How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 72
“Thank you! Please be careful!”
For a while, peaceful days continued. The newly launched tteokbokki skewers had perfectly established themselves as an official menu item, and sales were steadily increasing. In fact, Branch 2 had even increased their daily reservation count thanks to the skewer espresso item I’d sent them.
‘Opening Branch 2 really does make a difference in revenue.’
I thought it would be great to ride this momentum and keep expanding to Branch 3, Branch 4, and beyond. Before long, I’d have a nationwide chain! I sketched out happy blueprints in my mind as I cheerfully poured batter for fish-shaped pastries.
—Ding.
“Welcome—”
I lifted my head at the sound of the door opening, and three men in black jumpers stood in a line. A sudden chill ran down my spine without any clear reason.
“Are you Jung Ha-neul?”
I reflexively touched my apron and nodded. One of the men unfolded a document and showed it to me. The words “Search Warrant” printed on the document were starkly visible.
“In accordance with the Hunter Management Bureau’s special food hazard investigation order, we are conducting a seizure and search of your establishment.”
“W-wait a moment! A hazard investigation? Why all of a sudden—”
The man looked down at me and spoke coldly.
“Nine Hunters have complained of abdominal pain after consuming item food from this establishment. Two of those Hunters died early this morning.”
* * *
When I came to my senses, I was sitting in a desolate corner of the Hunter Management Bureau Investigation Room. I could barely remember how I’d been dragged here. The news that someone had died after eating food from my shop had left my mind blank.
Item sales were completely halted until the epidemiological investigation concluded. With that notice, the customers in the shop had to leave as if being driven out. The image of Ari looking at me with tears in her eyes lingered like an afterimage before my eyes.
‘Did I comfort Ari properly?’
I shook my head weakly. Sitting under the white fluorescent lights in this situation felt utterly unreal. Then, as I stared blankly at the floor, a man who introduced himself as an Investigator pulled up a chair and sat across from me.
“You are Jung Ha-neul, correct?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
He was a man with a fierce expression, marked by deep wrinkles etched into his forehead. After completing a simple personal inquiry, he placed several photographs on the table, saying they were photos of the deceased Hunters.
“…This can’t be real.”
The moment I saw the photographs, a cry-like gasp burst from my lips. My hands, covering my mouth, trembled violently. The Hunters who had died were regular customers who visited my shop periodically.
“Starting a week before their deaths, they complained of severe abdominal pain, and from around 1 AM yesterday, they suffered from high fevers. They were rushed to the Management Bureau Medical Office, but it was already too late.”
The cause of death for the other Hunter in the photograph was the same.
“So far, there have been nine victims showing similar symptoms. Do you know what their only common point is? It’s that they recently consumed items from your shop.”
The timing of their visits to the shop was also similar. About ten days ago. It was when my shop first launched the new tteokbokki skewer menu.
“Hunters from different teams and different ranks all complained of the same symptoms as if they’d made an appointment. Two of them even lost their lives. Do you have anything to say about this?”
“I-it couldn’t possibly be because of our shop’s food! It’s just food made from ordinary ingredients!”
At my protest, the man clicked his tongue lightly. He picked up a black plastic bag from the floor and dumped it onto the table. As the bag’s opening widened, food from my shop spilled out unceremoniously.
“Do you know what this is?”
“…Those are the menu items we sell at our shop.”
“You said all the food you sell is ordinary food, didn’t you? But is that really true?”
The man began swiping through a tablet screen and speaking in an exaggerated, mocking tone.
“I hear these foods can be tasted even by Awakened Ones. My, how remarkable! What on earth is the principle behind this?”
“That’s because of my ability…”
“Hold on. Jung Ha-neul, you’re an F-rank Awakened One, correct? An F-rank Awakened One’s ability… Frankly, isn’t it embarrassing to even call it an ‘Awakened One’s’ ability?”
The Investigator’s eyes narrowed. Faced with his piercing gaze that seemed to see right through me, my head naturally bowed.
His intention was clear. It was mockery—’How could a mere F-rank possess such an ability?’
“Why hasn’t a single Hunter with such an ability existed until now? And why, of all people, did such a miraculous power manifest in Jung Ha-neul, merely an F-rank?”
I bit my lip and shook my head. I couldn’t mention Ha-nyang here. If I brought up talk of blessings or anything like that, it was obvious that Ha-nyang would end up on this terrible interrogation stand as well.
The man with the tablet screen turned face-down leaned his upper body toward me and whispered covertly.
“I’m having a thought. What if the food you’re selling wasn’t made from an ability gained through awakening? What if you achieved a similar effect using different ingredients instead of food?”
Different ingredients? I lifted my head sharply from where I’d been bowing it deeply.
“That’s impossible. I would never do something so strange to food!”
Despite my vehement response, he merely nodded perfunctorily. There wasn’t a hint of belief in his eyes.
“We’ve already begun analyzing the components of the items you sold. It will come to light soon. Whether suspicious ingredients were added or not….”
Scraping back his chair, he stood and gathered the tablet and documents. Looking down at me, he jerked his chin.
“There’s concern you might flee, so please remain here until the results come back.”
“…What about my phone?”
“Since you could contact the outside, I’ll return it once the investigation concludes.”
Bang. The iron door shut and the man left, and a terrible silence descended. The air in the narrow interrogation room seemed to grow cold, so I wrapped my arms around myself.
‘…Could there really be something wrong with our shop’s food?’
I repeated denials countless times, but anxiety bloomed from a corner of my heart. Thoughts chased their tails, spinning in circles. The walls closing in on all sides felt like they were strangling my neck.
How long would I have to stay here? If there really was something wrong with the food, what about all those customers who ate my food and smiled?
My breathing grew shallow. Apparently, I’d been holding my breath without realizing it. I stumbled toward the simple mattress in the back and lay down. Even closing my eyes, sleep was impossible.
-Creak.
Then, the interrogation room door, which had been firmly shut, opened very carefully. Poking her head through the crack was none other than our shop employee, Ari. And through that small gap, a familiar furry bundle squeezed in with grunts and whines.
“…Phew. I knew you’d be here, meow.”
“Ha-nyang!”
At the longed-for voice, I bolted upright, and Ari quickly pressed her index finger to her lips.
“Shh! I snuck in.”
“How did you even get here? More importantly, what about the shop? No, are you both okay?”
“I’m fine. The shop too…. Well. It’s still intact. Ha-nyang followed your scent and brought me here.”
Ha-nyang? Looking at Ha-nyang with surprised eyes, the tricolor cat puffed out its chest with a proud expression.
‘…Following a scent? More like a dog than a cat.’
The tension melted and I let out a small laugh. When I scratched Ha-nyang’s chin, the cat purred softly and rubbed its cheek against my arm.
“Anyway, what’s all this about, unnie? Someone died from eating our shop’s food? You’re not joking, right?”
“…Yeah. I’m out of my mind right now too. I don’t even know what’s happening or how.”
Ha-nyang also tapped the floor with its tail, insisting that the sacred food it had blessed could never produce such a terrible result.
“I heard Team 1 Hunters entered a Gate today. And Director isn’t even at the office.”
Ari clenched her fists, saying the timing was too perfect. The child, biting her lip hard, added in a trembling voice.
“They definitely targeted this moment on purpose. I should have been more helpful to you. I was stupid and panicked and couldn’t do anything…. Sob,”
Eventually, tears dropped from Ari’s eyes. The helplessness of not being able to do anything while I was dragged away seemed to weigh heavily on the child.
I quietly embraced the sniffling Ari and patted her gently. Feeling this warmth of someone crying for me, my heart, which had been trembling with anxiety, settled calmly.
“Just coming to find me like this is enough. It gave me strength because of you.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. If it weren’t for you, I would have been so scared alone. And… Ari, if it’s okay, could I ask you to look after Ha-nyang until I get out?”
Ari nodded vigorously with tears glistening in her eyes. I hurried both of them out before the Investigator returned. Ari looked back with worried eyes right up until she stepped through the door.
“…Are you really sure about this?”
“Don’t worry then. I’ll be out soon.”
After Ari and Ha-nyang left, I leaned back against the hard mattress. Though our meeting was brief, perhaps thanks to their warmth, I no longer feared this cold interrogation room.
“That’s right. Everything will be fine. The truth will come to light.”
I muttered words to no one in particular and closed my eyes. Whether it was the release of tension or something else, I must have drifted off to sleep. The sudden bang of the door opening jolted me awake.
“Ha-neul Hunter! Are you alright?”
“…Director?”
I saw the Director dressed in a brown suit. Squinting against the bright light flooding in from the hallway, I asked urgently.
“Is the epidemiological investigation finished? What are the results?”
“…Ha-neul Hunter. About that,”
The Director couldn’t quite finish her sentence in response to my question, her lips trembling. Dread suddenly gripped me. Could it be that something truly abnormal was found in our shop’s food?
The Director steadied my wavering form with a firm grip and opened her mouth heavily.
“The Management Bureau never issued a search warrant for your shop. I’ve just confirmed everything and am on my way back.”
What did she just say?
“That can’t be right! The investigators definitely came with a warrant. I saw it clearly with my own eyes!”
The Director shook her head firmly. Grasping my trembling hand, she spoke in a clear voice.
“It’s true that the Hunters died. But the cause has been determined to be exposure to toxic substances within the Gate. Not from items you created.”
I pressed my forehead in deflation. Only then did the sense of wrongness I’d felt throughout the investigation click into place like puzzle pieces. The interrogation had been less an investigation and more an outlet for frustration. Confiscating my phone to cut off outside contact. And security far too lax for the Management Bureau.
“…So our shop’s items weren’t the problem after all.”
Relief at having avoided the worst-case scenario allowed my heart to resume its normal rhythm. Yet questions still lingered.
‘Why on earth would they do this?’
And I learned the answer the moment I turned on my phone, which had been tossed in the trash.
【Hunter Deaths Confirmed… Tragedy Caused by Unidentified Items】
【Items from ‘Ha-neul’s’ That Supposedly Had Flavor. Turns Out They Were ‘Poison’?】
Sensational articles claiming that Hunters had died from consuming items from our shop already flooded every portal site. My face photo and shop name were exposed without even a blur.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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