novelraw Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Chapter 65
When we pushed open the door and stepped inside, a woman in a neat uniform greeted us. She was a striking beauty, and what caught my eye was a small mole beneath her left eye.
“Welcome to the Hut.”
“Owner Sa Seung-hee.”
When Choi Seung-gi greeted her, Sa Seung-hee pointed at him with her index finger, then lifted her thumb in approval.
“You worked hard. I thought it would be difficult to bring such busy people here.”
After saying that to Choi Seung-gi, she gave him an apologetic look.
“But I’m sorry, this is something I can’t say in front of you, President Choi.”
She was telling him to leave. Choi gave a brisk bow and walked out immediately.
“Oh, our coffee is pretty good. Why don’t you start with a cup.”
That was the first thing Sa Seung-hee said after he left. Following her guidance, Han Sang-ah and I sat down, and we sipped coffee while waiting for her to continue.
“This coffee is good.”
That was Han Sang-ah’s verdict.
Coffee is coffee, I thought, but when I took a sip, I nodded.
“Yeah. It is.”
A short while later, Sa Seung-hee pushed a tray toward us and approached.
“Spicy beef soup for both of you, is that fine?”
The menu she set before us was yukgaejang with rolled omelet, seasoned gondre greens with rice, braised lotus root, and nabak kimchi.
After taking a spoonful of the yukgaejang, I looked at her.
“What did you put in this? Some kind of drug?”
Of course, there might be versions of yukgaejang with stronger spice or deeper broth. But if you had to introduce yukgaejang to someone who had never had it before, this was it. Without question.
Not too much, not too little, just exactly the ideal taste that comes to mind when you hear the words “delicious yukgaejang.”
What on earth did she do to this soup? Did she throw an entire cow into the pot and boil it down? That’s how rich and deep the flavor was.
Now I understand why people lost their minds trying to eat here.
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
While I was still marveling, Han Sang-ah’s bowl was already half empty.
“Do you eat yukgaejang like a middle-aged man gulping down sports drinks after a soccer game?”
“If you’re not going to finish, give it to me.”
“Move your hand or I’ll stick my chopsticks in your forehead.”
Another steaming bowl was placed in front of Han Sang-ah. Sa Seung-hee had given her a refill. Not just the yukgaejang, but every single dish on the table was astonishingly good.
What could I even say? Usually when you eat at someone’s house, you compliment, “This tastes just like restaurant food!” And when you eat at a restaurant, you say, “This tastes just like homemade food!”
But this? I had no idea what kind of compliment to give. It was just insane.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Only empty plates remained on the table. In truth, Sang-ah and I were almost ready to chew the plates themselves. Maybe we should be grateful to the Geumyang Group chairman. If we had filled up on ramen and kimbap, we might have missed this.
“Since I asked President Choi to bring you here, I’ve been holding two portions back and not selling them.”
As she said that, Sa Seung-hee placed two more plates in front of us. On them sat a slice of pumpkin pie each.
“They call it the ‘Thirty-three Pie.’”
The famous pie that a Hunter once cut the line for, only to get beaten up by thirty-three other Hunters waiting their turn.
The conclusion after tasting it was simple.
“My sister tried to recruit Owner Sa for Artois Hotel. You really have no interest?”
That was Han Sang-ah’s evaluation.
“The amazing part is that they didn’t kill him, only beat him.”
That was mine.
If someone had cut in front of me while I was waiting for this, I might have killed them. The varieties of pleasure in human life are countless, but the happiness of eating delicious food is second to none.
And there was no question that Sa Seung-hee’s food was at the very forefront of that field.
“The food was wonderful. Thank you for the hospitality, but now I think it’s time to…”
It was time to get to the point. Delicious food was delicious food, but there had to be a reason she had summoned us all the way here.
Still, maybe because I was satisfied and full, I didn’t feel like coming at her too hard. This was why hospitality mattered.
“It’s nothing big. A few days ago you two held a press conference in Donghae City, right?”
“Yes, I remember.”
At my words, Sa Seung-hee smiled and wiped her hands with a napkin before continuing.
“It piqued my interest.”
With that, she handed something to us.
“What’s this?”
“In Changchun, Jilin Province in China, there’s an Erosion Core called Jaun Valley.”
Because of Gon Salok, one of the Great Eight that had established itself in Beijing, that Erosion Core had managed to grow into grade 1.
Jaun Valley had formed near the Erosion Zone of Gon Salok, and for that reason, Hunters rarely touched it. Left alone without interference, it grew steadily until it finally became a grade 1 Erosion Core.
The problem was, the documents in my hands were detailed investigative reports about Jaun Valley.
“You gathered these yourself?”
“What do you think Hunters talk about when they eat and drink here at the Hut?”
Fair enough. Still, even so, the files she gave us had clearly been prepared over a long period.
“Why do you do this?”
“Monsters attacked. My husband was killed. I miscarried during the evacuation from the stress.”
She spoke of a tragedy as if it were nothing.
“The future I had dreamed of with my beloved husband became a frozen past, and the child we dreamed of never saw the light of day. Do I need another reason?”
No, there was no need for any further reason.
“I occasionally invite Hunters who stand out and give them materials like these.”
She said this while brushing her finger across the table.
“It might help them. I have no talent to be a Hunter myself.”
She leaned on a nearby table and looked at Sang-ah and me.
“The Hunters I judged to have potential usually succeeded. They became wealthy, respected, famous.”
“And you must have been disappointed, Owner Sa.”
At that, she smiled.
“Disappointed huh… I just think it’s natural. They got what they wanted, and they were satisfied.”
She tapped the table lightly with her fingernail.
“When I achieve what I want, I’ll be satisfied too. So how could I be disappointed in them?”
Oh please. She looked very disappointed. But the fact she was giving us these documents just like she had done with others meant she hadn’t given up hope yet.
“Jaun Valley, huh.”
Step into that Erosion Zone and a faint purple mist would greet you. The closer you got, the denser it became.
“Hallucinations and neurotoxin, huh.”
A lovely combination. The purple mist that gave Jaun Valley its name was the main threat. The primary monsters there seemed to be undead.
“The other Erosion Zones influenced by Gon Salok all produce undead as well.”
Gon Salok, one of the Great Eight, was infamous for its endless, overwhelming legions of undead.
Each undead creature was powerful enough to rival the core of a 2nd or 3rd grade Erosion Core, and their numbers were astronomical.
Around Beijing, where Gon Salok was entrenched, nearly a million undead waited. If they detected an enemy, they annihilated it in an instant, then froze again like corpses.
Hunters who barely escaped said it looked like an army of the apocalypse, waiting for the day it would march.
“Typical Chinese production. Mass quantity, low quality. Still, Jaun Valley huh…”
The files detailed everything. The terrain. The effect of the mist. What had happened to recent Hunters. What the first entrants had faced.
It was clear how deeply Sa Seung-hee hated Erosion Zones and monsters.
“We might disappoint you too, someday.”
“I don’t care. As long as there’s even a chance one Erosion Core or Zone disappears from this world.”
That was enough for her. I gathered up the files.
“With this much data, it looks like Jaun Valley has to be our next target.”
Grade 1 Erosion Cores were rarely attempted and rarely survived. Information was usually scarce, yet here she was giving us plenty.
Better to attack where there was information.
“Will you go right away?”
At her question, I shook my head.
“No. I think I just succeeded in recruiting someone. I’ll polish him up first, then we’ll attempt it.”
Besides, there was much to prepare. During the Bratsk’s Refrigerator mission, Lee Se-eun had shown me what real preparation for a grade 1 core looked like.
You could not just stroll in and smash a core like that.
She had only demonstrated it once, but with my years of experience I had a sense of the framework and felt I could follow it.
“I understand you need time, but...”
“I bet you’ve had Hunters who said the same and then disappeared.”
She laughed at my words.
“It felt like being a loan shark. Later, when I called, they’d make excuses.”
She spoke lightly, as if it were nothing, but it was obvious she worried we might abandon Jaun Valley too.
“Owner Sa, thank you for your help. You probably won’t believe me since these are just words for now, but let me make one thing clear.”
That kind of light dismissal was exactly when reassurance mattered most. She had been let down by Hunters before, and I imagined it felt like being abandoned again and again.
“My goal is to wipe out every Erosion Core on Earth. Hunter Han Sang-ah’s goal is to destroy at least one of the Great Eight, Club Shaddai.”
I drew a deep breath and continued.
“Whether you help us or not, we will do everything we can to reach those goals.”
I stood.
“The meal was amazing. The materials you gave us will help a lot. Want me to wash the dishes?”
She smiled and waved her hand.
“It was just a simple set meal with yukgaejang. Do I look like someone so rude I’d make my guests wash dishes?”
“Then can we take our leave?”
She nodded and rose to see us off.
“Come back once in a while for a meal. Just not too often.”