Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

“Mr. Jung Tae-il, do you know what that means before you speak?”

“Did I look like a fool suggesting without even understanding that much meaning?”

“It’s not that…”

“I’m serious, Seo Yeon-oh. I want to scout you for ‘Overflow.'”

After emphasizing the scout once again, Jung Tae-il closed his mouth.

His bombshell statement left everyone around in confusion, their eyes blinking rapidly.

I was one of them.

‘Wow, this is not a joke…!’

If I asked for help again, I had no idea what he might do next.

Wait, did Jung Tae-il just propose a scout to me? Is this for real?

Is the world not fooling me but presenting me with 100% reality?

For a moment, a movie flashed through my mind, but I wasn’t the protagonist of that magnitude.

…Hmm. …That was certainly true until my house fell into the gate.

No, the important thing now wasn’t that.

‘Why is Jung Tae-il doing this to me?’

The help I had in mind was a piece of reasonable advice not to be swayed by the government. But suddenly,

it’s a scout… I couldn’t understand Jung Tae-il’s intentions at all.

With a determination to read his mind, I stared at him as if trying to pierce through him.

No matter how I looked at it, his expression seemed to enjoy the situation where I was in trouble.

“…Am I being teased?”

“I don’t need to do that, do I?”

“Then why…?”

“Seo Yeon-oh, because your abilities are outstanding.”

“…Ah.”

As if asking why he needed to state the obvious, Jung Tae-il narrowed his eyes. The somewhat amused expression completely disappeared, and now he sent a gaze that seemed to say, ‘It’s annoying, so stop asking.’

However, there was a pack of hyenas that didn’t miss that moment…

“Ms. Seo Yeon-oh? Are you, by any chance, the protagonist in the video?”

“Ms. Seo Yeon-oh! How does it feel to be scouted by ‘Overflow’? Also, how did you become friends with Hunter Jung Tae-il?”

“If you are indeed the protagonist in the video, what are your thoughts on the government?”

They took advantage of the moment when Jung Tae-il, who seemed like an impregnable wall, momentarily let his guard down, and bombarded questions.

The questions were all related to me.

‘…This is the opportunity.’

I need to make good use of this moment to make my resignation possible.

I slowly opened my mouth, looking at the reporters who asked the questions one by one.

“Yes, I am indeed the protagonist of the ‘video’ that Mr. Kim Chok mentioned. I am also a government-affiliated Hunter.”

As I spoke, the surroundings fell silent in an instant. The journalist who appeared to be the oldest among them began to ask me a question.

“In that case, Ms. Seo Yeon-oh, what is your current stance? You are in a situation where you have received promises of support from the government and scout offers from various guilds!”

“Embarrassingly, yes, that’s true. I have received scout offers from several guilds, and I am currently considering my options.”

“Ms. Seo Yeon-oh, you are still a government Hunter, correct? Considering that your resignation has not been properly executed yet, isn’t contemplating this a hasty decision?”

Whether it was intentional or not, the journalist seemed to insinuate that preparing to leave without saying anything was a form of betrayal, echoing Mr. Kim Chok’s sentiments.

“Yes, I am still a government-affiliated Hunter. I haven’t silently prepared to leave. I expressed my intention to resign to my superior, Team Leader Park Jong-hoon, but all I heard was that it was impossible. They told me not to even dream of submitting a resignation letter.”

According to my team leader, higher-ups blocked my resignation.

Adding a wistful tone, I continued, and the atmosphere around me changed. Perhaps, as fellow workers, they could understand.

It’s ridiculous that, with my abilities, I could move to another company with better conditions, and the company forcibly prevented it.

Moreover, what Mr. Kim Chok did was almost like a threat.

If I don’t stay in the government, I’ll be stamped as a traitor or defector in South Korea.

So, handle it wisely.

Knowing clearly what these stamps mean in South Korea, I didn’t let this moment pass.

“I have never heard of the support Mr. Kim Chok promised. Moreover, it’s a place that doesn’t reflect my intentions. Can the support be properly executed there? I want to move to a place that recognizes my value.”

My value.

Indeed, in a society rampant with meritocracy, who would speak against me choosing a place that recognizes my value? Isn’t the society they created one where competition and rankings determine everything?

Even after I finished speaking, the surroundings remained silent. Now, not even common questions were coming my way. They silently continued moving their fingers swiftly.

They were engaged in another competition.

“It’s over.”

Jung Tae-il, observing the concluded scene, shrugged his shoulders and threw a remark. I nodded slowly.

“Then, let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Jung Tae-il extended his hand to me, and I grabbed it without hesitation. Rough and rugged, his hand was surprisingly warm.

‘…This should resolve things to some extent.’

While it didn’t go exactly as planned, I achieved a resolution that I somewhat desired. Sighing inwardly, I followed Jung Tae-il’s lead.

And in doing so, I completely failed to notice someone observing us from a distance.

Someone seething with cold anger, gritting their teeth in frustration.

* * *

Two days later.

Thump!

The sound of a desk being pounded by a fist echoed through the space. As if that wasn’t enough, he struck the desk again, forcefully exhaling rough breaths.

“T-That! I was told to prevent any discussion about Hunter Seo Yeon-oh’s resignation… so I handled it from my end. But… I didn’t expect things to turn out like this, Sir.”

“I told you to report anything related to Hunter Seo Yeon-oh.”

“I… thought it was a trivial matter.”

“So, it was trivial to Team Leader Park Jong-hoon.”

His orders were clear. Despite Team Leader Park Jong-hoon paling, almost losing the color from his face, at his command, Kim Chok couldn’t contain his boiling anger and struck the desk once more.

“Do you know what the media is churning out right now?”

The media, the community, and the public opinion that the government doesn’t willingly release talented Hunters dominated the country. Testimonies were emerging, not only from Seo Yeon-oh but from others as well. 

Initially, the government denied involvement, but when Seo Yeon-oh released recorded files, they had no choice but to acknowledge their role.

All because of one miserable guy.

Kim Chok’s monocle glinted coldly, capturing Park Jong-hoon’s drained expression. For a moment, Park Jong-hoon felt like he was being torn apart from head to toe.

He considered himself fortunate that this was inside a government building; otherwise, his neck might have already rolled on the floor. As he kneeled swiftly, he thought that for now, avoiding this situation and escaping from Kim Chok was the only way he could survive.

“…Whatever it takes, I will bring Hunter Seo Yeon-oh back to the government.”

“Team Leader Park Jong-hoon, what can you possibly do? The government has already become a place forcibly holding Hunter Seo Yeon-oh, and various other issues are causing a commotion. What can Team Leader Park Jong-hoon do to resolve this?”

“….”

“Are you thinking of kidnapping, perhaps? Even if you gained special skills, your abilities are still at FFF level, right?”

“….”

“Incredibly foolish.”

Park Jong-hoon, who was just trying to avoid the situation and suddenly found himself labeled as a potential kidnapper, fell silent.

Whatever he said now wouldn’t diminish his guilt. He could only hope desperately for Kim Chok’s icy anger to subside.

Perhaps his desperate prayer worked, as the bell rang within the embrace of Kim Chok. Park Jong-hoon inwardly sighed with relief, waiting for Kim Chok to answer the phone quickly.

Kim Chok, taking out his phone from the jacket pocket, checked the caller ID, and furrowed his brow.

It hadn’t been long since he’d seen Kim Chok frown like this. Park Jong-hoon, suspecting it might be someone high up in the government, silently began fervently wishing for leniency.

“Ha….”

With a short exhale, Kim Chok gestured to Park Jong-hoon. It meant he should get out of this space as soon as possible.

Kim Chok answered the phone, exchanged brief greetings, and listened to what the other person had to say with his mouth closed.

As the conversation progressed, he slowly broke into laughter.

“How much do you intend to tarnish the government’s reputation? So, what did you gain from this deal? Is it something truly worth exchanging for Hunter Seo Yeon-oh?”

Oh, is that so? Did he say that? What an amusing guy.

Having heard what he gained, Kim Chok twisted the corner of his mouth slightly. Then, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

At that moment, his pupils flashed like a wild beast ready to pounce.

“Alright, I will handle Hunter Seo Yeon-oh’s resignation.”

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Kim Chok finished the call and lifted the phone still on the desk. Now, he knew what he had to do.

After processing Seo Yeon-oh’s resignation, he would express regret for any internal misunderstandings, release her, and wish her luck in her future endeavors.

There was one more thing.

“Transfer Hunter Park Jong-hoon to the weapon repair department.”

Repairing a thousand weapons a day might bring him to his senses. 

Well, if it becomes too difficult, he can just resign, and he’ll promptly approve it.