35

Lee Ho handed the contract back to me.

“A year is not a short time, so train her well, but I don’t think that the promise you made is meaningful.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You promised her that she could transfer into Cheon-Myeong, but I feel that she will follow you instead.”

I didn’t think that was true but didn’t say anything. As I opened the door for us to go out, I noticed that he was heading somewhere else.

“Are you going out for work?”

“Not yet. I just received a call.”

“A call?”

“Cheon-Myeong is not just a supermarket, you know. We have a lot of departments.”

“I see.”

“At least three or more people should be moving at the same time for the job. As you said, I should investigate some more.”

I already knew that he would do well.

“Good luck. I believe in you.”

* * *

I handed the signed contract to So-Eun. “This is for you.”

“You—you didn’t have to do that.”

“Then what’s that smile, huh? I can see it through your hands.”

She tried to hide her delight, but she could not stop herself from smiling. “I heard that Cheon-Myeong’s benefits are excellent. Thank you.”

Even after living in a different world, I still knew the basics of this one works. High schoolers didn’t have to care about benefits. They liked money and could be easily allured by the amount of money that the guild offered, but what she cared most about were the benefits.

That was a bit strange. I decided to ask her about that later.

“Why don’t we continue our dinner?”

So-Eun, however, stood still as if she wanted to read my mind. “Go ahead. I won’t say anything more.”

She finally held her spoon and finished her dinner.

After she had eaten, I decided to ask her.

“Do the benefits really matter? Your salary will be higher than Yoo Ee-Na’s.”

She showed an awkward smile; it was not what I expected.

“If it’s not my money, then it doesn’t really count.”

What was that supposed to mean?

I had gotten a job when I was fifteen, so I was certain that her salary was her own money and not her guardian’s.

“According to what I know, there are no restrictions for you not to get the salary.”

“I know, but I had to write a contract.”

I immediately knew that ‘contract’ was not the right term to describe it.

“My uncle told me to give all my money to him.”

“…What kind of jerk is that?”

I mean, seriously. That piece of junk was just taking advantage of his niece. What kind of guardian was that?

“Until when?”

“…For eleven years.”

“Eleven years?”

“It’s been eleven years since I started to live with him. I promised him to give what I have to pay him back.”

That certainly was just bullshit, and I was not the only one who thought that.

“Nonsense. That’s not going to work.”

It was my brother Lee Ho. After finishing his call, he had been listening to our conversation from the back.

“That contract you mentioned can be easily refuted by the law. Also, I would like to see the documents for it. If you have it now, can I see it?”

So-Eun shook her head, saying no.

It was odd for me to do so, but I laughed. “Remember what I told you in the registration center?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s enough.”

I stood up. It was time to do some work.

“Get up.”

“Huh?”

“You said you remember what I told you. I’ll do it now. Let’s go.”

“Where… do you mean?”

“The place where you and your uncle are staying.”

So-Eun was surprised to hear that.

“Based on experience, I learned that you have to deal with these kinds of issues quickly.”

At my words, So-Eun nodded. I then looked at Ho and noticed that he had not changed into house clothes. He was probably leaving too.

“About to go somewhere?”

“Yep. One of my staff told me that there is a strange trace on Jeju Island.”

“You had just informed them, and the response was that quick?”

“They found it during lunch. There was a trace of someone using a unique skill there. They were not sure whether the news was appropriate to report, so I’m going there to check.”

“Jeju at this late time?”

Ho smiled and said, “As you have mentioned, the Hunter’s law is not just newly-formed. To persuade him, I need to show full sincerity.”

I was smiling as well.

“What about dinner?”

“I guess I’ll just have to eat an in-flight meal. You should try one later.”

I shrugged, and that was the end of our conversation. We went out together. My destination was So-Eun’s house, and Ho’s destination was Jeju Island.

* * *

So-Eun and I sat down at a playground nearby. I suggested that she tell me her whole story first.

“My parents passed away in a car accident.”

“When was it?”

“About when I was eight.”

It was easy to emphasize with her. It was a bit different, but I had a similar experience. I then stayed quiet to focus on her story.

After her parents died, her uncle became her guardian and she had to go and live at his place.

“I never had pocket money in my life.”

“My parent’s property became my uncle’s.”

“I always wanted to be independent of him, but what can I do? I had even thought of prostitution, but as you can see, my body is not that attractive.”

It was not that she was unattractive; her figure just seemed dangerously thin. Everyone wondered how she could survive like this. That was how bad her state was.

“And I also had to deal with school. My grades were excellent, I got all As. I could have gone to a great university.”

That was the time when I interrupted. “Then you awakened your ability?”

“Yes… I thought I could make money through this, so I can finally earn by myself and be independent of my uncle.”

I nodded. It was an understandable story, but the problem is…

“You must know that a Hunter’s life is not as dreamy as you think.”

Hunters did earn a lot of money, but they had to risk a lot as well. I continued, “I read through the Hunter’s law and found some interesting ones.”

“…What is it?”

“I noticed that the number of serious crimes occurred more near the gates, almost twice as much as anywhere else.”

She stood up and leaned on the wall. I could see that she did that to listen more carefully.

“It’s not that I hate laws; I don’t really care. But Hunters like you, who are just beginners with weak power, should be concerned with the law.”

“………..”

“When a Gate is cleared, it would immediately disappear. This means that no one will know exactly what happens over there. I heard that murders occur occasionally, and if it’s a female Hunter like you, then rape could also happen.”

“…………”

“It is difficult to capture criminals at the gate. There’s no evidence. The police won’t have a right to take them to court.”

At this, So-Eun’s face darkened. She must have already known about this. I mean, she got all As in school. A smart girl like her would have known this for sure.

However, what she knew and what she experienced were different.

“Lee Ho is worried about you.”

“…Me?”

“Yep. Your ability is regeneration.”

“…Yes.”

“I know that a smart girl like you would know what I’m trying to say.”

She nodded again. Then that was it. Even if she knows what might happen, she still wanted to do it. I didn’t want to stop her from starting.

She could decide for sure after going through the training, but the most important thing was to start.

“What do you want to do with your uncle?”

“I… want us to have a separate life.”

That was also a good answer.

“Now, shall we go? Where is the place?”

“I’ll lead you there.”

Chapter 3

I followed So-Eun to a big building. Their house was large and had three floors. Unlike her appearance, her uncle seemed to be living a good life.

So-Eun was smiling awkwardly. The house and her appearance did not match. The place she was living in seemed very expensive. It had a nice, spacious garage and three expensive cars, which meant that they had sufficient money to care for her, but she was wearing a used school uniform. Despite the amount of money that they had, she looked extremely thin, as if she was not eating enough.

It was clear. The man was exploiting So-Eun’s parent’s heritage and never used the money for his niece.

To be extra sure, I asked her. “Is that a used school uniform?”

“…Yes.”

“And that was what your uncle bought for you?”

“………..”

She then admitted that her uncle gave her very little money. That was why she had to buy a used uniform; it was the only way to get one.

I could understand that if he had less money, but that was not the case.

I patted So-Eun’s head and pressed the doorbell. The ringing sound resonated inside the house. Soon, a man’s voice came from the speakers.

[ Who’s there? ]

“Open the door. Let’s have a talk.”

[ What kind of idiot are you. ]

He ignored my words.

I smiled and asked So-Eun.

“Was I showing a rude attitude?”

“No… It was fine.”

I could see that she was afraid. That already showed me what kind of man her uncle was. I continued pressing the bell until the door opened at last and he came out.

The man stepped outside and looked at me. As he saw So-Eun beside me, he was expressing his anger. He prepared himself to hit her without any hesitation, and So-Eun readily raised her arm to shield herself.

I grabbed his arm to stop him, which caused him to look over at me.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t know, some rude jackass who rings the bell continuously.”

I smiled and replied simply. “Hey.”

“…Hey?”

“Who do you think you are? What kind of language is that?”

“You fucking son of a b…”

“Say one more word, and I’ll kill you. Do you understand that?”