Silver Hair's Unexpected Consent
Shin Ji-hye hummed a cheerful tune as she rode the elevator upward. Her conversation with Jin Seong-ah had yielded plenty. The girl clearly harbored strong feelings for Yu Seong-eun—far beyond simple affection. “Bullied at school, parents divorced, and the father who won custody… used to beat her?” Those were the details she had uncovered while recruiting the girl into the guild. As a future cornerstone S-rank hunter of Yushin Guild, Jin Seong-ah’s background had warranted a thorough investigation, revealing a life steeped in gloom.
“Back then she had no one to save her… but this time she does.” Jin Seong-ah had only escaped the cycle of violence after awakening as a hunter. Her evaluation had come back S-rank. The bullies who once tormented her now groveled, and the father who had tried to exploit his daughter’s awakening had his parental rights stripped by a team of elite lawyers. A single threat—that any leak about her past would ensure he never saw daylight again—had sealed his silence. Yet even after the rescue, Jin Seong-ah had found no true salvation. She had wanted to flee rather than take revenge, and once the matter was settled she had simply withdrawn. Her habit of maintaining a “landmine” persona was probably her way of warning others: I’m unstable, so stay away.
Once you had been crushed to the very bottom, the terror of falling again became overwhelming. “And the one who pulled her out was Seong-eun.” When she had been tormented for no reason, no savior had appeared. When she had faced crisis through her own actions, she had been saved. Since yesterday, Jin Seong-ah had already been leaning heavily on Yu Seong-eun. Today that dependence had only deepened.
“I didn’t expect her to react to the scent…” A heavy sensation lingered at her waist. Just before meeting Jin Seong-ah, Yu Seong-eun had finished inside her; the used condom was still tied to the strap of her panties. That must have been why Jin Seong-ah had reacted the moment she drew close—eyes trembling, breath quickening, desperately trying to keep her expression under control. If she had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously.
“Ah…♥” Just imagining it made her own thighs grow damp. How could she wrap the girl up prettily and present her to Yu Seong-eun? Would she ever get to see that tail-wagging sight in her own bed…? The hours until quitting time suddenly felt unbearably long.
-Ding.
The elevator announced its arrival. Shin Ji-hye smoothed her expression and wore a faint smile. Until she left the building she had to remain the guild leader. Only then could she betray that role once she got home and hand Seong-ah over.
#
I was cleaning the guild leader’s office while its owner was away. Just as the hysterical Lee Seon-yul had said, Shin Ji-hye had gone down to the training facility to stop Jin Seong-ah.
“This counts as work too, I guess.” The floor was practically a lake. I drew up my mana to erase the traces and wiped everything down just to be safe. Since I had worn a condom, every drop on the floor belonged solely to Shin Ji-hye. Even for a hunter, producing this much fluid was excessive… “Is my ability affecting her somehow?”
Lilith’s Authority—the power to peer into a target’s desires that I had obtained at my very first awakening. That part wasn’t the issue. I was certain of it. Ten years as a professional daughter-collecting hunter had never made me feel any change in my own body. So the problem had to be the new authority that appeared after I consumed the elixir a few days ago.
“It said something about ‘manifesting,’ right?” The only thing visible at the moment of awakening had been a blue window. A simple description: it manifested the target’s desires. That had to be the culprit. I hadn’t done a proper comparison yet, but the amount of semen I produced had definitely increased. The condom had looked ready to burst like a balloon. Even when Seong-ah gave me head, her mouth had overflowed and it had come back out.
“…Whoa.” Did I need to start wearing condoms even when I was just collecting daughters? The sheer volume felt unmanageable. It was strange—my own body producing this much. I wanted to figure out why, but there was no way to investigate…
“Would Do Hyun-ah know?” She might not have a medical license, but her knowledge was vast. She had dissected people, regenerated them, even brought them back from the dead. She lacked formal surgical or pharmaceutical training, yet her understanding of the human body ran deep. If I told her my body had changed she would be interested, but the change happened to be sexual, which made it awkward to bring up. Even if she were male it would be strange, and she was female on top of that.
“……I’ll hold off for now.” Good things were good things. Increased stamina was a positive, wasn’t it? While mulling that over I finished cleaning, turned off the lights, and settled into one of the reception chairs with a cup of coffee. Just as I was about to enjoy a moment of peace, a knock sounded at the office door.
‘…Who could it be?’ Shin Ji-hye was out, and Lee Chae-eun was at her post. If someone had come up, she would have told them the guild leader was away and to come back later… which meant this was someone she couldn’t stop. An S-rank, or someone equally important.
“Yes. Come in.”
“……”
“Oh… Baek Seol, it’s been a while.”
Baek Seol—the first hunter to join the team Shin Ji-hye and I had formed. Or rather, the one we had picked up. Inside a gate.
“……Yes.”
She stood roughly 180 centimeters tall, her frame balanced and corded with lean muscle. Even in the darkened office with the blinds drawn, her skin was so translucent that veins showed through. “She really is beautiful.” Silver hair, neatly trimmed and falling just past her shoulders. Colorless, emotionless eyes and an expressionless face. She looked more like a fashion model than a hunter. In fact, she was the guild member who appeared in the most advertisements—though she never seemed to enjoy it, she never refused either. Billboards featuring her stood all over Seoul, mostly public-service announcements.
Behind her, a single shadow fidgeted.
“Yoon-ah, it’s been a while too.”
“A-ah, ah, ah, y-yes, s-senior…!”
Her impression was the complete opposite of Baek Seol’s. Even compared to her twin, Do Hyun-ah, the difference was striking. Her hair was tousled and faintly glowing with residual mana, as if she had just used her ability. She gave off a gloomy aura, shoulders hunched, gaze lowered, yet the overwhelming presence of her chest could not be hidden. This was Do Yoon-ah, who had become the leader of Team 3 after me.
“…Where is the guild leader?” Baek Seol spoke first. Beautiful or not, she had always been an awkward person to deal with. She seemed just as uncomfortable around me. “She hates men, apparently.” She didn’t show it openly, but walking in to see the guild leader only to find a D-rank nobody must have been unpleasant.
I kept my tone as neutral as possible. “She stepped out for a bit. She’ll be back soon.”
“……Yes.”
“……”
That was it? Just “yes” and nothing more? I had nothing else to add either.
“Uh… don’t just stand there. Sit down. You just got back from a mission, right? Aren’t you tired?”
“…I’m fine.”
“What about you, Yoon-ah?”
“I-I-I’m fine too…!”
Even after becoming team leader she hadn’t changed at all. I shrugged and patted the seat beside me with a loud smack. “Come on, sit. It feels weird if I’m the only one sitting.”
“A-ah, y-yes, then…”
Do Yoon-ah glanced nervously at Baek Seol before shuffling over and perching on the very edge of the chair, looking more strained than if she had stayed standing.
“Why are you sitting like that? Relax. You’re a team leader now.”
“B-but…”
“Have some confidence. If the kids under you start acting up, lay down the law. Who’d you go with this time?”
Although I had stepped down as team leader, the composition of Team 3 remained the same. The only change was Do Yoon-ah’s promotion from vice-leader to leader.
“I-I… with Do-hwa and Ha-jun.”
Both were seven- and eight-year veterans, top-tier A-rank hunters who listened well to the socially awkward Do Yoon-ah. Her own skills were undeniable; no one could dismiss her just because of her personality.
“Do-hwa and Ha-jun. Good choice.”
“…W-we always… go together…”
“Anything unusual happen?”
“U-unusual…”
The protective detail had been mostly ceremonial—more about protocol than actual security. When Do Yoon-ah kept a straight face she looked intimidating enough to earn the nickname “Witch.” Her twin Do Hyun-ah was called a saint for her healing abilities, yet because she was always in pain she too was treated like a witch. With both Baek Seol and Do Yoon-ah present, any would-be assassin would have thought twice.
“…There… might have been something…”
“What happened?”
“A-at the conference hall…”
Baek Seol’s expression remained blank. If anything serious had occurred she would have reported it immediately, so it probably wasn’t critical.
“…I heard something… about gates…”
“Do Yoon-ah Hunter.”
“Hic! Y-yes…?”
At Baek Seol’s sharp tone, Do Yoon-ah straightened her back like a rookie being scolded by a senior.
“…It is not appropriate to disclose information unrelated to the mission.”
“Ah, r-right…”
“What is it? Something serious?”
“W-well…”
Do Yoon-ah glanced at Baek Seol again. After a long internal struggle she bit her lower lip. “I-I think I should tell you, senior…”
“…Do Yoon-ah Hunter.”
“It’s fine, Baek Seol. She’s still my successor. Let her speak.” I waved a hand. “We were going to hear about it eventually anyway. It’s just a matter of when.”
“……”
I recalled the mission details Shin Ji-hye had mentioned earlier. The protective target had been America’s Ability Management Bureau. The Korea-U.S. alliance remained strong even after the Gate crisis, extending into hunter affairs. Anything discussed between them would eventually reach us—through the Hunter Association, our planted agents, or informants in the States. Yushin Guild was too important to be left out of anything significant.
“……Understood.” Baek Seol sighed softly and nodded. Only then did I turn back to Do Yoon-ah.
“Go ahead. What did you hear?”
“W-well… America can predict gate generation cycles, right…?”
Just like weather forecasts, America could forecast when gates would appear. Korea received and utilized that information. Lee Seon-yul had once created a similar prediction system, though even the Korean government didn’t know about it. We cross-verified the data we received and used it selectively.
“T-this time… they said demons… would appear…”
“Where?”
“Several places. Two in America… one in Korea… and one in China, I think…”
Demons. I tapped my fingers, turning the word over in my mind. Dangerous, but the returns were enormous. The byproducts left by demons far surpassed those of ordinary monsters.
“Does the guild leader know?”
“N-no… this is the first time I’m reporting it… to you, senior…”
“Report it properly to Ji-hye later. This is big enough for the guild leader to decide on.”
Still, gates that spawned demons were extremely hazardous if one only looked at the potential loot. Our guild prioritized lives above all else. Whether we would bid and enter or let another guild take the risk would be Shin Ji-hye’s call.
“I’m back.”
Speak of the tiger and it appears—Shin Ji-hye finally showed up.
“Oh my, Seol and Yoon-ah are here? Where’s Ha-neul?”
“…Park Ha-neul Hunter said she had prior plans.”
“A date, huh? Got it. You two did well?”
“…Yes.”
“Any issues? Anyone hurt or in trouble?”
“None. However…”
Baek Seol’s gaze shifted toward Do Yoon-ah. I gave the girl’s shoulder a light pat.
“Yoon-ah, report it.”
“A-ah, yes…”
“What’s going on?”
Looking nervous, Do Yoon-ah stood and repeated exactly what she had told me. Shin Ji-hye listened without much reaction and simply nodded.
“Mm… Understood. I’ll have to think about it.”
“Y-yes…”
“You worked hard too, Yoon-ah. This was your first mission as team leader, right? How was it?”
“C-could I… go back to being a regular member…?”
“Then who would lead the team?”
“Y-Yu senior…?”
“He’s a guide now. You’ll have to endure a little longer.”
“Huuue…”
Shin Ji-hye patted the back of the whimpering Do Yoon-ah. That socially hopeless girl—how was she still like this after ten years as a hunter? She needed someone to keep her in line, but as a team leader there was no one left to do it.
“If it’s really too hard, talk to him. You both know he’s your assigned guide now.”
……Ah. That would be me.
“I-I… I know…”
“……”
Do Yoon-ah muttered like a loser while Baek Seol only gave a slight nod. Watching them, I stood up. “Well… it’s work.” Yoon-ah was comfortable because we had known each other a long time… Baek Seol supposedly hated men, so she would probably refuse.
“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll ask directly. Are both of you going to receive guidance from me?”
“Y-yes… I-if it’s you, senior… then yes.”
Do Yoon-ah gave the answer I expected. Next was Baek Seol. I looked at her expressionless face.
“Baek Seol?”
“…I will.”
And the answer I had not expected at all came back.