Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 152

148. I Missed and Hated You

 

“Huh? No. That’s not it.”

 

Along with a coughing sound, Uncle Junsoo almost threw up the iced chocolate he was drinking.

 

It’s good to see that the S-Class hunter’s body is in good shape, as his blood sugar level doesn’t rise even though he drinks iced chocolate like that. 

 

“The love rival I am talking about is the rival over you.”

 

“Yes…?” 

 

“Han Minhyuk considered you like his daughter. No, actually we all did.” 

 

Even though it was short, those two sentences contained the passage of time

 

Aunts and Uncles treated me like real family.

 

Even though I’m their colleague’s daughter, in the end, I’m just a stranger—

 

During the school vacation, I used to do my homework at Aunt Misoon’s workshop. 

 

During the holidays, I made dumplings and songpyeon with the twins at Uncle Junsoo’s house. 

 

I was able to attend school without lacking anything while living in a separate building that Uncle Minhyuk gave me.

 

“But is that a reason for Dad and Uncle Minhyuk to become rivals?” 

 

“Doesn’t it feel like someone is trying to snatch away what you’ve cherished and raised so dearly?”

 

….? 

 

Yes? 

 

While looking at the playful face of Uncle Junsoo, I soon realized that this was just a joke. Uncle Junsoo chuckled before saying 

 

“Perhaps there might be something more between the two. During the 15 years when Lee Semyung disappeared, Han Minhyuk missed and hated Lee Semyung more than anyone else.” 

 

He missed and hated him… 

 

Whenever Dad’s name came up, I recalled Uncle Minhyuk’s face, which quickly hardened.

 

At the time, I thought it was just because he was worried about me, but maybe there was another reason?

 

“Han Minhyuk said we should all die together, but Lee Semyung insisted on entering the EX-Class dungeon alone.” 

 

The reason may be because Dad is a regressor who saw the future. 

 

It’s highly likely that Dad either believed he could handle the EX-Class hidden dungeon alone or thought that other S-Class hunters, like Heeyoung, had more important tasks to attend to. 

 

‘I need to confirm the details with Dad.’

 

I couldn’t ask many questions until now because I was worried about Dad’s physical condition. 

 

“Anyway… don’t worry too much.”

 

Uncle Junsoo saw my expression becoming serious and said. 

 

“Even if grown-ups are at odds with each other, how far can it really go? Hwang Misoon and Heeyoung have been drinking a lot lately too, haven’t they?”

 

“It seems like they’re always drinking and fighting.”

 

I said this, recalling the video posted yesterday where S-Class Hwang Misoon and S-Class Moon Heeyoung almost broke a streetlight on the street in Tongin-dong. 

 

“…Right?”

 

Uncle Junsoo’s answer was quite irresponsible. However, his response also served as a hint of its own.

 

It’s said that Aunt Heeyoung and Aunt Misoon have reconciled…

 

* * *

 

“You want me to help you look at real estate?”

 

So, I decided to meet Aunt Heeyoung, who happened to be in Korea.

 

The excuse was perfect too.

 

Real estate sale.

 

I heard that Aunt used to be a law school student and was preparing to become a lawyer. 

 

If she knew about the law, wouldn’t she also know a lot about real estate law?

 

Moreover, Aunt Heeyoung has been a landowner since before her awakening as a successor to a wealthy family, so she likely has a keen eye for real estate. 

 

…That is, of course, an excuse.

 

I will listen to the story of how she reconciled with Aunt Misoon, who was an old friend but grew distant due to a misunderstanding, and also explore what the past relationship was like between Dad and Uncle Minhyuk. 

 

“You must have given some thought to the location, right?”

 

“Yes. Here and here.” 

 

There were two places I took pictures. 

 

One was an apartment complex known for being popular among celebrities, and the other was a villa with easy access to the Han River road.

 

The advantages of both were good privacy and easy access by car.

 

Both prices were high, but even after calculating taxes, it was more than enough for my current budget.

 

This is all thanks to the World Hunter Federation’s generous pricing of EX-Class by-products. 

 

“They both look good. Which one does Semyung prefer among the two?”

 

“That’s…” 

 

Dad didn’t seem to approve of buying an apartment in Seoul.

 

He said he wanted to buy an apartment in Jeongcheon-gun, about two hours from Seoul, which I was against. This is because there are no apartments or villas in Jeongcheon-gun that have this level of privacy.

 

Just looking at Yeongchun-myeon, there was already an uproar with signs posted saying that S-Class hunters were coming and going, but if Dad lived in Jeongcheon-gun—

 

‘Aren’t they going to put up a signboard and promote it in Jeongcheon-gun too!’

 

If they advertise that an S-Class hunter lives there, the number of tourists will increase. As a resident of Ganju-gun, that’s absolutely unacceptable! We can’t allow it!”

 

However, it is more burdensome for Dad to live in Ganju-gun, and since I often work in Seoul, it is convenient for me to have a house in Seoul.

 

Therefore, Dad’s opinion is dismissed. 

 

– You’re quite firm in your opinion, our daughter.

 

‘Will you understand?’

 

– Just now, you were thinking, ‘Actually, it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. This is something I’m doing with my own money,’ right? 

 

‘….’

 

– Okay, well, as long as you come up often? Dad can’t afford the rising apartment prices over the past 15 years. Haha.

 

Dad also understood my opinion. In the process, he even surprised me by reading my inner thoughts. 

 

“Hmm, I see. I understand what you mean. In this situation, the opinions of Lee Semyung are not important.” 

 

Aunt smiled with an expression of understanding. Then she opened the passenger seat door for me and even helped me fasten the seatbelt. 

 

It’s truly a ‘baby’ treat.

 

“As expected, Junghyo beats Semyung. I feel like Junghyo will grow into an EX-Class hunter someday.”

 

“Physically, I can’t beat him.”

 

“You don’t have to physically fight and win against hunters of the same level to increase your hunter ranking, right? Moreover, you are the person responsible for clearing the EX-Class dungeon.” 

 

“That’s Dad. Because Dad defeated the final boss.” 

 

“Well… but Semyung said something different?” 

 

“Did you talk to Dad?” 

 

“Of course. We met in America.”

 

Aunt, who was driving, narrowed her eyes sharply. 

 

Aunt glanced at the rearview mirror with an expression of interest before turning the steering wheel.

 

“….?!” 

 

My body was tilted to one side.

 

Kiiik! The sharp friction sound of the wheel and the asphalt reverberated loudly.

 

Especially a sports car with a low body. 

 

With the sound of popcorn popping, Aunt’s car started speeding down the road. 

 

The navigation warned about traffic violations several times, but Aunt continued to press on the accelerator without heeding the warnings.

 

“Aunt?! It’s too fast!”

 

“Mhm. I’m going to go a little faster.”

 

Aunt raced at an unreasonable speed towards the next traffic signal, entering the highway ramp that led to the interchange. Only then did I look in the rearview mirror.

 

In the rearview mirror, I saw a familiar car pulling at the light we passed.

 

The color and design of the car seemed familiar to my eyes, probably because that car had been chasing us earlier.

 

“Who’s chasing us? Reporters?”

 

“It could be reporters, but since they’re chasing my car, they must be the guys sent by C&M, right?”

 

Aunt smiled and looked at me.

 

It was even a little creepy to see her never lose her smile even in this situation.

 

“It looks like you haven’t escaped from C&M’s surveillance yet.”

 

“Yet? Those words are not enough. They’ll probably pursue me forever. Schulze is that kind of person. Traitors will be pursued until the end.” 

 

At the end of the word traitor, Aunt’s smile faded just a little. 

 

Even after Lee Semyung returned, even after Aunt Heeyoung exposed C&M, Aunt Heeyoung was still considered a traitor by the people of South Korea. 

 

In the posts about ‘re-evaluating’ Aunt, there were always comments asking if it was true that Aunt betrayed Lee Semyung and she left Korea. 

 

She is a traitor, both in Korea and at C&M.

 

Her appetite was soured.

 

However, Aunt’s smile merely faded rather than disappeared, and in such a situation, words of comfort held no meaning. 

 

C&M chasing after Aunt was a clear threat. 

 

In a situation where the attention of the entire world is focused on Aunt, making an S-Class individual like her die or get hurt is not easy. 

 

Therefore, C&M’s actions are a petty threat containing the message, ‘We are watching you.’

 

The reason C&M can do that is because Georg Schulze, who knows how to use the power of the ‘Demon King’, is alive. 

 

“Where do you think Georg Schulze is?”

 

“I guess wherever it is, it won’t be Earth.”

 

Aunt’s answer was simple.

 

I, too, understand.

 

The space where Georg Schulze can completely escape pursuit and disappear is ‘another world.’

 

Schulze, who has high-level interpretation skills, is likely preparing to use the power of this other world.

 

It was at that moment that I felt a chill. My phone rang.

 

Choi Minji 

 

(Link)

 

Is this really you?

 

This company… Isn’t it where you used to work? It seems a bit strange…

 

When I clicked on the link Minji sent me, I found a channel with a familiar name.

 

It was the name of the company I worked for.

 

Come to think of it, I heard that they also run an educational video business here.

 

‘It’s all for the sake of the company. Junghyo-ssi, don’t you think you lack passion?’

 

I checked the title of the video, recalling the manager’s voice.

 

(Surprise camera) The daughter meets her father, whom she thought was dead… Amazing things happened after that

 

As soon as I saw the title of the video and saw my face in the thumbnail, there was only one thought that came to mind.

 

‘It’s not that surprising.’