Childhood Friends Again
Gangnam, the central hub for South Korea's hunters.
Most of the major guilds, including the Association, were located here.
After a thirty-minute taxi ride, the massive headquarters of the Shinye Guild—my destination for today—came into view.
The moment I stepped inside, the faint scent of roses drifted past, and the red rose emblem—the symbol of the Shinye Guild—caught my eye.
True to its reputation as an all-female guild known as the 'Flower of the Tower,' the atmosphere in the lobby was on an entirely different level compared to other guilds.
As I looked around, taking in the interior, a receptionist dressed in a neat suit approached and bowed politely.
"You must be Reporter Lee Eunwoo, correct?"
"Ah, yes."
"Right this way, please."
I followed her to Yena's private office.
Knock, knock.
"Hunter Lee, Reporter Lee Eunwoo has arrived."
"C-Come in!"
Hearing Yena's voice through the door, the corners of my mouth twitched upward despite myself.
The world called her one of the strongest hunters alive... but seeing her get so nervous and excited just because I was here made my heart soften.
I had avoided her all this time precisely because I knew I would react like this.
However, this recent incident had taught me one thing.
Pushing her away completely wasn't doing Yena any favors.
In fact, I realized that if she ever reached her breaking point, it would only lead to a much bigger disaster.
If so, there was only one thing I could do.
Keep a proper distance, but stay by her side to support her until someone else came into her life.
It would be hard on my own sanity, but... it was the bare minimum atonement I owed her.
"Whew..."
Taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart, I opened the door.
Instantly, Yena's smile captured my gaze.
She looked so beautiful it took my breath away.
An oversized white button-down shirt and light blue jeans.
It was the perfect outfit, fitting for a childhood friend and ex-girlfriend who knew my tastes all too well.
"H-Hyeonju, could you bring us something to eat...?"
"Hehe, yes, ma'am."
With a polite bow, the assistant slipped out of the room, leaving the two of us alone in the office.
"It must have been a hassle getting all the way here, right?"
"Ah, no. There's a taxi stand right in front of the station, so it didn't take long..."
"I-I see."
It was awkward as hell.
Maybe because it was still March and I was wearing a thick shirt, cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
"Did you finish the pork cutlet back then...?"
Yena nodded.
Seeing her nod, I felt a small wave of relief.
I hated the thought of her skipping meals because of me.
"Why did you... leave without eating? Did you really hate eating with me that much...?"
"It wasn't that. An urgent interview came up, so I had to head back to the office in a hurry."
"I-I see... I jumped to conclusions again. I'm sorry..."
"No... I should have told you first."
Seeing Yena's awkward smile of genuine relief made my heart ache slightly.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of a knock breaking the awkward silence, Yena's shoulders flinched.
The assistant who had left earlier returned with a luxurious tray and began setting out refreshments.
"Y-You like cookies, right? A French pastry chef kneaded and made these by hand. They're my absolute favorite..."
Explaining the cookies, she gently slid the plate the assistant had placed on the table toward me.
"Thanks. I'll enjoy them."
I took a bite, and the rich flavor of butter instantly filled my mouth.
Watching my reaction closely, Yena then handed me a cup of steaming black tea.
"It tastes even better if you take a sip of tea right after..."
Slurp.
I took a sip of the tea as Yena suggested.
"...It's good."
"R-Right?! Try this one too."
As she offered me another cookie with a bright smile, my heart twinged once more.
Sigh. I needed to get to the point quickly.
If I kept this up, I would lose myself in her presence and forget why I even came here.
Pulling a magazine out of my bag, I looked at Yena.
"Yena, have you ever actually looked at our company's monthly pictorials?"
"..."
Yena kept her mouth shut and shook her head.
Just as I thought.
She had agreed to the photoshoot without thinking, driven solely by the desire to work with me.
"Our magazine is pretty revealing... Can you really wear clothes like this in front of other people?"
As I flipped through the pages to show her the pictorials, her already large eyes widened.
It seemed she truly hadn't imagined the outfits would be this provocative.
"I wouldn't mind if it was just for you, Eunwoo..."
"What are you talking about? I'm in charge of the interview, so I won't even be there when you shoot the pictorial."
"Don't worry about that. I already sorted it out with your CEO. He agreed to make sure the entire staff is female."
Sigh... She was always so meticulous about the strangest things.
Instead of worrying about that, she should have worried about what kind of clothes she'd be wearing...
"Yena, to be honest, I'd prefer it if you didn't do this shoot..."
"Why...? Do you hate working with me?"
"You know that's not what I mean..."
"Then what do you mean...?"
"..."
I bit my lip, swallowing the words that wanted to spill out.
If it's just me seeing it, like you planned, I don't care. But if you do the shoot, everyone else will see it too. I hate that.
How could a guy who had just told her they could never go back to how they were say something like that...?
"Hehe."
Yena suddenly let out a soft giggle.
"Silly... Did you really think I'd agree to a shoot without checking that beforehand? We already agreed I'll only wear conservative outfits."
Instantly, my face flushed hot.
The way the corners of her mouth twitched, as if she had predicted exactly how I would react, was incredibly annoying.
Couldn't she have mentioned this during the meeting...?
No, wait.
If she had brought that up then, I would never have come to find her myself.
"Sigh... Fine, then."
I slung my bag over my shoulder and stood up.
"A-Are you leaving already?"
"I have to head straight to a reporting site."
"T-Then... I won't see you again until the shoot...?"
Yena's lips trembled, looking as if she might burst into tears at any second.
"I told you, I don't think we can go back to how we were..."
Her eyes shook wildly, terrified that I was about to say something cruel again.
Chuckling softly, I reached out and patted her head.
As her shoulders trembled at my touch, I barely managed to suppress the urge to pull her into an embrace.
"Let's go back to before we started dating. I think we can manage that."
"R-Really...?"
"Really. Here's my business card. Feel free to call me when you want to see me. But if you call too much, I'll block you, so keep it reasonable."
"Okay...!"
Once Eunwoo left the office, Lee Yena finally let out the tears she had been holding back.
Honestly, she had expected him to say something harsh.
After all, she had used her status as an S-rank hunter to manipulate his CEO.
But his completely unexpected, adorable reaction made her giggle through her tears.
It was the exact same reaction as when she had first worn a miniskirt in front of him.
How could she not smile when he showed that cute side of him, absolutely hating the idea of other people seeing his girlfriend's legs...?
Of course, Yena felt the exact same way.
Knowing his heart so well, she mentally patted herself on the back for excluding revealing clothes so as not to trigger his jealousy.
Thanks to that, she had successfully reclaimed her title as his childhood friend.
"What should I do...? I already want to call him..."
He had said she could contact him whenever, but it hadn't even been ten minutes since he walked out the door.
She was worried she might seem too clingy.
Yet... betraying her hesitation, her fingers were already dialing the personal number printed on the business card.
Ring... Ring...
After a few rings, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"H-Hello..."
"Excuse me, miss. I left less than ten minutes ago."
"I-I just wanted to make sure you were heading back safely..."
"Your staff member offered to drive me to the station, so I'll be there in a bit."
"Whew... That's a relief. Are you going straight to your reporting site now?"
"Yeah, I have to head there right away."
"I-I see... Don't stay out too late. Make sure to take care of yourself..."
"Got it. I'll call you when I'm done, so you'll wait patiently, right?"
"Y-Yes...! I'll wait patiently..."
She had waited seven years for this moment... waiting a few hours was nothing to Lee Yena.
What she feared more was something else.
"Hyeonju, can you pinch my cheek?"
"Can I pull it really hard?"
"Yes. As hard as you can."
Pinch.
"Ow! That hurts! It's not a dream!"
Tears began to stream down her face.
They fell freely, without any resistance.
Startled by her tears, Kim Hyeonju quickly pulled out several tissues and handed them to Yena.
"Unni, a-are you okay? Nothing bad happened, right...?"
Even though this was just the beginning—starting over from scratch after losing everything—to Lee Yena, it felt like a dream.
"Mmm...! I'm just so happy right now..."