Disciple: Baek Jaesung 17
Conversations with Jaesung were a delight. Everett could barely remember the last time she'd enjoyed talking this much—it felt like ages ago. That must have been why she was chattier than usual. Her chats with Murray were formal, sure, but miles away from fun. His topics were always grave, serious, and complicated: international politics, vegetarianism, or feminism—stuff Everett had zero interest in. When they talked, she was mostly just the audience. Of course, she didn't hate it. Those informative discussions had their own appeal. People can't live on just their favorite topics forever. Still, she found her talks with Jaesung way more entertaining. He never touched on heavy stuff like Murray did. It was all about favorite foods, hobbies, movies or comics that blew his mind, or girls. And out of all that, the girl talk hooked her the most.
"By the way, where's Sujin?"
Everett, mid-conversation, brought up Sujin. Jaesung usually had her glued to his side in the evenings. They were like needle and thread.
"Think she's under the weather. Hasn't come out of her room. Want me to call her?"
Jaesung answered casually.
His words jogged Everett's memory of the message Sujin had asked her to pass on. She asked cautiously,
"Oh, right. Did Sujin say anything to you, by any chance?"
Jaesung tilted his head at her question.
"Sujin? Nah, haven't heard from her. What'd she say?"
A flurry of thoughts raced through Everett's mind. Strictly speaking, she should relay Sujin's words right here. Her rational side knew that. But her mouth wouldn't move. Why? She couldn't figure out why she was holding back. Or rather, she knew but didn't want to admit it. Staring at Jaesung's frank gaze, she pictured herself being taken by him. It would surely be a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience. And deep down, her desires craved exactly that.
"Nah, it's nothing... You two were apart, so I wondered if you'd fought or something."
"Haha, fought? We don't fight. Just busy with training, so we're apart for a bit."
"That training—you're really doing it with Master Kim Minyoung?"
Murray jumped in, steering the conversation. He was very curious about Jaesung's training. And who could blame him? Minyoung was a famous dungeon hunter even in America. Her 3 Rank prowess was impressive, but her title as KHC Master made her legendary. The KHC Master was the highest grade in the KHC proficiency system managed by the Korean Hunter Association. It was like a black belt in martial arts, but with far greater prestige. Worldwide, there were fewer than 100 KHC Masters. Over half were Korean, the rest foreigners. Even in hunter heaven America, there were barely ten—and most tied to the KHC founding family.
"What're you learning?"
"Just the basics of KHC. Conditioning the body, repeating fundamental moves a few hundred times."
"Getting basics straight from a KHC Master herself. I'm jealous."
Murray didn't hide his envy. He asked Jaesung how he could get under her tutelage too. America had AHC—American Hunter Combat—but in terms of martial prestige, KHC was a cut above. Jaesung brushed it off vaguely, saying he didn't know. His attention stayed fixed on Everett, eyes sparkling, ignoring Murray's male curiosity entirely.
The dinner vibe was odd. Jaesung chatted with Everett, Jaesung with Murray—but Everett and Murray barely exchanged words.
*-*-*
(Hoo...)
Everett let out a deep sigh. The choice she was making now would upend her entire life. She had no clue what the outcome would be. Ruin? Ascension? Her future was a foggy unknown, but one thing was crystal clear: until now, she'd been trapped in her rigid shell. Human or bird, everyone must eventually break free from their egg. And for Everett, that moment was today.
She reached into the air. A brilliant light bloomed from her hand, shaping into a small rectangle—the size of a playing card. It solidified into a real card. Everett stared at it. It bore the eye symbol commonly called the Eye of Horus.
Fortune Card. That was Everett's ability—a wildly unpredictable special-type power. The user drew a random card at set intervals. She got one per day and could hold up to five. To draw more, she had to discard or use one. Cards were always random, with effects ranging from mighty to mundane—an endless spectrum. Summon a chocolate bar. Make hair grow fast. Wake from sleep. Slash with invisible blades. Fly for an hour. Even steal someone else's ability for a day. The possibilities were vast beyond words.
The Eye of Horus in her hand let her see any spot within a 100-meter radius for 10 minutes. Everett activated it, targeting the training center's bathhouse. Peeking like this was obviously illegal, but she'd already crossed that line.
(Haa... nice.)
She spotted Jaesung first. She'd triggered the power right as he entered, so he was easy to find. He was soaking in the hot tub, his massive serpent buoyed to the surface. Other men's eyes drifted to it, filled with envy. Jaesung ignored them completely.
(Haa... impressive as ever.)
The bathhouse had plenty of guys. She wasn't interested in theirs, but her gaze wandered anyway—curious about average sizes. None came close to half of Jaesung's. Porn really was a fantasy.
(Whoa!? Murray's here too...)
Murray was shampooing under a showerhead. His dick was visible, flaccid—and still nowhere near Jaesung's half. Everett couldn't hide her disappointment. Objectively, Murray's wasn't small; it was above average. But it clashed with the sturdy image he'd built. Jaesung's made it look pathetic by comparison.
Her gaze returned to Jaesung. Everett steeled herself, changed clothes. Underwear was her lucky set—black lace galore, made more for stripping than wearing. Over that, a thin top and short dolphin pants. She hit the first-floor convenience store for a beer. She needed a little liquid courage. Downing it at the cup ramen tasting station, she felt the buzz lighten her mood. She was strong with booze—one beer wouldn't get her drunk—but it helped. Blacking out would ruin remembering the big moment, so she paced herself.
(Everett.)
Murray's voice called out. He approached, hair still wet. Post-shower beer was his ritual; he held a can.
Grinning with his beer, he said,
"You here for a drink too? Wanna share?"
She shook her empty can.
"Already finished."
"Um, Everett. Can we talk? Just for a sec?"
He met her eyes steadily. He'd planned to ask her out today. The workshop's final-day fireworks parade was perfect for a confession.
Fiddling with the ring case in his pocket, he continued,
"There's a parade here on the last day of the workshop, right?"
Everett barely heard him. She tossed the can in the trash.
"Wanna watch the fireworks with me then? I scouted a great spot—a little hill above the parking lot."
"Yeah. Sure. Let's do it."
She agreed absently. Her mind wasn't on Murray at all—just a brush-off to ditch the nuisance. Oblivious, he beamed with joy.
"It'll be a blast. Everyone raves about the fireworks. I looked up the parade too, and..."
"Murray. I'm heading out. Wanna crash early tonight."
She left him chattering to himself. He reached out pathetically but couldn't grab her. Staring after her as she exited the store, he muttered,
"Must be tired. Hm, but the fireworks should cheer her up, right?"