EP.2 The Secret Purpose of the S-Rank Hunter

Anyone could tell that she was Choi Soo-jung, the one from the newspaper article just a moment ago.

Her long silver hair reached her waist, and her clear facial features stood out.

Although her face seemed to be in between a young girl’s and a woman’s, her body had a silhouette full of curves that strongly revealed her femininity.

On top of that, her face was smiling, which seemed almost impossible for her since she is usually expressionless in photos.

I just realised what breathtaking beauty means.

“Um, Mr Won-woo?”

Choi Soo-jung tilted her head slightly and spoke, prompting me to quickly regain my composure.

I apologised first, realising that I had been rudely staring at her without even knowing it.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I was slightly worried that she might be offended and start off with a punch or something.

If she were the Choi Soo-jung that was known publicly, she more than likely would.

“No, it’s okay. You were just looking at me because I’m pretty, right? It’s fine if it’s you, Mr Won-woo.”

Unexpectedly, she showed an unusual degree of generosity.

Moreover, her straightforward attitude suggested she was well aware of her beauty.

I began to feel slightly confused about whether she was the real deal.

“Are you really Miss Hunter, Choi Soo-jung?”

“Yes, I am! Do you know me?”

“Why wouldn’t I know Choi Soo-jung, the youngest S-rank hunter?”

Choi Soo-jung smiled with her eyes as if she were pleased that I recognised her.

I couldn’t get used to her smiling and laughing, a stark contrast to the expressionless face I had seen in photos and videos, as if the ice had melted and spring had arrived.

“But why did you come here?”

“Um… Can we go inside and talk about it?”

“Sure.”

I quickly agreed, knowing that I couldn’t stop her from entering even if I refused since she was an S-rank hunter.

I invited Choi Soo-jung inside and offered her a seat on the chair next to my bed while I sat down on the bed.

“I’m sorry, my place is small and dirty. There’s nothing proper to offer you, especially since you’re an S-rank hunter.”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

Continuing to look into my eyes, Choi Soo-jung smiled warmly. However, her face was slightly flushed, and her body trembled ever so slightly.

‘What’s wrong? Is the house cold or uncomfortable?’

Although I was a little suspicious, I figured her fair skin might make her blush more easily, so I let it go for now.

I quietly waited for her to bring up a topic, but she just kept smiling happily whenever our eyes met.

At this point, I started to wonder if Choi Soo-jung had deliberately created a cold image for herself, just like Han Yura had built an image of a kind and gentle lady through image-making.

“So, what’s the reason you came all the way to this humble place?”

I threw the question out first, as it didn’t seem like the conversation would progress if I remained silent.

“Ah, well, it’s nothing much. I’m planning to establish a guild, and I really want to recruit you, Mr Won-woo, so I came to find you.”

Hearing that, my mind went blank, as if I had been hit in the head.

In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for a guild leader to step in personally to recruit a guild member they liked.

However, it was strange that an S-rank hunter would go out of her way to recruit a D-rank hunter who was a dime a dozen.

“My people have been trying to contact you, but they said you didn’t respond. So, I decided to come and get you myself.”

“Contact? I don’t remember receiving anything.”

As I responded, the smile on Choi Soo-jung’s face disappeared, and she changed back to the expressionless face I knew well. Then, I heard her mutter very quietly.

“I paid them to work, but they don’t do their job? And they left it to me?”

I was at a loss as to what to do in the suddenly chilling atmosphere created by Choi Soo-jung.

Noticing that, Choi Soo-jung smiled again as if nothing had happened and asked.

“Ah, I’m sorry. But did you really not receive any guild membership invitation at all?”

“Guild? I don’t recall anything… Oh!”

I was about to say that I didn’t remember anything when the spam text message I was about to block earlier came to mind.

The guild’s name was the Crystal Guild. Soo-jung means crystal in Korean. How did I just realise this now?

Choi Soo-jung was waiting for me to explain the situation.

‘But how should I explain this?’

Daring to tell an S-rank hunter, one of only 20 in the country, that I thought the guild she founded was a scam group that could lead to trouble, even if she’s smiling now.

“Ah, well, I have been receiving messages for about a month now.”

For now, I decided to answer honestly.

“Hmm, I see. Did you not like the conditions we offered?”

“No! No!”

I raised both hands and waved them as I answered Choi Soo-jung’s question. The conditions offered were exceptionally good for a D-rank hunter.

They provided housing and dungeon insurance, and the annual salary was comparable to what most A-rank hunters received.

Additionally, it was hard to believe that all items and magic stones obtained in dungeons would be given to the hunter, as they usually belonged to the guild.

Since I got this far, I decided to be completely honest and asked Choi Soo-jung.

“Why are you showing such generosity to me, a D-rank hunter? To be honest, I thought the conditions were too good for a D-rank hunter, so I didn’t seriously consider the offer.”

Although I had phrased it indirectly, I was essentially saying that I hadn’t even thought about it because it seemed suspicious.

It could have offended her, but surprisingly, Choi Soo-jung simply answered.

“Because I believe you’re worth that much, Mr Won-woo. Do you remember? The Bus Gate Incident.”

“Ah…”

Unconsciously, a sigh-like sound escaped my lips at Choi Soo-jung’s words.

I could never forget that incident that practically ended my hunting career.

It was an incident where a gate suddenly appeared inside a parked bus during rush hour, causing a large number of monsters to emerge and resulting in many casualties.

I was swept up in the incident while on my way home with Han Yura after completing another dungeon raid nearby.

Being exhausted after the dungeon raid, it was difficult to fully exert my strength, and I felt overwhelmed by the appearance of more monsters than I had expected.

At that time, I saw a girl in a school uniform with long black hair who was in mortal danger.

According to my belief that the purpose of a hunter’s existence is to protect people, I threw myself into the fray to protect her, only to be attacked in her stead and lose consciousness.

And that attack led to the fatal consequence of me becoming a useless body unable to use magic.

But I never regretted saving that girl.

“Actually, I was there at the time. I saw you struggling alone to protect the civilians before the hunter reinforcements arrived.”

“What? You were there, Hunter Choi Soo-jung?”

At that time, three years ago, Choi Soo-jung would have been 17 years old before her debut as a hunter.

“After that incident, I awakened. Watching you, I thought, ‘I want to be like that too!’ and then I awakened.”

“Haha…”

I let out a bitter laugh at Choi Soo-jung’s words.

The conditions for awakening varied from person to person, but usually, a majority awakened through severe training or realising something right before death. To awaken just because of a determination was…

It seemed that those with exceptional talent had unusual awakening conditions as well.

“As a mentor in my heart who made me awaken as a hunter, I always wanted to have you in my guild once I established it.”

“I see…”

I could understand the reason behind her going this far.

However, I still felt a lingering doubt. A rational suspicion that there might be more to it than just that.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’d be of much help to the guild with my current abilities.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I know everything about the situation you’re in right now. Ah, I didn’t mean to do a background check.”

“It’s fine. Gathering information is essential when recruiting guild members.”

“Anyway, I was going to tell you once you joined the guild, but I plan to personally examine and treat your body.”

“Excuse me?”

It was a groundbreaking statement, to say the least.

Unlike ordinary hunters who had only one unique ability, Choi Soo-jung was a dual hunter with two unique abilities.

One was [Decapitation], which had overwhelming destructive power. The other was [Salvation], a healing ability capable of treating someone on the verge of death.

Just considering the power of [Decapitation], she was already incredibly strong. Additionally, she had a healing ability, which was rare even on a global scale, and its effectiveness was top-notch.

As a result, many wealthy and famous people lined up just to meet her at least once.

Of course, Choi Soo-jung blatantly ignored them.

And now, Choi Soo-jung declared that she would examine and treat my current condition.

“Are you worried about entrusting yourself to me?”

As her eyes shook slightly while looking at me, I caught myself staring blankly at her faintness and denied her question.

“No, it’s not that… It’s just a bit surprising.”

“It’s fine. I should naturally do this for you. It’s for the guild as well.”

At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into my head.

Before my injury, I was also a rising star among the top 5 promising next-generation hunters, along with Yura, expecting to reach the S-rank.

However, I eventually fell off due to my injury, and now Han Yura had become an S-rank hunter, gaining more recognition.

If I were to come back now, I would be able to attract attention once again as the “childhood friend of S-rank hunter Han Yura returns,’ reaping the benefits of that association.

Then, naturally, interest in the guild would grow as well.

Although the Crystal Guild had Choi Soo-jung, a guild’s reputation was not something that could be built up in a short period of time, and at the moment, it was almost unknown.

In other words, they could use me, after treating me, as a promotional tool to raise the guild’s profile.

It wasn’t sure, but it was a more convincing story than doing this out of goodwill without any compensation.

Ultimately, I felt a bit bitter, thinking that it was recruitment based on calculation.

“Can I think about it and contact you later?”

“Ah… then I’ll give you my number, and you can contact me directly here.”

Choi Soo-jung looked quite disappointed.

As she took out her cell phone and made a call, my phone rang briefly and then quickly turned off.

“Yes, I’ll make a decision and contact you.”

“Then I’ll be going now. I hope you’ll join our guild.”

With desperation in her voice, Choi Soo-jung repeated her request and left.

Afterward, I sat in the chair where Choi Soo-jung had been sitting. I needed to sort out my thoughts.

An S-rank hunter came to me, asking me to join her guild and offering good conditions and treatment; I even got her phone number.

It would sound like a delusion to anyone who heard it, but it had actually happened just moments ago.

However, it didn’t feel genuine, and I got the uneasy feeling that she wanted to use me.

If she had been honest about using me as a promotional tool for the guild, I would have felt more at ease.

Hiding her true intentions made it harder for me to trust Choi Soo-jung.

Having already experienced the bitterness of betrayal once, even small things like this make me feel apprehensive.

“Ah… What should I do?”

Leaning on the desk, I fell deeper into my thoughts.

*

“Welcome back, Young Lady!”

“Yeah, nothing happened, right?”

Upon arriving home, Choi Soo-jung spoke to her secretary, Kang So-Young, in her usual cold tone, the smile and kindness she had shown to Lee Won-woo nowhere to be found.

“Yes, I have perfectly handled the acquisition of the guild building and the guild establishment permit issue.”

Seeing Kang So-Young, who maintained her neat appearance in a suit without a hitch, Choi Soo-jung waved her hand back and forth.

“Then you can call it a day.”

“I still have time left, and there is still work to do, so it is fine.”

Choi Soo-jung frowned at Kang So-Young’s response, crossed her arms, and spoke annoyingly.

“Didn’t I tell you not to make me repeat myself? I haven’t been able to go home lately because I’ve been so busy. You would love it if I was scolded by your sibling we barely found, huh?”

“Understood. I shall leave now.”

“Leave now. Don’t bother me.”

Kang So-Young bowed her head despite Choi Soo-jung’s harsh words and left the house.

Choi Soo-jung watched her leave, shaking her head, and headed to her room, her most comfortable and favourite space.

Upon opening the door, she saw the photos and frames that filled the room.

Lee Won-woo drinking water, Lee Won-woo giving instructions, Lee Won-woo looking sleepy, Lee Won-woo sighing…

Various moments of Lee Won-woo filled the frames.

And next to Lee Won-woo, in the pictures where a female figure seemed to appear, they were all coloured over in black marker.

Choi Soo-jung threw herself onto the bed.

Then, she hugged a long pillow that was lying on the bed, placing her slender legs over it, and repeatedly murmured Lee Won-woo’s name.

“Haah… Won-woo. Won-woo. Won-woo. Won-woo. Won-woo.”

Choi Soo-jung thought about the events of today.

It was the first day she met him face-to-face after awakening.

She had been secretly watching him ever since she found him after that day, but it had been three years since they actually met, making it an incredibly nerve-wracking reunion.

His face was surprised when he first saw her.

And then his gaze changed as he became entranced by her beauty and stared blankly at her.

And his blushing face as he apologised for such behaviour.

It was so lovely that she wanted to hug him tightly.

She wanted to tell him that it was okay to watch her 24 hours a day, all week, all month, even all year, as long as he only looked at her.

After entering the house, she glanced at the familiar space she had been watching through the small cameras she had installed to protect Lee Won-woo.

That’s when she unexpectedly caught a whiff of his scent.

It was a fragrance that could never be captured in photos or videos, stimulating her senses.

The thought of it being Lee Won-woo’s scent strangely flushed her face, and she felt a difficult sensation as if her body were hot and drowsy.

To avoid being caught in such a state, she had to pretend to be nonchalant, at least for today.

It would be troublesome if he thought she was a strange person and rejected her.

After that, the conversation about recruiting for the guild went better than expected.

His attitude, which seemed to have subtly changed just before they parted, did bother her a little.

But she firmly believed that he would call.

He wasn’t someone who would easily give up the life of a hunter.

Moreover, that hypocritical bitch who had only used Lee Won-woo was gone.

She was a bitch who had used the name of a childhood friend and Lee Won-woo’s affection as a weapon to force sacrifices.

She could be sure that she was different from that woman.

She would always look at, desire, love, and protect Lee Won-woo, providing support whenever needed.

Because she was the only one who could heal his exhausted body and mind.

‘Please contact me soon. If you keep me waiting any longer, I might not be able to hold on.’

Choi Soo-jung held the pillow tighter, hugging it firmly, and fervently wished for this wait to end soon.