Chapter 106. Press Conference (2)
A devastating atmosphere rapidly descended.
“…….”
“…….”
Dalkak-.
Esther silently placed her hand on her coffee cup, causing small ripples within.
And from this ripple began a bizarre scene at the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“P-Please let me give you a gift.”
“Excuse me?”
“I-I suddenly want to give you a present, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo! Can you spare me a moment?”
Who would have thought that the representative S-Class Hunter of Korea would be so desperately clinging to an F-Class Awakened?
“This is all because I’m thinking about you, Mr. Kim! These days, it’s the internet era, and once a photo gets taken, it spreads internationally!”
“Excuse me?”
“What kind of chaos do you think would ensue if someone suspected to be an S-Class Hunter shows up to a press conference dressed like that…!”
“Esther?”
“No, there’s a limit to being modest! How on earth do you plan to appear in front of the camera wearing that?”
Esther jumped out of her seat and declared she would buy him new clothes right away.
“Uh, there’s really no need for that. If you insist, I’ll just go buy something new myself.”
Kim Gi-ryeo gently refused, not wanting to owe the Curse Mage…
‘Unbelievable!’
Esther’s attitude remained firm.
That chicken t-shirt Kim Gi-ryeo was wearing completely made one question their aesthetic sense.
“Please, I’m begging you. Give me the chance to buy you some clothes.”
“W-Why are you doing this?”
“Oh, right. My brother runs a clothing store, you know? So you can get it cheap, so don’t feel burdened…! What?!”
After much pleading, Esther finally obtained the authority to dress Kim Gi-ryeo in the outfits she chose before the press conference.
And at that moment, the secretary, who had observed the entire process from a corner, quietly thought to herself.
‘This is really terrifying.’
To be honest, that sweatshirt was influential enough to make even herself open her wallet willingly.
At that level, it should practically be treated as a dungeon item…
‘Hunters have good incomes, right? But why on earth would someone dig for treasure like that?’
The secretary of the Magic Tower shook her head and followed her employer out of the room.
‘S-Class Hunters are often weirdos, anyway.’
.
.
.
Soon enough, they arrived at a shop in Apgujeong.
Kim Gi-ryeo, having entered an Earth clothing store for the first time, curiously looked around.
Soon after, the shop owner greeted them.
“Welcome!”
With straightened pomade hairstyle and silver glasses, one wouldn’t think he was related to that hunter at first glance.
“Brother!”
“I told you not to greet me outside.”
“Today, I can’t even express how grateful I am that you’re selling clothes! Really, thanks to you, I’m saved.”
However, checking the name tag pinned to his chest made the connection much clearer.
[Seo Yo-han]
The Seo clan of Dalseong.
And with a religious name.
It’s quite rare for both of these conditions to coincide simultaneously.
‘He’s from an S-Class lineage, but is that one just a non-awakened?’
Kim Gi-ryeo eyed the store owner with interest when Esther’s voice suddenly burst out.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter?”
“Ah, yes.”
“If you see anything you like, go ahead and choose. I’ll consider your taste a bit, too.”
Asking if there’s anything he liked.
He had lived on an alien planet where clothing culture was underdeveloped, so he had never really cared about clothes.
“Hmm.”
So Gi-ryeo nonchalantly rummaged through the hangers and then asked…
“Are you selling that?”
Moments later, he stopped searching the clothing racks and pointed at a nearby mannequin.
A plain black suit hung there without any patterns.
“Oh? Do you like that?”
“Maybe…”
“You surprisingly like a formal style, huh?”
Esther couldn’t hide her surprise.
With so many clothes around, if he could pick a suit that quickly, he definitely had an eye for fashion, but how on earth did he come to have such a gift?
‘Besides, why does he have five of those?’
She briefly cradled her head before saying with a bright demeanor, “If you like the suit, we can definitely go with that! But is it really okay? It’s so simple that it looks like something for an interview.”
However, this F-Class Hunter was quite indifferent to the other suits she presented.
The reason he chose the mannequin’s outfit wasn’t because of himself…
‘It looks closest to what Kim Gi-ryeo’s corpse was wearing.’
It was a selection made to suit the true owner of this body.
‘If he wore it until his death, it must have been a favorite outfit of his.’
The pitch-black suit represented Kim Gi-ryeo’s burial attire.
Thus, he decided to dress at least in the clothes the former owner liked out of respect for the deceased soul.
Of course, this would be a pointless act no one would acknowledge…
But still, isn’t there decorum to be upheld as a mage?
‘If you obtain a corpse, it’s only right to consider the wishes of its original owner.’
The store staff brought out identical items from the warehouse as the mannequin wore.
Now he only needed to check if they fit.
“Alright! Try them all on. Ah, since it’s cold, putting on this coat will be perfect. This, too!”
“I-I’m supposed to wear them here?”
“There’s a fitting room over there.”
She pointed to the partition across the way and then returned her gaze to the hangers.
Having come this far, she planned to put in the effort to find clothes that would suit him.
“Esther Hunter.”
Ddonggg-.
However, Esther soon halted her actions.
A few minutes later, the sound of men’s shoe heels echoed from the direction of the fitting room.
“The clothes fit, but the shoes are kind of…”
Kim Gi-ryeo walked slowly this way, clad in a three-piece suit.
Esther gasped and took a sharp breath upon seeing him.
Honestly, anything would have been acceptable if it weren’t for that x-dead sweatshirt; truly, clothes make the person.
“Oh my, you look like a movie star! A star!”
Esther praised him.
Moreover, the secretary standing beside her stared at Gi-ryeo, seemingly entranced, and chimed in.
“Oh, you really do look like a star….”
“Right? I told you so!”
However, Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t understand their compliments.
From the perspective of an alien with a gaping hole in common sense, the term “star” simply referred to someone who acts in theatrical performances.
‘Suddenly, they’re saying I look like an actor?’
Silently, Gi-ryeo stood there.
The interrupted conversation resumed after the manager brought new shoes.
“I looked around, and these seem to be the best.”
“Really?”
It didn’t matter what his preference was, dragging it out wouldn’t change a thing.
Gi-ryeo was too lazy to change clothes and casually glanced around, while Esther readily nodded and moved toward the checkout.
“Brother, come here for a sec!”
However, the simple calculation unexpectedly took a long time, so…
‘Hmm?’
Esther grasped the shop owner and engaged in conversation for a while, allowing Kim Gi-ryeo to explore the surroundings momentarily.
He absentmindedly rummaged through the belt rack and observed women’s clothing.
“Customer, you’ll be taking the clothes as is, right? Shall I remove the tags then?”
“Yes, thank you.”
During this interaction, as the staff approached to take off the clothing tags, Gi-ryeo took the chance to verify how much his suit was worth, but just as he was about to see the price on the removed tag, a faint commotion broke out.
–Ttiri-ri-ri-ri-ri.
Someone’s phone rang.
“That’s my call. Brother, I’ll be taking this call, so please pay with this card.”
“All the things you mentioned?”
“Uh-huh, everything.”
She checked the caller ID on her screen and immediately answered.
“Hello~”
But for some reason, the atmosphere felt off.
“Yes?”
As time passed, Esther’s expression rapidly darkened.
“Yes. Yes. I understand…”
The call was soon disconnected.
Swish.
With her phone removed from her ear, Esther wore a vacant expression, causing Gi-ryeo to curiously ask.
“What was that call about?”
Esther rolled her eyes and cautiously responded.
“It was a call from the guild secretary’s office.”
“Ah, I see.”
“More specifically, it’s news that Jeong Ha-seong is on the news right now.”
So far, there was nothing strange about it.
S-Class Hunters appearing in the news was something that occurred regularly.
“Really?”
Gi-ryeo spoke with innocent curiosity, wondering what the problem could be.
“According to what I heard, Jeong Ha-seong declared he’ll return to hunter duties following this incident…”
“What already?”
“That’s not the important part. He mentioned you during an interview.”
Yet who would expect such a reply?
‘Me?’
Gi-ryeo’s eyes widened at the news that the top-ranked Hunter had mentioned him.
Naturally, Esther was equally flustered.
From the moment she heard the news, the tension on her face was evident.
“Mr. Gi-ryeo, did you happen to know Hunter Jeong Ha-seong prior?”
“Didn’t you see all the posts circulating on the internet?”
“W-Well, it’s not like I keep track of every public opinion.”
“Oh.”
“Either way, just tell me this. Do you really know Jeong Ha-seong?”
Knowing him or not.
“I know him, but why?”
Kim Gi-ryeo scratched the back of his neck and answered awkwardly. But as soon as Esther heard this, her face turned panicked as she blurted out.
“Then stop messing around and explain what happened between you two.”
“Huh?”
“Because he just said on live television that he would take you down.”
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.
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[[●LIVE] YTV News Mobile Live ┃ Jeong Ha-seong Interview]
[Reporter: You’ve really struggled with the aftermath of this S-Class Dungeon Break incident!]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Not at all.]
[Reporter: But the main culprit behind this fiasco, the ‘Unavoidable Malice,’ was hunted down by another hunter. Do you feel disappointed at all about this?]
[Jeong Ha-seong: I am quite disappointed in that hunter.]
[Reporter: Disappointed?]
[Jeong Ha-seong: I basically knew they were strong, but seriously, to deceive an S-Class as an F-Class was rather too much.]
[Reporter: (leaning closer with the microphone)]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Personally, I hope that hunter clears up their rank as soon as possible.]
[Reporter: I see.]
[Jeong Ha-seong: If they don’t admit to manipulating their awakening level, I’m willing to go verify the facts myself.]
[Reporter: Huh?]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Given how things evolved, if they still prattle on about being F-Class, I’m thinking of burning their house down.]
[Jeong Ha-seong: Honestly, there’s a code for people. How can someone be so quiet with that kind of awakening level… (interrupted)]
I dropped my phone in shock.
Esther suddenly told me to check the news, and I hurriedly turned on the video, never expecting such shocking dialogue.
‘Crap!’
Once, I thought Jeong Ha-seong was easy to fool, and it was a good thing…
But now that I thought about it, showing off in front of an S-Class was completely insane.
Because it was because he firmly believed that bravado that this huge incident occurred.
‘That bastard, instead of quietly relaxing in some remote village, is saying all this on air!’
What if I get branded as an S-Class Hunter?
If that happens, I would be forced to deal with Higher-Ranking Gates.
‘And if I refuse that obligation, there would be significant penalties…’
But even remaining as an F-Class isn’t possible, right?
If I declared that, the top-ranked hunter who went mad from earlier interviews would charge at me.
‘Huh? No matter what I pick, it’s a dead-end?’
I found myself cornered.
Caught between the strong and the weak, I was in an absurd situation where I couldn’t choose either side.
