I was so busy…”
— I heard about it. I heard that the chief gave you a couple of days off because of the aftereffect of dungeons.
Was that how it was going to be explained? Hara affirmed Yoojung’s words.
— Oh, then you won’t be going to work for a while?
It was spoken in a more hesitant than regretful tone. Hara tilted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
— What else can it be? I’m about to be bored to death without Hara. There’s no one I can curse the kid’s father out to.
A smile was evident in Yoojung’s voice. Hara chuckled.
Even so, Yoojung was the only person in the Mana Stone Management Division that Hara could reveal her inner feelings to. It was only possible because they didn’t just have a working relationship.
Despite her quick wit and competence, Yoojung, who moved from another branch office in the middle, heard a lot of backbiting because she was a divorced mother with a child.
Yoojung happened to hear Hara tell those that were speaking behind Yoojung’s back, not to do that timidly, which became an opportunity for the two to become close.
“The same goes for me. I also don’t have a place to swear at others?”
— What’s wrong, Kang Hara?
“That punk’s hairline procedure. He still wants me to lend him money.”
— Isn’t he a madman? He doesn’t need a hairline procedure, just pull all his hair out.
“Ahaha.”
Thanks to Yoojung’s refreshing curses, Hara’s heart felt more comfortable.
— Is your mom as always?
“Do I have to say it? They want me to lend the dungeon compensation to them when it comes out.”
— Gosh. By the way, your injuries from the dungeon have yet to heal?
Yoojung clicked her tongue.
— So when are you coming back?
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll be able to go to work for the time being.”
— Do you have to take a long break? The section chief will curse.
When the section chief, who’d rebuke Hara at the drop of a hat, was mentioned, she said, “Ah.” She’d been so busy lately that she hadn’t even thought about the section chief.
“Let him curse all he wants then.”
— Ohh, Kang Hara, you’re strong. Did your guts awaken while in the dungeon?
She couldn’t help but laugh. Hara doesn’t think that she’d be able to go to work at the Mapo branch office in the future.
But she wasn’t disappointed. Was it impossible for her to guess just by looking at the criticising atmosphere Hara as ‘just a loser’ in the Hunter Bulletin? While there were many good people in the Mapo branch office, there were many that looked down on E-classes like Hara and mocked them.
However, she was sorry that she couldn’t properly explain the situation to Yoojung. She was like an older sister to Hara.
After hanging up, Hara laid down and looked at her phone, which was filled with greeting texts. There were some texts that she answered, and some texts that she couldn’t answer.
The people at the branch office were probably already making a fuss when she was discharged from the hospital but didn’t go to work at the branch office. Several people were already inquiring about what had happened. It was more of a probe into her status quo under the guise of asking after her.
‘Let’s just continue undergoing training first.’
While Chief Jung told her to zip her mouth, Hara couldn’t tell what she should do. There wasn’t anyone that she could open up to comfortably.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Kwon Wook’s words also came to mind. During a short break in the afternoon, that was his reply to Hara’s question.
“I’m going to help Hara-ssi awaken as an S-class. Chief Jung entrusted Hara-ssi to me, which means that I should help Hara-ssi to the very end.”
“I, Is that so?”
“Yes. If Hara-ssi awakened as an S-class, it would be as though your relationships with ordinary people didn’t exist anyways. It wouldn’t help you if you opened your mouth right now.”
Hara’s eyes widened.
“Do you really think so? But Manager Yoojung and I were really close…”
Privately, they shared a sisterly relationship. Hara wanted to at least tell Yoojung that various things had happened and she was undergoing training.
However, Kwon Wook shook his head firmly.
“It’ll be fine after you become an S-class later on. It’s because the attitudes of others will change depending on Hara’s grade anyways. All you have to do is ask for understanding after becoming an S-class.”
There weren’t any emotions mixed in those words.
Hara couldn’t help but stare at Kwon Wook. A person that had been called a ruined idol and wasn’t even given the time of the day, who’d suddenly become an S-class.
For some reason, she felt sad.
Kwon Wook noticed Hara’s mood perceptively and laughed.
“Is an E-class sympathising with me now? If you have time for that, get up quickly and begin training.”
A conversation that ended with “Uwahhhh, please let me rest a little while longer.”
When Hara came back home and thought about it, she thought he must have had a hard time.
At the same time, he smiled with a face that didn’t have any regrets and said, “You’ll become an S-class after getting entangled with Yoon Seheon, right? I’ll help you, so you have to help our team later on,” suddenly changing the subject.
Hara turned around and looked at her phone. There were countless messages. Will people really be understanding after she became an S-class? Will their attitudes change constantly?
She suddenly thought of Yoon Seheon, who said he had a girlfriend.
Will that man be the same? Later on, if she said she actually received a quest to date him, in order to become an S-class… If she explains it like that, “Ahaha, is that so,” will he be understanding?
“Haha. You’re quite good at joking.”
There was a period of time where Hara would jolt up from her sleep at the words spoken by Kwon Wook.
Words like ‘Be careful not to catch a cold’ and ‘study hard’, gained meaning while she was pulling all-nighters to study.
Strangely, however, she couldn’t believe Kwon Wook’s words at this very moment. Perhaps Yoon Seheon will not understand Hara, but for some reason, Hara thinks that he definitely will…
[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ says that when you’ll understand everything once you fall in love]
Just as she was about to close her eyes, the constellation cut in. Hara’s eyes narrowed.
“Noisy. Mister ‘I didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend or not’.”
[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ protests that he can’t search up the information of normal people]
[The constellation, ‘Cupid’ is afraid that his meteor’s life might end at E-class]
What are you afraid of? I’ve lived like that all my life.
Hara felt rather irritated.
“Please taste the fear of life as an E-class.”
Instead of picking a fight with the constellation, it’ll be better for her to sleep a while longer. Oh, whatever. Hara closed her eyes. She had to get up at 6 am tomorrow.
[The constellation, ‘Cupid’……]
The constellation’s message flashed on the other side of her eyelids.
She was so tired, she didn’t even want to see it. Hara fell asleep just like that.
* * *
Sejong City, the administrative capital.
Like any other institution, the Hunter Agency’s main office was located in Sejong City. Some say Pangyo is illuminated even before daybreak, but Sejong City is the true city of immortality, where the lights don’t go out. Of course, it’s because of the civil servants that worked overtime.
As a result, this was the place with restaurants that were open until dawn.
Kwon Wook was seated in the innermost room of one of the Japanese restaurants. A smiling middle-aged woman was seated in front of him.
She was Park Younghee.
Despite her age of fifty, she looked so youthful that she seemed to be in her forties. It was 1am. She was rather tired, but her eyes were bright and clear.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m only beginning now. After eating, I have to go up and write a report. It’s almost time for our Director to return.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. Then you should order something else on the menu.”
Chopsticks move lightly. Park Younghee wrapped whitefish sashimi in water parsley, dipped it in soy sauce and put it in her mouth before chuckling while turning the raw fish over.
“I’m also tired of it. But there’s nothing I can do. The Director bought this restaurant’s meal ticket, but he hasn’t come for a few months now. In that case, who would use that?”
“You can just let the other employees have a company dinner.”
“It wouldn’t be enough to cover that. Let’s just hurry and finish eating to put an end to this.”
It was no exaggeration to say that Park Younghee was the actual mistress of the Hunter Agency’s main office.
Since the director of the main office usually stayed in Seoul from morning to evening before coming down to Sejong, it was none other than Deputy Director Park Younghee that established the main office in Sejong.
She was famous for managing the Hunter Agency well and has a good reputation as someone that awakened as an E-class and managed to ascend up to the position of deputy director.
When she managed to reach the position of Deputy Director in a place like the Hunter Agency, which had more special circumstances from the beginning, it was proof of her ability.
Kwon Wook knew well that the elegant deputy director in front of him was someone that has been in and out of the Blue House, the prosecution’s office, and various other places.
“How did you get here?”
“How did I get here? I was teleported here.”
“Didn’t you come here by yourself.”
Team K has a hunter with an instantaneous teleportation skill. If she and the other know the coordinates, she can move them over in an instant accordingly.
However, he came here alone, so he must take the KTX or something on his way back.
“I can’t even ride the KTX because it’s before dawn.”
“Then you should take a taxi.”
An ordinary person was bound to feel sorry for him. However, Deputy Director Park’s expression didn’t change at all as she criticised Kwon Wook.
“Kid, if you’re going to teleport around, make it a round trip. Because it’s always rejected by the National Assembly inspection. Why are you spending so much on transportation when you have someone with the ability to teleport?”
“Don’t you dislike it when someone is tagging along?”
“You could just leave the teleporting child outside and come in by yourself, right? Well, yes. It’s kind of bad to eat without inviting that child, right? Then you can just let her eat in the hall. “
When Deputy Director Park laughed, Kwon Wook also laughed along.
“Yes, in any case. An S-class is an S-class, but she’s still a half?”
It was referring to Kang Hara. Kwon Wook also nodded calmly at the Deputy Director Park’s question, which was broaching the main topic.
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