Holy B-Class Life

#053

“Shit. Just shut up.”

Seemingly embarrassed, Yoon Pa-ran covered his face and hunched over. Glancing at his reddened ear tips, Dan Joo-hyuk let out a chuckle.

Though he was pressing the issue by asking if that’s really what Yoon Pa-ran had thought, there was something he didn’t mention: that he himself would do something like this if necessary.

So Yoon Pa-ran’s suspicion had some basis.

Should this be considered good intuition?

“…”

It was the first time Yoon Pa-ran had called him first.

When he answered the phone, for some reason, his irritation about the Russian gate issue vanished instantly. Probably because Yoon Pa-ran was unexpectedly in police custody.

The company monitoring the orphanage had contacted him belatedly. The situation seemed quite serious, so Dan Joo-hyuk sent his lawyer to Yoon Pa-ran. It was the lawyer who had advised on the contract terms in the [Blessing Contract].

Even that lawyer frowned upon hearing Yoon Pa-ran’s situation, thinking Dan Joo-hyuk had done it. Though tight-lipped, he seemed quite perceptive, perhaps because he knew the contract details.

Dan Joo-hyuk deliberately turned his gaze forward, but this time Yoon Pa-ran’s face was reflected in the rearview mirror.

His eyes stuck to the still slightly flushed skin. He had often seen photos, but Yoon Pa-ran’s casual clothes, rather than his armor, looked unfamiliar.

Seeing that, Dan Joo-hyuk’s throat kept feeling parched for some reason, so he rubbed his lips with his hand. After composing his expression somewhat, he tapped the steering wheel and fell into thought.

Even with just this incident, Yoon Pa-ran should have suspected Dan Joo-hyuk. How he had pinpointed Yoon Pa-ran’s location so quickly, how the lawyer had obtained evidence from the security company, and so on.

Even someone as oblivious as Yoon Pa-ran might find it suspicious given time.

So he should divert his attention appropriately.

“Well, I’m glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

“…”

As he carefully chose his words, he recalled the report from the monitoring company. Suddenly, his mood plummeted.

There was a force trying to approach Yoon Pa-ran. One with enough power to mobilize even high-ranking police.

For some reason, Dan Joo-hyuk found this extremely unpleasant.

Why?

“For now, I’m looking into who instigated this. I have a hunch about one place.”

Yoon Pa-ran, who had been silent out of embarrassment, suddenly raised his head. He had thought Dan Joo-hyuk would press the issue more, so he was relieved it ended early.

Moreover, he also had a hunch about who it might be.

“Ah. Is it that congressman you mentioned? The one who bought land near our orphanage. Even earlier, someone who seemed to be the police chief was muttering about not knowing who was backing me.”

“Well, yes.”

Did that congressman really do this?

‘It seems a congressman has made some land investments in that area under a borrowed name.’

Yoon Pa-ran remembered well the information Dan Joo-hyuk had dropped early in their contract. He just hadn’t assumed they would take such direct action.

Can they go this far just to buy a piece of land?

Thinking about it, as he had suspected earlier, causing a commotion in front of the orphanage might have been the goal itself. Given how reckless the police’s actions were, they might have expected Yoon Pa-ran to react violently.

“I’ll gradually take care of the pressure on the orphanage too.”

Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly said as Yoon Pa-ran was seriously continuing his thoughts.

Finding this quite unexpected, and knowing it was better to stay quiet, Yoon Pa-ran still asked:

“Why are you going so far for me?”

He regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth. The contract had started with the intention of using Dan Joo-hyuk, so he wondered if he had asked unnecessarily.

Dan Joo-hyuk tapped the steering wheel with his finger and remained silent. After a long while, his answer was as expected.

“…I’m just acting according to the contract. Because it’s cumbersome.”

“Ah, the contract. Right.”

Coming to get Yoon Pa-ran out right away this time must have been an extension of that. If he were really imprisoned, it would hinder the contract’s fulfillment.

Is finding out gate information that fun for this guy?

Still not understanding his actions, Yoon Pa-ran swallowed a sigh.

After a bit of hesitation, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and said. After all, thanks to Dan Joo-hyuk, the orphanage was gradually becoming safer.

“Still… thanks.”

“…”

Was the expression of gratitude unexpected? Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand, which had been tapping the steering wheel, suddenly stopped.

After a moment of silence, he answered with his usual smirk.

“Don’t mention it.”

After that, the car was filled with silence.

“…”

“…”

Damn. Should I not have said that?

The terrible silence continued. Glancing sideways, he saw Dan Joo-hyuk still had a faint smile, but he didn’t open his mouth.

Yoon Pa-ran was seriously considering whether it would be better for both of them if he just jumped out of the car.

Dan Joo-hyuk’s phone rang.

“…”

The name that appeared on the screen, visible to Yoon Pa-ran as well, was connected to the car.

[Heo Sang-yeon]

“Oh…”

Seeing that, Yoon Pa-ran inadvertently let out an exclamation.

It could be someone with the same name, but if it was a ‘Heo Sang-yeon’ likely to call Dan Joo-hyuk, it could only be that S-rank hunter.

“What? Do you know them?”

Dan Joo-hyuk immediately questioned Yoon Pa-ran’s reaction. His attitude seemed somewhat sharp, which was puzzling.

Are they dating or something? He thought he might have seen such rumors somewhere.

No, that can’t be right. If so, he shouldn’t be making this kind of contract with me, right?

The thought that suddenly occurred made Yoon Pa-ran feel very uneasy. Naturally, his voice became sullen as he spoke.

“Huh? Yeah, I know of them. They’re S-rank, after all.”

“So? Do you know them personally?”

“No. Well, I’ve been to a few gates with them…”

“…”

Dan Joo-hyuk fell into deep silence, his thoughts unclear.

Meanwhile, the phone kept ringing persistently without disconnecting. Yoon Pa-ran naturally assumed he would answer it later when he was alone.

Dan Joo-hyuk moved his hand and connected the call.

“What is it?”

―Oh, what’s this? You’re answering the phone right away.

“What’s your business?”

A quite friendly voice echoed in the car. Listening to their conversation, Yoon Pa-ran once again seriously considered the option of jumping out of the car.

Why is he answering now? Aren’t they discussing something important?

―Well, um… I’ve heard some recent news about Hunter Dan.

“Yes.”

The following conversation seemed to be just a casual check-in call. However, Yoon Pa-ran still couldn’t shake the feeling that he shouldn’t be here.

If they hit a red light, it might be better to just get out of the car. As Yoon Pa-ran was awkwardly rolling his eyes, having made this judgment, Heo Sang-yeon threw out a very significant statement.

―I heard you found something strange inside a gate?

“…”

Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously turned to look at Dan Joo-hyuk.

Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been looking forward, slowly turned to face Yoon Pa-ran as well.

―I think I’ve found something similar. I wanted to talk about it.

At Heo Sang-yeon’s following words, Dan Joo-hyuk’s eyes narrowed. Yoon Pa-ran also looked at Heo Sang-yeon’s name on the screen with a serious expression.

Is he talking about the corpse they found recently? Or about the strange stone fragments that scattered like powder?

Either way, the fact that another unusual incident had occurred weighed heavily on them.

Anyway, Yoon Pa-ran thought he could predict Dan Joo-hyuk’s answer. He’ll probably rush off excitedly again, no doubt.

“What guarantee is there that it’s real?”

―Huh? You’re coming at me like this? You don’t have any evidence for what you’re claiming either, do you?

However, unexpectedly, Dan Joo-hyuk dismissed Heo Sang-yeon’s words with a snort.

This guy who usually pounces on information like a mad dog, why is he acting like this?

“There’s no way we don’t have evidence.”

―Is that so…?

Yoon Pa-ran observed Dan Joo-hyuk’s profile curiously, but nothing seemed different from usual. His handsome face was full of composure.

Heo Sang-yeon, who seemed to be considering with a drawn-out tone, suddenly shouted:

―Ah, I can’t do sneaky stuff like you! Listen. Just a little while ago, some weird stone fragments came out of a gate, and then the boss monster went berserk. Let’s share information openly, okay?

“I’ll think about it.”

―Hey! Hunter Dan! Don’t hang up, don’t…!

“…”

Despite the plea not to hang up, Dan Joo-hyuk ended the call without hesitation. They seemed close, is it okay to hang up like that?

No, more than that, there were many puzzling things. It was quite strange that Dan Joo-hyuk was passing up an opportunity to gain new information.

Besides, don’t we not have evidence either?

“Do you have evidence?”

Though it didn’t seem like something he should interfere with, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t overcome his curiosity and asked.

Well, come to think of it, he was there when the stone fragments were discovered. Doesn’t he have the right to know this much?

“We don’t have evidence, but we have a witness.”

There were only two people inside the gate: Dan Joo-hyuk and himself.

So there shouldn’t be any witnesses, Yoon Pa-ran thought, when he came to an unsettling realization.

“Am I that witness?”

“Yes. How did you guess?”

“Shut up.”

It wasn’t good that these anomalous gates kept increasing. Yoon Pa-ran chided Dan Joo-hyuk for acting lightly even in such a serious situation.

The car had been heading somewhere without hesitation for a while now. Just as Yoon Pa-ran felt inclined to ask about their destination, Dan Joo-hyuk spoke:

“So, want to go together?”