Chapter 56: I Shouldn’t Have Done That
Hiiik! What in the world is going on?!
Of course, his insides were different from what they appeared.
Glup.
Gi-ryeo secretly swallowed hard. If he hadn’t bowed his head right away to apologize, how would he be now?
“Ahn Yoon-seung, calm down.”
He hastily raised both hands, palms facing out. A clear expression of surrender.
“I’m really sorry. I came to apologize today.”
But Jeong Ha-seong didn’t put away his weapon even after hearing that.
“If saying sorry meant everything would be forgiven, there would be no laws in this world.”
Well, there’s that.
Gi-ryeo hurriedly looked around. He had to somehow appease the anger of this S-Class.
He poured his heart into explaining the situation.
“Um, you know I didn’t mean any harm. I genuinely worried about your health back then…”
“How can I believe that?”
“Huh?”
“You knocked someone unconscious just like that. To me, you look just like the self-destructing terrorist.”
“Ha-seong.”
“Be honest with me. Didn’t you have some ulterior motive?”
Jeong Ha-seong sneered at every sentence. It was frustrating.
“Ulterior motive? I want to ask you the same. What exactly is your purpose then?”
So Gi-ryeo threw a fundamental question instead of an apology.
“Why are you always so impatient?”
“…”
“I did some digging online. You’ve been breaking records for Gate closures every year. It looks good on the surface, but it means you’re just running around dungeons without sleep, right?”
Jeong Ha-seong fell silent.
“Plus, you hand over items that come out of the Gate to the government without a second thought. You don’t seem to benefit much from it.”
“…”
“So when your body hurts, it’s okay to take a break. Why are you so obsessed with hunting monsters?”
But Jeong Ha-seong seemed unwilling to ignore the question. Eventually, he answered naturally.
“Of course, it’s something that needs to be done.”
“Something that needs to be done?”
“I’ve attended schools built with tax money and traveled on roads paved with tax money. Isn’t it only fair to do this much for my country?”
That’s a commendable mindset.
But whether one can empathize with that is a whole different story.
“Do you really think you can act like that just out of a sense of duty?”
Gi-ryeo tilted his head in disbelief.
In fact, these series of questions were a test to uncover Jeong Ha-seong’s preferences.
If he could understand why he worked so hard, it would help in his apology.
How can a person have no personal ambition? What would I even offer as a bribe?
Gi-ryeo hit a dead end. And it wasn’t just that.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter. Why have you been beating around the bush so much?”
“Uh.”
“Now I see you don’t even look sorry.”
A new crisis arose.
An emotionless face is never interpreted positively.
Jeong Ha-seong thought this F-Class had no remorse regarding yesterday’s incident at all.
“Oh, no. Of course I’m sorry. I just had something on my mind…”
“Something on your mind?”
“It’s nice to serve the country, but usually, people don’t go that far…”
“…”
“Plus, it wouldn’t make a big difference if Ahn Yoon-seung took a day off, right? There’s no need to push yourself that hard…”
As soon as Jeong Ha-seong heard that, he was taken aback.
“Heh!”
Once someone has earned your disdain, everything they say just sounds annoying.
“Oh, so without you, Korea would fall apart? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Excuse me?”
“Go ahead and say that in front of the victims’ families who died because I didn’t show up yesterday!”
“No.”
“Why does a scumbag like you even get Awakening abilities?”
His voice gradually rose.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter. Let’s see how long you can keep this cool act. Do you think this will just end as a simple assault case?”
“…!”
“I guarantee you, a person like you will never work as a Hunter again!”
This was a threat to lay bare all his crimes and strip him of his Hunter qualifications.
He was essentially promising to demonstrate the legal consequences.
But at this moment.
What?!
The F-Class standing before him began to interpret that statement differently.
Wait, how are you planning to make me unable to work as a Hunter? Are you… planning to kill me?
Jeong Ha-seong was in a foul mood.
As a result, his emotions flared up, and his magic power surged ominously, which to Gi-ryeo was like a visible death threat.
He really is planning to take me out so I can never set foot in this industry again!
Hiiik!
I noticed right away when he got all stabby due to mere formalities!
Gi-ryeo’s face turned pale, and he kept his mouth shut.
And at that moment, do you know what thought suddenly popped into Jeong Ha-seong’s mind?
That Hunter is such a thorough criminal that he can deceive even the new Awakening Test. I need to restrain him in case he tries to run away!
One step.
Two steps.
Jeong Ha-seong closed the distance.
Gi-ryeo froze in sheer terror.
I’m going to be killed!
As their misunderstandings escalated.
A voice suddenly flashed through Gi-ryeo’s mind, like a slideshow.
– You see, Hunters fighting each other is just how it goes.
– Unlike monsters, people often hide their abilities.
– This Awakened seems to be hiding something… If the opponent thinks so, friction will easily occur.
Right.
Thinking back, Ahn Yoon-seung, the A-Class Hunter, gave him this advice not long ago.
Gi-ryeo replayed their past conversation in his mind over and over.
Then, a glimmer of insight appeared.
Wait…
What if I pretend there’s some hidden trump card here and avoid a fight?
Just putting on a show for 0.2 seconds could make the S-Class hesitate.
Now that’s a solid 0.3 seconds.
But what exactly should I say to trick my opponent?
That’s another 0.7 seconds.
In less than a second, he frantically pondered.
“Do you even know how many people died yesterday because of you and what you did?!”
And that dilemma reached a conclusion, ignited by Jeong Ha-seong’s subsequent reproach.
The S-Class Hunter vented his emotions without hesitation at the Awakened who had knocked him out.
Anger, injustice, hatred.
Faced with them directly, Gi-ryeo shouted loudly by survival instinct.
“—Get it together, Ha-seong!”
As everyone held their breath at the thunderous voice.
The next words could be a monumental mistake in his life.
“You’re a piece of trash!”
That was the beginning of his bravado.
*
Nothing is quite as intense as the sudden shift in demeanor of someone who was just being polite.
Jeong Ha-seong flinched.
But Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t stop his remarks.
“No matter how careless you are, being ambushed by an F-Class is nothing to be proud of, is it?!”
A piercing shout, sharp as a blade.
“Yeah. Ha-seong. Korea isn’t going to collapse just because you’re not around.”
“…!”
“Someone like you shouldn’t be getting angry at someone like me for knowing better!”
Huff.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs. His eyes glinted with poison.
“Even if the country were to actually collapse, how on earth would that be your fault, huh?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Stop being so dramatic!”
But, surprisingly?
At first, he was just trying to belittle Jeong Ha-seong to save his own skin.
Yet unexpectedly, these criticisms were quite effective; Jeong Ha-seong went rigid, no longer acting.
Oh!
Now’s my chance.
Gi-ryeo, riding the wave, unleashed a barrage of words meant to provoke suspicion.
“Do you realize you seem incredibly unstable? You obsess over Gates all day, push yourself to your limits nonchalantly. To me, that looks like a problem.”
How smooth his words were.
He might just get away with pretending to care about his health and even have Ha-seong committed to a hospital if push came to shove.
Then, there would be no fighting during his treatment at least.
“To be honest, I think you need professional treatment.”
Camouflaging his sinister intent, Gi-ryeo gently suggested.
“Since you’re a High-Ranking Awakened, medication may not work well, but at least maybe some counseling…”
“…”
“Huh? You’re not going to just work as a Hunter for a day or two, right?”
It was a bewildering situation to go from harshly reprimanding him to pretending to care.
“You should also take it easy.”
Still, Gi-ryeo maintained a shameless expression and stuck out his tongue.
And then he cautiously opened his eyes to gauge Jeong Ha-seong’s mood.
“Uh?”
But wait a minute.
This guy’s not cooling down at all.
Did, did, did I go too far?
In the heat of bravado, he hadn’t realized till now.
The S-Class had been watching him intently, his jaw clenching so tightly that veins were popping.
Why does it seem like he’s just getting angrier?
Gi-ryeo trembled in fear as he saw Ha-seong’s serious face.
*
Ambushed by an F-Class.
Talentless loser.
Get your shit together.
A flood of verbal assaults.
Hearing that, he felt an urge to retort immediately. But for some reason…
Jeong Ha-seong found himself strangely tongue-tied.
-Ha-seong, do you realize you seem incredibly unstable?
Reflecting on it, he realized that this harsh treatment was quite rare.
Honestly, who would dare speak so boldly in front of an S-Class Awakened?
His workaholic attitude.
The way he neglects his own body.
Until now, everyone had praised him as a hero.
I’m nothing?
He had firmly believed he was doing well until just now.
I…
In reality, even though he was a hero, he lacked the qualities to match that title.
He easily stumbled over small guilt due to his fragile nature.
He needed help.
However, there was no one to assist him.
Especially after his only family, his mother, collapsed from magic power addiction.
-You obsess over Gates all day, not caring for your body…
Out of sheer fear of the S-Class.
Blinded by the profits that come from the S-Class.
Or because he had to sacrifice himself for their safety.
Until now, people had pointed out his compulsive behavior for various reasons.
Instead, they always pushed him to enter even more Gates and be number one.
Even Esther, being an S-Class, acknowledged me.
But now, to hear that I’m not normal? Or worse, that I seem insane?
-I think that looks like a problem.
You are wrong. I contribute to this society. Unlike lazy people like you.
If it had been any other time, he would have already voiced such prideful words.
Yet for some reason, his throat felt like it was closed off and no sound escaped.
He found it impossible to argue.
“Ah…”
And amidst all this, he suddenly realized.
“You’re not going to just work as a Hunter for a day or two, right?”
Perhaps these rude criticisms were actually the words he had been longing to hear all this time.
“You should also take it easy.”
Instead of being called a hero.
In truth, he just needed someone to tell him he wasn’t all that special and to stop being dramatic.
