IRNH C43

#43

Since returning here, he was the first to give Sihyeon the genuine feeling of strength.

The man, with healthy bronze skin, platinum blonde hair, and blue eyes, wore an unnervingly white uniform and stood smiling gently.

“Who is this?”

Sihyeon prepared to raise his internal energy immediately, tightening his tension as he subtly bent his knees.

He was ready to respond at any moment to an attack from anywhere.

However, the man, ignoring Sihyeon’s caution, waved his raised hand lightly with a broad smile.

“Hmm? Don’t you recognize me? There’s no need to be so wary. And hello, it’s been a while, Mr. Kyu-min.”

“Ah, yes, hello.”

Hearing a slightly reluctant voice behind him, Sihyeon turned to meet Kyu-min’s eyes.

Seeing that the usually timid man appeared somewhat settled, Sihyeon gathered the ambient spiritual energy he had scattered nearby and quietly stepped aside.

“Hmm… I came because of Yujun, but it seems there’s an unexpected guest? May I know your name?”

The man smiled leisurely, then made an exaggerated gesture as if surprised, his eyes sparkling as he stepped closer to Sihyeon.

“…I am Jeong Sihyeon.”

“Oh! I like your name. I’m Shin Ryuha of the Share Guild. I’ve come to pick up Mr. Yujun.”

Shin Ryuha bowed with a wide grin. Though unsure how to phrase it correctly, he carried an air of elegance.

Each of his gestures was graceful, almost as if he were a nobleman. But to Sihyeon, that elegance clashed absurdly with the grimy, cement-laden background, making the man’s presence feel disturbingly pretentious, pushing him to want to leave at once.

“Yujun, did you make a separate appointment?”

“…No…”

“Did you hear? Yujun was discharged today, so he needs rest. Next time, please schedule an appointment first.”

Sihyeon snorted with amusement, emphasizing the word “appointment” and shooting a ruthless glance that clearly meant ‘get lost.’

Even without that, the deafening shutter sounds and commotion behind them were enough to exhaust him.

“Is that so? But I can’t just leave empty-handed… How about Shin Ryuha here coming with you today?”

What kind of guy is this?

Sihyeon frowned at the arrogant man who looked his age.

His smug expression suited him perfectly, but Sihyeon only felt like hitting him once.

“That’s enough. You seem important, but would a wretched C-rank hunter like me be enough for you? So move aside.”

“C-rank? Haha. You really don’t know me. I have a passive skill that causes those below a certain rank to fear me. That’s why they usually can’t even look me in the eye when speaking. And I like that they can’t lie.”

Damn it.

Sihyeon’s expression twisted in frustration at the man’s comeback.

Half worried the guild might be informed, half tempted to kill him and erase all evidence, he weighed his options.

“If they suspend my hunter license for breaking laws, all my funds inside would be frozen, and my whole plan would collapse… Damn.”

He pictured a bleak future where he would just watch those numbers and do nothing.

“How about this? Let’s just chat peacefully today.”

Shin Ryuha smiled wider, stepping forward to close the distance.

Then, before Sihyeon could intervene, a dark, thick murderous aura suddenly rose behind the man’s back.

Reflexively, Sihyeon snatched Taewoon’s hand, who was about to move, swallowing tears inside.

{Taewoon. No. Hold back. You have to be the good boy. Okay?}

Sihyeon found himself caught between the unbearably slick front and the deadly aura behind, sweating cold.

Taewoon’s murderous intent was real. Even a moment’s hesitation might have triggered a fight.

“That bastard…”

“Taewoon! Where did you learn such bad words!”

Well, since Taewoon is a martial artist, it was unlikely he’d have learned Korean curses, but Sihyeon was too flustered to think straight.

Taewoon’s jet-black hair streamed like a heat haze as that murderous energy scattered fiercely.

“Taewoon.”

“Master…”

Finally, Sihyeon gently pulled Taewoon close, patting his back and repeating words of calm.

Taewoon hadn’t truly intended to act but was overwhelmed by the impulse.

Sihyeon needed to find a sturdy home, send Taewoon to school, and prepare for a comfortable future, so causing trouble here would shatter those dreams.

Worse, his current level of skill made the outcome of a fight uncertain.

“Oh… such characters gathered together. Fascinating.”

“Mr. Shin Ryuha! Since we’ve just escaped the gate and are still under contract, you’ll have to come again later!”

Shin Ryuha’s eyes gleamed as he stretched his speech, but Kyu-min desperately cut in.

Shin Ryuha frowned slightly, then smiled again.

“It’s only a short-term deal, isn’t it? Has your side imposed conditions on the scouting?”

“No, it hasn’t…”

“Ha ha, then it shouldn’t matter! If you don’t know how to handle it, I can wait!”

This man was so laid-back that, despite the chaos around and repeated hints to leave, he only talked about his own agenda.

Even Sihyeon briefly considered sending Taewoon away to handle this.

“I have to kill him.”

“Yeon Taewoon, no. Look at me.”

Sihyeon gripped Taewoon’s cheeks firmly until they made a popping sound, lowered his head, and locked eyes with him.

Taewoon’s tense expression softened as if the recent incident was a sad dream, and he spoke.

“Master… he keeps trying to take you away from me…”

Sihyeon felt sudden exhaustion.

“What could he possibly be taking away, you brat?”

But just as Taewoon was about to burst out, seeming to regain composure, Sihyeon overlooked an unexpected obstacle.

“I’m sorry! I’ll stay with you, Sihyeon hyung! I won’t go anywhere! So please don’t visit anymore!”

A brief silence fell around them, followed by an intense shutter sound far stronger than before.

Sihyeon laughed hollowly, gripping his forehead weakly.

“Ha, haha…”

Yujun had bravely tried to defuse the situation but only threw a bomb onto an already flaming oil slick.

• “Breaking news! The Share Guild has been exposed.” 
• “Wait, could the secret to reawakening be linked to Jeong Sihyeon?” 
• “Find out who Jeong Sihyeon is, right now!” 

Flooded by the onslaught of his name, Sihyeon forgot to calm Taewoon and bowed his head, whispering.

“Please… just go away.”

Sihyeon sighed deeply, lamenting his cursed life, feeling sorry for himself caught amid relentless troubles.

After that day, Sihyeon’s name, once buried quietly, began to gain infamy in a strange direction.

Rumors that Sihyeon held the secret to reawakening started to spread. Initially scarce, articles exploded like wildfire once the trend caught on.

At the same time, his phone, which had never rung more than a few times a day, now flooded with calls to the point he couldn’t even keep it turned on.

‘I may have lost a few heads, but who do I have controlling anything?’

Still staying in a Gangwon-do hotel without moving to Seoul yet, Sihyeon grimaced deeply as he glanced over the faces swarming around him.

He frowned sharply and shut his eyes tightly when Kyu-min handed him a tablet screen.

‘Between Taewoon and all this, I’m going crazy…’

And on top of that, Shin Ryuha visited daily. Sihyeon was genuinely at his wit’s end.

“Hyung, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything…”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Sihyeon forced a faint smile toward Yujun, who was downcast and avoiding eye contact, then cursed silently again in his mind.

It wasn’t little Yujun’s fault but the damn reporters writing articles without verifying the facts.

“So join our guild. We can manage the media for you, Sihyeon!”

“You haven’t done anything right yourself, so shut up.”

“Ha ha. Talking is my strength, so that’s a little difficult. Any other conditions? I’ll try to meet them.”

“Then just leave immediately.”

“Ha ha, sorry, but that’s impossible.”

Damn. Why did this guy keep coming around, turning my world upside down?

Sihyeon glared at the smug, dark-faced man grinning with cold eyes and pushed away Taewoon, who clung tight beside him despite the sofa being for three.

This man had been showing up unannounced for three days straight.

Naturally, his presence fanned the already raging rumors like a powerful blower.

At first, Sihyeon ignored him completely, but the attention-seeking guy seemed to like being photographed by reporters and lingered by Sihyeon’s room window, pumping up the rumors further.

“Haah…”

Sihyeon glanced at a miserable headline titled [What Secret Does J-something Hold? – Why Shin Ryuha of the Share Guild Visits Every Day], splashed his face with cold water, and cursed internally again.