# Chapter 179
Well, there was certainly an enormous amount of gossip related to the undisputed #1 ranked hunter. Sano seemed to have many fans, and antis too… Not only that, but Sano’s name was frequently mentioned as a comparison when discussing other hunters. Some people would randomly bring up Sano even when talking about completely unrelated topics, and others would proudly link to videos featuring him.
The atmosphere was so natural that Iyeon quickly grew accustomed to the flow. He casually scrolled through the search results with numerous posts, occasionally clicking to read random ones.
Title: Why is Je Sano so quiet lately?
Content: Did he emigrate?? By now, he should have made some big move, but it’s so quiet;
Comments(4)
┗ Seems like he went abroad like Comet ㄷㄷ
┗┗ There’s no hunter worth trading for Je Sano ㅋ It’d be a huge loss, they’d never send him
┗┗ Comet Lee recently came back to Korea, there are eyewitness accounts
┗ He’s been especially quiet lately, maybe he’s taking a sabbatical
Title: Need a fact-check on this
Content: (link)(link)
Is this really Je Sano? Why is the article written so ambiguously? ㅠㅋㅋ
Comments(6)
┗ Correct
┗ ㅇㅇ The rumor has already spread among hunters
┗ If it’s true, he took down an illegal lab again after a while ㄷㄷ The class is eternal
┗ Why do these bastards doing illegal experiments keep popping up no matter how many times they’re caught
┗ Who’s the low-tier hunter who was with him? Does he have a tag team with Je Sano?
┗┗ Checked the rankings, he’s nowhere ㅋㅋㅋ Probably just a sidekick
Among all the listings, there weren’t many posts directly reporting on Sano’s activities. Especially recently, when he had been with Iyeon, they had noticeably decreased. Just the occasional rumors spread by Jongchan and Jonghee’s edits, or the recent research facility raids. Concerned about this quantity, Iyeon quickly scrolled through the pages.
Iyeon’s stories were mixed in very occasionally, but the community members didn’t seem very interested. See, this is what I mean. The commotion at the Superpower Management Office was the strange part. Iyeon tapped on the comment list as if to show it, but there was no one in the empty office to react.
After scrolling back through the search listings to the period when Sano was working alone, the posts gradually increased. Stories about capturing high-grade mutants, destroying illegal research facilities, arresting someone… In addition to the revealed accomplishments, countless speculation posts also ran rampant. Someone claiming they saw a mountain moving at night and wondering if it was Je Sano, or saying they saw Je Sano coming out of a combat zone…
There were also several posts linking to news articles. Interviews where Heesu mentioned Sano, articles related to Jesan. There were even a few interviews with people Sano had rescued from illegal research facilities. Iyeon, as if entranced, clicked on an interview link.
…(omitted)…
Everyone must be wondering, did you actually see Hunter Je Sano?
Jinho: I did see him. But the scene was so chaotic that we couldn’t have a conversation. I just bowed my head to thank him for saving me, that’s all.
He’s a hunter with very little public information, how was he?
Jinho: His unique aura is really cool. At the scene, he looked almost like a savior. (laughs) I was shocked when I heard his name later. His image was completely different from what I had imagined.
How did he save you?
Jinho: I was trapped in something like a capsule with almost all my gi-ryeok drained, when Hunter Je Sano came in and simply disassembled the capsule I was in. It was over in an instant.
Ah, the Mineral Synchronization ability. Because the capsule was metal?
Jinho: I don’t know the details, but it seems so. It was overwhelming. When the capsule suddenly disappeared and my body was about to collapse, he caught me with his ability. He was kinder than I expected.
I see. I hope this helps correct some of the malicious rumors about Hunter Je Sano’s personality.
Jinho: I hope so too. I owe him my life. I have a duty to set the record straight. (laughs)
…(continued)…
“Kind…”
Iyeon smiled without realizing it. No matter what, to call him kind—he suspected Jongchan or Jonghee might have influenced this, like brainwashing the interviewee beforehand with praise bordering on indoctrination. This frivolous thought improved his mood a bit.
Iyeon read through each of the other interviews related to Sano. The content was mostly similar. The people rescued by Sano said they felt reassured and secure by his arrival. A pillar of the city and a hero. Such expressions appeared endlessly. Heesu likewise stated in an interview that Sano was indispensable to Chohosi.
The tower Sano had built up piece by piece was incredibly high and brilliant. So clear it was visible even to Iyeon standing far away.
Seeing countless people on the internet casually mentioning Sano’s name made him feel a renewed sense of distance. It was also strange to think that someone so famous had been accompanying him so naturally until just yesterday.
This was enough to create a decent memory for himself. Later, much later, after a long time had passed, he might proudly boast to close acquaintances. That he had once raided illegal research facilities with Je Sano, that they had been very close…
“…”
His hand holding the phone unknowingly tightened.
It’s a good thing Sano has gone back. He’s become the pillar of the city and a hero again. He will continue to save many people, receive more gratitude, and live surrounded by affection, admiration, and goodwill.
For Iyeon, it was enough to get news of Sano from UNCHAT like this. Occasionally defending Sano when someone badmouthed him, and if it got too severe, contacting Jongchan and Jonghee to take action. Increasing Sano’s video views, giving likes, and…
Ding.
“Good mor… Huh, hyung? Are you crying?”
“What crying? You’re here? Good morning.”
As Hyegang entered the office, opening the door, Iyeon quickly put down his phone and stood up like someone caught doing something wrong. Hyegang looked at Iyeon with suspicious eyes, but soon confirmed that he wasn’t actually shedding tears and shrugged his shoulders.
“Good morning. Is Sano hyung acting separately today too?”
With Iyeon sitting alone on the sofa, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that. For the past few days, almost daily, Sano had left before Hyegang arrived at work, after receiving a call from someone—probably his secretaries. To this natural question, Iyeon shook his head.
“No, Je Sano won’t be coming anymore.”
“…Did you two fight?”
Suspicion instantly clouded Hyegang’s eyes. Iyeon shrugged.
“What fight? He was originally a temporary part-timer. The job ended, so he just went back to his home.”
“Why is it suddenly ending?”
“What part-timer works forever?”
“Someone like him, who doesn’t need money, might want to continue indefinitely.”
“Forget it. He’s busy. It’s not like our company is that short-handed.”
“Even though we didn’t pay him.”
“…”
Taking advantage of Iyeon’s guilty silence, Hyegang asked, as if delivering a finishing blow:
“You fired him, didn’t you?”
“…Is that not allowed?”
“You fired him unfairly without even signing a contract? Do you know this could cause an uproar if reported to the Labor Department?”
“…”
That part… he hadn’t thought about. The evil boss Jung Iyeon hesitated at this practical issue. No, surely Je Sano wouldn’t report something like that… He wouldn’t, right?
“What happened?”
Instead of sitting at his computer desk as usual, Hyegang approached the sofa. The way he carelessly tossed his bag and plopped down opposite Iyeon didn’t look like he would back down easily.
“Are you one of those who believe love and work can’t coexist? But didn’t you say you wouldn’t confess anyway? Then it shouldn’t matter, right?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Iyeon lowered his head glumly.
“From the beginning, I wasn’t really someone who could help him.”
The reason he didn’t push away Sano when he approached claiming to repay a debt was partly due to some fear stemming from threats, but the biggest reason was that he was glad.
A friend from so long ago that he doubted would even remember him had become a hero known to every Korean citizen. A problem-solver who could handle any task, the undisputed number one, the strongest hunter. With dozens of such modifiers attached.
Sano embodied the perfect hunter that Iyeon had dreamed of as a child.
It was amazing that a friend he had only known as a child had grown so much. It was too happy and joyful to meet and converse face-to-face with someone he thought he would never see again. So he ignored both the old guilt of being a collaborator in the torture-like research on Sano, and the fact that while with Iyeon, Sano wasn’t achieving as many accomplishments as before.
Just being together for a short while should be fine, right? It’s not like they would be stuck together forever, just a very little bit. It’s not like I held him back. He’s the one who chose to stay. So just for a moment, just enough to reminisce about later. Thinking casually like this, he accepted Sano into his daily life.
