The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 341

339. Nice to meet you (3)

“…Why Noah?”

I almost asked if that wasn’t the case at all, and why he would think that way, but I stopped myself. Noah had brought it up first, after agonizing over it for days. So, rather than pressuring him, I waited.

“I know that I’m not, well, useless. I can rebuild the guild at any time, and I can join anywhere. So, I know it’s greedy, I know it’s excessive…”

Noah started with excuses, even though he knew it himself. He was being very defensive.

“But I’m jealous not only of the S-Rank Hunters around Yoojin, but now even of the non-awakened. I know I shouldn’t be. I know I don’t deserve to be. But I’ve known Yoojin longer. It’s not a big difference, but I would still be more helpful. But…”

His gray eyes looked at me earnestly. He even seemed a little scared.

“…Yoojin went directly to them, told them they were needed, and even confided in them. And now, they’re going to be a member of the Breeding Center. I know it’s not something to compare. You’ve been good to me and cared a lot about me, and I’ve received more. But I keep getting jealous, and I hate myself for thinking that way…”

“Noah.”

“…Why am I like this?”

It was hard to speak. Could I just say it’s okay, that it’s alright? Comforting him wouldn’t be a bad approach, but it didn’t seem like it would have much effect on Noah right now.

More than anything, Noah was looking down on himself too much. Objectively, he was someone who didn’t need to do that at all, and it seemed like that was why he was having an even harder time. If he were just a non-awakened person, he could have escaped by saying, ‘I’m weak, so it’s okay.’ But he was an S-Rank Hunter. He was outstanding. He should be like the other S-Rank Hunters around him, but he couldn’t, so he seemed to be belittling himself even more.

“Well, everyone feels jealousy. I do too, of course.”

“No, it’s different. I’m just envious. I can’t do anything and just wish for things. I’m so pathetic… Even now, I’m just making weak excuses…”

“Why can’t Noah do anything? You’ve helped me several times. Besides, Riete acknowledged that Noah has changed. Now she calls Noah by his name, and at the license test center, she just passed by without a word.”

He had definitely changed a lot. There were many people who stayed the same, but the fact that a negative relationship had improved even a little was amazing. It meant he was moving forward.

At my words, Noah’s gaze fell further down, to his toes.

“…No.”

He took a small breath.

“I haven’t done anything on my own!”

He shouted like a scream.

“Sorry, I’m sorry… for shouting…”

“It’s okay, Noah. It’s alright.”

“But I, I haven’t done anything alone. Even though I’m an S-Rank Hunter! This was all made possible by my sister. Even when I tried to escape from my sister… I received help from the Guild Leader of Sesung. And Yoojin… paid the price, and got me out.”

His tearful voice continued, 끊어질 듯 끊어지지 않으며 이어졌다 [un 끊어질 듯 끊어지지 않으며 이어졌다 is a Korean expression that means ‘continuing as if it would break off’].

“Even fighting with my sister, Yoojin helped me with everything. Hesitating and only running away, and even setting out to meet Yoojin, was because Myungwoo pushed me on the back.”

“Noah, but you did move on your own─”

“I don’t even know what I want to do anymore!”

Tears streaming down his face, Noah crouched down as if curling up. He hunched over, sobbing like a child.

“I thought about, hic, trying something… Still, because I’m an S-Rank, I thought I could do it…”

I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn’t easily approach him, and my hands hovered in the air. Would it be better to let him get it all out? What should I do?

“Like Medes, I, hic, that kind of thing… But I’m not Mu. I don’t think I can ever do it alone… Yoojin said it was okay… But what should I do, what should I do, really… Is that what I want… I don’t even know…”

…How much had he been worrying alone? After experiencing Medes and standing in Mu’s place, Noah must have thought he could do something like that too. But it must have been daunting. It must have been hard to even find a clue where to start.

He probably hesitated a lot when exchanging skills for points too. Whether to choose a skill that would allow him to grow as a support-type S-Rank Hunter, or to put down the heavy burden and rest comfortably. People would commonly say that the former is right, but the latter isn’t wrong either. There’s no reason for Noah to necessarily grow and be there for support-type Hunters.

‘…But I can’t just tell him not to feel pressured.’

I had already told him that he could act spoiled. I had even told him to just come home. Even so, Noah was still worrying. Stopping him from worrying too much about that wouldn’t be right. Just comforting him unconditionally isn’t a solution either.

But I didn’t want to leave him like this, I couldn’t leave him, so I hesitated, and the door creaked open.

“Excuse me.”

A woman in her early twenties peeked her head out and looked at us. The person I was looking for, Min Sohan. Both Noah and I looked up at her.

…This was an apartment hallway. She must have heard everything. I quickly bowed my head and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving soon, no, actually, I came to see Min Sohan.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re the Director of the Breeding Center, right? And that’s Hunter Noah.”

When I nodded, Min Sohan said, “Just a moment,” and closed the door, then came out again after a short while.

“Come on in.”

“Yes, thank you. Noah too─”

“…I’ll just stay here.”

“Come in together.”

Min Sohan waved her hand casually. Noah glanced at me, then got up. Unlike the old exterior of the building, the inside was clean, as if it had been remodeled. First, I handed over the gift I had brought, and Min Sohan gave me a suspicious look.

“By any chance, were you the one who sent the Korean beef during Chuseok [Korean harvest festival]?”

“…Huh? Ah, no.”

“I think it was you.”

She muttered that she didn’t really have anywhere to receive gifts from, still sharp as ever. Min Sohan said there weren’t enough chairs and told us to sit on the floor, then hesitated as she was about to bring out something to drink. She hadn’t done the dishes. She must have just shoved them into a corner because a guest came. The blankets were probably crumpled up in the built-in closet too. When I said it was okay not to give us anything, she nodded and sat on the floor.

“First of all, this is a woman living alone. You two are famous people, but I think you should refrain from suddenly visiting like this with two men.”

“I’m sorry.”

I was being inconsiderate because it wasn’t a workplace but a home. I was the only one who was close to her, but Sohan was meeting me for the first time.

“And I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to listen, but I heard.”

Min Sohan slightly bowed her head to Noah. Noah shook his head with teary, slightly flushed face.

“No… I was too loud.”

“It’s not my place to interfere, but since I heard it…”

Min Sohan tilted her head and looked at Noah.

“It’s usually like that.”

“…Yes?”

“Doing what adults tell you to do and not knowing what you should do. Maybe it’s different in foreign countries, but usually even until college, people don’t have some grand vision. Their future hopes are teacher, doctor, internet broadcasting, things like that. The goal is to build up good grades and do well on the college entrance exam. People want to go to SKY universities [Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University, the top three universities in South Korea] or universities in Seoul, but they usually think about their major after taking the exam. They choose based on their scores.”

Noah blinked. A bead-like droplet rolled down again. I, uh, didn’t have anything to add. What was my future hope?

“And actually, following adults’ words isn’t bad when you’re young. There’s a difference in information. You need to know something to do something yourself, to make plans. It’s not that you lack autonomy, it’s just that you’re young.”

Since there was nothing, it felt empty, Min Sohan poured a glass of juice and put it in front of Noah. It seemed like that was the only clean cup she had.

“I heard that Hunter Noah is only about to enter college, is that right?”

“I’m an adult, but, yes. That’s right.”

“Then it’s normal not to be able to do things alone. It’s normal not to know what to do in the future. That’s the same for me and my friends, we often say, ‘What should I do after graduation?'”

“But, I…”

“It’s not too late to start thinking about it now. It’s actually faster than average.”

Noah fiddled with the juice glass. He rolled his eyes, not knowing what to do.

“I’m an S-Rank Hunter, so…”

“Still, your worries are similar to ours. The content might be more serious than ours, but it’s just that everyone is like that at that age. Besides, Hunter Noah wasn’t a Hunter from birth, right? It’s only been about four years at most.”

“…Everyone is like that at my age?”

“My parents got me this studio apartment. I don’t even have a part-time job. I use the allowance I get. There are people who have to do things on their own from a young age, but usually, they’re under the protection of their guardians until they become adults. These days, there are many cases even after graduating from college.”

Noah stared blankly at Min Sohan.

“But if I’m weak, if I’m useless, then it’s no good…”

“What crazy bastard says that to a twenty-year-old?”

Riete and Sung Hyunjae. Not me. Min Sohan, who had raised her voice sharply, awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I can’t say anything carelessly because I don’t know how Hunter Noah has lived, but that’s definitely not true. You’re even at an age where you can still be protected.”

“That’s right, really.”

I slipped in and agreed. When I thought about it, there was no one around Noah who would say those words. Not only me, but Yoohyun and Yerim had become independent from a young age. Myungwoo had also suffered, but he had succeeded with his own abilities, and the people at the research center were out of the question.

Even if confident people said, “You’ll be okay too,” it would only be a burden. It would make him think, “I have to become like that as soon as possible.”

“…Still, I don’t really know.”

“I don’t really know either. I’m just saying that, I don’t know much. I’m just being nosy since I heard it. It’s also because Hunter Noah is handsome. If he wasn’t, I would have just said it was noisy and taken a nap.”

He was handsome. It was natural to want to help him when he was crying with that face.

“So, it’s not that my words are necessarily right. But they’re not wrong. It’s true that everyone lives like that. So, please just take it as a reference. Do you want to wash your face? The bathroom is over there. Washing your face after crying makes you feel a little better.”

Noah nodded and got up. Min Sohan turned her gaze to me. It contained the question of why I had come.

“Actually, I was wondering if you had any thoughts of getting a job?”

“Yes? I haven’t graduated yet.”

Min Sohan was attending school well without any particular shortages. For now, that is. Sohan becoming a Hunter was due to her father’s accident. I didn’t ask what kind of accident it was because she didn’t want to talk about it.

Her father was hospitalized for a long time, and naturally, her family situation worsened, so she went to the Awakening Center just in case and became a Hunter, a common route.

“…Do you know that I’ve awakened?”

Min Sohan asked with a suspicious look. Awakening?

“You’ve awakened?”

I used the bait skill, and a status window popped up. The system was still out of order, so there was no optimization information, but her stats were E-Rank. Min Sohan nodded with a look that said she shouldn’t have said anything.

“When the monster appeared before. I hid from the monster and awakened.”

Ah, that time. It was something that hadn’t happened before the regression. Then there must be people other than Sohan who awakened faster than before the regression.

“But the skills aren’t something that would make me want to be a Hunter. Pointy ears, double liver, tiptoeing, they’re skills that are good for hiding.”

Pointy Ears (F) was a skill that allowed her to hear sounds better. Double Liver (E) was a skill that reduced tension, and the fact that she was acting calmly towards Noah, who was an S-Rank, even though he had reduced his aura, seemed to be thanks to this skill. Tiptoeing (E) was a skill that literally concealed her presence.

“It would be good for hiding if a dungeon break happened, but they say that won’t happen anymore.”

She shrugged, saying it was useless. Even before the regression, Sohan had all those skills. She also had one more attack skill, so she enjoyed ambushes. Of course, it’s better not to attack dungeons.

In the meantime, Noah washed his face and came out. He had a slightly refreshed expression. Min Sohan told him to drink the juice, saying he must be thirsty after crying.

“I’m sorry, I was a mess. I don’t know why tears keep coming out.”

“You’re not a mess. You should cry when you want to cry. I hate it when people say you’re weak if you cry. Besides, Hunter Noah was handsome even when he was crying.”

She must have really liked Noah’s face.

“You can come after you graduate, so at least listen to the conditions.”

I couldn’t stop Sohan’s father’s accident, and many things had changed, so I didn’t know what would happen. Still, if she came to me when her family situation worsened, I could help her. When I told her the conditions, Min Sohan gave me a look that said I was a con artist.

“Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?”

“No.”

“You’ll get scammed if you just give things away like that.”

…Why was a college student being more picky than a working adult who had enough experience in society? Well, if you work, you’ll never miss a good opportunity. I handed a business card to Sohan, who was suspicious, and came out.

“What should I do?”

Noah said as we went down the apartment stairs. He still had a lot on his mind, but he seemed to be trying not to suffer alone after hearing Min Sohan’s words.

“As Sohan said, Noah has a lot of time. I think you can think about it slowly, and try this and that.”

“…What if I fail?”

“Then I’ll help you. And so will other people.”

There were people besides me who would take care of Noah.

“Right now, I can be Noah’s guardian. It’s okay if you do what you want to do and it goes wrong. I can handle most things. Even Myungwoo is there. The people at the research center won’t pretend not to know, and Soyoung will roll up her sleeves and step forward.”

And Riete wouldn’t pretend not to know either. She had acknowledged Noah’s independence, but she wasn’t the type to let her younger brother get beaten up by others.

“You probably can’t believe my words right away. You’ll be anxious.”

Yerim said that too. It would take much more time for Noah to trust me and feel at ease. If he wanted to have the confidence that he would never be abandoned, the best thing to do was to experience it directly… Would it be faster to cause a big accident?

Doing something confidently like Yoohyun or Yerim… wouldn’t work, but it might be good for Noah to try it once. To the extent that it can be handled. Without causing too much harm to others, and preferably only financially.

“Still, I can only say these words right now. Whatever you want to do, or even if you don’t particularly want to do anything, just do it if you feel like it.”

Noah hesitated and nodded slightly. I hoped he would feel a little better. Hmm.

“Do you want to go to the aquarium?”

“Yes?”

“The aquarium. It’s not that far from the Breeding Center. I’ve never been there before. And we’ve never gone on a trip together. I wonder if Yerim has been there? Yoohyun hasn’t been there, should we go together?”

“Ah, all together? I’ve never been there either.”

“Let’s go just the two of us today.”

Noah’s eyes widened.

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes. If we’re going to go all together, we’ll have to contact them first and control them. If there are dangerous facilities that could break, we can’t just go in. But we’re okay. We have stealth skills. It’s okay if we don’t get caught~”

I smiled playfully.

“We can go around and have fun without worrying about our surroundings. Noah and I.”

“…That’s right, that’s true.”

Noah also smiled slightly.