Chapter 214: Yesterday's Best Friend, Today's... (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: Yesterday's Best Friend, Today's... (1)
The result of submitting our Hunter Qualification Exam scores as a club activity report was this:
“This certificate is awarded to the student above, who has greatly enhanced the school's prestige by achieving outstanding results in this year's first-quarter Hunter Qualification Exam.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap—!
“…Uh, um.”
Reporters who had caught wind of a scoop, scouts who had jumped into the recruitment war, and even students who had grabbed seats just to get a glimpse of us.
I ended up receiving an award in front of a massive crowd.
Well… in a way, it was an expected outcome.
Ever since the Hunter Qualification Exam was standardized globally, fewer than 200 people have ever acquired their license in their teens.
If you narrow that down to those who obtained a B-rank license, the number drops to just over twenty.
I had achieved a record held by fewer than twenty people in the entire world. It would have been stranger if it didn't cause a commotion.
And one more thing.
“Alright, this is the club room assigned to the ‘Waving the License’ club.”
“Whoa…”
The fourth floor of the club building.
A large club room, the kind usually given only to popular clubs with dozens or even hundreds of members and reports packed with activities, was assigned to our fledgling club of just five people.
“How big is this place…?”
“There are more than four rooms.”
“This is insane!”
“Maybe… taking the Hunter Qualification Exam was a good idea after all?”
Things had gotten much bigger than I’d anticipated.
I’d only started this to get a small club room where we could relax during free periods or when we had spare time. I never imagined it would turn into this.
The administrative staff member who guided us to the room handed me a document.
What’s this?
“If you need any supplies, please list them here and submit the form. We’ve received instructions from above to give you special consideration, so most requests should be approved.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“And if you have any questions… here.”
She discreetly handed me a neatly folded note.
“P-Please contact me at the number written here.”
Judging by her blush, it was her personal number, not the office line.
Well, there was no reason to refuse such a kind offer.
I took the note and replied with a smile.
“Okay, I will.”
“My, it’s hot. I-I’ll be going now.”
Fanning her reddened face with her hand, the staff member scurried away as if escaping.
Afterward, the team and I held a meeting to decide how to use each room.
There were four rooms in total, two on each side of the main lounge area.
We decided to use the first room on the left as a meeting room.
Sure, we probably wouldn't have many meetings about club matters, but we were a team. It was decided that having a space to discuss various things, whether it was assignments or dungeon strategies, would be useful.
The room next to it would be a break room.
We planned to furnish it with a plush sofa and folding beds to create a comfortable space for resting.
Then, the first room on the right was designated as the president's office.
“Do we really need a president's office?”
Personally, I questioned the necessity, but Shin Yu-jeong pushed for it strongly.
“Ahem, we still need to keep up appearances.”
She argued that no matter how exclusive our club was, we were getting a lot of public attention, so we had to be prepared for visitors by at least looking the part.
After one room was officially designated as the president's office, I saw her smirking slyly to herself. I suspect she has some other ulterior motive.
We decided to leave the last room empty for now.
Rather than assigning a purpose to every space from the start, we figured it was better to fill it with something we desperately needed as we went along.
“Alright then… shall we make a list of the supplies we need?”
We began meticulously writing down the items to fill our empty club room.
Desks, chairs, folding beds, a sofa, a coffee machine, and so on…
“…We’re not going to get chewed out for this, are we? A club with only five members?”
We wrote down so much that someone even voiced this concern.
But don’t you worry, guys.
“They said the higher-ups told them to take good care of us. So for now, just write down anything you think we need.”
If the university brass themselves gave the order, they wouldn't be petty over a few supplies, right?
We finally finished after filling the large empty space on the form with tiny handwriting.
I went straight to the administrative office and handed the document to the same staff member who had guided us earlier. She looked startled for a moment, then tried her best to compose her expression.
“Ahaha… I-I’ll put in the request.”
“Yep, please do.”
She was probably cursing me out in her head. ‘I told these bastards to furnish a club room, and they’re moving in to live here.’
“Phew, is that everything for now?”
We got the club room and requested the supplies…
I guess all that’s left is to wait.
I was heading to the cafeteria where my teammates were waiting.
Vzzzt—
My smartphone buzzed loudly, announcing a new message.
I checked to see who it was.
《Eun-bi nuna: Do-jin! Are you busy? I haven't heard from you... heh》
It was a message from Kim Eun-bi, whom I had forgotten about for a while.
Come to think of it, I’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t properly replied to any of her messages.
“I feel a little bad.”
It would be one thing if this was the only message she’d sent today.
But scrolling up through our chat history, I saw it was flooded with more than ten one-sided messages from her.
Roughly one message every day or two for ten messages… that meant I hadn’t contacted her in over two weeks.
“I suppose the time is right.”
It wasn't an intentional delay, but thanks to it, the time was now perfectly ripe.
The fact that she’d been messaging me so eagerly was proof enough.
Proof that her feelings for me were completely genuine.
“Alright then… first.”
I sent a reply to Kim Eun-bi, who must have been waiting all this time.
《Dojindojin: Ah, sorry. I’ve been a bit swamped lately and couldn’t get in touch.》
Then, I immediately went to another person’s chat.
Unlike my chat with Kim Eun-bi, who had messaged me consistently for two weeks, my chat with Ryujin was empty.
“This is annoying.”
She was definitely interested in me, too.
Her interest was at least on par with Kim Eun-bi’s, if not greater.
So, was the reason she didn't message me because she was quick-witted?
“She doesn't want to look like she's stealing her friend's crush.”
I’m curious.
What kind of reaction will I get if I message her first?
《Do-jin: What are you up to?》
I sent a short message.
Not long after, the ‘1’ disappeared, and a reply came back.
《Ryujin nuna: Eating.》
A curt reply.
But the important thing here wasn't the content, but the time it took for her to respond.
“For someone who was trying to keep her distance, isn't that reply a little too fast?”
A sudden doubt began to creep in.
Did she not message me simply because she’d lost interest?
That would be a problem.
As I worried, I continued to exchange messages with Kim Eun-bi, now that the conversation had started.
When I told her I was a little less busy now, she immediately shot back with an invitation to a meal.
A smile escaped my lips.
“She’s kinda cute.”
She said any time was fine as long as I was okay with it, so I checked my schedule and set a date for Saturday.
Then, I immediately went back to Ryujin’s chat and sent her a similar message.
《Do-jin: What are you doing on Saturday?》
She would know.
When a guy asks what you’re doing on a specific day, it’s a signal that he wants to meet.
This would probably be the deciding moment.
If she’d lost interest in me, she wouldn't want to meet.
But if she was still interested…
《Ryujin nuna: Planning to be home... why?》
“Okay.”
《Do-jin: Let’s have dinner together on Saturday. Eun-bi nuna said she’s treating me to celebrate passing my exam.》
She must have been quite flustered by that message.
She probably thought I was asking just the two of them to meet, but now her friend Kim Eun-bi was part of it.
She might suddenly make an excuse about having plans.
《Ryujin nuna: Ah, I forgot I have something that day. You two just go.》
《Do-jin: I know you don’t have plans, so come out. You’ll really regret it if you don’t.》
《Ryujin nuna: No;; I’m serious, I have plans.》
I ignored her obvious lie and, just in time, forwarded her the location and time I’d just received from Kim Eun-bi.
《Do-jin: Saturday, 7 PM, at a restaurant called JJ in Apgujeong. I’m telling you now.》
No reply came from her.
Well, I’ve given her a clear warning. We’ll see what happens on Saturday.
Will she show up despite her reluctance, or will she give me the cold shoulder?
I’m actually looking forward to it.
* * *
Day after day.
As time went on, Kim Eun-bi spent more and more time spacing out with a silly grin, lost in her own fantasies.
What should they talk about over dinner? What should she wear? How should she do her makeup?
‘Since he’s a Hunter, maybe I should talk about that? No, no. Being a Hunter is going to be his job, so talking only about that might just stress him out…’
The more she thought, the more her heart fluttered, but at the same time, she felt lost.
The more she considered it, the more she realized how little she knew about him.
What kind of food he liked, what his hobbies were, and most importantly, what his ideal type of woman was.
“Heeing… I should’ve just asked him when we were drinking together last time instead of being shy.”
She deeply regretted being so timid back then.
What if she had been a little more direct about her interest in him?
Then, she quickly shook her head and tapped her cheeks.
“N-No, it’s not too late.”
Who knows everything about each other from the very beginning?
If you continue to meet with good feelings, you get to know each other one thing at a time through conversation.
‘Isn’t that the joy of building a connection? Right, right.’
She tried her best to think positively, but she was still a little anxious.
If it were just the two of them meeting, she wouldn't be this nervous.
‘Ryujin is coming too…’
An ominous feeling kept creeping up on her.
She pictured a scene where the two of them were chatting happily while she just watched from the sidelines like a third wheel.
“Aah, no!”
Honestly, she wanted to message Ryujin right now.
To ask if she could please sit this one out, just once, because she wanted to meet Kim Do-jin alone tomorrow.
But she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Ryujin was her best friend.
“It might look like I’m prioritizing a guy I’ve only met a few times over my friend…”
She was afraid that such a selfish desire might lead to an outcome where they grew apart.
As she was stuck in this dilemma, unable to do anything, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
The fact that her younger brother, Kim Jeong-hun, was high school classmates with Kim Do-jin.
“That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?!”
His high school days were only a year or two ago.
Couldn't she get some good information from Kim Jeong-hun?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Kim Eun-bi put it into action.
She quickly knocked on Kim Jeong-hun’s door at the end of the hall, opposite her own room.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Jeong-hun! Can I come in for a sec?”
“Yeah, come in.”
Click.
As she opened the door and entered, Kim Jeong-hun, who had been lying on his bed, sat up.
Kim Eun-bi pulled over the computer chair, sat down in front of him, and asked.
“Jeong-hun, you said you were high school classmates with Do-jin, right?”
The moment the name ‘Do-jin’ was mentioned, Kim Jeong-hun’s expression soured.
But it was only for a moment.
“Uh, yeah. I was.”
Not wanting to show his sister a grim face, he quickly composed himself and answered with an awkward smile.
“Then you must know a bit about him, right?”
“Well… to some extent.”
A seed of anxiety began to sprout in Kim Jeong-hun’s chest.
For her to suddenly come into his room and ask about Kim Do-jin of all people.
And his anxiety became a reality, souring his mood.
“Actually, I’m having dinner with Do-jin this Saturday! But I don’t know anything about him, you see? So, Jeong-hun, could you tell me a little about him?”
What kind of person he was, what he liked…
“Ah, anyway, anything would be great.”
A powerful shock hit Kim Jeong-hun, and his eyes went vacant.
The shock wasn't just because she had made plans to meet Kim Do-jin separately.
“This Saturday…?”
“Yeah!”
“This Saturday is the day you and I were supposed to go to the art museum, nuna.”
“Ack…!”
The fact that his sister, who cherished him more than anyone, had completely forgotten her promise to him.
That delivered an even greater shock.