CH 17

The store manager, who came late, apologized to Haeun. 

“I apologize, customer. You must be very offended. We caused disrespect for not blocking entry in advance.”

“It’s not the store manager’s fault, well.” 

Haeun waved her hand. Haeun didn’t rent the store, and since it was a space anyone could come in and out, this could happen.

However, it seems that Sunbae was quite serious at this store.

“It’s already been a week, and every time he comes, he asks me to show you everything, right? If I show it to him, he’ll say no to this and that. It’s like he doesn’t actually want it.” 

“I couldn’t do it, so if I told him I didn’t have anything, he’d go crazy and say he’d post accusations about us on the Internet. What kind of influencer is he? Phew, thanks to you, I’m alive.” 

[The Constellation ‘The Mutant of the Abyss’ said they really hate it to the point they really don’t want to see him.]

Haeun agreed wholeheartedly.

“Go home safely!”

The employees and the store manager came to the entrance to see Haeun and her company off. 

They felt like a new person when they changed into new clothes. Three people were reflected in the window of the store. Jung Eunwoo and Jung Sehyun were wearing sunglasses before they knew it. Of course, Haeun also bought it. 

“Hey, aren’t those Hunter Jung Eunwoo and Hunter Jung Sehyun over there?”

“Oh, my! Wow, they’re so tall.”

People who were walking by looked at Jung Eunwoo and Jung Sehyun and talked in low voices.

Even though they were just standing, the two attracted people’s attention.

“But who is in the middle?”

“I don’t know. Could it be the same Hunter?”

“Cool~.”

Jung Eunwoo raised his mouth crookedly.

“Are we not going home yet?”

“Of course!”

Haeun put on her sunglasses while casually passing people’s attention away.

Shopping starts now. let’s go!

* * *

The Ahyeon Guild, which Seo Dojoon belongs to as the guild leader, has three research teams.

Team 1 conducts various research necessary to run the Ahyeon Guild on its own. It is mainly focused on improving the capabilities of guild members and developing items.

Team 2 is a typical external cooperation team, and is in charge of conducting research that requires cooperation with other guilds or the government. Recently, they have been studying monster flooding, which happens when gates open abnormally.

And last is Team 3.

Interest is what drives research. Great inventions are occasionally developed and published in academic journals, but they are not research contents that can be profitable.

Anyway, it was quite lax management for the guild’s laboratory, which had to produce results, and the reason why all of this could be possible was that the chief researcher of the third team was close to the guild leader.

“Hyung.” 

“Why?” 

“Could the monster core be broken?”

“I don’t know.” 

To Seo Dojoon’s sudden question, Kim Hyunseok answered without taking his eyes off the microscope lens. The microorganisms in the dungeon that he had been observing since last week proliferated. Kim Hyunseok asked without interest as he turned the screw.

“Why. Where did you smelt it and break it?”

“No. It’s not…There is a D-Class dungeon that we conquered this time.” 

“Ah, yes. But?” 

“I gave the core I got there to someone else.” 

It was the core that he gave over as a way to say sorry. Haeun’s life was in danger, so a single core couldn’t make her feel better, but he still wanted to show how sorry he was.

However, a few minutes after handing the core to Haeun. 

For an instant, the air in the dungeon shook. It was as if someone had thrown a stone into the still water.

And, before leaving the dungeon for the last time, Seo Dojoon noticed yellow pieces left in Haeun’s spot.

“Was it a broken core?”

“There’s no such thing.”

Kim Hyunseok flatly denied it.

“It is common knowledge that even when processing the core, it is difficult to scratch unless special smelting technology is used. Well, it wouldn’t be completely impossible for a hunter of your level.”

“It’s a non-awakened person.”

Kim Hyunseok, genuinely shocked, raised his head this time. 

“Isn’t it awakened?” 

There were often cases like that. A case of entering a dungeon as a non-awakened person and experiencing a moment of crisis and awakening.

“Take one and see.”

“What?”

“Let’s try an awakening test.”

Awakening test. 

It is the government’s job to discover, register, and manage awakened people, but each guild also has an awakening test system. It was at the level of capacity management of internal guild members. 

“Are you someone who cares about useless things? You must have asked me because you felt something strange.”

Seo Dojoon, who Kim Hyunseok saw, had never said anything useless. 

Should he say it was his intuition as an S-Class Hunter with a more sensitive sense than others? His opinions were always worth listening to. 

“Is the person you gave the core the daughter of Hunter Jung Jinho?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then it might be really awakening. Everyone in that family is S-Class. Even though awakening has nothing to do with genes, it seems like there is a special gene if you look at the family.” 

Interest appeared on Kim Hyunseok’s face. When he came up with a topic he wanted to study, he always made that face.

Perhaps based on the results of this awakening test, he might be able to do research on how awakening and genetic probability factors are related. 

What if he finds out the necessary conditions for awakening that have not yet been properly revealed in the world?  

Along that path, papers will not only be published in all kinds of academic journals but will also become the highest authority on awakening and making a reputation.

“Uh, hahahaha.” 

“Hyung…?” 

A sinister laugh escaped Kim Hyunseok’s lips. A spark similar to madness lit up in his eyes.

This is research that can never be conceded to anyone!

Kim Hyun-seok grabbed Seo Do-joon’s hand.

“Dojoon, my little brother.”

“Y, yeah.” 

“Be sure to bring it. Because the test is easy. Understand?”

“…Hyung, don’t you think you’re trying to force the test like last time?”

Seo Dojoon, recalling Kim Hyunseok’s past, gave a suspicious look. Kim Hyunseok didn’t care how he did his research once he was hooked on it. There were several times when problems arose because of how the way he act. But until now, it was a problem that could be rectified somehow, so he quietly passed it on.

However, the person Kim Hyunseok is interested in right now is Jung Haeun.

The entire family has a strong backbone as S-Class Hunters, and this time, Seo Dojoon failed to accomplish the guard mission, thus he owes Jung Haeun.

Kim Hyunseok was nervous about Seo Dojoon’s suspicion.

“Ey, I never do that again. Didn’t I learned it for sure last time? To ask the other person’s permission when conducting an examination.”

“That’s just natural.”

“Don’t worry, Dojoon. Don’t you believe in Hyung? I’ve really improved. Now I don’t rush in without measuring the front and back just because the sense of research?” 

“I think you just said it was a sense of research…” 

“Don’t worry about such trivial things. And as you know, we are very busy these days due to the lack of guild members. If there is a talent that can be recruited, you have to be proactive. Don’t worry about anything else, you just have to bring it. I’ll take care of everything. Understand?” 

Seo Dojoon nodded coldly at Kim Hyunseok’s burdensome gaze.

Leaving aside the extremely important fact– that he appears to have been slightly pushed out due to his inability to properly accomplish the requests of Jung Jinho and Lee Yoonkyung, the powerful men of the Jeong family.

* * *

Here are three people facing a huge war.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

Jung Sehyun grabbed Jung Eunwoo’s forearm. His softly arched eyebrows soared upwards.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Why. What. Aren’t you going to eat right away?”

“No. So, why are you pouring the sweet and sour sauce? Don’t you know it gets soggy if you pour it in advance?”

When Jung Sehyun looked at the empty bowl dripping with sweet sauce, she couldn’t hide her displeasure. As if Jung Eunwoo was annoyed, he removed Jeong Sehyun’s hand. 

“Oh, really annoying. You can eat anything.”

“Then why don’t you say anything and just pour it out on your own?”

“No, it’s easy to eat when you pour it and it’s good.”

“I hate it.” 

“Haa.” 

Haeun, who was watching, sighed.

It was a mistake to say Chinese food when asked what she wanted for lunch after shopping. No. Chinese food is ok. Instead, they had to order the sweet and sour pork on two plates or split the bowl. She regretted it belatedly, but it was after the siblings had already broken out. 

‘Everything is the same when we eat, so why are we fighting like that?’

For reference, Haeun ate whatever was given to her.

“The world is the way it is because of people who are not considerate of others like you.”

“Haa. Haven’t you ever thought that it’s because of sensitive people like you?”

Haeun got her chopsticks as she listened to her brothers’ fight. At that time, Haeun’s cell phone, which was placed on the table, vibrated as if to save Haeun. Haeun checked her cell phone.

Hello, I’m Seo Dojoon. [2:05 PM]

“……?”

How did you know my number?

Haeun tilted her head for a moment, but it soon dawned on her that her mother or her father might have given her the number before. 

She looked at the message on her screen for a moment, then Haeun flicked her finger.

[2:06 PM] Hello 

The number 1 disappeared immediately and the answer came to mind as if the chat window was on.

Are you feeling better? I’m sorry about that. [2:06 PM]

Did you message me to say this?

It was Seo Dojoon who apologized several times to Haeun, who said it was okay last time. He’s definitely a man of persistence. But why does he have to apologize so seriously again for something that has already ended? 

A shadow fell over Haeun’s head as she contemplated her answer.

“Noona, what are you doing?”

Jung Eunwoo and Jung Sehyun, who had finished the sweet and sour pork argument, were approaching Haeun. Jung Eunwoo, who read the message over her shoulder, frowned slightly.

“What is this? Do you keep in touch with Seo Dojoon personally?”

She’s not sure why, but he seemed displeased.