"Oh, but everyone in Perfect Team 1 is about that tall. If Yoon Seo is among them, it'd be cute."
At Park Soobin's bright comment, Yoon Seo completely lost his appetite.
"The youngest member is twenty, but he's probably around 190 cm. And the next youngest hunter, as you know, is Kwon Jihan. Kwon Jihan is at least 195 cm from what I remember. Yoon Seo, you're in trouble. You better be careful not to stand next to him. Jihan is surprisingly mischievous, so he might tease you a lot."
"Shut up."
As soon as Kwon Jihan was mentioned, Yoon Seo put his spoon down completely. Though, to be fair, he had already finished his meal.
"Haha, you really hate it. As long as you don't get caught on Hunter Kwon Jihan's radar, he won't mess with you too much, so don't worry."
"Radar?"
"Yes, RSP."
Having already finished eating, Park Soobin wiped his mouth with a napkin as he spoke.
RSP? Yoon Seo tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. Seeing the usually indifferent Yoon Seo tilting his head like that, the already youthful-looking Park Soobin found it extremely cute, but he kept that thought to himself.
"It's short for 'Radar for Strong People.' We just call it RSP. Hunter Kwon Jihan isn't interested in people weaker than him, but when it comes to strong ones like S-ranks, he gets overly curious and starts bothering them a lot. Since the team 1 you're joining consists only of S-ranks, you might get to see something interesting."
"What do you mean by 'something interesting'?"
"Kwon Jihan chasing after people for fights while the others get exhausted trying to avoid him."
Yoon Seo's face darkened slightly.
After emptying their trays, the two stood up. As they left the cafeteria, Park Soobin continued explaining.
"You'll find it fun to watch from the sidelines. As long as you're not the one being chased, it's like watching a sitcom, one person running away while the other keeps chasing them. If he weren't always talking about fights, Hunter Kwon Jihan would just be an amusing, handsome twenty-two-year-old. But if he does challenge you to a fight, that would be… quite unfortunate."
"..."
Having already received a declaration of battle, Yoon Seo's expression became utterly grim.
Walking down the hallway, Park Soobin glanced at Yoon Seo's face and had a realization.
"No way…."
"Yes, he's already said it to me."
"Damn it…."
Park Soobin looked even more distressed than Yoon Seo. Almost desperate.
"Did you reject him?"
"Of course I did."
"It won't work."
"..."
"Unless he feels like the sparring match ended in a way that satisfies him, he'll keep asking you to fight…."
"Has no hunter ever successfully avoided fighting him?"
Park Soobin shook his head.
"They all tried at first, but after being pestered 24/7, they had no choice but to give in. He ambushes people on their way home, throws punches even with monsters in front of him inside a dungeon, and even pretends to help someone up just to use a skill on them…."
"If I just fight him and lose once, will that be enough?"
"If he thinks you gave it your all and still lost, he'll let you go. But if he feels like you threw the fight or held back your skills, he'll keep coming after you. There are S-rank hunters you'll meet today who have managed to get him to stop challenging them, so you should ask them for their secrets. I'll also try to find out more."
Park Soobin took this far too seriously. In fact, his expression and tone were even more serious than Yoon Seo's. It was probably because he had witnessed firsthand the S-ranks suffering under Kwon Jihan's persistence.
"Sigh… At least today, Hunter Kwon Jihan is entering a dungeon with a temporary team… What a relief…."
The temporary team's test was still ongoing. Since Yoon Seo had shown an overwhelmingly outstanding performance at the start, the other rough diamonds had been unable to shine. The temporary team and Kwon Jihan had once again entered a dungeon, and this time, it was an A-rank dungeon.
"It's not fortunate at all. Even if it's A-rank, they'll clear it in a few hours, and I'll have to see him tomorrow."
"Probably not. The candidates have to clear the dungeon using only their own strength, so it could take a few days. Still… I really hate to say this… but… how did you end up with Hunter Kwon Jihan…? It's truly unfortunate…"
Park Soobin's tone was practically one of offering condolences.
Just how terrible was this supposed to be…
Yoon Seo was starting to get a little scared.
***
"This is where my guidance ends. This area is exclusive to Team 1, so I can't enter."
Park Soobin spoke with a voice full of concern and regret.
After Seo Chaeyoon's candidates completed their first test, the scouting team disbanded, and as planned, Park Soobin had officially joined Perfect Team 2.
"Thank you for guiding me."
"I'll work hard and make it to Team 1 for sure. Even if it's lonely, I'll endure it."
Yoon Seo swallowed back the words, 'You really don't have to.' In any case, Park Soobin had been genuinely worried about him and had even said outright that he wanted to become friends.
After parting ways with Park Soobin, Yoon Seo walked down the hallway. As he walked through the pristine white corridor, he naturally became familiar with the names of Team 1's hunters.
['Soo Jaehee' has used the 'Strongest Detection' Item.]
['Soo Jaehee' is viewing your
['Lawrence Mille' has activated the
['Lawrence Mille' is viewing your
['Rio Deli' has activated the
[It has no effect on you.]
['Alec Switch' has used the 'Telescope' Item.]
['Alec Switch' is viewing your
The flood of notifications was the reason.
Since Team 1 had five members, including Kwon Jihan, they were all gathered together.
The large door was half open, but Yoon Seo raised his fist to knock first. At that moment, someone suddenly flung the door open.
"Welcome, Seo Chaeyoon hyung!"
The person who greeted him with a bright voice and a clear pronunciation of "Seo Chaeyoon" was a young-looking man with light brown hair. Yoon Seo already knew who he was, having received a list of Perfect's S-rank hunters. He greeted him indifferently.
"Hello, Hunter Soo Jaehee. My name is Yoon Seo, not Seo Chaeyoon."
"Aw, don't be so formal with the last name. Just call me Jaehee. Chaeyoon hyung."
"Unfortunately, I am not Seo Chaeyoon."
This time, Yoon Seo spoke in a firmer tone.
Soo Jaehee, 20 years old. An S-rank hunter with a summoner trait. And, as emphasized in bold letters on the list Park Soobin had given him, a die-hard fan of Seo Chaeyoon. Soo Jaehee beamed, his eyes curving playfully.
"Got it. Then I'll call you Seo Chaeyoon Candidate 1 hyung."
"Just call me Yoon Seo."
"Candidate 1 hyung, you're too stiff."
"Perfect Team 1 Member, may I go inside now?"
"Whoa…."
Soo Jaehee's eyes widened. His gaze carried equal parts surprise and fascination.
Yoon Seo had no idea why he was so shocked, and he didn't care to find out. Ignoring Soo Jaehee, he stepped inside.
The Perfect Team 1 waiting room was furnished like a mansion's reception room, and there were only three foreigners inside. The blonde woman with glasses and the pale man with ashen hair clung to each other, watching Yoon Seo warily, while the middle-aged man with graying white hair sat on the opposite sofa, reading a book as if he had no interest in the situation.
Having walked down the hallway, Yoon Seo already knew that this man had used an insight item, which made the act all the more amusing.
"Yoon Seo hyung, I'll introduce our team members to you."
Soo Jaehee quickly stood beside him. His form of address had changed from Candidate 1 hyung to Yoon Seo hyung.
"That overly affectionate couple over there, the one with glasses is Lawrence Mille. She's twenty-six, and her trait is Shaman. Her Necromancer skills are ridiculously strong, so you'll be surprised when you see them in action. The pale guy is Rio Deli, a Vampire trait user, but he can walk around just fine in sunlight. Lawrence noona and Rio hyung are under the protection of the God of Love, so they have a special couple skill. Have you ever seen a monster throwing up?"
"…No, I haven't."
He had. But given the atmosphere, he decided to say no.
"You will, eventually."
"...."
"That old man over there is Alec Switch. He's a year younger than my dad, so… let's see… that makes him fifty-two this year. His trait is Creation. He has an incredible skill that makes whatever he writes come true. All three of them are foreign hunters, but they use translation items and know some Korean, so you can talk to them normally."
"Thank you for the introduction."
"Why are you so formal? Speak comfortably."
"I'm comfortable speaking this way. Hunter Soo Jaehee, you may speak informally if you wish."
"You and I have a nine-year age gap, and you're okay with that?"
"Yes."
Soo Jaehee blinked before breaking into an adorable smile.
"Then I'll use formal speech too. Not to draw a line or anything, I just genuinely like speaking formally."
"Understood."
Soo Jaehee was a sociable person, albeit in a different way from Park Soobin. When Park Soobin acted like this, it felt sly, but when a younger kid did it, it was simply cute.
'Is this how we looked to everyone else?'
At nineteen, they were technically adults, fully aware of everything. Yet the Revengers had treated the two of them like they were precious and fragile. Yoon Seo could never understand why people tried to protect someone stronger than them just because they were young.
'Chaeyoon is the youngest. My birthday's earlier than his, you know?'
Even amid everything, Lee Domin had insisted on that, trying to push Yoon Seo into the role of the final youngest. From an outsider's perspective, the two of them must have seemed about the same.
"Hyung, go ahead and greet the couple hyung and noona first."
"Hold on a moment."
Memories of his time in the Great Dungeon surfaced. Taking a deep breath, Yoon Seo pulled a pill bottle from his pocket. In front of everyone, he swallowed two sedatives. Soo Jaehee's eyes widened.
"What kind of medicine is that?"
"Sedatives. I'm nervous being in front of S-ranks."
"Oh, I see…."
After the Cataclysm and Apocalypse, many people relied on medication, so Yoon Seo felt no need to hide it.