Chapter 117

After the movie ended, I stepped outside with Yoo Woo-jung, who was rubbing her tingling hand.

Seo-ho and Josia were nowhere to be seen.

It seemed they had left immediately.

Since I had no intention of interfering with them, I didn’t pay much attention and turned to Woo-jung.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

“We’ve watched the movie, so how about we rest a bit before leaving?”

Her gaze was directed toward a hotel right next to the cinema.

As I slowly realized what she meant, my expression darkened, and she quickly pointed to a café in front of the hotel.

“Over there! I heard the desserts at that café are delicious!”

Right.

I nodded and walked ahead, asking, “Shall we go?”

“…Why does it feel like the roles are reversed when I’m with Ha-chan?”

“Because I’m an advocate for gender equality.”

I answered her muttering and headed to the café.

The dessert Woo-jung bought with a coupon was quite tasty.

“I’ll be right back, just going to the restroom.”

“Sure, take your time.”

After chatting with her at the café, I went into the restroom.

While I was doing my business, I heard footsteps.

Then, despite all the empty spots, a foreign man came and stood right next to me.

Wearing a bucket hat and baggy pants that looked like they’d drag on the floor, he gave off a hip-hop vibe.

Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, I was about to say something when he suddenly spoke.

“Nice to meet you, Kang Ha-chan.”

The moment fluent Korean came out of his mouth, I glanced at him.

Despite his large frame, his tone was surprisingly polite.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kapurina Orliz, a member of Alters.”

In response to my question, he handed me a business card, confirming his affiliation with Alters.

The card indeed had “Alters” written on it.

Why is this happening in the restroom of all places?

I didn’t know the reason, but I adjusted my pants and asked, “What brings you here, Alters member?”

“I thought it necessary to speak with you, Kang Ha-chan, regarding recent events.”

Hearing that, I raised an eyebrow.

Woo-jung was already by my side.

Yet, despite her presence, another Alters member approached me?

Things were starting to get suspicious.

“What kind of conversation?”

“So, you already know about Alters.”

“I have many acquaintances. You must’ve approached me because you know about me, right?”

“Correct. We know that you’re an SS-class Hunter, a new rank hidden by the Korean Hunter Management Bureau.”

……I don’t know anything about that.

How did I suddenly become an SS-class Hunter hidden by the Korean Hunter Management Bureau?

I didn’t understand the situation, but I decided to play along for now.

“So?”

“Although I’m a member of Alters, I’m actually one of those dissatisfied with Alters’ traditions.”

So, there’s internal conflict within Alters?

This was the first I’d heard of it, so my eyes widened in surprise.

“Alters’ practices and traditions oppress Hunters, and the established powers mainly enjoy the benefits. We can’t stand by and watch this. Even within Alters, those who share the same opinion have been secretly gathering.”

Just looking at Seo-ho and Josia, it’s clear there are many Hunters dissatisfied with Alters.

So, I wasn’t completely lost in understanding the situation.

But that’s beside the point.

“So, why did you come to me with this story?”

“It’s simple. We want to join the revolution Korea has started.”

……This situation is taking an unexpected turn.

“Korea’s declaration of war against Alters will undoubtedly usher in a new era for Hunters. We know well that you and Ha Seo-ho are at the center of it.”

A war against Alters?

Suddenly, the scale of things started to escalate.

And the fact that I’m heavily involved gave me a headache.

How did Korea end up declaring war on Alters?

At the same time, I understood why Alters fell in Baeksan’s world.

These guys destroyed themselves with internal conflicts.

“Won’t you let us join your team?”

There’s no such thing as a team.

But hearing this, I sensed a big problem.

With Seo-ho and Josia already leaving Alters and keeping an eye on this situation, if more Alters members defect to Korea’s side…

Alters won’t stand idly by, and it might lead to an all-out war between Alters and Korea.

I don’t plan to ignore Alters’ atrocities, but there’s no reason to be completely hostile either.

But this way, there’s no room for compromise, and it’s heading toward a full-scale war.

“Wait. There’s no need to make hasty judgments.”

“You don’t trust us, do you? That’s fine. We came today to prove ourselves.”

The use of “we” meant he wasn’t alone.

Feeling the situation was taking a bad turn, I quickly asked, “What do you mean by proving yourselves?”

“There’s already an Alters member hostile to us hiding by your side.”

That was Yoo Woo-jung.

“We’ll kill that person and bring them to you. Trust us.”

Hearing that, I rushed out of the restroom.

Looking up, I saw the empty seat where she had been just moments ago.

“…Eun-hyeon.”

Seeing that, I called the Returner closest to me.

Eun-hyeon, who had already appeared in her silver fox form on the café floor, looked at me.

“Help me out.”

As soon as Eun-hyeon wagged her tail, I dashed out of the café.

—

Camilla Agasa.

Currently known as Yoo Woo-jung, she was now running through the city, breathing heavily.

Because there were five people relentlessly chasing her.

‘I finally got a date, and now this is happening.’

Woo-jung had been looking forward to today’s date with Ha-chan.

At first, she thought it would be easy to win him over.

But Ha-chan’s walls were higher than she expected.

No matter how skilled she was, a pretty woman like her should’ve shaken him.

But he was like a stone wall, blocking her advances.

She even started to wonder if he really liked men, as he had once mentioned.

But seeing him with Si-ho or Ji-eun, it didn’t seem that way.

The vibe she got made her think he did like women.

But for some reason, when it came to her, he just shut her down.

‘That’s why I got even more fired up.’

Seeing Ha-chan remain unmoved, she became even more determined.

Her pride and everything else didn’t matter anymore.

She was determined to make Ha-chan notice her, even forgetting her original purpose.

But that was only for a while.

Reflecting on her actions, she felt embarrassed.

She had been acting like a love-struck girl, throwing herself at him.

‘That’s not how it should’ve been.’

People are naturally drawn more to those they like than to those who like them.

Woo-jung’s usual method of attracting men was to give them a little hope and then reel them in.

But here she was, begging for love.

Even she laughed at herself for acting like a love beggar, despite being called the “Queen.”

‘I thought I’d stop around here.’

She admitted that she had been swept up in Ha-chan’s pace and that her approach was wrong.

To a man as stoic as him, her actions were probably just a burden.

So, she thought about giving up after the movie ticket incident.

It would be better to blend into his team and build a relationship that way.

But then Ha-chan accepted the movie ticket.

At first, she was stunned, but then joy began to fill her.

She hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

She was so happy that she didn’t know what to do.

So, she prepared thoroughly.

This was her chance.

With the determination to capture Ha-chan, she dressed up and prepared for the date.

She was overjoyed while meeting Ha-chan, talking, and watching the movie.

But then she suddenly froze, realizing she was getting too excited.

What am I doing?

Why am I dressing up and genuinely enjoying myself as if I’m on a real date?

My goal was to reel Ha-chan in or gather information about him, right?

Why am I this excited?

In a moment of confusion, she wiped her face as Ha-chan went to the restroom.

Some makeup smeared on her hand, but she ignored it, feeling the weight of reality.

I’ve become a fool.

The fact that I’m being swayed so much by this stone-like man.

‘He’s so stoic, he probably won’t cheat.’

Seeing how he blocks even my advances, it’s clear he won’t be swayed by just any woman.

That only fueled her determination, but realizing her situation, she snapped out of it.

I’m here on a mission for Alters.

I’m not a girl here to beg for love.

Just as she thought that, she sensed something.

‘Four A-class and one S-class.’

Having lived in the slums of Brazil, Woo-jung had a sharp sense for danger.

As soon as she detected their suspicious movements in the café, she bolted.

Sure enough, they started chasing her.

‘This is bad.’

Although Woo-jung was an S-class Hunter, the enemy had the numerical advantage.

She could handle four A-class Hunters alone, but one of them being S-class was a problem.

S-class Hunter Baeksa.

A martial artist from Hong Kong, famous for hunting Hunters.

He was one of Alters’ specialists in one-on-one combat.

Rumors said he could even fight Returners.

‘Why are they after me?’

Just as she wondered, a blade of wind slashed toward her.

She blocked it with her beastified arm, and a kick followed.

But Woo-jung was faster.

Her leg reached the spot before the kick landed, countering it.

The opponent was A-class.

Of course, they couldn’t withstand Woo-jung’s S-class strength.

“Ugh!”

“Brave of you to fight a beastified opponent in hand-to-hand combat.”

Seeing the opponent clutching their leg and retreating, Woo-jung’s expression remained tense.

They were all Baeksa’s disciples.

Trained by the martial artist Baeksa, they were skilled in one-on-one combat, even if not as much as her.

That meant they were meticulous in cornering their prey.

‘I need to get out of here.’

She kicked off the building wall and started running across the rooftops.

Baeksa’s disciples followed closely.

‘If I get caught even once, it’s over.’

Woo-jung focused on Baeksa’s movements as she ran across the buildings.

Baeksa, slowly closing in with his disciples, didn’t seem eager to attack.

He was probably aiming for a prolonged battle using their numbers.

Baeksa knew he’d have to take damage to subdue her, so he was playing the long game.

‘Should I contact Alters?’

Even if she did, how many people in Korea could help her?

She’d probably be caught and killed before that.

‘I have no choice but to keep running.’

Just then, something flashed in her eyes as she ran up the building’s exterior.

The next moment, her body began to beastify.

Her gray hair transformed into something resembling a whale’s tail, her skin turned into a whale’s surface, and her size increased.

As soon as the transformation completed, she twisted her body in mid-air.

*Zing! Thud!*

A beam of light pierced her thigh, creating a hole.