Chapter 91
“Here.”
Go Hankyul pulled out an Eden South signed CD from his bag and handed it to me. I looked at the CD cover with amazement. There really was a signature on it.
“You’ve got some skills? How did you get this?”
“I used your name to get it. Said the top ranker Yu Chanhee is an Eden South fan.”
When I opened the cover, there was actually a handwritten note of gratitude inside the CD. Hunter Yu Chanhee, we’re so honored and grateful that you like our Eden South…. I placed it down on the table and replied as if making a joke.
“Good thing I got it before everything blew up. They wouldn’t have done this for me now.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“It’s true though. I’ve completely become a national scammer now.”
“By the way, when did Yu Hyunjae return to Korea? I was shocked when he suddenly appeared on the news.”
“Probably recently. I don’t really know.”
“Stop lying. He must have rushed straight to you the moment he returned. That Yu Hyunjae.”
I pondered for a moment about how to deceive Go Hankyul. He already firmly disbelieved what the media was saying, and he was even calling my words lies. Could I completely fool him? Truthfully, I didn’t have much desire to lie either.
“…Did Hyunjae and I seem that close to you?”
“Why are you asking that now?”
“Well, we were close, but I’m just curious why you think we’re… in love.”
“I’m saying it because it’s obvious. I’m not guessing or testing you.”
Apparently thinking that saying “it’s obvious” made him seem rather sensitive, Go Hankyul suddenly started admiring himself. Wow, Go Hankyul. That was pretty cool. That was pretty decent. I ignored his meaningless self-praise and asked the question I wanted to ask.
“Then why didn’t you say anything back then?”
“Because you guys didn’t say anything. Besides, I don’t particularly want to know about other people’s love lives.”
“…That’s unexpected.”
“See? I’m right, aren’t I? You two were dating, right? Tell me honestly.”
“If I didn’t tell you then, maybe you should just keep quiet now too?”
“Hey. Just tell me. Don’t drag this out.”
“Think whatever you want.”
“You were totally dating. Hey. Get lost, you scammers. This makes you a different kind of scammer, Yu Chanhee.”
Go Hankyul’s casual tone actually made me feel more at ease. I remembered when I first met Go Hankyul. My suspicion of him when he suddenly approached me and naturally took the seat next to me—that was already three years ago.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“What can I do? I have to stay like this for now.”
“You mean you’re going to stay cooped up at home all day?”
“Isn’t that better than going out and getting cursed at?”
“First… don’t you need to resolve your mana problem?”
“That’s not something I can fix right away.”
“Is there really no solution?”
“They’re developing a new drug. That’s why I’m tied to Han Jaemin.”
“…What? So you’ve been receiving Hansung sponsorship even after turning twenty because of that?”
“Don’t go spreading this around.”
When I avoided giving a direct answer, Go Hankyul persisted.
“Then… Yu Hyunjae joining the Hansung Guild was also because of you, right?”
“…”
“Right?”
“What, does this also seem like some great love story to you?”
“But, you and the National Mana Research Institute… there was something there, wasn’t there?”
Go Hankyul hesitated as he spoke. His unexpected comment drew a sharp response from me.
“How do you know about that?”
“Well…”
“Just how much do you know?”
“Not much, really.”
“Not much? So you do know something?”
“Well… I’m only telling you this because we’ve already graduated.”
“What is it?”
“Lee Joohyun. He told me.”
“He did…?”
“Yeah. He told me… if you ever showed signs of wanting to go to Hansung Hospital, I should make sure you went to the National Mana Research Institute instead… When I asked why, he said it was all to protect you.”
“To protect me?”
“Yeah. And to tell him right away if any suspicious people showed up.”
“Lee Joohyun?”
“Yes.”
I rubbed my furrowed brow. What exactly was Lee Joohyun’s role in all this? It’s clear he was positioned opposite to Hansung, but I wondered what his intention was in wanting to ‘help’ me.
“Do you have Lee Joohyun’s number?”
“Hmm… I might have to ask around. Why, are you going to contact him?”
“I have to.”
“But he’s with Haedam now. What if someone sees you meeting with him?”
“You sure like to meddle. I’ll handle it myself.”
Go Hankyul sighed deeply and said okay, then contacted someone. Sitting on the sofa, I pressed my throbbing temples and thought about Lee Joohyun, the National Mana Research Institute, and the fact that someone had tried to help me.
*
Things were taking a strange turn. Yu Hyunjae, who I thought would immediately begin activities after joining Hansung, hit a roadblock. He was notified that he couldn’t formally participate in guild activities yet because the semester hadn’t ended and he was still officially affiliated with MOD. The school’s position was that despite Yu Hyunjae being scheduled for early graduation due to his exceptional grades, he couldn’t engage in external activities until after graduation day. If he really wanted to, he would need to drop out, but that process seemed quite complicated too. I heard all of this through the news. Seeing experts discussing the absence of a top-tier ranker with serious expressions made me laugh bitterly. He was always absent anyway, so what’s the…
[Currently, there are a total of 6 Gates detected across the country that are expected to open within a month. Among them, 2 are B-grade, and the rest are C-grade or lower. Dr. Yoon, how much do you think Hunter Yu Hyunjae’s absence will affect national security?]
[Ah, yes. There were many reasons, but with Hunter Yu Chanhee essentially gone, the number of first-grade hunters has narrowed to 13. Of those, 4 hunters have been dispatched overseas, and 3 hunters are in an uncertain activity status due to injuries. Without Hunter Yu Hyunjae, there are effectively about 5 who can mobilize. Considering that about 2 first-grade hunters can comfortably subjugate a B-grade Gate, it’s not a major crisis yet. However, the future is concerning.]
[Director Cha Hyerin of the Combat Division has announced her position regarding top-tier personnel.]
[Yes. Of the 5 I mentioned earlier, 1 is affiliated with Haedam, 2 with Hansung, and 2 are either unaffiliated or operating as solo guilds. Director Cha said she would gather these hunters regardless of guild affiliation to form a TFT.]
[It seems the role of the Haedam-affiliated ranker will become more important. That’s Hunter Lee Joohyun, right?]
[Yes. Coincidentally, he’s a classmate and schoolmate of Hunters Yu Chanhee and Yu Hyunjae, who are currently at the center of this issue.]
[Interesting. How has Hunter Lee Joohyun’s career been?]
[It appears he joined Haedam immediately after graduation and has continued what you might call a civil servant life. That’s partly why he’s been less noticeable compared to Hunter Yu Chanhee.]
[Yu Hyunjae, Yu Chanhee, Lee Joohyun. They’re all classmates from the 46th class of Seul High, the so-called prestigious school for rankers, right?]
[Yes. It became quite an issue when three first-grade hunters emerged at once.]
[It’s interesting how all three have different achievement points despite just beginning their hunter activities less than a year ago.]
Interesting, my ass. I watched that much and changed the channel. A drama was playing on the TV screen. It was a popular makjang drama these days. So the plot is about someone who lies about being a successful hunter and scams their way into marriage with a wealthy family… Alright, enough. I turned off the TV. Just then, I got a text from Yu Hyunjae.
[Yu Hyunjae: I might have to go back to England briefly because of school issues]
[Yu Hyunjae: ㅠㅠ]
I replied, “Can’t be helped, I guess,” and thought for a moment. Then I sent another message.
[Come back soon.]
The reply came only a few minutes later. Though I couldn’t see him, it was obvious to anyone that he had typed each letter with deliberate pressure.
[Yu Hyunjae: Yes, I’ll come back quickly]
Right after that, another text appeared at the top of my phone. It was an unsaved number, but I immediately knew who it was.
[010-xxxx-xxxx: It’s been a while. I didn’t expect you to contact me first.]
Without saying anything else, I asked if a call was possible. Instead of replying, Lee Joohyun called me right away.
-What’s up?
“I have something to ask you.”
-Is it something we need to meet in person for?
“I was going to ask in person, but I think I can just ask over the phone. Besides, wouldn’t it be a problem if someone took pictures of you meeting with me?”
-Well, that’s true. What do you want to ask?
“Who ordered you to do it?”
-What?
“In high school. I heard you were monitoring me from behind.”
-Hey, ‘monitoring’ is a bit harsh.
“Then what was it? Were you my secret Santa or something?”
-What nonsense is that…
“Anyway, who ordered you to do it?”
-Do we have to dig up the past?
“It’s because it’s in the past that you can tell me now.”
Lee Joohyun didn’t say anything for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth. What came from his lips was both unexpected and, in some ways, completely predictable.
-Your father.
