# Chapter 184
‘Could they be hunters? Be careful, they might attack without warning.’
Jeongheon issued a low warning as he checked out the people walking casually toward them. From a quick glance, they didn’t appear to be holding any weapons, but one couldn’t let their guard down around superpower users.
The two people who approached with heavy footsteps were dressed in black hair, black suits, and black sunglasses.
‘Hello. My name is Kim Jonghee. This is Kim Jongchan.’
As the two became even more alert at this unexpected introduction, Jonghee offered them a business card.
‘We are Je Sano-nim’s personal secretaries.’
After that, everything proceeded quickly. Jongchan and Jonghee handled everything as if they were thoroughly accustomed to such situations. Soon, the superpower investigation team gathered at the factory. The speed was impressive even to an experienced person like Jeongheon.
‘You wanted to report this. Someone beat you to it.’
Jonghee responded dryly to Young’s confession and called over one of the investigators who was organizing the scene. After relaying Young’s story, the officer took Young aside to ask a few questions and then requested she accompany them for further investigation.
This was exactly what she wanted. As Young nodded and was about to get into the car with the girl, they heard a voice.
‘Hey.’
It was Jeongheon, who had been quiet the whole time. When Young turned around, he was moving his lips hesitantly as if debating whether to speak.
What’s with him? As she looked at him quizzically, his hesitant voice came out with perfect timing.
‘…If you successfully get promoted to Level 2 hunter status later.’
The somewhat awkward-looking man proposed.
‘Come interview at our company. We only have one Level 2 hunter besides me, so I’ve been hoping for another. With your martial arts ability, it would work well in conjunction with mine… Teleportation ability users always get bonus points regardless of their grade, so you’re both welcome to come if you want.’
After rambling unnecessarily long, Jeongheon suddenly turned serious.
‘I’m just saying it’s an option. If you have other plans, that’s fine.’
Having heard this far, Iyeon couldn’t help but mutter with a genuinely puzzled expression.
“I can’t understand how someone so kind can have such a combat style…”
“What did you say?”
“You heard that? I was speaking quietly…”
“…Never mind. Just don’t interrupt the story.”
“Alright, sorry. Please continue.”
Young looked somewhat surprised by Jeongheon’s unexpected recruitment offer.
‘…Thank you.’
Despite Oreun, Jeongheon’s company, being well-known in the industry for its deep tradition and high reputation, the reason it wasn’t large in scale was that they were extremely selective in hiring. Without a recommendation from a hunter already belonging to the company, one couldn’t even get a proper interview. While the internal regulations were unknown, it was certainly a rather exclusive company.
There was no doubt that what Jeongheon was offering was a good option. That’s why it was even more surprising.
However, Young knew the proper order of things. She declared with a darkened expression:
‘If your thoughts haven’t changed after everything is over.’
Young intended to report this superpower factory herself. During the investigation, her role in enticing the test subjects would be fully revealed, and she didn’t know what punishment she would receive as a result. There might come a situation where Jeongheon would want to withdraw his offer.
‘Contact me after the trial is over.’
Jeongheon nodded as if he had expected this and handed her his business card. Putting it in her pocket, Young finally got into the car. Visible through the window barred like a police car, Young fastening her seatbelt looked relieved.
Young’s trial proceeded quickly with a summary judgment. The fact that she showed sufficient signs of confession and remorse, that she too was a test subject, and that she provided detailed information about the factory worked very positively in her favor, resulting in a suspended sentence and 80 hours of community service. Additionally, she was prohibited from using the power of the gem. The girl’s situation was similar to Young’s, except for being a test subject, so her punishment was similar in severity.
‘I knew you’d get probation.’
When they met after the trial, Jeongheon’s reaction was nonchalant.
‘…You knew?’
‘Of course. It’s not like you know how to make the gems. You got 80 hours of community service because you were involved with an illegal research facility. For any other offense, it would have been 30 hours at most.’
‘But Jung Iyeon wanted me to report it directly…’
‘He probably anticipated the outcome too. He just wanted you to act according to your conscience.’
‘I see…’
Young lowered her head with a bewildered expression. Since her crimes felt quite heavy to her, she hadn’t imagined being released like this without being imprisoned.
‘Finish your community service before the next Cho Jeonryeok. You need to perform well there to receive an offer for a promotion evaluation.’
Jeongheon’s tone suggested he was confident she would become a Level 2 hunter if she participated in Cho Jeonryeok. Feeling both bewildered and somewhat embarrassed by that trust, Young deliberately changed the subject.
‘Actually, I have something else to do besides community service.’
‘What is it?’
‘An apology.’
Young and the girl had a history of raiding D.S’s workshop when they were working under Dr. Kim. When Iyeon met her again, he told her to at least apologize.
So she had planned to visit D.S after the trial. Although D.S probably wouldn’t accept it, she wanted to say she was sorry.
‘Apologizing is good. Then go quickly.’
After hearing the story, Jeongheon nodded casually and spoke. Young nodded.
One week later, when Jeongheon met Young again, he asked.
‘Oh right, did you make that apology you mentioned?’
‘…I will.’
‘…I see.’
And another week later.
‘What about the apology? What did she say?’
‘…I’m not mentally prepared yet…’
‘…’
Jeongheon’s eyes narrowed.
‘Do you want to apologize, or not?’
‘I will. Because I’m sorry. It’s just…’
Young’s gaze turned to the floor.
‘I get too nervous every time I go there…’
‘…Were you always this shy? I didn’t know.’
Jeongheon responded as if dumbfounded. At the same time, he instinctively realized that if the situation continued like this, Young would never be able to apologize. Heaving a deep sigh, Jeongheon stood up.
‘Are you going to make this apology your lifelong project? Where is this place anyway?’
And so the three of them arrived at D.S’s workshop.
As soon as the workshop building came into view, Young and the girl slowed down like ghosts, and Jeongheon walked ahead of them, entering the workshop straightaway.
‘Excuse me?’
At Jeongheon’s greeting, D.S, who had been working with her back turned at the table, stood up.
‘Welcome. Did someone refer you?’
‘Ah, I…’
As he said this and unconsciously looked back, Jeongheon faltered. This was because Young and the girl, who had been right behind him until just now, had disappeared without a trace.
‘Pardon?’
‘Ah, no. Um… I’m here to make a commission.’
Since he couldn’t bluntly tell the truth to D.S, who was asking quizzically, Jeongheon fudged his response. Fortunately, D.S guided him to the sofa table without suspicion. Even while filling out the commission form in a daze, Jeongheon kept glancing at the workshop entrance, but the two vanished women never reappeared.
‘What’s going on? Who are you people?’
When Jeongheon left the workshop, he found Young and the girl leaning side by side against the wall of the next building, pretending to be passersby. He was so dumbfounded he could barely speak. Glaring sharply at the two, Young muttered sheepishly.
‘Sorry. I saw a little girl walking alone without a guardian and thought it might be dangerous…’
‘Dangerous my ass? You with that stick on your back probably looked much more dangerous approaching her! Wait a minute.’
Jeongheon stopped mid-sentence after rattling off words. If the child had passed by this area, he had an inkling of who she might be.
‘Don’t tell me it’s the one who entered the workshop? The one with short hair wearing a blue skirt? The workshop owner’s daughter?’
‘…So she was the daughter.’
While Jeongheon was consulting with D.S about the commission, a young girl had entered, politely greeted D.S, and then sat at the large work table, swinging her feet and starting her homework. Unable to ignore her presence, Jeongheon had glanced over, but D.S dismissed his curiosity by simply saying she was her daughter and focused on the business at hand.
‘Anyway, thanks to you, I’m now having equipment made that wasn’t even in my plans. That engineer’s fee is ridiculously expensive. My entire month’s salary will vanish.’
When Jeongheon grumbled, Young lowered her head dejectedly.
‘…I’m sorry about that.’
‘Forget it, but don’t run away tomorrow.’
‘I’ll try.’
However, as the situation had already reached this point, one could easily guess that her effort did not bear fruit.
Inadvertently, Jeongheon had become an unusually frequent customer who visited once a day to check on the development progress of his equipment. After doing this for about three days, Jeongheon finally exploded.
‘Why are you doing this? Let me know the reason at least!’
When he shouted angrily, Young hesitated for a long time before cautiously confessing.
‘…What if she reacts differently than I expect?’
