The neat voice of Jung Haseong can be heard over the speaker.

 

-It is difficult to make a video call because the cell phone camera is broken.

 

It can’t be helped if it’s difficult. 

 

I made a gesture to Ahn Yoonseung to eat first and focused on the phone call. 

 

“It’s all right. Forget what I said earlier. But as expected, the reason you contacted me was…”

 

Since Jung Haseong knows the whole truth, I must be a nuisance to him because I lied to cover up Kang Changho. 

 

It was a time when I was wondering how to convey my sincere apology.

 

-I have a question to ask about what happened yesterday. Did you really put me to sleep?

 

The nuance is somehow strange.

 

-To be honest, I lost consciousness so suddenly that I have no memory of the events before and after.

 

Damn it. 

 

-I think it was probably Hunter Kang Changho’s doing, but I’m not sure. 

 

I gradually broke out in a cold sweat as I listened to the conversation that followed.

 

After listening to the explanation carefully…

 

Jung Haseong said he even remembers feeling a cold sensation in the back of his head and turning around. 

 

The problem is that when he turns around, the scene he sees is Kang Changho wiping his mouth and looking at the person next to him for no reason. 

 

It was the appearance of a certain Hunter who didn’t show any change in expression even though such an accident occurred.

 

‘Hey, you punk! This isn’t it!’

 

This S-Class was in a situation where there was confusion in his memory.

 

But in the meantime, a ridiculous report broke out, so he called me to check it out.

 

‘I’m in trouble.’

 

My hands are shaking as my prediction goes wrong.

 

It’s quite another thing to insist on someone who knows everything and to lie to someone who has a blurry memory.

 

‘If it’s like this, he’ll think I really attacked him, right?”

 

Should I be honest with Jung Haseong? That I was threatened? But I hesitated to open my mouth.

 

‘What do I believe in this person?’

 

Later, I did a search and discovered it.

 

It is said that the reason Jung Haseong is called a national hero is not because he is extremely righteous but simply because he has an overwhelming number of gate closings. 

 

‘He was said to be an Earthling with no interest in anything other than clearing gates, so much so that he was called a dungeon spinning machine.’

 

But this workaholic… Would he take the time to protect an F-Class like me?

 

Is it possible to beat Kang Changho in the first place?

 

“….” 

 

There’s a storm in my head.

 

After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth with difficulty.

 

“It’s right that I knocked you out.”

 

Life is…

 

It may be better to avoid one crazy person than to meet one good person.

 

“I’m really sorry, Haseong-ssi.” 

 

Still, Jung Haseong won’t kill anyone, right? 

 

“But just listen to me for a moment!”

 

I apologized sincerely and then added an explanation faster than light.

 

“I didn’t do it with any bad intentions. This would take a long time to explain, but at that time,  Haseong-ssi was offering your blood on my behalf. Right?” 

 

-….

 

“However, if you look closely, there is no sign of when the room will come to an end. Haseong-ssi’s face turned pale. I thought it’s going to be too much at this rate.” 

 

It was an excuse I had prepared in advance to use in a situation like this.

 

“I thought you were overdoing it, so I tried to stop you for a moment, and that’s what happened. I was planning to act as a sacrifice while you were sleeping.”

 

It’s a lie I told in order to avoid Jung Haseong’s anger at all costs. 

 

Who would be mad if I told you it was all a choice for your health?

 

-Are you kidding me?

 

He’s angry.

 

-Is this what you’re trying to say by forcibly knocking them out? It would have been a problem that could have been solved by conversation.

 

“Ah, that’s. I’m afraid I won’t be able to persuade you in a short time… That, what is it? Because of Monster Wave…”

 

To cover up a lie, a bigger lie is needed.

 

I spat out a new excuse and waited for an answer. Unfortunately, Jung Haseong seemed to be becoming more furious. 

 

-Did Kang Changho force you to keep silent? What’s the problem? Money? Threat? How could you, an F-Class person, make me…

 

Yeah. You might find it strange if you think about it. But what can I do? My life is at stake. 

 

“All I can say is that I am truly sorry.”

 

Let’s endure it until I get my magic back. After that, I will take care of Kang Changho and reveal the truth. 

 

“Ah, Jung Haseong-ssi. So, I had something to give you as an apology.”

 

After explaining the situation, I immediately brought up the topic of the reward.

 

A bracelet that was a reward for clearing the gate.

 

I accidentally brought it out, and even though I haven’t looked at it closely, I’m sure it was a magic tool.

 

“I want to hand over the item, so where can I…” 

 

A sincere apology and appropriate property.

 

There is no solution more perfect than this. I acted as if I would visit him at any moment and give him a bracelet.

 

-Don’t make me laugh.

 

But the answer that followed was cold.

 

-You look like you’re determined to cover up the situation with just one item, but you’re really terrible. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

-You knocked out someone inside the gate, but your intention is obvious. Didn’t you originally plan on sacrificing me to escape safely?

 

“That’s not true.” 

 

-Now that I think about it, Hunter Kang Changho knew you. I doubt if you weren’t on the same side from the beginning?

 

 Sharp remarks poured out.

 

I was taken aback and brought up a simple counterargument.  

 

“You’re mistaken.” 

 

I completely misunderstood an Earthling named Jung Haseong. 

 

Now I see that this person is unexpectedly easily provoked and not cool-headed…

 

-Are you really an F-Class Hunter?

 

It’s a little scary.

 

The other person’s cold, quiet voice made me shiver right away.

 

“No, I really have a situation…” 

 

-That’s enough. Anyway, dwelling on the past is just a waste of time.

 

Jung Haseong didn’t even give me a chance to make excuses.  

 

-I’ll be watching you from now on.

 

Click.

 

With these words, the call ended. I blankly held my cell phone, which had become quiet, and then slowly put it in my pocket. 

 

There was a long silence.

 

“Sorry. I had a long phone call, didn’t I? Don’t worry about it, and just eat.” 

 

But I can’t keep my mouth shut forever.

 

I awkwardly offered food to Ahn Yoonseung across from me.

 

“Yoonseung-ah?”

 

But the reaction is a bit strange.

 

Ahn Yoonseung was looking this way with his mouth open, not even realizing that the spoon in his hand was falling.

 

“Ah! Yes. O, of course I should. Haha…” 

 

It wasn’t until his name was called that he started eating hurriedly.

 

‘Is he a little surprised by what happened yesterday? It looked like his soul had left him.’

 

Well, but now is not the time for me to take care of other Earthlings.

 

I lifted the chopsticks I had neatly placed again and got lost in thought.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

If I am late in regaining my magic, there is a chance that Jung Haseong will beat me up. 

 

***

 

Meanwhile.

 

A hospital owned by a large corporation.

 

Jung Haseong, who was lying in his VIP hospital room, puts down his cell phone once the call has ended.

 

Then he lifted the A4 paper that was placed on the bed. 

 

These were clippings from an article that was posted this morning.

 

“The Guild took action immediately, and now all the articles have been taken down. So you don’t have to worry about…”

 

The secretary standing next to him tried to persuade him not to read the comments.

 

Jung Haseong ignored it and began scanning the letters written on the paper.

 

[(Breaking News) Jung Haseong ‘unconscious’… “It wasn’t caused by a monster”] 

 

[The last large-scale disappearance incident was caused by an EX-Class gate…(Summary)…Jung Haseong, the S-Class hunter who returned, was taken to the hospital unconscious. A certain Hunter who appeared with Jung Haseong revealed, “There was conflict during the gate attack.”…]

 

┕You fainted after being hit by a hunter like that?? I thought he was a national hero, the world’s best, but he was Gukppong. (t/n : The word is often used to call out nationalists who are overly patriotic and bring in negative attention towards Korea or also extreme nationalism in some context..)

 

┕Let’s not blur the point.  Honestly, you can’t criticize Jung Haseong based on his skills. 

 

┕Just. looking. at the. mosaic. it looks. like. something. Wasn’t that what those. people staying. in the country illegally. were after, a young man. of great value from. the Republic of Korea!

 

┕Why does our country always cover the faces of perpetrators…

 

┕We wish Hunter Jung Haseong a speedy recovery. 

 

The most famous hunter in Korea.

 

Jung Haseong.

 

He has never looked messy in front of the press before.

 

In order to appear perfect to the public, he would hide his scars and adjust his clothes before appearing for interviews.

 

However, one day, Jung Haseong left the gate unconscious, to the point where he couldn’t even organize the bare minimum.

 

Besides, it was an unknown Hunter who knocked him out.

 

What news could be more shocking than this?

 

If his position is shaken, the country’s economic situation will also fluctuate.

 

Jung Haseong was a hunter representing a country to the extent that it was said that this was the case.

 

Therefore, the guild and the government worked together to quickly control articles, but isn’t the Internet a bit faster these days?

 

┕So who knocked out Jung Haseong in the end??

 

The water has already spilled.

 

Although it was belatedly explained that the previous articles were incorrect, the original correction report didn’t attract attention.

 

“Whoo…”

 

His image is damaged.

 

Now that it has been revealed that S-Class hunters are not undefeatable, citizens will be anxious…

 

Jung Haseong’s upright expression frowned for a moment.

 

Seeing this, the secretary swallowed dry saliva and spoke hurriedly.

 

“Ah! As you instructed, I looked up that hunter’s personal information. He’s really a F-Class Hunter.” 

 

“Really?”

 

“Personally, I think Hunter Kang Changho caused this situation, as many people say.”

 

There is no way a historical hero who contributed greatly to stabilizing Korea’s gate damage would have been harmed by a single F-Class Hunter. 

 

This is an opinion based on common sense.

 

“I thought so too for a moment, but there is one point about it.”

 

“Yes?”

 

However, Jung Haseong did not seem to agree with his secretary.

 

“If that Hunter was really only F-Class, Kang Changho wouldn’t have saved him.”

 

“….!”

 

“Does he really need to make a deal or threaten someone like F-Class Hunter and make them cover up his crime? Usually, there is no need to go back that way. He just killed them all.” 

 

Furthermore…

 

Even if it’s true that Hunter Kang Changho used his hands. 

 

Kim Kiryeo had no choice but to observe the entire situation due to his position at the time.

 

However, Kim Kiryeo’s last expression that he remembers didn’t feel like a witness to a violent incident.

 

‘The eyes that looked at me as I fell…’

 

The indifferent gaze is as if looking at an object that has fallen, not a person.

 

Come to think of it, that hunter treated the top-ranked hunter from the beginning as just someone passing by.

 

Even when he heard the name Jung Haseong, he didn’t care at all.

 

He was just indifferent to the whole situation. Isn’t this because the S-Class hunter isn’t that great of a person to him? 

 

“….” 

 

Suddenly, he felt goosebumps.

 

Since awakening, has he ever met someone who gave him this much of a sense of discomfort?

 

“It’s definitely not an ordinary F-Class.”

 

Yeah.

 

He should have noticed from the beginning that Kang Changho even remembered his name. 

 

“I don’t think we should let our guard down hastily. Now that I think about it, introducing himself as an F-Class person and pretending to be weak might have been a trick…”

 

Hunter Kang Changho only shows interest in those who are strong above a certain level.

 

“As expected, the possibility of rating manipulation seems high. Secretary, please contact the association immediately.”

 

Haseong soon spoke with confidence.

 

“I need to apply for a re-examination of Hunter Kim Kiryeo’s awakening level.”

 

A situation in which Korea’s number one ranking made a report to the association under his own name.

 

However, Kim Kiryeo, who had no way of knowing this, just spent his lunch leisurely.