TL: SHW
I don’t understand why Alex Hope keeps clinging so desperately. Saying he’s indebted, saying he needs to express his gratitude.
So what’s he getting out of this? Never mind me, what good does it do to rub Hong Seok-young the wrong way?
If he knew that, he wouldn’t have come all the way here like this.
I wasn’t the only one flustered. Chris Wilson, who was clearly Hope’s supervisor, and a large Hunter from Australia also looked flustered and started to hold onto Hope’s shoulder and try to calm him down.
“Hope?”
“Hm?”
“This is your first time in Korea. What kind of gratitude do you think you’re going to express?”
“Come on.”
Hope crossed his arms defensively.
“There’s something between us that the deputy leader doesn’t know.”
Wilson’s eyebrows twitched. I got a feeling. The same thing that happened at the venue is going to happen again.
It’s not like I can drag Hope off and beat him right now. Just sitting still and watching pisses me off, and now I have to watch that useless scene again?
More than anything, I want to avoid getting dragged into Alex Hope’s game any further.
“I know you're upset about being left out, but still, interrupting a conversation like this is impolite.”
“Hope. I clearly told you yesterday.”
Well, it’s not like I can’t get any information out of this short conversation, but...
I have a feeling Alex Hope’s mother is going to get mentioned again.
“Just behave yourself, for your mother’s sake.”
See?
Alex Hope’s mother has a fairly good reputation in the Australian Hunter world. Other than that, she was a Hunter without any peculiarities or suspicious points.
No. I guess the number of suspicious points has increased now.
The fact that she’s his mother makes her suspicious enough.
And seriously, how did she raise him that he turned out like this?
Hope scoffed at Wilson’s words.
“My mom taught me that even if I don’t know anything else, I should repay any help I receive double. Didn’t the deputy leader learn that?”
“…….”
“If you didn’t, well, can’t be helped.”
“Oh….”
A sigh escaped from among the Australian Hunters who had been silently watching from behind. That’s because Alex Hope just insulted the way their households raised them.
Just yesterday, Hope was yelling back and forth with Wilson, refusing to back down, but at least he pretended to listen.
But now?
His soft voice was starting to crack at the ends.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were hardened. That meant he was starting to get annoyed too.
The Australian Hunters are a mess. Except for Alex Hope, I thought they all met the qualifications to attend the forum. Then again, being competent as a Hunter doesn’t necessarily mean you're competent as a person.
Just as Hope said, a lack of family upbringing might be...
Not that this is the time to be worried about someone else’s parenting. Besides, Alex Hope should be worrying about his own character first.
“Hope!!!”
The veins on Wilson’s neck bulged.
No matter how I look at it, getting involved in someone else’s family squabble is not a wise choice. Alex Hope is Alex Hope, and this is this.
Ding.
Just then, the elevator arrived.
I couldn’t drag him away, and I couldn’t talk in a place with so many ears listening. So what was left?
“…….”
Hong Seok-young, who met my eyes, quickly stepped into the elevator. The Australian Hunters looked at the two of us enviously and, as the elevator doors began to close, they quietly started trying to stop their own people.
“Hey, Wilson. Still, it’s not like Alex is acting without thinking…. He’s not the kind of guy to just go around picking fights. He just wants to say thank you, right?”
“Alex, Chris is only saying this because he’s concerned about you…. If you’re indebted, then shouldn’t we all go and say thank you together? What are teammates for?”
As the elevator started moving, the sound was completely cut off.
Until we reached the first floor, Hong Seok-young said nothing, staring into empty space. Then he opened his mouth.
“I want to see his parents’ faces.”
I silently nodded in agreement.
***
On the second day of the forum, more differences from twenty years in the future began to emerge, one by one.
It wasn’t anything particularly major…
No, maybe it could be called something major?
“Well then, next is….”
Well, to be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for the raid strategy. After all, it was all information I already knew.
But instead of a raid strategy...
“They say a never-before-seen monster has appeared in Mexico.”
“A flying snake!”
“Isn’t there something similar in Asia?”
“Dragon?”
“Dragons are snakes too?”
“Asian dragons don’t have wings.”
As soon as the moderator on stage opened their mouth, voices burst out noisily from all directions.
“Quiet! Please be quiet!”
“Hey, weren’t we called here to strategize about this new monster? That’s what we’re doing now!”
“What’s there to strategize about with monsters? Just cut off the head and they all die.”
“Don’t you know about Dullahan? That one doesn’t have a head, so you can’t cut it off.”
“Please be quiet, everyone!”
At the very least, the forum twenty years from now… even though Yoo Ji-eun used to grumble every time she was called, it was professional. I used to attend it every time too.
It still lasted for three days, and it served as a kind of social venue for Hunters. But the underlying atmosphere was never this frivolous. People with a sense of duty I couldn’t fully understand would gather seriously, exchange opinions, and form raid parties.
Even if this was before the establishment of the World Unconquered Dungeons Raid Support Council, isn’t this just a noisy market square? With everyone shouting over each other without any order, can this really be called a forum?
It’s true that the forum wasn’t the goal, and I wasn’t expecting the professionalism of twenty years later, but I didn’t think I’d be seeing this kind of chaos either.
And these people are considered Hunters who represent their countries?
Seriously… is this really okay?
And yet somehow they made it through twenty more years?
“What are you so impressed about?”
Hong Seok-young, who was sitting beside me, asked.
“No. I’m just amazed that things are actually moving forward even though it’s running like this.”
“Hmm…”
Hong Seok-young scratched his chin. He looked strangely relieved.
“Seeing you surprised like that, I guess it means things do improve somehow. That’s a relief.”
…It’s oddly understandable why he’s surprised.
I gave up on saying anything more. I thought there was nothing left that could surprise me, but 2021 just kept finding ways to astonish me.
Unlike me, who was listening to all the talk about dungeons and monsters with one ear and letting it out the other, Hong Seok-young was paying close attention quite seriously. It was different from just giving a sharp critique.
Sometimes, I saw the image of my father sitting late at night in his study, overlapped with him. Even though it must’ve been boring to look over and handle paperwork that didn’t even suit his aptitude, he never once got up from his chair all night.
Regardless of the fact that he was my father, he was a person worthy of respect.
That part hasn’t changed even now. He may not have been a good teacher to the students of Pilot High School, but he was someone who could’ve been their best protector. Even clumsily, within his capabilities, he tried to protect the children.
The world doesn’t always reward effort so generously. But sometimes, the fact that you made the effort is what matters. Maybe that’s why Oh Hyun-wook, Park Seo-hyun, and Yoo Ji-eun, who had learned under him, stuck around until the end. Even though they might’ve had reasons to resent him, I never once heard them say so.
“…Please take your lunch, and we will resume at two o’clock.”
The moderator, with a tired face, announced the lunch break.
I frowned and looked around. For some reason, I had a feeling Alex Hope would pop up in front of me, fussing again about saying thank you or whatever. It’s only been two days, but I might’ve already gotten used to him.
However, Alex Hope didn’t appear.
The Hunters from Australia were also gone. I saw them enter the venue this morning.
Did they leave early so Hope wouldn’t try to approach us again? Honestly, at this point, I was starting to think the Australian Hunters were overreacting.
It’s not like Hong Seok-young is some short-tempered bastard who goes around killing everyone who bothers him. He wouldn’t just attack someone trying to express gratitude.
Of course, even if someone who brutally murdered children says it’s to express gratitude, it does nothing more than grate on your nerves… but still, hearing him out is necessary to figure out what kind of personality he has. We might be able to get some information out of him. Humans tend to spill a lot when they’re mocking others.
But as things stand now, he doesn’t come off as anything more than a crazy bastard or a national headache for the Australian Hunters.
When I heard Alex Hope was attending the forum, I never imagined I’d end up being hindered by his fellow Australian Hunters.
Then again, if you asked me what I expected… well, I’d have a hard time answering that too.
“By the way, have the mages not arrived yet?”
“If they’re still not here by now, they’ll probably show up in the afternoon.”
“So leisurely.”
“They’re mages. They hate moving fast.”
Just look at how arrogant the mages of this era are, where runes and mana pens haven’t yet been widely distributed. We really need to spread those two as soon as possible.
Only after most of the Hunters had left did Hong Seok-young and I move at a leisurely pace. Going where the crowds are would only result in more fuss like yesterday, with Hunters surrounding Hong Seok-young and making a scene.
It wasn’t a kind of attention he particularly wanted either.
“Alex Hope, that bastard.”
As we exited the hall, Hong Seok-young spoke up.
“Should I just grab him up?”
“…….”
His tone was as casual as if he were asking what we should eat for lunch today.
But I nodded calmly without hesitation.
“If nothing else works.”
“An arm or a leg, he could do without one, right?”
“Is that even necessary for conversation?”
Let’s not forget. We’re dealing with a heinous murderer. This isn’t a conversation, it’s an interrogation. If a criminal with an Awakening resists arrest, some unavoidable things might happen.
“Ahh, that’s so mean.”
“……!”
I hastily turned around. Reddish hair bleached white at the tips. Golden glowing eyes.
Alex Hope was sticking his face out from midair, looking at us. When our eyes met, he gave a wide smile, stretched out his arm, and pulled his body through. Who knows where he came from. But somehow, he stepped out and stood on both feet.
“Finally! Finally, I can talk to you!”
Hope stomped his feet in excitement. Pulling out a translator, he began to speak.
“This thing’s convenient, sure, but sometimes I don’t know if it’s translating my words right.”
From Hope’s mouth came fluent Korean.
“The deputy leader is way too uptight. I can understand him not liking me, but people should know how to separate public and private matters. Don't you think? You should know when to stop. If he had stopped when I moderately told him to stop, I wouldn't have needed to take action."
“…Did you kill him?”
“Hm? Nah, I didn’t. Don’t worry. I’ve got enough brains to know that cleaning up afterward is more annoying.”
Hope waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not like I was trying to fight you, either. I really don’t get why you keep blocking me so stubbornly. I’m a lover of peace!”
Bullshit.
My teeth ground together. I hold no personal grudge toward the orphanage director from Ark who died, but the children were different.
Hong Seok-young held funerals for them in their place. Kang Tae-woo said nothing for a long time as he looked at his younger sibling in a tiny urn. All we could do was silently watch as he placed a bright bouquet in front of it, tears dripping endlessly down his face.
That bastard did that.
“I really do want to say thank you! Because of you, a new path opened up for me!”
For someone who lectures his fellow Hunters on being tactful, he sure has no tact himself. No one else was around. If there are no witnesses...
“When something good happens, you’re supposed to repay the favor, right? My mom taught me that.”
“…….”
“Hey, the mages are coming soon, right?”
Despite the killing intent coming off me and Hong Seok-young, Hope continued in a light tone.
“Watch the one with blue hair. He’s a bad guy.”
***
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