MTLNOVEL 76.
76.
‘I guess that method would be the best after all.’
Jian raised Sehun, who had been leaning on his shoulder. Then, looking into his puzzled eyes, he smiled slightly. Seeing Sehun smiling along without knowing what he was thinking, his resolve grew even stronger.
When he stood up holding Sehun’s hand, Hyunsu, who had been lying down with a sullen expression, slowly lowered the blanket covering his face.
“Where are you going?”
“Sehun hasn’t registered as a hunter yet. We’re going to register together.”
“Then I want to go too.”
As Hyunsu abruptly threw off the blanket, Jian shook his head. His flushed cheeks indicated that his fever hadn’t subsided yet.
“We’ll be back soon.”
“…But I’ll be bored alone.”
“You know better than anyone that you’re not feeling well yet.”
“…Alright.”
After Jian discouraged him out of concern, Hyunsu pouted and lay back down on the sofa.
Click.
As they closed the conference room door, the atmosphere outside seemed even more chaotic than before. The mixture of ringing phones and voices from all directions resembled a bustling marketplace.
Jian searched for Hyunwoo among the crowd. Hyunwoo was in the middle of the office, having a serious conversation with employees who seemed to be team leaders.
“Guild Master.”
Instead of calling him “brother,” Jian used “Guild Master” since other people were present. Hearing the familiar voice, Hyunwoo turned his head. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing Jian and Sehun standing like court officials.
“Why are you two out here? Where’s Hyunsu?”
“Just a moment, please.”
Since it was something others shouldn’t hear, Jian pulled Hyunwoo to the side. When he waved his hand, Hyunwoo obediently lowered his head.
Jian whispered that they were going to the Hunter Management Bureau. They couldn’t hide the fact that Sehun had awakened as an S-rank hunter forever, and for Jian to climb the tower, Sehun needed to enter with him, so hunter registration was essential.
There was also some calculation that the Jeongho Association wouldn’t easily mess with someone registered as an S-rank hunter.
“It’s chaotic there too right now. Alright, I understand. Come back as quickly as possible. Take my car. I have quite a few things to discuss with you too. Put my name as the guarantor. You’ll need a guild guarantee to get a hunter’s license without completing mandatory education.”
“Okay, I will.”
With Hyunwoo’s permission, Jian went down to the underground parking lot with Sehun. When he pressed the car key Hyunwoo had given him, headlights flashed from a corner.
The bright blue color stood out in the space filled with colorless cars.
‘…Of all cars, he gave me this one.’
It was a sports car that would immediately attract people’s attention on the road. Jian briefly considered going back up to change cars but headed to the driver’s seat, thinking it would be better to hurry.
He never thought he’d realize his dream of driving his dream car today. Worry outweighed excitement.
Even after grabbing the steering wheel, Jian took several deep breaths due to nervousness. Sehun patted the back of Jian’s hand.
“Should I drive?”
“What? You can drive?”
“Yeah. I got my license right after the college entrance exam.”
“Why didn’t you tell me…”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
Jian had no right to complain since he was also keeping the biggest secret from Sehun, but he still felt a bit hurt that Sehun seemed to be doing things he didn’t know about.
“I’m a good driver.”
Thinking Jian didn’t trust him, Sehun interlocked their fingers and grinned.
Looking at his handsome face, Jian suddenly realized something. Although he had gotten his license quite a while ago, he had hardly ever driven, so his license was practically just for show.
A sports car worth hundreds of millions of won. Inexperienced driving skills. If he drove, there would definitely be several scratches on the car body.
Jian looked alternately at Sehun’s confident face and the steering wheel, then let out a small sigh.
* * *
“You really are good.”
“Yeah. I’m good at everything physical.”
Jian had just complimented his driving skills, but Sehun’s response made him blush. For a moment, he was reminded of Sehun panting above him, so he quickly turned his head towards the window.
Feeling his face heat up, he leaned his forehead against the cool car window. The cold temperature cooled his flushed skin.
The road was more congested than usual, but it was better than when they had left home for the Dark Net Guild.
Thanks to people wearing fluorescent vests labeled ‘Volunteer’ who were helping the traffic police with traffic control.
‘This is not so different from the real world.’
It reminded him of citizens who, despite their tired faces from daily life, would pour out onto the streets with one heart and mind when a national crisis occurred.
Perhaps because of the eye-catching car, he could feel people’s curious gazes. Young children even waved at the car.
Only after desperately observing people did the erotic scenes that had filled his mind disappear.
“We’re here.”
They arrived at the Hunter Management Bureau at the right time. The ground-level parking lot behind the building was packed with cars of all kinds. Jian also came to his senses and looked for a parking spot.
“There’s one left in the back.”
Hearing Jian’s words, Sehun managed to park the car in the last remaining spot. As soon as they got out of the car, various noises brushed their ears.
“Hurry, everyone!”
Hunters in black uniforms rushed past with urgent faces. They efficiently boarded black vans printed with the Hunter Management Bureau logo.
The car soon left the parking lot with a harsh exhaust sound. Constant shouting could be heard from the main entrance.
“Let’s go in quickly.”
Jian grabbed Sehun’s arm. This place certainly seemed even more chaotic than the Dark Net Guild. After a brief identity check by security at the building entrance, they went inside.
Various people were standing in front of the information desk on the first floor. Seeing the long line at a glance, it seemed like it would take longer than expected.
Jian searched his memory for the place to register new hunters. He remembered from when he re-registered as an A-rank hunter. They got on the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
When the elevator doors opened, the atmosphere was less crowded than the bustling first floor.
They took a number at the entrance and waited. Jian swallowed dryly due to nervousness and checked Sehun’s expression. When their eyes met, Sehun smiled, his eyes curving.
“What?”
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“No, not at all.”
Jian felt embarrassed that he seemed to be making a fuss when he wasn’t even the one being registered.
Ding dong.
“Ah, it’s our number.”
The same number as on their paper appeared on the electronic display. After telling the employee they wanted to register a new hunter, they filled out the paperwork according to the procedure.
Then they received a guide and headed to the examination room. Jian was even more nervous about this stage as he had never gone through it before.
He had re-registered as an A-rank hunter with Hyunwoo’s help, skipping some of the examination procedures, because a proper examination could reveal that he was an S-rank hunter.
“Han Sehun. Please come in.”
An employee wearing glasses called Sehun while they were waiting in front of a room labeled Examination Room 2. As Sehun immediately stood up, Jian grabbed his hand.
“Do well. Don’t be too nervous.”
“I think you’re the one who’s nervous, not me.”
Sehun chuckled, squeezed their interlocked hands once, then let go. Only after Sehun disappeared into the examination room did Jian rub his sweaty palms on his pants.
Fortunately, the examination proceeded without any issues. There was only a brief commotion when measuring magical power.
The employees were agitated by the appearance of a new S-rank hunter. Since Hyunsu had also recently taken the exam, from their perspective, S-rank hunters were appearing one after another.
When all the examinations were finished and they were going through the registration process, a familiar face appeared.
“I didn’t expect you to come register as a hunter so soon.”
Yoonjae looked at Jian with a kind smile. He didn’t seem particularly surprised that Sehun had awakened as an S-rank hunter.
“I heard that the Dark Net Guild Master’s younger brother also awakened as an S-rank hunter. It’s a double celebration. God is quite peculiar, isn’t He? He doesn’t just give trials. When you look at it, He always gives the strength to overcome them too.”
The employee who was issuing the fresh hunter’s license couldn’t decide what to do due to Yoonjae’s sudden appearance and just watched cautiously.
“We meet again so soon.”
Jian’s expression hardened at Yoonjae’s greeting. He had been planning to meet Yoonjae through Hyunwoo soon anyway, as there were many unfinished conversations. He just didn’t expect to reunite this quickly.
“Ms. Jiyoung.”
“Ah, yes.”
When Yoonjae nodded to the employee, she placed Sehun’s hunter’s license with his face, name, and hunter rank, along with a pamphlet on a tray and explained the precautions.
“We’ve issued your hunter’s license without the mandatory education completion certificate, based on the Dark Net Guild’s guarantee. You need to visit the Hunter Education Center within three months with the education completion certificate issued by the guild. If not, your hunter’s license will become invalid again.”
Sehun took the hunter’s license and pamphlet and put them in his pocket. His gaze towards Yoonjae was not friendly. He was irritated by Yoonjae’s constant attempts to get involved with Jian.
Especially because Jian’s reactions to Yoonjae were different from usual.