(3)
Inside the empty hangover soup restaurant after business hours. Cha Eui-jae was deep in thought, staring intently at his cell phone while sitting at a clean table. On the screen was a series of questions and answers on JisikON, filled with numerous replies and comments.
"If it's a well-known hunter and there's solid evidence, the Bureau's hunter will come directly."
Cha Eui-jae slumped onto the table. Damn it, the problem was that South Korean public officials worked too diligently. It seemed impossible to handle this quietly once reported. Reporting Lee Sa-young for business disruption might even bring the head of the Awakened Management Bureau directly.
With a deeply furrowed brow, Cha Eui-jae scrolled down the screen with his finger. The frivolous comments below the helpful answer he had just read were mostly impractical. What? Reveal his initials? Sorry, but if I recklessly expose him, South Korea could be split in half.
That's the nature of being ranked number one. His every move sparked endless debates between those who criticize and those who defend him. Cha Eui-jae knew this well from past experience. No matter how obnoxious Lee Sa-young was, causing an internet eruption just to make himself comfortable was out of the question.
A magic stone recorder was too expensive, and he would never do an interview unless he was crazy. As Cha Eui-jae scrolled down further, he unconsciously banged his head on the table. Startled by the noise, he checked the table, relieved that it wasn't cracked. Rubbing the spot on his forehead where it had hit, he flipped his phone over and slumped back down.
'Damned if you do, damned if you don't...'
The reason for Cha Eui-jae's dilemma...
Was none other than a certain pesky bastard who had stormed into his peaceful life as a part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant.
***
As a famous hunter eatery, the hangover soup restaurant had quite a few guilds that pre-paid for their meals. Many hunters found carrying cards cumbersome and often had to dash out without even putting down their spoons when sudden calls came. It was a common practice.
When Cha Eui-jae first started working, he was taught about the pre-payment ledger. So, pre-payments were nothing new. But he could guarantee that no one had ever crazily offered to pre-pay 15 million won on the spot like Lee Sa-young did. Who on earth considers 15 million won a trivial amount?
Cha Eui-jae glared daggers at Bae Won-woo, who had brought along this troublemaker.
'Stop this crazy bastard.'
That's the gist of his glare.
Bae Won-woo jumped 0.5 cm in place, and— or maybe it was just in Cha Eui-jae's thoughts— seemed to catch the meaning behind his sharp look like an upgraded artificial intelligence and earnestly tried to dissuade Lee Sa-young.
"Let's pay and get back to the guild. Didn't you say you were super busy?"
"Not really."
"Don't you have to go to the Awakened Management Bureau? Aren't you meeting Jung Bin?"
"I can postpone it."
Even facing an interview with the Awakened Management Bureau, which others would dread, Lee Sa-young remained unperturbed. Bae Won-woo, feeling desperate, changed his approach and spoke with a hint of personal desire.
"Hey, instead of pre-paying 15 million won, buy me new armor. There'll be an equipment auction in Songdo by Hong Ye-seong."
"How can you buy equipment with just 15 million won? Are you a beggar?"
