Chapter 33
It was a familiar yet completely new flavor.
The spicy-sweet sauce, soft egg, and springy noodles blended together wonderfully.
More than anything else, there was something strange about this ramen.
It reminded Park Si-hoon of the flavor his dead junior had loved.
No, it felt like something even more than that.
"Th, this taste... what is this?"
Park Si-hoon muttered without realizing it.
He could not stop moving his chopsticks and began devouring the ramen.
It was as if he had been starving for a very long time.
As he ate, hot tears endlessly streamed down his face.
It was impossible to tell whether they were tears of sadness, longing, or overwhelming emotion from receiving a small amount of comfort.
Hong Man-gi silently watched him.
Then he raised his thumb toward Lee Yu-han.
"He's really enjoying it."
Lee Yu-han still looked confused, but since it was praise from Hong Man-gi, he smiled brightly.
After finishing the entire bowl, Park Si-hoon stared down at the empty bowl for a long time without speaking.
Sadness still remained on his face.
However, if one looked carefully, his expression seemed slightly lighter than before.
"It was delicious. Really... truly delicious."
He looked between Hong Man-gi and Lee Yu-han and spoke with a trembling voice.
"Eating this ramen makes me think about that kid even more. But strangely, my heart feels a little more comfortable. It almost feels like he's saying, 'Hyung, it's okay now. Please stop blaming yourself so much.'"
Tears gathered in Park Si-hoon's eyes again.
This time, however, there was also a faint smile.
"Owner, no, Hunter Hong Man-gi. And that person who made the ramen, you said his name was Lee Yu-han?"
"That's right. He's a Hunter."
Hong Man-gi nodded.
Park Si-hoon wiped away his tears.
"Thank you so much. Thanks to both of you, I think I can leave with a little less weight on my shoulders."
As he said those words, Park Si-hoon's body slowly began turning into light.
The guilt and regret that had bound his soul were gradually melting away through a warm bowl of ramen and sincere comfort.
"I hope you can meet your junior again in the afterlife with a smile."
Hong Man-gi quietly said.
Park Si-hoon nodded and smiled.
His form became fainter and fainter, then finally scattered into warm particles of light throughout the food cart.
[Ding]
The familiar system notification rang in Hong Man-gi's ears.
【A Bonus Skill Has Been Granted.】
Skill Name: Vacuum Annihilation Slash
: A single strike fired with absolute determination.
From a heart without distracting thoughts, a flash carrying destruction is released.
Disappears after one use. Automatically activated.
(※ Can only activate when you sincerely wish to save someone.)
, A single strike capable of cutting down the target in one blow.
, Ignores and pierces through physical and magical defense.
【This skill cannot be restored.】
Park Si-hoon's lingering regret had been resolved, and part of his power was being passed on to Hong Man-gi.
"This time too... just as expected...."
Hong Man-gi muttered.
Only then did Lee Yu-han finally ask,
"H, Hunter Hong Man-gi, may I ask what exactly just happened?"
Hong Man-gi gently patted Lee Yu-han's shoulder.
"Sure. Hunter Park Si-hoon has probably gone somewhere peaceful now. Thanks to your ramen."
"Who? Hunter Park Si-hoon?"
Hong Man-gi had Lee Yu-han sit down.
"You're someone who's going to stay by my side from now on, so I'll explain everything."
Lee Yu-han focused completely, ready to listen.
* * *
"Is... is that really true?"
Hong Man-gi nodded.
"So that's why... No wonder the Inspection Department is watching you... This really is unbelievable."
Hong Man-gi had become a Hunter capable of seeing souls on their way to the afterlife.
And whenever he resolved their lingering regrets or fulfilled their final wishes, he could absorb their abilities.
Lee Yu-han could barely believe everything Hong Man-gi had told him.
Still, he had no choice but to accept it.
His gaze moved toward Poming.
"So you're actually an incredibly lucky summoned creature."
Poming proudly raised her shoulders.
Hong Man-gi gently patted Lee Yu-han's shoulder again.
"Hunter Park Si-hoon has probably gone somewhere peaceful now. Thanks to your ramen."
"Because of my ramen?"
"Yeah. Like I said, your ramen helped resolve his final regret. The sincerity inside the food you made helped melt his frozen heart, even if only a little."
A complicated mix of emotions crossed Lee Yu-han's face.
One bowl of ramen he had made had comforted someone on their final journey.
For someone who had always suffered from helplessness as an F-rank Hunter, it was an indescribably moving experience.
At the same time, it seemed to bring a heavy sense of responsibility.
Perhaps it was because he had realized that what he was doing was more than simply cooking.
It could affect someone's life and death.
"I can't believe I was able to do something like that...."
Lee Yu-han muttered emotionally.
"Being with you feels like a whole new world is opening up for me, Hunter Hong Man-gi. In more ways than one!"
"I'm glad you feel that way."
Peaceful silence returned to the food cart.
"All right, should we start cleaning up?"
"Huh? You're closing already?"
"Let's stop for today. We completed a pretty important mission."
Hong Man-gi said as he cleared away the empty bowls.
After sending Park Si-hoon's soul away, the atmosphere inside the food cart seemed much lighter.
"Yu-han, go home and rest for today. Tomorrow, we'll meet early in the morning and go shopping for ingredients. We also need to think about new menu items. There's plenty to do."
"What? Already? Isn't there anything else I can help with?"
"It's fine. Your ramen helped solve something important today, so that's enough. It was also your first day, so you were probably tense. You need proper rest if you're going to work again tomorrow."
Hong Man-gi lightly pushed Lee Yu-han toward the entrance.
Lee Yu-han hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded at Hong Man-gi's considerate smile.
"Yes, understood. Then I'll contact you tomorrow morning. Thank you for everything today, Hunter Hong Man-gi."
Lee Yu-han bowed and left the food cart.
His steps looked lighter and more confident than before.
And so,
after Lee Yu-han left, Hong Man-gi remained alone and began cleaning up.
Poming had already returned because her summoning time had ended.
Hong Man-gi washed the dishes, wiped down the cooking counter, and organized the tables with calm and steady movements.
'What ingredients should I buy tomorrow? I should probably test whether Lee Yu-han can cook anything besides ramen too.'
He chuckled while planning for the next day.
He still missed Kang Jae-min's presence, but he was also beginning to look forward to working with his new partner, Lee Yu-han.
After finishing everything, Hong Man-gi turned off the lights and was just about to lower the tent.
[Rustle]
A shadow slipped through the narrow opening before the tent completely closed.
It was Team Leader Cha Mu-jin from the Association's Inspection Department.
This time, he was not wearing his Hunter Association uniform.
Instead, he wore an ordinary fitted black turtleneck and slacks.
But even with different clothes, his usual sharp and cold atmosphere had not disappeared.
He quietly stared at Hong Man-gi with the eyes of a predator in the night.
"Sorry for coming so late, Hunter Hong Man-gi."
"I was just about to close. What brings you here?"
"I'm Cha Mu-jin from the Association's Inspection Department."
Cha Mu-jin's voice was low and gentle, but there was something cold beneath it.
Hong Man-gi did not look surprised.
Instead, his expression seemed to say, So you've finally come.
Cha Mu-jin continued.
"I was hoping we could talk for a moment. Are you not doing business tonight?"
Cha Mu-jin glanced around the food cart.
His eyes briefly rested on the clean cooking counter, the tables, and the apron in Hong Man-gi's hand.
"No. I closed a little early today. I'm tired, and I also need to shop for ingredients tomorrow."
"I see."
Cha Mu-jin pulled out a chair at an empty table and sat down by himself.
His movement was so natural that it almost looked like this was his own office.
"I visited Hunter Kang Jae-min at the hospital."
"Ah, I heard. Jae-min was pretty worried."
"It's understandable. He was injured himself, and the Hunter who entered the dungeon with him is attracting attention from the Association in several different ways."
Cha Mu-jin smiled faintly.
It was difficult to tell what intention was hidden behind that smile.
"You probably have some idea why I'm here, Hunter Hong Man-gi. Clearing BX-01 was an impressive achievement. The Association is paying close attention to it. In particular, one of your teammates was apparently a beginner Hunter around F-rank level. Personally, I'm very curious how that was possible."
It was similar to what he had asked Kang Jae-min.
But this time, his suspicion was much more direct.
He narrowed his eyes and watched Hong Man-gi's reaction closely.
Hong Man-gi crossed his arms and faced Cha Mu-jin.
He had no intention of avoiding the question.
"You could say we were lucky, or you could say our teamwork was good. Lee Yu-han was F-rank, but at the final moment, he showed the courage to risk his own life to protect his companions. Sometimes feelings like that can create miracles."
Hong Man-gi emphasized Lee Yu-han's growth while carefully avoiding the real issue.
Cha Mu-jin remained silent for a moment.
Then, as though something had casually occurred to him, he asked another question.
"Do you happen to raise a summoned creature?"
"If you mean a combat summon, no. There's just a little one who sometimes hangs around with me like a friend."
Hong Man-gi did not completely deny Poming's existence, but he hid her abilities.
"A friend... Hmm. I see."
Cha Mu-jin nodded, but his eyes were still searching the food cart for something.
"But you see, Hunter Hong Man-gi, one of our Inspection Department drone cameras recorded something interesting. It happened inside a previous dungeon. Only for a moment, but we caught something resembling a small white furry creature appearing near you and then disappearing. It wasn't registered in the Association database."
It was as though he had revealed a card he had been hiding.
Hong Man-gi felt his expression stiffen for a moment, but he quickly maintained a calm appearance.
"CCTV sometimes captures strange things. Dungeon environments are unstable. It could have been light distortion or mana interference."
"That's true."
Cha Mu-jin smiled in agreement.
But his eyes were not smiling.
"Strange things that can't be explained unless ghosts are involved do happen from time to time. Like your skills, for example."
They had finally reached the main point.
Cha Mu-jin's voice dropped slightly.
"Your recent combat style is very interesting. Shadow-type skills, defensive skills, offensive skills, your range is unusually wide and powerful. But there's something strange, Hunter Hong Man-gi."
He leaned forward slightly and stared directly into Hong Man-gi's eyes.
"Our analysis found that those skills happen to be extremely similar to the main skills of Hunters who recently died. Sa Ma-cheon's Shadow Storm, Kim Gi-jeong's Barrier, Jung Yong-bin's protection ability. Isn't that a little too strange to dismiss as coincidence?"
Cha Mu-jin's voice was quiet.
But the suspicion and pressure contained within it were unmistakable.
