#111
It was truly a disappointing request.
“What?”
As expected, his intuition that there was something he wanted from him was correct. However, upon hearing the request, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Contrary to his worries, this wasn’t a big request at all. That’s why it raised even more questions.
This seemed to have nothing to do with their contract or gate information.
“Why do you want me to meet Hunter Park Jung-hoon?”
He asked reflexively, but Dan Joo-hyuk’s answer only added to Yoon Pa-ran’s confusion.
“That guy was openly making moves, and I thought you might not know about it.”
It was indeed a bizarre reason.
First, he was being all coy about the gate, and now he’s willingly handing over this item? Just for that?
“Do you think everyone’s a pervert like you?”
Yoon Pa-ran blurted out, bewildered, but still couldn’t easily understand the situation.
Finally, due to his deepening curiosity, he had to ask a fundamental question.
“And even if it is really a move, what does that have to do with you?”
“……”
Dan Joo-hyuk remained silent. As if Yoon Pa-ran had asked a question without an answer.
When Yoon Pa-ran tried to gauge his intentions by looking straight into his eyes, Dan Joo-hyuk’s face gradually hardened. It was indeed strange.
I don’t understand. Is this another trick that I haven’t figured out?
“……”
After waiting a bit longer, Dan Joo-hyuk still said nothing.
The longer this silence continued, the more Yoon Pa-ran concluded that Dan Joo-hyuk’s words were closer to a joke. If there was a clear reason why he shouldn’t meet Park Jung-hoon, Dan Joo-hyuk wouldn’t just keep his mouth shut like this.
Perhaps he would have tried to persuade him by making up an excuse to achieve his goal?
Maybe it was because he had been so tense and then relaxed, but suddenly a wave of fatigue washed over him. With a full stomach, he now just wanted to go to a safe place and sleep soundly.
For now, Yoon Pa-ran put down the pants he was holding onto the table. These weren’t items to take back to his one-room apartment anyway.
At least it would be a bit more comfortable to fight in the next gate. Though there wouldn’t be much difference since he had already gotten used to the underwear item.
“If you wanted to request that in exchange for these pants, just tell me something else later.”
“…What did you say?”
Dan Joo-hyuk finally spoke, but Yoon Pa-ran yawned widely and started walking.
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
This time, he didn’t stop Yoon Pa-ran from leaving. However, throughout the way to the entrance, Yoon Pa-ran kept turning back suspiciously, and their eyes met each time.
It was strange that Dan Joo-hyuk seemed displeased about something but remained still. Was it really just a joke?
“……”
Before opening the front door, Yoon Pa-ran hesitated for a moment, scratching his cheek. Then, with a deep sigh, he left Dan Joo-hyuk’s house without further hesitation.
What a weird guy.
❖ ❖ ❖
“……”
Even long after Yoon Pa-ran had left, Dan Joo-hyuk remained rooted to the spot.
‘And even if it is really a move, what does that have to do with you?’
Yoon Pa-ran’s words kept echoing in his ears. No matter how many times he reviewed it, it wasn’t wrong.
‘Once the contract is over, we won’t see each other anymore.’
Yoon Pa-ran’s previous assertion was the same. While Dan Joo-hyuk wanted to maintain a partnership with Yoon Pa-ran in the future, Yoon Pa-ran did not.
The content of the contract was like that too. From the beginning, he only wanted to monopolize Yoon Pa-ran’s skill. Not his other human relationships.
So it shouldn’t matter to him who Yoon Pa-ran meets.
‘If you wanted to request that in exchange for these pants, just tell me something else later.’
Even the attempt to gently persuade him was interpreted by Yoon Pa-ran in a way that was advantageous to himself. So he could just use this as a pretext to control Yoon Pa-ran’s actions later.
Nothing had gone wrong.
“Hah……”
But why did it feel so unsatisfactory?
Dan Joo-hyuk irritably ran his hand through his hair and finally walked into the living room. His gaze naturally turned to where Yoon Pa-ran had been sitting earlier.
Dan Joo-hyuk stood at the spot where Yoon Pa-ran had been sitting, as if in a trance.
“……”
He had wondered why Yoon Pa-ran sat on the cold floor instead of the sofa, but it was the best spot to see the rippling pool on the terrace.
“Ha.”
Again feeling inexplicably frustrated, Dan Joo-hyuk ran his hand through his hair. The image of Yoon Pa-ran’s profile, blankly staring at the pool, flashed through his mind.
He couldn’t understand why he felt so anxious. It’s not like the dull Yoon Pa-ran would realize Park Jung-hoon’s dirty intentions just by meeting him.
Anyway, the solution was clear. He just needed to keep providing things that would interest Yoon Pa-ran. Be it money, equipment, or information.
Then Yoon Pa-ran would realize that sticking with him, not some other bastard, would be more beneficial.
“……”
At that moment, the cell phone in his pocket rang loudly.
He picked it up hurriedly without realizing it, but the name that caught his eye was Heo Sang-yeon. For some reason, Dan Joo-hyuk accepted the call with a deflated expression.
―I heard you saved all the kids? Thanks.
As soon as he heard those words, Dan Joo-hyuk felt intense regret.
If only Park Jung-hoon had suffered a seizure from his injury aftereffects, things would have been much easier.
Regardless of whether he answered or not, Heo Sang-yeon continued to the main point.
―I found a few more of those strange stones. Looks like they’re more widespread than we thought.
This time, while sharing information about Lim Hyun-sung’s corpse, he had sent various pieces of information to Heo Sang-yeon. It was a measure he had taken to divert attention from Yoon Pa-ran.
This included information that hunters who entered the safety special zone used to collect blessing fragments. True to his role as a guild operator, Heo Sang-yeon’s investigation with his extensive network in the hunter community was swift.
“Is that so.”
Although it was information he had been waiting for, somehow it didn’t pique his interest much.
Leaning against the cold terrace window, Dan Joo-hyuk glared at the pool.
―But no one else seems to recognize it. Strangely, no other hunters notice that energy. Is it an issue of rank?
“……”
Suddenly, Dan Joo-hyuk recalled how the hunter who touched the stone in the Russian gate had changed.
If Heo Sang-yeon were to be affected in the same way, it was obvious that things would get quite troublesome. Being an S-rank, it would take some effort to subdue him.
“It seems to have some effect on the human body as well. Heo Sang-yeon, don’t touch it directly. It’ll become a nuisance later.”
―Yeah. Thanks for putting it so nicely.
Heo Sang-yeon, having understood the intention perfectly, replied with what sounded like a sigh.
―So, have you thought about what you want in return?
He had just completed the favor Heo Sang-yeon had asked for today. And as it happened, there was something he wanted to request from her in return.
For the past few days, the communications from Russia had been unsettling.
“We need to look into the Russian situation.”
―Huh? Why?
“It seems the ripples from this SS-rank gate were manipulated.”
When Dan Joo-hyuk went to the gate, Minister Byeon had also brought along gate researchers.
The researchers who stayed behind with the minister to continue their studies had obtained some strange information a few days ago. They said that the ripples from the Russian gate, which had shocked the world by surpassing S-rank, seemed to have been manipulated.
He had somewhat expected this since seeing the [■■■ Fragment] placed in front of the boss monster, but the more he thought about it, the more trivial it seemed.
―What? If that was manipulated, then…
“Your guess is correct, Hunter Heo Sang-yeon.”
In the end, it meant that the Russian gate incident was a trap to lure Dan Joo-hyuk out of Korea.
―No, but why would the Tsar…?
“Who knows.”
The Tsar’s motives were a mystery even to Dan Joo-hyuk. Although he had made enemies in many places, he had little connection with the Tsar.
Anyway, it wasn’t something he was particularly curious about.
The outline would gradually become clear as they interrogated the suspicious hunter they had caught inside the gate. Additionally, he heard that negotiations for extracting additional items were going smoothly, so Minister Byeon would soon return with gifts.
―That person must be really crazy.
“Well, if he’s truly gone mad, it might actually make things easier. There are rumors that his obsession with immortality is getting worse year by year.”
―Yeah. I heard he bathes in potions.
“Anyway, use all your overseas connections to find out. It’ll be too troublesome if I go myself.”
―Sigh… That’s almost as troublesome for me too.
“Figure it out.”
―Huh…
Heo Sang-yeon made a sound as if he had received a very troublesome burden. Then, seemingly deciding it was necessary work, he seemed to gather his resolve.
―By the way, how was Hunter Park Jung-hoon’s condition? I was worried because his skills seemed to have declined, but do you think it’s temporary?
At that moment, Heo Sang-yeon, who had been about to wrap up the call, suddenly asked.
Sensing something strange in his tone, Dan Joo-hyuk narrowed his eyes and asked,
“… Do you know him personally?”
―Hmm, I don’t know him personally, but I’ve been keeping an eye on him.
“Why?”
Strangely, his mood started to sink bit by bit. As if he had a premonition of something very unpleasant.
―He’s a hunter sponsored by Congressman Kim Tae-jun.
“……”
―Sigh… I don’t particularly like Kim Tae-jun either. But that man did help a lot, even sponsoring hunters who were injured during the Gumun-dong Incident gate out of his own pocket. I heard that thanks to him, Hunter Park Jung-hoon was thinking of making a quick comeback.
His own heartbeat loudly echoed through the quiet house. It was truly strange, something that had happened only a few times since he had first awakened.
Finally, the warning from his instincts broke through the critical point and burst out.
“I’m hanging up now.”
―Huh? Oh, okay. If anything else comes up…
Before Heo Sang-yeon could finish speaking, Dan Joo-hyuk abruptly ended the call. Then, as if he had never stopped moving, he quickly gathered his clothes.
As expected, he had a bad feeling about this.
Perhaps because of that, Yoon Pa-ran’s pale face kept flashing before his eyes.
