The Descended Angel's Arrival
"H-hurry and come in, Hunter Lee Seo-yoon! I-I'll... I'll go tell Madam right away!"
"No need. Keep it down. I'll go see my sister myself."
About twenty minutes before opening, the door to the shop swung open, and a woman who had her face almost entirely covered stepped inside. Despite her tall, slender build, her tiny face—sandwiched between a hat and mask—made the sunglasses in between look almost pitiful.
Judging by how covered up she is and Unnie Su-jin's reaction... she must be someone really famous.
"Who's that? I've never seen Su-jin Unnie so flustered before."
Lee Seo-yoon's name didn't ring any bells, so I asked Min-seo Unnie, who'd grown close to me lately from working together.
"Oh my, you don't know Lee Seo-yoon? She's a female hunter just as famous as Madam."
Min-seo Unnie spoke with a hint of reluctance, choosing her words carefully.
The original story stuck strictly to the academy until the protagonist graduated early, so even really famous hunters in Korea were unfamiliar to me. Jeong Ga-eun hadn't been all that interested in hunter stuff from the start anyway...
"Uh... yeah, doesn't ring a bell. But more famous than Madam? Does that mean she's an S-rank hunter?"
Madam was an A-rank hunter, but above all, she was famous on a level where even her brother wouldn't be excused for not knowing her...
If she's more famous than Madam, that means S-rank... weird, though. All of Korea's S-ranks show up in the novel.
As I pondered this, Min-seo Unnie shivered slightly, as if spooked, and leaned in close to whisper.
"No, not that... but out there, she's called the 'Angel Descended Upon the Modern World.'"
"Ah! That's her... but why say it so cautiously?"
I'd heard that nickname plenty of times even after possessing this body. Angel imagery was plastered on products everywhere, and news about her popped up daily across the internet.
She's a healing-type hunter who does medical volunteer work for the poor every day...
High-rank healing-type hunters were in critically short supply worldwide, so Lee Seo-yoon—the one dubbed an angel for her actions—was Korea's pride and joy, a prime source of nationalistic hype.
"Well... sigh, you'll figure it out eventually if you keep working here, kid. Truth is, that bitch is one of the worst VIPs at First..."
Min-seo Unnie's face clouded with fear, as if recalling some horrific memory.
If even sweet, mild-mannered Min-seo Unnie talked like that, she must truly be a total psycho. Online, they said her expression never changed no matter what crazy patients she dealt with during volunteer work...
"You know how much attitude nurses lose dealing directly with patients? But that bitch has been handling everything solo—treatments, patient care—for over five years, ten hours a day minimum. No days off."
"Wow... that sounds brutal. But couldn't she just hire others for the care part?"
"Obviously, she does it face-to-face to build her image. She's one of the heirs to Two Moon Life."
"Oh, a chaebol heir? Didn't know that. But she must really be that dedicated, huh?"
"Yeah. Hypocrisy counts as virtue, I guess... If you ignore what she does at First, she's probably one of the most saintly people in the world."
"Just how bad is it...?"
"Sorry... I just can't bring myself to say it. But don't worry too much yet, kid. She's obsessed with her image, so she doesn't touch new girls within their first month. They're too loose-lipped, no matter how much money you throw at them."
That did sound a little tempting.
"Hmm... does she pay big, then?"
"Huh? Why, thinking of trying? No, absolutely don't. You'll regret it for sure."
Min-seo Unnie looked desperate to dissuade me, but I was like...
I've shoved men's faces into my tits for money already... what could a woman make me do that's worse?
Seeing me seriously mull it over, Min-seo Unnie opened her mouth in a panic.
"Okay, okay. I'll tell you more details, so drop it, kid. She's a healer, so she crosses lines way beyond Madam's 'final line.' She could beat you right up to the brink of death, and Madam might not step in. They're best friends, so she overlooks pretty much anything—"
Right then, as Min-seo Unnie rambled on without pause to talk me out of it—click—the door to Madam's room opened.
She exuded an air of mystique even on a second glance. Her hat and mask still covered most of her face, but the tiny sliver visible—her delicate features and weary eyes—radiated undeniable beauty. Her straight black hair cascaded from under the hat, so silky it tempted you to curl it around your finger. She wore loose, tracksuit-like clothes that hid her figure, which only accentuated the allure of her long, lithe limbs. Honestly, she'd make any outfit look stunning with that ideal slender body. As a woman, I couldn't help envying her; as a man, I'd want to hold her tight... She blended bold confidence with fragile vulnerability, commanding yet somehow making you shrink back just by looking.
Lost in that overwhelming aura, a sudden question hit me.
Huh? But why have I been... oh!
By the time I snapped out of it, our eyes had already met.
For some reason, I couldn't tear my gaze away—it baffled even me.
What's the reason?
Was it childish sympathy because her name resembled my daughter's? Exhaustion from a week of lecherous stares from old men? Or lingering male instincts? I couldn't look away even as she approached, until she spoke first.
"What're you staring at? Feels like I'm being marched to the slaughterhouse. Eun-seo Unnie said you're trustworthy, though?"
"Uh, w-what? Y-yes?"
"Whatever. Follow me."
"O-okay... uh, y-yes..."
"Huh, more obedient than I thought. Don't you know any of the unnies here?"
"Ah... well, I do, but... I just had a feeling it'd be okay..."
"Heh... what a crazy bitch. Fine, it'd be nice to have a toy that doesn't break right away. The girls who've been in with me just tremble and it's no fun."
"O-okay... uh, y-yes... p-please take care of me."
"Take care? Yeah, hope you hold up well. At least until the next newbie settles in."
11.
The moment we entered the room, Lee Seo-yoon plopped onto the sofa and started pouring her own drink.
"Gasp! L-let me pour it for you!"
Self-serving in the room? Absolutely forbidden.
"Nah. What should we try today... start light with cat pose?"
"Eek, yes?"
"Why act so shocked? Didn't you hear the rumors? You know what cat pose is, right?"
Starting with this...? I can do it, but...
Cat pose was something we occasionally struck when club music played in the rooms. But what I'd imagined was... cutely easing a fierce unnie's work stress...
She said she might beat me to near-death, and it's one-on-one with four hours left...
"Ha, fuck. Listen up, rule one. Break it, and you won't walk out of here. Got it? When I say do it, no backtalk—do it in three seconds."
Her words carried a vibe like she could actually kill me. Without even thinking to reply, I collapsed face-down on the floor.
"Good, now you're worth looking at. Ass higher. Higher, higher—no, keep your back still. There. If you can do it, why hesitate? Chin up, eyes covered."
As I lifted my head in cat pose on the bare floor to look at Lee Seo-yoon, a black blindfold swiftly covered my eyes. Unsure whether to lower my head or keep it up, I hesitated—then tick-tick, the lighter flicked, and cigarette smoke wafted over.
"Phew... now you look like a proper whore. Head down again, turn so your pussy faces me."
Her crude words made me flinch, but recalling her warning, I silently spun around as ordered.
"Pfft, so vulgar. Heard you never go to second round, but why's your underwear so slutty?"
"Th-they... picked out matching underwear at the rental shop with the outfit..."
"Don't make bitch excuses wearing shit like that. You're a whore who rubs her trash body on men for a living—why no seconds? Tell the truth. How many dicks has that pussy taken?"
Lee Seo-yoon kept degrading me endlessly, like she was filling her ego by crushing mine. No question was easy to answer without hesitation, but...
Remembering rule one, I forced out responses.
"Tw-two... two people..."
"Two? What, that's it? Pathetic low count. Why hesitate to say it? First time when?"
"At twenty..."
"Why the pause, slut? What, cheating on someone?"
"Gasp... y-yes..."
"Pfft... knew it. But you were cutting it close just now, right? Three seconds. Remember."
"Yes, sorryyy..."
Counting even in that moment? Definitely a psycho.
"So, who were they? Say it—I might know them. You're academy alum, right?"
"Gasp... I-I really can't say... it'd be huge trouble—"
"Ha... bullshit again. What, was Heo Jin-woo one of them?"
For a split second, it felt like my breath caught, and denial wouldn't come out.
"What, for real?"
"No, no!"
"Ha, you fucking bitch. Lying now too? Story seemed fun, was gonna let you talk before starting... guess trash like you needs a beating first to listen."
Thud—Lee Seo-yoon shot up from the sofa, her footsteps closing in eerily. Even blindfolded, her murderous intent stabbed through me.
Just like Min-seo Unnie said, looks like I'm getting beaten right up to the edge of death today.