I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 220

220.

“That would be me…?”

A round-faced young man from the corner stepped forward. As Yoo Ji-an stared down at him, Sung Min-woo looked up at Yoo Ji-an with sparkling eyes.

“You’re Sung Min-woo?”

“Yes, are you really… Hunter Yoo Ji-an?”

Yoo Ji-an’s gaze was not gentle, while Sung Min-woo’s eyes were filled with admiration.

“Wow… really.”

“Wow, really. What is this?”

“You’re so handsome.”

“…….”

While Yoo Ji-an was momentarily speechless, Seo-ah, who had become a complete fan, could only cover her mouth from the side. Choi Eun-gyeol, seeing Seo-ah like that, patted Sung Min-woo’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey. Seo-ah noona [older sister or female friend] is a fan of yours. Take a picture for her. Seriously, she might cry, noona.”

Choi Eun-gyeol, while grumbling, still took care of Seo-ah. Then, Sung Min-woo widened his already round eyes and smiled brightly.

“Of course, Hunter Park Seo-ah. I should be the one asking. Can I take a picture with you?”

“O-of course!”

“Okay, stand here. I’ll take it for you.”

As soon as Choi Eun-gyeol turned on the phone camera, other members also squeezed into the frame.

“Me too, me too!”

“Why only Sung Min-woo!”

“Ugh, you guys. Stand straight if you’re going to take a picture! You’re covering noona’s face.”

Just before Choi Eun-gyeol pressed the button, Yoo Ji-an also smoothly moved and squeezed into the angle.

“Wait a minute, only I won’t be in it if you do this?”

Choi Eun-gyeol suddenly turned around while trying to take a picture. Then, he switched the camera to selfie mode. They huddled together even more to fit into the angle.

Click-

“Choi Eun-gyeol, your face is too big!”

After the photo shoot ended with many twists and turns, they finally started eating. With energetic idol singers and hunters gathered, the food on the fully set table quickly began to disappear.

In the midst of this, Seo-ah, Yoo Ji-an, and Choi Eun-gyeol suddenly paused and made eye contact with each other.

“…….”

It was a very subtle feeling. But it was an ominous sign that an S-class hunter could not possibly miss. Soon, all three of them resumed eating as if nothing had happened, as if by agreement.

***

“Noona, aren’t you buying too much?”

Seo-ah, who had returned to Korea, immediately took Geon-woo to the supermarket. And she began to fill the cart with food.

“Hmm, what’s wrong with that? We’ll eat it all. Geon-woo, is there anything else you want to eat?”

“Ugh, even this is enough to eat for more than a month? Are we evacuating?”

“Evacuating… something similar….”

“What? Oh, this is new? Noona, I want this too!”

Seo-ah took the biscuit Geon-woo threw and added it to the cart.

No one had told her, and she had never experienced it before, but she just knew it instinctively. When the Legend Gate opens, a situation no different from war will unfold. But Seo-ah tried to maintain a bright tone in front of Geon-woo as much as possible.

Perhaps, this might be the last peace. And she didn’t want to instill unnecessary anxiety that couldn’t be resolved.

So, she bought groceries heavily with both hands and came in, and there were welcome faces in front of the door.

“Seo-ah!”

“Unnie [older sister],!”

“Give it here, what’s with all this stuff.”

Baek Eun-hee and Song Jin-ah were there, and Cha Tae-woon and Choi Eun-gyeol also got off the elevator late. And from the stairs, Yoo Ji-an, who was coming down with a wine bottle, looked surprised.

“There were intruders.”

“What, Yoo Ji-an. How much of an atmosphere are you trying to create with just the two of you to bring wine?”

“Haha, everyone, come in. Welcome.”

“Geon-woo, are you doing well in school?”

Baek Eun-hee wrapped her arm around Geon-woo’s shoulder in a friendly manner and entered the house. Geon-woo now treated the suddenly gathered S-class hunters with familiarity.

“Wow, is our house a hunter’s hideout?”

“Well, didn’t you know? Where Seo-ah is, is where people gather.”

“Excuse me.”

Cha Tae-woon, who was visiting for the first time, took off his shoes and looked around.

“Wow, great view.”

Choi Eun-gyeol went straight to the living room and checked the view first. Song Jin-ah, who was the most sensible, went to the kitchen with Seo-ah and helped organize the luggage.

Seo-ah glanced at her, and Song Jin-ah smiled brightly. Yoo Ji-an followed them in with a troubled expression, and then sat down on one side of the sofa as if giving up.

“It’s noisy, everyone sit down.”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], are you the owner of this house?”

“Yeah, I’m the owner.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Seo-ah knew why they had gathered like this. They must have also felt the sign she had felt in Paris. And because they were anxious to endure it alone, they gathered in time for Seo-ah’s return.

Even if there is no answer, it is still better to be together than alone.

They shared their feelings without saying anything about the ‘Legend Gate’.

While they were gathered in the living room, eating, drinking, and chatting noisily, the doorbell rang. In the momentary silence, Seo-ah scurried to the front door.

“Ah, welcome. I was going to contact you first anyway. What’s wrong? You should have called.”

When she opened it, Min Ji-yeon was there.

“Union Leader! Many guilds are inquiring about joining the Union, so I think we need to set a certain cut-off… Ah!”

Min Ji-yeon, who was following Seo-ah in, froze on the spot as the gazes of the S-class hunters gathered. Then, Seo-ah blocked her and frowned.

“Don’t look at our weak Secretary like that! Okay, everyone, look away!”

They slowly turned their eyes away, and Baek Eun-hee muttered in the meantime.

“But I’ve heard that saying somewhere before.”

“You’re not really asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know? Okay, sit over here. We’re all part of the Union here anyway.”

Baek Eun-hee gave up her seat, and Seo-ah personally took the hesitant Min Ji-yeon and sat her down.

Min Ji-yeon was rolling her eyes like a rabbit among tigers, constantly sweating. In fact, E-class Seo-ah, who got along well among them, was unusual, and Min Ji-yeon’s reaction was normal.

“Hmm.”

Only after Seo-ah wrote [Silent Night] for her did Min Ji-yeon regain her pace.

“The number of contacts that used to come in one or two a day has exploded since a certain day.”

“A certain day… when was that?”

“It was four days ago, two days before Hunter Park Seo-ah returned to Korea.”

The S-class hunters exchanged glances with bitter smiles. Just as they felt uneasy, the high-level hunters around the world also felt uneasy. They did not know exactly what would happen in the future. Still, they instinctively realized that they had to gather voluntarily.

It even felt like it was a instinct as a living creature on Earth.

“Accept guilds with S-class hunters as much as possible. If there are only A-class hunters, focus on those with special skills.”

It was not helpful to have too many mediocre people gathered. Rather, it might be more efficient for them to stay in their area and protect the citizens.

“I understand. Here is a list of guilds that have joined so far.”

Seo-ah swiped through the screen of the tablet PC that Min Ji-yeon handed over. About 30 guilds and 50 S-class hunters gathered. Considering that there are a little over 100 known S-class hunters in the world, it is less than half.

“It’s less than I thought. 50 people.”

Cha Tae-woon, who was tilting a can of beer on one side, chimed in at Seo-ah’s words.

“There are more than I thought.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, the circumstances of hunters vary from country to country. North Korea and the Middle East do not have guilds, and the country manages all the hunters, so they cannot join.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And hunters don’t always play the role of heroes. Those involved in criminal organizations probably won’t be interested in this kind of thing. In any case, they may be in places where they can’t hear the news at all.”

Hunters were everywhere. There would be hunters who defend only their area in remote mountains or island countries, and there would be hunters who are in the gate.

“It’s true if you think about it that way.”

When Yoo Ji-an reached out to Seo-ah, Seo-ah handed him the tablet PC. He looked through the list and said.

“Having a lot isn’t always important. And most of those who go there may not come out unscathed. You have to be prepared.”

“There wouldn’t be a hunter without that kind of determination, but Seo-ah. Are you okay? You don’t have to step up. You’re not alone either.”

At Baek Eun-hee’s worried words, Seo-ah glanced at Geon-woo’s door. Geon-woo went into his room after only having dinner together.

“That’s true, but it’s useless if we can’t protect it anyway. I have to be there.”

Baek Eun-hee chuckled at Seo-ah’s unwavering gaze.

“Then we have to prepare thoroughly.”

Then Baek Eun-hee’s gaze turned to Yoo Ji-an. She took the smile off her face and seriously opened her mouth.

“Then Yoo Ji-an, tell me slowly. Your secret. How do you know the future so well? I’ve been thinking about it so far, but now that we may be sharing our fate, I need to know.”