EFME 14

Host: I heard you recently met with I-21, who has been receiving a lot of attention lately. How was it?

Park Haemin: On the outside, he really seemed like an ordinary person.

Park Heena: I had the same impression. He really looks like a normal person. I couldn’t get the impression that he was an item or a monster.

Host: Do you think I-21 is human?

Park Heena: That’s not it. It’s a matter we can’t be sure of. It’s just that he isn’t a dangerous being like the public perceives him to be.

Host: Can’t you judge dangerousness by appearance alone?

Park Heena: Of course. We also ran several tests. We especially took him into a dungeon to test him, and even when we drove him into a dangerous situation, he couldn’t fight back.

Park Haemin: That’s right. At that time, I-21 almost had his face torn to shreds by a monster. Of course, it was a test conducted with safety secured, but I think I-21 must have truly felt his life was in danger. The fact that he couldn’t fight back even then means I-21 has no offensive capabilities.

Host: What was I-21 like up close?

Park Heena: He has a bright and kind personality. If I hadn’t known he was I-21, I would have just thought he was a gentle young boy.

Park Haemin: I think so too.

Host: You seem to be favorable towards I-21.

Park Haemin: Is there any particular reason for us to be favorable?

Park Heena: I’m not answering based on emotion. I am merely objectively describing I-21 as I saw him. I’m also saying this to reassure the many people who are worried.

Host: What are your thoughts on the Cheongyeon Guild Master possessing I-21?

Park Haemin: According to item-related laws, he belongs to the Cheongyeon Guild Master. Items or byproducts of items obtained in a dungeon belong to the person who acquired them.

Park Heena: It can be judged cleanly according to the law. The Cheongyeon Guild Master acquired the box containing I-21, and I-21 came out of the box. Therefore, it is right for the Cheongyeon Guild Master to possess him.

Park Haemin: If someone else were to possess I-21, I would have been more concerned than I am now. But I don’t think the Cheongyeon Guild Master will make a mistake.

Park Heena: That’s right. The Cheongyeon Guild Master also has the [Survival Strategy] trait, so it’s reassuring. The point is, there’s no need to worry excessively.

– – – – – – – –

[Title: What do you think of the PHN PHM interview?]

They’re living in a total flower garden

Comments

—They don’t have flowers stuck in their heads, so what do you mean flower garden?? They must be saying to relax because it’s safe enough.

└ Ffs this I21 punk, they keep saying he’s safe, if that’s not a flower garden then what is? Freaking S-ranks saying he’s not dangerous just cuz they were fine.

└ They’ll say he’s safe because he looks safe to them.

└ Why are you so worked up lol

—A keyboard warrior criticizing an expert.

└ fr lol

– – – – – – – –

[Title: I don’t get why the I21 debate is dragging on]

There’s a chance he’s dangerous <— isn’t the conversation over with just that? Can’t they just cut him in half or behead him and dispose of him?

Comments

—They say he has item ownership rights.

└ You gotta admit KMY is a real maverick;

—There are also quite a few opinions outside that I21 should be respected ㅇㅇ

└ Just cuz he looks like a person they think he’s a real person;

└ It’s not just that he looks like a person, they say he has reason and emotion, so it’s hard to see him as a simple item.

└ There’s an empty-headed I21 stan here too.

└ If someone’s opinion doesn’t match yours, you just insist they’re a stan lol

– – – – – – – –

[Title: I’ll try to trust Kwon Muyoung]

If it weren’t for Kwon Muyoung, my whole family would be dead.. It’s a life saved by Kwon Muyoung, so I’ll try to trust him this once.

Comments

—I didn’t get any help from Kwon Muyoung, ffs. You trust him on your own.

└ It’s kinda funny to say you live in Korea and haven’t been helped by Kwon Muyoung lol. Even if you weren’t directly helped, you would have been indirectly influenced, especially in the early days of the dungeon outbreaks.

└ I wasn’t even born back then.

└ Kid whose ID ink hasn’t even dried yet lol. Your parents probably got help.

—I trust Kwon Muyoung too.. If you don’t trust Kwon Muyoung, who do you trust?

└ It’s better Kwon Muyoung than leaving it to the Ability Management Bureau.

—Let’s not deify Kwon Muyoung. Kwon Muyoung is human too, he can make mistakesㅠㅠ This is a clear mistake by Kwon Muyoung.

└ Nothing’s been clearly revealed, so what do you mean mistake? lolololol

– – – – – – – –

[Title: The future of Hell Joseon is dark]

Even if we exclude Park Heena and Park Haemin, four out of the nine hunters in the top 10 support I21. Is this even a country?

Comments

—We don’t know what I Bada and Jeong Dakyung think, do we?

└ Sighting rumors of them hanging out at Cheongyeon Guild are all over the place, what are you talking about lol

—Kim Huieun or Shim Jaehee need to protest strongly.

– – – – – – – –

[Title: It’s that time again]

Why is the 2nd place on the Hunter ranking board empty??? Why exactly???

Comments

—Is it that time again already?

—What’s the ranking now? Any changes?

└ 1st [Muyoung]

2nd —

3rd [Agnes]

4th [Gravity]

5th [Go Yoonjae]

6th [Water Spray]

7th [Supreme]

8th [Maru]

9th [Sea of Blood]

10th [Jeongwol]

└ Same as before.

—It should be listed as one of the 7 mysteries of the Hunter world.

└ Isn’t our country the only one where a ranking slot is completely empty? Why is it like this?

—The 2nd ranker was forgotten by people in exchange for saving the world ㅇㅅㅇ

└ Not funny.

└ Eek, an otaku.

– – – – – – – –

At the touch of someone shaking his body, Sunyul opened his eyes. A man was looking down at him.

‘Sunyul-ah.’

The voice calling his name was very gentle. The man’s gaze, too, was filled with soft affection. Sunyul rubbed his eyes and looked at the man.

‘What is it, Go Yoonjae…….’

‘Are you very tired?’

‘No, I’m just a little sleepy.’

He had just come back from a dungeon run. It happened to be a dungeon with a time limit, so they had rushed through it, and he was short on sleep.

He had come to the Ability Management Bureau to write his report before heading home. But the paper was just white and the letters were just black, so he had been catching a short nap.

To be woken up after just a brief nap. Sunyul looked at his friend with resentful eyes. At that, Yoonjae laughed lightly.

‘Heena noona and Haemin-hyung are here. They asked if you were around.’

‘You should have said so sooner.’

Sunyul got up from his seat. If Heena and Haemin had come to visit, it was obvious where they would be. Sunyul caught the elevator going to the Ability Management Bureau’s research lab. Yoonjae followed him.

‘You’re not happy to see me, only noona and hyung.’

Sunyul looked at Yoonjae as if he were absurd.

‘I saw you before we went into the dungeon.’

‘That was already four days ago.’

‘What is this, separation anxiety?’

‘I guess so. Hang out with me too.’

Yoonjae rested his chin on Sunyul’s shoulder and acted clingy. Sunyul pushed him away with his hand.

‘You’re heavy, Yoonjae-yah.’

‘Our Sunyul’s strength stat is so low that even this is heavy for him…….’

‘Just lean on me forever then.’

‘Haha.’

Yoonjae laughed and moved away from Sunyul. Just then, the elevator arrived.

Knocking on the lab door, Sunyul went inside.

‘Excuse me.’

‘Our Ability Specialist Lim Sunyul. Did you return from the dungeon safely?’

A researcher asked with a smile. Sunyul grinned and nodded.

‘Of course.’

‘It’s Sunyul!’

A bright voice came from the distance. Heena approached with a wide smile and looked Sunyul over from head to toe.

‘No injuries?’

‘As if I could get injured.’

Sunyul said confidently. It was a high-difficulty A-rank dungeon, but Sunyul was a proper S-rank Hunter. A capable Hunter, at that, who had reached 2nd in the Hunter rankings in a very short time.

‘Ogu, right. So proud. Isn’t Yoonjae going into an A-rank dungeon soon too?’

‘Yes, that’s right. I’m going in two days.’

‘Good thing I brought some potions. I’ll give you plenty, so take them.’

At her generous offer, Yoonjae shook his head, saying there was no need.

‘The ones I get supplied are enough. You should sell them to the Bureau, why are you trying to give them to me directly?’

‘How can I, when I know how stingy the Bureau is.’

Telling him to just put them away, Heena stubbornly handed over the potions. In the end, as if he had no choice, Yoonjae accepted the potions and put them in his inventory.

‘What’s this. Sunyul is here?’

Just then, Haemin approached from afar. As soon as he came over, Haemin bombarded Sunyul with questions.

‘How was the staff? Did you like it? Is there anything that needs adjusting?’

‘It was perfect?’

‘Kyah, that’s me, alright. Cheers to my shining genius.’

‘What a load of crap…….’

Heena’s eyes were cold as she looked at her deeply self-absorbed sibling. Watching the two who got along but also didn’t, he couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Let’s not do this here, let’s go chat in the break room.’

‘Ah, right. We shouldn’t be a bother. Let’s go.’

Coming to his senses at Sunyul’s words, Haemin led the way out of the lab. Sunyul went to stand next to the still-excited Haemin.

‘But hyung, about the staff. I still think you gave it to me for too cheap.’

‘Huh? I got a fair price for it.’

‘What do you mean, a fair price……. It probably didn’t even cover the cost of the materials.’

‘You gathered the most expensive and important materials for me.’

‘Still. Everyone knows how expensive a weapon made by our genius crafter Park Haemin is, it was way too cheap.’

‘It’s fine, just take it. If you calculate things so formally, hyung will be sad.’

‘That’s right, Sunyul-ah.’

Heena, who was following behind, suddenly chimed in.

‘Sunyul-ah, just take what you can when you can. You should be milking the rich. We all know Ability Specialists get paid peanuts.’

‘It’s not that bad, noona. The Bureau pays plenty.’

Yoonjae interjected. At that, Heena’s eyes narrowed.

‘Plenty? Unlike you, our Sunyul wants to earn a lot of money.’

Sunyul laughed awkwardly. Unlike his friend who had no desire for material possessions, Sunyul liked money. He wasn’t at the level of selling his soul for money, but since he donated to many places, he often found himself thinking it would be nice to have a little more to spare.

If he had been concerned about money in the first place, he would have joined a guild instead of the Ability Management Bureau, where a significant portion of the byproducts from dungeons goes to the state.

Thinking of a guild, Sunyul’s heart felt a little tingly.

If he were to join a guild… he wanted to join a guild. There, fighting alongside that person…….

“……”

Sunyul awoke from his sleep and opened his eyes.