S-Rank Healer Gets Kidnapped First Chapter 42

“So, that’s all the news you brought back…?”

Park Won-joo stared at Kang Si-hyun and Jang Jeong-in, who had returned empty-handed.

“We’re sorry.”

“We have no excuse.”

Kang Si-hyun and Jang Jeong-in hurriedly bowed their heads.

The two of them had expected Park Won-joo to fly into a rage.

The day Do Ju-yeon had returned after failing to capture Moon Yeonhee—what a scene that had been.

They had been anxiously waiting for something to come flying at them.

But contrary to their expectations, Park Won-joo was quiet.

His reaction was completely different from last time.

As though he had never expected anything from them in the first place.

The two men, who were bowing their heads in apology, did not know the reason.

But Do Ju-yeon, who was standing beside them, did.

It wasn’t as if he knew everything about Park Won-joo, but he had learned his behavioral patterns to a certain extent.

Park Won-joo couldn’t control his anger whenever his predictions turned out to be wrong.

His temper was nasty enough that, like last time, someone had to bleed before things would end.

But the fact that he’s this calm means…

He had known that Kang Si-hyun and Jang Jeong-in wouldn’t be able to defeat Baekyang.

Do Ju-yeon let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

Even after raising their abilities this much and giving them information, two S-Ranks couldn’t even inflict meaningful damage on Baekyang, let alone leave them in disarray.

Meanwhile, Park Won-joo looked down at the two men with their heads bowed and smiled coldly.

“What a shame. More than half of the first team have already gone after healer Moon Yeonhee, yet none of them have succeeded.”

“……”

“It’s unfortunate, but what can we do? This is their limit, and this is the difference in ability. It seems the first team can’t even reach Baekyang’s feet.”

“…!”

The two men flinched.

Park Won-joo immediately shifted his gaze to Do Ju-yeon.

His words had been aimed at Do Ju-yeon more than the other two.

Even so, Do Ju-yeon remained completely still and calm.

Does he already know that much, or has he simply accepted reality?

Or does he have another good plan?

Park Won-joo crossed his legs beneath the desk and continued.

“Should we replace the entire first team?”

“W-Wait a moment, Chairman!”

Flustered, Kang Si-hyun interrupted Park Won-joo mid-sentence.

Normally, such a thing would have been unthinkable.

But the situation was absolutely dire.

It wasn’t important whether Park Won-joo was serious about what he had just said.

What mattered was that they had fallen out of his favor.

They could be replaced and discarded at any moment.

It could happen years from now, months from now, or even right now.

If they were going to be in such a dangerous position anyway, interrupting him during the conversation would probably earn them the lightest punishment.

“What is it, Hunter Kang Si-hyun?”

Park Won-joo asked leisurely, like a predator at the top of the food chain.

He was giving him permission to speak because he was curious about what he had to say.

Kang Si-hyun’s fingertips trembled when he realized that.

“Please give me one more chance.”

“Hmm.”

“Next time, I’ll bring you definite information. No—I’ll make sure to bring Moon Yeonhee back.”

Park Won-joo smacked his lips before answering.

“I like your determination. But if you fail again, what exactly will you do to make up for it?”

“……”

“If you keep failing one after another, I won’t be able to trust you, Hunter Kang Si-hyun. This is a matter of trust.”

Kang Si-hyun bit his lip.

“Of course, I did just say that I might replace the first team. I understand why you’re anxious. But there’s no guarantee that I can solve this situation immediately either. I was simply saying that out of frustration.”

“…Leave it to me.”

“If that’s what you want, I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Park Won-joo smiled broadly as he looked at the two men who still couldn’t raise their heads.

He looked extremely pleased, as if everything were proceeding exactly according to plan.

“Then shall I trust you one more time?”

“Thank you.”

“…Thank you.”

Jang Jeong-in was displeased with Kang Si-hyun for recklessly stepping forward.

He knew that if they did nothing, their positions would be in danger.

But how were they supposed to bring Moon Yeonhee back without even having a plan?

The two men left the chairman’s office with dark expressions.

Do Ju-yeon watched them leave and only spoke after the door closed.

“Why did you mention replacing the first team? There’s no guarantee that the next hunters will succeed like the current first team.”

Park Won-joo turned his gaze toward Do Ju-yeon.

“You and Ji-won never had to worry about this, so you may not know, but hunters are much more sensitive about ranks than you think. They desperately crave becoming stronger than they are now.”

“……”

“Of course, as someone at the top, you’ll probably never understand that desire, no matter how long you live. That’s how it is. That’s what status is, and that’s what power is.”

Do Ju-yeon stared at Park Won-joo’s vulgar smile.

Park Won-joo rubbed the corners of his mouth as he continued.

“You asked what would happen if they couldn’t become like the current first team, didn’t you? There are plenty of people who would swarm in like a pack of dogs if it meant they could raise their rank. Surely at least one of them would succeed?”

He chuckled as though he found the situation amusing.

“I can’t get rid of them right away. The tests cost an enormous amount of money, and it takes a lot of time for them to adapt to being S-Rank. We can’t afford to leave two positions open in the first team.”

Do Ju-yeon understood his intention from the fact that Park Won-joo had deliberately excluded him from that calculation.

He’s using their desperation.

He’s planning to corner those two and manipulate them.

They say that when a person is driven right to the edge of a cliff, they can unleash their ultimate strength.

But that only applies to physical strength. Their minds will be frozen under pressure. There’s no way they’ll be able to think properly…

Do Ju-yeon stopped there and looked at Park Won-joo.

Their eyes met, and Park Won-joo slowly nodded.

“Hunter Do Ju-yeon, you give the orders this time.”

“……”

“Unlike those half-S-Ranks who only imitate real S-Ranks, you’re a genuine S-Rank. You can make a more proper judgment than those two, can’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Good, good. As expected, Hunter Do Ju-yeon is the only one I can trust.”

He knew that those words contained no sincerity.

Park Won-joo liked taming strong people.

He liked them obedient and submissive.

But Do Ju-yeon had already questioned his opinion and even acted beyond his orders.

He had already fallen out of favor.

He’s only letting me off because there isn’t anyone who can replace me yet.

That was at least fortunate.

Do Ju-yeon had no intention of leaving the Association yet, either.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?”

There wasn’t a single thing about that day that felt good, from the weather to his mood.

Rain poured down so heavily that he couldn’t see even a step ahead.

The annoying distribution of healing and collection of rewards that day.

For a combination of reasons, his mood was at rock bottom.

Standing there as the heavy rain soaked his entire body, he stared down at a puddle.

Was it emptiness? Or a sense of deprivation?

As he stood there trying to sort out his emotions, Park Won-joo approached him.

“Isn’t it frustrating on top of all that? You must feel wronged. You could become even stronger. But that guy monopolizes everything, so you’re forced to remain in the same position forever.”

“……”

“Come with me. If you do, I’ll guarantee you a better position and opportunities to grow than you have now.”

“…So I can become stronger?”

Under normal circumstances, it was the kind of snake’s whisper he would neither believe nor listen to.

But there was no one better than a snake at understanding emotions buried at the very bottom of one’s heart.

“That’s right. So you can become stronger! You don’t like that guy, do you? You want to beat him, don’t you? If you trust only me, you can easily push him aside.”

“Push him aside…”

“That’s right. All the way into the abyss.”

Remembering that day, Do Ju-yeon reaffirmed his resolve.

His contract wasn’t over yet.

I haven’t even gotten close to the goal I want.

He had to endure.

He had to squeeze the maximum benefit out of the Association.

He had to use what that guy could never enjoy to become stronger.

This wasn’t an inferiority complex.

It was justified.

Because Cha Seohae had monopolized everything simply because he was the guild master.

Do Ju-yeon’s face gradually twist.

Park Won-joo saw that expression.

He had observed Do Ju-yeon for quite a long time.

It was easy for him to guess what kind of thoughts had produced that expression.

And this, too, was going exactly according to his plan.

Suppressing his sneer, Park Won-joo said,

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

“Yes.”

With that final answer, Do Ju-yeon also left the chairman’s office.

Just as he was about to return to the residence, a familiar voice came from nearby.

“Do you seriously have a brain? Did you really have to step forward there? Don’t you know how to read the room?”

“Then what was I supposed to do? Say nothing?”

“You should’ve just apologized. Then, once the chairman’s anger had subsided, you could have brought it up again.”

“Do you really think he’d wait patiently for that?”

Perhaps because the conversation with Park Won-joo had been brief, Kang Si-hyun and Jang Jeong-in were still there.

Do Ju-yeon glanced toward the chairman’s office before taking a step forward.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Oh, hyung.”

“……”

Unlike Jang Jeong-in, who greeted him familiarly, Kang Si-hyun kept his mouth tightly shut.

It makes sense that he’d be humiliated after the chairman treated him like that.

Even so, Do Ju-yeon had already figured out the situation.

He looked at Kang Si-hyun with disdain and asked,

“Have you come up with a plan for how you’re going to get out of this mess?”

“…No.”

“You don’t know anything about Moon Yeonhee’s weaknesses?”

“I wasn’t interested in her. How would I know something like that?”

Kang Si-hyun muttered as if asking why Do Ju-yeon was bothering to ask something he already knew.

Do Ju-yeon spoke coldly.

“Fix your posture. I’m busy with my own work, yet I’m trying to help you two. Is that how you treat your team leader? That’s why you’ve fallen out of the chairman’s favor.”

“What? Hyung, you’re going to help us?!”

Kang Si-hyun and Jang Jeong-in stared at Do Ju-yeon with wide eyes.

“Yeah. I was actually on my way to the residence because I thought of a way.”

“What is it? Can’t you tell us the plan right now?”

Jang Jeong-in’s expression immediately brightened as though he had found hope, and he approached Do Ju-yeon.

Do Ju-yeon looked at him and asked,

“You haven’t cleared out Moon Yeonhee’s belongings from the residence yet, have you?”

 

***

 

I was arranging the gifts I’d received as an apology around my room.

“I’ll put the bag in the closet, the lamp on the shelf, and the incense… Wow. Look at all the different kinds of incense they bought.”

I was so surprised that I could only marvel as I hurriedly unwrapped the packages.

It had been so long since I’d received this much congratulations.

I remembered the birthday parties I had when I was young, and a smile naturally appeared on my face.

As soon as I opened them, a refreshing fragrance spread throughout the room. I enjoyed the scent before putting everything in its place.

After diligently tidying everything up, I picked up the last item: a beige teddy bear.

“Where should I put this?”

I looked at the shelf and the drawer beside the bed, but both were already filled with various things.

I was wondering where to put it when I happened to notice the window.

“Should I put it there?”

I crawled across the bed on my knees and placed the stuffed bear on the windowsill.

Then I stepped back two paces and looked at it.

The white bedding, pale yellow curtains, and beige teddy bear.

Perhaps because the colors matched, they looked quite nice together.

Satisfied, I smiled and lay down on the bed.

The cozy scent of the blankets lingered at the tip of my nose.

“This is comfortable.”

A week had passed since the day we cleared the rift and strengthened the weapons.

Nothing had happened since then that worried me.

Except that Cha Seohae still hasn’t managed to get his hands on any enhancement stones?

It couldn’t be helped, since the frequency of S-Rank Gates appearing had decreased recently.

Other than that, I spent my time leisurely eating, training, and resting.

I stared at the ceiling before turning over.

“Why has the Association been so quiet?”

This wasn’t like them.

There had been no news, either on television or directly from them.

Just as I began to worry that I might be ambushed out of nowhere—

BOOM.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, I heard a rumbling sound that shook the ground.

“Was that an earthquake? But it sounded… heavier somehow.”

BOOM.

Another sound came while I was speaking.

This time, I heard it clearly.

The sound was louder than before, and I immediately sprang to my feet.

“What’s going on?”

The sound hadn’t come from inside the building, but from outside.

I hurriedly opened the window and surveyed the situation.

Fortunately, since I was on a high floor, it wasn’t difficult to get a clear view.

And when I spotted something, my mouth slowly fell open.

BOOM.

Th-that…

“What is that…?”