#17
Having quickly emptied his plate, Seo Yi-young filled it with new foods. They were all exceptionally delicious.
As he chewed, he glanced at the other Hunters in the hall.
Despite such delicious food being available, everyone else seemed uninterested in eating. It was puzzling why they weren’t eating.
He could feel gazes directed at him, but after experiencing that mortifyingly embarrassing incident earlier, this much attention now merely felt ticklish.
With the attitude of “stare all you want,” Seo Yi-young diligently worked through the food on his plate.
As he continued eating, someone brought the steak he had ordered earlier to his table. Seo Yi-young thanked them and placed the steak plate in front of himself.
This was his first time having steak. He wondered what the yellow sauce on the side was.
It had brown granules that made it hard to identify, but after tasting a bit, he recognized the flavor. It was mustard sauce. It looked quite unique. After evaluating the unfamiliar sauce, he picked up the fork and knife.
Swish, as he cut into the meat, it sliced so perfectly it was impressive.
And then, one bite.
Seo Yi-young’s eyes widened.
It was a taste completely different from pork belly or neck meat. He couldn’t believe such a flavor existed.
The elastic flesh released juices with each chew, yet there was no toughness at all. The seasoning was perfectly savory, making him inadvertently exclaim in admiration at how delicious it was.
So this is what steak tastes like. That’s why they eat it so much on TV. Now I understand.
As Seo Yi-young nodded and was cleanly emptying his plate, a shadow fell across one side of the table. When he looked up, someone was standing beside him.
“I thought it had been a while since I saw you, but you seem like a different person?”
Well, he was a different person…
But unable to actually say that aloud, Seo Yi-young swallowed the food in his mouth.
A man with long, slanted eyes and a tall stature was looking down at Seo Yi-young. Judging by his well-dressed appearance, this man was undoubtedly an S-Class Hunter. Seo Yi-young tried to recall the man’s name from YouTube videos he had watched.
S-Class Hunter Kim Young-sik. In his 50s.
Did he use arrows as a combat-type?
“I heard you entered a dungeon recently. Had a tough time, I hear?”
He seemed to have come to check on him.
After listening to the man’s words, delivered with narrowed eyes, Seo Yi-young took a sip of water and replied, “Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Kim Young-sik blinked once at Seo Yi-young’s ordinary response. It took a moment before he spoke again.
“I heard Lee Ji-woong is also attending. The recently awakened A-Class Hunter, I mean.”
An A-Class is here?
This was the first Seo Yi-young had heard of it. He couldn’t recall being informed about this when he arrived.
…Or was he?
Come to think of it, someone might have mentioned it at the salon.
Suddenly he felt uncertain.
Was it just his imagination that there was a faint hint of sarcasm in Kim Young-sik’s voice?
Seo Yi-young wasn’t completely oblivious, so he could sense that Kim Young-sik wasn’t being friendly toward him.
The question was why.
Seo Yi-young began fidgeting with the napkin on the table for no reason.
He could only guess that perhaps the original Seo Yi-young hadn’t gotten along well with him.
However, regardless of what their relationship might have been, he couldn’t confront him based on mere speculation.
Maybe Seo Yi-young was overthinking it.
“He’s affiliated with your company, right?”
At Kim Young-sik’s next words, Seo Yi-young stopped fidgeting with the napkin.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard it, but rather that he had heard and forgotten. With this realization, he leaned more toward the possibility that the man was showing goodwill.
Perhaps he was just informing him.
Even more so, since the man was part of his company. That meant it was Seo Yi-young’s responsibility to look after him. In that case, he appreciated being told.
“Where is he?”
“…What?”
“Hunter Lee Ji-woong.”
Seo Yi-young asked while looking around the hall.
He spotted a man standing awkwardly in a corner, making him wonder why he hadn’t noticed him earlier. Looking at him now, it was clear at a glance that he wasn’t comfortable in this kind of setting. To think he was standing so close to the wall.
No, rather than letting him come in alone like that, someone should have accompanied him. Had there been a slip-up during the handover?
No. It’s no one’s fault.
This wouldn’t have happened if Seo Yi-young had been more attentive.
He should go and look after him now. As he stood up, Kim Young-sik hesitated.
He seemed startled by Seo Yi-young’s sudden movement. Feeling a bit sorry, Seo Yi-young invited him as well.
“Would you like to come greet him with me?”
“What?”
“Hunter Lee Ji-woong. Ah, have you already greeted him? If not, I’ll go and bring him over.”
Kim Young-sik looked at Seo Yi-young with a dumbfounded expression, then exhaled with a “Huh.”
“No. I’m good. …I’ll be going now.”
With a deflated expression, he said that and left. Seo Yi-young blinked as he watched him, then collected himself and walked toward Lee Ji-woong.
“Hello.”
“Oh! Ah! H-Hunter Seo Yi-young. Hello.”
Already visibly tense, Lee Ji-woong responded to Seo Yi-young’s greeting with his entire body stiffened. His demeanor reminded Seo Yi-young of his own first day at work, making him feel a sense of kinship.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to properly look after you earlier. I was a bit distracted.”
“N-n-no, not at all.”
Lee Ji-woong was so uncomfortable that it was burdensome for Seo Yi-young, to the point where Seo Yi-young didn’t know what to do either. “Hmm…” He rubbed his cheek ambiguously, then asked Lee Ji-woong, “Have you eaten?”
“Pardon?”
“Food. The food here is incredibly delicious. Let’s sit down first.”
Seo Yi-young gestured for Lee Ji-woong to follow him.
“Sit and wait. The steak here is really delicious.”
“Ah, no. I couldn’t, H-Hunter.”
Waving his hand for the fidgeting Lee Ji-woong to remain seated, Seo Yi-young walked toward where he had ordered the steak earlier.
“Two steaks, well-done, please.”
As he ordered just like before, he sensed someone’s presence. Turning around, he was startled to find someone actually standing there, then realized it was Choi Do-jun and exhaled deeply. He tried to calm his racing heart, but the strong irritation that arose from being startled didn’t subside immediately.
Seo Yi-young glared at Choi Do-jun, who was quietly staring at his face.
Why was he here?
Why else? He probably came to eat steak.
After this amusing internal dialogue, Seo Yi-young soon managed to calm down.
Well, it was delicious.
Recalling what had happened at the photo zone earlier, Seo Yi-young narrowed his eyes as he looked at Choi Do-jun, then took half a step back. However, Choi Do-jun showed no sign of ordering. He merely moved his eyes to follow Seo Yi-young’s movements.
“Aren’t you going to order?”
“You’re probably the only one interested in food here.”
“…”
He hadn’t expected to be called “hyung,” but “you” seemed a bit harsh.
Seo Yi-young recalled the age difference between himself and Choi Do-jun again. Though he’d only seen him briefly, Choi Do-jun didn’t seem to have the cuteness to call Seo Yi-young “hyung,” so he shouldn’t expect it.
Seo Yi-young glanced at Choi Do-jun’s arm. He had practiced healing wounds a few times, but that was the first time he had treated a poisoned wound, so he couldn’t be sure if it had healed properly. He was a bit concerned. But it seemed awkward to roll up his sleeve to take a look. From what he could see, Choi Do-jun didn’t seem to have any difficulty moving, but that was just Seo Yi-young’s assessment. Since he couldn’t properly see the skin of the arm, he couldn’t tell if it had healed or not.
Seo Yi-young began with, “Hey.”
“Is your arm okay?”
But Choi Do-jun didn’t answer. Thinking he might not have heard, Seo Yi-young asked again, but got the same result.
This confirmed that Choi Do-jun was deliberately ignoring Seo Yi-young. Feeling embarrassed, Seo Yi-young rubbed his eyes unnecessarily.
Sizzle.
Only the sound of steak grilling filled the space between the two.
A Hunter who had been standing at a distance approached the two, or more precisely, toward Seo Yi-young.
“It’s been a while, Hunter Seo.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
Yeo Kyung-woong. A combat-type Hunter in his mid-40s. His ability was… not well remembered, but that wasn’t important right now.
Seo Yi-young greeted him respectfully, as he was older. Yeo Kyung-woong moved a bit closer to Seo Yi-young. As Seo Yi-young tried to step back, thinking it unnecessary to be this close, Yeo Kyung-woong said, “Today,”
“Aren’t you going to order?”
At that moment, Choi Do-jun interrupted Yeo Kyung-woong’s words.
Why would he interrupt when an adult is talking? And he ignored me earlier, but now he’s doing this?
Seo Yi-young turned toward Choi Do-jun with furrowed brows. Choi Do-jun continued to look straight ahead, then turned toward Seo Yi-young. More precisely, he looked at Yeo Kyung-woong, and his eyes were intimidatingly fierce.
Wasn’t Choi Do-jun the same when it came to ordering? It was like the pot calling the kettle black. But Seo Yi-young kept his mouth shut because Choi Do-jun’s aura was too menacing.
“Didn’t you come to order?”
“Ah, right. Ordering. Yes.”
When Choi Do-jun asked again, Yeo Kyung-woong immediately moved away from his close proximity to Seo Yi-young. He ordered one steak and left.
What on earth just happened?
He couldn’t ask Choi Do-jun what that was about. Blinking, Seo Yi-young remembered that he had something to say to Choi Do-jun. Thanks to Yeo Kyung-woong, his attention had momentarily wavered.
It was quite awkward to bring it up again in this atmosphere. But from the position of someone who needed to express gratitude, he was in no position to be picky. No matter how much the other person ignored him, he couldn’t neglect what needed to be done. Despite the awkwardness, he should at least thank him for saving him in the dungeon.
After pressing his lips together once, Seo Yi-young spoke up.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
