“Hahaha. Doha tends to sleep a lot…”
Hwang Guman gave an awkward laugh as he opened the rear door and gestured with his hand.
“Do you two want to ride in my car? Or do you already have your own ride?”
“I’d really appreciate a lift.”
[Hero! Let’s just go with him for now!]
While Hwang Guman and Kim Chan were in the middle of a conversation, some strange being—maybe the Earth itself—urged Roy to get in the car.
Its voice was clear and bright, making Roy let out a long sigh.
“Do you… want to ride together?”
Before getting into the car, Kim Chan offered Roy the seat next to him.
From what he could tell, Roy didn’t seem to know anyone here.
Roy climbed into the strange object.
It looked similar to a carriage, but there were no horses, and the inside was filled with luxurious seats and odd-looking machines.
“Um… may I ask your name? I should have thanked you first for helping us. I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Kim Chan. I’m nineteen.”
Kim Chan carefully opened up the conversation as he sat beside Roy.
He hadn’t noticed earlier, but Roy’s clothes were soaked in blood.
The white uniform-like outfit was torn across the chest.
There were also many cuts on the arms and legs, as if he had been slashed by something sharp.
A strong metallic smell filled the car.
Kim Chan examined him to see if he was injured, but couldn’t find any visible wounds.
Even when recalling Roy’s movements while rescuing them, he had looked completely fine.
‘Then… is this someone else’s blood? That might be even more terrifying.’
“My name’s Roy.”
Roy stared directly at Kim Chan, confused by his sincere apology.
He had helped Kim Chan simply because he didn’t want to watch a perfectly alive person turn into a corpse right in front of him.
It had been a purely selfish impulse.
Kim Chan shook his head to push away those disturbing thoughts and asked another question.
“And your last name?”
“I don’t have one.”
Roy had been a commoner.
When Kyle ascended the throne, he had promised to grant Roy a surname.
That future was gone now.
“So your last name is ‘Ro’ and your name is ‘Y’…? Oh—never mind. It’s totally fine not to have one!”
Kim Chan stammered for a moment but quickly changed the topic.
After seeing Roy’s cold gaze, he felt foolish for making an issue out of something so trivial.
‘Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk about it.’
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Kim Chan guessed Roy was either the same age or maybe even younger than him.
He had jet-black hair and irises so dark they were nearly indistinguishable from his pupils.
His pale skin made the contrast even starker, as if touching him would leave a powdery residue.
His almond-shaped eyes were perfectly symmetrical with sharp double eyelids.
His round nose and slightly plump lips looked a little chapped but still had a pink hue.
What stood out most was the baby fat still left on Roy’s cheeks.
However, his cold expression and blunt tone made Kim Chan assume he might be older.
“Twenty-two.”
“Really?”
That made him three years older than Kim Chan.
Thank goodness he had spoken formally.
“So you’re my hyung, then.”
Kim Chan gave a sheepish smile, embarrassed.
The moment Roy saw that smile, he remembered Haze—who had once called him ‘hyung’ with the same expression.
Come to think of it, Kim Chan’s appearance was quite similar to Haze’s.
Especially those bright, sparkling eyes that were a little too much.
Roy didn’t even know if Haze was alive or dead.
That went for his little sister and the rest of his comrades as well.
As Roy’s expression sank into gloom, Kim Chan’s eyes wavered in confusion.
He was struggling to find something to say when the car door opened, and Hwang Guman got into the driver’s seat.
***
“Kids, I’m heading to the office first. Want to come and catch your breath?”
Hwang Guman had gone out briefly to make sure there was space for the car to get out.
“Yes, yes…!”
Kim Chan quickly answered on behalf of Roy, who remained silent.
He felt like he had done something to upset Roy, but couldn’t figure out what.
“We’ll be taking the special road for Awakened folks, so it’s best to put your seatbelt on. That place is full of maniacs who ignore speed limits.”
Kim Chan had already buckled up.
Roy, however, sat still with his eyes blankly fixed on the floor.
“Hyung, you need to buckle up too…”
Kim Chan carefully reached over and fastened Roy’s seatbelt for him.
“I don’t recognize your friend. Does he happen to belong to any agency?”
As Hwang Guman started the engine and smoothly turned the wheel, he glanced at Roy’s face through the rearview mirror.
The moment their eyes met, Hwang Guman silently activated a skill in his mind.
‘Stat Scan.’
Hwang Guman’s profession was Scouter—an extremely useful role in the hunter entertainment industry.
His signature skill was what he had just used: Stat Scan.
By making eye contact, he could view a Hunter’s rank, class, level, and more.
Although he could only use it twice a day and it required direct eye contact, it was incredibly effective.
Especially since Hwang Guman’s scan could even read S-rank hunters.
[Name: Roy]
[Age: 22]
[Class: Spirit Summoner]
[Level: 0]
[Rank: ?]
[Physical Ability: ?]
[Mana: ?]
Screeeeech—!
“Uwaaah!”
“You trying to kill us?!”
“Oh my god—”
[No, Mister! You can’t drive like that!]
The car echoed with the voices of three passengers—and one mysterious presence.
It was because Hwang Guman had urgently pulled the car over after glimpsing Roy’s status window.
The sudden brake made Roy, Kim Chan, and Lee Doha all lurch forward in their seats.
Roy’s gaze turned sharp as he looked at Hwang Guman.
His forehead had hit the front seat, and it was already swelling with a red mark.
“I-I’m sorry, kids… I was just so shocked…”
All of Roy’s stats—rank, physical ability, and mana—were marked with question marks.
Even for someone experienced like Hwang Guman, this was the first time seeing such a status window after awakening as a scout.
But most surprising of all was Roy’s class: Spirit Caller.
If you had to name the rarest class in the Hunter world, Spirit Caller would top the list.
There were only three Spirit Callers in all of South Korea.
Not a single one among Hunter idols.
‘A total jackpot!’
Kim Chan was hopeful that Roy might be moved, even just a little, since he had saved his life today.
He was also someone Hwang Guman had been working hard to recruit as a trainee for a long time.
But a Spirit Caller…!
The question marks were concerning, but that didn’t matter much when the class was this rare.
Even a low-rank Spirit Caller received special treatment compared to other Hunters of the same tier.
Their potential to use their abilities in diverse ways was practically limitless.
On top of that, Roy had striking looks.
While his singing and dancing skills were still unknown, popularity as a Hunter idol was often determined by appearance, class, and rank.
If he had at least some foundation, any lack in singing or dancing could be overcome through training.
Trying to steady his breathing, Hwang Guman nervously made an offer with a trembling voice.
“If you’re not signed to a company yet… I’d like to suggest signing with ours.”
“I’m not interested.”
Roy rejected him without hesitation.
His forehead still throbbed painfully.
He was already regretting following these men.
‘Now they were talking about some contract he couldn’t even understand?’
{Wait! Hero! At least hear the offer first!}
“Hyung, I don’t think you really understand what a contract even is…”
Two voices—one in his ear and the other in his head—chattered simultaneously. Roy’s brows furrowed tightly.
“Quiet.”
{Aww…}
“Okay…”
***
Even after shutting up, Kim Chan kept glancing at Roy, clearly still curious.
Roy was a complete stranger and full of suspicious details, yet there was something oddly reassuring about him.
Kim Chan had hesitated to accept the offer from Hwang Guman’s agency because it was a new and unknown company.
There were even rumors going around.
It was said that Hwang Guman had been kicked out of a major entertainment company due to some incident.
And not just any company, but one of the biggest names in the Hunter idol industry.
Joining a company like Hwang Guman’s, which had burned bridges with such a giant, was an enormous risk.
Even if you managed to debut, chances were high you’d be sabotaged and forced into early retirement without even getting proper promotions.
But Kim Chan wasn’t in a position to be picky anymore.
He had come to realize why he kept failing other auditions.
And yet, Hwang Guman had persistently tried to scout him.
That’s why he had quietly gotten into the car when asked.
“I guess I was too hasty in bringing up a contract.”
Hwang Guman blamed himself for rushing.
As he restarted the car, he glanced at Roy through the rearview mirror.
Roy was now gazing out the window.
His eyes trembled slightly as he stared at the passing scenery.
There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable outside, but Roy looked as if he were seeing something completely new.
Even Roy’s outfit was suspicious.
Hwang Guman had assumed it was something flashy to stand out at an audition, but it wasn’t.
There were bloodstains and ripped parts all over.
He had just proposed a contract and received a cold rejection.
A possibility flashed through Hwang Guman’s mind.
‘Maybe he’s not a Hunter idol trainee at all? If that’s the case, even better. That means no other scouts know about him yet.’
Hwang Guman hadn’t expected Roy to accept his offer right away anyway.
Just expressing his interest was enough for now.
He gently brought the car to a stop and shook Lee Doha’s shoulder.
“Time to wake up, Doha. Guys, our company’s on the third floor of this building.”
The black SUV had stopped in front of a three-story building in a remote part of Seoul.
The grayish walls were marked with spiderweb-like cracks.
“Hyung, get out.”
“Take this off.”
Roy’s jaw trembled as he tugged at the black strap securing his upper body.
No matter how confused he had been, following strangers was a mistake.
Just thinking back to what had happened before he got here was enough to make him tense.
He had been betrayed by his most trusted friend.
And now, even after all that, Roy had ended up trusting complete strangers again without realizing it.
He had been tightly bound by a strap before he even noticed.
Currently, Roy’s grip strength was no better than an average person’s.
He tried squeezing hard enough to turn his palm red and swollen, but the strap binding his chest barely crumpled.
‘You idiot. After everything you went through, and you still…’
Woooaaahhh…. my boy is full of distrust .