Chapter 39
They said it was the closest school, but in reality, there was only one elementary school in the Hunter District.
“The mentor said he would handle the unregistered birth certificate. So by next year, he’ll be able to enroll.”
“……”
“Don’t worry about your father. Only hunters who have completed identity checks with the association live in the Hunter District, so no one like that can get in.”
“……”
“Even if he chases after us, I’m here, so what’s there to worry about? But if you’re still uneasy, I can run a check.”
“Ha……”
Kang Suho finally couldn’t hold back and let out a long breath after washing his face.
“Why? You don’t like it?”
Saebyeok looked confused, as if she didn’t understand what the problem was, checking the map and the school photos again.
“Are you worried about the classmates? It’s fine. All the kids who go here are non-awakened, just like Sihoo. Classes for awakened children are conducted separately.”
Saebyeok spoke more actively to convince him.
“There’s no school safer than this one. Many of the parents are awakened hunters in the association, so the security here is strict. More than half the teachers are awakened too.”
But no matter how much she explained, Kang Suho only looked at her silently with a complex expression.
It was a look that could be scolding, pitying, or apologetic—it was hard to tell.
“Ah!”
Saebyeok added quickly, letting out a sigh of realization.
“They don’t use cars here. In this area, whether four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive, everything is prohibited. Even electric scooters aren’t allowed.”
She thought his complicated expression was because he was worried about Sihoo’s commute.
But what came out of Kang Suho’s mouth surprised her.
“Why do you say you won’t take the rent?”
She had thought the matter was settled, but she had no idea he was still worrying about it.
The biggest reason she had gotten a three-bedroom house was to give one room to Kang Suho and Sihoo.
“I just wanted you to focus on starting and running the guild instead of wasting time thinking about earning rent, you know?”
“That was before I heard the price of this house.”
Kang Suho knew that houses in the Hunter District were expensive.
But he hadn’t expected this much.
He thought it would be around 2–3 billion won, but it was 12 billion.
With loans close to 8 billion, the monthly interest alone exceeded ten million won.
The numbers were so unheard-of that Kang Suho felt dizzy.
“It’s fine, really.”
But she was calm about it, which frustrated him.
“Do you know why banks, especially first-tier banks that love safety, give loans to hunters so easily?”
“……”
“Because they know hunters can pay it off in just a few hunts. They even complain if you can’t pay it off early.”
Even after Saebyeok’s explanation, Kang Suho still frowned, as if he couldn’t fully understand.
“Do you remember the Gate Break at Seoul Station when I first met you? Just selling the mana stones from the monsters we caught there would earn 300–400 million won. That was a D-rank gate. Imagine a B-rank.”
Even without pulling out a calculator, it was clear that an 8 billion won loan was trivial.
“Help with the paperwork. The sooner we get the gate access permits, the sooner we earn money.”
Pointing to the files piled on the table, she suggested that helping with work could replace the rent. Kang Suho reluctantly nodded.
“……Understood.”
He had decided not to doubt her, but her boundless kindness still sometimes scared him. He couldn’t fully understand her motives, which troubled him.
And on the other hand…
“Does she act like this with everyone?”
He couldn’t forget meeting Hwang Tae-san in the blue space her key granted access to.
He kept picturing their conversation, as if etched into his mind. Two people talking about things he didn’t know.
“If you’re worried, Kang Suho, don’t be. I already know everything.”
If she hadn’t said that…
If she had asked him to step out because she needed to talk with Hwang Tae-san… he might have been wracked with curiosity and anxiety.
Even after that conversation, he couldn’t ask what it was about for the same reason—afraid she’d reply, “You don’t need to know.”
How deceitful human desire could be. Wanting her kindness to be only for him, even though he should have been grateful for all he had received.
But that was how the human heart worked.
“So you agree to send him to this school, right? I’ll prepare with that in mind!”
Seeing Kang Suho hesitate, Saebyeok quickly made a decision.
Enrollment was next March, almost a year away, but she seemed unusually excited.
She had her own reason.
“It means he’ll still be living at our house next year.”
Since she had chosen the school based on proximity to the house, Sihoo would have to stay here, too.
Then she could continue using Kang Suho, and next year, when he had awakened, there would be many things he could do!
“Great~ Great~ Hehe~”
It was a secret reason no one else would know.
Hunter Association Briefing
“Name: Kang Suho, 24 years old. No official occupation; appears to earn a living by working construction jobs.”
Bae Yeon-su, head of the Hunter Management Department, was briefing Association President Yoon Byung-geun and Park Woo-jun.
Though called the Hunter Management Department, she was effectively the president’s secretary.
Although non-awakened, she had an extraordinary memory and excellent associative abilities, making her indispensable.
“His original home belonged to his father, but five years ago, his father disappeared, the house went to auction, and he was forced out.”
A photo of Kang Suho’s former home was projected, along with auction documents and a map.
“After that, he moved between boarding houses and orphanages, never settling in one place.”
“What about his mother?”
“She committed suicide a year before the house was auctioned. According to the autopsy, she hanged herself, when Kang Sihoo was three months old.”
“Any suspicion of foul play?”
“No, but she had been exposed to her husband’s violence throughout her life.”
Bae Yeon-su opened the police reports and hospital records from that time.
“Her body was covered in bruises; her arms were broken multiple times and healed. Her pelvis had dislocated.”
“Domestic violence, then. She never thought of divorcing?”
“They were in a common-law relationship, but there was no official marriage registration.”
“Have you located the missing father?”
“No, but his identity is somewhat interesting.”
The slide changed to a man who resembled Kang Suho.
“Name: Kang Moon-kang, 54 years old. A-rank mental-type hunter. Probably why the mother didn’t leave him easily.”
“Was he a hunter?”
It was Park Woo-jun, not Yoon Byung-geun, who reacted.
“Yes. Additionally, he was a classmate of former association president Woo Geum-geon in elementary school.”
“That madman?”
Woo Geum-geon had been removed along with his followers when Yoon Byung-geun purged the association. He was punished severely for embezzlement and endangering citizens’ lives.
“It seems Kang Moon-kang was involved in their schemes.”
“Yes. It’s estimated he pocketed significant funds. When the association was purged eight years ago, he suffered a major loss and apparently turned to gambling.”
“He really did everything wrong.”
“This is still under investigation, but…”
Bae Yeon-su displayed information on a Gate Break.
“This is….”
Park Woo-jun furrowed his brows.
It was the B-rank Gate Break that devastated Yangyang five years ago.
“Yes, Captain Park. This is the gate where a hunter lost his parents at dawn.”
“What does Kang Moon-kang have to do with this?”
Park Woo-jun’s tone sharpened.
“As you know, this Gate Break had many mysteries. The location and timing weren’t hidden, but the association knew nothing about it. It made no sense.”
“I remember. I cursed at the association for handling things that way.”
Back then, before joining the association, Park Woo-jun, like everyone else, had criticized them. It was even worse because Saebyeok lost her parents there.
“But later, we found out it was the work of villains.”
Park Woo-jun ground his teeth.
