* * *
“You came all this way just to confirm that?”
“The Association President won’t talk. I figured I’d better come check what kind of stunt you were pulling this time.”
‘A stunt, huh.’
Sure, the original ‘Seo Inho’ had pulled plenty of petty crap driven by jealousy.
And I understood how annoying it must’ve been to deal with him all the time.
But still—hearing it said to my face didn’t feel great.
“It’s not a stunt. I just didn’t feel like going. You wanted to enter the dungeon alone anyway.”
Then just go in, problem solved.
My tone grew increasingly flat, and Soohyuk’s brow twitched slightly. He’d picked up on something.
“…‘Do Soohyuk-ssi’? And what’s with the formal speech?”
That made me pause.
Did ‘Seo Inho’ usually talk formally to him?
No way.
With that trashy personality, he wouldn’t have bothered with honorifics.
But it had been a while since I saw the movie, and small details like that were getting fuzzy.
Still, switching to casual speech now felt… off.
“A—anyway, I’m just saying you didn’t need to come all the way here. I’m sorry for breaking the promise out of the blue.”
Talking too much to an S-class like him wouldn’t do me any favors.
I’d just apologize and end this quickly.
But his reply was ridiculous.
“According to who?”
“…What?”
“Oh, so you’re saying Hunter Seo Inho doesn’t care if an S-class dungeon break happens right in the middle of Seoul?”
How did we get there?
I blinked in confusion, but then the world around me suddenly got noisy.
Background sounds that had gone silent started returning.
He must’ve been using a sound barrier and dropped it only for that last line.
‘What kind of guy is this…’
I looked back and saw that all the customers had come outside.
Each of them had their phones out, clearly recording us.
No way out. People were already whispering and watching me.
“No, that’s not what I—”
“If that’s not it, then be at the gate by 10 a.m. tomorrow. If not, deal with the consequences yourself.”
With that, Do Soohyuk got into a black sedan and vanished.
I was left standing there, wondering how it had gone from “should I make more fish cake skewers?” to this mess.
What a nightmare.
“Haa…”
I sighed, rubbing my tired eyes.
If I didn’t show up tomorrow, the fallout wouldn’t stop at just me.
My dad’s shop would be dragged into it too.
Getting labeled a national trash bag from just being a woman-chasing jerk wasn’t something the public would let slide quietly.
The shop was getting bombarded with one-star reviews, and naturally, sales tanked—so the trip with Dad was…
I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought and glanced over at my father.
He was busy sweating bullets, trying to stop a few people still filming.
“……”
Well, anyway, Do Soohyuk was going to handle all the dungeon combat, and all I had to do was stick close behind him and make it out alive.
There were even official rules saying supporters had to be protected inside dungeons.
I mean, I am technically an S-rank.
Surely I could manage that much.
After making a quick decision, I stepped toward the store.
The moment I moved, the crowd scattered like nothing had happened.
“Uh, Dad… Can I take, like, two days off?”
A bold request, considering I’d only been working for three days.
But Dad just nodded with a worried look, not saying a word.
It was obvious he wanted to ask questions but was holding back so as not to pressure me.
He could’ve just asked though…
Still, the fact he didn’t forget to tell me to be careful reminded me—he’s a dad through and through.
“What the hell is this?”
Having finished my last shift before my break, I was lying on the sofa after a thorough shower.
I should have been resting, but instead, I was staring at my phone, my face growing more and more twisted.
[Full 10-minute video of S.I.H working part-time at OnX Snack Bar (Face clearly shown)]
So that’s how Do Soohyuk found me.
My video was all over HunTube, the platform that only uploads hunter-related footage.
I’d overheard people talking about it while working—just one of many things you pick up on by accident.
The problem was the comments.
Most of them were just insults.
Comments (403):
↳ What a fake-ass image he’s trying to build. Jesus.
↳ Everyone knows he’s a trash human. This is hilarious LOL
↳ Isn’t that that store? Maybe he’s finally come to his senses.
↳ Guy once threw a fit at their house, no way he’s changed. It’s all for show.
↳ Hot af… look at that smile, ugh 🥺
↳ Dude’s terrifying IRL. I’m a B-rank and nearly pissed myself.
↳ What, scared of a Support? Just die already.
↳ Lmao stay mad, keyboard warrior. I’ve been there twice, so I know.
↳ Fake as hell.
I mean, seriously—can people be this two-faced?
Every video had over a hundred comments, and like 80% of them were pure hate or negativity.
Sure, ‘Seo Inho’ did some bad things in the past, so I couldn’t exactly argue.
But compared to other S-ranks, this felt excessive.
When I scrolled through comments on a clickbaity video titled “S3 Skill Comparison Analysis”, I found myself scowling.
Apparently, Supporters didn’t even count as real S-ranks, because they left ‘Seo Inho’ out and just wrote S3 instead.
And the comments?
Basically turned into fan wars over who’s got the best boy.
“Well, I mean… they are impressive…”
Looking at the videos under the trending tab, I couldn’t not admit it.
Unrealistic, sure—but the dungeon break footage felt like movie scenes to me.
And tomorrow, I’d get to see it for myself.
With a tiny bit of anticipation, I watched a few more interesting videos.
By the time I looked up, the sky outside was already turning blue.
I’d pulled an all-nighter.
“Total dopamine trap.”
No wonder people talked about social media addiction like it was real.
Shaking my head to snap out of it, I stood from the couch.
I still had plenty of time before the meeting, but I had to start packing for the dungeon.
I headed straight to the bribe—I mean, item—stash and took out a pouch from a fancy-looking box.
It looked like a regular cloth pouch on the outside, but it was a rare item capable of storing up to 1,000 things in a virtual space.
Unlike ordinary pouches that could only store dungeon loot, this one could hold everyday items too.
It was going to be my first—and probably last—dungeon run.
No harm in being prepared.
I went around the house packing things meticulously, then headed down to the personal parking garage.
Honestly, I didn’t even know this place existed until recently.
Turns out it was full of flashy foreign cars and motorbikes.
“I really should get a driver’s license…”
The only license I had was for a motorcycle, and I’d gotten that just for delivery work.
So the fancy cars were useless to me.
I picked the most modest-looking bike and put on my helmet.
The S-rank leather jacket I was already wearing actually matched the bike pretty well.
I never thought I cared about this kind of stuff, but it felt kinda good.
“Maybe it’s too flashy, though.”
The bright red motorbike was so polished it looked brand new—probably never even been ridden.
Seemed like ‘Seo Inho’ had a thing for luxury, whether it was houses or vehicles.
Well, to each their own.
I double-checked the pouch strapped to my waist, then started the engine.
About 20 minutes later, I was already regretting my choice.
Should’ve just taken a taxi.
“What the hell? Why are there so many people?”
When I reached the gate, it looked like some kind of local festival.
News vans were everywhere, and journalists with cameras were swarming in front of someone.
I didn’t even have to check to know who it was.
Sure enough, Do Soohyuk was mid-briefing when he spotted me—and abruptly stopped talking.
Everyone followed his gaze, and a tidal wave of eyes turned to me.
Oh, great.
I silently cursed and removed my helmet, walking toward the gate at a steady pace.
Just like the Red Sea parting, the crowd split to make way for me.
Except it wasn’t out of respect—it was more like they were avoiding a live bomb.
So this was the extent of it…
Apparently, ‘Seo Inho’ was hated even by reporters.
The tension was thick as ice when, finally, one bold reporter stretched a mic toward me.
“Hunter Seo Inho! This is your first time entering a dungeon with other S-ranks—how do you feel?”
The young reporter, clearly nervous, blinked his wide eyes while waiting for my reply.
I looked down at the mic trembling in his hand, then put on the customer-service smile I’d mastered.
It always worked.
“It’s an honor to be supporting Hunter Do Soohyuk.”
But the moment I said it, everyone’s expressions turned to shock.
* * *
