Holy B-Class Life

#083

“What’s this all about?”

“No,” Yoon Pa-ran replied gruffly with a crumpled face. He even thought that perhaps the police and Heo Sang-yeon were in cahoots.

“Huh? Uh…”

“Lim Hyun-sung was the one who came barging in wanting to buy the orphanage land. We reported it to the police too.”

“I see…”

Yoon Pa-ran could clearly sense Heo Sang-yeon’s embarrassment at his disgruntled voice. Regardless, Yoon Pa-ran briefly explained what had happened at the orphanage.

Along with stating that he absolutely did not hide or harm that guy.

After a moment of silence, Heo Sang-yeon made another unexpected proposal.

“Could we maybe meet? I have a few more things I need to ask.”

“…”

Since the other person couldn’t see his face, Yoon Pa-ran freely made an unwilling expression.

He was in intense conflict. Half of him felt it was annoying and bothersome, half of him wondered if he should sever any connection between that Lim Hyun-sung guy and the orphanage.

Especially, he didn’t like how the fact that he cared about the orphanage seemed to be spreading. He worried that those bastards who were trying to stab him might change direction and target the orphanage instead.

Sensing his hesitation, Heo Sang-yeon hastily added:

“I’ll make sure the orphanage isn’t harmed.”

“Ah, well. If that’s the case…”

It seemed Heo Sang-yeon was trying to be considerate of the part Yoon Pa-ran was most concerned about. In the end, Yoon Pa-ran could only give a lukewarm response.

“Okay, I’ll contact you again later.”

The call ended quickly, but Yoon Pa-ran’s face remained unfurled.

The uneasy feeling that something troublesome was going to happen again lingered for quite a while.

❖ ❖ ❖

The next day.

As soon as the plane landed at the airport, Dan Joo-hyuk, who had returned to Korea, started moving.

He slowly stepped down onto the ground, treading the stairs of the private jet that had stopped in the middle of the runway. Korea’s characteristically harsh winter wind greeted him.

Along with numerous shutter sounds from various media outlets.

“Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk! Look over here please!”

“Is that an SS-grade item you’re holding?”

“Just a word, please!”

After glancing up at the clear sky, he put on his habitual smile. While inwardly reciting curses.

Damn Russia.

Dan Joo-hyuk, who had come out of the gate, was itching to return to Korea. However, the Russian side had persistently clung to Dan Joo-hyuk. He had even cooperated with a body search for smooth additional item negotiations.

Thus, he had to waste another day in unnecessary wrangling. It was when Dan Joo-hyuk, finally reaching the limit of his patience, was preparing to destroy the Tsar’s palace instead of monsters.

Thanks to Minister Byeon’s efforts, who had been watching Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood, a return flight was immediately arranged. Fearing the loss of their country’s hunter, the Korean government quickly helped the hunters return.

In this way, Dan Joo-hyuk and other hunters were able to hurriedly return home under the pretext of national security.

Although the strange energy he felt from the Tsar needed to be investigated, now was not the time. He judged that it wouldn’t be too late to approach after gathering information more carefully.

Especially, it wouldn’t be too late to go back to Russia after interrogating the prisoner caught inside the gate. Minister Byeon remained in Russia, so he would handle the additional item ownership negotiations and the Korean extradition of the guy who messed with the gate.

“Sigh…”

“Please, a word! Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk!”

“What did you talk about with the Tsar?”

“Do you have any plans to share information about the item?”

As he headed towards the inside of the airport, reporters swarmed around him like bees. Security personnel struggled to maintain a barricade with their bodies, trying to block the surging crowd.

Dan Joo-hyuk unconsciously glanced around at the crowd before striding forward. The reporters’ clamor grew louder, but he ignored all questions with just a picture-perfect smile.

As he entered the airport building, the noise finally subsided.

And then, a familiar presence approached from the side.

“Hey, you. Good job.”

Surprisingly, it was Kim Sin-cheol who greeted him. As if he was about to enter a gate soon, he was wearing equipment that looked like a tunic.

Dan Joo-hyuk looked at him with a rather unexpected expression. It was strange that he had come out to such a noisy place to greet him, considering he usually found the title of being his friend quite bothersome.

“Why did you come out?”

“Mom was so worried, I was pushed out, that’s all.”

Kim Sin-cheol shrugged and answered, accurately reading the meaning behind his question.

Dan Joo-hyuk chuckled, noticing the worry that Kim Sin-cheol hadn’t quite managed to hide.

“Tell her I’m fine.”

“Sure.”

The inside of the building wasn’t as noisy as outside, but there were quite a few people coming and going. There were many Gate Management Office officials, and a few hunters like Kim Sin-cheol were also noticeable.

Dan Joo-hyuk unconsciously looked around again.

“Are you looking for someone?”

“No.”

For some reason, Yoon Pa-ran’s face flashed before his eyes at Kim Sin-cheol’s question.

It was a strange thing. He hadn’t even expected him to come out to greet him.

“…”

With a subtle feeling, Dan Joo-hyuk moved towards the immigration checkpoint.

“Any injuries?”

“None.”

“That’s good.”

He chatted with Kim Sin-cheol, who had stuck close, for the first time in a while.

As they conversed, his consciousness suddenly turned to his mobile phone. He rummaged through his pocket and turned on the phone he had kept off.

“Is that the item?”

Kim Sin-cheol asked, gesturing towards the luggage Dan Joo-hyuk was carrying himself.

Dan Joo-hyuk was carrying a bag with a few pieces of clothing and the great sword he had obtained this time. As he was still considering how much information to disclose about the item, he had completely wrapped the great sword in cloth, perfectly concealing its appearance. Yoon Pa-ran’s item was tucked away in the bag.

“Yeah. You can just look at it with your eyes later.”

He didn’t explain in detail on purpose because there were many listening ears. Still, Kim Sin-cheol somehow understood that the item had a curse that made it difficult for just anyone to touch.

“Phew… It’s going to be chaos for a while.”

Kim Sin-cheol didn’t even ask about the second item and just shook his head.

Just then, the phone he was holding fully powered on. The loaded phone rang loudly for a while. It was because contacts had piled up excessively while he was in flight.

And of course, there was no contact from Yoon Pa-ran.

“Are you waiting for a call?”

That fact strangely irked Dan Joo-hyuk.

“No.”

He clearly hadn’t been waiting. Yet the subtle feeling that overcame him was like swallowing sand.

The gritty sensation kept roaming around inside his throat, irritatingly.

“…”

“Hey, let’s go together.”

Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been contemplating this strange feeling for a moment, started striding again.

Hurriedly, like someone who had somewhere he absolutely had to go.

❖ ❖ ❖

Not even a few hours later, Dan Joo-hyuk arrived near the orphanage where Yoon Pa-ran was.

“…”

Contacts kept flooding into his phone. It seemed the SS-grade item was quite something, even though he hadn’t carelessly given out his number. Everyone seemed desperate to contact him somehow.

I’ll have to change my contact information again soon.

However, for someone who had ignored all contacts and moved like this, Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t budged from his car for about an hour already.

His gaze was fixed on a small monitor set up on the dashboard. Yoon Pa-ran’s figure was reflected on the monitor screen.

“Hmm…”

It was footage from a drone used by the surveillance company he had hired. There was no sound and it was being filmed from quite far away, but it was clear what Yoon Pa-ran was doing.

Yoon Pa-ran, playing with the children in the yard, had quite a bright expression.

“…Looks fun.”

Originally, Dan Joo-hyuk had planned to call Yoon Pa-ran out by phone as soon as he arrived at the orphanage.

However, the surveillance company he had contacted to ask if there had been any unusual occurrences in the meantime had handed over an unexpected item. Considering it Dan Joo-hyuk’s main interest, they had directly delivered a drone video monitor that he hadn’t even requested.

As soon as he turned on the video, Dan Joo-hyuk became glued to his car.

It was strange. He hadn’t intended to blankly spy on what Yoon Pa-ran was doing like this.

He was aware that he was doing something quite creepy, but he kept hesitating. Yoon Pa-ran’s face was free of worries, unlike usual. His gaze kept stopping on Yoon Pa-ran’s pale face, laughing together with the children with a completely relaxed expression.

Why?

He tapped his phone again. Of course, there was no contact from Yoon Pa-ran.

“Sigh…”

After a short exhale, Dan Joo-hyuk, after some deliberation, just operated his phone. It didn’t suit his temperament to dawdle like this when it wasn’t even bothersome.

As he made the call, the dial tone started. Yoon Pa-ran was in the middle of giving an airplane ride to a child, lifting them above his head. So he thought the call would go unnoticed at this rate.

Unexpectedly, Yoon Pa-ran immediately put the child down on the ground and hurriedly searched his pockets. Dan Joo-hyuk’s eyebrows twisted as he watched this scene intently.

Was there a call he was waiting for?

Whose call, exactly?

“…”

In that brief moment when Yoon Pa-ran checked the name that appeared on his phone, a thought like a bonfire flickered in Dan Joo-hyuk’s mind.

His furrowed eyebrows creased even more. His vision flowed a bit sluggishly.

However, after confirming the name that appeared, Yoon Pa-ran unexpectedly smiled with quite a bright face.

“…”

Yoon Pa-ran’s hand movements were swift as he promptly answered the phone.

Soon, from the connected phone, only a rather brusque voice flowed out, as if he had never smiled like that:

“Hey.”