Two days later, in the Pado Guild eting room.
"Bwahahahaha!"
Amidst the sound of pouring rain, a sharp, ringing laughter echoed through the room. The atmosphere in the eting room was gloomy, much like the stormy weather outside, but the red-haired woman was pounding the table, laughing hysterically.
"Heh, ahahahaha!"
Standing at the podium, Bae Won-woo furiously rubbed his face and shouted.
"Kang Ji-soo, do you really find this funny right now?"
"Why not! This is hilarious. Oh... I'm so glad I didn't go into that dungeon. I almost missed out on this crazy dopamine content... Huhuhu, ohhh. This is driving crazy."
Kang Ji-soo laughed so hard that she eventually started to cry. Honestly, Bae Won-woo wanted to cry too. Not because it was funny, but because he was genuinely upset. His large, pot lid-sized hand, gripping a rolled-up newspaper like a stick, trembled along with the paper. In the dim corner of the eting room, Seo Min-gi, who had been standing gloomily, muttered in a dying voice.
"I sincerely apologize."
"This isn't sothing that can be resolved with just an apology..."
"I've dealt with all the surrounding CCTV footage, but photos taken on personal phones... I an, I'm just as frustrated."
Seo Min-gi bit down on his handkerchief in frustration.
"Why are phone caras so good at zooming in these days! I've been monitoring the whole ti, and I swear there was no sign of anyone."
"Hahahahah!"
"Stop laughing, damn it!"
Bae Won-woo roared like a lion, throwing the newspaper. But the laughter wouldn't stop.
The first page of the fluttering newspaper fell to the floor, showing a large black-and-white photograph. The photo depicted a man in a black mask, carrying sothing equally large and black in a princess carry. The quality wasn't great, likely due to extre zooming, but the black fingers of the man being carried were clearly identifiable. Unfortunately.
The headline of the newspaper read...
[The Secret Relationship Between No. 1 and No. 2]
What an outrageous title!
"Lee Sa-youngaaaaa..."
Bae Won-woo's pitiful wail echoed through the eting room.
***
The summary of the incident went sothing like this;
As usual, after finishing his early morning and morning workouts, Bae Won-woo was returning to the Pado Guild when he sensed strange murmurs and gazes. They weren't negative; if anything, they were closer to curiosity. What's going on? As he wiped his sweat with a towel and headed toward the building, he had a gut feeling.
'Whatever it is, there's definitely a problem.'
Journalists were camped out in front of the building's entrance. Bae Won-woo imdiately zipped up his windbreaker, pulled out a hat and mask from his inventory, and slipped into an alleyway using a moonwalk.
The series of actions was as natural as breathing. Whether Lee Sa-young was around or not, he was always the one in charge of practical matters and cleanup. Encountering journalists and avoiding them was almost routine.
'What's happened this ti? Did soone cause trouble again?'
Bae Won-woo took out his phone. When he saw the mountain of ssages and missed calls, his mouth dropped open. Sothing was seriously wrong.
He quickly logged into a portal site. What was prominently displayed on the main page was a dark, ominous photo.
'...'
The coat of the man held closely by J looked strangely familiar, but he didn't want to admit it. No way. Bae Won-woo skimd through the article labeled "Exclusive Report," and eventually, he read a single sentence.
[The man J is holding has been identified as the missing hunter Lee Sa-young...]
Bae Won-woo widened his eyes and zood in on the photo as much as possible. The fingers hanging down were jet black, about the length of a knuckle. Damn it, there was no way he could deny it now. Everyone who knew Lee Sa-young was aware that his fingertips were black. Besides, rumors about sightings of Lee Sa-young were already spreading like wildfire on the Hunter channel!
Damn it all.
Well, at least up to this point, he could try to remain optimistic. He could just say it wasn't true, and since Lee Sa-young was awake, they could hold a press conference and it would all blow over.
However, as he read the article more carefully, the content seed odd. It implied that the two had so sort of...
deep relationship. Bae Won-woo, trying to calm his troubled mind, checked his ssages. But...
Jung Bin: I saw the article. Was this coordinated with the Pado Guild? ^^;
A text from the forr captain, filled with concern, and
Ji-soo: Vice-guild leader, what is this?
Ji-soo: (link)
Ji-soo: Did we agree to this kind of dia play?
Ji-soo: Electric stimulation lol wtf
A ssage from a guild mber that would sting if you looked at it too closely, and
Honeybee: What are you doing?
A short but impactful ssage from his hangover soup partner, and
Seo Min-gi: I apologize. We're screwed. It seems to be the work of the Fish Market.
A ssage of apology from Mingi, the "Miracle Worker," that only made things worse the more he read it.
The Fish Market. After reading the last ssage, Bae Won-woo silently scread as he dialed a number. Naturally, "Fish Market" didn't answer.
The Mackerel. The best information broker in South Korea, based in Noryangjin Fish Market.
If the Seowon Guild served as a library that gathered all knowledge, the Mackerel bought and sold information to suit its taste. The price of information was other information. Just as fish gather in a fish market, information gathered around the Mackerel. Thanks to the Hunter Civil Service Academy and the Mackerel, Noryangjin experienced a new boom.
If the Mackerel was behind this article, it made sense that no one in the Pado Guild, including Bae Won-woo, had heard anything. It must have been done with extre secrecy.
However, the Pado Guild had also traded information with the Mackerel multiple tis. Information was crucial in tracking the distribution routes of Protheus and narcotics. Bae Won-woo scratched his head.
'He's not the type to stab a partner in the back like this...'
Trust was a vital trait for an information broker. What could he have done this for? Bae Won-woo couldn't figure it out.
And thinking about it alone wouldn't bring any answers. He picked up a few newspapers from a street stall and trudged back to the guild through the mber-only entrance. As soon as he entered, the guild mbers approached him with bewildered faces.
"For now."
After taking a deep breath, Bae Won-woo spoke firmly.
"Unplug all the phone lines."
And now, back to the present.
A soft sipping sound could be heard as Kang Ji-soo, who had finally managed to stop laughing, slumped into her chair. Romantic Opener, Choi Go-yo, who had been browsing portal site articles on his laptop, propped up his chin and muttered.
"Well... if the Mackerel is involved, denying it would just make things worse. He probably has sothing he wants, which is why he did this, right?"
"He'd just release more evidence until we admit it. Ugh."
"There's also a rumor that the Guild Leader's been avoiding outside activities because of this. So people are saying J put him through brutal training, or that he was buried sowhere and then dug up."
"Is Lee Sa-young a piece of kimchi? Burying and digging him up?"
"Oh, please... stop making laugh. Let's see... there's even a theory that the Guild Leader was out of action for three months because he was being disciplined. This is hilarious. Can't we go with this?"
"Sigh..."
Bae Won-woo, now curled up like a bear, muttered.
"Why did they pull this stunt right before the General Assembly? And... what am I supposed to say when I get there?"
"General Assembly?"
Choi Go-yo lifted his head. Kang Ji-soo, who had been sipping green tea, responded.
"Since the Day of Change, the high-ranking hunters get summoned by the Regional Directors every month, right? That."
"Can you even call that a eting? Isn't 'summoning' the right word?"
"Let it go."
Bae Won-woo mumbled as he curled up even tighter.
"Guys, I just want to go back to the Regional Office."
"Where do you think you're running off to? You have to clean up this ss before you go."
"Yeah. And do you even want to go? The salary at the Regional Office is peanuts."
"It'd be worth it for the peace and quiet."
"Everyone knows public office grinds people down. What are you talking about? You're possessed."
"Should we do an exorcism?"
"Probably need one."
"I just want to work with Captain Jung Bin."
"No way, no way. Jung Bin doesn't take back traitors. Just get ready for the press conference."
Bae Won-woo groaned like a bear. Kang Ji-soo craned her neck to look at the corner of the eting room. Seo Min-gi was still gnawing furiously on his handkerchief, looking as frustrated as ever.
"By the way, what did the Guild Leader say? When is he coming to work?"
"The Guild Leader is still not fully recovered. He said he'll rest a bit longer before coming in."
"Then what about J? I'm most curious about J's reaction."
"J..."
Behind his sunglasses, his dark, lifeless eyes stared vacantly into space.
***
The thumb scrolled rapidly, making the screen scroll with a repetitive sound. No matter how many tis he refreshed, the words on the screen remained unchanged. A deep sigh escaped him.
Rank 2, Lee Sa-young, who had hidden himself away for a long ti after the Day of Change, had reappeared after three months. How? In the arms of Rank 1!
The public's reaction was explosive. No, it was so intense that it felt like the entire Korean Peninsula was on fire. Right now, it seed like the only Hunters in South Korea were J and Lee Sa-young.
To be honest, ever since J's return, both J and Lee Sa-young had beco hot-button topics. The forr Rank 1 Hunter and the current Rank 1 Hunter. But then the forr Rank 1, who was thought to be dead, ca back and snatched the top rank. Lee Sa-young, who had held the top spot for six years, was suddenly pushed down to second place. It was high-stakes, thrilling content that people went crazy over.
Just as people debate who would win in a fight between a lion and a tiger, they argued over who was stronger between J and Lee Sa-young, who would win if they fought, what their relationship was like, and what might happen if they actually t. People were endlessly curious about the two, and their nas were constantly linked online, like legendary rivals.
But this ti, it wasn't the sa.
—So, why is he being held like a princess? Are they dating?
'...Alright, I've made up my mind.'
Cha Eui-jae tossed his phone onto the sofa and covered his face with both hands.
'Let's just break everything~!'
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