"Seriously, I have to go. There's an elementary school student wandering around at this hour. Aren't you worried about a child roaming the streets alone at night?"
It was a statement so touching, it could have been a narration for a public service announcement.
'Please understand.' Staring at the inscrutable black gas mask, Cha Eui-jae prayed silently.
"Right, that's true."
But despite Cha Eui-jae's desperate plea, the gas mask's voice remained relaxed. It sounded almost like it was mocking him, suggesting that such tactics wouldn't work. After nodding a few times, the gas mask took out a phone from his pocket, typed something in, and then waved the phone smugly.
"Our guys will find the missing kid. Just wait a bit, okay?"
But this time, Cha Eui-jae quickly moved to the next step. He shook his head firmly and spoke decisively.
"No, I decline. I'll call the police. I'll ask for help from the protectors of the people."
"Yeah… then I'll call the Awakened Management Bureau."
"Why call the Bureau?"
"Because it's faster for Hunters to use their abilities to find someone than the police. Do you like Jung Bin? I can call him right now. Should I?"
Taken aback by the gas mask's immediate retort, Cha Eui-jae was momentarily at a loss for words and stared at him openly.
Are you serious?
Yeah, I am.
After quickly reading each other's expressions, Cha Eui-jae felt drained, lacking the energy to continue the confrontation. He raised his hands slightly, indicating a temporary concession.
If there was a Hunter specialized in tracking, finding the child would indeed be easier, as the gas mask said. However, Cha Eui-jae's reason for taking a step back wasn't just that. It was that the gas mask's offer to call Jung Bin didn't sound like an empty gesture at all.
Judging by his demeanor of beating people up, this guy was likely a marked individual in the Awakened Management Bureau's database. With his strict adherence to the law, Jung Bin would rush over immediately upon receiving this guy's call. That would definitely make the situation more complicated.
Okay, just from this brief conversation, it's clear this guy isn't someone to get involved with.
Sigh… Cha Eui-jae sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair irritably. Time was ticking, and if they kept bickering, the conversation would never end.
"What do you want from me?"
Abandoning formal speech and getting straight to the point, Cha Eui-jae asked, causing the gas mask to chuckle lightly. Stepping closer, the gas mask whispered softly.
"I'll ask you two questions."
"…"
Cha Eui-jae nodded slightly, signaling him to go ahead.
"First question. Choose."
The gas mask made a V sign with his large, straight fingers. Thanks to the moonlight, his hand was clearly visible even in the dark. The tips of his outstretched fingers were all stained black.
Without prolonging the silence, the gas mask spoke again, not waiting for Cha Eui-jae to choose.
"One, that ladle is an S-grade weapon unknown to the public. Is that correct?"
Such an upgrade for a 6,900-won ladle, how ridiculous…
Elevating a ladle like this just because it knocked down a few spikes… Is the gas mask unexpectedly naive or just an idiot? Cha Eui-jae deliberately pondered irrelevant thoughts, standing with his hands behind his back without answering.
After a long silence with no response, the gas mask sighed and slowly folded his index finger, turning his wrist halfway so the back of his hand faced Cha Eui-jae. He asked with the same composure as when he made the V sign, but this time with his middle finger pointing firmly.
"Two, you're an unregistered Awakener. Is that correct?"
"You little…"
Are all Hunters this disrespectful nowadays? Cha Eui-jae stared at the annoyingly extended middle finger, exasperated.
Eight years ago, when Cha Eui-jae was active, such insubordination was unimaginable. No matter when this guy awakened, he couldn't possibly be a senior to Cha Eui-jae. Of course, I'm the first S-grade Awakened in South Korea!
Even though it had become the era of great Hunters, it wasn't like the Confucian values1 that had persisted for hundreds of years had been discarded. As Cha Eui-jae was swallowing his anger at the insolence of the younger Hunter, the gas mask spoke with a laughter-tinged voice, driving the nail in deeper.
"Well… since it doesn't seem like an S-grade weapon, you must be an unregistered Awakener, right?"
"I'm not unregistered."
In any case, he was officially registered as an Awakened. Strictly speaking, he wasn't unregistered… Although he might have been recorded as missing or deceased and thus erased from the records, eight years ago, he was definitely registered, so he didn't feel guilty saying so.
However, the gas mask scoffed as if hearing the most absurd thing.
"If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it…"
"I'm telling the truth."
Before Cha Eui-jae could finish his sentence, the gas mask vanished from his sight. And in the very next moment,
KAANG-!!
Cha Eui-jae blocked an unexpected strike from behind with his ladle. Beyond the gas mask's lens, a violet eye gleamed coldly. Despite his attack being blocked, the gas mask didn't withdraw his hand but instead gripped the ladle tightly. The already dented ladle crumpled under the pressure.
Sssss—
Shortly after, the ladle began to melt and turn black in the gas mask's hand. The acrid smell of burning metal stung Cha Eui-jae's nose.
'Is it some sort of corrosion or decay ability?'
Drip, drip, black liquid fell to the floor, and wherever the liquid landed, it turned pitch black. Cha Eui-jae had seen such a sight recently. The master of the West Sea rift, the Basilisk's Fang, caused everything it touched to melt similarly.
'Poison, then.'
A poison comparable to the Basilisk's venom. I thought the gas mask was just a concept…
As Cha Eui-jae furrowed his brows, the gas mask seemed to smirk behind his mask. Satisfied with the answer he had gotten, he stepped back, shaking his hand off.
"Just an ordinary ladle."
"…"
"And you're an unregistered Awakener who blocked my attack…"
"I told you, I'm not unregistered."
"Well."
Through the round lenses of the gas mask, violet eyes gleamed brightly.
"There's no way I wouldn't know someone at your level."
It could be taken as a compliment, but why did it feel so unpleasant? Cha Eui-jae pondered why, while meeting the persistent gaze. Soon, he realized one thing.
This guy has been speaking informally to me the whole time.
How dare he speak informally to someone he's never met before? Cha Eui-jae, who had been accustomed to extreme politeness during his time as a Hunter, found this behavior deeply irritating. There's a hierarchy even for cold water. Cha Eui-jae adjusted his posture and glared.
"Hey,"
"Yeah?"
"How old are you?"
Perplexed by the out-of-the-blue question, the gas mask tilted his head before dropping his assertive demeanor and answered innocently.
"Twenty-four."
Twenty-four? Twentyyy-foouur? Cha Eui-jae shifted his weight onto one leg and stood with his arms crossed.
"You little brat, speaking informally to a stranger."
"You seem about my age too."
"Hey, I've eaten at least five thousand more bowls of rice than you."
Of course, Cha Eui-jae still couldn't believe he was twenty-eight instead of twenty, but it was effective to use his age here. He hadn't literally eaten five thousand more bowls of rice, but! He had to use whatever advantage he had. His eight years of extra life experience was all he had over the gas mask.
The gas mask tilted his head again at the sudden old-fashioned statement. Despite the menacing mask, his actions seemed childlike and endearing.
"Oh… So?"
"Your way of speaking is too informal."
"I see…"
The gas mask chuckled briefly and lowered his head slightly toward Cha Eui-jae. His eyes curved in a smile as he whispered.
"Shall I use honorifics for you?"
Given that this guy had just attacked him, the gas mask exuded an odd aura. If Cha Eui-jae hadn't had extensive experience fighting monsters as a Hunter, he might have felt intimidated.
But Cha Eui-jae was a veteran Hunter who had been through countless battles, almost to the point of disappearing from wear and tear. He was more exasperated than intimidated by the gas mask's subtly pointed soft tone. However, he hadn't matured enough to let it go when a guy four years younger was speaking informally to him.
Physically, he remained twenty, but mentally, he felt like he was 280. Maybe his temper suited his perceived age of 280 better.
Whether the gas mask knew how annoyed Cha Eui-jae was or not, he fiddled with his black mask and added,
"Not a fan? Sorry. It's been a while since I used honorifics."
Is this what they call receiving a bow after asking for one? Even after hearing the honorifics he wanted, Cha Eui-jae felt even more irked. It felt like being a grandfather dealing with a disobedient grandson who wouldn't listen and gave two bows when asked for one bow.
Cha Eui-jae tried to calm himself, reminding himself,
'I'm just a regular civilian now. Just a civilian. Not Hunter J. That guy is a precious Hunter, and I'm a regular civilian. To find Ha-eun quickly, I need his help.'
Recalling his reason for coming outside today helped cool his head a bit.
—Ha-eun is missing, what should we do? I don't know when she left without a trace. The world is so dangerous these days…
But what if I could've found Park Ha-eun already instead of wasting time arguing with this guy? As his thoughts reached this point, Cha Eui-jae's self-control began to crack. Something was rising from within.
Right now, I'm not J, just a well-meaning and ordinary…
"Even twins born a minute apart can distinguish between who's older and younger!"
Eventually, Cha Eui-jae's inner old man erupted.