80. Don't Fight in the Pharmacy
80. Don't Fight in the Pharmacy
80. Don't Fight in the Pharmacy
The place Na Yu-na's limousine brought us to had a familiar shop sign.
"This place everyone's been talking about lately..."
"Jenny's Pharmacy? For a famous shop, the name's pretty plain."
Jenny's Pharmacy.
The owner, Jenny, was someone I knew, and she was also the one responsible for my nutritional supplements.
Had she already become famous enough for Na Yu-na to hear about her?
It looked like she had set up shop in Seoul right after treating her little sister.
Na Yu-na headed into the shop first and said to us,
"I'll be looking around. You two just do your job and protect me."
Actually, it was more like surveillance than protection.
Na Yu-na dropped that loaded remark as she opened the door.
We followed her inside.
"Whoa, what's this? There's a place like this in Seoul?"
Yu Ha-yeon was full of admiration.
Potions dense with magical power lined the shelves, and the people browsing them were figures who had made quite a name in the hero world.
'...People I've seen in the game.'
B-rank veteran hero Gu Jin-seong.
A-rank swordsman hero Ha Jun-su.
Heroes famous all over Korea were checking out the merchandise.
Apparently, Jenny's Pharmacy had become well-known faster than I expected.
"Good thing I already secured my supplements..."
"Han Si-jun, what's good?"
"...Nothing."
Yu Ha-yeon gave me a look that said, 'What's with him?'
I hurriedly said to her,
"More importantly, where did Na Yu-na go? She was right here a moment ago."
"She went that way."
Yu Ha-yeon pointed in the direction Na Yu-na had gone.
"Wait, if she went that way, shouldn't you be following her?"
"...Why would I?"
"You're her bodyguard."
"Hmm... I am?"
Yu Ha-yeon's voice trailed off. Call it a hunch, but she was acting like she couldn't care less if she got fired.
'...Is she trying to get me fired too?'
I'd worry about that later. First, I needed to find Na Yu-na.
I walked in the direction Yu Ha-yeon had indicated.
Trudge. Trudge.
I followed the row of displayed items, walking along. Na Yu-na's hair color wasn't common, so even in the large shop, she was easy to spot.
'...She's with someone.'
In a way, it was an easy find. Next to Na Yu-na stood a middle-aged man, someone I vaguely remembered.
'I don't remember his name...'
A man with hair the same color as Na Yu-na's. I didn't know his name, but I did know his relationship to her. By blood, he was Na Yu-na's uncle. The distinctive rigid atmosphere of NAVI hung around him.
I approached Na Yu-na, who didn't look happy.
"Na Yu-na, what are you doing here?"
"..."
Na Yu-na said nothing and just turned her eyes toward me. Her expression was even stiffer than usual.
At that, the middle-aged man muttered in a low voice,
"...You've trained your bodyguards poorly, Na Yu-na. High-ranking people are having a conversation, and this one just butts in without any formality."
"Today is my first day on the job, Uncle."
"...I told you not to call me uncle."
Their conversation had the grating sound of rocks scraping together. It was just a conversation—why did they have to be so stiff? No wonder Na Yu-na was going crazy. Environment really does matter.
"Han Si-jun! Na Yu-na was there?"
While that exchange was going on, Yu Ha-yeon came running from the other side of the shop. Na Yu-na's uncle, Na Jin-sang, saw her and frowned.
"...Tsk. No matter how much the company ordered it, hiring brats like these... I don't like it."
"..."
Na Yu-na didn't reply to Na Jin-sang's words. Right now, NAVI Group was in the hands of an elderly chairman. Na Yu-na was set to inherit it in practice, but at the moment, she seemed to hold no power whatsoever.
Na Jin-sang stood there with a sour expression, then suddenly took an interest in Yu Ha-yeon. More precisely, in Yu Ha-yeon's strength. He was an Awakened Being himself, so it looked like he had sensed her magical power.
"A moment, you there. What year are you in?"
"...First-year?"
"If you've reached this level in your first year... Student, just a moment. Would you be interested in receiving the support of the NAVI Family...?"
"Not at all."
Yu Ha-yeon turned him down flat. She had refused so instantly, without a second thought, that Na Jin-sang looked visibly flustered.
"Is that so. Still, it would be better to give it some conside—"
"No, I'm already receiving even better support, so I think I'm fine."
Smirk. Yu Ha-yeon smiled while refusing him. Na Jin-sang wasn't the type with the nerve to make another offer after seeing that.
"...That's a pity."
He left those words and turned away. Before he left, he called back to Na Yu-na.
"And, Na Yu-na, don't get so full of yourself. Your era will never come."
"Yes, Vice President Na Jin-sang."
"Tsk."
Na Jin-sang clicked his tongue and left. True to his name, he put on an obnoxious display as he departed.
'But what's he talking about—her era? Not even yours is going to come.'
NAVI was clearly going to collapse in the next episode. And that wasn't something I decided; it was the force of the world of V. AGE.
I asked her with concern,
"Na Yu-na. Nothing happened, right?"
"...Not really. It was business as usual."
Na Yu-na immediately began looking at the displayed products, as if she had something in mind. Heirs to a corporation certainly kept busy.
But then—
"Yu Ha-yeon, by the way, you're receiving some kind of support?"
"Oh, that? I am receiving support, yeah."
...Could she have been in contact with the Hero Association? Yu Ha-yeon had turned down NAVI, saying she had better support. The only place that could offer her support was the Hero Association. I looked at Yu Ha-yeon with a serious expression. She smiled at my face and came closer, the scent of her hair wafting over me. Yu Ha-yeon whispered into my ear,
"I'm receiving that support from you. You idiot."
"Haah..."
I was so shocked, thinking she'd signed with the Hero Association. Fortunately, Yu Ha-yeon was just teasing me.
"...I'm cutting off your support starting today. Take care, Miss Yu Ha-yeon."
"If you cut it off, you die! Support me for life!"
As I walked after Na Yu-na, I could hear Yu Ha-yeon's voice behind me—a voice telling me if I didn't support her, she'd kill me. I, of all people, could feel she meant it.
***
After looking around the shop for about twenty minutes, Na Yu-na had a small potion in her hand. It was the very last Agility Increase Potion still left. I asked her just to confirm,
"Is that the one you wanted? The Agility Increase Potion."
"..."
Nod. Na Yu-na answered with action instead of words. There had been a little incident, but she seemed to have regained her usual calm composure. Whether Jenny's Pharmacy did good business, we had to wait in line. As time passed, the line gradually thinned, and soon enough we were standing at the checkout counter.
"Huh? You... you are..."
"...Hello, Miss Jenny."
We had met in a different place back then, and now here we were. Jenny seemed happy to see me, maybe because I had saved her little sister.
"Long time no see. Welcome. Are you taking your supplements regularly?"
"Yes, well, I am taking them..."
As Jenny and I exchanged words, Yu Ha-yeon and Na Yu-na looked at us as if asking how the two of us knew each other.
"Han Si-jun. You went behind my back again..."
"...It's not what you're thinking."
Yu Ha-yeon was starting one of her wild misunderstandings. But her misunderstanding didn't stop there.
"My sister asked me to tell you thank you. She's resting in her room—want to go see her?"
"That's fine. As long as she's better, that's enough."
"Alr... Already meeting the family...? That's not good... You need to extend your lifespan properly if you want to live a long life with me..."
...Yu Ha-yeon was saying frightening things. She was getting all caught up in delusions. A chill ran down my spine, so I immediately cleared up the misunderstanding. I explained how it happened that I ended up saving Jenny's little sister from danger—minus anything about my alchemy knowledge, of course.
"What, it was like that? And I almost started preparing for nothing..."
"...Preparing what?"
"That's a secret!"
Some secrets are better left unknown, and I decided not to press her. Na Yu-na, seeming to have resolved her questions to some extent, moved to pay for the potion. a man's voice sounded from behind us.
"Hand that potion over to me."
"...Haah."
Na Jin-sang. The moment she saw his face, Na Yu-na let out a sigh. It looked like she was sick of this type of behavior.
"Why should I hand over something I chose?"
"I was looking for it first. You took it, so I couldn't buy it. Any objection?"
"Wow..."
NAVI's essence started from thugs. True to that essence, Na Jin-sang's logic was as hollow as a gangster's.
"I asked if you had any objection."
"..."
But Na Yu-na couldn't answer—maybe because of the rank difference. The situation felt suffocating, like she was being squeezed by a superior pulling rank. In that moment, Jenny, who had been at the counter, spoke up.
"You look like you're in a tough spot. Want me to help?"
"I'd love that."
Was building contacts with Jenny early on the right choice after all? Jenny inserted herself into that stifling situation.
"Excuse me."
"...What?"
Na Jin-sang looked displeased that someone had meddled in the dispute. Jenny spoke to him with a sneer.
"Since there's nothing here I'm selling to you, would you just leave?"
Whoa, that was sharp. She had a tone you might mistake for sudden rage. But Jenny had made that judgment with as much rationality as possible—because standing behind her was the massive organization known as the Alchemy Guild. Just as doctors were given special treatment in the real world, in V. AGE, alchemists bore responsibility for life itself and wielded a fair amount of power. Na Jin-sang knew that. In the end, he seemed to choose tucking his tail and running.
"...Tsk. Just as plain as the shop's name. The quality of the potions can't be any good, either."
"Han Si-jun, that guy seems a little off in the head."
Yu Ha-yeon made sure Na Jin-sang heard her. Even without looking, I could tell he was furious.
But more than that—
"Na Yu-na, are you okay?"
"...Nothing's wrong."
Na Yu-na kept a blank face, as if nothing had happened. How much of that kind of treatment had she endured? To her, NAVI must be hell. I couldn't understand her feelings one hundred percent.
"Th... Thank you, for what you did."
Na Yu-na said to Jenny. But Jenny shook her head.
"If it weren't for that guy, I wouldn't have helped you either. Don't thank me."
"...Me?"
Jenny nodded. Na Yu-na looked at me, and for once she lowered her head.
"Th... Thank you, for helping..."
The words "thank you" didn't come easily from Na Yu-na. Awkward though it was, she managed to express her gratitude. The corners of her mouth twitched upward just a little. She must have felt satisfied at landing a blow on Na Jin-sang.
But.
'Honestly, I'd rather receive my thanks in a different form later...'
How was I supposed to seduce the robot-like Na Yu-na and kiss her? With those thoughts in my head, I wrapped up today's bodyguard duty.