Chapter 22
Da-young rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
She looked at the scene before her again.
‘What…?’
She still couldn’t understand it, no matter how many times she looked.
What on earth is this situation?
Ji-han, the promising talent of our Wings Guild, was sprawled out in a miserable state.
And in front of him, Han-gyeol was chatting and laughing with Si-hyun.
The first question that popped into Da-young’s mind:
Ji-han? How?
Ah, right, Si-hyun was that strong.
That part made some sense.
But then the next thought came to mind.
Why are those two bullying Ji-han?
No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.
Da-young furrowed her brow.
Just then, Ji-han staggered and stood up.
He pushed Han-gyeol aside and hurriedly ran to Da-young.
Thud!
Ji-han collapsed right in front of Da-young and cried out.
“M-Master—! Please save me!”
He sounded so pitiful.
Anyone would think he’d been bullied just by looking at him.
Si-hyun looked down at Ji-han with a cold expression.
Han-gyeol let out a big sigh.
“He, he suddenly picked a fight! They both beat me up!”
“Picked a fight? Who did?”
“That white-haired bitch!”
Da-young looked up at Si-hyun.
She stood there, arms crossed, staring at Ji-han with a cold, icy expression.
“S-Si-hyun…?”
“…Yes.”
“Did you hit him…?”
Da-young asked with a trembling voice, and Si-hyun answered in an emotionless tone.
“I didn’t lift a single finger. …Ah, I did snap my fingers once.”
“……?”
Da-young became even more confused after hearing Si-hyun’s response.
It didn’t sound like a lie, and she wasn’t the type of person to lie.
She wasn’t the type to pick a fight with anyone either.
Even if she did pick one, if she didn’t physically harm him herself…
“Ji-han?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Then who hit you? Was it Han-gyeol?”
“…….”
Ji-han couldn’t answer immediately.
It felt like that white-haired woman had used some kind of trick, but she was just an E-rank hunter.
That would mean he got beaten up purely by Han-gyeol.
He’d been boasting that he was about to get promoted to B-rank.
And now he was beaten up and whining about it after losing to a D-rank hunter?
It didn’t add up.
Everything about this situation was bizarre.
“H-Han-gyeol Hyung! He’s C-rank, but he’s been hiding it!”
“…….”
“It’s just… beating up your own younger brother like a dog is a bit too much, isn’t it?”
Ji-han hastily started spouting whatever came to mind.
Da-young stared at Ji-han for a moment, then looked at Han-gyeol.
When their eyes met, Han-gyeol slowly shook his head.
Da-young got a rough grasp of the situation.
If you asked who was the kindest and most sincere person in the Wings Guild,
everyone in the guild would answer the same: Han-gyeol.
Si-hyun picking a fight and beating someone up for no reason?
Da-young hadn’t known Si-hyun for a long time, but there was one thing she was sure of:
If someone wasn’t her acquaintance, Si-hyun didn’t even show interest in them in the first place.
She would ignore them, but never pick a fight.
Da-young knew Ji-han’s personality was fierce.
The sequence of events was clear.
“……Ji-han, we made a promise, didn’t we?”
“Y-Yes…?”
“When we established the new guild. You’d control your temper and live a steady life. Don’t you remember?”
“T-That’s…”
Ji-han looked up at Da-young’s face.
Her tear-filled eyes stared back at him.
She looked deeply troubled.
At that moment,
Ji-han belatedly realized that he’d done wrong.
Now that he thought about it, they definitely made that promise.
Why did he leave the big guild to join Wings Guild?
He’d clearly lost his original intent somewhere along the way.
Before he knew it, he was acting just like the scumbags from his previous guild.
“……Hah.”
Da-young raised her hand.
Ji-han knew what was coming.
But he accepted it quietly.
Smack!
A heavy slapping sound echoed.
“Ugh…”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
His head whipped left and right as Da-young continued slapping him without mercy.
But it didn’t last long.
She stopped, tears streaming down her face.
Ji-han, with a bleeding lip, lowered his head to the ground.
“I-I’m sorry! I apologize! I’ll never… I’ll never do it again!”
His voice was full of sincerity.
Da-young looked at Si-hyun and spoke.
“I’m sorry, Si-hyun. This must have made you uncomfortable.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Si-hyun shook her head at Da-young’s apology.
Then, Ji-han stood up and bowed deeply to Si-hyun.
“I apologize for causing trouble today! I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit!”
“…It’s fine.”
Si-hyun lightly shook her head.
Honestly, seeing him act up made her think he was beyond saving.
But it seemed like Da-young had a big influence on this man.
Receiving an apology made her feel better as well.
It would be a hassle to go out of her way to punish him, so should she just end it here?
After all, he was just used as a punching bag for Han-gyeol.
It was true that she provoked him because ignoring him didn’t work.
Si-hyun slowly took a step forward.
“Da-young, I’ll just have a cup of coffee before I leave. Is that okay?”
“Huh? Of course!”
“Add some vanilla syrup, please.”
“Oh my, how did you know we have that?”
Da-young briefly observed Ji-han apologizing to Han-gyeol.
Then she followed beside Si-hyun.
The commotion that had erupted settled down peacefully like that.
Si-hyun really just drank a cup of coffee and left quietly.
As Da-young tidied up the cups, she glanced at Ji-han.
He sat quietly with his head down, looking as if he felt ashamed.
Da-young mumbled as if speaking a thought that just occurred to her.
“Ji-han, you’re still C-rank, right?”
“…Huh? Yes, I am.”
“When we drank together last time, I saw Si-hyun take down a C-rank hunter with one hand. No, is she B-rank now?”
“…What?”
Ji-han’s eyes widened in surprise.
“She’s not an E-rank magic-type hunter?”
“She’s a Melee-type.”
“…Wha, what?”
Ji-han fell silent.
Why did I lose today?
So Han-gyeol really reached C-rank?
I lost in a one-on-one fight?
No, more importantly…
She subdued a mid-tier hunter with one hand?
Ji-han felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
What if he hadn’t apologized in time?
He might’ve literally been beaten into a pulp…
Ji-han made a mental note—no, a promise—to never challenge Si-hyun again.
***
When Si-hyun got home, she immediately became one with her sofa.
She turned on the TV with the remote and lay slumped over the sofa armrest.
The sunlight warmly shone down, making her feel drowsy.
“Haaam…”
A yawn escaped her mouth naturally.
She lay back down, leaning her cheek against her arm blankly.
It was so soft.
The sofa was truly the best.
Since she finished everything she had to do today…
Once the TV turns on, I’ll… watch Momobin’s stream… gotta…
….
…….
……….
‘…Huh?’
Si-hyun looked around.
A worn-out carpet.
Old walls and floors made of wood and stone.
It was a familiar sight.
This was what an inn room in the other world looked like.
Right, I was traveling to kill the Demon King.
Si-hyun nodded and sat on the bed.
It was hard, but familiar.
-Knock, knock.
-“It’s me.”
Someone gently knocked on the door.
Si-hyun unlatched the lock and opened the door.
It was an ordinary-looking woman with brown hair.
She was the porter of the Hero’s Party.
The only woman in the party who wasn’t hostile to Si-hyun.
She would sometimes visit Si-hyun like this late at night.
The woman entered Si-hyun’s room.
Si-hyun silently closed the door and sat back on the bed.
The porter’s gaze landed on the table.
Books on elemental magic theory, the Bible, introductory texts on martial arts, and so on.
They were all traces of Si-hyun’s diligent efforts to study every day.
Everything was done to gain recognition from the Hero’s Party.
“Aren’t you overworking yourself?”
“…I need to prove… my worth.”
“Hm…”
The woman shook her head and pushed the books aside to tidy up.
She placed some light snacks on top of the table.
Then, she approached Si-hyun, who was still sitting with her head lowered.
“Keep this inside your bracelet.”
“…?”
The woman firmly placed a small ornament in Si-hyun’s hand.
Gently stroking the back of Si-hyun’s hand, she looked into Si-hyun’s eyes.
“I’m giving this to you secretly, so make sure you hide it well. Got it?”
“…What is it?”
A voice so lifeless, as if her soul had been drained away.
The woman replied with a bitter smile.
“They say it’s a gem that grants wishes.”
“…That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Ahaha…”
The story was so absurd that…
Si-hyun immediately denied it.
It was true that the item didn’t have such powers.
But the woman looked back into Si-hyun’s eyes again.
So that Si-hyun wouldn’t give up on life.
With a serious expression, she placed her hand on Si-hyun’s shoulder.
At that moment,
Si-hyun woke up.
“Ah…, you’re awake? Sorry.”
“…….”
Rubbing her eyes, Si-hyun looked at the person in front of her.
It wasn’t the porter; it was her younger sister, Si-yoon.
Si-yoon was covering her with a thin blanket.
It seemed she had dozed off and dreamed of the past for a moment.
“No, it’s fine… I just dozed off.”
Si-hyun shook her head and sat up.
Si-yoon quietly watched her sister’s expression for a while and then headed to the bathroom.
She had to return to work.
Si-hyun turned on Momobin’s live stream on the TV.
It was on the chatting screen, and Momo wasn’t there at the moment.
She checked the broadcast details.
Today’s game was a simulation game with nurturing elements.
She stared blankly at the screen.
Si-yoon came out of the bathroom and returned to her room.
Momobin still hadn’t come back.
Si-hyun waited endlessly for her favorite VTuber to show up.
How many minutes passed like that?
It felt like a long time had gone by.
And then, finally, Momo returned.
《Were you waiting for me?》
-Moha
-You’re finally back
-Why does the streamer take so long lately?
The chat scrolled up quickly.
Momo casually dismissed the comments and skilfully continued the broadcast.
The game scheduled for today started, and the story unfolded.
An adult passing by saved some students in danger.
He gained recognition for his abilities and became the homeroom teacher of a class at the academy.
He taught the students, counselled them, and sometimes even went on dates.
Gaining recognition from people around him and his students.
Overcoming hardships and achieving happiness and love—it was that kind of story.
“…….”
Deeply immersed in the story, Si-hyun found herself imagining things.
Capturing the attention of her students with outstanding lessons.
Leading them as they defeated monsters together, full of charisma.
Not through oppression and restraint, but with acknowledgment and cooperation in her relationships with others.
Just imagining it made her feel happy.
If it weren’t for the Great Cataclysm, she would have graduated from college and become a teacher.
Si-hyun envied the protagonist in the game.
At the same time, she became curious about Momo’s thoughts.
She pondered over it again and again.
In the end, she couldn’t hold back and wrote her first donation message.
[Anonymous donated 2,000 won!]
-What do you think about the profession of a teacher or a professor?
《What do I think? Hmm….》
It was a very broad question.
She might not get the answer she wanted.
Si-hyun thought it would be fine even if that happened.
《It’s an incredibly admirable profession. It’s for those who have a sense of duty, after all.》
-Right LOL
-True true
-Sense of duty?
《Isn’t that so? Would someone who only cares about money become a teacher?》
-Now that you mention it, that’s true
-For real LOL
-That’s a good point LOLOL
Of course, not all viewers agreed with Momo’s opinion.
Negative comments came up as well.
But that didn’t matter to Si-hyun.
Momo had a positive perspective.
A sense of duty.
Even the word itself had a wonderful ring to it.
“Maybe I should ask about it…?”
Si-hyun muted the TV for a moment.
She searched for various things on her smartphone.
Instead of asking without knowing anything, she wanted to get a basic understanding herself.
So that she could ask more specific questions later.
After organizing her thoughts to some extent,
Si-hyun called a friend.
-Hello?
A moment later, Ji-a’s soft voice came through the call.
“Uh, do you know anything about academy professors…?”
Si-hyun and Ji-a exchanged a few simple questions and answers.
They also made plans to meet up tomorrow.
After ending the call,
Si-hyun placed her hand on her chest.
Thump Thump.
Her heart was pounding.
—
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