Chapter 186

This fall, they planned to visit the 'writer' in person during their long vacation, but they had no intention of revealing this to the media.

"Do you think they'll have time to investigate the identity of the drama writer when they're so busy going around dungeons?"

"They're S-rank Hunters. I heard S-rank Hunters have 32.1 hours in a day."

"…32.1 hours?"

"Yeah. Yoon Seo, why are you, a Hunter, less informed about rumors than me, a non-Awakened person?"

"..."

Kwon Jihan smirked.

"It's because my hyung walls himself off from others. It's quite remarkable. I've heard the rumor, especially about S-rank Hunters like Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon, that they can store time in their inventory and use it when needed."

Park Juhong nodded enthusiastically.

"Right. I'm so jealous. If it were me, I'd spend it all on sleeping."

"But actually, that's just nonsense. Since we're in Seokyoung, we encounter a lot of S-rank Hunters, and they live by the same 24 hours as everyone else. Lee Domin hyung's is the only skill that has manipulated time so far."

"Oh, really? So it was just a false rumor…"

"I was disappointed too. How can they call themselves S-rank if they can't even control time? Maybe Awakened people are just ordinary humans after all."

"Don't go that far…"

Park Juhong smiled, his eyebrows curving upward.

"Still, I'm jealous. If I worked in Seokyoung, I might have had more chances to run into Hunters."

Like the Guild of Leaves members, Park Juhong also believed that Kwon Jihan was a non-Awakened civilian boyfriend working in Seokyoung. To avoid confusion later from telling different lies to different people, they had decided to stick to this unified story.

"Hunters aren't much. They've got two eyes, two arms, and ten fingers, just like us. If you meet one, you'll just be disappointed to find out they're the same as us. Of course, Hunter Seo Chaeyoon shines like a brilliant star among those ordinary people."

Kwon Jihan winked at Yoon Seo, but Park Juhong paid no attention to it.

"I'm really jealous. Working in the same company as Seo Chaeyoon… Yoon Seo, have you ever met or spoken with Seo Chaeyoon?"

"…No."

Park Juhong sighed.

"If you're going to keep being a Hunter, don't wall yourself off from others. You should mingle with the Hunters more. I heard the industry is full of schemes and plots. How are you going to survive?"

"…Schemes and plots dominate the Hunter industry?"

"That's what they say. Like lobbying team leaders for better raid positions or slandering rivals. It's supposed to be cutthroat."

Yoon Seo internally laughed as he imagined Yoo Juncheol lobbying or the Perfect team members scheming against rivals. If someone said to Hong Euiyoon, "Let's bury so-and-so Hunter together," Hong Euiyoon would blink three times per second, grab their hand, and lead them straight to Seokyoung's psychological counseling room.

Of course, there were places where schemes ran rampant, but Perfect in Seokyoung was not one of them.

Just then, Kwon Jihan spoke up.

"By the way, what do you think about the identity of the drama writer? The news speculates it could be the first-ever Hunter. Not Lee Seokyoung, but the very first Awakened person who existed before the Great Cataclysm."

"I also heard that rumor. Nowadays, people are more likely to refer to the first awakened being as the first psychic. Since if they existed before the awakening system, it's more accurate to call them a psychic rather than an awakened."

"That makes sense. With aliens existing, it's hard to believe there wouldn't be psychics too."

"Some people think it's all just a coincidence. They believe that the 'writer' is just a regular person with a great imagination. After all, even before the cataclysm, there were cases where things from dramas happened to resemble real life. The odds are slim, but not impossible."

"A coincidence, huh. So, which rumor do you believe hyung?"

"I…"

Park Juhong tilted his head, thinking for a moment before answering.

"Maybe they're someone with foresight who wasn't even aware of their own abilities? They could've dreamt about something and turned it into a drama, not realizing it was a prophetic dream. What do you think?"

"I think that too."

Yoon Seo agreed immediately without a second thought.

"I have no idea. I can't even guess."

Kwon Jihan shrugged.

They were quite the shameless couple, pretending not to know when they were fully aware of the truth.

In fact, the true identity of the 'writer' was someone unexpected. They weren't a prophetic dreamer or the first awakened, as some speculated.

"Whatever the truth is, if Domin had been around, he'd have been incredibly excited. He might've quit being a hunter just to chase down the 'writer.'"

There was a touch of bitterness and longing in Park Juhong's voice. It was impossible to talk about the writer of 'Love in Han River' without mentioning Lee Domin.

Whenever Yoon Seo searched for the 'writer,' he always thought of Lee Domin. How excited would Domin have been if he had learned that his favorite drama was somehow tied to the Gaia System?

'I told you! That drama was special. It dealt with the deep mysteries of the universe, love, and friendship! I knew there was something to it!'

Yoon Seo could vividly imagine Domin's face, bursting with excitement, praising the show without even stopping to breathe.

"Yoon Seo, I'm sure you've heard that Domin was close friends with Seo Chaeyoon in the Great Dungeon. Don't you think Domin's the reason Seo Chaeyoon became a fan of 'Love in Han River'?"

"No doubt about it… That's 100% the reason."

"I hope Seo Chaeyoon mentions Domin to the 'writer.'"

Yoon Seo smiled faintly.

"Domin was just a pure drama fan. I doubt he'd try to impress the writer with how much of a fan he was. He probably would've just shaken them, demanding a sequel right away."

"True. It would be great if Seo Chaeyoon could convince the 'writer' to make a sequel, even for Domin's sake."

"…"

Yoon Seo flinched.

He hadn't thought about suggesting that…

A sequel…?

Yoon Seo couldn't deny that he wouldn't mind seeing one either. Now, he felt like he had an extra task to accomplish.

"Yeah, I hope Seo Chaeyoon makes that happen."

Kwon Jihan chuckled next to him. Yoon Seo, trying to keep Park Juhong from noticing, discreetly stepped on Kwon Jihan's foot. Kwon Jihan, amused, laughed even harder and kissed Yoon Seo on the cheek, turning him into a blushing mess while Park Juhong looked on, feeling awkward at the scene.

***

While Park Juhong was in the bathroom, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo huddled together, trying to decide their next destination. There was a restaurant they had in mind, but with so many people around, it seemed unlikely there would be a table for three. They tried calling to make a reservation, but the place was already fully booked, so they gave up on that option. Neither of them wanted to settle for just any place, so they were scouring reviews.

Yoon Seo, who used to eat anything without fuss, had become somewhat of a gourmet after spending time with Kwon Jihan. Occasionally, they would use their names, Seo Chaeyoon and Kwon Jihan, to get into upscale restaurants with year-long waiting lists. Word had spread quietly, and now, instead of them seeking out restaurants, chefs were hoping the two heroes would visit their establishments—not for publicity, but out of genuine admiration.

Today, however, they were just a non-Awakened boyfriend and a B-rank Hunter, making their restaurant search a bit more challenging.

After scouring various options, Kwon Jihan finally found a good spot.

"What do you think about this place? It's about a 10-minute drive, but they have crispy pancakes, and their soy sauce is a secret recipe."

Kwon Jihan showed Yoon Seo some blog review photos. The sight of golden-brown seafood pancakes immediately made Yoon Seo speak up.

"Let's book it right away."

Once they reserved the spot, Yoon Seo suddenly felt a rush of hunger.

"What's taking him so long? Is he building the bathroom himself?"

"Oh no, you're hungry. If you get hit with a status ailment—Hunger—I can't guarantee my safety. Juhong hyung better hurry back before you eat me."

Kwon Jihan joked with a mock-serious expression, crossing his arms over his chest in an "X." Yoon Seo chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're not tasty enough to eat."

"And how would you know whether I'm tasty or not? Have you tried?"

"You've got too much muscle. More muscle means tougher meat."

"Alright, from now on, I'll start muscle-minus training. I'll become soft Jihan so you'll finally want to eat me."

Could he get any cuter? Yoon Seo imagined a soft, non-muscular version of Kwon Jihan—his shoulders, arms, and abs all squishy. It would be a disaster. He was already cute, but if he got any cuter…

"Damn it! What the hell is up with all this gratitude for those so-called new Revengers?"

The loud shout from the next table interrupted Yoon Seo's thoughts.

"They're only acting so high and mighty because everyone's acting like they owe them something! If it weren't for the sacrifices of the old Revengers, they wouldn't have even cleared the dungeon. Seeing them strut around makes me want to smash their heads in!"

"Hey, hey, keep your voice down."

"Aren't you mad? They're holding the Great Dungeon clearing ceremony in October! Why the hell would you celebrate a dungeon that nobody even died in? We should be mourning the old Great Dungeon, not celebrating those dogs…"

"No, they're not just commemorating the new dungeon, it's the '11th Anniversary of the Great Dungeon Clear,' and…"

"If they're scheduling it for the day of the new dungeon's entrance, then they're obviously only celebrating the new one! This is why people treat the old Revengers like a bunch of backwater hicks."

The man, apparently someone close to the old Revengers, had been loudly venting his frustrations about their mistreatment.

There were people like that.

Those who compared the old Revengers to the new ones, criticizing one side or the other.

Some called the old Revengers a bunch of country bumpkins who got wiped out because they went into battle without even basic military training. Others said that the new Revengers were petty thieves who crossed a bridge built from the old Revengers' corpses, snatching glory without getting a single drop of blood on their hands.

"I thought people like that only existed online."

Kwon Jihan muttered. While both of them knew civilians were divided into pro-old Revenger and pro-new Revenger factions, this was their first time witnessing such a confrontation in person.