NOVEL NEXT chapter 235
The next day, Park Minhyuk showed up at Cha Seohu’s room right at the time they had agreed on in advance.
“Huh, why are you here so early?”
He’d thought it was lucky the door opened as soon as he rang the bell—but that thought vanished the moment he saw what Cha Seohu was holding, and Park Minhyuk’s brows furrowed.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t washed yet.”
Holding a toothbrush, with a face full of sleep and slightly disheveled hair, Cha Seohu looked utterly unprepared. When Park asked in disbelief, Seohu didn’t back down and shot back.
“There’s still forty minutes left. You said we just have to be there by eleven.”
“Forty minutes isn’t exactly enough time to shower and eat breakfast.”
“I’m not going to eat breakfast.”
That apathetic reply nearly made Park Minhyuk sigh out loud.
“Why aren’t you eating? We even had it delivered so you could eat right away.”
“I just woke up. I’m not that hungry.”
“I’ll push the exam back thirty minutes. Eat something before we go. Go wash up.”
“Jeez, you’re so nosy…”
Muttering under his breath, Cha Seohu stuck the toothbrush into his mouth.
Park Minhyuk, just pulling out his phone to call the testing center, gave him an incredulous look after hearing the grumbling.
“Take good care of that Hunter. You’re the only one he’s remotely close to here.”
The Association President’s voice from the day before echoed in his ears.
“Endure it.”
Park Minhyuk, stuck in a position where he had to follow orders from above, ground his teeth and made the call to the test center staff.
***
Park Minhyuk didn’t head to the testing facility until Cha Seohu had finished breakfast. Together, they made their way to the basement level of the building next door.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, a woman in a white lab coat greeted them.
“Long time no see, Team Leader Park.”
She gave a quick nod to Park Minhyuk, then turned to Cha Seohu with a gentle smile.
“You must be Hunter Cha Seohu? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kim Yeongeun, the manager in charge here.”
Kim Yeongeun’s friendly tone clearly aimed to ease the tension before the test. That alone made Park Minhyuk feel uneasy.
It’s just a greeting. No need to jump in yet… right?
Knowing just how abysmal Seohu’s social skills were, he couldn’t help but worry.
Whether he knew of Park’s concern or not, Seohu looked calmly at Kim Yeongeun and spoke.
“Hello. I’m in your care today.”
A clean, polite greeting. A handshake without hesitation.
And then a radiant smile spread across his face.
Seeing it, Park Minhyuk couldn’t help the subtle twitch in his fingers.
“I should be the one saying that. He’s a very special guest. Please, right this way. I’ll show you to the exam room.”
Cha Seohu followed behind her with an easy smile on his face.
Trailing them at a slight distance, Park Minhyuk furrowed his brows.
I thought he had no concept of manners.
His demeanor toward Kim Yeongeun was absurdly normal.
Wait—don’t tell me he’s only rude to me?
Why? Because I dragged him into the Association?
But didn’t he agree to that himself? He was the one who broke the law in the first place.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he felt.
“Please have a seat here.”
“Hunter Cha Seohu? This is you, correct? Before the exam, we’ll need to draw a little blood. Just a quick pinch.”
“Oh my, I’m glad to hear that~”
Even inside the exam room, Seohu immediately began chatting pleasantly with the staff.
Eyes curved into charming crescents, smooth words rolling °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° off his tongue—the staff melted under the charm offensive.
“We’ll begin the exam now. The devices are already attached, but you won’t feel any pain. Just lie still and stay comfortable. We’ll be in the room next door monitoring the results. If anything happens, just call out, okay?”
“Sure. Will do.”
After attaching sensors to his neck and both arms, Kim Yeongeun left a final reminder before stepping into the hallway with the other staff.
“Team Leader Park, you’re coming to check the results too, right? Let’s go.”
Lightly tapping Park Minhyuk’s back with her file folder, Kim Yeongeun spoke with thinly veiled excitement.
“They said he’s the world’s first triple-S-rank Awakener, so I was prepared for the worst—but he’s surprisingly calm? Not throwing a tantrum or anything. Honestly, he’s kind of cute.”
“Cu…”
Knowing what Cha Seohu was really like, Park Minhyuk failed to keep a straight face.
But there was no way he could say something like “You’re all being fooled.”
He just simmered silently.
“Calling a grown man ‘cute’ is a bit…”
“What’s wrong with that? He’s younger than us. Let’s see… eight years younger than me, so five years younger than you? Isn’t that cute?”
“……”
Which just made it even more aggravating.
He’s five years younger than me, yet he keeps casually talking down and acting like I’m beneath him.
And the fact that I keep letting him get to me is the real problem.
Just as Park Minhyuk sighed at his own useless irritation—
BEEEEEEEP!
“M-Ma’am!”
Suddenly, a piercing alarm filled the air. Startled, Kim Yeongeun ran over to the computer displaying the exam results.
“What is it?”
“Look at this! The graph…!”
Park Minhyuk quickly joined the gathering of murmuring staff to look at the monitor.
[Energy Output: 100/100]
[Sustainability: 100/100]
[Influence: 100/100]
[Responsiveness: 100/100]
[Intensity: 100/100]
Face flushed with excitement, Kim Yeongeun shouted.
“Holy shit, it’s perfect!”
This test was meant to measure the raw amount and nature of a person’s energy before using any active skill.
Usually, energy pools in the heart, and the test could check how much one had, how quickly they could react in an emergency, and how resistant they were to mismatched energy types.
Naturally, the higher the graph, the better.
Park Minhyuk remembered his own results clearly.
90, 100, 80, 80, 90.
Plenty good enough to qualify for S-rank.
Which meant Cha Seohu’s results…
“Dude, look at this—I’ve got goosebumps all over!”
Completely hyped, Kim Yeongeun grabbed the mic and pressed the call button.
“Hunter Cha Seohu? How are you feeling? Any pain?”
– “Nope. I’m totally fine.”
Cha Seohu replied casually while lying down, and Kim Yeongeun, the corners of her mouth lifted high, asked again.
“In that case, may I ask you for a favor? We have a new testing machine imported from overseas. Would you be willing to retake the test using that?”
– “Retake it?”
“Yes. There’s a very high chance you might officially become the world’s first SS-rank Hunter.”
Worried he might decline, Kim Yeongeun hurriedly added an explanation.
“The process is mostly the same. We’ll attach a few more sensors, but there’s no pain. Just lie still like before. Would that be okay? If so, we’ll begin the second test right away.”
After blinking slowly in contemplation, Cha Seohu replied in his usual unhurried tone.
– “Sure, go ahead.”
“Nice!”
Even though his answer lacked enthusiasm, Kim Yeongeun excitedly clenched her fists and ordered the staff to switch out the devices.
The other staff, their eyes gleaming just as brightly, moved with sharp coordination.
The old sensors were removed, and new ones were attached—not just to his neck and arms this time, but also to his chest and abdomen.
About an hour later, the upgraded equipment produced new results.
[Energy Output: 500/500]
[Sustainability: 450/500]
[Influence: 500/500]
[Responsiveness: 400/500]
[Intensity: 500/500]
“Wait… am I seeing this right? This is insane…”
Pushing up her glasses, Kim Yeongeun muttered in disbelief. Even Park Minhyuk, staring at the numbers, had to agree silently.
It was flawless. No one could deny it—he was undeniably SS-rank.
“It’s gonna be chaos for a while.”
Scratching her cheek, still dazed, Kim Yeongeun grabbed the mic again.
“Hunter Cha Seohu. The first test is officially complete. Thank you for agreeing to the second round—it must’ve been a hassle. The next step will be a more detailed skill analysis. Since you have three skills, it’ll take a bit longer. Would you like to take a break before we start?”
– “Yes. Is Team Leader Park Minhyuk still there by any chance?”
“…!”
Park Minhyuk’s shoulders jolted instinctively—he hadn’t expected Seohu to ask for him.
Even Kim Yeongeun looked at him in surprise.
“Yes, he’s here. Team Leader Park will escort you to the break room.”
She swiftly volunteered him, leaving no room for refusal.
Stuck with the unexpected duty, Park Minhyuk gave her a stunned look, but she ignored it completely.
“World’s first triple-skill Awakener! And SS-rank on top of that! Treat him like royalty!”
The blazing intensity in her eyes was overwhelming.
Having already been pressured by the Association President, now facing the same from Kim Yeongeun, Park Minhyuk left the room feeling utterly drained.
When he arrived next door, Cha Seohu was already removing the sensors from his body.
“You’re going to be seriously shocked once you see the report.”
“Haha, sounds like the results were pretty good?”
“Not just good! Freaking phenomenal. That perfect graph? First time I’ve ever seen one.”
“The media’s going to get wind of the results eventually. Things’ll get noisy. It always happens when a new A-rank or S-rank appears.”
“But you’re going to be announced as the very first SS-rank! That’s going to blow everything else out of the water!”
“Wow. Can’t wait.”
Through the cracked door, the chatter of the staff helping Seohu with his shirt drifted into the hallway.
They were giggling and chatting with him, while Seohu calmly responded as he buttoned up his shirt.
Watching the scene, Park Minhyuk had a sudden realization.
Cha Seohu… that guy…
His tone, expression, even his entire demeanor changed depending on who he was talking to.
It was obvious.
He’s only nice to women…
What the hell kind of person is that?
Park Minhyuk stared blankly at Seohu, who smiled sweetly only at the female staff. Just then, Seohu, done removing the devices, walked over.
“Let’s go.”