I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 129

129.

Seo-ah exited the cafe.

Choi Eun-gyeol, glancing around, called out softly, “Get in quickly!”

Seo-ah also glanced around nervously before quickly getting into the car. She checked inside to see if there were any other members, but only Alex was there. She was a little disappointed, but she didn’t show it.

“How did you spot me at the cafe?”

“Rather than seeing, I felt it—your magic power.”

“Ah….”

Even among S-class hunters, sensing the aura of a stronger hunter was difficult. That’s why Choi Eun-gyeol sensed Seo-ah before she noticed him.

“But the person from earlier, was he from M Entertainment?”

“Yes, do you know him? Is he really from there? I thought he was a con artist.”

“Hehe, a con artist? No, he’s real. He’s quite famous in the industry as a star maker.”

“Ah….”

He wasn’t a con artist after all.

Seo-ah felt a pang of guilt for suspecting him.

“It’s because Hunter Park Seo-ah is so beautiful.”

Choi Eun-gyeol, sitting across from her, stared intently at Seo-ah with sparkling eyes.

Seo-ah wore a dumbfounded expression. *What is someone who is already pretty saying?*

Reading her expression, Choi Eun-gyeol smiled brightly.

“It’s true. I was so surprised when I saw you in the underground parking lot. I wondered why someone so pretty and cute was in the Solar Guild building.”

“Oh, stop teasing me.”

Seo-ah laughed and waved her hand, dismissing his words.

Choi Eun-gyeol leaned back in his seat and chuckled. Seo-ah didn’t seem to believe him.

*It’s true, though.*

In Choi Eun-gyeol’s opinion, Park Seo-ah seemed to lack self-awareness.

Of course, when you become a high-level hunter, your appearance improves slightly. It’s not plastic surgery level changes to your eyes, nose, and mouth, but your skin and complexion improve, and your body becomes firmer. Above all, the aura that a high-level hunter emits makes that person look more attractive.

But Park Seo-ah originally had delicate and pretty features. Not a flashy beauty, but pure and clear eyes, and sometimes even an expression that seemed to hold a story.

Close to Choi Eun-gyeol’s ideal type, exactly.

*Well, there’s plenty of time in the future.*

Choi Eun-gyeol hummed in a low voice, glancing at Park Seo-ah, and Seo-ah tried to avoid his gaze.

The car smoothly entered the underground parking lot of the Association building.

As soon as the car stopped near the entrance and the locks were released, the car door was flung open from the outside.

“Ugh, what!”

Choi Eun-gyeol was startled, but Seo-ah only widened her eyes and smiled brightly.

“Hunter Yoo Ji-an.”

“Did you meet on the way?”

“Yes, I was at the cafe, and he gave me a ride while coming.”

Yoo Ji-an held out his hand to Seo-ah, and Seo-ah, caught off guard, took his hand and got out of the car.

Choi Eun-gyeol pouted as he watched the natural skinship and got out of the car.

“What, why aren’t you going up?”

“I knew you two were coming.”

“You were the type to wait for that? Since when, *hyung* [older brother or male friend]?”

Choi Eun-gyeol asked Yoo Ji-an in a slightly sarcastic tone without realizing it. But Yoo Ji-an didn’t even respond to Choi Eun-gyeol.

“Have they all arrived?”

“Not yet. They’ll be here soon.”

As Seo-ah and Yoo Ji-an started walking side by side, Choi Eun-gyeol hurriedly moved next to Seo-ah.

“That’s right. *Hyung*, do you know what happened to Seo-ah *noona* [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend] earlier?”

While waiting for the elevator to come down, Choi Eun-gyeol suddenly brought up the earlier incident.

“Oh, Hunter Choi Eun-gyeol!”

Seo-ah waved her hand at Choi Eun-gyeol as if telling him not to, feeling embarrassed. Then Yoo Ji-an, who had been treating Choi Eun-gyeol as if he were invisible, turned to him.

“The planning director from M Entertainment gave her a business card, asking if she had any thoughts of becoming a celebrity.”

“That person must have mistaken someone….”

“No, he’s a really famous person. But you really have no thoughts? This job is quite fun too. Isn’t it boring to just run raids all the time?”

“Um, not really… What kind of celebrity would I be?”

“No, why! *Hyung*, what do you think? Doesn’t she suit it well?”

At Choi Eun-gyeol’s question, Yoo Ji-an stared intently at Seo-ah.

Seo-ah felt her face heat up for no reason at his gaze. Just then, the elevator arrived and the door opened like Seo-ah’s savior.

But as Yoo Ji-an entered the elevator, he said something unbelievable.

“She’s pretty, so it would be okay to do it.”

“See, Seo-ah *noona*. Even *hyung* says so.”

“…….”

Seo-ah thought she had misheard. But as Choi Eun-gyeol continued to speak, she realized she had heard correctly.

All three got into the elevator, and the door closed.

“I… still don’t have much interest in being a celebrity. I don’t have the talent either.”

“Your face is a talent, but well, if that’s what *noona* says.”

Choi Eun-gyeol readily accepted Seo-ah’s answer and smiled kindly.

Seo-ah liked Choi Eun-gyeol’s bright and sociable personality, but she also felt a little burdened.

So, without realizing it, she leaned slightly towards Yoo Ji-an, on the opposite side of Choi Eun-gyeol. Then, feeling her back touch his chest, she flinched and moved away.

Everyone else seemed calm, but Seo-ah felt like she was the only one conscious of the two of them, so she just waited for the elevator to arrive quickly.

When they arrived, only Cha Tae-woon was in the conference room.

He sat in the middle of the conference room and greeted those who entered with a nod. Then he immediately lowered his gaze to the documents on the table. He still looked busy.

Yoo Ji-an gently placed his hand on Seo-ah’s back, guiding her to the seat next to him as if it were natural.

“What about the location selection?”

Yoo Ji-an asked, and Cha Tae-woon answered while still burying his eyes in the documents.

“It seems like it will be in the Gyeonggi Province [province surrounding Seoul]. Uijeongbu [city in Gyeonggi Province] is the most likely. We can quickly prepare in case of an emergency.”

Seo-ah sat diagonally across from Cha Tae-woon, and Yoo Ji-an sat next to her.

Seo-ah felt like Yoo Ji-an and her seats were switched, but she remained silent, seeing that no one cared.

It was proof that there wasn’t really a hierarchical relationship between them.

After a while, everyone soon arrived one by one.

When Baek Eun-hee and Song Jin-ah came and sat across from them, the meeting began.

The remarks were mainly made by Yoo Ji-an. It was true that Yoo Ji-an’s remarks had the most weight, even though it was clear that there wasn’t a hierarchical relationship.

“Uijeongbu City isn’t bad as a location, but we should still avoid residential areas. Cha Tae-woon, push forward with this plan.”

“Understood.”

“We don’t know what kind of gate it will be, so specific tactics are meaningless right now, just remember one thing. Our first goal is to obtain the elixir.”

“…Ah.”

Seo-ah was grateful to Yoo Ji-an for telling her that, but she was also a little embarrassed. Still, she didn’t forget to express her gratitude.

“Thank you, everyone, for stepping up. I look forward to working with you.”

Seo-ah stood up, made eye contact with each person, and bowed her head.

Baek Eun-hee looked at Seo-ah with a pitiful gaze and smiled slightly.

“You don’t have to say thank you, Seo-ah. Thanks to you, we get to go to a new gate, so it’s not a loss for us.”

“Actually, everyone’s blood is probably boiling.”

Choi Eun-gyeol rested his chin on his hand and smirked as he looked at those who were sitting.

Sure enough, everyone was trying to hide their excitement. And what was surprising was that Seo-ah was the same.

She was worried, but she was also curious and wanted to go quickly, so she felt strange about herself.

*Is this the instinct of a hunter?*

They briefly planned the formation and attack order for the joint attack, and then roughly filled out the documents to be reported to the government. This document would also be made public to the media outlets that would come to interview Seo-ah later.

The rest of the people were simple because they had already been somewhat disclosed and reported, but Seo-ah was not.

Seo-ah, who received the documents and filled in the blanks, looked at Cha Tae-woon with a troubled expression.

“Do I have to write everything honestly?”

Then Cha Tae-woon chuckled and said.

“No, you should write honestly, but you can hide a few things.”

“Ah….”

“For example, even in the case of Hunter Yoo Ji-an, [Thunderstorm] was not written. Officially, Hunter Yoo Ji-an’s ultimate skill is registered as [Explosion]. But….”

Cha Tae-woon’s eyes sparkled with interest as he spoke.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah. It seems you have some other great abilities to hide besides what I know?”

“That’s….”

Even though they were the same S-class, Seo-ah felt slightly intimidated by Cha Tae-woon’s gaze.

Just as she was starting to feel a little suffocated, Yoo Ji-an smoothly took the documents that Seo-ah was holding. At the same time, Cha Tae-woon’s aura dissipated.

Seo-ah silently exhaled.

“Strength, magic power, agility are 1000, and mental strength is 8430….”

“It’s a little, very low. I barely became an S-class by the skin of my teeth.”

“Still, your mental strength is quite high. The stats must have been distributed according to your position.”

Yoo Ji-an returned the documents with a nonchalant tone.

“Write it appropriately. You can hide almost all of the skill types if you don’t want to.”

“Hmm, then just a few….”

Seo-ah asked Yoo Ji-an about everything she was confused about one by one and wrote it down, and Yoo Ji-an faithfully answered her questions.

Song Jin-ah and Choi Eun-gyeol glanced at Yoo Ji-an’s unfamiliar appearance and wore dumbfounded expressions.

“What, seriously. Are you two dating?”

It was Song Jin-ah who blurted out those words.