Chapter 330

After kicking Jin Haedo out and seating Sung Uijae in his place, the bastard crossed his arms and stared steadily at me instead of immediately asking questions.

I kindly spoke first for his sake.

“Did the event go well?”

“No.”

“I actually expected you’d want to leave halfway through, so I gave you an excuse.”

For reference, Sung Uijae had attended the event, gone through interview after interview, and then seemed to have been left alone afterward. Thanks to the event being broadcast live, I had been able to enjoy watching Sung Uijae’s interviews.

It was quite impressive to watch the reporters running wild in an attempt to stir up controversy, asking questions like, ‘Do you still feel affection for Korea?’, ‘Is your identity now completely rooted in Australia?’, and ‘If Korea faced a crisis, would you come to provide support?’ Sung Uijae’s expression gradually began to rot, but he still answered diligently enough.

‘I do feel affection for Korea, my identity is rooted in several places, and I’ll come provide support if it’s needed.’

After answering briefly, Sung Uijae informed the reporters without relaxing his expression.

‘I won’t be taking any more similar questions.’

After that, the questions became peaceful. No matter how obsessed they were with views, apparently having an S-rank Hunter right in front of them made their mouths behave politely enough.

Sung Uijae gave a few more interviews after that, then finished the brief training session he had originally promised and did not appear on camera for quite a while. He had probably done something related to the Hunter Association.

‘Maybe he talked to someone, or... investigated something?’

Though since the bastard was not particularly skilled at investigating on his own, it was probably closer to ‘looking around.’

After that, Sung Uijae seemed to think he had fulfilled all his obligations, left the event venue on his own, and headed straight to the place where we had agreed to meet. I had only made this appointment out of nowhere that very same day, yet he had readily accepted, which meant the bastard had probably been bored first.

Or maybe he had simply wanted to get out of there?

Sung Uijae silently stared at me with his brow furrowed for a while, then pointed at me with one hand.

“Hey, Hunter Seo. Are you really....”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to keep acting like this? What kind of introduction was that, springing it on me out of nowhere? I almost remembered the nightmare of eating with Hunter Im.”

“What a... fond memory.”

“Fond memory, my ass.”

“You like people anyway, don’t you? You seemed cheerful.”

“What kind of compliment is that supposed to be? You sound like you’re talking to Max from next door.”

“Your neighbor’s name is Max?”

“It’s a common dog name.”

There he went again, using an example that did not work across cultures.

When I said nothing in particular, Sung Uijae sighed and added,

“And I have no intention of getting friendly with a cult leader. That’s not just me. Any normal person would think the same way. But is he really a cult leader?”

Who knew? They got fairly involved with each other in the original work. Though this time, I had blocked that possibility from the very beginning, so there was nothing to be done about it.

“You meet cult leaders sometimes when you go through life.”

“I don’t know about that.... I doubt I would have met one if it weren’t for you. But why the hell were you meeting a cult leader? Do you have some kind of personal connection? Why?”

Instead of answering, I raised my eyebrows once and lightly changed the subject.

“Oh, I saw your interview.”

“Yeah, I saw yours too.”

“You made sure to watch it?”

“Apparently everyone was losing their minds over how rude you were.”

It was amazing how a bastard who barely even held onto his phone somehow found things like that without fail.

‘Does he search my name or something?’

I ignored Sung Uijae’s nonsense and got to the point.

There were two main reasons I had met Sung Uijae today. One was to win him over by buying him whatever he needed at the Hunter market, and the other was to use that as an excuse to probe him about the Hunter Association and make him feel like shit.

‘The plus and minus should roughly cancel each other out.’

Anyway, Sung Uijae was far too useful a piece of manpower to use only once.

“Anyway, let’s get going.”

“...We had a destination?”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Then why would we meet?”

“People meet without a reason all the time.”

“Are we that close?”

“Stop talking like a little brat.”

“Whatever. Let’s go. Our destination is the Hunter market. The place you’ve been to before, Hunter Sung.”

At that, Sung Uijae easily understood the hidden meaning.

“Tell me it isn’t the place Hunter Im runs.”

“It is.”

“.......”

As we went down to the parking lot, Sung Uijae had remained quiet, but in the end, as if unable to hold back his curiosity, he suddenly spoke.

“It’s nothing, I’m just asking.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you dressed like that today?”

“What about it?”

“You don’t usually dress like that, do you? I’ve never seen anyone else dress formally everywhere like you do. It doesn’t suit your personality.”

He asked about the strangest things.

For reference, what I was wearing now was just an ordinary zip-up hoodie and neat pants. Of course, it was not as if I normally went around wearing this kind of thing, and I had circumstances of my own.

Without saying anything, I rolled up my right sleeve and showed it to Sung Uijae.

“What is this.... ...Handcuffs? You didn’t commit a crime and escape, did you?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m really not.”

“Then why are you wearing handcuffs like this?”

Why else? I simply conveyed the facts.

“Guild Master Im put them on me.”

“...I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It means exactly what I said. Guild Master Im told me to wear them for a while, so I am.”

“That’s why I don’t understand. How am I supposed to... interpret this? If I ask the wrong way, is it harassment?”

“Then ask properly.”

“Sex life?”

I got out of the elevator and answered calmly.

“It has absolutely nothing to do with that.”

“Then why are handcuffs being exchanged between lovers?”

“Do you usually do that kind of play?”

“No, I’m gentle.”

“I pursue platonic love.”

“Ha, what nonsense.”

I was serious, though?

Sung Uijae’s nonsense continued the entire drive to the Night Market operated by Im Haekyung.

“For someone who pursues platonic love, don’t you usually live way too soaked in dopamine? Ah, is the order reversed? Are you so soaked in dopamine all the time that you don’t even need sex?”

“Why are you so curious about someone else’s sexual preferences? It’s not like I offered to let you experience them.”

“Don’t say something horrifying.”

“How do you know it’s horrifying when you haven’t tried it?”

“Be faithful to your lover. Sorry, but in that regard, you’re completely not my type.”

“Do you like men?”

“I’ve never thought about it. I’ve only dated women.”

After that, I lightly answered the bastard’s nonsense until we arrived at the Night Market. Only after getting out of the car and taking the elevator up did I tell Sung Uijae the truth.

“This is a mana-suppression artifact. For certain reasons, the fiend wasn’t being suppressed properly, so as a temporary measure, we decided to suppress my mana entirely.”

“Then you could’ve just explained it like that. Why did you start unnecessary sex talk?”

“Did I start it? You started it, Hunter Sung.”

What the hell was this bastard talking about now? I looked at him in contempt, then familiarly presented my access pass and entered the Night Market. The employee who noticed Sung Uijae’s presence paused slightly, but soon checked the membership card prepared in advance and let us inside without saying anything.

Sung Uijae looked around with an uneasy expression, then lowered his voice and asked,

“By any chance, Hunter Seo. Then right now, can you... not use Skills at all?”

“Yes.”

“And you still came to a place like this?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“If someone picks a fight and hits you with a Skill, won’t you be unable to respond and get seriously hurt?”

“That’s why I brought you, Hunter Sung.”

The bastard seemed to understand what I meant a beat late, nodded, then furrowed his brow with a strange expression.

“You brought me as a bodyguard?”

“Honestly, I don’t think anything will happen that requires protection. Just pick something you like while you’re here.”

It was not that I thought no one would pick a fight. It was simply that even if something did happen, I felt like I would somehow manage to get through it.

“Sorry, but I have plenty of money too.”

“I never said I’d buy it for you.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I’m giving you the opportunity to buy something.”

I waved the screen displaying the membership card in front of Sung Uijae’s eyes.

“It’s difficult for foreigners to make purchases here at all. I’m letting you use the Korean advantage.”

This was an exceptionally generous benefit. However, Sung Uijae still looked at me with a dumbfounded frown, then sighed and said,

“When you have time later, make sure you go to a psychiatrist and get treatment.”

“For what?”

“Just go. Once you’re there, they’ll give you something for whatever it is.”

I ignored the bastard’s nonsense and moved on.

‘First, I’ll buy a mana restraint.’

It would be good to buy a few other things while I was here too.

I bought a thin bracelet-type mana restraint, followed by defensive gear Do Yehyun could use, a disposable attack artifact, and a poisonous artifact that could be used in all directions. Besides that, I bought a mana stone that seemed compatible with an artifact I had recently obtained, as well as a Teleport Box whose price had doubled in the meantime. While I was at it, I bought one artifact for Sung Uijae too.

At first, Sung Uijae clicked his tongue as if displeased, but at some point, he began personally picking things up and even negotiating thoroughly.

After buying everything I needed, I dismantled the mana restraint on the spot and placed it into a space-saving box, then replaced it with the thin bracelet-type mana restraint.

“Would you like to eat?”

“Sorry, but I already have plans today.”

“Aha.”

A few possible people came to mind. Since Sung Uijae had come to Korea, there were probably many bastards who had contacted him asking to have a meal together.

I obediently drove to the hotel where he was staying.

When we were almost there, I opened my mouth to carry out my second purpose.

“Do you want revenge on the Hunter Association?”

“...What kind of sudden nonsense is that now?”

“You have bad feelings toward them.”

At my words, Sung Uijae fell silent.

A moment later, the bastard spoke clearly in a low voice.

“I don’t really have anything I’d call bad feelings anymore. It’s not like I think well of them either.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Well, that much had actually ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) been predictable. However, whether Sung Uijae would still have no desire for retaliation if an additional condition were added was a little... interesting to wonder about.

“Hunter Sung.”

“What nonsense are you going to say this time?”

“The person you said you were looking for before.”

That alone would be enough for the bastard to understand. The lover of the Hunter Association employee who had supposedly saved Sung Uijae in the past and whose records had now been erased.... The very person Sung Uijae had said he wanted to repay.

“If that person said they wanted revenge on the Hunter Association, would you help?”

Sung Uijae was not the kind of bastard who would answer no to that question, so I waited long enough for his answer.

“After hearing them out.”

At the answer Sung Uijae finally gave, I asked one more thing.

“Even if it involved killing?”

“.......”

Sung Uijae, who had been looking out the window, turned his body and looked at me.

“What’s the intention behind the question?”

“What do you think? I found that person....”

Quite intelligently, Sung Uijae found the ‘intention’ on his own.

“What do you want?”

That had already been decided clearly. I stopped the car in front of the hotel and held up three fingers.

“There are three things.”

“You’re being greedy.”

“I’ll request them one at a time, and I won’t tell you now. I’ll tell you right before I make each request. However, none of the requests will be to kill someone.”

After confirming that his gaze was fixed on my fingers, I kindly extended my hand and formed a handshake.

“Would you like to make a deal?”