Chapter 207: Eva's Sleep Talk
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Eva's Sleep Talk
Ting—
Just then, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
Im Judy stepped out first, and we followed right behind her.
“Se-hee’s office is at the end of this hall.”
With that, she began to walk.
After walking down a corridor with a clear view of the Seoul streets below, we arrived at what looked like an office door.
Just as Eva and Hyeok-seo weren't ones for extravagance, the company's atmosphere, aside from the lobby, was perfectly modest.
Knock, knock—
“Se-hee, Mr. Kang Ha-chan is here.”
She knocked and called out to Eva inside.
But for some reason, there was no reply.
“She should be in there. Maybe she’s taking a quick nap?”
Im Judy tilted her head for a moment, then glanced at me with a slight smile and let go of the doorknob.
“Would you like to open it yourself?”
“Huh? Oh, sure, I can do that.”
It would probably be awkward for an employee to open the door on their sleeping boss, no matter how close they were.
I grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Since it was still daytime, the lights were off, and I could see sunlight streaming through the window of the dark room.
The room was filled with wooden furniture, and a sofa was placed against one wall.
A blonde, foreign-looking woman was lying on the plush, light-green sofa.
Her eyes were gently closed, her breathing soft and even.
Seeing her sound asleep, I scratched my cheek for a moment.
For some reason, I could hear Im Judy giggling behind me.
This must mean I’m supposed to wake her.
With no other choice, I raised my hand and gently tapped Se-hee’s body.
“Eva.”
“Nnngh.”
When I called her name, a sleepy mumble escaped her lips.
“I’m here, Eva.”
I called her again, and Eva’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
Her half-lidded eyes met mine.
I thought it every time I saw them, but her sparkling blue eyes were truly beautiful.
Right now, however, they were still hazy, not yet fully awake.
“...Domi?”
Her voice was lazy, as if her throat hadn't fully woken up yet.
“Sleepy? Want to sleep more?”
Even at my question, Eva just stared at me quietly.
As I watched her, about to ask again, she slowly raised her hand.
Then, she gently cupped my cheek.
“...It’s Domi.”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“It’s Domi.”
As she said that, Eva’s face suddenly shot forward.
I didn’t even have a moment to be surprised by her sudden movement before I felt a soft sensation on my lips.
Instantly, the hair on my head stood on end.
“Gasp!”
Behind me, I heard Im Judy sharply inhale.
As I stood frozen, I felt the gazes of Kkotbi and Heuksan lock onto the back of my head.
“Tsk, tsk, you idiot.”
Just as Baeksan’s short click of his tongue sounded, Eva’s eyes began to open properly.
She remained still in the position she had kissed me, but then, as if realizing what she had just done, her already large eyes grew even wider.
Eva’s eyes darted around once.
She stayed like that for a moment, then slowly pulled her head back and lay down on the sofa again.
Then she slowly turned her body and let out a quiet, even breath.
It seemed her plan was to pretend to be asleep again.
I watched her for a moment before slowly covering my forehead and standing up.
“If you’re going to pretend to be asleep, I’m leaving.”
“S-Sorry!”
The moment I said that, Eva shot up.
Her messy blonde hair, tousled from sleeping, was particularly noticeable.
Sensing my gaze, she hurriedly tried to fix her hair with her hands, only to flinch when she felt the eyes of the others behind me.
Because it wasn’t just me who had witnessed this scene, but three others and one soul.
“Ah, ahh.”
A wave of embarrassment washed over Eva’s bright red face. She covered her face with her hands and buried it in her knees.
It seemed to be an action born from unbearable shame.
“Damn it, Song Se-hee, you idiot, you complete moron.”
The occasional curse word slipped from her lips.
“I-I’ll be going now!”
Deciding she might get caught in the crossfire, Im Judy fled the room as if escaping.
Leaving her to it, I sat down on the other sofa in front of Eva.
When I glanced over at Heuksan and Kkotbi, they both quietly sat down next to me.
For some reason, Kkotbi was staring intently at my lips.
Her gaze was a little burdensome, but calming Eva down seemed to be the priority right now.
“It’s okay. Things like that can happen when you’re half-asleep.”
“H-Half-asleep, right. I was half-asleep. I’m sorry for the mistake, Domi.”
She seemed to decide she could pass it off as a mistake and quickly lifted her head to apologize.
Seeing that, I smiled a little and asked.
“Were you having a good dream or something?”
“A dream, ah, you were in it, Domi.”
Thinking she had finally gotten away with it, she spoke cheerfully before freezing.
She had just realized the implication of me being in her dream, followed by her smashing her lips against mine the moment she saw me.
I wanted to help her, but she kept digging her own grave. There was nothing I could do.
“...Should we start with the matter we asked you about last time?”
“...Yes.”
In the end, we decided to stick to business.
The topic, of course, was Shin Jong-hyeok.
Although I had asked Yu U-jeong beforehand, this was to get more detailed information about the man Kkotbi was suspicious of.
What Eva had found out was Shin Jong-hyeok’s recent activities.
“So you’re saying he’s pretty much stopped all his hunter activities recently?”
“Yes, he’s barely contacting his hunter acquaintances and has just been going here and there.”
And among those activities were several meetings with Chae-eun.
“I also found out that there are rumors among his acquaintances that he seems like a different person.”
Hearing that, I recalled what Heuksan had told me this morning.
I glanced at Heuksan, and she nodded, seemingly thinking the same thing.
This was definitely related to the Spirit World gate.
‘If an S-rank hunter’s body has been taken over…’
This situation might be far more troublesome than I thought.
I crossed my arms and tapped my arm for a moment.
Unlike Heuksan, I couldn’t sense spirits.
Besides, since it was a soul, I couldn’t guarantee that even my ability could eliminate a spirit inside a body.
‘I suppose I could try channeling an electric current enhanced with my ability into the body.’
But the possessed host would probably die first.
‘Is there no other way?’
I lifted my head and looked at Eva.
I didn’t want to trouble her when she had just recovered from her hospital stay and was finally enjoying her freedom, but it seemed I had to ask for her help on this one.
“Eva, there’s something I heard this afternoon.”
I immediately explained to Eva about the Spirit World gate.
Listening to my explanation, Eva pressed her lips together and turned her head toward the window, as if she had an inkling of what was going on.
“I thought something strange was mixed in the air recently. So that’s what opened.”
It seemed Eva could see things I couldn’t.
If so, this would be quick.
“Is it possible to extract a spirit from a possessed person?”
“It’s possible with a few preparations. It’s not that difficult.”
Eva said, but then added as if she had one concern.
“But you think that spirit is currently possessing Shin Jong-hyeok, right?”
“Yeah, most likely.”
“...Then this is more complicated than I thought. We might have to call Ahyu.”
My eyes widened at Eva’s words.
As I looked at her, asking what she meant, Eva explained.
“Because it’s a spirit capable of taking over the body of an S-rank hunter. That means it’s at least skilled enough to suppress the mind of an S-rank hunter. One wrong move, and a huge battle could break out.”
Hearing that, I understood what she meant.
Because Baeksan, right next to me, was living proof.
Just by possessing my body, which had been an ordinary person’s, Baeksan had demonstrated nearly invincible power.
Even if this spirit wasn’t as strong as Baeksan, if it was operating within an S-rank body, it would undoubtedly display immense firepower.
“Still, Ahyu should be able to subdue it.”
After all, she specialized in one-on-one combat.
“Alright. I’ll talk to Ahyu about it.”
“Okay. The World Returnee Association is probably investigating the gate’s location by now. I’ll start by helping them out.”
It would be a disaster if more possessable spirits emerged from the gate, so Eva said her piece and stood up.
“Sorry, you must be in the middle of work. I’m just giving you more to do.”
“It’s fine. This is also a dimensional entity, so it’s our job in the end.”
Eva smiled as she spoke.
“Besides, I want to grant any request Domi has.”
Could there be any words more gratifying?
Though I didn’t think much of it, Eva wanted to do anything for me since I had stepped up for her.
Grateful for her sentiment, I smiled, and Eva gave me a sidelong glance.
“Really, you can ask me for anything.”
I felt a strangely meaningful undertone in her smile.
Just then, I realized something soft was leaning against my arm.
When I shifted my gaze, I saw Kkotbi resting her head on my arm.
For some reason, Kkotbi was staring silently at Eva, and Eva slightly avoided her gaze.
There was a strangely chilling atmosphere.
It was a different feeling from when Ahyu and Seol-hyang were together.
Feeling my throat go a little dry, I tugged at the collar of my dress shirt to loosen it, and saw Heuksan letting out a long yawn as if she wasn’t interested.
For some reason, seeing her like that put my mind at ease.
“What, what are you looking at?”
I wish she would always stay just like that.
Having found a sense of comfort from Heuksan, I turned back to Kkotbi and said.
“Then, Kkotbi, do you think you could arrange a meeting with Shin Jong-hyeok through Joy?”
For now, it was a fact that Joy and Shin Jong-hyeok were dating.
I didn’t know what a soul from another dimension was trying to do by approaching Joy.
But one thing was certain: its intentions weren’t good.
So, even if Joy might get hurt later when she found out the truth, this matter had to be handled properly.
“Yes, he did say he wanted to talk to me through Joy. Since the scandal broke, he said he wanted to resolve it in a way that would affect Joy as little as possible.”
Hearing that, I felt a sense of suspicion.
‘Wait, could it be?’
Is Shin Jong-hyeok’s target not Joy?
The thought suddenly began to surface.
If he intentionally caused the scandal to get close to Kkotbi through Joy…
My expression hardened.
Kkotbi was just starting to find stability after escaping her past world.
I had no intention of letting her get entangled in something like this and suffer again.
I glanced over at Eva.
She nodded, seeming to have grasped the situation as well.
“It’s possible he’s targeting a returnee.”