Chapter 1097: Side Story – How to Distinguish Between Different Races and Monsters (1)

After finishing a thorough morning routine with three women, I emerged to find it was already close to lunchtime.

Skipping lunch, the place I headed to was, naturally, Min Hyunyoung’s residence.

I had already gotten her home address and contact information from Sung Chae-eun; all that was left was to meet her directly and talk.

According to what Jung No-eul and Sung Chae-eun told me, she had apparently entered complete seclusion, saying it would be impossible for her to resume her Hunter activities. But that remained to be seen until I met her in person.

Besides, Sung Chae-eun herself had told me the same thing when we first met, so it wasn’t a statement I could place much trust in.

‘I don’t know the exact reason, but I can probably solve it.’

I had already helped several retired Hunters return to action, and even satisfied the chastity walls of an animal-type Hunter prone to rutting, an otherworlder, and even a recovery-type Hunter who used holy power. So, it probably wasn’t impossible.

Besides, Min Hyunyoung wasn’t someone whose appearance was so lacking that I couldn’t get it up. Like Sung Chae-eun, Min Hyunyoung was active in the Destruction Trio, so I knew her face well.

‘Speaking of which, Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province…’

It’s quite a distance, a bit burdensome to visit in just one day. Although, if I took the Warp Gate from Gangdong District, it would only take about an hour to arrive.

She must have been living in Gangdong District when she was active. I’d seen plenty of people move to Seongnam or Hanam City due to the high housing prices in Gangdong District, but it was rare for an active Hunter to move this far away.

In a sense, it meant she was truly determined to live in seclusion. It was tantamount to her indirectly telling me not to bother coming since I had no intention of returning to active duty.

…Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to give up. Since I had already recruited Sung Chae-eun, my honest wish was to gather Min Hyunyoung too and see the Destruction Trio in their complete form.

I even admired the three of them personally when they were active back when I was a Hunter hopeful. …Although, now, my illusions regarding Jung No-eul and Sung Chae-eun have been somewhat shattered due to various things.

Thinking that the ‘persuasion’ might take a while and I might end up staying out overnight, I drove south of Gangdong District via the Jungbu Expressway.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Going by the address, it should be around here…”

After driving for about an hour, I somehow managed to arrive in Icheon City.

I parked my car in a suitable spot near the address Sung Chae-eun had given me and started searching the area. In one hand, I held the ‘White Honeybee Honey’ gift set for Min Hyunyoung.

I heard she didn’t even order delivery food often and minimized contact with people. Apparently, even her former colleagues Jung No-eul and Sung Chae-eun only communicated via KakaoTalk messages and hadn’t seen her face-to-face in years.

In such a situation, there was no way she would agree to meet me if I suddenly showed up, so I needed at least a pretext. If I said I was coming to bring her food, she would surely appreciate high-quality ingredients too.

“Ah, found it.”

A single-story house with a small yard and high fences, topped with a green roof.

Standing in front of the house, exactly as Sung Chae-eun had described, I cleared my throat once and cautiously pressed the doorbell.

-Ding… Dong….

「…Just leave the package by the door.」

“Hello, Min Hyunyoung-ssi! I am Sung Taekyung, Guild Leader of the Hope City branch of Eun & Ok Co., Ltd.! Could we possibly talk for a moment?”

「…No. Just go away.」

“Even a moment would be fine! As a junior who has admired the Hunter activities of Min Hyunyoung, the Blue Bullet, since my days as a Hunter hopeful, I beg you to meet me just once!”

「…I told you to go away. Just go. I can’t be a Hunter anymore.」

…She’s more persistent than I thought. I never expected she wouldn’t even meet me.

Still, I had taken time out of my day and driven for an hour. I couldn’t just turn back now. At the very least, I needed to hear why she quit being a Hunter.

I was confident I could persuade her if I could just get her to face me, but despite coming all this way, Min Hyunyoung’s attitude was firm.

“I brought a gift too, Min Hyunyoung-ssi! It’s a White Honeybee Honey set!”

「…Just take it and go back. You won’t get the answer you want.」

“Please, just talk to me once! It will surely be a good conversation for you, Min Hyunyoung-ssi!”

「…You’re not getting it, are you?」

“What?”

「I don’t want to return to being a Hunter, and I don’t want to meet you. I just hate facing people in general, so please just leave.」

…What on earth happened before she retired?

I don’t know for sure, but maybe she had a terrible experience due to some incident while working with someone.

At any rate, in the current situation, it seemed impossible to get her to face me and talk, no matter how much I insisted. I needed to show a bit of restraint here.

“I’ll leave the gift by the door. I’ll leave my business card too, so please contact me anytime if you change your mind.”

「…….」

With those words, I placed the White Honeybee Honey gift set in front of the gate.

-Swoosh.

“…….”

I pretended to walk away but quietly hid behind the door. Concealed in the blind spot of the front door CCTV.

It might be a cowardly method, but I had to meet her somehow for the conversation to even begin.

If that fails, there’s always the option of erasing the fact that we met altogether. It was about time I properly utilized the ability I got from No. 2.

With that thought, I pressed myself against the side of the door opposite the direction she’d open it, waiting for Min Hyunyoung to come out for about 30 minutes.

Standing still in the scorching summer heat, dressed in a suit, holding my breath and concentrating, the door finally opened, and a pale hand stretched out.

-Creak.

‘Now!’

I had no time to worry about politeness or procedure. If I went back empty-handed today, she would likely become even more guarded next time.

Blocking the gate, which she was about to close after taking the gift, I pushed it open and finally made proper eye contact with Min Hyunyoung.

“Min Hyunyoung-ssi!”

“H, Hiek?!”

“Please spare me just a moment! 30 minutes, no, even 10 minutes is fine!”

“N-no…! I, I don’t plan on being a Hunter or anything anymore, so please just go…!”

It was a standoff, with me trying to open the door and Min Hyunyoung trying to close it, separated by the gate.

Perhaps it was because she had quit being a Hunter long ago? For someone who was once an S-Class Hunter, her arm strength was surprisingly weak.

Even though she specialized in sniping, I remembered her close-combat abilities weren’t bad either. Even after such a long break, such a significant drop in her awakened power was highly unusual.

“If 10 minutes is too much, even 5 minutes will do! If your house is uncomfortable, we can go to a cafe or somewhere else!”

“I, It’s you that’s uncomfortable! Please just go…!”

“No! I won’t leave until I hear why you quit being a Hunter!”

“Th-that’s not something I’d tell you…! Why should I tell you, someone I just met today, something I haven’t told anyone else…!”

Min Hyunyoung, whose face was half-hidden by a green hoodie, desperately pulled the gate, trying with all her might to close it.

Deciding it was pointless to waste energy in this tug-of-war, I instantly threw the gate open and stepped inside.

-Creak!

“Min Hyunyoung-ssi!”

“Nnngh, Hyaak?!”

The gate, which Min Hyunyoung had desperately held onto until the last moment, swung wide open, and I confidently stepped into her yard.

The chance for a polite meeting was long gone; now, all that mattered was persuading her despite this rudeness.

With that thought, I stood confidently before Min Hyunyoung, grabbed her by the shoulders, met her eyes, and pleaded.

“If there is truly a reason you cannot continue your Hunter life, please tell me, Min Hyunyoung-ssi.”

“J-just a moment…. C-can you come back…! Can you come back later…?”

“No. I must hear it today. I need to know if the reason you cannot continue your Hunter life is truly something beyond my ability to resolve.”

“Resolve or not, I don’t need it…”

“Jung No-eul-ssi and Sung Chae-eun-ssi are also eagerly awaiting your return. Didn’t the three of you used to operate as the Destruction Trio?”

“That was just…. because I needed money back then…”

“If it’s money, I’ll match whatever amount you desire. How much do you need?”

“No, I don’t really need it right now…. It’s just that my retirement was for a different reason…”

-Snap!

“Then please tell me that reason!”

“……!”

Min Hyunyoung, looking flustered, darted her eyes left and right.

While holding her arms, trying to maintain eye contact and persuade her…

“……Huh?”

…What is this empty sensation?

I thought I was holding her arm, but the place where her left arm should be felt strangely vacant.

She definitely seemed to be holding the gate with her left arm just a moment ago. Why?

“…….”

-Glance.

Meanwhile, Min Hyunyoung’s gaze drifted towards the front gate’s doorknob, the very thing she had been desperately trying to close moments before.

Following her gaze, I looked towards the doorknob and witnessed something that could only be described as shocking.

-Wiggle wiggle….

“…….”

“…….”

A white ‘arm’, presumably detached from the shoulder, was dangling from the doorknob, gripping it tightly.

The image I had held in my mind of Min Hyunyoung was completely overturned in that instant.

“…M-Min Hyunyoung-ssi? Don’t tell me you…”

“W-would you like to come inside…? I-I can explain…”

Perhaps, I was currently meeting an otherworlder rarer than even the Dragon Blood Clan.

…No, I wasn’t even sure if she could be classified as an ‘otherworlder’ in the first place.