Chapter 116: A Date, for Now?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: A Date, for Now?
“Disgusting.”
“...I know.”
I let out a soft sigh at Baeksan’s blunt assessment.
It was fine when I didn't know someone liked me.
But once I realized it, the advances from the women around me became so blatant they were practically audacious.
It was as if they would do anything for me, if only I would say I liked them just once.
The problem was, I kept falling for it.
I’m a man, too.
Having beautiful women come on to me so strongly every time was starting to get to me.
Damn it, am I that easy? Is it even normal to be swayed by three different women at once? I should have some self-control.
Loosening my tie to give myself some room to breathe, I started walking.
In any case, I had gotten the okay from all three of them.
All that was left was to play along with Yu U-jeong’s advances for a bit and let it pass.
But now that I’m actually looking for her, she’s nowhere to be found.
I figured she’d show up and make a move if I just appeared, but even after searching, I couldn’t see her.
“She’s over here.”
Just then, Baeksan spoke, pointing toward the emergency staircase.
Just as he said, I could hear voices coming from beyond the stairwell door.
“Unni, do you also think Ha-chan-oppa isn’t interested in me?”
And that voice belonged to none other than Ji-eun.
I strained my ears to identify her conversation partner, who seemed to be Yu U-jeong.
I knew they’d gotten pretty close recently.
But I didn’t know they were talking about things like that.
“No, that’s not it. You’re pretty, Ji-eun. Even Ha-chan must feel something for you.”
“But you know it too, unni. When Ha-chan-oppa draws a line, he draws it clearly.”
“Uh, y-yeah, that’s true.”
Yu U-jeong seemed to be biting her lip, though Ji-eun didn’t appear to notice.
“I really like Ha-chan-oppa. But he definitely treats me and Si-ho differently. With Si-ho, he’s especially soft, I guess you could say.”
That was because I knew everything about Si-ho’s circumstances and had taken it upon myself to be her guardian.
But I had never told Ji-eun any of this.
She was a relatively normal girl, uninvolved with returnees.
In fact, looking back on everything that had happened so far, it was all things that would have put Ji-eun in danger had she known.
“Am I not charming enough? Si-ho is pretty, cute, and strong. With someone like that liking him, am I just not good enough for him? I like both Si-ho and Ha-chan-oppa… but I’m starting to feel envious and resentful of Si-ho, and it’s scaring me.”
So that’s what Ji-eun had been thinking.
I couldn’t bring myself to open the stairwell door.
I had definitely put up more of a wall with Ji-eun than with Si-ho.
I was too deeply entangled with Si-ho; frankly, I didn't have the confidence to push her away.
And I had recently come to admit that I was, in fact, swayed by her.
But Ji-eun was different.
She could live a happy life, unentangled in the dangerous work of a hunter.
It was absurd to say being a hunter wasn’t dangerous, but…
The things I was involved in were, without exception, perilous.
If it weren’t for Baeksan, I would have been dead long ago.
Even an S-rank hunter like Si-ho had faced crises time and again.
So perhaps I had put up more of a wall with Ji-eun.
I didn’t want her to get dragged into all this, too.
Have I not been paying enough attention to her?
I had done her a disservice.
I knew she was depending on me after being bullied at school, yet I hadn’t drawn a clear line, giving her false hope instead.
She’s still young, inexperienced at handling her emotions, so I just assumed her feelings would naturally fade away someday. Putting it off like that was the problem.
At this rate, Ji-eun might start to hate Si-ho because of me.
“Ji-eun, you know, I have feelings for Ha-chan, too. Are you sure you want to talk to me about this? You might end up hating me.”
“Oh, you’re fine, unni.”
“I’m… I’m fine?” Yu U-jeong’s shocked voice followed.
Did Ji-eun not see Yu U-jeong as a rival at all?
In moments like these, a woman’s intuition could be scarily accurate.
“Because you’re easy to be around, unni. Hehe, actually, I kind of feel a sense of kinship with you.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by kinship… but you think Ha-chan likes Si-ho more because she’s pretty, cute, and strong, right?”
“Si-ho’s an A-rank hunter. And for some reason, she seems to have gotten even stronger lately. I bet she’ll be S-rank before long.”
“From where I’m standing, you’re plenty pretty. So that leaves the ‘strong’ part.”
What was she trying to say?
“Let’s talk more about this later.”
Just then, her footsteps headed this way.
Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, I started to back away, but she opened the door and our eyes met.
Then, with a slight eye-smile, she whispered to me.
“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on a girls’ talk, you know. Mr. Ha-chan.”
“...You knew.”
I had momentarily forgotten, but she was an S-rank hunter. She might have known I was here the whole time and said all that on purpose.
“I’m a physical-type hunter. Of course I’d notice. Anyway, eavesdropping on my conversation… Does this mean you’re getting interested in me? Here, these are tickets to a movie that just came out. What do you say? Want to go together?”
“Sure, why not.”
I plucked one of the tickets she offered.
Her eyes went wide, as if she never expected me to take the ticket so readily.
The bewilderment on her face was plain to see.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, n-no. I just didn’t think you’d accept. You’ve always turned me down before.”
“I was starting to feel bad for always saying no. Consider this my penance for eavesdropping.”
As I said that and put the ticket in my pocket, Yu U-jeong’s wide eyes slowly curved into a smile.
The corners of her lips trembled slightly.
Seeing how happy she was, it seemed to have worked.
If I play along for a little while, she’ll probably get tired of me soon enough.
“So we really have a date?”
“Yes. I won’t go back on my word.”
“Hehehe, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be sure to give you a big surprise, Ha-chan.”
“I hope I won’t be too surprised.”
With that, she left, clenching her fists in excitement.
I watched her go for a moment, then sighed, recalling the words she had left unsaid.
Since she was an S-rank hunter, was she planning to give Ji-eun advice on how to get stronger?
If she was trying to pull something related to Alterz, I might just have to plant a lightning flick on her forehead.
But for now, I just felt that I needed to give Ji-eun an answer soon.
*
The next day, I arrived at the movie theater for my date with Yu U-jeong.
Somehow, I’d ended up on a date, and a wave of reality hit me as I wondered what the hell I was doing.
A date, huh.
Since I had absolutely no feelings for Yu U-jeong, the thought of it being a date didn’t stir any emotion in me.
In fact, I would have much rather spent this time practicing my aura control.
That’s when I saw Yu U-jeong standing in front of the theater.
Unlike her usual self, her hair was styled and she was dressed up nicely. Looking at her appearance alone, she was still quite stunning.
“Ah, you’re here!”
“Have you been waiting?”
Spotting me, Yu U-jeong waved and greeted me. I gave a simple nod and walked over to her.
Yu U-jeong came and stood beside me with a radiant smile.
“How do I look?” she asked shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I scratched my head for a moment.
It’s not easy to say things you don’t mean.
“Ah, yes, you look pretty.”
“Right?”
Right, I had just decided to play along with her.
I couldn’t act like this.
“Ms. Yu, you look really pretty today.”
“Huh? Oh, th-thank you?”
“No, I mean it. You’re really, truly, incredibly beautiful. You might be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“U-uhm, I got it the first time, that’s enough?”
“You deserve to hear more compliments at a time like this. You should receive double the praise. Should I go tell everyone around us? That Yu U-jeong is the most beautiful in the world.”
“Are you making fun of me right now?!”
Busted.
Seeing her face flush bright red as she fumed, I burst out laughing.
It seemed I’d grown a little fond of her, in a weird way.
“Let’s just go see the movie. I’ll buy the popcorn.”
“Ah, here’s a discount coupon. They give them to you if you apply when you buy the tickets.”
She smoothly pulled a coupon from her small backpack. I took it.
As I did, I looked at her with a strange expression.
Come to think of it, she had a strangely resourceful air about her.
Things like loyalty points and discount coupons, and how she meticulously checked for sales before buying anything.
This is probably just her real habit.
No matter how well she played the part of a femme fatale, she couldn’t just get rid of habits ingrained in her body.
“I’ll put this to good use.”
I took the coupon from her, paid for the popcorn, and we headed back.
The movie was about to start, so we hurried into the theater, found our seats, and sat down side-by-side.
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen a movie.”
As I said that, Yu U-jeong turned to look at me.
The last time I’d been to a movie theater was probably on a mandatory school trip in high school.
“Really? Doesn’t anyone ask you to go?”
“No, most of the people around me live lives more dramatic than any movie.”
They were returnees, after all.
Their lives would make for a far more incredible film than the one we were about to watch.
“This movie has great reviews. The lead actor, Jay Danish, gives a masterful emotional performance. Plus, the lighting director is really famous, so if you pay attention to the use of light, it’ll be even more interesting.”
“...You like movies?” I asked, surprised by how much she knew. She gave a faint smile.
“Yes, I used to watch them on TV a lot when I was little. Maybe because they felt like a dream. I still watch them often.”
She probably didn’t realize it, but when Yu U-jeong wasn’t playing her femme fatale role, she didn’t use her signature eye-smile.
That meant her love for movies was genuine.
“A life like a movie… it’s something to be envious of, but if you’re the one living it, it’s not always happy. And yet, it’s funny how we still admire them.”
An unexpected side of her.
I felt like I was getting to know the person named Yu U-jeong a little better, beyond what I saw at the company.
So this is why she was always asking to meet outside.
She really was a pro.
Just then, a commotion started near the door.
“Seriously, you need to rest when you have time off! Trust your friend. You’re going to collapse.”
“Resting at home is resting for me.”
“Aigoo, you homebody. You’ll get sick like that.”
“I don’t know what you want me to do when you say I’ll get sick if I rest and sick if I work. And it seems you’ve forgotten whose fault it is that things turned out this way in the first place.”
“Eh? Sia has no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Stop playing dumb.”
Hearing the familiar voices, I turned my head.
Where I looked, there were two people I knew well.
“Ms. Jo Si-a and Seo-ho?”
“Oh? Graduate Kang Ha-chan.”
“Hyung-nim?”
I covered my mouth, surprised to run into them here of all places.
Jo Si-a, on a movie date with Seo-ho.
She must have worked hard for this.
“Hyung-nim, are you here to see a movie too?”
Seo-ho’s eyes, which had been on me, shifted to my side.
It was only natural, since there was someone he didn’t recognize.
My gaze followed his, and I saw Yu U-jeong, frozen stiff.
Ah, right. From her perspective, an S-rank hunter had just appeared out of nowhere.
And not just one, but two people who were once her fellow members in Alterz.
“...Hyung-nim, is this person perhaps…?”
Seo-ho’s eyes sharpened slightly.
He and I had been discussing matters concerning Alterz.
Naturally, that included Yu U-jeong.
So he must have seen right through her identity the moment he saw her.
“Heok!”
At that moment, Jo Si-a looked back and forth between me and Yu U-jeong, and her slitted eyes shot open.
From her expression, she looked as if she had just witnessed someone cheating.
Right, she thought I was dating Si-ho.
Then, after glancing between Seo-ho and me, she quickly stepped between us.
“Now, now! Mr. Snow Mountain Wolf, Graduate Kang Ha-chan must have his own business! Let’s not disturb them!”
It seemed she had misunderstood the situation, thinking Seo-ho had just caught his little sister’s boyfriend cheating.
Feeling a little sorry for her as she always jumped to the wrong conclusions, I saw Seo-ho’s gaze turn back to me.
“Hyung-nim, may I contact you in a little while?”
“Sure.”
He probably had more to discuss about Alterz.
After hearing my reply, he bowed his head and left.
As Jo Si-a followed him, she shot me a wink as if to say, “Leave it to me.”
So that’s what it looks like when someone with slitted eyes winks.
After watching them leave, I turned back to Yu U-jeong.
She quickly seemed to realize her behavior was abnormal, fixed her expression, and said, “Oh my, that was Si-ho’s brother, wasn’t it? It’s my first time seeing the Snow Mountain Wolf and the Imugi in person, so I got a little nervous.”
“Yes. Should I introduce you properly after the movie?”
“What? No. I came here today to be with you, Ha-chan! I don’t want to spend my time on anything else.”
She’s desperately trying to stop me.
She must have figured that veteran S-rank hunters like Seo-ho and Jo Si-a might see through her identity.
Though she’s already been found out.
“That’s a shame.”
“Ahaha, you seem to be very well-connected among hunters, Ha-chan. Being acquainted with S-rank hunters and all.”
As Yu U-jeong said this, the sparkle in her eyes seemed to grow stronger.
It felt like my value had just gone up in her eyes.
She was so openly materialistic it was almost funny.
“It’s nothing, really.”
After that, the movie began.
It was more entertaining than I expected.
Her taste in movies seemed to be excellent, as it had both a good story and beautiful cinematography.
Just then, as I reached for the popcorn, my hand brushed against Yu U-jeong’s.
I reflexively slapped her hand away.
“Kya!”
Don’t try that on me.
Ah, was I supposed to play along with that?
Seeing Yu U-jeong’s crestfallen face, I slowly extended my hand.
Yu U-jeong’s eyes widened, then she grinned and took my hand.
But the moment she tried to interlace our fingers, I ended up slapping her hand again.