Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: D-Cup Fixates on Me (10)
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Gam Deok-bae, now brimming with confidence, decided to challenge a dungeon clear on his own.
He wanted to test just how far he could go—to probe his own limits.
And the result?
Gam Deok-bae successfully soloed a D-rank dungeon.
Clear time: one hour and thirteen minutes.
Shorter than when he'd tackled it with Lee Hyun-ah.
I'm not some clueless idiot.
Lee Hyun-ah had suddenly turned all gloomy—did I really not know why?
She was jealous as a hunter because I was pulling ahead of her.
On top of that, she was probably feeling down from inferiority and self-loathing at not keeping up with my strength.
I'd been there plenty of times myself, so I could really empathize with Lee Hyun-ah right now.
But that didn't mean I could pretend to be weak just to spare her feelings.
I was going to keep growing. If she couldn't keep up, we'd end up parting ways eventually.
So coddling her emotions for a fleeting moment was pointless.
It sucked, but that was reality.
Still... I could at least offer some comfort.
I set up a drinking session under the pretense of celebrating my first solo clear.
Figured a drink or two might help patch up her mental state.
"How's it going with your boyfriend these days? You guys make up?"
"...That bastard..."
"Huh?"
"That bastard... he's a total fucking asshole!"
Oh shit.
I'd meant to bring up everyday stuff, not hunter work, but I accidentally hit her berserk button.
She'd mentioned before that her boyfriend opposed her hunter job... My bad.
"He still nagging you to quit hunting and come down?"
"Forget that—he cheated on me, that fucker!"
Oh, double shit.
I felt like a batter who'd just grounded into a double play and doused the crowd with ice water.
How do you cheat on a girl like her? What kind of stud does he think he is?
Just moments ago, Lee Hyun-ah had been all smiles, chatting me up.
Now she was sniffling, spilling her guts.
Damn it, this was only gonna mess with her head more. Driving me nuts.
-Gulp gulp
-Thud!
"...Hic. Tell me, mister! How could he do that to meee?!"
"...Yeah, no clue. How could anyone?"
Lee Hyun-ah wasn't much of a drinker, but she forced it down anyway.
Then, fueled by the booze, she started yelling her head off.
Her story was too clear-cut to be a misunderstanding.
Caught in bed with some girl first thing in the morning? Done. And she even made him breakfast?
No sister in the picture either. Even I could tell it was cheating.
"That bastard... sniff, this isn't the first timeee."
"...What?"
"He was two-timing meee!"
Oh, utter fucking shit.
Felt like the pitcher's fastball had nailed me right in the dome—a dead red beanball.
Serial cheater? And she was still dating him? What the hell?
"Hic... evil bastard... sniff, fucking asshole... waaah!"
Now Lee Hyun-ah was bawling her eyes out.
Her mental state was already wrecked from boyfriend drama, then her teammate suddenly solos a D-rank dungeon, and at drinks, she gets hit with cheating talk?
'Holy shit.'
I'd have reacted the same.
Guilt crashing down—I couldn't even look up.
"He apologized and everything... huff... said he'd do better from now onnn! Sniff."
"Lies! All lies again... waaah!"
Sitting on pins and needles here.
Couldn't just sit there feeling sorry, so I slid over to her side and tried to soothe her.
"Hic... Mister... misterrr!"
I patted her shoulder, and she buried herself in my arms, sobbing.
My t-shirt soaked through with her tears, but I couldn't push her away.
'Her boyfriend really is a piece of shit, though.'
Two-timed her, broke things off with her only friend over it.
Left with nowhere to turn, he gaslit her into relying solely on him.
Way worse than I thought.
Listening to her, Siwoo seemed like a genuinely good guy.
Just oblivious and pushover-ish, but not a bad dude.
Definitely gotta treat him right next time we meet...
This time, I hoisted the wasted Lee Hyun-ah onto my back and headed to her place.
Smart move picking a spot near her house—just in case.
Still a pain hauling all her stuff, but...
The huge, soft sensation pressing into my back from behind? Yeah, complaints vanished.
"Sniff... Misterrr... don't you ever do that to me..."
Unlike last time, she wasn't passing out today.
Not blackout drunk, apparently.
Instead, she squirmed all over while piggybacked, making it a chore to wrangle her.
"You get it, righttt? Never! Absolutely never do that, okayyy?"
At this rate, no action tonight.
Sexual Stimulation could force it, but... not the vibe.
She looked fragile enough that one wrong move might send her spiraling into darkness.
"Heave-ho... hold up a sec."
"Sniff, yesss..."
Just tuck her in and bail tonight.
With that in mind, I dragged her into the convenience store.
For hangover drinks and cup ramen for her recovery.
As I picked stuff out with her staggering beside me, she suddenly clung to my arm.
Lifted her head, gazed up at me, and started acting all cutesy.
"Misterrr... this tastes so goood... sniff... buy me one?"
"Oh! This too! This is super yummy... hehe."
Was she bipolar or what? Her moods swung from one extreme to the other.
Hard to match her rhythm, but one thing was crystal clear.
'She's fucking adorable...'
That cutesy act? Insanely hot.
Hot enough to wanna bang her brains out.
No. Hold back.
Might break her if I push now...
So, restraint.
"Alright. Pick whatever you want. I'll buy it all."
"For real? Hehe... jackpot...! Then this, and this..."
Lee Hyun-ah lit up, hooked her arm in mine, dragged me around picking items one by one.
I savored the plush feel against my arm while tossing her choices into the basket.
"Ring us up, please."
At the counter, the clerk couldn't peel his eyes off her chest.
He cleared his throat awkwardly when I asked to check out, then shot me an envious look.
Ah, it's not like that. Ahem... shoulders puffed up anyway.
"Oops, forgot this!"
Suddenly Lee Hyun-ah snatched something from the counter display and plopped it on top of the basket.
Is she nuts? Why this?
Me and the clerk's eyes both widened at the item.
Drunk delusion? Thinking this is a dream?
Couldn't explain it otherwise.
"Skip this one."
"Right... don't need it anyway... hehe."
Don't say it like that—you're giving the wrong idea!
I sighed, glanced at the clerk—he was gaping at us.
"N-No condom..."
"Hey, hurry up and ring it up."
"Ah, yes sir!"
Is this kid insane? Blurting that out loud.
And no, that's not it. Seriously just planning to tuck her in tonight.
At Lee Hyun-ah's place, I just stripped off her socks and jacket before laying her in bed.
Wanted to help her wash up since she hadn't passed out, but...
Soon as we got home, she relaxed and conked out.
I left her be and started tidying up.
Papers cluttered on the desk—looked messy at a glance, couldn't ignore it.
"Oh, this Chinese joint's solid. Hyun-ah knows her stuff."
Top sheet had my go-to Chinese place's name. Never expected to see it here—kinda nice surprise.
Finished cleaning, did the dishes while washing up.
Before leaving, went over for one last look at her face.
She was sleeping soundly, snoring softly.
Cheating with double-dipping while having a girlfriend this pretty? Still didn't compute.
You're pitiful too, huh. How'd you end up with a guy like that...
Feeling sorry, I reached out and stroked her hair.
"Mmm..."
She'd been through a lot, poor kid.
Life alone in a new city ain't easy, got kicked from her guild, no friends from failed networking, long-distance boyfriend cheats...
Yet she always put on a bright face, never showed it.
How could someone be so sweet and impressive?
"Hyun-ah. I'm always on your side. Don't suffer alone. Act spoiled whenever it's tough—I'm your teammate, got it?"
So I had to look out for her.
Thinking that, I whispered comforts she couldn't hear.
In the quiet one-room apartment, shortly after Gam Deok-bae left,
Lee Hyun-ah slowly opened her eyes.
She placed a hand on her head where he'd stroked it and smiled faintly.
Felt like his warmth lingered, warming her heart.
"Guess that day really was just a dream."
In the thick darkness,
she murmured with a hint of regret.