No one even took a sip of water while carrying out the mission.
That was how tense the atmosphere was, and now that everything had finally ended, the thirst and hunger long forgotten surged in like a rising tide.
“Food isn’t to blame.”
The first to step forward was Song Doyoon.
As if it had been a lie that he had been slumped on the ground like a jellyfish, he suddenly jumped up and sprinted toward the food trucks lined up in a row.
“Um..” (Contractor, I’m hungry too.)
Even Solum, who usually didn’t ask for much, expressed eagerness for food, so Roy had no choice but to head toward the trucks as well.
They split up their roles naturally, each going to a different truck and coming back with tables full of delicious-looking food.
“When you cry and then laugh, where does the hair grow?”
Han Jihoo teased Kim Jaemin, Lee Hajun, and Kim Chan, who were sitting side by side.
Their eyes were bloodshot, but whether from the happiness of having tasty food or something else, broad smiles spread across their faces.
“Uh uh, don’t talk with food in your mouth.”
Even when Han Jihoo joked, Kim Chan’s gaze was fixed on the fried chicken placed right in front of him.
Han Jihoo pushed the plate toward Kim Chan, as if expecting the food in Kim Chan’s mouth might pop out any second.
“By the way, I wonder what the Association is thinking.”
After slurping an iced Americano, Han Jihoo glanced toward the place where the Association members, agency officials, and production staff were gathered.
Perhaps an artifact for noise cancellation had been set up because no sound reached his ears even when he strained to listen.
“Nothing happened today though…”
Lee Hajun wiped the sauce off the corner of his mouth with a tissue.
Though no one said it aloud, everyone had been tense, fearing something strange might happen today as well.
“Beep!” (Delicious, delicious!)
“Por!” (You pig!)
“Pii…” (Pigs are delicious…)
“Mm~.” (Contractor, I want to eat that too.)
But the serious atmosphere was swept away by the ruckus the spirits caused.
One side of the table was in chaos because Ber was devouring every dish in a trance-like state.
Aqua, who had been dining elegantly, got angry and smacked Ber on the back of the head.
Ris was burying her face in some pork hocks and making happy noises, while Solum tapped Roy’s hand to get his attention and pointed at the churros.
“Sometimes when I see Roy hyung, he feels more like a babysitter than a spirit summoner.”
“Huh, I thought I was the only one who thought that…”
Kim Chan and Lee Hajun looked at Roy with sympathetic eyes.
Despite being the person who ranked first in today’s final mission, his face was heavily marked by fatigue.
Under his eyes, there were dull shadows as if someone had smeared charcoal there.
“Oh? That’s the boss.”
Kim Chan cheerfully waved his right hand at Hwang Guman.
It seemed like the meeting had finally ended.
“Guys! You all really worked hard!”
The man with a bandit-like appearance strode over, and the tense Lee Hajun stared at Hwang Guman in wonder.
Tears welled up in his eyes, softening his expression.
“Did the talks go well? What did the Association officials say?”
Curious about the conversation that had taken place inside, Kim Chan bombarded him with questions.
“Ah, well…”
But a look of awkwardness flickered across Hwang Guman’s face when he heard Kim Chan’s question.
***
“You’ll have to cooperate and work with the Association.”
“Yeah. Someone dispatched by the Association will probably come as a road manager.”
Roy, Kim Chan, and Lee Doha returned to Bada Entertainment with Hwang Guman.
Since the other participants also had a lot to discuss with their own agencies based on the meeting, everyone scattered.
“The Association suspects there’s a connection between you and the abnormal phenomena.
There’s no solid evidence yet, but if another abnormal event happens near you, then they’ll be sure.”
Roy forced down a rising sigh.
Since Earth was telling him that abnormal phenomena linked to the Continent of As would keep occurring around him, his range of activity might shrink.
“But it’s also a good thing. At least it means the Association will take responsibility for your safety.”
Once they debuted, the chance of incidents and accidents was high.
Though all of them were hunters and would probably avoid danger, there was always a possibility of the unexpected.
“I really did have a hard time in my early years, and then luck turned in middle age…”
Hwang Guman unexpectedly pressed the back of his hand to the corner of his eye as he spoke about the Association, causing the three of them to exchange glances.
‘Let’s avoid this.’
‘…At least three hours, easy.’
‘This has to be dodged.’
Contrary to his appearance, Hwang Guman was quite sensitive.
It was almost miraculous how he had endured in this ruthless industry until now.
Though he was a founding member of a solid major agency, his temperament had played a part in him eventually starting his own agency.
“Hey guys, where are you going?”
Their bodies stiffened as they prepared to get up, exchanging glances.
Hwang Guman was looking them over with half-lidded eyes.
“We have to practice. After focusing on Hunter missions for a while, my vocal cords and body feel stiff.”
“Right, boss! We’re heading to the practice room!”
Roy gave a plausible excuse, and Kim Chan quickly agreed.
They were actually planning to head to the practice room once their talk with Hwang Guman ended.
“I was going to treat you all to Korean beef to thank you for your hard work today. What a pity.”
At Hwang Guman’s next words, Roy’s eyes trembled without mercy.
“Beep?” (Korean beef? The expensive meat the Contractor said he couldn’t buy?)
Ber, the first spirit to react, flapped his short wings and buzzed around Hwang Guman in excitement.
Ber had been watching mukbang videos lately and had begged Roy for Korean beef after watching one, but the Contractor had said he was too poor to buy it, and Aqua had smacked him on the back of the head.
“Beep!” (Human boss! I want to eat Korean beef!)
Ber wanted to leave Roy briefly and follow Hwang Guman just to eat that beef.
He even drooled remembering the ecstatic faces humans made when tasting Korean beef in the videos.
“Por.” (That traitor.)
Actually, Aqua also perked up when she heard “Korean beef.”
Like Roy, the spirits were increasingly fascinated by the new foods they were tasting in this world.
“Hahaha. Come to think of it, we haven’t eaten a single proper meal today. The boss called us first thing this morning to talk.”
Kim Chan slowly eased his half-detached butt back onto the sofa.
Lee Doha, who had been blinking slowly, quietly returned to his original posture.
“Can we eat our fill now?”
Roy also sat back down on the sofa as Hwang Guman grinned and pulled out a card from his pocket.
“Yeah. But listen to me first before you move.”
He quickly sensed that they wanted to avoid the conversation and slip away.
He felt a bit mischievous.
Many times when they went out for shoots, he had stayed up sleeplessly, missing them, but now that they finally had time to talk, they seemed indifferent.
‘Think of the Korean beef.’
Though he wanted to run off to the practice room again, Roy clenched his fist resting on his lap.
For Korean beef, he could endure even a three-hour-long conversation.
***
“…They served three times more than last time.”
Hwang Guman glanced at the chubby Ber, who was patting his swollen belly with a grim expression.
The amount of Korean beef packed into that small body was staggering.
What shocked him even more was that Ber ignored all the side dishes and focused solely on the meat.
“We’ll earn a lot of money quickly.”
Kim Chan smiled broadly after looking at the receipt Hwang Guman was holding.
“The advance payment will come in. Don’t worry. You’ll be paid your share right away.”
“Really?”
He hadn’t expected to get a settlement so soon after debuting.
That sort of thing was only possible at big agencies.
Bada Entertainment only had three trainees and provided dormitories as well.
“Of course. It was written in the contract. You have to read the contract carefully.”
When Kim Chan looked surprised, Hwang Guman seemed puzzled instead.
“I thought it was just something written there.”
Kim Chan had been through a lot.
He’d been kicked out of his previous agency by Lee Chulhun and almost had to pay back his trainee fees.
He had endured hellish days dealing with the shameless demand that he had to pay for the training he received before he could leave.
Though things had turned out well and he escaped that miserable place, he struggled daily to find a new home.
“I really like the boss, our company, and my hyungs!”
Kim Chan was happier now than ever before, to the point where he wondered if all the hardships he’d endured were just a form of bad luck clearing the way for greater fortune.
He had even made it into the seemingly impossible debut lineup.
Now all that remained was for him to truly become a full-fledged Hunter Idol and perform.
“Yeah. I don’t know how thankful I am that Chan signed the contract with the company.”
Kim Chan smiled genuinely, and Hwang Guman burst out laughing, forgetting the bitter amount on the receipt.
“You’ll move into the shared dormitory starting tomorrow. So pack your things today.”
“A shared dormitory…”
There was both worry and excitement.
Han Jihoo’s agency was providing the shared dormitory.
“Jihoo hyung’s place is nice too.”
Everyone secretly suspected Han Jihoo came from a wealthy family.
Though Han Jihoo never revealed anything, his house and the clothes and items he carried were all expensive.
“Speak of the tiger, and it appears.”
Kim Chan’s phone vibrated, and he turned on the screen.
Before parting on the island, the final debut lineup members had made a group chat.
[Everyone, see you here tomorrow.]
It seemed Han Jihoo had arrived at the shared dormitory first.
Kim Chan’s mouth dropped open as he saw the photos Han Jihoo uploaded.
“Is this really the shared dormitory? No matter how I look at it…”
It looked like a hotel.
Moreover, it felt like a suite located on the top floor.
With each photo he swiped, the dazzling interior left him speechless.
“Right, you guys still don’t know?”
“What?”
“Han Jihoo’s true identity.”
Hwang Guman lowered his voice as if telling a secret.
Kim Chan’s eyes widened as he stared intently at his lips.
He had been curious for a while and had even searched online about Han Jihoo a few times.
But there was nothing.
Only abundant records of Han Jihoo after joining the Earth Hunter Idol competition, but nothing about his past or background.
“Well, about that…”