Chapter 44 – Confrontation (1)
“Hello. Everyone! You are like a morning star who was newly promoted to S-class today, right? Let’s talk with Hunter Lee Hyun-woo.”
On the TV in the cafe, there was a story about a newly promoted S-class hunter. Kim Yoo-jung said that she had to be caught in a complicated mood whenever the story came out that someone had risen to the S rank. She stared inadvertently at the cafe window and felt that her face, reflected in the night view, was terribly crumpled.
The gloomy expression was by no means due to the story of someone young being promoted to S-class. She was waiting for someone now. A text message appeared on the screen of the mobile phone screen.
[Let’s talk at the cafe today]
Kim Yoo-jung knew who the main character of this text was. Ichigaya Ichiae. She was an apprentice hunter who came from Japan, and she was a woman who was tailing her boyfriend, Jeong Su-hyeon. It was her moment yesterday when she had a fight with her in her prime, but when she suddenly contacted herself today, Kim Yoo-jung couldn’t control her true intentions.
I heard that my father is in the construction business, but is he trying to buy me with money? Kim Yoo-jung laughed alone at the thought of a development like a third-rate drama. She thought it was just cancer, but she thought she was too out of it. She looked at her watch once more.
Because she came 10 minutes early, Ichie’s face was not even visible. She turned her gaze back to the TV. Recently, she was interviewed by Lee Hyeon-woo, a hot S-class hunter, with a smile on her face. He was the youngest hunter to achieve S-class, and he rose to stardom suddenly because of his handsome face and good manners.
Kim Yoo-jung turned her attention back to her cell phone. She also felt bad when she saw the S-class Hunter. All the people who worked in the Black Dragon Room were like that. It was because she knew how much the Black Dragon Ark aspired to S rank.
But at the same time, Kim Yoo-jung also knew that it was not the right thing to deprive a young hunter of her chance just because she was. Even if she remonstrated, she didn’t think the Black Dragon Ark would listen to her own words, so she just kept her silence.
“Late.”
Ichie’s voice ran from the top of her head down through her whole body. Kim Yoo-jung touched her coffee on the table and raised her head. Ichie took her small bag and sat down in her seat. She gave Kim Yoo-jung a bright smile. When Kim Yoo-jung saw that smile, she felt bad. She didn’t know what the hell she was up to. She said, putting her phone down.
“Miss Ichie. So, what did you call for? I’m still a D-class hunter, so I’m quite busy.”
“Are you talking straight to the point?”
“I don’t like it very much.”
Kim Yoo-jung was a little sharp on Ichie. It was because she had clearly seen yesterday how she flirted with Jung Soo-hyeon and dismissed her as an old man. Kim Yu-jung said that she basically treats everyone with a smile, but she is not lenient even to those who are aggressive towards her. Ichie said, facing Kim Yoo-jung’s fierce eyes.
“Soo Hyun-sang. He is a wonderful person.”
Kim Yu-jung almost nodded her head inadvertently, but in an attitude befitting her senior and elder, she raised her head and looked down at her reasoning. She didn’t blink an eye even though Kim Yu-jung was trying to exude a sense of intimidation in her own way. She felt that she was somehow pushed behind her momentum. Because she didn’t feel the slightest flutter in her eyes as she looked at her reason.
I thought I created a coercive atmosphere in my own way, but Ichie acted as if he was used to this kind of atmosphere.
Kim Yoo-jung opened her mouth.
“Miss Ichie. Do you like Suhyun?”
Ichigo’s eyes widened slightly. She rolled her eyes here and there as if at a loss, then nodded her head and said in a low voice.
“Yes.”
“Give up.”
“No, I do not want.”
Kim Yoo-jung sighed. Originally, she didn’t want to reveal the relationship between mentor and mentee, but she couldn’t help it. She said.
“…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but I and Suhyeon are dating. If I said it first, I didn’t say it because I was afraid there would be a strange feeling of incongruity between the team.”
“I know.”
Ichie nodded her head and replied. This time, it was Kim Yoo-jung’s turn to freeze again. For a moment, she didn’t understand the meaning of Ichie’s words. Do you know Did you know that you flirted with Suhyeon? Kim Yoo-jung knew what it felt like to have her hair dyed white. It felt like the ebb and flow of the tide was happening sequentially in her head.
Suddenly, the sea of thoughts is completely drained, and only one thought gradually fills up in the bottomless head. What filled her mind with high tide now was the feeling of ‘absurdity’. Kim Yoo-jung smiled and looked at Ichie.
“Do you know what I am talking about?”
“I know.”
“No, I heard that you and Suhyeon are dating?”
“Young sister. I think he is a good person.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“So the three of you are dating.”
Once again, the thought slipped out of Kim Yoo-jung’s head. She was dizzy in her head. She couldn’t figure out what Ichie was talking about. Her breathing became rough. She couldn’t help but laugh. Kim Yoo-jung said.
“What, what are you saying? How. Ichie Yang. I don’t understand.”
“Young sister. He’s a good person. Soo Hyun Sang. I regret breaking up with Yoojung unnie. But I also like Suhyun-san. So, the three of you are dating. Especially. Let me do that Because Yoojung unnie is a good person.”
“You mean ‘do it’?”
It was one word that got on her nerves. At her reason, she nodded her head. She looked around her and said in a slightly lowered voice.
“I really think Yoojung unnie is a good person.”
Kim Yoo-jung did not know whether to be pleased with Ichie’s remarks or not. She said.
“Why, why should I do that? I think it makes sense to just watch Suhyeon straddling her legs. No. Never. No, I do not want. Ichie Yang. Miss Ichie is still young and doesn’t know much about the world, but the boys and girls pair up one by one…”
“Go into the Black Dragon Room.”
Kim Yoo-jung shut her mouth. She said in ichi.
“Enter the Black Dragon Room. If you make him go out with Suhyeon-sang, he will enter the Black Dragon room. Consider changing your nickname to Musashi later.”
It was the statement I had been waiting for the most, but it was something I didn’t want to hear now. She asked in a puzzled tone, as she hadn’t expected to bring up such a story.
“No, wait a minute. What are the conditions for that? It has nothing to do with this or that. Yes?”
“Young sister. It’s the end of the guild. I heard that she is working hard in the guild life.”
Kim Yoo-jung frowned at her reasoning.
“Did you investigate me?”
“This is easy.”
Ichie opened her bag. A document written in Japanese protruded from the bag, and at the front of it were three Chinese characters for “Kim Yoo-jung.” There was no way that Kim Yoo-jung could not recognize the Chinese characters written on his ID card.
She went through her papers, but couldn’t read any of them because they were in Japanese. She yanked Ichie to take it back, then she put it in her bag and said,
“What are we going to do?”
“Young sister. If you reject my offer, I will go to the Black Dragon Room today and tell you. Yoojung unnie says she stole my man. So tell me not to go in.”
Kim Yu-jung’s eyes shook. But she soon regained her cool. This she was just doing bullshit to shake herself up. She really couldn’t tell. Thinking so, Kim Yu-jung smiled confidently.
“Try it. No one will listen to such childlike complaints?”
“Won’t you listen? Are you sure? Can I call you now? Can you really afford it?”
Kim Yoo-jung’s face was distorted. She felt uneasy. She said it again.
“Young sister. She said she was on the phone with a person named ‘Junhyeok Hyungwon’. Why do you report to brother-in-law Junhyeok about dating Suhyeon-sang? Why do you always hang up while saying that there is nothing wrong? Do you know that Soo-hyun Sang and Yoo-jung unnie are reporting?”
“…Uh, how far did you investigate?”
Kim Yoo-jung looked at her reason with her puzzled face. She said in ichi.
“Look under the driver’s seat.”
It meant that a bug was installed in the car. Kim Yoo-jung lost all her strength. She said, ruffling her hair.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. It’s just a formality, and I really like Suhyun. It’s real.”
Ichie nodded her head and said.
“I know.”
According to her reason, she carefully held Kim Yoo-jung’s hand. Her callused fingers entered Kim Yu-jung’s eyes. Rough fingers typical of those who have held a knife for a long time. Her brain sword Lee Jun-hyeok was also callused in this way. Ichigo’s voice was heard.
“So the three of you are dating.”
********
“Give me time to think. Still, that… You should also listen to Mr. Suhyun’s opinion, right? If you say you don’t like Suhyun, it means nothing. Give me a little time.”
The meeting ended just like that.
Kim Yoo-jung was heading to her friend from her college days with her papers in hand. She gnashed her teeth as she kept reliving her encounter a little while ago. Just because she was her, she didn’t let Ichie rattle her legs. She, too, was preparing her counterattack in her own way.
This document. If Ichie had this document handed over to him as evidence of a background investigation, he could have watered Ichie on the contrary. While showing this document to Jeong Su-hyeon, he was going to tell her that he had been behind the scenes, threatened, and abused her.
Kim Yoo-jung looked over the documents and thought that Ichie was still immature in this respect. It was because she handed over the documents that were supposed to be quite important evidence to herself.
She was thinking of asking a friend who knows Japanese to translate the document before showing it to Jeong Su-hyeon. A friend who majored in Japanese at university is currently working as a translator at a small publishing company.
She carefully examined the documents that flew in front of me and asked Kim Yoo-jung.
“What is this?”
“Hey, can you read what’s in it?”
“Uh. Easy. It’s raining in Shinjuku. Where are you now These are song lyrics.”
“…What?”
“Lyrics. Are these all song lyrics? Japanese song lyrics. What is this? Why did you put your name on the cover?”
The ebb came to Kim Yoo-jung’s head once again.
“Okay, read to the end. Is there really anything else besides that?”
“Uh… At the end it goes like this Thank you for your hard work translating. But anything else is not a lie.”
“Ah…”
Kim Yoo-jung grabbed her head. And she had something else on her mind. Eavesdropper. There are apparently bugs in the back seat, she used to. She remembered that and rushed to the car. With the wiretaps, she didn’t know how she could fight back.
Kim Yoo-jung opened the back door of the car and checked under the driver’s seat. There was a piece of paper there. Kim Yoo-jung took out the paper and checked it. It was written in broken Korean.
[I was here.]
