Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 145

Chapter 145

“Uwah!” 

What madness!

No matter how curious I am about Jung Tae-il and Arvani’s secret, it’s not like that… how could I forget about Cha Jae-joon?

I denied this reality while tearing my hair out. Was it because of the chaos from all the big incidents lately that I couldn’t focus, or was it because those who deceived me with their suspicious appearance during this time were the problem?

‘…No, it’s my fault.’

It’s my fault for not prioritizing properly…

The confusion quickly subsided. After experiencing several major incidents, what noticeably improved was undoubtedly my mental state. It’s a mental state that regains composure at any moment.

I exhaled deeply and looked at Jung Tae-il with a strange look in his eyes. His gaze was very unsettling, but since there was probably already a label of me being a strange woman to Jung Tae-il, I ignored it and spoke up.

“…Huh, Tae-il, I’ll go to the place where Black Ego Sword is for a moment.”

“What’s the matter?”

“…Mr. Jae-joon has disappeared.”

“So you’re going to check on the Black Ego Sword?”

“Well, yeah. Since the only place he could appear is probably there.”

Jung Tae-il nodded. As someone who used a sword as his main weapon, he immediately understood what I meant.

However, despite understanding, he was looking at me with an uncomfortable gaze.

“…Why?”

“Just now, it seemed like our conversation got dusty.”

“…What? I’m aware that Tae-il became Arvani’s contractor. There’s no way I could forget about that.”

“Besides that.”

“…Besides that?” 

As Jung Tae-il suddenly started a riddle, I pursed my lips and made a puzzled expression. There’s no time for this now, I don’t understand why he keeps going off on a tangent.

I racked my brain as much as I could, but I couldn’t figure out what answer he wanted.

The only possibility might be…

‘Surely he doesn’t want me to flatter him?’

Nah, it wouldn’t mean going this far just for that.

Arvani chose Jung Tae-il because he’s strong. He can compensate for the absolute lack of power in me.

So Arvani’s intention must be to let him use his power as he pleases. It wouldn’t be just sending Jung Tae-il to check on the Black Ego Sword… It wouldn’t be that simple.

Confidently concluding, I opened my mouth.

“I’m not in a hurry to use someone like Tae-il for such a thing.”

This should be a good enough answer, right?

I nodded slightly to confirm to him twice. It was my way of saying don’t worry about me.

Then Jung Tae-il covered his eyes with his hand and let out a big sigh.

“Who’s the one who needs to rest now, telling me to rest….”

“Uh… Me?”

“Then who else?”

“It’s you.”

Now, beyond the sigh, there were audible groans. No, even if I tell him to rest and he gets annoyed, what should I do? It was beyond annoying at this point.

Before I could mutter, Jung Tae-il took the initiative.

“I haven’t done anything. It’s all you who’ve been suffering. Seo Yeon-oh, you should rest.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“It’s strange to see a healthy person looking so pale.”

“…I’m naturally on the pale side. And I was even more startled earlier because of Cha Jae-joon.”

“No way. That’s been the case before. It’s different from usual, and it’s blatantly obvious that you’re overdoing it.”

“…Haha.”

When did he become so interested in me… To the extent of knowing my usual complexion…

I felt irritated for no reason. I wrapped my cheeks with both hands and lowered my head slightly.

‘Why are you acting like this today.’

Do I feel frustrated, or am I just irritated that he remembers my complexion?

It seems like my resistance has disappeared because I haven’t had any human interaction or emotional exchange recently. Otherwise, I wouldn’t act like this towards Jung Tae-il, who is usually indifferent and aloof… 

‘…Come to think of it, Jung Tae-il isn’t indifferent or aloof.’

His usual indifferent expression is on point.

‘…But why am I having these thoughts.’

Shoo, evil spirit, go away. I slapped my cheek a couple of times to get rid of the fleeting bad thoughts that temporarily occupied my mind.

And then I snapped out of it.

Not because of the tingling sensation on my skin, but because of Jung Tae-il’s gaze that seemed to say, ‘What crazy thing are you doing.’

“Alright, I’m done. Since my complexion is back to normal, I’ll go now.”

“…Stop being stubborn.”

“…It’s not stubbornness.”

“Leave it to me. You need to rest now. And… it’s not like there are only the two of us in this house.”

“Ah, right… Tae-il doesn’t have a close relationship with those two. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“…Okay.”

Jung Tae-il brushed his hair roughly with a tired look in his eyes. As he did, he muttered, ‘You should… hah.’

I heard his muttering, but I didn’t know how to interpret it, so I pretended not to hear and focused on Arvani.

Groan…

“…Hm. Why?”

Groaaaan…!

Suddenly, Arvani pressed his front paw against my arm and let out a long sigh. He had a very dissatisfied expression for some reason.

I asked for the reason, but Arvani made a puzzled expression and whimpered. And for a moment, he buried his head in my arms.

Again… It seems like Jung Tae-il and Arvani were having a conversation about me.

‘…Alright, Arvani, you must have something you want to hide.’

But it still hurts, it hurts.

Just in case, I glanced at Jung Tae-il, but he completely ignored me. He only said a brief farewell before leaving.

…But was Jung Tae-il’s ears always this red?

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Janwol Guild.

Kang Yoon-soo, who welcomed yet another unwelcome guest, let out a deep sigh. Everyone couldn’t come barging into the office like this, so it was unsettling.

Kang Yoon-soo, who was overwhelmed by the influx of documents and various tasks lately, didn’t even have time to spare for a brief conversation with this unexpected guest.

Therefore, Han Seung-hoo, who boldly occupied the sofa in Janwol Master’s office, had no choice but to exist beyond his attention for quite some time.

However, Han Seung-hoo didn’t mind at all. Right now, whether Kang Yoon-soo collapsed from overwork or not was none of his concern, and other things bothered him more.

Although he heard from guild members, he couldn’t be too sure.

“So, Brother, did Jung Tae-il come and go? Really?”

“…Where did you hear that from, anyway? Why don’t our kids have any privacy?”

“You’re like an old man, Brother.”

“Alright, old man, since I’m busy now, can you stop bothering me? I can’t focus at all on Tae-il here. This is all for the sake of Janwol.”

Kang Yoon-soo tapped the documents in his hand on the desk to let Han Seung-hoo gauge the thickness of the papers. It was a dull thud, but Han Seung-hoo just gave a ‘So what’ expression.

Kang Yoon-soo chuckled in disappointment at the well-raised behavior of his two younger brothers.

“…I should retire soon. That way, they might understand the burden I’m carrying…”

“You’re speaking quite loudly to yourself, Brother Yoon-soo.”

“I’m saying it for you to hear, you brat. Anyway, why did Tae-il come?”

“Yeah, why did that guy come here? And not just once or twice.”

“He came to talk to me. But why don’t you tell me what happened to you guys? Seems like you got caught up in something pretty dangerous.”

Kang Yoon-soo asked Jung Tae-il as well, but since he didn’t get a proper answer, he turned to Han Seung-hoo, who was with him, for an answer.

Then Han Seung-hoo’s expression became strange.

“Well… we saved someone.”

“…Is that it?”

“Well, yeah. It’s complicated to explain.”

“…Okay. I’ll have to ask Yeon-oh separately about that later. But you keep in touch with Yeon-oh.”

“…I did.”

“Why the past tense?”

Han Seung-hoo’s expression crumpled. He slowly opened his mouth while glancing at the phone he left on the table.

“I couldn’t today. She only gives clear answers when we meet… which only happens when we meet someone.”

“Ah, it seems like Tae-il went to meet her.”

“…I thought so… wait, how do you know?”

“When Tae-il was here, he suddenly vanished in front of me after glaring at Arvani’s mana. Before leaving, he cursed fiercely.”

Han Seung-hoo bit his lip and slouched on the sofa. Why did she only call him and not anyone else? He mumbled to himself and eventually picked up his phone to send a text.

The ‘1’ indicator that still wouldn’t disappear annoyed him.

Watching him, Kang Yoon-soo nodded lightly. Seeing Seung-hoo being teased made him feel content, but then he furrowed his brow and stood up from his seat.

Then he looked at the office door and spoke.

“Come in. If eavesdropping is your hobby, then continue doing that.”

As Kang Yoon-soo finished speaking, the office door opened terrifyingly. At the same time, Han Seung-hoo’s head turned towards the door.

Han Seung-hoo’s expression, which was full of jealousy a moment ago, disappeared as soon as he saw the person who had come to visit them…

“Mr. Kim Chok, what brings you here? And even the employer hunter.”

It was Mr. Kim Chok, who had become the new head of the government agency, along with the employer hunter who had joined under him.