#153
Of course, it wasn’t that the guy’s skills were merely at that level. Rather, the presence of Lee Tae-jung standing in front of him was just that unpleasant.
More precisely, the spasmodic disgust he felt toward Lee Tae-jung had intensified compared to before. He had already been troubled by his S-class syndrome recently, and now here was Lee Tae-jung distinctly manifesting his presence.
Whether this was due to his own worsening symptoms or some trick Lee Tae-jung was playing didn’t matter. They were both equally shitty situations.
A cynical sentiment rose from his heart like sharp ice. Smiling crookedly as he dispersed it, Dan Joo-hyuk fixed his gaze on Heo Sang-yeon.
“What’s your business?”
“Do you always skip greetings like this? Fine, fine. Let’s handle this quickly. Out of all the orphanages on the list Hunter Dan sent before, all except one have been shut down.”
“That’s right.”
However, the topic Heo Sang-yeon brought up was rather unexpected. He had thought he would bring important information discovered overseas, but it was about orphanages again.
What Heo Sang-yeon was talking about was a list Dan Joo-hyuk had sent previously. The orphanages that the Yoonseul director had almost been forced to relocate children from due to Congressman Kim Tae-jun’s machinations.
Not expecting Heo Sang-yeon to keep pestering about matters related to Yoon Pa-ran, Dan Joo-hyuk smiled deeply.
Since last time, what kind of game are you playing?
“I think there’s a clue in the orphanage that survived.”
“You’re saying there’s a clue there.”
Something was definitely off.
The subtle discomfort he had been feeling in Heo Sang-yeon’s attitude suddenly exploded. Especially regarding matters related to Yoon Pa-ran, he wasn’t displaying the consistent and logical attitude he had shown in the past.
After these repeated clear signals, Dan Joo-hyuk made up his mind. His body leaned crookedly in the chair.
“We won’t know exactly until we go there, but there’s a clue there.”
“I see.”
What’s more, the place Heo Sang-yeon was talking about was somewhere Dan Joo-hyuk had already investigated.
It was certainly strange that orphanages that had closed down had their building foundations completely disappear within a few years. And in the midst of that, it was natural to be curious about the one that remained standing alone.
That building too had been sold and was on the verge of being demolished like the others. However, after a series of complications, it remained. In fact, after the building was sold and about to be demolished, the company that owned the rights went bankrupt, leaving it temporarily in limbo.
Eventually acquired by the city, it was now operating as a new orphanage. However, during that process, the building underwent major repairs and renovations. After confirming traces of intensive reconstruction in the basement, Dan Joo-hyuk had given up on the place. He judged that any useful evidence would have already disappeared.
And he’s saying there’s evidence there that’s worth seeing in person.
“Look at this.”
The document Heo Sang-yeon handed over contained very plausible content.
It seemed like a well-disguised bait.
“Want to go together?”
The location was a city far beyond the metropolitan area. If this was meant to lure him, it was a very sloppy maneuver. It was almost too stupid to have been orchestrated by Heo Sang-yeon.
What could it be?
“No.”
“Why?”
Without needing to think, Dan Joo-hyuk refused the offer. Heo Sang-yeon nodded as if disappointed, but still tried to persuade him again.
“If we go together, I think we could resolve it quickly.”
Hearing those words, Dan Joo-hyuk merely raised the corner of his mouth.
If it were truly important, Heo Sang-yeon wouldn’t have tried to persuade him this way. Even for Heo Sang-yeon, who was good at tolerating disgust, it was quite demanding for two S-class hunters to move together.
While quietly finishing preparations to attack at any moment, Dan Joo-hyuk casually made an excuse.
“I met with Minister Byeon yesterday. About the Russian gate matter.”
“Ah.”
Let’s see what attitude you’ll take.
“Related to that, I still have some work left.”
Gesturing toward Lee Tae-jung with his eyes, Dan Joo-hyuk vaguely hedged his words. He didn’t know how much information Heo Sang-yeon shared with that guy, but he behaved as he normally would.
Heo Sang-yeon slowly nodded. However, that nod suddenly seemed a bit unnatural.
“…”
It was a minute difference that even Dan Joo-hyuk might have had difficulty noticing if he hadn’t been watching with combat in mind.
Has he been injured recently?
“Well, can’t be helped then.”
Heo Sang-yeon now continued speaking while touching his forehead. The action made it seem like he had a headache, which rather confused Dan Joo-hyuk.
At that moment, Lee Tae-jung, who had been silently observing until now, suddenly spoke up.
“You’re quite busy.”
Dan Joo-hyuk merely glanced at him without responding. At this typical behavior, Lee Tae-jung didn’t express any further questions.
Should I soon catch that bastard and use Yoon Pa-ran’s skill on him?
“I’ll get going. If you find any useful evidence, send it over.”
“…Alright.”
Deciding there was no need to spend more time here, Dan Joo-hyuk stood up. Heo Sang-yeon was now bent over with both hands pressed to his head.
After looking down at him for a while, Dan Joo-hyuk slowly left the guild leader’s office.
Contrary to his concerns, the two didn’t attack him from behind.
“…”
After getting into his car without interruption, Dan Joo-hyuk fell into contemplation.
He had been collaborating with Heo Sang-yeon for quite some time. While he never sympathized with his will to coexist with the government, he had been one of the more useful people.
Come to think of it, Kim Min-ji had unexpectedly warned him to leave Heo Sang-yeon alone. And she had that damn necklace around her neck.
Only the sound of him tapping the steering wheel echoed inside the car. After giving sufficient time, he noticed the two people’s presence hadn’t moved from the guild leader’s office.
Dan Joo-hyuk eventually started the engine and moved the car.
Heo Sang-yeon’s anomalous behavior was certainly noteworthy. Though he didn’t know what his intentions were, he would need to keep an eye on him.
What was urgent now was information. Once the reliability of the information shared with Heo Sang-yeon began to be questioned, it became completely useless.
I need to redo all investigations from the beginning.
Since overseas matters were difficult to check immediately, he would need to send other means for now. So what he could handle right away were domestic issues.
Should I start with the materials Heo Sang-yeon had been persistently sending to the point of annoyance?
“…”
After rapid deliberation, Dan Joo-hyuk clicked his tongue slightly. Time was limited, but unsatisfactory tasks were accumulating in various ways.
He felt especially vigilant because Heo Sang-yeon was showing signs of wanting to attack Yoon Pa-ran’s surroundings.
Glancing at his phone, he confirmed Yoon Pa-ran was still at the orphanage. All the hunters he had stationed at the orphanage were also alive without any issues.
Though he wanted to rush there immediately, Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately stopped by a nearby gate office. Only after spending time there to ensure no one was following him did he head toward Yoon Pa-ran.
By then, the already precious time had reached close to noon.
“Hoo…”
After parking near the orphanage, Dan Joo-hyuk immediately called Yoon Pa-ran.
Though he felt strangely anxious in case Yoon Pa-ran had changed his mind, fortunately, he appeared before him not long after.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
Dan Joo-hyuk spoke softly to Yoon Pa-ran as he got into the passenger seat. His mind, which had been complicated due to Heo Sang-yeon, strangely cleared up when he saw Yoon Pa-ran.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“I did.”
He spoke while unnecessarily tracing those fair cheeks with his fingertips. Yoon Pa-ran’s complexion looked better than when he sent him off yesterday, suggesting he had rested well.
In that state, he absentmindedly touched Yoon Pa-ran’s cheeks and earlobes. His complex brain seemed suddenly empty, refusing to function.
Then Yoon Pa-ran, who had been rolling his large eyes here and there toward the window, abruptly asked.
“Did you?”
At this unexpected question, Dan Joo-hyuk’s busily mischievous fingers froze.
I didn’t expect to hear such a question.
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
He slowly stated the fact. He hadn’t eaten anything since seeing Yoon Pa-ran off yesterday, let alone breakfast, but that wasn’t important.
“You should take better care of yourself.”
Despite the reprimanding response, strangely, only a smile escaped him.
“So why did you want to see me? A gate?”
Dan Joo-hyuk fixed his gaze on the brown eyes directed at him.
Originally, his goal was to take Yoon Pa-ran to a restaurant, but unfortunately, urgent matters had come up, giving him a real excuse.
“I need reliable people.”
“Reliable?”
“Preferably lower-ranked hunters, people who can gather rumors.”
At Dan Joo-hyuk’s sudden statement, Yoon Pa-ran’s face grew puzzled.
I wondered why he was looking for people since dawn, but it seems he actually has something to do today.
It wasn’t surprising that Dan Joo-hyuk had sought him out with a purpose. What was surprising was that he was asking about people who could gather information, and he was asking Yoon Pa-ran of all people.
Even more surprisingly, Yoon Pa-ran, with his limited social circle, actually had connections for such matters.
“…As it happens, I do know some people.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
