Chapter 10

As a way to celebrate my first day at work, I bought gifts from two cute twins and went to Uncle Junsu’s house.

Uncle Junsu and all of his family liked it.

But soon someone came.

It seemed to be a problem with participating in dangerous foreign dungeons rejected by the association.

I decided to take the twins and go up to the attic of Mr. Junsu’s house.

However, when I went down to the second floor to get the twins’ snacks, a loud noise came from the first floor.

“Han Woohyun! Do you really care about nothing but money? Death Valley is the second most dangerous place after the Tower of the World. Even if Baekho Guild gave you enough help and agreed to let you do it, your guild is now only using you to make money and get attention. I’m saying this because I lost a friend like my brother in a dungeon. If you go there, you may never come back home again. Think of the family waiting for you.” 

Uncle Junsu’s angry voice and Myeonghan’s dry voice.

And there was a small but clear voice that followed.

“…There is no family waiting for me.”

There is no such thing as a waiting family.

Why did I hear it well? I was frozen in the coolness of that voice.

“Let me get up for a second. I have to negotiate with the Baekho guild leader!”

Soon after, Uncle’s roar continued, and someone came up to the second floor.

I met someone’s eyes while holding the twins’ snacks.

Han Woohyun.

A boy who had already awakened to an S-Class at the age of 17 and was treated as a star throughout high school.

He’s a lot bigger than I remember.

The skin was more tanned than it was back then, and the muscles were attached and full of flexibility.

It seemed to be true that B-Class monsters couldn’t even scratch Han Woohyun’s skin.

Even when I saw him at age 19, he was never short in height or size, but now he seems bigger, to the point where it feels like he is not a person but a rock.

And the rock frowned as soon as he saw me.

He seemed to think I overheard the conversation.

“I apologize…!” 

Of course, I apologized with honorifics, thinking Han Woohyun wouldn’t remember me.

Then Han Woohyun’s face was more distorted.

Is it unpleasant?

“….” 

Han Woohyun kept his mouth shut and just stared at me.

The compulsion to say something made me break out in a cold sweat.

‘There’s no such thing as a home to return to.’

It felt like Han Woohyun knew that I had heard those words.

I have to say something.

Anything.

I glanced at the steamed bread on the tray and held one out to Han Woohyun.

“One… Would you like one?” 

Damn it.

It’s not like this.

I was so embarrassed that my face turned red. That’s why I’m changing the subject—.

“I have no family waiting for me either.”

I made a mistake.

Han Woohyun’s frown gets even deeper.

I felt my face heat up even more.

“Still… Still… Because work is precious… So… I have to come back home.”

As I said my nonsense, I could feel my hands getting sweaty.

Although it was a bit impulsive, it was sincere.

I knew it when I went to work for the first time.

How precious is my own room, which, since I’ve been living alone, has always felt lonely and empty.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a family waiting for you.

Having a place to spread out with a beer after all my work is precious.

“….” 

“….” 

A long silence passed between Han Woohyun and me.

How long has it been? 

Suddenly, Han Woohyun took a steamed bun from my hand. 

“….?” 

Han Woohyun and my eyes met.

“You, me…” 

It was the moment when Han Woohyun was trying to say something.

I was afraid that Han Woohyun would say something like, ‘What do you know? Even though you are not a hunter’, so I quickly turned around and ran up to the attic.

That’s it.

And yet, how embarrassing the memory was.

I still remember it vividly.

I always felt like I was doing something embarrassing in front of Han Woohyun. 

A few weeks later, Han Woohyun paid a huge transfer fee and moved to the Hanwoon Guild.

The news kept coming out that he was seen as a traitor and written off as a fool who turned his back on his aunt and uncle, who had raised him instead of his parents.

For a while, Internet comment windows were filled with a war of words between those who believed in such news and those who did not.

However, Han Woohyun didn’t say anything about the Baekho Guild, his family, or the transfer.

Uncle Junsu said it was fortunate even if he didn’t know what moved Han Woohyun.

He said that he might never have returned if he had gone to Death Valley.

So I just said, ‘That’s a relief.’

To ask about the embarrassing memories—.

‘Now he will go to work where he can really get off work.’

That’s what I thought.

* * * 

After Han Woohyun came out of the Baekho Guild, he ranked 14th in the world.

He’s really on a roll.

That’s a relief. 

It was when I was thinking so.

Uncle asked me an unexpected question.

“By any chance, were you personally close to Han Woohyun? In high school.”

Were we close?

I remember Han Woohyun, who was treated like a star all three years in high school.

The other kids tried to get along with Han Woohyun, who was in the S-Class, but I wasn’t. 

Rather, it was closer to avoiding Han Woohyun. 

Of all things, why he’s an S-Class Hunter? 

I thought of Dad too much.

And he wouldn’t have any reason for wanting to be friends with me either.

So, except for a few coincidences, we never called each other by name even in the same class.

“No, not at all. But why is that all of a sudden?”

“The president of the association, the guild leader of Hanwoon, and Hunter Han Woohyun had a meal once.”

The interests between the Hunter Association, the Guild, and the Hunter are complex.

Even more so when it comes to S-Class Hunters.

The three of them had a meal, so I could imagine the weight of the place.

“But there, Hunter Han Woohyun asked the Hanwoon guild leader how Junghyo was doing.” 

“How I was doing?” 

My hand stroking the retriever’s head stopped.

Did he remember me?

“He said he was wondering how you were doing.”

Han Woohyun even wondered if I was doing well.

“It’s strange….” 

The secretary studied my face at my murmur and then turned his head away.

“As expected, you’re not close.” 

I could feel the subtlety of the secretary’s words.

What do you mean?

I playfully poked at the secretary.

“Why? I wasn’t a kid in class who stood out in terms of grades or beauty, but I wasn’t at the bottom either, but did you think Han Woohyun didn’t want to be close to me?”

The secretary didn’t even laugh at my playful question.

Instead, he answered with a firm face.

“Nope. It’s the opposite”

The opposite? 

“I thought Miss Junghyo wouldn’t be friends with an S-Class Hunter. As with our president of the association, aren’t you extremely reluctant to expand Hunter’s connections?” 

This person sometimes has moments when he hits the spot. 

“The reason you stayed with Guild Leader Han Minhyuk until you became an adult was that he was a person who didn’t give his side to others, so it was possible.” 

Ugh.

It’s two hits in a row.

It was true. I almost avoided Han Woohyun for the entire 3 years of high school.

But what do you mean by S-Class Hunter?

I didn’t want to be friends with anyone who was terribly strong and dangerous.

Because it keeps reminding me of my Dad and my childhood.

I pretended to be calm and fiddled with the can of coffee.

It’s best to be honest when you’re sick from being hit by the nail on the head.

“Because Hunter may not be able come back. Waiting is pretty tough.”

The secretary’s expression hardened at my words.

No, it just didn’t harden.

The canned coffee that the secretary was holding was crushed.

Like a sheet of paper. 

Is that the power of a B-Class Hunter?

I said in bewilderment.

“Do you want some wet tissue?”

“No, thank you. I’m just—” 

“Are you crying? Don’t tell me?” 

I tilted my head as I saw tears welling up in the wide eyes of the secretary, who could be said to be quite handsome. 

When I look at him, I sometimes wonder if he looks like Uncle Junsu since they have worked together for 4 years.

Ah, really.

I’m fine now.

Now, instead of waiting for the hunters, I can find them.

Well. It would be good to say this after a while.

I took out a wet tissue that was just in my bag and handed it to the secretary with a smile.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Ah yes…” 

The secretary laughed as if embarrassed.

But there were still tears in his eyes.