Yoo Soo-Hyun, who had approached at some point, tapped Yoo Jin-Ho on the shoulder. Her brow furrowed neatly.
"Look at that. Pathetic, tsk tsk. Pathetic, tsk tsk."
Yoo Jin-Ho burst out laughing at the expression that perfectly mimicked his older brother.
"Pfft. Kuh. Stop. I'm not in the mood to joke right now." "Pathetic, tsk tsk." "Kuhahaha, kuh! Ah, seriously, stop!"
They were close in age and got along like friends. Yoo Soo-Hyun stepped in front of Yoo Jin-Ho.
"Why are you living like that?" "Like what?" "You became an Awakened one. Don't tell me you still can't beat a normal person even after awakening?" "So? Should I throw a punch at hyung?" "Well, that's not exactly what I..."
Yoo Soo-Hyun pressed her pretty lips together. If Yoo Jin-Ho so much as raised a fist at his handsome older brother, what kind of punishment would Father inflict on him... just imagining it was terrifying. She wasn't unable to understand how Yoo Jin-Ho felt, having to just take it. Yoo Soo-Hyun shot a glare toward where Yoo Jin-Seong had disappeared.
"In any case, that guy's still as unlucky as ever."
She disliked Yoo Jin-Ho's older brother as much as Yoo Jin-Ho did. She was one of the few people who knew the real face of Yoo Jin-Seong hidden beneath his smart expression. But Yoo Jin-Ho didn't agree. Not because of the brother thing. He wanted to beat his older brother fair and square, face to face, not like this behind his back. When Yoo Jin-Ho stayed silent, Yoo Soo-Hyun carefully asked.
"Hey... is that plan still on?" "Huh?" "You said you were going to become Guild Master. Over that guy."
Yoo Jin-Ho answered with a smile instead of words. Even if he said it, who would believe him? It'd be lucky if they didn't laugh at him. A match between him and his older brother. Still, having gained the big card of his brother's support, his chances had gone up considerably.
'If I get the Master license safely...'
It was worth betting on. No, he could win. Seeing the resolve in Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes, Yoo Soo-Hyun placed both hands on her hips and said firmly.
"I'm not going under that guy's command even if it kills me. I don't want to fight with your father, so you better figure it out yourself." "...Thanks."
This was how Yoo Soo-Hyun cheered. An actress-turned-child-star-turned-Hunter with the high rank of A-rank. Even setting aside her background as a chaebol heiress, there were countless guilds courting Yoo Soo-Hyun. But with nothing to lose, Yoo Soo-Hyun had rejected all offers and only occasionally did modeling work. Now, however, offers she couldn't easily refuse had begun to arrive. Specifically, an invitation to be a founding member of the Yoo Jin Guild. It was an order from the famous chairman. She couldn't ignore her uncle's words, but she didn't want to serve under Yoo Jin-Seong either. Yoo Soo-Hyun had her own dilemmas. All she could do was place a sliver of hope on Yoo Jin-Ho, even if he wasn't entirely reliable. *Vrrrm— vrrrm—* Hearing the sound coming from Yoo Jin-Ho's pocket, Yoo Soo-Hyun asked.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" "Oh."
Yoo Jin-Ho, who had been lost in thought for a moment, finally pulled out his phone. The number on the screen was familiar.
*Brother*
Yoo Jin-Ho's expression brightened instantly upon seeing who was calling.
"It's me, Brother!"
He answered the call with vigor.
"Yes. Yes, Brother. No, I can come. Yes. I'll be right there, Brother."
Yoo Jin-Ho hung up. Yoo Soo-Hyun took notice of his completely changed mood.
"What's up? Who was that?"
But there was no time to leisurely explain things here. It was a request from his brother! Combined with his desire to get away from here, all he could think was that he needed to leave as quickly as possible— even one second faster.
"Tell you later!"
Watching Yoo Jin-Ho run off in a hurry, Yoo Soo-Hyun tilted her head.
"Why's he so excited?"
Whenever there was a family gathering, Yoo Jin-Ho always had his shoulders slumped, but today was different.
"...That's strange."
Yoo Soo-Hyun decided she'd definitely have to ask about it later. Meanwhile, Yoo Jin-Ho searched for his father. It was almost dinner time. At a meal where the whole family and relatives gathered, he couldn't slip away without his father's permission. Yoo Jin-Ho looked around. He spotted his father in the distance, conversing among a crowd of people. A tiger-like face. A stern personality who rarely showed a smile except over serious matters. For Yoo Jin-Ho, his father was always a difficult opponent.
'I haven't even brought it up yet...'
He was already getting nervous. But he had to be brave.
'Because I made a promise.'
Yoo Jin-Ho took a couple of deep breaths and slowly walked toward his father. On the way, who knew how many times he almost turned back. Still, he held firm. Yoo Jin-Ho finally arrived in front of Yoo Myung-Han.
"Father..."
The distance between them, despite being father and son, was considerable. Yoo Myung-Han's gaze shifted to Yoo Jin-Ho.
"What is it?"
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the people near Yoo Myung-Han scattered simultaneously as if by agreement.
"Father, may I step out for a moment?"
Yoo Jin-Ho's voice addressing his father unusually lacked strength.
"I'll be back before dinner." "..."
Yoo Myung-Han stood there with an expression as if he were about to bark a reprimand, but swallowed a sigh and reluctantly gave permission.
"...Go on then."
Yoo Jin-Ho bowed his head brightly.
"Thank you, Father."
And he darted off. Yoo Myung-Han watched his son's retreating figure with a stiff expression when his wife approached him.
"Dear, we got a call from Vienna."
It was exactly the news he'd been waiting for. Yoo Myung-Han showed interest.
"How did the competition go?" "She won first place. Of course she did— she's your daughter after all."
A faint smile appeared on Yoo Myung-Han's face. But just as quickly, it vanished.
"Hmm, when is she coming back to Korea?" "She said she's been incredibly busy all semester and can only come during the break."
Yoo Myung-Han frowned.
"I told her time and again not to miss Grandfather's memorial service no matter how busy she is." "Come on now. Do kids these days really hold memorial services in such high regard?" "Tsk, tsk."
His wife straightened Yoo Myung-Han's slightly loosened tie and said warmly.
"And you know, why don't you show a little more concern for Jin-Ho too?" "There you go again... A tiger should raise tiger cubs, not kittens." "Tiger or kitten, they're both children from my womb. Your children too." "Hm..." "Did you know? That was the first time Jin-Ho smiled in front of you since he graduated middle school."
Was it? Yoo Myung-Han's gaze, tinged with something like surprise, fixed on the direction Yoo Jin-Ho had disappeared to. But that too was brief. Yoo Myung-Han spoke as if it were of no consequence.
"He probably has a girlfriend now. Everyone's probably waiting. Let's go in too."
***
The Hunter's Association headquarters, located in Guro-gu, Seoul. A staff member inspecting equipment stopped in front of a small mana detector.
"What's going on? Why is this thing acting up?"
The numbers, which should have been resting at zero, were fluctuating up and down repeatedly. It seemed completely broken. But he soon brushed it off. Being a precision instrument, malfunctions weren't all that uncommon.
"Kim." "Yes."
A subordinate employee scurried over.
"How many Gates has this one measured?" "What's the number?" "N-1744B."
The subordinate checked the log and nodded.
"Seven locations the day before yesterday." "The day before yesterday? Let me see."
It was true. The day before yesterday, exactly seven locations had been measured, and among them, four Gates were currently closed off to Hunters.
"No issues reported at any of the Gates measured with this one?" "No. Nothing unusual reported." "Right?"
The staff member scratched his stubbly chin. The standard procedure when an error was found on a mana detector was to immediately cancel all clearance permits for the Gates measured by that detector. It was only natural. If a Gate that was thought to be C-rank turned out to actually be A-rank or B-rank, what would happen to the Hunters? There was no way they'd escape unharmed. That's what higher-level Dungeons were like. Just as there was a clear line between high-rank and low-rank Hunters, Dungeons too had a vast difference between upper and lower tiers. It was to the extent that major guilds exclusively handled the higher-level Dungeons.
'Should I notify them now?'
Announcing it wouldn't be difficult. But there would be pushback from the teams that had purchased the permits, and if they dragged things out with re-measurement and a Dungeon Break happened, there'd be no avoiding the blame. He might even lose his job.
'This job didn't come easy.'
The Hunter's Association offered public-enterprise-level compensation. Getting in required effort comparable to passing the bar exam. The thought of losing such a job made everything go dark.
'No, no.'
He shook his head. His subordinate had roughly figured out what was on his superior's mind. So he carefully asked.
"So... what do we do?" "Hmm."
It had already been two days. If something was going to happen, wouldn't it have happened already?
"...Let's just leave it be." "Is... is that okay?" "What, what could go wrong? Two days have already passed." "That's true."
His subordinate nodded as well.
"In the report, note that N-1744B was fine up until yesterday and started acting up today." "Understood."
***
Baekho Guild's Second Administrative Division Chief, An Sang-Min. As An Sang-Min, who had been chopping green onions, stopped and straightened his back, there was a loud cracking sound. *Crack—*
"Ouch."
Today's menu was doenjang-jjigae. As befitting a bachelor living on his own for eight years, he had already mastered most dishes. The catalyst was five years ago. While filling his stomach only with instant food, he suddenly caught sight of how worn-out he was becoming, reflected on it, and decided to learn cooking in order to survive. Now he'd reached a level where he could roughly eyeball a dish he'd seen on TV and recreate it. But. At the end of tuning, there's the stock version, isn't there? As his skills improved, the dishes on his dining table became simpler and simpler— mostly basic side dishes. Like today's doenjang-jjigae.
"Mm. That's the stuff."
After tasting a spoonful, An Sang-Min nodded, seemingly impressed with his own skill. That there was only one person who could taste this... He felt genuinely wistful.
'Should I invite someone over for a meal?'
A face flashed through his mind— a subordinate's— but he soon shook his head. He was already sick of people calling him an old bachelor; inviting a male colleague over would only invite misunderstandings.
'I wonder if he's doing well with the tasks I gave him.'
A smart kid who followed orders well, yet somehow there was something clumsy about him.
'Ah, why am I thinking about work at home.'
Let's just eat. An Sang-Min carried the doenjang-jjigae to the table in the living room, humming a tune. Watching TV alone in the living room during dinner had become his routine. For a man eating alone, the kitchen dining table was too big and lonely. *Click.* He sat down and turned on the TV with the remote. The news was on.
*"Here is today's breaking news."*
One of the few perks of bachelor life was having no one to fight over channels with. When he turned on the TV, it was always on the same channel. An Sang-Min scooped a spoonful of rice while glancing sideways at the large TV screen mounted on the wall.
*"...A mysterious explosion at the U.S. Hunter Affairs Bureau in Washington has sent shockwaves across the country. Speculation is growing that the incident may have been caused by friction between S-rank Hunters..."*
"My, my... what a world we live in."
An Sang-Min clicked his tongue in dismay with a pitying expression, yet carefully surveyed the side dishes to officially commence his meal. There weren't that many varieties, though.
*'As always, you start with kimchi.'*
*"...CCTV footage from near the Bureau. Cracks began to suddenly form along portions of the building's exterior wall..."*
No matter what the news was rambling about, he placed cool kimchi—just taken from the kimchi refrigerator—on top of the steaming hot rice he'd scooped with his spoon. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth—
The phone rang loudly.
*'Ugh! Who is it now, again?'*
An Sang-Min grumbled and picked up his phone, but upon seeing the caller, he answered in a hurry.
"Yes, this is An Sang-Min."
The caller was Jin-Woo. An Sang-Min answered with a bright face. But as he listened to Jin-Woo, An Sang-Min's expression gradually became confused.
"Yes? You want to observe a new Hunter training site?"