Chapter 54 - Oppa, I'm in a Good Mood Today

Right after giving Go Yuna a lesson under the guise of a sparring match, Sia felt immensely relieved. She had finally dealt with a worry that had plagued her for ages: that fox of a woman who had been subtly flirting with Minjun was out of the picture for good.

Sure enough, as soon as the match ended, Go Yuna hurried off with the awkward excuse that something urgent had come up. Sia had made her point unmistakably clear with Dragon Fear. Unless Yuna had a death wish, she probably wouldn't go anywhere near Minjun again.

'She must have caused Oppa so much trouble all this time.' In Sia's eyes, Minjun had a soft side, and Yuna had been so sly about her flirting that he hadn't managed to shake her off. Sia didn't know he had made up his mind and firmly pushed Yuna away just the day before.

In any case, what had happened at the gathering of dragons still left Sia uneasy, but giving Yuna a satisfying taste of her own medicine had improved her mood a little since yesterday. Now that she'd rid herself of that thorn in her side, she called Minjun to celebrate.

"Oppa, have you eaten?"

"No, I was just about to have a burger. What about you, Sia?"

"I hadn't decided what to eat, but now that you've mentioned it, I think I'll have a burger too."

Unlike yesterday, when she'd seemed a little down, Sia chatted happily with Minjun in her usual high spirits. Minjun noticed the difference too.

"You certainly seem happier today."

"Hmm? Do I?"

"Yeah. I know I'm only saying this now, but you seemed worried about something yesterday. I'm glad you look brighter today."

Minjun said he could finally relax a little and gave her a bright smile. Her heart fluttering at the sight, Sia smiled shyly and said,

"I-I guess it shows."

"Sometimes you're not as good at hiding your feelings as you think. Did something good happen today?"

At his question, Sia smiled and gently placed a finger against her lips. "Secret."

* * *

They say word travels fast. Certain stories that catch people's interest are bound to spread from person to person, whether those involved want them to or not. Minjun's rank reassessment was one such story.

It was unusual enough to seek a reassessment less than a month and a half later, let alone rise two ranks as a result. The employee who handled Minjun's reassessment and the receptionist who checked his assessment paperwork told their acquaintances about the astonishing thing they'd witnessed. Within days, word of Minjun had spread far and wide—to ordinary people with no connection to the hunter industry, reporters and YouTubers always hunting for stories like this, and even guild officials.

And so, at the office of Hanbit Guild, one of South Korea's top ten guilds, a man asked, "Are you sure someone hasn't embellished the story along the way? Maybe he only went up one rank in a couple of months."

The speaker was Jung Taeseong, an S-rank hunter and Hanbit Guild's guild master. Unable to believe his ears, he put the question to the vice guild master who had brought him the news, Lee Roun.

"That would be amazing enough on its own. Why would anyone need to embellish it? I cross-checked it and asked around, and it's unlikely the rumor was exaggerated."

"Come on. Does an ordinary D-rank hunter becoming B-rank in a month and a half sound remotely possible to you?"

"That's what I'm saying. But apparently it happened."

Between them, they'd seen all kinds of hunters while recruiting talented people. Yet even they had never seen anyone climb two ranks in less than a month and a half.

Why else would the Hunter Association charge hunters for another assessment if they sought one within three months of a reassessment? Ranks simply didn't rise in such a short time, so there was no reason for the association to waste money on it.

"Could he have deliberately hidden his strength at his last reassessment?"

"A villain might do that. We'll need to investigate further, but from what I've heard, he's probably just a decent hunter."

"Hmm." None of it made sense by ordinary standards. That only made Taeseong want to learn more.

If the hunter wasn't a villain, if there was no dangerous secret behind that explosive growth and he simply had overwhelming potential, there was no reason not to recruit him. No—they had to recruit him, even if it meant paying an enormous transfer fee to another guild.

Who knew when another top-tier prospect would appear? If they missed this one, even they couldn't say when someone of his caliber would come along again.

"Does that hunter belong to a guild?"

"Not now, and he never has. We should still check, though."

"Find out everything you can. Anything at all, by whatever means it takes."

Taeseong knew the other top-ten guilds would join the race to recruit the hunter without hesitation if they heard the rumor.

B-rank hunters were common enough in other large guilds, but his current rank wasn't what mattered. A hunter who had grown this quickly would surely reach S-rank one day, and there was a fair chance he might even go beyond that to SS-rank. It was far too early to say, but perhaps someday he could become an SSS-rank hunter who represented South Korea.

Taeseong knew the masters of the other large guilds would think the same way. Waiting until the media picked up the story would be too late. If he wanted to recruit the hunter, he needed to move fast, because the other guilds would act the moment they heard.

"Tell the HR team to prepare a recruitment offer as soon as possible. Make sure the signing bonus is generous enough that no other guild can outbid us."

"I figured you'd say that, so I already told them."

Act first, report later. Roun had concluded that they stood no chance unless they moved even half a step ahead, so he'd instructed the HR team as soon as he heard the news.

"Of course you did." Once Taeseong had confirmed that preparations to recruit Minjun were underway, he began skimming files containing the contract terms offered to other promising hunters.

As befitted one of South Korea's top ten guilds, every contract offered terms far beyond what a midsize guild could manage. But he knew even those terms fell well short of what it would take to secure this hunter.

'There's no telling how fast this hunter's asking price will rise.' Money mattered, but Taeseong judged that speed mattered even more.

With growth this explosive, the press would surely start investigating as soon as they caught wind of the story. They'd probably run features building up excitement around the promising hunter, and every new article would send his asking price soaring higher.

His prediction proved right. Most of South Korea's top ten guilds, as well as other large guilds, were already showing interest in Minjun. Media outlets that had heard the news were beginning to write articles and scrambling to find his contact information so they could request interviews. It was the calm before the storm.

Minjun himself, however, knew none of this and was going about his ordinary day.

* * *

After ending my video call with Sia, I could finally put my mind at ease. Yesterday, she'd seemed to be forcing a smile so I wouldn't worry any more, but the smile she'd shown me today was real. I didn't know what had happened since yesterday to lift her spirits, but I was glad to see her smiling again. I'd been afraid she'd still be down today.

Anyway, after hanging up with Sia, I was just about to take another bite of my lunch burger when my phone suddenly rang.

'Who is it?' The number wasn't saved in my phone. I usually didn't answer calls from unknown numbers, but for some reason I had a feeling this one was okay to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Hunter Yoon Minjun?"

"Yes, you are?"

Not "Mr. Yoon Minjun," but "Hunter Yoon Minjun." That was when I began to feel that something was different from usual.

"Hello, I'm reporter Min Yunseo from NBS. Regarding your recent..."

That was enough for me to understand. News of my rank reassessment results had started to spread. I hadn't told anyone besides Sia and Rokan, but it was bound to get out eventually. It had just happened a little sooner than I'd expected.

In the past, my first thought would have been to agree to the interview and raise my asking price. Then I'd have used that to secure good terms with a prestigious guild. But things were different now. Would joining a guild really be a wise choice? Probably not. Besides, appearing on TV and becoming famous wouldn't do me any particular good.

While I was sorting through my thoughts, the reporter kept talking. "...so, if you're willing, we'd like to interview you. Just tell us a time and place that's convenient for you, and we'll come to you."

"I'm sorry. I'm not interested in giving interviews." I declined politely and tried to end the call. But then—

"Have you already arranged an exclusive interview with another broadcaster?"

"... Sorry?" Where had that come from?

"Oh, when you declined, I thought you might already have an exclusive interview scheduled elsewhere."

"I don't have any interviews scheduled, and I don't intend to give any. I'd like to keep a low profile. Goodbye." I hung up and went back to my lunch.

But just when I thought I could finally eat in peace, my phone rang again. Hardly any time had passed since I'd hung up, and once again, it was an unknown number. Somehow, I already had an idea what this call was about too.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Hunter Yoon Minjun? I'm Choi Jaeuk, head of HR at Hanbit Guild."

First a reporter, and now a guild. And not just any guild—Hanbit was one of South Korea's top ten.

"I'm calling because, if you aren't currently affiliated with a guild, we'd be honored to have you join ours. I hope you'll forgive me for contacting you out of the blue."

They couldn't be trying to recruit me out of nowhere with no information at all. They must have heard about my reassessment somewhere. But even with the best possible terms, joining a guild—even a top-ten guild—could only hinder my growth.

Unlike other hunters, I grew stronger by awakening the dragon power dormant within me. Clearing gates and following a guild's hunter training program would never get me to my goal.

I was a little tempted, but once again I turned down the offer. "I'm sorry. I have no plans to join any guild right now."

"Has another guild already made you an offer? Please hear our terms first. If they're not to your liking, we'll do our best to meet whatever terms you want."

Maybe it was my imagination, but he sounded a lot like the reporter who'd called earlier. Both seemed determined to get hold of me somehow. I'd never had this much attention before, and it felt a little awkward. Still, that didn't change anything.

As before, I politely made my refusal clear. "I'm sorry, but for personal reasons, I don't intend to join a guild right now."

"... Ah, I understand. If you change your mind, please feel free to contact us anytime."

After hanging up, I tried to finish lunch and get back to what I'd been doing. But from then on, my phone rang nonstop. Every call I answered was either an interview request or a guild trying to recruit me.

At first, it was strange enough just to be getting calls like these. As the same kinds of calls kept coming, though, they began to wear me out. I considered turning my phone off for a day or two, but that would cause problems of its own. If Sia called while it was off, she'd be sure to worry that something had happened to me.

Wait. Since I was thinking about her anyway, why not give Sia a call? At least my phone wouldn't ring while I was talking to her. Exhausted by the barrage of calls, I called her to catch my breath.