Chapter 235 – The Person I Shouldn’t Have Met

‘Ye-rin…?’

Min Do-jun’s pupils shook violently.

He had just met the one person he should never have met.

“I told you to wait in the car. Why did you come in?”

“I got bored waiting. Are you still not done talking?”

Cha Seung-hoon nodded, then snapped back to his senses.

“Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is Guild Master Hunter Min Do-jun. Hunter, this is my younger sister.”

“Hello.”

Cha Ye-rin greeted him, meeting his gaze.

But Min Do-jun’s neck was stiff.

He could only stare blankly at her.

[TL Note- it took half the series just to meet her again. What was he fighting for again?]

Cha Ye-rin gave an awkward smile, but even that was fatal to Min Do-jun.

‘Exactly the same.’

Her expression, her eyes, her voice, her aura-everything.

She was exactly the same as the Cha Ye-rin from Min Do-jun’s memories.

Even though it was his first time seeing her as a high school student.

‘It feels different from the time I saw her in the hallucination.’

He had seen Cha Ye-rin not long ago, but that was through a dungeon’s hallucination trap.

‘Back then, I knew it was just a replay of a memory, so I didn’t feel much…’

But now, it was different.

He was facing her in vivid reality.

He had waited so long for this moment.

‘I’m glad she’s safe.’

Seeing her unharmed, Min Do-jun felt relief.

But-

-Oppa… save me…

Suddenly, the image of her with her neck broken overlapped in his mind.

“Ah!”

Startled, Min Do-jun gasped, and Cha Ye-rin jumped as well.

“A-are you alright?”

Min Do-jun stared at her.

‘Forget the coup, should I just run away with Ye-rin right now?’

If only she was safe, he didn’t care if a coup happened or not.

But knowing it was impossible, he shook his head and brushed away the fantasy.

The joy of seeing her again lasted only a moment.

‘I shouldn’t be meeting Ye-rin at this point in time. What’s going on?’

…Suddenly, anxiety about the changed future rose up.

‘I first met Ye-rin when I was at the Ilsan branch office, didn’t I?’

Ye-rin, who adored her brother, got a job at the Ilsan Hunter Management Center right after graduating high school.

She did it to look after her brother, Cha Seung-hoon.

‘She built up a record as a staff member at the Ilsan branch for a year, and then met me.’

They met as staff and hunter, became lovers, and after six years of dating, got married.

‘Then, not long after, the coup happened and I regressed.’

After returning to the past, Min Do-jun did everything he could to avoid meeting Cha Ye-rin.

Not being involved with her was the surest way to keep her safe.

‘Once I left the Ilsan branch, the odds of us meeting were almost zero. So why…’

Why was he meeting Cha Ye-rin even earlier than before?

And not just anywhere, but with her coming directly to his guild.

‘Is it because I became famous as a Magic Swordsman?’

It felt almost fated, but he didn’t welcome it.

They were not supposed to meet yet.

‘No. This isn’t right. All my efforts to keep my distance are going to waste.’

As long as the threat wasn’t gone, he couldn’t let any ties form with her.

“Hunter Min Do-jun?”

Cha Seung-hoon’s voice snapped Min Do-jun out of his thoughts.

“Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell…?”

“I’m fine. Please just leave.”

“…Pardon?”

As the abrupt dismissal left them confused, Min Do-jun repeated himself firmly.

“Guild membership is impossible, and I can’t give you any advice. Please go back.”

“Huh? But didn’t you say you could give some advice-?”

“The only advice I can give is this: look for another profession.”

“But, you said it was possible just a moment ago-”

“I changed my mind.”

Cha Seung-hoon looked bewildered.

He tried to plead further, but then someone else entered the office.

“Hunter Min Do-jun?”

It was Shin Kyung-min’s younger sister, Shin Hye-ri.

…She looked back and forth between Cha Ye-rin and Min Do-jun, then spoke carefully.

“You have guests. Should I come back later?”

“No, that’s not necessary. They were just about to leave.”

With that, Cha Seung-hoon had no choice but to withdraw.

“Sorry to bother you. We’ll be going now.”

Only after the siblings had left did Min Do-jun turn to Shin Hye-ri.

“Did you come with Kyung-min?”

“No, I came alone.”

“What brings you here?”

“You’ve saved my life twice, but I feel like I never thanked you properly.”

“You didn’t have to come in person. A phone call would have sufficed.”

“Well, a phone call isn’t very polite. Besides, I don’t even have your number…”

“You could’ve gotten it from Kyung-min.”

“I wanted to get it directly from you.”

She held out her phone, asking for his number.

He saw no reason to refuse, so he entered his number and handed it back. She thanked him.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“It was just the right thing to do.”

“Um…”

She seemed to have more to say.

“If you’re free, I’d like to treat you to a meal as a token of gratitude…”

“Sure.”

“Really?”

When he agreed without hesitation, her face brightened.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes!”

* * *

“Who was that guy?”

As they left the Guardian Guild, Cha Ye-rin voiced her displeasure about Min Do-jun.

“Why was he like that to you?”

“I don’t know either.”

Cha Seung-hoon was equally at a loss.

He had no idea why they’d been so abruptly dismissed.

“I thought at least I’d get some advice, but to be turned away at the door…”

“Can’t you just try another guild?”

“You know as well as I do-there’s no one as strong as Min Do-jun when it comes to Magic Swordsmen.”

“So you’re really going to try to become a Magic Swordsman?”

“I was, until just now. Now I’m not sure.”

He was frustrated, not even knowing if his trait was suitable for a Magic Swordsman.

“But it was strange. Hunter Min Do-jun stared at you, then suddenly changed his mind. Why do you think that is?”

“Maybe he just didn’t like my first impression.”

“No, he looked more like he was lovestruck at first sight.”

“Come on, why would the number one hunter be interested in a high schooler like me?”

“If that were the case, he wouldn’t have kicked us out like that.”

It was a mystery.

Neither of them could figure out why Min Do-jun had stared at her like that.

“Let’s just look for another guild, oppa.”

“Yeah.”

Cha Seung-hoon started the car, and the two siblings drove away from the Guardian Guild.

* * *

After lunch at a nice restaurant, Min Do-jun and Shin Hye-ri walked together.

“How was the meal?”

“It was delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

Shin Hye-ri smiled in satisfaction at his answer, but soon an awkward silence fell between them.

It was only natural-they hadn’t met that many times, and this was their first time alone together.

‘What is this atmosphere… It feels like we’re on a blind date or something…’

Her face flushed as she touched her cheek.

She’d been on blind dates before, but her heart was pounding like it was broken.

‘Before we part, I have to say it. That’s why I arranged this meal in the first place.’

She hadn’t come just to say thank you.

She wanted to muster her courage for the first time in her life.

‘He’s saved me twice. I’ll never meet a man like that again.’

Someone as strong as her brother.

Someone who could always keep her safe.

Min Do-jun was the only one who fit her picky ideal type.

‘If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead by now.’

He’d saved her life twice-she felt she belonged to him.

‘I have to try. Even if I get rejected, it’s better than regretting it forever.’

“Um…”

“Hye-ri.”

Just as she was about to speak, Min Do-jun spoke first.

“Oh, please, go ahead.”

“I said I had something to tell you when I visited your university, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll say it now. Please don’t like me.”

“…What?”

Her face turned red with embarrassment, as if he’d read her mind.

But Min Do-jun continued, expressionless.

“I’m not as good a person as I look. If you get involved with me, you’ll only get hurt.”

“Oh…”

Rejected before she could even confess, Shin Hye-ri lowered her head.

But she didn’t give up-she looked up at him again.

“Are you seeing someone?”

“No.”

“Then… is there still a chance for me-?”

“I already like someone.”

He cut her off coldly.

“So please, don’t like me.”

* * *

After parting with Shin Hye-ri, Min Do-jun went straight home instead of returning to the guild.

He soaked in the bath, trying to relax and sort out his thoughts.

‘To think I’d meet Ye-rin there…’

He’d tried so hard to keep his distance, but fate had brought them together anyway.

‘At least I was cold enough that she won’t come looking for me again.’

Now, not only Cha Ye-rin but also Shin Hye-ri would give up on him.

‘It’s for the best. Complicated relationships only bring trouble.’

In both his past and present lives, Min Do-jun had only ever loved one woman.

‘If I didn’t have feelings for Ye-rin, I wouldn’t be seeking revenge like this.’

Everything he’d done so far was for her.

He couldn’t let a single mistake ruin it all.

That was why he had to be cold.

‘Just until my revenge is done. Until the coup’s mastermind and all threats are gone.’

Until then, he’d keep his distance from Cha Ye-rin.

It was the safest way to protect her.

Shhhhh-

After his bath, Min Do-jun dried off and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV.

He watched the Hunter Channel, keeping up with the latest news.

Then, he heard something unexpected.

[This morning, an S-rank dungeon appeared near Cheongnyangni Station.]

‘An S-rank dungeon?’

He’d been late to hear the news because he’d had lunch with Shin Hye-ri.

[This is the third S-rank dungeon to appear in Korea. It’s called the Castle of Absolute Darkness, and its recommended level is 4,000.]

‘What?’

He’d expected the Castle of Absolute Darkness to appear eventually, but not as the third S-rank dungeon.

‘In my previous life, it was the fourth S-rank dungeon. The third was a level 3,500 dungeon.’

It seemed that because he’d leveled up faster than before, history was changing.

‘Well, since dungeons appear in line with hunters’ levels, it makes sense…’

But this meant that future dungeons might be different from what he remembered.

‘There were five S-rank dungeons in Korea before my regression.’

Now, three had appeared, so only two remained.

‘The last two might be different from before.’

The number of dungeons wouldn’t increase, but their type and level might change.

[With a new dungeon, all the S-rank hunters are eager to be the first to clear it, since there’s an achievement for the first conquest…]

Min Do-jun hadn’t yet gotten a first-clear achievement.

Getting the first clear on a new S-rank dungeon was a rare opportunity.

He hadn’t expected to get it.

But then-

[To avoid confusion, the Association has already designated the first-clear team.]

Bzzz-

Just then, a message arrived.

[You have been selected as a member of the first-clear team for the Castle of Absolute Darkness. If you have any questions, please contact the number below. Thank you.]