▶ Chapter 25. The Disciple Proposal (2)
“What?!”
“From now on, you are banned from entering Sowon Guild. Escort him out.”
Han Yonghwan gestured toward the ordinary security staff he had called in just in case.
He wanted to throw the man out himself, but a Hunter wasn’t allowed to lay hands on an ordinary civilian.
And in his current mood, he wasn’t confident he could hold himself back.
“No, wait! I came running here for your sake—Mmph!”
Director Kim couldn’t struggle any further and was dragged away just like that.
Once the door closed and Han Yonghwan was alone, he began writing an email explaining the situation.
Naturally, he attached the recording file as well.
The recipients were his younger brothers, the guild’s chief management officer, and the head of the legal team.
I should send the recording to NotAHunter-nim too.
Han Yonghwan wanted to let NotAHunter know.
He wanted to show just how low a man who held the position of director in the Hunter Association could sink.
But more importantly, he wanted to warn him that compared to people like that, there were far more vile and dirty people in the Hunter Association—and in the world as a whole.
So he needed to be careful.
I could just keep him from knowing and let him live like a flower in a greenhouse.
Strangely enough, a part of Han Yonghwan wanted to do exactly that.
Perhaps it was because NotAHunter seemed to have lived a far from easy life.
“If possible… I’d like it to go toward child welfare.”
That was what NotAHunter had said the last time they talked about donations.
Han Yonghwan, being sharp and quick to notice things, had immediately understood.
He must have had a hard childhood.
He hoped NotAHunter could live comfortably from now on.
But as long as he remained NotAHunter, that probably wouldn’t be possible.
So I should send him this file and tell him about the other dirty information Sowon Guild has gathered too…
Han Yonghwan silently sighed as his mood grew heavy.
Just then, a message arrived.
[Han Dongju: Hyungs, come to my private lounge in the research building!]
Han Dongju had even attached a photo.
The strange-looking person beside the third one must be NotAHunter-nim.
But at the edge of the photo was a tiny duckling stuffing a piece of dakgangjeong into its mouth.
…?
Puzzled, Han Yonghwan headed toward Han Dongju’s private lounge in the research building.
Han Dongju was normally obsessed with keeping things neat, so the room was usually spotless.
Now, however, it was covered with all kinds of food.
Different kinds of raw fish, stuffed squid, croquettes, unusual breads, dakgangjeong, and more.
There was enough food to make the table look like it might collapse.
And the person who had bought all of it was—
“Hello, Hunter Han Yonghwan.”
Today, NotAHunter was wearing a fork-shaped mask upside down.
It looked ridiculous, but Han Yonghwan managed to hold back his laughter and politely greeted him.
“Yes. Hello, NotAHunter-nim.”
“I bought all this on my way back from Gangneung. It’s a bit much, right? I had something to talk about too, so I thought we could eat together.”
“Of course. That sounds good. But…”
Han Yonghwan’s gaze naturally shifted.
Toward the duckling, smaller than his fist, that was continuously munching away at the dakgangjeong.
Han Junggeun, who had just arrived, was staring at it curiously as well.
Han Dongju, meanwhile, was chuckling as though he found the whole thing amusing.
“I got it as a pet reward after clearing the Olympic Park Break. Its name is Elizabeth Cleopatra Victoria Isabel Mary Katrina Seondeok the 12th.”
“……”
“I just call it the 12th for short.”
“…I see.”
“Chicken is its favorite food.”
Suddenly, the duckling raised its head and cried out.
“Quack!”
“…Apparently, starting today, its favorite food isn’t chicken anymore. It’s dakgangjeong. The spicy kind.”
“……”
“Please, eat.”
“Yes. I suppose I will…”
My real goal is to ask them, ‘Become my disciples!’
But now that I thought about it, from the three brothers’ perspective, that might sound completely out of nowhere.
It’s not like we’re that close.
That was why I had bought a whole bunch of food and suggested eating together.
After all, eating together was one of the best ways to get closer to someone.
Hmm. I guess we do feel a little closer now.
More precisely, the atmosphere had become much more relaxed than before.
That was probably thanks to the 12th’s endless munching.
“Wow, it really can eat, huh?”
I had bought three boxes each of mild and spicy dakgangjeong, yet the 12th had eaten almost all of them by itself.
The three brothers stared at it in amazement.
“Where in the world is all of that food going?”
“No idea…”
Even I found it strange.
Han Dongju even took out a monocle-type item, put it on, and inspected the 12th from different angles.
Apparently, he couldn’t figure anything out either.
He cautiously reached out and touched the back of the 12th’s head.
Then his eyes widened.
“It’s soft!”
“Yeah. Its feathers are ridiculously soft.”
Just as Han Dongju’s eyes began to sparkle, another large hand carefully stroked the 12th’s body.
It was Han Junggeun.
He was staring intensely at the 12th with slightly excited eyes.
Because his face naturally looked so rough, it almost seemed like he was debating whether to swallow the duckling in one bite or tear it in half with two.
“Second Hyung likes animals.”
Apparently, among the three brothers, the eldest was a plant fanatic and the second was an animal fanatic.
Calling him an animal fanatic somehow sounds weird…
Anyway, both of them had personalities that didn’t quite match their appearances.
It was kind of cute.
And somehow, it made them feel more approachable.
“Hehehe.”
Han Dongju watched Han Junggeun carefully petting the 12th with obvious amusement.
His personality matches his face perfectly, though.
He wasn’t cute.
Still, compared to Han Yonghwan and Han Junggeun, he felt easier to approach.
We’ve opened boxes together, after all!
Anyway.
I need to bring up the disciple thing.
While I was wondering how to start, the 12th began nodding off in Han Junggeun’s hands before eventually falling asleep.
Han Junggeun looked completely satisfied as he carefully cradled the 12th in his arms.
I was staring at the scene in fascination when Han Yonghwan spoke in a serious tone.
“You said you had something you wanted to talk about, correct? It seems like it may be something difficult to bring up, so please feel free to speak comfortably.”
I scratched my cheek before opening my mouth.
“I went through a lot in the past. Seriously… it was really hard.”
Memories of being worked to the bone for twenty years as a Hero flashed through my mind.
I hated even remembering it, so I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.
Why is he looking at me like I’m so pitiful?
Han Yonghwan was staring at me with a face overflowing with sympathy.
It’s not like he knows about my previous life as a Hero.
Then…
Does he have a softer heart than he looks? Maybe he’s just very sympathetic.
That had to be it.
“Originally, I had no intention of becoming a Hunter either. Being a Hunter is a difficult job, right? I don’t want to suffer anymore.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Han Yonghwan nodded deeply as though he truly understood.
Han Dongju, on the other hand, pouted his lips and asked in a teasing tone.
“But if you can clear a Rank 9 Break in under five minutes, is that really suffering?”
“Four minutes and twenty seconds.”
“Huh?”
“It took exactly four minutes and twenty seconds to clear the Rank 9 Break at Olympic Park.”
“Ah, right… But then that really doesn’t sound difficult, does it?”
“If I say it was difficult, then it was difficult.”
“……”
“Besides, my stamina and strength stats were low, but I forced myself to use so much power in such a short time that I was sick for two whole days afterward.”
“Then couldn’t you just take your time clearing it, or increase your stamina and strength—Agh!”
Han Dongju screamed because Han Junggeun had smacked him on the head with his fist.
Even while doing that, Han Junggeun carefully held the sleeping 12th with his other arm.
“NotAHunter-nim is speaking. Be quiet.”
“Okaaay…”
Han Dongju glared at his second brother, but then mimed zipping his mouth shut with one hand.
Han Junggeun looked like he still wanted to hit him again.
Han Yonghwan ignored his younger brothers with the familiarity of someone who had seen this countless times before, then politely turned back to me.
“Please continue.”
“Right. I didn’t want to become a Hunter because I didn’t want to suffer anymore. But… the studio apartment I used to live in was really small and old. Sometimes the hot water worked, and sometimes it didn’t. In summer, the whole place turned into a paradise for mold.”
Han Yonghwan now looked like his heart was about to break.
“So I started wanting money. I decided I’d become a Hunter and earn some, but I don’t want to do it for long. I’m planning to retire quickly.”
“Retire…? That sounds rather early… Hmm, yes. Everyone has different standards, so of course you may think that way.”
“But if I want to retire, there need to be several people as skilled as I am. Otherwise, people won’t be saved.”
“Even after suffering so much, you donated 3.3 billion won, and you’re still thinking about helping people until the day you retire. As expected, you truly are admirable.”
I was happy to be praised, but it was also a little embarrassing.
Especially because all three brothers were staring at me as if they were looking at some kind of saint.
“But the point I’m trying to make is that there need to be several people as skilled as me.”
“That… unfortunately, sounds almost impossible.”
“No. It’s possible.”
