Chapter 71 – I Wish I Was on TV (3)

“Aww, a bear. How cute!”

A passing woman spotted Hyunbin in the bear mascot costume, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

Not content with just looking, she let go of her boyfriend’s arm and scurried over.

“What’s this? Lee Ye-eun, you like this kind of stuff?”

“Why? It’s cute.”

“Hey, it’s just some grumpy old guy inside that thing. How can you call that cute?”

“Oh, whatever.”

Overhearing the couple’s conversation, Hyunbin, as part of his service, made a balloon dog for her.

“Wow, thank you! Honey, look what I got, hehehe.”

“Are you a kid?”

Unlike the woman, the man was indifferent, as if he’d had a bad day.

Hyunbin and the man stared at each other.

A heated tension flowed between them.

“What? What is it?”

“Why are you being like this again?”

“No, this damn bear is glaring at me.”

“Ugh, seriously. Can’t you speak nicely?”

“It’s just weird. Hey, you. Take off that head. Hey.”

The man roughly poked the bear mascot’s forehead.

Oh dear, an incident has occurred.

The atmosphere suddenly turned hostile.

The camera crew debated whether they should step in and stop it.

Just then, Hyunbin in the bear costume flinched, pointing at something. The cameraman instinctively looked where he was pointing.

…?

There was nothing but empty air.

“Uh, h-honey?”

The man who had just been picking a fight with Hyunbin was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Hyunbin glanced around before breaking into a swift run.

“W-wait a moment. *Pant, pant.* Hunter Lee Hyunbin. I don’t think you need to run away anymore, *huff, puff*.”

“Run away? *Phew*. Me? Why?”

Seeing Hyunbin’s expression, the production crew didn’t press further.

“I was just, *phew*, on patrol because this area is known for frequent villain sightings.”

Hyunbin offered this explanation, unprompted.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Just then, a scream shattered the silence!

“Aaaah! H-help me!”

“Fuck this goddamn world! I’ll kill everyone and then kill myself! Yeah!”

A woman’s faint scream. And a man holding a knife threateningly to her throat.

A real incident was unfolding.

Hunters.

They are sometimes derided as mere money-grubbing miners or legally sanctioned thugs. But in a crisis, it is the Hunters who are the first to act.

This was a moment to see just how significant a role Hunters play in our daily lives.

Above all, Hyunbin possesses a unique inventory skill.

“Hunter Lee Hyunbin? He’s the world’s first S-rank Hunter.”

“And he has the most inventory slots in the country, with the unique ability to even rescue people by storing them in his inventory.”

“You could say he is the proud, number one Hunter of South Korea.”

The experts’ evaluations of Hyunbin were overwhelmingly positive.

Though they lamented that he might have shone even brighter had he awakened as a dealer-class Hunter.

Such a top-tier Hunter, Hyunbin, was now watching a hostage situation.

“…”

“…”

It was unexpected.

Hunter Hyunbin was just watching the situation cautiously.

“Uh, Hunter Lee Hyunbin?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you going to use your, um, inventory skill?”

“Ah… The distance is too great. I can’t use it.”

“…Still, perhaps you should try something…”

At the film crew’s words, Hyunbin brought a finger to his lips.

Seeing this, the crew realized something was about to begin.

“This filthy world! Yeah, fuck it. I lost my job, nothing’s going right!”

The man wailed like someone who had lost their mind, despondent over something.

The woman held hostage by him had mascara running down her face in black streaks from her tears.

It was a tense situation. Someone called the police and 119, while others filmed the scene.

“Stop filming! You wanna die? Huh?”

Provoked, the man pointed his knife at the crowd, and one by one, they fearfully lowered their phones.

“That man is a Hunter.”

“A Hunter?”

Hunters are supposed to be protectors of people.

Of course, not all of them are.

The power to protect someone can also become the power to harm someone.

And here, there were two extreme forces.

The ‘Villain,’ who uses awakened power for evil, and the ‘Hero,’ who uses it for good.

Hyunbin took off the bear mascot’s head.

“Hey, isn’t that Lee Hyunbin?”

“It is! Wow, it’s the Delivery Man in person!”

All eyes turned to him, and naturally, the kidnapper saw Hyunbin too. His agitated eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“L-Lee Hyunbin Hunter…?”

“Sir, please. *Sob*, help me…!”

The kidnapper grew tense.

Lee Hyunbin, the Delivery Man.

An S-rank Hunter, and a hot topic for having the highest clear rate in the country.

Bathed in everyone’s gaze, Hyunbin took one step, then another.

“D-don’t come any closer! I-I’ll kill her!”

“Aaaah!”

The kidnapper shuffled backward, wary of Hyunbin’s presence.

Seeing this, Hyunbin took another step forward.

“I-I’m not kidding! I’ll really kill her!”

“Can you really kill her?”

“…!”

At Hyunbin’s provocative words, the kidnapper’s eyes twitched.

“You’re a Hunter too.”

“S-so what about it!”

The kidnapper snapped back at Hyunbin’s words.

“Can someone who once protected people truly harm another?”

“Hah, don’t give me that crap! What do you know…!”

Hyunbin took another step forward.

Was the distance between the criminal and Hyunbin closing by that much?

“I do.”

“…!”

“Hunter Kim Jong-sik of the Real Hunters Guild.”

“H-how do you know me…”

At Hyunbin’s words, the kidnapper’s eyes wavered.

Hyunbin was an S-rank Hunter.

An existence far beyond his reach.

The Real Hunters Guild wasn’t even ranked; it was virtually unknown.

“Of course, I know. We’re fellow Hunter ‘colleagues’.”

“…!”

One couldn’t help but be impressed.

The most crucial element for persuasion.

It is empathy.

Hyunbin possessed not only skill and character but also something that could embrace others.

“All the effort you put into becoming a Hunter wasn’t just to do something like this, was it?”

“…That’s…”

At Hyunbin’s words, Mr. Kim Jong-sik wavered.

“Our job is to protect people.”

“I…”

The strength in Mr. Kim Jong-sik’s knife-wielding hand gradually loosened.

The same went for his once-resolute face.

“M-my guild went bankrupt. I’m drowning in debt. Because of that, my girlfriend…”

Tears streamed down Mr. Kim Jong-sik’s face.

Were they tears of repentance?

Watching him, Hyunbin benevolently extended a hand.

Now, Mr. Kim Jong-sik was no longer a villain.

“J-Jong-sik oppa…!”

The appearance of an unexpected person made Mr. Kim Jong-sik bite his lip hard.

It was his girlfriend, who had broken up with him just a few days ago.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were struggling so much…”

“M-Mija…”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I was only thinking of myself… You’re not the kind of person to do something like this.”

“N-no. I…”

Mr. Kim Jong-sik trailed off.

The two lovers were reunited, and the onlookers’ eyes grew teary.

It was a scene of reconciliation and forgiveness.

“Hunter Kim Jong-sik.”

“Yes…”

“Now, put down the knife.”

“…What are you doing…”

“You have to ask?”

Hyunbin had taken a hostage.

“If you don’t put that knife down right now, your girlfriend is going to get very healthy.”

Hyunbin grabbed the girlfriend, Ms. Shin Mija, and forced her to lift dumbbells.

Not knowing what was going on, Ms. Shin Mija began lifting the dumbbells under duress.

“C-can I stop? My arms…”

“Hoo… No. Are you trying to make your boyfriend commit a crime? Don’t stop.”

“O-oppa…”

Hyunbin had, at some point, taken out various pieces of gym equipment from his inventory and arranged them nearby.

“Now it’s time for squats. How do you like it, seeing your girlfriend get stronger and stronger?”

“S-stop it…! Sh-she’s in pain!”

“Training is my area of expertise. I once met a couple like you before.”

As he said this, Hyunbin showed a before-and-after photo of someone.

The camera crew saw a comparison photo where a once-delicate woman had become muscular with deep facial shadows, as if she were the successor to the Fist of the North Star.

Seeing this, Mr. Kim Jong-sik went berserk, abandoned his hostage, and ran to save his girlfriend.

“Stooooop!”

Mr. Kim Jong-sik threw aside the barbell his girlfriend was struggling to hold and glared at Hyunbin with hatred.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes…”

The hostage rescued by Hyunbin didn’t look particularly grateful.

In fact, her gaze seemed tinged with hostility.

It wasn’t just her; the faces of the people who had been watching the hostage situation had also stiffened.

“Situation clear.”

Hyunbin said with a satisfied expression.

Today, too, Hyunbin is looking out for the safety of the citizens.

“How would you define a Hunter?”

“A Hunter?”

Hyunbin smiled.

“They are beings who must become symbols of peace.”

Today, too, the city he has created is peaceful.

***

“…”

“…”

“…”

In the Team 3 office, the team members watching the special documentary were speechless.

*Scribble, scribble.*

For a while now, Lee Hyunbin had been practicing something.

Seo Hyun-ji, noticing this, opened her mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“Hoo… What does it look like?”

Lee Hyunbin showed her several autographs.

“I’ll be signing a lot of autographs from now on, so I was practicing.”

Seeing Lee Hyunbin’s bright and innocent expression, all the team members’ pupils trembled.

Seo Hyun-ji spoke cautiously.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think you’ll need to practice your autograph…”

“Hey now. One must always be prepared. Which of these autographs looks good? Though I’m sure they’re all great.”

Seo Hyun-ji’s eyebrow twitched as she looked at the chicken-scratch signatures.

Seeing this, Seo-yeon snickered.

Though it wasn’t shown in the video, the Hunter who took the hostage ended up with only a suspended sentence, thanks to the hostage’s plea for leniency.

It was Lee Hyunbin who had turned a potentially disastrous situation into a mere happening.

“Hoo… An elementary schooler’s doodles would be better than this.”

“That’s ridiculous. Let’s see your autograph, Hunter Seo Hyun-ji.”

“So you finally feel like getting my autograph?”

“Hahaha. Maybe I should make it so that hand of yours can never sign again.”

Today, too, the Hanul Guild is peaceful.

***

As humanity develops and cities prosper,

nature recedes further and further from the urban landscape.

Belatedly, people use the term ‘eco-friendly’ and try to live alongside nature, but it might already be too late.

Having destroyed nature, humanity has built a habitat solely for itself upon the ruins.

“Dad, hurry! Hurry!”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

On a sweltering day with the sun beating down, an elementary school boy and his father were walking along a forest path.

The reason the two were out was simple.

It was for one of his school’s summer vacation assignments: insect collecting.

The forest path they were on was an artificial piece of nature created within the city.

This natural space, created for the apartment residents, had its own charm and was pleasant for a walk.

It was the weekend, and he hadn’t wanted to lift a single finger from the sofa, but his wife wouldn’t let him.

His wife had started to unload her complaints, and after weighing her nagging against his laziness, the man ultimately chose to go out with his son.

‘I’ll just need to kill about an hour,’ he thought.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d walked through a forest.

“Dad, what’s this one?”

“That’s a spider. Spiders are experts at building houses.”

“Woooow, that’s so cool! What about that one?”

“That’s a dragonfly. They’re good insects that get rid of the bad ones.”

The man recalled his own childhood, when he would go insect collecting, holding his father’s hand.

Back then, urbanization hadn’t progressed as much, and there were fields and forests everywhere.

It’s hard to see insects now, but back then, it was quite easy.

Before he knew it, the man found himself lost in the cradle of his childhood memories.

As he watched and collected insects with his son, a smile unknowingly crept onto his lips.

“Dad, what about that one? That one?”

His son pointed at something with a hand like a little maple leaf.

The man chuckled, “Haha,” and looked in that direction, then blinked.

Something was strange.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and looked again, properly this time.

He wasn’t old enough for his eyes to be failing him, yet he was seeing things.

“Huh?”

A massive creature was flapping its wings majestically, glaring down at the father and son.