S-Rank Healer Gets Kidnapped First Chapter 11

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(Airport photo)

Upvotes: 306 Downvotes: 84

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[Comments]

Anonymous 1: What is this? Wasn’t he sent overseas for work because of that incident before?

└ Anonymous 2: You think he’s gonna work forever? He must’ve finished and come back.

└ Anonymous 1: I guess so. At this rate, it looks like he went there just to get healed and came back; I thought he’d at least handle some business while he was there;;

Anonymous 3: What? Someone please enlighten me.

Anonymous 4: (Zoomed-in photo of his hat) Holy crap, if you look between the gaps in the hat, it looks like silver hair. I think it’s him? Silver hair that color is pretty rare.

└ Anonymous 4: What are you guys doing? You analysis freaks, someone extracts the color code already and runs an analysis.

└ Anonymous 5: Phones may be crazy good these days, but if you zoom in this much, the colors just get smeared;;

└ Anonymous 6: Is it okay to zoom in on stuff like this? Reporting you for being a pervert.

└ Anonymous 4: Aww, just let me take one look.

Anonymous 7: Did something happen in Korea? Why is he back already?

└ OP: I wonder if a dungeon signal came up?

└ Anonymous 7: If there were a signal, they’d tell ordinary civilians to evacuate too. And besides, why would they need him?

└ OP: Ohhh!

Anonymous 8: Whatever. My little sister is a Han Seongwoo fan, so if another dungeon pops up, she’s gonna throw a fit about going there again.

└ OP: Ah…I used initials to avoid getting caught, so why is this happening.

└ OP: And that guild has more than one notable person. There are plenty of guys like him.

└ Anonymous 8: When you say Baekyang, you mean Na Ye-ri.

└ OP: You’re an otaku yourself, so why are you giving your little sister crap about it;;

Anonymous 9: Taking airport photos like this is an invasion of privacy. Delete it before the post gets taken down.

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[This post has been deleted.]

 

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I checked once again to make sure God’s Protection was properly activated before opening the door.

Creak.

The hinges were well-maintained and shouldn’t have made a sound, but somehow, only at moments like this, they always seemed to produce some creepy noise.

I blamed the ominous sound for unnecessarily raising my sense of danger and peeked through the gap.

It was barely wide enough for me to see through with one eye.

‘It may reflect 100% of attacks, but I don’t know exactly how far that protection extends, so I’d better be careful.’

I gave a short, incredulous laugh at myself for doubting the skill.

My mindset was still that of a B-ranker, after all. What good was becoming S-rank if I was still thinking like this?

The view outside was limited. I could see the food cart, but I couldn’t see the person who had brought it.

“Still, if I can see the cart, shouldn’t I at least be able to see the person’s silhouette? Definitely suspicious—”

“Hostage, you’re hurting my feelings by saying that.”

…Huh?

It was definitely a man’s voice.

But it had come from a strange direction.

‘Behind me?’

Even though I dreaded the possibility, I slowly turned my head. The tension made every movement feel stiff and jerky. Even to myself, I felt like a rusty robot creaking its way around.

“Gasp!”

I’d desperately hoped it wouldn’t be true, but that hope immediately shattered.

Standing behind me was someone.

They say that when you’re too shocked, you can’t even scream.

That was exactly what happened.

“H-How did you get in here…?”

The man blinked thoughtfully at my question.

“Don’t you know who I am?”

“…No.”

“Hmm.”

He made a brief humming sound before continuing as if talking to himself.

“I didn’t know the hostage was a healer.”

How did he figure out what I was from just that brief exchange?

I belatedly assumed a defensive stance.

The man looked me over before speaking.

“I thought the hostage would be completely intimidated, but apparently not.”

“……”

“Maybe they treated you well because you’re a healer.”

“……”

“But still… no way. That Master?”

He continued talking to himself.

More importantly, the man didn’t seem to have even the slightest intention of attacking me.

His face wasn’t familiar, so he didn’t seem to be from the Association. But just in case, I didn’t deactivate God’s Protection.

At least I’d secured a minimum level of safety. While the man continued muttering, I slowly examined him.

His silver hair was as white as snow, and beneath it were sharp, well-defined features. His mysterious violet eyes stood out vividly against his pale hair.

His expression was cold. Even when he smiled, it looked as though he were mocking someone.

‘He’s handsome, but given the situation, he’s kind of scary….’

By the time I’d finished observing the man in front of me, he seemed to have finished his own assessment of me as well, because our eyes met.

“Judging by how well they’re treating you, do they intend to sign a contract with you?”

“Huh?”

“They don’t normally treat new recruits this well, but healers are valuable assets.”

Had Cha Seohae not told him anything?

He skipped even introducing himself and immediately started talking about contracts and new recruits. That made it seem like he had a fairly prominent position within the guild.

If so, he was probably an active hunter with a fairly high rank.

‘Or maybe he’s just got the same celebrity disease as the other hunters.’

Whatever the case, the fact that he was called Cha Seohae Master confirmed that he was definitely a member of Baekyang Guild.

“…If you want an answer from me, tell me your name first.”

“Huh?”

Perhaps amused by how bold that answer was for someone in the position of a hostage, he chuckled softly, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared.

I still didn’t know exactly how effective God’s Protection was, and although this man showed no intention of attacking me, I could still feel that he was wary of me.

His tone was friendly, but there was a chilly atmosphere surrounding him. Almost as though he intended to crush me with nothing but his presence.

‘Now I finally feel like I’m actually a hostage. But if I look too meek at first, even after I join the guild, things might not be any different from the Association. And I definitely don’t want that.’

Our pointless standoff continued.

The man was the first to break the silence.

“My name is Han Seongwoo.”

It was a simple introduction.

He’d only told me his name, but that alone was enough for me to know what kind of person he was.

‘Han Seongwoo?’

I’d heard that name almost as often as Cha Seohae’s.

One of Baekyang Guild’s vice masters, he was famous for his incredible agility and mastery of concealed weapons.

His attack speed was exceptionally fast, and he was known for being difficult to fight one-on-one because of how stealthy he was.

Well, no one wanted to be knocked down before they even had a chance to properly attack.

‘Is this what the pressure of an S-rank feels like when they actually let it out? And maybe the chilliness is because he’s an assassin-class hunter.’

A hunter’s class was practically an indicator of how they fought.

That’s why, when guilds fought against each other or held PVP-style training, identifying the opponent’s class was one of the basic rules.

“Do you think you’re ready to answer whether you’re signing the contract now?”

He demanded an answer again before I’d even had a chance to think.

It would come out soon enough anyway.

I nodded.

“You brought me a meal yourself. Didn’t you already know everything?”

He was a vice master. I didn’t know why he was doing something that Childuk had offered to do, but there was no way they would serve a feast to a mere hostage.

‘And if he’s also S-rank, he’d be able to see this shield too.’

I examined the edge of the transparent barrier.

There was a faint boundary line there. An S-rank hunter like him should have noticed it immediately.

“Pfft!”

Han Seongwoo stared at me for a moment before lowering his head, apparently unable to hold back his laughter.

Then—

“Hahaha! You’re exactly like Childuk described!”

I frowned at him as he laughed in a situation where laughter seemed completely inappropriate.

‘Why is he suddenly laughing? What did Childuk tell him?’

After laughing for quite a while, Han Seongwoo finally straightened up.

“Childuk said he’s someone worth trusting, so if you were thinking about switching sides, I should snatch you up quickly.”

“…Huh? He said that?”

I called him Childuk comfortably in my head, but I still felt awkward saying his name aloud.

Han Seongwoo laughed loudly again as if that were particularly amusing.

“Haha! Why do you call Childuk that? You spoke casually to me just fine. What a strange person.”

Who was he calling strange?

He was making his point while smiling subtly. As if I wouldn’t understand unless he spelled it out.

I stared at Han Seongwoo suspiciously.

Still, seeing him laugh so openly was unexpected.

‘I’d heard people say he was creepy and that they didn’t want to get close to him. Maybe his abilities caused people to misunderstand him. Looking at him now, he doesn’t seem much different from anyone else.’

Someone who openly showed his thoughts like that didn’t seem like the type to act so gloomy that people would find him unsettling.

That made the members of the First Team who’d treated me like that even more unpleasant by comparison.

‘Maybe they just got their asses kicked while raiding together.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly and fell silent.

Come to think of it, without realizing it, I’d started rating the people from Baekyang Guild more favorably.

Is this the danger of comparing people to each other?

‘Speaking of which, I’m hungry.’

Now that the tension had eased, I suddenly felt hollow inside.

I’d kept God’s Protection active because of this man, so I’d used up even more energy.

I quickly deactivated it.

‘After I eat, I should go somewhere like the training grounds and test it out. But for that, Cha Seohae needs to wake up soon.’

Han Seongwoo turned his body after watching the shield disappear.

Apparently, he’d finally remembered the food.

“We shouldn’t be laughing right now. You should eat, right? I heard you haven’t eaten anything since you came to the guild.”

“……”

“Sorry. So stop looking at me like you think I did it on purpose.”

Once I realized how hungry I was, my nerves became sharper. It was honestly impressive that I’d managed to keep my composure this long.

“…Are you very hungry?”

Han Seongwoo suddenly flinched.

Following his gaze downward, I realized that I was somehow gripping his clothes.

“Oops.”

I could suppress my words, but apparently I couldn’t suppress my actions.

I loosened my grip, making it obvious that I wanted him to hand over the food already.

“Wait. The food is right outside, so… huh?”

What now?

I turned my head at the sound of his startled voice.

I wasn’t afraid that someone else might be there.

I was more afraid that something would happen and I’d have to wait even longer for my meal.

Please, let it be nothing.

My tension disappeared the moment I realized who had startled Han Seongwoo.

“Cha Seohae?”

“Master?”

We both said the same person’s name at the same time.

“When did you get here?”

The person I’d just been thinking about had appeared.

The question slipped out of my mouth without hesitation because I was so surprised.

He was as stealthy as an assassin.

Did he deliberately suppress his presence?

He moved around his own building like it was an inconvenience.

‘And what’s with this atmosphere?’

He’d slept soundly, so what was he unhappy about?

He looked so expressionless that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had teased me mischievously in the car.

Maybe he was putting on a serious front because one of his vice masters was here.

‘Still, if it’s Cha Seohae, at least I’ll be able to eat.’

Without thinking too much about it, I walked past Han Seongwoo.

I had reached the limit of my patience waiting for someone who had apparently forgotten about my hunger the moment his own concerns disappeared.

I looked at the man blocking the doorway.

“Move.”

Cha Seohae merely tilted his head to the side instead of moving.

“You slept well. So what’s wrong with you?”

“I came here because of that.”

“Let’s do it later. I’m hungry. I need to get my food.”

I waved my hand impatiently, and he shifted his body at an angle.

“Why haven’t you fed the kid yet?”

“That’s what I’m saying…. The cart is here, though.”

Apparently, Cha Seohae wasn’t the only one who’d arrived.

Childuk’s voice came from the hallway.

“Good grief. It’s all cold.”

His voice was accompanied by the sound of him lifting the cloth covering the cart.

Cha Seohae let out a low sigh when he heard it.

“Han Seongwoo.”

His voice was as low as his sigh, but cold enough to make me even react even though he hadn’t called my name.

His eyes were no less frightening. The icy look in them openly rebuked Han Seongwoo.

‘Wait, why am I getting nervous? I haven’t even signed the contract yet.’

No.

Until the contract was signed, I was still technically a hostage.

Maybe I should be more careful.

While I was repeatedly debating this in my head, Childuk said, “Since it’s all cold, I’ll bring a fresh one!” and disappeared.

He looked as though he were running away.

‘Take me with you…!’

With Childuk gone, the room fell into an even heavier silence.

The atmosphere between the two men was so heavy that I wondered if they really were supposed to be a master and vice master.

“You didn’t hear the report from Childuk? I even went to see a face I didn’t want to see and handled your work for you, so why are you looking at me like that?”

Once again, Han Seongwoo was the first to speak.

But despite Han Seongwoo’s attempt to ease the situation, Cha Seohae’s cold expression remained unchanged.

‘Could it be that Han Seongwoo is bad at his job? Maybe that’s it…. That’s why Cha Seohae came looking for him after waking up. Wait. Hold on. I’m screwed. Maybe he’s angry because I put him to sleep without permission and caused him to miss something important….’

I nervously watched the two of them face off.

“I never asked you to do it.”

“That’s harsh. Are you really going to keep glaring at me? It’s been a long time since you’ve even seen one of your guild members.”

Han Seongwoo replied calmly, then continued without even waiting for Cha Seohae’s answer.

“I’ve got one question for you too. Even Na Yeri didn’t know we were recruiting a new guild member. What are you going to do if you just act on your own without consulting us? You weren’t like this before.”

How many problems have I caused just by being here…?

I’d been trying to quietly blend into the background, only to end up on the chopping block.

I was so anxious I could barely sit still.

I glared hard at Han Seongwoo to make it clear that none of this was my fault.

‘Wait. Isn’t it safer to take Cha Seohae’s side rather than his?’

I switched sides as quickly as a bat.

When I looked at Cha Seohae, I realized that he’d been looking at me for some time.

More precisely—

He was staring somewhere around my arm.