By Zephyria I’m going to get whoever took that picture for sure. Eui-jae suppressed his writhing destructive urges and subtly moved his foot away. He tried to ignore the snickers coming from the side.
“Sa-young, you should thank J for carrying you so preciously like this.”
‘Please be quiet.’
Eui-jae gritted his teeth. Bae Won-woo’s tactless support and etiquette lessons were useless. He caught a glimpse of his slightly raised lips and emptied his mind. There was no more room to escape.
Rustle, rustle, the sound of newspaper pages turning echoed clearly. He thought he heard a short laugh, and then an arm wrapped around his shoulder. A sweet scent grew closer. Sa-young whispered ticklishly.
“…Thank you?”
‘Does that sound like a grateful person’s voice?’
But Bae Won-woo acted as if he were his father, feeling awkward.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. Sa-young is a good kid, even if he’s not good at expressing it.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s rare to find someone as good as me….”
Had the dictionary definition of ‘good’ changed while he was trapped in the Rift? Just as Eui-jae was at a loss for words, Bae Won-woo rubbed his arm. Sa-young, who had been leaning against Eui-jae, narrowed his eyes.
“Are you hurt?”
“Huh? No…. I’m fine, but it’s been throbbing strangely lately. Even when I asked the Doctor, he said there was nothing wrong with my bones or muscles.”
Bae Won-woo patted his forearm and shrugged.
“I might go to a traditional Korean medicine clinic for acupuncture. Anyway, I’m glad you’re up. There’s a lot more you need to hear besides what I just said. There’s a General Assembly soon. It would have been quite a headache if I had to attend as a proxy again this time.”
Sa-young frowned slightly.
“General Assembly? What’s that?”
“Ah! You don’t know at all. I guess not. It’s only been around for two months. Where should I start…?”
“First.”
Sa-young gestured towards the hallway with his chin.
“Let’s go inside and talk. It sounds like it’ll be long.”
A little later, they were sitting in the desolate living room. Sa-young had also taken off his bathrobe and changed into comfortable everyday clothes. Sa-young and Eui-jae occupied the long sofa, while Bae Won-woo took the single sofa. Bae Won-woo pointed to the large window.
“You saw what it looks like outside, right? Do you know what happened?”
Sa-young answered listlessly.
“I have a general idea.”
“Then I’ll get straight to the point. After the Day of Change, Director Ham Seok-jeong summoned the Hunters. I guess the social atmosphere was a bit… you know? After experiencing the Day of the Rift. To clean that up. Most of the representatives from the large and medium-sized Guilds gathered.”
“Hmph….”
Sa-young twisted his lips into a smile.
“I’m sure they did. What about this person?”
A black finger pointed at Eui-jae. Eui-jae leaned against the back of the sofa and crossed his arms. He slowly answered, noticing that they were waiting for his reply.
“I heard about it from Bae Won-woo-ssi, but I didn’t go.”
“Why?”
“Well, there wasn’t really… anything for me to do there.”
In fact, he was reluctant to meet Ham Seok-jeong or Song Jo-heon, but Eui-jae mumbled the end of his sentence. If he met them, the past would naturally come up. Because they, too, were people who lived in the past.
He wasn’t ready to face the past yet. He probably wouldn’t be until he found the remains. Until he fulfilled his responsibility, he would continue to be like this.
“……”
Then a large hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair. Eui-jae reflexively slapped the hand away.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, you’re fine.”
His voice was nonchalant. Sa-young flipped through the tablet screen as if he hadn’t just ruffled his hair and muttered.
“What’s the point of a General Assembly without a number one or number two…?”
It was an arrogant statement. Bae Won-woo smiled bitterly.
“Until now, I’ve been going as your proxy. All the major Guilds have their Guild Masters attending in person.”
“Good job. So?”
“Anyway, at the first meeting, the idea came up to meet regularly in the future. Because we need to gather our strength. In short, it’s a gathering where Hunters get together and talk about various things. Usually, people within the top 100 attend.”
“It’s rare for them to gather so well.”
A place where sensitive Hunters gather. It was natural to think of the Artisan Exhibition.
‘Is it okay to gather them?’
Eui-jae had witnessed firsthand the catastrophe that occurred when super hamsters gathered together. He couldn’t help but ask the question that was welling up inside him.
“Is… is it running properly? The meeting?”
“Ah, that’s what’s amazing. They still pretend to be polite. Is it because Jung-bin Hunter and the Director are firmly in their positions? It’s running surprisingly well.”
But why was the Artisan Exhibition like that even though Jung-bin was there? The injustice of being caught up in the vortex of chaos welled up. Sa-young, who had been listening quietly, crossed his legs.
“I’ll go to this General Assembly myself. I’m curious about the atmosphere.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll reply that way. But before that….”
Bae Won-woo’s face fell. The newspaper in his hand was crumpled mercilessly. Eui-jae’s face also crumpled, but it wasn’t visible thanks to the mask. Bae Won-woo said hesitantly.
“We… we should probably solve this problem first.”
“We just have to solve it, right?”
A foot in a slipper tapped.
“He took the picture without J noticing…. The only person who could do that is Mackerel.”
“What’s his ability?”
“Ah, you’ll know when you experience it yourself. It’s quite funny….”
Sa-young’s lips quirked up. The faces of the Hunters he had met so far flashed through his mind. From his distant Hunter days to his part-time job at the Hanover Soup Restaurant and up to now, Eui-jae had learned something deeply. Most Hunters are not in their right minds. Lee Sa-young in front of him as well. Eui-jae asked seriously.
“Is he crazy?”
“Well, not crazy… just funny? It’s a kind of protest, this. He’s doing it to get my attention.”
Sa-young neatly folded the newspaper.
“I guess he wondered what was up since I suddenly appeared after being out of contact for three months. I had some information I asked him for.”
“Then are you going to go yourself? Should I prepare the car?”
“Uh-huh…. With J.”
“Me?”
Eui-jae raised his head. Sa-young, who was leaning on his elbow, smiled brightly.
“Don’t you want to see the face of the crazy brat who wrote this article?”
“……”
“If I know J, I think you would.”
‘Damn it.’
Eui-jae understood a little why Min-gi Seo had slammed his hand on the steering wheel in anger. He must have felt like all his inner thoughts had been figured out. But strangely, he didn’t feel like getting angry. Rather….
‘…Am I feeling good?’
Eui-jae stared blankly at the ceiling at the sudden realization. Feeling good? Why? Since Lee Sa-young had woken up, his head often couldn’t keep up with his heart. Strangely enough.
A voice mixed with laughter broke through his daze.
“That’s right…. Prepare a suit and a gas mask too.”
Perhaps because it was a weekday afternoon, the fish market was relatively quiet. The fishy smell of fish and the sea tickled his nose through the gas mask. Unfortunately, thanks to his sensitive senses, he could feel people’s eyes gathering. Where? Towards him.
The gas mask stared at the shops that were densely packed by area, his hands thrust into the pockets of his suit pants.
Hiss, the sound of breathing escaping through the gas mask was rough.
‘I must look strange….’
A man in a suit and a gas mask standing tall in the middle of the fish market was bound to attract attention. Eui-jae gnashed his teeth. The employee ID hanging around his neck shone brightly.
Earlier, while Eui-jae was spacing out, Lee Sa-young had grabbed the suit, black wig, and gas mask that Min-gi Seo had brought up and pushed him into the bathroom. The combination of items was ominous. Wasn’t it a combination that reminded everyone of the nightmare of the Artisan Exhibition! Eui-jae shouted towards the tightly closed bathroom door.
‘What is this!’
‘You’re not going to wear the J mask, are you?’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Have you ever heard of it? It’s called Noryangjin Fish Market….’
Damn it. He should have known that the Hunter name Mackerel was unusual. The background story he heard while Eui-jae was fumbling to take off his clothes and change into the suit was like this. Mackerel was an information broker who had been based in the fish market for some time, and the quality of his information was quite good. He had also been very helpful with drug-related matters….
‘Seeing as he’s involved not only me but also Hyung, it means he wants me to bring Hyung too.’
‘Are you a twisted doughnut? Why are you talking so indirectly?’
He heard a chuckle. Eui-jae stared at the mirror with a disgusted look and put on the wig. Faded hair was covered in black. His crumpled face also disappeared behind the gas mask. He looked at the gas mask in the mirror and made a decision.
He would fillet Mackerel.
Of course, it seemed like it would take a long time for that wish to come true. The merchants’ sociability could not be stopped by a gas mask, even though he had been wary of the unfamiliar clothes for a while. Some merchants subtly approached Eui-jae, who was standing like a totem pole, and whispered.
“You’re a Hunter. What are you here to buy?”
“……”
“We got a big flounder today, it’s fresh.”
“Abalone is cheap these days. The eggs are thick too.”
“Do you like squid?”
“……”
But none of those words reached Eui-jae’s ears. He was writhing in betrayal right now. Lee Sa-young, who had been acting like he would stay by his side, grabbed Eui-jae’s shoulder and whispered as soon as they arrived after checking a message.
‘Wait here.’
And then he disappeared. Leaving only one word behind! It wasn’t like training a dog to wait. Shouldn’t he at least explain the situation?
‘Is that all you have to say when you tell me to wait?’
Eui-jae’s Lee Sa-young-exclusive rebellious nature was stirring. He was about to go somewhere else.
At that moment, someone broke through the crowd and Eui-jae’s personal space and came right up to him. Eui-jae’s eyes widened. It was a middle-aged woman wearing a bright blue vinyl apron. The woman, who had her eyes wide open, burst into hearty laughter.
“I was wondering which newbie was standing here like a totem pole, but you’re from the Wave Guild! Is this your first time?”
“Ah, was it the Wave Guild?”
“Can’t you tell by the gas mask? The Wave Guild is the only one who comes dressed like this.”
“I was wondering. There are a lot of weirdos these days.”
“Oh well, I was hoping to get some business. I’ll have to pass it on to Misuk’s place.”
The merchants clicked their tongues and scattered like sand. Before he knew it, the commotion had subsided, and only the middle-aged woman and Eui-jae remained on the street. The woman clapped her hands together with her gloved hands.
“Okay, customer. Shall we go?”
“Uh, where are we going?”
“Where else?”
The middle-aged woman smiled slyly.
“Didn’t you come to meet Mackerel?”
“……”
Come to think of it, she was wearing a dark blue in-ear device on her ear, which was visible between her curly perm. She winked.
“I’m the Wave Guild’s guide, so follow me. If you keep standing there, the small fries will follow you and it’ll be annoying.”