Chapter 121

Han Yoojin had gone missing .

The Haeyeon Guild Leader, who had gone to see his hyung as soon as it became visiting hours at 9am, was furious at the empty holding room . The Hunter in charge of the detention center, whose collar was grabbed by Han Yoohyun, explained while trembling that an order to move Han Yoojin had come down .

But the whereabouts of the vehicle that took Han Yoojin and left the detention center became unknown .

The Hunter Association was turned upside down and temporary checkpoints were put up here and there . Each portal site was plastered with related articles in an instant . An interview filled with the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s miserable feelings came up as breaking news .

-The world’s sole magic beast trainer, Hunter Han Yoojin’s, whereabouts?

-The possibility of having left Korea already is high

-The tragedy brought about by the Hunter Association’s poor management system

-The economic and social worth of the magic beast rearing skill

The entire country started to chatter away even before reaching the afternoon . The broadcast that Han Yoojin had filmed in the past and the live broadcast video from a few days ago filled TV screens several times . There was a lot of talk that simply worried about the missing person, but the main public opinion was more focused on Han Yoojin’s worth .

The economic gain and the stability of dungeon management created from him raising magic beasts . How much foreign Hunters fretted over entrusting baby monsters to Han Yoojin . The anticipation from the earnings from abroad, etc .

All sorts of media chattered without a break about how big of a loss Han Yoojin’s disappearance was to the country .

And late afternoon .

“I should have protected ahjussi . I promised I would protect him……”

Having just come out of a dungeon and belatedly hearing the news, Bak Yerim made an appeal mixed with tears in front of the camera . Interspersing her speech with her story with Han Yoojin, she sniffled, asking the kidnapper to please return ahjussi safely if they were watching this .

Yoo Myeongwoo also worried about his friend with a face overcast with shadows . Like a snowball that had started to roll, interest related to the disappearance became bigger .

“What do you mean Hong Kong, out of nowhere!”

Bak Yerim shouted, with a clear face devoid of tears .

“I want to go as well! Go and rescue ahjussi, and sightsee! There is a Di*ney Land in Hong Kong, right?”

“It was closed at the end of last year due to the aftermath of an A-Rank dungeon break . ”

At Suk Simyeong’s words, Bak Yerim had a regretful face . She had wanted to go to an amusement park with ahjussi . At her grumbling, Han Yoohyun, who had been staring piercingly at the contracts spread out on top of the table, raised his head .

“We cannot know when some kind of problem will occur . Please do not think flippantly . ”

“That is why I think even more that I should go . I have an instant movement and flight skill, so I can go there by secretly getting on a plane like Noah oppa . And I can quickly take ahjussi out, too . ”

“Don’t you not have any hiding skills? If you happen to be caught, it can become dangerous for hyung . ”

Bak Yerim was too inexperienced to skillfully hide her body without a hiding skill . At the cold words, Bak Yerim pouted and let out a big sigh .

“Would ahjussi be eating well? We have to quickly push down the Association or whatever and bring him back . It really is done with exactly three days, right?”

“We have joined with Chief Song’s team, and tracking down the related people is already almost done . ”

Suk Simyeong said .

“However, in order to completely mop them up, there is a need to strive for caution, so it will likely take two to three more days . ”

“…We can just use my skill . ”

White Corpse . If she used the skill that plucked out memories from corpses, they could catch the people involved in Han Yoojin’s kidnapping much faster and more easily . But Han Yoojin wanted that skill that could only be used when people died, to be used as little as possible . He also entreated them to stop Yerim from using the skill unless it was a case where it really couldn’t be helped .

“Right, what is Seseong, the Seseong Guild Leader ahjussi doing?”

At any rate, that ahjussi seemed to be capable . It was when Bak Yerim was saying that she’ll try to call Kang Soyoung since it would probably end faster if he helped .

“Excuse me……”

Do Hamin, who was sitting in front of the communication equipment, opened his mouth while looking around .

“Contact came from Noah-ssi just now . ”

The people’s gazes focused on him . Do Hamin, who wasn’t used to being placed in front of high rank Hunters, S-Rank Hunters, was flustered as he pushed up his glasses .

“That is… He said the Seseong Guild Leader is in Hong Kong . ”

“…Excuse me?”

Han Yoohyun let out a bewildered noise . Bak Yerim’s eyes also became round .

“And at the same hotel as Landlord, Han Yoojin-ssi, at that?”

“Ah, what is this? That ahjussi sure is fast! As expected, I will go as well!”

Bak Yerim squawked, and this time, even Han Yoohyun didn’t stop her .

***

The morning sunlight poured in through the glass that filled the surface of the wall . The calmly ordered room service was set out on top of the table . It was a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, roasted mushrooms, etc . Thick mango juice also filled one glass .

Spearing a firm sausage with a fork, I stared at the man sitting on the other side . Maybe he really was a guest here, because his outfit was loose and light .

‘Should I have also made a contract for the appearance of Sung Hyunjae?’

Though I wasn’t some kind of fortune teller, and hadn’t even dreamed that this person would pop up here . On top of that, he came in normally, opening the door with a hotel key, without any disturbance . In other words, it meant that he received my room key from the slaver . It wasn’t that there was no possibility of him robbing them, but it was too peaceful for that to have been the case .

“Could it possibly be that the reason you have information about the people aiming for me, is because you are in collusion with them?”

Sung Hyunjae had a relaxed smile at the question asking if he was on the same side as those guys and had deceived me, us .

“Would that be so? I’m a guest who received an invitation . I received a suggestion to come watch, since a precious item came in, so I came here . ”

“They invited, not anybody else, but the Seseong Guild Leader? Did an invitation not go to Haeyeon?”

“The one who was invited wasn’t the Seseong Guild Leader . ”

The eggs were soft .

“I came as a substitute . ”

“Are you talking about a substitute for yourself?”

Sung Hyunjae didn’t respond . I rested my gaze on the sound blocking item on top of one side of the table, and then opened my mouth again .

“You brought two S-Rank Hunters over from abroad . ”

Noah Luire and Evelyn Miller . If he was able to take charge of those two, wouldn’t his influence abroad be bigger than Korea’s Seseong? Somehow, that side of Sung Hyunjae may be the main identity .

Though I didn’t think deeply of it up to now, since I wasn’t interested in paying attention to even the matters outside of the country .

“I already showed you a lot, so please reveal one or two of your cards as well . ”

“Didn’t I personally come here like this?”

“Ah, yes . You are not a substitute . I am quite curious what you did before you Awakened . ”

Things that were known about him were few . First of all, he apparently had Korean citizenship, but his past was really unclear, and due to the light coloring of his appearance, there was some suspicion that he was a foreigner, or multiracial . There were also rumors that he was a serious criminal but that the country had buried his past because he was an S-Rank Awakened Person . Seeing how Seseong Guild quickly established itself, speculation that he was a considerably wealthy person before Awakening circulated like a widely accepted opinion, too .

Would it be just that? His record after Awakening was more dumbfounding .

The world’s strongest, the 1st place in the ranking competitions . The owner of Korea’s top guild . There was hidden influence even abroad, and the person who had collaborated with both the filial duty addicts and the immoral people .

They were specs that suited a protagonist who saves the world in fiction . Though his personality completely didn’t . He was also a little old . Since, there were exceptions but it was usually young kids who were full of vigor .

‘Though realistically, an adult with a lot of experience and who has established themself in society and has good abilities would be more likely to save the world than young kids . ’

If I hadn’t regressed, what would’ve happened? That amazing person could have somehow safely blocked the dungeons and gained a hundred years of a grace period . Even if he didn’t, the things that Sung Hyunjae had piled up for 5 years had basically become bubbles in an instant through me regressing .

My conscience was veeery slightly pricked .

“If I said that I possibly caused an incredible loss for Sung Hyunjae-ssi, what will you do?”

“Is that a declaration of war?”

Unlike the usual him, his eyes shone as he smiled . Looking at that, the guilt that had raised its head a tiny bit cleanly disappeared . Even if I said, ‘I ruined your work by regressing’, he would probably find it fun .

“I am thinking of enjoying four days of vacation and then going back . ”

I placed the fork on top of the empty plate as I asked him what he was going to do . It would be good if he didn’t interfere with my road home .

“I’m thinking of using one of the three times of your help . ”

Pulling that out now of all times?

“What are you going to make me do?”

“Honeypot[1] . ”

Why honey again?

“Han Yoojin-gun is really good bait . ”

“I am aware . So what are you trying to reel in?”

“Rather than reeling in, it’s cleaning . ”

“You seem like someone who has never wiped a desk once in his life . ”

“Throwing the whole thing away instead of wiping it, is also a method of cleaning . It’s the same in that it becomes clean, right?”

It wasn’t a cleaning method of this world . Anyways, the extremist cleaner wanted me to quietly play the role of merchandise and gather the things to clean .

“What if I really happen to be sold off like that?”

“I’ll take responsibility and win the bid for you . ”

“And put that money into the debt again?”

“I was thinking of taking care of the expenses, but if you insist on paying back?”

“It is the expenses, of course . ”

I drank the remaining mango juice as I took stock of the situation .

It seemed like Sung Hyunjae didn’t like the act of selling Awakening People . Of course it wasn’t an ethical reason like ‘human trafficking is a crime’ . It seemed like it was just an eyesore to him so he wanted to overturn it .

“Above all, simply buying and selling isn’t fun . ”

“Is your standard for living in the world ‘fun’? Please try pursuing some other sincere goal . ”

“I have everything else . ”

Fuck, alright, you’re amazing . Ah, how annoying .

Anyways, my reason was also different, but I was in agreement over sweeping away the sons of bitches who bought and sold people . I thought of the time Myeongwoo signed a slave contract . What would those sons of bitches be doing around now?

Putting a leash on people with an irrational contract was bad too, but it couldn’t be compared to people actually openly kidnapping and selling others . And, it was true that it was the result of a sting operation, but I was the victim, so there was no need to tolerate it .

“There is a method for overturning things a bit more refreshingly – will you listen?”

Eating the pheasant, and eating the egg[2], and emptying the nest and setting it on fire[3] . It happened to be Hong Kong, so it was a perfect position .

Hearing my explanation, Sung Hyunjae laughed cheerfully .

“How should I express my feelings for Han Yoojin-gun?”

“What expressing – no thank you . I have heard that you will fall for me twice already . It feels like I will start to get tired of it, so please change your repertoire up a little . Do not make do with just your words . ”

“You burned the roses and flung away the watch, so what is left?”

“Ah, that’s really enough, and just give me some money . So I can buy a souvenir . ”

I was dragged here without a single cent . Sung Hyunjae took out a card from his wallet and gave it to me, with the same smiling face . The limit should be big enough, right? What should I buy for the kids?

***

It was only after staying stretched out the whole time, and ordering and eating dinner as well through room service, that I left the room and went to the lounge . The hotel employees were incredibly hospitable . Starting from the elevator button, from the lounge room door to even the table’s chair, none of those had a chance to touch my hand .

Gregson came towards me as I was eating macarons and tea while staring at the night view that was run down compared to the past . I returned a smile at him making conversation still with a good-natured face, saying that I looked more comfortable than yesterday .

“The reception is good, so I automatically became relaxed . Though it is not that I am not worried for the future . ”

“You will be treated to more than this wherever you go, so please do not worry so much . ”

While I was laughing and chatting with the guy who was trying to sell me, a group of people came into the lounge . The old man who was surrounded in the middle of the group like he was being protected, looked closely at me . The person who came in a short while later and, as expected, had Hunters as guards, also placed their gaze on me .

It looked like they were the customers . I felt dirty, but I had to play the role of exemplary merchandise for a while, so I received the gazes with a smiling face . Ah, it would be great if the cleaning started soon .

When the slaver guy left, the customers approached and even started up conversations eventually . I wondered if I had to humor them to this extent even though it wasn’t even real, so I went back up to the room .

“Whew, I’m starting to want to see the kids . Peace, Chirpie?”

-Chirp

…Hm? Did I hear an auditory hallucination?

-Chirp

I heard a familiar baby bird noise again . Continuing, a pure white cotton ball was crossing over the soft carpet, when it stopped at my feet . Black eyes looked up at me and happily opened its beak .

-Chirp, cheep!

…W-why was it here?!

[1] in eng transliterated to krn, but given context, I don’t think it’s the usual eng def of ‘honeypot’ but more of like… general bait . unless the eng def also means that but like… i’ve only heard of ‘honeypot’ in terms of seduction in spy movies or w/e

[2] ‘eat the pheasant and eat the egg’ is an idiom that’s similar to ‘kill two birds with one stone’ (which also has a krn equiv that is the same thing both literally and metaphorically), ‘take your cake and eat it’, etc . Normally I tl idioms into the eng equiv or the general meaning, but yj extends the metaphor in the rest of the sentence so I left it as is .

[3] the reason why the commas are where they are, is bc the grammatical structure separates the sentence into those 3 phrases . The verb used for the ‘setting fire’ is more like ’[use sth] to make a fire (usually for a fireplace, campfire, etc . )’, so in this case it’s more like ‘emptying the nest in order to use it to make a fire’ instead of ‘emptying the nest’ being a separate action in and of itself . So the extension of the metaphor in footnote [2] is implying that you’re using the pheasant and the egg AND the nest, not that you’re just randomly setting it on fire