STC chapter 4

Since all three were side characters, my sister always referred to them as a set. Hearing their names together brought a flood of memories.

Jeong Yeonji’s voice urged me as the watch remained silent.

“Kang Baram? Are you on your way?”

“Oh? Yeah… yeah.”

“What’s up with you? Then again, it’s true that these team members aren’t exactly B-level gate material.”

Jeong Yeonji spoke casually, unaware of my confusion.

I had thought I was transported into a fantasy novel about hunters, but it turned out to be a BL game!

‘No wonder the name Kang Baram sounded odd…!’

Not knowing a thing about BL, I had once teased my sister about her work, and in return, she had named a minor character after me.

“Kang Baram, are you sure you’re okay? You seemed off since a few weeks ago too… Should I cancel the call? I thought you were eager to go to a gate…”

I quickly shook my head. If we didn’t respond to a gate in time, monsters would pour out, causing damage to the local residents.

“No! I’ll go right now!”

Even if I was only a D-Rank hunter, I was still a hunter. I received a monthly salary from the guild to protect the residents.

Putting aside my shock for the moment, I dashed towards the coordinates Jeong Yeonji had sent.

The M sector was relatively close to the guild dormitory, so I arrived soon.

Having met them before, I easily recognized Ryu Min and Chae Goya. Chae Goya, though hesitant, gave me a faint smile, seemingly glad to see me.

“Ah, hello, Baram hyung…”

Despite his large build, he seemed like an adorably shy younger brother. I winked at Chae Goya and bowed to Ryu Min.

“Hello, I’m Kang Baram, a D-Rank support hunter.”

Ryu Min, apparently briefed by the Guild Master, smiled back.

“Nice to meet you, Hunter Kang.”

He didn’t seem to remember the time he had helped me in the hallway, but I didn’t mind. Being the Vice Guild Master, he must deal with countless hunters. Remembering a mere D-Rank hunter like me wouldn’t be easy.

“Here’s Chae Goya, and here’s Vice Guild Master Ryu Min, and…”

My gaze turned to the remaining figure, the SS-rank hunter, Ye Ilhu.

Hunters were classified into attack, defense, and support roles, further divided into physical, elemental, telekinetic, and mental categories.

Physical involved brute strength or weapons, elemental included powers like water, fire, and electricity, telekinetic was about psychic abilities, and mental involved reading minds.

Ye Ilhu specialized in fire within the elemental attack category.

‘Man, he’s really handsome.’

Even as a side character, he was undeniably striking. His slightly bluish-black hair looked soft and touchable. His sharp eyes stood out prominently, and his well-shaped lips were firmly set. His straight nose and strong jawline were mesmerizing.

‘I thought Ryu Min was the most handsome.’

I quickly reconsidered. They were two different types of good looks. If Ryu Min was beautiful, Ye Ilhu was handsome.

Most hunters wore combat uniforms provided by the guild, anticipating the dirt of battle, but these three were different.

Ye Ilhu wore a sleek black outfit with a crisp leather jacket, Chae Goya wore a tight black turtleneck and black jeans, and Ryu Min donned an ivory-colored Chinese-collar shirt.

‘Their character traits are so diverse.’

In contrast, I was dressed in a straightforward combat uniform, ready for action at any moment.

‘But seriously, how did we end up with this team? They were all side characters who loved the main character in the game.’

They were definitely not the kind of people I wanted to be around, if I could avoid it.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, I was a pretty nice little brother.

—

My sister had a special affection for her work. So when there were troubles with investors, she would drink and complain to me.

Each time, I would noisily comfort her, even though I didn’t fully understand the story.

‘Our Seongrim isn’t that kind of character… Haa, Baram. What do you think? Is this narrative too much?’

Back in middle and high school, I was as immersed in various games, fantasy, and martial arts novels as my sister was.

Our parents, both working, were always busy. Without a guardian’s watch, we’d lie around in the living room after dinner, sharing comic books together.

Because of this, even if I didn’t know the game content or characters in detail, I had a good grasp of the clichés.

My sister, who absorbed my clumsy but varied advice, would often treat me to chicken or pizza the next day. On nights with overtime, she would send me some allowance.

Under the vast amount of data accumulated like this, ‘Lover War’s public figure Baek Seojun and the original author Ha Seongrim were created.

Once these two characters were firmly established, it seemed like the rest of the characters were easily decided, as my sister no longer sought my opinion. Thus, I only knew the names and personalities of the characters that came out afterward.

Including the obnoxious prince Ye Ilhu, the mysterious Ryu Min, and the crybaby puppy Chae Goya.

I firmly resolved in my mind.

‘Just get involved today and starting tomorrow, don’t acknowledge them even by mistake.’

For now, since there were no suitable hunters, we had to group together with varying ranks to clear the gate, but once we returned to our daily lives, it would be hard to run into them.

Besides, they were such well-off individuals that a mere D-rank like me wouldn’t catch their interest.

“Haa.”

It was then. A deep sigh snapped me out of my reverie.

Only then did I realize I had been staring at Ye Ilhu’s face to the point of being rude.

Ye Ilhu was openly frowning. It was a similar reaction to other hunters who had found me in the training room.

His cold gaze looked down at me oppressively.

“D-rank?”

Ye Ilhu let out a laugh of disbelief.

“I’ll be lucky if you don’t hold us back.”

“…”

“Don’t get in the way by rinning around.”

If voices had temperature, his would freeze anything it touched.

After saying his piece, Ye Ilhu turned his body without a moment’s delay. His long, straight legs strode toward the gate.

“Huh.”

I let out a hollow laugh out of sheer incredulity. Soon after, Ryu Min silently followed him. Even as the Vice Guild Leader, he didn’t bother to reprimand Ye Ilhu for his rudeness, seeming to agree with him instead.

An indescribable feeling of contempt swept over me. I almost preferred the huge, older-looking hunter I bumped into in the hallway earlier.

At least that guy treated me like a human being. Ye Ilhu treated me as if I wasn’t even worth acknowledging, like a mere insect.

What kind of jerk is this?

As far as I remember, Ye Ilhu was twenty-three, the same age as Ha Seongrim, the original author. Though my body was also twenty-three, I was a respectable twenty-six in my previous life.

Meaning, my mental age was higher than any of the side characters gathered here.

‘This brat.’

Just as I was about to indulge in this old-fashioned mindset, Chae Goya, who had been hiding behind Ryu Min, hesitated and approached me.

I suddenly remembered the handkerchief I borrowed from him a few weeks ago. If I had known I’d be on the same mission as Chae Goya, I would have brought it along.

“A-are you okay?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, I widened my eyes before quickly waving my hand with a smile.

“Huh? Oh, thanks. No, thank you. Don’t worry about it.”

Was he looking out for me? Being C-rank and having a prestigious guild leader as his brother, Chae Goya seemed to empathize with me more than Ye Ilhu.

Grateful for his thoughtfulness, I reflexively replied. Chae Goya continued to follow me.

“Ye Ilhu hyung’s… his, uh, personality isn’t great.”

What? Does he have a bit of a temper too? Surprising. From his hesitant demeanor, I assumed he was just timid, but here he was, badmouthing his brother.

I laughed and agreed with Chae Goya’s opinion.

“Seems like it.”

Even though Chae Goya was the guild leader’s brother, he wouldn’t be intimidated by an SS-rank hunter. He’d probably be just as rude back.

My response made Chae Goya giggle softly.

Unlike Ye Ilhu or Ryu Min, I felt it wouldn’t be bad to get a bit closer to Chae Goya.

Though if he got involved with Ha Seongrim, I’d immediately back off.

Our quiet, shared laughter seemed to irritate Ye Ilhu. He shouted.

“D-rank, what are you doing?”

“Goya, hurry up. We’re about to enter the gate.”

Both Ye Ilhu and Ryu Min urged us on.

Yes, yes, as a mere D-rank, I should sweep away the monsters first to protect your precious selves. Sure.