<Episode 73>
My fingertips trembled. While the Director stepped away to make a phone call, I stared blankly at the hateful comments filling my phone screen.
– Wow, this is insane. A hunter I know is a regular there too. Seriously creepy;
– Did she keep doing business after killing people? Greedy as hell. Tsk.
– The world is terrifying these days. What on earth did they put in the food?
– Shut the place down immediately! Boycott the murderer’s shop no matter what.
It felt like my chest was being crushed.
Now I understood why the men pretending to be investigators had made such a huge scene. Everyone needed to know that an incident had happened at the shop. And on top of that, they confiscated my phone and locked me in the interrogation room so I couldn’t explain myself.
‘…I can’t just sit here and take this.’
I bit down hard on my lip and lifted my head. Tears welled up from the injustice of it all, but crying alone wouldn’t solve anything.
Just then, the Director returned with a grim expression.
“Haneul Hunter, I’ve requested corrections from the media outlets. The false articles will be taken down soon, and corrected reports will be released.”
The Director looked flustered, saying that even if she had been away on an outside schedule, it was strange for reports to have been omitted to this extent.
Someone who could use outsiders to issue fake warrants that didn’t exist, who knew the Director’s schedule in advance, and who could intercept reports before they reached her.
For some reason, I felt like I already knew who that person was.
But there was something more urgent right now.
“What about the investigator who interrogated me? We need to catch him first. There has to be someone behind this.”
He hadn’t been an employee following official procedures from the Management Bureau. Which meant that before the truth came out, he would probably try to erase his tracks first.
‘But would he still be in the Bureau?’
Considering how long I’d been held in the interrogation room, there was a good chance he’d already fled far away.
I bit my lip anxiously.
The Director smiled at me reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. I left the pursuit to people I trust.”
People she trusted? Maybe the chief secretary?
Just as I was about to ask who she meant, the Director looked out the window and let out a light whistle.
“Wow, that was fast!”
“Huh? What do you mea–”
KWAANG—!
A massive crash rang out from outside, as something had shattered.
Gasp! W-was that an explosion?
“Oops, my mistake. Sorry about that~!”
It was a familiar voice.
I hurried to the window. In front of the Management Bureau lobby, the man I’d seen in the interrogation room was slammed face-first into the ground.
And standing above him, casually dusting off his hands…
“…Hunter Kangmin?”
The people entrusted with the pursuit were Team 1 hunters?
Still dressed in his hunter gear as if he had just returned from a gate, Hunter Kangmin slammed the struggling man into the ground once more.
“Ghk! Y-you bastard! Do you know who I am?!”
“Who else? A criminal who messed with our Haneul noona.”
Hunter Kang Min grinned as he twisted the man’s arm behind his back.
Shortly after, Hunter Ria and Hunter Suhyeon arrived, dragging the other two men along.
“Phew, we’re not too late, right?”
“…Still, we caught both of them.”
Hunter Lee Hyunwoo approached with leisurely steps and swept his cold gaze over them.
Hunter Kang Min pulled a fake ID card from the man’s pocket and scoffed.
“A member of Investigation Team 4? Since when did we have someone like this? Wow, impersonation, kidnapping, intimidation too? That’s quite the list of charges.”
“T-this is a misunder– AAGH!”
“You can make excuses in prison. Plenty of people there will listen.”
After that, things moved quickly.
The security team rushed over, restrained them, and dragged them away somewhere.
Only then did the strength leave my legs, and I slowly collapsed to the floor.
“Haneul Hunter.”
Before I realized it, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo had climbed through the window and supported me.
“Are you alright? I apologize for being late.”
“…No. Thanks to you, the culprits were caught.”
Leaning against his solid arm, I thought everything was finally over now.
The culprits had been caught, and the truth had come out, so I thought I could return to normal life again.
But the world was crueler than I expected.
<Cause of Hunters’ Deaths Revealed as ‘Toxic Substances Inside Gate’… Unrelated to ‘Haneul’s’>
Just as the Director said, correction articles began appearing one after another.
But people’s reactions remained cold.
– Did she pay money to suppress the articles? LOL. She’s only F-rank, but maybe she really has the Director backing her?
– Nope, still don’t believe it~ How can anyone eat there after something this shady?
– Killed people and now she shamelessly wants to keep doing business haha
Our shop had already been branded as a suspicious place selling dangerous food.
No matter how much we shouted the truth, people refused to believe us.
Or maybe they simply wanted someone to tear apart.
And the next day.
When I arrived in front of the shop, I froze in place.
“What… happened here?”
The shop windows were covered in raw eggs and flour, and the entrance was smeared with red graffiti reading “Murderer” and “Shut it down.”
“…Unni.”
Ari was already there, clutching a broom with teary eyes.
Even worse, people with menacing expressions lingered around the shop. It looked like they might throw stones at me at any moment.
I grabbed Ari’s hand and led her behind the shop.
There was no way we could open the store in this condition. Not only me, but Ari and even other customers could get hurt.
I bit my lip hard and made my decision.
“Ari. Let’s close the shop for a while.”
“No! Why should we? None of this is our fault!”
“I know. But… things are too heated right now. If we keep the shop open, we could all get hurt.”
With trembling hands, I wrote a temporary closure notice and posted it at the entrance.
Ari stared at the shop before finally sniffing and wiping away tears.
“Ari, don’t be too sad. It’s not like our shop is closing forever, right?”
“But still… we can come back soon, right?”
“Of course. When we reopen, I’ll contact you first.”
After sending Ari home, I trudged back to the dormitory and collapsed onto the bed.
The tears I had been desperately holding back finally began falling silently.
‘…It’s so unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong.’
Knock knock.
“Haneul Hunter. It’s Lee Hyunwoo.”
At that moment, a careful knock sounded from outside.
I hurriedly wiped away my tears and opened the door.
“Ah, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo.”
“…Were you crying?”
His gaze lingered on my reddened eyes.
I forced a smile and shook my head.
“No, something just got in my eye…. More importantly, what happened to the people who were caught?”
“They are currently being interrogated. However, it seems they have something to rely on, because they aren’t speaking easily.”
“…Do you think Vice Director Park Seongcheol is behind them?”
“I believe so.”
I gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“…This is going to be a long fight.”
“But please don’t worry. I will definitely uncover the truth.”
I smiled faintly in gratitude.
“Thank you. Um, and… I think I’m going to close the shop for a while. Public opinion is too hostile right now. If I keep pushing through this, not only me but everyone around me could get hurt too.”
At my words, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo’s brows furrowed.
He fell silent for a moment as if deep in thought, then looked at me directly as though he had made up his mind.
“I see. Have you decided where you’ll stay in the meantime? This dormitory is no longer safe.”
“Huh? But every dormitory has security systems installed, doesn’t it?”
“Those are meant to stop outside intruders. The enemy targeting you is inside the Bureau.”
Come to think of it, there was no way the Bureau’s system would stop Vice Director Park Seongcheol.
Realizing this place wasn’t a safe zone sent a chill down my spine.
“You’re right. I guess I need to think about where to stay for a while….”
But I had nowhere to go immediately.
My old house had already been cleared out, and going to Shinhye’s place or a hotel wasn’t an option since my identity had become too exposed.
Watching my anxious expression, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo stepped closer.
“If it would not trouble you, how about coming to my official residence?”
“…Excuse me?”
I blinked blankly.
“My residence operates separately from the Bureau’s systems. Its security level is among the highest in the country. Since it has mostly been left unused after purchase, its location is not known to the public either.”
“B-but living together with you….”
“The house is large enough that we would hardly run into each other. There is also more than enough space for Hanyang.”
As if trying to reassure my flustered self, he continued firmly.
“The safest place for you right now would be somewhere no one else could easily predict. Like my residence.”
His eyes remained fixed steadily on me.
It wasn’t just kindness I saw there, but a heavy sense of responsibility.
“Will you trust me and come with me?”
Looking at the large hand extended toward me, I gave a small nod.
Completely unsuited to the situation, the sound of my pounding heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Comments (0)