The Way of Life for a Terminal S-Class Hunter - C90
“We should serve delicious food to guests. Enjoy today. From tomorrow, it’ll be the same as usual.”
Isabella indirectly told us not to feel burdened.
“Won’t our stomachs burst if we eat all this?”
“Even hunters who don’t usually eat at the guild have all gathered. Think of it as a party.”
Looking at the food, it really did seem like a party. With about fifty people gathered to share this feast, others might have asked if it was a Christmas party.
“Well then, enjoy the meal as we welcome our guests. Shall we make a toast?”
“Yes!”
The Fiesta guild members cheerfully answered in unison.
“Then, to the guild’s prosperity and Woo-hyun’s happiness!”
Throughout the meal, people chatted with me about various things but didn’t ask about my circumstances. It was a comfortable gathering.
***
As the meal was ending and people were starting to leave one by one, Lee-han, who had been fidgeting for a while, finally couldn’t contain his anxiety and asked me:
“Won’t information leak with so many people here?”
Isabella, with her good hearing, spoke before I could answer:
“It’s a secret that Woo-hyun is here. To join our guild, you have to sign a contract that penalizes you immediately if you share secrets with others. Don’t worry, kiddo.”
Isabella said to Lee-han with a smirk. Seeing how she viewed him despite potentially rude words, it seemed Lee-han didn’t just look cute to me.
“I’m an adult.”
“Being an adult doesn’t mean you’re not a kiddo.”
Lee-han scrunched up his face, but Isabella looked satisfied.
“Oh, and this.”
Isabella took something out as if she just remembered. It was a phone.
“We made another one under a guild member’s name. All necessary contacts are saved, so use it freely. You can use the internet right away too. Things seem to be getting quite interesting, so check it out.”
I felt uneasy when she said it was interesting. I opened the internet browser wondering what on earth was happening. And…
[Wanted]
Target: Baek Woo-hyun
If you capture this person without injury, Ihwa Guild will provide a reward.
Reward: 1 billion won
I had become a wanted person.
I thought they might try something, but a wanted notice? And the reward was enormous. After reading the unbelievable content about three times, I finally had the presence of mind to read the additional explanation.
* However, the target must not be injured.
* The reward will be given even if you just hold the target until Ihwa’s guild master arrives after contact.
The first condition was quite difficult. Restraining a skilled S-class hunter without injury was a challenging task. To do this, one would need to bring an even higher-level hunter or trap the target. There were few hunters as strong as Kang Seo-heon, and such people generally weren’t very tempted by 1 billion won. So those trying to catch me would likely try to trap me, but it was a headache to trap someone whose location was unknown.
Even so, 1 billion is too much. Moreover, doing this officially would spark all sorts of rumors. What on earth are they thinking?
I didn’t even have the courage to look at the article comments and turned off the phone.
“How is it? Quite interesting, isn’t it?”
Isabella seemed to be enjoying this a bit.
“Love triangles aren’t easy. Two men fighting over Woo-hyun, right?”
I had forgotten that this person was a hopeless romantic. As much as she was in a one-of-a-kind love herself, she thought others would be too.
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh come on, I know even if you don’t say it.”
I understood why others were keeping quiet. Thinking it was a personal love affair, they couldn’t easily speak up.
Isabella, what on earth did you tell them?
I sighed and shook my head. Seeing my gloomy state, she advised in a slightly more serious tone:
“For now, it’s better not to leave the guild. Since it’s been spread worldwide, people blinded by money might come after Woo-hyun.”
“Yes…”
I nodded obediently. I didn’t have much intention of going out anyway, but after seeing the wanted notice, I knew I shouldn’t leave here no matter what.
“Probably in a week… no, at most a month, they’ll give up. I’ll impose on you until then.”
“That’s quite an optimistic view. I like your innocent personality, Woo-hyun, but… don’t think too lightly of this. Normal people don’t do things like this.”
It was a cutting remark. On the other hand, I was also afraid that others might think the Ihwa guild master had gone mad.
“Thanks for the advice.”
“I agree with that statement too. In my opinion, that person is no different from a lunatic.”
I thought Seo-heon might be angry now because things weren’t going his way, but it wouldn’t last long. Moreover, even if his abnormal behavior continued longer than expected, I didn’t have much life force left. I thought if I could hold out until then, I would win. It was futile that winning against Seo-heon meant death, but I smiled bitterly thinking there was no choice. However, hearing Isabella and Lee-han’s words made me a bit uneasy.
No. Let’s not think unnecessary thoughts. I slowly shook my head.
I looked out the window. Rain was pouring as if a hole had been punched in the sky. I had come out to gain the right to act according to my own will and choices. Rather than being swayed by the situation and buried in anxiety, it was better to think about how to respond.
***
I thought I had slept plenty, but apparently not. Yesterday, as soon as I returned to my room, I succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and fell asleep, only to wake up at eight o’clock.
“Did I sleep for almost twelve hours?”
Not only was the long sleep shocking, but waking up at such a late hour was also surprising. Even though I had nothing to do anyway, I felt like I had become an excessively lazy person.
I got up to do something, washed up, and thought deeply, but as a guest at the guild, there was no way I would have anything to do. If I offered to help with work, they would surely show signs of discomfort.
Should I tell Isabella that I’d feel better doing some small tasks? Come to think of it, Lee-han must be bored too, I wonder what he’s doing.
With that thought, I got up. Lee-han’s situation probably wasn’t much different, so it seemed better to chat together. I was also thinking of casually suggesting he return to the Ihwa guild.
Knock knock.
I knocked, but there was no answer. Wondering if I had made a mistake, I checked the room number, but it was indeed Lee-han’s room.
Did he go out somewhere?
With a hopeful heart, I knocked once more, and this time I heard movement inside. Soon after, the door swung open.
“Who the hell is it this early in the morning…”
Lee-han opened the door with messy hair. Seeing me with half-closed eyes, Lee-han flinched in surprise as if burned. His hair was sticking up and his clothes were comfortable, suggesting he had been sleeping. Come to think of it, Lee-han must still be tired from the journey, and I hadn’t been considerate. As I smiled awkwardly, Lee-han hastily tidied his hair.
“Ah, right, I came with you. I have low blood pressure. No, I’m not usually like this.”
His rambling made him look like someone who had made a big mistake.
“I’m the one who should apologize for coming so early. I thought you’d be awake for sure.”
“Are you going somewhere? Wait a bit and let’s go together.”
“No, I wasn’t planning to go anywhere specific… I was thinking we could go to the training grounds together.”
After saying it, I felt even more stiff all over. It seemed better to loosen up a bit.
“Give me ten minutes.”
Lee-han rushed back into the room. I stood outside and opened the phone I had received yesterday. I was hoping someone might have advised Seo-heon to cancel my bounty, but nothing had changed. In fact, it had spread even more. As I scrolled down, I found a relatively recent article.
[Ihwa Guild’s Kang Seo-heon Departs for Italy. How Far Will This Eccentric Behavior Go?]
The article included a photo from the airport. I smiled bitterly as I zoomed in on the picture.
“Even the clothes are the same.”
It was exactly the same outfit he wore when he came home from work the day before yesterday. Seo-heon never wore clothes twice before washing them. He even prepared spare clothes for conquests. I tried to think it might be similar clothes, but the wrinkles left no room for doubt.
He looked tired, he should just sleep instead of wasting energy on useless things.
If he’s going to Italy, does that mean the fake operation worked? Given the timing, it seemed he had fallen for it.
“So stop this nonsense quickly.”
Despite the flashy title, the article didn’t contain much. Still, I found it hard to leave that page.
Bang!
“Did you wait long?”
I hurriedly closed the internet browser because of Lee-han’s sudden question. Not wanting to show that I had been looking at Seo-heon’s photo, I put the phone in my pocket. In just ten minutes, Lee-han had somehow made his face and hair neat and tidy. He even wore a coat neatly, looking like someone about to go for a photo shoot.