WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 119: Top-Grade Bait (2)
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Viewership was going to shoot right up.
During an interview with the world’s only magical beast breeder, the Haeyeon Guild Master appeared and showed an unusual side of himself, only for an abrupt arrest to be announced. On live television, no less.
It would've been great if I could watch this in front of a TV. Unfortunately, it was happening to me, so I couldn't exactly make popcorn.
Good grief, my life. I lamented inwardly and turned off Fear Resistance. At the same time, Song Taewon's gaze on me felt heavy.
“An, an arrest all of a sudden...?”
I stood up, looking thoroughly flustered. Peace jumped down from my lap with a small whine. Blue tilted their head, unable to understand the situation.
“Um, I...”
Song Taewon took out handcuffs with an inventory-sealing function. It had been a while. My first time since regression. I thought I'd be living far away from things like that now, but my first experience was on live TV. What a life.
“What do you think you're doing?”
Yoohyun stepped in front of me and spoke coldly. His acting was convincing.
“If you didn't hear me, I'll say it again.”
“I heard that outrageous nonsense perfectly well. You're placing an incredible false charge on an F-Class Hunter who awakened less than two months ago.”
“If your innocence is certain, you will be released immediately. Step aside.”
As the tension between them gradually intensified, my body began to tremble a little. It was nice that I didn't need to act.
“Yoohyun, calm down. I might have... done something wrong.”
“Hyung!”
“I don't know exactly what, but don't do this because of me. You're the Guild Master.”
I put on a frightened expression and stepped forward. I hoped the cameras were filming well. It was too embarrassing to do twice, so I had to establish this image firmly while I had the chance. Even an S-Class Hunter could be this ordinary and human.
Yoohyun caught me as I approached Song Taewon. This should be enough. I muttered inwardly as I turned back, then my heart dropped.
His expression was a little too convincing.
“Hey... it's okay. I'll be released soon.”
“Can't you just not go? I'll find some way to handle it.”
No, Yoohyun. We agreed you'd show that you still respected the law, even if you wavered.
“I don't want to cause you trouble. ...I'm sorry.”
As I said I was sorry, my gaze fell to my feet. Maybe it was because I had turned off Fear Resistance, but I felt terribly sick inside. As I shook off my brother's hand, Peace came over this time.
Whiiine.
As we had practiced, Peace let out a heart-wrenching cry. Our Peace really was smart. I bent down and stroked Peace.
“Be good, Peace. Dad will be back soon, so wait quietly.”
Whine.
“And Blue, don't get into trouble either.”
Mew?
Blue's movements said they had no idea what was going on. The contrast with Peace was perfect. It was an exaggerated farewell scene for someone only being detained briefly, but we needed to lay on some melodrama for what came next.
After soothing Peace, I turned back toward Song Taewon. The instant the handcuffs were placed on my offered wrists, more characters appeared.
“Yujin!”
“Mr. Yujin!”
Myeongu and Noah ran over with expressions that said, What is this disaster? I told them they didn't need to get involved, but they had insisted that they should at least see me off as I was taken away.
“What kind of power do you even have that they need to put handcuffs on you?”
“It must be stifling underground. There aren't even any windows...”
Noah, who had experience with detention centers, looked worried as he said it would probably be damp too, since it was summer. Myeongu jumped up at that, asking whether they didn't even have a dehumidifier. It was a fairly good facility, but it was still a detention center. Of course it didn't.
“I'll come visit right away.”
“I will too.”
“But why are they using real handcuffs? An S-Class came in person, isn't that too much?”
Myeongu glared at Song Taewon. Everyone was acting really well. ...They were acting, right?
“It'll be okay. Thanks for worrying about me. Thank you too, Noah.”
“Let's go.”
Song Taewon grabbed my arm.
“Hyung!”
Rooar!
“Yujin!”
“Mr. Yujin!”
...That was enough, guys. Anyone would think I was being led off to die. The whole group trailed after me as Song Taewon led me away. The camera discreetly followed as well, as though it couldn't afford to miss this. The parking lot was on the building side, so plenty of people watched us the entire way. It was embarrassing.
Maintaining a frightened expression was hard. I should've at least pulled my jacket over my head.
Fortunately, the car wasn't a compact car but a special police vehicle. It had been built sturdier for Hunters. Even so, any mid-level combat Hunter could easily smash it.
I climbed into the car amid sympathetic stares. I just hoped things went as planned.
* * *
It was a strange sight.
The young man standing in the falling rain was an ordinary human. A regular person who could easily be crushed by the slightest pressure, like wet mud.
Yet on either side of him stood monsters that even Song Taewon found difficult to handle. They watched the young man with the affectionate eyes of tame dogs.
At first, that had surprised him. He had also been suspicious. Perhaps those creatures had put a leash on an F-Class who was easy to use and treated him generously like a pet.
Yet the ordinary human among the monsters, that harmless-looking young man, was the one who was not normal.
There was unmistakable affection in Han Yujin's gaze. He found the monsters wandering around him cute and lovable, even holding concern for them in his eyes.
Entirely naturally. As though they were ordinary people.
“...Understood. We will make an announcement as quickly as possible.”
Song Taewon hung up the call and let out a short sigh. The impact of the live broadcast was considerable. An F-Class in stats, a person no different from an ordinary civilian, had been taken away in terror by an S-Class Hunter. They had even brought in family, animals, and friends.
‘At least there were no children.’
If Park Yerim had been there as well, public opinion would have been shaken even more fiercely. Protests were already piling up.
Song Taewon slowly brushed his hand beneath his chin. A human who embraced monsters like his own children and looked content. He still had difficulty deciding how to deal with that.
He sighed again and started walking.
* * *
‘I can't get hurt.’
Naturally, handcuffs weren't comfortable to wear. They were heavy too, perhaps because they were made for Hunters. I idly moved my wrists, which rested on the table.
When I said I would neatly serve as bait to expose the Association's rotten roots, my brother naturally opposed it. I had to write several written pledges in the contract just to persuade him.
‘If I get hurt badly enough to bleed, I agreed that afterward, I'll stop complaining and stay in bed quietly.’
Myeongu and Noah joined in and each took a copy. It began with promises like, It'll be safe and I won't get hurt, but by the end, it had developed into something like waivers forfeiting my bodily rights.
Even if I got injured, I could just secretly heal it with a potion, but it was best if I didn't bleed at all. If I was caught, there were three waivers waiting to be shoved in my face. If Yerim had been here, there would've been four.
Creak.
The heavy iron door opened, and Song Taewon entered the interrogation room. He had the same stiff expression as always. He was handsome enough to be an S-Class, so he would look much gentler if he had even the slightest smile. Maybe that expression worked better for his job.
“You carry a handgun.”
“It is for dealing with non-Awakened people.”
That was his brief answer. He was strong enough to pick up and throw a rock, yet he carried a gun. It wasn't as though he couldn't control his strength.
“I'll claim innocence for now. This place isn't being recorded, is it?”
“There is no audio or video recording. Was the Black Dragon Hunter Riette?”
“It was a monster passing by.”
“What was done to Hunter Han Yoohyun was clearly wrong, but you went too far.”
“What could I do when it collapsed so unfortunately? It has to be rebuilt.”
“About half of that is tax money.”
I suddenly felt guilty. Taxes. Right, it was tax money.
“...I'm B-Class, so I pay all my taxes. I'll be getting plenty of work overseas from now on, so I'll pay a lot. Haeyeon said they would handle my taxes, but I plan to pay them diligently myself.”
I would be satisfied with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. There wasn't much use in having a lot of money anyway. I would become a high-income, diligent taxpayer, so could he please let this slide?
A brief silence followed. Song Taewon, seated across from me, spoke with an unreadable expression.
“I have not decided to cooperate yet. I may send you home as you are.”
For me to serve as bait, I needed to leave the nearly perfect protection around me. I could have done something foolish, like wander the streets alone, but that would have been too obviously a trap. Anyone with a brain would notice something suspicious.
That was why we chose detention. The Hunter detention center was heavily influenced by the Association. Also, once Song Taewon left, only low and mid-level Hunters would remain.
In other words, it was an environment where it wouldn't be difficult to quietly take one person away. Imprisoned Hunters even escaped sometimes, so it would be easy to make excuses if I vanished. A few days ago, I had Noah knock out Hunters and make a false gate-related report, so we even had a suitable charge ready.
“You can't say that now.”
Still, if I was detained, Song Taewon would protect me because of how important I was. I needed his cooperation. He had to leave at the right time for me to be kidnapped.
“Aren't you helping cut out the Association's rotten parts?”
“I did not agree to raising Haeyeon Guild's reputation and encouraging distrust toward the Association. If Han Yujin disappears in the current situation, the impact will be considerable. Since you deliberately went on television, you clearly have no intention of concealing your disappearance.”
Song Taewon spoke coldly. Well, it was true that I had tried to get a little extra out of it.
“I'm putting my own body on the line. I should receive that much in return. In the first place, none of this would've happened if the Association had been clean. They brought this on themselves.”
“Improving the Haeyeon Guild Master's image through the broadcast should be enough. Conceal the disappearance.”
“You're protecting them too much, Mr. Song Taewon. You know the Association has done plenty of foolish things. They even tried to open the Awakening Center without proper measures in place. And you still feel like defending them? If you are a public official, shouldn't you think of the people before the Association?”
It hadn't happened yet, but the Awakening Center incident alone was enough to make the Association trash. The real issue was the leadership, who had no expertise from the beginning.
It hadn't been like this at first. They did well to create an official item marketplace and establish a foundation for Hunter registration. They had also designed a solid system for dungeon bidding and management.
But as soon as things settled down, they pushed out the people who actually did the work. The current leadership hadn't even held their positions for half a year.
“The people?”
The corner of Song Taewon's mouth twisted slightly.
“If the Association loses power, S-Class Hunters will be the first to run wild. Han Yujin, isn't that what you want as well? Believing you stand on equal footing with them.”
His voice was low, yet sharp. If Fear Resistance hadn't blocked it, I would have felt considerable pressure.
“You have me completely wrong.”
It would be easier for the kids to play without the troublesome Association around, but still.
“I think the Association would be fine if it were functioning properly. An Association with capable people doing actual work at the top. People like you, Mr. Song Taewon.”
The gaze directed at me grew even colder. Should I use Eunhye? It still seemed okay for now.
“Simply because I am an S-Class Hunter.”
“It is not simply because you are...”
Scrape.
The chair I was sitting in slid back. Song Taewon had grabbed my collar and pulled me forward. Half-dragged over the table, I blinked. It happened in an instant.
“What is it that you want?”
“World peace?”
His eyes said he might strangle me if I said anything foolish one more time.
“There are many things I want, but they are things I cannot achieve.”
“How great must your ambition be that you cannot achieve it even from your position?”
“They are modest things.”
“Tell me.”
“There are many things, but recently, I've wanted Yoohyun to attend school normally. Make friends and date. Maybe he would occasionally drink too much and come home late. I've never seen him drunk even once.”
The day I could smack his back and ask why he drank so much would never come.
Song Taewon's expression, cold the entire time, softened slightly.
“That is...”
“It's nothing much, really. But who could grant me that?”
Would it take a god to remake the world? I didn't really want much. I only wanted the sort of things that would naturally come true if I worked hard and lived well.
I smiled at his troubled face.
“Mr. Song Taewon, I don't care whether you squeeze yourself into a compact car, ride the subway, or carry a handgun. What I want is the same as before, too. But what cannot be done cannot be done.”
The strength left the hand gripping my collar. I sat back down and adjusted my collar.
It was clear that Song Taewon was bound to his past before awakening. He was like a tiger that believed itself to be a cat. Like one that sat blankly with only one paw in a cardboard box where it had once been able to curl up comfortably as a cub.
‘How can I pull him out of that?’
I was hardly in a position to talk. I had struggled for years, then regressed to live a new life, yet I was still a fool who couldn't let go of my regrets. Still, I was adapting to change as best I could. Maybe Song Taewon needed to experience regression once before he would change.
“...I will cooperate.”
“Oh, then why don't you go on a date tonight? I'll be kidnapped while you're out.”
“I will also take responsibility for the disappearance. Leaving my post despite knowing Han Yujin's importance and his past kidnapping case would be a grave negligence and failure.”
...This guy, seriously.
“Do you want to be criticized that badly? You seem like you've already received plenty.”
Song Taewon didn't answer. Yet there was no sign in his expression that he dreaded the future where he would bear heavy responsibility, face condemnation, and be brought down. If anything, perhaps he welcomed it.
This person was twisted too. That was what I thought.
* * *
The stage had been set, but that didn't mean word would come immediately. I worried that my stay in detention might drag on, but fortunately, the guest I had been waiting for arrived the following night.
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