Chapter 19: That’s Not Dating, Right?

Jung Jin-seong.

Jin-wook’s older brother and an A-Class Hunter on the verge of reaching S-Class.

A relatively famous figure belonging to the Blue Flame (Cheon-yeom) Guild, which is higher ranked than Kang Tae-woo’s Hwaryeon Guild.

"Kuh, kuh-hmm."

With his appearance, the atmosphere, which could have ended on a somewhat harmonious note, became rapidly awkward.

Unlike earlier when I was comfortably dressed, I was now wearing long track pants and an extra t-shirt for some reason.

"Hyung, so what brings you here?"

"What brings me here? Since I was nearby, I thought I'd surprise you guys to see if you were doing well."

Jin-seong Hyung’s gaze scanned me and Jin-wook.

Then, he grinned.

"So, how far did you two go?"

"Ah, it's a misunderstanding, seriously!"

"It's a misunderstanding. We aren't in that kind of relationship."

"Misunderstanding, my foot. If you two were doing that on the sofa, I think that says it all."

"...Oppa, if you keep doing that, I'm going to report you. For bursting open the door and peeping at my body."

"Me? Peeping at an S-Class Hunter? Also, what would I get from peeping at a man's body?"

Damn it, it doesn't work on him at all.

Feeling the karma of my past returning to me, I sighed deeply with a throbbing headache.

Then, Hyung spoke to Jin-wook as if giving advice.

"I don't care what you two do, and since Eun-ha can take responsibility anyway, I don't even care if you bring a baby home, but if something happens, you have to tell the family, okay?"

"If you're going to say crap like that, could you just get lost?"

"Isn't that a bit harsh? I took time out of my schedule to come see if you were alive or dead."

I slammed two drink bottles and glasses onto the table in front of where Jin-seong Hyung was sitting, telling him to pour it himself with the noise.

Jin-seong Hyung flinched and glanced at me momentarily.

Seeing him like that, I felt my energy draining and leaned back onto the sofa as if collapsing.

"Anyway, we're doing fine, so don't you think you can go now?"

"I have one thing to ask."

Hyung then took his phone out of his pocket, rummaged through something, and held it out in front of me.

Wondering what it was, I focused my gaze.

Inside, there was a video of a stalker flying up and slamming down hard all by himself while I just watched.

"Kyaa, stop!"

"W-What, why?"

"Your brother showed me porn."

"What kind of bullshit is that, fuck. Do you want to get hit?"

"Who said anything about porn?"

Seeing Jin-seong Hyung's eyes saying, 'Your madness has relapsed again,' I laughed "Ehehe," then cleared my throat.

"So, what is this?" I asked Hyung.

"So, isn't this you?"

"I don't think so."

"Hmm, looks like you to me. Only the face isn't shown, but the body type and hair..."

"Is Oppa a pervert? How do you know a girl's body type so easily?"

Seeing Jin-seong Hyung's expression distort for a moment, I smiled mischievously, "Heheh."

Anyway, as long as my face wasn't caught, it's fine.

"And you're the one who returned the license, right? The first S-Class to return their license."

"The rumor spread already?"

"People don't know who it is, but they know that a retiree appeared among the S-Class."

Hyung said that and sighed deeply, "Phew."

What is he trying to say?

Me returning the license is already done and dusted.

"Be careful."

"About what?"

"There are two S-Class Hunters grinding their teeth, saying that instead of becoming a comrade to fight alongside, you cowardly ran away from the responsibility of destroying Gates. They said they'd grind you to dust if they catch you."

"Really?"

I knew everyone thinks differently.

But I didn't know there were people who would show such hostility toward someone else's business.

If I really get caught, things will get annoying.

"So be careful. You know best how scary it is when a fellow S-Class turns into an enemy."

"Well. I wonder if there's any S-Class who can beat me at this point."

"Hey."

"I'm serious. That dungeon where the Break happened near our house a long time ago. You haven't forgotten what rank that was, right?"

Jin-seong Hyung nodded.

Come to think of it, that Hyung awakened back then too.

That day when the Dungeon Break happened and Kang Tae-woo almost lost his life.

He unluckily got swept up in high-concentration mana and almost died, but miraculously awakened with a body sensitive to mana.

"I can say this with certainty. The ability within me has become so powerful that no one can catch up anymore."

"Is that so."

"Yes. So you don't need to worry. There is no Hunter in the country who can beat me yet."

I unclasped my hands resting neatly on my lap and spoke while looking around.

Because I was relaxing without restraining myself, miscellaneous items placed here and there were floating around me, lifted by the telekinesis flowing freely.

Even the cup containing the drink Jin-seong Hyung was drinking.

"Even if I have retired."

"Still, it's a bit of a shame. Twenty is an age where you can still be fully active."

"But it's also a regrettable time to spend just smashing dungeons."

When Jin-seong Hyung grabbed the drink cup, the acting telekinesis released, helping the cup settle naturally into his hand.

He looked at the cup, from which not a single drop had spilled despite floating tilted in the air, with a strange gaze, and countered my words.

"Many people are still struggling to break Gates, dedicating their youth. You know that to..."

"Oppa."

But I purposely cut off Jin-seong Hyung's words.

My mouth was smiling at him, but my eyes showed discomfort regarding this topic.

Seeing my expression, Jin-seong Hyung stopped talking.

"Even if I know, my choice won't change."

"..."

"Although I am a transitional Hunter, you remember how I went around smashing dungeons like that in high school as a 1st Generation Hunter, even before the current Association system was stabilized, seeing all sorts of dirty things, right?"

"I do."

"Even if people bullshit about running away or whatever, my choice doesn't change. 3 years of high school, 1 year of middle school (9th grade), and 1 year this year."

Jin-seong Hyung probably wasn't sent by the Association.

It was likely just words out of pure worry for me.

But I didn't like that kind of worry from Hyung.

"It's been almost 5 years. Nowadays, Hunters complain. They say the schedule is tight because there are few Hunters, the state doesn't provide much support, and everything revolves around high-ranking Hunters."

"Yeah."

"But the 1st Generation had to clash desperately against the reality right in front of our eyes without an Association, without strategy guides, and without schedules. Especially me, starting from the very young age of 15 (3rd year of middle school), when I should have been mingling and playing with friends."

"..."

"I know what you're worried about. But I think I've fulfilled my duty as a 1st Generation Hunter with this much. My name just wasn't known, but at that young age, as Korea's second S-Class Hunter, I always stood at the forefront, and due to my destructive tendencies back then, I fought almost alone."

I gently held the hand of Jin-wook, who was listening to the conversation between me and Jin-seong Hyung with an uncomfortable expression from the side.

The hand that held the pitiful, young Hwang Eun-ha so she could endure, even as she was covered in monster blood and hurting while remembering the comrades she couldn't protect.

"That's why I ignored the Association's deployment requests over and over again and finally quit. I don't want to live as Hunter Hwang Eun-ha anymore."

"...Seems you've thought about it a lot."

"I know. That Korea still needs S-Class Hunters. But I want to step out from among those S-Class Hunters now."

How many more times will I have to say this?

After speaking to Jin-seong Hyung, I melted into Jin-wook's arms—the arms that hugged me whenever I had a hard time in my childhood.

Actually, my heavy psychological dependence on Jin-wook was, in a way, a remnant of my Hunter days.

Even if they were comrades, many approached me seeing me as a woman rather than a comrade because of my physically mature appearance.

Amidst that, he was the only person who stayed by my side as a friend I could lean on, not seeing me as a woman.

"As you saw earlier, I want to have time to compensate Jin-wook for everything, since he gave up so much of his time for me."

"That's not dating, right?"

"Eyy. How can I date? We've already seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of each other. Earlier was really a misunderstanding, and I like this relationship as it is now."

I said that and yawned long.

Come to think of it, today was hectic all day.

In the afternoon, a girl I'd never seen before came and cried her eyes out, and now Jin-seong Hyung came at such a timing.

"Fine, if you say so, then it must be so. Even if he's a man, he wouldn't be able to force an S-Class Hunter anyway."

"I'm glad you understand."

"Though you look a bit too close for friends... Ah, right!"

While talking, Jin-seong Hyung snapped his fingers as if he remembered something, rummaged through his phone, and continued, "Ah, here it is."

"Your younger sibling said they said something wrong to a girl at the same school, and if she suffered any damage because of it, to please tell her sorry."

"Eh?"

"Do you know anything about this? But why didn't this kid tell their Noona (Older sister) directly?"

...That's probably because neither she nor I have each other's number.

Anyway, I think I roughly know how So-hee found me now.

"We just don't talk about it, but my relationship with my sibling is super awkward, you know."

"...Really? If I had such a pretty Noona, I'd treat her well."

"Ugh, vomit."

"Jin-wook-ah, do you want to get hit by Hyung for the first time in a while?"

Hmm.

Since tomorrow is the weekend anyway, the thought of visiting home naturally occurred to me.

I think I should meet my sibling and hear what happened.

'Although I don't really want to go to that countryside.'

I sat up from Jin-wook's leg, which I was using as a pillow.

When Jin-wook and Jin-seong Hyung asked, "What, where are you going?", I looked at Jin-seong Hyung with sparkling eyes and asked cautiously.

"Oppa, do you have a schedule tomorrow?"

"Why."

"Do you, or do you not."

"I'm asking why."

"Just tell me quickly..."

"I don't, but..."

When I smiled mischievously at Jin-seong Hyung, who answered reluctantly.

Hyung looked at me with a somewhat ominous expression.

...It's not like I'm asking for something impossible.

"Then, could you give me a ride to my main house (parents' home)?"