Chapter 57

Chapter 57

“You are asking if I want to work?”

“Yes.”

“But I am not a Hunter.”

“It is not a Hunter I need.”

“Then what?”

“For now, something like a personal manager?”

One might ask why a Hunter would need a manager, but that would be knowing one thing and not knowing the other.

In the case of the earliest Hunters, they had been closer to pure “warriors” or “fighters.”

Back then, the concept of the occupation known as Hunter itself had not yet been established, so it was a time when people focused only on fighting monsters.

But now was different.

The Hunters of this era were not beings who simply fought monsters.

As a kind of freelancer, they inevitably performed various roles at the same time, such as celebrities, athletes, mercenaries, and businesspeople.

One only had to look at the fact that Clans made up of Hunters had become corporate entities.

Just like lawyers forming law firms.

Within this trend, Hunters also needed managers who would handle all kinds of practical work required for their activities.

Even Wi Taewoong, the Master of the Abyss Clan, had hired two female Hunters as secretaries and entrusted most practical work to them.

“Ah, so that is what you mean.”

Duhyeon seemed to understand my meaning and nodded.

“Are you interested?”

“Mm.”

“You do not have to feel pressured. I am offering because I have thought well of you since before.”

When we first met.

Duhyeon had suffered a fatal wound, with about one-third of the lower part of his neck torn away.

Despite that, even as he was being dragged along by me, Duhyeon had gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger at the monsters.

I liked that fighting spirit.

That flame that had not gone out even when the shadow of death had hung thickly over him.

“Pressured? I would be grateful. But…….”

“Speak comfortably.”

“The salary…….”

“I will give you one hundred million won.”

“That would be enough…… Pardon?!”

Duhyeon stopped mid-sentence and opened his eyes wide.

“One hundred million…… won?!”

“Is that too little? I suppose you would need one hundred and fifty million after tax to make a living.”

“Big-brother.”

“Yes?”

“I will devote my loyalty to you from now on. Should I…… bow or something?”

“Enough. Come in and eat before you go.”

“M-Me?!”

“Why, are you busy?”

“That is not it…….”

Duhyeon blushed as if embarrassed.

Seeing that even his ears had turned bright red, it seemed there was something he was ashamed of…….

Duhyeon subtly turned his gaze away and spoke in a voice that crawled into itself.

“It is because these are work clothes, so they are dirty. They smell too.”

Ah, so that was the reason.

“What does that matter?”

“I am not that shameless, sir. No matter what, stepping into a house like this while looking like this is…….”

“Enough. Come in. You can just come in, shower quickly, and change clothes. I will give you some of mine.”

“H-Big-brother?”

“No one in our house cares about things like clothing.”

That was not an empty statement.

Because of the nature of his job, Father often returned home a complete mess, and Mother, being a former athlete, did not care about things like the smell of sweat either.

Perhaps because Eunha had grown up watching Mother and Father like that, she was easygoing about these things too.

As for me, a Hunter…… there was no need to even say it.

Rolling around in places where blood and flesh flew everywhere and corpses lay scattered was my daily life.

“Oh my, Mr. Duhyeon, what brings you here?”

Mother, who had just come out of the kitchen at that moment, somehow recognized Duhyeon and greeted him warmly.

Duhyeon had worked as an armed security guard at the apartment where our family had lived, and he had also stayed in the same refugee village, so it was not strange that Mother recognized him.

“Mother, hello. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Kim Duhyeon.”

Duhyeon bowed ninety degrees toward Mother.

“He decided to work with me starting today.”

“Work?”

“As my manager. Hunters have managers these days too.”

“Ah.”

Mother nodded as if she understood what I meant, then suddenly took Duhyeon’s hand.

“Mr. Duhyeon, please take good care of our Eunseong from now on.”

“No, not at all. As his manager, I should serve Big-brother well.”

Perhaps because Mother was such a sociable person, she conversed with Duhyeon quite well too.

“Duhyeon can eat dinner before he goes, right?”

“Do you even need to ask? Of course we should treat him well before sending him off.”

A bright smile formed around Mother’s lips.

***

Under Mother’s lead, we freely ate and drank the food that had been laid out so abundantly the table legs might break, while sharing various conversations.

“Try this too. I bought and marinated this LA galbi myself, though I do not know if it will suit your taste.”

Mother placed a piece of well-grilled meat on Ra Sihyeon’s rice.

“Th-Thank…… you.”

Ra Sihyeon was awkward at first, but she quickly adapted to Mother’s continued kindness and consideration.

“Mother, it is so delicious.”

“Is it? Hoho! I am glad!”

Perhaps because Duhyeon was so affable, he blended into the dinner table without much difficulty.

Thanks to that, dinner ended without any noise or discomfort.

After the meal ended, we enjoyed a pleasant and happy time, having tea, coffee, and fruit while making light conversation.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Is it all right to be this luxurious?’

Before I had gone back to the past, this was something I could not even dream of.

The age of loss.

Countless people had lost their families and the foundations of their lives.

In a world like this, spending such a harmonious time was by no means easy.

The daily life anyone had enjoyed before the Transference Crisis had now become a luxury…….

“I-I will go to the bathroom for a moment.”

Ra Sihyeon suddenly headed somewhere as if running away.

“…….”

Our family and Duhyeon were briefly left speechless by Ra Sihyeon’s reaction.

“Oh dear. What should we do? How much heartache must she have suffered? She is at such a sensitive age too…….”

“I know.”

Father nodded at Mother’s words.

“Should I go and comfort her?”

“Leave her be for now.”

“But…….”

“Sometimes, a person needs time alone. Even if you comfort her, do it later.”

Mother spoke quietly to Eunha.

I thought the same as Mother, so I did not pay it any mind.

Had about ten minutes passed?

“I am sorry.”

Ra Sihyeon, who returned, bowed and apologized.

“What are you sorry for? That can happen. Sit here. Eat some more fruit.”

“Thank you…….”

“But how does our young lady have such nice hair? Which salon did you go to?”

“Ah, actually, this is…….”

Thanks to Mother naturally changing the topic, Ra Sihyeon soon melted into the conversation again, as if she had never burst into tears.

That night.

Duhyeon returned home, and Ra Sihyeon stayed at our house.

Since it was Mother’s decision, I did not raise any objections.

Besides, it was a luxury penthouse, so there were plenty of empty rooms.

Before going to bed.

To organize my thoughts and get some night air, I headed to the rooftop garden.

Since it was a garden only our family, meaning the penthouse residents, could use, it seemed perfect for quietly looking at the night view while organizing my thoughts…… Huh?

Someone was sitting on the railing.

The faint smoke of a cigarette pricked my nose.

Blond hair scattered in the night breeze.

It was Ra Sihyeon.

“Ah.”

Ra Sihyeon discovered me and hurriedly hid the cigarette behind her.

“Y-You have not gone to sleep.”

“As you can see.”

“I could not sleep.”

Right, of course she could not sleep.

She had not been a Hunter for long and had already experienced a major incident like the Jebudo incident, so she would probably be unable to sleep properly for a few nights.

However, that terrible experience would soon become excellent nourishment and a precious asset, and it would greatly help her work as a Hunter.

“What about you, Big Brother?”

“What about me?”

“Are you not affected at all?”

“Yeah. I just came out to get some air.”

“…….”

Ra Sihyeon looked at me as if she were looking at something incomprehensible.

Still, she did not seem unable to believe me.

Perhaps that was because she had seen me take a short nap in Jebudo.

“Why did you cry earlier? Ah, you do not have to say it if you do not want to. I will not ask anymore.”

“……Because it felt unfamiliar.”

“…….”

“An adult placing side dishes on top of my rice…… It was my first time.”

The end of Ra Sihyeon’s words trembled.

I felt as if I understood what she meant, so I did not ask any further.

I had no interest.

I was not curious either.

Whatever kind of upbringing she had gone through, that was not important.

Only how she lived and how she treated me mattered.

“Were you happy?”

“……Yes.”

“Then that is enough.”

I moved my feet.

“Ah, and…….”

“Yes?”

“Quit smoking. You smell.”

“……Yes.”

Ra Sihyeon answered in a voice that crawled into itself and lowered her head deeply.

***

Just before I fell asleep.

Ding!

Hunter Link Messenger rang an alarm.

[A direct message has arrived.]

It was a message sent to my main account, not the Supernova account.

[BloodyMary] What are you doing.

[BloodyMary] Are you asleep?

“……She cannot even wait that long?”

Urgh.

I was dumbfounded by Choi Yura’s impatient temperament.

It felt as if only twelve hours had passed since we escaped from Jebudo, but I had not expected her to start pressing me already.

‘Not yet.’

I decided not to read or reply.

I was not doing it deliberately.

It was just that, if I told her now, Choi Yura would be unable to overcome that impatient temper of hers and cause an accident.

‘Rest for a few days. Regroup as well.’

Choi Yura needed time.

The same went for me.

To make my next move, I needed at least a few days.

‘I cannot even imagine how she will react.’

The face of the culprit Choi Yura was so desperately searching for surfaced in my mind.

I knew.

The culprit who had killed her first love and ex-boyfriend.

Of course, if one climbed all the way to the top of that food chain, the Incheon Union and Godfather would appear, but the person who had directly killed him was someone else.

‘Can she handle it? That terrible sense of betrayal?’

She probably could not.

She would go berserk.

Because the culprit was not very far away.

……They were beside Choi Yura.