The Second Member (1): Baek Ji-an
Baek Ji-an. A direct blood relative of Baekga, one of Korea's three great guilds. One of the only three S-rank hunters in the entire Baekga family, she ascended to the position of Jamryong Daju at the tender age of 25, making her the poster child of this era's hunters.
She's a record holder who's shattered countless records set by hunters from Korea—no, the entire world—ever since her debut. Whenever people debate who the top hunter in Korea is, her name always comes up. That's how incredible Baekga's Jamryong Daju, Baek Ji-an, truly is.
"What's with that reaction? Why are you so shocked just seeing my face?"
She was my childhood friend.
"Hey, Kang Jinseong. I'm asking you. Why'd you freeze up seeing my face?"
I'd frozen in shock at Baek Ji-an's utterly random appearance, and she furrowed her brows, asking in clear annoyance. The moment I met those fierce, flickering eyes of hers, my mind snapped back to reality. I'd learned the hard way over the years that screwing up here would mean real trouble.
From the first time we met at age 10, I'd spent 15 years as her friend, and my body had internalized the Baek Ji-an survival guide. Rule number one: Never say something like, "Why'd you come without calling?"
At 20, five years ago. It was my one day off in the month, and I was lounging in my studio apartment, savoring the holiday, when Baek Ji-an showed up unannounced. I blurted out to her, who'd barged right in, "Call ahead next time."
I thought it was a perfectly reasonable thing for a homeowner to say, but apparently not to her. The second she heard it, her brows furrowed, the mood turned ice-cold, and she fired back, "What, got something to hide from me? Hiding a girl in here or something?" flipping the anger right back at me.
If that's all it had been, you might wonder why it's such a big deal. Yeah, if she'd just gotten mad and stopped there, I'd have yelled back, we'd have bickered like friends do, and it'd be over. But that incident didn't end with just anger.
I snapped at the fuming Baek Ji-an, "Yeah, and what if I was with a girl, like you said? What then?" And what happened next is why this became rule number one.
Ugh. Even thinking about it now gives me chills. That day left a massive trauma, turning phrases like "Call ahead" into total taboos between us.
So I quickly smoothed out my frozen expression, flashed a big grin, and replied, "I was just happy to see you. And yeah, surprised too."
"Hmmm..."
Baek Ji-an narrowed her eyes and stared right through me. She'd always been able to spot my lies in seconds, so I was sweating bullets.
"Whatever, fine."
Luckily, she relaxed her eyes back to normal. I really was surprised and happy, so it wasn't a lie—just that I'd mistaken her for Yoo Seo-ah and kept that part hidden. If it came out I'd thought she was some other woman...
"Ugh."
Just imagining it gave me goosebumps.
"Whoa, nice place. Leagues better than your old dump. How'd you afford this? Hit the lottery or what?"
Her admiring voice drifted from inside as she brushed past me into the house.
Unauthorized intruder detected in the Safe House...
"Grant entry permission."
Owner's intent confirmed.
Safe House security protocol deactivated.
"It's still tiny compared to your place."
I authorized her entry, shut the front door, and followed her inside. Baek Ji-an had both the skills and the cash to buy a killer house. With her family being Baekga—Korea's top prestigious house and one of the three great guilds—and her being an S-rank hunter, she was every parent's dream daughter.
Someone that loaded naturally lived in a mansion. My new place was no slouch, but next to hers? Total doghouse.
"Why compare it to mine, idiot? Anyway, here—housewarming gift."
She glanced around the living room and handed me the bag she'd been carrying.
"What's this?"
"Chimaek. Gonna drink with you and hear everything that's happened in the last three months."
Sure enough, inside was convenience store fried chicken and canned beer. Chimaek again—had it last night too. Honestly, I was kinda sick of it. But it was a housewarming gift; couldn't refuse just 'cause I'd eaten it yesterday.
"Sure, let's drink. I've got stuff to tell you too. Oh yeah, how'd the dungeon raid go?"
I set the chicken on the table and stashed the beers in the fridge when it hit me. I'd been so thrown by her sudden drop-in that I'd forgotten—she'd just come back from raiding an S-rank dungeon. She looked fine, so probably aced it like always, but as a friend, I had to worry.
"No injuries? Must've been rough."
I asked while loading the fridge, but no answer. Weird. I turned and saw her on the sofa, knees hugged to her chest, face buried in them.
"...Hah."
She always hid her face like that when embarrassed. Her super pale skin turned red at the slightest thing, so it showed right away. Guess my concern embarrassed her. Looked like she was fine after all. Reminded me not to worry about Baek Ji-an. I finished up and plopped down next to her.
Plop.
"Eep."
As I sat, she jolted like a squeaky toy, letting out a little squeak. It was kinda cute, reminding me of when we first met. Back then, she was really cute. Not this fierce at all. That was before hunter academy turned her into a wild beast. Not that I hated this side—flashes of her old self still peeked through sometimes.
Anyway, sitting there watching her, I spotted something fun.
"Your ears are red. Embarrassed? 'Cause I was worried? Aww, look at our cute little Ji-an."
Teasing Baek Ji-an was one of the world's greatest joys. If the chance arose, you had to take it.
"N-no! Not embarrassed... you idiot moron."
"Then why are your ears red? Why bury your face in your knees? Huh?"
"Eek!"
I poked her shoulder with my finger, and she shot up like a rocket.
"I-I'm gonna shower."
"What?"
"Can't you see I'm sweaty? It was a haul getting here. Anyway, I'm showering—deal with it."
She declared it and marched straight to the bathroom in my bedroom. Staring blankly at her back, her words clicked, so I pulled out my phone. And there it was.
My phone's notifications were flooded with Baek Ji-an articles.
"Articles from 10 minutes ago. So she cleared the dungeon, skipped the presser, and came straight here? In 10 minutes?"
A car ride took over an hour. No wonder she was sweaty. I'd half-expected her after seeing the news, but my phone was on vibrate during my little cleanup, so I missed it.
"Baekga and the reporters must be losing their minds."
Curious about the reactions, I tapped the article with the most comments.
=====
S-rank Dungeon Monster Dragon's Nest cleared successfully, but Baek Ji-an vanished without even a press conference. Stepping in was A-rank Hunter Baek Cho-hee, vice leader of the Jamryong Unit, who quipped, "My little sis is super skilled but super shy... please forgive her," drawing laughs from the crowd.
Baek Ji-an's knife-work clock-outs have been legendary since her debut...
=====
"Heh."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the comments obsessing over her whereabouts. I knew exactly where Korea's top mystery S-rank clock-out queen headed after her heroic clear of a world-ending dungeon—skipping the presser and all.
Right here. To my house.
"According to these, I've got a free pass to Baekga."
I muttered that ridiculous joke while scrolling when her voice echoed from the bedroom.
"Hey, Kang Jinseong. Come here for a sec."
"What's up."
I got up and headed to the bedroom. Click—the door handle turned, and I pushed open the door.
That instant, I came face-to-face with it.
Baek Ji-an, half-naked with just a big towel around her body, sitting on my bed, drying her hair with a small towel.
"H-hey! What the—where's your clothes?!"
I slapped my hand over my eyes.
What the hell was a grown woman doing in a guy's bedroom like this?!
"Where d'ya think? They're soaked in sweat, can't wear 'em. Lend me some clothes anyway. Naked shirt's... too much. Pajamas should work. Where are they?"
Unlike my total freakout, she casually demanded my pajamas like it was nothing. She'd always been super chill about this stuff, treating me like a same-sex buddy. I appreciated the casualness as a friend, but damn, I couldn't get used to it.
"Closet! In the closet! Grab some and put 'em on!"
"Kkhkh, look at you—face and neck beet red. Aww, our Jinseong's so cute~"
This punk had been saving that payback from earlier! Baek Ji-an never let one slide.
"Put on proper pajamas before you come out!"
Couldn't stay there anymore—I barked it at her and spun around.
"Kkhkhkh... Hm? Sniff sniff, hmm...? Hey, hold up a sec."
As I turned to leave, her giggling cut off into a serious tone, stopping me. Trying to tease back? One revenge was enough—don't go overboard. Friends settled it even, but she was crossing the line. Fine, I'd shamelessly stare at those massive tits in return—
I whipped around, steeling myself.
"...Hey, Kang Jinseong. Why does your blanket smell like perfume I've never smelled before?"
Her next words turned my brain pure white.