IRNH C72

Chapter 72

“Anyway, thank you very much for your help.”

“Haha, well—don’t we all have something we want? I’m human too, you know. Isn’t that right, Mr. Ha-jung?”

“Ahaha… well, I am a government worker, so…”

“Don’t feel pressured. I told you I’d give you plenty of time to think. Even if you refuse afterward, I won’t mind.”

Ha-jung scratched his head, awkwardly smiling at Liang’s gentle rhetoric.
He had stayed in Korea mostly out of responsibility for his job, but part of it had also been because of Sihyeon.
But now even that reason was disappearing.
Liang’s proposal was starting to sound pretty tempting.

“Oh, right. I heard before coming that you liked this place quite a bit? There’s a penthouse directly above this lounge—
I’ll arrange it so you can use it for the duration of your stay. I hope you’ll be comfortable.”

Liang spoke politely, turning to Sihyeon as he curved his eyes and smiled once more.
Sihyeon froze briefly, then nodded with a stiff, awkward smile.

“And the meeting is three days from now. I’ll send someone to notify you once the exact time is set. If anything is inconvenient, contact me. You didn’t delete my number already, did you, Mr. Ha-jung?”

“Haha. Of course not. Thanks for the hospitality, Liang.”

“Think nothing of it. My offer is still valid, you know.”

The atmosphere was completely different from what Sihyeon had imagined.
Contrary to the rumors he’d heard, there were only three guards.
He had been told repeatedly how incredible Liang was supposed to be, but meeting him in person made him seem surprisingly modest.

He calculated profit and loss well enough.
He knew how to reel people in and use charming words.
If anything, he felt almost… normal.

But once Liang left, Sihyeon found himself staring at the empty seat he’d been in.
Then he shook his head.

They had already achieved half their goal by arranging this meeting, and they wouldn’t have many reasons to see him again anyway.

Sihyeon deliberately forced his thoughts toward the meeting that would take place three days later—
the meeting with Black Butterfly.

“I helped Black Butterfly out in the very beginning. That’s how we stayed loosely connected.”

According to Liang, it wasn’t a true partnership.
But Sihyeon couldn’t trust his words entirely.

He kept multiple possibilities open, wondering how to extract the information they needed most efficiently.

“Ughhh. Are we seriously not going out?”

Gyumin’s whine cut sharply through his train of thought.

The group had moved to the penthouse Liang prepared.
When they first entered, Gyumin and Yujun had flitted around like hyperactive squirrels for nearly an hour.

But after that excitement wore off, Gyumin suddenly wanted to go outside.
And of course, Yujun was giving pleading glances from the side—
making it difficult for Sihyeon to refuse.

“I’m resting. Don’t look at me.”

Conveniently, Ha-jung shut them down immediately.
Sihyeon made a face like he’d bitten into something bitter, then finally raised both hands in surrender under their wide, sparkling stares.

“Ha… wait a second.”

“YESSS!!! Yujun, we did it! High-five!”

Watching them celebrate as if they’d executed a masterful scheme, Sihyeon let out a quiet laugh.
Fine—if they were that happy, taking them out for a bit wouldn’t hurt.

Since it’s come to this… I’ll just do my work a little earlier than planned.

But Taewoon’s mood had been strange for a while.
Sihyeon glanced at him as he stood.

“Taewoon, you’re coming too… right?”

Nod.

His attitude was noticeably different.
He’d been fine in the car earlier—so something must have happened in that short span.
Still, at least he didn’t seem ready to run away in a foreign country, so Sihyeon let himself relax.

Outside was bustling—so busy it looked like the whole city had poured onto the streets.
Lights, voices, colors—everything layered so thickly that even calm people would feel their heart race.

Hmm… I heard there’s a Hunter’s Market somewhere around here.

Watching the two excited kids run ahead, Sihyeon absorbed the torrent of information around him.
The reusable translation mark they’d received on the plane was working reliably.

“Hyung! Do you— do you think I can get into a casino…?”

The moment that scandalous question popped out, all surrounding noise faded.

“…What? Casino?”

Yujun shrank behind Gyumin as Sihyeon stared blankly at him.

After confirming he hadn’t misheard, Sihyeon spoke firmly:

“You tiny brat, where’d you learn the word ‘casino.’”

“I— I’m not that little… I just heard it’s what this place is famous for… And hunters are allowed, so I was wondering…”

His voice was tiny—
but Sihyeon’s expression didn’t soften at all.

Yes, young hunters fought battles and made hundreds of millions nowadays.
Awakening wasn’t bound by age.

But Sihyeon was still half-living with the mindset of the past—
absolutely, positively NO.

“Haha. Let’s go to the restaurant! There’s a really famous chef here. He’s a support-type hunter whose ingredients literally move on their own.”

Before the tension could thicken further, Gyumin swiftly changed the subject.

Sihyeon gave Yujun one last stern look before speaking:

“You paying, Gyumin?”

“Yes!? O-of course!!”

“Let’s go.”

Originally, he planned to walk around with them briefly and slip away to do other tasks.
But eating first wasn’t a bad idea.

Not because Gyumin was paying.
Absolutely not.

However, not even a few minutes after they started toward the restaurant, something happened that shifted Sihyeon’s plans once more.

“Hey! You guys—Hunter?”

A tan-skinned blond foreigner appeared behind them, talking directly to Sihyeon.

“What now?”

Even though it was sudden, Sihyeon reacted naturally.
With Gyumin’s flashy items and Yujun’s rare white hair, they were unmistakably hunters.
He’d already noticed someone watching them earlier, but the stranger’s skill level was mediocre at best.

“No need to freak out. You need a guide? I’m cheaper than the official ones.”

The moment the word cheap came out, Sihyeon perked up a little.

A “guide” here wasn’t someone who showed tourists around.
Guides led hunters to the underbelly of the city—
places where illegal jobs, stolen-goods markets, and commissions circulated underground.

Ha-jung had said they needed to visit such a place eventually.
Now, the opportunity had walked right up to them.

“Alright. How much?”

“Oh! Love the attitude. Cheap—real cheap. Three hundred dollars per person. Good deal, right?”

But the moment he finished—
the corner of Sihyeon’s mouth dropped like a rock.

Three hundred each… four people is $1,200… with exchange rate…

He turned toward Gyumin and Yujun.

And smiled pleasantly.

“Looks like you two should go eat alone. I’ll go somewhere else with Taewoon for a bit.”

“Ah! I— I’ll pay!!”

Gyumin panicked, trying to intervene.
But Sihyeon’s telepathic message quickly shut him down:

{It might get dangerous. Don’t risk it. After you eat, go straight back to the hotel. Tell Ha-jung too.}

Gyumin understood instantly.
He knew he’d only get in the way in this sort of situation.

“…Yes, sir.”

“Two people.”

Sihyeon turned his back on them and repeated firmly, holding up two fingers.

“Huh… the two behind you aren’t coming?”

“Two.”

The blond guide looked disappointed, but gave in.

“Alright, alright. You’re chill. Here—take this.”

The paper he handed over looked cheap and flimsy.
Sihyeon unfolded it carefully.

It looked like a flyer.

“That’s a ticket.”

A faint gleam flashed through Sihyeon’s eyes before vanishing.
Now he understood why the man charged per person.

“You need it to see the street. A little thing, but helpful. I got more to tell you. Wanna hear?”

“Of course. Wait a moment.”

It looked like he had a long explanation prepared.

Sihyeon turned to the two younger ones.

“Gyumin, you’re the second oldest among us. Don’t wander recklessly. Watch out for scams. And for thieves.”

“Aha! We’re fine—my items all have anti-theft enchantments! You be careful, sir!”

For a moment, Sihyeon wanted to take his concern back.

Rich people…

“Anyway, contact me immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Hyung… be careful…”

Yujun looked strangely downcast, but Sihyeon waved him off and herded them away.

Once they were gone for a while, he returned to the bored-looking guide.

“Thought I was watching Romeo and Juliet.”

“Shut up. Just talk.”

“Ooh, touchy. Alright. Actually, I’m not the one talking. I’ll take your questions. Lots of people come here with… other goals.”

“What kind?”

With a sly grin, the man reached into his jacket.