Chapter 122

[“Khh-hup, we haven’t done anything wrong. All we did was convince the people illegally squatting to leave! And we were practically doing that work for free…!”]

[“Exactly! All of us are natives of that area. Chairman Jang is such a respectable man, trying to make our hometown a better place, so we trusted only that promise and volunteered without pay! And then suddenly this S-rank hunter showed up and beat us senseless—just like this…!”]

As if desperate to prove how brutally he’d been beaten, one man flailed both arms and legs wildly. His movements were oddly vigorous considering the thick casts around his legs. The man beside him pressed a hand to his thigh, and the flailing man froze, then bent forward with a dramatic groan.

[“My legs ended up like this because of that S-rank hunter. How is it okay for an S-rank to beat defenseless civilians like this—huh?!”]

[“That’s right. The people living on that coast are basically gangsters. Chairman Jang has been offering them generous compensation for years to move out, but those brutes took the money and pretended they didn’t! They’re leeches, squatting illegally and refusing to leave. We couldn’t kick them out by force, so we visited every day and begged politely… who knew Guild Leader Hwang Jae-i would be there? I’d never seen an S-rank hunter in my life until that day!”]

The other men nodded vigorously, chiming in with “Right, right!”

[“Anyone who doesn’t know better would think those squatters were innocent citizens! But they aren’t! Whether Guild Leader Hwang was tricked by them or not—I don’t know—but how can he beat people like this?! Aigoo, my neck—!”]

The loudest man suddenly clutched his neck, whining in exaggerated agony. The camera captured the entire group before cutting to a new scene. A quiet village appeared, lit by large flames—torches hanging from various spots. The camera focused on a collapsed building at the top of the hill, where several men stood gathered.

It was late at night. They held guns or farming tools. Red bands tied around their heads, the camera lingered on their intimidating weapons before the reporter emerged again.

[“The men you saw earlier have illegally occupied this village for over a year. Chairman Jang, who purchased the land surrounding this area, tried to resolve the conflict peacefully despite personal losses, yet it still escalated into this. These men came tonight, as always, to persuade the villagers—only to be assaulted one-sidedly by Guild Leader Hwang Jae-i, who happened to be there.”]

When the camera zoomed in, the men groaned loudly, each clutching a part of their casted limbs for emphasis.

[“Perhaps this incident is all due to misunderstanding. However, violence from an S-rank hunter against civilians requires an explanation in any case. We await an official response from the Jae-i Guild.”]

The screen returned to the newsroom, where lawyers and crime experts discussed the issue. The anchor wore an excessively grave expression as he turned to a nearby attorney.

[“What is your opinion on this matter?”]

[“For now, we must hear both sides. But if Guild Leader Hwang truly assaulted these men without cause, it is a serious issue. S-rank hunters wielding power out of personal emotion is extremely dangerous. There was a similar case in the US—Hunter Mark Buffalo, whose outburst wiped out an entire district. It began as a road-rage confrontation…”]

While the lawyer spoke solemnly, the live chat beside the screen flooded with messages—ten times faster than usual. Among the scrolling feed, a few comments stood out:

└ What kind of fresh nonsense is this?? Things finally calm down and now they’re tearing into Hwang Jae-i again??

└ Tearing into him? With his temper, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

└ Why would Hwang Jae-i even go there???

└ Check the dates. This happened around when the Pungjin scandal broke… and when the whole “illegitimate child” thing got revealed.

└ tf his “illegitimate child” self

└ It’s true though. What, should we call him an “extramarital child” instead?

Some people claimed this was typical behavior for him, while others insisted it made no sense for Hwang Jae-i to be involved in such a situation. Others suggested jealousy—his recent surge in popularity had surely made someone upset.

Then another comment thread rose sharply:

└ Remember when he visited the children’s hospital? And solved that Gate immediately when it appeared? Image management much? All those CFs and ads… bet he’s covering up something dirty or aiming for something big.

└ Aiming for what? The Association President position???

└ Oh hell, I forgot that was open.

└ If I were Hwang Jae-i, I’d consider it. Strongest powers, youngest S-rank, and a temper to match. People like that hate being controlled. He’s worked with the Association and other guilds for years—maybe something happened that set him off. Maybe now he wants to crush everyone and put himself on top.

└ Sounds ridiculous, but… possible.

└ Possible22

└ Hunters are impatient. They need quick results like Gate clearing. He probably blew up trying to score good PR points. Those villagers were holding guns, wtf. They’re basically a criminal group.

└ Hotels and pension resorts keep popping up by the beaches. Locals squat on the land to jack prices up 10x, 20x. Bet those were the type. They cried a little, begged, and Hwang jumped in thinking it was his hero moment. Disappointed af.

└ Disappointed af22. Hunters should stick to Gate work22

└ He’s a celebrity now. Might as well change careers lolololol

After that, the chat devolved into endless streams of ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

Dohwa glanced sideways at Jae-i. In the spacious living room, the two sat together on the couch, watching the broadcast. He had expected some fallout after Hwang Suhyeon’s warning, but pleasant it was not.

Dohwa leaned his head lightly onto Jae-i’s shoulder. Jae-i looked at him with only his eyes, and the tension in his expression eased. With his lips, he mouthed: It’s fine.

Studying him quietly, Dohwa rubbed his head against Jae-i’s shoulder, then picked up the remote and lowered the volume slightly.

It was obvious someone was deliberately trying to smear Jae-i. The Pohang incident included. The news claimed neutrality, but all their reporting was slanted. His skyrocketing popularity must have made someone very envious.

Seeing Dohwa’s expression remain serious, Jae-i wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“It’s fine. They’ll rant for a day or two and then stop.”

He was used to these kinds of attacks. They would bark loudly for a bit, then drop it. Someone simply wanted to damage him. Their chatter didn’t bother him much. What bothered him more was Lee Yong-geon’s death.

Scum like that were stubborn—during their sentences they would have schemed nonstop on how to wiggle their way out. They would have served a vague number of years, then slithered back into the world with the title of “model prisoner.” So in a way, dying like this made everything cleaner. What worried him was that people might associate their deaths with him.

“……”

Suhyeon’s sudden call had been to warn him ahead of time. She’d received suspicious government intel from people she had placed in various news agencies. “We tried blocking it, but it didn’t work. They’re pushing hard. Just don’t let it get to you.”

What she meant was simple: don’t react in the way they want. Don’t let them provoke you.

Understanding her concern, Jae-i simply replied calmly: “I know. Thank you for telling me beforehand.” After a pause, Suhyeon asked, “Are you with that child?”

After waiting a beat, Jae-i answered, “Yes.”

Only then did she end the call—and did not contact him again. There was still no news from the guild, either.

In the past, he would have waited. But this time felt different. He had a strong, almost certain feeling. Someone who loved causing trouble by pretending to “fix” the very chaos they created came to mind.