chapter 10
A new beginning (5)
It was a pretty good opportunity to receive the Exemplary Citizenship Award.
Because it is a good opportunity to spread the name of Team Seoul City Hall.
Of course, it was clear that the current mayor was trying to put a spoon on Hanna and me, but… .
‘I rather like it.’
I felt so welcomed by the obvious intentions of the market.
It’s a team that I took on both sides to prepare for the invasion of another world, but now that I’m sitting as a producer, I plan to show my skills and run it properly.
If the market wants to use us, we can use the market too.
‘It’s a good opportunity.’
So I was excitedly looking forward to the award ceremony… .
It seemed that Hanna, who was going to receive the award together, was not like that.
“Hanna… . Would it be okay?”
I turned my head slightly to Han Gyu-ri’s worried question and looked at Bang Han-na.
She was squatting in the corner of the gym, resting alone, and her unusually droopy appearance looked like she was in bad shape.
“Wouldn’t it be better to send it back now… ? Or lower the level of training a bit… .”
Gyuri Han has been saying how about taking a proper rest as if Hanna is worried about such a visit.
“I do not know… .”
This morning, after learning that Hanna Bang had been selected as a recipient of a commendation, she began to show a sharp deterioration in her physical condition.
He seemed very nervous about the fact that he was receiving a commendation.
Having fully understood her feelings, I suggested lowering the training intensity or taking a break altogether.
However.
“it’s okay! I can… ! Let me do it!”
She has been strongly requesting training as if she is compulsive, and I have been training according to her wishes.
Because it was a mere act of courage, there was no significant meaning in training, but I did not want to stop training because I was highly acclaimed for the poison she harbored.
“Producer… !”
I turned my head slightly at Han Gyuri’s call to do something, and met her eyes.
The sincerity was oozing out of her worriedly distorted eyes.
‘It’s surprising.’
I couldn’t win at Han Gyuri’s request, so I slowly turned my gaze away and quietly took out my phone.
Then, the weather forecast that I checked in the morning was displayed on the screen and showed to Gyuri Han.
“It is going to rain tomorrow.”
“… yes?”
“Are you taking a day off?”
*
Today’s training was a little longer than usual.
The next day, due to rain, a rest was scheduled.
Originally, he would not have taken a break already, but Do Ji-hyeok decided to give Han-na Bang some time to the two people who were still wrestling with the carrier because they were in good condition.
“””thank you for your effort!”””
After training like that, and cleaning up the gym.
Do Ji-hyuk caught Han-na Bang as she left the gym with a droopy pace.
“It’s Hannah.”
“yes?”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“… ?”
The gym is empty after everyone has turned around.
Hanna Bang, who was sitting alone at the end of the podium, was suffering from a deep sense of shame.
Not only was it not enough that he had not been training properly all day, he was even called for a personal interview.
For Han-na, who was suffering from the pressure of Nam-mo, it was a disaster.
“… ha… .”
Hanna Bang was feeling a lot of pressure on the fact that she was receiving a commendation.
Of course, it was an award for doing well, and although I actually did a good job, I felt burdened to receive the award by exalting my humble achievements.
‘I’m not that kind of person… .’
Not long ago, after the gate incident in Central Square.
For the first time in her life, Hanna Bang began to harbor a sense of entitlement.
The cause is none other than Seol Joo-hee.
Bang Han-na, who happened to be helped by Seol Joo-hee, was shocked to witness her immense power right in front of her eyes.
It was the first time I felt the wall.
Hanna Bang also thought positive thoughts at first and made up her mind.
Seol Joo-hee is Seol Joo-hee, and she is herself.
They have different abilities in the first place, so you can’t compare them.
Even Seol Joo-hee started promoting years earlier, so it’s only natural that there are differences.
I’ve been trying so hard to suppress negative thoughts, but… .
After the team training started in earnest, another pressure came over me.
Hanna Bang’s family runs a dojo.
His father was an A-rank hunter who was quite famous as a martial artist, and his mother was a B-rank hunter who handled swords.
Hanna Bang, who had been playing at the dojo from an early age, naturally set her goal to become a hunter like her parents.
I was able to enter the academy thanks to my talented parents, but I was only able to awaken my abilities at the relatively late age of 19.
However… .
The only ability she got after awakening was shield art.
It was a completely different ability from his father’s karate and his mother’s one-handed swordsmanship.
From then on, Hanna Bang had felt a great sense of shame at the fact that she was a half-hunter, so she was even more delighted that she was selected by the team Seoul City Hall.
Being selected for the team was proof that he was recognized as a full-fledged hunter.
Unfortunately, that joy did not last long.
“You will be doing individual training for the time being.”
Hanna Bang was quite shocked by the fact that only she was trained separately.
Fortunately, thanks to Do Ji-hyuk’s good care and attention, I was able to suppress it somehow.
The fact that he was called a model citizen and received an award even though he did nothing, the sense of shame and pressure he had been holding back burst all at once.
In such a situation, I couldn’t train properly, and I ended up being called for an interview… .
It wasn’t strange that the mentality that had been forcibly held back was shaken.
“… ha… .”
By the time Bang Han-na was deeply engulfed in sorrow and sighed heavily.
“I bought something, okay?”
Do Ji-hyeok, who came back with a drink, handed Han-na a drink.
“Ah yes! thank you… .”
Bang Han-na was handed the drink with a polite gesture as if she were on her body, and Do Ji-hyuk took a seat next to her and opened the can lid.
Cheek-!
A refreshing noise echoes through the quiet gym.
Do Ji-hyuk, who shook his head lightly, turned his head slightly to look at Han-na Bang.
She was shaking her head as if she had committed a crime… .
Do Ji-hyuk, who looked at her softly, turned his gaze away and looked at the empty gym, and spoke softly.
“What are you worried about?”
“… !”
Then Hanna Bang flinched and denied it while trying to spread her chest wide open.
“Oh, no! No problem!”
It looked like someone had a problem.
“okay?”
Do Ji-hyuk once again wet his mouth with the drink, then gently put the can down next to him and brought up a nonsensical story.
“Then, would you like to hear from someone I know?”
“… yes?”
Hanna Bang was a little embarrassed by the sudden story, but
“In the past, there was a person who was preparing to debut as a Hunter. He was a person who had a lot of expectations from the academy and received a lot of offers from a large guild.”
Do Ji-hyuk continued the story recklessly.
“But that person was very embarrassed that he was in the spotlight. There was a person who was far superior to him right next to him. Do you know Seol Joo-hee?”
“… ?”
Bang Han-na, who was silently listening to the story, felt a strange sense of dizziness and looked at Do Ji-hyuk.
“At that time, Seol Joo-hee was amazing. I’ve never seen anyone so talented and strong. I’m just jealous, I’m jealous… . On the other hand, I was also afraid. There is such a monster, what good is the effort?”
Hanna was able to notice.
that he is telling his own story.
“But suddenly I had a thought.”
Do Ji-hyuk slowly turned his head and met Han-na Bang’s eyes.
“I… . Are you doing this right?”
“!”
“Seol Joo-hee was standing in the lane opposite me. It was a completely different direction. We have different destinations, so I was wondering if there was any need to make comparisons.”
“ah… .”
Bang Han-na quickly understood what Do Ji-hyuk was trying to say, but… .
It didn’t help much.
It’s been a long time since she’d realized that there was no meaning in comparing her to someone she wasn’t compared to.
However… .
It wasn’t really what Do Ji-hyuk was trying to say.
“But after that… , I had another thought. ‘Anyway, it’s true that skills are lacking, isn’t it?’ I mean.”
“… !”
Do Ji-hyeok looked very determined and met Han-na Bang’s eyes.
Then he said, hoping she wouldn’t waste time as stupidly as she did.
“It doesn’t make much sense to comfort yourself by saying that you are not comparable. Because that’s just an excuse. If you don’t settle there, it just ends there. I erased the starting line with my feet.”
“… starting line… .”
Bang Han-na could finally understand what Do Ji-hyuk was really trying to say.
and.
He could feel that he was the same kind of person he was.
“Hannah. Do you know why I chose you, a half-hunter who can only deal with shields, for this team?”
“… … .”
“Because you have talent. When I say talent, I’m not just talking about the potential of one’s ability, I’m talking about personality, disposition, and, at least, habits.”
“… Jae, talent… ?”
Hanna Bang, who had been praised for her talent for the first time in her life, blushed in embarrassment.
Because I never thought of myself as talented.
However, Do Ji-hyuk spoke casually, as if he was stating the obvious.
“I will assure you, who made Queens. visit Hanna. you are talented Of course, there must be a lot of hard work, but… , you will surely make a name for yourself as a hunter with a unique style.”
Bang Han-na, who felt Do Ji-hyuk’s story as a sweet whisper to her lover, let out a soft sigh without realizing it, and imagined herself becoming a famous hunter.
It was just a brief imagination, but it was so sweet that it made my head dizzy.
at that time.
Do Ji-hyeok slowly spread the distance, and suddenly, with a dissatisfied expression on her face, he began to talk to Han-na.
“Hannah. I thought it would be like that, so I’ve put together your curriculum. by the way… , If it’s already like this, it won’t be difficult.”
“… .”
“Are you going to do this later? You can’t train properly, feel depressed over useless worries, and want to rot your golden talent?”
“That, that… .”
Bang Han-na couldn’t come to her senses at Do Ji-hyuk’s words of carrots and sticks.
“It’s Hannah.”
“Yes, yes… !”
“This award is purely for your good deeds. nothing else means This is the reward you get because you saved the child and took him well to his mother.”
“… That, but… .”
Hanna Bang tried to say that it seemed too exaggerated for what she did, but… .
Do Ji-hyuk hit the player first.
“If you hadn’t saved the child in the first place, he would have been frozen with the goblins by now.”
“eww… . that… .”
“You did your job, and you will be paid for it. It’s only natural to get paid for doing good deeds and doing bad deeds. right?”
Hannah had nothing to say.
Because Do Ji-hyuk’s words were true.
But after acknowledging his words, it felt like something that had been tangled in my heart was melting away.
“… Yes… .”
Do Ji-hyuk, convinced that Bang Han-na had succeeded in correcting Han-na’s thoughts, said with a small smile.
“There are still a lot of difficult things to do in the future. Even then, of course, I will be by your side… . I hope it doesn’t get too hard.”
Bang Han-na carefully shifted her gaze and looked at Do Ji-hyuk.
Then he nodded, swallowing saliva involuntarily at his caring gaze.
*
After a short break of the day.
The day of commendation ceremony for Han-na Bang and Ji-hyeok Do has finally arrived.
Queens set out to subdue the S rank gate in order to defend the first place in the hunter ranking.
“Headquarters, is there anything wrong?”
[Yes, it sounds good. The camera is also connected… ]
While Lim Arin was checking the connection with the headquarters located at the entrance of the gate, Hong Yura frowned slightly as she touched her clothes as if she was uncomfortable.
“My chest is so uncomfortable… .”
She was wearing equipment from a new equipment company that Do Ji-hyuk had come out to sponsor… .
Unlike the existing companies, the design emphasized the appearance rather than the convenience, causing subtle inconvenience.
“Hey Juhee. are you okay?”
Seol Joo-hee did not answer Hong Yu-ra’s question, but only nodded her head slightly.
She was also experiencing some discomfort, but she didn’t want to admit that the company she chose was not good enough to erase the remnants of Do Ji-hyuk.
“Ready!”
At that time, Arin Lim brought up the story that she was ready.
Hong Yu-ra let out a short sigh, as if the discomfort had not gone away, and pulled out the sword she had placed on the floor.
Seol Joo-hee clenched her fists and said.
“let’s go.”
After Do Ji-hyuk left, the first subjugation of Queens began.