Chapter 67 – Maintenance (2)

The daily routine was the same as always.

It started with interval running at dawn, followed by sparring sessions that felt like real combat, and then the scheduled weight training.

He’d eat a delicious, filling meal, and occasionally joke around with his friend, Kim Tae-yang, who was the same age.

In the early days, the training ground only had Kim Tae-yang and Kim In-ho, but things were a bit different now.

“Sparring…? I’d rather not. Why should I spar with you…? Hey, Kim Tae-yang, Kim In-ho! Stop this guy…! W-Wait a minute.”

Seo Hyun-ji’s flustered voice echoed through the training ground.

Seo Hyun-ji’s haughty face turned pale as she was dragged away.

Seo Hyun-ji had announced she was taking a break from the entertainment industry for a while.

Perhaps that’s why she’d been showing up at the guild training ground every day, unlike before.

“Hey, hey, you think Hyun-ji is interested in the Team Leader?”

“You think so?”

Kim In-ho thought there was some truth to Kim Tae-yang’s words.

The Team Leader might not know, but she was so popular that her commercials would pop up the moment you turned on the TV.

In fact, the income she earned from commercials alone was likely far better than what she made as a Hunter.

Despite that, Seo Hyun-ji was on a hiatus from all entertainment activities, aside from the commercials she had previously signed on for.

Thanks to that, all sorts of speculative articles were running rampant: Seo Hyun-ji pregnant, Seo Hyun-ji injured, Seo Hyun-ji suffering from panic disorder, and so on.

“I-Igni! Burn it all away!”

“Hahaha. Burn it? Our. Pre. Cious. Training ground!”

“You must be crazy! How on earth are you putting out a fire with your bare hands?!”

On the ring, Seo Hyun-ji’s bewildered voice continued.

Watching the scene, Kim In-ho gave a wry smile.

Anyway, the Team Leader was a monster.

To think that such a person was treated as a failure until just recently, unable to even Awaken.

It was hard to imagine.

‘Somehow, Hyun-ji looks like she’s having fun, too.’

Even to Kim In-ho’s eyes, he could see a wealth of emotions on Seo Hyun-ji’s face.

At first, she barely smiled and was just haughty.

“Nngh… Hnngh…!”

In a corner of the private training ground, the newest member of their family, Lee Seo-yeon, was doing sit-ups.

He had been worried when he heard someone so young was joining the Hunter team.

But his worries proved baseless; Seo-yeon’s abilities were outstanding.

He had felt it when they first went to a high-level dungeon together, but the buffs Lee Seo-yeon cast on them were something special.

If you normally ran 100 meters in 10 seconds, with her buff, it felt like you could do it in 5.

Of course, that wasn’t actually the case.

But that’s how much of a difference Lee Seo-yeon’s presence made.

“Heeuk…!”

Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes were starting to glaze over.

The Team Leader was holding her delivery coupon book hostage again. Her expression was sour as she was forced to train.

“That jerk…”

Katrinne made a sorrowful face as she thought of her delivery coupon book, held captive by the Team Leader.

‘She probably knows the Team Leader is doing this for her own good.’

Kim In-ho smiled as he heard Lee Seo-yeon’s resentment.

Suddenly, Lee Seo-yeon stopped exercising and pulled something out of her bag.

“Jerk, a real jerk.”

She took out some kind of muscular doll and started pinching and hitting it.

‘It can’t be, right…?’

Kim In-ho looked around, worried about what would happen if the Team Leader saw it.

And then he spotted the Team Leader observing Lee Seo-yeon with an expression full of sadistic tendencies.

Lunchtime arrived.

Just as he expected.

Seo-yeon was the only one eating rice mixed with soy sauce, on the verge of tears.

***

It was definitely a day like any other. But he kept feeling a gaze on him.

Kim In-ho glanced back.

He saw Team Leader Lee Hyunbin, humming as he wiped down a barbell.

It was strange.

He had definitely felt someone watching him.

Kim In-ho pretended to choose a dumbbell for his training, running his hand over it.

And in the glass-like reflection of the dumbbell’s polished coating, he checked behind him.

“…!”

In that moment, Kim In-ho felt his breath catch.

The Team Leader, who had been humming and cleaning, was staring right at him.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

He retraced his steps from the day in his mind, but couldn’t think of anything that could have been a problem.

Just in case, he snuck another look in the reflection.

Team Leader Lee Hyunbin was still watching him with the eyes of a hawk.

He felt his heart pounding.

After that, Team Leader Lee Hyunbin’s surveillance continued.

Even when he was showering after training.

Even when he was leaving the guild lobby after finishing his duties.

He constantly felt Team Leader Lee Hyunbin’s gaze on his back.

‘What did I do wrong? Should I just admit I did something? Don’t tell me he found out I liked that comment badmouthing him last night?’

Kim In-ho felt his mental state crumbling. The only saving grace was that it was time to go home.

There would be no more surveillance for today.

“In-ho. Wanna grab a drink later?”

“Can’t.”

“What’s with you? You’re always busy.”

Kim Tae-yang said, disappointed.

Not today. He had something he needed to get home for.

Kim In-ho parted ways with Kim Tae-yang and boarded a bus home.

“…?”

Kim In-ho felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

‘No way…’

When Kim In-ho turned around, there was a suspicious-looking teddy bear.

Kim In-ho swallowed hard without realizing it.

“…”

It was Lee Hyunbin.

What’s the point of covering his face?

Those broad shoulders and solid forearms. That body, radiating an aura, was like Team Leader Lee Hyunbin’s calling card.

‘Why? Why is he doing this?’

Kim In-ho trembled, unable to speak.

Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Kim In-ho considered jumping out the bus window.

He carefully tried, pretending to get some air. But the bus window only opened a crack.

Kim In-ho gulped.

Someone pressed the stop button.

He could see the rear door of the bus opening.

One, two, three.

Now!

Just as the bus doors were about to close, Kim In-ho leaped out.

Watching the bus, now carrying only Lee Hyunbin, pull away from the stop, Kim In-ho heaved a sigh of relief.

‘I’m alive.’

Just then, the bus suddenly stopped.

Kwang!

The rear door of the bus shattered as if in an explosion and went rolling across the ground.

Thud, thud.

And a man in a teddy bear costume got off the bus.

It was Team Leader Lee Hyunbin.

Without realizing it, Kim In-ho turned and started walking quickly.

Thud, thud.

Tatatatak!

Before he knew it, Kim In-ho had broken into a run.

He had no idea what Team Leader Lee Hyunbin would say to him tomorrow.

But fear freezes reason.

“Aah!”

“What the—!”

People stopped in their tracks or backed away in surprise, seeing Kim In-ho sprinting like he was running the 100-meter dash.

He had been doing interval runs every day. He was confident in his running.

‘I should be fine now, right?’

Kim In-ho slowed his pace slightly, panting as he looked back.

And his pupils dilated.

The teddy bear was chasing him from behind like a madman.

Seeing this, people must have felt threatened, as they fled into buildings or shot tranquilizer darts at it.

‘I have to get away.’

Kim In-ho ran again.

If I get caught, I’m dead.

He had a strong feeling that was the case.

The race began at the market entrance.

The sudden chase between a man and a bear made people mistake it for a movie or drama shoot.

He leaped over fruit boxes, used a pushcart as an obstacle, and jumped over walls.

Despite the continuous race, Kim In-ho maintained the upper hand.

Have you ever worked a part-time job in a teddy bear costume?

Your movement is restricted, and sweat pours down like rain even if you’re just standing still. Above all, the furry suit, soaked in the sweat of many people, gives off a powerful smell.

He wouldn’t be able to keep up for long.

Not even Lee Hyunbin.

‘Team Leader. I have grown stronger because of you.’

Kim In-ho had diligently followed all the training Lee Hyunbin had ordered.

Now, he was like a track and field athlete—no, even better.

“Hah, hah, hah…!”

Team Leader Lee Hyunbin was nowhere to be seen.

Kim In-ho wiped away his sweat. Thank goodness. He didn’t know what was going on, but it had seemed dangerous.

The teddy bear’s bulging eyes conveyed terror rather than cuteness.

The cold wind quickly cooled his sweat.

Kim In-ho looked around several times before cautiously entering his destination.

Thankfully, it seemed Team Leader Lee Hyunbin had really lost him.

“Phew.”

Kim In-ho let out a quiet sigh and entered the hospital room.

The place he had come to was where patients suffering from Mana Stone Disease were.

“Has my In-woo been doing well?”

Kim In-ho smiled brightly at the child lying in the hospital bed.

“Daddy. Daddyyy!”

The child was the apple of his eye.

Kim In-ho hugged his son, Kim In-woo.

“Yes, yes, my In-woo. I’m sorry Daddy’s late. You must have been so scared, right?”

“It’s okay, Daddy.”

He was proud of and sorry for his son, who said such things despite his young age.

“Daddy.”

“What is it, my In-woo?”

“Teddy bear.”

“Teddy bear?”

Teddy bear, all of a sudden?

Before he could even process the word, Kim In-ho turned around.

There stood the teddy bear, emitting a red steam.

***

Hmph.

How dare he try to shake me off?

Our In-ho has really grown up. Impressive.

But not a chance.

I activated the camouflage function of my Justice Armor.

It was a feature that hadn’t been activated before, but it works properly now.

Soon, I blended in with my surroundings. Kim In-ho looked around repeatedly, unaware that I was nearby.

Suspicious.

Something’s up.

As a team leader, I have a duty to check if my team members are facing any difficulties.

In-ho entered a hospital.

I have a general idea of what this hospital is for.

It’s a place connected to the Hunter Bureau, where people suffering from Mana Stone Disease are hospitalized.

“Team Leader, why on earth…”

“Why else?”

I was worried something was wrong, so I came.

“Teddy bear. Teddy bear!”

The little kid beams at me, babbling.

The flustered look on Kim In-ho’s face.

Does he really think I’d harm a child?

Even I wouldn’t mess with a kid.

The kid was quite friendly.

He clung to me as I sat, chanting ‘teddy bear’.

So I gave the kid hanging from my arm a ride.

In-ho and Tae-yang are both twenty-one. The kid looks about five, so there’s no way he had him in middle school.

He must have been incredibly bored being in the hospital room alone.

“Teddy bear wrestling! Wrestling!”

“You cheeky brat. Hyaaaaaa!”

“Whoaaaa, Daddy, Daddy! Ahahahaha.”

I’ll put you to sleep.

Like you’ve taken a sleeping pill.

I wonder how long we played.

Thanks to all the fun, the kid was knocked out cold and went limp.

After laying the child on the bed, Kim In-ho explained the situation with a wry smile.

“He’s not actually my child.”

I figured as much. The ages didn’t add up.

The child was his older sister’s son. A Gate had suddenly appeared, and his sister and the child, unable to evacuate in time, were infected by a virus.

When one Awakens, a mana stone is formed. By using one’s powers, this mana stone is depleted.

But what happens if an ordinary person—someone who can’t use abilities—forms a mana stone?

They can’t deplete the mana stone. This leads to various complications and a decline in bodily functions.

No, they slowly die.

In-ho wasn’t a big spender. But there was a reason he lived so frugally.

His brother-in-law died early, and his sister and nephew were receiving treatment for Mana Stone Disease.

And not long after, his sister passed away.

She felt terribly sorry towards her younger brother, but she tearfully pleaded with him to take care of her child.

There is still no cure for Mana Stone Disease.

They are working hard to develop one, but it’s only been a little over ten years since the Gate crisis began.

An enormous amount of money is required for pain relief and treatment of the disease.

I once asked the two Kims before I brought them into the Knight Order.

Why they became Hunters.

In-ho had said it back then. It was embarrassing, but he needed the money.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

He was struggling desperately to protect his family. For his nephew.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s a personal matter.”

“It’s not a personal matter. You’re on my team.”

Kim In-ho is on my team. He’s my person.

I don’t just let anyone into the Knight Order. I bring in friends who are talented, trustworthy, and whom I can rely on.

“If you had told me sooner, I would have cured him.”

“Thank you for your concern, but…”

Kim In-ho trailed off.

A moment of silence. Then he blinks and looks at me.

“What?”

Did he not hear me correctly?

“I said, if you had told me sooner, I would have cured him.”

“Cured him?”

At my words, Kim In-ho asked again, as if he had misheard.

“Yeah.”