BS 03

Chapter 3. Receiving a Scout Offer (1)

Ever since Doyoon awakened as a ‘Healer’ and his vision became impaired, he had occasionally encountered people who approached him with kindness.

They would guide him through the streets or warn him about dangerous situations ahead—warmth that Doyoon had never experienced before the accident.

But among them were also people who approached him the moment they learned he was a Hunter, claiming to work as scouts.

They had sweet-talked Doyoon, who knew nothing at the time, promising to connect him with guilds. After taking a referral fee, they would disappear without a trace.

When things like that happened repeatedly, even someone as bright-natured as Doyoon could only become increasingly suspicious and sensitive.

There were many things in the world that were fast and dangerous, and the fact that he couldn’t keep up with them himself was one of the reasons he instinctively raised his defenses.

This man must be one of those people, too.

Doyoon unconsciously put up his defenses and stepped backward.

“Don’t mess around.”

“I’m serious. I need a Healer on my team.”

Jaehyuk brushed the strands of white hair that had fallen across Doyoon’s face aside and neatly arranged them.

At Jaehyuk’s gentle gesture, Doyoon’s shoulders, which had instinctively shrunk in fear, relaxed slightly.

“I want you to take that spot.”

His voice was a little firmer than before.

This time, he sounded serious.

A scout offer…

If everything Jaehyuk had said was true, then Doyoon would simply be moving to another team under better conditions than he currently had.

There was no reason he couldn’t accept.

But once again, everything depended on whether what Jaehyuk said was actually true.

“…What are the conditions?”

“There’s a basic signing bonus, a living allowance, and—oh, our team splits the earnings equally among everyone who participates in a hunt. Everyone gets an equal share. And I guarantee you’ll earn more than you do cleaning up after those guys from earlier.”

A signing bonus.

A living allowance.

Kim Changshik had never given Doyoon anything like that.

Jaehyuk hadn’t mentioned the exact amount, but Doyoon was already tempted.

“I’m not asking you to decide right now. Take this with you and check it out.”

Jaehyuk placed a metal case containing a thin chip into Doyoon’s hand.

“What is this?”

“Information about the team I created, ‘Black Shooter.’ It’s properly registered with the Hunter Association and the Administration Bureau, so you can check it through them if you want. Of course, I put my contact information in there too.”

Doyoon quietly looked down at the metal case, feeling the warmth Jaehyuk had left behind slowly fading from it.

It was the first time someone had gone this far to prepare something for him.

Doyoon could feel his heart pounding harder and harder.

Did I really just receive a scout offer?

While Doyoon was staring blankly at the metal case, Jaehyuk suddenly scooped him up into his arms like a princess.

Before the startled Doyoon could even ask to be put down, Jaehyuk had already jumped high into the air and landed on top of a building.

Doyoon instinctively wrapped his arms around Jaehyuk’s neck and clung to him so he wouldn’t fall.

For a moment, an uneasy thought took root in Doyoon’s mind.

Am I going to get kidnapped and killed like this?

Lately, Doyoon had occasionally heard news reports about Healers disappearing.

The bad thoughts continued growing until they filled Doyoon’s head, creating an entire thriller movie inside his imagination.

Just as he began to feel dizzy from the strange sensation of his internal organs shifting to one side, Jaehyuk’s excited voice reached his ears.

“The wind feels great! A day like this is perfect for a picnic!”

The dark images filling Doyoon’s head scattered like a hazy fog, and he returned to reality.

“Where are we going?!”

Because his anxiety was still strong, Doyoon’s voice trembled slightly.

“I have to safely escort His Precious Imperial Majesty home without letting him get hurt.”

“What?!”

“I said I’m taking you home!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“I’M TAKING YOU HOME!”

There were so many things Doyoon wanted to ask, starting with how Jaehyuk even knew where his home was.

But the sound of the wind rushing rapidly past his ears was too loud for him to speak.

Praying that the man wasn’t lying, Doyoon cautiously opened his eyes and looked down.

Because Jaehyuk was leaping from building to building, the neighborhood was rushing past beneath them at incredible speed.

Just when Doyoon began feeling dizzy, Jaehyuk jumped even higher.

As they reached the highest point of his leap, the body heat of the people gathered on the ground grew distant until Doyoon could no longer see it.

All around them was darkness.

High above the ground, where even the wind could no longer be felt, everything was silent.

“It really is beautiful.”

“……”

What kind of scenery does Jaehyuk see?

Is he looking at the city spread out below them?

Or maybe he’s looking at the blue sky?

To Doyoon, both the sky and the ground were black.

It was a world he had grown accustomed to, yet it was still a little frightening and unfamiliar.

Doyoon turned his head toward Jaehyuk’s face.

Jaehyuk was looking at him.

Wasn’t he looking at the scenery around them?

Or did their timing just happen to coincide?

“Not being able to see really is a huge disadvantage, isn’t it?”

What should he say?

As Doyoon thought about it, he unconsciously nodded.

Hearing those words made him want to return to the world before the accident again and again.

It felt as though the depression he had buried deep inside had opened a door and was crawling back out.

The sound of the wind, which had stopped for a moment, returned.

Before long, the two of them landed on the ground.

Jaehyuk carefully set Doyoon down and gave a small laugh.

Then he straightened Doyoon’s disheveled white hair.

“Here we are. Your Majesty, I sincerely hope you’ll give my scout offer positive consideration.”

Again, that playful voice.

Doyoon had so many questions.

Why did Jaehyuk keep calling him ‘Your Majesty’?

There were other things he wanted to ask as well, but his mind was too dazed to organize his thoughts.

Jaehyuk turned Doyoon around and placed his empty hand on the handle of the bronze-colored metal gate.

Doyoon came back to his senses when he felt the cold surface against his palm.

Is this really my house?

Jaehyuk’s confident attitude made Doyoon curious.

His hand moved over the handle, feeling around it.

The mark Taeyoon engraved here should be… Ah, there it is.

It really is my house.

Only after confirming the familiar character ‘Yoon’ did Doyoon finally relax.

As though he had waited for Doyoon to realize that this was indeed his home, Jaehyuk chose that exact moment to say goodbye.

“See you again.”

“Wait! How did you know about me? And how did you know where my house was?”

“Hmm. Curious?”

Doyoon looked up at Jaehyuk as he playfully tapped the back of Doyoon’s hand.

“If you’re curious, contact me!”

“What does that even—!”

“Oh, and contact me even if you miss me!”

Before Doyoon could say anything else, Jaehyuk quickly disappeared.

Only after confirming that all signs of his presence had vanished and the surroundings had become completely quiet did Doyoon let out a hollow laugh.

What on earth just happened?

The reason the obnoxious Kim Changshik always came to pick Doyoon up and take him home was actually the same reason Jaehyuk had taken him home today.

Because they were afraid someone might snatch him away.

But the way they treated him was completely different.

In Doyoon’s bewildered hands was still the metal case Jaehyuk had given him.

He’s selfish and unpredictable, but he seems surprisingly kind…

What a strange person.

At least he had made it home safely.

As time passed and Doyoon gradually relaxed, he began worrying again about the future that awaited him.

“Ah, what am I going to do about the Gate today…?”

On top of that, he had not only Healed someone outside his team, but had even received a scout offer.

If Senior finds out, I wonder if he’ll go three times as crazy.

But surely he wouldn’t actually kill me, right?

If a Hunter killed someone, they would be branded a Head Hunter and imprisoned forever in District 13, a Hunter prison.

And inside the Hunter prison was a Gate that endlessly poured out monsters like a magical treasure spring.

They say there haven’t been any Head Hunters who escaped from District 13 yet.

They call it a living hell…

Surely he wouldn’t commit a crime knowing all that.

Deciding to think positively, Doyoon opened the creaking front gate and entered the house.

Beyond the small yard, which was wide enough to park about one and a half cars, stood the two-story house.

One of its walls had collapsed.

Even after opening the front door and entering, the outside air flowed straight inside.

It was a house that was only half-functional.

Doyoon stepped inside.

“I’m home.”

“Hyung, you’re home early.”

Shin Taeyoon was now a senior in high school.

He was Doyoon’s younger brother and considerably younger than him, but among the three siblings of the Shin family, Taeyoon was the most mature.

To Doyoon, he was an irreplaceably precious and grateful younger brother.

After the accident, while the other family members were busy, Taeyoon had stayed by Doyoon’s side and taken care of him.

He had also served as Doyoon’s eyes until Doyoon became somewhat accustomed to his changed vision.

Even though Doyoon no longer needed assistance inside the house, Taeyoon habitually grabbed his arm and guided him to his room.

“Yeah! Didn’t you go to school?”

“Today was a mock exam. I came home early. I was going to have a snack. Want to eat together?”

“Sure. Ah, Taeyoon.”

Taeyoon stopped in front of the bedroom door and hesitated, his expression becoming serious.

“Hyung…”

“What? Did something happen? Did that senior bully you again?”

Doyoon hesitated before lowering his head even further.

Taeyoon frowned and grabbed his shoulders, worried.

“Hyung, why don’t you just leave that place and look somewhere else? You haven’t even properly applied to any guilds yet. If you come with me, we can find somewhere that’ll treat you better and give you better conditions…”

Taeyoon even lowered his head to meet Doyoon’s gaze.

At that moment, Doyoon suddenly lifted his head and held out the metal case to Taeyoon.

“W-What is this?”

“I got a scout offer?! And this time, I think it’s actually real!”

“!”

Taeyoon froze for a moment.

Then, after snapping out of it, he grabbed Doyoon in a hug and jumped up and down.

“Huh? Huh?! Really? Wooooah!”

“Waaaaah!”

Doyoon became excited as well and jumped alongside him.

The happiness that had been buried beneath all his worries finally surfaced when he saw how happy Taeyoon was.

Only then did it truly sink in that he had received a scout offer.

Two grown men ran around the living room for quite some time, like huge dogs wagging their tails in excitement.