chapter 28
Episode 28
Kang Tae-min and Seol Ga-eun entered the restaurant. The line was long even inside.
“Wow···.”
“her···.”
A very small exclamation was heard here and there. It was because the people who were waiting were surprised to see Kang Tae-min and Seol Ga-eun.
Good men and good women.
I couldn’t think of anything better to describe them than this.
“Oh, they say you can go right in.”
Seol Ga-eun smiled brightly and said. We made a reservation in advance, so the two of us were able to get in without waiting.
Following the guidance of the staff, the two were guided to a window seat. It was a great place to see the city at night.
“The menu is…”
However, unlike other tables, there was no menu board. Seol Ga-eun opened her mouth with a sad face.
“Oh, I also reserved the menu in advance. There are two courses, but I think it would be better to eat a variety of them.”
Taemin Kang nodded. It didn’t matter to him because he could skip the cumbersome process.
“hehehe, I saw it here on Q-tube. Do you know that Ip Gindal is one of the Q-Tubers? It was really delicious.”
“is that so? I don’t watch Q-Tube well.”
“ah···.”
“I’ll look for it later when the time comes.”
Serving started while Kang Tae-min and Seol Ga-eun were chatting. The first thing that came out was the soup, a pre-dinner dish.
But it was no ordinary soup.
‘…isn’t this the thorn of Fungerthorne?’
Decorate the thorns on the chopped mushrooms.
It was cooked and changed shape, but Kang Tae-min could recognize it. Fungushorn’s thorns, a mushroom type monster, contained paralysis poison.
“Ummm…! It’s really good!”
Seol Ga-eun tasted the soup right away and let out a bullet. Only then did Kang Tae-min know the identity of this restaurant.
‘Yes, there was a place like this.’
A unique restaurant that uses monsters as ingredients. Of course, the poison was removed from the dishes in advance.
Kang Tae-min had no intention of spending money on food, he just heard about it.
It was the first time I had come in person.
‘… it’s surprisingly okay.’
It wasn’t to the point of making a fuss like Seol Ga-eun, but the flavor was not bad.
“Wow···! It’s a cockatrice foreleg.”
As soon as the soup was finished, the next dish was immediately served. At first glance, it looked like a large fried chicken leg.
Kang Tae-min involuntarily smiled lightly. Seeing her shining eyes like a child made me smile.
“Definitely a dish you should try at least once.”
“Right? right?”
Seol Ga-eun was more delighted with Kang Tae-min’s reaction.
“The Minotaur Steak comes next.”
Meals are also meals, but isn’t it better if the person you came with likes it?
* * *
High-end restaurants usually have private rooms that are isolated from other places.
It is where guests share secret stories or do not want to be disturbed by others.
However, just because the restaurant is high-end, the customers are not always high-end.
Four men drinking expensive liquor and having a conversation.
Although they were dressed in luxury goods from head to toe, the words that came out of their mouths were swear words.
“Hey, do you know why Jaehoon didn’t come?”
“Ah, that’s right. Why didn’t the bastard come?”
“I heard, that bastard was caught embezzlement and ransacked in the dungeon.”
Silence fell for a moment. Of course, it didn’t mean that he was killed by the monster.
Soon, a low laugh broke the silence.
“Ugh, that bastard.”
“You should have hit the back of the head first, like me. No one will know if it is dealt with in the dungeon anyway.”
“No, that’s it too. Damn, embezzlement is funnier.”
“If you get caught, it would be nice if a female hunter would come.”
The four giggled and lit cigarettes. Of course it was a non-smoking area, but no one cared.
It wasn’t even the first time, so the room was already filled with white smoke.
“Ah, you know Taemin Kang, right?”
Someone mentioned Kang Tae-min in the academy story.
“Kang Tae-min? That black pig?”
All eyes were on one person.
“uh. Kong Ki-hyeon, you’re so fucking pissed off.”
“Oh, right. I remember too. Fuck, it was a lot of fun.”
“Kihyun, you exploded when you saw this crazy bastard suddenly swear at you.”
“What’s so damn funny is that bastard ate in some kind of bathroom even though he was a teacher.”
“That’s why Kihyun baptized me with water right away. The madman said, ‘Don’t even drink water.’”
“You crazy dog. Hey, but why is there a black pig all of a sudden?”
“Oh right. I was just trying to show you this.”
The friend who spoke up first showed me a smartphone. It was Kang Tae-min’s article.
“···what?”
“Is this the black pig?”
However, Kang Tae-min in the photo was completely different from the person they remembered.
Did Kang Tae-min, who was nothing short of incompetent in the first place, close the gate?
They couldn’t help but think that they were the same person.
“What bullshit.”
“No, I heard you are the homeroom teacher for the special class at Noblesse Academy?”
“Hey, wait. I’ve seen this face before.”
This time it was a different friend. All three eyes focused on him.
“You know our academy community called Noblelier. A video was uploaded there.”
It was a video story of a spearmanship confrontation between Taemin Kang and Junghun Park, a spearman. Kong Ki-hyeon frowned when he heard that Kang Tae-min had beaten Park Jeong-hun.
“You beat the prostitute?”
“uh. I thought I deleted it because I was embarrassed.”
Park Jeong-hoon was a spearman, so they called him a spearman.
“Hey, it’s done. Brother will shoot the second car, so let’s move.”
Their interest ended there. In the past and now, Kang Tae-min was a worthless existence to them.
They got drunk and laughed and got up from their seats. I was on my way to the counter like that.
“···Five?”
“Why?”
“Hey, isn’t that good?”
Everyone turned their attention to the words of a friend. Seol Ga-eun was sitting alone in the window seat.
Thanks to her outstanding appearance, she definitely remained in the memories of the four dropouts.
“Hyaaa, it’s because Wakku is not a joke.”
“Hey, you guys go out first.”
“Why?”
“Why, why? Of course, if everyone rushes in, they won’t be wary.”
A quick-witted friend took the other guys out. Kong Ki-hyeon lightly checked his clothes and raised the corner of his mouth.
Thanks to the compliant appearance unique to the Awakener, he did not look bad from the outside.
“I, is it Mr. Seol Ga-eun?”
“Ah yes?”
Seol Ga-eun turned her head in surprise at the voice calling her. But it was the first person I saw.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you. I am a graduate of Noblesse Academy.”
“ah···! really?”
“Yes. I was about to leave, but I saw a familiar face.”
Seol Ga-eun didn’t let go of her guard even at those words. Aren’t they strangers even though they’re graduates?
“Did you come alone?”
“Oh, no. Go to the bathroom for a minute…”
“That’s right. Do you have any other appointments later?”
“No, that’s…”
“Really? Then can’t you just give me a moment? It’s a gathering of alumni, so it would be nice if you could show your face for a moment.”
Kong Ki-hyeon poured out words before Seol Ga-eun could answer properly. She waved her hand with a puzzled face.
“No, I think that would be a bit difficult…”
“Ah, don’t do that, it only takes a moment. It’s because I’m so happy.”
It was the moment when Kong Ki-hyeon secretly tried to snatch Seol Ga-eun’s wrist.
‘what···?’
Suddenly, the hand stopped. This time, the brand new luxury wristwatch was trembling.
“what’s going on?”
Then he heard a strange voice behind him. Gong Hyeon turned his head.
‘…Kang Tae-min?’
It was the man I saw in the article. However, it was a colder gaze than in the photo.
Hi, is this man really the one he was bullying?
Not only the appearance, but also the atmosphere it gave off was different. Gong Hyeon swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
“Ah, teacher Taemin. They say you are a graduate of our academy.”
Kang Tae-min’s eyes twitched at Seol Ga-eun’s explanation. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
“I remember now. Kong Gi-hyun, no, he’s a dropout, so he won’t be a student anymore.”
“Are you a dropout?”
Seol Ga-eun’s eyes widened. Kong Gong-hyeon bit his teeth and turned around.
The situation took a strange turn when Kang Tae-min intervened.
“Hey, black pig. Are you going to lose weight and show off?”
He whispered to Kang Taemin. If it was Taemin Kang in the past, he wouldn’t have been able to meet his eyes and would have been trembling.
However, the Kang Tae-min in front of him now was not the man he used to be. Of course, this level of intimidation was useless.
“what?”
“Has there been a fight…?”
Seeing the two men confronting each other, the customers murmured with uneasy faces. I saw the waiting staff approaching.
Kong Gong-hyeon frowned and clicked his tongue briefly.
“Chuck, you feel lucky. See you later.”
Taemin Kang did not answer. Still looking down at him with cold eyes.
Kong Gi-hyun left before the staff arrived.
“Gwa, are you okay?”
“of course.”
Kang Tae-min returned to his usual expression and replied.
“By the way, you paid first while making a reservation, didn’t you?”
“Ah yes. Well, it’s probably because it’s where I asked to come…”
The promise Seol Ga-eun asked for was to have dinner together, not to buy her dinner.
“Then next time I’ll buy it.”
Kang Tae-min said as he packed his things. When Seol Ga-eun said, “Next,” her eyes widened.
“All, next time?”
“Okay, then wake up.”
Kang Tae-min turned around. Again, his expression turned cold.
“I have an urgent appointment.”
* * *
A four-seater sports car with friends on board was speeding down the road. It was drunk driving, but no one stopped it.
“Fuck it, it’s fucking.”
Kong Gi-hyeon spat out of the running car.
“Hey, step on it a little more.”
“Yeah, how do you feel?”
The driver stepped on the accelerator, probably motivated by the words of his friends. The risky lane change, so-called knife-cutting, was common.
It was fortunate that he had excellent reflexes because he was a hunter. If they were ordinary people, and considering the alcohol they drank, it wouldn’t be strange if it led to a major accident.
“Is it really that Kang Tae-min?”
“Wow, he was such a nasty bastard. How did you get rid of that fat mass?”
“That bastard must be really lucky. If I met him in a dungeon, I cut him right away.”
The friends said one word at a time to ease Gong Ki-hyeon’s mood. Kong Ki-hyeon smoked a cigarette and brushed the ashes out the window.
The sports car quickly moved out of town. When a road with few people came out, the driver stepped on the accelerator.
The roar of engines rang in my eardrums.
“Hey, it’s expensive as expected.”
“Isn’t I at about this level?”
Unlike his friends who giggled, the driver frowned.
“Fuck, what is this?”
“What?”
Kong Ki-hyun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head. The driver’s face was contemplative.
“Do it, the steering wheel won’t turn!”
“what?”
“What bullshit?”
He wasn’t even an ordinary person, he was a Hunter. The steering wheel may break, but it cannot be turned.
It was then.
“Whoa…!”
“what?!”
Suddenly, I felt my body weighed down. Eventually, the scenery outside the window disappeared and I saw a night view.
The problem was that the night view was under their gaze.
“Uh, uh uh…!?”
“What is this?!”
Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com
Looking out the window, they couldn’t help but be amazed. A sports car was floating in the air.
All of them were hunters, but they did not have the ability to fly.
Iron man Kang Tae-min was watching them from afar.
‘Thanks to that, unpleasant memories came to my mind.’
As soon as I saw Kong Ki-hyeon’s face at the restaurant, the things that teacher Kang Tae-min had gone through came to mind again.
It wasn’t just because of that that they were chasing them.
‘A fatal accident caused by drunk driving.’
Along with the name of Kong Gi-hyun, related articles also came to mind.
Before the return, the four run amok on the road and hit and kill a family. At the moment of impact, the parents wrapped the child, and only the child survived the scene.
They were immediately arrested, but the punishment they received was only 5 years in prison, and the lawyer ended up with only 1 year in prison because the lawyer had reached an agreement with the child’s distant relative.
‘A common happy ending.’
But this time I wasn’t going to let it go.