218 – HGL 218

218

Ah, damn it. Eui-jae hurriedly pulled his hat down deeper. Of all places, why did he have to run into her here? Regardless, Hye-jin strode over and grabbed Eui-jae’s arm tightly.

“You’re the part-timer, aren’t you? The one who worked at the Hanover Soup Restaurant in that alley. Right? You’re the part-timer, aren’t you?”

“Uh…”

The acting he had diligently practiced didn’t come out in this sudden crisis. Countless scenarios flashed through his mind like a panorama. Greet her happily. Get questioned about whether he’s laughing now. Pretend not to know. Get questioned about whether he’s pretending now. Just pretend to have lost his memory. Would that work?

“Oh my god… It really is the part-timer.”

In the meantime, Yang Hye-jin finished checking Eui-jae from head to toe and mumbled blankly. He was wearing the Hanover Soup Restaurant part-time uniform, so it was hard to deny. Eui-jae held out both palms, meaning to calm her down. But Yang Hye-jin didn’t calm down; instead, she glared at him.

“Hey, where have you been all this time? We were so worried!”

“Yes?”

“You suddenly closed the store and disappeared! Do you know how many people were looking for you, thinking you’d been kidnapped?”

He put a notice on the store and closed it, though?

“No, of all times, Hunter kidnapping cases have been frequent lately! How could you disappear right when that was happening? You made people worry!”

Kidnapped?

“We were running around looking for you, thinking you’d been dragged off to some Dungeon as a day laborer!”

Day laborer?

“We even made a group chat! A group chat to find the part-timer. The members are all-stars, all-stars. Huh? Those precious Hunters who usually don’t even reply promptly are all in there.”

A group chaaaat?

“It’s only thanks to Grandma saying we don’t need to look anymore. Ha, geez. I should post in the group chat for the first time in a while. Oh, good lord…”

Hye-jin groaned and touched her forehead, then hurriedly took out her phone. Eui-jae, who had suddenly encountered a storm, also felt like hitting his forehead.

‘What on earth have these people done…’

It was just one part-timer who disappeared. Moreover, while the regulars were looking for him, Eui-jae had been drawing aggro on a wide scale to hide Lee Sa-young’s absence…

‘…’

But strangely, his heart felt warm. Like when he held a freshly boiled earthenware pot. Yang Hye-jin sent a flurry of messages and then sighed. She swung her baton for no reason.

“Still, I’m glad you look healthy. What have you been doing all this time?”

“I, I had some things to do.”

“In this world, there’s always work to be done. I won’t ask what it is. Is the work resolved?”

“Um… not yet.”

“Ha… so that’s why you’re wandering around in such a dangerous place? Are you affiliated with any Guild? Why, did they tell you to go around and get some information? Who’s the head of the Guild?”

The word “head” brought a face to mind. Lee Sa-young, smirking crookedly. Well, he was the head, wasn’t he? Since he was collaborating with the Wave Guild… Eui-jae rolled his eyes for no reason, trying to hold back a laugh. But unfortunately, she seemed to take it as a positive sign. Her face was filled with anger.

“This really won’t do… Sending a D-class Hunter out alone like this? Tell me the Guild Leader’s name. If it’s hard to say, even just the initials. Is it some Black Guild?”

In an instant, the Wave Guild became a Black Guild. Eui-jae quickly took the initiative, as Yang Hye-jin seemed about to unleash another torrent of words.

“Ah, it’s not like that. It’s okay. But who are those people? You were chasing them away.”

“Who? Oh, those guys in white?”

Yang Hye-jin frowned and took a step closer. Then she whispered.

“They’re crazy. Don’t go near them.”

It was a scathing assessment. Interesting. Eui-jae listened with a serious face. Yang Hye-jin, as if she had accumulated a lot in that short time, whispered quickly.

“On the surface, they look like charities, relief organizations, something like that, and they lure people in… They’re cultists.”

“Cultists?”

“Yeah. People are busy running away, but they’re setting up tents like they’ve been waiting for it. Doesn’t that give you a clue? They’re crazy, so don’t go near them. And they’re very hostile to Hunters.”

“Why are they hostile to Hunters?”

“That’s what I don’t get. When our guys went to ask a few questions, their faces changed completely, and they told them to get lost, like they were looking at trash.”

“Then should I go ask them?”

“Huh? You? I told you, they’re hostile to Hunters. You’re a Hunter, too.”

“Do I look like a Hunter?”

A loose gray hoodie, old jeans, dusty sneakers with worn-out soles. A black ball cap pulled down low. His body and face were handsome, but his clothes were loose and baggy. Hunters were supposed to adorn themselves with flashy and shining equipment. Yang Hye-jin seriously scanned Eui-jae up and down.

“Can I be honest?”

“Yes.”

“You look like a bum going to the convenience store in front of his house to buy beer.”

“……”

“That means it’s very good.”

Yang Hye-jin put her hand on Eui-jae’s shoulder and asked. She whispered.

“Part-timer, are you confident in your acting?”

“I could debut as an actor.”

“Where does this confidence come from? Are you preparing to debut as a celebrity after joining an agency? …Then, can you approach those guys and find out what they’re doing, why they’re doing this, whether it’s related to the situation of Monsters falling from the sky, what their purpose is?”

“Of course.”

“Part-timer, do you have a phone?”

“No, it’s broken.”

“Oh dear… It must be hard to buy a phone right now. Um, just a moment.”

Yang Hye-jin rummaged through her pocket and took out something that looked like a wristwatch. It was a smartwatch with a square screen instead of a watch face. She tapped her wrist.

“It’s a watch we use. It’s less noticeable than an in-ear and looks ordinary. The functions are similar to ordinary smartwatches. It’s for official use, so you can’t do things like web surfing, but it can do things like location tracking, messaging, and calls, so take it.”

“Thank you.”

Eui-jae put on the smartwatch and tried to operate it. And he discovered a very big problem.

“…The background is…”

It was the Rift Management Bureau, a public institution logo. The smartwatch was showing off its presence, saying, “I belong to the Rift Management Bureau.”

Yang Hye-jin coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem, it’s what the government gave us. Uh, change it to the default screen.”

“…Yes.”

“Anyway, be careful. Don’t go too deep. It’s okay if you can’t get information, so get out if it seems dangerous. Safety is the top priority, you know?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Eui-jae smiled brightly. And whispered.

“Could I ask you for a favor?”

“Huh? Anything. What is it?”

“Could you get a little angry?”

People were bustling under a white tent that could be set up at a sports day or outing. People hit by broken fragments, people injured by Monsters, people who sprained their legs while running away… Several injured people were lying on the white cloth spread on the floor, groaning. Groans and small sobs leaked out from everywhere. People in white clothes went around among the injured, working hard to treat them.

It was then.

“…Get out of here right now!”

A woman’s voice rang out sharply. People’s eyes turned to the outside of the tent. In the distance, a woman in a fluorescent vest was pointing at a man in a gray hoodie. She continued to shout something, then turned and disappeared. The man, left alone, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, kicked the ground, and looked around. A man who was organizing his luggage clicked his tongue.

“Another Awakened bastard…”

“Is it a fight between Awakened?”

“No, that man seems to be a civilian. I was going to bring him here, but that Awakened woman stopped me. Tsk…”

“Should I bring him now?”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. He’s coming on his own.”

The young man in the gray hoodie was approaching the tent with a slow, listless gait. The people in white clothes exchanged glances and then put on friendly smiles. A man went out of the tent to greet him.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

“Um, I was wondering if… my sister is here.”

The young man mumbled in a voice that seemed to be crawling in. The people in white clothes exchanged glances and then made a look of pity.

“Oh dear… Did you lose your sister?”

“Yes… We went out for a while together, and then… Monsters came out. People ran away… And then I lost her hand.”

“Ah, I see… That must have been really hard.”

The man sighed and took the young man’s hand. His hands were surprisingly firm. But they were shaking terribly, so the man said softly.

“Could you tell me what your sister looks like? Or would you like to come inside and look around? There’s some blood splattered around… You don’t have to if it’s hard for you to see.”

“C-can I see for myself? My sister is a girl, a high school student. She wears glasses, and…”

“Yes, yes. Come this way.”

The man took the young man’s hand and led him to the Shield where the injured were lying. The young man followed the man diligently while looking around. The man glanced at the young man and asked.

“I heard a loud noise earlier… May I ask what happened?”

“Ah, well, it’s nothing…”

The young man hesitated and lowered his head.

“I thought she was a Hunter. I asked her if she had seen my sister, but she got angry and said, ‘Why are you asking me that when I’m busy?'”

“Ah… I see.”

That’s what Awakened bastards are like. They can’t embrace people, but they only know how to oppress civilians by putting their own circumstances first. The man frowned slightly and patted the young man’s shoulder.

“You’ve been through a lot. Let’s take a look.”

“Yes, thank you…”

The young man began to walk around between the beds, looking around. His pace was strangely fast. Is he an Awakened? But he’s dressed too poorly to be an Awakened. Besides, his story seems genuine. I saw the Hunter get angry and kick him out.

The young man went to the end of the bed and came back with slumped shoulders.

“…She’s not here. Thank you for letting me in…”

A gap is created in the heart of a person who has experienced loss.

The man took the young man’s hand kindly.

“My colleagues are everywhere. Shall we ask them as well?”

“R-really? Can you do that?”

The young man raised his head sharply. I didn’t know because it was covered by a ball cap, but his face was quite handsome. If we use him well, we can bring him in as a good resource. The man smiled brightly.

“Of course. I’ll contact them, so will you wait here with me?”

“Yes, yes. Great!”

“Haha, good. Are you hungry? We have some food to fill your stomach, though it’s not much.”

“You don’t have to go that far…”

“What do you mean? Shouldn’t we help each other?”

“Ah, you’re so kind. Thank you so much.”

“Then I’ll go and contact them, so please sit on the chair outside and wait.”

“Yes!”

The man disappeared out of the injured tent. And, the young man adjusted his ball cap. The eyes under the ball cap shone blue.