Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Kang Ju-young (2)
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"I went out of my way to give you a gift, and you end up handing me something even better."
Joo Tae-ho stared at the Youth Potion I'd given him, declaring it far more valuable.
Blue Moon Flower wine and Skill Stones were only useful to heroes, but the Youth Potion worked on ordinary people too.
"Plus, everyone ages equally, so yeah, it's got even more value."
"You sure it's okay to give something like this to me?"
"I can make it anytime I want if I set my mind to it. It's all relative."
I was saying that, at least for me right now, the wine and Skill Stone held more worth.
Joo Tae-ho got the point and gazed at the potion, looking conflicted.
"You drink this potion, Kang Ju-young."
"Me, sir?"
"I'm just an old man already. Even if it makes me ten years younger, I'll still be old. But you're still young by comparison—this is better for you."
"No. I'm young enough as it is. You should take it, sir."
"You're about to hit your forties, and you call that young?"
At Joo Tae-ho's comment about her nearing forty, I glanced briefly at Lee Seojun.
Lee Seojun paused thoughtfully before informing me of Kang Ju-young's age.
-She's probably 37 right now. Way younger than you, Lee Seong-min.
"......"
That made me curious about Lee Seojun's own age.
His real-world age plus the time spent here had to add up to something substantial.
"Anyway, I'm not drinking it, so please just keep that in mind."
"......You're awfully stubborn today."
Kang Ju-young made it clear she absolutely wouldn't.
Joo Tae-ho picked up on her resolve and let out a small sigh.
"We'll talk about this later."
"If you're not the one drinking it, then there's nothing for us to discuss, whenever."
"Heh."
Joo Tae-ho gave a hollow laugh, looking utterly speechless.
Either way, we'd finished the wine, so it was time to head out.
"Let's wrap this up."
"Hm? You could crash here for the night, no problem."
"I'd love to, but I've got preparations to make back home."
"What kind of preparations?"
I cited the Destroyers and the Hero Association as my excuse.
"The Destroyers or the Hero Association might come looking for me, so I'm planning to lay low for a bit."
"Destroyers... honestly, who knows with them, but the Hero Association? Yeah, they'll definitely be hunting for you."
Joo Tae-ho nodded as if it made perfect sense.
He probably figured they wouldn't let someone who could even resurrect the dead just wander free.
'Which is only natural.'
If the Hero Association had any brains, they wouldn't sit idle.
They were likely scheming ways to recruit me right now.
'And if they can't reach me, they'll go through Kang Ju-young.'
Figuring she'd handle that herself, I stood up.
I gave Kang Ju-young a look, and she rose too, with a resigned expression.
"Sir Joo Tae-ho, we'll escort the healer out safely."
"See him off properly. And you—don't feel burdened. Come visit anytime."
Unlike Kang Ju-young, Joo Tae-ho clearly held a strong fondness for me.
It made sense—I'd saved her life and cured her curse, after all.
'On the flip side, Kang Ju-young seems to have zero fondness, thanks to my demands and that contract.'
And I'd just crushed her spirit even more with that "pouncing" line earlier.
Whether she liked me or not, she might even despise me—but I didn't care.
'Too late to turn back now.'
Best to stick with the same approach for her.
"......Let's go."
Kang Ju-young stood and spoke politely, as if attending to me.
I knew it was just for Joo Tae-ho's benefit, so I said nothing and headed outside.
Step, step—
"So, where are you planning to go?"
The moment we left the hanok, Kang Ju-young dropped the act and asked where to next.
Since I'd pried into her schedule, she was convinced I wouldn't let her go quietly.
"No need to go far."
"You're not saying you're doing it here, right?"
We were now on a bamboo-lined path outside the hanok.
Kang Ju-young openly grimaced at the idea of doing it here.
"Or do you have a preferred spot?"
"Somewhere no one else will ever find out."
"I'll make that happen, exactly as you want."
I activated the Housing system.
'[Door to Personal Villa].'
Flash!
A grand, antique door materialized before us.
Kang Ju-young eyed the sudden door, then turned back to me.
"One of your abilities?"
"Yeah. Step inside, and no one will know."
Though the two already inside would notice, of course.
'They're all in the same boat anyway.'
I ushered Kang Ju-young in first, then followed.
Inside was the usual stunning landscape: villa, farm, lake, and all.
"This place... it's a real space?"
"Think of it as my private dimensional pocket."
"You really have the most absurd abilities."
Healing, resurrection, Youth Potion, and now a whole dimension.
Kang Ju-young marveled at my powers like they defied belief.
"No complaints about this spot, right?"
"......"
She nodded slowly.
Probably figured it beat Joo Tae-ho's place by miles.
"By the way, two others are already here."
"Two? Didn't you say no one would find out?"
"They're just like you, so don't worry about it."
She immediately guessed what I meant.
"The contract?"
"Quick on the uptake."
"Guess you don't trust people without one."
"Think what you want."
I left it at that and headed for the villa.
Click—
Inside the living room, Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon lounged in casual wear.
Both in thin-strap tank tops and short hot pants that showed off their thighs.
"Huh? Didn't you say you had work today?"
Ha Chae-jeong slurped a drink from the fridge with a straw, then spotted me and blinked in surprise.
"What about training?"
"Done. But the more I think about it, our training's too haphazard. Maybe we should learn swordsmanship from an actual sword user?"
The mention of swordsmanship reminded me that Kang Ju-young wielded one.
"Brought a sword user. Third one after you two."
"Third? Does that mean we finally have a baby sister?"
Baby sister?
"If that's what you wanna call the youngest, sure."
By arrival order, yeah, she was the maknae.
Ha Chae-jeong jumped up with an excited grin the moment I acknowledged it.
"Ooh, who is it? Gotta be another broken girl you fixed up, right?"
She was thinking of her own case—and Ga Se-yeon's.
Her confidence piqued my curiosity.
"Why do you assume that?"
"Look at your taste—with your face, you couldn't snag some healthy girl with perfect limbs. And your standards are sky-high; you wouldn't settle for average."
"......"
I quietly glanced at Lee Seojun, who'd followed me.
He'd designed my healer's face, after all.
Lee Seojun frantically shook his head under my stare, protesting.
-No, I made it for taking over an organization! I didn't know you'd be posing as a healer. If I'd known, I'd have gone handsome and kind-looking.
As I listened to his excuse, Ha Chae-jeong spoke up again.
"Anyway, where's our new maknae?"
I stepped aside at her question.
Kang Ju-young entered behind me and addressed Ha Chae-jeong directly.
"Right here—the maknae you've been looking for."
"......Huh?"
Ha Chae-jeong blinked blankly, hit with cognitive dissonance at the sight.
Ga Se-yeon beside her tilted her head, blinking too.
"Wha—huh? N-no way... K-Kang Ju-young?"
She pointed in shock, yelling the name.
I'd expected an S-Rank hero like Kang Ju-young to be famous, but Ha Chae-jeong's reaction suggested she was even bigger than I'd thought.
"The world's changed a lot. Back in my day, a C-Rank hero wouldn't dream of locking eyes with an S-Rank."
I shot Kang Ju-young a look for her sudden boomer talk.
It worked, though—Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon bowed their heads deeply.
"......"
Their immediate submission left me speechless for a moment.
Kang Ju-young, unfazed and treating it like routine, dove straight into establishing hierarchy.
"Anyway, seniors—by rank or age, I'm not the maknae here, am I?"
"W-well... yeah? Ga Se-yeon can keep being the baby."
For reference, Ha Chae-jeong was 26, Ga Se-yeon 24.
Purely by age, neither could beat 37-year-old Kang Ju-young.
"Glad we're on the same page. I was ready to settle it by skill if not."
Watching Ha Chae-jeong shrink up, I thought it wasn't so bad.
She'd only ever been prickly around me until now.
"But... what brings you here?"
"......"
Kang Ju-young hesitated at Ha Chae-jeong's question.
She'd probably guessed after I called her the third, but hadn't connected it to herself.
"Kang Ju-young."
I called her name to demonstrate to Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon.
She turned, and I grabbed her face, pulling her into a kiss.
"Mm."
Her body stiffened instantly.
Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, but she'd prepared her mind—she didn't pull away.
'Passive, though.'
No real response from her side.
She just let me take the lead, parting her lips when I nudged with my tongue.
Smack—
With my reason for bringing her shown, Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon stared in stunned disbelief.