Chapter 230 – Overprotection

Vroooom-

The loud roar of the exhaust drew the attention of students, who turned their heads.

A sleek supercar captured the gazes of everyone around.

“Oppa, can’t you change your car? Everyone’s staring…”

Feeling burdened by the attention, Shin Hye-ri lowered her head inside the car.

On the other hand, Shin Kyung-min seemed unbothered.

“So what if they stare? It’s not like we’ve committed a crime.”

“Still, making so much noise is a nuisance.”

“This isn’t a library. How is it a nuisance? Look at the students. Do they look annoyed?”

Looking around, Shin Hye-ri saw that rather than being annoyed, the students were gazing at them with admiration and envy.

“Doesn’t all this attention cause problems? It’s like advertising that Shin Kyung-min’s sister attends Korea University.”

“Since Seo Jin-cheol already knows, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. From now on, we’ll just be open about being together.”

“Can’t I just take the bus and go alone like before?”

“No way. It’s dangerous. Who knows what might happen?”

“Nothing happened for the past month.”

“That’s because I’ve been driving you every day. And I’ll keep doing it.”

“Sigh…”

“Why the sigh? Honestly, I’d rather you take a leave of absence, but I’m holding back. Be grateful.”

“Alright, dear brother.”

“Don’t forget to call me when you’re done!”

As Shin Hye-ri got out of the car, Shin Kyung-min sped off with a loud roar.

“Ugh.”

Letting out another sigh in secret, she started walking when-

“Hye-ri!”

A classmate from her department appeared as if waiting for her.

“Must be nice, getting driven to and from school in a Ferrari every day.”

“Are you teasing me? Some of us feel burdened to death by all the attention.”

“Why? If I were you, I’d feel like a celebrity. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Seeing her classmate laugh as if genuinely meaning it, Shin Hye-ri could only offer a bitter smile.

“How does it feel to be a celebrity?”

“Me, a celebrity?”

“Didn’t you know? The whole school’s talking about it. They’re saying Shin Kyung-min’s sister is in the second year of the design department.”

“Ah…”

Her expression screamed ‘I’m doomed,’ prompting her classmate to pout.

“You don’t need to make that face. You were already famous. You’re the queen bee of our school.”

“Queen bee, my foot… Don’t go spreading that around.”

“It’s the truth, why be shy? And now that everyone knows you’re Shin Kyung-min’s sister, isn’t that a good thing? Why are you whining?”

“Good?”

“Of course! Not only are you beautiful, but now everyone knows you’ve got a solid background. Guys with decent specs will start approaching you more aggressively. And in the process, the losers will naturally get filtered out.”

“I’m not interested in guys-“

Shin Hye-ri stopped herself from saying she wasn’t interested.

Because there was someone she was interested in.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t have Hunter Min Do-jun’s phone number. I should’ve asked last time…’

She hadn’t thought to ask when he came to her school last time due to the chaotic situation.

‘I want to contact him, but I can’t…’

Countless guys had asked for her number before, but Min Do-jun was the first man she wanted to approach and ask for his.

“Hye-ri, are you listening?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I said some guy asked for your number yesterday.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice.”

“Not mine, yours. He knew I hang out with you and asked for your number.”

“Ah, got it. You didn’t give it to him, right?”

“Of course not. I told him to ask you directly.”

“Good job!”

Shin Hye-ri gave a thumbs-up.

She hated dealing with annoyances.

Especially guys clinging to her.

However, until her morning classes ended, Shin Hye-ri was bombarded with questions from male students.

Some even came from other departments just to find her.

“Are you Shin Hye-ri from the design department? I’m Park Jae-beom, a second-year in business administration. I’d like to get to know you, so if it’s not too much trouble, could I have your number…?”

“Sorry.”

“Hi, I’m a third-year senior from sociology. If you don’t mind, could I get your number…?”

“Sorry.”

She lost count of how many times she said sorry.

Honestly, not a single guy caught her eye.

Whether her classmate understood her feelings or not, she kept making envious gestures beside her.

“Must be nice. Now you can pick and choose from the guys hitting on you based on their specs and background.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not even interested in dating.”

“How long are you planning to stay single? It doesn’t make sense for the queen bee of Korea University to be solo. Unless…?”

Her classmate gave her a sly look.

“You’ve got someone you like, don’t you?”

“…No, I don’t.”

She felt a pang of guilt but couldn’t possibly tell her nosy classmate the truth.

“Hmm, really? Then should I set you up with someone?”

“No thanks.”

“Come on, don’t be like that.”

“Is he a hunter?”

“Huh? No, he’s not…”

“Then I’m not interested. I’m only into strong guys like my brother.”

Her classmate looked dumbfounded.

If it’s someone as strong as Shin Kyung-min, you could count them on one hand.

“Are you saying you like Hunter Min Do-jun or something?”

“…No way.”

She flinched but shook her head to hide it.

“If it’s not him, there’s no one in the country stronger than your brother.”

“Exactly, so I’m not dating.”

At that moment, a sharply dressed guy appeared in front of them.

Thinking it was another person asking for her number, Shin Hye-ri prepared to decline, but her classmate jumped in.

“Oh, you’re here. Say hi. This is the guy I told you about.”

“Hello, I’m Kim Kang-woo, a second-year in law.”

“Ah, I’m Shin Hye-ri, a second-year in design.”

Caught off guard, Shin Hye-ri shook his hand while glaring at her classmate.

Then she whispered to her.

-What’s this about?

-I told you. Some guy asked for your number yesterday. This is him.

-What?

-He seems to have good specs. Give it a shot. I’ll leave you two alone.

-Hey, seriously…

“I’ve got something to do, so I’ll head out. Enjoy your lunch, you two. Hoho.”

Shin Hye-ri stared at her classmate’s retreating figure in disbelief as she scurried away.

“Hye-ri, would you like to have lunch together?”

“…Sure.”

Shin Hye-ri reluctantly agreed.

* * *

“My father is a judge, and my mother is a lawyer. Our family has been in the legal field for generations, so I plan to go to law school after graduating and become a prosecutor.”

“Ah… I see.”

By this point, most people would be impressed and offer praise, but the girl in front of him gave a lukewarm response.

‘A girl who isn’t impressed even after hearing about my family background? Heh, she’s got charm.’

Realizing she was different from the other girls he’d met, Kim Kang-woo smirked.

‘Of course, with a brother like Hunter Shin Kyung-min, she wouldn’t be surprised by much.’

He already knew that Shin Kyung-min was her brother.

The reason Kim Kang-woo was interested in her was precisely because of Shin Kyung-min.

‘If a family with a rank 2 hunter in the country as a brother isn’t impressed, I wouldn’t be either.’

That’s why Kim Kang-woo was emphasizing his parents’ professions to appeal to her.

Because an average guy wouldn’t cut it for her.

Of course, he wasn’t exactly satisfied with her either.

‘Her face is pretty, but she’s not my type. Plus, I prefer girls with a bit more meat on their bones rather than someone this skinny.’

Even so, the reason he was pursuing Shin Hye-ri was solely due to her connection to Shin Kyung-min.

‘If the power of our legal family combines with the strength of the hunter world, we’d be an enviable household.’

Kim Kang-woo was already thinking about marriage.

‘I’ve had enough of dating since middle school. It’s about time I look for a marriage partner.’

With decent looks and a rank 2 hunter as her background, she wasn’t lacking as a potential spouse.

‘Personality can be adjusted over time as we live together.’

It was like drinking kimchi soup before even being offered rice cakes-she wasn’t even considering him, yet he was planning ahead.

“Shall we take a walk now that we’ve finished eating?”

“…Sure.”

Having already mapped out a marriage plan in his head, Kim Kang-woo continued to promote himself.

He talked about his family history, various achievements, and even mentioned serving in the Marine Corps, known for being tough.

He brought up every topic that might bore a girl.

Perhaps because of that, Shin Hye-ri maintained a bored expression throughout.

Her expression changed only when they encountered a man in the hallway.

‘Who is he?’

Noticing Shin Hye-ri’s stiffened expression, Kim Kang-woo smiled as if he understood.

‘An ex-boyfriend, maybe?’

Probably someone who heard that Shin Kyung-min is her brother and came crawling back pathetically.

‘Should I give him a sharp lesson?’

Thinking it was a good opportunity to impress her, Kim Kang-woo stepped forward.

Unaware that the man was a rank 5 hunter.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you blocking Hye-ri’s way… Urk!”

Seo Jin-cheol’s dual swords pierced Kim Kang-woo’s chest.

Shin Hye-ri tried to scream, but Seo Jin-cheol was faster, covering her mouth as he approached.

“Shh, you need to be quiet. Unless you want to be sliced up right here.”

Retracting his weapons, he placed a hand on Shin Hye-ri’s head and used a skill.

‘Sleep.’

As she collapsed limply, he hoisted her up and used invisibility.

Srrrk-

It all happened in an instant.

Only a cold corpse remained in the hallway.

* * *

Emerging from a dungeon, Min Do-jun bid farewell to his party members.

“Good work, everyone.”

“No, you did all the hard work, Leader. We just reaped the benefits.”

The party member’s words weren’t empty flattery.

Since Min Do-jun, the highest-leveled among them, took the lead in hunting monsters and left an appropriate number for the rest of the team to handle, the dungeon run proceeded in that manner.

“Thanks to you, even though it was our first time in this dungeon, we cleared it safely. We’re really grateful.”

“No problem. I’ll be heading out now.”

“Alright! Take care.”

As Min Do-jun returned to his car, he overheard the party members whispering behind him.

– He’s much kinder than I expected. He even left monsters for us.

– Right? If it were me, I’d have ditched the party and soloed it.

– See, rank 1 isn’t just given to anyone.

– I was shocked when I saw him take down S-rank monsters in one hit.

Ignoring the fading voices, Min Do-jun got into his car with a satisfied expression.

‘It’s about time to start managing my image.’

If he had been running non-stop for leveling up until now, it was time to take a slower pace.

‘Every action of mine directly impacts the image of Guardian Guild.’

Since he had decided to grow Guardian Guild into the top guild, image management was essential.

‘Honestly, I’d rather clear everything without leaving anything for the team, but there’s no helping it.’

Even so, over the past month, by tackling domestic S-rank dungeons, he had managed to reach level 4,000.

‘If I had properly hunted in overseas S-rank dungeons, I could’ve hit level 4,200…’

The reason Min Do-jun stuck to lower-difficulty domestic dungeons was Seo Jin-cheol.

‘Since there’s a chance Seo Jin-cheol might target Shin Hye-ri, I can’t go too far.’

But after monitoring for a month, there hadn’t been any notable movements.

It seemed Shin Kyung-min’s overprotective chauffeuring was paying off.

That’s what he thought.

Until he saw Seo Jin-cheol’s perspective just now.

‘Shin Hye-ri… she’s been kidnapped?’

He could see her confined in some unknown abandoned factory.

‘I was so focused on the dungeon run that I didn’t even notice she was kidnapped.’

He had thought Seo Jin-cheol might have given up due to Shin Kyung-min’s overprotection, but it turned out he had gone ahead and done it.

[Distance to target: 81.22 km]

‘Fortunately, it’s not too far from here.’

After confirming the distance to Shin Hye-ri, Min Do-jun opted for the ghost wolf instead of his car.

It would be best to get there as quickly as possible.

‘Let’s go, Awoo.’

[Woof!]

Min Do-jun vanished like a bullet.