“Thanks for your help. I'll deposit the money tomorrow morning.”
He was offering her the thing she loved most in the world, but Bi-soo's reaction was lukewarm.
“Why? You want it right now?”
“No. It's not that...”
Bi-soo asked with a worried expression.
“Are you... really going to be okay?”
“With what?”
“I know about Kang Hyeon. I heard that bastard was once the strongest Hunter around.”
“So they say.”
“... You're talking like it's someone else's problem, but that terrifying bastard is coming after you. Tomorrow.”
“It's better this way.”
“What?”
“It's much better than him just storming my house. My sister and Dr. Jin are there.”
“Ha...”
Bi-soo shot me a look that said, 'Is this really the time to be worrying about others?' and I just smiled brightly.
“This isn't a fight I can avoid. And I have no intention of avoiding it. In fact, this is for the best. If I take out their leader, the rest will scatter.”
“Should I... help?”
Bi-soo suggested cautiously, her lips pursed. We'd known each other for a while, but I'd never seen that look on her face before. She must be really worried.
At the same time, I felt quite grateful for her concern.
“It's fine. How strong can a has-been Hunter be?”
“... Hold on.”
Bi-soo fumbled in her pocket and took something out. Inside a worn cloth pouch were things that looked like yellow tea leaves.
“What's this?”
“This is a plant called Latus. You can gather it in Poison Dungeons.”
“Why are you giving me this...”
“Some people get headaches from the scent of Latus. Kang Hyeon is probably one of them.”
How would she know that? As I blinked at her, Bi-soo spat out the words.
“Kang Hyeon is the same kind of person as my dad. A poison chip addict.”
“...!”
That's right.
She had said she was sold to the black market in the first place because of her father's debt from his poison chip addiction. It must be a terrible memory for her. Yet, from the depths of that memory, Bi-soo had brought me something that could help.
“I'll accept it gratefully.”
I carefully took the pouch Bi-soo held out and put it away. To be honest, a part of me wondered how helpful it would actually be. Bi-soo's father was an ordinary person, while my opponent was an S-rank Hunter.
But regardless of its effect, her gesture felt incredibly warm. Was it because she thought I was facing a life-or-death crisis? For some reason, Bi-soo was acting very differently than before.
“It'd be nice if you were this kind every day.”
“Oh... Cheon Hae-seon. Was that a proposal?”
Before I could even say no, Bi-soo used her Stealth skill and vanished.
Hey, red-hair.
You should at least give me time to answer. How did you know what I was going to say?
They say you've lived a good life if you have a lot of people who help you during tough times. In that sense, I guess I've lived a pretty decent life. This video had disappeared from the Hunter Association's website after the Glory Guild took power.
The reason for its disappearance was obvious. It was because Gu Geon-yi had been beaten to a pulp without being able to do anything, like dust on a rainy day. Of course, low-quality versions could be found online, but obtaining a high-quality video like this was difficult.
Do I-su had accomplished that difficult task.
[I thought this might be helpful for you.]
[More than just helpful. I think this will be a great help.]
[Ah, and... there's something I'd like to propose.]
[Yes?]
[As you may have noticed, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon... Dr. Jin and I are old acquaintances.]
[Yes, I thought so. He usually has a fit when he sees strangers, but he didn't with you.]
[I see you had your suspicions. He didn't seem to be in good condition back then, either... If you would allow it, we would like to recruit Dr. Jin.]
Recruit him.
Don't people usually use the word 'protect' in cases like this?
[I am well aware of Dr. Jin's condition. We plan to provide an independent research facility with no outside contact. We will not interfere with whatever he chooses to research.]
[That sounds like it would cost hundreds of millions. Too great a favor is bound to raise suspicion.]
[This time, it is not a favor to you, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon. Umbrella Industry owes Dr. Jin a debt, and we are now trying to repay it.]
A debt.
I was curious about the details, but it felt like too much trouble. What was important wasn't the backstory, but what Dr. Jin wanted.
[I'm not Dr. Jin's parent or guardian. I'll ask him directly and follow his wishes.]
[Thank you.]
I don't know if it was intentional, but whenever I talked with Do I-su, there was always a give and take. He's a man who knows how to paint a picture. He would have been a great success even as an artist.
I chuckled to myself for a moment before opening the downloaded file.
“Well now... shall we draw up a strategy?”
Kang Hyeon versus Gu Geon-yi. A dark history someone would want to forget unfolded before my eyes in precise high definition.
A very blatant, yet understandable, phone call came in.
[This is Cheon Hae-seon.]
[Yoo In-won.]
I couldn't very well ask how he was doing when he'd just lost his child.
[This number isn't registered with the Association.]
[It's a personal matter.]
[... Go on.]
[You must have been wondering why the truth wasn't reported. Thank you for staying quiet. I was planning to make an announcement after fully grasping the situation of the incident.]
[Seeing as you've called, it seems you've finished grasping it.]
[That's right. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to announce the results of this investigation as they are. However, I felt I had to tell the truth to Hunter Cheon Hae-seon, who handled the scene.]
Aha.
So you're going to lure me out under that pretext. I was very curious what his reaction would be if I suddenly said, 'I'm not really interested. You can just keep it to yourself.'
But if I did that, there was a risk Kang Hyeon would recklessly storm my house.
[Very well. Tell me the time and place, and I'll go there.]
The location I had visited early this morning arrived via text message. Ten-thirty at night. A perfect time for a fight.
As the entry time ended, the streetlights in the botanical garden went out one by one. However, because the moonlight was brighter than on other days, the tall old man's figure was clearly visible. The Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, and the father of the late Yoo Ji-won.
A gloomy aura of mourning for the dead made him, dressed in a black suit, look like a grim reaper. Before Yoo In-won recognized me, there was something I needed to check. 'Is it working properly?'
'Right.
It's not like you'd suddenly break down.' After a quick check, I deliberately made my presence known as I walked. Pupils, burning with heat yet lost and wandering, stared at me.
“... It's been a while.”
I thought he would rush at me like a demon the moment he saw me, but Yoo In-won's demeanor was more normal than I expected.
“I didn't expect you to ask to meet in a place like this.”
“I hope you'll understand. It's information that no one else can know.”
“What is? About Yoo Ji-won's death? Or...”
I continued, my eyes filled with a slight sneer.
“About Tenebra?”
“....!!!!!"
Yoo In-won's eyebrows quivered for a moment before quickly settling back into place. I'd sensed it before, but his skill at controlling his expression was extraordinary. I'd hit the nail on the head, but Yoo In-won had already returned to his original expression.
“You expected this?”
Now that his true intentions were revealed, he dropped the formalities without hesitation. Just what I wanted. Since Yoo In-won and I have met tonight, only one of us can return to the world unscathed.
“I have a friend who's a father, and he said you would one hundred percent try to kill me.”
“...”
“But do you know exactly what happened that day?”
At that, a thick vein bulged on Yoo In-won's forehead.
“Are you going to deny that you did it now? Don't even think about pulling any tricks!”
“That's not what I meant, you idiot.”
“......!!!!!!”
At the sudden profanity, Yoo In-won's face crumpled like a piece of tissue paper. He probably hadn't heard such harsh words since rising to his high position. But when he was trying to kill me, what was there that I couldn't say?
“I wasn't asking who killed Yoo Ji-won, but why he had to be killed. That's what I asked.”
“Shut that mouth!!”
Yoo In-won trembled all over. On his convulsing forehead, the thick vein stood out clearly.
“No matter what the reason, the fact that my son is dead doesn't change!! Ji-won was my... my everything!! And you are the one who killed my son!!”
Tsk, tsk.
It's pathetic, but I also feel a little bit of pity. I thought he was a meticulous person. He had completely lost all rational judgment over his son's death.
A state of being desperate to kill someone, regardless of the circumstances. It was like looking at a Monster, not a human. Flick. After being swept away by a wave of emotion, Yoo In-won suddenly raised his right hand.
A kind of signal to summon someone. I'll finally get to meet him. The man once hailed as the greatest Hunter in the Republic of Korea.
'Over there.'
From the side of the tree-lined path, a man in a gray field jacket slowly approached. Even from a distance, he had a remarkably balanced physique. If one were to picture the ultimate fighter in their mind, would he look like that?
There didn't seem to be a single gap in his entire body for a needle to enter. He had a generally unremarkable face, but the dark circles under his eyes and his sunken cheeks made him look lifeless. Was that also the effect of the poison chips?
“Nice to meet you, junior.”
He greeted me with a bitter smile.
“I've never had a criminal for a senior.”
“Don't be so harsh. You may not know this, but I've never even called Oh Jin-ah 'junior'.”
“I don't care about that. I just find it curious that a dog kicked out of the Association has crawled back under the Vice Chairman's legs.”
At that, Kang Hyeon's cheekbone twitched subtly.
“Under his legs... We just made a deal. Cheon Hae-seon's head for ninety billion won.”
I was worried he'd play twenty questions, but he's spilling the beans on his own. This makes things easy. I gained two things from that conversation.
One was Kang Hyeon's confession. And the second was the fact that Kang Hyeon was still trash. The guy who smirked when mentioning his dead colleague showed agitation at being called Yoo In-won's dog.
It meant his own pride was more important than the lives of his comrades-in-arms. I think I can beat him up with a clearer conscience now.
“How much did you embezzle to make such a request?”
That question was directed at Yoo In-won, not Kang Hyeon. The Vice Chairman's salary was in the hundreds of millions, but to raise ninety billion from that alone, Yoo In-won would have to be a sage. I became certain that the rumors of corruption within the Association were not false.
Instead of answering me, Yoo In-won gestured to Kang Hyeon with his eyes. The conversation ended there. Kang Hyeon approached me with fluid movements.
Gulp. Who wouldn't be nervous in this situation? The man before me was once called the strongest Hunter in the Republic of Korea. Even if I had a chance of winning, if things went just slightly wrong, I would be the one to die.
With a 'crack', Kang Hyeon, who had been cracking his neck, suddenly transformed into a blur. Fwoosh. 'He's fast...!!' #Godspeed. Not a name he gave himself, but a hashtag people had given him in praise of his speed.
As if he had a jet engine on his back, Kang Hyeon closed in like lightning and lunged at my body.