Living in Someone Else's House
A luxury officetel in Hannam-dong.
Its owner, Cheon Se-yeon, was currently wandering between Tower Site and NewTube.
Jo Kang-tae's stream had ended with him being taken away by the Hunter Agency just moments ago.
On NewTube, it had drawn enough viewers to rank in the concurrent watch rankings, showing just how immense the public's interest had been.
And this interest wasn't limited to Korea alone.
Recordings of the stream uploaded to NewTube had quickly spread across various sites in countries around the world.
In the aftermath, not only domestic media but also major foreign outlets were churning out articles.
'The reactions are delicious.'
She curled the corners of her mouth upward as she read the comments.
@ There's a famous quote from the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Ali must have foreseen the Runner's arrival long ago.
@ If you're comparing the Runner to a bee, isn't it more like a hornet? One sting and Jo Kang-tae's armor shattered into pieces.
@ Wasn't that armor Chinese-made? It broke like glass. Jo Kang-tae himself seems Chinese-made too, somehow.
@ Anyway, it was insanely cool. Aerial combat with iron chains? Romance approved.
Se-yeon nodded.
She had no choice but to acknowledge it.
She herself had watched the stream live and lost count of how many times she'd gasped in admiration.
By the time the fight ended, her hands were drenched in sweat.
'That was way more intense than any sports classic I've seen lately.'
Se-yeon scrolled down the mouse wheel, reading through the remaining comments.
She paused the wheel at the last one and let out a small sigh.
@ But how does a guy who just cleared floor 30 fight that well? Is it even possible based on his synchronization rate?
Se-yeon harbored a similar doubt.
The abandoned factory incident last time had too many unexplained traces to say much about it definitively, but this time was different.
No one had intervened in this battle.
It was won purely by Runner Yoo Jin-hyuk's raw physical prowess, 100%.
'What was I like at floor 30?'
Even if she embellished her memories a bit, she hadn't been able to fly around like that outside the tower.
Sure, she was a holy knight lineage, even if it was a hidden class.
The fair assessment was that Jin-hyuk was abnormally agile.
'A martial arts hidden class?'
A class that wielded unusual weapons like iron chains.
Nothing specific came to mind right now.
Ding.
A new article popped up on the site.
Japan's Official Ranking 7th, Matsuna Hiyori Shows Interest in the Runner."The Runner's battle sense looks incredibly sharp. I'd love to face him someday when our floors are closer. It's too soon for now, though."
@ Hiyori's eyes are killer!!
@ Ponytail looks amazing as always today.
@ The level gap makes it tough to win right now.
UK's Official Ranking 11th, Battle Maniac Agard Jacob Mentions the Runner."Kuhahaha! I finally found a real man after all this time! Hey, Runner! You watching?! Next up, let's throw down with me! I'll come to you, so just say the word anytime!"
@ We're screwed. He's up against a fight-obsessed lunatic.
@ Runner, go for the dome challenge! At least go for Hiyori's killer eyes!
Se-yeon made a displeased face.
Both Jacob and Hiyori were infamous for their obsessive love of combat.
With their clear floors approaching 90, their levels and synchronization rates would be exceptionally high.
'It's heating up, really heating up.'
This was probably a first.
A floor 30 player drawing this much attention.
Se-yeon had made a name for herself early on by contracting with the Hunter Agency, but she was the diligent type who climbed the tower steadily without media exposure.
'I thought we had similar dispositions.'
Se-yeon smiled faintly.
It seemed she'd been mistaken.
Jo Kang-tae latching on was an unavoidable accident, but this handling of it was entirely Jin-hyuk's choice.
Seeing this, she was convinced.
There wouldn't be a single peaceful day around Jin-hyuk.
'Still, is he okay? This guy.'
She checked CocoaTalk.
Naturally, it was unread.
"Hmm."
Se-yeon, who had let out a low hum, shrugged her shoulders.
It was late tonight, so she'd have to contact him tomorrow, but inwardly, she was curious.
What was this guy up to right now?
A luxury sedan exiting the old town district.
'Huh?'
Yoo Jin-hyuk, who had boarded with just a small backpack, drew a question mark in his mind.
He was being carried along, still a bit dazed about how this had happened.
He subtly lifted his head to look at Jin Yun-ho in the driver's seat.
-The location has been exposed too much. We need to move you right away. We've prepared a temporary residence for you to stay in until you find a new place!
Jin Yun-ho had shouted it with grim determination and resolve.
Plus, with Min Yu-kyung's healing spirit attached, he had no choice but to follow along for now.
'I'm fine, though.'
He leaned back in the seat and scratched his head.
The place where he'd fought Jo Kang-tae was quite a distance from the officetel.
Unless they scoured the entire old town district, the chances of someone finding him were extremely low.
Even if they did come looking, unless it was a large-scale unit affiliated with some nation, the Khancho Line would take care of them.
'But they're worried and taking care of it for me.'
Good was good.
He didn't want to be stubborn with these grateful people who were not only treating him but even finding him a place to live.
"How's the arm feeling?"
"It's much easier to move now. The pain's mostly gone too. Thank you."
He patted the plump spirit's head, which was stuck firmly to him.
"You too, thanks."
The spirit beamed a bright smile from within its vivid light green glow.
It was so pure and adorable that his heart skipped a beat a little.
"Kyaaak!"
Min Yu-kyung suddenly screamed.
Startled, Jin Yun-ho whipped his head around.
"You scared me. Why are you yelling all of a sudden?"
"J-Just now, something like a fluffy furball brushed against my calf..."
Jin-hyuk's eyes widened.
It seemed the spirit, curious, had reached out to touch her.
'Dismiss manifestation, dismiss manifestation, dismiss manifestation.'
He sent it back immediately and swallowed dryly.
Then, with a composed face, he shone the flashlight around.
"Huh, where'd a cat sneak in from? There's nothing down there."
"Really? Phew. What was it? Must've been my imagination."
Jin-hyuk, who had sighed in relief, settled back into his seat.
Of course, it wasn't as if there were no witnesses at all.
The plump spirit, which had felt the touch of the Khancho, was trembling faintly.
To calm it, he petted it even more vigorously than before.
'Oh.'
Jin-hyuk, who had been playing with the spirit, rolled down the window.
A cityscape densely packed with flashy, expensive-looking buildings.
Was it because he rarely came here?
Being in a place like this made him feel a bit excited but strangely uncomfortable at the same time.
Jin Yun-ho's sedan pulled into a particularly upscale building.
"We're here."
After parking, the three of them stood before a thick door.
'Is this a bunker or something?'
There were at least four more security doors like this just to reach the elevator.
It felt like a safehouse from a spy movie.
When Jin Yun-ho contacted someone, the doors began opening one by one.
The elevator has arrived.
Jin-hyuk, who had boarded, swallowed hard.
He kept his mouth shut to avoid seeming uncultured, but it was incredibly fascinating.
The elevator was as big as a living room, and there weren't even buttons to press for the floors.
"It's a system that recognizes the homeowner's face and moves to their floor."
"Oh? Is this your place, Team Leader Jin Yun-ho?"
"No. The owner has permitted entry right now, so it's moving."
'The owner?'
A slight question arose.
Meaning it wasn't Min Yu-kyung's or Jin Yun-ho's—it was someone else's house.
The door is opening.
Before he could ask whose house it was, the elevator shot up quickly, opened at the destination, and closed again.
"Ah."
Faced with the sudden encounter, Jin-hyuk stared blankly at the homeowner.
"Come on in. Yoo Jin-hyuk-ssi, who doesn't read CocoaTalk even if it kills him."
Se-yeon, chuckling softly, stepped aside to let him in.
Perhaps seeing Jin-hyuk falter, Jin Yun-ho gazed off into the distant mountains and spoke.
"We already know that Jin-hyuk-ssi is the Runner, so there's no security issue, and at the same time, it's a place where someone who can protect Jin-hyuk-ssi is present if danger arises. We judged this to be the safest location in Korea right now, so we brought you here."
He didn't bother saying that he'd kept it secret because he thought Jin-hyuk wouldn't come if he revealed it beforehand.
In any case, in Jin Yun-ho's view, this was the best option.
"Even if it's inconvenient, please bear with it for just a day or two. As soon as tomorrow dawns, we'll compile a list of officetels suitable for you to move into and send it over. Once you decide, we'll support you so you can move in immediately."
"I'm fine with it, but I was worried it might inconvenience Se-yeon-ssi."
Se-yeon shrugged.
"It's no problem. There's plenty of empty rooms anyway."
He looked around.
Was this a palace or a house?
It was absurdly spacious for one person to live in alone.
"It must have been sudden for you. Thank you."
Se-yeon waved her hand dismissively at Jin Yun-ho, who bowed his head.
"Oh, come on, between us? It's fine, it's fine. But Yoo Jin-hyuk-ssi, you're hurt?"
"Yu-kyung-ssi treated me on the way here."
"It's just basic first aid for now. It's presumptuous, but I'll leave the rest to you."
Yu-kyung drew a bright smile.
The hidden class holy knight, Cheon Se-yeon.
When it came to pure healing power, she far surpassed Yu-kyung.
"For now, come on in. Let's have some warm tea at least."
The three nodded and followed behind Se-yeon.
Jin-hyuk once again surveyed the house as a whole.
Thus began the unintended stay in someone else's home.
Atop a certain high-rise construction site.
A woman who had been watching somewhere through binoculars stood up.
She took a recorder from her pocket and opened her mouth.
"November 23rd, 11:30 PM. Player Yoo Jin-hyuk leaves his home and travels with Hunter Agency's Jin Yun-ho and Min Yu-kyung. Enters the home of Korea's ranker, Cheon Se-yeon. Appears to be a decision made for protective purposes."
The woman paused for a moment, then her lips curved up widely.
"With this, Player Yoo Jin-hyuk is confirmed as the Hall of Fame Runner. Recorded by, Agent Geum Sa-ra."
Having finished the recording, Geum Sa-ra stared at Se-yeon's officetel.
'Runner, Yoo Jin-hyuk.'
They had sent Jo Kang-tae first to provoke him, but honestly, she hadn't expected this much.
It was truly a harvest beyond expectations.
She had to somehow persuade and bring him in before he fully affiliated with the Hunter Agency.
If he refused to the end? There was no choice.
She'd have to eliminate him before his level rose any higher and he became untouchable.
Vroom...!
She descended the building and mounted the prepared motorcycle.
And after riding for a good while, the place she arrived at was a pier tucked away in a corner of Incheon.
Opening the door of an abandoned container revealed high-tech facilities completely at odds with its exterior.
"Good work. Agent Geum Sa-ra. How did it go?"
The people waiting greeted Geum Sa-ra.
Geum Sa-ra, smirking, pulled out the recorder from her pocket and shook it.
"Now, HQ will finally have some face."
Interfering with Korea's ranker Cheon Se-yeon had ended in failure.
But since they'd gained something even greater, there was no need to worry.
Geum Sa-ra and the others wore relieved smiles, thinking it was all good now.
At that moment.
Clack!
A hand appeared through the door that had been slowly closing.
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T/N:
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