12

“That’s quite sad to hear. I may not be a respected man, but I’m not a jerk either.”

“Is that true?”

“Of course.”

“…The truth is, I know you are telling the truth.”

“Huh? “

“Awakeners can sense when drugs are put inside their bodies, but I can find no trace of any drugs. It’s natural for awakeners… but I guess you won’t know that feeling because you are not an awakener.”

Not an awakener, huh?

Interesting points. In fact, she was right that I was not one of them. I was, after all, just an irregular. While I was thinking about it, she continued what she was saying.

“But…”

“But?”

“Don’t bring an unconscious woman into your house. That’s a crime. Don’t do it again.”

She did have a point; those were my thoughts, too. But…

“It would have been better if you said that after brushing your teeth. I can smell the beer from here.”

“…Y—You are just the worst.”

“Spoken like a character from a fiction story.”

At this, she frowned. I simply shrugged and led her to a sink. It was what I used to do with my dear Yeo-Hwa; after drinking, we would brush our teeth together.

“There are lots of toothbrushes there. Use whatever you want. Oh, and by the way…”

“By the way, what?”

“Are you a daily instructor today?”

“…How did you hear that?”

“I have great hearing.”

“………..”

“I also heard you snoring. Isn’t that an issue with your nose? Go get that checked at the hospital.”

Ee-Na immediately blushed. “You really are the worst.”

“Again, that’s something that the main character in a story would say.”

Those were the lines I would frequently read in a traditional Korean online novel. Even when I was still around, those lines had already existed.

Ee-Na, as if she had just heard something absurd, shook her head. It was quite a nostalgic view since my dear Yeo-Hwa would say that as well. I couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing over there.

“I just want to check, but the place you are going to is Ga-On high school, right?”

“Yes. Why do you want to know?”

“It’s been a while since I heard that name.”

“…….”

“No time to pause. Go and wash.”

“You know this is not the right time to say that!” Ee-Na shouted, “I’ll just wash at my house!”

“Don’t you rent that house? You know that it’s technically not your house.”

She was staring at me as if she was talking to someone who had quite a hard time understanding. I smiled and gently offered her some suggestions.

“If you are awake, then I suggest you wash up now. You have a lot to prepare for your job.”

“I will! In my house!”

She was obviously emphasizing the fact that it was her own house. I shrugged. “Whatever you want. But, by the way, are you going to have breakfast?”

“I will…”

“I know what you’re going to say, ‘I will eat in my house.’ How about just having breakfast here instead? I want to cook something for my brother. Be my guest and try that out for me first.”

Ee-Na paused for a moment before asking. “What exactly do you wish to cook?”

“It’s kimchi stew.”

“Kimchi stew…?”

When we were young, we did not have much money. My brother and I never had any expensive meals. Just simple jjajang noodles with Chinese sweet and sour pork. It was the best my mother could afford. At home, she cooked us simple dishes. Mostly stew, but among all her recipes, her kimchi stew was the best.

I know that I couldn’t cook like my mother, but I wanted to at least cook kimchi stew for my brother. Ee-Na, sensing my emotions, sighed and nodded slowly.

“I’ll wash the dishes.”

“Of course you must.”

“…….”

Chapter 4

“Ahem.”

Ee-Na cleared her throat.

Everything was perfect. Her voice was fine and she was ready to deliver her knowledge to the students. There were about forty students in the classroom she was lecturing, forty fresh and innocent children. Although there were only a few who were actually interested in the topic, she eagerly began her lecture.

“As you all know, there’s a ranking on the gates as well.”

Most of the students were paying attention to her. This information was available on the internet as well, but it was coming from an actual hunter herself, so it was worth paying attention to.

“SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. These seven ranks decide the difficulty of the gate. But that’s not all. These ranks are also used to measure the strength of the hunters.”

“Not everyone can become an awakener, but that does not mean that awakeners are the chosen ones.”

“Wages? Of course it’s high, but the tasks are quite dangerous. According to statistics from 2020, about six thousand hunters were awakened, and now four thousand of them have died. Although the casualties have decreased as the Guild was created and society changed.”

That was true. The casualty rate had indeed decreased by a lot.

“According to 2029’s statistics, forty-four thousand hunters are in Korea. I know it seems less than what you were expecting. That is because of the SS-rated gate that appeared in North Korea six years ago that unleashed tons of monsters. Many hunters died, and I know that you’ve seen the memorial with ten thousand hunters’ names written on it.”

Yoo Ee-Na looked around and continued. “It is simple to become an awakener. When you turn eighteen, you’ll get a system. Some of you may awaken your power and some of you may not. But the important thing is…”

She pointed at every student with a finger, emphasizing the message she wanted to deliver.

“Don’t consider being a hunter as the best job ever.”

“It is true that you could earn a lot of money, but you are risking your own life. Other than being a hunter, you could earn money in a different way.”

“If you awaken, be humble. There are rare cases of continuing one’s ability, but these are rare. You are risking your own life. Enhance your skills and always be ready for the job.”

As most of the students were starting to pay attention, Ee-Na smiled and exclaimed in her mind that maybe she had a talent for teaching! She continued with her lecture and answered some of the students’ questions.

“Now, I will talk about the life of hunters. I’ll tell you about the concept of skills. You can gain them through the skill stone at the dungeon or learn them by repetitive process. It’s more like customizing a game character…”

“There are forty-four guilds in Korea, and among them, Cheon-Myeong guild is…”

“Me? I’m a B-ranked hunter. My skills were improved while working as a freelancer.”

“How was being a freelancer? It was tiring.”

“Do I have a boyfriend? Why? Do you think I don’t?”

Ee-Na smiled as she chatted with the students. As she did so, some of the students noticed a man watching her from the window, so some of them pointed him out and asked her who he was.

“Who is that man? Uhh, it’s a secret.”

Everyone knew who Lee Ho was. If they were to discover that he was Ho’s brother, then this school might garner some attention.

“Is he my boyfriend? What kind of question is that? Who are you anyway?”

***

I didn’t know that lectures went like this nowadays.

I observed Yoo Ee-Na and smiled. She was a pure woman. She was like a person who would continue to remain pure her whole life; even if the world was chaotic and fucked up, she would continue being pure. She believed in her faith and stepped forward. That was who Ee-Na was.

This might sound like a self-compliment, but I can accurately examine who a person actually is. To me, Ee-Na is a good person. A person that I would willingly support. She had similar characteristics as my mother.

As I was lost in thought, someone suddenly called my name.

“You… are you Hwan?”

I turned my head slowly. The man standing in front of me had hair that was all white and wrinkles on his face. But, like always, he was wearing a Hanbok, the Korean traditional outfit.

A lot of time had passed, but I still remembered him.

He was my homeroom teacher when I was still in high school. Before I quit school, he had taken good care of me as a student. I opened my mouth.

“You got skinnier.”

“Is it really you…?”

“Yes, I’m that Hwan you knew, Mr. Go.”

Mr. Go, with surprise on his face, came closer to me, then wrapped me in a tight hug.

“You’re alive…”

He still thought of me as his student. I was grateful for it.

When I decided to quit school, he had told me that he was willing to provide money just for me to continue studying. He was the only one who believed that I could go to a great university.

When I had a fight with those who insulted my family, he was there to protect me. He even encouraged me and always told me that everything would go well. He was an adult that I could rely on.

“You got way skinnier. What happened?”

We hugged for a while, enjoying our reunion.

After our long hug, my dear teacher coughed for a bit before exclaiming.

“Wow, you don’t look like you aged. You look exactly the same as the last time I saw you.”

“Really?”

“A lot of time has passed, but I can still spot you immediately.”

While undergoing the process of being a master, my physical age got younger, probably because I broke all the bones in my body and rebuilt them to be stronger.

“So, you asked why I got skinnier?”

“What happened?”

“It was a natural phenomenon.”

We talked more about ourselves. Then I remembered that he had a family.

“So, how’s your wife? Is she doing fine as well?”

Mr. Go immediately froze. “Oh, you didn’t know. She passed away when the gate was opened.”

“Oh…”

I did not know what to say. His wife had helped me a lot as well.

“It’s alright. It happened a decade ago, so don’t look so sad.”

I couldn’t say anything. He had also experienced a tragedy like us—everyone did.

“So, where have you been?” It was Mr. Go’s question that broke the silence between us. I sighed before answering.

“It’s a long story. Do you have some time?”