Chapter 218: The Wolf's Misunderstanding
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: The Wolf's Misunderstanding
I didn't know why she'd suddenly screamed, but my master still didn't look well even after waking up.
Her face was still pale, and her fingertips were trembling slightly.
The only small relief was that her hands were warm.
Better than being ice-cold.
But she still looked as frail as a patient.
That wasn't the only problem.
There was that Silver Wolf Tribe woman we met in front of the building, Joo Seoyeon.
She resembled my master so much I'd mistaken them for a moment, so they had to be close relatives, like family or cousins. There was probably a reason for their different last names.
But judging by my master's reaction, it was clear they weren't on good terms.
And it didn't seem like that woman had come with good intentions, either.
I felt too uneasy to leave my master at the dojo by herself.
“...So that's why you brought her here?”
“Yeah.”
With a heavy sigh, Noel's brow furrowed.
When I gently pressed her forehead to smooth it out, Noel stared at me. She seemed to be asking, 'What are you doing?'
“You'll get wrinkles.”
Noel let out a disbelieving scoff at my answer.
Tug.
Just then, someone tugged on my collar.
It was my master. Having been half-dragged here by me, she looked clearly anxious.
“I'm fine, I can go back to the dojo...”
“What will you do if that woman comes back?”
“...”
I hadn't heard anything about this Joo Seoyeon woman.
I hadn't even asked. There was no way I could question someone who had a fit and fainted at the mere mention of a name.
I trusted she would tell me when she was ready.
“There are plenty of rooms, anyway.”
“That's not it...”
“Hm?”
My master, uncharacteristically, fidgeted with her fingers and glanced between Noel and me as if walking on eggshells.
“...Isn't it a bit strange for me to live in the same house as you and your girlfriend?”
“Ah.”
Right. An outsider might see it that way.
And I guess I was only thinking about my master.
'Should I have asked Noel first?'
Even though I'd bought the house, this was a place I shared with Noel.
She had every right to be upset if I suddenly announced that someone else would be living with us without any discussion.
She wouldn't show it, but she'd probably bottle it up.
This was my mistake.
The only saving grace was that the house next door was empty.
“Then, the house next door...”
“Then you can take the room next to mine.”
“?”
Noel, who had been standing at the entrance, had somehow taken my master's hand.
Was Noel always that fast?
“Let me give you a tour, shall I? I'll show you my room first.”
“Uh, uh...?”
Bewildered, my master was pulled inside, shooting me a look that pleaded for help.
I just watched them blankly.
What was that?
*
“Hehe.”
It went without saying, but Noel was not pleased when Kang Hyun-woo brought Jeon Seoha home.
Discomfort aside, what woman in the world would welcome a new love rival?
But looking at her, a line from a comic she'd read yesterday came to mind.
[A crisis is an opportunity.]
This was an opportunity.
First of all, Kang Hyun-woo had many women. Not just a few, either. She knew of at least four.
She had only met Choi Hyena in person, but thanks to her characteristically sharp beast-kin sense of smell, she'd long known that he carried the scents of several different women.
Of course, that wasn't the problem.
It was only natural for a superior male to have multiple females.
But just as there was a hierarchy among beasts, there was a hierarchy among wives.
And just as a pack has only one leader, there can only be one first wife.
Of course, winning the position of first wife in the pack of a superior male was no easy task.
She knew this well, having grown up with a father who had countless women.
Noel's plan was simple.
To gain an advantage in the future competition to become the first wife, she would bring Jeon Seoha over to her side.
Knowing Kang Hyun-woo's personality, there was no way he would leave that wolf girl alone. He'd make a move on her within a week at the latest.
Of course, the position of first wife ultimately depended on the husband's favor, but she wasn't worried about that.
She was confident.
Confident that Kang Hyun-woo's feelings for her were just as strong as his feelings for the other women.
No, perhaps even stronger. This wasn't baseless confidence, either.
'He's walking on eggshells around me, isn't he?'
She had just crossed her arms at the entrance and pretended to be slightly upset, and Kang Hyun-woo was already watching her mood.
This was undeniable proof.
Some might not think it was a big deal, but in her tribe, there were only two reasons a husband would walk on eggshells around his wife.
Either he couldn't provide for the family, or he was bad in bed.
Otherwise, the husband was the absolute authority.
The reason was simple.
With the exception of a very small number of women like herself, it was the men's duty to protect the tribe and the village.
It was a natural courtesy for those who risked their lives.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
She remembered a neighbor from her childhood who couldn't say a word against his wife. One day, her curiosity got the better of her, and she asked him directly.
-Mister, why can't you talk back to your wife? Are you impotent?
-...
The man had given an awkward laugh and replied.
-That's because I love her so much, little one. The more a man loves a woman, the more he worries about her mood.
His words struck her like a bolt of lightning.
He walks on eggshells because he loves her so much!
In that respect, Kang Hyun-woo didn't usually walk on eggshells around her.
Of course, she had no complaints about that.
After all, with the way he pounced on her every night like he was going to devour her, it would be stranger to doubt his affection.
So she hadn't paid it much mind, but...
'Hehe.'
Seeing Kang Hyun-woo looking so sheepish and mindful of her, so unlike his usual self, made her feel inexplicably happy.
His reaction seemed to prove that she wasn't just some replaceable woman.
Besides, this house belonged to Kang Hyun-woo.
It was his freedom to bring whomever he wanted to live here.
So for him to be so mindful of her feelings... wasn't that proof of how much he loved her?
Of course, they hadn't officially married yet, but...
When an unmarried man and woman live together and share a bed every night, it was practically a common-law marriage.
'Hehe.'
As hopeful possibilities raced through her mind, a smile spread across Noel's lips.
But Jeon Seoha, being dragged along by Noel, did not look happy.
It wasn't just that her face was pale from the shock of fainting.
'This feels strange...'
There was a strange tightness in her chest.
Why?
Contrary to her fears, far from being abandoned, Kang Hyun-woo—her disciple—had even brought her to his home out of concern for her.
When he led her by the hand into the taxi, her heart pounded so fast she thought it would burst.
She didn't even notice the smell of gasoline she hated so much.
Without realizing it, she found herself hanging on his every word, captivated by his scent.
How long had it been since someone worried about her?
'Back in my family, they'd just call me filthy even if I came home bleeding...'
Throughout the taxi ride, she didn't once look at the scenery outside.
Her face was too hot, and the corners of her mouth kept twitching.
She had no idea what kind of expression she was making, but she was certain it was one she could never show him, her disciple.
Never had she resented her tail, wagging back and forth of its own accord, as much as she did then.
In any case, when they arrived in front of his house, practical worries began to surface.
'A-a man and a woman in their prime, under one roof...'
It was true that her knowledge of the world was somewhat lacking, but she knew what it meant for an unmarried man and woman to live under the same roof.
Living together.
She'd seen it in a drama she'd happened to watch at dawn.
The main characters, who were lovers, lived in the same house like a married couple.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, they spent their first night together. After that, they made love passionately day and night, without rest.
'N-no way...'
Could her disciple have brought her here expecting something like that?
In the first place, though they were master and disciple, there wasn't much of an age difference between them.
She didn't know if she was an attractive woman, but she'd heard that the libido of a male in his prime was beyond imagination.
Gulp...
Jeon Seoha clasped her trembling hands, steeling herself.
Besides, Kang Hyun-woo wasn't the only adult in their prime here.
Jeon Seoha, too, was a beast-kin who frequently went into heat.
Without realizing it, she pressed closer to Kang Hyun-woo's side, her tail wagging gently.
Kang Hyun-woo inwardly questioned the strangely close distance between them but brushed it off as his imagination.
Click.
The door opened.
And then, Jeon Seoha realized it had all been a misunderstanding.
-Master! You're back early... huh?
Thump—
The roller coaster that had climbed to its highest peak suddenly plummeted.
My heart ached.
Truthfully, she already knew he had other women.
He always carried the scent of a woman on him.
Hadn't this very rabbit girl visited the dojo with him?
'...It's only natural, I suppose.'
It was perfectly normal for an attractive man like her disciple to have many women.
More importantly, there was no way her disciple could genuinely desire a woman as short and flat-chested as her.
Her disciple's feelings for her weren't affection or lust, but pity.
Because he was kind.
So she shouldn't get her hopes up.
But when he called the rabbit girl his girlfriend, the tightness in her chest turned into a sharp ache.
'...I don't understand.'
I don't know what this feeling is.
*
The next day, I headed to the Hunter Association.
Just as I'd been questioned at the church, I had to be questioned by the Association as well.
Honestly, it was a pain.
“No matter how many times I see it, it's so tall.”
“It is tall, though there are five other buildings in Seoul that are even taller.”
“What?!”
Of course, Noel came with me. She was also a victim in this demon worshipper incident.
My master stayed home. I invited her to come along, but she said she was uncomfortable in crowded places, so I couldn't force her.
I made a mental note to buy some snacks on my way home and entered the building.
“Are you Mr. Kang Hyun-woo and Ms. Noel?”
As if she had been waiting, a female employee in a suit approached us.
Not only had I never seen her before, but she wasn't an ordinary person. Her aura was quite strong; I guessed she was around B-rank.
“And you are?”
“A pleasure to meet you. I'm Assistant Manager Song Yukyung, and I'll be guiding you and conducting the questioning today.”
The employee smiled lightly and handed me her business card.
[Hunter Surveillance Department, Assistant Manager Song Yukyung]
“The Surveillance Department?”
I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw the card.
Of all places, the Surveillance Department.
The Surveillance Department did exactly what its name implied: it monitored Hunters. It was a department Hunters tended to avoid, as it had the authority to do anything from issuing disciplinary actions to carrying out forceful suppressions, depending on the situation.
As such, it was one of the most powerful departments within the Association.
'She looks to be in her early to mid-twenties at most, doesn't she?'
To have become an assistant manager in the Surveillance Department at such a young age meant she was an incredible elite.
Either that, or she got the job through connections.
I had no intention of focusing on being a Hunter, but it seemed there was no harm in getting on her good side.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. We'll be in your care today.”
When I offered a handshake, Assistant Manager Song Yukyung stared at my hand in surprise. She seemed to be thinking, 'A mage is giving a normal greeting?'
Well, I could sort of agree that mages tend to be arrogant assholes.
It was convenient for me, though, since I didn't have to bother with tedious formalities.
After the brief introductions, we got on an elevator and went up.
When we arrived, I saw a familiar face.