Chapter 251: The Trap (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 251: The Trap (2)
The next morning.
【An S-rank and a B-rank, Could This Be the Start of a Love That Transcends Tiers?】
Startled by a flood of calls and texts, I checked the news online. The moment I saw the headline, my expression was simple and clear.
A hollow laugh.
“Wow… so this is how I get taken down.”
Ju-yeon and I had only faced each other for a few seconds.
But that was more than enough time to be captured by the relentlessly clicking camera shutters.
At the press conference, I had kept my emotions under tight control and made sure not to give them anything to criticize.
Isn't that the life of a celebrity? Swinging between heaven and hell with a single headline from reporters hungry for a scoop.
But I had overlooked one thing.
That for a famous man and woman, just one meaningful glance can be enough to spark a dating scandal.
“They really caught me off guard.”
It was because I'd lived as a married man for too long.
And not just any married man. I was the husband of a superhuman wife, one who was always a top contender for the most beautiful person in Korea and whose abilities ranked in the top three.
For the man named Son Si-woo, a dating scandal was something from a different universe, about ten billion light-years away.
“Now what do I do…?”
There's a saying.
A single sentence is enough for incitement, but refuting it requires dozens of pages of documents and evidence.
Issuing a correction isn't difficult.
I could post something on SNS, or call a friendly reporter and leak the story.
If I just put anything out there, those who are paying attention to me will eagerly spread the word.
Soon enough, articles denying the dating rumor would flood the internet.
So, that should be the end of it, right?
Not a chance.
“The problem is whether people will believe it.”
Didn't I just say it?
To refute a single line of incitement, you need dozens of times more evidence.
But what makes refuting this dating scandal trickier than anything else is the lack of proper evidence.
‘We are not dating.’
How on earth am I supposed to prove that?
It would be different if we both had other partners, but we don't.
What makes it even more complicated is that Ju-yeon actually does have feelings for me.
She's a naturally kind and gentle person who can't stand to put others in difficult situations, so she'd agree to issue a correction if I asked, but…
“I feel like this is going to happen again and again.”
Feelings of affection have a way of showing through actions, even if they're not spoken aloud.
The way she looks at me, her strangely kind attitude, her gaze that's always directed my way…
Aren't all of these just well-dried firewood, perfect for fueling the reporters' imaginations?
Unless I can somehow put a stop to this, articles speculating about our relationship will follow us around like a shadow.
“Ah, I don't know.”
I can't think of any good ideas.
It would be better if I could just coldly reject Ju-yeon's feelings, but I can't do that either.
“How can I reject a girl who's under a curse…?”
As a price for using ‘Sacrifice of Purity,’ she can't give her chastity to anyone but me.
A man and woman in love who can't even kiss, let alone have sex?
And what if the reason is a curse that forces her to save herself for one specific man?
What man would ever understand that?
“…Is there a way to break the curse?”
If I could just lift the curse on Ju-yeon, everything would be so much easier.
The problem is whether the curse can be broken… I don't know.
“If even Ju-yeon can't break it, how could I?”
Most Healers also have the ability to remove curses.
To be precise, it's because the mana they use—often called divine power—is exceptionally effective at dispelling curses.
Based on that, Ju-yeon, who's slated for an S-rank promotion, should have curse-removing abilities far beyond that of a typical expert.
If even she can't break it, it means it's impossible through ordinary means.
So, in the end, I need an unconventional, very special method… What could that be?
“First… there's the Saintess of the Vatican.”
If it's the Saintess of the Vatican, who's said to be the pinnacle of all Healers, maybe.
I've heard that no curse brought before her has ever lasted more than a day before vanishing without a trace.
“Next… an Elixir.”
The legendary panacea said to heal even fatal wounds, remove all kinds of curses, and even cleanse the body of all impurities to restore it to its optimal state.
Those are the two things that come to mind right now…
“Heh.”
Now that I think about it, it's ridiculous.
Why?
Because both are impossible.
The Saintess of the Vatican has apparently been in seclusion in her prayer room since last year for the sake of training.
And the Elixir…
“How am I supposed to find something that's only appeared once in the history of the world?”
In the decades-long history of Hunter society, an Elixir has only appeared once.
And even that one was used long ago. How could I possibly get my hands on one?
In the end, it means there's no immediate solution.
“Alright, enough.”
I grab the smartphone from my bedside and get out of bed.
I'm thinking of posting something on SNS for the first time in a while.
The content, of course, will be a clarification of sorts, stating that Ju-yeon and I are not in any kind of relationship.
However, there's something I need to do first.
Get my story straight with Ju-yeon.
If our explanations are different, it could just raise more suspicion.
I leave my room and lightly knock on the door next to mine.
“Yeees~!”
A cheerful voice calls from beyond the door.
Just a moment ago, I was frustrated by the lack of a clear solution. Why is it that now, I feel a sense of relief, as if it's a blessing in disguise?
Click!
The door soon opens, revealing Ju-yeon in casual clothes.
A thin, white spaghetti-strap top and dolphin shorts that barely covered her prominent butt.
“Uh, um.”
Her clothes looked so comfortable—a little too comfortable—that I didn't know where to look.
“Do-jin! What's up?”
Ju-yeon asks, her tone happy to see me.
“Well… I was planning on posting something on SNS.”
I showed her the article that was plastered all over the internet and explained the situation.
She nodded as if she understood and said,
“Okay, sure.”
“……”
But the expression on her face as she nodded seemed… less than enthusiastic.
“Hey… there's something I want to ask.”
She looks up at me, her eyes suddenly glistening.
An alarm bell goes off in my head.
“…What is it?”
I don't know what question is coming, but something whispers to me that I need to answer carefully.
“A-Are you… upset… about the scandal with me?”
“Uh, well.”
Calm down, calm down.
Instead of answering rashly, I should take a deep breath and compose myself.
…But what should I say?
“I don't… dislike it.”
An ambiguous answer slipped out of my mouth.
It was the best my brain could come up with.
Saying I liked it felt wrong, but saying I disliked it felt wrong in its own way, too.
In the end, what else could I say but that I neither liked nor disliked it?
I sneak a sideways glance at her, and her expression doesn't seem too bad.
I guess that means my answer wasn't a complete failure, right?
Then, she blushes shyly and murmurs.
I lean in slightly to hear what she's saying…
“Yeah, okay… It's true we're not anything to each other yet… so it's fine.”
“……”
What's that supposed to mean, Ju-yeon?
What do you mean, ‘yet’?
Are you taking this clarification post as one step back for two steps forward…?
“If you have time, do you want to come in…? There's some good tea in my room.”
A subtle invitation.
The way her eyes shine bewitchingly as she looks at me is anything but ordinary.
The predatory aura I felt, as if she was determined to devour me… that was just my imagination, right?
“Uh… no? Sorry. I just remembered something urgent I have to do.”
First, let's run.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
About half a day after the clarification was posted on SNS, the news took a new turn.
【Kim Do-jin on SNS, "Hunter Han Ju-hee is just an acquaintance, we are not dating." An emphatic clarification.】
Articles with similar headlines were popping up like mushrooms after rain.
The articles caused netizens' reactions to split in various directions.
While some readily accepted it, saying, ‘Of course,’ there were also jerks spouting nonsense like, ‘Who does this B-rank think he is, issuing a clarification? How arrogant lol.’
Let's see… the nickname of the commenter is…
“NovelGod…?”
I've memorized your name.
If I catch you one more time, you're dead. Seriously.
I close the comment section and check the messages piling up in my messenger app.
《Shin Yu-jeong: Hey, you bastard!! Pick up the phone while I'm still asking nicely.》
Shin Yu-jeong, spewing rage.
《Im Na-eun: Are you taming an S-rank Hunter this time…? As expected of you, Master…!》
《Im Na-eun: (An emoticon of a cute puppy sticking its tongue out and wagging its tail)》
What part of this did you find so impressive?
《Kim Eun-bi: The article… it's not true, right? Could you give me a call when you have a moment…?》
《Ryujin: (Link) What's this.》
As expected of friends, their messages arrived at almost the same time.
《Yoon Ji-an: I've asked the reporters I know personally to issue a clarification article.》
《Yoon Ji-an: As for what happened… I'll be expecting a detailed explanation later.》
…She's pissed, right?
《Seo Jeong-hee: Are you okay? Why on earth did you go into such a dangerous place!》
《Seo Jeong-hee: I saw the article… is it really true?》
And even Jeong-hee, who was on the fence.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escapes me.
What am I going to do, seriously.
Now that I've read the messages, it's time to reply.
My head hurts too much to explain to each of them right now…
《It's not true. I'll explain in detail when I get back to Seoul.》
I sent replies to everyone, changing only a few words here and there.
This should buy me some time, at least until I get back to Seoul.
“Phew.”
As I lie there, letting out a sigh of relief, my body starts to feel restless.
To be precise, the dick in my pants that should be lying limp keeps stirring.
It's partly because it's been a while since I've had sex, so I'm pent up.
And partly because the lingering excitement from my kiss with Ju-yeon is slowly creeping back up.
“Should I just jerk off…?”
Just as I was seriously considering it.
A new message arrived on my smartphone.
《Kim Ji-won: The shop is open. Customers… zero.》
《Kim Ji-won: Any interest in being the first?》
It was a message from Kim Ji-won, the woman I'd exchanged numbers with in the smoking area of the underground shelter.
“…Right, there was her.”
I immediately get out of bed, grab my coat, and leave the room.
Jerk off?
Yeah~ no. Not in my life.