A Feast and a Promise

Returning home, Junhyuk’s first act was to transfer the items from the truck’s secret safe into his subspace.

Having secured the items, he then stepped inside his house.

His residence was in a six-story villa, with the building’s owner, a remarkably kind-hearted elderly woman, residing on the top floor.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!

As Junhyuk entered the passcode on the door lock and pushed the door open,

“Oh? Hyung is here! Hyung!”

Little Euncheol, spotting Junhyuk, immediately scurried over to him.

Following closely behind, his sister Eunjung approached Junhyuk with a visibly tense expression, as if treading on eggshells.

“Oh, you’re back.”

Junhyuk’s face briefly clouded with a hint of bitterness at Eunjung’s guarded demeanor, but he quickly replaced it with a bright smile.

“Haha, yes. Was everything alright at school?”

“Alright? Oh! Teacher said you need to come to school, Hyung!”

At Euncheol’s sudden outburst, Junhyuk’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Hm? To school? For what?”

“Uh… I forgot!”

When Euncheol boldly declared he had forgotten, Junhyuk sighed and turned his gaze to Eunjung.

“Haa, Eunjung. Do you know anything about it?”

“Ah, I… well… parent… teacher… conference…”

At Eunjung’s mention of a parent-teacher conference, Junhyuk’s expression shifted to one of sudden realization as he checked the calendar.

“Parent-teacher conference? Ah! Now that you mention it, it must be around this time. I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately and completely forgot. So, when do I need to go?”

“W-well, they said they’d schedule the date and time over the phone… I-I think it’ll probably be sometime next week.”

Even as she spoke, Eunjung kept subtly glancing at Junhyuk.

Though she was only in the third grade of elementary school, the circumstances of their lives had forced Eunjung to mature and become aware of the world much earlier than most.

She already understood that a parent-teacher conference wasn’t just about exchanging words about the student; something more significant often transpired behind the scenes.

As if sensing Eunjung’s silent worries, Junhyuk offered a gentle smile and affectionately ruffled her hair.

“Is that so? Alright. I’ll talk to the teacher and handle everything, so you and Euncheol just focus on studying hard, just like always. Oh! And I bought some pork belly today because we have something to celebrate.”

At the mention of pork belly, Euncheol, who had been standing behind them, excitedly bounced up and down.

“Oh! Pork belly! Wow! Awesome!”

“Haha, good. I’m going to visit Grandma upstairs for a bit, so get ready to grill the meat, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Okay!”

Handing one package of pork belly to Eunjung, Junhyuk took the remaining package and stepped out of the house once more.

‘I wonder if Grandma’s home?’

While buying meat for a pork belly party with his siblings, Junhyuk had also bought a package for the building owner, the grandmother.

She was a truly warm-hearted person who often looked after his younger siblings whenever Junhyuk was away for work.

Because of her kindness, whenever Junhyuk had a moment of leisure, he would often bring her small treats, no matter how minor, to express his gratitude.

Ding-dong!

Having reached the sixth floor, Junhyuk pressed the doorbell to the owner’s apartment.

A moment later,

“Aish! Who’s ringing the bell at this hour… H-huh! B-Big Brother Junhyuk!”

A young boy with a youthful face, who had opened the door with a frown, hastily bowed his head upon seeing Junhyuk.

“Big Brother is here!”

Junhyuk sighed and shook his head at the boy’s exaggerated 90-degree bow, reminiscent of how gangsters might greet a superior.

“Haa, are you going to keep overdoing it? Anyone would think I’m a gangster. Anyway, is Grandma home?”

At Junhyuk’s question, the boy eagerly nodded with sparkling eyes.

“Yes! She’s inside!”

At the same time, a voice called out from within.

“Changsu. Who is it?”

“Ah! Big Brother Junhyuk is here!”

Upon hearing that Junhyuk had arrived, an elderly grandmother with streaked white hair, wearing an apron, approached the door.

She seemed to have just been preparing a meal.

“Junhyuk, dear?”

As the grandmother reached the door, Junhyuk bowed his head slightly.

“Hello. I’m here to pay the overdue rent. I apologize for the delay.”

After speaking, Junhyuk pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over. The grandmother accepted it with a kind smile.

“You could have taken your time.”

“You only charge half the rent, and I’m truly sorry I couldn’t even pay that on time. And this.”

After handing over the rent envelope, Junhyuk immediately offered the package of pork belly, prompting the grandmother to ask with a puzzled expression,

“What’s this?”

“Oh! I stopped by the butcher’s to get some pork belly to grill with my siblings for the first time in a while, and I thought of you, Grandma. Please grill it with Changsu.”

“Oh dear, why would you buy such a thing? You should have just kept it for your siblings.”

“Haha, I bought plenty for my siblings. By the way, is everything alright at home?”

To this, the grandmother subtly glanced at Changsu and replied,

“Is there anything that could be wrong? If there’s one thing, it’s that my grandson isn’t studying as he should, but instead messing around with something called ‘porter work’ or whatever.”

At the grandmother’s words, Changsu, who was standing nearby, bristled.

“Ah! Why is that messing around?! I’m telling you, it’s all studying! I’m studying in advance how Hunters fight, in preparation for when I awaken later! And what good is graduating from some university anyway? This is the era of Awakeners, the era of Hunters! You just don’t understand how the world works, Grandma!”

The grandmother, looking exasperated, spoke to Changsu, who was passionately ranting with an annoyed expression.

“You rascal. Does just anyone awaken? Have you reserved an awakening? This old woman has eyes to see and ears to hear. I’ve heard it’s incredibly difficult to naturally awaken if you don’t do so between the ages of 15 and 18, and you’re already 19. It’s not like we have a lot of money to buy those expensive Awakening Stones either. Most importantly, why do you want to do such a dangerous thing?”

“Ah! Seriously! How many people awaken at my age?! And they earn a lot of money. They look cool! Besides, these days, women don’t even look at regular office workers. You have to be a Hunter to be treated like a person! Do you want me to grow old and die a bachelor, Grandma?”

“Oh dear, what am I to do with this childish boy? Junhyuk, dear. Please say something to him. He listens to you, doesn’t he? He’s the only family I have left, and he’s so immature…”

At the grandmother’s words, Junhyuk adopted a stern expression and spoke.

“Changsu. Is it right to raise your voice at Grandma like that? And she’s saying all this for your own good, so listen carefully.”

When Junhyuk spoke with a strict demeanor, Changsu hastily bowed his head in a flustered manner.

“Huh! Yes!”

Indeed, for Changsu, Junhyuk was something of a legendary figure.

Since middle school, Changsu had been known for his fighting prowess.

Consequently, he caused a lot of trouble, often worrying his grandmother greatly.

Around the time Changsu entered high school, rumors about Junhyuk had already spread widely among the nearby high schools.

While it was true that Junhyuk had been fighting using his Supersenses since then, most of the rumors tended to be exaggerated.

Beginning with a fight against a bully in his first year, Junhyuk’s exploits continued until his third year, and his actions were exponentially blown out of proportion, with details added like flesh to bone.

By the time Junhyuk graduated, his already exaggerated deeds were being recounted as legends in neighboring high schools.

When Changsu entered the high school Junhyuk had attended, Junhyuk had already graduated, but his legendary exploits were still being passed down, and most students accepted these legends as fact.

Therefore, when Changsu coincidentally discovered that Junhyuk, who lived in the same building, was the subject of those very rumors, he was overwhelmed with intense emotion.

From that point on, he displayed a loyalty that bordered on worship, ready to believe anything Junhyuk said, even if he claimed you could make fermented soybean paste out of red beans.

Junhyuk, who had been quietly observing Changsu, continued,

“It would be great if you awaken, but what if, by some chance, you don’t? If the only thing you know how to do is porter work, you’ll end up being a porter even when you’re older, or you’ll have to do Hyena work like me. Of course, your idea of preparing for an awakening isn’t inherently wrong. However, as Grandma says, it’s also important to prepare for the possibility that you might not awaken. Whether that means studying or learning another skill.”

At Junhyuk’s calm, chiding words, Changsu quickly bowed deeply and responded loudly.

“Yes! Big Brother Junhyuk’s precious words! I will engrave them deep in my heart!”

“No, you don’t necessarily have to engrave them in your heart…”

‘This kid. He’s destined to never awaken. Tsk.’

As far as Junhyuk knew, Changsu never awakened.

He had always sung about becoming a Hunter, but unfortunately, awakening was simply not in his destiny.

‘But don’t worry. This time, I, your big brother, will make very good use of you.’

Junhyuk intended to use one of the spoils he had acquired previously, a Dealer Awakening Stone, on Changsu.

In the world of villains, even among comrades who had faced life and death together, a dagger could be plunged into one’s back depending on the situation.

Thus, constant vigilance and suspicion were necessary.

Having lived such a villainous life for so long, Junhyuk decided that he needed at least one trustworthy person in the party he was going to form.

The top candidate was, without a doubt, Cheolmin, but unfortunately, Cheolmin was currently in another party. Thus, Junhyuk chose Changsu as his second choice, someone who would believe him even if he claimed that red beans could make fermented soybean paste.

Meanwhile, the grandmother looked at Changsu with a dismissive gaze, then clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Tsk, tsk, so utterly childish… Anyway, how’s work? Is it manageable? I heard that ‘Hyena’ work or whatever it’s called is tough these days. Haa, truly, a diligent person like Junhyuk should be the one to awaken.”

At the grandmother’s words, Junhyuk chuckled softly and replied,

“I think it’s all thanks to your concern, Grandma. Actually, I’m just coming from an awakening test.”

At Junhyuk’s declaration of awakening, the grandmother’s expression turned to one of surprise.

“Oh? What did you just say? You awakened?”

“Yes. I was really lucky. I had given up on natural awakening after turning twenty, so I’m a bit dazed that I suddenly awakened like this.”

Since Junhyuk had to thoroughly conceal his true abilities, he decided to tell people he had undergone a natural awakening.

“Huh! Junhyuk, dear, awakened? This is wonderful news! Truly wonderful news!”

“No, it’s not quite that wonderful, haha.”

Towards the embarrassed Junhyuk, Changsu, with a surprised expression, barraged him with questions.

“Wow! Big Brother! You really awakened? Seriously? What did you awaken as? A support ability? A dealer? Surely… not a tank or a healer, right?”

“A tank.”

At the words ‘awakened as a tank,’ Changsu’s mouth fell wide open.

“Wow! A-a tank! That’s a complete noble class! As expected, Big Brother is exceptional even when he awakens!”

Changsu’s sparkling eyes were almost overwhelmingly intense.

“This is wonderful news, I can’t just sit still. No, you and your siblings should come upstairs right away. When good things happen, everyone should celebrate together.”

“No, there’s no need to go that far…”

“I’ll get things ready right away, so go down and come back quickly.”

What could he do? Junhyuk had no choice but to follow the grandmother’s words.

“Haa, yes. Then I’ll bring my siblings up.”

And so, Junhyuk and his siblings joined the grandmother for a celebratory pork belly party.