The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 3

“Why are you just standing there staring?”

 

Chan-hee spoke in a spiteful voice.

 

“If you’re a new recruit, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

 

At his words, Yeon-joo also looked at Joo-ah with interest.

 

After quietly observing them for a moment, Joo-ah slowly parted her lips.

 

“I’m Seo Joo-ah. I look forward to working with you.”

 

She offered a simple greeting.

 

Chan-hee clicked his tongue as though he found her boring, then sat up from where he had been resting his head on Yeon-joo’s lap.

 

“Can’t you promote yourself a little more? For example, say how you easily got assigned to a higher-ranked group thanks to your influential father.”

 

He spoke sarcastically while crossing one leg over the other. Yeon-joo immediately smacked his thigh.

 

“How can you say something like that so openly? You’re embarrassing our new recruit.”

 

She turned to Joo-ah and gave her a sweet smile.

 

“I like shameless people like you. Having connections is a talent in itself, isn’t it?”

 

Despite her gentle voice, her gaze toward Joo-ah was anything but warm.

 

After silently watching her teammates, Joo-ah spoke calmly.

 

“I think there was an error in my team assignment. Please wait until the Special Awakener Association reassigns me.”

 

Perhaps surprised by her response, Yeon-joo asked with a puzzled expression.

 

“They’re going to change your assignment? Didn’t the Association Chairman take a bribe from a congressman and send you here?”

 

It was a direct question.

 

Joo-ah had no idea how information she herself had barely known had already reached them.

 

Perhaps she was the only one who hadn’t fully understood the extent of Seo Joo-ah’s connections.

 

Embarrassed, Joo-ah shifted her eyes before answering a little later.

 

“They haven’t given me a definite answer yet, but I’m sure they’ll reassign me soon. It’s dangerous for someone of my rank to work with a higher-ranked group.”

 

Of course, Chairman Tae-jun had spoken as though he wouldn’t care even if she ended up in danger. Still, once he finished observing her, he might change her assignment, if only to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

 

That meant all she had to do was keep a low profile until the team was reorganized.

 

“That’s irresponsible of you.”

 

At that moment, Chan-hee stood up and slowly approached Joo-ah.

 

His enormous shadow fell over her. He was so tall that she had to look up for quite a while before their eyes could meet.

 

With his hands in his pockets, he stared at her in a crooked, dismissive posture.

 

“Don’t you think the mere fact that someone like you has set foot in this place has already ruined our team’s atmosphere? How are you going to take responsibility for that?”

 

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

 

An E-rank Hunter had been assigned to a higher-ranked group. Perhaps it was only natural that the team’s reputation would suffer as a result.

 

Faced with his words, Joo-ah had nothing to say.

 

“Yoo Chan-hee, that’s enough.”

 

A voice came from behind them.

 

It was Jae-rim, who had kept his eyes closed in the special-class room all this time.

 

No one knew when he had woken up, but he stood and put on the jacket he had left beside him.

 

“She’s already saying she’ll leave on her own soon. Why make such a fuss?”

 

At the Special Awakener Association, Hunters wore uniforms to distinguish themselves from ordinary people.

 

The silver emblem on the left side of Jae-rim’s chest stood out in the sunlight streaming through the window.

 

Looking at Chan-hee with an exasperated expression, he added,

 

“Besides, aren’t you the one who ruins our team’s atmosphere the most? You’re out fooling around with women every single day without fail.”

 

Chan-hee looked wronged as he protested.

 

“Hey, why are you picking on me when I haven’t done anything? It’s not like I meet that many women.”

 

Before he had even finished speaking, a soft knock came from outside the special-class room.

 

“Is Oppa Chan-hee here?”

 

A woman with her hair adorably tied into two pigtails peeked through the doorway.

 

“Oh? There’s my pretty girl.”

 

Chan-hee, who had been arguing with Jae-rim with an aggrieved expression just moments earlier, smiled brightly and walked toward the door.

 

“That’s it for this morning’s training. From now on, I’m going on a date with my pretty girl.”

 

Grinning from ear to ear, Chan-hee draped an arm over the woman’s shoulders and left the special-class room.

 

“Honestly, Yoo Chan-hee is such a problem. His words and actions never match.”

 

Yeon-joo clicked her tongue and shook her head. Then she looked at Joo-ah, who was still standing blankly by the door.

 

“How long are you planning to stand there?”

 

Only then did Joo-ah move and sit down on the sofa. A sigh escaped her lips.

 

Being treated this way was exhausting. Back when she had lived as Kwon Eun-young, she had never once received such treatment.

 

Well, to other people, she was probably just an E-rank Hunter with a powerful family background. It couldn’t be helped.

 

Joo-ah lowered her gaze to the summoning watch on her wrist. She thought of the scars hidden beneath it.

 

Could the circumstances she was facing now have had something to do with Seo Joo-ah’s suicide attempt?

 

She couldn’t help wondering whether Seo Joo-ah herself had even wanted all these excessive privileges.

 

As Yeon-joo followed Jae-rim toward the training grounds, she called out to Joo-ah.

 

“We’re going to train, so you should monitor us, too. You’re not planning to skip training just because your team might change later, are you?”

 

Joo-ah imitated the obedient attitude of a young recruit and answered clearly.

 

“Yes. I’ll monitor you diligently.”

 

Yeon-joo waved before entering the training grounds.

 

Jae-rim, who followed behind her at a leisurely pace, never once glanced at Joo-ah. The dry air brushed past her.

 

After quietly watching the place where they had disappeared, Joo-ah finally took a brief look around the special-class room.

 

Back when she had served in the elite unit, she had used a different building, so it had been a long time since she had visited the training center.

 

The special-class room was divided by glass walls made of sturdy, specialized materials. One area was reserved for teammates to rest privately, while the other was a spacious training area where they could practice to their hearts’ content.

 

Joo-ah watched Yeon-joo tie up her shoulder-length hair with a hair tie. Her gaze grew heavy.

 

At this particular moment, she couldn’t help thinking of Chae-rin, who had originally been her teammate.

 

“Did you hear the news? Hunter Min Chae-rin, who returned from the 999th-floor Tower in a coma, woke up after three years!”

 

Chae-rin had awakened after three years.

 

No one could imagine how long Joo-ah had waited for that moment.

 

“Of course I did. Everyone was in chaos yesterday. I heard even the Association was turned upside down.”

 

“No wonder, considering not a single Hunter who returned from there came back unscathed. Hunter Han Se-hyeon lost sight in one eye, and Hunter Kwon Eun-young still hasn’t regained consciousness “

 

Joo-ah’s hands, which had been resting on her lap, curled into fists. A faint tremor ran through them.

 

After losing the battle against the 999th-floor boss, Eun-young had awakened six months earlier than Chae-rin.

 

As the price of her contract with the Constellation, she couldn’t reveal her true identity to anyone.

 

Not even her teammates or her parents.

 

Her parents, who still believed she was in a coma, had visited the hospital countless times. Long ago, they had even discussed giving up on her treatment.

 

However, thanks to the efforts of Chairman Tae-jun and the other Hunters who knew Eun-young, they had continued to hold on to hope.

 

It was the first time she had truly despaired since awakening in Joo-ah’s body.

 

She resented her parents. She wanted to demand how they could give up on her so easily. But when she saw their faces growing thinner and more haggard with each passing day, she felt that making them wait indefinitely for her was also an act of unfilial devotion.

 

She wanted to break the contract with the Constellation and reveal her identity, but…

 

There was something holding her back.

 

The final boss she had encountered in the 999th-floor Tower three years ago.

 

The Constellation knew of his existence.

 

He was called the Administrator.

 

He was the one who had created the Towers, and his ultimate goal was supposedly to massacre humanity someday.

 

She had already fought against the Administrator once. No, she had been defeated before she could even put up a proper fight.

 

Then, was there really a Hunter in South Korea capable of defeating the Administrator?

 

Or was there anyone in the entire world who could stand against him?

 

She couldn’t say for certain.

 

They might not be able to win.

 

The Administrator was terrifyingly powerful.

 

People would die.

 

Even our families…

 

But what if they had a god who surpassed humanity?

 

What if they had Hunters chosen by such a god?

 

Then things would be different.

 

Perhaps there was still room for hope.

 

That was why she couldn’t break her contract with the Constellation.

 

For the sake of her comrades.

 

For the sake of my parents.

 

Joo-ah’s entire morning passed uneventfully as she watched her teammates train.

 

Chan-hee never returned to the special-class room. Apparently, he really had gone on a date with that woman.

 

Only when lunchtime arrived did Joo-ah leave the building alone. She briefly changed direction and headed to the hospital.

 

Following a familiar route, she took the elevator to the hospital ward. After walking down the long hallway, she stopped in front of a white door and stared at the nameplate on the wall.

 

A dark shadow fell across Joo-ah’s face. She carefully raised her hand and gently brushed her fingers over the name on the plaque.

 

The dry air settled around her. A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

 

Her hand slid down from the nameplate and grasped the hospital room’s doorknob. Joo-ah slowly opened the firmly closed door.

 

In the silent room, the only sound was the hum of a humidifier whose owner was unknown. Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone else inside.

 

Joo-ah walked slowly toward the bed.

 

Someone was lying there.

 

A faint breathing sound could be heard through the respirator.

 

Quietly gazing at the person lying on the bed with their eyes gently closed, Joo-ah parted her lips.