Chapter 24 – Tearing the Robe

“Since it’s loose, the sleeves don’t even fold well, so what should I do?”

They had to secretly infiltrate the enemy’s den, but at this rate, she was bound to trip over the hem and fall before even walking a few steps.

Watching that sight, Kang Jin-hyun reached out his hand.

“Could you take off the robe again?”

“Yes…”

Hee-na hurriedly took off the robe and handed it to Kang Jin-hyun. Seeing him retrieve the item, it seemed he was planning to use another method.

“I’m sorry. As expected, we should look for another way—”

It was the moment she was about to speak with a sigh.

*Rip!*

Before she could even finish speaking, the loud sound of tearing cloth rang out.

And Hee-na lost her words at the unexpected sight that unfolded before her eyes.

*Rip, rip, riiip!*

Without a single moment of hesitation, Kang Jin-hyun grabbed the fabric of the robe and ripped it apart.

As if he had hidden a blade in his fingers, the sturdy and tough-looking robe was cleanly torn apart at Kang Jin-hyun’s fingertips.

“H-Hunter Kang Jin-hyun?”

Hee-na barely managed to find her voice and opened her mouth. Kang Jin-hyun responded calmly to Hee-na’s call.

“Yes. What is the matter?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Kang Jin-hyun finished ripping the clothes and replied.

“That you did something wrong, Miss Hee-na? Not at all.”

“Then why are you suddenly tearing that expensive item—no, the robe?”

The robe Kang Jin-hyun was tearing was not just regular clothing. It was an item made from dungeon byproducts.

Hee-na did not know the exact market price of the item, but she knew for a fact that it was incredibly expensive.

No matter how shabby the item was, it commanded a price from millions to tens of millions of won.

The robe Kang Jin-hyun had turned into rags was surely worth at least hundreds of millions of won. It was an amount difficult to raise even if she dismantled and sold her own body over and over again.

‘Has Hunter Kang Jin-hyun gone mad?’

Under such circumstances, it was not strange for Hee-na to have such thoughts.

Whether Kang Jin-hyun failed to notice Hee-na’s strange and subtle gaze, he handed the torn clothes back to Hee-na.

“Try it on.”

Since he had the peculiar pressure unique to S-class Hunters, Hee-na received and put on the torn clothes in a daze. And then she realized.

“This is…”

As if satisfied with the sight of Hee-na wearing the robe, Kang Jin-hyun slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“The length should fit now.”

Hee-na lifted her arm to examine the sleeve of the robe. The sleeve, which used to cover her hand and then some, had suddenly shrunk to a nine-quarter length.

The length, which had been dragging on the floor, also became much shorter, fluttering around her knees.

Hee-na lost her words this time out of sheer absurdity.

‘Did he really just rip a clothing item worth hundreds of millions of won to adjust the length to my body? Did he just tear apart a whole house? Huh?’

“Then, let us depart.”

Meanwhile, Kang Jin-hyun lightly brushed his hands. Then he turned around and headed toward the mountain where the gate would be.

Hee-na stamped her feet in place, not knowing what to do.

When he did not feel Hee-na following him, Kang Jin-hyun stopped walking and asked.

“Is there a problem?”

“Is it really alright to ruin such an expensive item because of me?”

“It is not that valuable. In any case, this kind of item quickly wears out and frays after wearing it a few times.”

She had heard that successful Hunters had so much money that their level of consumption was different from ordinary people.

In that context, the monetary sense of S-class Hunter Kang Jin-hyun was outside the comprehension of a small-citizen like Hee-na.

‘I would be flustered even if someone ripped a normal, intact piece of clothing, but to tear apart an incredibly expensive item and say it doesn’t matter much.’

Hee-na barely managed to close her gaping mouth.

“Since I tore it, I will not ask you to reimburse me. So do not worry and follow me.”

Kang Jin-hyun reassured Hee-na and gestured with his finger. It seemed like he was telling her not to worry about such pocket change and to just start moving quickly.

“Yes, yes! I’m coming! Just a moment!”

Hee-na hurriedly picked up the scraps of the robe scattered on the ground and stuffed them into her apron pocket.

Although she did not know what she would do with them right now, it was a waste to leave scraps of clothing worth hundreds of millions of won behind in the wilderness.

Hee-na, wearing the shortened robe, and Kang Jin-hyun, who had dissolved hundreds of millions of won into thin air in an instant, walked diligently and finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Since it was a rocky mountain in the middle of the wilderness, desolation lingered rather than fresh greenery.

“Is there no further detailed information on the map? Like in which direction to go?”

“Yes. It’s not that detailed of a map… there’s just a dot on the mountain drawing indicating where the gate is.”

“Then we must begin searching for the gate. Miss Hee-na, the guard presence is significant from here on, so lower your footsteps and follow closely behind my back.”

Hee-na followed behind Kang Jin-hyun, feeling extremely tense.

‘I never imagined I would experience something like this in my life.’

Hee-na did not even like thriller movies. It was because they kept her heart pounding in suspense the entire time.

She could not believe that she, of all people, was infiltrating the enemy’s stronghold.

As they climbed the rocky mountain while holding their breath, a boisterous noise resounded from far away. It was the sound of breaking stones and voices urging people to work.

‘It must be a place where the abducted people are forced to labor.’

Thinking that the scene where human rights were erased was right before her nose, she felt a wave of nausea and got goosebumps.

“It is an open-pit mine. They seem to be mining something.”

Kang Jin-hyun, who had good vision, roughly explained the situation. And his eyes gleamed.

“A gate is open at the top of the open-pit mine. Perhaps because the risk of escape is high, the security is very tight.”

“I’m scared.”

It was despairing. According to Kang Jin-hyun’s words, it meant that they could not avoid a physical conflict somehow.

Kang Jin-hyun placed his hand on Hee-na’s slightly trembling shoulder.

“Do not worry. We are only infiltrating like this because a disturbance would be troublesome, but I have more than enough force to deal with them.”

Kang Jin-hyun’s words inspired trust. And in reality, they were correct.

As they got closer to the open-pit mine, the number of watchmen increased, but he managed to slip past the surveillance here and there even with Hee-na in tow.

*Clang, clang, clang!* The sound of mining something and digging up dirt piles grew closer and closer.

Kang Jin-hyun stopped behind a large rock and warned Hee-na.

“We must be careful from here on. If worst comes to worst, I will pick up Miss Hee-na and dash toward the gate.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Do not be too afraid. This is like an easy game.”

Just as Kang Jin-hyun was offering that ridiculous encouragement, a commotion broke out over by the labor camp. A loud voice rang out clearly.

“Stop! That’s enough, isn’t it?!”

At the incredibly familiar voice, Hee-na’s ears perked up instinctively.

‘Huh? This voice is…’

It was a voice that absolutely could not be heard here. However, it was also a voice that was extremely hard to mistake.

Was it not the voice she had listened to regularly for all twenty-five years of her life?

“A person collapsed! I’ll work double, so do something about this person!”

It was the voice of her older brother, whose whereabouts had been completely unknown for several months.

“H-Hunter Kang Jin-hyun! Just a moment. Let me see what’s going on for a second.”

In her urgency, Hee-na pressed close behind the rock and peeked out. Then, the sight of the open-pit mine spread wide before her became clearly visible.

Hee-na’s eyes went wide.

‘…Brother!’

Her brother was there. He was shouting while supporting a collapsed man over his shoulder.

“Don’t just stand there, someone come out!”

More gaunt than Hee-na remembered, covered in dirt and dust, he was calling for help.

At that scene, Hee-na flopped down right where she stood.

“Has a problem occurred?”

Kang Jin-hyun whispered as he helped Hee-na up.

Hee-na lifted her head and looked at him. Tears welled up without her realizing and flowed down her cheeks.

“Hee-na?”

Seeing Hee-na’s tears, Kang Jin-hyun seemed flustered, considering he had forgotten to address her politely as “Miss Hee-na” as he always did.

However, Hee-na did not have the leeway to care about such a change in address.

‘So all this time, he wasn’t out earning money but was kidnapped? Without even knowing that, I just waited lightheartedly, thinking he would return someday…’

Because she recalled her own indifferent self who had only said she was worried, tears naturally poured out in streams.

Thinking of her brother who must have suffered during the past two months while she found a good job, ate well, and lived comfortably, her heart ached terribly.

“The person shouting over there, *hic*, is my brother. My, my brother, he hadn’t come home all this time, *hic*, and to think he was captured here… *wahhh*.”

Hee-na cried loudly, unable to even finish her sentence. Afraid that their location would be discovered by the enemies, she could not even cry out loud.

“Do not cry. Shh, it is alright, Hee-na.”

Kang Jin-hyun tried his best to comfort Hee-na.

He did not seem accustomed to such situations. The hand patting her shoulder was stiff, and his expression was awkward, showing no trace of his usual calm demeanor.

Hee-na rubbed her face with the back of her hand and barely managed to stop crying.

“*Hic*, *hic*. I-I am sorry for suddenly crying. You must have been startled, right?”

“Not at all. Anyone would be extremely shocked to find out that their own flesh and blood was held captive in such a place.”

Kang Jin-hyun comforted Hee-na with a blunt yet warm voice.

And it was at that moment.

“You should have just kept working, what is this riot?!”

A husky voice suddenly spat out, followed by a thudding sound.

Hee-na was startled and tried to turn her head, but since Kang Jin-hyun had covered her eyes, she could not see anything.

“It is better not to watch this scene.”

Kang Jin-hyun grabbed Hee-na’s shoulders and pushed her down to sit. Then, he pulled out a dagger from his inventory and placed it in Hee-na’s hand.

The Homemaker of the Dungeon