Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Agreed Matters
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jahwa-yeon widened her eyes at Seol Yu-wol's sudden shift in attitude.
And before long.
"Ahahaha!!"
Jahwa-yeon burst into loud laughter, as if she simply couldn't hold it back.
Even back in those days when she followed along calling her "Yeon-unni," this girl had never once spoken to her informally.
She'd always called her "Yeon-unni, Yeon-unni" respectfully.
So why was she suddenly baring her fangs and rebelling like this?
Jahwa-yeon quickly replayed their recent conversation in her mind.
And it didn't take long to realize that the trigger had been the physician.
She stopped laughing and gazed at Seol Yu-wol again, her expression brimming with interest.
"Yeah."
Jahwa-yeon whispered softly.
"You called him son-in-law."
"Why?"
Still sharp as ever.
Now Seol Yu-wol wasn't even hiding her hostility anymore.
The sight only made it all the more amusing.
"He's this Seat's man, so what's wrong with calling him son-in-law?"
"That's why the physician asked if he's your lover."
Jahwa-yeon curled up the corner of her mouth and whispered into Seol Yu-wol's ear.
"Because we've shared a deep relationship, of course. What else is there between a man and a woman?"
"......!"
Of course, nothing of the sort had actually happened...
But it was more than enough to rile up the little chick.
Seol Yu-wol's expression shifted wildly in an instant—frowning, then eyes widening like a startled rabbit.
And finally, her face and ears flushed bright red all the way.
With a trembling voice, she barely managed to squeeze out a single word.
"L-lie...!"
"What reason would this Seat have to lie?"
Jahwa-yeon replied in a relaxed tone.
Seol Yu-wol had no way of knowing if it was truth or falsehood.
The only fact she knew was one: when she'd first tumbled into this unfamiliar world, Jahwa-yeon had been by the physician's side.
Seol Yu-wol's mind went blank.
"Want to hear the details? What sort of deep, bodily conversation we—"
"Nooo!"
She couldn't take it anymore and bolted away.
Her legs moved on their own. Her heart pounded as if it might burst, and hot tears gushed out, blurring her vision.
It was a feeling she'd never experienced before.
One corner of her chest felt utterly hollow, yet something hot was boiling up from within all the same.
How to describe it?
Like the world's kindest father, who had lived only gazing at his daughter, suddenly bringing home a strange woman one day and calling her her new stepmother.
A sticky, indefinable emotion clawed mercilessly at the young girl's heart.
"Hehe."
Watching the small figure of Seol Yu-wol running off in tears from afar, Jahwa-yeon let out a soft chuckle.
She hadn't expected quite such a reaction.
From Jahwa-yeon's perspective, though, it was a fine harvest either way.
She'd gained a solid clue for provoking Seol Yu-wol.
If she were still blindly following her "mother" Lee Seo-ryeong's will like a wooden puppet, she never would have reacted like that.
It had to mean the puppet was breaking free from her master's shadow for some reason.
"......"
Yet somehow, the aftertaste was bitter.
It should have been a triumphant victory, but it felt gritty in her mouth, like chewing on grains of sand.
The truth was, she had no real relationship with the physician at all.
What she'd called a "deep relationship" was closer to her unilaterally benefiting from his rescue.
She didn't let it show on the surface, but deep down, she knew it too.
Right now, it was all just words—her actual progress in their relationship might even lag behind that of the girl who'd run off crying...
"Hmph."
Jahwa-yeon pouted and shoved the remaining waffle into her mouth in one bite.
'I can just start now.'
The Heavenly Demon was swift.
She smiled.
"Heok... heok..."
Seol Yu-wol returned to her dorm, having forgotten to even breathe.
With graduation approaching, Otherworlders were now granted a measure of free movement, making it possible.
- Click!
She shut the door and drew in a breath.
She'd thought they might be able to get along.
Now that Seol Yu-wol could think freely, perhaps she'd even come to miss those old days wandering with her unni.
But no.
Jahwa-yeon unni was still an obstacle in her way.
"Huu..."
Seol Yu-wol exhaled calmly once more.
It was probably nothing serious.
On second thought, even if the physician took in another woman, it had little to do with her.
She was just one of his many patients, after all.
They were destined to part ways once her treatment was complete...
She had no reason to...
think about his personal relationships...
"......"
The moment that thought surfaced, Seol Yu-wol froze.
She pondered deeply.
Right.
That's how it was.
Really.
She and the physician had no real relationship at all.
She finally realized it.
All the kindness and warmth she'd received were simply part of his job.
Nothing more than an extension of her treatment.
She lowered her head.
If things ended like this—if their patient-physician relationship truly concluded—there seemed to be no driving force to keep her connected to Seol Yu-wol.
Even her desire to serve as his guard was just her own whim.
She had no idea what the physician himself thought.
Just then.
A single tear dropped with a plip onto the waffle clutched in her hand, now gone cold.
Seol Yu-wol bit into the waffle without thinking.
- Crunch.
"......"
No sweetness.
No taste at all.
Just like back then.
- Ding~dong~
But in that instant, the intercom rang.
Seol Yu-wol stared blankly toward the sound.
She shuffled over unsteadily, her steps devoid of strength, and picked up the receiver.
She knew how it worked now.
"......"
- This is a call regarding the support application submitted by Otherworlder Seol Yu-wol.
"......"
- You've applied to the Hunter Association.
At those words, light slowly returned to Seol Yu-wol's eyes.
"...Yes."
- We'd like to discuss it further. Is now a good time?
...The physician had been right.
The Association really had reached out for a talk.
'Just submit the application, and it'll go through right away.'
That's what he'd said.
Seol Yu-wol thought.
Better to forge a new bond than part indifferently.
Their patient-physician tie would end someday, but as colleagues in the Association, they could start fresh right now.
She felt like she could manage it.
"Yes... it's possible."
- Great. We'll head to the meeting room right away.
The call ended.
Seol Yu-wol set down the receiver and gazed out the window.
What if.
What if the physician doesn't want me as his guard?
"......"
No.
That couldn't be.
'It's not like that.'
The physician had supported her choice to join the Association.
'He was happy about it too.'
Her decision had earned his ready nod and encouragement.
So he had to be pleased if she stayed by his side to protect him.
"I'll... go..."
It wasn't one-sided.
He had endorsed it, and she was simply following through.
This was a contract born of mutual agreement.
- Tap tap.
The last day of vacation.
Before heading back to work, I was sorting through my documents.
Counseling would resume tomorrow.
Though I'd handle some via non-face-to-face online sessions, I'd heard plenty of regular counselors were being assigned there too.
With my schedule booked solid and long wait times, most requests would probably go their way.
Thanks to that, I could devote myself fully to the clients who truly needed my focus for the time being.
"Luna hasn't had a session in ages too..."
Of course, we'd done remote sessions...
Anyway, plenty of other clients were backed up.
It was a mountain of work, but oddly, my heart felt light.
Returning to the office meant things were getting back to normal.
I even felt a bit glad, in a way.
That's when it happened, as I was organizing the papers.
- Ring~
My phone rang.
I checked the caller.
It was the team leader from the Hunter Association.
"This is Yoo Seon-woo."
- Counselor! Great news!
What?
He's not usually this hyped up.
Wondering, I asked.
"What is it?"
- We've added more security personnel for you!
"I see."
Good news indeed. I had no idea if something like before would happen again, but even if it did, the counseling center had multiple security measures inside.
Outside was another story, though.
Extra guards were very welcome.
- So, the new assignment is...
I could hear the excitement bubbling in the team leader's voice.
"S-rank Hunter Seol Yu-wol."
"......Pardon?"
I couldn't process what I'd just heard.
It felt strangely at odds with what she'd said back then...
'The place most like the Murim Alliance of my dreams... I want to help people there and live on...'
She'd talked about rediscovering her lost dream in this new one called the Association.
