I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 242

242.

“What!”

The man who turned around with a snarl twisted his face. He seemed to recognize her.

“You, you’re from the Solar Guild…”

Geon-woo also stared blankly at the person who had appeared.

It was Kang Su-jeong. He had seen her once with Seo-ah before, so he recognized her immediately. Kang Su-jeong didn’t even glance at the men she had hit, but looked at Geon-woo with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you doing here? Why are you being held captive?”

“These guys said my sister died.”

“What?”

Kang Su-jeong glared at the two men with a terrifying look.

“Seo-ah unnie [term of endearment for older sister in Korean] what? You guys would all be dead already if it weren’t for Seo-ah unnie!”

Kang Su-jeong slapped the men’s backs with her palm. It looked like a light tap, but it sounded like a drum being split open.

“You ungrateful bastards! How dare you talk about Seo-ah unnie like that!”

“Ugh! Aagh!”

“Stop, stop it! You’ll get hurt!”

Geon-woo had to stop Kang Su-jeong.

“Hey, let go, let go!”

In the meantime, the two men ran away.

“Hey, you’re her brother, but you’re just standing there!”

“I wasn’t just standing there; that’s why I got into a fight.”

“Oh! That’s right.”

Kang Su-jeong immediately understood, which made Geon-woo even more dumbfounded. Su-jeong cleared her throat and scanned Geon-woo up and down.

“But what’s going on here? What brings you here?”

“Ah, I wanted to… hear some news about my sister. I couldn’t reach the Guild Leader.”

“Is that so? Follow me for now. You won’t know where to go if you go alone.”

As Su-jeong said, Geon-woo followed her into the Solar Guild building. The first-floor lobby felt similar to a regular company building. Su-jeong said, grabbing the elevator.

“Actually, I’m not supposed to bring outsiders here, but since you’re Seo-ah unnie’s brother, it should be okay.”

Seo-ah’s influence allowed E-rank Kang Su-jeong to become a member of the Solar Guild, so that says it all.

For reference, Su-jeong diligently trained with the [Breakthrough] magic stone that Seo-ah gave her, and now she has stats similar to a C-rank. So, Kang Su-jeong is quite a famous figure among junior hunters.

In the elevator, Su-jeong glanced at Geon-woo. Eventually, Geon-woo spoke first.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m jealous.”

“Of what?”

“Of being siblings with Seo-ah unnie. Of course, I think of Seo-ah unnie as my own sister, but thinking and reality are different.”

Geon-woo, seemingly embarrassed by her sincere envy, grumbled.

“It’s nothing special, we’re just ordinary siblings.”

“There are people who don’t have that ordinary sibling or family, you know?”

Su-jeong didn’t explicitly mention that it was her, but Geon-woo understood well enough. An awkward silence filled the elevator, and then it arrived on the 84th floor.

It was a lounge exclusively for high-ranking hunters. Though it was called a lounge, the luxurious materials and spacious area resembled a hotel suite.

“Is no one here? Should I go straight to the office?”

While Kang Su-jeong was muttering, a voice was heard.

“Oh, Su-jeong. You’re not supposed to bring outsiders up here.”

A-rank healer Song Jin-ho of the Solar Guild appeared from the corner. Both of them knew Seo-ah, so they were acquainted.

“That, he’s not an outsider! This is Park Geon-woo, Park Seo-ah unnie’s brother.”

At Su-jeong’s introduction, Song Jin-ho’s eyes widened as he looked closely at Park Geon-woo. And his voice, which was already gentle, became even more friendly.

“Seo-ah Hunter’s brother? I see, what brings you here?”

“I couldn’t reach my sister. The Guild Leader gave me news, but even after a few days, I still can’t reach her… and the Guild Leader isn’t answering the phone either.”

“Ah, the Guild Leader also went to Hawaii. I think she’s on the plane. Just a moment.”

Song Jin-ho called Yoo Ji-an. She was even harder to reach than Han Seok-hyun, but he tried anyway.

But before it even rang a few times, a voice was heard right away.

– Why.

“Oh, hyung [term of endearment for older brother or male friend in Korean]. Were you sleeping? Your voice is hoarse.”

– No, what’s wrong?

“Park Seo-ah Hunter’s brother is here. He seems frustrated because he doesn’t know the news.”

– …Okay.

“Huh?”

The call ended just like that, and exactly 3 seconds later, Geon-woo’s phone rang.

“Sister!”

While Geon-woo was talking to Park Seo-ah, Kang Su-jeong and Song Jin-ho looked at Geon-woo with similar eyes for some reason. Geon-woo became embarrassed and headed towards the window.

“I’ll be going now! I have afternoon training.”

Su-jeong left first, and after a while, Geon-woo finished his call and approached Song Jin-ho.

“Thank you, she’s safe. She said she woke up and was charging her phone battery.”

“That’s a relief, are you going home now?”

“Yes, I have to go.”

Song Jin-ho took Park Geon-woo to the pantry. It was more like a dessert warehouse than a pantry.

The refrigerator was filled with all kinds of drinks.

“Take whatever you want to eat. And I’ll give you a ride when you leave.”

Geon-woo’s eyes widened, and Song Jin-ho looked at Geon-woo with a pleased expression.

Geon-woo carefully took one drink and a couple of snacks, and then the two went down to the parking lot.

“We’re going to R Tower, right?”

“Yes, thank you for the ride.”

“No problem, I was planning to go out anyway.”

As promised, Song Jin-ho took Geon-woo to his car.

The car started smoothly, and Song Jin-ho spoke.

“You seem to have a pretty good relationship with your sister.”

“Not really. We fought a lot when we were young. Sometimes we didn’t talk to each other for more than two weeks. Now, well, she’s my only family….”

Song Jin-ho looked ahead and smiled gently.

“Family, right. How did you make up after not talking for so long?”

“I just talked to her first, and my sister accepted it. We didn’t apologize separately….”

“I see.”

After that, Song Jin-ho spoke to Geon-woo in a friendly manner, making the atmosphere comfortable.

“Thank you, drive safely!”

Geon-woo got out, and Song Jin-ho waved his hand out the window. After Geon-woo disappeared into the building, Song Jin-ho took out his phone.

“She just accepted it…….”

He muttered, looking at the screen with the name [Song Jin-ah] displayed.

***

Park Seo-ah and the other Korean hunters blocked the L-class gate break and returned to Incheon Airport.

The airport lobby was filled with reporters.

The hunters stood in a row behind a long table on a makeshift platform. The host conducting the press conference held a microphone. The host was Min Ji-yeon, an office worker hunter from the Union.

“Now, everyone. First of all, before the press conference, let’s take a moment of silence to honor the hunters who sacrificed themselves in this raid.”

At the host’s words, the venue became quiet.

Seo-ah bowed her head and closed her eyes. Among the hunters who sacrificed themselves, the people Seo-ah knew were Go Geon-woo and Ruben. Of course, many other hunters lost their lives in this battle.

Out of the 118 hunters who went together, 32 died and about 40 were injured.

Of course, the injured hunters returned to their home countries after recovering to some extent in Hawaii with the help of potions and healers.

Compared to Yoo Ji-an’s previous iterations, it was a decent result, but would the 32 dead hunters think so? It was clear that it was the biggest sacrifice in the history of the hunter world.

Seo-ah prayed for them sincerely with a solemn heart.

“Now, let’s begin the press conference. The hunters will take their seats, and the reporters will raise their hands to ask questions.”

The press conference was attended by five people: Park Seo-ah, Yoo Ji-an, Baek Eun-hee, Cha Tae-woon, and Song Jin-ah. Choi Eun-gyeol was an idol, so she was excluded this time as well.

The hunters decided to remain silent about the Time Wraith ‘Chronos’. Not only was the concept ambiguous to explain, but it was obvious that if people found out, it would add to the chaos in society with doomsday theories and whatnot.

Instead, they decided to reveal to some extent that after defeating all the monsters in the Legend Gate, they had entered the system management room.

“The United States and China, centered on Korea, will jointly conduct research on the management room.”

There were a total of five people who obtained access to the system management room. They would pass on the information they filmed and obtained to the research hunters.

If they analyze the pattern well, they will be able to predict the next gate that will appear. If they can prepare for the gates that appear suddenly, they can more effectively reduce civilian damage.

In exchange for providing information, the five hunters, including Seo-ah, were promised VIP treatment in each country.

In addition, Korea was able to gain a slight advantage in negotiations with other countries.

“We will now conclude the press conference. Please contact each guild and the Union for follow-up interviews.”

The press conference was over. Now this matter was really over.

Yoo Ji-an grabbed Seo-ah’s hand and led her away in front of everyone.

“Let’s go home.”

Camera flashes burst countless times towards their clasped hands.

Seo-ah blushed slightly and followed Yoo Ji-an.