Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Red Bed
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Wednesday dawn.
Baek Si-eun's house.
And... the basement of that house.
"So... that team leader's basically a puppet after taking the drug, right? Should be plenty possible, then."
A group of hunters from Hestia lounged comfortably on a blood-red sofa there.
All of them were Alphas—that is, women.
"We just need to open a portal, yeah?"
Lia, the hunter with spatial transfer abilities, yawned as she asked.
"Yeah. Right into the counseling room, just for a moment."
Baek Si-eun nodded, leaning back on the sofa while fiddling with a lock ring on her finger.
"And after that?"
Kim Ga-eun, sitting beside her, asked with a mischievous smile.
But the answer came first from their colleague Kara.
"No need to worry. Betas always put up a fight at first, don't they?"
Kara licked her red lips and flashed an overt grin.
"Once we marinate him in Si-eun's drug and teach him all sorts of things day and night for a few days... well, he'll be the one panting first in no time."
"Pretty soon, he'll be the one who can't live without Baek Si-eun, right?"
Baek Si-eun nodded in satisfaction at that.
Just then, Kim Ga-eun, looking relieved, quietly asked.
"But... Si-eun, once you're done training him properly... could I maybe have a turn?"
Baek Si-eun's brow furrowed slightly at the words... but she soon smiled again.
"Hmm..."
Then she replied as if granting a favor.
"Sure, if you get bored of him later."
"Heehee..."
Right at that moment.
The hunter with spatial transfer abilities, Lia, spoke up in a worried tone as if something had just occurred to her.
"But Baek Si-eun. What about Jin Sea? Honestly, I hate even making eye contact with her. She likes that Beta, right?"
Baek Si-eun smiled leisurely as she lifted a steaming teacup.
"Don't worry. I've got a mission prepared for that bitch. Wi Jae-wan will give the orders himself."
"What if Jin Sea refuses?"
Baek Si-eun's smile deepened at Lia's question.
"She absolutely, absolutely won't."
She stated firmly as she set down her teacup.
"She used to ignore orders from above like the plague... but Yoo Seon-woo reformed her."
"She obeys his every word without question, and she doesn't want to show even a speck of flaw in front of him. So... she can't refuse a mission in front of him."
Lia nodded and asked one final question.
"That mission actually exists, right?"
"Does it matter?"
Then she whispered softly.
"By the time she realizes it's fake..."
She narrowed her eyes as if savoring a delightful fantasy.
"Yoo Seon-woo will be on the bed... soaked in drugs... clinging to my waist and shaking."
Lia swallowed dryly at the blatant answer.
"And you'll be moaning?"
Kara added with a laugh from the side.
But Lia still tilted her head, unable to comprehend.
"But Si-eun, do we really need to go through all this hassle? That Beta's weak. Why not just barge into his house and kidnap him?"
Baek Si-eun's smile vanished for the first time.
"You say that because you don't get it. Everywhere else... is way more dangerous."
It was a fact she'd realized recently.
Jin Sea lived in a spot where she could see both Yoo Seon-woo's house and counseling office.
The moment anything suspicious happened along that route... she'd be caught immediately.
Without fail.
But Haetae Guild was different. It was Jin Sea's own territory, so there were no surveillance measures.
That was her confidence.
Paradoxically...
Without Jin Sea, it would be extremely easy.
Baek Si-eun gave her final instructions.
"Act like we're counseling until the drug kicks in."
Yoo Seon-woo was weak, but unpredictable.
His senses were abnormally sharp... and when he got serious, his explosive speed was hard to match.
"See you later, then."
Baek Si-eun set down her teacup and stood.
And... headed to Haetae.
Wednesday morning.
I headed to Haetae Guild.
"...It's been a while."
What was the feeling? Nostalgic, maybe.
Back when I was a hunter, I lived desperately each day hoping I'd come back here tomorrow.
Now, it felt completely different.
Memories of that desperate time surfaced.
But there's no going back.
I stopped indulging in sentiment and opened the door.
- Whirr.
As the revolving door spun and I stepped inside, the familiar scenery, air, and people greeted me.
Busily moving hunters preparing for battle.
The sound of gear being cleaned with air guns.
Even the coffee aroma wafting from the lounge.
Everything was the same.
"Hey! Seon-woo!"
Someone rushed up to me then.
I smiled at the face.
"Team Leader."
It was Team Leader Wi Jae-wan.
He clapped my shoulder with his usual cheeky grin.
"You're famous these days... Definitely climbed the ladder, huh?"
I gave a wry smile at that.
Yeah, maybe this suits me better.
I might actually be cut out for counseling.
As the team leader approached me, other Haetae guild members came over too.
They each asked how I'd been.
"How's it going lately? Counseling treating you okay?"
"It's alright."
"Suits your aptitude?"
"That too, more or less..."
I found myself smiling and answering amid their warm welcome.
The lobby buzzed with the cheerful voices of old colleagues.
Then, a clear voice rang out from the second-floor balcony.
"Seon-woo!"
That single voice silenced the lobby noise.
The female guild members who'd been slapping my shoulder and linking arms moments ago stepped back in unison, as if on cue.
I looked up to the second floor.
There, leaning on the railing and beaming at me, was Jin Sea.
Then, the team leader cleared his throat and came to my side.
"Alright, everyone, that's enough. Our counselor has work to do. Follow me this way. We've got a room set up."
"Got it."
I gave Jin Sea a small wave before following Wi Jae-wan inside.
The counseling room was much larger than the one Union had provided.
Not that I'm comparing. Haetae was a brand-new building anyway.
Rumor had it Jin Sea owned more than half the stake in the building, by the way.
I sat at the table and opened my laptop.
There was the list of today's clients the team leader had sent.
I scanned the names slowly.
First up...
'Sea, huh.'
Good.
This worked out perfectly.
I figured it'd be nice to talk with her.
I didn't hesitate.
I pressed the intercom and spoke to the secretary.
"Could you call Hunter Jin Sea, please?"
Soon, the door opened briskly.
Golden eyes full of mischief peeked through the gap.
"Counselor~"
Jin Sea bounced inside.
And plopped down in the counseling chair.
"I've been so stressed lately~"
I smiled at her.
The moment I opened my mouth to start the session.
- WEEEEEEEEEEEN!!
A massive siren shook the entire Haetae building.
"...!"
I knew what that siren meant.
An incident in Haetae's sector—calling in the guild's emergency standby team.
"Ah..."
Jin Sea pressed her hand to her forehead and gritted her teeth.
"Standby team?"
"...Yeah."
She answered listlessly.
Then she glanced at me cautiously and muttered.
"But probably won't have to go..."
Before she could finish, the door was pounded aggressively.
- Bang bang!!
The team leader burst in, nearly breaking the door.
His face was full of urgency and anxiety.
"Sea!"
Team Leader Wi Jae-wan flung the door open.
"We gotta go now! All the other team members are already at the scene!"
"Ha..."
Jin Sea let out a deep sigh.
I patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"I'll be right here."
I reassured her.
"I'll stick around even if you come back late. Don't worry. Promise."
At my words, her wavering golden eyes finally calmed.
She nodded faintly.
"...Okay..."
And trudged out.
Since it was her team, Team 1 must have been on standby this week...
Team 1 was plenty capable anyway. They'd handle it quick and return.
Usually nothing major.
Just a potential dungeon discovery or something like that.
I pressed the intercom and told the staff.
"Please prioritize the off-duty hunters for today first."
In case things escalated and reinforcements were needed.
Better to wrap up with those who didn't need to move right away.
I set down the intercom and stared at the empty chair for a moment.
"..."
I'd said that, but... deployments always worried me.
Probably fine.
I just needed to hold the fort.
Right then.
- Knock knock.
The counseling room door was knocked lightly.
Thinking the next client had arrived early, I answered casually.
"Yes, come in."
"Seon-woo~"
It was Baek Si-eun.
She was off-duty today, apparently.
I'd seen her on the list.
She held two cups of iced coffee.
The logo on the plastic cups suggested she'd bought them from the first-floor lounge cafe.
"Have one, Counselor~"
Baek Si-eun smiled and offered me the coffee.
She sat in the opposite chair, wearing her usual smile.
"Perfect timing."
I smiled too and took the coffee she handed me.
- Gulp.
I took a sip.
The cool liquid slid smoothly down my throat.
I set down the cup to start the session and slowly opened my mouth.
"So, client, what troubles you..."
What?
Something's off.
My body felt fine physically.
But my instincts—my gut—was warning me.
That what I'd just swallowed was dangerous.
No way...
No way that could be.
Baek Si-eun had handed it to me herself.
But against my thoughts, I instinctively looked up at her.
[Baek Si-eun]
[Main Stance]
[Sleep well. And... let's feel good.]
Sleep... well?
[Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!]
[∠(ﾟДﾟ)/]
[Run! Right now!!!!!!!]
[Escape Guide: Do NOT use the room door—jump out the window immediately!!]
The system screamed.
- Thud!
Before the warning finished, I kicked back my chair and stood.
And lunged toward the window.
20 stories up. Manageable.
Break the glass, slide down the outer wall...
But.
"Ah..."
My hand grabbing the window frame had no strength.
I barely leaned against it to stop.
My legs... trembled...
I collapsed to the floor.
Strength draining away. My body ignoring my brain's commands.
What the...
In my blurring vision, I slowly turned my head.
Baek Si-eun approached leisurely.
"Whoa... you really scared me."
She crouched in front of me.
Baek Si-eun's innocent face filled my fading sight.
"How'd you know the window was the escape route?"
Then something entered my view.
The counseling room door Baek Si-eun had come through began opening slowly.
But beyond it wasn't Haetae's hallway—just a bright red bed draped in crimson silk.
Portal...
"Let's go."
She scooped up my limp body gently.
"To my house."
Baek Si-eun dragged my slack form into that red abyss.
I...
lost consciousness.
Jin Sea arrived at the scene.
From the mana fluctuations, it was likely just before dungeon formation.
"Let's wrap this up quick."
Jin Sea said to her teammates already there as she slipped on her gloves.
But for a sudden call-out, their expressions were oddly upbeat.
Someone approached her.
"Um... Sea."
"Yes."
"It's... a dummy wave."
Dummy wave.
A mana fluctuation mimicking dungeon formation, but actually nothing there.
A natural phenomenon, like lightning or thunder.
Jin Sea's eyes widened at that.
She let out a sigh of relief.
That meant she could head back.
"Then I'll withdraw immedia—"
But Jin Sea didn't finish.
She looked around.
...One person who should be there was missing.
"...Where's Baek Si-eun?"
"Pardon? Si-eun's off today."
Off...?
Seon-woo was doing rounds.
And Baek Si-eun was his client.
Plus, right when it was her turn for counseling, a dummy wave pulled her out of Haetae.
Jin Sea slowly shook her head.
Not a problem yet.
She could hurry back.
She closed her eyes.
She could feel his presence. Even from afar, the connection didn't break.
Still fine.
But.
- Drip.
Without warning, the link snapped.
Jin Sea's eyes snapped open.
- Whoosh!
She whipped her head around.
Her golden eyes began burning coldly.
And.
- KABOOOM!
With a thunderous roar like lightning striking, her figure vanished from the spot.
"..."
The remaining teammates just stared blankly at the empty air where she'd been.