#222
At those words, Minister Byeon’s expression became even more troubled.
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been beside him the whole time, immediately stepped forward and asked. It was behavior contrary to keeping a slight distance until just before.
“Why are you looking for Hunter Heo again? I’m here.”
The tone of his question was very gentle. His smile had deepened even more than before. However, even so, Yoon Pa-ran somehow felt that he seemed angry.
When he wanted him to act seriously, he would act as if teasing people, but now he couldn’t understand why he was acting like this.
“The thing is…… the government is still in a situation where it’s difficult to actively consider cooperation with Hunter Heo. As Hunter Yoon Pa-ran knows, Hunter Heo is also in charge of monitoring Kim Min-ji, who is a key person involved.”
Minister Byeon, who had come closer, began explaining in a voice small enough for only the two of them to hear. Even though it was high-level government affairs and important information, his attitude in speaking to Yoon Pa-ran showed no reservations.
“Temporary security like last time can’t be helped, but converting to a major position entirely is a bit difficult.”
“No……”
Feeling a bit burdened by that fact, Yoon Pa-ran awkwardly rubbed his neck.
He hadn’t strongly demanded to change to Hunter Heo either, but Minister Byeon’s attitude was so serious that it became troublesome.
“Please reconsider.”
“Alright.”
Yoon Pa-ran hurriedly nodded at his words. Regret followed that he had said something unnecessary.
“Thank you. Please rest for a moment. It seems we need to adjust the seating arrangements for the gathering hunters a bit.”
Yoon Pa-ran, who had nodded, hurriedly headed toward a chair prepared on one side. Whenever it was a day for him to open a safe zone, such a place was always prepared as if hosting distinguished guests.
Yoon Pa-ran, who had plopped down on the makeshift chair without thinking, let out a light sigh.
Though such treatment was always burdensome, this time he welcomed that fact. Since he could naturally avoid the situation.
“Are you really going to call Hunter Heo?”
“……”
Of course, he couldn’t avoid everyone.
“Yoon Pa-ran. Are you really going to do that?”
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had chased after him eagerly, asked Yoon Pa-ran again. He had answered that such a thing wouldn’t happen just before, but it seemed insufficient.
That said, he didn’t want to give Dan Joo-hyuk the answer he wanted. Since his inner feelings that had been tangled since earlier were a bit strange, Yoon Pa-ran was confused.
“I’ll do well. Please look after me. Okay?”
So the choice he made was just to keep his mouth shut.
Hadn’t he caused unnecessary misunderstandings by thoughtlessly making sharp remarks earlier too?
“First, try drinking this. You said you didn’t eat much breakfast either.”
Even though he had blatantly ignored his words, Dan Joo-hyuk didn’t back down.
Rather, as if nothing had happened, he brought a beverage can from somewhere. When he glanced at it, it was the same drink as the grape juice he had enjoyed sometime before.
Did that come in can form too? He wasn’t sure since he had only tried it at Dan Joo-hyuk’s house.
Anyway, he was puzzled about where such a drink had suddenly come from. Only then did Yoon Pa-ran, who looked around, belatedly notice that this ‘waiting area’ had become somewhat more elaborate.
On one side was a large ice box he hadn’t seen before. Inside the open box were various types of drinks besides the one Dan Joo-hyuk had just brought.
Next to it was a wide makeshift table, on which a coffee machine and even a microwave were placed. Not only that, but a parasol was also set up overhead. Even though it was still winter and the sun wasn’t strong.
Why had this place changed to be so much more elaborate?
He had thought the civil servants’ enthusiasm was a bit excessive, but this was indeed strange. He should definitely tell them next time that this wasn’t necessary.
“There are warm drinks too.”
When the flustered Yoon Pa-ran didn’t answer, Dan Joo-hyuk spoke while touching the back of the chair he was sitting in.
Yoon Pa-ran found it difficult to meet that gaze that seemed to look down at him with concern.
“……No thanks.”
“Is the chair uncomfortable? Should I have them bring a different one?”
“No.”
As if he were the person who had personally prepared all of this, Dan Joo-hyuk kept making a fuss. Even though he only gave blunt answers on purpose, he was truly persistent.
To the point where he was really starting to think it might be better to entrust security to Heo Sang-yeon.
“Phew……”
“……”
Letting out a big sigh, Yoon Pa-ran cast his gaze far away. There, civil servants were leading the gathered hunters.
Numerous chairs were prepared there too. Those people had probably been informed about today’s sudden gathering as something like an ‘official observation of safe zone skills.’
Until now, they had thoroughly blocked attention when using safe zone skills. However, after trying it several times, they judged that showing the moment of activating the skill wouldn’t be a major danger. It was an area that couldn’t be done without Yoon Pa-ran anyway, and it wasn’t a form that exposed weaknesses.
So this operation of gathering hunters for the occasion proceeded smoothly. Since public interest was already a big issue, countless requests from several hunters had piled up. Perhaps after this matter ended safely, there might be a media disclosure next.
If there were guys hiding like the security company employee, they needed to be identified quickly, so it was rather a good thing.
“Why are you sighing like that? Are you tired? Should I tell them to stop everything?”
“……Be quiet.”
Dan Joo-hyuk was now kneeling on one knee beside him, looking up at him. Since facing him directly was burdensome, Yoon Pa-ran slightly turned his head away to avoid him again.
He could sigh a little – it was an oversensitive reaction. Asking about Hunter Heo earlier was the same.
Since he was making such a blatant fuss beside him, he even thought he might be teasing him a little. However, even while frowning, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t bring himself to tell Dan Joo-hyuk to go away.
It was because he was worried that among those many hunters, there might be guys who would have seizures like the security company employee. To quickly resolve that when it happened, it would be better to have Dan Joo-hyuk there.
There were those watching these two people bickering from afar.
One of them was Kim Sin-cheol.
“What is that bastard doing……?”
Today, he had come here at the right time because the Gate Management Agency had informed him there was an important event. Originally, he should have entered another gate, but he was curious about the much-talked-about safe zone.
No matter how much he asked Dan Joo-hyuk about safe zones, he never gave proper answers. Usually, when asked, he would leak some information to some extent, but regarding safe zones, he seemed quite sensitive.
Anyway, since he was officially invited today, he had contacted Dan Joo-hyuk too. He was also worried about the guy who had been showing strange behavior recently.
However, he had seemed quite busy preparing something busily since morning.
There was no reason for Dan Joo-hyuk to be busy over just such an event, so he thought it was strange, but the scene he saw as soon as he arrived was quite absurd.
“That’s Dan Joo-hyuk, right?”
“……It is.”
Sure enough, while the hunters all went to sit in their assigned seats, they were all inconspicuously glancing over there.
When Dan Joo-hyuk finally even knelt on one knee in front of Yoon Pa-ran, undeniable agitation spread.
“Why is he acting like that?”
“Who knows.”
“Did Yoon Pa-ran catch some weakness of his?”
“If that were the case, Dan Joo-hyuk would have killed him.”
“Even so, it’s Yoon Pa-ran. Maybe the government somehow prevented it?”
“……Then Dan Joo-hyuk would probably try to kill the government too.”
“……That’s true, isn’t it?”
Unlike the countless speculations, Kim Sin-cheol looked at his friend with some distaste. No matter how he looked at it, Dan Joo-hyuk’s current expression wasn’t the kind of look that would kill someone.
Rather, that expression was…….
At the sudden thought, Kim Sin-cheol’s face crumpled even more. Seeing the state of ‘Yoon Pa-ran’s rest area’ that Dan Joo-hyuk had set up since morning, making a fuss, was somewhat irritating to watch.
Kim Sin-cheol, like a good friend, subtly ignored his friend’s unseemly appearance. Even when nearby hunters who knew of their friendship asked if he knew anything, he only made expressions of not knowing what was going on politely.
“Ugh.”
However, Kim Sin-cheol couldn’t stop the suspicion that had sprouted since they went to the gate together last time from growing.
So it was inevitable that curious glances occasionally darted at the back of Dan Joo-hyuk’s head.
❖ ❖ ❖
Opening today’s first safe zone was successfully completed.
Yoon Pa-ran was tensely nervous in case there were hunters who would suddenly change, but fortunately, there were no problems at all. The hunters just made bewildered expressions while seeing the safe zone they had only heard about.
After finishing the skill, some commotion arose. It was because hunters who wanted to say at least a word to Yoon Pa-ran flocked over. As if they had all planned it, their first greeting was ‘We’ve been to gates together before.’ Yoon Pa-ran was a bit bewildered, wondering if there had really been so many hunters he had entered gates with.
Fortunately, the commotion was quickly settled with Dan Joo-hyuk’s intervention.
“Now, get in the car.”
The place Dan Joo-hyuk took Yoon Pa-ran after extracting him from the crowd was a large van parked in an alley. The large car with dark tinting was one he hadn’t seen before.
“What’s this?”
“I bought one. It seemed like I’d need to carry some cargo around.”
“Oh, okay.”
The explanation that came calmly was quite kind. Hearing those words, Yoon Pa-ran rolled his eyes here and there.
He hadn’t come in the morning, but now he wanted to travel together from here on?
It would be fine to think that way, but he felt strangely awkward. While unnecessarily rubbing the back of his neck, Yoon Pa-ran bluntly asked for the reason.
“So why?”
“I put equipment inside. Change into it.”
“Huh?”
“We got lucky this time, but you never know. It seemed dangerous, so I brought it.”
However, the answer that followed was quite logical.
“Ah……”
I see.
Feeling strangely deflated, Yoon Pa-ran hardened his expression. Then he obediently entered the car following Dan Joo-hyuk’s guidance as he opened the door for him.
“……Come out when you’re dressed.”
The sound of the car door closing was very quiet. Inside the large van was almost all the equipment Yoon Pa-ran had been using. The three S-grade saint robes were the same.
“Hmm.”
Yoon Pa-ran, who had picked them up to put them on first, fell into thought. Then he deliberately picked up underwear and a top.
If it was dangerous, it would be better to maximize defense.
By now, wearing this hideous underwear didn’t matter at all. It was a trivial matter in the face of life-threatening situations anyway.
However, when he had changed into all the equipment and got out of the car, Dan Joo-hyuk approached with gleaming eyes.
“What are you doing right now?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
