Chapter 4
Lee Hwan had been loitering in a high-end bar for three days. It wasn’t even a club, but rather a bar-type establishment that was selective about its customers.
Though confident in his appearance, Lee Hwan didn’t have suitable clothes for the place, so he’d reluctantly emptied his bank account to get a decent knock-off outfit.
‘Seriously, do they mix gold dust in the drinks?’
Suppressing the urge to curse at the drink prices, Lee Hwan sipped the martini he’d ordered. He’d ordered it thoughtlessly because it was a name he’d heard often, but it tasted awful.
‘I think it tasted good when Kang Taesung ordered it for me.’
Come to think of it, didn’t that one have “apple” at the beginning of its name?
Lee Hwan hadn’t indulged in luxuries even after becoming a Hunter. His past of living without much had firmly grabbed his shopping impulses by the head and bashed them repeatedly. Also, rather than spending money wastefully, he found more satisfaction in watching his bank balance steadily pile up.
Knowing this, Taesung had silently taken care of him, gradually expanding his experiences with various foods and activities. Suddenly, Lee Hwan desperately missed the pre-return Kang Taesung.
He’d certainly been experienced, kind, and had something that made you want to rely on him despite being the same age. It felt like not just his awakened ability was S-class, but his entire being was S-class. He was definitely not that cold, aggressive guy.
Of course, considering how he’d immediately mentioned stalkers, it seemed like Lee Hwan had been tagged as some strange or dangerous person from the start…
Lee Hwan sighed, merely moistened his lips with the drink, and turned his head again.
This was the bar that Kang Dongha supposedly frequented. In the past… no, in the future, when Taesung had gone to catch Dongha, he’d come here too.
‘He must have been just sitting there waiting to be caught.’
If Taesung had said that, this place was essentially one of Kang Dongha’s main haunts. Sticking around here would definitely lead to meeting his target—his future wallet, power, connections, and prime surveillance suspect.
Despite this certainty, Lee Hwan just wished he’d appear quickly. He didn’t want to waste time spending money on tasteless drinks at this bar every day.
In the past, he’d at least had some savings, but now he was broke.
Just then.
“Seems like you’re waiting for someone?”
In the midst of consecutive sighs, a voice full of alcohol suddenly reached his ear. Whoosh—the breath seemed to touch the nape of his neck.
“…shit.”
After briefly feeling goosebumps on the back of his neck, Lee Hwan soon stretched his hunched shoulders, grinding his teeth in annoyance.
This was the fifth approach in three days. And this time, it was a man’s voice. Was there some implicit rule in this bar that anyone sitting at the counter could be hit on? People sitting at separate tables seemed to be enjoying themselves normally.
‘At least his voice is unnecessarily nice.’
Lee Hwan didn’t even turn his head this time, just waving his hand dismissively. It wasn’t like he was looking for a cozy drinking companion.
But the hand he’d thrust out was caught. Who dares. Lee Hwan finally turned his head with an annoyed expression, ready to throw the trivial bastard against the wall if necessary.
But.
‘Kang Dongha…!’
Lee Hwan momentarily forgot to control his expression.
“It’s a bit offensive to wave me off like a fly.”
Only after hearing this did Lee Hwan come to his senses and shake off his arm. Then he thought.
‘Is it really… Kang Dongha?’
I mean, what kind of third-generation chaebol appears like this? So unstylish. Lee Hwan clicked his tongue inwardly.
He hadn’t expected the Kang Dongha he was waiting for to approach like this. He’d thought he would appear more secretively, like a boss.
You know, those movie scenes where second or third-generation chaebol heirs move around with bodyguards through secret passages.
But in reality, Kang Dongha appeared so casually it was hard to tell if he was from a wealthy family or a beggar. He had no friends or followers with him, and his clothes weren’t much different from Lee Hwan’s.
Of course, Lee Hwan’s were—politely speaking—imitations, or bluntly put, A-grade fakes, but under this dim lighting, no one could tell the difference anyway.
His eyes were slightly drooping, with an unpleasantly sharp expression that made Lee Hwan’s body stiffen. The face he’d only seen in photos was so vivid that for a moment, Lee Hwan thought he was in the world 7 years later.
But seeing Kang Dongha’s intact teeth as he smiled slightly reassured Lee Hwan that he was indeed back in the past.
“Let go.”
Lee Hwan swallowed the curse that was about to pop out and answered as politely as possible. Kang Dongha spread his fingers and released his grip with a slimy smile. However, it strongly felt like he was only letting go out of consideration for Lee Hwan’s feelings, but could latch on again at any time.
“I know this place pretty well. If you’re looking for someone, I can help.”
Kang Dongha asked, oblivious to the truth.
‘That would be you.’
Lee Hwan swallowed the words that nearly escaped his throat.
He still felt annoyed. But suppressing his temper and thinking again, it was a welcome situation. He’d met Kang Dongha after hanging around here for just three days.
However, while Lee Hwan had planned to approach Kang Dongha, he’d never imagined the other would approach him first like this. How should he respond to this?
“I’m not looking for anyone in particular, but I might find someone worth looking at.”
Lee Hwan managed to gather his thoughts and reply. After saying it, he felt his face flush—it sounded like he’d blatantly come to hook up with someone.
“That’s quite an ambiguous answer. Could that someone be me?”
“Are you rich? Well-connected?”
When asked so bluntly, Kang Dongha snorted.
“…Do you know Kang Taesung? He’s my relative.”
Kang Dongha showed no hesitation in using Taesung’s name. Lee Hwan inwardly flinched. And as anger rose, he thought, I should tell Taesung about this when he regains his memories.
“I’m with Naru.”
Unaware that Lee Hwan was mentally beating him up, Kang Dongha smiled broadly like a male animal flaunting its charm, boasting about his background.
“But you’ve hardly touched your drink. Do you prefer something sweet? Should I get you something sweet?”
Just as annoyingly as he’d grabbed Lee Hwan’s hand earlier, Kang Dongha ordered a drink before Lee Hwan could stop him. Lee Hwan, who’d been planning to lure him outside for a business talk, hesitated.
A glass of red drink was placed in front of Lee Hwan. Gulp. Lee Hwan drank it without resistance.
‘Damn, this is… this is the taste of money…’
A sweet and tangy taste coated his tongue. Remembering how he’d wasted money on strange drinks, Lee Hwan suddenly felt wronged. He’d spent days draining his already limited funds, forcing himself to drink tasteless stuff.
Lee Hwan briefly weighed the pros and cons, then quickly decided.
‘For now, let’s drink what someone else pays for.’
In less than 20 minutes, various fruit flavors—raspberry, cherry, apple, and more—slipped down his throat.
The drinks weren’t particularly delicious. They were all still alcohol no matter how sweet, and some had such a strong alcohol scent that it penetrated through the sweetness. But Lee Hwan remembered the prices on the menu he’d seen earlier.
‘I like how freely he spends money.’
He also seemed perceptive. There probably wouldn’t be much frustration in working with him later.
After emptying several tens of thousands of won worth of drinks in an instant, Lee Hwan sipped the last glass and turned to Kang Dongha.
“What, had enough? Shall we go?”
“Do you have a business card?”
“Business card? Why?”
Kang Dongha smiled wryly with a troubled face. It was the expression of someone who didn’t want to give his business number to someone he just wanted to have fun with.
He was still unpleasant, but Lee Hwan felt relieved that he seemed capable of some discernment. If he was going to be a temporary substitute for Kang Taesung, he needed to be at least a fraction of what Taesung was.
Lee Hwan glanced around and then designated the space inside his glass to lower the temperature. A thin layer of ice formed on the drink where the ice had been melting.
“You said you’re with Naru, right? Then I’d like to have fun in a more mutually beneficial direction.”
Lee Hwan slightly swirled it in front of Kang Dongha’s eyes.
Before the return, despite all his antics, Kang Dongha had remained an ordinary person until the very end. This seemed to have deeply affected him.
Since awakened individuals weren’t common anyway, only two people in the Naru family had abilities, including Kang Taesung. The problem was that the other one was Kang Dongha’s brother. Dongha both envied and admired these abilities.
Kang Dongha’s face instantly turned cold, as if he were a different person from just moments ago.
“I haven’t seen a face like yours among the ice manipulators… You’re unregistered, aren’t you?”
“Didn’t you know when you approached me? Seriously? That makes it troublesome to deal with you.”
Lee Hwan swallowed nervously as he responded to the suddenly changed atmosphere.
Fortunately, his acting wasn’t unbearable. Kang Dongha, who’d been smiling just moments ago, completely removed his smile and fell into silent contemplation. As if looking at a lottery ticket with a time bomb attached. The unexpectedly serious attitude made cold sweat run down Lee Hwan’s back.
‘Come to think of it…’
In fact, Kang Dongha was also ambitious and petty enough to pretend to support his brother while building his own influence behind his back.
Always being told he was inferior among his formidable siblings, always being caught by his brother, and those ridiculous rumors about getting beaten by Kang Taesung until five of his teeth broke—despite all this, he must have had some intelligence, having received an elite education.
If Kang Dongha backed out now, Lee Hwan would be worse off than he already was.
But Lee Hwan knew the future. Kang Dongha was particularly weak when it came to awakened individuals and wanted to create his own awakened ally.
Especially around this time. He’d even moved to a department related to awakening and gates. If he were small-hearted and stupid enough to miss this opportunity, he wouldn’t have become the catalyst for the monster wave.
“Alright. Make sure to contact me.”
Finally, an elegant business card landed in Lee Hwan’s hand.
“Either way is fine.”
Kang Dongha looked Lee Hwan up and down and left the bar without taking a sip of his drink. Lee Hwan felt like he’d climbed a step higher and took a long breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.
