Chapter 61

EP.61

“Jihoon, just come here. Yoo Hana is a really bad person. I’ll get you out of here. You didn’t want to be dispatched, right? Right? Just go back to the Blue Guild and be a Hunter.”

Lee Sooah shouted while tugging on one of my arms.

She looked quite desperate.

“Ha… Baek Jihoon? Don’t listen to that wicked woman’s words. Just stay with me. I told you it would be easy as my manager, right? I’ll treat you really well. I’ll meet all your conditions, so just stay here with me.”

On the opposite side, Yoo Hana was pulling on my other arm.

I was suddenly on the verge of being torn in half.

‘Shit. This is bad.’

I hadn’t even properly experienced anything yet. I was about to end my life here.

“Wait… just a moment!!!!”

I shouted with all my might.

If I didn’t do this, it felt like these two women would never let me go.

My arms were starting to hurt more and more.

I felt like they were slowly tearing apart.

Bang!!!

“What’s going on!!!”

Yoo Hana’s manager burst in through the door with a shocked expression.

“??? What are you doing right now?”

Everyone in the waiting room froze in unison.

To Yoo Hana’s manager, I looked like I was getting pulled apart by S-Rank Hunters, Lee Sooah and Yoo Hana.

“Ah, Oppa, get out!!!”

Yoo Hana said irritably as she pushed her manager away.

“Wait… just a second!!”

Somehow, my shout seemed to work; they hesitated for a moment.

“Let go of this. Everyone.”

Phew…

I barely escaped.

That was close.

If I hadn’t raised my stats, I probably would have been ripped apart by now.

It’s not some Solomon’s choice or anything.

“Ha… I’ll do this.”

I clutched my aching shoulders and spoke.

It seemed like if I didn’t sort this out, it would really turn into a huge issue.

“Half. Half.”

“Half-half?”

Both women tilted their heads in confusion at the same time.

“I plan to spend half the week with Lee Sooah, and half the week with Yoo Hana. Ha… Ha…”

I found myself taking a deep breath without realizing it.

“Yes? What… what did you say? I cannot accept this. Baek Jihoon is in our A Team. I can’t let you have half of him.”

I heard Lee Sooah’s voice filled with annoyance.

“Ha. It’s the same for both of us. Hey, Lee Sooah, Baek Jihoon is the one I received from the Blue Guild, okay? Tell the Guild Master about this! Why are you causing a scene here? I’ll have to call security from the broadcasting station, so know that!!”

Yoo Hana didn’t back down either.

‘Shit… what on earth is happening…’

Just last week, I was a slave man, a nice guy, clinging to Chae Suhyeon…

And this week, two famous S-Rank Hunters are fighting over me.

“Ha. Yoo Hana? Let’s not do this and just fight fairly. The winner gets Baek Jihoon. I don’t want to split him in half.”

“I feel the same way, Lee Sooah. You think because I’m in the entertainment industry, I’m going to go easy on you?”

The two began to show their battle stances.

It was a moment of high tension.

If these two fought here, the broadcasting station would be destroyed.

‘Why would the broadcasting station disappear?’

‘Because two S-Rank Hunters fought over me…’

‘…?’

This can’t be allowed.

I could end up being labeled a lunatic in front of the entire nation.

“Okay… just wait a moment!!!”

I drew a big line between them.

And I had no choice but to mediate.

“Ha. This won’t do. I was trying to talk it out, but it seems like you’re both ignoring my words?”

“Yes…?”

“If you don’t accept my proposal, then I’ll just get rid of you cleanly. The one who accepts will get 100% occupancy.”

I ended up spouting some completely absurd nonsense.

How could I say such a thing to S-Ranks?

There wouldn’t be anyone in our country who could say something like this.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Whether I was torn in half or the broadcasting station was destroyed, it felt like if I didn’t take a strong stance now, it would lead to serious trouble.

“Uh… uh… you’ll just throw me out…?”

“No… why…?”

The two women suddenly fell silent.

It was as if they had become dumbstruck.

“Alright. I accept.”

“I will too. I’ll accept. It’s because it’s Jihoon’s words.”

And just like that, they switched their stances.

‘? Did that actually work??’

I was understandably astonished.

I just boldly called out their names, and surprisingly, it worked.

‘What the…? This is some kind of cheat.’

“Ha. For now, we’ll leave it like this today.”

I quickly managed my expression.

Since I had taken a strong stance once, I needed to keep pressing forward.

Otherwise, it felt like I would get eaten alive.
EP.62

Having just narrowly escaped the experience of being torn in half, I felt a surge of fear wash over me.

“Today, I’m going to the Blue Guild.”

“What????”

Yoo Hana’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No, why… why? I have a broadcast shoot today!!! I need to record an important scene!!!”

She had an expression that clearly indicated she couldn’t accept this.

“Awesome. Great, Jihoon. Let’s go.”

In contrast, Lee Sooah had become quite assertive. She suddenly linked her arm with mine.

“On Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday, I’ll be at the Blue Guild, and the remaining half of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday will be with Yoo Hana. If you dislike this arrangement, I’ll stop. Yoo Hana, please inform our Guild Master of the decision.”

I spoke in a firm and heavy voice.

“Ah… ah… ah… Ji…hoon…?”

Yoo Hana crumpled down onto the sofa with a dazed expression.

*

“No, Hana… What was that just now? I walked in and saw a ridiculous scene! Was I mistaken…?”

Yoo Hana’s manager was closely attending to her, as she had collapsed right after Baek Jihoon and Lee Sooah left.

She was wiping the sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

“Oh, get away. Seriously. Oppa is no help at all. You should have stopped Baek Jihoon. Or, shouldn’t you have treated him well?”

“Excuse me??”

The manager looked completely perplexed.

“Huh? Isn’t that guy a slave sent from the Blue Guild? To pull our Hana back to the Blue Guild? Why should I treat him well?”

“Ha. Oppa, didn’t you say something weird to Baek Jihoon? Why did I lose out? Ha. It’s absurd! Am I considered equal to Lee Sooah? Wow. I can’t believe it. I worked so hard to maintain my image and make appearances, and yet I’m considered equal to her?”

Yoo Hana began fanning herself repeatedly.

“I mean… what could I have said that was weird?”

“Then were you kind to Baek Jihoon? Did you properly introduce him to things?”

“That… wasn’t it…? I’ve never done that… until we let go of 15 people…”

“That was with them!!! You should have been nice to Baek Jihoon. Argh, it’s frustrating! Get out!! Get out!!!!”

Yoo Hana threw whatever she could grab at her manager in frustration.

“Ugh. What did I do wrong?”

The manager skillfully dodged all the items Yoo Hana threw and quickly exited.

*

“Eh??”

Everyone in Team A was on their feet in the office.

They were witnessing a sight they had never seen before.

Lee Sooah was entering the office, arm linked with Baek Jihoon.

“What’s going on here?”

“No, Baek Jihoon, wasn’t he dispatched by the Guild Master? What’s this?”

“Right…? Has anyone ever returned after being dispatched once?”

“No way—15 people quit, didn’t they?”

“What’s happening? Did Lee Sooah win against Yoo Hana in a showdown?”

“Looks like it.”

“So Baek Jihoon is being brought back? What on earth is going on?”

Naturally, no one could understand the scene unfolding before them.

Clearly, Baek Jihoon’s target for dispatch had been Yoo Hana.

An S-Rank Hunter with a notorious reputation within the Hunter circle.

A wall so high that no one could overcome it.

And now he was back, alongside Lee Sooah.

*

Click.

The door to Lee Sooah’s office closed.

“Hohoho. Baek Jihoon, you made a great choice. Hohoho.”

“Yes, that’s right. But this is…?”

I noticed the walls lined with CCTV cameras.

It was a place I recognized.

Our neighborhood.

‘Shit. So they do extensive surveillance here? Right in their own office?’

“Oh, don’t look at that.”

As Lee Sooah pressed a button, the cameras quickly turned off.

“Hehe, so this means you’ll be here for today, tomorrow, and the day after. Hohoho.”

She wore a face that radiated satisfaction.

“Yes.”

“Then for the next 2.5 days, you will be with me…”

“I will return to my post. I have too much to do.”

“Eh?”

Upon hearing my response, Lee Sooah looked startled.

“No, if you’ve come here, shouldn’t you be with me…?”

“I’m going back to Hunter Class 6.”

I decided to assert myself strongly.

I was overly curious about how Lee Sooah would react.

In my gut, I felt like I was at a level where I could do whatever I wanted.

“Um… no… Jihoon, the seat in my office…”

“Do you dislike that? Yoo Hana’s number is…”

I pretended to contemplate for a moment.

“Ah… no!!!! Do… whatever you like…”

Lee Sooah awkwardly held her position.

‘Got it.’

In that moment, I felt a sense of accomplishment—you know, that I was now entangled with both S-Rank Hunters, Lee Sooah and Yoo Hana.