#19
After seeing what happened earlier, Lee Ji-woong’s attitude bothered Seo Yi-young in a different way. Still, Lee Ji-woong wasn’t callous enough to leave Seo Yi-young and go somewhere else. His expression conveyed two things: one, the calculated thought that building a relationship with Seo Yi-young, an S-Class Hunter, would be beneficial; and two, the primal emotion that staying with him was embarrassing regardless. Looking at Lee Ji-woong’s confused expression gave Seo Yi-young mixed feelings.
Looking around, he noticed people who had been watching him turning their gazes elsewhere.
So everyone had been observing him after all. Of course, he had shouted loudly enough to attract the attention of everyone inside.
With the photo zone incident earlier, it seemed like today was just not his day.
Sniffling once, Seo Yi-young touched his mouth.
Between all the stares directed at him, he wanted to leave quickly. As delicious as the food was, he could eat something just as good at home, so he didn’t feel too reluctant to leave.
He wondered when he could go home. Looking around, none of the other Hunters showed any signs of leaving. Since this was a formal gathering, there should be an end time, but he didn’t know what time that was.
Seo Yi-young excused himself to Lee Ji-woong, left the hall, and contacted his manager. Even while doing this, he kept making eye contact with S-Class Hunters. With so few people around, repeatedly making eye contact was really uncomfortable.
“Ah, Hunter-nim. What can I do for you?”
The other party responded after just a few rings.
“Yes. This event, when can I leave?”
“…Ah. About that, you’re free to do as you please after staying for an hour after your entrance.”
So that meant he only needed to show his face for an hour, and after that, he could leave or stay as he pleased.
Although he questioned whether it was appropriate to conduct an event so loosely, gathering S-Class Hunters in one place was already a significant task.
“Um, where are you planning to go today?”
“Where? Home.”
It seemed like an odd question to ask. Seo Yi-young responded matter-of-factly, and the person on the other end paused.
“Ah, ah. Your residence… your home?”
He couldn’t understand why they were reacting this way.
He made eye contact with another Hunter again.
Despite having done many embarrassing things, wasn’t this too much staring? Feeling awkward, Seo Yi-young lowered his gaze to the floor.
“Yes. I’m just not feeling it today.”
The main reason was that he wanted to leave this place quickly, but he had enough sense not to say that out loud.
It wasn’t an excuse. Although he didn’t think he lacked physical stamina, it was more his mental state that was quite exhausted. As Seo Yi-young finished his call with the dubious-sounding manager, someone approached him.
“Done with your call? Looks like you’re leaving now…?”
Seo Yi-young looked at the man who had addressed him. Lee Jeom-mu. Also an S-Class Hunter, in his mid-50s but looking very fit.
Even with few people around, it felt inappropriate to have a private call openly, so he had deliberately gone outside to make the call, but when had this man come out? Surely he hadn’t been listening to the conversation.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Seo Yi-young didn’t show it and wore a light smile on his lips.
“Yes. I’m thinking of heading home now. I’m a bit tired. So if you’ll excuse me.”
Lee Jeom-mu looked as if he’d been caught off guard by Seo Yi-young’s response as he bowed slightly and turned away. He couldn’t understand why the man had such an expression. Seo Yi-young replayed what he had just said, but he hadn’t committed any major faux pas.
He didn’t forget to say goodbye to Lee Ji-woong before leaving.
After making sure he hadn’t missed anything, Seo Yi-young left the hall with a light step.
It had been quite challenging. No matter how trivial it might seem, this was his first time attending such an event, so he had been tense to avoid making mistakes, which was stressful in itself. With so many watchful eyes, he had to ensure his every action was impeccable, and there were too many things to be mindful of.
Considering all this, Seo Yi-young thought that the dungeon might actually be more comfortable, but then he recalled the monsters he had seen in the dungeon and shook his head.
For now, he just wanted to get home quickly.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Seo Yi-young’s house, but after staying there for a few days, it felt like his own and was comfortable.
He had completed all his tasks for the day, so now he just needed to rest. Since the parking lot was right below after taking the elevator down, he declined the offer to have a guard accompany him.
However, as he got off the elevator and headed toward the parking lot, he was startled when he almost bumped into someone. Thinking they might have accidentally crossed paths while going in different directions, he tried to move aside, but the other person also turned in the same direction. Wondering what was going on, he looked up.
A man was standing still, staring intently at Seo Yi-young.
He was shorter than Seo Yi-young but had a considerably large build. Under his unkempt hair, his flushed cheeks were sweating, which might have been why his breathing was also quite heavy.
Judging someone based solely on their appearance is certainly something to be wary of. But it was also true that the man’s sweat odor, his hair greasy with oil from who knows when it was last washed, and the white powder that fell from his head with the slightest movement naturally made Seo Yi-young feel nauseous.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, the man’s eyes seemed slightly crossed.
…Was it really just his imagination?
The man with the flushed face opened his mouth.
“Hunter Seo Yi-young. You are Hunter Seo Yi-young, right?”
“Excuse me? Who are you?”
“I really, really like you, Hunter Seo Yi-young…!”
His booming voice echoed.
This sudden confession was so unexpected that Seo Yi-young’s mind couldn’t keep up with reality.
“Meeting you in person was on my bucket list. Wow, really… really…”
The man mumbled something unintelligible, either overcome with emotion or for some other reason.
Despite the event blocking general public access, he had managed to get in. He talked about how seeing Seo Yi-young in person was on his bucket list, but this might not end with just seeing.
He needed to get away quickly. His instincts were telling him so.
Seo Yi-young didn’t miss the opportunity to speak.
“Is that so? Well, you’ve seen me now, so that’s enough, right? Please go home safely.”
“W-wait!”
The man grabbed Seo Yi-young’s arm. Though he instinctively frowned, it didn’t hurt as much as expected. The joints of the man’s hand were protruding, suggesting he was gripping tightly, but it didn’t hurt much. Was the man weaker than he looked? No, but it was strange that it didn’t hurt more.
The man seemed surprised by his own action, his mouth opening and closing as he appeared to loosen his grip on Seo Yi-young. But soon, he gripped firmly again.
“This is hurting a bit. Please let go now.”
When Seo Yi-young calmly spoke, a strange light gleamed in the man’s eyes.
“Sh-show me that. That. Your ability, Hunter-nim. They say you can heal any injury. Coming all the way here, seeing that would make it meaningful. So please show me. Just once. Just once would be amazing. Actually, I wanted to see it in the dungeon, but I couldn’t enter, so I need to see it here. Right? It’s not that difficult, is it?”
His upturned mouth corners created quite an eerie atmosphere.
If it had ended at that, Seo Yi-young would have managed somehow. But the man pulled out a small knife from his pocket.
“If you don’t want to show me, if you get hurt yourself, there’s no choice, right? Ah, I didn’t want to do this. But to see the ability of Seo Yi-young, the ‘Guardian Angel of the Dungeon,’ I have no choice. It will just hurt a bit, and then you can heal it cleanly. Right? That’s okay, isn’t it?”
Seo Yi-young wasn’t just having a bad day. His luck was utterly terrible today.
Facing the clearly threatening man, Seo Yi-young let out a light sigh. The blade dangerously glinted.
He should have moved with a guard; he had been too careless.
“Let’s talk calmly after you let go.”
“Where should I cut so it won’t hurt? No, should I stab instead of cut? The face might be a bit much, but isn’t the face the best place?”
The man, mumbling while staring into the distance, was in no state for normal conversation.
Then, at some point, the man’s gaze fixed on Seo Yi-young. The hand gripping Seo Yi-young seemed to loosen a bit. It seemed he was finally going to act.
This was his chance, while the man was distracted.
Seo Yi-young gritted his teeth and pulled his captive arm back with all his might.
Then something surprising happened.
The man’s massive body seemed to lift, and he was pulled along, still gripping Seo Yi-young’s arm.
“Uhuogakgyagak!”
With a bizarrely ridiculous scream that dispelled all the tension up to that point, he slid forward and scraped his chin on the ground. Seo Yi-young was equally shocked by this turn of events. What just happened? To throw someone who appeared heavier than himself with just one hand.
Even though he had done it himself, he couldn’t believe it, looking alternately at the man sprawled on the floor and his own arm. They say people exert extraordinary strength in emergencies—was this such a case?
He had bought himself some breathing room, but the man could lunge at him with that weapon at any moment, so he first kicked away the knife that had fallen near the man, sending it far away.
“Hunter-nim!”
Seo Yi-young looked up at the sound of his name and saw three or four guards in suits running toward him.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
“We apologize. How he got in… it was our mistake for not guarding properly. We’re very sorry.”
“Ah, no. It’s fine. I’m not hurt anywhere.”
Seo Yi-young waved his hand, dismissing their sincere apologies.
However, while Seo Yi-young wasn’t injured in the end, how the man had managed to bypass the guards and get inside was another matter. It wasn’t something that could be overlooked.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
