Murim Login - Chapter 211

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

Chapter 211
I quietly studied the man who had suddenly blocked our car.
‘He’s definitely a Hunter.’
Despite sensing an unusual aura about him, this thought arose because of his flamboyant appearance.
Starting with a semi-formal suit adorned with intricate patterns, he had wrapped himself entirely in luxury brands.
Combined with skin so smooth and taut it seemed flawless, and teeth so pristinely white they appeared almost artificial.
No matter how I looked at it, he resembled an entertainer far more than a Hunter.
Perhaps because of this, he seemed strangely familiar.
‘Even more so than Choi Team Leader.’
His love of luxury goods was comparable, but this man took it to extremes.
Wearing large sunglasses on a gloomy day like today was a prime example.
“Can’t you hear me? Is there some kind of noise-dampening spell on this thing?”
At the man’s murmur, Choi Team Leader lowered the window.
“What can I help you with?”
“Ah, so you can hear. Then why didn’t you answer?”
“I’m in a hurry. If there’s nothing else, please move aside.”
“Seems like you’re quite busy?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
The man, who had been observing Choi Team Leader with an enigmatic gaze as he answered calmly, turned his head toward me.
“You’re Jin Tae-kyung, right? Seeing you in person, you’re even more handsome than on screen. No wonder the female-dominated communities are going wild.”
“Wait, really… Actually, who are you?”
“As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not a Reporter trying to get an interview. I run a Guild in Incheon.”
“Ah.”
I could roughly guess his purpose without needing to ask.
‘Another recruitment offer, then.’
It was already a familiar occurrence.
Since gaining notoriety, more than one Guild had approached me.
Having single-handedly defeated a horde of ogres proved my abilities, and with all the media exposure, I had plenty of marketability.
To them, I was a highly coveted ‘commodity’ in every way.
“Here, take my business card.”
By now, I had become quite skilled at declining such offers.
Accepting the business card, I smiled as naturally as I could.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not currently considering a transfer.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m quite satisfied with my current Guild affiliation. They were also the first to extend their hand to me.”
At my unhesitating response, a faint smile crossed Choi Team Leader’s lips in the rearview mirror.
The man, alternating his gaze between Choi Team Leader and me, rubbed his chin.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“I’ll contact you another time.”
“Still, you wouldn’t mind grabbing a coffee together, would you? I’m a fan.”
“Huh?”
“Thirty minutes. Actually, fifteen should be enough. I’m a busy man, so I can’t visit often.”
What is this guy saying right now?
Making a recruitment offer right in front of Choi Team Leader was already quite disrespectful, but now he’s just doing whatever he pleases.
‘He’s crossing the line.’
I was staring at the man with eyes that wondered how to deal with him when he spoke again.
“That’s strange. Did I misread the interview?”
“…?”
“Weekly Hunters published an interview where you said I’m your favorite hunter.”
I blinked. Now I was beginning to understand the man’s identity. Why he seemed familiar.
“Wait, could you be…?”
The man chuckled at my reaction.
“That’s disappointing. I gave you my business card and you didn’t even look at it properly.”
I hastily shifted my gaze to the business card.
The metal card, gleaming with a golden sheen from gilding, bore clear, embossed letters.
[Star Guild CEO Won Myung-hun]
“Ah, ah ah!”
The man—no, A-rank Hunter Won Myung-hun—extended his hand through the half-open window to offer a handshake, watching me stammer like a mute.
“Nice to meet you, Tae-kyung.”
* * *
Won Myung-hun.
He was thirty-nine this year with a birthday of April 1st. Standing at 185 centimeters tall and weighing eighty kilograms, he possessed a perfectly balanced physique.
Once a physical education entrance exam student, he awakened as an A-rank Hunter on his twentieth birthday, and with his exceptional abilities and appearance, he claimed the title of life’s victor.
“And that’s not all. His character is incredible too. He donates frequently and has countless heartwarming stories. He even runs a scholarship foundation….”
Choi Team Leader, listening to the endless stream of information, asked with an exasperated expression.
“How do you know all that? Why are you memorizing his physical stats and even his birthday?”
“I told you. He’s my favorite hunter.”
It’s something I say in every interview. My most respected person is my parents. My favorite hunter is Won Myung-hun.
“…Even so, isn’t this a bit much? Isn’t this practically love?”
“What a terrible thing to say. It’s more like a wannabe thing, you know? The Won Myung-hun syndrome. Haven’t you heard of it?”
“I haven’t.”
“Oh dear….”
“What’s with that pitying expression?”
Well, it’s because you’re so pitiful for not knowing Won Myung-hun’s charm.
Things are different now, but even during my school days, Won Myung-hun’s influence was tremendous.
Being an A-rank Hunter alone was incredible, but with his star quality, his face appeared on television whenever you turned it on.
He was truly a universal entertainer back then.
“Movies, dramas, commercials. Plus he had good singing ability, so he even released an album.”
“He was a singer too? A Hunter?”
“You’d recognize it if you heard it, Team Leader. Songs like ‘Coward,’ ‘Fool,’ ‘Hunter Unknown,’ ‘Deserter’…lots of masterpieces. He even dominated the Japanese Unicorn charts back then.”
He was the aspiration of countless aspiring hunters and one of the few male singers welcomed at military morale performances.
When I hummed a few bars as a demonstration, Choi Team Leader pretended to recognize it.
“Ah, I think I’ve heard of it, though I’m not familiar with hunters.”
“Right? That song is still on the karaoke popularity charts. Anyway, that’s the level Myung-hun hyung is at. There’s even a saying that if a South Korean man doesn’t know Won Myung-hun, he’s either a spy or a monster.”
“Well, I’ve been living overseas for a long time, so I shouldn’t be called a monster, right?”
“Who called you a monster, Team Leader? You’re being overly sensitive.”
“Sigh.”
Choi Team Leader shook his head slowly, then suddenly expressed his doubt.
“But even considering all that, the name Won Myung-hun still feels unfamiliar to me.”
“When did you return to South Korea, Team Leader?”
“Three years ago.”
“Ah, then you might not know about that incident. It was quite a shocking event, so the media has been keeping quiet about it.”
“An incident?”
“Yes. Well, it’s been eight years already. What happened back then was….”
Just as I was about to continue, Won Myung-hun, who had stepped away briefly due to a bathroom emergency, came walking over from a distance, waving his hand.
“Team Leader. Myung-hun hyung is calling me. I’ll go now.”
“…Go ahead. We have about thirty minutes anyway, so I’ll just look at some clothes at the nearby department store.”
“Yes, yes.”
I gave a casual reply and dashed toward Won Myung-hun.
At my reaction, he let out a soft chuckle—a smile so youthful it was hard to believe he’d be turning forty in just a few months.
“What about the Team Leader?”
“He went to take care of something. More importantly, hyung, please speak comfortably.”
“Hyung? The age gap is too large for that.”
“Come on, don’t say that. In this day and age, a twelve-year difference is practically nothing.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, I’m happy to have a good younger brother like Tae-kyung.”
“…!”
My body trembled with emotion.
Unbelievable—I had just become like an older and younger brother with Won Myung-hun himself.
If Jin Ho hyung, who had even served as a manager for Won Myung-hun’s fan cafe, found out about this, he’d grab my pant leg and hang on, insisting the three of us make a sworn brotherhood pact together.
‘That’s absurd.’
A satisfied smile naturally spread across my face.
Intoxicated with happiness, I followed Won Myung-hun into a nearby upscale cafe. A young man in his early twenties, who had been reading a book at the counter, lifted his head with a mechanical service smile.
“Welcome. May I take your order….”
And then came a brief silence.
Soon, a gasp escaped the Cafe Clerk’s lips, as if the air had been knocked out of him.
‘Figures.’
This guy’s a Won Myung-hun fanatic too. I nudged Won Myung-hun standing beside me with my elbow and whispered.
“See, Myung-hun hyung? You’re still doing great.”
“Haha, it’s been a while since I’ve signed something.”
Won Myung-hun laughed awkwardly.
I felt a strange sense of pride wash over me as I straightened my chest.
“You’re Jin Tae-kyung, right?”
“…Huh?”
“That, the Outer Ring Road incident! The B-rank Gate!”
“W-well, yes, that’s right.”
“Wow. That’s insane.”
The Cafe Clerk muttered in admiration and hastily pulled out paper and a pen.
“Could you sign this for me?”
Wait, what is happening here?
‘Not Won Myung-hun… me?’
I turned my head in confusion, and Won Myung-hun’s face came into view. His eyes were dry, his expression rigid and cold.
That unfamiliar expression of his, which I’d never seen before, vanished like a mirage in the next moment, replaced by his warm voice.
“What are you doing? Go ahead and sign it.”
“Yes? Oh, okay.”
…The cafe lighting must have been too bright. I must have seen it wrong.
I grasped the pen, an odd sense of déjà vu washing over me.
“What should I write?”
The Cafe Clerk answered with an excited voice.
“Please write: ‘Hye-kyung, have a beautiful love with Jin-woo.'”
“….”
Damn it.
* * *
After the initial awkwardness faded, I sat down and spent the next twenty minutes passionately appealing to his fandom.
“As you know, there aren’t that many A-rank Hunters who use spears.”
“Right. Even those who start with spears often switch to swords later.”
Spears look easy to handle, but they’re actually quite difficult weapons.
You’d have an advantage in weapon range, but you can’t always rely on that—that’s the problem.
In low and mid-rank Gates, spears are entertaining enough, but high-rank Gates hide dangers you never anticipate.
Even I once considered switching to a one-handed sword with a shield.
“But you pushed forward with determination. You even created your own manual.”
“That was a long time ago. It’s already been… about 10 years, I think.”
“Yes. Exactly 10 years ago. I was a freshman in high school then, and you were a Ranker.”
Just as there are skill differences even among elite masters, the same applies to A-rank Hunters.
Among the roughly 100,000 Hunters in South Korea, the term “Ranker” refers to the 100 most skilled.
“I referenced that manual a lot during my Training Facility days.”
“Really? I’m not sure how much it helped.”
“Of course it helped tremendously.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Of course, that manual only worked up to the lower-tier Gates.
In the Murim, where martial arts had developed to an incomparable degree compared to reality, there was no need to even mention it.
‘But at the time, it was quite helpful.’
It’s easier to explain if you say it was created to match a novice’s level of understanding. You can’t teach a tiger’s movements to an ant, after all.
Once the stream of praise ended, Won Myung-hun tilted his lukewarm coffee cup.
“That’s all in the past.”
“But you’re still going strong as an active hunter, sir.”
“No. It’s been a long time since I lost my ranker status, and people have forgotten about me too.”
“…Hmm.”
Was it because of what happened earlier?
It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t entirely deny it. Over the past eight years, countless star hunters had emerged who could replace Won Myung-hun or surpass him, and the public had cheered toward brighter lights.
“It wasn’t until last year that I finally thought about starting again. I happened to acquire a Guild from an acquaintance who was retiring.”
“The Star Guild?”
I’d already done a quick search earlier anyway.
The Star Guild was the name Won Myung-hun changed it to when he acquired it, and its previous name was a mid-sized Guild that ranked within the top three even in Incheon.
“Yeah, a few articles came out, but that was it. Did you happen to know about it?”
“Last year… I’m sorry. I was quite busy back then.”
It wasn’t just back then—I’d been repeating the same day for the past few years. Raid Team, Gosiwon, Raid Team. When the day ended, I’d come back, sleep, eat, and go out to fight monsters again.
Even if I’d heard about it, I would have forgotten quickly. Won Myung-hun had already become a good memory to me, not my present.
“Don’t apologize.”
Won Myung-hun continued with a bitter smile.
“There are countless fleeting stars like me. My limit was simply this far.”
A fleeting star.
It might be accurate since his active period was short, but in another sense, it was also inaccurate.
‘A star, he says.’
Regardless of a few films, dramas, and advertisements he’d made, or albums he’d released, Won Myung-hun’s foundation was that of a hunter.
He’d pierced through an extremely slim probability and gained the fortune of awakening, grasping tremendous wealth and fame because of it.
Though he’d experienced an unfortunate incident….
‘Perhaps this is him returning to his original form?’
Despite my lingering discomfort, I nodded.
This wasn’t a matter of wrong thinking, but something different. I didn’t want to bring it up and make the atmosphere awkward.
“I see.”
“And then I heard about you. It was impressive. It felt like seeing my old self.”
“Me, me?”
“Yeah. I even searched for and read your interview. I was glad to hear you were my devoted fan, and grateful too. Thanks to that, I even got offers to appear on broadcasts from several places.”
“Ah.”
So my interview had been helpful to Won Myung-hun?
It was right then, as I scratched my chin with an awkward laugh.
He leaned forward.
“Tae-kyung. Would it be alright if I made you a proposal?”
“…Elder Brother?”
Won Myung-hun, gripping my hand firmly, opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Transfer to our Guild. I’ll take responsibility and make you a Star Hunter, Tae-kyung.”

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