The Idle One

Yuri-an sat right next to me.

She was close enough that our shoulders would touch if she leaned in just a little.

"Here. You first, Lee Hyun."

Before I could even say a word, she held out a fork. She had speared a slice of peach, holding the fork in one hand while steadying the fruit with the other. She pushed it close, as if she intended to feed me herself. Because she had leaned her body toward me, her arm brushed against mine.

"I'll eat it myself."

I took the fork from her, set it down on the plate, and met her eyes.

"I heard you had something specific to discuss."

"Ah, you're busy, aren't you? I was being thoughtless. I was just in such a good mood, I didn't realize..."

Yuri-an lowered her gaze, putting on a sorrowful expression. Her eyes remained fixed on the fruit.

"You can eat while you talk."

"Really? Then I won't hold back... *hum-hum~*"

She hummed a short tune and speared another slice of peach. She looked at me and smiled brightly, saying it was truly delicious.

'She’s not a celebrity for nothing.'

Her bright, affectionate demeanor suited her well. I couldn't even remember her actual age.

"By the way, Lee Hyun, you really are amazing."

Yuri-an opened her mouth again after eating a few more slices. She swayed the hand holding the fork and crossed her legs. The hem of her dress rode up, revealing a portion of her white thigh.

"In such difficult times, you didn't just survive—you created such a wonderful living environment. You've saved so many people, too."

Yuri-an’s leg brushed lightly against mine.

"Ah~ it would be so nice to live in a place like this. If I work hard, I’ll be able to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enter the main building, right?"

"Yes."

"Pfft... You really are a man of few words."

She burst into laughter for no reason, all while lightly touching my arm. Thanks to her stunning appearance, just looking at her was enough to put anyone in a good mood.

'I wish she’d hurry up and eat.'

Any other man would have felt that way. I just wanted her to get to the point.

"Ah, it's sweet. I never even touched things like this before because I was managing my diet."

The only reason I didn't rush her was that she had provided important information. Yuri-an was receiving various considerations in exchange for that intelligence.

"But now, my activity levels are so high. I'm actually worried because I've lost too much weight."

I hoped the story she was about to tell would be worth the wait.

"They say men don't like it when women are too thin, right? How about you, Lee Hyun?"

"I prefer something moderate."

I gave a vague answer.

"Oh my, I was being too forward. Ah, thank you for the meal."

Fortunately, Yuri-an was quick-witted. She cut the conversation short and moved to the main topic. She set down her fork and picked up her water glass, taking a sip before starting the real conversation.

"Oh? Ah..."

She accidentally spilled water on herself. Yuri-an leaned her upper body forward, shaking the front of her dress. Since she was turned toward me, I could see a bit of the inside of her clothes—her prominent collarbones and the skin just below them.

"I'm sorry. It didn't splash on you, did it?"

"It's fine. Here."

I handed her a handkerchief.

"Oh my? Thank you. Ah, it splashed a little here."

Yuri-an wiped her chest and then let her hand rest on my thigh. It wasn't a suggestive touch, but a natural one.

"That..."

"Just keep it."

I took back the slightly damp handkerchief.

"The reason I wanted to see you separately today is..."

Yuri-an began her story. "Actually, when we left Seoul Station, there was a bit of a dispute."

She started with a cautious tone, explaining that she hadn't been able to speak up because she didn't want to seem like she was bad-mouthing the people she had been with.

"But I felt like you needed to know, Lee Hyun."

"Yes."

"Um... I'll try to keep my personal feelings out of it as much as possible."

I already knew that the Seoul Station faction was adopting a defensive strategy. Yuri-an had contacted us because she didn't like that direction.

"Besides that, there were many things that seemed inefficient to me."

"Inefficient?"

"Yes. There are things that Awakened should do, and things that ordinary people can do."

She said she didn't like how the Seoul Station faction handled work ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and resource distribution. In short, she felt that the Awakened were being forced to sacrifice too much—not in terms of life-or-death risks, but in terms of being taken advantage of.

"On the other hand, Samira has a perfect system. You give out magic stones for work, and those stones can be used like money."

"Yes."

"They don't have anything like that. It's a bit disorganized... and the control is too strict."

Listening to Yuri-an, a question arose. Was it really necessary for her to tell me this in private?

"And, haah... I'll just be honest with you."

"Yes."

"It might sound like I'm bragging, but... I'm pretty."

The topic suddenly veered in a strange direction. It seemed this was the real thing she wanted to say.

"I don't know if you're aware, but while I receive love just for being pretty, I also receive hatred for the same reason."

She was rambling. I listened to her with patience.

"I really didn't do anything!"

"So, you're saying the men were too nice to you, and the women were jealous of that. So you left because it was uncomfortable. Is that it?"

"Uh... it's a bit more complicated, but the context is similar."

It wasn't similar; my understanding was exact.

"The couple leading the Seoul Station faction... if I talk about my situation, it might get a bit awkward..."

"Yes. I understand. Do you have anything else to say?"

"Ah... look at the time."

I understood why she wanted to have a private conversation. The information wasn't entirely useless. But it didn't seem like it had to be a one-on-one meeting with me.

"Thank you for your time. And..."

"Yes."

"Is there a spare room? I think spending a night in the main building would be a great motivation for me."

Yuri-an looked up at me with wide eyes. I could feel her feigned shyness.

"No, there isn't. Get home safely."

I handed her a can of fruit and sent her on her way.

Yuri-an left the main building and headed toward the intern quarters, wiping away the bright smile she had worn in front of Lee Hyun.

'What was he not satisfied with?'

Yuri-an was a person accustomed to receiving. It had been that way since she was young. Not just material things, but intangible things like the affection, interest, or consideration of others—she had always taken them for granted. That was why her feelings were hurt. It was because of Lee Hyun's attitude.

'He should be grateful I even brought it to him, and he just sat there?'

When she asked if she should take care of the fruit herself, he had told her to do exactly that, then sat alone on the sofa. He had taken the fork she offered with his hand and just set it down. He hadn't been swayed by her subtle advances, and he had cleanly rejected her final proposal, which she had worked up the courage to make.

So, Yuri-an wasn't just hurt; her pride was wounded. It was annoying that she couldn't bring herself to throw away the canned goods in her hand.

'Is he playing hard to get because of his looks? No... Ah, was he just too nervous?'

Yuri-an nodded to herself as if she had found the answer. She never doubted herself.

'Pfft. Does he have little experience with women? With that face and that body? Or maybe I’m just too pretty...'

Because in addition to the appearance she was born with and had maintained through constant effort, she had a new weapon.

It was Yuri-an's fundamental skill. At first, she had thought her fundamental skill was a dud. It didn't have the kind of overwhelming effects like controlling someone with a single word or turning the heart of someone who hated her. It just made people like her easily, as if it were natural. Especially men.

Her opinion changed after some time had passed. She had felt the favor of several men she lived with growing at an unnaturally fast rate. They would grant her unreasonable requests without expecting anything in return.

'Right. Let's not think too urgently.'

Yuri-an thought Lee Hyun would be the same. That was why she had moved quickly when she heard he was going to Seoul Station. There were people there who disliked her, and she was afraid they would say things that would make Lee Hyun have negative feelings toward her.

The situation hadn't gone as planned, but the time they spent alone wouldn't have been meaningless.

'I even initiated skinship... It will definitely have an effect. He’ll believe what I say.'

One more thing. Yuri-an's fundamental skill was also influenced by her attitude. She could control the influence of the skill through her words and actions. What gave wings to this characteristic was her level 10 general skill.

Yuri-an thought this skill was just like method acting. She discarded her original personality and completely assimilated into the imagined role. Through this skill, she had even avoided Jang Hoseop’s lie detection. Because she believed the words coming out of her mouth were absolute truths.

'I'm doing well. I'm hitting all the elements that men love...'

Yuri-an was currently acting the character of a "virtuous woman" who maintained a bright personality despite suffering hardships and adversity, all while believing her natural skin and appearance were the power of her skill.

She had experimented with her power on many men. So she was certain. Lee Hyun would eventually fall for her.

'I have to catch Lee Suhyun no matter what. I don't know his exact level, but...'

She had heard stories since coming to Samira. That Lee Hyun had caught hundreds of monsters alone. That other people's skills avoided him. That he was a child of a god, not a human.

It sounded like a lie, but since everyone said so, she thought, 'There must be something to it.' Plus, among all the men she had seen so far, he was the one she liked the most.

'Damn it... I even sent subtle signals. Ah, don't tell me he didn't understand? That's it! Ugh.'

Until the very end, Yuri-an couldn't imagine that she had been rejected.

The day after my private meeting with Yuri-an, I left the house early in the morning. I tightened the straps of my backpack to fit my body perfectly.

"Hoo."

I took a deep breath and started running. My load was light and simple, so I felt no discomfort even when I picked up speed. My destination was Seoul Station. It was northeast of Samira’s territory, and I planned to approach it by finding the main road ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that ran parallel to the train tracks.

Thud—

My running stride was incomparably wider than before. It didn't feel awkward at all to run while carrying weapons. I quickly left the influence zone. If I encountered monsters, I would just shake them off.

'Why is there nothing?'

I was running with that thought when, strangely, the streets were quiet. Yuri-an had lost three comrades on her way to Samira. Naturally, I had assumed there would be many monsters between Samira and Seoul Station. It was strange, but there was nothing in my way, so I ran comfortably.

That was when I got close to Seoul Station.

"Kuaaaaaaagh!"

I heard the roar of a monster, and soon, an enormous number of energy signatures began to register on my [Target Detection]. I couldn't even count them.

"Ah."

It was in the direction of Seoul Station. I reduced the range of [Target Detection] and entered a sturdy building by the roadside. When I climbed to the fourth floor, I could see the scene through the window: monsters were swarming everywhere.

'Are the monsters mixed together?'

Goblins, gnolls, kobolds, and even orcs. Various species of monsters were marching in one direction. The number of goblins was the highest. And in the direction they were heading, there was Seoul Station.

Just as I had heard, there was a high wall, and the monsters were launching a suicide charge to break it down.

"Oh."

There were people on top of the wall. They were throwing things wildly at the monsters. Some used skills, others poured oil. Soon, fire ignited at the base of the wall.

'A siege...'

It felt like watching a movie. There were so many monsters, but the people were defending well. However, a crack soon appeared in that tense standoff.

Whoooooosh—

Surprisingly, a green city bus flew through the air. It flew at a fairly high speed and collided with the wall.

CRASH!!!

The bus plummeted with a thunderous roar. The monsters beneath it were crushed flat. The other monsters didn't care and kept rushing the wall.

Was it the impact of the collision with the bus? The wall began to shake.

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

Then, finally, a corner of the wall collapsed with a crash.

"RETREAT!!!"

At a man's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shout, the people fled in terror. The monsters swarmed into the path created by the collapsed wall. Their backs looked as if they were excited.

'There are too many of them.'

I didn't know how this situation had come to be. What was certain was that there were too many monsters. If things continued like this, the Seoul Station faction wouldn't stand a chance.

Thump.

I stepped on the window frame and jumped down. I approached the rear of the monster legion and naturally crossed the wall along with them. A man looked at me with a bewildered expression.