S Chapter 61

The next day, the world was turned upside down.

The Hospital was packed with reporters. Thankfully, hunters were restricting access inside. They no longer criticized the Hunter Association’s incompetence. There was a more shocking scoop than that.

That’s right. Yang U-dam. He had his Ability Manifestation before even turning nineteen. And he was one of the very few naturally manifested Psychic-Type individuals. Even his narrative was incredible. A hero who saved everyone from a desperate crisis that even the Hunter Association had given up on! It was an unprecedented issue.

“We just need one word from him!”

“Absolutely not. Don’t you know to keep quiet inside the Hospital? Hey! Take him out!”

A hunter guarding U-dam’s Hospital room was bickering with a reporter who had snuck in. The atmosphere was brutal. Only Reporter Guknaesan, whose surname was ‘Guk’ and given name ‘Naesan’, who had been officially permitted to cover the story, remained silent, cautiously observing.

‘He must be quite something.’

Reporter Guknaesan rolled his eyes and pressed himself against the wall, waiting for his turn.

“Yes… there, where did you say you were from…?”

“Ah, I’m Reporter Guknaesan from the News Bureau. I believe this was pre-arranged. Here’s my business card.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“No. You seem trustworthy. Guk, yes… Hmm. Yes. I’m also a patriot.”

‘What? What’s he talking about? What a strange person. Seriously.’

Reporter Guknaesan pouted, grumbling inwardly. Honestly, there’s a limit to how much you can tease someone. Just as you don’t call truly ugly people ugly, Reporter Guknaesan was a case who had been protected from ‘name teasing’ by those around him. Of course, he didn’t know it himself.

Anyway, under the hunter’s guidance, Reporter Guknaesan finally! Was able to meet the hot topic currently heating up South Korea. Let’s see that precious face of his. With a pounding heart, he opened the Hospital room door.

‘Gasp!’

He had expected to find at most a security hunter or a caregiver. He was wildly mistaken. Two unexpected VIPs were seated in the Hospital room.

‘It’s the Hunter Association Chairman and the CEO of UA Group.’

Seeing them in person, their presence and demeanor were no joke. Just looking at them was intimidating. Reporter Guk, henceforth referred to as Reporter Guk, immediately wanted to flee. Was this what it meant for the air to be stifling? He couldn’t breathe. He was truly a herbivore before hungry carnivores.

“Pleasure to meet you. Should I introduce myself?”

“Ah, no. No, sir. I know. Chairman of the Hunter Association…”

Reporter Guk bowed repeatedly like a pigeon pecking food. Then, a question suddenly arose. While it made sense for the Chairman of the Hunter Association to be here seeking talent… why was the CEO of UA Group here? Wasn’t it too out of the blue? Reporter Guk looked at the CEO of UA Group, who resembled a middle-aged actor, with a puzzled expression.

‘What’s their relationship?’

As if reading Reporter Guk’s gaze, Shin Taekyung, the CEO of UA Group, wore a neat smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Taekyung.”

A deep, cavernous voice. Polite demeanor. He was a truly charming man, even to another man.

“Ah, ah! Yes, yes… I’m—”

“I know. Reporter Guknaesan. You also have a daughter, correct? I’m envious. I only have rough-looking sons.”

“Oh, really?”

‘How do you know…?’

He was curious, but the smiling face was somehow scary, so he couldn’t ask. There’s a saying that what you don’t know won’t hurt you.

Still, he felt strangely relieved that he seemed like a more ordinary person than the rumors suggested. He had heard so many times, “Oh, that man is no ordinary person,” whenever Shin Taekyung was mentioned, that he had been a little scared.

“This way.”

“Ah, yes. Excuse me.”

Reporter Guk, sitting in the guided seat with an awkward smile, finally got to meet today’s protagonist. So, his name was…

“Yang U-dam?”

The boy sitting on the bed raised his head at the call.

‘Oh my goodness!’

Reporter Guk nearly pressed the camera shutter right then and there. For a moment, he wondered if he had come to interview an idol trainee. When he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, a strange thing happened. The two middle-aged men who had looked like gentlemen just moments ago now simply looked like tired old men.

Wow. This is really going to be a big deal. Reporter Guk swallowed hard. Even without this, if the face of the person at the center of attention was like this, then this would…

‘Cause a commotion.’

Reporter Guk thought as he watched Yang U-dam smile faintly.

‘Wow… this will even lead to the birth of a religion.’

“It’s bustling.”

“Yeah~”

“It’ll be noisy for a while.”

“Yeah~”

“Slurp.”

“Slurp~”

Shin Jukyeong sipped his tea, looking out the Hospital room window at the vast crowd. It was densely packed, how nice. He leisurely admired the mess he had created. He was satisfied that it had turned out several times larger than he expected.

‘He must have met the Hunter Association Chairman by now, right?’

He wanted to secretly follow and watch the scene, but he was holding back, not wanting to scratch a sore. That old man’s senses were too sharp. Tsk.

‘Speaking of which, I heard Father came too.’

Kang Seo-oh, who visited in the morning, had told him.

“…”

Shin Jukyeong stared absently at his Hospital room door. It was an unconscious action. However, it was quiet, not even a mouse.

“Tsk (–) It’s all because of Jukyeong! Idiots! Morons!”

‘Thanks. It’s enough for me that you know.’

Shin Jukyeong soothed Eve and smiled faintly. In reality, he wasn’t particularly upset. His life had been too full of twists and turns to feel negative emotions over something like this. On the contrary, if his father had come saying, “My son~”, he would have slapped him, saying he was possessed by a demon.

‘One should have principles.’

He liked his father, whose materialistic nature remained unchanged. Isn’t there also a saying that if a person suddenly changes, they die? He wished for his father to maintain his nasty temper for a very long and healthy life.

After offering a refreshing prayer of 30 sarcasm, 20 worry, and 50 hunger, totaling 100, he rose from his chair. It was to fulfill a long-deferred wish.

…Let’s go find cigarette butts!!

Now, when no one was paying attention, was the golden opportunity! If he waited any longer, the guys from other wards would have dug them all up, and they’d be gone. Especially menthols, those are even more fiercely contested.

“Amazing! How can you have such thoughts, from which not a single speck of wisdom can be learned…!”

He was just about to open the Hospital room door, ignoring Eve’s jab. Thump! His turn was suddenly stolen.

‘…?’

The uninvited guest closed the door and immediately slumped down, catching his breath. He was wearing the same Hospital gown.

“Hah, fck… those clingy bastards.”

And an familiar voice.

What, why are you here? Shin Jukyeong blinked and called out to the person.

“Yang U-dam…?”

Why was the guy who should be shaking hands with the Hunter Association Chairman and smiling brightly for the camera, here?

“Shin Jukyeong?”

U-dam suddenly lifted his head and met Shin Jukyeong’s gaze. Then his eyes widened. Ah, he hadn’t known it was Shin Jukyeong’s room when he came. Shin Jukyeong felt a strange disappointment but pretended not to know. The bigger problem was why he was swearing here…

“Perfect.”

“Huh?”

U-dam grinned, the corners of his lips turning up as he looked at Shin Jukyeong.

“Hide me.”

After the previous request to teach him how to parent, was this now the role of the woodcutter who hides the deer? But he had chosen the wrong person. This one here was the hunter…

“Huh? People are bothering me too much. My head still hurts a lot.”

Hunter…

“Hah, seems like you’re the only one I can rely on, Hyung.”

Hu…

“Can I stay until those bastards leave?”

Hu… I love you. You’re cute.

“Yes. Stay.”

“Crazy bastard.”

What should one answer when asked such an absurd question right after waking up? Option 1: Me? Option 2: What do I care? No suitable answer came to mind. If anyone knows a good example, please throw one my way as if giving charity. Because for now, I can only think of this:

Option 3: Ah, fck. I’m thirsty. (Chosen)

U-dam stared blankly at the clicking cameras. They kept asking him to smile, and he almost yelled “Go screw yourselves.” Crazy bastards. How long were they planning to keep filming? The camera lens aimed at him was annoying. He wanted to just smash it completely if he could.

‘Is this a Hospital? How did I get here?’

Various thoughts floated through his mind. He was even a little confused about whether it was a dream or reality. Hmm… I think I’ve seen a situation like this somewhere before.

‘What was it?’

After rummaging through 18 years of memories, one plausible thing came to mind. Was it in his second year of middle school? A strange book that the kid sitting in front of him read every day.

Ah, that’s it. The title was definitely something like, He had just dismissed it as some crazy shit back then, but… it’s become reality?

Of course, he hadn’t traveled with a potato truck, nor had he gone to another world. But he was that perplexed.

‘Seems like I did do something…’

U-dam blinked. Summarizing the rambling words, it was quite absurd. They said he had cleared a Dungeon that the Hunter Association couldn’t handle and saved people. And he did it using his abilities.

‘Oh, that’s fcking ridiculous.’