<strong>"Ha. Ji-hoon!"</strong>


    <strong>"Yes."</strong>


    <strong>"Why are you sote!"</strong>


    Yoo Hana''s voice had a hint of annoyance.


    <strong>"I was busy. I told you earlier."</strong>


    <strong>"Ha. That''s true. But if possible, I''d like you to stay by my side. Where do you keep going? You’re supposed to be with me today."</strong>


    <strong>"Yes, but I had the hearing and then met with Hunter Lee Soo-ah..."</strong>


    <strong>"Huh? A hearing?"</strong>


    <strong>"Yes."</strong>


    Yoo Hana''s expression changed suddenly, looking very interested.


    <strong>"What happened? Was it with that Hunter Chae Soo-hyun you mentioned earlier...?"</strong>


    She ced a finger on her lips, looking at him with curiosity.


    <strong>"Yes. Ipletely won."</strong>


    <strong>"Oh, really~?"</strong>


    Her face brightened up, looking relieved.


    <strong>"But, if it was that interesting, you should have taken me with you! You didn’t go with just Hunter Lee Soo-ah, did you?"</strong>


    <strong>"I did."</strong>


    <strong>"Oh."</strong>


    She looked disappointed.


    <strong>"Ah... Why... Why, Ji-hoon! Listen carefully from now on. Whenever there''s something important like that, you must take me with you. Understood? I''m an S-rank Hunter, you know that, right?"</strong>


    <strong>"Hunter Lee Soo-ah is also an S-rank Hunter."</strong>


    I nced at Yoo Hana. Hearing that, her expression turned more heated, her face gradually reddening.


    <strong>"I''m ranked higher among the S-ranks, even while I''m busy with my entertainment activities. My rank hasn’t dropped at all."</strong>


    <strong>"Hunter Lee Soo-ah is the same. She''s ranked second, only behind Chae Soo-hyun."</strong>


    I held up two fingers. Yoo Hana realized she had been caught off guard.


    <strong>"Ha... Fine. Then just... The more, the merrier."</strong>


    It seemed she decided to change her strategy.@@novelbin@@


    <strong>"Take me with you too. Don’t just go with Hunter Lee Soo-ah. Include me as well."</strong>


    <strong>"But Yoo Hana, you’re busy with your entertainment activities, aren’t you?"</strong>


    <strong>"Ha..."</strong>


    Her schedule was indeed packed, as expected in such a high-stakes industry. Although Yoo Hana was known to be the type who frequently canceled hermitments.


    <strong>"Ha... But... How much busier can you get?"</strong>


    <strong>"Very busy. I might not be around here much anymore."</strong>


    <strong>"Why?"</strong>


    <strong>"Why do you think? I have a lot of work to do."</strong>


    I subtly looked at Yoo Hana, signaling her with my eyes.


    <strong>‘Let’s see how you handle this.’</strong>


    <strong>"Ha. Ji-hoon, you''re officially dispatched by the Blue Guild, right? And I allowed you to go there today, so..."</strong>


    I silently stared at Yoo Hana.


    <strong>‘So what? What are you going to do? What can you do?’</strong>


    <strong>"I see. So?"</strong>


    <strong>"Ah... Well... Um... Just! Think about my position a little... Ha..."</strong>


    Yoo Hana sighed again. It seemed she felt helpless, like there was nothing she could do.


    <strong>"You want me to stay by your side, Yoo Hana?"</strong>


    <strong>"Yes!!!"</strong>


    I responded softly.


    <strong>"Then you can follow me."</strong>


    <strong>"..."</strong>


    She suddenly fell silent, as if she’d been punched in the gut, contemting.


    <strong>"Well... I’ll think about it."</strong>


    <strong>"Ha... What a mess..."</strong>


    Lee Soo-ah looked at the massive stack of papers on her desk. They had been stored for so long that they were covered in dust.


    <strong>"Am I really going back to the old days...?"</strong>


    Back in the early days of the Hunter era, the structure was that the higher-ranked Hunters took the lead. Lower-ranked Hunters would "ride the bus" as a result.


    But over time, and with S-rank Hunters suffering from various ailments, the structure began to change. It felt like harsh leadership.


    <strong>‘Ha... So, I’ll have to work hard again...’</strong>


    <em>Knock, knock, knock.</em>


    <strong>"Yes..."</strong>


    Lee Soo-ah answered weakly.


    <strong>"Hehe. Hunter Lee Soo-ah?"</strong>


    It was Chief Cha, smiling brightly.


    <strong>"Are you ready? Let’s start right away."</strong>


    <strong>"Ha... Chief Cha..."</strong>


    <strong>"Oh, why~? Are you not going to do it?"</strong>


    Chief Cha gripped his smartphone tightly, silently threatening to make a call if she didn’tply.


    <strong>"Ah!!! Chief Cha!!!"</strong>


    Lee Soo-ah mmed her desk and stood up abruptly.


    <strong>"Ah, you’re being too much! Why are you treating me like this? Was I really that bad?"</strong>


    <strong>"Yes."</strong>


    Chief Cha responded firmly.


    <strong>"Ah. I just did it for Team A!!!"</strong>


    <strong>"And I''m doing this for you, Hunter Lee Soo-ah."</strong>


    <strong>"But thanks to me, the Hunters in Team A grew quickly, didn''t they?"</strong>


    <strong>"Making Lee Soo-ah great again."</strong>


    <strong>"Ha..."</strong>


    Everything she had said to Team A was nowing back to haunt her.


    <strong>"Alright... Alright... Let’s go... Where are we going today?"</strong>


    <strong>"We’ve prepared something light. The Noksapyeong Station Dungeon."</strong>


    Chief Cha made a polite gesture, like a butler, extending his arm toward the entrance.


    <strong>"Are you kidding? How is that light?"</strong>


    Grumbling, Lee Soo-ah headed outside.


    <strong>"Hmm... Hana? Do you think you’re ready today?"</strong>


    <strong>"Yes!"</strong>


    The director looked at Yoo Hana with a skeptical expression, likely due to her inconsistent performance.


    <strong>‘Ha... She was amazing in the middle ofst week.’</strong>


    <strong>"I can do well today."</strong>


    She nced over at Baek Ji-hoon.


    She smiled.


    Baek Ji-hoon, seemingly uninterested, focused on his own work.


    <strong>‘Ah,e on. Just pay a little attention. It’s okay. If I perform well today, maybe he’ll take an interest in me. This is my chance to show my skills.’</strong>


    She was resolute.


    <strong>"Director, please capture this moment well, okay? I want to make sure the audience roots for me too."</strong>


    <strong>"Ha... Really? Can I trust you?"</strong>


    <strong>"Alright, let''s start filming!"</strong>


    The set bustled with activity.


    Yoo Hana sat down on the floor, beginning to sob.


    <strong>"Jin-seok... What did I do so wrong? Is it such a crime to be crazy in love? I just loved you so much... I did it because I loved you too much!!! I only wanted your attention!!!"</strong>


    She quickly immersed herself in the scene, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed the male actor’s pant leg.


    <strong>"I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please, just give me one more chance. I won’t do it again. You know you’re the only one I have. How can you just abandon me like this? Please... If you don’t take me back, I’ll die right here!!!!!!"</strong>


    Yoo Hana pulled out a prop and pretended to stab herself in the neck.


    <strong>"Oooookay!!!!"</strong>


    The director ran over to her with a handkerchief.


    <strong>"See? You can do it so well!! Yoo Hana, are you crazy? You almost made me forgive you just now! You’re incredible."</strong>


    He was making a big fuss.


    <strong>"Director, was it good? I really put my heart into it."</strong>


    Yoo Hana wiped her tears and spoke to the director, ncing over at Baek Ji-hoon. He was still focused on his work, seemingly unbothered.


    <strong>‘Ha... He must have seen it, right? My acting? He must have, right? Ha... I kind of imagined I was doing it for Ji-hoon...’</strong>


    <strong>"Ah~ Yoo Hana, you’re amazing. You nailed that climax!!!"</strong>


    The nearby crew members approached, pping.


    <strong>"Wow. With that performance, he really should forgive her."</strong>


    <strong>"Yeah. Can’t we just change the story? Let them reconcile, and everyone will be happy."</strong>


    <strong>"No way~ The ending is already set."</strong>


    <em>Step, step, step.</em>


    The male actor approached.


    <strong>"Yoo Hana, you were incredible today."</strong>


    It was Lee Ho-joon, a very famous actor.


    <strong>"Oh, really? Thank you."</strong>


    Yoo Hana seemed uninterested.


    <strong>"Hmm. But do you have time tonight? Your acting was so amazing, and I’d love to learn from you. How about...?"</strong>


    <strong>"I’m busy..."</strong>


    She smiled and brushed him off. It seemed like Lee Ho-joon had mustered up the courage to ask.


    <strong>"Ah... Okay..."</strong>


    He left without another word.


    <strong>‘I should go see Ji-hoon.’</strong>


    <strong>"Hmm... The rankings..."</strong>


    I was busy researching. There was so much to learn about Hunters.


    <strong>‘Well, Lee Soo-ah will handle the rankings herself. I''ve set her on the right path. It’s not urgent, but applying some pressure on Chae Soo-hyun...’</strong>


    The Blue Guild had a reputation as the number one guild. But after recruiting Chae Soo-hyun, the Baekho Guild had taken that image.


    <strong>‘We need to take it back. How dare they.’</strong>


    To do that, I had to push Lee Soo-ah. It was all about image in the end.


    <strong>[ Lee Soo-ah, are you heading to the dungeon? ]</strong>


    <strong>[ Ha... Yes... I''m going. ]</strong>


    <strong>[ Good luck! ]</strong>


    <strong>[ Good... luck... ]</strong>


    I sent her a message just to check, and she replied almost immediately.


    <strong>‘Good. It seems like getting Lee Soo-ah back to the top rank is just a matter of time.’</strong>


    <strong>"Excuse me... Ji-hoon..."</strong>


    I was absorbed in my work when I heard Yoo Hana''s voice calling me. I looked up at her.


    <strong>"Did you happen to see my acting just now? How was it?"</strong>


    She seemed tense, as if her heart was racing.


    <strong>"It was fine."</strong>


    I answered somewhat indifferently. My focus wasn''t really on that at the moment.


    <strong>"And...?"</strong>


    <strong>"?"</strong>


    <strong>"Don''t you have anything more to say? Like a review? Apliment? Something like, it touched your heart, or maybe you were impressed by Yoo Hana, or even that you fell for me~?"</strong>


    It was clear she was fishing for a specific response.


    <strong>"No, nothing more."</strong>