Chapter 108: Chapter 108

Incheon International Airport.

On a deep summer night, Evan quietly walked out of the arrival gate after landing in Korea.

He approached a black car waiting under a streetlamp in the outer parking lot. After boarding the vehicle, he turned to greet the man sitting in the passenger seat.

“Jason, it’s been a while.”

“Haha! Indeed, it has.”

Jason casually ran his hand over his neatly trimmed beard. The car began to move slowly.

The smooth ride took them onto the road heading from Incheon to Seoul, where Evan would stay at a hotel. Through the car window, scattered streetlights and faint city lights were visible. Evan gazed at the passing scenery for a moment before turning to Jason. They were about to exchange updates and information.

Jason was the first to speak.

“…Hmm, so you’ve improved the measuring device?”

“Yes, it was necessary for observing and measuring the recently emerging SS-grade dungeons. The watch I gave you is also a kind of prototype.”

Evan’s gaze shifted to Jason’s wrist, but no accessory was visible. Feeling the glance, Jason chuckled lightly.

“Haha! I gave it to the former saintess. It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“…I see.”

Evan nodded quietly. While Jason’s actions were reckless, the watch wasn’t particularly important. There was no need to make an issue of it—especially since he would soon meet the person who had taken it.

“Enough about me. Share the information you have on this former saintess.”

“Hmm, where should I begin?”

Jason stroked his beard with his index finger. It was easy enough to start talking, but conveying his impressions to someone like Evan, with his perfectionist tendencies, required meticulous and precise analogies.

“For starters, she’s strong. Ridiculously strong.”

“…Please, explain in terms I can understand.”

“In Korean, we’d say she’s as strong as ‘invincible.’ That’s the perfect way to describe it.”

Jason nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with his metaphor. Both men were fluent in Korean, making the phrase crystal clear to Evan.

“…I understand she’s one of the few who can be called a top-tier powerhouse. What about her personality? Or her combat style?”

“She’s an exceptionally cheerful woman! Cool and composed! Haha! Oh, right.”

Jason’s boisterous laughter was interrupted by a sudden thought, an amusing analogy he had recently picked up while casually browsing the internet in Korea.

“Do you know that there are various ways and purposes to fight?”

“Hm? Of course.”

“Some fight to elevate their own worth, while others aim to diminish their opponent’s value.”

Jason narrowed his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. He recalled the time he clashed with the saintess in a dungeon. Just thinking about it made his body tingle with anticipation.

“The former saintess does both. Simultaneously.”

“Excuse me? Both?”

Evan frowned, puzzled by the statement. Jason licked his lips and sighed in admiration, his face glowing with excitement.

“Hah, just how many skills does she have? With some bizarre ability, she continuously weakens her opponent. On top of that, I suspect she’s constantly empowering herself with her own skills.”

“….”

“And that’s not all! She disrupts her opponents endlessly with attack magic, and if you try to engage in close combat, she’s a master there too! Haha!”

Evan’s expression grew more serious. Jason, already exhilarated, continued his explanation without noticing.

“Even when my ribs cracked and my jawbone broke, she healed me and then struck me again! I ended up getting thoroughly beaten!”

“….”

“I didn’t give up and kept resisting, but I couldn’t win no matter what! Haha! Someday, I’ll defeat her. Just thinking about that day excites me!”

Jason’s body trembled with exhilaration. Evan, staring at him, had a face so stiff it might as well have been carved from stone.

“…She healed her opponent just to hit them again?”

“Yes! Her precision is no joke! She’s clearly done it many times before. It’s impressive! Haha!”

“…Hmm.”

That’s utterly…

Evan raised his hand and rubbed his temples, sighing deeply.

***

Around the same time, at a bar in Seoul.

Manager Jang Han-soo and Team Leader Ko Jae-yoon decided to share a light drink. Sitting across from each other, they filled each other’s beer glasses to the brim.

“You’ve really worked hard all this time!”

“No, Team Leader, you’ve been working just as hard. Truly admirable.”

Clink! The crisp and clear sound of their glasses colliding rang out as the two men toasted. With pleased expressions, they downed their drinks in large gulps. Team Leader Ko wiped the foam from his lips with the back of his hand and spoke.

“You handled everything so well when Hunter Jeong Si-hyun first tried to hide her identity. Truly impressive.”

“Haha, I was just lucky.”

“Hmm, I see. But how did you figure out her personality?”

Ko tilted his head as he asked the question. After all, even he had nearly made a major blunder during their first meeting. Manager Jang’s ability to maintain a good relationship with her from the start had been remarkable.

At the team leader’s inquiry, Jang Han-soo squinted slightly, as if recalling the past. He lowered his gaze and gently swirled the beer in his glass.

“…It was when she had just returned and visited the Bureau building for measurements.”

Jang paused briefly, summoning the memories of that day.

“When she talked about the Hero’s Party, her expression turned as cold as ice. But when she spoke about her younger sister, her face lit up with a childlike, pure smile.”

Her expressions had been strikingly different, to the point of being almost blunt. Manager Jang vividly remembered that moment, as it had left a deep impression.

“Based on that, I set the course of action going forward. Thankfully, it worked out.”

“Ah, so that’s how it was! Once again, you did a fantastic job! Hahaha!”

Ko Jae-yoon nodded energetically, offering sincere praise. Lifting the beer bottle, he poured more into Jang’s glass, as if urging him to drink. Having such a capable subordinate boded well for the future. With a satisfied smile, he filled his own glass as well.

“Cheers!”

Despite the weariness etched on their faces, the two men shared a look of satisfaction, their smiles filled with camaraderie.

***

“Need help tying your hair?”

“Yeah. I wanted to try this, but I can’t get it to look like the photos online.”

It was early afternoon. I sat quietly on the living room floor, while behind me, Si-yoon fiddled with my hair, chattering about this and that.

“Once you get the hang of it, it’s not that hard.”

“Mm, I’ll take my time and learn.”

“Of course! You’ll get it in no time, sis!”

Si-yoon’s hands moved deftly, shaping my hair into a style. With my head slightly tilted forward, I felt her gentle touch. The hairstyle was done in no time.

“Ta-da! How is it? Pretty good, right?”

I looked at Si-yoon’s reflection in the mirror. She spread her palms wide next to her face and blinked her big eyes, flashing a proud smile. Her expression was as cute as a child showing off their art project.

“Let’s see…”

Turning my head slightly, I glanced at the side of my reflection in the mirror. My long hair had been tied into a low, rounded bun.@@novelbin@@

Si-yoon called it a “low bun,” but I just thought of it as a neat updo. Since summer was getting hotter, I’d asked her to help, and I was quite pleased with the result. It looked much more natural and refined than my clumsy attempts.

“You’ve definitely got some talent, little sister.”

“Of course! What did you expect?”

Si-yoon placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest in pride. I chuckled at her confidence and turned my attention back to the mirror.

“I already bought the hat. Do you have sunglasses I can borrow? Just in case.”

“Sure, hang on!”

Si-yoon disappeared into her room. While she was gone, I grabbed the hat I had left on the table and put it on. Moments later, she returned with a simple pair of sunglasses and handed them to me.

“Hmm, how’s this? Should be enough, right?”

“Probably? Ji-ah unni usually goes around with just this much.”

“Looks like we’re right on time. Shall we head out?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

After double-checking that we hadn’t forgotten anything, we stepped out the door together. Perfect timing—Ji-ah had just arrived in front of the house.

We got into her car and headed toward the Hunter Bureau building.

***

“...I’ll call as soon as I’m done.”

“Okay, got it!”

“See you later, unni!”

After arriving near the Bureau building, I exchanged brief goodbyes with Ji-ah and Si-yoon as they headed off.

Once I finished my meeting with Evan Harper, the three of us planned to go shopping. We needed to prepare some essentials for an upcoming trip to Japan.

“….”

I glanced around casually. With my hair tied into a bun and a baseball cap pulled low, I was attracting noticeably fewer stares than usual. At least... I thought so.

Tap, tap, tap—

Upon entering the Bureau building, Manager Jang Han-soo was already waiting for me and greeted me warmly. After exchanging a brief hello, we walked toward a private meeting room within the building.

Knock, knock.

I opened the door and stepped inside. Evan Harper and Jason, who were already seated, turned their gazes toward me.

“If you need anything, just call me.”

With a polite bow, Manager Jang left the room, closing the door behind him. It had been Evan’s request to keep the meeting private, and I hadn’t objected. It wasn’t a big deal to me.

Shifting my attention back to the two Western men in the room, I spoke.

“Former Saintess, it’s been a while!”

“Nice to meet you. We finally meet face-to-face.”

“…Yes, hello.”

I took my seat with a relaxed motion. Jason suddenly jumped to his feet and began setting out refreshments and coffee in front of me.

…Anyone watching might think he was my subordinate. This was an S-rank Hunter from another country, after all.

Shaking my head slightly in disbelief, I turned my attention to Evan Harper.

A Western man with dark brown hair and faintly tired eyes, his face was so unremarkable it almost felt familiar, as if I’d seen him somewhere before. His presence was equally subdued.

“Hm…”

Evan’s gaze moved from my face to my wrist. Raising my arm slightly, I gave it a casual shake and asked, “Want me to return the watch?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Evan shook his head, but his eyes remained fixed on my wrist. Seeing his expressionless face, I decided to break the silence.

“…Let’s skip the small talk and get straight to the point.”

“Very well,” Evan replied with a nod.

“Hunter Jeong Si-hyun, I have many questions about you. That’s why I came to Korea—to confirm and evaluate what kind of person you are.”

“…Evaluate?”

“Yes. I need answers to determine how we’ll proceed. Whether you’re a threat or an asset, I must—”

“Hold on.”

I raised my hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Excuse me? Who’s evaluating whom here?

I asked for the main point, not nonsense. Taking a leisurely sip of my coffee, I spoke again.

“Jason, add some coffee syrup.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Jason moved promptly to fulfill my request, his enthusiasm almost comical.

Evan’s expression twisted amusingly as he watched Jason. His previously blank face now showed visible confusion, which I found deeply satisfying.

A small but sweet revenge.

After all, he was the one who dared to put me on edge.