‘Ahh...’

Watching Ji-hoon’s press conference, Chae Soo-hyun began to sob uncontrollably. It felt as though fate was playing a cruel trick on her, bringing only sad news one after another.

“No way... so Ji-hoon oppa has been making money like that?”

She recalled reading about how much the ID Paraparis had earned at the auctions in such a short time. Although the exact figures weren’t disclosed by Baekho Guild, the estimated total was close to 20 billion won.

“Ahh...”

She sank deeper into despair.

The man who had once been by her side, who had given everything for her, was now completely out of reach, beyond what she could ever hope to grasp again.

She, who had once claimed the top S-rank thanks to Ji-hoon’s dedication, was now expelled from the Hunter Association, not even a hunter anymore. Meanwhile, Ji-hoon stood at the top, as the representative hunter of Korea’s prestigious Blue Guild, leading nine S-rank hunters and amassing wealth with S-rank items at an astonishing pace.

“I was... I was such a fool...”

The damage was done, and there was no way to undo it. She wished she could scrape together even a little of what she’d lost, but it was impossible.

Chae Soo-hyun was nearly losing her mind, struggling to accept her reality.

 

“Ji-hoon, are you really ID Paraparis?” “Yeah.”

As soon as I returned to the office, Cha I-seul was there to greet me.

“How... how could you...?” “Well, it’s a long story.” “It’s okay. The details don’t matter.”

She threw her arms around me.

“It feels like life is finally settling down...”

She whispered softly.

“It’s a relief. Everything’s sorted out. Now, it’s just about living life properly.” “Mm-hmm.”

 

“Sigh... Ji-hoon.” “Yes, Soo-ah.” “You’re telling me you’re ID Paraparis?” “Yes, ma’am.”

Our relationship had completely flipped in just a month. When I first joined Blue Guild, Hyung-seok had constantly warned me to be wary of Hunter Lee Soo-ah.

“Ah... Ji-hoon, you’re something else... You should’ve given me a heads-up. I could’ve...” “Soo-ah?” “Yes?” “Even if I’d given you a heads-up, the result would have been the same.” “Why’s that?” “I feel that I’m better suited to I-seul.”

She looked a bit disappointed.

“So, no chance for me?” “Afraid not.” “Ah... just my luck.”

She looked a bit down.

“Alright. I don’t want to mess with someone who’s taken.”

She seemed to be contemplating something.

 

Knock, knock.

“Uh, Hyung-seok?”

Lee Soo-ah went straight to the secretary’s office.

“Yes, is there something you need? You usually don’t come here.” “Well, I came to see you.” “About what?”

Park Hyung-seok didn’t think much of it. He’d already had his hopes dashed by Lee Soo-ah a few times, so he didn’t expect much.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?” “Nope.” “Why not? No confession today?” “Nope. Anyway, you don’t care about me. It’s all about Ji-hoon for you.” “Well, I’ve given up on him. Ji-hoon’s become someone I can’t reach.”

“Uh... so?”

Hyung-seok looked puzzled. He had no idea what she was getting at.

“I think it’s best to be with someone who likes me.”

“Oh, I see.”

He replied coolly, not catching on.

“I heard someone joined our guild because of me.”

“Who?”

Naturally, he assumed it must be someone else.

“You, right in front of me.”

“?”

He stared at her blankly, not immediately understanding.

“Hyung-seok, are you interested in me?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, Park Hyung-seok.”

“Wha—”

Hyung-seok nearly fainted on the spot.

 

“Ha-ha-ha! So, hyung, now I’m dating Lee Soo-ah! It’s all thanks to you.”

Hyung-seok was practically dancing with joy.

“Bringing you into Blue Guild was the best decision ever. Now, I’m happier than I ever thought possible.”

He seemed noticeably brighter, like he could finally enjoy his work.

“Good for you. Soo-ah is great, but I don’t think we were a match.”

“Thanks, hyung. Because you cleared things up, I got my chance.”

After joining Blue Guild as a fan of his idol, Hyung-seok had managed to end up dating her. He felt immensely grateful and would’ve bowed repeatedly if he could.

“Oh, so you’re dating Lee Soo-ah?”

The section chief, sipping coffee, approached with a grin.

“Yes! I think it’s a reward for all my hard work here at Blue Guild.”

“Well, you’ve earned it. Even though you’re not a hunter, you know everything there is to know about them.”

“Thank you!”

“And Ji-hoon is doing amazingly well, too. Didn’t I tell you? He’s our guild’s treasure.”

“Oh, Chief, you flatter me.”

I found myself chuckling, caught up in the mood.

“Eh? Chief... are you the guild leader?”

Hyung-seok’s sharp mind seemed to pick up on it instantly.

“Uh... that’s...”

The chief, caught off guard, looked at him with a panicked expression.

“You knew?”

“Had a hunch. There are only two people in the guild who know more about hunters than I do: you and the guild leader. I thought it might be possible.”

“Your intuition is spot on. But keep it between us, okay?”

“Wait... the chief is the guild leader...?”

Soo-ah nearly screamed, appearing from behind.

“Oh dear...”

The chief rubbed his forehead, resigned to the fact that his long-held secret had just been blown wide open.

Now that Soo-ah knew, he figured there was no stopping the rumors.

“N-no way! Chief, or rather, guild leader? What... how could you...?”

Soo-ah was visibly shocked. The one person in Blue Guild who could keep her in check had been none other than the section chief she had bossed around for years.

“I’ve told you, be careful how you treat people.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Guild leader... why did you hide it from me all this time!?”

“Well, I wanted to support you closely. It was easier to do that by staying nearby.”

“Oh! You’re terrible! How could you fool me like this?”

Soo-ah bit her lip and stomped her foot, likely replaying the many times she’d scolded the chief in her mind.

“Please forget how I treated you. I thought you were just the chief...”

Her face was as red as a tomato.

 

“Hey, hyung, have you heard the latest news?”

It was a while after the dust had settled. We had been busy handling various follow-ups.

Curious, people had bombarded me with questions about ID Paraparis, and I had been busy answering them.

“What is it?”

“It’s about Hunter Chae Soo-hyun.”

I couldn’t help but flinch. Although I was free of her, my body instinctively reacted to the name.

“What happened?”

“She’s been admitted to a mental hospital.”

“A mental hospital?”

It was an outcome even more tragic than I had anticipated.

“Tsk, tsk. She should’ve treated me better when she had the chance.”

Looking back, those years as her pawn—earning points like a slave—were beyond miserable.

“Well, it seems the shock was too much for her. Finding out you were ID Paraparis seemed to be the final straw.”

“Ah...”

I understood. She had always dreamed of wealth. Money might have meant everything to her.

No doubt, realizing I had achieved everything she desired was too much for her to bear.

“Yeah, she probably couldn’t handle it. After all the lawsuits, her expulsion from the Hunter Association, and the public backlash, she had nowhere to hide. Now she’s become the national disgrace, the so-called ‘hunter slut’ who slept with over 200 men. If she’d stayed as an S-rank, she could have lived a happy life.”

Hyung-seok clicked his tongue.

“Yeah, she threw away her luck. If she’d stayed with me, we’d have been fine. But it’s okay. Now I’m happy. She’s hit rock bottom, and I’m finally living my best life.”

With visions of a bright future as a hunter, I smiled.