Chapter 212

“Transfer to our Guild. I’ll take responsibility for you, Taekyung. I’ll turn you into a star Hunter.”

I blinked.

“A star… Hunter?”

“Yeah. A star Hunter.”

Won Myunghoon continued in a confident tone.

“Times have changed. People are obsessed with Hunters and envy the abilities we have that they don’t. You know that too, don’t you, Taekyung?”

“That’s true.”

“When I was in elementary school, do you know what the kids around me wanted to be? The president. An astronaut. But these days? Children and adults alike all want to be Hunters.”

Wealth and fame.

Most people understand the Hunter profession through those two words.

Even now, decades after the Great Cataclysm ended, they don’t want to think about the fact that hundreds of Hunters still die in Gates every year.

“You have everything the public wants. Good looks, buzz, and a fresh character unlike anything they’ve seen before.”

Won Myunghoon’s face flushed with excitement. His heated voice continued.

“But how long will that last? The public heats up quickly, and they cool down even faster.”

“Hyung.”

“If you let this opportunity pass, you won’t even become a flash-in-the-pan star, Taekyung. Fortunately, it isn’t too late yet. If you start getting professional management now, appear on television, and work on your image…”

“Wait, wait. Hyung.”

“Huh? Oh. Right.”

Won Myunghoon closed his mouth for a moment, and I scratched my chin.

I hadn’t expected the conversation to go in this direction, but it would be better to make things clear while I had the chance.

“You said you weren’t going to make me a recruitment offer. You told Team Leader Choi that, too.”

“I did. But Taekyung, this is a really good opportunity.”

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I have no intention of changing Guilds.”

Won Myunghoon opened and closed his mouth as if he was about to say something, then nodded.

“Right. That’s understandable at your age. Then let’s forget about changing Guilds. How about an entertainment agency, instead? It’s pretty common these days.”

“An entertainment agency?”

“Yeah. I happen to own a major stake in one.”

Dual contracts with Guilds were illegal, but other social activities weren’t a problem.

As he said, it was no longer unusual for high-ranking Hunters to sign with entertainment agencies or management companies.

But I answered without hesitation.

“No, I don’t need an agency either.”

“What?”

“I’m satisfied with what I have now.”

“…You’re satisfied?”

“Yes.”

Won Myunghoon frowned.

“Taekyung. You don’t seem to understand what I’m saying.”

“You said that if I let this opportunity pass, I wouldn’t become a star? That’s fine. I didn’t do any of this hoping for that.”

“I know. I know, but think it over one more time. Just a regular television program and a few major commercials could bring in tens—or even hundreds—of billions of won. Can’t you tell by looking at me?”

Won Myunghoon spread both arms wide. From head to toe, he was dressed in luxury brands whose names and prices I couldn’t even begin to guess.

I suddenly remembered an Internet article I had seen in the past.

A-Rank Hunter Won Myunghoon Purchases Building Worth Tens of Billions in Cheongdam-dong

The subject of the article I had admired and envied endlessly was standing right in front of me.

“I saw your interview. You’ve been pretty busy. Isn’t it time you enjoyed life a little? I heard your dream was to own a building.”

“That’s true.”

It had changed a little, but it was still one of the goals I wanted to achieve.

Won Myunghoon flashed a grin at me as I nodded readily.

“Then joining an entertainment agency would be faster than Guild work. You won’t have to fight monsters in dangerous Gates, either. You’ll just have to work for a few hours in a cool studio. Ah, full makeup might feel a little stifling. Ha-ha.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course. You just need to get used to smiling brightly and delivering your lines in front of a camera.”

“Then Gates would probably be better. I’m the type who likes using my body, so I don’t like feeling stifled.”

“…What?”

“I also swear a lot in everyday life. It wouldn’t pass broadcast standards. Even if I attracted attention for no reason, my family would just suffer like they are now.”

“T-Taekyung.”

I continued speaking as I watched his obvious bewilderment.

“And as for owning a building, I can become a building owner without doing television or commercials. It’ll take some time, but still.”

“What are you talking about? It’s true that A-rank Hunters make a lot of money, but do you have any idea how expensive land in Gangnam is?”

“Gangnam?”

“Yeah. Do you even know what the current price per pyeong is there—?”

I blinked blankly, then let out a quiet laugh.

“Why Gangnam? I can just buy one near my house.”

“Huh?”

“A three-story neighborhood shopping building would still make me a building owner. I haven’t even thought about Gangnam.”

“…A neighborhood shopping building?”

“Yes. It’d be close, so it would be easy to visit, and the rent would come in like clockwork. If Mom says she’s bored after quitting her job, I could set her up with a little snack bar or something.”

“A snack bar?”

The more I spoke, the more Won Myunghoon’s face twisted. Had I said something wrong?

“Hyung?”

“…”

“Myunghoon hyung. Are you all right?”

Won Myunghoon’s lips moved soundlessly before he let out a trembling breath.

“Taekyung.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Can you—can you really be satisfied with that?”

“You saw my interview. Until a few months ago, I was an F-rank Hunter. I’m making dozens of times more now without having to work myself to death like I did back then. What’s the problem?”

I had no debts, and I had gotten my house back.

As for people’s attention and fame, I felt that I had already had more than enough of both in the Murim and the modern world.

I had especially learned how exhausting and unpleasant the spotlight could be in real life.

I also knew what kind of life would make me and my family happier.

“So this is enough for me. Team Leader Choi already showed me a whole pile of commercial offers, but there were too many, so I’m planning to choose a few, film them, and focus on the Guild again.”

I could earn plenty of money without getting involved in the entertainment industry.

Even after I finished speaking, Won Myunghoon remained silent for a long time. Finally, he parted his lips.

“I see. I understand.”

“You’re not offended because I turned you down, are you?”

“…Of course not.”

Just then, the phone resting on the table vibrated. There was no need to check the caller. It was Team Leader Choi.

When I checked the time, we had already gone well past the thirty minutes we’d agreed on.

“Hyung, I think I should get going.”

“Already? You must be busy.”

“The Association contacted me and asked me to get my rank reassessed today. I got your number today, so I’ll contact you again soon.”

“Then I’ll see you next time. It was nice meeting you.”

“Next time, let’s go to a coin karaoke room together. I’ll practice your song before then.”

“A coin karaoke room? Sounds good.”

Just thinking about hearing the original live version of Coward, my signature song, already made my heart race. Should I ask Jinho hyung to come along, too?

“Then I’ll be going. Don’t forget your promise.”

I left the café with Won Myunghoon nodding behind me, a faint smile on his face.

The black sedan parked by the roadside honked.

“Sir. Shall I clear your cup?”

Won Myunghoon did not answer the part-time worker’s question. He stared silently down at the empty coffee cup before suddenly opening his mouth.

“Do you perhaps not know who I am?”

“Pardon?”

“Won Myunghoon. Haven’t you heard of me?”

“I know who you are. You released a few famous songs, didn’t you?”

The part-time worker gave an awkward smile and continued.

“Actually, I just looked you up. You’re much more famous than I expected. I only saw you a few times on television when I was young, so I didn’t remember you very well…”

“You looked me up.”

The smile lingering around the part-time worker’s mouth slowly faded at the dry, sandy tone of his voice.

After the worker nervously returned to the counter, Won Myunghoon sat there for some time. Eventually, a familiar melody rang through the café, and the corner of his mouth twisted.

It was his own song, released ten years ago.

Everything he had made had become a relic of the past.

“That bastard thinks he can make fun of me…”

His quiet voice was drowned out by the music, and Won Myunghoon rose from his seat.

His mind was filled with one person.

Jin Taekyung, a dayfly Hunter who had been eking out a living in F-rank Gates only a few months ago.

But now he was someone who received the public’s attention and affection.

“A coin karaoke room, for fuck’s sake… Some lucky bastard gets one flash of fame and doesn’t even know his place.”

Muttering under his breath, Won Myunghoon put on his sunglasses.

People passing by turned to stare at his expensive, flashy clothes, but no one recognized him.

“Congratulations, Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

The Bucheon Hunter Association president, a middle-aged man with hair more than half gray, handed me a card with a genial smile.

The card, about half the size of my palm, gleamed entirely silver.

Platinum. In other words, the card was made of platinum—a possession everyone dreamed of owning.

It means I’ve gained that much wealth and fame.

But perhaps because I had expected this to happen, I remained calm even as I accepted the card the Association president held out to me amid the barrage of flashes from countless cameras.

I’m a Peak master. An A-rank Hunter is no big deal.

Still, I felt pretty good.

I grinned and waved at the cameras, and the Association president asked in a robotic tone,

“So, Mr. Jin Taekyung. How do you feel right now?”

Obviously, I feel fantastic.

I was just about to answer when—

Ding.

System

• You have earned the A-Rank Hunter achievement.
• Achievement Reward granted.
• Level Up!
• You have gained 20 Bonus Points!
• Fame increases greatly!

“Oh, fuck.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…Ah.”

Right. There are cameras here.

I looked at the Association president, who had frozen with a stunned expression, and at the broadcasting staff, who seemed to doubt their own ears. Then I saw Team Leader Choi lowering his head with the hollow look of a man experiencing post-nut clarity.

I’m fucked.

This was probably the greatest broadcast disaster in history.

Feeling my throat grow painfully dry, I whispered to the Association president,

“They’ll edit that out, right? You have to make sure they do.”

“Edit it out? Mr. Jin Taekyung, are you out of your mind?”

The Association president muttered in a heavy, sunken voice. He looked like he wanted to grab me by the collar right then and there.

“Edit my ass. This is live. What’s it called? An iTube live stream.”

“What?”

“Can’t you see the monitors in front of us? More than fifty thousand people are watching right now.”

“…”

For fuck’s sake. He’s right.

There had been so many people and machines around that I hadn’t noticed. But now I could see that five or six monitors set up below the podium were displaying the Association president and me.

The chat window beside the video was about to explode from the sheer volume of messages.

“What do we do?”

“What do you mean, what do we do? Apologize immediately!”

The Association president snapped at me with a face flushed bright red. That was when the camera director at the very front mouthed something.

—The reaction is good?

“Huh?”

“What?”

What is that supposed to mean?

I looked at the chaotic chat window. Dozens—no, hundreds—of messages had scrolled past in only a few seconds, but my extraordinary dynamic vision caught every little detail.

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㅋㅋㅋTaekyung the Lord, are you insane?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

No, not Taekyung the Lord. He’s Lord Fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

That was the greatest acceptance speech everㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Usually, they start with religion or family and end with something like, “Minsik, Changsu, Hyerim, thank you,” right?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Lord Fuck doesn’t do any of that. I knew what he was like from the moment he beat down an ogre on his way to work, dragging his slippersㅋㅋ

??? : Oh, fuck.

Look at the Association president’s faceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The old man’s soul left his body.

Taekyung, nobody cares, so just do whatever you wantㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’d probably laugh it off even if you insulted my parents.

└ May your parents live long and healthy lives.

? What the fuck is this guy?

It was a complete mess, but I learned one thing.

The broadcast disaster I had caused by accident had become a huge hit.