Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Certain Hero's Dilemma
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"Lately, my chest has been feeling so stuffy..."
Yoon Seol had been troubled these days by a strange tightness in her chest.
"Unnie, aren't you pushing yourself too hard lately?"
"It's not that..."
Villain appearances had become quite infrequent lately, so if anything, things had actually been easier recently.
"..."
Yoon Seol tried to recall when this tightness in her chest had started.
'...Since that Kim Mi-young wrote that weird article?'
No. Sure, her chest had felt stuffy back then too... but it was completely different from this feeling now.
Back then, it had been like something was squeezing her so tight she could barely breathe.
The stuffiness she felt now... how should she put it?
'Irritation? Anger?'
Either way, it was a much lighter sensation.
'Then... was it that time?'
What Yoon Seol thought of next was the day she got blackout drunk at the cocktail bar and ended up being a nuisance to the boss.
'No way. A hangover...?'
She'd heard that drinking too much could mess up your body.
Come to think of it, the tightness seemed to have gotten worse after the day she was carried home in the boss's arms.
And yesterday too.
"Ji-yeon."
"Yes?"
"Do normal people usually suffer from a hangover for over a week?"
"Hmm... not sure? I don't drink, so I wouldn't know."
While Yoon Seol and Ji-yeon were discussing hangovers like that...
Creeeak.
The door to the company break room opened, and a woman with familiar red hair stepped inside.
"Hey. Little miss and... Princess—no, Yoon Seol-ssi."
'Why does that woman keep coming here?'
Yoon Seol glanced sideways at Hwa-young as she entered the break room.
Realizing the boss wasn't there, Yoon Seol...
"Huh?"
—was startled when the persistent tightness around her chest suddenly vanished, blurting out without thinking.
"Hm? What's up, Yoon Seol-ssi? You look like you're in a good mood."
"Just... the stuffiness in my chest went away... Huh?"
Yoon Seol was startled again.
'Did she just call me Yoon Seol-ssi?'
"Um, you know."
Hwa-young added one more line that flustered her even more.
"Yoon Seol-ssi, want to grab dinner together later?"
"...Pardon? W-what did you say?"
Yoon Seol stared at Hwa-young, momentarily speechless.
'Something's different.'
The Hwa-young in Yoon Seol's memory was always confident, wearing a slightly mischievous smile.
But right now, she almost looked... shy.
"...What's wrong, Yoon Seol-ssi?"
Her voice trembled slightly, as if the new way of addressing her still felt awkward.
Seeing her like that threw Yoon Seol into confusion.
'What the heck happened yesterday to change her like this...?'
Had some sudden change of heart come over her? But why?
'...No way?'
"Don't you want to have dinner with me?"
"N-no, it's not that."
...Was it related to the boss acting as her manager for the day yesterday?
As her thoughts reached that point, Yoon Seol felt the tightness return and answered Hwa-young, puzzled.
"Sure. Later, if I have time, let's grab a meal together."
Hwa-young smiled contentedly at Yoon Seol's reply.
"...Okay."
As if that had been her only goal, she promptly left the break room.
A brief silence followed.
"Um, unnie. Was that really Hwa-young...?"
Ji-yeon whispered to Yoon Seol, unable to believe the sudden change in attitude.
Yoon Seol replied in a tone tinged with bewilderment.
"...Seems like it."
What could have changed that woman like that? No way, but... the boss?
"..."
Yoon Seol thought to herself.
She should probably go see a doctor.
As part of the Hero Association's welfare program, each hero was assigned their own dedicated doctor.
"Hello."
The doctor and nurse Yoon Seol visited this time had known her for quite a while, so they were on fairly friendly terms.
"It's been a while. What's bothering you, Yoon Seol-ssi?"
"Well..."
Yoon Seol explained the tightness in her chest to her doctor.
It had started about a week ago after she overdid it at the cocktail bar,
and it worsened whenever she thought of the bar's boss.
And yesterday, just seeing him with her fellow hero made it even worse.
"...Why is this happening?"
"Uh..."
Having heard that much, the doctor seemed a bit flustered and asked Yoon Seol,
"Um, Yoon Seol-ssi. Could you tell me more details about what happened that day?"
"Pardon? Why...?"
"Oh, it might help me understand your symptoms better. Right, Nurse Kim?"
They had worked together as doctor and nurse for a long time, perfectly in sync.
"..."
They exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes for a moment,
"Y-yes, exactly!"
and the nurse chimed in, suppressing a smile that kept trying to form.
"I see."
The doctor and nurse's desperate acting was a success.
Yoon Seol, believing they wouldn't lie to her after their long relationship since her hero debut,
"Actually..."
told them honestly what had happened that day...
"..."
...and silence filled the exam room afterward.
"Ahem."
"Oh dear, what now..."
Yoon Seol's doctor cleared his throat awkwardly, while the nurse beside him struggled to hide the smile spreading across her face.
'Huh?'
Yoon Seol was slightly taken aback by their reactions.
'...Did I say something weird?'
Yoon Seol had been bullied because her striking beauty stood out too much compared to other kids her age.
That's why she did homeschooling for elementary and middle school.
To make matters worse, she awakened her abilities right after starting high school... and afterward, she was too focused on hero training to interact much with peers.
In other words, Yoon Seol had never experienced the pangs of young love that most kids go through.
She didn't realize that what she'd just described was basically a crush...
"Could it be... a hangover?"
...leading to a situation that elicited both admiration and pity from listeners with a single sentence.
Whisper whisper.
The doctor and nurse conferred in voices too low for Yoon Seol to hear.
After a brief discussion,
her doctor, unable to tell her the truth, averted his eyes slightly and said,
"Um... your symptoms seem like a classic case of... uh, a cold."
Love flu.
"Since you overdid the drinking, your immune system must be weakened. No need for separate meds, I think. Just rest and you'll be fine."
"Ah... so it was a cold."
No wonder it felt like she had a slight fever.
"Thank you. I'll be going then."
Yoon Seol accepted the doctor's words and left the exam room.
'Sigh. A hero catching a cold... how pathetic.'
As she mocked herself and headed out of the hospital,
"Hey, Yoon Seol-ssi! Wait a sec!"
the nurse chased after her and called out.
"...Nurse unnie?"
Yoon Seol felt a bit puzzled seeing the flushed-faced nurse who had followed her.
The nurse finally said what she hadn't been able to back in the exam room.
"Um, Yoon Seol-ssi."
"Yes?"
The nurse was one of the people who had known Yoon Seol since her high school days, right when she became a hero.
The Yoon Seol she'd first met was a tender-hearted, kind ordinary girl.
But after becoming a hero and dealing with all sorts of rumors, she'd eventually developed that expressionless, cold demeanor.
The nurse had always felt sorry for her, and after hearing this story, she couldn't stay silent.
"That cocktail bar boss you mentioned."
"...Yes."
"Why don't you meet up with him and talk sometime?"
"Talk about what?"
"Just casual stuff. Or funny things that happened that day. Anything."
He was a guy, after all.
Talking with this pure, pretty girl would surely spark some affection, even if there wasn't any before.
The nurse was half-convinced of that.
"...Why? We're not that close."
But naturally, it sounded a bit odd to Yoon Seol.
Meet the cocktail bar boss and chat all of a sudden? What did that have to do with a cold?
Noticing Yoon Seol's suspicion,
the nurse came up with a plausible excuse to persuade her.
"Wouldn't that help ease the stuffiness in your chest? Mental relaxation is key for immunity too... Spending time with friends is a great way."
"The boss and I aren't really friends..."
"Then become friends from now on! From what you said, he seems like a good guy. You two would make great friends."
Of course, the "friends" she meant was boyfriend, but Yoon Seol had no way of knowing.
"A good guy... yeah."
Yoon Seol replied, her cheeks slightly flushing.
'Oh no, she looks just like a bunny.'
The nurse barely resisted the urge to hug her.
"Well, good luck! Hope it works out!"
With that, the nurse headed back inside the hospital.
"..."
Yoon Seol stood there blankly for a while even after she left.
Eventually, she imagined herself getting close with the cocktail bar boss.
'Friends with the boss?'
Stopping by the cocktail bar after work, opening up about that day, chatting and laughing with him.
As the image formed in her mind...
Thump.
'...Huh?'
A different sensation from the stuffiness so far came over her.
A heartbeat.
Or recognizing the feeling the world called "excitement"...
'They say summer colds hit hard.'
...unfortunately, was still a distant prospect for her.
"Uncle, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. My ear just started itching all of a sudden."
"...Someone badmouthing you?"
Pfft. No way.