#183
Though he pulled him in and he docilely came into his arms, Yoon Pa-ran looked up at Dan Joo-hyuk with a blank expression.
The complaint that was about to escape his lips disappeared deep into his throat the moment he saw that pale face.
Right. Yoon Pa-ran was soft-hearted, so that could happen.
“Then what?”
“How about demanding proper compensation, or getting a promise that he’ll disappear from Mr. Yoon Pa-ran’s life forever?”
“Enough.”
In a deflated tone, Dan Joo-hyuk quietly pointed out what Yoon Pa-ran was missing. He subtly inserted his own personal feelings, but Yoon Pa-ran just shrugged his shoulders.
Then, as if gauging the ripple effect mentioned earlier, he carefully studied Heo Sang-yeon.
“…”
Even his gaze being directed at Heo Sang-yeon was irritating, but Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately suppressed his petty feelings. Rather than dwelling on that, he became determined to leave this place as quickly as possible and asked Heo Sang-yeon directly.
“Where is Hunter Kim Min-ji?”
“Min-ji is in the inner room.”
Heo Sang-yeon’s expression darkened at the mention of Kim Min-ji. He seemed wary about Dan Joo-hyuk wanting to meet Kim Min-ji with Yoon Pa-ran.
Dan Joo-hyuk found Heo Sang-yeon’s protective attitude—like he was guarding his own child—ridiculous.
“Shall we go see Min-ji now?”
“Lead the way.”
Instead of explaining, Dan Joo-hyuk gestured toward the inner area with his chin, carefully pulling Yoon Pa-ran to his side as he showed confusion upon hearing that Kim Min-ji was here.
Currently, Heo Sang-yeon was entirely responsible for Kim Min-ji’s detention.
The Great Gate incident was an unprecedented act of terrorism. Surprisingly, many high-ranking hunters were involved in this transcendental terrorist act.
Because of this, the Gate Management Office and the government had a major headache. Detaining A-rank hunters like Lee Tae-jung was already costly enough, and now Kim Min-ji had been revealed as one of those behind it.
There was no proper way to control S-rank hunters except having another S-rank hunter monitor them 24 hours a day.
That’s why Kim Min-ji began her temporary imprisonment at this safe house where Heo Sang-yeon was staying.
Heo Sang-yeon’s guild members immediately opposed this government measure. They argued it was unfair for Heo Sang-yeon to take on this risk when he hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries.
However, Heo Sang-yeon readily accepted the proposal, regardless of whatever Kim Min-ji had said when she recklessly came here to confirm Heo Sang-yeon’s survival.
Dan Joo-hyuk actually thought that having Kim Min-ji here would help ensure Heo Sang-yeon’s safety. After all, he had seen up close what kind of extreme actions Kim Min-ji would take for that purpose.
Of course, entrusting Kim Min-ji’s detention to Heo Sang-yeon was also the most effective method.
“This way.”
With a worried expression, Heo Sang-yeon reluctantly led them to the room where Kim Min-ji was.
When he started walking, unlike when standing still, Heo Sang-yeon couldn’t hide his discomfort with one leg. But compared to before when he couldn’t walk at all, he seemed to have recovered significantly. He had the monstrous recovery ability befitting an S-rank hunter.
The three of them headed to the innermost room in the house. Heo Sang-yeon opened the door without knocking.
As if already sensing someone approaching, Kim Min-ji was sitting quietly on the bed, calmly reading a book.
Even as the door opened, Kim Min-ji kept her gaze fixed on the book as she spoke.
“You came quicker than I expected?”
Kim Min-ji’s limbs and neck were tightly bound with restraining items. At a glance, it seemed like almost every item the Gate Management Office possessed had been deployed.
Dan Joo-hyuk didn’t particularly respond. He had said he would interrogate Kim Min-ji, but as time passed, he thought it would be more effective to have Heo Sang-yeon do it.
So ignoring Kim Min-ji, he turned his gaze slightly to Yoon Pa-ran and asked.
“How is it?”
“…”
Yoon Pa-ran had a strangely rigid expression.
“So you’re the famous Hunter Yoon Pa-ran.”
Following Dan Joo-hyuk, Kim Min-ji also pretended to recognize Yoon Pa-ran. Finding her gaze deeply unpleasant, Dan Joo-hyuk shifted slightly to block Kim Min-ji’s line of sight.
Kim Min-ji looked at this behavior with narrowed eyes in puzzlement, but he had no desire to move again. Instead, Dan Joo-hyuk changed the subject.
“While we’re here, let me ask. Where is that guy Kim Sang-deok?”
“I’ve told you I don’t know.”
After confirming Heo Sang-yeon’s safety, Kim Min-ji had shown a cooperative attitude in the investigation. However, the information she provided was honestly below expectations.
Considering the shackles those guys had put on Kim Min-ji, they probably weren’t on trusting terms. But even accounting for that, the useful information was too scarce compared to Kim Min-ji’s value.
In particular, she wasn’t helpful regarding the whereabouts of Kim Sang-deok, whom Dan Joo-hyuk considered the biggest risk factor.
“You diligently caused Gate Breaks everywhere as they instructed, but you claim not to know why you did it. That’s really believable, isn’t it?”
“They said that the gates at those coordinates were important. They didn’t tell me why.”
“Have you ever transported any strange items?”
“I’ve seen them, but I never touched them myself. I wouldn’t dare touch something when I don’t know what tricks they might pull.”
Despite repeated questioning, Kim Min-ji answered without hesitation. Watching her attitude, Dan Joo-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
He already knew why those guys placed importance on gates at specific coordinates. It was probably connected to the “axis” that Yoon Pa-ran had purified.
That’s why brakes were put on the Safety Special Zone system that Kim Tae-jun had been actively advocating for.
Until now, they had thought that the unusually high number of hunter casualties in Safety Special Zones was simply because hunters were dispatched there first. But this premise had been flipped. The Safety Special Zones had been created in those locations from the beginning because hunters needed to die there.
Their obsession with the location of Yoon Pa-ran’s orphanage was likely within the same context. What remained unknown was exactly what effect occupying specific lands had.
Dan Joo-hyuk wanted to find out for certain whether they could cause something like the Great Gate incident again. This was Yoon Pa-ran’s main concern recently.
Knowing that his intuition was quite sharp, Dan Joo-hyuk naturally took this subject seriously.
In such a situation, Kim Min-ji was being quite frustrating. Not only did she lack proper information, but she also didn’t reveal the fundamental reason why she had joined those guys in the first place.
It was certain that she wanted to protect Heo Sang-yeon, but her actions had many contradictions.
What on earth had they promised her?
“You only say what you want to say, and you’re so calm about it. You know they’ll just put down animals that can’t be caged, right?”
Dissatisfied with the insufficient progress, he spoke viciously to Kim Min-ji. Her reply was equally outrageous.
“I can just go to another country.”
“Do you think that will solve everything?”
“At least it’ll solve all the annoying parts.”
“Min-ji! I told you not to talk like that.”
In some places, stopping monsters day by day was the priority, even if it meant borrowing the hands of dangerous criminals. In such a situation, Kim Min-ji’s exile might be welcomed.
Of course, she would have to get past Dan Joo-hyuk to escape from here, so it was nothing but empty bluster. However, he probed at something else instead.
“You say it will solve ‘everything’?”
“…”
An S-rank’s syndrome had nothing to do with the land they stood on. It was an unavoidable stigma for any S-rank anywhere in the world.
Indeed, this must have been Kim Min-ji’s sore spot, as her face, which had been responding leisurely until now, hardened.
“You’ve changed a bit.”
Dan Joo-hyuk didn’t answer Kim Min-ji’s sudden comment.
“…”
From behind, Yoon Pa-ran, who had been listening to their conversation, rolled his eyes slightly while observing the three people. He hadn’t been able to follow the flow of the conversation for a while.
What are they talking about now?
After pondering briefly, Yoon Pa-ran decided to address what had been bothering him. After all, he had achieved the purpose of coming here.
Having carefully memorized the wavelengths emitted by other S-ranks, Yoon Pa-ran peeked from behind Dan Joo-hyuk’s back. For some reason, Dan Joo-hyuk had been blocking his view, making it difficult to look at the others.
“Excuse me.”
“Do you have something to say to me?”
As he slightly opened his mouth toward Kim Min-ji, she answered with a sharp tone. The pointed energy emanating from Kim Min-ji was enough to make Yoon Pa-ran tense up and harden his expression.
However, since he had met her in person, there was something he wanted to ask for certain. He was still bothered by this strange uneasiness that remained even though he had killed Kim Tae-jun.
“I have a question. Are there still others besides Kim Tae-jun?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
