This is the Kind of Person I Am (4)

What I thought was a random gesture was actually a signal from Kim Se-hyun, warning that the CCTVs would soon be out of commission. Just in case, I checked the entire network, but further access was indeed impossible.

“…….”

The scene I had witnessed moments ago was so overwhelming it felt unreal. Yes, “overwhelming” was the only word for it. Eliminating B-rank monsters with a mere wave of a hand wasn’t something just anyone could do.

I already knew he was incredible, but experiencing the sheer scale of his power firsthand made it hit home. I was staring blankly at the dark monitors when I looked up as Officer Park and Officer Kim returned.

“What on earth happened?”

“I can’t tell you how shocked I was to hear that guy went to the scene!”

“He just entered the dungeon, so it’ll be resolved soon. No need to keep watching; get back to your tasks,” the Team Leader commanded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood.”

“Youngest, you stop looking at the CCTV too.”

“…Just in case, sir. I’ll watch a little longer.”

Even an S-rank Hunter couldn’t control every inch of a sprawling dungeon. I expressed my desire to keep monitoring, but I fell silent when the Team Leader shook his head.

“He’s a madman, but in terms of skill, he’s the best there is.”

“…Yes.”

When it came to Se-hyun’s abilities, I couldn’t argue further. Pushing down my lingering worry, I minimized the traffic center window.

“…….”

Even though I wasn’t looking at the screen, Se-hyun’s effortless prowess flickered before my eyes. Inevitably, my mind drifted back to that day eight years ago.

Back then, I was a college freshman. I had frequently attended drinking parties to get close to my new peers and seniors, and as a result, there were many days when the alcohol got the better of me.

But that day, the sweet buzz of intoxication had felt particularly good.

“…….”

Yes, I was just happy, entirely unaware of what was about to unfold. It was that mood that led me to stop at the playground near my house instead of going straight home.

If Kim Se-hyun hadn’t appeared there that day… if I hadn’t gone to that party and had spent the evening with my parents instead, things would have been so different.

“Whew.”

No matter how much I thought like that or wallowed in regret, nothing changed. Regret should be kept in moderation; I only needed to hold onto the lessons learned from it.

“Disaster text channel closed. Whew, I can breathe now. What was with that sudden swarm of Mutant Chimeras!”

…I realized I’d been daydreaming in the middle of work. I straightened my posture and looked at my teammates.

“Honestly, it’s a good thing Kim Se-hyun stepped up this time.”

“Mutant Chimeras are B-rank, but I heard they’re incredibly tricky to handle.”

“Speaking of which, Team Leader, didn’t you almost have a major accident in a Mutant Chimera dungeon years ago?”

“Ah, yeah. One wrong move and I would’ve lost my life.”

“…….”

If even the Team Leader—an A-rank Hunter—was in mortal danger, just how dangerous were those monsters? The image of Se-hyun hunting them flashed through my mind, and I stealthily pulled up the CCTV window again.

“Youngest.”

“Gah—yes!”

“…Stop looking at that and finish your work. I’m reviewing the documents by the end of the day.”

“Understood!”

I’d only just opened the window; I didn’t know how he caught me. At the Team Leader’s reprimand, I closed it again and hurriedly tackled the backlog of work from yesterday.

After double-checking the cooperation fee figures several times, I finalized the documents, did one last review, printed them out, and brought them to the Team Leader.

“Let’s see.”

He took the files and scrutinized the details. I was nervous I might have made a mistake, but fortunately, he seemed satisfied. When he finally nodded, I let out a breath of relief.

“By the way, what are we having for lunch today?”

“Whatever you guys want.”

“How about a nice bowl of Galbi-tang? The Deputy can eat that too.”

“I’m in.”

“Me too.”

Hearing “Galbi-tang” made me feel hungry even though it wasn’t lunch yet. As I was rubbing my stomach, Officer Park asked for a coffee, and I stood up.

After delivering the coffee, I sat back down and—once again—secretly pulled up the CCTV to check the area around the dungeon.

“Oh?”

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

I must have let out a sound unintentionally. Suddenly, all eyes were on me. I shifted my gaze and reported the situation.

“The situation seems to have been cleared.”

“You still haven’t turned that off?”

“No, sir.”

When I answered quietly, the Team Leader let out a dry laugh. I glanced around awkwardly.

“If you’re that curious, go ahead and watch.”

“Thank you!”

“Were you really that curious?”

“Yes.”

Anyone who had seen Se-hyun dispatching monsters would naturally be curious about what happened next. Besides, he had gone out there at my request.

I was nodding along until his next words made the color drain from my face.

“If you’re that curious about the field, want to come out to a site with me soon?”

“…….”

“Team Leader, I think the youngest is about to stop breathing.”

“Haha! It’s a joke, a joke! Just watch what you’re watching.”

The Team Leader laughed it off. A smile appeared on the faces of the Deputy and Officer Park as well. Relieved, I focused back on the CCTV.

“…….”

The screen, which until recently showed only monsters and Kim Se-hyun, was now filled with police and firefighters. While scanning the feeds, I spotted Officer Han talking to the police.

“Oh, it’s Officer Han!”

Officer Kim, also curious, leaned in to see the screen. I shifted my position so he could get a better look.

“What is he doing?”

“Looks like he just arrived on the scene. He’s talking to the police,” Officer Park answered for me, leaning his arm on the back of my chair. As I moved the camera around to assess the situation, Officer Han’s voice came through the network. I listened intently.

— I heard something a bit strange. Is the ‘parasite’ there?

“Yeah. He went to the scene.”

— …Why him?

Was he not updated yet? Looking at Officer Kim and Officer Park, I realized Officer Han was in the dark.

“I was going to tell Officer Han, but I think I forgot to connect the network,” I murmured.

“He rushes off on his own, so there’s no way to tell him. He probably only realized the network was off right before he called.”

“I see.”

— Wasn’t he stuck to our youngest like a leech?

“He practically sprinted off when the youngest asked him for a favor.”

— …….

I had asked, but “sprinted off” was a bit of an exaggeration. As the Team Leader explained the situation to Officer Han (omitting the “wish” part), he suddenly turned to me.

“What’s Kim Se-hyun doing?”

— They say he vanished the moment the dungeon was cleared. But apparently, he left a strange message, unlike his usual self.

“A message? What did he say?”

— He said something about the ‘Greatest Hunter’ and told them to consider it an honor. …Did you feed him something wrong?

“…That crazy bastard?”

“He was always thick-skinned.”

— Well, thanks to him, it looks like I’m on cleanup duty as soon as I arrived. I’ll head back after finishing up.

“Sure, good work. If it gets late, just go straight home from there.”

— Yes, sir. I’ll call if anything else happens.

“Right.”

The Team Leader ended the call and let out a long stretch. Then, telling me to shut down the relay, I stood up and complied.

Buzz—

I didn’t even have to check to know who sent the message.

[(Ü)*.¸¸♪]

[Dungeon cleared! (˃ ᴗ˂)و]

[Well, it wasn’t that hard. Since I’m the world’s greatest hunter (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧₊˚]

“…….”

I pulled my phone from my pocket; as expected, it was Kim Se-hyun. I sent a reply immediately.

[Good job. And thank you, Se-hyun-ssi.]

The dungeon wouldn’t have been suppressed this quickly if it weren’t for him. Honestly, if he had rejected my plea for help, I didn’t know what kind of disaster would be unfolding right now.

[=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•́=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•́ʔ=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•]

[I’m cominnnnn right n— =͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•́=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•́ʔ=͟͟͞͞ʕ•̀▿•]

[ƪ(⸝⸝♥ʚ♥⸝⸝)ƪ́́]

The message was cut off, so I couldn’t tell exactly what he was saying. Regardless, I was just glad the dungeon was cleared without major incident. I shut down the final relay.

“Relay shut down—”

In the middle of my announcement, the office door burst open. I looked toward it and saw the last person I expected to see so soon.

“Kim….”

I remembered my promise. I trailed off, took a breath, and continued.

“Se-hyun… ssi?”

I figured he was on his way, but he had arrived incredibly fast. Kim Se-hyun strode toward me and abruptly held out his hand. I looked down.

“Hold it.”

“…Pardon?”

He always left me puzzled, but this was particularly confusing. He was holding out his hand with only his index finger extended, urging me to grab it. I stared at him blankly.

“This was all I could think about while I was in the dungeon.”

“…….”

“Just once, just hold it once.”

I couldn’t believe this was what he was thinking about in that dangerous place. It was a plea that bordered on desperate, but looking at his finger, I couldn’t bring myself to reach out easily. As I hesitated and just stared, Se-hyun spoke again.

“I went to that dungeon and caught B-rank monsters just because you asked, Hyung.”

“Ah.”

“And since they were swarming, I cleared it fast before it could escalate to an A-rank difficulty.”

“…….”

“I put my life on the line and fought on the front lines. And you won’t even do this small thing for me?”

He attacked with words as if to make me feel a pang of guilt. As he continued and his expression grew more dejected, I started to feel like a villain. I reached out.

“…….”

Right, nothing bad would happen just because I held a finger. Compared to him clearing an A-rank difficulty dungeon as Se-hyun said, the wish—and this request—were nothing.

Embarrassed, I paused my hand in mid-air for a second, but only for a second. As I finally grasped his extended finger and held it still, I heard his heavy, ragged breathing above me. I slowly lifted my gaze.