Holy B-Class Life

#043

“Me?”

Dan Joo-hyuk raised one eyebrow crookedly, expressing doubt. He couldn’t understand Kim Sin-cheol’s words, which contained a subtle certainty.

Even today, he had spent the day like a corpse as usual. He had just endured, breathing the suffocating air.

“Yeah. I’m saying this because you’ve been looking a bit better lately. You’ve been going out more often too.”

“Ah.”

There was only one thing that came to mind. Yoon Pa-ran.

Well, Yoon Pa-ran’s skill is quite interesting.

It wasn’t a bad thing that he didn’t feel disgust towards him either. To begin with, not all S-rank hunters end up hating all humans. Each experienced symptoms in vastly different ways, and Dan Joo-hyuk was one of the more unusual ones among them.

Maybe his constitution has improved a little by now.

Dan Joo-hyuk thought lightly. In fact, as he recalled that he would enter the gate again tomorrow, he felt like the mold in his head was clearing more than before.

“Well, it’s not bad.”

“I hope it stays that way, you punk.”

Kim Sin-cheol grinned even at the casually thrown words.

Like his parents, he was someone who never rejected the brother who had suddenly dropped into his life during puberty.

“I’m going.”

“Go on.”

So there was no need to deny his words and add worry. Dan Joo-hyuk just shrugged his shoulders once and moved on.

The way back home was dark. Strangely, the sound of a dog barking kept echoing in his ears.

He suddenly wondered if Yoon Pa-ran was resting quietly as instructed.

“Well…”

After experiencing that incident, even Yoon Pa-ran, who wasn’t inclined to think much, would probably have stayed put.

Dan Joo-hyuk didn’t realize that a faint smile was brushing his lips again.

His steps towards tomorrow were a little lighter than usual.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Sir. I apologize.”

In a room so dark that even the interior scenery was barely visible. A strange atmosphere flowed there.

A sensitive hunter would realize that the ominous energy flowing here was similar to the death energy (sagi) emanating from monsters.

However, the two people here were not hunters. There was also a big difference in their attitudes.

The one who bowed and apologized was trembling so much that it was visible even in the darkness.

As if instinctively pressed down by this gloomy air.

“I’m greatly disappointed this time, Secretary Kang.”

After a long silence, a lazy voice mixed with metallic tones rang out. Secretary Kang broke out in a cold sweat down his back as he heard the voice coming from the enormous chair.

Secretary Kang, who had visited Yoon Pa-ran’s orphanage with Lim Hyun-sung, recalled what had happened over the past three weeks. His mind kept racing.

In the end, he ended up having a private audience in this room again. Would he be able to leave alive today?

“You almost ruined the grand plan. Do you understand?”

“It’s my fault for not supervising the task you entrusted me with closely. Please, have mercy…”

The old man sitting in front, Congressman Kim Tae-jun, was a very strange person. Especially considering that Secretary Kang worked as his aide during the day.

With the typical benevolent face of a politician, Kim Tae-jun spent an utterly ordinary day. Although he occasionally acted shamelessly, befitting a corrupt politician.

But when he had private meetings in this room, his face changed drastically. He exuded an aura that gave people goosebumps, as if facing an unseen monster.

Secretary Kang thought this was Kim Tae-jun’s true face. That’s why he lived without letting his guard down even during the day, but that bastard Lim Hyun-sung ruined everything.

“Mercy…”

The plan to take over the orphanage site had been in progress for quite some time.

However, until recently, it wasn’t a matter to be rushed. Originally, the plan was to slowly strangle the orphanage, thinking of it as a long-term operation.

But then, a new order came down from Kim Tae-jun recently. For quick handling of the matter, Secretary Kang recruited Lim Hyun-sung, a professional broker.

Bringing in Lim Hyun-sung was surprisingly readily approved. However, he didn’t know the guy’s greed to line his own pockets would be so great.

“This is the last time.”

“Th-thank you.”

In fact, Secretary Kang wasn’t without thoughts of getting his own share. It was common to take care of the leftovers while carrying out the work, and he didn’t think it would be difficult. However, things started to go wrong when that B-rank hunter got involved.

At the risk of being buried in the gate together, Secretary Kang unhesitatingly sold out Lim Hyun-sung. Claiming it was all because he was trying to pocket money on his own.

If he hadn’t made that preemptive move, it would have been him buried in the gate by now.

“If only we had known earlier that this area would become so important.”

Kim Tae-jun muttered to himself as if sighing. Secretary Kang, who had served him closely for a long time, realized this wasn’t a statement requiring a response and remained silent.

Sometimes Kim Tae-jun would make such cryptic remarks. As if discussing the grand plan with someone.

But, what was the grand plan again?

“Lay low for a while, then focus on securing that area again.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The faint question dissipated with Kim Tae-jun’s following words. So finely that he couldn’t even remember that something had existed there.

The chilly air of this room that filled his lungs with each breath felt particularly cold today.

“By the way. There was a guard dog over there, wasn’t there?”

“Yes. As he’s from that orphanage, he’s been acting more aggressively than expected.”

A report about the hunter named Yoon Pa-ran had already been submitted. Kim Tae-jun fell into silence again, seemingly lost in thought.

Secretary Kang still couldn’t straighten his back, crushed under the unspoken pressure.

“Help will come from Russia soon. All eyes will be on Dan Joo-hyuk, so make good use of that time.”

The words that finally fell had more than one or two puzzling aspects. He also wondered why Russia was suddenly mentioned.

However, as Kim Tae-jun often mentioned Dan Joo-hyuk, Secretary Kang hurriedly replied for now.

“Yes, sir.”

“A mere B-rank, we could just dispose of him without any repercussions…”

“Yes…”

A while later, Secretary Kang left the dark room with his back damp with sweat.

Even after returning to the bright sunlight, the chill that had seeped into his skin wouldn’t go away.

Two days passed quickly.

Yoon Pa-ran, who had rested well for once, headed towards the gate with a much refreshed face compared to two days ago. Walking purposely in the sunlight made him feel like even the last bit of fatigue was completely flying away.

In the end, he couldn’t remember where he had seen that clock. Given that he didn’t know many hunters and couldn’t get a grasp on this, it seemed like it might have been a misconception. Maybe he saw it in an advertisement somewhere.

The gate they were entering this time had formed on a hillside halfway up a mountain. It was discovered by a hiker’s report, but the resolution had been delayed because it was in such a secluded place.

“You’re here.”

Dan Joo-hyuk was sitting casually on that slope.

He looked nonchalant even though the nearby gate was glowing red. The ease flowing from his broad back created quite a dissonance with the gate’s situation.

“Yeah.”

Seeing the gate reminded him of the corpse and stone fragments he had seen recently, but he didn’t feel the chilling sensation like before.

That’s a relief. It seemed he had rested well at the right time.

Now it was time to move actively again. Just as Yoon Pa-ran loosened up his body and was about to enter the gate.

Dan Joo-hyuk, who had approached without notice, suddenly asked.

“What did you do for the past two days?”

“Well, I rested.”

Yoon Pa-ran answered in an awkward posture, having stopped midway.

Then another question came back immediately.

“What did you do while resting?”

“Why are you asking about that?”

Only then did Yoon Pa-ran straighten up and look at Dan Joo-hyuk.

After almost threatening him not to enter the gate for two days, why is he asking now?

“Just because.”

“How bland.”

“Aren’t you curious about what I did?”

Dan Joo-hyuk stood askew, looking down at Yoon Pa-ran, apparently with no intention of entering the gate yet.

Should I be curious about what this guy did?

While thinking sullenly, Yoon Pa-ran suddenly remembered that there was something he was curious about.

“What happened to that arm?”

As if he had been waiting for the question, Dan Joo-hyuk made a strange face as soon as he heard it. His expression, neither smiling nor frowning, looked just like Min-woong when he was younger.

But then Yoon Pa-ran immediately denied his own thought. How could he be reminded of angelic Min-woong by this guy?

“We identified the person.”

They found out quickly, even though it was just one arm. Finding this fact interesting, Yoon Pa-ran silently waited for the next words.

However, even after waiting for a while, Dan Joo-hyuk just stared blankly at Yoon Pa-ran.

Is he not going to tell me who it was?

“I visited a friend’s house.”

When Yoon Pa-ran stared at him blankly, another strange statement came out. He was bewildered by the contextless conversation that immediately followed the talk about the corpse.

No, more than that.

You… had a friend?