KEG 80

***

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

Kim Yiyun and Park Suheon, who had just arrived, called an ambulance with the police.

I handed them the cell phone I’d gotten from the lucky pig. I felt like I’d done everything I needed to do.

I hadn’t been able to meet Lee Sangwoo, but I’d secured the evidence and found the bullied kid who’d gone missing.

“25 millions.”

I was the first to mention today’s payment.

I didn’t want to drag this out. Today’s work was all done.

I wanted to go home and rest.

“50 million.”

But Kim Yiyun’s next offer made my eyes widen.

“If you catch Lee Sangwoo, I’ll give you 50 million instead of 25.”

Kim Yiyun’s face was pale as he watched the bullied student being loaded into the ambulance.

“What makes you think I’d just jump at a request like that?”

“Well, even though I look like this, I’m good at judging people. I’m asking you because I think you, Seongho-ssi, can do it.”

“Didn’t you see I was stabbed?”

“Yes, but you’re still standing on your own two feet.”

What started as two million had turned into fifty million. It was a deal I had no reason to refuse.

But there was something more important to me than money.

“If I go in alone, I might die.”

My life.

An Esper with mind-control abilities linked to a corporation. This wasn’t something I could treat like a high school gang and just charge in.

If I hadn’t known who I was dealing with, I would have jumped at the offer, but I’d already gotten a rough idea of the scale of things.

For a job like this, fifty million won wasn’t even in the ballpark, it wasn’t worth it. If I accepted just any contract for money, that cash would end up as my fare to the afterlife.

“Honey… let’s leave this to the authorities.”

Even Park Suheon tried to talk Kim Yiyun out of it.

“Leave it to them? Do you think they’ll even catch him?”

Kim Yiyun pointed at a sleek high-rise building in the bustling downtown area.

“The longer we leave him alone, the more comfortably he’ll keep living! Are we just supposed to stand by and watch?”

Lee Sangwoo was only 18 years old. A minor who hadn’t even received his official ID card yet.

What if that kid were to become an adult?

What would happen if, as time passed, his abilities grew stronger?

In the worst-case scenario, if he were to undergo a second awakening, how many more victims would there be?

“We’re perpetrators too! Pretending not to know and standing by won’t stop bullying or school violence!”

I understood his feelings, but I didn’t agree.

That statement was a leap of logic and didn’t fit the context. It was a mistake to link the helplessness felt in this situation to flaws in the school and social systems. Kim Yiyun, who seemed so rational, was now being swayed by emotions.

“You can do something, Seongho-ssi… You can change things…”

Kim Yiyun looked at me and expressed his grievance in a resentful manner.

I’m just an individual.

I didn’t even know if I had the ability to change the flow of such a big system.

You’re expecting too much from someone like me, who’s just been swept along by life.

It’s overwhelming, and I’m exhausted.

“Hyung.”

A hand reached out from behind me. Then it wrapped around my neck.

A familiar warmth.

“You’re wearing a school uniform.”

It’s Baek Yejun.

I was less surprised and more baffled to run into him in such visit our site an unexpected place. And to think I’d meet him again looking just like he did back in eighth grade. Today really is my unlucky day.

“You’re cute. Give me a kiss.”

“I’m the cute one…why should you be the one getting a kiss?”

“Because I want a kiss from a cute hyung.”

“Get lost.”

Kim Yiyun, who had been venting out his emotions just a moment ago, was flustered.

It was clear he had recognized Baek Yejun. Then again, he was such a famous figure, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize him.

“Hello, Hunter Baek Yejun! Did you just come back from a gate?”

Park Suheon greeted Baek Yejun with a cheerful smile. Come to think of it, my back felt damp. There was a faint, fishy smell, too.

Is he hugging me while covered in monster blood and flesh? This is so gross.

“Yeees~ Hello~”

“Ah, this is my Pair. You actually met him once before in front of a gate too!”

The mood immediately changed. I was relieved the conversation Read on didn’t continue down that annoying path.

For the first time in a while, Baek Yejun felt useful.

I relaxed my tense body and leaned against him. It felt comfortable having him support me so naturally.

“What brings you here?”

When Park Suheon asked, Baek Yejun paused for a moment, “Hmm,” before continuing.

“I was summoned by the Hunter Association regarding an M&A deal involving a small-to-medium-sized guild.” Mergers and acquisitions

Guilds established by star Hunters who had broken away from private associations.

More and more guilds were adopting a corporate approach rather than relying solely on the star power of their Hunters. As a result, the era where a few major guilds monopolized the market was gradually coming to an end, and small and medium-sized guilds were sprouting like mushrooms after rain.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes, apparently there are scammers out there approaching these small and medium-sized guilds and fleecing them using ‘capital-free M&A’ schemes.”

Capital-free M&A…?

Not knowing what he was talking about, I tilted my head in confusion. Perhaps sensing my reaction, Baek Yejun added,

“It’s a criminal scheme where they borrow a huge sum to buy a company, inflate the stock price, and then embezzle funds from within the company and run off once it hits its peak.”

“Are they targeting guilds where Hunters are stationed?”

“Yep~”

Those bastards have some serious nerve. Do they really think they can pull off something like that without fear of retaliation from Awakeners?

No, maybe they’re actually exploiting that very vulnerability. It could be a strategy designed to exploit the complacent assumption that no one would try to scam Awakeners.

“I stopped by briefly to investigate, since I heard this is where people borrow those huge sums.”

This street was definitely a hub for capital.

It used to be famous as a loan shark district, but these days, everyone’s quietly operating under the guise of legitimate businesses. However, the fact that they were all just playing the money game behind the scenes hadn’t changed.

“So, why is our Seongho here? I hope he hasn’t gotten hurt again.”

Baek Yejun lifted the hem of my shirt and pressed on the wound on my abdomen. My body jerked in pain. The sensation of a tingling stimulus spreading throughout his body made me grind my teeth.

“You should just focus on going to school.”

“Take your hands off me.”

“Uh… You two… I mean, um…?”

Park Suheon, who had always thought of me as an F-class Esper, was thrown into confusion.

It felt awkward to correct him and say I was actually a Guide. I didn’t want to lie and say we were a Pair either.

In that case.

“We’re friends.”

Wouldn’t “friends” be about right?

“Ah, right, you did say you were friends.”

Park Suheon seemed to recall something I’d said at the gate and wore an expression of relief. Come to think of it, since we knew each other’s names and lived together, there wasn’t really any reason not to call us friends.

Just as I was explaining that, Baek Yejun nuzzled his head against the back of my neck. After experiencing this a few times before, I immediately knew what it meant. He wanted to go home.

“Give me the potion to change my face.”

“Ah, sure. Just a moment~”

Park Suheon turned the backpack he was wearing around to the front and fumbled through it, looking for the potion that could break the spell. But his action was stopped by Kim Yiyun.

“I haven’t heard your answer yet.”

It seemed to refer to my response regarding the request to capture Lee Sangwoo.

I was sorry to turn down a 50 million won job too. But if I just charged in, my life could be in danger…

Rub-rub–

Suddenly, the white head rubbing against me caught my eye.

“Yejun.”

When I called his name, he lifted his head. His bright eyes stared at me without wavering.

I gently scratched Baek Yejun’s chin with my finger.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Baek Yejun smiled and said, “I don’t know.”

“Should I give you a kiss?”

I recalled what Baek Yejun had said on the highway coming up from Haenam to Seoul.

That comment about how convenient it was to be able to boss people around with just a single kiss.

Since I’d been forced to endure those kisses anyway, I thought maybe I could put them to some practical use.

“Do it.”

Baek Yejun accepted without hesitation.

It was so simple that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Thank God he’s such a pervert.

“I’ll do it if you help me. How about it?”

“Sure.”

I’d found my mercenary.

It felt like fifty million won was spreading its arms and running toward me. My heart raced with excitement.

“Kim Yiyun, I’ll take care of Lee Sangwoo for you.”

Kim Yiyun, who had been holding his breath, lit up. Then he looked at Park Suheon and smiled. Park Suheon smiled in return.

If anyone saw them, they’d think we’d made it to the World Cup semifinals.

“First, deposit 25 million won. And whether we catch Lee Sangwoo or not, you’ll have to cover my medical bills.”

“Of course! Go ahead and get hurt as much as you want! I’ll save you!”

That sounds a bit strange.

But the medical bills, which had always taken up a large portion of my living expenses, were now taken care of. If this case was successful, that was five thousand.

It was all thanks to the white piggy bank at my house. I was so proud of him that I patted his head a few times.

“But I have a condition too.”

Just as things were about to wrap up, Baek Yejun suddenly added a condition.

I felt a twinge of anxiety, wondering what kind of nonsense he was going to say.

“Let Seongho-hyung stay in his younger form until the job is done.”

“Goddamn little shit.”

In the end, I smacked him on the head.