<A Step Back, But – #1>
“…”
He screamed at first due to being excited about receiving a reply, but now, he was at a loss for word.
That healer was the one that caused trouble, not him.
The leader, attackers and the other carriers knew.
He wasn’t sure how the rumor started spreading like, but in less than 24 hours, a total stranger told him that he should know his place.
Since the healer class had the least amount of people, they built their own network. When a healer has issues with another class they always side with the people that have the same class as them.
However, since Hyun-Soo was new to this world, he failed to notice it.
It would’ve been great if it was specified somewhere, but seeing as how people know of these things through word of mouth, it was impossible for Hyun-Soo to know since he didn’t have any connections.
On top of that, he was at a disadvantage since everyone was always siding with the healers.
It was hard to replace a healer with another class, so they didn’t have a choice but to side with them.
It would’ve been a different story if someone died, but this was reality.
The healer himself misunderstood the situation, which made him spread rumors to other healers and those healers told other hunters around them.
They didn’t exactly tell others to not hire Kim Hyun-Soo for a hunt, but once a healer dislikes a certain hunter, there’s a high chance that other hunters wouldn’t hire them.
It didn’t matter who was at fault.
It was common for them to not ask questions about the issue.
If a healer found out that Kim Hyun-Soo was part of the hunt, they’ll most likely leave and it’ll be hard to recruit another healer.
‘Crazy bastard…!’
Hyun-Soo thought it was unfair.
It’s because he was unaware that something like this might happen.
He realized what was going on after reading the message.
Hyun-Soo sent another message asking where he heard that kind of nonsense from, but he only got a message that said that his account was blocked.
‘Is it because of what happened yesterday? Really? What happened yesterday was that healer’s fault because he misunderstood.’
After receiving this one message, he understood why he wasn’t getting any replies for hours.
His assumption during the first hour was right.
Hyun-Soo felt uneasy as he continued sending more messages.
This time, he sent a message as an attacker, but he wasn’t getting any replies.
In order to satisfy the small number of healers, the hunters didn’t take any chances.
Hyun-Soo tried sending another message to one that he already sent, but he got the same message saying that his account has been blocked.
“Damn it!”
It would become a big problem if this continued.
‘I can’t stop here!’
Hyun-Soo thought about proving his innocence by asking the carrier that he worked with, but he shook his head.
He wasn’t the one that caused trouble in the beginning.
The carriers that worked with him knew, but would they testify for him?
They were the ones that told me not to complain about it to the leader.
Would those kinds of people have the guts to tell the truth to the other hunters?
It would be a relief if they didn’t sell him out.
‘I shouldn’t expect anything from them.’
In conclusion, there wasn’t anything he could do to prove his innocence.
Even if everything he said were true, they would choose to listen to the healer than an ordinary carrier.
‘Why is my life filled with so many issues?’
If his life was really a rollercoaster, then he probably would’ve gotten sick due to the constant ups and downs.
‘Is that crazy idiot the one that’s ruining my life? I need to go up higher. I can’t let a crazy bastard like him ruin my life. No, I had no idea I had to be careful of the idiotic hunters and the monster that we were hunting.’
I have to be careful of the enemies within the group.
In the end, Hyun-Soo wasn’t able to get accepted in a hunt and ended up wasting money at the internet café.
Since he quit all of his part-time jobs, there was nothing for him to do once he got home.
‘When I make money next time, I’ll have to get a new computer.’
The money that he spent at the café was a waste and if he had a computer at home, he could use this time to continue searching for a job.
If he found a job and participated in a hunt, then he would be able to work again.
And if he worked hard during the hunt, then it might resolve all the bad rumors about him.
Hyun-Soo didn’t give up.
If he felt discouraged over something like this, then he would’ve given up on life a long time ago and probably would’ve just stayed home.
When it became night time, other family members started arriving home one by one.
Hyuna was the first one to come home, so he sent her to her room to study and two hours later, his mother came home.
“Welcome home.”
“Did you have a good day? Nothing dangerous happened?”
“Yeah, nothing dangerous happened. It hasn’t been that long since I became a hunter, so there aren’t any dangerous jobs yet.”
Hyun-Soo couldn’t tell her that he couldn’t find a job and ended up staying home.
His mother told him to be careful and handed him an item she brought home.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing special, but there was some food left over at the restaurant so I brought it. I can’t hold a party, but I should’ve at least bought you some delicious food…”
“No, it smells really delicious!”
As soon as he removed the plate’s cover that was inside a black plastic bag, a spicy smell entered his nostrils.
“I’m sorry that I can’t congratulate with a grand party. Call Hyuna and eat together. I’m not feeling so well, so I’ll be going to sleep early. I’m sorry. Enjoy the food, okay?”
“You’re not feeling well?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure it’s just my age. Don’t worry and eat.”
Despite of her saying that it wasn’t anything serious, Hyun-Soo noticed her exhausted face.
Of course she would be tired after working and coming home late, but she seemed more exhausted than usual.
He called Hyuna and set the table, but while doing so, he couldn’t help but watch his mom.
Why did he want to become a hunter?
There were a lot of reasons, but his biggest reason was money.
Then why did he want to earn money?
It was so that they can live well.
With who?
His family.
But, if his mother was sick, then his top priority of wanting to become a hunter would change.
Aside from that, his mother never said she was tired or that she wasn’t feeling well, so hearing her say that made him worry even more.
“Hyun-Soo, where are you going?”
After taking a couple of bites, he stood up and Hyuna asked while eating the delicious food.
“I’m going to go check up on mom. I’m getting worried.”
Hyun-Soo quietly opened the bedroom door and called his mother. Luckily, she wasn’t already asleep so she sat up from her bed.
“Are you feeling really sick?”
“Did you eat a lot? Why aren’t you eating more?”
His mother was more worried about how he didn’t eat much than her condition and her face showed it.
“I ate a lot. Are you sure you don’t have to go to the hospital?”
“Well…the restaurant has been busy lately, so I don’t have time to take a break. I think it’s just a minor cold, so I’m sure I’ll get better after getting some rest.”
He knew that his mother barely had any decent rest. Her job didn’t have any holidays, so her days off was very erratic.
They did take turns taking the day off, but his mother spent that day off by working.
‘Even if I told her to go to the hospital, she’ll just say that it’s a waste of money and that it’ll be difficult for her to get time off.’
She was the type to spend money on her children, but would think of it as a waste if it were spent on her.
Hyun-Soo understood how his mother felt, but at the same time, he felt frustrated.
No matter how hard he tried to get her to go, he knew his mother wouldn’t, causing him to let out a small sigh.
“Let me at least massage you. They say that if you massage the stiff areas, it’ll help relieve them. Where would you like me to massage you?”
When she has a cold and her body is aching, there are times when massaging her helps out.
Since she does the same work every day, she only uses the same muscles and the other parts of her body become stiff.
It’s similar to massaging the back of the neck and shoulders when a person has a serious headache.
“It’s nice to get a massage from a son that’s a hunter. Be easy with the massage, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you feel better.”
Hyun-Soo looked at his mother’s back.
His mother was smaller than Hyun-Soo in terms of size, but for some reason, she looked even smaller than before.
Her shoulders looked weak, her messy hair was tied back because she couldn’t get it cut, and she had white hair mixed between her black hair.
‘She’s gotten old…’
Before getting married, she was raised in a nice environment so she didn’t have to work, but once her family had some financial difficulties, she started working whenever she had the time.
Her smooth hands became dry and rough and her face made her look older than her actual age.
Hyun-Soo knew.
No matter what he said, she wasn’t going to quit her job.
Normally, she’s weak and calm, but when needed, she becomes stern and strong.
‘I need to let her rest…’
Once he told her that he became a hunter and suggested that she take a break from work, she rejected on the spot.
If he had a lot of money now and he was going to earn a lot of money in the future, then he would’ve forcefully taken his mother to the hospital.
However, even if he became a hunter, he didn’t have any money and it was unclear how things would work out for him.
He was certain that if he forced her to go to the hospital and they ended up having to pay a large bill, his mother would feel burdened by it and would work twice as hard to pay it off.
First, he had to be in a steady position.
She would only quit her job if he showed that with his earning, she didn’t have to work anymore.
He wasn’t completely sure, but he had to at least have a steady income.
He couldn’t do anything in his current situation.
Because of that crazy healer, he was currently in a difficult situation and he wasn’t sure how to resolve it.
If he resolved that, he could at least get a job as a carrier.
‘I wish she wouldn’t get sick. She can’t even take a break because of me. I wish she would remain healthy. Please stay healthy for a long time.’
He started massaging her shoulder and back and put pressure in his fingers when he was massaging her waist.
He didn’t know anything about the body’s blood circulation or the bones, but hearing his mother say that it felt good made him feel better.
Hyun-Soo started massaging her lightly, but he started focusing on different parts of her body.
He started doing massages that he briefly saw on TV.
He continuously massaged her head, neck and shoulders.
Those three places seemed to be in the worst condition.
Hyun-Soo put pressure in those locations with his fingers. He gave it his all while massaging his mother.
<A Step Back, But – #1> End.
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