Chapter 12: Eun-ha, You Dropped Your Phone

The very first thought that crossed my mind was just one thing.

Ah, I want to go home.

"Hwang Eun-ha."

"Yeees."

"Good, everyone is present. Erm, how far did we get last time?"

As expected, studying is for those who are used to it.

It seemed studying didn't suit me.

Ah, if it’s like this, the words I said to the Association Chairman earlier feel kind of pointless.

'Hmm, studying, dating, meeting friends... did I say that?'

Studying and dating are out.

Then the only thing left is meeting friends.

........

Well, it'll work out somehow.

"Student Hwang Eun-ha, even if you are an S-Class Hunter, how about actually listening to the lecture?"

"Ugh. I'm sorry."

Caught daydreaming in the middle of it.

Damn professor bastard.

I hope you trip over your own feet while walking later.

"Hey, Eun-ha."

"Uh, huh?"

"Lecture's over. Wake up."

Wait, did I fall asleep in that short moment?

...If it was two hours, I guess it wasn't just a "short moment."

"Oh, what the. It's over already?"

"Not 'already,' you slept through the entire lecture..."

The original me doesn't sleep during lectures.

...Probably.

Anyway, the fact that I dozed off during such an important lecture is all Jung Jin-wook's fault.

'Ha, I remembered it again.'

Begone, dirty thoughts.

I erased the thoughts from my head and stood up.

I skipped the morning, and this lecture was the only one for the afternoon, so can I go home now?

"Hnnngh."

Stretching my body to wake up my groggy mind, I felt the gazes of students preparing to leave land on me.

Mostly guys rather than girls.

"Then, since there are no more lectures today, shall I head home?"

As I walked away giggling to myself at the fact that I didn't have to stay at school anymore, Kang Tae-woo called out from behind, "Hwang Eun-ha, wait a sec!"

What does he want to ask that he’s making such an urgent face?

"Is it really true? That you returned your license?"

"Yeah."

"The Association accepted that? Returning an S-Class Hunter qualification?"

"Yeah."

Is that such a big deal?

Anyway, me quitting being a Hunter has already happened, and I probably won't ever take back this decision.

He, who has experienced me all this time, should know that best.

"Ha, the Guild Master told me to definitely bring you."

"Guild Master?"

"Back then, the woman with reddish hair you saw in the Test Room. She said if you could catch a Ghost Steel Frame, you must be the strongest in our country, so she insisted I scout you."

"But Hunter Hwang Eun-ha has already disappeared from this world, hehe."

Kang Tae-woo sighed softly looking at me.

Well, regardless of what that Guild Master offered, I wouldn't have joined the guild anyway.

"Well, even if your Guild Master offered to buy me a house, I probably wouldn't have joined."

"Because you hate being a Hunter?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I was getting a bit sick of it. I don't know how long you've been A-Class, but I've been an S-Class Hunter since high school."

"Ah..."

"Well, that's probably why. Seeing all sorts of dirty shit, how could I not get sick of it?"

At my words, Kang Tae-woo nodded as if he understood.

But that guy probably doesn't fully know.

Kang Tae-woo likely registered as a Hunter after the current Association Chairman took office.

"Did you know? In the old days, the Association had no power and no money, so there were no support funds for Hunters. The laws changed about a year after I registered, and that's when funds started coming out."

"Hmm..."

"Also, there was a bit of a discriminatory view against Awakened. It might not resonate now that the social status of Hunters has risen, but back then, we were treated a bit like potential criminals. Especially the strong ones."

"Criminals?"

"Yeah. Back then, Hunters acted individually, and the Association was too weak to serve as a central point for Hunters."

Kang Tae-woo looked at me with an expression that said he was hearing this for the first time.

In fact, the case below is a discrimination that lower-ranked Hunters probably wouldn't experience much.

Hunters possessing strength that humans shouldn't have without guns became objects of envy. But because of that strength, they were also treated as existences to be avoided.

And I stood at the pinnacle of those "existences to be avoided."

"People who were dying because of Gates acted like that. Funny, right?"

As I smirked saying that, Kang Tae-woo nodded as if possessed.

But I didn't want to ruin the mood with this kind of talk, so I patted my cheeks with both hands and said decisively, "Okay, gloomy talk ends here!"

"There must be more."

"There is, but I won't say it. Anyway, for those reasons, I quit being a Hunter, and now I'm not S-Class, just Hwang Eun-ha."

Of course, even so... leaving aside Kang Tae-woo who is guilty of annoying me, it feels a bit wrong to just ignore the people who sent me love calls (scout offers).

'No, wait. Did I just ignore all those requests without a plan until now?'

Actually, I had received scout offers from every major guild in the country at least once. Not directly, but through the Association.

Of course, I ignored every single one of them as they came in.

"Well, considering your sincerity in trying to recruit me all this time, I guess I could visit at least once."

"Oh?"

"Why, what? You don't want me to? If not, forget it."

"No, no, why would I not want it? It's not bad to build a connection like this."

As if hearing welcome news, Kang Tae-woo's eyes momentarily shined.

It's not good for a Hunter to show their expressions so openly like this.

Does that mean he likes it that much...?

"Anyway, then there's no chance of you getting the license back, right?"

"Yeah. Probably?"

"That's a shame. If we had a Hunter strong enough to solo a Ghost Steel Frame, we could feel much safer during raids just by having you there, even if you didn't step up to the front."

As we walked out of the building, the warm sunshine of around 3 PM shone on us for the first time in a while.

Maybe this is the last warm day before winter sets in.

Feeling the nice weather on my skin, the first thought I had was, 'Should I go somewhere with Jin-wook?'

[Me]: Hey, my lecture is over.

[Jin-wook]: Fr? (For real?)

[Me]: Yep

[Jin-wook]: Go home first. I still have a bit left.

Poor guy tied down by lectures.

While walking and giggling to myself about something good, a thought flashed in my head. "Ah."

"Hey, Kang Tae-woo."

"Huh?"

"Since it's come to this, shall I just go to your guild right now? I have nothing but time anyway."

When I said that, only the sound of a car beeping open was heard from afar.

Kang Tae-woo looked at me with a "Huh?" face and tilted his head.

After all, the fact that this guy came to school today meant there was no special Gate raid schedule.

"If not, never mind."

"N-No. If our Hunter-nim wants to go, I must escort you."

It wasn't bad news for him, so I followed Kang Tae-woo to his vehicle.

I naturally sat in the passenger seat, took out my phone, and turned on the screen.

"By the way, how long does it take to get to the guild?"

"Uh... about an hour by car?"

"Ack, pretty far."

"Well, if you're bored on the way, you can sleep."

Can I sleep, you idiot?

I slept through the entire lecture time.

"Zzz..."

Although I said that, I possessed a constitution that naturally fell asleep whenever I got into a car.

Before I knew it, I was drifting into sleep.

Kang Tae-woo was nervous.

Even if the Guild Master wanted to meet her, he thought he would arrange a schedule later and bring her in a car sent by the guild.

But suddenly saying, "I have time anyway, so let's go now since we're going," and naturally following him to sit in the passenger seat.

'Is... Is this okay?'

The Master should be at the guild today.

Still, Kang Tae-woo was inwardly surprised and tense at Hwang Eun-ha's unexpected decisiveness.

But he remembered her habit of saying she hated being looked at as a woman.

So he was acting as naturally as possible so Hwang Eun-ha wouldn't feel any awkwardness.

'What if she sees the car and gets disappointed? Or complains that I can't drive?'

Of course, because of her appearance, even if he tried not to care, he couldn't help it.

But there was a fact Kang Tae-woo didn't know.

She wasn't interested in cars in the first place. But also, the only personal cars she had ridden in were her father's van or Jin-wook's father's SUV. Other than that, it was mostly small compact cars that seemed to upset Yu Ha-young's stomach. So, she was actually feeling quite comfortable.

"Eun-ha-ya, you dropped your phone."

How long had they been driving?

Hearing the sound of a smartphone dropping next to him, he spoke to her.

But when there was no answer after waiting a moment, he glanced to the side.

"You..."

Then, suddenly, Kang Tae-woo discovered a side of her as 'Human Hwang Eun-ha' for the first time—something he hadn't paid attention to because he had only viewed her as an S-Class Hunter and his life savior.

He knew she was simply pretty, but he didn't know anything beyond that.

'She could have succeeded as an idol or an actress.'

Looking at her now, Hwang Eun-ha possessed looks that could easily bewitch men with just a few eye smiles.

Rather than wanting to possess her, he found himself momentarily losing his mind and admiring sleeping Hwang Eun-ha like an untouchable work of art.

Until the sound of a horn from behind, angry that he wasn't moving despite the light changing, snapped him back.

"Oops."

Did she wake up because of his mistake?

He started the car hurriedly and checked on her, still sleeping.

"Mmm..."

Aside from making that noise, perhaps startled by the horn.

Seeing that she fortunately hadn't woken up, Kang Tae-woo drove carefully.

Only after getting on the urban expressway did he glance at Hwang Eun-ha again. He realized he was glancing at her chest—a size he hadn't seen among the women he had met so far, and something he hadn't noticed because he hadn't looked closely until now.

He hurriedly averted his gaze.

'What are you thinking against your savior, Kang Tae-woo.'

Recalling the thought he always held—that he shouldn't covet his life savior.

Unless he showed it outwardly, she wouldn't know that he harbored lewd thoughts for a moment. Still, he apologized inwardly for even thinking it for that split second.

'Wait. Come to think of it, aren't I driving with a girl in the passenger seat, just the two of us right now?'

At that sudden thought, Kang Tae-woo's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

Usually, because of his busy schedule, he rejected all offers from girls asking to hang out, so he rarely had anyone in the passenger seat. He only just remembered that fact.

Determined not to show it as much as possible, he began to focus on driving.

And so, the car ran quietly forward.

Kang Tae-woo headed to the guild headquarters, enduring a time of agony in many ways.