Chapter 130: How to Tame Her (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: How to Tame Her (1)
After a few days of being relentlessly hounded, my frayed and fractured mind finally recovered.
Was it because people’s interest was starting to wane?
No.
Their interest in me was still very much ongoing.
A fan cafe, something a mere Hunter-aspirant should never have, had been created. Some crazy bastards at school even started secretly taking my picture and subtly posting it on social media.
It was a huge pain in the ass.
Not only did more people try to act like they knew me, but they also asked for autographs I didn't have and photos I didn't want to take.
It felt like I was reliving that time all over again.
Back when the name Son Si-woo was nearing S-rank, and I was the center of the nation's attention.
Back then, I didn't know any better and just waved happily at everyone, thinking it was all great.
Once I got high on that fame, I started acting like I was hot shit, even sticking my nose into things I didn't need to.
And all the while, my skills were improving by leaps and bounds until I became an S-rank Hunter. That was the absolute peak.
Before I knew it, I had become the nation's Hunter, and people were busy praising me as a hero whenever they saw me.
I thought it was a good thing at the time.
Money, popularity, honor—I had all three. I mistakenly believed that was what a successful life looked like.
But living a second life, I finally understood.
All that crap was utterly useless to me.
“Right, Kkamseul-i?”
As if agreeing with me, Kkamseul-i hopped up and down.
Ah, Kkamseul-i is the name of the black slime I picked up from the rift that opened in Yongsan.
In any case, since I took it in and decided to raise it, I figured it should at least have a name.
So, after mulling it over for two days, I just kept it simple.
Black Slime, Geomjeong Seullaim. So, Geomseul-i.
But the name sounded a bit off, so I made it cute and adorable: Kkamseul-i.
“Sigh, my dear Kkamseul-i. If only you hadn't eaten my key, you'd be twice as loved right now.”
After bringing it home and spending a few days with it, I realized it was truly worth raising.
It doesn't cause any trouble, and whenever I say something, it hops around as if it understands me.
Even feeding it is simple.
It eats anything I give it.
It’s not picky about food at all. It even digested a key, so I gave it a small piece of metal, and it gobbled that right up too.
It’s on a whole different level from that mutt Poppy we used to have at my old house.
“Anyway.”
Thanks to all this, I’d had a headache for the past few days.
I even found myself shivering under the covers, terrified that I might get swept up by others again, be called a hero, and repeat my past life.
But after a few days, I realized it was all pointless.
As long as my will remains firm, none of that will happen, right?
No matter what anyone says, I can just brush them off and ignore them. I don't know why I was so worried.
“I even gave them a warning. Yup.”
At the ceremony where I received the plaque of appreciation, I made sure to warn them.
I told them I couldn't be the good person they thought I was, so they shouldn't waste their feelings on me.
After I went that far, if they decide to praise me however they want and end up getting hurt, that’s not my fault.
“Kkamseul-i, you have to be a good boy today too, okay?”
Hop, hop!
“You’ll be in trouble if you eat random things around the house.”
Hop, hop!
Cute little guy.
With a much lighter heart, I left the house.
As I took the bus and arrived at the university, I could feel eyes glancing at me from all directions.
Click!
I heard the shutter sound of an amateur who hadn't bothered to set their camera app to silent.
When I turned my head, I saw a female student sitting on a bench, looking completely stunned.
“Excuse me.”
“Ye-Yes?!”
“This is a warning. Don't take pictures of me in secret. If I catch you again, your smartphone is getting smashed.”
“Ye-Yes… I-I’m sorry.”
The student was thoroughly terrified.
I gestured for her to come over as she stood there fidgeting.
“From now on, if you want a picture, let’s just take one together and get it over with cleanly.”
As I spoke, I snatched the smartphone from her hand, opened the camera app, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and snapped a friendly-looking selfie before handing it back.
“Ah… th-thank you! Oppa, you’re so cool!”
“I told you already. I’m not a good person.”
“Aah, what do I do…! I love tsunderes so much.”
“…You should get going.”
“Yes, Oppa! Thank you! I’m going to show this off to my friends!”
See that?
This is the skill of taming a fan.
After a harsh scolding with a sharp whip, you toss them a small piece of carrot to make them forget the pain.
It was one of the pieces of wisdom I’d learned from living as the nation’s Hunter.
If you just scold kids like that, they turn into anti-fans and start spewing all sorts of shit.
It’s better to manage them properly, even if it’s a bit of a hassle.
“It’s gotten a bit easier after a few days.”
There were still many people interested in me, but the general public’s attention had certainly died down from the initial frenzy.
This meant that aside from the die-hard fans who joined the fan club, the number of people loitering around me had decreased significantly.
That’s just the nature of interest and popularity.
Unless you become a superstar whose name is mentioned even when you do nothing, if you stay quiet, the hype quickly cools down and you’re forgotten.
As I entered the Magic Department lecture hall, a familiar face waved at me.
“Do-jin, over here!”
Im Na-eun, the only person in here who could treat me casually, pointed to the seat next to her.
As I sat down, she spoke in a playful tone.
“Hello, Do-jin Oppa!”
She’s been doing that lately to tease me after seeing the girls who follow me around calling me Oppa.
“Sigh, you’re really going to get it if you keep that up.”
“Hehe… how are you going to punish me?”
She playfully continued, pushing her cute face slightly forward. I flicked her forehead with my finger.
Thwack!
Maybe because my body is in such good shape, it made a surprisingly loud sound for a light tap.
“Ouch!”
Her eyes went wide as she clutched her forehead.
“You…!”
“You said you were curious how I’d punish you.”
When I said that with a smile, she couldn’t say much back and just puffed out her cheeks.
When I bicker with her like this, it feels like I’m talking to a younger sister who’s a year or two my junior.
“Hmph, whatever. Don’t talk to me for the rest of the day.”
She then turned away with a huff.
She seemed a little angry, but that didn't actually mean she wanted me to stop talking to her.
On the contrary, she was craving attention.
How did I know?
She did this once before, and when I actually didn't talk to her, she just glared at me with an even more dissatisfied expression.
“Na-eun, don’t be mad.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, I said don’t be mad.”
I kept pestering her until I subtly poked her in the side.
“Hiyat…!”
Im Na-eun let out a sharp yelp and jumped.
“Hey!”
“Still not going to stop being mad? Huh?”
I continued my non-coercive coercion, lightly poking her side, which was as good as a weakness.
And then…
“Kyahahaha! O-Okay! I surrender, I surrender!”
“Huh? I didn’t ask for a surrender, I told you to stop being mad.”
“I’ll stop! I’m not mad anymore!”
…it naturally resolves itself like this.
Easy, right?
“Haa… you’re so mean.”
She glared at me as she straightened out her clothes, which had gotten disheveled from her flailing.
“You know my sides are my weak spot, but you keep touching them…”
“It’s a weak spot? I thought you were dying of pleasure.”
“N-No, I’m not!”
Seeing her blush at this timing, it seems it might not be just a weak spot.
The thought occurred to me that it might not just be a weakness, but also an erogenous zone.
Without realizing it, my gaze drifted to Im Na-eun’s side profile as she focused on the lecture.
A slender waist and sides, without a hint of fat.
If a light poke through her clothes had that effect, I wondered what would happen if she were naked.
A murky curiosity settled over me like a thin fog.
…I wonder if a day will come when I can find out.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After all the classes were over.
I was in a private practice room, helping Na-eun manifest her magic.
“That’s it. This time, try drawing the stroke a little faster.”
“Okay, got it.”
My magic is fundamentally different from conventional magic in how it’s used, but I can still offer guidance.
Thanks to intensively studying their mana arrangement methods for more stable implementation and the strokes they use to complete magic circles, I’m more knowledgeable than most.
Above all, I have eyes that can directly see mana.
I can see which part of the spell failed to manifest, what factors were lowering its completeness, and so on.
While others can only feel it, I can see it all clearly with my own eyes.
“Should we call it a day?”
“Yeah, thank you so much! I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
“One meal won’t be enough to cover my tutoring fee.”
“Hehe… then ten times!”
“Okay, deal.”
It’s good to create excuses to meet up naturally in advance.
That’s how you make your move smoothly.
After cleaning up the practice room, I parted ways with Na-eun.
“You go on ahead! I still have some studying to do…”
It was already getting dark. I wondered how much more she planned to do.
I thought about offering to help, but I didn't bother asking.
If she needed my help, she would have asked me herself.
“I’m heading out then?”
“Yep! See you tomorrow~”
“Alright, take care.”
With the blazing red sunset at my back, I headed for the university’s main gate.
As I walked aimlessly, the thought that it would be nice to have a car grew stronger.
It would be convenient for many things, like going on dates and commuting to school.
“I think I have enough money…”
I received a hefty sum of reward money this time as well.
Apparently, Yoon Ji-an had passionately argued to Manager Kim Seong-tae that preventing what could have been a catastrophe without any casualties was a huge contribution.
The amount I received was a whopping 30 million won.
If I add that to the money I’ve saved up so far, I’ll have more than enough to buy a decent car.
“Guess I should go look at some cars this weekend.”
But who should I go with?
Jeong-hee, Yu-jeong, Yoon Ji-an, Im Na-eun…
“Hmm.”
Listing them in the order of my most recent dates, it would be Shin Yu-jeong, Jeong-hee, Yoon Ji-an, and then Im Na-eun.
Since I haven’t been on a date with Na-eun at all, it’s safe to exclude her.
“Then maybe Na-eun this time…?”
I considered breaking the ice with Na-eun, since we’d never met one-on-one outside of school, but then I changed my mind.
“Let’s just take both Jeong-hee and Yu-jeong.”
I started to think a little differently.
If I were to buy a car, who would ride in it the most?
Probably Yu-jeong and Jeong-hee.
In that case, since I’m buying it anyway, it would be better to get their opinions in addition to my own.
Also… since I’ve made a good start to my relationships with both of them, I should start thinking about that mother-daughter threesome.
It’s still a distant story, but it’s always better to prepare in advance.
If we look at cars together and have dinner, spending more time together, I’m sure I’ll find an answer.
Just as I was organizing my thoughts and about to leave the main gate.
“Mr. Kim Do-jin?”
A middle-aged man in a suit with a monocle over one eye suddenly appeared and blocked my path.
But this man… he looked a bit familiar.
As I stared at him with a wary gaze, the man continued.
“There is someone who wishes to speak with you directly, Mr. Kim Do-jin. Would you be willing to come with me for a moment?”
The man bowed politely and gestured with his arm toward a black sedan parked not far away.
I didn’t sense any hostility.
At the same time, a strange curiosity arose from the familiar face of the middle-aged man.
“…Where are we going?”
“The Magic Tower.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Oops.
I was so flustered that I said out loud what I’d meant to only think.