2. A Perfectly Laid Trap

Since I had faced Min Ga-on in Ryu Yeon-ho’s body, he had acted like a hawk guarding its nest, keeping all outsiders away. I didn’t know why, but it seemed he didn’t want Ryu Yeon-ho to meet anyone. So I was pretty surprised when I found out where we were headed.

It was Min Ga-on’s guild, the Hwabing headquarters. Hwabing was one of the top three guilds in South Korea, with well over 200 hunters. And since Min Ga-on had just cleared an S-rank gate, it was probably more crowded than anywhere else right now.

‘I can’t believe I’m happy over something this small… Am I seriously suffering from Stockholm syndrome…?’

At first, I had been determined to escape from this guy no matter what. But now, even this small bit of freedom was enough to make me grateful. It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

Still, the joy of finally being able to meet other people lasted only briefly. As we reached the front of the building, Min Ga-on’s secretary came out to meet us, bowing respectfully as she gave her report.

“As you instructed, I emptied the entire building.”

For a moment, my head went blank. This crazy guy, had he lost it? Just looking at the building, it had to be at least fifty floors. And he had emptied the whole thing?

There was no way he had cleared a building full of employees just for me… right? I was so shocked I couldn’t even laugh. I had never imagined Min Ga-on could be this obsessed with Ryu Yeon-ho. This went beyond simple overprotection or surveillance—it was total control.

I felt like a goldfish trapped in a massive glass tank. Ignoring the anger etched on my face, Min Ga-on smiled calmly and gestured for me to follow.

“Shall we go?”

When we reached the top floor, I was gritting my teeth inside, but Min Ga-on’s office was stunning. Through the large glass windows, the whole of Seoul stretched out before me, and I couldn’t look away. The city sparkled under the midday sun, and the skyscrapers’ glass reflected it like mirrors.

Clouds drifted across the blue sky, soft and hazy like a watercolor painting. It would have been perfect if not for the towering traces of gates scattered across the city. They looked like foreign objects piercing the skyline, unnatural structures that disrupted the city’s harmony. Then, a loud voice rang out from behind me.

“These damn gates are such a nuisance.”

The massive office door, made of deep walnut-colored wood, was wide open. It had slammed against the wall with a loud crash that echoed throughout the room.

Min Ga-on’s usually composed secretary was panting, holding onto the door, clearly trying to prevent someone from entering. A man with dark golden hair that reminded me of a lion’s mane strode confidently into the office. His boots thudded loudly, filling the room.

“Damn it, no matter how many I kill, they just keep crawling out. Like cockroaches.”

He spoke roughly, swearing as he talked. The faint scar across his left eye made it clear he wasn’t an ordinary person. A bitter scent, like a mix of aged whiskey and cigarette smoke, lingered in the air.

“Still, thanks to you, someone like me actually made it. Should I say I’m fucking grateful?”

The man chuckled and plopped onto the fancy sofa, casually resting his feet on the table. Clumps of dirt fell from his dusty boots, smearing the polished surface. Min Ga-on’s eyes went icy at his blatant rudeness. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, the secretary quickly bowed and apologized.

“My apologies, Guild Master. Hunter Cha Ju-heon said he can’t wait any longer…”

Well, there’s no way anyone could stand in the way of an S-rank hunter. It would be like trying to catch lightning with your bare hands. Especially if the person was notorious for their nasty reputation, you had to be extra careful.

So I quietly slipped behind Min Ga-on’s back while I had the chance. Min Ga-on seemed to be thinking the same, standing in front of me like a massive, sturdy shield. If I were the past Hong-jun, maybe things would have been different, but right now, I had to keep a low profile. Honestly, it seemed like the opponent didn’t even notice someone as insignificant as me.

‘Cha Ju-heon, that crazy bastard is still the same even after two years.’

He was just the same as the few times I’d crossed paths with him back when I was Hong Jun. I hadn’t meant to remember him, but a person with a personality this rotten was hard to forget.

On top of that, he always dragged around the Hunter Association lackeys like they were his own underlings, so there was no way not to notice him. Like an alpha wolf leading a pack, Cha Ju-heon was always surrounded by his subordinates. He gave off an unpleasant aura, like the mix of blood and gunpowder.

Cha Ju-heon was basically the Association’s go-to enforcer whenever they needed someone to do the dirty work. With his own abilities and the solid backing of the Association, he really had nothing to be afraid of. He had always seemed like a psychopath from the start anyway.

With a small flick of his hand, Min Ga-on sent his secretary out. When he spoke, his voice was much colder than usual, almost chilling the air.

“So, what does the Association want?”

Cha Ju-heon grinned, showing his sharp teeth like a beast.

“You know what those old men want. That damn skill book.”

Cha Ju-heon spread his arms wide in an exaggerated way. He was wearing black leather gloves that reached his wrists. They were supposed to block his lightning, yet sparks still crackled between his fingers, making an unsettling sound.

“Hong Jun, the bastard who died two years ago, his skill book. You have it, right?”

My name suddenly being mentioned snapped me awake. It was like someone dumped ice water on me.

‘Why is he looking for my skill book? I have all of them except one.’

Right now, I was the only one who knew the truth. Since I was the original owner and my S-rank skill book had disappeared, everyone naturally assumed someone had stolen it in the chaos. Not all of them were gone, though.

One of them—‘Eternal Furnace’—had been safely extracted and was still in skill book form. The news I saw at the hospital said they still hadn’t found its owner, so the Association was probably keeping it.
No one would ever guess that the remaining skills had moved into someone else’s body.

There had never been a case like that before. One of those skills was an S-rank fire-type attack that had allowed me to clear top-tier gates on my own. It was no wonder the Hunter Association was working so hard to track it down.

“It’s not just that you’re hoarding all the items Hong Jun had—you’ve got the skill books too, haven’t you? That’s the logical conclusion.”

Cha Ju-heon shrugged and added, explaining further.

“You went in after that bastard died at the gate, right? So you had plenty of chances.”

Suddenly, it felt like my heart had dropped to my stomach.

‘Min Ga-on was in the second group…?’

It felt like ice had run through my veins. Suddenly, I clearly remembered the cold hand that had gripped the back of my neck. My throat was cut right after that, so it made sense that the person who touched me was probably the killer.

It was as if a cold blade rested on my neck, and the pressure made it hard to breathe. If it was Min Ga-on—the only S-rank hunter with ice-type abilities—he could definitely produce that kind of cold.

Then… was the “Wait” I heard just before I died also his voice? But why…? There was no connection between us that could explain something like that. In fact, we’d met only a handful of times.

‘Or… is there something I’ve forgotten?’

The idea that the person protecting me right now might be the same one who once drove me to the brink of death left my mind in chaos—especially since I was literally relying on Min Ga‑on’s back right now. Nothing about this felt real.

“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”

Cha Ju-heon sneered. Even under his obvious questioning, Min Ga-on just stared at him coldly. His eyes, sharp and piercing, were as cold as a frozen lake. Finally, he opened his tightly shut mouth.

“I only received a few items at the time. They were distributed according to the rules, and the Association shouldn’t have had any objections.”

Every word he spoke carried a chill that made the air feel frozen. Of course, Cha Ju-heon wasn’t about to back down. A cruel, predatory smile twisted across his lips.

“Damn it, this conversation isn’t going anywhere.”

Cha Ju-heon growled, his voice thick with irritation.

“Maybe I should just kill you and see what skill book drops.”

As soon as Cha Ju-heon finished speaking, a heavy silence filled the office, like the calm before a storm. The tension between the two men was thick in the air. Blue sparks danced at the tips of Cha Ju‑heon’s fingers, and the crackling of his lightning echoed through the room.

At the same time, the air around me froze instantly, and I saw my breath in the cold. As the room temperature dropped rapidly, my skin stung as if pricked by needles. The glass in the picture frames on the office walls shook, and the crystals in the expensive chandelier clinked together with an alarming sound.

The glass windows on the highest floor developed tiny cracks and vibrated ominously. It felt like the whole building was shaking violently.

‘These crazy bastards! We’re right in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul!’

My mouth went dry. The fights between hunters, who could unleash all kinds of skills and immense energy, were so destructive they could level an entire building.

And they were top-tier S-class hunters… Just being here as an F-class healer like me was enough to endanger my life.

I could feel every hair on my body standing on end as I fought the instinctive urge to run and desperately tried to figure out a way to survive this situation.