Chapter 20
In a quiet park with only a few people passing by,
Han-gyeol wandered back and forth in the same spot, lost in deep thought.
The elite party of the Wings Guild that had been on a business trip to the provinces recently returned.
Most of them were D-rank hunters like him, but there was one C-rank in the party.
Seo Ji-han, the guy who seemed to be on a smooth path to achieving B-rank in no time.
Watching that smug guy made Han-gyeol want to quickly get promoted to a C-rank hunter as well.
But it wasn’t an easy task.
To put it in modern terms, Han-gyeol was a “Ha-namja.”
Indecisive and lacking initiative, he was a risk-averse type who, despite being a D-rank hunter, mostly tackled E-rank dungeons.
He couldn’t even tear open a snack bag in one go.
Still, despite everything, he started to crave it.
In the D-rank dungeon he entered with Si-hyun previously,
he clearly remembered how his body moved in perfect sync with his intentions.
At that time, the situation was so urgent that he didn’t even realize it,
but looking back, it was clear that he was somehow different then.
He was much stronger than usual.
‘No matter how I think about it, it seems like I got help from the Holy Knight’s skills.’
He couldn’t think of any other reason.
He didn’t know exactly what it was,
but it was definitely due to Si-hyun’s influence.
Just once more would be fine, he wanted to experience that feeling again.
He wanted to feel a stronger version of himself once more.
He wanted to become a C-rank hunter.
Han-gyeol stopped in front of a stone bench in the park and sat down.
With trembling hands, he picked up his phone and opened the messaging app.
There it was, Si-hyun’s profile, automatically registered when he added her number.
No background image, and only a single headband resting on the profile picture.
It was, how should he say it, very much like Si-hyun’s profile.
‘I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.’
Han-gyeol, fully tensed up, pressed the one-on-one chat.
The empty screen welcomed him, since they had never exchanged messages before.
The emptiness felt like the distance between him and Si-hyun.
‘Maybe I should just give up…?’
Once again, Han-gyeol hesitated.
But soon, he shook his head.
Even a “Ha-namja” needs to act like a man sometimes!
Boldly, he began typing the message.
-Hello, Si-hyun. This is Han-gyeol. If you’re not too busy, I’d like to ask for some help.
He only typed the message.
He didn’t send it, wavering once more.
His finger hovered over the send button, going up and down in an endless cycle.
Just then,
Thump.
A leaf that had been fluttering in the wind landed on Han-gyeol’s head.
Startled, Han-gyeol jumped up from his seat while glaring at his phone.
“Oh, it’s just a leaf.”
He irritably brushed off the leaf and glanced at his phone again.
“…….”
Oh no, the message had been sent.
It seemed he pressed it when he jumped up in surprise because of the leaf.
Han-gyeol felt his eye twitch as he rubbed his face with the palm of his hand.
After taking a dry breath, he looked back at the screen.
It hadn’t been read yet.
He set his phone down on the stone bench for a moment,
then stretched his body with a big yawn.
He looked back at the screen.
It still hadn’t been read.
Time passed slowly as his body stiffened.
A cold breeze brushed past Han-gyeol.
Still, it hadn’t been read.
‘I’ll just check it again when I get home….’
Han-gyeol sighed deeply and got up from his seat.
He slipped the phone into his pocket.
And then it happened.
-Buzz.
The light vibration from his smartphone.
Han-gyeol froze on the spot in shock.
Could it be a message from someone else?
No, it must be a reply from Si-hyun.
If it really was a reply,
was it an acceptance? Or a rejection?
What if she said no?
Countless thoughts flashed through Han-gyeol’s mind in a split second.
With trembling hands, he checked the message.
It was indeed from Si-hyun.
-Shall we meet tomorrow afternoon?
A message implying agreement.
“Nice——!”
Han-gyeol jumped up and shouted in joy.
It felt like a fanfare was exploding in his head, filling the air with noise.
It was as if he had the whole world in his hands.
People passing by stared at Han-gyeol as they walked past.
“……Ahem.”
Han-gyeol awkwardly lowered the arms he had been raising toward the sky.
***
In a certain jjamppong restaurant in Seoul,
it wasn’t yet the peak lunch hour, so the place was still quiet.
-Ding!
The door opened, and a small bell chimed.
The female staff member who had been bowing down to wipe the tables stood up.
“Welcome!”
The staff walked over to greet the new customer who had just entered.
Seeing the customer’s face, she couldn’t help but smile widely.
“Please take any seat you like!”
“Yes.”
An exotic-looking young woman.
The staff member remembered the customer’s face.
With a beauty that you couldn’t forget once you saw it, and this being her third visit already,
her visits were roughly once a week.
When the customer took a seat in a secluded corner, the staff member spoke.
“One bowl of jjamppong, right?”
“Yes.”
The customer nodded gracefully.
Leaving an acknowledgment, the staff member headed to the kitchen.
“Chef!”
“What is it?”
A middle-aged man turned his head in response to the staff’s call.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.
“She’s here again!”
“Oh, really?”
The chef nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips.
Although he had only caught a glimpse of her face while serving the finished dish, the customer had left a strong impression.
The customer who left just under half of her food during her first visit.
He wondered if it was because the portion was too much, or if it didn’t suit her taste, or maybe because it was too spicy.
These fleeting thoughts had crossed his mind.
Then, a few days ago, she had visited again.
The amount she left was slightly less than during her first visit.
It made him feel a strange sense of support.
And today, she was here once more.
The chef was curious to see how it would turn out today.
He always cooked with his best efforts, but this time, he took extra care to complete the dish.
The staff member served the jjamppong to the customer.
The two of them watched the customer intently in silence.
The customer, with a blank expression, looked at the bowl of jjamppong.
Then, she naturally swept her long hair behind her ear with one hand.
Carefully blowing on the hot noodles, she took a cautious bite.
Hoo, hooo… Slurp——
The staff member and the chef’s eyes focused on her cherry-like lips.
She bit off a piece of the noodles, and a reaction came immediately.
“Haa, hnnngh….”
She seemed to be struggling from the start.
Tiny wrinkles appeared on her delicate forehead.
But the customer didn’t give up and picked up another bite of noodles with her chopsticks.
One bite, then another.
She savoured the dish with great care.
“She’s eating faster than before!”
“Mm! She might eat more than usual today!”
The two quietly cheered her on.
“Cough, cough!”
With a choked sound, the customer gulped down water.
The chef’s hands clenched tightly without him realizing it.
The customer started to eat again.
The two unconsciously responded in unison, silently cheering her on.
“Hang in there, just a bit more! Don’t give up, hang in there!”
“This is the crucial moment! Focus, focus!”
Did their enthusiastic encouragement reach her?
The customer, who had been covering her mouth with her palm for a moment,
began to devour the noodles at a rapid pace.
Slurp, slurrrrp—
The noodles quickly disappeared.
“Haaah—!”
The customer suddenly stood up from her seat.
She hurriedly walked over to the staff member.
“Yes, I’ll handle your payment!”
The customer swiftly completed the payment with her card and rushed out of the restaurant.
The staff member followed her to the entrance and watched her retreating figure with a wry smile.
The adorable customer was dashing toward a nearby convenience store.
She must be going to buy something to soothe her suffering mouth.
The more she watched, the cuter the customer seemed.
“Oh, she ate a bit more than last time!”
“Really?”
The chef nodded confidently.
If she comes again next week, I should give her a complimentary dish.
Or maybe I should keep some milk ready in the fridge.
Would she like strawberry-flavoured milk?
Various thoughts crossed his mind.
* * *
“Haa…”
Si-hyun took a sip of banana-flavoured milk through a straw and let out a sigh.
She shook her head as if to say she finally felt alive again.
From the start, she hadn’t planned on eating spicy jjamppong for lunch.
But whenever she thought of the Wings Guild, jjamppong naturally came to mind.
It must be because the memory of her first day was so vividly etched in her mind.
Spicy food is truly a formidable opponent.
You know it’s going to be painful if you eat it.
But once it comes to mind, your mouth starts watering immediately.
You get a strong urge to eat it.
And in the end, you give in and regret it afterward.
But that one bite you take when your tongue is still intact is simply the best.
Maybe that’s why she can’t give it up.
Anyway, it was definitely a good restaurant.
Si-hyun took public transportation to the Wings Guild building.
It was a place she had become familiar with after a few visits.
She walked towards the office with smooth steps.
Soon, she reached her destination and knocked on the door before entering.
Han-gyeol, who had been standing stiffly, greeted Si-hyun with a rigid posture.
“W-Welcome!”
“Hello.”
Si-hyun sat in the seat across from Han-gyeol.
Han-gyeol raised his voice enthusiastically.
“T-Thank you so much for coming today!”
Si-hyun gave a small nod.
She took another sip of her milk through the straw.
For a moment, Han-gyeol’s gaze lingered on the end of the straw, but he quickly shook his head and continued speaking.
“I need your help—just once is enough—could you join me in a dungeon?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“All rewards will go to you, Si-hyun si— Pardon?”
“……? I said, let’s go to the dungeon.”
Han-gyeol’s eyes widened.
He had spent all night worrying about how to create a win-win situation for both of them.
He never expected her to agree so readily.
Si-hyun took another sip of milk through the straw.
She had already guessed that this would be the reason for their meeting.
It wasn’t a difficult task, and Han-gyeol was a genuinely kind person.
‘It’s okay to help out once in a while,’ she thought lightly as she arranged to meet after lunch.
“Let’s split the dungeon rewards evenly according to the rules.”
“No, no! That would make me feel too ashamed. Please take all the rewards, Si-hyun.”
Watching Si-hyun speak so calmly, Han-gyeol shook his head vigorously.
Changing the subject was the best option at times like this.
Han-gyeol brought up a previous incident.
“T-That, it was a Holy Knight’s skill, right? I definitely felt stronger back in that dungeon.”
“…More or less.”
“I knew it! I want to experience that feeling just once more. I think I can take a step closer to becoming a C-rank Hunter. Please, I’m asking you!”
“Hmmm…”
Si-hyun smiled faintly as she looked at Han-gyeol, who was passionately appealing to her.
She liked his attitude when asking for help, and his motivation was appropriate.
The desire to break through a wall when faced with one’s limits—
It was something Si-hyun had experienced often herself.
Ultimately, it was something you had to realize on your own, but offering a small helping hand wouldn’t hurt.
Having made her decision, Si-hyun and Han-gyeol lightly exchanged opinions on which dungeon to visit.
It was then—
“Master! Are you here?!”
The door suddenly burst open, and a young man barged into the office.
Si-hyun frowned at the noise, and Han-gyeol’s expression hardened as he recognized the newcomer.
Seo Ji-han, the ace of the Wings Guild.
“He’s not here either. Hey, hyung! Do you know where the master went?”
“Sigh… Ji-han, there’s a guest here. What’s with the lack of manners?”
Ignoring Han-gyeol’s reproach, Ji-han turned his head indifferently.
When he belatedly noticed Si-hyun, his mouth opened wide as if to shout ‘Wow!’
“Oh, hello?”
“……”
Having witnessed Ji-han’s disregard for Han-gyeol, Si-hyun also didn’t respond.
She had encountered many people like him even in the other world.
She didn’t feel like paying attention to him.
She savoured the deep flavour of her banana-flavoured milk through the straw.
‘Should I buy a few more on the way home?’ she thought, letting her mind wander.
Seeing that he was being ignored, the muscles in Ji-han’s forehead twitched.
“Hey, just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you should ignore people, you know?”
“……”
Ji-han strode over to Si-hyun.
Si-hyun immediately picked up her milk and smoothly slid to the opposite side, increasing the distance between them.
“Huh…?”
Ji-han’s facial muscles twitched as if having a spasm.
Si-hyun ignored his reaction and spoke to Han-gyeol.
“…Who is this?”
“Ah… I’m sorry, Si-hyun. He’s one of our guild’s promising talents. He’s a C-rank Hunter. I apologize on his behalf.”
Han-gyeol bowed his head in apology and looked at Ji-han.
“Don’t be rude to our guest. Apologize right now.”
“What gives you the right to boss me around, hyung?”
“……”
You little piece of shit.
Han-gyeol swallowed the curse that almost slipped out.
There was no winning against him even if he lost his temper.
Han-gyeol was a ha-namja afterall.
Si-hyun, who had been silently observing their conversation, finally spoke up.
“Han-gyeol.”
“Yes?”
Han-gyeol looked back with an apologetic expression as Si-hyun called out to him.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you didn’t need any conditions or compensation?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“……?”
Suddenly?
Han-gyeol was puzzled but nodded.
It was strange for her to agree to his request without any conditions in the first place.
She’s not a saintess or anything.
“Make him shut up. Then I’ll help you.”
“…Excuse me?”
Han-gyeol responded in confusion at Si-hyun’s words.
How was a D-rank Hunter like him supposed to beat the guild’s ace, a C-rank Hunter?
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Ji-han also snapped back.
It annoyed him that the person in front of him was acting arrogant because of her looks and gender.
But Si-hyun merely scoffed and ignored him.
In fact, she thought it was better this way.
Han-gyeol’s request was simply to experience fighting while buffed.
Choosing a dungeon had just been the most neutral option.
But since a perfect punching bag appeared on its own, was there really a need to go to a dungeon?
“Hmmm…”
It’s time for a lesson. No— a time for repentance.
—
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