Chapter 6

He’s Way Too Powerful for Someone Who Only Makes Coffee

 Please Get Me a Parachute

A little while later, inside the café.

“Ms. Seung-hee, I think you’ll be hearing from them within the next few days.”

“Huh? About what?”

When Song Ra-yoon suddenly made that statement after returning to the café, Seung-hee’s eyes widened.

“I heard that the Cheongra Guild is looking for a hunter manager. Apparently, there’s an opening at the Jeju branch. I’ve already contacted the HR department, and unless there’s some major issue with your application, you’ll probably be accepted.”

“Accepted…?”

For a moment, Seung-hee and Seung-gyun exchanged glances.

What she was saying was basically…

‘Are you saying you’re going to pull some strings and get me the job?’

But why would a Hunter do that for me?

That was the question running through both of their minds.

Song Ra-yoon carefully asked,

“What’s wrong? Do you not like the Cheongra Guild? Or would you prefer the Seoul branch?”

“Oh, no! I really like it! I do! It’s just… I don’t understand why you suddenly recommended me, Hunter. I’m also worried that I might be causing you trouble.”

Seung-hee asked with a bewildered expression.

And understandably so.

Even Seung-gyun, who had been listening from the side, had absolutely no idea why Ra-yoon was going this far for his sister.

“That’s because we’re always hungry for talented people. The Jeju branch is particularly short-staffed, too. When someone as highly qualified as you is right in front of us, wouldn’t it be a waste to let you slip away?”

“Really?”

“Yes. And if I had to give one more reason, it’s because I want to repay the café owner.”

“Repay my brother?”

Song Ra-yoon smiled faintly and looked straight at Seung-gyun.

“Yes. I’ve been finding a lot of comfort in the coffee and desserts the owner gives me here. You could say this is my little bribe, in the hopes that you’ll continue to look upon me favorably.”

“Th-that…”

Seung-hee hesitated as she glanced at me, unsure of what to do.

I suppressed a chuckle and lightly tapped my sister on the shoulder.

“What are you doing? You should thank her.”

“Ah! Th-thank you! I’ll really work hard, Hunter!”

Seung-hee immediately bent at the waist at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

After thanking Ra-yoon and sitting back down, Seung-hee kept sneaking glances back and forth between me and Song Ra-yoon.

‘What on earth is the relationship between my brother and Hunter Ra-yoon?!’

She couldn’t understand it at all.

It was true that her brother’s coffee and desserts were delicious, but still…

Does someone normally go this far just because they like coffee?

‘Is she romantically interested in him? Or does she have some kind of weakness on him?’

Of course, Kang Seung-gyun himself, who was hearing all this…

‘She must really, really like my coffee.’

…was simply overflowing with happiness at the thought that someone could appreciate his coffee this much.

Cheongra Guild — Jeju Branch

Branch Director Park Tae-soo let out a deep sigh as he gazed at the emerald-colored sea stretching out beyond the window.

The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

But the documents scattered across his desk were nothing short of hell itself.

The manpower requests he had submitted to headquarters dozens of times always came back with the same half-hearted response:

Under review.

Meanwhile, transfer applications from hunters currently stationed on Jeju Island were filling up his inbox.

“Fuck… Do the people at headquarters think Jeju is some kind of place of exile…?”

He took a long drag from his electronic cigarette, filling the room with the scent of Horabuno candy.

In reality, Jeju Island was considered one of the worst assignments among hunters.

The frequency of Gate appearances was nearly as high as Seoul’s, yet the infrastructure was lacking and field conditions were harsh.

And that wasn’t all.

Recently, several other top-tier guilds had withdrawn from Jeju altogether because of profitability concerns, leaving the remaining workload concentrated almost entirely on the Cheongra Guild’s Jeju branch.

The workload had exceeded its limits long ago.

“I seriously want to quit.”

Park Tae-soo wanted to leave the Jeju branch as well, but the guild wouldn’t allow it.

Politicians were constantly pressuring them through hearings and other measures, claiming that they needed to ease the anxiety of Jeju residents.

But what could he do?

Unless someone put a gun to their heads, hunters simply didn’t want to come here.

‘If you go to Seoul, you get commercials, TV appearances, and all kinds of infrastructure. Who would want to stay in this rural backwater?’

It was only natural.

Where there were more people, money gathered.

And where money gathered, talented people gathered.

The hunter industry was no different.

From that perspective, Jeju was considered one of the worst places to work.

There was plenty of work to do, but few opportunities to make money and little to do for entertainment.

But that wasn’t even the biggest problem.

Because soon, a nuclear bomb was going to drop.

“…If Song Ra-yoon leaves, I’m truly finished.”

South Korea’s No. 9-ranked hunter, ‘Empress of Thunder’ Song Ra-yoon.

It had already been almost two years since she had been dispatched here.

Only one month remained until her rotational assignment ended.

Song Ra-yoon was currently the only full-time S-rank hunter stationed on Jeju.

If she left, it was obvious that not only the Jeju branch, but the entire island’s Gate management system would fall into chaos.

What made the current situation even more ironic was that Song Ra-yoon had been in incredible form lately.

Park Tae-soo looked at the report on his desk.

It contained a list of the countless Gates and monsters Song Ra-yoon had dealt with.

“…These results are ridiculous.”

Over the past few months…

Basilisk.

Kraken.

Medusa Dino.

And many others.

Monsters whose names alone were terrifying had all been completely crushed by Team 7, the team she belonged to.

Their performance had already reached the level of what two or three teams containing other S-rank hunters could accomplish.

There was only one way to describe their results.

Absolutely insane.

But ironically, those results only put more pressure on the branch director.

‘She’s protesting, isn’t she? Basically saying, “I’ve done more than enough. I’m this capable, so now send me back to Seoul.”’

His mouth tasted bitter.

Until now, even when countless hunters resigned or transferred elsewhere, they had somehow managed to fill the gaps.

But Song Ra-yoon wasn’t just leaving a hole in their forces.

Her departure would be like smashing the entire foundation of the branch.

To prevent that, the branch director had prepared countless cards.

A salary increase so large that it would essentially hand over all of the Jeju branch’s surplus funds to Song Ra-yoon.

A house.

Increased incentive rates.

And more.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had prepared everything within his power for the upcoming negotiations.

But deep down, he already knew.

‘It won’t work…’

None of this was enough to convince an S-rank hunter to remain in such a remote location.

Like a condemned prisoner waiting for his execution, despair spread across the branch director’s face.

He could already vividly imagine the future.

Song Ra-yoon leaving.

The Jeju branch collapsing.

And himself becoming unemployed, unable to support his family.

It was at that moment—

Knock knock.

“Director, are you there? This is Song Ra-yoon.”

“C-come in!”

They say that if you talk about the tiger, the tiger will appear.

Song Ra-yoon entered his office.

Park Tae-soo quickly erased the gloomy expression from his face and put on a benevolent smile.

“Oh, Hunter Song. Come in. How have you been feeling lately? I’ve been worried because it seems like you’ve been pushing yourself too hard clearing Gates.”

“I’m fine. Actually, my condition these days is the best it’s been since my debut.”

Song Ra-yoon answered casually as she sat down on the sofa.

Park Tae-soo swallowed nervously.

He knew that today’s meeting was practically his last opportunity to negotiate an extension of Song Ra-yoon’s assignment.

“Here, have something to drink.”

“Yes.”

After handing her a drink, he spent some time making small talk and asking about her difficulties.

Then, when he saw an opening, he cautiously struck.

“Um… Hunter Song, as you know, your rotational assignment is almost over.”

“Yes. There are about four weeks left.”

“What are you planning to do afterward?”

The branch director asked carefully.

Then, before she could answer, he quickly pressed on.

“Actually, from the Jeju branch’s perspective, you’re practically a hero to us. I know you’ve been disappointed with how we’ve treated you until now. So, I was wondering if perhaps…”

He trailed off, watching her expression.

Then—

“I want to work in Jeju Island for a little longer.”

“Huh? What did you just say…?”

“I want to apply for an extension. For now… about one more year.”

Park Tae-soo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He even rubbed his ears, wondering if he had heard incorrectly.

“So you’re saying you want to stay in Jeju?”

“Yes. Is there some problem?”

“N-no! Of course not! We’d be incredibly grateful if you’d stay!”

He had never expected this.

Not only he, but even the people at headquarters had been making plans under the assumption that Song Ra-yoon would return to Seoul.

The branch director carefully asked,

“But… is there a particular reason you want to stay in Jeju? I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I assumed you’d be returning to Seoul.”

“Oh, that…”

Song Ra-yoon gazed out at the sea for a moment before giving a faint smile.

“Well, at first it was difficult because I was so busy, but I’ve come to like it here. The scenery is nice, and I can always see the ocean… And you’ve also been very considerate of my needs, Director.”

“Well, I’m simply trying to accommodate a high-ranking hunter like yourself. Ahem! If there’s anything else you want from now on, just tell me! I’ll do everything I can to support you!”

After exchanging a few more words, Park Tae-soo became certain.

He didn’t know the exact reason, but Song Ra-yoon was sincere.

‘Yesssssssss!’

Park Tae-soo’s face lit up.

He was practically bursting with excitement like a fisherman who had just landed a massive catch.

But he desperately suppressed his joy and instead trembled with excitement.

Then Song Ra-yoon clasped her hands together and said,

“So, speaking of staying in Jeju… It’s a little awkward to call it a celebration, but may I ask you for one favor?”

“What is it? A salary increase? Or perhaps a private luxury house? Whatever you want, just say the word.”

Ra-yoon shook her head.

“This time, someone named Kang Seung-hee will be applying for a position on our branch’s hunter manager team.”

“Kang Seung-hee?”

“Yes. She has excellent qualifications and is definitely talented. I… would like you to make a position available so that I can work with her. And I’d also like you to promise that the Jeju branch will give her the best treatment appropriate for her abilities.”

Kang Seung-hee.

It was a name Park Tae-soo had never heard before.

But that didn’t matter to him.

Compared to retaining an S-rank hunter, hiring one new manager and giving her the best possible treatment was nothing.

“Ah, understood! Don’t worry! Leave it to me!”

Hahaha! Hahahahaha! This is incredible! This is incredible!

Branch Director Park Tae-soo was practically laughing with joy inside.

From that day onward, the atmosphere at Café Essence changed slightly.

“Oppa, is this much food enough for the animals over there?”

“A little more than that. And you can get the water from that spring over there.”

“Got it.”

Whenever there were no customers, Kang Seung-hee was now beside her brother, Kang Seung-gyun, who had previously been alone in the café.

She helped clean.

She fed the animals.

And sometimes, she even personally took care of the old lady from the substation and Hunter Song Ra-yoon when they came by.

“Seung-hee. I told you, you don’t have to work.”

“Work? I’m just doing it because I’m bored. Don’t make such a big deal out of it, Oppa.”

Meanwhile, Seung-hee was spending each day filled with nervousness and anticipation.

She was desperately waiting for one particular phone call.

And then—

Bzzzzzzzzzz!

A call from an unfamiliar number finally came.

“Oppa!”

“Go ahead and answer it.”

Seung-hee quickly pressed the call button and began talking to someone on the other end.

A short while later, the call ended.

“I passed, Oppa! Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”

Seung-hee let out a scream filled with joy.

Watching her, Seung-gyun smiled brightly and gently patted his little sister on the head.