Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Confrontation (1)
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“Yes, hello everyone! Today, we have with us the rising star who just got promoted to S-rank, right? Let's chat with Hunter Lee Hyun-woo.”
The cafe's TV was broadcasting a story about the newly promoted S-rank hunter. Every time news like this came up about someone reaching S-rank, Kim Yu-jeong found herself caught in a complicated mix of emotions. She glanced absentmindedly at the cafe's glass window and caught her reflection in the night view—her face looked terribly crumpled.
Her gloomy expression wasn't just because of some young hunter's promotion to S-rank. Right now, she was waiting for someone. A text message lit up her phone screen.
[Let's talk at the cafe today]
Kim Yu-jeong knew exactly who had sent it. Ichigaya Ichie, the apprentice hunter from Japan who was hitting on her boyfriend, Jeong Su-hyeon. Just yesterday, they'd been in the middle of a fierce glare-down, and now this woman was suddenly reaching out to her. Kim Yu-jeong couldn't pin down what Ichie was really after.
Word was her father ran a construction company—maybe she was trying to buy me off with money? Kim Yu-jeong imagined some third-rate drama plot and let out a hollow chuckle to herself. No matter how she thought about it, that felt way too far-fetched. She checked the time again.
Having arrived ten minutes early, there wasn't even a glimpse of Ichie. She turned her eyes back to the TV. The hot new S-rank hunter, Lee Hyun-woo, was smiling through his interview. As the youngest to ever reach S-rank, he was handsome and had a reputation for good manners, shooting him straight to stardom.
Kim Yu-jeong shifted her gaze back to her phone. Watching S-rank hunters never put her in a good mood. Everyone at the Black Dragon Clan felt the same. They all knew how desperately their clan leader yearned for S-rank.
But at the same time, Kim Yu-jeong knew it wasn't right to steal opportunities from young hunters just because of that. Even if she spoke up, the clan leader wasn't likely to listen, so she simply kept her silence.
“You're late.”
Ichie's voice slid down from above, brushing over Kim Yu-jeong's entire body. Kim Yu-jeong tapped at her coffee on the table and looked up. Ichie sat down, small bag in hand, flashing a bright smile at her. That smile rubbed Kim Yu-jeong the wrong way. She had no idea what scheme was behind it. With a sharp clack, she set her phone down and spoke.
“Ichie. So, what did you call me here for? I'm a D-rank hunter too, you know—I've got my own schedule.”
“Straight to the point?”
“I don't like beating around the bush.”
Kim Yu-jeong was on edge with Ichie. She'd clearly seen her flirting with Jeong Su-hyeon yesterday while cutting her down as some old hag. Kim Yu-jeong was the type to treat everyone kindly with a smile, but she wasn't forgiving toward those who came at her aggressively. Meeting Kim Yu-jeong's sharp gaze, Ichie said,
“Su-hyeon-oppa. He's a cool guy.”
Kim Yu-jeong almost nodded instinctively but lifted her chin high in a senior's dignified poise, looking down at Ichie. Despite Kim Yu-jeong's attempt to exude intimidation, Ichie didn't bat an eye. Kim Yu-jeong felt like she was losing ground in the stare-down. There wasn't a hint of unease in Ichie's eyes.
She'd thought she'd created a properly oppressive atmosphere, but Ichie acted like it was nothing new.
Kim Yu-jeong opened her mouth.
“Ichie. You like Su-hyeon, don't you?”
Ichie's eyes flickered slightly. She rolled them around uncertainly before nodding and murmuring softly.
“Yes.”
“Give up.”
“No way.”
Kim Yu-jeong sighed. She'd never wanted to air out a mentor-mentee romance like this, but she had no choice. She said,
“...Sorry I didn't mention it sooner, but Su-hyeon and I are dating right now. I held off saying anything because I didn't want to create weird tension in the team.”
“I know.”
Ichie nodded in response. Now it was Kim Yu-jeong's turn to freeze. She couldn't process what Ichie had just said for a moment. She knows? And she's still been flirting with Su-hyeon? Kim Yu-jeong finally understood what it felt like to have her mind go completely blank. It was like the tide rushing out of her sea of thoughts, leaving the ocean floor bare before one single idea slowly filled it back up. Right now, that idea cresting to full tide was sheer absurdity. Kim Yu-jeong let out a hollow laugh as she stared at Ichie.
“Do you even know what you're saying?”
“I do.”
“No, I just told you Su-hyeon and I are together?”
“Yu-jeong-unnie. He's a good guy.”
“What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
“So let's all date him together.”
Once again, Kim Yu-jeong's mind drained dry. Her head spun. She couldn't grasp what Ichie was saying. Her breathing grew ragged. All that came out was laughter. Kim Yu-jeong said,
“What... what are you even saying? Ichie. I can't wrap my head around this.”
“Yu-jeong-unnie. He's a good guy. Su-hyeon-oppa. You'd regret breaking up with him. But I like him too. So let's date him together. As a special arrangement. Please, unnie—you're a good person.”
“'Please'?”
That one word grated on her nerves. Ichie nodded. She glanced around before lowering her voice a bit.
“I really think you're a good person, Yu-jeong-unnie.”
Kim Yu-jeong didn't know if she should feel flattered or insulted by Ichie's words. She said,
“Why should I do that? You expect me to just sit back and watch him two-time me? No way. Absolutely not. I hate it. Ichie, you're still young and don't know how the world works—one man, one woman, that's how it...”
“I'll join the Black Dragon Clan.”
Kim Yu-jeong shut her mouth. Ichie continued,
“I'll join the Black Dragon Clan. Let me date Su-hyeon-oppa, and I'll do it. I might even change my nickname to Musashi later.”
It was the one thing she'd been waiting to hear, but not under these circumstances. Caught off guard, Kim Yu-jeong stammered back,
“Wait, hold on. What kind of condition is that? These things have nothing to do with each other. Right?”
“Yu-jeong-unnie. You're at the bottom of the guild. I heard you're working hard at guild life.”
Kim Yu-jeong narrowed her eyes at Ichie's words.
“You investigated me?”
“This stuff's easy.”
Ichie opened her bag. A document written in Japanese poked out, with “Kim Yu-jeong” in hanja right at the front. Kim Yu-jeong couldn't miss the characters from her own ID.
She skimmed it, but the Japanese made it unreadable. When Ichie reached to take it back, she yanked it away, stuffed it in her own bag, and said,
“What are you playing at?”
“If you reject my offer, Yu-jeong-unnie, I'll go to the Black Dragon Clan today. I'll say you stole my man. And tell them that's why I won't join.”
Kim Yu-jeong's eyes wavered. But she quickly regained her composure. This was just empty talk to rattle her. Ichie wouldn't actually do it. With that thought, Kim Yu-jeong flashed a confident smile.
“Go ahead. No one's going to listen to that childish tantrum.”
“They won't? You sure? Should I call right now? Can you really handle it?”
Kim Yu-jeong's face twisted. Unease crept in. Ichie pressed on,
“Yu-jeong-unnie. You were talking to someone called 'Jun-hyeok-sunbae.' Why report your relationship with Su-hyeon-oppa to him? Why always say everything's fine and hang up? Does Su-hyeon-oppa know you're reporting to Yu-jeong-unnie?”
“......How much did you dig up?”
Kim Yu-jeong stared at Ichie in panic. Ichie said,
“Check under the driver's seat of your car.”
It meant a bug was planted in her car. Kim Yu-jeong's strength drained away. Clutching her head, she said,
“N-no, don't misunderstand. That was just formal stuff. I really like Su-hyeon. For real.”
Ichie nodded and said,
“I know.”
Ichie gently took Kim Yu-jeong's hand. Kim Yu-jeong noticed the calluses on Ichie's fingers—thick from years of gripping a sword, just like Thunder Sword Lee Jun-hyeok's. Ichie's voice came again.
“So let's all date him together.”
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“Give me some time to think. I mean, we have to hear what Su-hyeon thinks too, right? It'd be meaningless if he hates it. Just a little time, please.”
The meeting ended like that.
Kim Yu-jeong headed to her college friend's place, document in hand. She ground her teeth replaying the encounter. She hadn't just rolled over for Ichie's two-timing demand. She had her own counterattack planned.
This document—the evidence of Ichie's background check that she'd handed over so casually. With it, Kim Yu-jeong could turn the tables on her. She'd show it to Jeong Su-hyeon first and accuse Ichie of stalking, blackmail, and slander.
As she skimmed the papers, Kim Yu-jeong thought Ichie was still naive in some ways. Handing over something this incriminating so easily.
Before showing Jeong Su-hyeon, she'd have her Japanese-major friend from college translate it. The friend now worked as a translator at a small publishing house.
She examined the documents Kim Yu-jeong had sent her and asked,
“What's this?”
“Can you read what's in there?”
“Sure, easy. 'It's raining in Shinjuku. Where are you right now?' This is song lyrics.”
“...What?”
“Song lyrics. All Japanese song lyrics. What's this? Why's your name on the cover?”
Kim Yu-jeong's mind ebbed dry once more.
“K-keep reading to the end. Nothing else? Really?”
“Uh... ends like this. 'Thanks for the translation. But everything else is true.'”
“Ah......”
Kim Yu-jeong clutched her head. Then something else hit her—the bug. She'd said it was definitely in the back seat. Remembering that, she bolted to her car. If there was a bug, maybe she could counterattack with it.
Kim Yu-jeong opened the back door and checked under the driver's seat. A piece of paper lay there. She pulled it out and read the clumsy Korean.
[It was here.]