<Episode 16>
‘They’re all just believing ridiculous rumors and looking at him with those uncomfortable eyes.’
Anyone seeing this would think Hunter Lee Hyunwoo was some kind of monster. The shop owner, earlier, the people too… they were seriously awful.
Standing there all alone, he somehow looked a little lonely, so I quickly strode over and stood beside him. Maybe because I approached so suddenly, he stared at me for a moment.
“…You were the one telling us to hurry. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk again.
‘Is he in a good mood?’
Even though the people’s stares hadn’t changed at all, he somehow seemed lighter. Maybe he was excited because he came to the Hunter Market.
Bzzzzzz.
“…Hm.”
“What is it? Is the Director calling?”
Hearing the vibration, Kang Min Hunter tilted his head.
“Yeah. I should go ahead first.”
After checking the alert on his watch, Lee Hyunwoo Hunter disappeared almost instantly.
“Hunter Lee Hyunwoo doesn’t buy items? He came all the way here….”
“The leader’s never really interested in items. His own body is already S-rank, after all. And he absolutely hates crowded places, so the fact that he even came here today is basically a miracle. A miracle.”
Then why did he come today? I shook my head while thinking about the shopping bag stuffed full of items.
No way… surely he didn’t come here because of me?
“Noona! Hurry over here! I found an item I want!”
“I’m buying this one.”
“What?! I was gonna buy that too! That’s cheating!”
“I picked it up first. Go choose something else.”
Pushing aside my thoughts, I walked over to the two who were already bickering again. Somehow, the way they growled over a single item made them look like siblings.
‘Kind of like a childish older brother and a top-of-the-class younger sister?’
I smiled inwardly at the silly thought.
“You wanna fight over it for real?!”
“Hah, you can’t beat me anyway.”
“Oh? Why, you little…!”
As the atmosphere between them became dangerous, the shop owner hurried out from the storage room carrying something.
“There’s another one here! Please don’t fight!”
Thankfully, there was another similar item, so the two stopped arguing, and each got the item they wanted.
***
“Noona, how was the Hunter Market? It was super fun, right?”
“Yeah. It was more fun than I expected. There were a lot of people too.”
“Right? There are so many items, so it’s fun just looking around!”
After finishing our shopping spree, we visited a nearby café. I ordered iced tea, Hunter Suhyeon ordered sparkling water, and Kang Min Hunter ordered an americano with five extra espresso shots.
Wouldn’t that taste unbearably bitter? Kang Min Hunter sucked noisily through his straw and slumped his shoulders.
“…It doesn’t taste like anything.”
“Ugh, you still haven’t given up? Just drink plain water.”
“What if one day I can taste it again?!”
Making a pouty expression, Kang Min Hunter chugged his americano dramatically.
“What’s so good about Americanos anyway….”
Hunter Suhyeon grumbled while watching him.
As someone who considered iced Americanos the modern human’s potion, I nodded sympathetically. Not being able to taste that bitter, refreshing flavor sounded tragic.
“Come to think of it, neither of you has tried our shop’s bungeoppang yet, right? If you visit next time, I’ll give you some as a gift.”
“Whoa! I’ve seriously been so curious! Can awakened people really taste it? If Ria noona said it was delicious, then I guess it works even on A-ranks? I’m so excited! When should I come?”
“…Haha, just let me know beforehand.”
I subtly avoided his barrage of questions. Kang Min Hunter was great and all, but he really talked a lot….
Thankfully, Hunter Suhyeon stepped in from the side.
“Why do you talk so much? Unnie obviously hates it.”
“Noona, do I really talk that much? I don’t, right? Everyone always said I was cute.”
“Ah, well…. It’s okay.”
Making a flower pose under his chin and even winking, Kang Min Hunter truly was a born idol. Having no immunity whatsoever to this kind of idol-style aegyo, I could only nod awkwardly.
At that moment, the café entrance suddenly became noisy.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“No way!!”
Turning around, I saw someone entering the café surrounded by a crowd of people.
Countless cameras and even bodyguards. At a glance, they looked like a broadcasting crew.
‘Who is that? Someone famous?’
I craned my neck to try to see, but too many people were gathered around to make out any faces. Still, the screams around me made it easy enough to guess.
“Kyaa! Is that really BeYou?!”
“They have a performance nearby!”
“Oh my god… I seriously love them!!”
BeYou… the very group Kang Min Hunter used to belong to before his awakening.
Even he looked flustered, like he hadn’t expected this situation either.
“Huh? Mina! Fancy seeing you here!”
Just as they finished ordering and were about to leave, they spotted Kang Min Hunter inside the café and happily approached him.
“Who? Oh, it’s really Min!”
“What are the odds of running into you here? Seriously wild.”
“Ah! You must’ve come to look at items at the Hunter Market.”
Kang Min Hunter, who had been quietly stirring his coffee, broke into a bright smile.
“I seriously didn’t expect to see you here! Did you come for filming?”
“Yeah. We’ve got a performance nearby today, so we’re shooting some behind-the-scenes stuff too.”
“The new song this time is really good. The lyrics are super catchy too.”
At Kang Min Hunter’s words, the BeYou members exchanged glances before grabbing his arm.
“Then hyuuung, can’t you film the challenge with us?”
“A challenge?”
“Yeah!!! The full-member version! Just once, pleeease?”
Kang Min Hunter looked troubled as he said, “Right now? Here?”
Even though he was a former member who had to leave the group because of his awakening, it seemed they still got along pretty well.
“Ah, hold on.”
At that moment, Kang Min Hunter suddenly checked his watch. The moment he read the message, his brows drooped.
“Oh no. What should I do? I have to head back now….”
Who could stop an A-rank hunter who said they had to leave because of an urgent call?
The members all looked disappointed, but none of them could bring themselves to ask him to stay.
“This sucks…. We finally got to see Hyung after so long!”
“Well, Min Hyung’s an A-rank hunter, so it can’t be helped. Let’s definitely film together next time!”
“Hyung, I’ll contact you later!”
Kang Min Hunter also looked genuinely disappointed as he pretended to cry and waved his hand dramatically.
It would’ve been awkward for only us to remain in the café, so Hunter Suhyeon and I followed him out as well.
“Of all places to run into them….”
Once we got farther away from the crowd, Kang Min Hunter muttered quietly. Unlike before, he seemed down.
I carefully observed him while walking behind.
‘His watch didn’t seem to vibrate, though….’
Maybe I’d seen wrong, but the hunter watch on his wrist had looked silent the whole time.
Had he lied? Why?
I stared at his broad back as he walked ahead, when suddenly he turned toward me.
“Noona! My members are seriously handsome, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes??”
“The BeYou members! Don’t tell me you don’t know them? They’re insanely famous! Their global popularity is no joke either.”
“Of course, I know BeYou.”
He looked upset earlier… was I imagining things?
Already back to his usual self, Kang Min Hunter pulled out his phone and started explaining each member one by one.
This one was a great dancer, that one was good at foreign languages….
“Ah, things were really fun back then….”
After enthusiastically talking for a while, he shrugged.
Come to think of it, I’d heard that Kang Min Hunter debuted as an idol, but after awakening, he was forced to leave the team.
‘Does he still regret giving up idol activities?’
Most people described awakening and becoming a hunter as winning the lottery. They’d shout, “I’m finally free from this awful job!” toss down their resignation letter, and join the Management Bureau.
But what about Kang Min Hunter? Did he really want to quit being an idol and become a hunter?
“Hunter Kang Min, are you okay?”
“Me? Ah, because I suddenly have to head back? It’s disappointing, but it can’t be helped!”
He shrugged again.
“Still, if I filmed the challenge, the views would totally explode. That’s probably why they’re all so disappointed too. I used to have a ton of fans, you know? Hehe!”
He let out a playful laugh.
But somehow, that smile didn’t look genuine at all.
At that moment…
Ding!
A familiar blue window appeared over his smiling face. It was the mission window I had also seen with Hunter Ria.
—
MISSION
: Beneath the Hollow Flame
Unlock a special effect for a hunter who has lost their burning passion.
-Target: Kang Min
-Condition (Danger): Stress, anxiety, emptiness
-Required Materials: 200g of Bubble Rock Powder
Reward: 1,000P
Failure: Unable to unlock special effect (Permanent)
—
‘…Stress, anxiety, emptiness.’
The Kang Min Hunter standing before me looked like the furthest thing from depression.
If I hadn’t seen the look on his face earlier, I might have doubted the mission window itself.
But the smile he wore now looked somehow fragile.
Like it would shatter if someone so much as touched it.
Comments (0)