“Hey, Hyungseok.”

I had no choice but to call Hyungseok right away. I was completely at a loss about what to do starting tomorrow.

“Senior, what’s going on? At this hour? Did something urgent happen? I’m currently in the middle of a game.”

“Yeah. It’s really urgent. I think things have gotten a bit messed up.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Hearing my strong wording seemed to change Hyungseok’s reaction. He sounded like he was paying a little more attention.

“I’m in big trouble. I feel like women are just clinging to me.”

“Are you trying to show off to me right now?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m serious, it feels like they’re obsessing over me.”

“Are you teasing me?”

Hyungseok seemed to be getting more annoyed instead.

“Is there a feature of that Incubus ability that makes others mad or something?”

It seemed that all the people getting entangled with me were provoking him. It wasn’t what I wanted.

“Ugh… No. It’s not that. I think I’m complicatedly involved with three women right now.”

“No bragging allowed.”

“Ugh… But all three of these women are S-Rank Hunters.”

“Senior, can I cuss? Don’t mess with me.”

It looked like Hyungseok didn’t believe me at all. He had the attitude that I was just spouting nonsense while he was trying to play his game.

“Not helping. Damn it.”

“But one of them is Hunter Lee Sooah.”

I heard an abrupt change in his posture.

“Hunter Lee Sooah? Why? What happened? Really?”

He seemed to respond quite sensitively.

“Yeah, it’s true. Just earlier, she was in and out of my house.”

“Why?”

“Why else? That’s why I’m calling you.”

“Wait. Why would Hunter Lee Sooah go to your place? She doesn’t seem like the type.”

“Exactly… I’m in a tricky situation. The problem just keeps escalating…”

I exchanged various remarks with Hyungseok.

“So… you mean Lee Sooah, Yoo Hana, and Chae Suhyeon are obsessing over you right now?”

“Yeah…”

“…”

Hyungseok was silent.

“I think this is a huge mess? How did this happen?”

“No, I just explained everything a moment ago.”

He seemed unable to accept what he heard.

“Senior, are you an idiot?”

I suddenly threw that insult at him.

“What’s with you, you punk?”

“No, you’re behaving like a moron. Because you’re accepting this kind of situation, it feels like they’re getting more obsessive. Invest in yourself instead.”

Hyungseok spoke back with a slightly angry tone.

“Isn’t it your fault for constantly using points on those women? Instead, you should become an S-Rank quickly and, if possible, avoid using it on others. I think that’s going to be a big issue.”

He said that with quite a serious expression.

“Why?”

“Because if rumors spread, it won’t just be Lee Sooah, Yoo Hana, and Chae Suhyeon dealing with it but every S-Rank Hunter in the country will probably come after you.”

Listening to Hyungseok’s words made me think carefully about it.

‘True? Damn.’

Up until now, I hadn’t considered the future deeply at all. I had just removed the burden from Lee Sooah because she was struggling in front of me. I did the same for Yoo Hana as she was suffering… and when Chae Suhyeon got annoyed, I just decided to completely recover her.

‘Did I bring this on myself…?’

“Senior, just don’t do anything for a while. Otherwise, I really think things could get messed up.”

The conclusion Hyungseok arrived at after listening to me for about twenty minutes was this. I was the one causing trouble for myself.

“Ugh… I got it.”

I wrapped up the call with Hyungseok.

‘Did I act too foolishly?’

I never imagined that three S-Rank Hunters would cling to me within just a week, turning everything into chaos. I only focused on things in front of me, and it snowballed back like this.

‘Why did I do that…’

It was definitely ridiculous. I unconsciously wanted to act strangely.

“Hey, Baek Jihoon. Get your act together. Damn, if I don’t pull myself together, things might really go south.”

I slapped my cheeks.

*

“Ugh, damn… I nearly got caught.”

Yoo Hana, who had slipped into an alley, breathed heavily with her hand on her chest.

“Surely, I wouldn’t have caused rumors to spread, right? I hope no reporters are hovering around.”

Having come this far carefully, she felt her heart sink at the thought of being spotted by local residents and ruining everything.

“Wait, but what about Lee Sooah and Chae Suhyeon? Why are those two here? It’s absolutely absurd.”

Yoo Hana had worked herself up, preparing for this situation. No matter what, she intended to get closer to Baek Jihoon and engage in conversation to win him over, yet she ran into Lee Sooah and Chae Suhyeon.

“Baek Jihoon, who on earth are these people? Why are you hanging around with S-Rank Hunters?”

Already three, including herself, it was nonsensical.

In a world where just having one S-Rank Hunter as an acquaintance could cause a stir, Baek Jihoon had three clinging to him.

No matter how you thought about it, it was a strange situation.
“Ugh… That’s not the issue… There are too many competitors. And it’s fierce.”

For Yoo Hana, who had lived life easily up until now, the current situation was shocking. Normally, she could control things easily unless they were another S-Rank Hunter or an equally beautiful person.

But now, she found herself in competition with S-Rank Hunters.

It was an unprecedented level of difficulty.

“I can’t lose. Especially not to Lee Sooah.”

Her ancient nemesis, Lee Sooah. They had been rivals since their days in the Blue Guild.

Moreover, Chae Suhyeon was another S-Rank Hunter threatening the broadcasting scene.

“Isn’t that Chae Suhyeon from Baekho Guild? I heard she’s backed by Taeyang Group. They say she’s already booked about eight commercials! She’s slated to officially debut in the entertainment industry next week!”

“I heard she’s trying to employ a strategy similar to yours. Everyone’s worried she might catch up. Their images are similar too…”

Her manager had said just that, expressing concern for her.

“Ugh… How did it come to this?”

Yoo Hana bit her lip.

Just last week, when she was working with Baek Jihoon, she had thought everything would go smoothly. No, before Baek Jihoon arrived, the world had seemed entirely hers.

Even the Blue Guild was bowing to her, begging her to return. Various broadcasting PDs had been constantly requesting her appearance.

She simply had to enjoy this life.

Now, everything had changed completely.

“Ugh… I really need Jihoon’s ability. I need that to move forward.”

She clenched her fist in determination.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to steal Baek Jihoon away.”

*

“Agh… Seriously…”

Lee Sooah was heading back on the subway.

“I’ll retreat for today…”

Due to the local residents, she had no choice but to withdraw. Lee Sooah was frustrated.

“It’s okay, Jihoon. Tomorrow is Blue Guild’s day. I’ll charm him then.”

“Wait, but how did you find my place? What nonsense is this?”

She thought of Yoo Hana.

“Ugh. Acting like she has no interest in men… That sly fox. Was she trying to woo Jihoon behind my back?”

She had a face that looked utterly annoyed.

“Well, it’s alright. I already took precautions.”

Lee Sooah felt confident that she was one step ahead. She had fully anticipated that something like this would happen. If Baek Jihoon’s ability was indeed real, not just she but all S-Rank Hunters would surely flock to him.

That was why she had already prepared the CCTV footage. Additionally, she had recruited Park Hyungseok as an informant.

“Yes, I’m ahead. If Park Hyungseok plays his cards right, it will work to my advantage.”

“And with Hunter Class 6, there’s no way they’ll ignore my words. So, if I use them well…”

Although she was irritated about having to retreat today, she felt thankful nonetheless. She was confident in her strategy.

“But why is Chae Suhyeon here? Hmm…”

Chae Suhyeon was the one bothering Lee Sooah the most.

She understood Yoo Hana trying to return to the Blue Guild, as she was dispatched from her own team.

But Chae Suhyeon was an enigma.

“Could it be… from the Baekho Guild?”

After thinking it over, there was only one possible answer.

The Baekho Guild was likely trying to steal the key personnel from the Blue Guild.

“That can’t happen… No, it can’t… No way…”

Her expression grew tense.

Talent acquisition wars were quite common in the Hunter world. She had already experienced it hundreds of times.

“Then what about calling him ‘oppa’?”

“Oh, it’s an allure tactic.”

Lee Sooah snapped her fingers as if she had figured it out.

“Well, that’s fine. I can play that game too.”

“How dare she try to use allure tactics in front of me? It’s absurd.”

“The number one S-Rank will soon be mine again. I just need to keep pushing Hunter Class 6 hard.”

With a face full of determination, Lee Sooah was laying down her future plans one by one.

“Lee Sooah, fighting! It’s time to start the Baek Jihoon protection project.”

She slowly nodded her head.

*

“AAAHHHHHH!!!!”

Chae Suhyeon’s sharp scream echoed in her empty house.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

She banged on the walls, trying to vent her frustration.

“Why!!! Seriously!!!”

“Wait, Jihoon oppa, how did you charm two women in just a week? Did you forget me that quickly? Just a week? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“How could it be two? And both are S-Rank Hunters!!!”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Chae Suhyeon’s anger was only rising as she had just returned home.

“Jihoon oppa…”

Then suddenly she seemed to lose herself in thought, remembering Baek Jihoon.