episode_0018

Around the time Do Ji-hyuk was heading to Jin Seo-won’s house.

Arin Lim’s house.

“I ate well.”

“Me too. It seems like it’s been a while since I had something delicious.”

“Hehe… . I’m glad it was delicious!”

Im A-rin invited Seol Joo-hee and Hong Yu-ra and personally treated them to dinner, and even quietly brought out wine and had a simple drinking party.

“Hmm… . This smells good.”

“Well, it’s okay.”

“There is a lot, so drink comfortably… !”

Hong Yu-ra and Seol Joo-hee, who were recently stressed due to their rapidly increased schedules and various events, naturally fell into alcohol… .

“… Phew… . I’m really tired today… .”

“Are you drunk already? Seol Joo-hee’s drinking has gotten a lot worse?”

“Speak while covering your thighs. It was so red, you thought it was your hair.”

Before they knew it, both of them were so drunk that their eyes slightly opened.

In fact, they weren’t the ones who could get drunk after just one or two bottles of wine… .

For some reason, I got drunk quickly today.

“Stir… . Guys… !”

At that time, Lim A-rin, who was alone with a normal face, spoke to the two people.

“I… , I have something to say!”

“What to say?”

“… What is it?”

Im A-rin put down her glass as if she had decided on something, and looked at Hong Yu-ra and Seol Ju-hee alternately as she spoke.

“Fact… . I met Jihyuk not long ago.”

“Who are you meeting?”

“… Really?”

Seol Joo-hee, who quickly becomes aggravated, and Hong Yu-ra, who reacts incredulously.

Lim A-rin told the story of meeting Do Ji-hyuk with a determined face.

He said that even though he was being slandered, he did not think badly of them.

He said he even forgave him and comforted him.

Lim Ah-rin’s strong claims with sparkling eyes were as blind as those who had fallen into a cult, and Seol Joo-hee and Hong Yu-ra were startled by her unfamiliar appearance.

“I don’t think Jihyuk could have ever done that… ! That video was doctored!”

“… Are you out of your mind?”

“Arin… .”

“It’s true! If you meet Jihyuk… !”

“Take it in moderation, Lim A-rin. Why are we meeting that piece of trash?”

“Please Joohee… . You are being fooled… !”

“You must be the one being fooled! What on earth did you hear from that bastard to say this?”

Seol Joo-hee thought that Do Ji-hyuk must have said something to Im A-rin.

Otherwise, there was no way she would suddenly show up like this.

“I can’t do it. You, don’t ever meet that bastard again.”

“… Huh?”

“I’m saying this all because I’m thinking of you! What on earth has happened to me like this?”

“Jihyuk didn’t do anything… !”

“I didn’t do anything, but you’re like this? Huh!?”

As the atmosphere between the two became increasingly hostile, Hong Yu-ra, who had been quietly observing the situation, urgently began to stop the two.

“Guys! Calm down for a moment!”

In fact, Hong Yu-ra was doubtful inside.

The video itself was already being questioned due to inconsistent circumstances and Gook-il’s actions.

It wouldn’t be strange to wonder whether Do Ji-hyuk is really trash.

but… .

It’s just that I doubt it.

Hong Yu-ra ‘firmly’ believed that Do Ji-hyuk’s actions in the video were real.

Just like the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

When spring ends, summer comes,

When summer ends, fall comes,

As autumn passes and the cold winter comes, dry leaves fall.

I took it for granted as a ‘truth’.

“Both of you, stop talking about Do Ji-hyuk now!”

In order to prevent the two from fighting, Hong Yu-ra blocked the topic altogether.

“I spoke clearly. Don’t ever meet that bastard again.”

“I don’t know if I regret it later… !”

Seol Joo-hee and Im A-rin barely stopped fighting by adding one last word to each other.

*

“Here?”

I parked the car in a narrow alley and followed Jin Seowon, looking up at the small villa where she stopped.

The walls of the red brick villa were stained here and there… .

At first glance, it looked very old.

‘It looks like a pretty old building.’

Jinseowon’s house is on the lowest floor.

It was a semi-basement room with no lights on the stairs going down.

“Excuse me.”

I passed the front door that didn’t even have a door lock, and entered the house. I looked around the house while lighting the Jinseowon blanket, and was slightly surprised to see that the house was more miserable than I expected.

‘… I lived here with my grandmother… ?’

The structure of the building itself was pretty good.

One room and a small living room with a bathroom.

It wasn’t very spacious, but it wasn’t so big that it couldn’t be lived in.

the problem is… .

It wasn’t maintained at all, and no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t look like a house where people lived.

“… … .”

So I was alone for a moment and looked around the house.

I sat across from Jin Seo-won at a small table in the living room and started talking about recruitment in earnest.

“First of all, thank you so much for taking the time.”

“… Yes.”

“Has the boss heard anything about me?”

She shakes her head and answers instead.

I handed him the business card I had prepared beforehand and calmly explained.

“I am a producer for Seoul City Hall, a team affiliated with the city of Seoul. This is not a typical guild, but a team belonging to an actual government agency. here… , if you look here, there is also an article about our team.”

Jin Seo-won glanced down at the Internet article on her cell phone, and I continued talking.

“I would like to hire Seowon as our team’s main dealer. I have no doubt that Seowon’s abilities will create good synergy with our team.”

It started with a compliment to her.

Next is the appeal to the team.

“I recently had a meeting with the Mayor of Seoul, Lee Sang-heum, and received full support. Thanks to this, we have achieved a system equivalent to a 3rd division team… .”

Next, the topic of income was brought up.

“Although we are a team that has just started, we will unconditionally match the minimum salary. Other team members have also signed contracts in the same way, and once their results start showing, we plan to renew their contracts with a higher salary than the industry standard. It’s not my money, so there’s no need to save it.”

After giving the lengthy explanation, I gently handed her the contract I had brought with me.

“This is our team contract. I also told the cafe owner, so you can check it out and think about it.”

“… … .”

Jin Seo-won is still silent and staring at the contract on the table.

I was lost in thought for a moment, waiting for her answer.

‘You don’t like it?’

I told her to take her time and think it over, but it’s really a tight situation.

If you do not register team members by 6 o’clock the day after tomorrow, Team Seoul City Hall will disappear due to lack of team members.

However, since I couldn’t force her to sign, I had no choice but to wait for her to change her mind.

‘Please accept it… .’

How long had it been since Jin Seowon was staring at the contract like that?

Finally, she slowly raised her head and opened her mouth quietly… .

“… sorry. I don’t think I can do it.”

The answer I most wanted to hear came back.

“… If you don’t mind, could you tell me what the reason is?”

I didn’t give up and asked her why.

Then Jin Seo-won looked at me blankly and unexpectedly spoke up.

“… My grandmother doesn’t like it.”

“Grandma… What do you mean?”

It turns out that Jin Seo-won’s parents were a very promising hunter couple.

However, they both died in an accident at the gate, and it is said that because of that, the grandmother developed a negative perception of hunters… .

‘… huh?’

As I was reflecting on her circumstances, I once again felt a strange sense of discomfort.

Seowon Jin has refused to be recruited because his grandmother told him not to.

If I hadn’t suggested it, I would have naturally ended up living a life far from being a hunter.

But how did he achieve S rank and become a Heavenly Demon?

‘… ‘What’s happening in the future?’

Feeling that discomfort, I thought for a moment, and then I opened my mouth to persuade her again, this time with different words.

“!”

An old memory flashed back to me.

Old memories that I didn’t even know existed, filled with dust.

“… Mr. Seowon. This is a different question, but how long have you known your boss?”

“… Sister?”

“Yes. The boss takes great care of Seowon, and at first I thought the two of you were sisters.”

Jin Seo-won, who was looking at me blankly, answered that she and the CEO had been close friends since they were children… .

I was finally able to notice the reason why she turned into the Heavenly Demon.

The female owner of the cafe, who cared for Jin Seo-won like her own sister, gets caught up in the second incident in the original novel and dies.

‘It was a really pitiful setting.’

The basis was in the original novel.

The second incident, unlike the first, occurs when multiple gates open simultaneously across the country.

Among them, the largest gate opens in Seoul, and smaller gates open in several cities… .

One of those cities was right here, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do.

This content is described very briefly in the original novel as a sequel to the second incident.

If I hadn’t remembered this and had been lucky enough to take Jin Seowon straight to Seoul… .

The female leader, who was left alone, would have been involved in an accident and died.

There was a very high probability that Jin Seo-won became a Cheonma as in the original novel.

‘I’ve been in prison for ten years.’

I sighed in relief and slightly relaxed my mind. Then, I remembered my most important goal, strengthened my resolve, and made eye contact with Jin Seowon.

“Mr. Seowon. Then how about this?”

“… ?”

“You just register your name on our team.”

“… What is my name?”

“Yes.”

I told the truth about why I wanted to recruit Jin Seowon.

After Jeong Soo-in left, there was a shortage of team members, and the team was in danger of disappearing in a few days.

It wasn’t something I needed to say, but I had no choice but to show my sincerity.

You only need to register “ name, and you do not need to actually work as a hunter. Of course, you may stop by the office at least once… . Maybe that’s all.”

Of course, I wasn’t planning on simply asking her to lend me my name.

“100 million. If you lend me your name, I will give you 100 million as a reward.”

“… Yes?”

The moment the topic of money came up, Jin Seo-won’s eyes, which had been indifferent until now, began to waver for the first time.

“I plan to give this purely at my own expense. from now on… . You only need to lend your name for about a month. If you change your mind midway, you can continue with the activity as is. Of course, we will also write separate contracts for each other.”

I had no intention of making Jinseowon a heavenly horse, nor did I have any intention of losing him as a hunter.

Therefore, the method he came up with was to secure his relationship with her through the most reliable and powerful means: money.

“Of course, you will also receive a salary based on your annual salary… . Oh, I think you just need to get paid less at the cafe. The National Tax Service may tackle you. I will explain this to the cafe owner.”

“… uh… .”

Jin Seo-won rolls her eyes here and there, as if embarrassed by the sudden proposal.

After looking at her for a moment, I slowly turned my head and looked around the house.

Jin Seowon has lived in poverty all this time.

This house proved him, and the furniture showing signs of use were clear evidence.

No matter how much she becomes a Heavenly Demon without blood or tears in the future, now she is simply a child from a poor family with sad circumstances.

“This may be rude, but… . Grandma, you probably didn’t tell me to miss the opportunity, right?”

Seowon Jin, who had fallen for the temptation of money, swallowed his saliva without thinking and looked at me… .

“… Uh, I’ll talk to my sister.”

I responded that I would talk to the female owner of the cafe.

*

next day.

After getting a decent meal and lodging at a nearby hotel, I once again stopped by Jinseowon’s cafe and talked to the female owner, who was like a guardian.

and.

“Let’s start by writing a contract right away.”

Fortunately, I received a positive answer.