S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 11

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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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Episode 11. Runaway Kim Yeoul (3)
The 24-Hour Meat Restaurant was quiet.
Chae Mujin was heading toward the open central seating when he caught sight of a sign and quickly changed direction.
―Beware of people who buy you beef. There is no beef without a price. A pure heart will only stretch as far as pork.
He settled into a corner table and ordered the most expensive assorted beef platter through the table ordering system.
“Wait, 850,000 won?!”
Kim Yeoul flinched at the price.
She’d eaten meat before, but a cut for two that cost 850,000 won might as well have been a unicorn out of a fairy tale.
“Do you drink, Ms. Yeoul?”
“Alcohol… I hate it.”
Growing up under a father who turned to violence whenever he drank, the very sight of alcohol made her stomach churn.
“I only drink on special occasions, and today happens to be one of them.”
When he ordered soju, a service robot arrived with the bottle, glasses, and a few side dishes.
…….
With the side dishes piled high, her stomach gurgled again.
But when she finally picked up her chopsticks, they wavered uncertainly.
Raw liver, tripe, onion and sweet bean paste, red pepper and doenjang.
They were all things she couldn’t eat.
Glug-glug-glug.
Chae Mujin filled his glass to the brim and downed it in one go, letting out a satisfied “Ahhh.”
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve had this.”
He grabbed a handful of tripe, coated it generously in sesame oil sauce, and chewed.
Crunch-crunch.
The sound of chewing was so appetizing that Kim Yeoul swallowed hard.
With her childish palate, she carefully picked up a piece of tripe, only to recoil at the strange texture.
Just then, Chae Mujin poured more soju and spoke.
“It’s unsettling, isn’t it? You feel like it’s going to taste weird.”
“Yes…….”
“If you really can’t eat it, just spit it out. Give it a try.”
“Won’t spitting it out be messy?”
“It’s better than choking down food you don’t want to eat.”
Emboldened by his words—that she could try and simply spit it out if she disliked it—Kim Yeoul put the tripe in her mouth.
The fragrant sesame oil and salty taste hit first. It was nothing like what she’d imagined.
The texture was certainly strange—soft yet chewy at once, and she crunched through it.
There was a faint earthy taste, but the pleasant flavors of sesame oil and salt dominated, and as her palate adjusted to the crispy texture, it became enjoyable.
Gulp.
Having eaten tripe for the first time, Kim Yeoul saw Chae Mujin watching her with a smile.
Embarrassed, she lowered her head sharply.
“So, how is it?”
“…It’s not bad.”
“Life isn’t much different, you know. The only thing that makes it scary and difficult is that it’s new. Most things aren’t a big deal at all.”
…….
His words struck something deep within Kim Yeoul’s chest.
She wished she could say the same thing to her past self—the foolish girl who endured under her violent father because society terrified her.
‘If only I’d run away back then… would Father and my sister have been all right?’
But everything had gone wrong. Because of a fear that was nothing. She’d become a parricide, a villain who abused her power to commit crimes.
Sizzzzzzle…….
At some point the meat had arrived, and now the beef was sizzling beautifully on the hot plate.
She looked up to find Chae Mujin quietly grilling the meat.
“Have you tried beef tongue? It’s a cow’s tongue, and it’s really delicious.”
“I’ll try it.”
She’d already eaten a cow’s stomach—what did a tongue matter? Besides, the perfectly cooked beef tongue gleamed with a luster unlike any other meat.
Gulp—Kim Yeoul swallowed a large piece whole and gasped in surprise.
Could softness and chewiness coexist like this? The savory, delicate flavor enveloped her entire mouth, and the distinctive umami was unmatched by any other food.
Tears sprang to her eyes. So there really was such delicious food in the world. And there really was someone who would buy it for her.
‘If I can’t trust someone like this, who could I possibly trust?’
Kim Yeoul, who had built walls against the world and struggled alone, carefully looked directly into Chae Mujin’s face for the first time.
She’d never looked anyone in the eye before. It frightened her, but there had been no reason to look twice anyway.
The face she saw now was radiant. Even as he drank, it was nothing like her father’s.
His eyes shone with clarity, and his happy smile was so natural it brought an answering smile to her own face.
When Kim Yeoul didn’t reach for more meat, Chae Mujin put a few pieces on her plate.
“Eat freely. I’m paying for all of it anyway.”
“Manager. You said earlier that you only drink on special occasions.”
“That’s right.”
“What kind of day is it? Could you tell me?”
Chae Mujin drained his second glass and answered.
“Days when my mood is very bad. I don’t drink to get drunk—it’s more of a ritual. I wash away bad memories along with the alcohol, something like that.”
“Is it because of me that your mood is bad…….”
“Absolutely not.”
Chae Mujin had just put an end to his long-standing feud with Kim Jiwu with that single glass.
He’d stripped away his unique nature and Skills, reducing him to an ordinary person, and watched him hauled away to a psychiatric ward.
It was a thorough revenge, both physical and psychological.
“Manager, could you pour me a glass too?”
“If it’s your first time drinking, try beer first.”
Chae Mujin fetched a beer himself and poured it into Kim Yeoul’s glass.
The refreshing foam rose cool and inviting. Most people loved that crisp sensation, but Kim Yeoul felt only disgust.
Because her father came to mind. The bitter, painful memories it stirred up made alcohol unbearable.
“I’m going to drink like you do—only on special occasions.”
“What’s your special occasion?”
“That’s… a secret.”
She downed the beer in one breath. As expected, her mood darkened—both the sharp sting running down her throat and the faint aroma spreading through her mouth were unpleasant.
But because of that, it would be easy to remember the special day.
‘I’ll only drink on days when I’m in a very good mood.’
Thunk!
After downing half a glass of beer, Kim Yeoul dropped her forehead onto the table. Chae Mujin’s expression turned uncertain.
“You didn’t get drunk from half a glass of beer, did you?”
He nudged her gently, but Kim Yeoul didn’t stir.
Yet there was nothing dangerous about the situation.
“Whether she was already tired or just has an incredibly low alcohol tolerance…”
Seeing how peacefully she slept, there seemed to be no need to force her awake.
“I’ll have my last drink and get up.”
Just as he was about to stand after finishing his final glass.
“Leaving meat uneaten like this—what a waste.”
An elderly man with white hair and a bent back had somehow taken the seat beside Kim Yeoul.
* * *
Chae Mujin naturally knew who Cheon Mujong was—the chairman of the Hunter Association.
He was the father of Cheon Ihwa, which made him Chae Mujin’s former father-in-law.
There was reason enough for him to come find him. After all, he’d scored a perfect 10 on the first test with the Buff he’d displayed.
‘I expected him to come. I just didn’t think it would be like this.’
Yet the old man’s arrival didn’t seem hasty.
Being his former son-in-law, Chae Mujin knew him well.
Cheon Mujong had come on impulse, driven by curiosity about him alone.
Still, he couldn’t afford to be careless.
‘That gentle exterior hides a thousand snakes.’
Though not S-rank, he was the A-rank Hunter closest to S-rank in the entire Republic of Korea.
His strength was fearsome, but what was truly terrifying was his political power.
Even the President spoke formally to him and sought his counsel.
And that absolute power was only made more dangerous by how weak and kind he appeared—all of it a trap.
‘In my past life, I walked straight into that trap.’
Like being forced into marriage with Cheon Ihwa.
‘Not this time, old man.’
The moment Cheon Mujong saw that Chae Mujin didn’t avoid his gaze, he was certain. This one was something special.
‘Not a ripple in his composure before me. That kind of presence of mind in young people these days is unheard of.’
A supporter with an estimated S-rank or higher Buff Skill, and bold enough to reject his daughter Cheon Ihwa’s party invitation.
He was nothing like what the old man had expected—neither foolish nor arrogant.
‘A shame. If he weren’t a supporter, I’d have trained him myself.’
Having an S-rank Skill was fine, but ultimately it meant only one Skill’s performance was superior.
If the job itself was garbage, it was like hanging pearls on a pig’s neck.
‘Still, I’m reluctant to give him to anyone else.’
Both Chae Mujin and Cheon Mujong found words on their tongues and spoke almost simultaneously.
“I think it would be best if we met later.”
“How about becoming a Hunter directly under the Association?”
Both skipped the preamble and jumped straight to the main point, though their meaning was clear.
“There are many eyes watching, so there is much I would like to discuss. Would you come see me after the test is over?”
“Hehehe, asking a cane-leaning old man to come to you? Bold little fellow.”
“It makes no difference. Besides, I’m making time to meet you anyway.”
“Crehehehe!”
How many people in the world could tell the Hunter Association chairman, “I’ll meet you”?
Even the President had to make an appointment to see the chairman.
“Are you aware whether that’s confidence or arrogance?”
“It depends on how you see me, Chairman.”
“What if I see it as arrogance?”
“From the moment I decided to live as a Hunter, I made peace with death.”
“Ha, haha!”
Cheon Mujong straightened his spine. Just that movement—straightening his posture—made his presence so intense it would have been felt kilometers away.
Some call this the Fighting Spirit, or the Overwhelming Spirit.
The presence of a strong one that can stop the heart of the weak merely by being perceived.
Chae Mujin, not even level 10, should have collapsed right then and there…….
Trickle.
Blood tears ran down his cheeks, yet he did not look away.
Cheon Mujong saw those clear, unwavering eyes that met his own directly.
Chae Mujin was not a liar, nor was he bluffing.
He showed the dignity of one who had truly made peace with death, and he did not grovel before it.
Though he was a junior by a vast gulf, he had every right to face the old man with confidence.
“How I wish I’d had a son like you.”
The moment Cheon Mujong sat down, his aura dissipated like mist.
Even as tears of blood ran from his eyes, Chae Mujin extended his glass.
“Even so, you’re a guest. Let me offer you a drink before you go.”
“My daughter would have my head if she found out. I’ll take your heart instead.”
As mysteriously as he’d arrived, Cheon Mujong vanished in the blink of an eye.
But he didn’t leave empty-handed. A small round pill sat on the table, placed there at some point.
“Generous as always.”
The moment Chae Mujin picked up the pill with his hand, a system window materialized before his eyes.
「Item―Bijeongmuddan」
•A Spirit Pill that permanently raises your Stats upon consumption.
[Permanent Effect]
Strength +3 Stamina +3
Agility +9 Magic +9
[Temporary Effect]
Strength +9 Stamina +9
Agility +27 Magic +27
A Spirit Pill—something difficult to obtain even with money—left behind. If forced to assign value, it would be worth as much as an apartment in Gangnam.
Compensation for the tears of blood he’d made flow from my eyes, and simultaneously a gesture of affection—proof that I had caught his interest.
‘At the same time, he’s showing off. Demonstrating just how generous he can be.’
I didn’t consume the Spirit Pill, instead carefully storing it in my Inventory.
My Stats weren’t urgent, and a Spirit Pill had many uses. Keeping it on hand gave me peace of mind.
‘The chairman will know I didn’t consume it, but he won’t complain as long as I don’t sell it for money.’
Cheon Mujong was a schemer with a thousand snakes in his heart, but he was also the wealthiest magnate in the entire Republic of Korea.
If I maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far, we could help each other in the future.
* * *
The next day, day two of the Certified Hunter Test.
“Ms. Yeoul, over here.”
Kim Yeoul, whom they met at the Bean Sprout Soup Rice Restaurant, looked noticeably haggard.
“This is the first time I’ve met someone with a hangover from half a glass of beer.”
“I guess I’m just weak with alcohol…….”
“Even people with bad livers wouldn’t be this bad.”
While eating breakfast-lunch, they heard a familiar name on the TV.
―During the Certified Hunter Test held yesterday, two individuals suspected of being Dungeon Psychos appeared, causing a disturbance. The suspected individuals were Kim Jiwu, age 24, and Do Bokchul, age 27. Thanks to swift action, aside from approximately one million won in property damage, there were no injuries reported…….
―…The test supervisor stated that there were no issues with the test itself, and reassured applicants that the two individuals have been admitted to Hunter Psychiatric Hospital.
“Manager, Jiwu is… going to be all right, isn’t he?”
“Don’t get too attached to someone you’ve only met for half a day. You won’t survive long in this business that way.”
“Is that so……?”
“Colleagues die in front of your eyes daily. Surviving without getting killed is already a blessing.”
“Manager, how do you know all that? Could it be your age……?”
“I’m twenty-six. It’s not that I’ve experienced it myself—just heard stories.”
After finishing their meal, as they walked together, Kim Yeoul finally gathered her courage and spoke first.
“About my secret the other day…”
“Shh. We don’t talk about something that important on the street.”
“Then, where do we talk about it?”
“Follow me.”
Kim Yeoul was tense. Where could they possibly be going?
It had to be somewhere private and secluded, where no one could eavesdrop.
“Important conversations like that are meant to happen here.”
The place they arrived at was an Ice Cream Specialty Shop.
“Ah…….”
Ice cream stirred in Kim Yeoul memories both bitter and painful.
But unaware of this, Chae Mujin spoke easily.
“You don’t like ice cream? I do.”
“…I like it too.”
She did like it, but memories of her mother abandoning her would surge up, and then tears would reflexively follow.
But with Chae Mujin at her side, she thought those memories might not surface. So Kim Yeoul took a deep breath and stepped into the ice cream shop.

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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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