…Why?
Cha Eui-jae stopped dead in his tracks, momentarily stunned at the sight of the dark figure trespassing in someone else's shop. How did that bastard open the closed door and get in, and why was he sitting in the middle of the hall as if staging a protest?
The number one, or rather, ex-number one hunter was committing all sorts of crimes, from obstructing business to trespassing. The gas mask-wearing figure, seated with legs crossed, slowly turned his head toward Cha Eui-jae. His eerie voice rumbled low.
"Did you sleep well?"
Despite the seemingly friendly question, his voice sounded like it came from the depths of hell. Waking someone up only to ask if they slept well— he had clearly given his conscience away to the dogs. Instead of answering, Cha Eui-jae countered with a question.
"What are you doing here?"
Though it was a reasonable question, the gas mask-wearing figure's aura became even more ominous. He seemed to be taking deep breaths to calm himself, but his purple eyes behind the lenses glinted fiercely as they stared at Cha Eui-jae.
"What am I doing?"
"…"
"That's what I should be asking you."
Could it be… has he found out something about me? Given his past actions and information-gathering abilities, it wasn't an entirely unreasonable suspicion. Cha Eui-jae slowly clenched his fist, waiting for the next words to come out of his mouth.
"Why didn't you contact me first?"
"…"
"I waited two weeks, damn it."
Cha Eui-jae felt utterly deflated. Was that what this was about?
Judging by the intense aura emanating from him, Cha Eui-jae guessed that Lee Sa-young was either angry or sulking like a child left out of something fun.
Though it wasn't the right thing to think in front of someone who had been waiting for contact, to be honest, it wasn't that he hadn't contacted him—
'I forgot…'
Cha Eui-jae had completely forgotten that he needed to respond to Lee Sa-young's business proposal.
Of course, Cha Eui-jae had his reasons. The problem was they were reasons he couldn't tell anyone. In any case, if he were to be honest and say he forgot, the deal would surely fall apart. So, Cha Eui-jae offered the best excuse he could come up with.
"Well, I've been busy."
"Ha."
Lee Sa-young snorted, but Cha Eui-jae continued steadfastly.
"I've also been thinking it over."
"Oh, you actually thought about it."
Lee Sa-young sarcastically retorted, resting his chin on his hand as if challenging him to continue. Cha Eui-jae felt a sudden urge to give him a good smack on the head. Why was his nature so twisted?
In that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Cha Eui-jae's mind.
Ah, maybe…
'Because I took the number one spot from him?'
Though that gas mask-wearing bastard seemed nonchalant, he had held the number one rank for six years in a row. Having his position taken overnight by someone thought to be dead must have been quite a shock.
Cha Eui-jae's gaze softened with pity. Lee Sa-young grumbled in irritation.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, it's just… hang in there."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Mocking? I'm being more sincere than ever."
"Ugh, whatever. I even shot a commercial because of you, and you left me hanging for two weeks. Do you know you're a real jerk?"
Lee Sa-young waved his hand in disgust. But Cha Eui-jae also had his grievances about that public service announcement.
The so-called public service announcement that Lee Sa-young supposedly filmed because of Cha Eui-jae was inflicting mental agony on hunters who watched TV. Cha Eui-jae crossed his arms.
"What's with that commercial anyway? Why did you suddenly shoot it?"
"Because you only like people who shoot commercials. What else could I do?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Jung Bin, Honeybee…"
Cha Eui-jae couldn't keep up with Lee Sa-young's erratic train of thought.
The only commonality between Jung Bin and Honeybee was that he wanted to ban both of them from this shop. What was Lee Sa-young thinking when he did such a bizarre thing?
Lee Sa-young gestured towards the handwritten Honeybee poster.
"Is that your taste?"
"Honeybee just gave it to me."
"And Jung Bin's autograph?"
"He sent it by mail."
"Damn it, why not just sell that on Tomato Market?"
Cha Eui-jae tightly shut his mouth and got up to head towards the water dispenser. As he moved, eyes followed him. The gaze was persistent and unrelenting.
Unable to bear the staring, Cha Eui-jae finally turned around and asked, "What?"
Lee Sa-young pointed his chin at Cha Eui-jae's feet.
"Your feet."
"Huh?"
"Do you usually go around barefoot?"
Oh, right. Only then did Cha Eui-jae look down at his feet. He had come out to ambush silently, but seeing Lee Sa-young sitting comfortably in the hall had made him lose the will to ambush, so he had been walking around the shop barefoot.
Wiggling his toes, Cha Eui-jae shamelessly replied.
"I didn't wear socks on purpose to wake myself up."
"You should at least wear slippers."
Lee Sa-young seemed somewhat displeased. Who did he think had made him run out barefoot in the middle of the night?
"If you've been thinking for two weeks, you must have an answer."
"Yes."
"…"
"Let's make a deal. But I have a few conditions."
"Hold on."
Lee Sa-young took out a long, finger-length object from his inventory. It had a screen, buttons, and a blue magic stone embedded at the end. It was a magic stone recorder, something Cha Eui-jae had desperately tried to get, which had led to S-grade hunters flocking to Tomato Market and this restaurant.
"We should have solid evidence. It's better for both you and me."
"Recording, huh. What if the recording gets leaked?"
"I'll use it only to draft the contract and then dispose of it immediately."
"…"
Lee Sa-young showed off his gloved hand to Cha Eui-jae. He meant that he could melt the recorder like a ladle. For him, it was a disposable item.
Lee Sa-young pressed the button, and the recorder began to glow blue.
"Let's start."
He spoke as if familiar with such procedures. Cha Eui-jae nodded and raised a finger.
"First, no work during restaurant hours. Whatever you ask or demand, it has to be between 11 PM and 5 AM when the restaurant is closed."
"Aha."
After a brief pause, Lee Sa-young nodded readily.
"Alright. What's the second?"
"Help me register as a hunter."
"Huh? Didn't I tell you before?"
Lee Sa-young, tapping his arm with his palm, tilted his head and spoke dryly.
"I need someone unknown."
"I know. Just listen."
Although Cha Eui-jae had no intention of resuming his hunter activities, the situation had changed now that J's survival was known. It was better to create a completely new identity unconnected to J.
People are looking for J. Even the Awakened Management Bureau will form search teams to find J.
Considering J is S-grade, being an unregistered awakener could lead to misunderstandings. It would be safer to disguise himself as a newly awakened hunter with no ties to J. That way, he would avoid detection.
Cha Eui-jae calmly continued.
"You'd agree that the scope of what we can do changes depending on whether I'm registered as a hunter."
"…"
"My demand is for you to help me get the lowest possible rank."
"…"
"If I'm E or D rank, no one will pay attention to me. I'll blend in."
The ranks for awakeners are from S to A, B, C, D, E, and F. The closer to F, the lower the awakening ability and physical ability, with F being just a bit stronger than an average person. Lee Sa-young slowly rubbed his gas mask's cheek.
"So… you want help to hide your true strength when registering?"
"Yes."
"What else?"
"Help my grandmother with her treatment."
"We talked about that last time. Anything else?"
"No."
"Alright."
Lee Sa-young chuckled, pressing the recorder's button to stop it. The stone's glow gradually faded.
"Now it's my turn."
He took out a palm-sized dagger from his inventory and handed it to Cha Eui-jae. The blade was engraved with golden laurel leaves.
[Laurel Branch of Contract (S)]
[By drawing blood with this dagger, an unbreakable contract can be made.]
[Curses upon the one who breaks the contract.]
"Do you want to stab yourself, or should I do it?"
What an absurd and crude statement. Was he serious? Cha Eui-jae couldn't hide his incredulous expression as he stared at Lee Sa-young.
"Of course I'll do it myself. Why would you stab my hand?"
"Some people stab themselves in strange places. Someone even stabbed their thigh when I told them to cut their palm…"
Cha Eui-jae squinted at him, wondering if he thought he looked like such an idiot. Did people like that really exist? Did they attempt self-harm during a contract?
Though Cha Eui-jae thought it was ridiculous, Lee Sa-young's face was deadly serious. Lee Sa-young shrugged.
"It's more efficient if I do it. Less blood."
Efficiency might end up killing someone at this rate. Lee Sa-young, despite his supposedly kind explanations, persisted as Cha Eui-jae refused to let go of the dagger.
"Don't worry, I'm good at stabbing. It won't hurt much. Just a little prick."
"Bullshit."
"If I do it, it won't hurt as much for you."
It was better to get this over with quickly. Cha Eui-jae deftly adjusted his grip on the dagger and asked,
"How much blood do you need?"
"Just enough."
Without hesitation, Cha Eui-jae slashed his palm, allowing the crimson blood to drip down the thin line. Taking the dagger, Lee Sa-young asked,
"Do you have an antidote? Or any artifact for detoxification?"
As if.
Cha Eui-jae glanced around the shabby hangover soup restaurant. Though he had a detoxification ability, there was no need to reveal all his cards to this dubious character in front of him.
Lee Sa-young placed a small glass bottle filled with a purplish liquid on the table. The liquid was thick and slimy, occasionally bubbling like a concoction from a witch's cauldron.
"That's my personal antidote."
"Your personal antidote?"
"Can't have you dying on me during the contract. Drink it now."
"…"
Cha Eui-jae skeptically examined the bottle before reluctantly downing the antidote. Despite its appearance, the liquid went down surprisingly smoothly.
Lee Sa-young, now holding the dagger, spoke,
"I only have one condition."
Without hesitation, he slashed his palm. From the large wound, a dark liquid that barely resemble blood dripped down.
"Never betray me."
With his cold voice, the liquid burned through the table where it landed, leaving blackened, charred marks.