“Park Jinsoo?”
I nodded slightly.
I seemed to have heard the name before, but I couldn’t recall it precisely.
Since Team A was quite large, it was difficult to get to know everyone completely within just a week.
We lightly shook hands.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello. I have a good feeling about you.”
He was an associate of Hunter 1.
“Could you spare some time for a chat?”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
I wasn’t sure what it was about, but decided to listen to what he had to say.
We moved to a different spot.
“It turns out we’re the same age,” he noted.
“Oh, I see…”
This was the result of my guild joining a few years later due to Chae Suhyeon.
Friends my age had already been promoted to managerial positions.
“I was quite interested in the new person who’s the same age as me. Have you faced any challenges?”
‘Difficulties? No way.’
The chaotic events of the past week were more bizarre than difficult.
“I haven’t faced any at all.”
“If you ever encounter any problems, please reach out to me. I’d love to help. I want to get closer to Baek Jihoon.”
“Why is that?”
I couldn’t help but wonder if this guy was gay. His behavior was quite suspicious.
Of course, many people in the Blue Guild had shown interest and affection towards me.
The Hunters from Group 6 had welcomed me warmly as well.
But this man was from Group 1.
Why him?
I had heard that Groups 1 and 2 had lingering resentment towards Group 6 due to the recent reorganization.
So why was he interested in me?
I looked at him with a hint of caution.
“Oh. I have no ulterior motives. I just genuinely want to get to know you and learn more about Baek Jihoon.”
‘Then why do you want to know about me?’
The situation felt increasingly suspicious.
“I’ll let you know if I need anything later.”
That couldn’t be seen as negative.
It was clear he wanted something from me.
Usually, Groups 1 and 2 looked down on Group 6.
But extending a hand like this didn’t put me in a bad position.
“Thank you.”
*
“Hey, didn’t you just visit Group 6?”
The manager of Group 1 threw a question at Park Jinsoo.
“Yeah.”
“Why? Is there any reason to go over there? You don’t have any work, do you?”
He looked at Park Jinsoo suspiciously.
“Oh, I just wanted to gather some information.”
“I see. Information… But what do you plan to do with information from Group 6?”
“Isn’t it a bit odd? Hunter Lee Sooah showing such affection and interest in Group 6.”
He cast a sidelong glance at Group 6.
“Yeah, that is strange. It doesn’t make sense. Why assign Group 6 as the main team? This is absurd. Since I joined the Blue Guild, this is the first time I’ve seen it. That Manager Cha, his face must be shining. Ah, come on.”
“But isn’t Manager Cha one of the founding members?”
“So? What good does that do? He’s just a manager of Group 6.”
He made a face as if he was utterly exhausted.
“Anyway, once we gather some intel on Group 6, that should be good for us, right?”
“Sure, that’s good. Just work hard~”
The manager of Group 1 patted Park Jinsoo’s shoulder.
‘Hmm. He seems like an ordinary person.’
Park Jinsoo appeared slightly confused.
‘Why is Hunter Chae Suhyeon focusing on him? And what’s his connection with Lee Sooah? Why is Hunter Lee Sooah interested in someone like him?’
It didn’t make sense at all.
There didn’t seem to be anything particularly outstanding about him.
‘Very strange.’
*
“Umm… Baek Jihoon…”
When I returned to my seat, Lee Sooah was there.
“Do you have something to say?”
“No, why are you wandering around during work hours?”
“If I do my job well, does it matter? I’m sure it’s fine by regulation.”
“Ugh… That may be true, but please don’t wander around dangerously.”
“I’ll take care of myself.”
Lee Sooah had a slightly irritated look.
The other members of Group 6 were casting cautious glances.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Sigh… I need to go see Yoo Hana again this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“I can’t just not go, can I?”
“No, you can’t.”
“Sigh…”
A deep sigh escaped Lee Sooah.
“Why not?”
“Why not? Didn’t you promise? That’s why I stayed in the Blue Guild for two days.”
“Well, I know that, but why is time passing so quickly?”
“I don’t know. If you’ve said everything you wanted to say…”
I hinted at her.
“Sigh… Fine, I’ll go.”
Lee Sooah left without saying another word.
“Hoo… Baek Jihoon…”
As soon as Lee Sooah disappeared, the members of Group 6 looked at me with admiration.
“You’re our savior in Group 6…”
“How did you manage to handle Hunter Lee Sooah like that…?”
“Wow… I almost couldn’t breathe just now. Didn’t we all deserve to have our heads on the block?”
“You didn’t even flinch, Jihoon. That was amazing.”
They all seemed in awe.
“Well, it’s nothing special.”
“Wow… It feels like our Group 6 has a bright future ahead! Let’s all work hard together!! Fighting!!!”
Manager Cha unexpectedly shouted a cheer.
A slight laugh escaped me.
*
“Hah… Hah…”
“Hana…”
Yoo Hana’s manager looked at her with a very worried expression.
“Why are you like this? Are you okay?”
“Hah… Oh… Oppa… I’m so excited… Jihoon is going to come soon…”
She looked as if she had fallen into a strange ecstasy.
“Yeah… right… but why do you look like that?”
The manager gazed at Yoo Hana with a somewhat disgusted expression.
‘Did she come back from the dungeon yesterday and lose her mind…?’
‘Sigh… how can I control such a scatterbrain? We need one more manager for her.’
“I told you I went to the dungeon yesterday.”
“Yeah.”
“And it was good.”
“Huh? Really good?”
The unexpected words caused the manager to be taken aback.
“But you said you hated dungeons, so you ran away to become a celebrity.”
“Well, when I’m beside Baek Jihoon, it feels okay…?”
“Then it’s not the dungeon you like, it’s Baek Jihoon you like, right?”
The manager wore an expression that suggested this was more serious.
“N-no! What are you talking about? Are you saying I’ve fallen for Baek Jihoon?”
She reacted vehemently against the idea.
“Yep.”
The manager replied with a very resolute expression.
“Hah. Not at all. I’m just… enjoying the life of a hunter…”
She trailed off, deep in thought.
It seemed even she didn’t know what she truly wanted.
‘What could it be… really…? Why am I feeling this way?’
Her expression was filled with utter confusion.
“I don’t care! I’m just going to wait for Baek Jihoon.”
She immediately turned with an expression that showed excitement.
‘Sigh… This girl has really lost it. Well, as long as she manages her schedule well…’
The manager shook his head.
Though she was always a bit odd, it felt like she was drifting further into strange territory.
*
“Hello, Baek Jihoon.”
Yoo Hana greeted me with an air of confidence, as if she had prepared for the moment.
“Hi, nice to see you.”
“Please stay close to me today and support me well~”
“Sure.”
The manager looked like he had something to say.
“Uh, Baek Jihoon?”
“Yes?”
“Did anything happen in the dungeon yesterday?”
He leaned in to whisper to me.
“Well, I defeated Baron with Hunter Lee Sooah.”
“What?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Isn’t that supposed to be really tough? I don’t know the details, but…”
“Well, it didn’t seem challenging for an S-Rank Hunter.”
That was clearly the impression I got from the scene yesterday.
“But, Yoo Hana, you need to focus on being a celebrity, not a hunter. What if your legs get thick? You need to do a photoshoot.”
The manager spoke in a very worried tone.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t my intention… Yoo Hana just appeared out of nowhere. Why didn’t she capture it?”
“How could a regular person catch an S-Rank Hunter? Just because I want to catch them doesn’t mean they’ll comply. They just do as they please. Sigh…”
He let out a deep sigh.
“I was in big trouble when Yoo Hana disappeared yesterday. The boss was furious. It’s hard. It’s reaching a limit even with her beauty, sigh.”
He looked utterly frustrated and weary.
“I wish she would just listen and manage her schedule well. It’s so annoying.”
He shook his head slightly.
“What are you two talking about?”
Yoo Hana glared at the manager with a slightly sharp voice.
“Oh, I was just saying you look pretty today~”
He gave a hasty excuse.
“Don’t say such obvious things. I know that~”
‘She’s getting a bit conceited. Is that a necessary quality for a celebrity?’
“Sigh… Anyway, I’m glad Baek Jihoon is here. When Jihoon was gone, I couldn’t stop singing his song.”
“You were looking for me?”
“Yep.”
While I somewhat expected it, judging by the manager’s reaction, it seemed to be quite serious.
“Why does everything keep getting more difficult…?”
He plopped down wearily.
“Oppa, can I go grab something to eat? There’s a kalguksu place nearby. It won’t take long.”
“No. Why didn’t you eat when I told you earlier?”
The manager was getting irritable.
“Well, I just…”
She shot a quick glance at me.
‘Are you saying you didn’t eat because I was absent?’
“Sigh. Just ask them to delay the shoot a bit. I’ve been starving for the photoshoot. I feel like I’m going to collapse.”
“No, not today. That could lead to trouble.”
“Has getting in trouble ever been a one-day affair?”
“Sigh. Are you really going to act this way?”
“Oppa.”
Yoo Hana made a grimace.
“Are you serious with that tone toward me?”
She spoke as if having a slight tremor.
“N-no…”
The manager was quickly subdued by her.
He then hung his head low and trudged off to complete his tasks.
‘How can he keep delaying things? Is he trying to push back quitting time?’
Of course, I could not hold back.
“Hey, Yoo Hana?”
“Yep~~”
Yoo Hana responded with a bright smile.
“How about you eat kalguksu later?”
The waiting room fell into a profound silence.
It felt as if I had said something that should never be spoken.
Everyone froze and stared at me.
“L-later?”
Yoo Hana replied in an exasperated tone.
As if to say, what do you mean by that when I’m starving to death?
“Sigh…”
I took a long breath and jumped up.
It felt like everything had come to an end as I tidied my clothes and dusted myself off.
Then I walked toward the door confidently.
“Oh… wait a minute!!! I-I got it!!!!!!!”
Yoo Hana’s voice rang out in a panic.
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