Chapter 153 – Dinner

The unexpected visitor was Hyun Su-a, whom Min Do-jun had recently met by chance.

“Is this the guild where Hunter Min Do-jun is? Ah…!”

Hyun Su-a beamed with a bright smile upon finally spotting Min Do-jun.

Min Do-jun, on the other hand, was merely puzzled.

‘Why is this woman here?’

Though they had met by chance in Hongdae Street, it was literally just that—a chance encounter.

He had turned away without any particular emotion, thinking they wouldn’t meet again, yet here she was.

‘Come to think of it, this woman also has feelings for me, doesn’t she?’

He could intuitively sense that Hyun Su-a also had feelings for him.

Just like Hwang Da-yeon, feelings that were not ordinary.

“Su-a, what brings you here?”

“Ah, hello, Do-jun. I was disappointed we parted so quickly last time, and when I saw an article mentioning you had established a guild, I decided to visit, but…”

Hyun Su-a glanced briefly at Hwang Da-yeon.

“I see you have a guest?”

“Ah, this is one of our guild members.”

“Guild member?”

“Yes. She’s the daughter of a senior I know, and she awakened as a hunter not long ago.”

The two women’s eyes met.

As if instinctively sensing they were rivals, they looked at each other with cautious gazes.

“Do-jun, who is this person?”

“She’s a hunter I met when I responded to a help request in the past.”

Hyun Su-a added further explanation.

“Do-jun saved my life back then. He’s my lifesaver.”

“Oh? Me too.”

“Really?”

Surprised by this unexpected commonality, both women turned to look at Min Do-jun.

“With Hongdae Street this time as well, there seem to be quite a few people indebted to Do-jun.”

“That’s right. Do-jun, I heard you prevented a dungeon break? What would have happened if you weren’t there?”

“The death toll would probably have been at least 10 times higher than it was.”

Min Do-jun waved his hand dismissively at the praise from both women.

“I just happened to be there by chance. Anyone else would have done the same to stop the monsters.”

“But they wouldn’t have handled it as perfectly as you did, Do-jun.”

“That’s right. Saving people isn’t an easy task.”

Amidst all the praise, Hyun Su-a abruptly stated her main point.

“Do-jun, please let me join your guild.”

“What? Our guild?”

“Yes.”

“Weren’t you already in a guild? I think it was called Platinum Guild?”

“I left there shortly after you did. Since then, I’ve been working alone.”

“I’m sorry, Su-a, but our guild exists in name only; we don’t actually operate.”

Min Do-jun explained why there was no need for her to join the guild.

However, Hyun Su-a was quite stubborn.

“That’s fine with me. I’d rather be in Do-jun’s guild than remain unaffiliated.”

“But you wouldn’t gain anything from it…”

“That person over there is a guild member, right? She joined through connections, didn’t she? Can’t you make room for me too?”

“Ah, this is troublesome…”

Min Do-jun rubbed his head as if perplexed.

‘Why would she want to join a guild that has nothing to offer…’

Of course, adding her wouldn’t be difficult.

It would just mean adding her name to the system.

‘The problem is that she clearly wants to join for personal reasons.’

With his intuition, he could tell for certain.

That Hyun Su-a had feelings for him.

‘Still, I should decline.’

Min Do-jun politely refused.

“I’m sorry. Da-yeon is here because we already knew each other, but that’s not the case with you, Su-a. I can’t add you, even as a joke.”

“I’m not joking. I really want to join the guild…”

Just then.

Ring- Ring-

His phone rang, and Min Do-jun intuitively knew.

‘It’s here.’

The call he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Su-a, just a moment. Hello?”

-Do-jun. This is Shin Kyung-min.

“Yes.”

-You said you were busy, but I see you’ve been involved in quite an incident recently.

“Haha, well…”

-Since you might get even busier, I was wondering when we could have that dinner…

“If you’re free this evening, let’s meet.”

-Oh, really? Then I’ll clear my schedule and the Guild Master’s as well, and guide you to a top-class restaurant. Just bring yourself, Hunter.

“Understood.”

He had successfully arranged the dinner appointment with Shin Kyung-min as he wanted.

“What’s that? Who are you meeting?”

Having overheard the dinner plans, Hwang Da-yeon asked.

“Yeah. I need to meet someone briefly.”

“It’s not a woman, is it?”

Seeing Hwang Da-yeon’s playful expression, Min Do-jun responded with his own joke.

“What if it is?”

“……”

Her expression instantly hardened, as if she genuinely thought it might be a woman.

“Anyway, I have a dinner appointment, so I need to go now. Su-a, you should leave too. There’s nothing good that comes from being involved with me.”

“Ah…”

Leaving behind a disappointed Hyun Su-a and a stiff Hwang Da-yeon, Min Do-jun left the office.

* * *

A Korean restaurant located on the 23rd floor of Seoul’s most luxurious hotel.

Three men met there.

“It’s good to see you, Do-jun.”

“Hello.”

“It’s even more delightful to meet you in a casual setting.”

After shaking hands with Shin Kyung-min and Kang Hyuk-su in turn, Min Do-jun gave instructions to the ghost wolf floating above his head.

‘Awoo, remember the scent of these two people with your enhanced tracking skill.’

[Woof!]

Unlike the regular tracking skill, the enhanced tracking skill could remember an unlimited number of scents.

‘Kang Hyuk-su, you’re also a target for revenge, so I can’t let you slip away.’

Hiding his vengeful fangs, Min Do-jun calmly followed the two men.

“This way, please.”

The three men were guided to their reserved table, and shortly after they sat down, the pre-ordered course meal was served.

“Hunter Min Do-jun, please try this. This place has received three Michelin stars.”

“Is that so?”

Min Do-jun took a spoonful with expectant eyes.

Kang Hyuk-su watched with tense eyes, as if he had prepared the food himself.

“How is it?”

“Hmm, it’s clean and delicious.”

At those words, Kang Hyuk-su clenched his fist under the table.

At least he didn’t have to worry about Min Do-jun leaving abruptly because the food was bad.

“Please, everyone, eat. Don’t just watch me eat.”

“Haha, yes.”

The three men engaged in casual conversation while enjoying the sophisticated Korean course meal.

The main topic of conversation was undoubtedly Min Do-jun’s recent achievements.

“I was shocked when I heard about what happened in Hongdae Street the day before yesterday. To think such a tragedy would occur in the heart of Seoul… But what surprised me even more was that Hunter Min Do-jun stopped it. The people in Hongdae Street were truly fortunate.”

Min Do-jun embarrassedly rubbed the back of his head.

“Can they be called fortunate after experiencing such an incident?”

“A dungeon break is a disaster. Even if people suffer, no one can be blamed. Of course, they were fortunate to have their lives saved thanks to Hunter Min Do-jun.”

“That’s right. If they had waited for the government hunters to arrive, the death toll would have been at least 10 times higher.”

The two men lavished praise on Min Do-jun.

After all, the purpose of this gathering was to build rapport.

They needed to say whatever would score points with Min Do-jun.

Of course, being ranked 1st and 2nd, they had their pride.

They didn’t want to fabricate compliments, but fortunately, Hunter Min Do-jun had plenty of praiseworthy qualities.

“To think you defeated so many rock lizards alone… That’s incredible!”

“Kyung-min could do it too, right? Anyone here could.”

“Of course, I could handle that many, but not as quickly as you did.”

“By the way, Hunter Min Do-jun, I’m curious about something. In the video footage, the monsters seemed to gather around you after a wolf’s howl was heard… Do you have some kind of wide-range provocation skill?”

Kang Hyuk-su asked with curious eyes, but Min Do-jun refrained from answering.

“No comment.”

“Ah! I understand.”

Thinking he had touched on a trade secret, Kang Hyuk-su hastily closed his mouth.

Shin Kyung-min, sitting beside him, briefly gave him a reproachful look, as if questioning why he would ask such a thing.

From their behavior, Min Do-jun could gauge how highly the two men valued him.

‘Well, I’ve proven my worth through rapid growth and solo-killing an S-rank boss.’

Moreover, he had clearly demonstrated his power during the Hongdae Street incident.

So in their eyes, Min Do-jun was a talent they couldn’t afford to lose and a master they shouldn’t make an enemy of.

‘I can understand why they want to make a good impression on me.’

Especially Kang Hyuk-su, who had always wanted to bring strong hunters to his side.

Now that he realized the hunter before him was a talent that could surpass Shin Kyung-min, how much more eager would he be?

“Hunter, what is your family situation like?”

At Shin Kyung-min’s question, Min Do-jun answered calmly.

“I’m alone.”

“What?”

“My parents died long ago, killed by monsters.”

“Oh… I see.”

The atmosphere, which had been filled with eager attempts to impress, suddenly cooled down.

‘They were clearly in a rush. They didn’t even research basic information like my family background.’

The evident surprise on their faces confirmed they had asked the question without knowing.

If they had known, they wouldn’t have touched such a sensitive topic and ruined the atmosphere.

“I’m sorry, Hunter. I shouldn’t have asked such a question…”

“No, it’s fine.”

It truly was fine.

Thanks to this, Min Do-jun could now directly ask the same question.

“Since we’re on the topic, what about your family situation, Kyung-min?”

It was important to hear about his family since he planned to take them hostage.

“I have a younger sister who’s a year younger than you, Hunter. And…”

After a brief pause, Shin Kyung-min continued with difficulty.

“I also lost both my parents when I was young. Not to monsters like you, but to a simple traffic accident.”

“Ah…”

Min Do-jun looked at Shin Kyung-min with surprised eyes upon learning they shared a similar fate.

‘He’s not lying. My intuition tells me so.’

Looking at his distant expression, as if reminiscing about old memories, it was clear he was telling the truth.

“I’m sorry. I unintentionally touched on a painful memory.”

“Haha, it’s fine. I was the one who brought it up first. Besides, it’s all in the past. You’ve come to terms with it too, haven’t you, Hunter?”

Min Do-jun nodded, but inwardly he was quite taken aback.

‘No parents? Only a younger sister?’

He never expected Shin Kyung-min to be in a similar situation to his own.

‘And such a person killed Ye-rin like that…?’

One might expect him to feel a sense of kinship, yet before the regression, Shin Kyung-min had coldly killed Min Do-jun’s only family.

‘How could someone who also had only one family member do such a thing?’

Even if he didn’t know Min Do-jun’s family situation, he had killed his only wife without hesitation.

For his own benefit.

In a way, he could be considered even more ruthless than the current Min Do-jun.

‘But what’s with this appearance now?’

Even now, Shin Kyung-min was expressing an understanding of the pain of losing family.

‘Is it a facade like Lee Se-yun’s?’

Regardless, what was certain was that in the future, he would plot a coup and become a threat to Min Do-jun and Cha Ye-rin.

‘He said he only has a younger sister? Then I’ll treat him the same way.’

Just as Shin Kyung-min had mercilessly killed Cha Ye-rin, Min Do-jun would use his only family member as a hostage.

Min Do-jun once again sharpened his blade of revenge.