These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

How did he know?

I stared at Park Yoon-sung in surprise, unable to hide my reaction for a moment. He watched me calmly. I had intended to be upfront from the start, but his taking the lead threw me off. All I could do was ask him, completely taken aback.

"How did you know?"

But as soon as I asked, I wanted to bite my tongue. Park Yoon-sung was perceptive—he probably had already figured things out from the clues I’d dropped.

By asking such a foolish question, I almost confirmed my connection to Sim Dante. I still had a long way to go before I could negotiate properly. I bit my tongue again as these thoughts ran through my mind.

“I had my suspicions ever since you slipped out of the temporary accommodation.”

“…I see.”

No wonder he hadn’t pressed the issue relentlessly. It seemed I had been in Park Yoon-sung's palm from the very beginning. When I was feeling conflicted, he asked me softly.

"Did you get this item from Sim Dante as well?"

“That item that rankers from around the world wouldn’t sell for even a zillion dollars?”

"…"

What? That Sim Dante bastard? Has he really stuck to his principles all this time? He’s always running those shady experiments, yet he surprisingly has this strong sense of principle? Am I the only one who’s going to end up in trouble here?

Now that Park Yoon-sung has figured out that Sim Dante handed over that item he treasured so much, I can’t just brush off my connection to him with a simple excuse. Why does that bastard keep these S-grade items for himself instead of releasing them in moderation?!

"So, Sim Dante and I are…"

What should I say? Even if I insisted we were just acquaintances, Park Yoon-sung wouldn’t buy it. There was no way he’d hand over an S-grade item to a mere acquaintance—especially one as rare as this, the only one of its kind in the world.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Cold sweat ran down my back. I couldn’t reveal my possession to Park Yoon-sung, not even to him, and it would be disastrous if he discovered I wasn’t the real Han Yi-jin. Park Yoon-sung let out a long sigh as I groaned without realizing it.

"Haa…”

“…”

I glanced at Park Yoon-sung, trying to find the right words, but it was challenging with all the secrets I had to keep. Noticing my hesitation, Park Yoon-sung opened his mouth with a displeased look.

“Is Sim Dante trying to take advantage of you?”

“Take… advantage?”

I tilted my head at his question. Using me? It was true that Sim Dante conducted experiments on me at will, but those experiments were necessary, so it wasn’t entirely one-sided.

Above all, Park Yoon-sung didn’t know much about my circumstances. He probably assumed that Sim Dante was after my S-class auxiliary skill… but that was definitely not the case. Sim Dante had no interest in my S-class auxiliary skill whatsoever.

“That’s not it. I’d say we have more of a collaborative relationship.”

Yeah, it’s a cooperative relationship. Give and take. A cut-and-dry relationship where we both get what we want. As I nodded to myself in thought, Park Yoon-sung still had a serious expression on his face.

“Is there any chance Sim Dante will betray you?”

“Betray me?”

That research-crazy guy? There’s no way he’d do that. He was so fixated on the impossible goal of travelling between worlds. While I couldn’t fully trust Sim Dante, I believed in his passion for his research. As long as he hadn’t achieved his goal, there was no way he would betray me.

“I don’t think he would do that.”

“…”

In response to my answer, Park Yoon-sung stared at the ‘Sweet Sleep' item with a pensive expression for a while. I had no idea what he was thinking. I just swallowed hard and waited for his response. After quite some time, Park Yoon-sung finally broke the silence.

“I understand.”

“…!”

"Let's trust your insight."

"That means…”

Park Yoon-sung was wary of Sim Dante, and it was understandable given that Sim Dante was such an enigmatic hunter. There was no telling what would happen if he decided to release the S-grade items in his possession.

…Could it be that Sim Dante kept the items for that very reason?

No way. He didn’t strike me as the type to think that deeply. I dismissed the thought and turned my attention back to Park Yoon-sung.

“This means you agree to help Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun with this item.”

“…!”

Although Park Yoon-sung still appeared dissatisfied, he nodded and handed me the ‘Sweet Sleep’ item.

“Thank you! Then please use this on Kang Yoo-hyun right away.”

“Yes?”

I quickly offered the item to Park Yoon-sung again, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he glanced between me and the item.

What’s with him?

Seeing my confusion, Park Yoon-sung spoke with a serious expression.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hunter Han Yi-jin.”

“Why not?”

“You're entrusting such a valuable item to someone else.”

“Ah…”

His remark took me by surprise, and I blinked. I then glanced down at the ‘Sweet Sleep’ item I was holding out to Park Yoon-sung. A small, shiny bottle glistened in my palm.

Sim Dante had said he wouldn’t sell it for a fortune, so if other hunters saw it, it would definitely cause trouble. But if Park Yoon-sung handed it directly to Kang Yoo-hyun… Ah, but Park Yoon-sung is busy.

Does that mean I have to give this item to Kang Yoo-hyun myself? I felt the blood gradually drain from my face.

“Then why don’t you just give it to Kang Yoo-hyun?”

“That's not a good idea either, Hunter Han Yi-jin.”

“Why?”

I must have looked on the verge of tears; I could sense it without even looking, especially with my eyes starting to sting. Yet Park Yoon-sung spoke firmly, undeterred by my expression.

“If this item is fake, there could be problems if Kang Yoo-hyun uses it alone. Someone needs to be nearby to respond immediately.”

“Haa…”

As I sighed, Park Yoon-sung emphasized his point with his next words.

“That item is yours, and you can give it to Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun.”

“…”

Is this how it’s going to be? Is there really no other choice? As despair washed over me, I simply nodded.

“Then I'm counting on you, Hunter Han Yi-jin.”

"Yes…”

I replied weakly and stood up from my seat. It felt like Park Yoon-sung had roped me into this again, and I couldn’t even bring myself to say no. Damn it. As I trudged toward the door, Park Yoon-sung called out to me once more.

“Ah, Hunter Han Yi-jin.”

“Yes?”

When I turned back with a puzzled expression, Park Yoon-sung spoke seriously.

“It seems you’ll need to attend the welcome party the Association is hosting soon.”

“A welcome party?”

“Yes.”

What kind of welcome party? I tilted my head in confusion, then recalled what Yeon Seung-won had mentioned earlier when we passed each other.

‘He mentioned that the Korean Association decided to seek help from the Union.’

The Korean Association functioned like a second government for Korea, and it appeared they had chosen to seek support from the World Union to clear the final dungeon. This was why rankers from all over the world were converging in Korea.

The foreign hunters I saw in the vision last night must have been those individuals. It made sense that I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw them; they closely resembled the descriptions from the novel.

“But why do I have to go there…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You and Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun will be the main players in conquering the Ginnungagap dungeon.”

“Ah… haha…”

I let out an awkward laugh at his words. I didn’t want to stand out, but this is how it ended up. This time, though, I didn’t feel like declining. Perhaps it was because of the vision I had seen last night that my fists clenched with anticipation instead.

The boss monster of the Ginnungagap dungeon was something even the main characters of the novel couldn’t defeat. I felt a mix of fear and an unexplainable sense of exhilaration. I wondered if I could truly clear the dungeon with my skill.

Would everything have changed if I had used my ability on Kang Yoo-hyun while standing beside him in that vision? Would the ending of the novel have been different, perhaps avoiding destruction? As those thoughts crossed my mind, I raised my head and looked at Park Yoon-sung.

“I understand.”

“…”

Park Yoon-sung stared at me in silence for a moment before finally parting his lips to speak.

"Please take good care of Hunter Kang Yoo-hyun."

"…?"

Somehow, I sensed mixed emotions from him and tilted my head. I couldn't understand why Park Yoon-sung wore such a complicated expression, so I simply nodded and replied.

"Yes."

"Then please go in."

In an instant, the complicated expression on his face disappeared as if it had never been there. I blinked in surprise at the speed of the change.

“Yes, then I’ll take my leave now…”

And there he was, smiling just like his usual self.

I paced anxiously in front of Kang Yoo-hyun's room. I had made it here somehow, but I couldn't muster the courage to knock on the door. What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t just ask him to use the item out of nowhere. Besides, I wasn’t even the heroine, and if I brought up his trauma directly…

‘I think I’ll get beaten up and kicked out.’

Damn it. Maybe I shouldn't have said I’d do it. I guess I'll have to go back to Park Yoon-sung and ask him to do it for me. Just as I made up my mind and turned around…

Click.

“…!”

"What’s the matter?"

Kang Yoo-hyun was looking at me with a chilling gaze through the slightly open door.