The Unwanted Confession and the Jeju Dimension Break
Ah, this was a hunter story after all. A confession. The act of conveying one's feelings. Which meant Han Seojun had just confessed to me.
For a moment, I couldn't grasp the situation, and my mind went completely blank. But once it sank in, my face slowly hardened.
So right now... I'd been confessed to by a guy? Me? Me?
A confession—something I'd never received even once in my entire life. I'd never imagined getting one after becoming a girl. And getting one from a guy? That was even further from my mind.
Which was why I couldn't shake the question swirling in my head. Why had Han Seojun confessed to me?
Despite his young age, Han Seojun was a promising boy with a bright future ahead. He had great manners, acted beyond his years, and always looked out for others. It wasn't for nothing that he was the leader among the boys.
Even girls hitting puberty had crushes on him. He was born an alpha male.
And me? Sure, I had a cute, pretty face, but I was timid and got bullied by the other girls. At best, I was just a girl who liked games. My social skills weren't great.
If he was going to like someone, wouldn't it be someone like Chaerin—outwardly pretty and lively? There was no reason he'd go for my type...
No, that's just my perspective.
Let me think it through carefully. We played the same games, got along well, and though I wasn't outgoing, I was pretty. Wasn't that the ideal girl from a boy's point of view?
And looking back at everything so far... The boys had been looking out for me more than I realized. Especially Han Seojun—he'd even given me his first raid item.
Why?
Because I'm a girl. And because he liked me.
Giving gifts to a woman to win her heart—it's one of the oldest courtship rituals for men. It's no coincidence that males in the animal kingdom prepare presents like food.
Once my thoughts reached that point, the world spun dizzily.
I'd unwittingly been playing the queen bee, shaking my tail to lure in the boys like prey.
I thought their protection was just a given—a right!
Realizing my mistake, my face burned bright red. Only now did I grasp how embarrassing my behavior had been.
But the bigger problem was that Han Seojun had confessed to me.
If I accepted here, would that mean we'd start dating? And later on...
No. No. NO!
The horrific imagination made me want to tear out my hair; my eyes squeezed shut in dizziness. Never, never would I let that happen. I'd rather die.
"Ha Yuna."
Just then, Han Seojun called my name. I flinched back instinctively, and a bitter smile crossed his lips.
Ah. I'd just hurt him.
He'd probably sensed it on instinct—that I didn't welcome his confession.
Han Seojun had always been considerate, mature beyond his peers for reasons unknown. His first confession would have succeeded almost certainly with anyone else.
But his opponent was me. I'd ruined Han Seojun's first confession in life.
"You don't have to answer. I just wanted to say it. Don't worry about it."
With that, he turned away.
"I'll head out first."
His retreating figure looked so wistful. Pathetically, the first thought in my mind as I watched him go was, What about the raid item?
I felt a twinge of disgust at myself—this was the extent of me.
And in that moment, I realized one undeniable fact.
There are no such things as male best friends in this world.
As long as I was a girl, hanging out with boys would inevitably lead to this. After today, I couldn't keep hanging out with them—for their sake and mine.
Especially since his first confession had been to me and ended like this. Some boys with strong pride or tempers might escalate if rejected—who knows what could happen.
Secondary harm like stalking, or worse. As a former man, I knew men's strength far exceeded what women imagined. In my current body, I couldn't fight back at all.
The realization felt desolate and bitter. Today's lesson would shape my life going forward.
Clomp, clomp.
As I trudged back to the auditorium, I spotted Chaerin chatting animatedly with the kids after her stage turn. A naturally strong-willed girl like her wouldn't care about confessions.
Besides, she was the future S-rank hunter. Not awakened yet, but she could handle herself.
"Ah, Yuna!"
Just then, Chaerin spotted me and came running with a bright smile.
"Did you see my dance? I nailed it... "
She trailed off, eyes widening at my face. Then she reached out and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Yuna, what happened? What went down?"
Chaerin's face twisted more fiercely than ever. Even when kids broke her favorite pencil case playing around, she hadn't looked this murderous.
"I'll handle it. Who was it? Who messed with my Yuna?"
Her reaction alone froze all the kids solid, glancing nervously in case the fire turned on them.
"...Hic, nooo. It's nothinggg."
Why was this happening? In Chaerin's arms, tears welled up unbidden. Why were my tear ducts so weak? Since becoming a girl, I cried at the drop of a hat.
It drove home the truth even harder. The life ahead was one as a girl. I had to accept it to truly live.
I was Ha Yuna. A 13-year-old girl.
The next day, my eyes were puffy from nonstop tears.
"Sniff."
"Yuna, blow."
I gave a light sniffle, and Chaerin came over with tissue to wipe my nose. She'd been doting on me nonstop since yesterday.
Maybe because she was so diligent about it, the other girls didn't say a word.
As we boarded the bus, I spotted Han Seojun already seated. He glanced at me briefly before looking away. We probably wouldn't be friends again. After yesterday, our relationship was severed.
I sat down and turned to gaze at the vivid blue sea. So quintessentially Jeju—ocean everywhere you looked.
I must have stared out at it blankly the whole ride. Then a massive shadow fell over us.
A gigantic shadow leaping toward the bus.
At the same moment, my phone blared with an emergency disaster alert.
Only after peering through the window at the surreal sight did it hit me.
Ah, this is a hunter world.
――――――!
A heavy impact rocked the bus. The next instant, it tipped over, slamming into the ground.
Kids' screams filled the air as the bus scraped along the pavement. Sparks flew from the torn side, shattering the windows. Smoke billowed inside.
My dazed mind from the crash slowly cleared. Thankfully, we hadn't been going fast, so it stopped quickly.
Inside the bus was hell.
Injured kids everywhere, the front seats crumpled beyond recognition. The driver was surely dead on impact. No sign of the teacher either—she usually sat up front, so she might have been caught too.
Facing a disaster. Something I'd vaguely imagined once or twice in life. But actually experiencing it blanked my mind white.
But no. Everyone on this bus was an elementary kid. My body was the same, but I'd been an adult in my past life. If no adults were left, I was the only one here.
An adult's duty is to build a safe world for kids. That was my longstanding belief.
Buses could explode after crashes. And with a Dimension Break underway, monsters could swarm any second.
We had to move now.
"Ugh... nh."
I forced my mind alert and unbuckled my seatbelt. Glass shards had nicked my hand, blood welling up, but no choice.
Unbuckled, I tumbled from my seat. My head throbbed, but I had to stay sharp.
Chaerin.
She was right next to me. Looking up, blood trickled from her forehead; she was out cold.
Bad. Had she hit her head?
I grabbed a handkerchief from my bag, wrapped her forehead, and unbuckled her. Despite her bigger frame, I somehow hoisted her onto my back in the crisis—adrenaline really worked wonders.
Front door blocked by crumpled seats. Luckily, the roof hatch was open—meant for ventilation, but torn wide now. Big enough for kids to escape. The bus on its side was actually a blessing.
"Nh... ugh."
Just then, Chaerin stirred.
"Chaerin, Chaerin—wake up! We gotta go out this way."
"...Go? Go where?"
Head injury messing with her memory; she answered nonsensically.
"Yoo Chaerin!"
I snapped at her. Maybe because I never yelled, her eyes flew wide.
"Get to the aisle now! Hurry!"
"Uh... o-okay."
She flinched and climbed out. Meanwhile, I moved to the other kids.
Unbuckling, scolding the whimpering ones to get out. Some were mentally broken, frozen.
Smack! Sorry, but I slapped those. No choice.
"Snap out of it! Don't you wanna see Mom and Dad? Follow the others out!"
Terror from the slap got them scrambling away. But some were fully unconscious. Had to carry those myself.
Couldn't ask dazed kids for help. It was on me—the only one with her wits.
I unbuckled a fallen kid, hoisted them. Heavy weight crushed my shoulders; legs wobbled.
The bus interior was a wreck. Rushing through, glass shards stabbed my legs, blood flowing. Pain pierced my brain, tears pricking, but I bit my lip and endured.
Only I could save them.
Stubbornly, I dragged one to the exit and shoved them out. Turned right back for another. Three, four. At five...
Thud—I collapsed, legs giving out.
What are you doing? Here?
Body trembling, breaths ragged. Sweat, dust, tears blurred my vision.
It hurt. I hated this small, fragile body right now. Why couldn't I have been born sturdy and strong?
But no time to resent it—this was the body my parents gave me.
"...Ha Yuna, get it together."
I called my new name and stood.
"If you whine here, the kids die."
Last one. Nearest the front seat.
Approaching, I saw a familiar face.
Han Seojun. Head injury; limp.
Unbuckled him, shouldered his weight, stood.
But—
Thump—my knee hit something, and I crumpled. Stinging pain, blood seeping from knee.
Body wouldn't move. No matter how I urged my mind, it felt leaden.
"...Ha, Yuna?"
Then Han Seojun woke. Narrowed eyes on me, he tried pushing off my shoulder.
"What are you doing?!"
"...L-leave m-me, cough, go. My legs... won't m-move."
Glancing down late, a deep glass shard in his leg. Serious wound. No way he could walk.
"Shut up. I'm getting you out."
"...You c-can't even m-move yourself."
Rumble! The bus shook. Something breaking? Could explode any moment.
"Hurry."
His urging came. That face—like he wanted to protect his crush—ignited my temper.
But boiling emotions aside, my legs wouldn't budge.
What do I do? How?
"Yuna!"
A voice rang out. Through hazy vision, a girl dashed back into the aisle.
Yoo Chaerin.
"Ch-Chaerin! What are you doing? Get out!"
I yelled in shock; she ran over, tears in eyes, shouldering Han Seojun's other side.
"Why would I leave you here, you idiot?!"
Idiot? Yeah, fair. Reckless not prioritizing myself.
"We go together. Me and Yuna are best friends."
Seeing her teary face gave me strength; I forced myself up.
Right. Best friends.
We shouldered Han Seojun and staggered forward. Exit in sight.
Finally breaking through—
BOOOOOOM!
Explosion engulfed us in heat.
Ah, we're dying.
Realizing it—
"Yunaaaaaaa!"
Chaerin's scream, then the heat vanished. Our bodies lifted into the air.
Not just us—the kids outside, collapsed and crying, rose too.
Up in the sky. Jeju's blue sea below. Far off, ambulances, fire trucks, police, hunters battling monsters.
Ah, right. Today was the day Chaerin awakened as a hunter.
That realization hit as my body gave out, consciousness fading.
I heard Chaerin's scream, but it was the end. My limit.