Chapter 60

< Pretending to Forget (3) >

"Hunter Han Yujin!"

Park Hayul called out with a mix of joy and worry. At the same time, the expressions of the guards, who had been on alert, showed surprise.

"Seriously, it's really Han Yujin?"

"Why is Han Yujin here? I heard that the guild leader of Haeryeon made sure she wouldn't be seen!"

"Damn, did Han Yuhyun come too?"

The guards looked around in panic. They probably didn't think I came alone. But I did.

"Really, did Guild Leader Haeryeon come too?"

Park Hayul, with a face stained with nosebleed, was excited. This kid still loves being a hunter even after getting beaten up. He's got a serious case of it.

"I came alone."

"Huh? But—!"

"Close your eyes."

I moved aside and used the defensive shield skill from my earring on Park Hayul. He shouted something, but I blocked out the sound with the maximum setting, so I couldn't hear him. A B-grade shield, so as long as I don't make a mistake, he won't get a scratch. I should avoid using poison if possible.

"Alone?"

Kim Yongjin muttered in disbelief. He's quite suspicious.

"If I wasn't alone, someone would have already jumped out. You know, I'm in a position where I get a lot of protection, right?"

If people saw me here, they'd be shocked. The guards relaxed at my words.

"F-grade stats, has he lost his mind?"

Kim Yongjin stopped a D-grade hunter who was trying to approach me.

"Wait. There must be something. He wouldn't be so confident otherwise. Just the fact that he followed us here without being noticed is impressive."

"Still, his stats are definitely F-grade, right? He got certified by the association."

"Even with the best equipment, he can't be better than C-grade. He's just a lucky find, that's all."

The lucky find is our little rat. It's round and soft and rolls around easily.

"Anyway, let's say hello. We're not exactly strangers, but we are meeting for the first time, kind of."

The guards looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.

"…I've seen you on TV."

"No, I've met you in person. Actually, I've regressed. I've come back to the past. Surprised?"

It feels good to say this in front of the people I killed four years ago. It feels very real. Yuhyun came back to life too quickly, which made things a bit ambiguous.

"Five years! I met you four years ago. That's a year from now, and I haven't seen you since. I killed you. It's really nice to meet you again. Since you're going to die again anyway, could you at least take care of my bamboo forest?"

I might as well speak my mind.

"…Are you crazy?"

"I know I might look crazy, but it hurts to hear you say it so bluntly. Besides, you guys aren't exactly sane either. If I see fifty, you'll see five hundred. Especially you, Kim Yongjin. I really regret killing you so easily back then."

To have this chance again, I'm grateful. I don't like killing people, but sometimes life can make you see red. Although it didn't happen to me, these guys have ruined and will ruin many people's futures.

"Still, thanks to you guys, I've become more focused."

After the second year, I secured my position. I couldn't form a fixed team, but I could always find capable hunters… Wait a moment. Thinking about it, that was around the time MKC went bankrupt and Haeryeon took its place.

With the Awakening Center, things were more relaxed. I heard less from Haeryeon. Until the dungeon difficulty started to spike. …Could it be that my brother sent people?

And when Yuhyun entered the changed dungeon, Haeryeon had become the top guild in the country, and the guild leader's life had become more relaxed.

"Hmm, being too relaxed isn't good."

If I was busy fighting other guilds, I wouldn't have had the time to rush into the dungeon before the gate closed. They would have sent a couple of A-grade hunters at most.

"Is this guy really out of his mind?"

I heard whispers and looks of disbelief. It's unfair. My mind is mostly clear.

"Even though I don't know the lottery numbers, I really did come back to the past. What story should I tell? Curious about anything? Who will be the next S-grade hunter? How about a blockbuster new dungeon? Interested in stocks? The stocks you bought, Inwan, will be worthless in a month."

That guy kept babbling about it for a year.

Anyway.

"It's good to see you again. You can't understand my feelings since you haven't regressed. Everything I experienced is like it never happened, which is kind of unsettling. I tried not to think about it. The situation has changed a lot, and I initially planned to live a quiet life. Most of all, I didn't want to think about the people who died because of me… I tried not to think about it."

It's not just that a friend died. Thanks to them, I survived. I also inherited their memories. Seeing a body in front of me, with the memory of that person thinking of me, is hard. Yuhyun's memories were part of his life, so they came in occasionally, but usually, it's the memory of the moment before death. It's bearable if it's just an acquaintance.

But if they were worried about me, it's really maddening.

If they were too good, with only good memories, the sound of them calling my name wouldn't leave my ears for days. I tried to forget to avoid going crazy.

But now, they're all alive. How can I describe this feeling?

Unlike Yuhyun, I kept it buried for years. Unlike Yuhyun, they don't know me.

Like the guys in front of me.

Should I be happy, sad, apologetic, or grateful? Can I even contact them and meet them? Thanks to you guys, I survived.

I can't consult anyone about this, so I just pretended to forget.

"What do you think? Some of them were really good people. I was half-crazy, drowning in alcohol."

The guards formed a battle formation, probably not wanting to hear more. I answered, pulling out the curved sword I got as a reward from a D-grade dungeon.

"Surround and capture him!"

With Kim Yongjin's shout, two hunters with shields moved to my sides. A C-grade defensive hunter used a skill to quickly circle behind me. I grabbed the collar of the one behind me and threw him.

Bang!

I stabbed the curved sword into the forehead of the shield hunter on the left and took his shield, throwing it at the one on the right.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

The shield broke, and the hunter couldn't hold on and fell backward.

"What?"

While the D-grade hunters were confused, Kim Yongjin tried to run. He's quick to judge.

Thorn Trap.

"Ouch!"

Kim Yongjin fell like a frog hit by a rock. I cut the leg of the defensive hunter trying to get up and used the Thorn Trap on the remaining hunters.

"Should I contact them? Huh? Yongjin."

I asked Kim Yongjin, who was trembling.

"I remember their phone numbers, but what should I say? They don't know me. But I can't keep pretending I don't know them. They're still alive, just like you guys. They'll become hunters when the Awakening Center opens, and they'll enter the dungeons like you. In that chaotic situation."

I cut Kim Yongjin's leg neatly and released the Thorn Trap.

"Aaaah! Gah, you, what—!"

"I don't have to take responsibility for everything just because I regressed. It's like it never happened, but it's still in my memory. If I keep pretending to forget, I'll really be a piece of trash."

What should I do?

I used the Thorn Trap on Kim Yongjin again and took out a vial of mana powder from my inventory, sprinkling it around. I haven't killed all the monsters nearby yet. They'll come out soon.

"I hope we never meet again."

I sighed and turned around. Look at Park Hayul. I told him to close his eyes, but he saw everything and threw up. I approached and removed the shield.

"Are you okay?"

"…Ah, yes. I, I'm fine."

"Let's leave. Monsters will come when they smell the blood."

"Y-Yes."

I led Park Hayul back the way we came.

"It would have been better if Hunter Han Yujin had tried to persuade them…"

As we approached the gate, where the cleanup was complete, Park Hayul, who had regained his composure, said. It wasn't persuasion. It was more like a one-sided consultation. Since he couldn't hear, it probably looked like persuasion.

"Don't worry. From what I heard, they were already bad people who had hurt many people."

"Really?"

"Yes. And this incident must be kept secret. I'm not supposed to be wandering around, and my stealth skill is a secret."

Park Hayul looked excited. He recovers too quickly. Maybe he hasn't fully grasped the reality yet. Some people seem fine at first but break down a few days later.

"I didn't know Hunter Han Yujin was so strong! You took on two C-grade hunters. Are your stats actually B-grade or higher?"

"No, they're not. My abilities are also a secret."

"Got it!"

"Can you keep it a secret?"

"Of course!"

He sounds confident. I smiled at Park Hayul, though I don't really trust him.

I decided to take Park Hayul, but I need to check him out first. That's why I showed him.

My plan was to only teach him the stealth and Thorn Trap skills.

By coming here myself and helping him, and even teaching him skills no one else knows, he'll naturally want to talk. Especially since he's a celebrity who meets many people and is buried in endless conversations. He'll want to share what he knows.

'With a more dramatic situation, he'll be even more likely to talk.'

If he can't keep it in, that's the end.

I'm supposed to be in the secure Haeryeon guild. I didn't even use my stealth skill on the way here. I rode the bus while staying hidden. The only witness besides Park Hayul will be silenced, so whatever he says will be dismissed as lies.

'If he can keep it a secret, he passes. If not, I can use him for special skill promotion and be done with it.'

I have three A-grade special skills, so at least one should be useful. It would be nice if my efforts paid off.

"I don't know how to thank you. I thought all hunters were good people. They protect us from dungeons, after all!"

…Maybe my efforts won't pay off. Park Hayul smiled and continued.

"Can I call you 'bro'? You're five years older than me. I'm twenty."

"Ah, sure."

Why is he so different from Yuhyun, who is the same age? Twenty is still young, but still.

"Should we exchange contact information—"

"Not yet. Delete any messages after leaving the dungeon. It's better to erase any traces related to Awakening Brokers."

I need to confirm he deletes the messages before we part. I didn't explicitly say I'd come to rescue him.

"Don't contact me for a while. It'll be troublesome if you get caught."

Park Hayul looked like a rejected puppy.

"How long?"

"About two weeks. I'll contact you first."

"I'll keep the secret and wait eagerly. Please contact me. Don't forget me, please."

How desperate can you be after just meeting? He seems to be the type who would believe anything I say.

"I'll put up a shield. Wait here quietly. I'll finish the dungeon and come back."

"Got it, bro! Be careful!"

Seeing his bright, innocent smile as he waved, I sighed. He doesn't seem to be the type…

I returned home safely, took a shower, and changed clothes. My SNS followers had surpassed the ten-thousand mark. Many comments were in foreign languages. I deleted the messages with Park Hayul and uploaded a childhood video of Peace.

I received messages from Yuhyun and Yelim.

"Bro, are you on SNS?"

"Uncle, uncle, uncle! Follow me back!"

Yelim is on SNS too.

"Okay."

"Give me your account."

I replied and fiddled with my phone. I slowly dialed a number I still remembered. The call connected, and someone answered.

"Hello?"

A familiar voice. A voice I thought I'd never hear again. I thought it had faded in my memory, but it was clear.

'What am I hiding! I don't have a team to call on anyway.'

'It's okay. Don't worry, Yujin. It'll all pass.'

Buried memories resurfaced. I didn't realize my memory was so good. I laughed, not wanting to cry.

"Sorry, wrong number. …Have a good day. Always."

I hung up.

So, what should I do about the Awakening Center that will be built soon? I can't let that chaos happen again.

"Yuhyun, are you free? I have something important to say."

"Is it urgent? I have a guest right now."

"Who is it?"

There was no reply for a moment. Then, a message came from an unexpected person.

"I'm fine, come up and talk."

It's the guild leader of Seiseong. Then, Yuhyun also messaged.

"You don't have to come."

"I'll come."

Since you're involved, two is better than one.

< Pretending to Forget (3) > End

ⓒ Geunseo