Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C11

Chapter 11

A boy who had appeared out of nowhere suddenly filled Yeongung’s field of vision.

“Are you the one they say entered the Hunter world at the youngest age—Hunter Yeongung?”

Leaning back against a zelkova tree, Yeongung—worn out from the oppressive heat—thought for a moment that he was hallucinating. And who could blame him? The boy’s appearance was far too removed from reality. His skin gleamed translucently beneath the sunlight.

He looked like a vampire—one whose kind was forbidden to stand beneath the sun—beautiful and fragile.

His height barely reached Yeongung’s chest. Yet his limbs were long, his shoulders broad enough that in a few short seasons, he might completely catch up.

Perhaps unable to bear the midsummer sun, the boy kept fanning himself. Each artificial breeze made his thick, long lashes flutter.

If a butterfly mistook him for a flower and landed on him, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Yeongung admired the doll-like beauty before him without resistance.

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“I’m eighteen.”

“And?”

“So call me hyung.”

At this, the boy parted his rosy lips and countered with clear irritation.

“Hyung? Why would I call you hyung?”

Muttering with a thoroughly disgruntled expression:

“You’re only two years older anyway.”

“… Hey. Watch it.”

“Won Iheun.”

“What?”

“Not ‘watch it.’ My name is Won Iheun.”

Though he’d heard it, Yeongung intentionally twisted it.

“Alright then—Won Brat.”

Even after introductions, he didn’t correct himself. The boy’s catlike eyes widened sharply.

“Were you always this vile? TV really can’t be trusted.”

“You’re calling me whatever you want, so I’ll call you whatever I want.”

The defeated little cat hissed. A smile tugged at Yeongung’s lips; the wait had gone on longer than expected, and he’d been bored.

Then the boy spoke again, disappointment dripping from his voice:

“Why are you letting him walk all over you like an idiot? You’re way stronger than your team leader. Why is Hunter Yeongung just taking it?”

“You don’t need to know, kid.”

The night before, the Deputy Prime Minister’s son had been kidnapped. The culprit had escaped into a Gate with the hostage and threatened to kill him if their demands weren’t met.

The entire nation had been turned upside down—not due to a simple ransom, but because the perpetrator demanded the dismantling of Korea’s nuclear submarine.

Beneath a provisional disputed territorial zone, deep beneath the sea, a nuclear submarine was in operation. Yes, it violated the peace treaty, but neighboring nations were all secretly doing the same.

Power kept power in check.

But if Korea removed its submarine, the balance would crumble—and national security would be compromised instantly.

And the hostage wasn’t just any hostage—he was the nation’s beloved actor, Won Saheun, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister’s son.

“God… damn it.”

Just remembering that man’s painting-like, elegant face gave Yeongung a headache. He was now inside the Gate with his assigned team, taking a short break beneath a tree.

Even ignoring the geopolitical implications… if they failed to rescue that man unharmed… the very thought was dizzying.

“I’m not a kid. It’s Won Iheun. And I’m a Hunter too—don’t look down on me.”

Something about the boy’s face seemed strangely familiar.

Which meant… the two of them…

“Won Saheun… Won Iheun…”

“…Yes. I heard we’re distant relatives. But we don’t actually know each other.”

“What kind of DNA does your family have? Does everyone look like you and Won Saheun?”

Even though it was said without mockery and with pure admiration, Iheun’s expression hardened.

“Take it back.”

“What?”

“I said take it back. I hate hearing that I look like him.”

In the boy’s light brown eyes flickered hatred, resentment, vengeance, loneliness, and quiet desolation.

Not a happy home, then.

Everyone carried wounds unknown to others. Yeongung, abandoned by parents he had never met and raised in an orphanage, felt a faint sympathy—perhaps even kinship.

And the more he realized he had hit a nerve, the more uncomfortable he became.

“Fine, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He pushed off the tree trunk and approached the boy.

“It’s just… when I first saw you, you looked so much like a doll. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“……”

“Nice to meet you, Hunter Won Iheun.”

Iheun stared at the offered hand… then took it.

Was it the heat?

He clicked his tongue softly and lowered his head—but his cheeks seemed slightly flushed.

“Sixteen and already a Hunter. Impressive.”

“You awakened at fourteen.”

“Ah, so that’s why you were sulking earlier. Because you couldn’t take the youngest-Hunter title thanks to me.”

But it seemed he had guessed wrong—because the kitten bristled again.

“Ha! As if I care about some stupid title. Hunter Yeongung, people must tell you you’re stupid a lot.”

Despite the provocation, Yeongung remained unbothered.

“How’d you know? Might as well lay out a picnic mat in this Gate. I’m only good at combat thinking.”

He laughed, then continued seriously:

“Anyway—how did you get in here?”

“How do you think? Because the first team still hasn’t located the kidnapper’s hideout. So they assembled backup.”

And the boy was right—their team had no idea where the culprit or the hostage were.

“You know tracking skills?”

“Why else would I be here?”

“Hey, seriously. Do I look that pathetic?”

Iheun ignored him and circled the massive zelkova.

“Unbelievable.”

The plains surrounding the old tree were completely devastated. Monster corpses slain by Yeongung were beginning to rot; insects and stench filled the air. Iheun stared at Yeongung—resting casually in the middle of that wasteland—with utter disbelief.

“You did all this alone?”

Yeongung shrugged.

“Who else?”

Even when assignments were given to a team, Yeongung always worked alone. A trauma from failing to protect a former mage partner made solo play more comfortable. The team leader benefited from this—Yeongung did all the hard clearing, and the leader took the credit.

But Yeongung didn’t mind. As long as he gained combat experience, raised stats, and improved his skills, recognition meant nothing.

Money was another story.

Secretly collecting rare ore and weapons dropped inside Gates, he amassed far more wealth than what the Association paid. Some items were worth an entire building in Gangnam.

The team leader believed he was gaslighting Yeongung successfully, manipulating him at will—but in truth, Yeongung simply didn’t care enough to resist.

Which probably made it look from the outside like he was being walked over—hence Iheun’s earlier comments.

“Better to wipe out everything so there’s nowhere left to hide.”

“And you still didn’t find it.”

“Ow—why’d you slap me with facts like that?”

Iheun glared once but then snapped his fingers—sharp and precise.

A massive tracking array formed in midair.

“…!”

A 3D-digital-map-like tracing formation, intricate and perfectly detailed. Yeongung’s jaw dropped. No ordinary high-school kid should be capable of something like this.

The Gate map displayed the forward team’s location, Yeongung’s location, and key target points.

“They’re not on the surface.”

Scrolling downward, Iheun revealed a hidden underground structure.

“Underground…? Wow! You’re amazing.”

From that point on, everything happened swiftly. They located the hideout and arrested the kidnapper.

Whack—!

The team leader’s fist struck Yeongung’s temple and cheekbone. Yeongung could have dodged—but chose not to.

“You stupid bastard! I told you to bring him back without a single scratch!”

A shallow cut—barely the size of a pinky knuckle—marred Won Saheun’s cheek.

“……”

Despite the unjust assault, the team members pretended not to see. The leader raised his hand again—

—but the boy who had been silently standing behind them, arms crossed, suddenly stepped forward.

Slaaap—!

Iheun offered his own cheek instead, then wiped the blood from his split lip with his thumb.

“Well, Mister, what will you do now? In our house, I’m more precious than the one you’re cowering in front of.”