The Regressed SSS-Rank Supporter Who Turned Dark - Chapter 57

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

#Episode 57
“You’re not interested in working for me?”
“No.”
“But I’m not even a Hunter?”
“I don’t need a Hunter for this.”
“Then what do you need?”
“For now, something like a personal manager?”
People might find it strange—a Hunter talking about needing a manager—but that’s only because they don’t understand the full picture.
In the early days, Hunters were little more than pure warriors or soldiers.
Back then, the very concept of what a Hunter was hadn’t been properly defined, so they focused solely on fighting monsters.
But things were different now.
Modern Hunters were no longer merely fighters against monsters.
As a kind of freelancer, they simultaneously played diverse roles—celebrities, athletes, mercenaries, entrepreneurs, and more.
Just look at how Clans made up of Hunters had become corporations.
Much like how lawyers establish law firms.
Within this trend, Hunters needed managers to handle the various administrative tasks their activities required.
Even Wi Tae-woong, the Master of the Abyss Clan, had hired two female Hunters as secretaries to handle most of his administrative work.
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
Kim Doo-hyun nodded, understanding my point.
“What do you think?”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t feel pressured. I’m making this offer because I’ve always thought highly of you.”
When we first met.
Kim Doo-hyun had suffered a fatal wound—about a third of his neck severed below the jaw.
Yet despite that, he’d let himself be dragged along while gritting his teeth and pulling the trigger at the monsters.
I liked that fighting spirit.
That flame that refused to die even in the shadow of death.
“Pressured? Not at all. I’m grateful. But….”
“Speak freely.”
“The salary….”
“I’ll give you 100 million won.”
“That’s more than enough… Wait?!”
Kim Doo-hyun’s eyes went wide mid-sentence.
“100 million… won?!”
“Too little? Well, after taxes it should be around 150 million so you can actually live on it.”
“Sir.”
“Yeah?”
“I swear my loyalty to you from now on. How can I… should I build a shrine for you?”
“Enough of that. Come inside and have a meal before you go.”
“Me… really?!”
“Why, are you busy?”
“That’s not it….”
Kim Doo-hyun’s face flushed with embarrassment.
His ears had turned bright red, which meant he was clearly ashamed of something….
Kim Doo-hyun averted his gaze and spoke in a hushed voice.
“These are work clothes I wear on the job, so they’re dirty. They smell too.”
Ah, so that was the reason.
“What does that matter.”
“I’m not such a rude person. No matter what, I shouldn’t set foot in a place like this dressed like this….”
“Enough. Come in. Just shower and change clothes. I’ll give you some of mine.”
“Wh, hyung?”
“No one in our house cares about things like clothing.”
It wasn’t an empty statement.
Father always came home a complete mess due to the nature of his work, and Mother, being a former athlete, didn’t mind things like sweat odor.
Eun-ha, having grown up watching such parents, was also quite unbothered about these things.
As for me, a Hunter…there’s no need to say more.
Rolling around in places where blood and flesh scatter and corpses litter the ground is my daily routine.
“Oh my, what brings Kim Doo-hyun here.”
Mother emerged from the kitchen at just the right moment and recognized Kim Doo-hyun with delight.
Kim Doo-hyun had worked as an armed security guard at the Apartment where our family lived, and since he’d also lived in the same Refugee Camp, it was no wonder Mother recognized him.
“Mother, hello. Please allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Kim Doo-hyun.”
Kim Doo-hyun bowed ninety degrees toward Mother.
“I’ve agreed to work with him starting today.”
“Work?”
“As his manager. Hunters have managers these days, you know.”
“Ah.”
Mother nodded as if she understood, then quickly grasped Kim Doo-hyun’s hand.
“Kim Doo-hyun, please take good care of our Eun-seong from now on.”
“No, that’s not it. As his manager, I should be the one serving him well.”
Mother, being naturally sociable, conversed easily with Kim Doo-hyun.
“Kim Doo-hyun, you’ll stay for dinner, right?”
“Don’t even mention it. Of course we should treat you well.”
A gentle smile bloomed on Mother’s lips.
* * *
Under Mother’s direction, we ate and drank our fill from a table laden with so much food it nearly collapsed, sharing various stories.
“Try this too. I bought LA short ribs and marinated them myself. I hope they suit your taste.”
Mother placed a perfectly grilled piece of meat on Ra Si-hyun’s rice.
“Th, thank…you.”
Ra Si-hyun was hesitant at first, but quickly adapted to Mother’s continued kindness and consideration.
“Mother, this is so delicious.”
“Is that so? Hehe! How wonderful!”
Kim Doo-hyun had such an easygoing nature that he blended seamlessly into the dinner conversation.
Thanks to him, the evening meal concluded without any awkwardness or discord.
After dinner, we sipped tea and coffee, enjoyed fresh fruit, and shared pleasant conversation—a joyful and happy time.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Can I really afford to be this indulgent?’
Before the regression, this would have been unimaginable.
An age of loss.
Countless people had lost their families and their livelihoods.
In such a world, spending time in this warm, harmonious way was far from easy.
What everyone once took for granted before the Transition had become a luxury.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom for a moment.”
Ra Si-hyun suddenly fled as if escaping somewhere.
“….”
My family and Kim Doo-hyun were momentarily at a loss for words at her reaction.
“Sigh. What can you do? She must be carrying such emotional burden. At such a sensitive age….”
“That’s true.”
Father nodded at Mother’s words.
“Should I go and comfort her?”
“Leave her be for now.”
“But….”
“Sometimes people need time alone. You can comfort her later.”
Mother spoke quietly to Eun-ha.
I agreed with Mother’s thinking, so I didn’t worry about it.
About ten minutes passed.
“I apologize.”
Ra Si-hyun returned and bowed apologetically.
“Don’t apologize for that. These things happen. Come sit here. Have some more fruit.”
“Thank you….”
“By the way, how does our young lady keep her hair in such beautiful condition? Which salon do you go to?”
“Oh, actually….”
Thanks to Mother’s natural change of subject, Ra Si-hyun quickly melted into the conversation as if she’d never shed a tear.
That night.
Kim Doo-hyun returned home, and Ra Si-hyun stayed at our place.
It was Mother’s decision, so I didn’t object.
Besides, the luxury Penthouse had plenty of empty rooms.
Before going to bed.
I headed to the rooftop garden to clear my thoughts and breathe in the night air.
Since it was a garden only residents of our Penthouse could use, it would be perfect for organizing my thoughts while viewing the night scenery in peace… wait?
Someone was sitting on the railing.
A faint wisp of cigarette smoke pricked my nostrils.
Blonde hair scattered by the night breeze.
It was Ra Si-hyun.
“Oh.”
Ra Si-hyun spotted me and hastily hid the cigarette behind her back.
“Ah, you haven’t gone to sleep yet.”
“As you can see.”
“I just can’t fall asleep.”
Of course she couldn’t sleep.
Having become a Hunter not long ago and already endured a major incident like the Jebu Island crisis, she’d lose sleep for several nights.
But that horrific experience would soon become excellent foundation and a precious asset, helping her tremendously in her work as a Hunter.
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Doesn’t it bother you at all?”
“Well, I just came out for some fresh air.”
….
Ra Si-hyun looked at me with a gaze as if observing something inexplicable.
But there was no disbelief in her expression.
Probably because she’d seen me catching brief naps on Jebu Island.
“Why were you crying earlier? Ah, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I won’t ask anymore.”
“It was… unfamiliar to me.”
….
“An adult placing side dishes on my rice… it was my first time.”
Ra Si-hyun’s voice trembled at the end.
I understood what she meant well enough, so I didn’t ask further.
I had no interest anyway.
I wasn’t curious.
Whatever her upbringing had been, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was only how she lived going forward and how she treated me.
“Were you happy?”
“…Yes.”
“Then that’s enough.”
I moved to leave.
“Oh, and….”
“Yes?”
“Quit smoking. It smells.”
“…Yes.”
Ra Si-hyun answered in a meek voice, her head bowed low.
* * *
Just before sleep.
Ding!
The HunterLink messenger chimed with a notification.
[Direct message received.]
It was a message to my main account, not my Supernova account.
[BloodyMary] What are you doing.
[BloodyMary] You awake?
“…Can’t even wait that long?”
Ugh.
I was exasperated by Choi Yu-ra’s impatient nature.
It had only been twelve hours since escaping Jebu Island, and she was already pestering me.
‘Not yet.’
I decided not to read it or reply.
It wasn’t intentional cruelty.
Simply, if I told her now, I feared her impatient temperament would override her judgment and she’d do something reckless.
‘Just rest for a few days. Regroup and recover.’
Choi Yu-ra needed time.
So did I.
To proceed with my next move, I needed at least several days.
‘I can’t imagine how she’ll react.’
The face of the culprit she was so desperately searching for surfaced in my mind.
I know.
I know the true killer of her first love, her ex-boyfriend.
Of course, if I traced the food chain to its very apex, the Incheon Alliance and Godfather would emerge, but the one who directly killed him was someone else.
‘Can she bear it? That devastating betrayal?’
Probably not.
She’d go mad.
Because the culprit wasn’t far away at all.
…Right beside Choi Yu-ra.

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