Looks like we can go catch the Demon King one more time
Yoo Seol-ah was trying to hide her beet-red face by avoiding our gazes, but it was pointless—her tiny ears, peeking occasionally through her swaying silver hair, were flushed just as brightly. I teased her about going so far as to use magic to shove me off, but I held back from pushing further; one more jab, and she might've stormed out of the party room entirely. Quick-on-the-uptake Lee Seo-yeon reined herself in too, and I silently thanked her while hunting for a new topic. Toss them something decent, even forced, and they'd dive right into girl talk on their own.
"Come to think of it, you guys ported back right after I did?"
"Woke up at home the second I confirmed you were gone."
"...Same here, actually. Had no clue Lee Seo-yeon was a summoner too."
"But Seol-ah, why won't you call me Seo-yeon...? I love our cute little Seol-ah-chan."
"Seol-ah-chan—what the hell... oh."
Yoo Seol-ah froze mid-freakout, realization dawning as she trailed off.
With a lineup like ours, we might as well have been assembled to slay the Demon King—but nah, we were all just members of the otaku club H-Culture. Getting back together like this was a one-in-a-million shot stacked on top of another, but I doubted it was pure coincidence. Nothing solid, though, so I let it slide. Yoo Seol-ah takes hits well but definitely isn't the type to sulk for long. Our party's girls had always been chatterboxes anyway, so as expected, the room soon buzzed with noise.
Quick updates on life post-return, then straight to Yoo Seol-ah's hair. I chimed in occasionally, mostly just listening.
"...But seriously, I really thought her hair wasn't dyed."
"Whoa, so it is dyed... I was like, 'Do they have natural silver hair over there?' It's gorgeous."
"Did it at a salon right after turning twenty. Got kidnapped to Astasia immediately after, so I've just been refreshing it with magic ever since."
"Dyeing with magic? ...Yeah, figures you could."
This was the girl who'd mix wind spells to skip walking because her legs hurt, flying everywhere like it was nothing. She'd even slap down persistent magic circles for auto-farming trash mobs without budging an inch—a total magic addict. No spell was too out-there for her. Watching her all those years, I'd say she had a mild case of magic dependency...
Just to be safe, I asked, "You haven't been flying around post-return, right?"
"...Dude, I take the bus and walk like a normal person. What do you take me for?"
She shot me a glare, but fair enough—she wasn't the attention-seeking type. I just figured if a post popped up online like "Super pretty silver-haired girl floating over downtown Seoul—what's this?!" it'd be too suspicious to ignore. Honestly, I could outpace public transit bare-handed too, but no rush? Why bother.
"But you know a salon that does it this well, and your makeup's on point too... Ever prepped for idol stuff? Or are you already in entertainment?"
Lee Seo-yeon's point was spot-on. I'd never seen a celeb prettier than Yoo Seol-ah.
"Nah, nothing like that... Just picked it up along the way."
"No cap, though—you're stunning with or without it. Right, Baek Sion?"
"Cheating-level either way."
Now she looked a touch softer than in Astasia, eyes seeming bigger? I knew zilch about makeup, but it felt minimal—and honestly, she was just pretty, period.
"...And nothing comes of it."
She seemed subtly embarrassed but wouldn't dream of calling herself ugly. Duh—she had mirrors.
"Kinda jealous, though."
"Of what?"
"You two are total stunners, already married so no drama, no more fighting all day. Just lock eyes and dive straight to bed—mmph!"
Yoo Seol-ah beat me to clamping Lee Seo-yeon's mouth. What was up with this saintess today? Sure, pent-up folks explode on release, but...
Her hand slipped off quick—Yoo Seol-ah's base strength was weak sauce.
"I'm not just spewing sex talk for kicks."
"Then why? And we're not actually—"
Lee Seo-yeon steamrolled past, ignoring her.
"Back in Astasia, we fought daily. Real close calls too. Humans get hyped in kill-or-be-killed mode, right?"
True. Life-or-death wasn't some sport.
"Then boom—total peace. Gotta vent that somehow. Something strong."
Yoo Seol-ah's already-big eyes went wide, mouth agape. Yeah, I'd heard dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins amp up libido. Seeing her earlier had sparked those thoughts too—solid logic.
Lee Seo-yeon leaned to her ear, whispering softer: "Me? Next day back, I kept self—healing and—"
"Hey!! He's listening!"
I hadn't meant to eavesdrop—senses were just too sharp. Yoo Seol-ah mashed her hand over Lee Seo-yeon's mouth harder this time, then glanced frantically between us, face redder than ever.
What? She got it already, judging by her reaction. Let me piece it together. Everything clicked except... self-healing?
"You got it right away, so you did the same... right?"
"W-W-What are you even—?!"
She shot me desperate eyes, but too late—I'd connected the dots. To spare her dignity, I kept my tone mild.
"Hey, I get it. Solo play's not a crime."
...Heard girls' convos get dirtier. Checks out. Three years of life-and-death? This barely fazed me—just a mild shock. Lee Seo-yeon was a comrade, nothing more. Yoo Seol-ah? Very intriguing, yeah.
Our grand mage was bowed over, hands nearly clawing her face off. Careful, you'd scratch it.
"Not that I'm sex-obsessed—it's just natural."
Not wrong, but she sure seemed hooked. Made me think—my drive felt stronger too, post-three-years.
We clammed up, leaving Lee Seo-yeon to monologue.
"Unlike solo me, you two are Peira-approved husband-and-wife. No guilt, just enjoy—jealous."
Yoo Seol-ah was deep in stun-lock, @ spinning over her head like a cartoon.
How to snap her out? Then the door swung open.
"......"
Light-brown-haired stunner... wearing a pink-haired ponytail character tee. He scanned us, then: "Wrong room, sorry."
Door shut before we spoke. Three seconds later, reopened.
"......"
Repeat peek-and-close. Lee Seo-yeon finally yelled, "What're you doing? Come in!"
"......"
He shuffled to the center chair wordlessly. Hero Doyun. Outfit screamed club prez.
Long silence. Yoo Seol-ah perked up a bit. Doyun, looking wronged, finally spoke.
"Am I the only one shocked? Didn't expect tears, but this?"
"Three's a party already—one more changes zilch."
Lee Seo-yeon snapped back. I felt a twinge of guilt, but my shock quota was tapped—no biggie. Should've reacted, though?
"Kinda weird saying it, but I was the Hero..."
"Weakest of four, though. Even more without the holy sword."
...Facts. Stats-wise, yeah. Lee Seo-yeon's burns on him and Yoo Seol-ah earlier? She might've been our strongest.
"...Saints allowed to do this?"
Poor guy. Lee Seo-yeon finally smiled. "Sorry, kidding. Super glad to see you—just messing since I was shocked enough already."
Party bonds were tight, obviously. Just our saintess, free of divine duties, going feral solo. Doyun grinned good-naturedly.
"All together now—Demon King rematch?"
"No."
"Don't even joke..."
"...One more and I'm out."
We pounced in unison—even shaky Yoo Seol-ah. Doyun's face crumpled pitifully.
"C'mon... Can't I joke?"
Jokes have limits. He took hits well, though—perfect setup.