Under the Guise of Coincidence
In Academy City, competition was fierce among the Hunter Association, families, clans, parties, and individual hunters seeking to recruit students who had gathered there with hopes of becoming hunters.
As a result, there existed intermediaries who specialized in brokering such arrangements.
Brokers, or scouters, as they were called.
The man Kang Hanbyeol met that day belonged to that sort.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet me. I’ve long been interested in Kang Hanbyeol, the disciple of the Fighting Demon, and I’ve wanted to have a conversation with you at least once. To think an opportunity like this would come along. Ah, here’s the menu. I’ll be paying for everything today, so don’t worry too much. Order as much as you’d like.”
The middle-aged man rubbed a towel over himself, wiping away the sweat he had shed outside.
With his striking mustache, he readily handed the menu to Kang Hanbyeol with an amiable expression.
Beside him sat a female hunter, apparently the man’s bodyguard.
“Goodness, it gets hotter by the day, doesn’t it? I wonder how hot it’ll be this year. For people like us, there’s no season more punishing. Though winter is much the same, of course! Hahaha!”
“Ah, yes… It has been hot lately.”
“There was another menu. Here, Seoyeon, you order whatever you want too.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The man, who had introduced himself as Han Junpyo, chattered away affably.
Pretending to glance through the menu, Kang Hanbyeol fell into thought while gauging the presence of the two people seated across from him.
‘What kind of relationship does he have with Master?’
If he traced things back, meeting Han Junpyo had been a coincidence.
He had gone downtown to get some fresh air and have lunch on a whim, only to run into him out of nowhere.
At the time, the man had spoken to him in a friendly manner.
—Might you be the disciple of the Fighting Demon? Your name was… yes, the Young Fighting Demon! You’re Kang Hanbyeol, aren’t you? My, what a coincidence! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Somehow, I don’t think I’ve heard any news of him lately. Is the Fighting Demon doing well?
—Pardon? You know my master?
—Of course I do! Naturally! In my younger days, I owed the Fighting Demon a great deal in one way or another… He’s practically the savior of my life. But… have you had lunch? Since meeting like this must be fate, I’d like to treat you to a meal, if only to repay my debt to the Fighting Demon. Here’s my business card. This is who I am.
—…Scouter, Han Junpyo?
Han Junpyo’s eloquence flowed so smoothly that he could naturally take control of the situation.
Even if that had not been the case, Kang Hanbyeol could not help but be intrigued by the way he spoke as though he had some connection to his master, Seo Jeongjin.
Of course, that did not mean he felt no suspicion.
‘Master told me. That once I went outside, I might meet swindlers who try to take advantage of his fame.’
For someone claiming it was coincidence, he had not been flustered at their first meeting. Instead, he had been confident and sly.
His words had come out without the slightest hesitation, as if he had memorized them through endless repetition, and his skill at rattling them off in a rapid-fire stream seemed designed to keep Kang Hanbyeol from thinking.
Then there was the way he had subtly observed him while pretending to wipe his face with the towel.
Especially the fact that he had introduced himself as a scouter.
There was more than one thing about him that was suspicious.
It was almost certain he had approached Kang Hanbyeol with some purpose in mind.
‘Sieun noona told me before. In principle, recruitment offers can only be made to Academy students in the second semester of their third year. Making an offer at any other time is illegal.’
Of course, Han Junpyo had stated in advance, while handing over his card, that he was not making a recruitment offer.
Even so, Kang Hanbyeol could not help but be suspicious.
‘For now, I’ll watch and see.’
A short while later, as he gave halfhearted responses to Han Junpyo, who kept blathering without pause,
their ordered food arrived.
The real conversation began from there.
The conclusion was no different from what he had expected.
‘What the hell, it was a recruitment offer after all.’
Han Junpyo’s words were polished, but in truth, he had no real connection whatsoever to Kang Hanbyeol’s master, Seo Jeongjin.
If there was any connection at all, it was only that Seo Jeongjin had saved his life when he had been caught up in an accident.
Even that much might not have been true.
He merely slipped away from the topic and indirectly presented the recruitment conditions of several clans.
“Thank you for lunch. It was delicious. And I’ll think about your offer.”
“Yes, please contact me anytime. We will welcome you with the best possible terms. Ah, I’ll just step into the restroom for a moment…”
Kang Hanbyeol had no further business with Han Junpyo.
Bringing up Seo Jeongjin’s name had, in the end, been nothing more than an attempt to win his favor.
He decided to consider it simply as having gotten a free lunch.
Once Han Junpyo returned from the restroom, he would prepare to leave.
That was what Kang Hanbyeol was thinking when it happened.
The female hunter, Gu Seoyeon, who had kept her mouth shut until then, suddenly spoke to him.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“You’d better not get tempted and involve yourself with that man for no reason. This is advice.”
“Pardon? What do you—”
“My, even the restroom at this place is nice! Hm? Were you two talking about something?”
“No. Nothing happened. Right?”
“…Yes, that’s right. Let’s get going now.”
When Han Junpyo returned, the female hunter’s expression changed completely.
Sensing that something was off, Kang Hanbyeol nodded along with her words.
Han Junpyo looked between the two of them, then secretly sent her a glance and frowned.
‘What was that about? Does she know he’s a swindler and still follow him?’
After parting ways with Han Junpyo and the female hunter,
Kang Hanbyeol walked down the street, voicing his doubts inwardly.
‘She looked somehow depressed… Does she have some kind of story?’
His master had taught him.
If there was someone in trouble nearby, he should not ignore them and pass by.
Even if the other person refused help, he should follow his instincts.
“…”
There was something there.
He was not just a simple swindler.
Kang Hanbyeol looked down at the business card in his hand and sank into thought.
It was then that Kwon Boram approached him from behind.
“Good day, Kang Hanbyeol.”
“Senior Kwon Boram?”
“It looked like you were speaking with Han Junpyo in the shop just now… If you don’t mind, may I ask what sort of offer you received?”
* * *
Since the main house of the Magical Min Family was located in Jeonju,
it was realistically almost impossible to attend the exchange meeting in the evening and return the same day.
Of course, there were warp gates, but…
‘How could a person be so heartless as to just attend the party and go straight back home? Arin would be disappointed. Besides, it might be dangerous to go down the mountain from the main house late at night. And it’d feel lacking to go all the way to Jeonju just for business… Since we’re going anyway, we should make it a trip too. They say the Hanok Village there is famous, so if we have time, I should go look around with Haneul.’
For all those reasons and more, we decided to stay there for a few days this time.
As it happened, the Magical Min Family seemed to have prepared rooms in the main house for those coming from far away.
That was only a good thing for us.
Since it would also be rude to refuse, we decided to accept the offer.
It was also a chance to catch up with Min Arin, whom we had not been able to see because of summer vacation.
And so, that morning.
“Haneul, over here. Go on in. You sit by the window.”
“Okay, thanks. Then on the way back, you should sit by the window.”
Yeon Haneul and I took a train to Jeonju in a rather scenic mood.
We spent our time without a chance to get bored, admiring the scenery beyond the window and buying snacks in the dining car.
We listened to music together too.
At the same time, we did not let go of the hands we had been holding since we met that morning.
‘It feels nice, like we’re going on a trip.’
My heart felt at ease, and also fluttered.
I smiled as I looked at Yeon Haneul, framed against the passing scenery behind her.
Perhaps she felt much the same as I did, because ever since we boarded the train, the smile had never once left her face.
Then, all of a sudden, my gaze fell to the back of her hand resting on the armrest.
Her hand, caught in mine, looked extremely white and soft.
“Hm?”
What are you trying to do now?
With that sort of look on her face, Yeon Haneul tilted her head.
Without answering her question, I gently drew the back of her hand toward me and playfully pressed my lips to it.
Like a chick pecking at feed, I lightly dotted kisses all over the back of her hand.
At that, the corners of her mouth rose, and she let out a small giggle.
“What are you doing to the back of my hand? That tickles.”
“You said kisses on the cheek were only once a day. So I’m doing it on the back of your hand several times instead.”
“I don’t think I ever said you could do it on the back of my hand?”
“Between true childhood friends like us, shouldn’t kissing the back of the hand be fine? As long as it’s not the lips.”
“Mm… well… I suppose so?”
“Then I should do the other hand too.”
“Kyaa! Don’t. Other people will see!”
“Everyone’s sleeping, though?”
“Still… no means no. I’m embarrassed. I’m shy, okay?”
“Fine. Then I’ll stop here.”
“And why should you be the only one doing it? Give me yours too.”
Ever since we had gone to the water park that day,
we had been growing used to kissing each other on the cheek.
Even so, we were careful not to act recklessly just because our emotions came first.
Because that would be sexual harassment.
Chu.
This time, Yeon Haneul repeatedly pressed her lips to the back of my hand.
At the same time, she looked up at me and smiled with her eyes.
It was impressively lethal.
I could not take my eyes off her.
In that way, we fooled around on the train and arrived in Jeonju before we knew it.
“Excuse me, but are you Do Gyeonwoo and Yeon Haneul?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Good day. My name is Kim Hoseop, and I work as a driver for the Magical Min Family. I have the car ready, so please come this way.”
At the station, an employee of the Magical Min Family, who knew our arrival time in advance, was waiting.
We got into the car he drove and entered a mountain not far from the station.
Before long, the main residence of the Magical Min Family came into view.
“Welcome to the Magical Min Family. Well? Doesn’t it inspire awe? Later, I’ll give you a detailed tour of just how great our family is, so look forward to it. Anyway, I’m glad both of you came.”
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Long time no see, Arin.”
Whether she had come out to greet us or not, Min Arin was waiting for us on the first floor of the main building.
The three of us, meeting for the first time in a while, exchanged simple greetings and welcomed one another.
After that, Yeon Haneul and I followed her as she showed us to our guest rooms.
It was then that she broached the subject.
“By the way.”
“What?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to attend the exchange meeting later dressed like that. You should dress appropriately for a formal occasion. Well, even if you don’t have anything, you can borrow clothes from the family.”
“Of course I packed clothes to wear to the exchange meeting in my bag. I just wanted to come here comfortably.”
“Yeah, Gyeonwoo is right.”
“Oh, really? Then that’s fine.”
Min Arin seemed bothered by the fact that we were wearing clothes that were easy to move in.
We, understanding the reason why, explained the situation and eased her worries.
Only then did she seem relieved.
“The men will be staying on this floor. I’ll show you to your room first, Do Gyeonwoo. Or Haneul, you can go separately with the employees and unpack your luggage. It’d be nice for me since I wouldn’t have to do the same thing twice.”
“Yeah, that won’t be happening, so hurry up and show us Gyeonwoo’s room.”
“Tch.”
Soon, Min Arin climbed the stairs and headed toward the room where I would be staying.
As if she knew exactly where my room was, there was no hesitation in her steps.
‘Does she have the layout of this huge mansion memorized, so she can find the place without getting lost as long as she knows the room number?’
With that vague thought in mind, I soon arrived at the room I would be staying in for the day.
Min Arin opened the door.
“This is the room. The bathroom is inside, and there should be various odds and ends provided in the room as well. Yesterday, I carefully made sure everyth—Ahem! If there’s anything you need, tell me anytime. I’ll let the employees know.”
“Can’t I just ask the employees myself?”
“I-I’m a direct descendant of the Magical Min Family! My requests take higher priority than yours, that’s why!”
“Hmm… That’s not entirely unreasonable.”
“No, Gyeonwoo. You can just ask the employees walking around. As long as it’s not an unreasonable request, wouldn’t they do it for you?”
“True, that makes sense too.”
“Seriously, Yeon Haneuul…”
Conscious of being in the Magical Min Family, Yeon Haneul argued with Min Arin in a polite tone.
Just like that, the two of them began bickering.
Sighing at the sight I had not seen in some time, I placed my suitcase in the room and briefly unpacked.
"We'll waste time if we stay here. Arina, let's go see Haneul's room too."
"Okay. She's on the floor above. And! I specially arranged a guest room right next to mine, so be grateful. Alright, since it's been a while, I'll show you the room I'm staying in as well."
"...So you're trying to separate me and Gyeonu."
"...What's she saying. That's not it."
We went out into the hallway to check Yeon Haneul's room.
We were about to head for the stairs when...
"Arina. And Gyeonu and Haneul as well, I see. It's been a while. Have you been well?"
The Patriarch of the Demonic Path Min Family, Griffin Min Hwi-seong.
It was precisely then that we ran into him coming up the stairs alongside a man who appeared to be around our age.
Yeon Haneul and I bowed our heads in greeting in accordance with the etiquette of a noble house.
"It is an honor to see you, Patriarch of the Demonic Path Min Family. I am Do Gyeonu of the Divine Sword Do Family. It has been a long time."
"It is an honor to see you, Patriarch of the Demonic Path Min Family. I am Yeon Haneul, disciple of the Seven-Colored Witch. We have been well. How have you been, Patriarch?"
"There's no need to stand on such ceremony. I've been well myself. I heard news about you from Arina, and it seems you've all been doing well too. Especially Haneul—I heard you were promoted to the Fourth Rank. You're quite impressive for one so young."
"Thank you, Patriarch."
Min Hwi-seong chuckled, holding a tobacco pipe in his hand though he wasn't smoking.
Yeon Haneul and I relaxed at his amicable demeanor and exchanged recent news.
In the midst of that, he pointed to the man beside him.
"Ah, my introduction is late. This child is my grandson, who attends Geumseong Academy. His name is Min Ji-wan. He is one year older than you and Arina's cousin. Meeting like this is fate, so greet each other."
"Hi? I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. I'm Min Ji-wan."
"..."
He was tall and possessed quite a handsome appearance.
The glasses he wore suited him well.
Judging by his build, he seemed to have quite a bit of muscle for a mage.
All in all, he possessed both an intellectual air and masculinity.
That same man extended his hand toward us with an amiable expression.
We shook hands with him.
Just then, Min Hwi-seong burst into hearty laughter, steering the mood.
"Arina and Gyeonu, and Ji-wan and Haneul—you all seem like well-matched pairs who get along splendidly. Is it because you're close in age? Hmm... I see. Now then, Ji-wan."
"Yes, Patriarch."
"When the exchange begins, I imagine it will be too much for Arina to look after two people on her own. So if it's alright with you, would you escort Haneul in her place?"
"Yes, I will follow the Patriarch's wishes. It was Haneul, right? Let's get along."
"..."
They carried on the conversation entirely as they pleased.
For some reason... I have a bad feeling about this.
'Who does that guy think he is to escort Haneul?'
I didn't like how Min Ji-wan was speaking so affectionately to Yeon Haneul.
I also felt resentment toward Min Hwi-seong's decision.
Suppressing my surging irritation, I opened my mouth reflexively.
"No, I'll accompany Ji-wan hyung during the exchange."
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss