Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: EP.14
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The next morning.
When I opened my eyes, Seo Jubin was gone.
Instead, there was a memo on the nightstand and my shirt, perfectly ironed.
A pot of hangover soup sat on the dining table.
I headed to work first. What happened yesterday was just part of the security protocol, so please don't misunderstand. The data update is complete, so you can rest easy for now. - Seo Jubin After getting treated like that, no wonder reality had hit her.
And yet, she'd ironed my shirt and even set out breakfast. She had a surprisingly cute side.
I chuckled and sat down at the table.
It was a meal prepared with some real effort, so I figured I should eat before heading to work.
The moment I gulped down a big spoonful of soup with that thought...
"Kuhk!! Cough!!"
Fuck, is this attempted murder? Why the hell is it so salty?
If you can't cook, just stay put and behave.
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The same time, at Hero Headquarters in the center of the city.
The top-floor office.
Min Seola spun around in her chair, gazing out the window.
She'd promised to cut off contact and wait to avoid overloading Kim Seonghwa, but her anxiety only grew with every passing minute.
'Is he resting okay? Has he recovered some energy?'
At that moment, the office door opened, and Seo Jubin walked in.
"Reporting in, Seola-nim. Here's today's villain activity report."
Seo Jubin was dressed in her usual impeccable suit, her expression cool and composed as she handed over the documents.
Min Seola took the papers and glanced at her absentmindedly.
"Thanks, Jubin-ah. By the way, when's Seonghwa-ssi...?"
Min Seola's words cut off abruptly.
Her gaze locked onto Seo Jubin's face.
Seo Jubin's skin, usually as pale as porcelain, had an odd glow to it today.
Her cheeks were rosy, like someone who'd taken a top-grade tonic, and her lips shone cherry-red.
But more than that...
'...This smell.'
Min Seola's nose twitched.
It wasn't Seo Jubin's usual crisp perfume scent.
There was a faint trace mixed in—a fragrance etched deeply into Min Seola's memory.
'No way...'
Fishy yet sweet, the kind that made her heart race.
It was Kim Seonghwa's natural scent.
"...Jubin-ah?"
"Yes, Seola-nim."
"Don't you have anything else to report to me?"
Min Seola's eyes narrowed.
Seo Jubin flinched for a split second but quickly adjusted her glasses and replied calmly.
"Nothing unusual to report at the moment."
"Nothing unusual...?"
Min Seola was smiling, but her eyes weren't.
'Nothing unusual? While you're practically radiating Kim Seonghwa's scent?'
The report crumpled in Min Seola's grip.
"Jubin-ah. Clear my schedule for today."
"Pardon? Where are you going all of a sudden?"
Min Seola stood from her seat, flashing a chilly smile.
"I'm going on a home visit. I need to check personally if our humanity's hope is resting well."
Seo Jubin's face drained of color in an instant.
"A home visit? Seola-nim, what do you...?"
Seo Jubin's voice cracked ever so slightly.
She always maintained her icy composure as an aide, but right now, she couldn't stop the cold sweat trickling down her back.
Min Seola's nose brushed past Seo Jubin's nape.
She was smiling brightly, but her eyes bored into Jubin like sharpened blades.
"Why are you so flustered?"
"He needs to rest right now. You know that too, Seola-nim. He's in an overload state..."
"I know. That's why I'll just peek at his face and drop off a lunchbox."
Min Seola rose from her chair.
"It's not like I'll be sticking around to monitor him constantly. A quick visit should be fine, right?"
"But Seonghwa-ssi is probably already at work, so wouldn't it be better to see him next time...?"
"No."
She rejected it flat-out and grinned.
"If I swing by the office and show my face, it'll be good for Seonghwa-ssi too. Who'd mess with him once they know I've got his back? Right?"
Seo Jubin's lips went dry.
'Here it comes... Seola-nim's unstoppable force...'
She knew better than anyone that not even the Hero Association president could rein her in during moments like this. But if she actually went to the office, it was game over.
Kim Seonghwa would be utterly drenched in her energy right now.
Last night, she'd spent all night sucking, licking, and squeezing him to overwrite Yupia's traces.
'The scent fades, but the energy lingers way longer... What do I do?'
Min Seola's senses were razor-sharp.
The moment she got near Kim Seonghwa, she'd notice the lingering energy matching her own aide's perfectly.
"Seola-nim, but you have a meeting with the association president right now..."
"Postpone it."
Min Seola cut her off decisively and headed for the door.
Seo Jubin's hands trembled as she watched her go.
She had to stop this. But she couldn't physically block her.
Seo Jubin pulled out her phone with shaking hands.
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[Choi Yura Team Leader] - Memo font is 10 point, line spacing 160%. - Don't think you can just tweak the font size and spacing then send it. Rewrite it from scratch. I rubbed my dry face while staring at the monitor.
Beyond the partition, Team Leader Choi Yura's piercing glare stabbed right at me.
"Kim Seonghwa-ssi? Your typing stopped? Finished the memo?"
"Ah, working on the revisions now. I'll send it right over."
"You come up with such creative excuses, but your work habits are so outdated."
Choi Yura muttered sarcastically.
She'd sniffed my shirt this morning and wrinkled her nose.
- Tone down that perfume stink.
- Did you come to the office to date?
- Or what, kidnapped again?
Her words had made me flinch.
Thanks to Seo Jubin rubbing up against me all over last night, no matter how much I scrubbed, her signature cool fragrance wouldn't fade.
'If it won't wash off like this, maybe it's not perfume... Did she really cover something up?'
What I'd dismissed as an excuse from Seo Jubin might actually be true.
'Doesn't matter now. Please, just let today pass quietly.'
That was when it happened.
My phone buzzed briefly in my pocket.
[Seo Jubin] - Seola-nim is heading to the office. - Couldn't stop her. I'm sorry. - Act natural or run. "......?"
The moment I read the message, my brain froze.
Who's coming? Min Seola?
Here? Why?
Doesn't she know she shouldn't approach because of the overload?
"Huh?"
An employee by the window let out a startled shout.
"Look out there! What's that outside?"
"Whoa, no way! Isn't that Min Seola?"
The office erupted in murmurs instantly.
I stiffly turned my head to peer out the window.
In front of the company building, a woman lightly landed, sending out ripples of sky-blue mana.
Her appearance stood out dazzlingly even amid the crowds.
It was Min Seola.
'Ah, shit.'
The curse slipped out on its own.
She looked up, locking eyes precisely on our floor.
Then she strode into the building without hesitation.
'What the hell is she here for?'
I seriously considered diving under the desk.
But Team Leader Choi Yura shot to her feet, glaring.
"What's going on? Why's it suddenly so noisy? Get back to work!"
"Team Leader! Min Seola's in the lobby!"
"What? Why's the No.1 Hero here? Tax audit on our company or something? Quit panicking and work."
Moments later, the office automatic door slid open smoothly.
In an instant, the typing, phone calls, and chatter all ceased.
"Sh-she really came..."
An otherworldly presence stood at the office entrance.
Min Seola wasn't in her usual battle suit—she wore a light, flowing dress.
"What?"
"What's going on?"
It wasn't the dress causing the buzz among the employees.
It was the three-tiered lunchbox in her hands.
"Does Min Seola-nim have family here?"
"No way. We've never seen her around before."
"Someone in our department gets homemade lunches?"
As the employees whispered...
Trailing behind Min Seola was Seo Jubin, face ashen and head bowed low.
"Excuse me."
Min Seola's voice rang out clear and bright, but the pressure it carried weighed down the office air heavily.
"Kim Seonghwa-ssi is here, right?"
All eyes turned to me.
My colleagues' shocked stares.
And Team Leader Choi Yura's baffled expression, like 'Why's Kim Seonghwa's name coming up?'
I slowly rose from my seat.
They say if you can't avoid it, enjoy it—but this was beyond enjoyable.
"Ah, um... Min Seola-nim..."
Before I could even finish, Min Seola's face lit up brightly.
She strode right up to me.
"As expected! I knew you'd be at work. You're so diligent, Seonghwa-ssi."
Her tone was oddly flustered.
'Why's this woman suddenly speaking politely to me?'
Min Seola stood before me, looking up.
Her eyes brimmed with worry and affection.
"How's your body feeling? I heard from Jubin. Overload, right? I told you to rest—why didn't you listen and come in?"
The surroundings buzzed again.
"What? Does Deputy Kim know Min Seola?"
"Overload? What rest talk?"
I broke into an awkward sweat-smile.
"Ahaha... Work was piling up. Thank you for worrying."
"It's not just worry. Have you eaten? I made this myself..."
The moment she lifted the lunchbox...
Min Seola's movement froze.
"Huh?"
Her head tilted slightly.
She took one more step closer to me.
"Seonghwa-ssi."
Min Seola's tone shifted.
The gentleness vanished, replaced by sharp suspicion.
"Yes?"
"The smell..."
She lowered her head, pressing her nose to my chest.
I held my breath.
I could see Seo Jubin behind her squeezing her eyes shut.
"It's a familiar scent, isn't it?"
Min Seola looked up.