Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Mound of Distrust (12)
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“Why on earth do you think that?”
“Because you talk about Jong-sik so much, pretty.”
“Then you must like me since you call me pretty.”
“Is that how it works?”
“...”
Tilting her head slightly as she replied, Geon-ju stared at Sa-yoon with a dumbfounded expression. He looked so foolish she wanted to snap a photo and show it to him. Sa-yoon briefly considered lending him her eyes but quickly gave up on the idea.
“Anyway, it's not if it's not, and it is if it is. Why freak out so much? I'm an open-minded person.”
Her mindset that gay, straight, whatever—as long as they did their job well, it was all good—hadn't changed. When she urged him that even if he ended up liking Jong-sik, he should feel free to say so, Geon-ju shot his guild leader a suspicious glance, as if she were utterly shameless.
“Do the people in this guild only have romance on their minds? Why does every interpretation veer that way?”
“How else would you interpret it?”
“Interpretations depend on the interpreter. There's that saying for a reason: you only see what your eyes are set on.”
His last remark sounded almost like a jab. Just as she was about to probe his intentions, a system window announcing expulsion from the reward room appeared, followed by a blinding light.
The gate is closing.
When the fierce light faded and she opened her eyes, they were back at the spot where Jong-sik had dropped them off. Geon-ju, who should have been right there with her, was nowhere in sight. Scanning the surroundings, she spotted him four or five steps away—somehow separated without her noticing.
“What the hell. Why'd you end up over there, pretty?”
“Now even the guild leader calling me pretty feels suspicious. How long are you gonna keep using that nickname?”
“Hmm, until you stop being pretty?”
Geon-ju flinched briefly at her casual remark, tossed out without a second thought, then shook his head wearily.
After their pointless banter ended, Sa-yoon pulled Geon-ju back to her side and checked her phone.
7:12 PM.
Much earlier than the time she'd told Jong-sik in advance. Swallowing her satisfaction, Sa-yoon found his contact and texted that they'd cleared the gate and he should come pick them up. Jong-sik responded with five question marks in confusion before quickly replying that he got it.
Now all that was left was to wait for Jong-sik, head back to the guild, rest a bit, and then...
“Pretty.”
“Why call me that? It's giving me bad vibes.”
He reacted instantly to her affectionate tone. Sa-yoon grinned and patted his shoulder.
“No injuries anywhere, right?”
“I already answered that earlier, you know?”
“I know. Just confirming.”
“You're being too nice. It's weird, you know that?”
“I've always been nice to you.”
“That's why I'm asking why.”
Perhaps finding her soft, leisurely tone burdensome, he subtly backed away and brought up the topic they'd already settled two days ago. It was a question she was starting to find tiresome from all the repetition.
Recalling the battle that proved her hunch right—that he was the one to become Han Geon-ju—Sa-yoon curled her lips into a smirk.
Every time she thought of his fight, it thrilled her and made her heart race. Looked like she wouldn't need any melodrama movies for a while.
“Why? I tend to treat talented people well.”
“Isn't that a bit much for a mere B-rank?”
That suspicion again.
Unnecessarily sharp and stubbornly persistent. Once was enough—why dig deeper? Sensing he'd keep at it a few more times, Sa-yoon made a tired face and waved him off vaguely.
“If you can't get it, just think whatever. Like I'm into you or something.”
“...What?”
She replied nonchalantly, as if to say suit yourself. A beat late, Geon-ju shot back in disbelief before correcting himself not to answer and turning away. It was an unmistakably unnatural reaction.
Was he embarrassed?
Or maybe he thought she was pathetic. Either way, he'd gone quiet, which was the point. She'd accidentally found a way to shut down his nagging “Why are you being nice to me?”
This'll come in handy.
Calling an inner cheer, Sa-yoon shifted topics. The urgent stuff was done—it was time to bring up the main point she'd been subtly building toward.
“Anyway, no injuries? Rest up a bit back at the guild, then head out right away?”
“Suddenly? ...Where to?”
“Field.”
S-grade gate, Field.
That was where she'd take this little cutie.
Just thinking about it made her chest flutter. Geon-ju, still green and full of unknowns, predictably voiced doubts.
“What's a Field?”
“It's a good place.”
“...Guild leader.”
“Yeah.”
“It isn't another gate, is it?”
This was why she hated sharp kids with good instincts.
She hadn't said a word yet, but exhaustion already tinged Geon-ju's voice. If she confirmed it was a gate—a S-grade one at that—he might bolt.
Deliberately staying silent, she watched him take it as confirmation and glance back at the freshly closed gate entrance.
“Didn't we just clear one gate?”
“That's why—guild for a quick rest, then go.”
“A ‘quick’ rest?”
Sa-yoon clicked her tongue at his sharp point.
“Be honest, pretty. You're not exhausted to the point of death right now.”
“What does that matter?”
What did it matter? You think S-grade is a joke?
The retort rose to the tip of her tongue, ready to spill. Sa-yoon swallowed it and leaned her weight onto his shoulder, feigning closeness. He grimaced and brushed her hand off.
“Sure, it doesn't matter. But if you're not that beat, why not hit another gate right away?”
You said you wanted to be S-grade.
She whispered in his ear, drawing close. Unable to resist the pull, he hunched forward, furrowed his brow, then turned to her. Meeting his eyes, Sa-yoon tossed in info he couldn't easily refuse.
“You need at least S-grade to stand a chance against that white bastard you saw. Otherwise, it's the same old helpless beatdown.”
“...”
“You hate that, don't you, pretty?”
“...”
He's wavering, wavering.
A faint ripple of hesitation leaked from his gaze. Sa-yoon quirked her lips and delivered the finishing blow in a coaxing tone.
“Meeting an Unknown and just fleeing with your tail between your legs? Embarrassing, right?”
She rolled the candy in her mouth, melting it sweetly to tempt him. Stroking his pride with gentle words, his stubbornly silent lips finally parted after a long wait.
“Tell me what gate it is first. And explain what an Unknown is while you're at it.”
She'd wondered when he'd ask. Given his personality, he'd probably inquired during treatment right after leaving, but her injury must've blocked it, or the fight distracted him. Later than expected. Sa-yoon tapped her nose with a finger.
“Just what it says: Unknown. No name, so I gave it one myself. Nothing's known about when it appears, why, or what it is. Only thing certain is it's strong and revives even after death. Ways to escape? Exit the gate or kill it and hide before revival. Odds of meeting it are extremely low by normal stats. Only a few top rankers have.”
“Even in C-grades?”
“Doesn't care about gate rank. More common in high-grades. Think of it as a gate glitch. Curiosity satisfied?”
At her seemingly kind question, Geon-ju clenched his fist. His eyes darkened, as if recalling something. Guessing he was ruminating on the gate events, Sa-yoon generously gave her pretty boy time to sort his thoughts.
“Will... we meet it again?”
“Can't say for sure. But odds are higher you'll meet it than not.”
Strangely, Sa-yoon encountered Unknowns often. Others might see one in a hundred gates; she met at least one every ten.
Leading to brutal fights each time—that's why she cleared gates solo. Couldn't risk guildmates with an anomaly.
Stuck with unwanted love from a glitch. Shaking her head, she placed subtle weight on Geon-ju's shoulder.
“So, what do you say?”
“...I said I'd decide after the explanation. What's the place like? No holding back or hiding details this time—be straight.”
His face was sullen, but his words came out clear. He let out a small sigh, more resigned than reluctant. A positive sign, so she hugged him tight, cooing “Okay, okay!” He cried out to ease up on the skinship, but she just beamed.
“Cut it out a bit.... What's the rank? B-grade this time?”
He clearly realized C-grade was below him now. Aiming one step up from this gate, Sa-yoon hummed thoughtfully.
Say S-grade outright and he'd run?
Her blue-tinged gaze swept over his face and body.
Yeah, her pretty would bolt. No looking back, calling her crazy, the world's biggest lunatic. She could picture him ranting “Who jumps straight to S-grade?” Sa-yoon laughed.
If honesty was the problem, just lie.
The crime info guild leader had a perfect tool: Deception.