NOVEL WEB Chapter 12 - Witch Park Seo-hyun
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: KYSOIWDI
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[ Chapter 12: Witch Park Seo-hyun (1) ]
“…Uhihi. Uhihit.”
A chilling laughter could be heard. The employees who had been desperately avoiding looking in that direction shrank their shoulders and quickly left the hallway every time they heard the sound.
The woman standing in the middle of the hallway snickered whenever that happened. Her chapped lips appeared and disappeared through her messy hair.
“Hihit.”
The woman laughed with her head tilted. There was nothing in the hallway, so it was impossible to know what she was laughing at.
Ding.
The elevator at the end of the hallway opened. The man who got off the elevator scratched his thick belly and spoke to the woman.
“What are you doing, Park Seo-hyun?”
“Hi… Ah, hello.”
“Are you waiting for the teacher?”
“Ah, ah, no…. Uhihit.”
“Then?”
“Don’t block the already narrow hallway. I didn’t call you two here for chit-chat.”
A man in a black suit followed and got off the elevator, grumbling.
The man who got off first glanced back and frowned.
“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Woo Hee-jae, an assistant from the Ability Management Bureau’s Dungeon Strategy General Situation Room.”
“Dungeon… what?”
“My job is to support the director and assess the safety of all existing dungeons in Korea to ensure stable dungeon strategies for hunters…”
“Dungeon, what? Where did you say?”
The man in the suit smiled.
“I work in the director’s office.”
* * *
I worried that one of the containers in the empty lot might be my accommodation.
Fortunately, the rights of the Awakened in this era weren’t that backward.
Hong Seok-young found me a cheap motel room in a nearby small town. He said he had also rented a room and was staying there.
“For now, stay here. I’ll get you a better place later.”
I didn’t expect anything grand anyway.
I just needed to avoid Hong Seok-young’s eyes for a while. I brushed my fingertips over the magic control device on my ankle. It was said to be the essence of modern magic engineering, but…
Not now. Right now, it was just, what could you call it, a plain handcuff.
“Hee-jae. Do you understand?”
The director was particularly obsessed with skills. It could be because he was an old-timer. He said you needed skills to make a living.
There were no limits to the skills the director taught. He taught me how to pick handcuffs even before I awakened.
‘This way, if someone tries to take you, you can escape. I hope you wait until I come, but… Knowing this won’t hurt.’
At the time, I wondered why he was teaching me such things, but he was right. People needed to know skills…
I was always an honor student in the director’s skill lessons.
Click.
See, it’s easy. Bypassing the embedded magic stone or the location tracker could be done with my eyes closed.
I turned on the Magic Watch for the first time in a while.
“So, what should I look at first?”
Information to catch Hong Seok-young’s organization? Records about Kim Gun that might still be around?
“Uhihit.”
Then, a creepy laughter echoed in my mind.
Witch Park Seo-hyun.
There was a simple reason the Grand Mage was called a witch.
It was purely because of her appearance.
Long, unkempt hair. A pale face. Lips frequently bitten and never healed. Fingers covered in scratches. Her baggy clothes, which looked like they were made from a sack, made her look even more emaciated.
Among Hunters, there were none who were sane, and among Grand Mages, there wasn’t a single normal one, but Park Seo-hyun’s eccentricities were extreme.
She didn’t harm others, but watching her wield her dark magic with a ghost-like appearance wasn’t good for one’s heart. Even her laughter was chilling.
I realized in Myeong-dong that there was a time when that gloomy woman had been sharp. Park Seo-hyun must have been normal when she was born since she was human.
So, I thought for a moment.
Could Park Seo-hyun, in the days when her eyes were still clear, have a chance?
Not just a witch who laughed creepily, but a capable Grand Mage who could engage in normal conversation?
But!
Why on earth!
Did that promising Grand Mage hopeful turn into a creepy witch in just ten days?
“No… There’s still hope.”
I rummaged through the Magic Watch.
“There should be an evaluation record.”
A Hunter of Park Seo-hyun’s caliber would be under special management by the state.
Naturally, there would be a lot of information that couldn’t be disclosed to the public.
When was the last update? Was it two years ago?
No, it might be better to look at old records. Records from when she was at least a bit closer to the current Park Seo-hyun…
Although Park Seo-hyun mainly worked overseas, there was a time she stayed in Korea for a long period. Was it when I was a college student?
## [Park Seo-hyun – S-Class (Grand Mage)]
The records were neatly organized by year.
I opened the oldest document among them. 2033.
The first page had basic physical descriptions and such. I knew all that, so I skipped it.
The next page had.
“What is this?”
[CAUTION!!!!!!]
[*The government does not take responsibility for any incidents resulting from non-compliance.]
[There is no life-threatening danger, but you may experience physical discomfort. Please be cautious.]
[+Generally, she lets it slide once. (2032-03-09)]
[++If you’re unlucky, once might be the end. (2038-12-21)]
[+Do not meet with her alone. (2031-09-24)]
[+In emergency situations, seek out Director or Team Leader Yoo Ji-eun. (2036-06-17)]
Unsettling phrases appeared starting from the second page. These were annotations from the Bureau staff.
The dates were a mess.
“Did they add these later?”
It wasn’t a proper report format.
It made sense if it was the realization the field workers had gained through blood and tears. They probably thought no one would see it since it was old.
I turned to the next page.
A standard report appeared. Just in case, I kept flipping through the pages.
Sure enough, red text appeared midway through.
[1. If Hunter Park Seo-hyun says something is impossible, it’s not truly impossible. It’s just very troublesome, so if you use Hunter Yoo Ji-eun’s name, she will do it.]
Park Seo-hyun only acted human towards Yoo Ji-eun. So she had been entirely entrusted to her.
I turned to the next page.
[2. Do not express admiration for the magic cast by Hunter Park Seo-hyun. It upsets her.]
She didn’t like compliments?
Was she unhappy when I clapped for her?
[3. If you encounter Hunter Oh Hyun-wook during work, please avoid the area. It’s not advisable to eavesdrop on their conversations.]
[4. Never mention Myeong-dong. Not even the Director can cover for you. Your life is precious.]
[5. If Hunter Park Seo-hyun is not smiling, step back. It’s dangerous.]
[5-1. In emergencies, mention Hunter Yoo Ji-eun’s name.]
The numbers went on for quite a while.
The further I read, the more it turned into casual remarks. There wasn’t much useful information. The most notable was…
This, after all.
[4. Never mention Myeong-dong.]
I didn’t know exactly when Park Seo-hyun’s personality changed, but she had been fine in Myeong-dong. So why not mention it?
…I’d heard there were no intact bodies back then, so it’s somewhat understandable.
But.
This time, I saved them all!
Not a single death! Hunters should overcome mere scrapes with determination!
What exactly is the problem?!!
I pored over Park Seo-hyun’s documents late into the night, but found nothing more.
Anyway, I’d meet that darn witch-in-training tomorrow. There’d be things I’d understand after confronting her. Or the Director would handle it somehow.
Eventually, I closed Park Seo-hyun’s document. There was still much to see.
I searched for records about the lab I had been in long ago. Among the numerous reports, there was a familiar name.
[The Promised River Laboratory of ‘ARK’]
[2022-06-01]
[Author: Hong Seok-young]
* * *
“Hello!”
The weather was nice.
From early in the morning, Hong Seok-young dragged me to the empty lot… the Development High School. He said a teacher shouldn’t be late or something like that.
After bringing me here, Hong Seok-young ditched me and went into one of the containers. I stood there, looking around. Still, there was nothing.
Only the sound of the reeds rustling in the cool breeze.
“Teacher!”
This empty lot seemed like my future.
I had to cultivate this… and build a new building.
“Teacher!”
Should I give up?
After all, isn’t the time limit twenty years? Living a luxurious life for just twenty years with future knowledge might be…
‘You have to live.’
Ah, if it weren’t for that Yoo Ji-eun.
“Teacher Woo!!”
“…What?”
“What are you thinking about so much?”
Lee Seung-yeon’s eyes were sparkling. It was almost blinding. Especially when compared to Park Seo-hyun, who was gloomily biting her lips in that corner.
“Hm.”
I should get closer to Lee Seung-yeon, too. As a public official, I couldn’t be seen mingling with the business world. It didn’t matter now, but old habits die hard.
“Seung-yeon, right?”
“Yes! Do you remember me?”
“Of course.”
How should I deal with the kids?
“…You got out safely?”
“It’s all thanks to you, Teacher!!”
Bouncing around, Lee Seung-yeon glanced at my waist and asked.
“Teacher, where’s that sword?”
It was rolling around in the back seat of Hong Seok-young’s car.
“My aunt was really curious when she heard about it. She also uses a sword!”
“Your aunt?”
Lee Seung-yeon’s aunt, huh.
“My aunt is a pretty famous Hunter. I’m not saying this just because she’s my aunt, she’s really famous.”
Lee Mi-sun. Master of the guild Dasun.
She wasn’t an S-class Hunter like Oh Hyun-wook or Park Seo-hyun, but no one could ignore her. She was an amazing woman who could have reached that position even without her family’s help.
And she cherished her niece. She even created a scholarship foundation in her deceased niece’s name and supported the director.
“Aunt wants to meet you sometime…”
“Teacher Woo!”
What a pity. It was just getting good.
“Teacher Woo!! Come here!!”
Hong Seok-young, who had been fiddling around in the container, finally came out. He beckoned me over with a finger.
I sighed and approached Hong Seok-young.
“What is it?”
“I was making a classroom for you, Teacher Woo.”
“A classroom?”
I looked suspiciously inside the container. They had brought in a blackboard and desks, calling it a classroom.
But what caught my eye more were the piled-up paper boxes in the back.
“This?”
Hong Seok-young laughed awkwardly.
“We’ve been using this as a storage. Don’t worry, I’ll clear it out later.”
Usually, when someone says that, it means they never will.
It’s easier if you give up, if you give up…
Anyway, it was a good thing. I had something to say to Hong Seok-young when there were no kids around.
“Excuse me.”
“Hmm?”
I pointed at Park Seo-hyun through the window of the container.
“Do something about her.”
“Seo-hyun?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean by do something?”
“She wasn’t like that in Myeong-dong.”
Her hair was a mess, and she stood there like a ghost from an old horror movie. It was bad for my heart.
“Seo-hyun did suddenly change her style.”
Can you even call that changing style?
Hong Seok-young stroked his chin.
“Every Hunter hits a wall at some point. Seo-hyun’s been Awakened for quite a while, so it’s about time for her to face it.”
“Ha…”
“Why? Are you worried about the class now?”
This guy was always like this. Unchanging.
He was too tough, both physically and mentally.
Hong Seok-young was the kind of person who believed that any problem could be overcome with sheer willpower.
So, he didn’t understand the worries of ordinary people. He deeply empathized with the struggles of geniuses like Yoo Ji-eun, but he couldn’t understand that some people couldn’t get back up after being knocked down.
I held my head in my hands.