Damn Hunter Life Chapter 57
If the male students at school enjoyed debating and ranking successors’ combat abilities like game characters, Park Ho-jeong and her friends weren’t very interested in things like battle processes.
“They’re all working hard……”
Their philosophy was ‘Working hard is enough!’ They weren’t particularly concerned about whose skills were good or bad.
“He’s handsome.”
They focused on other aspects the successors possessed.
The first successor Park Ho-jeong encountered was the one associated with rabbit ears, Myo Cho-hui.
When she saw her wearing a hanbok skirt over short pants, she had the twisted curiosity of wondering ‘Did she come to fight or to model hanbok?’ but soon regretted such thoughts. She was trash for daring to doubt Queen Cho-hui.
An idol-like impression, surprising strength and judgment, the successor who perfectly balanced fan service and combat – the best mascot.
That’s how she got into successors, and being naturally weak to handsome men, her interest naturally shifted to the guys too.
“Ho-jeong~ Who attracts you the most?”
“……The one who’s like a Hwarang?”
Based on appearance alone, Ja Hyeong-woo was most to her taste among them. She even kept up with ‘The Heroes’ broadcast. She woke right up whenever Ja Hyeong-woo appeared on screen.
Then she saw this Stage 30 video that came out, and noticed a figure standing with a bow in hand, white hanbok sleeves fluttering.
‘That’s him. Ja Hyeong-woo’s princess.’
Since Park Ho-jeong was attracted to robust men, conversely Gang-hyeon didn’t catch her eye at all. Maybe because his face carried it well, he looked cool even though he was skinny. That was all.
But…… while watching the stage summary edited to focus on the successors’ chemistry, Park Ho-jeong found that figure too often in scenes where Ja Hyeong-woo appeared.
‘What’s with these two?’
Then the liberal arts professor came in. She hadn’t even watched half yet. Park Ho-jeong reluctantly turned off her phone.
She and her friend were sitting in the back row. Her friend, who had claimed this seat 30 minutes early, predictably started doing other things on her laptop even before attendance was called.
A Twelve Zodiac fan community. Not an official community, but a place closer to the underground that had split off separately.
“Ugh, talk shows are nice but I wish they’d film close-contact variety shows…… There’s not much to eat. I’ve become a wanderer searching for fanfiction.”
Her friend lamented in a small voice while clicking her mouse.
Whether it was leader Woo Sae-geon’s influence or they just didn’t mesh well, the successors were still hard to see as having an easygoing relationship. No matter how idol-like they were, they weren’t actually idols…… so it was unavoidable. Relationships weren’t important to them.
The Twelve Zodiac were people who had to show combat, not relationships with each other.
“Wait.”
Park Ho-jeong, who had been secretly stealing glances at her friend’s screen, finally pointed to one post.
[Guys let’s do Hyeong-woo Gang-hyeon together (Has photos. Lots!)]
The post started with the childhood friend story of the two that had been persistently mentioned since Gang-hyeon was a drunk, and the theory that Ja Hyeong-woo actually liked the other person was getting more absurd by the moment.
The faintly captured princess-carrying photo from the last Busan Gate would serve as the prologue.
When Gang-hyeon wrapped in vines was a bit close to the monster, Ja Hyeong-woo turned pale and snapped “Myo Cho-hui!”
In various screenshots of them riding the Dragon familiar together, Ja Hyeong-woo was hugging him tightly without any apparent discomfort. Gang-hyeon had a slightly uncomfortable expression at first, then soon had a face like he’d given up.
There was also a scene when they were thrown off, where Ja Hyeong-woo embraced him and groaned from the impact.
A bonus was that if you turned up the audio at the moment the monster’s tail struck down, you could hear Ja Hyeong-woo’s scream calling “Gang-hyeon-ah!”
When the Dog familiar jumped out and saved them, the gaze that blankly stared at Gang-hyeon, its master.
The flustered appearance upon seeing Gang-hyeon’s nosebleed wasn’t left out either.
As carefully written as the post was, both the number of recommendations and comments were overwhelming.
====
―The size difference is crazy
―Ja Hyeong-woo is ENFP so he absolutely has no emotions but why was he so frantic this time
―He called him without the surname
―Gang-hyeon-ah…… Gang-hyeon-ah…… Gang-hyeon-ah……
―The way he looks at him is something else too
====
But immediately in the next comments, the opposing theorists appeared.
====
―These guys are really in trouble
―Ja Hyeong-woo just did it to protect the weak
―He was trying to protect someone but they keep shipping them
―Don’t you know Ja Hyeong-woo originally calls everyone younger than him without surnames? Seol-woon-ah, Mi-jun-ah, don’t you know ã… ?
====
But community members wouldn’t be community members if the heat died down right here.
====
―Is Gang-hyeon younger than Hyeong-woo? They’re the same age
―ㅇㅇ But look at how Hyeong-woo treats Sa Ye-ho versus how he treats Gang-hyeon, it’s so different
―No but this is real, look at Hyeong-woo’s eyes, this is real
―…….
―Can you guys function in daily life
―Can’t function in daily life, Hyeong-woo is such a pure hot guy
―……Hang in there
====
Park Ho-jeong pretended to be unimpressed in front of her friend, saying “Saw it all. Just kinda,” and listened to the professor’s lecture.
However, she couldn’t really concentrate.
When she got home, she ended up joining that community and finding that post to save all the uploaded photos.
While strategy videos were released to the general public about a day late, it was different for successors. Other successors who didn’t participate in the strategy could check the strategy much faster than others.
Everyone rushed to view the strategy video from different places at unprecedented speed, all to get a look at Gang-hyeon.
And from the mouths of those watching the video, various reactions burst out.
“Tch.”
Ma Cheon-ah clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. But somehow, it was caught that she paused the video every time Gang-hyeon’s face appeared on screen.
‘Wow, this hyung doesn’t even flinch……’
Yang Pyo was impressed while burning with rivalry.
‘The nosebleed, it’s not serious……?’
Won Ha-ri thought she should call Gang-hyeon oppa tomorrow morning.
Sa Ye-ho was delighted.
“Kahahaha. Ah really. Sae-geon hyung’s expression. That bastard Gang-hyeon is really something. Thanks to him I got to see something good?”
Hae Mi-jun was enchanted by every Gang-hyeon in the video as if his entire mind had melted, then repeatedly stopped the video for a moment and sighed deeply, overwhelmed.
Will there ever come a time when I can be of help to such a person?
Even while unable to escape from thoughts of Gang-hyeon like this, the truth somewhere that Hae Mi-jun didn’t know was—
At that moment, Gang-hyeon had collapsed on his home floor and was crawling.
* * *
“Ugh……”
Was that sound I just made mine? Yes.
As soon as I was alone, my hands and feet froze as if they’d been waiting.
The parts that hit the floor when I collapsed were my knees and elbows, but my whole body ached. I felt cold down to my blood vessels, as if ice shards were growing inside my body. It was pain like getting frostbite.
Summoning the Dog familiar had been a big blow.
Until then it was just body aches for three days and muscle pain for a week.
“I, I……”
As soon as I opened my mouth, coughs burst out wildly. Inside my solar plexus ached terribly and felt torn. If I vomit, will it come out as blood?
{Hyeon-ah, Hyeon-ah!}
The puppy rushed over sobbing. I forced my chin to the floor. I looked at Squeaky standing a bit behind.
“Save…… me.”
Words I absolutely didn’t want to say were coming out of my mouth.
The blue boy answered quietly.
{I’m sorry. ……Now that I know the method, I’ll treat you more often. From now on, before you hurt.}
The boy crouched in front of me and reached out his hand. A cool feeling swept over my stomach. The same touch lowered my eyelids.
{Close your eyes. You’ll be fine when you wake up.}
I couldn’t think of any other way.
* * *
Ja Hyeong-woo had somewhat expected it. That he wouldn’t fall asleep easily tonight.
The blood spreading on Gang-hyeon’s pale face. After the nosebleed stopped and he turned his back from Ja Hyeong-woo as if hiding from others was enough, his wrists were still trembling slightly even then.
Ja Hyeong-woo was halfway expecting the Mouse familiar to call for him. As soon as he finished the feedback meeting and received the message asking for help, he jumped up.
Ja Hyeong-woo’s eyebrows rose when he teleported and saw what was in front of him.
The sobok that had gotten dirty in the stage was stripped off and rolling on the floor. The Mouse familiar, the boy, was just about to place Gang-hyeon, wearing only underwear, on the bed while embracing him.
“Why so, improperly……”
Maybe he was briefly swept by bewilderment as if someone had struck his heart with a club. Seeing the white, smooth skin, a grumbling remark slipped out.
The Mouse familiar avoided answering.
He couldn’t say that just moments ago, he and the Dog familiar had been trying to move Gang-hyeon and dress him, but the Dog familiar had disappeared frantically at Ja Hyeong-woo’s presence.
It was still daytime so the room wasn’t dark. Even so, with each step forward, the air in the room seemed to submerge Ja Hyeong-woo deeper into water.
He didn’t try to put new clothes on Gang-hyeon. He slowly traced with his eyes the skin exposed to the air, so white it looked almost blue.
‘Cold again today. Too much so.’
Enough to make the person watching feel like suffocating.
‘That level of action from last time doesn’t seem like it’ll work.’
The boy showed his master Gang-hyeon and stepped back a little. Ja Hyeong-woo asked directly.
“What should I do to maximize the effect?”
{……Direct experimentation.}
The hesitating boy only said that much. This was an area he didn’t know.
Ja Hyeong-woo feigned composure while reviewing the information he knew. What actions could give yang energy? Was there something beyond breathing into him?
Breath, water, soul.
The three concepts the boy had suggested.
“……Can you make sure he doesn’t wake up?”
Since Gang-hyeon was in an almost dying state, he probably wouldn’t wake up from most things. Even knowing this, Ja Hyeong-woo asked for confirmation.
{If it’s not too rough.}
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
