LV. 99 The Princess of Dark Flare

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<As the Controversy Around the ‘Princess of Dark Flare’ Continues, Netizens are Divided>

<The F-Class Hunter Clears a B-Class Gate? Pointing Out Possible Measuring Device Errors>

<The Wolf Guild and Hunter Association’s Backdoor Dealing Controversy, Still No Answer to This Day>

<The Princess of Dark Flare, Netizens’ Opinions on the Excessive Concept>

[Title] what’s with black flare

[Author] □□ (126.339) | 203 1.6.23 5:49 PM | [Views] 182,172 [Recommended] 7,894

[Content] does it make sense for them to clear the b-class gate as an f-class? not even as a gatherer, but a hunter??? if the meter isn’t broken, i think wolf stabbed the association in the back pocket for money lol

[Comments] 651

└>□□: since when did concept hunters work for wolf? i think wolf isn’t planning to raise her as a hunter but to raise her as a star hahaha

└>□□: fr hahahahaha

└>□□: what a concept bug ;;; i really want to get rid of her along with the bugs in the world

tl/n: “컨셉충” (컨셉 being concept and 충 being bug) is used for mocking someone who is deeply stuck in their own created character.

└>□□: no because did she enter a gate wearing her dress again? hahahaha is she not ashamed of doing that at her age

└>□□: i know right **** wake up

└>□□: i don’t think it’s fake?? wasn’t there also the level 30 monster from last time??

└>□□: still, wolf could have taken an f-class hunter with no skills?? but i agree that there are other possibilities

└>□□: i think it’s just aggro

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“…”

Siwoo stared at the monitor and closed the internet window.

This was somewhat expected. He didn’t think the public’s opinion would easily support her.

The public was like that. At one moment, it would be hot due to rumors of a famous actor’s affair; the next moment, they would change their target like they were always after a popular BJ’s backdoor advertising controversy that had just broken out.

Knowing such a public well, Siwoo found someone to take the spotlight on his behalf.

And she was playing the role very well. With no complaints whatsoever.

Thanks to this, he could feel that the interest in ‘Baekrang’ was noticeably decreasing recently.

At this rate, he would be able to disappear from the public’s eye in a year. Like a person who never existed. It might’ve been possible to end it like that.

Everything had been going smoothly so far. Whether or not she was on the internet’s chopping block didn’t really matter to Siwoo.

‘But.’

Somehow, he felt uncomfortable.

Was this really okay? He suddenly had such a question. This was close to anxiety, like he seemed to be on the wrong track. Why? He didn’t know.

Tak.

Siwoo got up from his seat.

‘Ah, President. This is Park Jehwi. Nothing happened, but… Hunter Lee Yura was slightly injured.’

“…”

After thinking about it for a moment, Siwoo grabbed the phone that he had put face-down next to the computer.

<Sunbae> 010-XXXX-XXXX

Brrring…

After a few rings, a familiar voice came through the receiver.

「Hello?」

“Sunbae, I heard you were injured.”

「Oh, I see.」

Crunch. After the sound of snacks being chewed, an indifferent voice followed.

「It’s not a big deal.」

To say it wasn’t a big deal meant that she was hurt.

“… What are you doing now?”

「I’m watching something. Why?」

– No way.

Siwoo’s brow furrowed slightly.

With the phone between his ear and his shoulder, Siwoo hurriedly grabbed his coat.

“May I ask what you’re watching?”

「The ’90s Inkigayo Special.」

tl/n: inkigayo (or the music trend in english) is a music program broadcasted by SBS

Thank God. She was looking at something pointless. Siwoo put on the black hat he had left on the desk.

“Alone?”

「The ca— Yeah. Alone.」

e/n: to avoid confusion: she meant to say ‘the cat’, but she can’t tell anybody about the cat because of their contract

The voice sounded a little confused. As he put his ear to the phone’s speaker, Siwoo’s blue eyes moved. The car keys on the glass table came into his sight.

“Is it fun?”

「So-so.」

“Really? Can I watch it with you?”

「…?」

“I’m heading there now.”

Click.

Before Eunha could say anything, Siwoo hung up the phone.

“Young master? Where are you going?”

When Siwoo opened the door, he ran into a guild member who was walking down the hallway. Siwoo pressed his hat on and swung past them.

“I’m going out for a while.”

“What? Now?”

The guild member who checked their watch went to stop Siwoo.

“It-it’ll be time for you to pay him a visit soon.”

“I’ll be back before then.”

“But… ”

The guild member stood in the center of the hallway without being able to do anything.

Today was the one time every month when Siwoo would visit his father, Gwihoon, the master of Wolf.

Thinking of the master who would have waited eagerly for today even while lying on his sickbed, they couldn’t just let Siwoo go.

‘You didn’t even go last month after all.’

It was a fact known to all members of Wolf that Siwoo had no intention of succeeding the guild. It was also known that he was not happy with his father.

“Young Master, how about going to the hospital now?”

“It’s more urgent than that.”

“If you could take care of your business after meeting the master…”

Siwoo’s face wrinkled as they blocked his path.

“Don’t bother me and go away.”

* * *

Eunha sat in front of the TV and stared at her phone, expressionless.

‘What’s this.’

Was he interested in the music of the ’90s? But he wouldn’t have been born at that time?

‘… It’s surprising.’

As Eunha thought about it, she put down her phone and turned her gaze back to the TV. There was also a can of beer from when Jehwi filled the refrigerator not too long ago.

A popular idol at the time was dancing and singing on the TV screen that filled up the entire wall. Lyrics appeared as white captions below the footage from a camera as it turned 360 degrees.

The idol reflected on the screen had their bangs raised like antennae and was wearing clear orange goggles.

She didn’t think of it at the time, but looking at it now, it seemed to be quite tacky. Eunha stiffened after wetting her throat with some beer.

‘… I’m not in a position to think like that.’

Eunha glanced at the dress hanging in the corner of the living room. It wasn’t a design that could be called simple. It was very flashy.

And if that dress wasn’t black, but red or yellow.

“…”

Maybe she should be grateful for the dress being black.

In any case, the stage costumes worn by idols in the ’90s and the dress she wore were not suitable for the present era.

Shortly thereafter, the doorbell rang.

“Sunbae.”

It was Siwoo.

His arrival time was very fast, even considering the fact that he was close to her house.

His blue eyes looked over Eunha’s shoulders and quickly scanned the room.

The TV was turned on. Siwoo’s face dyed with a faint relief when he heard the ’90s songs that sounded through the speaker.

“What’s the hurry? It’s not over yet, so don’t worry.”

Eunha let Siwoo in.

“Is it raining outside?”

Eunha asked, muttering as she handed Siwoo a dry towel. Siwoo took the towel with a bewildered face. Although he was wearing a hat, his hair had gotten wet.

“… I guess so.”

Eunha glanced at Siwoo as she walked to the refrigerator.

“I was going to record the first part, but I didn’t know how to record it. There’s no tape.”

“No. It’s alright, no need for a recording.”

He thanked her for the towel. Putting a neatly folded towel on the table, Siwoo sat down in front of the TV with a calmer face.

“How’s your wound?”

“It’s just a little scratch. I’m fine.”

As Eunha had said, she didn’t look any different from usual.

It was a relief. The moment the calmed Siwoo turned his gaze.

“…”

He saw a laptop on the table that was turned on.

└>□□: really wish i could skip past all the concept bugs, i hate seeing them

Everything he didn’t want her to see was pouring from the dim light of the monitor.

Eunha had a new can of beer and looked at Siwoo, who had frozen in place.

“What’s the matter?”

“… Have you seen them?”

Eunha followed Siwoo’s blue eyes and shrugged a little.

“Yeah.”

Tshhh.

After taking the canned beer, Eunha gulped and swallowed the carbonic acid she wanted. Wiping her wet lips with the back of her hand, she opened her mouth carelessly. Turns out, she had something to ask him.

“What is a concept bug?”

At the question that flew like a fastball, Siwoo’s eyes were instantly dyed with bewilderment.

How should he explain it, or how could he explain it? A sign of considerable trouble seemed to stir up a vortex in his blue eyes.

“… Sorry.”

In the end, what came out of his mouth was an apology without any explanation.

Eunha, who was eating dried squid, stopped his hand and looked up at him.

Siwoo was staring at the laptop.

Black pixels became thorn-like sentences that poured from the pure white monitor like rainwater.

They were blades and arrows. Poison, which was supposed to be directed at himself, not her.

“What are you sorry for?”

“It’s my fault that Sunbae heard such things.”

“Why?”

“Sunbae’s—”

He wanted to hide away.

The words he couldn’t even spit out became dust and scattered in the air. Siwoo pursed his lips tightly.

After all, this was part of a ‘contract’.

Eunha accepted the contract, and Siwoo promised to pay a large sum of money.

Originally, it was supposed to end there. At the time when the contract was stamped, he wouldn’t have cared about any disadvantages caused to the other party.

However, the problem was that she was a first-generation hunter.

A period of upheaval. Hunters called the late ’90s that when gates first appeared.

Just by reading books, he could feel how dark and miserable those times were. If he had to ask himself to live in that time right now, or to survive, he honestly didn’t have the confidence to do it.

A returnee who overcame those times and returned after surviving several years in the Unknown Gate. It was she who put herself in front of the public.

She did it out of necessity, and she would pay the price for it, but she nevertheless dishonored herself as one of the first-generation hunters.

Only for their own goals.

He was not as comfortable with it as he thought.

“There is no need to apologize unless you acted against the terms of the contract.”

The side view of her holding a can of beer was unbelievably calm.

“Do I have to pay attention to how people react? They are of no help in clearing gates or fulfilling the contract.”

“A hunter’s awareness has a huge impact on their work. If the critical public opinion about Sunbae does not go away as it is, future activities may be hindered.”

Eunha’s expression didn’t change despite Siwoo’s words. She just stared intently at him.

“Therefore?”

Eunha opened her mouth and tilted her head slightly.

“Even if that happens, you’re not going to break the contract.”

“— I.”

“Raise your head.”

Eunha opened her mouth concisely to Siwoo, who had almost put his forehead on the table.

“You are my contract partner. And in this unfamiliar modern world, you’re the only one I can lean on.”

“… Sunbae.”

“So, you don’t have to bow your head. To me and or the public.”

Siwoo slowly raised his head and looked at Eunha.

“Rather than just apologizing, give me a direction now. Isn’t that your job?”

Unshakable black eyes.

That firm gaze seemed to hold Siwoo strongly so that he could no longer bow his head.

In front of those eyes, Siwoo only vaguely realized. The reason his own heart was so uncomfortable.

Maybe it was because she was too dazzling to be overshadowed, to be buried in the word ‘concept’.