Chapter 113
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Intense Temptation
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"Ugh, I'm so frustrated. Why do guys always whine about how hard their lives are every single day? Like, what, do I have it easy?"
"Exactly, you're right. Every time I fight with my boyfriend, he pulls that 'Do you even get how I feel?' crap. No! How am I supposed to know unless you tell me?"
"Right? And yeah, I get feeling upset, but sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. The situation is what it is—what do you expect me to do? Apologizing out of guilt only works so many times."
The next day, amid the raid, Chaeyoung's grumbling flowed naturally, and the others nodded along, clearly relating from their own experiences. That was when it happened.
"That's called marriage blues."
All eyes turned to the hero who had spoken up. He was a man with three wives of his own, plus a successful marriage under his belt.
"Marriage blues?"
Chaeyoung showed keen interest in the advice from her junior, who was basically a senior when it came to marriage. She was desperate for guidance from anyone.
"Yeah. It's when you suddenly feel depressed and anxious right before the wedding. Apparently, it hits about 30% of engaged couples—up to 70% for guys."
"So how do you fix it?"
The surrounding heroes tapped away on their Hero Pads at the question from Chaeyoung, the most veteran among them.
"Whoa, it really exists. Says here to cut down on alone time..."
"And keep remembering the happy moments together?"
"Oh, screw that..."
Chaeyoung grimaced and cursed under her breath at her comrades' words. Far from reducing alone time, her situation was shaping up to leave her alone for months with no end in sight.
"No, at times like this, you gotta take charge firmly! Senior, you're too soft on him, treating him like a baby. Be like, 'Just trust me!'—bam, grab him like this!"
"Get lost, you psycho! Do that, and any guy who liked you would run for the hills. That's why you're single!"
Anyway, as the raid continued, Chaeyoung kept seeking advice from the hero who was basically her marriage Senior.
Talking it out with her comrades did ease some of the stress from yesterday. She even started to understand her fiancé's feelings a bit. It was still hard to swallow, though.
'I'll apologize when we talk tonight and reassure him.'
With that resolve, as Chaeyoung moved toward the next boss, Memória's raid leader approached her cautiously.
"Senior? Can we talk for a sec?"
"...What is it?"
Was there a Dungeon Break in Korea? Chaeyoung felt a vague unease rising at the raid leader's shifty eyes.
But what the raid leader did next was unexpected. She pulled up several photos on her Hero Pad and showed them to Chaeyoung.
"I thought it might help, so I was chatting with the second-stringers when they suddenly sent these. You know the Grand Hotel? They say these were taken there today."
The photos showed a man and a woman in sunglasses, arms linked, strolling around the hotel. To anyone who didn't know them, it looked like an ordinary couple overflowing with affection.
Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the images. The man was unmistakably her fiancé, who should have been at work. She'd known him long enough that there was no mistaking it.
"...Who's this woman?"
"The kids did a quick background check. Seems like she's a civilian who's active as a celebrity."
"When were these taken?"
"Today. The second-string raid leader spotted them by chance while out eating with the team."
Chaeyoung's heart pounded as she listened. She'd proudly brought her boyfriend to the clan multiple times, so most Memória heroes knew her fiancé well.
Unlike other guys who slept around, he'd sworn to love only her. That's why she'd decided to marry him. Everyone knew this.
That's why they'd sent these photos—shots that wouldn't raise issues even after marriage. But...
'Probably just a friend who fits the vibe.'
With no way to check right then, Chaeyoung had no choice but to let it slide quietly. Phones didn't work inside dungeons anyway. And freaking out here wouldn't solve anything.
Boom!Crash!BOOM BOOM!!!
Every time Chaeyoung's mana orb fired a laser, massive explosions erupted across the boss monster's hide.
True to its difficulty rating, the first raid against the boss monster dragged on longer than expected. Still, Memória's first string kept pushing, shattering Revival Stones nonstop, and eventually figured out a strategy to take it down.
After wrapping up the raid and returning to the hotel, Memória's first-string heroes gathered in Chaeyoung's room. As top heroes in Korea, they all had tons of connections.
"...So, what'd you do today? Feeling better?"
- Eh, same old. Went to work, came home. You? Weren't you raiding today? A-4 difficulty, right? Go well?
"A-3, actually."
While Chaeyoung chatted with her fiancé on speakerphone, the women in the room stayed deathly silent, as if invisible. Their faces were deadly serious.
"So you ate at the office? What'd you have?"
- Just the company cafeteria stuff. Thought about going out but nah.
Chaeyoung's eyes flicked to the hero across from her at the voice from the speaker. The woman crossed her arms in an X.
"Nowhere else?"
- Nope? Wait, why are you asking?
Chaeyoung clamped her mouth shut at her fiancé's suddenly irritated tone. Memória's raid leader and the others shook their heads.
"No, sorry. Didn't mean to get weird. Let's call it a night. Raid wore me out."
She hung up right after.
As if sensing something from her reaction, her fiancé called back immediately, but Chaeyoung silenced her phone and flung it onto the bed with mana.
"That's definitely my fiancé in the photos, right?"
She asked suspiciously, but no matter how she looked, it was him.
"Yep. And I asked around—sis's fiancé didn't show up to work today. Hasn't since yesterday."
"They talked to that celebrity chick. She said the guy's in the mana item business. Sounds just like your brother-in-law-to-be, right?"
"Screw brother-in-law. He ain't one till you're married. So when did they start? One-night stand? Yeah, marriage blues or whatever. If it's a ONS, just forgive him. Guys meeting girls isn't a crime."
Chaeyoung tried to play it cool amid her comrades' chatter, then grabbed a water bottle nearby.
"Wish it were... She said they've been together since last July."
Chaeyoung froze mid-sip at the raid leader's follow-up.
"Fuck, that's a while."
The plastic bottle crumpled instantly under her mana. Racking her brain, she recalled a big fight around then over some issue.
Her eyebrows shot up as the memory hit. They'd fought over marriage—just like now.
Her fame meant she naturally insisted 'no other women,' clashing with his view that he needed multiple wives for business. She'd won thanks to her superior backing... but he'd just made a side wife instead.
"...Tell the kids in Korea to dig deeper."
"Sis, isn't this proof enough?"
"I know. But... you never know."
It had been six whole years. She didn't want one photo to shatter those memories and trust. The heroes bowed their heads solemnly at Chaeyoung's lingering reluctance, fully getting it.
"Aw, fuck. What, someone die? Why so glum? I'm fine, okay? It's not like there's only one guy out there."
To lighten the mood, Chaeyoung raised her voice with her signature cursing. A quick phone check showed over ten missed calls from her fiancé.
'That bastard. Now you're making me more anxious.'
He almost never called first. Chaeyoung felt like crying.
After agonizing, she blocked his number. Hearing his excuses might weaken her resolve.
Others might say to play it cool like a proper woman. But if he'd broken her trust, Chaeyoung wasn't letting it go.
"Yeah, you know that guy's face, right? Uh-huh, you're sure?"
"For real? What? Snap a pic and send it now."
Yerin tilted her head at the loud voices echoing down the hall as she hummed back to her room after lunch.
'What's going on?'
Peeking over, she saw Memória senior heroes fiddling grimly with their Hero Pads. Something had happened.
"Hey, seniors."
Yerin bowed politely to the Memória first-stringers.
Strangers before Hanoi, but sharing the fight against Dungeon Breaks for Korea had built quick bonds. Plus, being Raid Leader Han Minguk's teammate marked her as a rising star, easing things.
"Oh, Yerin! Hey, just ate?"
"Hi, Yerin."
"Yeah. But did something happen? I heard voices all the way to the elevator..."
One hero who'd greeted her made an awkward face. Another shook her head slightly.
"Just some internal raid team drama. Nothing big, don't worry."
"Got it. I'll head in then."
"Cool. Say hi to Raid Leader Han Minguk too."
"Will do!"
Bowing again, Yerin's eyes swiftly scanned their Hero Pads. A photo of a man and woman together—handsome guy, not a hero.
"Memória seniors investigating a guy?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Sojeong, Yerin's roommate, cocked her head at her words.
Even in a man-scarce world of dark monster wars, Memória elites could pick and choose guys.
Finding ones matching their status—good-looking and successful—was the real challenge.
"Why would they scour guy pics? He's not even hero-level hot."
"True. But they were huddled seriously over that photo. Wonder what?"
"Beats me. Turns out it's the Memória raid leader's boyfriend. Caught cheating—with our clan raid leader."
"Yeah, that'd cause a storm."
Yerin shrugged at Sojeong's explanation. No wonder women heroes were gossiping over a guy's photo. It only piqued her curiosity more. After a moment's thought, Yerin switched her Hero Pad to call mode and dialed.
"Yeah, yeah. Uh... what?"
- Told you. Oh, keep it secret—don't tell the seniors or I'm dead.
"Duh, you know I can keep my mouth shut."
Hanging up, Yerin swallowed hard and turned to Sojeong.
"Unnie! Major drama!"