Jealousy in the Park
A few blocks from the park. It was late at night, so the roads were nearly empty of both cars and people. Only the streetlights illuminated the path at regular intervals.
A woman walked leisurely beneath them. Her short ponytail swayed lightly with each step. Hands clasped behind her back, she wore a cheerful expression like she might whistle at any moment. Her name was Kang Seoyun. She was a top-tier S-Rank hunter, quite well-known.
"...Hm?"
She suddenly stopped. As her steps halted, her hair swayed once more before settling. Kang Seoyun's gaze slowly turned in one direction.
The park. The very park she'd passed without a thought moments ago.
"...Hold on."
She murmured softly, narrowing her eyes. It was just a fleeting instant. Truly a split second. But it was unmistakable. The air had subtly shifted, like something invisible had brushed against the surroundings.
"...What was that just now?"
She tilted her head slightly. An ordinary person wouldn't have noticed. Even most hunters would dismiss it as imagination. But Kang Seoyun was different. An S-Rank hunter. A top one at that. She wouldn't miss a mana flow like this.
"...Not my imagination."
She took a slow breath and looked at the park again. Her eyes sharpened like a predator spotting prey. This kind of reaction usually meant one of two things. A powerful skill had activated nearby. Or—
"A dungeon?"
Or, very rarely, when overwhelmingly strong mana began affecting the natural world. The precursor to a high-grade dungeon.
"Interesting."
True to her impulsive nature, she didn't hesitate. In the next moment, her presence faded rapidly.
Shh—
As she compressed her mana deeply, her aura seeped naturally into the surrounding air. With her presence completely gone, Kang Seoyun stepped into the park undetected.
Crunch.
Her shoe sole grazed the gravel at the entrance. The night park was quieter than expected. Distant car noises. Leaves rustling in the wind. That was it.
"...No one's around."
She slowly scanned the surroundings. The lit walkway under streetlights. Benches. Flower beds. Grass. It looked like an ordinary park. But...
"...Something's off."
As she drew closer to the source, her heightened senses picked up more clearly. She murmured. The ground. Trees. Grass. Air. The entire park's nature felt bound to a single point. Like someone had gripped the whole space.
"...No, at this level..."
Seoyun's eyes sparkled. Even A-Rank ability users rarely influenced the surroundings like this. Especially not over this range.
"...What is it."
Her lips curved up slightly.
"...Did an S-Rank just awaken?"
Her curiosity fully ignited, Seoyun slowly moved deeper into the park. One step. Another. And then.
A few seconds later, she stopped again.
"...Huh?"
At the end of her gaze. Something between the trees. At first, she thought it was a shadow. But as she approached, its shape became clear.
"...What the hell is that?"
Tree trunks. Vines. Intertwined densely into a structure. Simple cubic form. A room-sized space made of trunks and vines.
"This is kinda wild."
Kang Seoyun approached the bizarre shape slowly. She reached out and touched a trunk. Hard. Not just woven together. Mana-infused, reinforced plant tissue.
"...A skill."
She was certain. Someone's ability. One requiring high control.
Kang Seoyun circled the structure slowly, inspecting it.
"...But."
She tilted her head.
"Who'd make this in the middle of a park..."
She figured she wouldn't know someone with this skill. It felt odd. Space for about two people. Completely sealed.
"...What the heck."
Then.
Boom—!!
The air suddenly recoiled. An invisible shockwave. But crystal clear to S-Rank senses.
"...!"
Kang Seoyun's eyes widened. Her body reflexively stepped back. Her heart raced for a moment.
"...What was that?!"
She held her breath, glaring at the cube. That shockwave. A burst of mana from inside.
"Hold on."
Thoughts raced through Seoyun's mind. This shockwave. This structure. This random location.
"...No way."
Her eyes lit up.
"Dungeon precursor?"
Rare, but reported. Unstable mana bursts right before a dungeon forms. She'd thought it was a skill, but it could be an obscure precursor symptom.
Doubts lingered. But.
Kang Seoyun wasn't one to overthink.
"...Whatever."
She shrugged. Dungeon core or not.
"...I'll just smash it."
She'd already dismissed the skill possibility. Mana gathered in her fist. The air vibrated subtly. Small gravel at her feet floated up.
"Just in case."
She stepped toward the cube.
"...I'll blow it up fir—"
That instant. A subtle gap opened between the trunks. Pure coincidence. The mana burst had slightly misaligned the structure. And.
Seoyun's gaze naturally fell into the gap.
"...Huh."
Just a glimpse. Truly brief.
"...Huh?"
Kang Seoyun's expression froze. The mana in her fist dispersed instantly. For seconds. She stood stock-still. Then slowly tilted her head forward.
"......"
She peered at the gap again. But the trunks had already meshed back. No sign of that silhouette.
Seoyun stood blankly for a moment. Then.
She slowly covered her face, recalling the scene.
"...Ah."
And murmured softly.
"...Not a dungeon."
Her small face, hidden by both hands, bore a noticeable flush.
* * *
"...Now it's my turn♡"
Han Choyeun giggled playfully and shifted. Barely supporting herself on trembling legs, she slowly dismounted from my face. The soft sounds of skin and fabric brushing echoed faintly.
Just as she started to stand.
Her movement stopped.
"...?"
Han Choyeun's expression changed. The playfulness vanished in an instant. Her head turned very slowly.
The vine wall. And beyond. Her gaze fixed there.
For seconds. Silence hung heavy. The space enclosed by trees and vines grew utterly still. The vines that had quivered subtly settled completely. Instead.
A thin nearby vine twitched ever so slightly.
Her gaze followed. Again. A vine shook faintly.
"...What's wrong?"
I spoke first. Only then did Han Choyeun lower her eyes slightly. But she didn't reply immediately, tilting her head toward the outside again. As if listening to something.
A brief silence.
"...Weird."
She murmured softly.
"What?"
Her gaze returned to the vine wall. More precisely, beyond it.
"...Not sure."
She blinked, organizing her thoughts.
"...Felt like someone was there."
Han Choyeun touched the floor lightly with a finger. Nearby thin vines reacted subtly. The air stilled briefly. Outside remained quiet. Nothing but rustling leaves.
After a moment's thought, Han Choyeun shook her head faintly.
"Someone was here."
"Who?"
"...Uh, yeah?"
...My voice came out cold. We hadn't defined anything special, but the thought of someone seeing Han Choyeun's body soured my mood.
"...So."
My mouth moved first.
"Someone might've seen."
Han Choyeun tilted her head.
"...Seen what?"
I averted my gaze briefly, then said,
"...You."
...At my continued words, Han Choyeun froze. Then.
"...Oh."
Her eyes widened round. She blanked out briefly, then waved her hands frantically.
"N-Nooo!"
A panicked voice.
"Not like that..."
"..."
"You can't see from outside!"
Han Choyeun tapped the vine wall. Nearby vines shook lightly.
"I set up a barrier when I made this."
"...A barrier?"
"Yeah..."
She parted the vines slightly with her hand, then released.
"I bent the light a bit, so even if they saw, it'd just be a silhouette at most."
"..."
"A-And! It's your fault too!"
"...Mine?"
She suddenly flushed and continued.
"It should've been totally invisible from outside... but you made me lose control for a sec."
"...Ah."
A few minutes ago, Han Choyeun climaxing on my face flashed in my mind.
"...And."
She brushed a vine tip.
"...I was extra wary of guys, so they'd notice right away."
...That eased me a bit somehow. As my expression softened unwittingly.
"...Heh, hehe..."
"...?"
"You got jealous... right?"
I was at a loss for words.
"...No."
"Aww."
She laughed at my hesitant reply. Hard to believe this was the same flustered, red-faced girl from moments ago—her expression relaxed instantly.
"...You totally did."
She tilted her head, staring straight at me.
"Your face was all stiff."
"...That was."
I tried to respond but stopped. No good comeback came to mind.
"..."
A brief silence. As if waiting for it.
"See."
Han Choyeun smiled faintly.
"Hehe, told ya."
"...I said no."
"Sure, sure."
She clearly didn't believe me. Then she stepped even closer playfully.
"...But."
She looked down at me with mischievous eyes.
"Feels nice."
"...What does?"
"You getting jealous."
"..."
"It's cute."
"..."
I shut my mouth, unsure how to respond. She laughed harder, amused.
"Couldn't move tied up earlier."
"...Why bring that up again."
"Why not."
She shrugged.
"It's true...?"
"..."
"Your face was red."
"...That—"
"And now too."
Pok.
Her finger lightly poked my cheek.
"Still a bit red."
"..."
I considered swatting her hand but held back. She laughed again.
"So cute."
"..."
"Gaon."
"...Yeah."
"Will you keep getting jealous from now on?"
"...Probably not."
"Aww."
Han Choyeun stuck out her tongue teasingly.
"After going that hard just now?"
"..."
"Someone might've seen."
"..."
The more we talked, the worse it got for me. I finally sighed.
"...Let's head home."
"Huh?"
"It's late."
Han Choyeun blinked. Then.
"...Pfft."
She burst out laughing.
"Running away."
"...Not running."
"Sure, sure."
Another disbelieving tone. Han Choyeun lightly tapped the vine wall.
Crunch—
The vines began unraveling smoothly. Intertwined ones sank to the ground, plant walls slowly returning to their places. In moments, the room vanished without a trace.
Only the quiet night park remained.
Under the streetlight, Han Choyeun stretched her arms with a yawn.
"...Whew. Shall we go?"
She glanced my way, then linked arms and walked side by side down the park path.
...And watching that scene.
From the shadows of a distant streetlight, Kang Seoyun observed silently.