I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

Na Jiseon had finally figured out where Jinhyun was and what he was doing.

Without hesitation, she immediately took a vacation and headed straight there.

However—

Realizing that she had rushed out in such a hurry that her appearance was less than ideal, Jiseon paused.

‘I should at least freshen up a bit before meeting him.’

After all, she wasn’t just meeting anyone. She was going to apologize and meet the man she had a crush on. It wouldn’t be right to show up looking like she had just come straight from a military base.

With that decision in mind, Jiseon quickly stepped into a nearby department store.

But then—

She stumbled upon a scene she hadn’t expected.

As she wandered through the department store, her eyes landed on a familiar figure.

The man she had been longing to meet again.

The man who had compelled her to take a vacation and come all the way to this distant place.

Lee Jinhyun.

However, at that very moment, the emotions Jiseon felt weren’t simply relief, guilt, or the desire to apologize.

Other, more complicated feelings began to stir.

The reason?

A woman standing in front of Jinhyun, who looked striking in a well-fitted suit.

A breathtaking beauty—one that Jiseon couldn’t help but recognize as more beautiful than herself at first glance.

‘Did they go shopping together?’

Just the thought made something boil inside her.

A deep jealousy began to rise in Jiseon’s heart.

And it wasn’t just because of the woman’s superior beauty.

No—

The biggest reason was…

It was because of one undeniable fact—

Jinhyun, while looking at her, had a bright smile on his lips.

A flawless smile, straight from the heart.

A smile Jiseon had never seen before.

‘Could he really smile like that?’

The man who had always shown her nothing but a twisted, exhausted smile—

The same man who, no matter the situation, had looked worn out and detached—

Now stood there, wearing such a pure, genuine smile.

That realization struck Jiseon hard, leaving her in shock.

Her insides churned, as if something were boiling within her.

Even as jealousy surged uncontrollably, Jiseon forced herself to suppress her emotions.

She took a deep breath, gathering the courage to approach Jinhyun as cautiously as possible.

And then—

With a voice trembling ever so slightly, she called out to him.

“Jinhyun… oppa?”

“!…”

The moment Jiseon’s voice reached him, Jinhyun’s eyes flickered with a subtle tremble.

But—

Even then, he didn’t turn to look at her.

Feeling her heart tighten, Jiseon hesitated before stepping closer.

This time, her voice carried more urgency.

“Oppa… it’s you, right? Jinhyun-oppa!”

Her tone revealed her nervousness.

Finally, Jinhyun slowly turned his head toward her.

But the face he revealed—

Was no longer adorned with that pure smile.

Instead, his expression had turned cold.

Colder than when he had slapped himself at the bus stop the other day.

In fact, it was even more frigid and terrifying than before.

The stark difference sent a chill through Jiseon.

Momentarily afraid of his icy demeanor, she forced an awkward smile and tried to break the tension.

“I… It’s me, Jinhyun-oppa. Na Jiseon… I never thought we’d meet in a place like this…”

But before she could finish—

“Stop.”

Jinhyun’s voice cut through the air, sharp and emotionless.

“You shouldn’t be here anymore, should you?”

“!…”

Before Jiseon could finish speaking, Jinhyun addressed the woman standing in front of him instead.

His complete disregard left Jiseon stunned. Her voice trembled as she tried to call out to him.

“Ji… Jinhyun-oppa. I… I…”

But Jinhyun didn’t even glance at her.

“Let’s go. I’m done here.”

“….”

His tone wasn’t just cold—it carried something sharper, almost dangerous.

‘If I push any further… I might not walk away unscathed.’

That was the unspoken warning Jiseon felt in Jinhyun’s voice.

A chill ran through her, freezing her in place.

The jealousy she had felt toward the woman standing beside Jinhyun a moment ago no longer mattered.

Instead, all she could feel was that same crushing fear—

The same fear she had felt when Jinhyun slapped her at the bus stop that day.

One thought echoed in Jiseon’s mind:

‘If this continues, I’ll be cast aside before I even get the chance to apologize.’

Her heart pounded as panic surged through her. She couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity.

‘If I let him walk away now, I might never be forgiven.’

Desperation took over.

And the action she chose—

–Thud!

“!…”

“….”

The next moment, Jiseon dropped to her knees on the cold department store floor.

Her sudden action stunned not only Jinhyun but also the woman standing beside him.

The person who had been about to walk away finally turned to look at her.

Sensing this, Jiseon, her voice trembling, spoke to the man in front of her.

“I… I was wrong… I… I did it wrong, oppa… I really… I did it wrong.”

Tears began to stream down Jiseon’s face as she started confessing her wrongdoings right there on the spot.

“I… I took my anger out on you just because I lost a game… I made you do my laundry because I was too lazy… I even threw a trash can at you for not cleaning my room…”

She poured out every mistake she could think of—everything she had mentally prepared before coming here.

Her voice trembled with desperation.

People nearby began gathering, drawn by the spectacle unfolding in the middle of the department store.

Some whispered, some pointed, and a few even took out their phones.

But none of that mattered to Jiseon.

Whether this scene ended up on the internet or became tomorrow’s headline—it was all irrelevant.

The only thing that mattered—

Was whether or not the man standing in front of her would forgive her.

That was all.

And then—

“Okay, okay. Stop now.”

“!”

An urgent voice snapped her out of her frantic confession.

Jiseon immediately stopped speaking, her tearful eyes widening.

Jinhyun let out a sigh, his face still unreadable.

Without saying another word, he grabbed Jiseon’s arm and began walking away from the gathering crowd.

With his other hand, he firmly held onto the hand of the woman beside him.

***

Unintentionally, I found myself dragging Jiseon with one hand and Iare with the other to a more secluded spot.

Someone might have joked that I looked like a man with a flower in each hand, but my thoughts were far too complicated for any lightheartedness.

Jiseon had appeared out of nowhere while I was shopping with Iare.

I had intended to ignore her—the person whose mere presence irritated me—and leave with Iare.

But…

Her sudden, dramatic breakdown in the middle of the department store, along with her loud confessions, left me with no choice.

I couldn’t just leave her there after that scene.

And as the crowd began to gather, curiosity and whispers growing louder, I reached my limit.

I had to get both of them out of there.

Now, after finally finding a place with no prying eyes—

“Ha…”

I let out a deep sigh.

Then, without hesitation, I shook off Jiseon’s hand as if brushing off dirt and glared at her.

“You… seriously… what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“T-That’s… I-I just… I wanted to apologize somehow…”

“Apologize? You think that’s going to fix anything? Do you seriously believe I’d ever go back to that place?”

I wasn’t bluffing.

Even if every other S-class hunter—not just Jiseon—came crawling here and begged on their knees, I would never go back.

No sane person would walk from heaven into hell just because the devils there pleaded for it.

But just as I thought the conversation would end there, Jiseon looked at me with desperation written all over her face.

Her voice, trembling with urgency, broke the silence.

“Ah… no. That’s not it. Never!”

Jiseon frantically shook her head, her voice trembling.

“Of course, it would be nice if you came back, oppa, but I didn’t come here expecting that.”

“Then what is it?” I shot back, my voice sharp. “Why come all this way just to bother me? Do you still want something from me?”

The embarrassment from the scene she had caused earlier, combined with the simmering resentment I felt toward her, sent a searing anger through my chest.

For a moment, I completely forgot that Iare was standing beside me.

I lashed out without holding back.

At that moment—

Jiseon, looking at me with tear-filled eyes, spoke in a pleading voice.

“I just… wanted to be forgiven. That’s all.”

“…What?”

Her unexpected words caught me completely off guard.

Jiseon lowered her head again, her shoulders trembling.

Then, with a voice filled with desperation, she continued.

“I’m sorry… I’m really, really sorry, Jinhyun-oppa. For everything I’ve done over the past four years… from beginning to end… every single thing.”

“I’ll make up for it somehow… no matter what it takes in the future… so please… please forgive me.”